wrath of the Sea Queen (253 page)

"
C
a
eli, I
'm curious
.  What
did Max say to you
?
"
  Vin asked.

"
He said he was sorry
about
our baby
."
 
C
a
eli
turned her face away from Vin for a moment so that she could wipe an unseen tear from her cheek. 
Max had actually said that his mother would take good care of
both
bab
ies
up in heaven
, but that
was too difficult for C
a
eli to repeat. 
Vin let her have the private moment without discussion
.  H
e was well aware of the pain
even
those
few
words caused her.  His own pain was only slightly less.

"
How did Max know about the baby?  Actually, never mind, I think I know the answer to that.  Max has a special bond with his
u
ncle. 
C
a
eli,
I need to know if
you hear
d
Michael and
Raphael's explanation
.
  Do you understand what Michael did?
"

"Yes.  There's no need to repeat it.  Once was
difficult
enough."

"
I'm sorry
; and I'm sorry
you
found out
like that
. 
A
lthough the loss
of the babies
leaves a hole in my heart
,
having you alive is
so
much more important
.  I'm
happy
to have you healthy and safe.  That
i
s all that matters
to me
.
 
Without you, there would be n
othing else.
"

"
Thank you, Vin. 
Given all the heartache
that you and everyone else ha
ve
suffered this week
, my troubles seem petty by comparison
.
"  C
a
eli
could tell that
Vin was worried about how she was coping
and
tried
to put hi
s mind
at ease.

"
C
a
eli,
t
here is nothing petty about…"

"Vin,
please,
do we have to
talk about
it now
? 
It's over. 
Could we please
leave it at that for a while
?
"
C
a
eli interrupted.
  This week had been packed full of death and sadness, and only time
c
ould heal those wounds. 
At the moment
, C
a
eli
neither wanted to
revisit
n
or examine
the details.

"
Of course
,
I understand.
"
  Vin
continued to hold her
in silence
as they stood
at the edge of the
now
calm water
.
  C
a
eli
rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him.  He reversed the
short
blanket so that he could wrap it around his
shoulders
and
encircle
her as they stood there.  After several minutes,
Vin
questioned her
further
about Max.  The boy
had
said more to
C
a
eli
than just that bit about their son.

"What else did Max have to say?"  Vin asked.

"
H
e made me aware that you are
going to have
a nice bruise
on your leg
," C
a
eli
looked
up
to see Vin smile
.

"That
strong kick definitely runs in your family.  I should probably warn Ben," Vin laughed.

"What do you mean it runs in my family?  Max is not related to me.  Salma even tested his blood," C
a
eli asked, confused by Vin's
i
nsinuation
.

"Actually, he is
, though you can't
tell it
from
normal tests.  Rika was as much Max's biological mother as Apela's wife. 
O
ne of the main reasons
Rika
chose you is because you
shared
her
linea
ge.  Therefore,
that makes
Max
a member of your
family
.  He
i
s only
distant
ly related
, but
family
nonetheless," Vin went on to explain the circumstances of Max's birth.  C
a
eli had to admit
that
it did make sense
.  I
t explained
Max's unique skillset and the
strong bond they
had
developed.

"
Vin, t
he moon will be full tonight. 
That was the deadline."

"Yes
, but you don't have to worry about it now
."

"
I know.  But, w
ith the storm
darken
ing the
sky, it will be visible
before long
. 
I would rather not
stand out here to
see
it
make its appearance
. 
In fact,
I
woul
d pre
fer not to see it at all
. 
I
a
m ready to go
inside
if you are.
  Max's lunch offer is
beginning to
sound pretty good.
"

"I
imagine
you could use
some
genuine
sleep, too
.
 
After lunch, h
ow do a soft mattress
and an afternoon nap
sound?  I
wi
ll even lend you my shoulder as extra incentive,
"
Vin attempted to entice
C
a
eli
to rest
.  As soon as she allowed herself to settle down, he knew he
r
exhaust
ion would do the rest;
but he could
read in the expression
on her face that
C
a
eli
had other
intentions
.

"
No
,
that's ok,
don't even bother to decline.  We
wi
ll forego sleep a while
longer
.  What
is it that
you want to do?
"
  Vin asked.

"I
woul
d like to see Salma.  Max mentioned something
curious
, and
I
woul
d like to
make sure her shoulder is all right
," C
a
eli replied casually.

"What did Max have to say about
his favorite
pretty doctor?"  

"
Childish fantasy
that
is not mine to
share,
but I do want to see her.  Do you mind
if I talk to her for a few minutes
?
"
  C
a
eli actually s
miled
.
 

"
That sounds mysterious.  Is
anything wrong
?"

"No," C
a
eli replied.

"All right then. 
As long as you don't mind my company
, we can go wherever you like
,
"
Vin agreed.  He was not about to be parted from her again.