Trial Run: Addicted To Love Romance Collection (15 page)

As soon as he felt able to move, Rob kept his promise and prepared their dinner. The pain had lessened enough for him to manage moving around, but not enough to stop him from limping. Come to think of it, the constant hot flashes and cold shivers rattling through his body bothered him, but he didn’t say anything. The less Amelie had to cope with, the better. She was worrying too much already. He’d more than likely feel just fine again, come morning.

While the fish was steaming on the coals, he helped transport the make-shift sail to the boat, then lifted Amelie onto his shoulders so she could tie the corners to the tops of the tree trunks they’d fashioned into masts. In the morning, when he felt more rested, he would cut down a couple more trees and lash those to the existing structure for more rigidity. He cast his eyes over the hull, patched up the holes once more, and checked the rudder.

Satisfied the boat was in as good a condition as it was ever likely to be, he hobbled back to the campfire and dropped to the sand with relief. Another shudder clattered his teeth and shook his shoulders, which was odd, since he was almost touching the fire. Suddenly more lethargic than he’d felt in ages, he poked at the leaves wrapped around the fish, to check if it was done. The damn thing was taking forever!

Amelie watched Rob finish his meal, her mind brimming over with concern. Now and then, the ripple of a shiver ran through him, and she didn’t have to have a PhD in medicine to realize that was just not good news.

When they were done, she insisted he go lay down, and she tidied the camp herself. By the time she’d smothered the fire and crawled to the back of the shelter, Rob was asleep. Or maybe unconscious. She really didn’t want to think along those lines. Asleep. He was asleep. She’d hang onto that belief.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him the best she could, but he didn’t move.

Intense heat woke Amelie up, and it took a while for her to figure out where she was and what was happening. She was still pressed tightly against Rob’s body, but he’d turned onto his side – a good thing, she thought.

Then she touched his forehead and gasped. He was far too hot to be fit and healthy. Her gaze traveled down his body. His foot and ankle had swelled up like a balloon. The rag he’d used as a bandage had come loose during the night and the sight of his wound in the harsh early morning light turned her stomach. It was shiny red with a purple ring around it, and oozing.

Rob needed a hospital urgently, and the only hospital she could think of lay across a vast expanse of water, to the west. Somehow, she’d have to get him there.

Amelie jumped to her feet, uncertain of what to do first. They had planned to attach more logs to the raft around the boat, to improve it, but that wasn’t something she could do by herself. It would take her a whole day to chip away at a tree trunk with the hatchet, and knowing her luck she’d probably miss and stick the hatchet in her own foot, or worse, topple the tree on herself. Then who could help them?

No, it would probably be better to not even try. The previous afternoon they’d made it up to the reef and back with only a few inches of water seeping in. The boat would just have to make it. With a bit of luck, the wind would stretch their sail and speed up their travel. She’d ride a log all the way to Florida if she had to, to get Rob some medical attention. There was no question in her mind they shouldn’t delay their departure any longer.

With a last glance over her shoulder to his immobile form, she sprang into action. She tipped everything out of one of her bags and began stuffing as many coconuts as she could find around their shelter in it. Even her wrapped-up coconut present made it in. Next, she searched for the knife and the hatchet and threw them in, on top. She lugged the bag to the boat, swiping a bundle of vines that had been twisted into rope on the way. Anything else? She turned on the spot, surveying their home. Funny how cozy and comfortable it felt now, on the fifteenth day of their stranded existence. A chapter of her life she knew she would miss.

But she had no time for nostalgia. She mentally shook herself, doing her best to focus. Her eyes fell on the almost empty water bottle. Even without food, it would be sensible to have as much drinking water as she could gather, right? Half-way through pouring the collected rain water into the empty bottle, a sudden thought stopped her. What if those few gallons of water were all the additional weight necessary to sink the boat? She stopped pouring, eyeing the water container. With a firm thump, she capped the bottle. That would have to do.

Once the boat was packed and ready, she focused on her next task: rousing Rob enough to get him into the boat. She pulled him onto his back and shook him gently. He didn’t open his eyes. His skin was so hot, Amelie half-expected to see flames licking at his flesh. She had to cool him down. Maybe that way he would become responsive.

Painstakingly, she wetted as many rags as she could find, with the exception of the disgusting looking one that had been wrapped around Rob’s foot, and began to bathe him, starting with his face and finishing with his groin. The gray light of dawn had been singed away by bright sunshine before he finally stirred.

Tears came into Amelie’s eyes when Rob groaned and shifted his head to the side. She choked back a sob and lay a cool hand on his forehead, and Rob’s eyelids fluttered.

“Ammy?” he croaked.

“I’m here.” She reached to a gourd by her side and lifted his head with some effort. “Can you drink? It would be really good if you could sip some water.”

Rob did as she asked, then his eyes drooped closed again and his shoulders relaxed.

“Oh, no, you don’t! Don’t you dare pass out on me again!” Amelie shook him roughly, and Rob groaned and opened his eyes once more. “Come on.” She tugged on one of his arms. You need to hang onto me, because we have to get you to the –”

“We’re going out?” he asked, bemused.

