Bondi Beach (15 page)

He closed his eyes
. “I love you,” he whispered.

I
reached over and squeezed his hand. “And I love you. Does your mother know?” He shook his head and fell asleep.

*****

That night, I sent a text to Martin’s mother.
Florence – Eva here. I don’t mean to alarm you, but Martin has malaria. He’s being treated for it and is with me now. Please call me when you can.
At about 11 p.m., I received a call. I picked up my cell phone and stepped out of the bedroom.

“Hello?”

“Eva, Dear, this is Flo.”

“Flo,
thank you for calling.” I didn’t want to wake Martin so I walked down the hallway and sat on the living room sofa.

“What happened?”

“I still don’t know exactly. I received a text from Martin early this afternoon. He caught a flight to Charlotte with a stop in Boston and is here sleeping now.”

“
How is he?”

“He has a fever of 103 degrees and is sweating
.”

“
Does he need to go to the hospital?” she asked, concern in her voice.

“He
doesn’t want to. It sounds like he left Gabon as soon as he started feeling sick and caught the first flight to Europe before flying here. He went to a health clinic in Frankfurt this morning.”

“Good
. He should know what to do.” She told me that he’d had malaria once several years before and had been treated in France. She had flown over from Brisbane to meet him. She’d stayed with him until he felt better before taking him back home.

I told Flo that I would keep her posted on his progress and that I wouldn’t hesitate to take him to the hospital if need be
. We hung up, and I walked quietly back to the bedroom.

His eyes were half open, and he was watching me
. “Was that my mother?

“Yes.”

He swallowed. “How is she?”

“Worried
but okay. I told her that I’d be in touch.”

“Thanks.
” He swallowed again. “Can I have some water?” he asked, his throat sounding scratchy.

I put down the phone and walked around to his side of the bed and
leaned down. “Here,” I said, holding the glass to his lips. “Drink.”

He took a few
sips and slowly rolled over onto his back. I took his temperature. It was still hovering around 103 degrees. I changed the water in the basin and wiped him down, again, before getting into bed next to him. After kissing him softly on the cheek, I lay there and listened to him breathe for a long time before going to sleep.

Not long after
1 a.m., I was awakened by the bed shaking. I rolled over toward Martin, and he was shivering. Chills and shivering aren’t unusual with malaria, and I should have expected them. I turned on the bedside light, got out of bed, and walked around toward his side. As I bent down, he opened his eyes and looked up at me. His face was wet, and I took his temperature again. It hadn’t changed. I wiped the sweat off his forehead and rinsed out the cloth. Then, I wiped his neck, chest, arms, and legs to bring his temperature down. I dried him with a towel and covered him with the sheet, blanket, and comforter, tucking them up under his chin.

I turned off the light an
d watched him as he slipped in and out of sleep. After some time, he opened his eyes. “Do you have any Tylenol?”

“Headache?
” I asked.

He nodded
. I got some Tylenol from the medicine cabinet and returned to his side, helping him sit up enough to swallow it with some water. “Thanks,” he whispered, lying back down.

“Martin
? When did this start?”

He thought for a moment
. “Headache and muscle pain in Gabon. I was getting ready to leave the field for Libreville anyway. Same symptoms as last time so I went to Germany. The fever started there.”

I stroked his forehead
. “I wish you’d called me. I would have met you in Germany.”

“No,” he smiled
weakly and reached for my hand before another bout of chills overtook him. “This is good.”

He asked for help getting out of bed to use the restroom
. He was very weak so I wrapped my arm around his waist and helped him to put his arm around my shoulder for balance. I sat him down in the bathroom. “I’m okay. You can leave me here,” he said.

I nodded and stepped out for a few minutes
. It was nearly 4 a.m., and we were both tired. I got some fresh drinking water for him and freshened the washwater in the basin. He was still in the bathroom when I returned. I remembered Jack’s old walker and went downstairs to get it. I put it outside the bathroom door a few minutes later in case Martin needed it to steady himself.

