Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) (34 page)

“You need to get some sleep, sweetheart. Don’t you have to be at work at three?”

“Yes,” she said and then let out a huge yawn.

“Come here and I’ll sing you to sleep.”

She nestled by his side, laying her head on his shoulder, and laced her fingers with his. Abe pulled the cover over them and started singing in a quiet, low voice.

C
HAPTER 49

Ariana woke up around noon. Abe was asleep and still had her in his hold. She moved his arm gently and started to creep out of bed, being careful not to wake him. Her toes had just touched the plush carpet when she felt two hands being placed on each side of her waist. She squealed as she was jerked back to his body, but when she looked at Abe his eyes were still closed.

“I know you’re awake, so you might as well open your eyes and kiss me good bye.”

His expression never changed. “I am not awake and there is no reason to tell you goodbye because you aren’t going anywhere.”

“Abe, I have to go take a shower and get ready for work.”

He yawned. “I thought we decided you wouldn’t leave the palace, even to go to work, without me going with you, and the sun won’t go down for another nine hours, so lay back down and get some more sleep, honey.”

“No,
you
decided that I couldn’t leave unless you were with me. The Shaman is expecting me and Becky to start work at three, and we will be fine, I promise. I lifted a two hundred and fifty pound vampire off of me last night; I think I can take care of myself.” She grinned.

“Two hundred and thirty eight pounds, never a pound more.”

“Whatever.” She put her feet on the floor again.

“There isn’t any way I am going to win this, so I will admit defeat and kiss you goodbye. Now come here and let me say good bye to you properly.”

She bounced on the duvet and he captured her before she pounced on him. “You look so good naked. You know, I could call the Shaman and tell him that you are ill, and we can do a replay of last night, take it a little slower this time. What do you say?”

Ariana pecked him on the nose. “You are so bad. And you have an extremely dubious work ethic, for a King. I’ll be back by the time the sun goes down, and we can go to that cave, if you want. You were going to show me something in there, remember?”

“What if I only mentioned there was something in that cave to take advantage of a poor innocent girl?”

“Oh. Do you know of one? ’Cause I never claimed to be innocent. If you haven’t figured that out by now, you may want to rethink marrying me on Saturday.”

“Never,” Abe growled. “And there is something pretty neat in the cave. We’ll go tonight, when you get back. You’ll have to leave early on Wednesday, so you need to tell the Shaman that you and Becky won’t be at work that day, or the next… or the next two hundred years, for that matter.”

She rolled her eyes without commenting on the work situation she assumed they would never see eye to eye on. “We might have to get a room in California that night. Rainey will be tired; she’ll be flying a lot on Wednesday.”

Abe gritted his teeth. “I guess it would be selfish of me to disagree with that plan?”

“Extremely selfish.” Ariana grinned down at him. “And then you’re not allowed to see the bride the night before the wedding, so Friday night is out as well.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” he whined.

“Well, if you’d put a wedding shop on the island instead of a club, I wouldn’t have to go anywhere, now would I? Rainey could go get Lance and Janie and Kade…”

“Who?”

“That guy in her dreams. He’s coming back with us.”

Abe frowned. “Something just doesn’t feel right about him.”

“Be happy for her, Abe. If he turns out to be a jerk, the King will kick his ass and the Queen will kick him off the island.”

That brought a smile to his face. “I love hearing those words come out of your mouth. Say it again.”

“What? Be happy for her?”

“No.”

“You will kick his ass if he’s a jerk?”

“Getting hotter,” he said as he pulled her on top of him and kissed the place where he had fed only hours before. The puncture marks had disappeared completely.

“Oh, I know, that I’ll kick him off the island?”

“You forgot one little word.” Abe smiled as he captured her lower lip with his lips and sucked softly.

“Ugh.” She pulled back. “I’ll say it again, but only after we get married.”

“That’s fine. You’ll just have to say it in front of the entire island. You do know everyone is invited, don’t you?”

“I figured as much. And I know what you are trying to do. It won’t work.”

Abe looked guilty. “I’m not trying to do anything.”

