wrath of the Sea Queen (85 page)

"
Then you should listen to her.  Salma said you need
ed
to rest.  That's the only reason that I agreed to stay out here.  She believes that I will disturb you.
"

"
I
'm sorry
.  Not only have
I totally ruined your vacation
, but I also got you kicked to the couch
for no good reason.  I can't sleep
,
"
C
a
eli said
in a drowsy voice
.

"
Don't be silly, C
a
eli.  You had no way of knowing
this would happen
.  Y
ou certainly can't
stop
whatever is making you sick
, and Salma has a way of getting what she wants
,
especially
when it involves her professional opinion
.
  There was nothing you could have done to prevent this,
"
Vin replied.

"
M
aybe
I could have, but I didn't
.  Then she help
ed
me for a few minutes
, but I
w
ouldn't accept
her terms
.  I t
hought I was…
but
then I
kept getting
worse. 
She
made
me
better and then
worse
again
just to prove
her
point
.  T
he
water
helps
, but
it reduces
t
he
effect that Salma's
medicine
has on me. 
I
a
m
so
glad
that
you're here
, Vin
. 
I can't believe y
ou came all this way
for me
. 
Talk to me, Vin. 
I can barely
keep myself
awake
,
" C
a
eli's
mental
voice
softened
as she found it
increasingly
difficult to
continue
.

"
D
on't fight
i
t
, Honey
. 
Stop rambling and g
o to sleep.  You need to rest,
" Vin encouraged her.

"
I'm afraid to
sleep
, Vin
.  She scares me.
"
  C
a
eli
tossed
out the thoughts as they came to her
increasingly
fuzzy mind.

"
Who
scares you
?  Surely
you
'
re
not
scared of
Salma?
"

"
Rika.
"

Salma must
ha
ve been right about
C
a
eli's
mind being clouded.
  M
ost
of what she
said
did not make sense to
Vin
.

"
Honey,
y
ou
're
tired and
confused. 
There's no
reason to b
e scared
. 
Let
yourself sleep
.  I
'll
watch over you while you rest.  I won't let anyone hurt you.
"

"
You never would.  W
hat
would I do… without you?
"  Her thoughts began to fade.

"
You'll never be without me,
C
a
eli
.  Now, please, try to sleep.
"  Vin desperately wanted to be by her side.
  Surely
C
a
eli
would rest better on the comfort of his shoulder; he certainly would feel better having her securely in his arms.

"
But h
ow
…how
will y
ou
know
…
if she's in my mind
?
  How will you…
"
C
a
eli's eyelids
fluttered.  S
he could
n
o
t finish the thought. 
She could not hold out any longer
.  Nearly forty eight hours overdue
and
with a bit of pharmaceutical assistance,
sleep
finally overtook her.

"
C
a
eli
?
Are you
all right?
  C
a
eli?
"  Vin called
when she did not respond
.

"
She's ok, Vin. 
The medicine has
finally
knocked her out.  It might have worked sooner if you had not been chatting with her
,
"
Salma responded.

"
You overheard?
"

"
Yes
.  Next time,
at least
make an attempt to
keep the conversation between the two of you. 
Now do you understand why I do
not want you in here?
"

"
Yes. 
C
a
eli
w
ill
find
a way to stay awake if I
'm
in there. 
Heck, she still managed it even though I was out here. 
I shouldn't have doubted you. 
I'm sorry, and t
hank you, Salma.
"

"
You're welcome. 
Now, get some sleep yourself
.  I will let you know if I learn anything or if her condition changes,
"
Salma once again assured Vin that she would provide C
a
eli with the best care possible.  Although Vin knew it to be true, he needed to hear it in order to help him get through
what would be a long
night away from C
a
eli's side.

Even though she had
n
o
t
truly
slept since Friday night, t
he pain
still
woke
C
a
eli
each time it hit. 
E
nduring such bouts
used up
what little
strength she might have regained during the brief rest in between
. 
Salma
monitored
C
a
eli's
condition for
almost
two hours
before
she
noticed the
difference
after
the next
wave
of pain
roused C
a
eli.