Never Let Go (Brothers From Money Book 9)

by Shanade White

  After she’d eaten her fill of breakfast, the woman pantomimed that the girl was going to watch Calvin and helped Brooke to her feet. She followed her back through the village to the fire where Cooper and Carter were sitting surrounded by the villagers. There was obviously a serious discussion going on, but when they saw them, everyone stopped talking until they seated themselves, Brooke feeling stronger when the woman sat down next to her and took her hand.

  The chief looked at the two women seated together, hands joined, and barked out a question. The woman answered, her voice equally fierce, then shut her mouth. John didn’t translate, but Brooke didn’t like the look on his face, but then the chief asked a question in a much more reasonable voice. John turned to Brooke and translated.

  “He wants to know if Calvin is going to live,” John said, then added, “I think he’s a little concerned that they’ve made a huge mistake.”

  Brooke considered her words for a second then said, “Tell him that Calvin is doing much better this morning thanks to their quick action is getting him some help. Thank him for finding Calvin and rescuing him.”

  John looked at her like she’d lost her mind, then understood what she was doing, giving them a way out of the mess that kidnapping Calvin could possibly cause and making them the good guys. He quickly translated what Brooke said, embellishing her words even further, watching as the chief’s face changed from shock to pleasure, knowing that Brooke had just done in two sentences what he’d been trying to do all day.

  John translated the chief’s expected reply, but the atmosphere around the fire had changed. Cooper decided that it was the perfect time to officially present the chief with the gifts they’d brought and instructed John to translate a big flowery speech. The chief looked ever more pleased, so Brooke took a risk and addressed him, hoping that his good will would excuse what was obviously a breach of protocol.

  “Can you tell him that I’m very grateful for the help of this young woman, I don’t know her name. Without her, Calvin might not have made it thought the night.” Brooke addressed her words directly at the chief, but with her head bowed in respect.

  John translated her words, not needing to translate the gesture of dismissal that the chief made or the smile he gave the woman sitting next to her. Feeling braver, she added, “Could you explain that while I have a great deal of respect for their healing methods, we have a doctor in our party and that maybe Calvin’s best hope lies in a combination of the two?” Brooke said, again keeping her head bowed.

  This time, the chief wasn’t as receptive to her words, but once the young woman understood them, she interjected. There was a brief conversation with her smiling in the end and the chief pouting like a child who didn’t get his way. Brooke looked to John for a clue to what the discussion had been about.

  “He doesn’t want her to be exposed to western medicine, but she’s telling him to more or less get with the times. She says she can learn from us and be better able to heal the people of the village,” John explained. “I think she won, but I don’t think they’re going to let Carter in there. You’re going to have to do what needs to be done.”

  The chief affirmed John’s words, sending one of the men for Carter’s medical bag, but refusing to let him in the hut. Calvin and Brooke split away from the fire so he could give her instructions. “Those poultices they put on will probably do as good of a job as any antibiotic cream I have in the bag. I don’t think you can put an IV in, so grind up these pills and mix them with water, then drip it into his mouth. See if you can get your hands on some kind of broth or something and feed that to him.” Carter rattled off instructions so fast, her head was spinning.

  Seeing the look on her face, Carter grabbed her arms and said, “I know you can do this. I saw the way you patched him up when he was shot, just go with your instincts. I can’t be there for him, so you’re going to have to do it.”

  Brooke took a deep breath and squared her shoulders and demanded that Carter repeat everything he’d told her again, then got to her feet and picked up the medical bag. She looked around the fire for the woman and spotted her not far away deep in conversation with the chief. John came up to stand beside her and whispered, “She’s his daughter and he doesn’t want you corrupting her, he thinks she’ll want to leave with us.”

  When the woman saw that Brooke was ready, she abruptly ended the conversation by giving the chief a kiss on the cheek. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it and shook his head, his eyes meeting Brooke’s across the clearing. She bowed slightly at the waist hoping he understood her gratitude. She fell into step behind the woman wishing she knew her name, but not sure how to communicate that need.

  Before they went inside the hut, Brooke stopped outside the door and touched her chest, then said her name. The woman seemed to understand and did the same, but when Brooke couldn’t even begin to pronounce her name, the woman laughed and said, “Mary.”

  Together with the help of the young girl, they treated Calvin with a mixture of western medicine and rainforest medicine as Brooke had begun to think of it with great success. The wounds had become less red and angry looking, his fever had gone down, and the pain medicine from Carter’s bag had let him rest quietly all day. By the time Mary pulled her out of the hut for dinner, Calvin’s fever had broken and he was swallowing the fluids they dripped into his mouth.

  As soon as they were served their food and proper compliments had been made, Brooke gave Calvin’s brothers an update on his condition, relieved to have good news. “We have good news too, they sent a runner to the village to check out our story. If Donovan’s done his part, we should be free to leave by morning,” Cooper said, then asked, “How soon do you think Calvin will be able to travel? The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

  “I honestly don’t know, I’m not a doctor, but if they give us permission to leave then surely the chief will let Carter in the hut to treat him. He really needs more fluids, we can’t keep up by dribbling water in his mouth, even now that he’s swallowing. We’re just keeping him on the safe side of dehydration, and he hasn’t woken up yet. I don’t see how we can drag him through the jungle in that condition,” Brooke explained.

