wrath of the Sea Queen (180 page)

As they waited, Vin
described to
Ben how Max rescued him from Salma.  Ben chuckled at the boy's bravery.  Vin also mentioned the photo of Max's mother and showed it to Ben.  Vin thought it was odd that Max didn't look anything like Apela and very little like his mother.

"
It's not that unusual.  Sometimes kids pick up traits from
their
grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other family members.  Typically, you see the parents in the child, but not always.
"

"
True. 
Though i
t made me wonder about something Max said when we were out on the beach.  He said that C
a
eli told this man that he could not take Max in payment for her,
"
Vin started to explain.

"
That doesn't quite fit, Vin.  If you think Max might not be Apela's child, I could
follow
that logic. 
Perhaps t
his man was trying to kidnap
Max
, and might be his real father, but it doesn't connect with the rest of the story.  Wh
y
would C
a
eli be paying for
that
?
  Besides, she
said the man was sent
not only
to
retrieve Max, but also to punish
her.
"
  Ben was quick to
see where Vin's thoughts were headed
, but there were still some
holes in the theory
.

"
She told you that? 
I
haven't talked to C
a
eli about
everything t
hat happened yesterday.  I wanted to give her some time before I
asked about
the worst parts of it
. 
If
t
he
man
was sent to hurt her
specifically
,
there are only a few
who could have sent him
.
  Could Chief Matthews have sent him
or
Lorrie or even Rika?
There are several possibilities,
and
I think
only
C
a
eli
can
tell
us
which one is true
. 
We caught up on
much of what happened before
she was too tired
to continue
. 
However, w
e
are going to
need to finish that conversation very soon."

"I
think that would be wise
," Ben said.

"
Ben, if you don't mind,
I would like you to sit with us when
C
a
eli
i
s ready
to talk again
.  I don't want to make her
repeat any of this
, and I would rather you hear
the details
directly from her.  Your insight would be much
appreciated. 
I know
she has some of the answers; and
there is a connection between her and Max
, but I have yet to
discover what
it
is
.
"

"I
would
very much
like to hear
the
details
.  It might help me understand
something else
she told me," Ben said.

"What did she say?"
  Vin was incredibly
eager
for any piece of information that might
explain
wh
y this
happened to C
a
eli
.

"
C
a
eli
had a nightmare
while you were out of the room
, Vin. 
I had to wake her to prevent her from hurting herself. 
I
believe it
was one of those dreams of hers that play
s
out in reality.  It really scared her.  I think you should definitely talk to her about it."  Ben proceeded to give Vin a synopsis of everything he and C
a
eli discussed.

"Thanks, Ben.  I
know
a handy trick that might help me see what's troubling her.  I
wi
ll let you know what
else
I find out about the danger to Salma
, too
."

Salma helped C
a
eli
change out of Vin's shirt and into
a pair of
thin
,
cotton
,
pale blue
pants
,
and a
white
blouse.  It was a slow process because C
a
eli found that herself
extremely tired
once
again
and every movement hurt
. 
She kept closing her eyes every few minutes and drifting off. 
Even
a
few steps and
the small
movement
s
made
C
a
eli
feel like she
had run
a marathon. 
As she was getting dressed,
C
a
eli
noticed
that
she
was bleeding again, though very lightly
this time
. 

"
This is not a good sign.  You could still have internal bleeding, but at least it's not heavy.  I
wi
ll run the ultrasound over you again
to
see if I can
locate the source
.  If I can't find anything, I
a
m going to get you moved to a hospital where I can examine you with proper equipment. 
I
t's
long
overdue.  I
really should have
admitted you
Sunday night
. 
In the meantime, you are going to have to stay off your feet the rest of the day.  No more stunts like this.  Absolutely no exceptions! 
Do you understand
, C
a
eli? 
Good. 
Now, sit down
while I
get Vin
for you
.
"

C
a
eli did as she was told
.  T
hough she was not happy about it
, s
he was
simply
too tired to argue.

When the door opened, Vin was right there.  He almost laughed when he saw C
a
eli sitting in the chair b
eside
the sink, elbow on her knee, head resting in her hand.  If he didn't know any better, Vin might have
mistaken her weariness for
pouting. 
In addition,
C
a
eli
was
wearing the expression of someone who just lost an a
rgument. 
Regardless of the reason
s
,
C
a
eli was wait
ing patiently
.

"
Vin, I need you to do me a favor.  Clear a spot on the floor where we can lay
C
a
eli
down.  Spread a blanket out
so
it will be a little more comfortable
for her
.  Ben
,
please
roll that machine over next to the blanket.
"

The perplexed look on both their faces told Salma that she would have to give them more information to get them moving. 

"
C
a
eli is bleeding again
.  Don't worry
.  I
t's
only
a little.  I want to see if I can
locate
the source.  Now come on
!  G
et a move on and
help me out.
"

Both men quickly did as Salma requested.  Vin returned to the door and carried C
a
eli to the waiting blanket.

"
You know, Vin, this is getting old. 
I
feel like a
sack of laundry
being lugged around like this,
"
C
a
eli
whispered
.

Vin
grinned
and
placed
her gently on the floor.  No amount of fussing was going to persuade him otherwise.  She was in no shape to be walking around and,
whether she would
admit it
openly
or not, C
a
eli knew it, too.  Vin could see that she was already having trouble keeping her eyes open.