"I'm sorry, Vin," she said as she collapsed into his arms.
Vin lifted her gently and carried her up the beach. He needed to find out what happened, and not just with Rika. He could not miss the physical injuries visible on her face, arms, and the exposed section of her stomach. How did Caeli end up in that cave? Who did this to her? What was going on? It seemed that Ben was right after all, and Caeli's part in this ordeal was not yet finished. With any luck, Caeli would be able to tell him about it this time. But first, he needed to get her to the safety of their room and Salma's care.
CHAPTER 36
Ben sat with Max and Apela in the lounge while Salma treated Caeli's injuries. They talked for a while, passing the time with idle conversation, discussing nothing of great importance. Max showed Ben some old school yearbooks with funny-looking photos of his Papa and even found a few that belonged to his aunt Lorrie.
Max marveled over the way Salma fixed the cuts on his arms and legs while they waited for Vin to return from the cave. Max had been scratched by the strange man's knife-like fingernails when he fought to keep from being pulled out of the laundry room cabinet. He eventually lost the struggle, but insisted that he gave the man a few good kicks.
"Pretty Dr. Salma said it wouldn't hurt, and it didn't. Pretty Caeli was right. I do like pretty Dr. Salma to be my doctor! Look at this." Max held his arm out for Ben to inspect the brightly colored Band-Aids.
"Pretty Dr. Salma said only really good patients get dinosaur Band-Aids. I got three of them; and she didn't even give me a shot." Max rambled on for a while longer before turning his attention to his coloring book, occasionally offering his insights on various topics when the conversation between Ben and his father caught his interest. Currently, the topic did not interest him.
"Apela, your sister seemed to recognize Vin at the seminar earlier. Can you think of anywhere they might have met?"
"What makes you think that Lorrie knew Vin?
"For starters, she knew Vin's name. You introduced him as Dr. Erickson's nephew, but you never gave his name. She also knew that Vin was married. She could not have seen his wedding ring because his hands were out of sight when she sat down. Of course, Lorrie might have been able to guess that one. But, combined with the fact that she also knew Caeli's name, I am led to believe that Lorrie and Vin have met before," Ben explained.
"I suppose it is possible. Lorrie went to the same school as Vin and Caeli in the States when she lived in Washington for a few years. They could have crossed paths, but I honestly couldn't tell you much about the time she spent away from the island. Although, I think she used a different name so that she would not be associated with the news reports from her past. She was trying to distance herself from a horrible experience."
"Same school? How do you know where Vin went to school?"
"Max borrowed a photo from Caeli on the plane so that he could color a picture of her. She gave him a picture of her swim team, all wearing their school jackets. Caeli wanted to know how I recognized the logo. I told her that my sister had attended the same school. Caeli also told me that was where she and Vin first bumped into each other. Small world, isn't it?"
Vin was in the room with Caeli, not venturing one step further away from her than necessary. She was in bad shape, though he had not known exactly how bad until Salma began to assess her injuries. Her stomach looked like she had been on the losing end of a knife fight. The left side of her stomach had three long, deep gashes. The rest of her body displayed smaller cuts and large bruises, resembling a professional boxer's punching bag. It looked like her ribs might have been beaten with a baseball bat. Salma thought at least two of them might be broken. There was a large bruise along the right side of Caeli's jaw, and her left hand and forearm were bruised as well. That was all Salma could determine by physical exam while Caeli slipped in and out of consciousness; but that was just the beginning.
Each time she woke, Caeli was frantic, causing herself more pain as she tossed and turned. In her mind, Caeli still fought an unknown assailant. Vin stayed close to hold Caeli still, helping to calm her down as quickly as he could. He would hold her hands, help keep her arms and legs still, assure her that she was safe, and let the sound of his voice soothe her fear. These bouts and tending her obvious injuries kept both Vin and Salma busy for a while. There were additional concerns that Salma couldn't begin to address until Caeli could respond coherently. When Caeli woke the next time, Salma slipped a strong sedative into her IV. While Vin was busy with Caeli's struggle, Salma stepped out of the room.
Salma located Apela out in the lounge with Ben.
"Didn't you say that your sister kept other equipment here for her medical clinic?"
When Apela confirmed that she did, Salma asked if she could borrow a particular piece of equipment, and they walked off together to retrieve it. They rolled a small, brown cart into Vin's room about twenty minutes later. Whatever device it held was covered by a removable, hard, plastic lid.
"Stop, please! What more do you want from me?" Caeli cried out and wrapped her arms around her stomach.
Vin leaned in to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She kicked weakly at him, but her foot was restrained by the sheet on the bed.
"Caeli, Honey, it's me. It's Vin. I'm right here. You're safe. Please be still. Don't move around," Vin said calmly over the lump in his throat. It pained him to see her like this. Wasn't it bad enough that she had already suffered the poison? Now she had to endure this, too?
"Vin? Vin! You're here. Oh, Vin, thank goodness!" At last, she recognized more than the soothing sound of his voice. Caeli was finally coherent as she tried to sit up and grab onto him; but, she had difficulty holding her eyes open as the sedative rapidly began its work.