  “Brooke’s right, we need Calvin in better condition before we move him,” Carter said, then added, “I think you missed your calling. You’re doing a great job, hang in there.”

  Brooke and Mary returned to the hut as soon as dinner was over. When they got inside the hut, Mary removed Calvin’s locket from her neck and hung it around Brooke’s. Then gave her a hug and pushed her over to the pallet in the corner and pantomimed sleeping until Brooke went over and laid down. Much as they had the night before, Brooke took over when she woke up and Mary disappeared, but when she returned in the morning she wasn’t alone.

  Brooke was so relieved to see Cooper and Carter coming through the door, their hands full of more supplies, she burst into noisy tears. Mary rushed over to her and wrapped her arms around her surprised by her new friend’s tears, but then she felt the gentle swelling of Brooke’s stomach and understood. Pulling back, she looked to Brooke for conformation and only smiled when Brooke put her finger to her lips in a universal symbol that the woman understood.

  Cooper looked momentarily torn between comforting Brooke and seeing his brother, so she waved him off, but rushed over to them when Cooper began cursing under his breath. “Don’t get upset, it won’t help things. I assume you’re presence means we’re free to leave whenever we want,” Brooke said, pulling on Cooper’s arm to get his attention.

  Cooper seemed to calm down. “I know you’re right, but this makes me really mad,” he said, taking several deep breaths.

  Carter was only vaguely aware of the conversation between the two but heard the soothing tone of Brooke’s voice and ignored them, concentrating on his brother. Pleased when he’d finished the exam, he looked at Brooke, truly impressed with the skill she’d shown. “Well, the good news is that he’s definitely o
n the mend, but I agree with Brooke’s diagnosis. I’m going to get him some fluids and a few doses of antibiotics although it looks like the infection is gone. You did a good job, Brooke, now we just have to wait for him to do the rest.”

  “I didn’t do it alone,” she said, wrapping an arm around Mary, who blushed.

  Chapter 13

  It was a little crowded with the four adults in the small hut, but since they took turns sleeping they made it work, but Brooke was finding it increasingly hard to hide her condition. Morning sickness had hit her hard over the last few days. Mary had given her an herbal tea that seemed to help, but twice she’d had to leave the hut and empty her stomach before she felt better. Luckily, Mary had been the only one in the hut both times, but she knew the day was coming when Carter would figure it out, he was too good of a doctor not to notice the signs.

  She’d caught him watching her several times, and when she’d met his eyes, hoping to read what he was thinking in them, she was disappointed to find she couldn’t. Carter had obviously perfected the perfect blank face, a necessary ability, if you were a doctor. As the days passed and Calvin began to get better, Carter began spending more and more time in the hut. It felt a bit like he was stalking her, just waiting for that one thing that would confirm his suspicions.

  Carter had indeed been watching Brooke ever since one of the village men, worried about her, had asked Carter if she felt better. When he’d just looked at the man, he’d gone on to explain that he’d seen her throwing up in the woods the day before. He’d been suspicious that something was up with Brooke; she’d been behaving strangely, even under the circumstances. Once he’d started watching her more carefully, he became convinced that she was pregnant and had known that when they’d set out weeks ago.

  All the signs were there when you knew what to look for. He wasn’t sure if he was angry or excited. One thing for sure, he needed to get her out of here as fast as he could. He treated Calvin a bit more aggressively than he normally would have, hoping that he’d get better faster, but his body was pretty badly damaged and it would take time to heal. There was nothing he could do to speed the healing of his ribs or the numerous bruises. That would just take time. He had just about decided that it was time to confront Brooke about her condition when life took care of it for him.

  They’d just finished dinner, eating in the hut because the weather had turned rainy, when Brooke jumped up and ran out of the hut. Mary looked after her concerned, but didn’t dare follow her, but when they could hear Brooke retching out behind the hut, she got to her feet and put a pinch of herbs in a cup and then poured hot water into the cup. She took the cup and left the tent without ever looking at Carter and closed the door firmly behind her.

  Carter waited patiently for her to return, debating with himself whether to yell at her or let Calvin do it when he woke up. When she came back in the hut looking squeamish and a bit pale, he took the empty cup she was carrying and set it down. He helped her sit down, unable to stop himself, and felt her forehead which was clammy but cool. When he sat down, she looked up at him, waiting for him to speak first.

  “I’m not sure exactly what to say to you. My head spins when I think of all the things that could happen to you out here. What were you thinking?” Carter hissed at her through clenched teeth, trying to keep his voice low, but not succeeding.

  “Shhh, I don’t want Calvin to find out from you,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, the defiance clear in her body language. “It was my choice to come and it’s a good thing I did. Calvin probably wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t been here. Don’t think I didn’t think consider the risks, but Calvin means everything to me, without him…well, I thought about it, okay? The baby is fine, nothing is going to happen to it, just trust me, okay?”

