Caeli was the most caring person Vin had ever met, and she was unfailingly devoted to him. Even through her suffering, Caeli's thoughts had been of Vin's safety, not her own. She did not deserve to suffer because of someone else's carelessness. He hoped that Salma was going to tell him that the treatment would resolve Caeli's problem permanently. Vin couldn't even consider that it would not; and he could not bring himself to face either Ben or Salma again; not just yet. Vin kept his gaze averted as Ben finally walked up beside him and continued.
"Just to be on the safe side, I will make a few calls to learn anything more that I can on the bars tomorrow. Maybe I can find out if there were any product warnings or recalls issued. If not, we will want to let the proper authorities know. We don't want other unsuspecting people getting sick. It will give me something to do in between Salma's lectures at the conference," Ben winked at Salma standing a few steps away.
Ben already knew that Caeli was going to be all right, despite Vin's current mood. Salma had confided in him earlier. She also explained exactly what she was using to treat Caeli and the response she expected. Seeing how well she handled the medical situation, Ben appreciated Salma's skills and knowledge more than ever.
"Thank you both. Ben, will you do me another favor? I hate to ask, but I think it's important. While you are researching online, will you look up a lady named Rika? She would be associated with this area in some way. Unfortunately, that's all I have to go on. If you could find anything at all, it would be helpful. You can use my laptop; just grab it out of my bag."
Vin still did not turn around, therefore he missed the small smile that Ben and Salma shared. Instead, he stood with his back to the room, leaning his head on his arm as he stood next to the window.
He thought about the week when he discovered he could manipulate the wind. It had been the worst week ever, tortuous and nearly fatal for both he and Caeli. Now, Caeli had discovered a gift of her own, and here they were only two days into that week. Already, they had fought through a multitude of misadventures. Vin prayed there would be no correlation between the week he deemed his orientation period and what was now shaping up to be hers. He did not think either of them could endure the rest of the week at this pace.
"Cheer up, Vin. You have only heard the bad news. Turn around and see the good."
Salma smiled kindly at him, interrupting his dark thoughts as she physically turned Vin around. She pointed over at Caeli, who was walking in from the kitchen. Caeli smiled at Vin, and he quickly straightened up. Vin did not want Caeli to know that he was upset. They still had to tell her about the energy bars, and Vin did not want to scare her by the intensity of his own reaction.
To Vin, Caeli looked ten times better than she had only half an hour ago. Salma was correct. The cure was working quickly to restore the damage done over the past few weeks. Caeli's smile lifted a great weight from Vin's heart. He rushed over to take her hand and sit her down on one of the three small sofas in the lounge.
"Stay there; I will be right back." Vin was only gone for a moment. He returned with a cold bottle of water, which he offered to Caeli.
"Here, you look like you could use this."
"Oh, tell me she didn't get to you, too. Salma is under the mistaken impression that my illness has turned me into a dried up cactus in the middle of the scorched desert. She has made it her mission to rehydrate me, bottle by bottle, failing to realize that I can only hold so much water before I explode. I'm already at the bloated hippopotamus stage," Caeli teased, yawned, and then took a drink.
CHAPTER 28
"The energy bars? You're sure?"
"Yes. They have been gradually poisoning you for weeks. The circumstances of the past two days have worn you down to the point that your body wasn't able to fight it off any longer. That is why you were having so much pain," Vin repeated Salma's earlier explanation.
"That can't be right. Salma must have made a mistake. Maybe some of my blood got into her sample. That has to be why the chemicals match so perfectly with the bars."
"There's no mistake, Caeli. Salma doesn't make that type of mistake. I'm sure she double-checked; and you are getting better."
"But, it's simply not possible. It can't be right." Caeli's gentle protest continued.
She had returned from the kitchen to let everyone know that dinner would be ready in twenty minutes. Ben and Salma went to their room to freshen up. Max rushed into the kitchen to see if he could finagle another tasty tidbit from his father. Vin and Caeli had a few minutes alone, and Vin decided to fill her in on Salma's discovery.
"Why not? I thought you would be relieved. I definitely welcomed the news because not knowing scared me to death. I have to admit that I was disturbed at the thought of you being poisoned; but then, when I considered your symptoms, it makes sense. Honey, it's treatable. Look how much better you are already."
"True. I am better, and that is good; but no, it doesn't make sense. If the energy bars were contaminated, then Lara would have been sick."
"Maybe her bars were from a different batch."
"Maybe she was sick, and I didn't notice. What kind of friend am I? Vin, I have to call her. I have to warn her. If it is the bars, she might already be in serious trouble," Caeli began to fear for her friend. Lara did not have Caeli's unique healing ability or gift with water. She rushed out of the lounge and into their room, scrambling to locate her purse and cell phone.
"Where is she off to in such a hurry?" Ben asked as he and Salma returned.
"Calling her friend Lara who introduced her to the energy bars."
"Ah, that's understandable. Are you prepared for the outcome of that call?" Ben asked.
"I doubt Lara is sick. Caeli would have noticed it in New York. Lara was eating the bars long before Caeli. She probably didn't receive any from the contaminated batch."
