wrath of the Sea Queen (72 page)

"
Do you think you
wi
ll be ok for another hour?
"
  Vin asked as he waved to the man standing in the rain. 

"
I think so. 
The pain is not too bad right now
,
and
I'm not feeling
nauseous at the moment
.
"
  C
a
eli wiped her eyes one last time.  She was frustrated that they continued to tear up.
  She
could
n
o
t understand
why they kept doing that.  It annoyed her that she
was unable to
prevent it.

"
Ok, we
wi
ll postpone this talk
, but only until we get to Apela's hotel. 
I want Salma to
examine you again
as soon as
we get settled
, and then we will continue this
,
"
Vin insisted and made C
a
eli promise before they climbed out of the van.  He sent her inside to wait
, refusing to let her help
unload the luggage.

"
Sir, can I help you with that?
"

"
Yes.  If you would help me get these inside, I would greatly appreciate it.
"
  Vin and the car rental employee carried the bags to
a place inside and to the left of the door
where C
a
eli
lean
ed
heavily
against the wall
,
waiting
in silence
. 

Once inside, Vin
located Ben and Salma.  They also saw Apela and a sleeping Max.  They were all about fifteen feet
beyond where
C
a
eli
stood
.  Vin subtly moved their luggage into the shadows near the wall before he and C
a
eli went to join the
rest of the group
.  After all the greetings, C
a
eli asked
for
the favor.

"
Apela, we were wondering if that offer
might
still
be
open.  We would very much like to come and stay
at your hotel
for the week.
"

"
Of course, we would pay you
, a
nd there would be one other important matter.  Nobody can know that we are there.  You told C
a
eli that your hotel will be closed for the week.  That is exactly what we
need
,
"
Vin added.

"
We think Salma may be in danger,
"
Ben picked up the thread of the request
.

"F
or her safety, we need to find a secluded location,
her stay there
unknown
,
and not open to the public.
"

The four
waited patiently,
looking
at Apela with
hope
filled eyes,
waiting for an answer.

"
I would be honored to have you stay as my guests.  I understand your predicament and will do whatever I can to help.  First, we must see about getting you out of here.  My sister has a car out front.  She was going to drive Max and I home after her shift. 
She's an ER nurse on loan from the hospital. 
I can ask to borrow
her car
and take us all home, but then she will have to come by to get the car later,
"
Apela plann
ed
out loud.

"
Is there a bus or shuttle or perhaps a medical transport?
"
  Ben asked.

"
No, nothing like that going to my place
tonight
,
"
Apela replied.  They were thinking about it when a member of the
N
ational
G
uard u
n
it walked up.

"
Excuse me, Sirs.  Mr. Harding?  Mr. Erickson?
"
  Both Vin and Ben turned
their heads
to see one of the men they originally fl
ew
down with standing a few, polite steps away.  He was a young, fair skinned man in his early twenties, a few inches shorter than Vin.  His
blonde
hair was cropped close to his head in typical military fashion.

"
Yes,
"
both men replied.

"
I thought I recognized you across the way.  I see you have successfully rescued your ladies
.
"
  N
oticing the wheelchair that Ben sat in,
Jeremy continued.

"I
t looks like you may also have found some trouble along the way.
"

"
Yes, we did, but we're all right.  Thank you for checking on us.  Is your team intact
, J
eremy
...I'm sorry, I don't recall your rank.  What was it again?
"
  Ben asked.

"
Lieutenant
, Lt.
Jeremy Franks; and yes, we're intact, Sir.  The weather has done a lot of damage to this island over the past week. 
We'll be hard pressed to get the major repairs completed before the big storm hits. 
Actually, that is the main reason I came over.  The last downpour caused another levee to break loose.  We already ha
ve
some of the locals prepared to help our
existing
repair
effort
, including
your friend here
, Apela.  However, we sure could use all the extra hands we can get.
  The weather is supposed to get pretty bad, and storm surges are predicted over twenty feet in some areas.  That's why we need to get this particular levee fixed as soon as possible
. 
We have shifts working through the
night.  I am looking to fill another crew for tomorrow morning
.
"
 

While the lieutenant reacquainted himself with the guys, C
a
eli quietly excused herself to find a restroom. 
Salma's medicine
was
wearing off already. 
She fel
t
nauseous and her stomach
pain was getting significantly worse than it had been all day
.  Her fever return
ed
in full force. 
The
cramping
episodes were
suddenly
getting
stronger and
more frequent. 

She walked slowly around the nearest corner
and found a women's facility about midw
ay down the hall.  C
a
eli went inside and
was immediately sick in one of the stalls.  Then she made her way over to stand
unsteadily
holding onto
the sink, staring at herself in the mirror.  I look like a train wreck, she thought.  The
dark green
sweatshirt and pants given to her by the
Coast Guard
made her skin look
much
paler than normal
, and her hair was a shambles. 
C
a
eli
thought her face looked
gaunt
, as if she were
severely
dehydrated. 
That was
probably
a valid assessment
.
 
C
a
eli placed one hand on her stomach and
spoke
to herself in the mirror.

"I hope that what I did today with
my
new gift
has not hurt you in
any
way. 
I would give it up in a heartbeat if I had to choose between you and it. 
I'm sorry if my
ill
ness is causing you any discomfort
, and
I
certainly
hope you are not the cause of
all these
symptoms. 
If so, we're going to have to negotiate a truce.  Just p
lease be all right,
my
little guy."

Turning on the water, which only
t
rickl
ed
out of one faucet, C
a
eli placed her hands beneath the thin flow. 
As the cool liquid ran over her fingers, calmness beg
a
n to pervade her senses. 
She cupped the water in her hands and splashed it on her face several times. 
It did
n
o
t help as much as it
had
at the hotel, but she
would take whatever
relief
she could get
.
  C
a
eli took a few sips of the cupped liquid and could feel the tension in her body ease ever so slightly.  It would have to do. 
Hopefully
,
i
t
w
ould be enough to tide her over until she could get some rest.  When she
felt
steady enough to endure the remainder of the
road
trip, C
a
eli filled one
of the small paper
cup
s, belatedly discovered at the other end of the counter,
with
water
.  She
carr
ied
the drink
with her and
tu
rned
toward
the exit.