  Carter couldn’t stay mad, between the fierce devotion in her voice, which he suddenly wished someone had for him, and his natural instinct to take care of people, his anger melted. “I’m going to keep my mouth shut, but you have to do a few things for me. If Cooper finds out, he’s not going to be so understanding. He’ll probably have you packed out of here, so you have to promise me that you’ll do what I ask.”

  Brooke considered her options, then said, “Okay, fine, you win.”

  “The first thing you’re going to do is stay in the hut as much as possible. You’re going to sleep more and eat at least five times a day. First thing tomorrow, we’re going to find someplace and I’m going to give you an exam.” Carter held up his hand when she started to protest. “It’s happening, you made a choice when you came with us. I won’t budge on this one, Brooke. I took care of you when you were sick and that wasn’t horrible.”

  Brooke finally managed to meet Carter’s eyes and saw only concern and caring in them. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being silly, but you’re Calvin’s brother. Won’t it be strange or awkward or something?”

  “No, I promise it won’t be weird, maybe we can have Mary be there with us. Would that help?” Carter knew that Brooke was feeling uncomfortable but was determined to have his way. He needed to know that she and the baby were fine just for his own piece of mind. “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “Yes, before we left L.A.” Brooke answered, knowing that she’d just ratted Marissa and Paige out. “He said that everything looked good, did tons of blood work and said it all looked normal too.”

  “Well, that’s good, but we’re still doing this tomorrow. Now go to bed, I’ll sit by Calvin tonight.”

  The next day, Brooke emerged from her appointment with Carter, she’d started thinking of it that way the night before to calm her nerves, surprised at how easy it had been in the end. He’d been both professional and gentle with her, and she found that somewhere deep in her memory she remembered him taking care of her when she was sick.

  He met her outside the hut they’d used, giving her time to get dressed, and gave her a big hug. “Congratulations, now that I know that you’re both okay, I can say it. My guess is we’re going to have a Christmas baby,” he said, a huge grin on his face, ridiculously happy for his brother all of a sudden.

  “Thank you, Carter, and I’m sorry I was such a pain, you made that easy,” she said, not able to deny that she was happy to know that everything was fine.

  But their joy was short lived. When they got back to the hut, Calvin had taken a turn for the worse, his fever soaring. He was thrashing restlessly on his pallet, the sweat beading on his forehead. Carter was in action immediately, injecting both antibiotics and a fever reducer into the line, then giving Calvin a quick once over, he shrugged his shoulders.

  “I don’t know what’s causing this, but I used the most powerful antibiotic I brought. I’ve been saving it just in case this happened,” Carter said, putting away his supplies.

  Brooke got a bowl of cold water and a cloth and began sponging Calvin’s overheated body, whispering to him as she worked. When it had only been her and Mary who had known about the baby, it’d been easy to ignore the true scope of the situation she was in. She’d been so sure that Calvin was going to recover, she’d let her guard down and begun to hope they’d all be going home together soon, but now she wasn’t so sure.

  She never left Calvin’s side that night; no amount of persuasion from Carter could convince her to move. As the night wore on and she became more exhausted from the battle to keep Calvin cool, she set down the rag and laid her head on his chest. She’d been talking to him for hours, telling him stories about growing up on the farm and the city, anything to keep him grounded to her.

  But now her hope was fading as the fever continued to ravish his body. “Calvin, you have to get better. I don’t know what I’ll do without you. We need you. Do you hear me, we need you.” Brooke was trying desperately not to cry, wanting to get the words out as clearly as possible. “Calvin, we’re going to have a baby and I don’t want to do it without you. Our baby needs you, I need you. Fight for us, Calvin, fight for us.” She let her words trail off, so
exhausted she fell asleep with her head resting on his chest.

  When she awoke hours later, Calvin’s hand was tangled in her hair, the first time he’d moved since she’d found him wounded and bloody over a week ago. Listening to his heart beating steadily, she realized that he wasn’t hot anymore, his fever had broken. Not wanting to move, but feeling her back beginning to cramp up, she sat up, gently untangling her hair from Calvin’s hand. Feeling his forehead just to make sure it was cool, she breathed a sigh of relief and got up to wake Cooper and Carter who were both sleeping in the hut.

  Brooke gently shook Carter awake. “His fever’s broken and he moved his arm,” she said, beaming down at a groggy Carter. He jumped up and crossed the room in two strides, quickly checked Calvin, then slumped against the wall in relief.

  Calvin slowly became aware of voices in the room. They sounded strange and it was hard for him to understand exactly what they were saying. As he concentrated, he realized that it was Carter and Brooke having a heated discussion. Much of what they were saying meant little to him, he heard concern in Carter’s voice, mention of an exam and the word baby. But by that point he’d exhausted himself and he hadn’t even opened his eyes.

  Time had no real parameter for Calvin. Sometimes he’d wake up in pain, his ribs throbbing. But other times he’d wake up floating on a painkiller haze to the certain knowledge that Brooke was sitting next to him. At those times, he’d feel that familiar pull he always felt around her and tried harder to open his eyes, desperate to see her face. But one night, he woke up burning up with fever with the familiar weight of Brooke’s head on his chest.