Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (124 page)

“Good,”
Angel sniffed loudly and continued, “then hop into that
wallabug's pouch and don't come out until next week. Call a bitch
before you leave Jamaica.” A loud kiss, followed by another
sniff was the last thing she heard before he ended the call.

“Wallaby,
Angel. And I'm still in Hawaii.” She couldn't talk to herself
without adding, “whatever.” Morgan smiled at the silent
phone before dropping it beside her on the bed. Her eyes went to the
ceiling and for the first time since she got to Hawaii, her mind was
still. “Thank you, my Angel. Thank you.”

Morgan
sat up again and her hand went immediately to her head. It was the
beginning of a nasty headache that she had grown used to as a child.
“Damn. Not now.” It was mostly due to allergies, most
that she'd grown out of, but they would also be triggered by stress.
The good news was that she knew how to take care of herself; dark
room, sleep, and being surrounded by silence.

Morgan
quickly stood and found a pen and paper, then wrote a simple note to
Tanner.
Bad headache coming on. I need to be alone today. See you
tomorrow.
She tried to hurry, as she knew that the pounding would
increase as long as she were standing, but one last thing had to be
said.
Thank you, Tanner.
The note was taken to the adjoining
door and slipped underneath, then Morgan pulled the curtains shut and
went directly to bed. It was only six in the evening, but the long
walk she'd had with Tanner, and the two meals that they'd shared had
made her just tired enough to go directly to sleep.

Two
hours later, Morgan knew exactly why she had been feeling so
terrible. “No! Why?” A quick trip to the restroom in the
dark had proved to be disastrous for Morgan's plans. “Why
couldn't I have started early on my week off? Dammit!” Her
menstrual cycle wasn't going to wait, in fact, it was early. “Is...,”
she went back to the bed after taking care of herself, and sat on the
corner, “something wrong with me?” The thought that she'd
never started early came crashing down, and sparked a fear that
quickly carried her to the dresser to grab her phone.

The
first person she called was 'Ele, in which she explained her fear.
“Dear girl, you don't live on the island your entire life and
not know everyone. I'll give you a number to call, he's a personal
friend.” Morgan was grateful, and thanked 'Ele for helping her.
She also realized, after the call, that 'Ele had only referred to
him as, Doc.

“So,
it's either nerves and stress... or... my birth control?” Doc
had taken the time to ask Morgan several questions, and had her mind
at ease in no time. Starting early wasn't as serious as she'd
thought, and Morgan was relieved that everything was most likely
going to be alright. “Okay, I'll try my best to come and see
you before I leave. Thank you.”

Chapter
Four

The
following day, Morgan was feeling much better. She had awoken to the
gurgle of coffee brewing in the kitchen, and a gentle breeze blowing
through the large bay window. She watched as the curtains danced to
the rhythm of nature, and took in the wonderful scent of saltwater
and summer that filled her hotel room.

“I
could so retire here,” Morgan stretched out and smiled as she
looked at the small bedside clock. It was nearly noon, and she had no
regrets. Her phone hadn't rang once, and not even Tanner had tried to
wake her for breakfast. “At least I don't think so.” She
sat up and put her legs off to the side of the bed and tucked her
feet into her slippers and walked across the room to the dividing
door. Her hand hovered in the air for a moment, as she contemplated
knocking, but decided she would just take some time to herself.
I'm
not rushing anywhere today.

Another
smile took over her lips as she made her way to the small kitchen and
poured herself a cup of coffee, then enjoyed it slowly on the
balcony. An hour later, Morgan was showered, and beyond thrilled that
she had actually had time to spend on her appearance, beyond five
minutes. She straightened her hair, took care of her eyebrows, and
even painted her fingernails and toenails. It felt good to look
pretty, and even better that it was for no particular reason.

She
dug through her largest luggage and found a red tank that tied around
her neck, and a tight pair of jeans to go with it, then picked out a
pair of heels and set them by the door. By the time she put on some
Ruby Desire lipstick, Morgan realized she was starving and knew what
was first on her agenda.

“I
want some mothafuckin' pizza.” Yes, she would get some pizza,
then call Kala and see if 'Ele needed anything, and she would spend
the afternoon with her
family.
“I might even do some
shopping.” It had been a while since Morgan could go out in
town on her own, and just eat and shop where she wanted, and it was
something she greatly looked forward to. With her camera in hand,
Morgan set out for her day.

*****

His
cane, that he was attempting to adapt to over the crutch, echoed with
each step as it hit the tiled floor of the hotel lobby. Carlos was
pacing the length of the large room, limping from the restaurant side
to the elevators. He ran his fingers through his hair, then down his
face, and over his thick beard. He'd allowed it all to grow out over
the past few months, and to his
prize,
he knew it would be
harder to recognize his new appearance.

He
heard a car door on the sidewalk, and stopped to look out the
windows. Finally, his
information
had arrived. Carlos walked
over to the wide spinning doors and waited for the man to gather his
things and come inside. “You're late.”

“Don't
fuck with me. Do you want this shit or not?” Mendez was not
someone to mess with, and Carlos nodded silently, as the man handed
over a large manila envelope.

“Is
this everything?” Carlos began to open the file, but Mendez
stopped him with one stern look, then nodded. “Well done.”
Another envelope, this one from Carlos' front suit pocket, was handed
to Mendez. With one quick nod, the two men knew that only business
would ever bring them together again in the future.

