The Dark Side of the Rainbow (15 page)

Later, in the cemetery, when she had spoken the words about life and death, she hadn’t known from where they had come. On the way back to the boat, her speech came back to haunt her as she realized they were a reflection of herself: she didn’t know how to live. All her talk about life surrounding that small plot of land, anchored in death. She hadn’t been living since Jacob died. Olivia knew what Landon had been thinking when he asked if she made her photography journeys alone. He had felt sorry for her because he, too, knew what it was like to be alone.

There was one journey she didn’t wish to make alone, the return trip she would make to the waterfall Landon had shown her that day. Olivia could almost feel the warmth of his lips on the back of her hand. The simple act of tenderness had touched her. Something marvelous had happened inside of her when she saw the raging waterfall with him by her side. For the first time, she wasn’t interested in traveling by herself to a beautiful part of the world with no one to enjoy the captivating sights from behind her lens. When Landon had offered to find her a guide, the disappointment she felt had been keen.

After dinner the idea of dancing had come to her. She wanted to regain the feelings she had felt by the roaring water. In a matter of seconds she had convinced herself the invitation was also for the good of her plan. In retrospect, Olivia knew the offer had nothing to do with revenge. She had wanted to know what it felt like to be held by him. The touch of his lips on her hand hadn’t been enough. Olivia wanted to feel the solid strength of him, body to body.

Standing up from her bed, she slipped on her shoes while donning her jacket. She needed the fresh air to help wash away all the conflicting emotions churning inside her. Desperate to flee the confines of her stateroom, she closed the door abruptly, and remembered the way Landon had kissed her. It had been everything she imagined it would be.

* * *

U
nable to sleep, Landon heard the thump of something against the wall that stood between him and Brooke. Slightly concerned, he held his breath hoping to hear something, anything, to assure him that she was all right.

Was she also awake, turning over in her mind all of the day’s events?

He sat up in bed. If he couldn’t sleep, he should at least try to get some work done. Landon turned on the light and heard Brooke’s door opening and then closing with a sound thud. She must be leaving her room, he thought.

Looking at the clock, he realized it was two in the morning. Concerned, he quickly threw on some dark grey sweats and a blue thermal t-shirt.

A few minutes later, he found her standing on the bow of
The Absolution
, leaning against the rail. When he approached, she didn’t look toward him but continued to stare out over the water. Unsure of what to say, Landon watched the wave of currents shifting on the vast lake.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed before Brooke finally spoke. “What are you doing here, Landon?” The sound of her voice was tense, but not harsh.

“Making sure you were all right.”

Only then did she turn to him with a questioning look.

“Your room is next to mine,” he explained. “I couldn’t sleep and when I heard your door closing, I became a little concerned. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll leave and stay awake until I hear you return to your room.”

Before Landon could push away from the rail, Brooke placed her hand on his. “Wait, please. I have one question to ask you before you go.”

He leaned against the metal barrier choosing to look at Brooke instead of the water. Refusing to turn her gaze upon Landon, she asked him her question: “When I commented on the name of your ship and your inspiration for choosing it, you told me it was a story for another time. I want to know why you named your vessel
The Absolution.
”

Landon took a deep shaky breath before speaking to her profile. “Have you ever done anything so tragic you were unable to forget?” He paused for a response, but she gave none, only continued to stare straight ahead. “Something so horrific that you had to live with it the rest of your life, unable to forget what happened, and unable to forgive yourself?” He could see Brooke’s hands on the cold metal of the rail. She was gripping the steel so hard her knuckles paled even more in the moon light. “I named my ship
The Absolution
because every time I set sail on her I’ll always hope to find the forgiveness that eludes me.”

Brooke was gasping, her chest heaving from the effort. He saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. He wanted to reach for her, to take her in his arms, but he was afraid.

Suddenly, she pushed herself from the rail, turned, and ran.