"You are probably right. Yet, I seem to recall Caeli mentioning something about getting her bars from her friend until she could order her own. We don't really know which batch was contaminated, do we?"
"No, I suppose not. Still, as Caeli said, Lara would have been sick in New York if her bars were the bad ones. Caeli would have noticed."
"Would she? Did Caeli spend a lot of time with her friend or did she stay cooped up in her hotel room because she wasn't feeling well?"
"Good point; and it was the latter."
"So, given all that, it is possible that her friend could have been sick, too, and Caeli didn't notice."
"Yes, it's possible," Vin conceded.
"And if her friend received poison in a dosage similar to Caeli, and it started before Caeli's trouble began, then there is a very good chance that she is already dead. I don't imagine Caeli will take such news very well."
"Excuse me, Ben." Vin rushed out of the lounge.
Caeli dumped the contents of her purse onto the top of the dresser as she searched franticly for her cell phone. As she did, a small brown bag fell into the center of the pile. Caeli picked it up and carried it into the bathroom as she dialed Lara's phone number. She intended to throw the bag and its contents away, but stopped in front of the waste basket.
Lara's phone rang four times and then transferred her into voicemail. Caeli left a brief message to return her call as soon as possible. She would try to reach Lara again later, preferring not to divulge this type of news in a recording. After hanging up the phone and setting it aside, Caeli removed the contents of the brown bag.
"I was so sure, but then nature tagged along and proved me wrong." Caeli placed her hand over her stomach and let it rest there for a moment. She closed her eyes and concentrated. For a moment, there was nothing. Then, ever so briefly, she felt it again. It was the same sensation that made her consider the notion in the first place. Caeli's eyes flew open.
"How can that be? I must be trying to convince myself that it's true. It can't possibly be true. But, if it is, then something else is causing my bleeding…oh, what the heck? I've got the test. I might as well use it. If nothing else
, Salma will get a kick out of my naivety."
Three minutes later, Caeli had her answer. She was positively happy about it and relieved. Caeli had initially been concerned that the harsh chemicals running through her body might have misled her, making her believe the condition to be true when it wasn't. Recalling what she had just learned about the poison, her worry reshaped into a concern that the baby might be endangered by the toxins or by Salma's medicine. Both possibilities were frightening and weighed heavily on her mind; but at least now she was certain. The stress of not knowing plagued her no more.
Caeli also noticed that her earlier bleeding problem seemed to have stopped. It wasn't her normal cycle after all; probably just stress related. That was not uncommon for her. She was happy, but would have to remember to ask Salma to check on it after she shared the good news with Vin. How was she going to do that? With so many other worries, Caeli did not want this to get lost as a side note. She already knew the answer and would make it special for him. Vin deserved that. For the first time since they arrived, Caeli was feeling excited and happy again.
"Caeli?" Vin called from the outer room.
"Be right out." She quickly hid the evidence, washed up, and went out to greet Vin with a kiss.
"Does that kiss mean everything is ok with Lara?"
"I got her voicemail. I'll try again later." Caeli felt a little guilty for the smile on her face as she truly was concerned about her friend.
"Everything ok with you?" Vin couldn't miss the change in her mood.
"I love you, Vin." Caeli kissed him again and led him out of the room.
While Caeli and Apela put the final touches on the meal, Ben and Salma sat together in the lounge, and Vin sat on a high stool at the counter where he could continue his vigil. Max, who was playing quietly in the lounge, enjoyed his part in Vin's game. He liked being able to help keep an eye on pretty Caeli. When requested, Max would happily go and ask for a bite of food. Generally, he came back with a smile on his face, chewing on the requested morsel. Each trip, Max also walked up to Vin and placed the same requested tidbit in his hand. It was a clear indication that Caeli knew exactly what Vin was doing. Vin would smile, thank Max for helping him, and continue his conversation with Ben and Salma. Only once did Max come back empty-handed. He said that Papa told him to stop bugging pretty Caeli cause dinner was on its way to the table. Apela was teaching Caeli about Hawaiian flavors, managing to do most of the actual cooking himself. Caeli assumed Vin was responsible for that as well.
Salma and Ben were discussing her seminar scheduled for tomorrow morning. She did not have to be there until nine o'clock to present a two hour seminar, and then Salma was supposed to give a quick, ten minute speech at the beginning of the lunch session. Salma didn't want Ben to go. She wanted him to stay at the hotel to rest and allow his back more time to heal. Vin knew Salma was fighting a losing battle. After the trouble at the lighthouse and the news reporting that the protests were getting more aggressive, there was no way Ben would allow Salma to go out alone. Instead, Ben was attempting, unsuccessfully, to convince her to cancel. At the very least, Ben would be accompanying her.
Vin wanted to go along as well. Ben would need his help if he ran into any further trouble. On the other hand, Vin also wanted to stay with Caeli. She was markedly better, but not up to par yet. He was torn between the two and had not yet made up his mind. Perhaps if Caeli's improvement continued after a good night's sleep, then Vin would go. He definitely would not let Caeli attend. He was prepared for the fact that she would not be happy about it, but Vin did not intend to budge on this. He did not want Caeli anywhere near the conference if there was the slightest chance that she could get hurt. She had been through enough already. Caeli still needed time to recuperate whether she admitted it or not. Vin intended to see that she did.
