wrath of the Sea Queen (202 page)

"
No, I don't think
there’s anything else to be done
, C
a
eli.  You've done enough,
"
Salma replied.

Maku noticed the small bandage on C
a
eli's arm and understood
Salma's statement
.
  He casually wondered what was so special about
her
blood.

"
Well, perhaps Max and I can talk to him; keep him company.  He
ha
s got to be bored sitting over there all by himself.  Perhaps you could go make sure that Vin doesn't empty the salt shaker into whatever he's cooking?  What do you say, Max? 
Would you like to help me entertain Pete?
"

C
a
eli got up, carrying
the
glass of water that Vin
gave
her before he left, and walked over to the chair where Pete s
at
.  Max followed her
and helped her
pull over another chair
from the table
.  She
placed it
up against
Pete
's chair
, facing him.  C
a
eli sat down, took a drink of water, and
let
Max climb up in
to
her lap
carefully avoiding her ribs
. 

"
Hi
ya
, Pete.  This is pretty C
a
eli.  She's my friend,
"
Max introduced her.

"
Hello, Pete. 
I'm C
a
eli Harding, Dr. Erickson's niece. 
Aunt Salma has told me quite a bit about you.  I was very sorry to hear about your dad and the others who received the contaminated blood.  You are very lucky to have received a smaller dose.
"

"
Somehow, I don't feel so lucky,
"
Pete replied in a tired voice.

"
Well, you will. 
Aunt
Salma is a wonderful doctor.  I
believe
she
wi
ll have you fixed up in no time.
"

"
You bet!  Pretty Dr. Salma is the best doctor.  If she says you
wi
ll be better, then it's true.  Isn't that right, pretty C
a
eli?
"
  Max chimed enthusiastically.

"
I sure hope you're right.  It would be nice to feel good again.
"
  Pete started coughing, covering his mouth with a white handkerchief.  When the
coughing
fit was over and Pete took the cloth away, there were a few specs of blood on it
. 
Pete looked exhausted.  C
a
eli
did not need any special gift to
em
pathize with his plight. 
She remembered this stage of the poisoning well enough herself. 
Though she
had
received much stronger
and repeated
doses of the poison,
Pete didn't have her natural healing ability. 
She truly hoped Salma's treatment would help, sooner rather than later. 
C
a
eli
sensed that
Pete
might not
have a later
if this didn't work
.

"
Hey, Max, do you want to show Pete a magic trick?  I bet that would make him feel better,
"
C
a
eli asked.

"
I don't know any magic tricks,
"
Max replied.

"
That's ok. 
You will be the magician's assistant.
 
I'll tell you what to d
o.
"
  C
a
eli dipped her fingers in the glass of water and
M
ax d
id
the same.  She placed his tiny hand gently on Pete's arm and covered it with her own, both of them
coming into direct contact with
Pete's bare skin
.

"
What now, pretty C
a
eli?
"
  Max asked eager
ly.

"
Tell Pete t
o close his eyes and don't peek,
"
she whispered in his ear.

Max repeated the instructions to Pete and then kept watching to make sure he didn't peek.

"
Now, I'm going to close my eyes and think about something that will make Pete feel better.
  You do the same, Max.
"
  C
a
eli concentrated on Pete and the sensation she could feel through the water. 
T
he
now
familiar tingling
of her gift responded.  C
a
eli
sat quietly for a minute or two, moving Max's hand around to make him think he was helping.  Max
quickly began
to get restless
when
nothing happen
ed
, so
C
a
eli
knew she
would have
to finish the trick quickly.

"
Ok, Max.  Say the magic word and then raise your hand up and open it.
"

"
What's the magic word, pretty C
a
eli?
"

"
Presto,
"
she whispered
again
.

"
Presto!
"
  Max hollered.

C
a
eli slipped a small
,
chocolate chip cookie into his hand as he raised it
from Pete's arm
.  She
had
subtly
retrieved
the snack
from a plate on the
dining
table
at the same time they retrieved
the chair
.  Max
jumped up in
excite
ment
.  He held the cookie out
for
display so Pete could get a good look at it and then waved it over his head so Maku could see it, too.

Pete stared at C
a
eli. 
What he felt was
more amazing than
the
discover
y
of
a hidden cookie. 
C
a
eli
actually made him feel better.  When the sensation
first started to
seep into his arm beneath her hand, Pete thought that it was either his imagination or his nerves.  He always did get nervous around women. 
W
hen the feeling persisted and began to spread through his body, Pete's uncertainty was dispelled. 
He
was baffled by the method she used to
accomplish it, but
Max's new friend
sent some sort of energy into
Pete
that
immediately made
him feel steadier
and
stronger.

"
That was quite a trick indeed,
Mrs. Harding
.  I would love to know how you did it,
"
Pete said.

C
a
eli
was relieved to see that
some of
the
pain
etched in his face
appeared
to have
eased.
  He did not look like he was on death's doorstep any longer
, but perhaps standing out on his front lawn
.  Her own weariness and incomplete recovery restrained her efforts, minimizing
the amount of
aid
she could provide
to Pete
.  Hopefully, it would be enough to hold him until Salma's treatment could do the rest.

"
Well, first you had to close your eyes, and then…
"
  Max started to explain
the trick, misunderstanding Pete's underlying question
, but C
a
eli interrupted him.

"
Tsk, tsk, Max!  A magician never reveals his secrets.  That would take all the fun away,
"
she teased and returned to her seat
on the low-backed, wicker sofa, a little unsteady on her feet
.  C
a
eli sat sideways, stretching her legs out on the bench and resting her arm and head along the curved rim of the back
.  She
promptly fell asleep
.
  Max did not sit with
C
a
eli
this time.  Instead, he ran around showing everyone the cookie and talking about the magic trick. 

Maku walked over to whisper to Pete, remarking on the fact that he looked better already.  Pete explained what he thought happened. 
Somehow, Maku was not surprised.  There was definitely something intriguing about Vin's wife.