“You’re trying to make me pass out again, so you can keep me here. It’s not going to work this time. I have fully accepted my fate and it wouldn’t matter if the whole world had a front row seat at our wedding. I would smile, say I DO, and kiss my husband.”

“Ahh, there’s another word I like hearing you say.”

Ariana smiled and kissed him hard. “I will see you at sundown. I have to go now.” He started to protest. “Abe, we will be fine.”

He stuck his lower lip out, and pouted. He was so pitiful looking, she had to laugh.

“I love you, Ariana. Please be careful. Call me every hour and let me know you are okay. No, never mind, I’ll call you every thirty minutes.”

“Abe, I’m going to be working. And I have a feeling I am going to be really busy; people will want to meet the miracle healer. I’m sure I’ll be healing fevers and headaches all afternoon. I’ll see you later.” Ariana smiled and kissed him again, slipped off the bed and got dressed. Once she was ready to go, she looked at him again. Abe was staring at the wall. “Don’t be mad at me, Abe. I have to do this, for me, and if you love me… you should understand.”

Abe turned toward her and defeat was clear on his face. “I’m not mad, I’m worried. Will you at least let me put a clinic in the palace, so I can get to you if something goes wrong? It’s daylight and there is no way I can get to you, Ariana, unless we drive the Hummer into the building. That’s a thought,” he contemplated the idea.

“We’ll talk about it next week. I’ll see you later. Keep yourself busy and you won’t have time to worry about me,” she said as she shut the door behind her.

She hated leaving him in there, all alone, but this was something she needed to do. She couldn’t sit in the palace all day and watch movies, just because he thought she would get hurt.

C
HAPTER 50

Ariana could hear the shower running when she walked into her room, but she’d learned her lesson, so instead of walking in, she shouted. “Becky! I’m home!”

“Alright, girl. I’ll be right out.”

At least if Jonah was in there with her, there was a chance he wouldn’t come out naked, now that they knew she was in the bedroom.

She rummaged through her clothes to find something suitable to wear for work, and had to settle for a pair of khaki capris and a fitted blue shirt. Maybe the island’s mall manager could order her some scrubs. She always thought nurses looked neat in them. She would ask for a white lab coat, too, with a little gold name tag that read Ariana Cambridge M.D. – for Miracle Doctor.

Becky came out of the bathroom with a towel on her head. “You enjoy the rest of your night?”

“I did,” Ariana said, trying to sneak past her to the bathroom.

“Ah, come on, Ariana. You are not going to tell me any details? I guess you’re saving them for your other best friend, huh?”

“Oh, Becky. Please don’t be mad at me. Janie has been my friend since kindergarten. You said it was okay for me to have two best friends. I’m not going to treat you any different when she gets here, and she will love you just as much as I do. Please don’t be jealous of her.”

“She going to be your maid of honor?” Becky asked in a subdued voice.

“Yes, and you and Rainey are going to be my maids. I had pictured a better way of asking you, than this.”

Becky smiled. “I understand. You have been best friends forever and I’ve only been in the picture a few days.”

“I made Janie a promise, a long time ago. I said that if I ever got married again, she would be my maid of honor. What kind of friend would I be if I broke that promise?”

Becky hugged Ariana. “I would love to be your maid. Now go take a shower, you smell like sex.” Becky sniffed the air and smiled.

Ariana’s eyes shot open wide and her mouth dropped.

“See? You didn’t have to tell me anything, I’m that good.”

Ariana smiled. “It was perfect, Becky.”

As she washed her hair, Ariana couldn’t help but think of how wonderful last night had been. She took time in the shower to think about Abe; she knew there wouldn’t be time later. She could tell that he loved her; it showed in every move he made. And, finally, she could admit to herself and everyone else that she was head over heels in love with him, too.

She towel dried, applied her make-up, got dressed and fixed her hair in a neat ponytail. When she walked into the bedroom, Becky handed her a take-out box.

“I brought you a cheeseburger and fries from the mess hall. Oh, and your phone beeped.”

“Thanks,” Ariana said as she picked up her phone. She had a text message. It was from Abe – who else?
“You miss me yet?”

She smiled and quickly typed a reply.
“Yes, I do, and I’m not doing this all day, Abe. Find something to do. I love you.”