T
he diarrhea and vomiting were intermittent over the next several hours, and dehydration was my greatest concern. I texted Tess, who worked as a certified nurses’ assistant during the graveyard shift at the local hospital. After work, she went to the drug store for Cytomax, an electrolyte drink, and a box of straws and brought them over on her way home. She mixed a glass for Martin in the kitchen and, then, came into the bedroom right after I’d gotten him back into bed.

“He’s been up three times in the last two hours,” I told her
. “I don’t think he has anything left in him.”

“He looks dehydrated.
” She put a straw in it the drink and handed it to me. “Here. Try this,” she said quietly.

“
Martin?” His eyes opened a little. “This is Tess. She’s a good friend of mine. She’s a nurse’s assistant. She just brought us an electrolyte drink. Can you take some?”

He nodded, and we helped him sit up
, tucking pillows behind his back and head. He drank a little bit and remained sitting up, dozing on and off. He was able to keep it down so we tried, again, the next time he opened his eyes. After an hour, I suggested to Tess that she go home and get some rest. She left, and I gave Martin more to drink when I returned to the bedroom. It was 7 a.m., and he seemed stable. I climbed into the bed beside him and slept.

Chapter 2
9

MARCH 20

I was awakened a few hours later by a chirp on my phone. Martin’s eyes were open. “It’s my mother.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

I turned over and checked my text messages, and there was a new one from Flo
. I picked up the phone and turned back to face Martin.

“You’re absolutely right.
” I began texting Flo.
Martin is awake, had diarrhea and vomited during the night. He’s had an electrolyte drink and was able to keep it down. A friend who is a nurse’s assistant has come by to check on him.
I got up to check his temperature – 101. I climbed back into the bed beside him and continued typing into my phone.
Temperature down to 101.

Than
k you, Eva. That is good news
, she wrote.

“Do you need another Tylenol?”
He nodded so I got one for him and helped him sit up enough to swallow it and more Cytomax. Then, I changed the towel underneath him and helped him settle back down into the bed before getting back in myself.

“
Eva?”

“Mmm?”

He reached out for my hand. “I’m sorry for all of this.”

“
It’s okay. From what I read online, you should start feeling better by tomorrow.”

Martin slept through most of the day
, and I spent much of that time in the bedroom with him – either sitting up on the bed answering emails or doing chores, such as washing all of the towels as well as the clothes that were in his suitcase. Every time he awoke, I urged him to drink something. I had to help him to the bathroom a few times. Gratefully, his gastrointestinal tract seemed to have settled down considerably. I even fed him soup when he was up to it.

His second night was much more peaceful than the first had been
.

Chapter 30

MARCH 21

By morning, his coloring was returning to normal. His fever was down to 100, and he no longer had chills. Sweating was minimal.

“Hi,” he said softly when I opened my eyes.

“Hi,” I smiled, my brows furrowing. “How are you feeling?”

His eyes closed slowly and reopened.
“Better. The headache is gone. My muscles still ache a little.”

I reached out to touch his face, skimming my finger along his strong jawline.
“Would you like a hot bath?”

“
Yeah. That sounds really nice.”

“Okay.” I withdrew my hand from his face and began to move away so that I could start the bath.

“Eva?”

I turned back to look into his tired eyes.
“Yeah?”

He swallowed and managed a small smile.
“I’ve missed you.”

I
knew what he meant. After all, we hadn’t made love in five weeks. Given how he’d been feeling, however, I was surprised that it had even crossed his mind. “I’ve missed you, too.”

I moved toward Martin and kissed his forehead before going
to draw a warm bath for him. When the tub was half full, I returned for him. He was still quite weak so I helped him into the bathroom. Then, I removed his underwear and steadied him as he climbed into the tub.

“You can lay back and close your eyes
. I’ll wash you,” I told him, and he closed his eyes and leaned back on the bath pillow.

