wrath of the Sea Queen (90 page)

"You think it was C
a
eli's blood?"

"Well, she was not as
fortunate
as Max
.  She
had a knot on her head
and some
difficulty standing
. 
While
I did not
actually
see any blood on her
,
I
'
m afraid
C
a
eli
may have suffered more t
han
I
first
realized to save my son," Apela reach
ed
the point of his story.

"How so?"  Vin asked
,
eager to hear more
.

"After
C
a
eli
walked away
, Max found this on the floor where she had been."  Apela reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal rod the approxima
te size and shape of a crayon.
  As proof of what had happened on the plane, Apela had kept it rolled up in a paper towel, not yet cleaned in case there a need
should arise
to test the material now dried upon its surface.

Max immediately began to cry quietly.  Vin inspected the rod closely as he accepted it from Apela's outstretched hand.  It was cover
ed
in a substance that looked like mud.

"What is this?"

"That is Max's special crayon that he uses on the beach.  Maku made it out of some scrap metal so that Max would not have to use twigs.  When Max retrieved it from the floor
of the plane
, it was
freshly
covered in blood.  I'm not sure what type of injury she sustained, but I
a
m fairly certain that is your wife's blood, Vin."

"I didn't mean to
hurt her.  I'm sorry, Mr. Vin," Max cried.

Vin swallowed the lump in his throat.  The metal rod was the exact same size as the white ring on C
a
eli's stomach. 
This must be what she was referring to when she mentioned her injury. 
Could this be the source of her problem?  Is this what she was going to tell him?  Maybe, but it did not account for everything.  Vin's thoughts were interrupted as Apela continued.

"
I
can never thank
C
a
eli
enough for
her selfless act.
  If her injuries are the result of what she did
or from this careless piece of metal
, I am truly sorry.
"

Apela was nearly overcome with the strong emotions surrounding the tale.  Max
sobb
ed
full force now
. 
Vin sat there looking back and forth between Apela and Max for a minute, trying to process this new information.  It could account for some of C
a
eli's behavior
and a few of her symptoms
.  It definitely answered
some of
Vin's questions.

"
See Papa
,
I knew he would be mad at me,
"
Max
whimpered
.

"
No, Max
. 
I
a
m not mad,
"
Vin finally spoke in a soft voice and
now wore
a s
light
smile on his face.
  Having i
magined
much worse injuries, this was bad, but not as awful as it might have been
.  This,
Vin
could handle.

"
You're not
mad
?
"
  Max
hiccupped
.

Usually
,
adults got
angry
whenever
Max
did som
ething he wasn't supposed to do, like running to C
a
eli instead of sitting in his father's lap like he had been told to do.
 

"
Come here, Max, please.
"

Apela
placed
Max on the floor and gave him a gentle nudge to get him moving
toward
Vin's outstretched hand.  A soft breeze soothed the air in the lounge. 

"
T
hank you
, Max
. 
You and your dad were
very brave to tell me
about
this.  It was the right thing to do and it
helps me a lot.  It
will help C
a
eli, too
.
"

"It will?"
  Max brightened at the possibility.

"Yes.  Now, Dr. Salma will know what to look for and how to fix it.  Ben, would you mind letting Salma know about this?"  Vin tossed the metal rod across the table
to Ben, who turned it around in his hand
.

"Sure
, a
s soon as
C
a
eli wakes
."

"You mean I didn't hurt pretty C
a
eli by falling on top of her?"  Max asked.

"No, I don't think so, and it would not matter if you did.
  You see, C
a
eli loves kids.  She would never let a child get hurt.  If she had to make the same choice all over again, knowing what would happen,
"
Vin looked quickly over at Apela to let him know the words were
meant
for him as well,
"
she would do exactly the same thing.  C
a
eli would never let someone as special as you get hurt, Max. 
She chose
to help you. 
You cannot be blamed for her choice. 
Besides,
I think
C
a
eli is sick
from more than
the plane crash.  Something else is making her sick.  Dr. Salma is trying to find out what
that might be
so that she can make C
a
eli better. 
In the meantime, w
e
ha
ve to keep a
close
eye on
her
.
  She has a tendency to get into mischief.
"
  Vin
was not aware that
his eyes
had become
watery
until a
tear
slid
down his cheek.

A small hand reached up, wiped the tear away, and rested on Vin's cheek. 

"
It's ok, Mr. Vin.  I will help you keep an eye on her.
"

Vin hugged Max but
could voice
no further reply.

"
Ok, Max.  It's time to run along.  Vin and I have to be leaving.  We'll be back around lunchtime.  You behave and don't bother the ladies.
"

Apela and Vin headed off to the worksite after getting Ben's promise to keep an eye on everyone.
  Vin
experienced his first sigh of
relie
f
,
knowing
now
th
at C
a
eli was improving and
having heard
the
details that Apela shared.  Once Salma found out about the metal rod, he was certain that she would be able to help C
a
eli further.
  Vin left the hotel still anxious, but on a more positive note overall.

"
Well, Max, it looks like it's you and me for a while.  What do you want to do, young pup?
"
  Ben asked.

"
Do you know how to play Go Fish?
"

CHAPTER
21

At the levee, Apela and Vin were greeted warmly by some of Apela's friends and neighbors as well as members of the guard unit.  Vin located Jeremy among the crowd and made his way over to talk to the young man.  He wanted to thank him again for his help the night before. 

Vin and Apela were assigned to the upper section, along with Jeremy and some of Apela's friends.  They were near the edge o
f a fifteen foot drop into the
waters below and
were
cautioned to watch their step.  The current on this stretch was unusually strong and fast
, even without the storm to bolster it
. 
However, because of the way the tides
ebbed and
flowed, this region
i
s
primarily where
flooding began during severe weather.  The large population in the nearby city
depended on the
protect
ion of the levee
.  It was vital that
the damage
be repaired
as quickly as possible
.

As
Vin looked at the churning water below, and then stepped away from the edge
, he could understand why it was so dangerous
. 
The ground beneath the tide
s
was rocky.  Anyone who fell in
c
ould
easily
be
killed on those rocks if the current didn't get them first
.  Even the rescue swimmers
c
ouldn't
likely
respond fast enough to
reach
a person who fell
in time
to be of much aid
.