Tropical Balm

by Franny Armstrong

  Screaming, she fought the ropes, twisting, bucking, shrieking. Suddenly, she heard his voice from a great distance as he called to her, pleading, begging her to wake up, to come back; “Teal. Wake up love. It’s a dream, it’s just a dream.”

  “No! Come back, don’t leave me!” she cried, her struggles ceasing as she began to wake from the nightmare.

  His lips caressed her forehead, his body held hers down on the bed to keep her from hurting herself.

  Gasping, she opened her eyes wide, and tried to push him away. She was hyperventilating.

  “Teal, sit up. Put your legs over the edge of the bed, and bend over. That’s it love. Now just breathe. Deep breaths in, and out now.” Cam’s hand rubbed her back, his deep voice calming her, reassuring her.

  Finally, she was calm enough to sit up. Instead of talking to him, she got up, and put on her robe, leaving the room. In the kitchen she grabbed a bottle of water, and tried to still the violent trembling that shook her body.

  Cam stood behind her, and tried to pull her into his embrace, but she pulled away.

  “Please, just go. Leave. I don’t want you here anymore.” She wouldn’t look at him, but stood at the sink, staring out the window, trembling.

  “Teal, love, I—”

  “I asked you to leave. Don’t come back. Leave, now!” Her voice was dead, completely void of hope.

  Unable to comprehend why she was acting this way, Cam tried once to talk to her.

  “Teal please, let’s talk—”

  She whirled on him, jamming her finger in his shoulder. “What don’t you understand Cam? I don’t want you here. I don’t want you touching me, looking at me, talking to me. I want you gone, and I don’t want you to come back. Ever! Now go!” she screamed, yanking the door open, staring at the wall, and waiting there until he put on his clothes, grabbed his bag, and left without another word.

  Slamming the door shut, she dropped to her knees, and wept bitter tears. The ice around her heart began to repair itself, the walls going back up, but it didn’t stop the pain from washing over her, wave, after wave.

  An hour later, Poppy couldn’t open the door, and called to Delon, her voice filled with fear. Terrified that something had happened to Teal, Delon broke a window, and climbed into the bedroom, rushing to the kitchen.

  Teal lay on the floor curled into a ball, staring into space. She was back in her hidden world, far away from everyone and everything.

  ***

  “What did you do to her?” Delon demanded of Cam, furious that the man had hurt Teal.

  “I simply woke up Delon. She’d had a bad dream, and awakened, then she went crazy, yelling at me to get out. I tried to talk to her about it, but she wouldn’t listen, so I left. When we went to sleep last night she was fine, more than fine. She was happy, and loving, and laughing. I have no idea what happened in her dream, but it scared her so badly, she went crazy with it. She doesn’t want to see me anymore.”

  If Cam’s words hadn’t already convinced Delon that he was telling the truth, then the pain in his eyes did. Delon let out a deep breath and sat down on a chair in Cam’s kitchen.

  “She’s gone back to the way she was before, when she first got here. We thought she was going to die back then. She wouldn’t eat, never left her bed, she simply stared into space for hours on end. If we can’t bring her out of it, she will die, Cam.” Desolation in his eyes, Delon stared up at him, desperate for an answer to help her.

  Cam sat on another chair, taking a drink of water before he responded.

  “She yelled something about me not leaving her. Her husband and son dying on her tore her apart. Maybe she is afraid because we started getting closer, and in her dream, maybe I left her. I can see that upsetting her. It would be like losing Alex and Zack all over again. She tried so hard to keep me at arm’s length, but I kept pushing. Last night I thought we’d gotten past all that.”

  “Cam, what can we do to help her? Should I call a doctor? If we don’t do something, she will die.” Delon’s eyes filled with tears. He loved Teal as if she was family. The thought of losing her was devastating.

  “Well, I’m thinking an ordinary doctor is not the kind she needs, but before we go that route, let’s try a little tough love. We’ve got to shake her up a bit. Make her see that it’s okay to love again.”

  Cam fell silent for a few minutes, wondering how they could shock her out of it, and soon he grinned, slapping Delon on the back. “My friend, this is what we’re going to do—.”

  ***

  Dead, she thought. I want to be dead. It’s too hard to live, it hurts too much. Lying on her bed in fetal position, Teal floated in a sea of anguish. She refused to care about Cam. The dream would come true, and he would be dead like Alex, and Zack. She would be alone again, left by herself to deal with the pain. It was too much.

  Teal thought about the different ways she could kill herself. Drugs, razor blades, drive her car into a tree, off a cliff, hang herself, drugs. Drugs seemed the easiest way. The least messy. Since she didn’t have any in the house, she would have to go to the trouble of getting some. If she went to the doctor, and told him she couldn’t sleep, he could give her sleeping pills. That would do. No pain, no muss, no fuss.

  She would leave the house and cabin to Poppy, Delon, and Zola. She would leave everything to them.

  Brock! Her brother. He would be angry with her. Furious in fact. She should leave him something too. The children in the school! They would be hurt, upset too. Those darling children. A piece of Teal pulled her back a bit toward living.

