wrath of the Sea Queen (183 page)

"
T
hat
,
I can do.  Once we get you moved over to the bed, I
wi
ll get an IV into your arm
again
. 
Don't you dare take it out this time! 
We
wi
ll
get your fluids
buil
t
up, and I
wi
ll get some vitamins into you at the same time. 
That should
make a big difference
.
  You'll start to feel a lot better.
"
 

Salma
brought
C
a
eli
a pillow and
quickly changed the subject.  She
talked
about Pete's case while
fiddl
ing
with
incidental
items around
the room.  Salma
had
figured out what was wrong with Pete
and,
since her solution involved C
a
eli, she decided to go ahead and get C
a
eli's
opinion
as
they waited for
the men
to return.

"
I th
ought
maybe I could inject him with a dose of your blood
;
o
nce you're stronger and I can draw it safely, of course.  It might
be the only thing that can
help him
at this point
.  He is
already so far gone and
getting weaker every day,
"
Salma explained her
proposed solution
.  C
a
eli liked the idea
of
being able to
contribut
e to the process
and
readily
agreed to help.  Salma made C
a
eli promise to
discuss it with
Vin first and make sure he was comfortable with the idea
, too
.

Salma opened the door and rolled the ultrasound
cart
with her medical bag and other supplies out into the hall.  She also removed
a garbage bag full of bed sheets and towels.  Now, if she could only find a way to move C
a
eli off the floor,
then
Vin could relax when he got back to the room.  Salma turned and closed the door.  Looking down at C
a
eli, she was surprised to
find her engulfed by a large
shadow.  Salma looked up
for the source of the darkness
and
saw the
two people in ski masks standing threateningly
near C
a
eli's feet
.
  One
r
ose
up
from
where he had knelt down to
restrain C
a
eli with duct tape.

"
Not a sound
,
Doc,
or you
wi
ll get a bullet right between the eyes.
"

CHAPTER
41

Vin followed Ben down the hall and into the kitchen.  He waited patiently while Ben rummaged around in Apela's pantry. 
At last
, Ben found everything he needed.  He
used
a large container of chicken broth, a bowl of shredded chicken Apela
had
cooked the night before,
a few carrots,
and a large saucepan.  He brought the broth to a low boil on the stove
and
, after simmering some diced carrots for about ten minutes,
stirred in
the
cooked
chicken
.  Next he
added
a dash of
mild spices, and let the whole thing
continue to
simmer.
  Ben
was careful not to over spice or add anything too greasy that would overwhelm
C
a
eli
's empty stomach
. 

"
That wasn't exactly a
subtle exit.  What's on your mind, Ben?
"
  Vin w
aited, leaning against the wall with his head hung down, staring at the floor.

"
I wanted to get you out of the room.  You needed to step away
to
clear your head
and regain your perspective
.  The same thing you did for me when I hover
ed
over Salma
at the hospital
. 
Heaven knows the past few days have been he
ll on
C
a
eli
and no less
for you.  Nonetheless, you won't do
her
any good if you can't think straight.  You went from clever to clueless in less than three seconds in there.  I know the situation is difficult, and I
don't mean to sound callous.  I'm trying to
help you catch your breath, Vin.
"

"
Thank you
, Ben
.  I appreciate it,
honestly,
I do.  T
h
ough, th
at
i
s not why you brought me
out
here.
"

"
Not entirely.  I know you have a lot on your mind with C
a
eli's
fragile
condition.  I wanted to remind you that she has another struggle going on as well
, internally
.
"

"I'm aware of that.  It
i
s
actually
the more troubling of the two.  I know C
a
eli's
physical
injuries will heal.  She has always been a quick healer.  I'm still having difficulty under
standing all the nuances of her internal
battle.
"

"Well, a
fter seeing that photo of
the marks surrounding
your bab
ies
and
hearing some of the things
C
a
eli
said in her sleep,
I'm pretty sure he
r
physical condition and her mental struggle
are linked.  I think you should keep both in mind.  I do
n
o
t believe you are going to be able to fix on
e without also fixing the other.
"

"
What did she say, Ben? 
What marks?  I
did
n't
notice
anything
. 
Then again,
I
truly did
n
o
t
look at the photo
all
that closely.  It was too upsetting to see what might have been,
"
Vin stated.

"
I'm sorry, Vin, but it looked like a fight
took
place inside of her.  There were gash marks on the tissue all around the
babies
.  It was as if someone tried to cut them
out of her or slice them in
to pieces.  It seems Urim's words make more sense now.  She
was
fighting for more lives than her own.  Lives plural.  She was protecting not only Max, but also your sons.
"

"
Sons?
"
  Vin looked up surprised.

"
Y
es, y
ou didn't know?  C
a
eli said it earlier.  She was half asleep and grieving over the loss of your son.
"

"Sons
.
" 
The impact hit him like a punch in the gut. 
Knowing the gender somehow made it seem even more real than the tingling sensation
of the
babies respond
ing
to his touch.

"
S
ince she was carrying twins
and didn't mention anything about a daughter
, I
'm
making the assumption
they were both boys.  I'm not sure how
C
a
eli
kn
o
w
s
, but I've heard lots of stories about mothers
being able to ascertain such details
about their
babies
.  I
just
assumed
C
a
eli
told you
the baby
she lost
was a boy,
"
Ben said.

"
A son
.
  No,
I don't think she said. 
If she did, I didn't hear it. 
We really didn't talk much about the baby.  Last night, C
a
eli attempted
to
shelter me from the loss and
tried to
bear the grief alone.  She wa
nted to protect me. 
After all she
ha
s been through, she
is
still thinking of my feelings
ahead of her own
. 
Can you believe that?"
  Vin was not at all surprised
, yet still amazed.