"No, don't move. Don't try to get up, Caeli. You're hurt. Lie still. I’m right here. I've got you."
"Please, Vin. Did Max get away?" Caeli's voice was filled with concern and fear.
"Yes, Max is fine. Caeli, can you tell me what happened?" Vin hoped she could shed some light on the mystery.
Caeli closed her eyes and tried to recall the most recent event from her memory. Images flashed through her mind. She remembered the wave pulling her from the shore. Caeli had also perceived Rika's presence as she rolled through the water and then ended up on an island not too far from the beach. Then she vaguely remembered running out of a tunnel that opened into the interior of a cave. As she took a few steps into the cavern, someone shoved her from behind, causing her to stumble and fall. She slid down into the hollowed out section of the floor that looked like a huge swimming pool.
"I refused to let him take Max."
"Who? Was it that man you mentioned?"
"I got Max away from him and scared him off. Then we were in the cave, and he hit me from behind. I tried to fight him, Vin. I tried my best, but Rika was..." Caeli was too upset to continue. The images began to get jumbled in her mind. Caeli felt her pain anew, and all she could see now was the face of the man in black. Caeli tried to open her eyes to abolish the sight, but her eyelids were as heavy as lead weights. She could not pry them open.
"Vin, please help me," she begged.
"What can I do, Honey? I'll do anything."
"Wake me from this nightmare. I can’t even force my eyes open. Please, help me wake up."
Caeli reached for him and tried to sit up again. This time Vin could not deny her. He very carefully eased Caeli upright in the bed and moved close to her so that she could lean against his chest without having to move too far. Vin could see that even the smallest movement was hurting her, but Caeli wanted the security of his closeness more than anything else at the moment, and she was willing to endure the pain to feel safe. Caeli was scared.
"Caeli, I know this is difficult for you, especially since Salma gave you medicine to make you sleep. I think…"
"No more medicine. You promised."
"I promised not to do so without telling you. Salma insisted that it was necessary, and I agree. I ca
n't watch you suffer like this."
"You're forcing me to sleep. Please don't."
"Don't worry about the medicine. Just listen to me. If you can't tell me what happened, I know another way. Will you try it for me?"
"Yes."
"I want you to show me what happened. Think about what happened as if you are watching TV. I'll do the rest. It's a trick the angels taught me," Vin explained.
Caeli thought about seeing the man during her walk that morning as Vin covered her eyes with his hand. He concentrated on their link and focused on Caeli's thoughts. Closing his eyes, Vin was able to see the same images as Caeli. He watched the man approaching Caeli and Max on the beach. Vin also felt Caeli's apprehension.
"It's ok, Honey. He can't hurt you. It's just a memory, and I'm right here with you. Show me what happened after we left for the conference." Vin's presence in Caeli's mind made her feel safe.
The scene in Caeli's mind changed. She and Max were in the lounge, and the man stood on the top of the cave. Vin watched carefully as Caeli relived her attempt to hide Max in the laundry room and lead the man away. He cringed when her stomach was slashed open. Caeli relived the pain of the strike as if it just occurred, and Vin felt the pain along with her through their link. Vin strained to hear the man's words as he spoke to Caeli on the ridge. Finally, Caeli was walking along the beach when everything suddenly went dark.
Vin looked down at Caeli. She had finally been overcome by the sedative Salma had flowing into the IV. Caeli appeared to be sleeping. Yet, after only a minute or two, she began to toss and turn again. Vin placed his hand over her eyes once more. He wasn't sure if he would be able to view Caeli's dream, but he intended to try. This is where she had been facing her darkest memories, and Vin wanted to see them for himself.
Without delay, a fight raged in Caeli's mind. Vin did not see how she arrived in the cave, already bruised and battered, but he fell with her into the deep section of the cavern floor. Caeli put forth a valiant defense against the man in black, but something or someone hampered her efforts. Vin already knew from Caeli's words that Rika was part of this problem. He attributed the unseen hindrance to her.
It was extremely difficult for Vin to watch helplessly as Caeli ended up on the losing end of the fight. No matter how many times she hit the man, she never seemed to cause him any significant damage. On the contrary, each of his strikes was highly effective. Through his link to Caeli, Vin discovered that she not only relived the fight in her memory, but she also experienced the pain of each of each hit all over again. No wonder she wanted to wake up. Caeli was fighting and suffering as if she were still standing in that cave; and Salma had unknowingly forced her into this chemically-induced reenactment where the pain was inescapable and the outcome never changed.
Just when Vin thought Caeli's body could not take any more abuse at the hands of this strange man, the man turned and fled. It happened so fast that Vin did not actually see him leave. The man seemed to vanish. Vin did not know how or why the man left the cave, and he did not care. At least he was no longer hurting Caeli. Within moments of his departure, Caeli let herself fall the rest of the distance from her knees to the cave floor.
Urim was at her side instantly. He whispered words that Vin could not hear, and then a bright, white light engulfed Caeli. For the next several minutes, Vin saw nothing in Caeli's mind. This must be when Urim helped her by blocking a portion of her memory. All Vin detected once Urim left was the curtain behind which the remainder of her memory of that event was hidden.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, Caeli. I never should have left you alone. I should have come back when you called me," Vin whispered.