  Cam. She loved him. No matter what she had said, she loved him, and that had scared her. He would be absolutely furious with her if she died. Then Teal realized that by taking her own life, she would be hurting all those people, in the exact same way that she was hurt when Alex and Zack had left her.

  Tears began to flow. Her heart ached with the pain. Live or die? Die and hurt others the way she’d been hurt. Live, and have to deal with the pain of losing Cam, and the others. Her mind spun around in circles, unable to decide what to do.

  The front door slammed, and Zola came screaming into the room. “Ms. Teal! Ms. Teal! Mr. Cam fell, and he won’t get up. I think he might be dead!”

  Teal jerked, staring up at Zola in horror, snapped out of her lethargy.

  “What—.” her dazed tone had Zola screaming, shaking her arm.

  “Ms. Teal. Mr. Cam is hurt real bad. You have to come. Hurry!” Pulling on Teal’s arm, Zola got her off the bed, and into her robe.

  Feeling fuzzy, Teal soon caught on to what Zola was saying, and fear washed over her. Cam was hurt!

  “Where is he?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

  “At the new room. Hurry, Ms. Teal.”

  The two women ran out the door, heading for the addition. Teal saw him lying face down on the ground, Poppy and Delon standing over him. The three construction workers were nowhere in sight.

  “Ohhh…” Teal cried out, rushing to him, kneeling by his side. “Cam? Talk to me. Don’t be dead. I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. I love you. Please, don’t be dead.”

  “You what?” he asked without moving, his voice slightly muffled by the ground.

  “I said I’m sorry Cam. I didn’t mean it.”

  “No…the other part. You said you love me?”

  Staring at his back in silence, she realized that she had said aloud that she loved him, and that shook her. The ice cracked, revealing a large area of her heart.

  “You either do or you don’t. What is it going to be?” Faking a groan, he had trouble not laughing as she fell into their trap. Teal was going to be fine now, she would recover.

  “I…I said…I love you Cam,” Teal said, her voice just above a whisper.

  Cam spun around and his arms circled her, pulling her close. And then he kissed her. His shoulder screamed in protest, but he ignored it and held her close.

  Pulling back, he said, “Ah, lass. That’s the nicest thing I’ve hear
d all day. I love you, too.” He winced again, and Teal cried out, still believing he was hurt in a fall.

  “Help me get him into the house, Delon,” she asked, trying to support Cam, while he climbed to his feet.

  Winking at Delon, Cam said, “Oh, I think you and I will manage just fine love.” Milking his pretend injury for all it was worth, he leaned on her and did an exaggerated hobble all the way to the house, waggling his fingers at his friends behind him.

  Taking the strange noises for concern, Teal didn’t look back to see Poppy, Delon and Zola grinning ear-to-ear, trying to hide their snickers.

  ***

  Once the door closed behind the couple, Poppy started laughing. Then Delon and Zola joined her.

  Smiling at Zola with affection, Delon said, “Excellent acting skills, sweetheart. You did good.”

  Zola blushed and dropped her gaze, suddenly shy. Poppy suddenly clued in. They liked each other. Here was another couple who needed a little shove in the right direction.

  “Well now. I think we need to make dinner up at the cottage tonight. We’ll let those two fend for themselves. Delon, would you mind taking Zola into town. I have a list of things I’d like you to pick up, and Zola can help.”

  At Delon’s nod, Poppy turned and walked to the cottage. Her boy had found a mate. It wouldn’t matter to him that she carried another man’s child. Delon was the kind of man who would be a good father, even to a child not his own.

  ***

  In the car, Delon glanced over at Zola for the tenth time, while she stayed silent.

  “Are you feeling all right, Zola?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “The baby, is the baby okay?” Racking his brain for something to say, Delon nearly missed the turn for the road into town.

  “Yesterday it kicked pretty strong. The doctor that Ms. Teal took me to, says he’s fine.” Zola looked up at him and he nearly melted in her soft brown-eyed gaze.

  “He?” Delon teased.

  “Well, he or she. We won’t know until it’s born.”

  His eyes were still on her, loving the way her lips moved when she spoke.

  “Oh!” she cried out as he narrowly missed a cow that had wandered onto the road. Cows ruled the roads, and you simply had to steer clear of them. No one bothered to fence them in.

  “Sorry.” Silence reigned for a few minutes longer, until his curiosity got the better of him, so he asked, “Zola, who is the father?”

  Biting her lower lip, she ducked her head, and kept silent.

  “Are you afraid he will hurt you if you tell?” he asked.

  Taking a deep breath, Zola decided to trust Delon with the truth. “You know the Don?”

  His eyes widened, and he pulled over, stopping the car.

  “Don Tyrell? How did you get mixed up with him?”

  “I...”

  When she fell silent, he picked up her hand. “You can tell me anything Zola. I won’t judge you. I only want to be your friend, and help you.”

  “My two friends from school, Keisha and Anna told me about him. He stops by once in a while, and picks one of them up. If they…if they—He gives them things, nice things. He gave me this necklace, and sometimes he gives them drugs. I don’t do drugs, so I got jewelry instead.”

