wrath of the Sea Queen (194 page)

"
Well, let
me
have a look at you while we chat. 
Lie back a bit. 
Tell me if anything hurts when I press on it,
"
Salma said, switching to her professional voice.  She began quickly evaluating C
a
eli's injuries to determine if there had been any changes,
for
better or worse, since
Vin moved her from the floor
.  Salma continued her story as she worked. 

"
He most certainly did. 
Ben t
old me I
'm
officially under protective custody and not to be out of his sight. 
W
hen I
initially
refused to go along with him, he threatened to arrest m
e
…
"

"
O
uch
!
"

Salma pressed lightly on
the center of
C
a
eli's belly.
  Vin glanced over, but C
a
eli
was in good hands.

"
S
orry.  I thought that might be a little tender
," Salma moved her hands a little further to the
left
side and pressed again, very lightly.

"O
w
w
!
!  Ok, enough
.  P
lease
.  It hurts," C
a
eli admitted.

Salma furrowed her brow, but didn't offer any explanation.

"
Ok
. 
I'm
done."  Salma turned to
face
Ben and Vin as she got up
to get
a wet washcloth to run across C
a
eli's stomach.  Neither man missed the
displeased expression
on
Salma's
face.
  By the time she returned and instructed C
a
eli to wipe the cool rag across the areas that were sore, Salma's expression
had returned
to normal.

"
Do you want to draw blood for Pete now?  I'
ve been
thinking about his situation
.  If his suffering has been
anything like
what I went through
because of those
energy bars, and he
ha
s been sick for months, then he must be in terrible shape by now
.  The sooner he gets help, the better.  Don't you think?
"
C
a
eli said.

"
I agree, absolutely. 
I
t
i
s
sweet of you to offer. 
However, i
t's too soon. 
You aren't strong enough yet. 
Give yourself a little more time.
"

"
Time for what, Salma
, t
o sleep?  My body
always
feels tired
, and a
ll I want to do is sleep. 
Then m
y brain simply will not let me rest, even when my eyes are closed. 
My mind
loops through all that has happened
, and I can't seem to shut off
the playback
. 
Will this
ever
stop?  W
ill I ever
stop feeling so tired?
  If this is hormonal, I
'm not sure I'm cut out to
handle
pregnan
cy
.
"

"
C
a
eli
, d
on't even joke about such a thing!
"  Salma snapped at her in a low voice.

"I'm sorry.  I
honestly
didn't mean
that
.
"

"I know
, Dear.  Y
ou
a
re worn down right now.
  Have a little p
atience.  You
ha
ve been through
more
trauma
s
in
a few
days tha
n
most people experience in a lifetime
.  Recovery takes time.  Give
yourself
a day or two
and you will start to feel better
.
"
  Salma was taken aback by C
a
eli's careless comment.  It was completely out of character for her to suggest such a thing
, especially after what she
ha
d just been through
. 
Although Salma was certain that C
a
eli did not mean what she said, she was also thankful that
Vin did not
over
hear
it
.
 
He would become even more worried about
C
a
eli
's state of mind.  Thankfully, he was
distracted
in
conversation on the other side of the room.

"Days
?  That
may as well be an eternity, Salma.  I
don't know if I can stand being idle
much longer
."

"
You can
, and you will
," Salma insisted.

"How?"  C
a
eli could not see
beyond
the
current
moment
.  For Vin's sake, she wanted to be excited for the second baby, but she was merely going through the motions.  She hoped Salma was right and this feeling of detachment would pass.

"
You c
an
start
with a
nice, long, warm
bath. 
It will help you relax. 
I think the water will be more benefi
cial
than anything
I can do for you
,
"
Salma replied
loud enough for Vin to hear
as she stood up from the bedside
.
  The look Salma shot Vin told him that this was not a casual request.  Salma expected Vin to
ensure
that
C
a
eli
complied.  For some reason, Salma
was on edge and
did
n
o
t want C
a
eli to know what she was thinking.

"
I
woul
d much rather have a shower,
"
C
a
eli returned.  She
did
n
'
t realize, until
that moment
, how frightened she was at the thought of being submerged in water again.
  The
incident in the cave
had
left
quite
a
n
impression on her
.

"
That is o
ut of the question.  Y
ou
woul
d have to stand up for too long.  I'm not even sure that you could manage it as weak as you are; and you can't take th
e
chance.  It will have to be a bath or nothing.
"
  Salma
continued speaking
loud enough
for
Vin
to hear as he and Ben
walk
ed
over. 

"
Y
ou have a strong man who is
more than
willing
to
carry
you in there.  After all,
he
knocked you up.  It's the least he can do.
"
  Salma smi
rked
and walked away.

C
a
eli's face turned three shades of red
as
she
genuinely
laughed a
nd
pulled the sheet
up
to hide her embarrassment. 
Salma had finally broken through all of the sadness and turmoil and touched
C
a
eli
's heart with something as simple as the banter that she and Vin enjoyed. 
Ben's laughter burst forth in loud, rolling peals, and he slapped Vin good naturedly on the back.  Vin sto
od where he was, stunned
.  His face was also red, the shock of the unexpected jest rendering him momentarily speechless.  Salma turned and walked
around
Vin.  She took
Ben's
arm and led him toward the door.

"
W
e wi
ll stop by to check on you again before dinner.  Vin, do try keep your hands to yourself while
C
a
eli
bathes,
"
Salma said with a parting grin as she walked out the door.  Ben's laughter followed
the couple
down the hall.