“I gotta give Jonah something real quick. You eat and, when you’re done, come and get me next door. Oh, you might want to knock first. What I’ve got to give him is… well…”

Ariana smiled and looked at her clock. “You’ve got thirty minutes. I’ll call you and then you can meet me in the garage, okay?”

Becky smiled. “I’ll be done in thirty minutes. He may not be, but that’s his problem.”

Ariana sat down at the small table and opened the box. Cheese burger and fries for breakfast… lunch… whatever. Just what the doctor ordered.

Thirty minutes later she texted Becky to let her know she was on her way to the garage. The immediate reply said,
“I’m on my way, too.”

Ariana got in her Porsche and turned on her mp3 player. She scrolled through the songs Jonah had loaded on it. By the time Becky arrived, three songs had already played, and Footloose by Kenny Loggins was blaring out of her speakers.

“Sorry, I was headed out the door and he just had to give me something back.” Becky smiled.

“Yeah, I know, you smell like sex.”

They both laughed.

“I guess I deserved that one. Let’s go to work!”

C
HAPTER 51

A few minutes later, Ariana stopped in the parking lot, across from the clinic.

He Who Heals greeted them by the door, as if he couldn’t wait to see them.

“Ah, you made it. Let me show you around.” He turned and walked through a door that led them down a hallway. “These three rooms are the patients consulting rooms. See the numbers on the doors? 1, 2 and 3. This is the waiting room – there’s a coffee pot and sugar and cream in the corner – and this is my office and yours. The patients’ medical files are on this computer and in that filing cabinet, over there. There’s internet on the computer, if you get bored.” He shuffled on, as if in a race, not giving the girls any chance to ask questions.

“This is the operating room; I have hardly ever had to use it, and I hope, now that you’re here, that I won’t have to ever use it again. Your healing powers are amazing. The patients consulting rooms are set up to cater for different ailments. For fevers, colds, headaches and such like, you’ll find most of what you need in room 1. Sprains, fractures, cuts and other trauma – room 2. And OB is in room 3. We also deliver in that room. I keep both room 3 and the operating room sterile at all times, to help with emergencies. That’s all there is. I’m going home.”

Well, that certainly explains his rush, Ariana thought. Becky threw her a look that meant she’d arrived at the same conclusion herself.

“I wrote my number down beside the phone in case you need me, but try not to need me, okay?” The Shaman picked up his hat and walked out the front door.

“Oh no, I forgot!” Ariana shouted and ran to the door after him.

“Already?”

“I forgot to tell you that we won’t be coming in Wednesday or Saturday.”

He rolled his eyes. “Today is your first day and you are already telling me you are going to miss two days this week?”

Becky stepped up. “Don’t yell at her. We are going to pick out her wedding dress Wednesday night and she is getting married Saturday night. Didn’t you receive your invitation? Maybe you’ll get it tomorrow.”

“What do I care if you get married?”

“You should! She is marrying the King!” Becky exclaimed.

The Shaman’s expression changed from irritated to embarrassed. “Oh… I do apologize for my outrage. Take as much time off as you need. Just let me know in advance in the future, so I can make plans to be here. Have a good evening, Your Highness.” He turned on his heel and scurried off to his truck.

Ariana smiled. “Thank you, Becky. I owe you one.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Ariana and Becky were headed back toward the consulting rooms when the bell above the door chimed, letting them know they had a patient.

A woman and a young boy around the age of seven or eight walked in. Ariana greeted them, while Becky sat down behind the counter.

“Are you Ariana?” the woman asked nervously.

“Yes, Ma’am, what can I do for you?” Ariana smiled brightly.

The woman’s eyes turned misty. “My son,” the woman laid her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “He has been blind for two years. The Shaman said there’s nothing he can do, but I can’t just give up hope. Please, could you try? Could you help him, with your power?”

“Well, I can certainly try. What’s your name, big guy?”

“Jacob.”

“Well, Jacob, let’s try to make you see again. I’m not promising it will work, but I do promise I will do my best. If we don’t try, we won’t know, will we? Are you ready? Come this way.” Ariana took the boy’s hand and towed him toward room 1.