  Blind fury bubbled up inside Delon when he thought of that man purchasing sex from the girls for junk jewelry and drugs. He tried to keep his anger from showing, but Zola saw it and she started to cry.

  “Zola wait. I’m not angry with you, sweetheart. I’m angry at that dirty old man.” The fact that Tyrell was in his forties, and not classed as old, wasn’t an issue.

  Brushing a tear from her cheek only made her cry harder so Delon pulled her into his arms, whispering sweet endearments to her. A reality check had him cringing. Talk about your dirty old men. Here she was just fifteen years old, and he, a twenty-eight year old man, wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

  Delon let her go, and handed her a tissue. He needed some space from her, or he was going to go mad!

  ***

  Held in his embrace, Zola had felt safe and loved for the first time in her life. Over the past few weeks she’d been watching him when he wasn’t looking, and wishing he could love her, but he treated her like a kid, all but patting her on the head and saying ‘good girl’. Zola wanted more from him, but was unsure of how to go about starting a relationship.

  In a week, she would be sixteen, a full-grown woman. Then he would take notice of her. Since Ms. Teal had taken her in, she’d put on some weight, so she didn’t look scrawny anymore. Her breasts were a fair size, larger now as her pregnancy advanced. They were nothing that a man wouldn’t like, she thought. Her hips had rounded too, giving her a more womanly look. She sighed as Delon started the car, and moved back onto the road.

  “Thank you Delon.”

  “For what?”

  “For being so nice to me. I know you think I’m just a kid and all, but I appreciate it anyway.” Zola stared out the window at the countryside so she didn’t see his face, his desire for her.

  “I don’t think of you as a kid Zola. You are a very beautiful young woman.”

  Zola’s smile was as bright as the sun, when she looked at him. Swallowing a groan, he drove a little faster.

  CHAPTER 8

  The Wakeup Call

  “Hi Brock.” Teals voice was hesitant. She was unsure of her brother’s welcome after nearly a year of silence.

  “Teal? Is that you?” he asked, incredulous.

  “Yes. I’ve missed you. How are you?”

  “I’ve been going out of my mind worrying about you. All you left me was a note saying you were going to Jamaica, not where you were staying. I was about ready to call the RCMP to find you.” Brock wasn’t exactly accusing her of abandoning him, but she could hear the hurt in his voice.

  “I’m sorry bro. I had a rough time of it, and wasn’t fit for company. I’m doing much better now though.” Brock and her had been the best of friends as siblings, and her taking off had been hard on him. Guilt rode on her shoulders, and she swallowed hard.

  “When are you coming home?” he asked.

  “I’ve made a home here, Brock. I’ve made friends. I’d love it if you would come visit. I’ll even buy your ticket.”

  A warm chuckle came over the phone. “I don’t need you to buy me a ticket, Muffin. I just needed to know you were all right. I will see what I can do about coming for a visit soon though. Don’t you miss our lovely winters? The slush, the mounds of snow, shoveling, dead looking trees?” he teased.

  Laughing now, Teal said, “Not even for a minute. I’ll decorate a palm tree at Christmas.” Silence fell, and then she said, “I really am sorry Brock. I was quite ill for a long time. I’m better now though.”

  “You sound good. Are you going to give me an address, a phone number, an email?”

  “Well, I can give you an address, but we have no electricity, no phone.”

  “Where are you living? Inside a volcano?” he teased.

  “In paradise, Brock. In paradise. It’s been a balm for my soul. I’ve…I’ve met someone too.”

  “Egg-cellent!” he teased. “Can I take him?”

  Chuckling, she said, “Probably not. He’s a burly Scotsman and an ex-OPP officer from Toronto. His name is Camden Brooke. I think you’d like him a lot. Great sense of humour. Bright red hair mixed with gray. I’ve sort of adopted a fifteen year old pregnant teen, a fifty-eight year old woman, and her twenty-eight year old son. They have been taking care of me. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

  “Sound’s like you have your hands full. Do you want me to send anything down to you? Hair dye maybe?” Brock constantly teased her about her obsession with colouring her hair, as if no one would know she had gray hair beneath the colour.

  “I’ve told you before, little brother, I don’t dye my hair, I enhance it!” A bubble of laughter rang in his ear. “Besides, I brought enough with me to last me a yea
r!”

  Brock’s laughter warmed her heart. How could she have thought about ending her life? She had so many wonderful people who mattered, who cared about her.

  “Brock, I need to ask you a favour.”

  “Shoot. As long as it’s not going to hurt.”

  Laughing, she explained what she needed, her heart filled with warmth by the time she hung up.

  ***

  “So, did you put on hurricane straps incase a building inspector comes by?” Teal asked as she stood at the base of his ladder, her hands behind her back.

  Cam rolled his eyes while his back was still to her. He tried not to get annoyed at her interference. Most customers did exactly the same thing, treating the builder as though he didn’t know a thing about building.

  “Don’t take offence love, but I’ve been a builder for quite some time now, and my men know even more about it than I do. Your addition will be built to code specifications, don’t worry.”

  “Well, that’s really good Cam. By the way, we don't really have building inspectors in Jamaica, especially not up in the hills.”