“Brooke,” he called to her. “Please be care-”

The early morning dew, which had already settled on the deck of his boat, was slick, causing her to slip. Not only was he helpless to prevent the fall, he was unable to catch her before she hit her head on a bitt used to secure mooring lines and ropes. The moment she connected with the cold steel, Brooke became lifeless.

The metallic taste of fear filled Landon’s mouth as he called to her while walking as fast as he could. Afraid to move her, he gingerly felt for a pulse, and found a faint one.
She’s alive
! he thought wildly. For a moment, he panicked before he managed to pull himself together, quickly making his way to the wheel house. He needed to get help.
Oh, God, please don’t let her die!

* * *

S
he heard the noise first. It was the sound of a thousand voices in one small place, echoing off the walls of her mind. Then she felt the throbbing, a hot searing pain that forced her eyes open as she gasped out loud.

Light flooded her eyes, but her mind felt submerged in darkness. “I’m here,” she heard someone say. She was instantly drawn to the sound like a moth to a flame, seeking out its comfort.

Desperate to reach the voice, she tried calling for help, but nothing came out of her mouth.

“Brooke, sweetheart, it’s okay. Lie still. You’ve been in an accident.”

Brooke? Who is she? Where am I?
She attempted to voice the questions but nothing escaped her dry parched lips. Every bit of movement caused excruciating pain to fill her head until it felt ready to explode.

Bleary-eyed, she tried making out the face with the voice. Soon, there were more faces, all a blur. Afraid, she struggled to be free from the pain and the bonds that held her. Within seconds she felt the agony begin to subside, calming her. She welcomed the darkness as it descended upon her.

* * *

“W
hat did you give her?” Landon Gray asked the nurse with the syringe.

“Something to relax her. She needs to regain consciousness slowly. She’s in a lot of pain, which will amp up her anxiety and cause her unnecessary stress. She needs to remain calm in order to heal properly.”

“How long will it take for the pain to subside?”

“It’s hard to say. You should get some sleep yourself. We can call you when she is awake.”

“No,” he said with some force. Then more quietly, he added, “I won’t leave her.”

“Very well. I will have a cot brought in so you can rest here in the room.”

“Thank you.”

The nurse nodded and turned to leave Landon alone with Brooke.

Wearily, he sat in the chair next to the bed and looked at the woman who had ripped his vulnerability to shreds. He tried to get the image of her head hitting the bitt out of his mind. Landon had been certain the blow had been fatal.

When he reached her limp lifeless body, blood was oozing from the side of her head where she connected with the cold steel. While he waited for the medivac helicopter to arrive, he realized that the wound was a hairsbreadth from her temple. Even now, he felt sick thinking about how close she had come to dying. All because of him. If he hadn’t followed her onto the deck, she wouldn’t have had a reason to run.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Brooke was wheeled into the emergency room. When the nurse demanded he stay in the waiting room, it was one of the few times in his life that he had used his wealth and influence to get his way. He told the nurse who he was and that if they did not allow him to remain with Brooke, they would regret their decision. The staff acquiesced to his demands, allowing him to remain by her side every step of the way.

After hours of tests, including a CT scan and an MRI, it was discovered that Brooke’s brain was suffering from intracranial pressure. Although slight, the pressure could prevent blood from flowing to her brain, depriving it of oxygen.

After making a quick diagnosis, the neurologist immediately placed Brooke on oxygen therapy and administered drugs that would help to relieve the swelling. He also directed that a new CT scan and MRI be completed in two hours to monitor the effects of the treatment. If the pressure did not decrease after two hours, the doctor would have to perform a ventriculostomy. The procedure involved drilling a small hole in the skull so that a plastic tube could be inserted to drain cerebrospinal fluid. While significantly less invasive than brain surgery, the thought of a hole being bored into Brooke’s head made Landon physically ill.

She was due for the next round of tests in ten minutes. He would be with her.

* * *

G
aston shut the door behind him, quietly placing his keys on the kitchen counter. It was close to ten in the evening, and the house was still. When his eyes searched the living room for Natasha, he saw her lying on the couch fast asleep.