Using a fresh bar of
sandalwood soap, I created lather in my hands and gently spread it all over, starting at his neck and working my way down his arms and torso. I filled a tall cup with warm water and rinsed him with it. One at a time, I washed and, then, rinsed his legs and feet. Next, I helped him to sit up and washed and rinsed his back. He told me that he would take care of the rest, and I left him for a few minutes. While he was finishing, I stripped the bed and threw the sheets and blanket into the washing machine and made up the bed with fresh sheets. Then, I sent a quick text to Flo.
Martin’s better, taking a bath. Still weak and temperature of 100.

When I heard the water draining, I returned to help him get up and dry off before
taking him back to bed. He sat up in bed and drank some water on his own. I helped him lie back down and tucked the fresh covers up around him. Then, I climbed into bed to keep him company. He put his arm out as he had when we’d been in his bed in Sydney.

“Are you sure?
” I asked.

He nodded
. “Yeah.”

I
lay down beside him, and he wrapped his other arm around me as well. I’d been afraid that he would be too hot with me against him, but he seemed more comfortable that way and went to sleep. When we awoke around lunchtime, I was still pressed up against his chest.

“Thank you for everything,
” he murmured.

“You’re welcome
. I can’t imagine you trying to fly home.”

“It was either that or check into a German hospital… or a hotel.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I tried the hotel thing one time when
I
wasn’t feeling well. As I recall, you didn’t go for that.”

“No,” he
grinned faintly. “I didn’t.”

“I’m glad you’re
starting to feel better,” I smiled.

He looked into my eyes, and my stomach fluttered.
“Thanks to you.”

Chapter 31

MARCH 22
-APRIL 2

Over the next
ten days, Martin’s aches and pains disappeared, and his fever abated. He was beginning to regain his strength and had Skyped his mother a couple of times to let her know that he was feeling better. She was greatly relieved.

Meanwhile,
he began to venture outside as the weather was warming. At the very least, he would walk around the garden in the mornings and would sit on the deck to absorb the sun in the afternoon. A few times, Tess visited on her way home from work to check in on Martin and to be sure that he was feeling better.

When she’d heard that Martin was in town and that he was sick,
Denise dropped by as well. She even brought some food over for us so that I wouldn’t have to cook.

“
Eva,” she said, giving me a big hug. “How’s he doing?”

“Better.
” I closed the door behind her before taking her jacket and motioning out toward the deck. “He likes to sit outside in the sun and get warm. Come on. Let’s go outside, and I’ll introduce you.” She followed me out, and Martin opened his eyes when he heard the sliding door open. “Martin, I’d like you to meet my friend Denise.” I held up a bag. “She brought us some food.”

He smiled warmly
and extended his hand. “Hi, Denise. I’m glad to meet you.”

Martin began to stand, but Denise put her hand on his shoulder
. “No, please. That’s not necessary.” Instead, she sat down in one of the chairs beside him. They talked while I went into the kitchen and put some food on plates. A few minutes later, I brought lunch to everyone.

“Thanks,”
Denise looked up at me as I handed a plate to her. “You don’t have to feed me.”

“Of course I do,” I replied.
“You can’t come here and not eat something – especially since you made it.”

She laughed and blew me a kiss.

I put Martin’s plate down on the small wooden table in front of him. “Thank you,” he said. I sat down in the chair on the other side of him, and he took my hand in his. “How long have you two known each other?”

“Hmm,”
I looked at Denise, and she shrugged. “I moved to the area twelve years ago,” I told him.

“Oh,” she began
excitedly. “At the gallery – Manet’s Studio.”

“That’s right. It
was
at Jack’s gallery, wasn’t it?” I asked her. “Anyway,” I looked at Martin, “we got to talking. Then, it was lunch, and family picnics. We’ve spent a lot of time together through the years.”

“
Good friends like that are important,” Martin said, taking a bite of food.

I glanced over at Denise, who had
big smile on her face and mouthed
he’s great
, and I smiled in response. The three of us ate, chatted, and soaked in the views and the warmth of the early spring sun.

After lunch,
Denise announced that she would leave. Against her protests, Martin stood up and gave her a hug. “It was really nice meeting you. Thank you for bringing us lunch.”