Apela and Caeli served dinner, and everyone commented on how wonderful it tasted. Max particularly enjoyed the chocolate and coconut pie, and sat on Caeli's lap while he ate it. Caeli could not contain her smile. She leaned over several times during dinner to wrangle a kiss from Vin, who didn't complain.
"Oh, get a room," Salma teased as she ate. Her appetite was uncommonly large today. For some reason, the food tasted exceptionally good. She enjoyed a second helping of nearly everything, even the pie. Then again, it could be that the food merely provided comfort after a particularly trying day.
"Tempting," Vin whispered, out of earshot of Max, as he looked longingly at Caeli and the resultant blush on her face.
"Now look what you've started," Ben joked.
"Alas, there are dishes to be washed," Vin replied in mock grievance.
Everyone laughed, and the mood at the dinner table was pleasant. Salma offered to join Vin with the cleanup, since Apela and Caeli had prepared the meal. Ben offered his assistance as well, but Salma insisted that he would be more helpful taking it easy on his back and keeping Caeli company. Apela bid them all good night, arranged to drive them to the conference the next morning, and ushered a protesting Max off to bed.
After brief discussions about the food and weather, Ben finally broached the subject that had been on his mind for two days.
"Well Lass, I couldn't help but notice that big grin on your face. I don't think it is solely because you are feeling better. Salma told me what you thought happened earlier, but I suspect that you might finally have some good news. Am I right?" Ben asked quietly.
"Yes. It stopped, and I took a second test," Caeli's broad smile flashed up at him, but she didn't say anything else.
"Then you might want this. Salma hasn't seen it yet. I know you asked her to run it, but I thought you might want to see the results first. I pulled it off the machine and held onto it. I had decided to give it to Salma tomorrow if your condition had not improved. It's not fair to ask her to treat you without giving her all the facts."
"It's ok, Ben. She already knew. I was only asking her to confirm it for me."
"Well, that's good. I asked her if the missing results were necessary to your treatment, and she said she only ran that test to satisfy your curiosity. And although this says otherwise, Salma thought you might be wrong. Either way, Salma will not be pleased to find out that I kept this page from her." Ben reached into his front pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper he had kept carefully hidden from Salma, and handed it to Caeli.
"This confirms it! Turns out that I was wrong about being wrong," Caeli smiled in response as she unfolded the page and read what was printed upon it. Her grin, if possible, became even bigger. She impulsively reached over and hugged Ben as Vin came strolling into the lounge.
"Thank you, Ben. I don't know how you kept it from Salma, but thank you. Tomorrow morning. I want to make it special," Caeli whispered. She quickly refolded the paper and slid it into her pocket.
"Hey now, what's this?" Vin asked jokingly as he walked up and wrapped his arm around Caeli's slender waist.
"Just returning that token of affection," Ben answered with a smile, reminding Vin of his comment earlier that morning.
"I'm really glad you're all right," Caeli said as she looked up and flashed another smile at Vin. They were sitting on the back porch enjoying the cool evening air, protected from the rain. The light of the moon was partially visible through the ominous storm clouds.
Vin shook his head and, laughing lightly, kissed her and took both of her hands in his.
"That's supposed to be my line. Honey, you have got to quit scaring me like this. When I saw you on the arena floor, felt your pain after you fixed my arm, and then had to stop you from letting your energy drain away at the lighthouse…well, I just don't know what I would do without you."
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine."
"How many years now have you been giving me that politely inaccurate answer? You know I'm not buying it, right?"
"I suppose; but I am much better."
"Yes, and I am very glad to see it. I couldn't stand to lose you."
"Lose me? It wi
ll take more than a few unpleasant moments to take me away from you. You, on the other hand, were a prize well worth the fight. She tested me, you know, but I wasn't about to give up. I wasn't going to let her scare Max either. Thankfully, I did have some help with that last part. You won't believe who showed up! And Max called him Uncle…"
"Whoa! Caeli, what are you talking about? Who tested you? Who scared Max?"
"Rika. You didn't think she just let me pull you out of the water without making me work for it, did you? Oh wait, I guess you don't know very much about her, except what you learned at the hospital."
"No, we haven't found much time to talk about anything yet. We will, but there is something you need to know first, Caeli. I didn't simply feel your pain earlier. Our link gave me the impression that your life was at stake. It let me know so much more about you. Our link is so much stronger than either of us realized before, and it was right. Thankfully, Salma found the answer in those energy bars. It was a good thing that you called for her help when you did."
"I didn't actually get a chance to call Salma. Max went and got Ben to help me. I still need to thank him for that."
"Speaking of Max, are you sure it's a good idea to let him form such an attachment to you? Here, finish off your water." Vin handed her the bottle she had been sipping from for the last ten minutes. It was three quarters empty.
Wrath of the Sea Queen Page 38