Five
minutes later, Carlos was enjoying a cup of coffee while planning his
next move. Photos of Morgan were scattered around the small table in
the hotel restaurant, and his long crooked finger traced the length
of Morgan's image as she was leaving her hotel. Another image was a
side view of her standing on the balcony several floors high, and one
of her opening her hotel door. She was alone, and that made his body
tighten with desire at knowing how easy it would be to have her all
to himself.
Before I steal your very last breath, pretty one.

*****

Morgan
found a small family owned restaurant that she couldn't resist. The
aroma of garlic, roasted peppers, and fresh dough had lured her
straight through the front door. “Is this heaven?” Morgan
spoke to herself and smiled as a young man motioned for her to
follow. He took her to a tiny table close to the front window and
attempted to hand her a menu. “No, thank you. I'll have a small
pizza with anything the cook feels like tossing on it.” The boy
smiled and nodded. “Oh! And a soda!” Her happiness made
him smile again, and the normally shy host laughed and told her he
would be right back.

Finally,
she thought, life is back to normal. Not just normal, she smiled at
the thought, but Tanner was in Hawaii and wasn't pushing himself on
her. He was just
being my friend.
Yes, it was the start of a
wonderful day for Morgan Holland.

“Oh
shit!” Morgan dropped her third slice of pizza on the table and
grabbed her midsection. It was the mother of all cramps and it had to
happen right in the middle of her perfect lunch. She motioned for the
check, and mumbled that she needed a box, then was out the door and
headed back to her room in minutes.

The
cramps had intensified to the point of making her eyes water, and by
the time she made it to her room, she knew that she wasn't just
suffering from her normal menstrual cycle, early or not. “Shit!”
She fell to the bed and held her middle tightly. She had no idea that
Tanner, hearing her swearing and fumbling with her door, was right
behind her as she dropped to the mattress.

“What's
wrong? Morgan! What's wrong with you?” Tanner pulled her upper
body around until her head was on a pillow, but Morgan curled into a
ball and moaned.

“Cramps.
Bad....cramps.” Tanner watched her and felt completely helpless
as tears quickly covered Morgan's cheeks. He had been around women
with cramps before, even Morgan herself, and knew that something was
wrong. He covered her quickly with the soft down blanket. “Call,
Doc. The number's....in...shit! In my phone.”

For
thirty minutes, Morgan suffered alone and cursed out loud at the
pain. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she was happy to
hear the door open again.

“Miss
Holland?” Morgan turned her head quickly to see an older
Hawaiian man with long white hair and a kind smile standing next to
her bed.

“He's
the doctor, Morgan. Let him look at you.” Morgan's brows came
together, trying to process it all, but the older man took her by the
shoulder and helped her roll to her back. Tanner cleared his throat
and quickly excused himself.

“I'll
be...uh...I'll just. Yeah, I'll be back.” Morgan grabbed her
lower stomach again and moaned right as Tanner closed the door.

Tanner
had not just called, Doc. He called, got the address, went to his
office, and insisted that he pay Morgan a visit. There wasn't anyone
that was going to stop Tanner from getting help for Morgan, and he
hoped that he'd done the right thing.

Tanner
spent his time in the hotel restaurant, thinking of all the terrible
things that could have been wrong with Morgan. He also second guessed
himself with his decision to get the doctor that Morgan requested
instead of calling an ambulance. His final decision was in knowing
how much of a fight Morgan would have put up if he had chosen the
hospital, but he hoped he'd done the right thing. “Just be
alright, Morgan.”

He
had no concept of time as he waited, since most of it was spent with
his his head down and eyes closed. He couldn't think of anything
outside of Morgan, and it was the Doctor himself that snapped him
back to reality.

“You
can relax, young man. Your wife is fine.”

Wife?

“Seems
her body was rejecting her form of birth control, which I suspected
last night, but I've prescribed a new one for her.” He handed
Tanner a piece of paper, and continued. “Pick this up for her,
and make sure she starts taking it. I've told her all that she needs
to know, but in case she was in too much pain to take in, just remind
her to take it daily and to call with any questions. She won't have a
menstrual cycle to deal with in the future.”

Wife?

“She'll
be fine. Just let her rest today, I gave her something for the pain.”
The old man smiled and gave Tanner a soft pat on the arm. “You're
welcome to call me if you have any questions as well.” He
smiled and was ready to leave when Tanner's mind finally caught up.

“No
cycle?” His head tilted in question and Doc nodded.

“That's
correct. She won't...uh... have a monthly curse, so the women say.”
He shook his head, remembering the words of his sisters from years
ago, and shook Tanner's hand before leaving.

Five
minutes later, Morgan heard a soft knock on the adjoining door, and
she held her head up briefly to tell Tanner to come in. “How
are you feeling?” He walked to the edge of the bed, and kicked
his shoes off before climbing in next to her.

“This
pain makes me want to scream. Or punch something. Or rip my abdomen
out with a chainsaw.” She felt him crawl in behind her, and he
wrapped one arm around her waist, then laced his fingers with hers.
His body hugged hers tightly, and Morgan felt the weight of the world
slowly fade away. He felt safe, comfortable. She pulled their hands
to her chest, and rested her chin against his hand. “But this
definitely helps.”

Morgan
felt him smile against her back. “Well, shit. I forgot my
chainsaw at the house.” Tanner moved his hand and reached
toward the small bedside table, and pulled a plastic utensil out of
Morgan's coffee cup. “Will this work?”