“I’m just glad that I
finally got to meet you. After that Facebook photo that Eva posted after being clobbered by a surfboard, I was a little concerned!”

“
Yeah. I still feel terrible about that.” Martin had that familiar rueful look that came with discussions of his surfboard and me. “I suppose I’ll never live that down, will I?”

“No,” she shook her head, laughing. “Probably not!”

I laughed. “We’ll have you over, again, while Martin’s still here.”

“
I’d love that.” She looked at him as she pulled out her car keys. “How long will you be here?”

He chuckled, reaching back to rub his hand across the back of his neck and looking at me
. “I don’t know.”

“As long as you want to be,” I told him.

He wrapped his arm across my shoulders. “Then, I’ll be here for a while.”

We walked Denise back through the house and to the front door
where she put on her coat. There were hugs all around. After she left, Martin turned to me and said, “I like your friends.”

*****

Feeling stronger, he showered after lunch and put on some fresh clothes. He wanted to get out of the house for a while so I took him for a drive in the countryside where we could see the leaves beginning to emerge on some of the trees. I drove him to a small North Carolina town called Blowing Rock that sat at the edge of the mountains.

Ready to stretch our legs, I parked in
front of a rustic store, and we walked through the front door into the old-timey shop that sold books and knick-knacks. We wandered around for a few minutes, and Martin took in a brief bit of Americana.

The
store charged money to walk out through the back door to the site of a Native American legend. Once outside, we stood at the edge of a steep escarpment and looked down the rock walls into the forested valley below. A steady breeze blew across us, and we stood quietly and listened to the wind.

“It’s very beautiful here.”
Standing behind me, Martin wrapped his arms around me.

I reached up and placed my hand on his
arm. “I thought you’d like it.”

We stood for a few minutes as the breeze blew through the ravine and up the escarpment
. Martin took my hand, and we walked around the area for a little while. I could tell that he was growing tired, and we sat down on a large rock.

"Would you like to hear the
legend of Blowing Rock?"

He smiled
and took my hand in his. "Of course."

I leaned against him
. “The Catawba and Cherokee Indians were warring tribes who battled over the land in this area. There were two lovers – one was Cherokee and the other Catawba. They were walking up here in this very place when the man learned that he had to return to his village in order to prepare for battle. The woman begged him to stay with her instead of leaving. Torn between love and duty, he threw himself off the cliff and into the gorge. The woman prayed very hard to the Great Spirit to bring her lover back to her. The Great Spirit heard her and sent a big gust of wind, which blew the man back up on top of the rock. He was safe, and they were together again.”

“Is that a true story?" Martin smiled.

“I like to think it is," I told him.

He stroked my hand as w
e sat together for a few minutes looking out across the forested valley and hillsides. “This reminds me of when we went camping,” I told him.

He
put his arm around me. “That was such a great time.”

I shook my head
and looked up at him. “I still can’t believe the rose petals. That was so sweet of you.”

A warm smile made its way to his lips.
“I wanted to show you that I love you.”

“You have, Martin
. In so many ways.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.
” He turned to look at me. “I’m curious. What has made you feel the most loved?”

“All of it
. Probably the thing that stands out the most is that you took me into your home and took care of me.”

“You’ve done the same for me.”

“Yes, I know, but we were already together by then. You didn’t know me when you took me in.”

“Well,” he hesitated
. “I knew you in a manner of speaking,” he said, referring to his dream.

“Yes, but I didn’t know that then
. So, it’s the fact that you took me in. The flowers you sent me when I was in the hospital before we ever met. All of the flowers. Asking me to stay with you instead of going back to the hotel.” I blushed a little. “The way you make love to me and tell me that you love me.” I glanced up, and he was smiling. “All of those things have made me feel loved.” Then, I asked him. “What have I done to make you feel loved?”

“Don’t you know already?”

I shook my head.