There was nothing more forthcoming. Caeli's mind was quiet. She had not moved in Vin's arms in nearly ten minutes. He gently laid her back onto the bed as Salma returned.
"I think the medicine got the best of her, Salma," Vin stated.
"Good. That is what she needs right now. Keep an eye on her while I get this set up." Salma began the task of setting up a piece of medical equipment that Apela had wheeled into the room behind Salma.
"Salma, Caeli needs to wake up. Can you reset this line in her arm so that it stops giving her the sedative?"
"I can, but I don't think that's a good idea. I have already told you that the medicine won't hurt the baby."
"It's not that, Salma."
"Then what is it? Caeli is not injured like you and I were. It is perfectly all right if she sleeps. There is no need to wake her. In fact, she will be in considerable pain when her mind is clear enough to fully register all the damage done to her body. It's bad, Vin. Let her rest so that she doesn't have to feel that pain," Salma replied.
"No, Salma. You misunderstand. Every minute she is asleep, Caeli's memory is causing her physical pain. You have to trust me on this. Caeli needs to wake up as soon as she can," Vin insisted.
"She is already in pain. Sleep is the only saving grace keeping her from being aware of it."
"I wish that were true, but it's not. Sleep is causing her more pain. You have to wake her. Please, Salma."
"All right; I can see that you are serious, and I trust that you have a good reason. Give me a minute to get a new solution mixed to replace the current one."
Salma pulled two transparent, plastic bags from the cabinet on the bottom of the IV cart and moved over to the dresser to combine the medicines she wanted to use in the desired amounts and get them into one of the empty bags. Once that was done, Salma returned her attention to the machine next to the bed while she waited for Vin to pull himself away from Caeli's side.
"Oh, Caeli, if you are troubled this much by what you do remember, then I am not eager to learn what details were so bad that Urim deemed it necessary to spare you from them." Vin shuddered to consider the possibilities as he gently moved a long strand of hair from her closed eyes.
"Salma, what is that?" Vin asked as he glanced at the machine Salma was setting up.
"I would prefer not to discuss it yet. It's a simple test, and it will only take a few minutes. I would like to ask you to leave the room while I run this one. I would be a bit uncomfortable with you standing there, even if she is your wife. It's a…delicate test. You can come right back. I promise it won't hurt her at all, and I will tell you everything as soon as I am through. Please, Vin?"
Vin could tell by the tone of Salma's voice that she believed this, too, was necessary to help Caeli. Caeli's health, if not her life, was at risk once again. There could be no higher stakes for Vin, and he did not object to Salma's request. However, he did have a condition before agreeing to leave the room.
"I will step out as long as you remove that IV before you do anything else, Salma. I would have taken it out of her arm myself, but I knew you were coming right back. No more sedative. Caeli needs to wake up. It's very important."
"I understand, Vin. I've got the new medicine ready. It will be the first thing I do. It will wake her quickly."
"Good," Vin said, liking the idea only slightly better than her current state.
"That will make the test take a little longer, but it is no cause for worry. Sometimes, people slow the process down. I will see to it that she wakes up, and I will be as quick as possible with the test. You do, however, owe me an explanation afterward."
"Call me the minute you're done. I'll be right outside," Vin agreed.
He walked out of the room and headed for the lounge.
Apela met Vin at the door. He was walking in the same direction when Maku and Pete arrived at the other end of the building. Apela excused himself to go and greet them. He briefly explained the situation and took the brothers and Max to another area of the hotel where they could talk and eat dinner without disrupting the events happening near the lounge.
Ben looked over at the concern etched in Vin's face as he sat heavily in one of the chairs and inquired about Caeli's condition.
"Salma's still testing. Caeli's a lot worse off than I thought. Somehow, she didn't seem all that
bad when we first found her, but she was badly beaten and is still fighting, both in her mind and when she wakes. Ben, I saw how he hurt her. I wanted to reach out and defend her, but I couldn't."
"You saw it?"
"Yes, another talent, though I never tried to use it like that before. I will explain it to you some other time. Honestly, Ben, I can't believe Caeli survived such a brutal beating; but I thank God she did. From what I can tell, the man punished her for not letting him take Max," Vin continued.
Neither he nor Ben realized that Apela had returned to the lounge to ask them about dinner, but stopped and listened quietly for a minute when he heard that portion of their conversation.
"She has so many bruises and cuts and possibly even a few broken bones; and Salma said she lost a lot of blood, too. Salma is running one last test now. Ben, I've got to find a way to help Caeli."
"I understand, Vin. You want to lash out, but you don't know who to blame. There's no justice to be had until we figure this out."
"I have a pretty good idea who to blame. I just need to find out who that man is, who Rika is, and if they are working together. Why are they doing this to her? I couldn't protect Caeli from the poison, or help her with her gift, or even keep Rika from invading her mind. But this, this was a physical attack. I should have been here for her. When I find that man, he will pay dearly, Ben. If I could get my hands on him right now, I would kill him."
Wrath of the Sea Queen Page 47