He made his way to his children’s bedroom to check on them before going to his wife. Softly, he kissed the foreheads of his sleeping son and daughter, happy that he was home.

Back in the living room, he looked at Natasha, who was in her pajamas curled up on the sofa with a throw to keep her warm. Gaston hated to wake her, but he couldn’t resist touching her, nor could he simply leave her downstairs. Besides, if he didn’t wake her she would be upset with him.

Sitting on the end of the sofa where her feet were, he began to rub her toes and the high arch of her left foot. He could feel her beginning to stir. Soon, she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, smiling her welcome to her husband.

“You were fast asleep, mon amour, instead of pacing the floors in anticipation of my arrival home,” he teased.

Natasha stretched. “I fell asleep to help pass the time.” She looked at him with such happiness. “I want to get up and kiss you, but I am enjoying your foot rub too much.”

In a flash, Gaston reached for his wife’s arms, and pulled her to a sitting position. He took her mouth, hungry for every part of her. He had missed her. After several long moments, he withdrew. “Now, how was that compared to your feet being rubbed?”

Natasha gave him a thoughtful look. “I’m a bit indecisive at the moment and might need a little more of both to help me decide.”

“Oh, how you vex me!” He laughed. “I will do a lot more than kiss you and rub your feet in a moment, but I must tell you what has happened first.”

The change in her husband’s tone caused her to sit up straighter. “Has something happened with Landon?”

“Depends on how you look at things. Your brother is in love with Brooke Johnson.”

“How can you be sure? I know you said things seemed to be intense between them, but what else has happened to make you believe he’s in love?”

“They spent all of yesterday together. I saw them in the dining room for breakfast. We spoke briefly, and Landon told me they were going into Villa La Angostura for the day. He took her to the waterfall.”

“He took her there!” Natasha exclaimed with surprise in her eyes. “He never takes anyone there, not even me.”

The waterfall in the Arrayanes National Park was Landon’s sacred place. Most everyone had one and this had been his upon discovering it four years ago.

“Did anything else happen?” she asked, realizing that what her husband was telling her was quite possibly true; her brother may be falling in love with someone else besides Olivia Nelson.

Gaston nodded his head. “He didn’t come down for dinner last night. I called his room to see if he was all right and he didn’t answer. When I asked the employees if they had seen him, Carlos told me he was having dinner with a guest on her balcony. He had delivered the meal personally.”

“Wow!” Natasha exclaimed. “I think you’re right, and if you like her, I feel like this could be a great thing, if Landon doesn’t push her away.”

“If he doesn’t push her away, and she survives. Landon is at the hospital with her at the moment.”

“Oh, no! What happened?”

“Around two o’clock this morning Brooke was on deck. She turned to leave faster than she should have on a slippery ship and hit her head on a bitt. After a shipman called for a medivac helicopter, Landon ordered him to call my room. He asked me to retrieve Brooke’s purse for her identification. I stayed with both of them until the air transport arrived. I spoke to him right before we docked. She is stable, but has swelling of the brain. The pressure wasn’t coming down fast enough so they had to put a tube in her head to drain the fluid. She’s recovering in ICU, and Landon hasn’t left her side.”

“What was she doing on the deck that early in the morning? Was Landon with her?”

“Apparently, her room was next to his. He heard her leaving and became concerned and followed her. They were standing on the bow talking when she became visibly distraught, pushing away from the rails. Landon didn’t say why she was upset.”

Natasha was concerned. Would her brother tell her what was going on between the two of them? It was too late to call. When she eventually spoke with him, she wouldn’t pry, but she did want to know how both he and Brooke were doing. She would call first thing in the morning to see if there was anything she could do to help.

“I
had forgotten how beautiful the waterfall is, Landon,” Brooke exclaimed with a sigh as she gazed down toward the cascading water, watching as it crashed into the blue lake below them. “How fortunate we are to see something as magnificent as this.”