Amelie stopped to stare at Rob. His eyelids kept drooping shut, and he seemed to find it difficult to focus, but he’d shuffled onto his side, so she encouraged him to stand up.

It soon became apparent standing was beyond Rob’s abilities. She eyed the distance between the edge of their shelter and the sea. If she could tug the boat right over here, maybe she could get him to crawl across the beach.

She took a step back, just enough to be out of his reach, then called to him.

His hazy eyes locked onto her, and he shuffled his way closer.

“Good boy!” she encouraged him, and took another step back.

Rob snorted but continued to crawl on his elbow and hip. “Like a doggie,” he chuckled.

Amelie smiled back and stepped away again. “Yes, like a doggie, and if you are a good doggie, I’ll give you a really tasty treat. Come on,” she called to him.

Rob obeyed, chuckling.

“This way,” she sang. “Come get me.”

Little by little, they shuffled most of the way to the shore. With a few feet to go, Rob tired. His arms shook and his brow was dripping with sweat. He tensed once, wobbled, and fell onto his back.

Amelie left him to catch his breath and ran to pull the boat closer. By the time she got it in line, she was exhausted. Even worse, Rob hadn’t moved one inch. He looked completely out of it.

She allowed herself a few tears, and then, putting all of her strength into it, she grabbed hold of his wrists and pulled. The first few tugs achieved nothing. Just as she was about to scream in frustration, she noticed it worked better if she lifted his shoulders off the sand. With difficulty, and grunting with the effort at every heave, she got him to the water’s edge. She needed to tug him just a little farther, but she hadn’t thought it through properly. The boat was just out of her reach.

With no other option, she dropped Rob’s arms and turned to the boat. The first little wave washed right over his face, and he snorted and coughed when he inhaled the salt water. But the discomfort had a welcome effect: it woke him up.

Realization shone in his eyes, and for a second, he seemed to gain enough awareness to know what he was supposed to do. Using Amelie as bridge and support, he shuffled onto one knee, then tugged himself upright on one leg, and leaned over the logs and the edge of the boat, allowing himself to slide in.

Amelie whimpered with relief. She wasted one more minute grabbing the long branch they’d used the day before so she could push away from the shore, and then she hopped in, and they were off.

For as long as she was able to shove against the ocean floor, she left Rob to his own devices and put all her efforts into getting them over to the deeper sea. She could feel the sun on her back and a light breeze caressing her shoulders. With one last powerful thrust, she drove the branch down, her hands breaking through the water. She let it go, to float back to the island. Now, all she could do was wait.

When she turned to Rob, she saw him watching her. He was awake, and still seemed aware. Maybe the water lapping all around him was cool enough to keep the fever at bay. She smiled at him.

“We’re off, captain!” she said in a lighthearted tone. “Next stop – home.”

He didn’t appear to have heard her, or maybe he was concentrating hard on something, because his eyes were locked onto hers and he wasn’t moving one muscle.

Worry swept over her, tightening her chest and squeezing shut her airways. “What’s wrong?”

Rob blinked and swallowed, then opened his parched lips and made an effort to speak clearly.

“I have to tell you something…” He sighed, then took a deep breath. “Jason… I… We…” He gave up on that and started again. “I made a big mistake… When I…”

Amelie couldn’t watch his torment any longer. He was ill and must have been in pain, but his eyes spoke of tortures of the mind. Whatever he needed to say, it could wait. She couldn’t let him punish himself that way.

“Shh,” she soothed him. “We all make mistakes.”

“But you must understand,” Rob insisted, his fists closing and opening repeatedly. “I didn’t know then… So stupid…” He shook his head, his eyes crazed with anguish.

“Rob, stop it. Stop torturing yourself. We can talk later.”

“No. You have to know. I love you, Ammy. I know I love you. You must believe that.”

Amelie smiled indulgently, not daring to hope. If he was only playing with her feelings, she would be raw and bitter for the rest of her life. Still, she wanted to believe he meant it.

“I… love… you,” Rob said, his eyes smoldering, pressing the message home.

“I believe you,” Amelie answered simply.

A slow smile spread on his face, and one of his hands lifted as if to touch her.

“Marry me,” he whispered.

Amelie gasped, then stopped breathing. Did he really mean to say that? Or maybe it was just the fever talking? Air. She needed air. How could there be so little air in the middle of the open sea?

“Oh, God!”

She fanned herself with her hands. What now? Should she pretend she didn’t hear him? All her life she’d waited for this moment, and now it had come, she had no idea what to do or say, how to react. Her brain had ground to a halt and all she had ringing in her head were sweet silver wedding bells. Not the best time! Not now. She needed to think. She needed to say something… preferably something that made sense… like yes, please!

“You must be delirious,” she said after a minute, shuffling closer to him and pressing her hand to his brow. Rob closed his hand over hers. “See? I was right. You’re burning up. Now stay still and rest. I need you to concentrate on fighting that infection. No way can I let you get away with that excuse for a marriage proposal. You’re gonna get better, and when we’re both sure you’re thinking straight, you’re gonna do it properly. I want a ring. And flowers. And maybe some champagne.”