“It’s just who you are
. I could sense that when I came to see you in the hospital. You’re warm and loving and honest. I could tell you were different when we met. But what really made me feel loved was that you trusted me to take care of you. You needed help and trusted me when I asked you to. And, then, you trusted us.”

Perplexed, I said, “
What do you mean?”

“
Eva, I’m a protector. You need to understand that about me. Maybe it’s from when I was a kid, I don’t know. I have a deep need to protect the people that I love. But I’ve learned the hard way that not everyone wants to be taken care of.”

I didn’t doubt what he was saying, but I st
ill wasn’t sure that I understood it, and he could tell. “I’m not explaining it very well,” he said. “I know that you can take care of yourself. I love that about you. That’s not what I’m talking about.” He ran his hand through his hair and looked off over the escarpment and into the distance. “When you were released from the hospital, you needed someone to look after you.”

“Yes,” I nodded.

“I offered help, and you accepted. You were vulnerable, and you trusted me to take care of you. Not only did that make me feel a
little
less guilty about hitting you with my board, but I felt needed. Useful. When I was sleeping in the recliner and you invited me into your bed so I could actually sleep, you showed me that you cared about me. I know that you had doubts about us. But you showed me you cared about me by trusting in us. And when we made love that first time and every time after that, you showed me love.”

“So, because
I trusted you – first, to take care of me and, then, to enter into a relationship with you –you felt loved.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. What part did the dream play in this?” I wondered.

“I
think it made
me
trust that what we have now and what we will have is solid. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to do the work of a relationship, but, if it’s meant to be, it showed me that it’s not just in my imagination or yours. It lends weight to the reality of ‘us.’”

“I understand.
”

We sat
for a few more moments before he said, “I’m getting a little tired. Let’s go home.”

*****

We made the drive back down the mountain and to my house in a little over an hour. It was early evening by then.

“Why don’t you rest, and I’ll make dinner?” I suggested.

Martin took me by the hand
. “Will you lie down with me?” he asked gently.

I nodded,
suddenly feeling nervous. We hadn’t made love since Sydney. I hadn’t imagined being intimate with him while he’d been sick, but I had missed being with him in that way. He seemed to feel the same way and was now becoming strong enough to do something about it.

We entered the bedroom, and he pulled
down the shades. I turned my iPod on low and set it to shuffle the songs in a random order. Creed’s “Higher” began to play. Somehow, the timing of it was perfect. Martin smiled when he heard the song begin, recognizing it right away.

“Dreams again,” I said.

“Mm-hmm,” he murmured.

When I
stood in front of Martin, I unbuttoned his shirt while he pulled mine off over my head. Reaching down, I slowly unbuttoned his jeans while he did the same for me. He sat on the bed, and I removed the rest of his clothes before taking off mine. I laid him down and covered him so that he wouldn’t be cold. Walking around to the other side of the bed, I got in gently and snuggled up beside him. He rolled toward me and held me for a long moment.

Pulling back a little, Martin
stared deeply into my eyes, his gaze as warm and gentle as his touch. “Eva, I love you so much.”

His whisper made me shiver, and h
e placed his hand under my chin and lifted it until our lips met. As we kissed, he held me in his arms and rolled onto his back, guiding me on top of him. As much as I wanted to make love with Martin, I knew that his body was still healing.

“I don’t want to hurt you
.”

His smile was sweet
and tender as he reached up and tucked some of my hair behind my ear before stroking my cheek gently with his hand. “You won’t hurt me. I’m just not very strong right now.”

Straddling him, I got into position and slowly settled down
on him, watching him close his eyes. I tucked my face into his neck and rocked back and forth slowly until his breathing changed. Gradually, I quickened my pace while trying to be as gentle as I could. With his hands on my hips, he held me as close to him as he could. Looking down at him, I watched his expression change as he became more excited. When his breathing became more ragged, he opened his eyes and watched me rocking over him before closing his eyes, again, and turning his head to the side. As aroused as I was, this was for Martin, and I wanted to be sure that this felt good for him. When I knew that he was close, I increased my speed, and we both came together a moment later.