CHAPTER 52
When Ariana opened her eyes she could feel Abe’s warm body beside her. She smiled to herself; she could definitely get used to this.
Abe’s eyes shot open, as if he could sense her gaze on him. He searched her face, concerned. “Good morning, beautiful. You feeling any better?”
“Like a million bucks.”
He smiled. “Well, according to my bank account, that’s quite poorly.”
Ariana frowned. “Just how well off are you, Abe? Let’s get that shock out of the way now, shall we?”
He grinned at her. “As of this Saturday night, at approximately ten fifteen, we will put Bill Gates to shame. I don’t count it, but somewhere in the ballpark of four hundred billion…”
“Holy cow, Abe! How did you –”
“I have a very good, and very loyal, personal psychic. Rainey goes to the mainland and plays the lottery once or twice a year, always under a different identity. She also enjoys the Vegas life, apparently. Plus, when I became High Vampire, I acquired the island’s assets. I got the money, too, but I already had more than enough when I came here, so I gave that to Lidia when her mother split and left her on the palace doorstep, aged thirteen.”
“Lidia’s mother is still alive?”
“Yes, and she will be forever more. She chose to be turned by a young vampire when Lidia hit her teens. She brought Lidia to the palace before she ran off with him. I’ve always sort of felt like a father to her, and that is another reason why I don’t want Jonah to realize how she feels about him. I would have to kill him if he ever hurt her, the way I’m going to kill Max if he ever shows his face around here again. You and Jonah could get together and find him, but Lidia wants it to be forgotten and, as long as she’s pregnant, I won’t upset her.”
“That explains a lot.”
“Now, back to you. We are going to have to figure out a different work schedule for you, before the people on this island kill you with exhaustion. I don’t want to be the only High Vampire in history accused of genocide, because I will revenge you – you know that, right?”
“I’m fine, Abe. I’m happy to help.”
“Yeah, but can’t you do it like a normal doctor and schedule appointments? Please. Think about it. Could you only do one major case a week, or something like that? What healing did you do yesterday?”
“I helped a blind kid see again. That felt really good. When he opened his eyes, Jacob told me I was beautiful.” A tear rolled down her cheek and Abe brushed it away with his thumb.
“How old is this Jacob? Do I have to worry about competition?”
She laughed. “He is eight, Abe. Besides, my heart belongs to you.” She kissed the tip of his nose and he wrapped her up in his arms in a hug.
“I cured one lady’s psoriasis. I didn’t know there wasn’t a cure for it before. There is now: me.”
“I know what you’re thinking, Ariana, and it’s not going to happen. You’re not going to go around the world, healing everyone’s diseases. You mean too much to me. I can’t let you go alone and I can’t go with you. I thought you wanted to try for a baby. When you do get pregnant, would you risk the child you’re carrying to save someone else? If your answer is yes, you’re going to be highly pissed off at me for seven and a half months, because I’m not going to allow it. As far as I know, you are one of a kind. We don’t know how healing people will affect you, much less you being with child. So, if and when you get pregnant, you go on maternity leave, agreed?”
“I won’t argue with you. I wouldn’t put my child’s life in danger for anybody.”
Abe started kissing her neck and pulled her against him tighter. Ariana laughed and squirmed against his chest.
“What are you doing? Don’t you have business to take care of in the palace?”
“First of all, I am taking care of business. I’m trying to make a baby so you can go on maternity leave – that’s my first priority. And second, it’s one o’clock in the afternoon. I’m supposed to be in bed, taking care of the business here, and then sleeping.
“One o’clock? Abe, why didn’t you wake me earlier? I’m going to be late for work!” She scrambled out of bed.
Abe tried to grab her arm, but she jerked it out of his grasp. “Ariana… Your health is more important than anyone else’s on the island.”
She shot him a look. “To you, maybe, but not to me. Don’t fight me on this one, Abe. You know I’ll win.” She slipped on her flats and ran out the door without so much as a good-bye kiss.
It hurt to leave him like that, but she knew that if she got closer to him he would hold her down so she couldn’t go to work, and she would really hate to get fired on her second day. Of course, she could use magic to tie him in a knot and leave him there, in bed, but she didn’t know what effect her magic would have on him and, as much as she wanted to keep her job, she wanted to keep Abe happy and sane, too. She may have bolted out of his room, but she was still madly in love with him.
He did have a point though, about the appointments. She would deal with emergencies and then look at everything else in order of importance. She wouldn’t do a bunch of major illnesses in one day; it drained her too much. If she wasn’t bombarded with patients when she got there, she would set up some sort of schedule.
Becky was sitting at the computer desk when she walked in their room, a welcome change from her and Jonah in the shower.
“Hey, girl, you feeling better? Here, look at this. I typed up our hours to tape on the clinic door. You were pretty worn out last night, so I thought something like this would help.” She handed the paper to Ariana.
This was just what they needed. It was perfect.
Hours and scheduling for Ariana Cambridge and Becky Smith
Monday – Friday 3 p.m. till 8 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday 5 p.m. till 7 p.m.
Must call ahead for appointment.
Emergencies Welcome Anytime.
Ariana Cambridge 699 – 4994
Becky Smith 699 – 2586
Clinic 699 – 0312
“That’s perfect, Becky. I was going to do something like that when we got to the clinic. You’ve saved me some time.” Ariana hugged her. “Thank you.”
“I picked up this appointment book at the mall and told Brandon to get us a bigger one. This was the last one they had and it isn’t very good, but it will help till he gets some more in.”
“Great thinking, Becky. I’m so glad you wanted to be my assistant. I’ve gotta jump in the shower. I didn’t wake up as early as I would have liked to, and Abe can’t be relied on to help with that one, so I’m running a little late. Have you eaten anything?”
“No, I was waiting for you to get here. Anything special you want? I’ll go and get us something now.”
“Whatever looks good, Becky, I’m not picky. And thank you,” Ariana said as she turned the shower spray on and stepped under the jets.
CHAPTER 53
Ariana was drying her hair when she heard a knock at the door. “Come in!” she shouted over the hairdryer noise and the CD Becky was playing a little too loud in the bedroom.
“Oh, hey, Lidia. I’m just finishing up in here. You can sit on the toilet and talk to me while I put my make-up on and straighten my hair.”
Lidia sat down with a smile. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you congratulations on the proposal yet. I’m so glad you said yes. He is so much happier with you in his life. How did your first day at work go?”
“Exhausting, but good. How are you doing?”
“The morning sickness is wearing me out and I am so hungry, all the time, but every time I eat…”
Ariana walked over and put her hand on Lidia’s stomach.
“Oh! I didn’t even think of asking you to make it better. I do feel better. Wow!”
“You could probably eat something now without a problem. And the twins are happy. You thought of any names for them yet?”
“Not yet. I’m still in shock, I guess. It doesn’t feel re
al.”
“They’ll be starting to kick in the next few days; I can tell they’re thinking about it already. It will feel real enough then.”
“Honey, I’m home,” Becky yelled as she walked in the door. “Hey, Lidia. If I’d known you were coming, I would have gotten you something to eat, too.”
“That’s okay. I think I will go into town and find a greasy cheeseburger, since Ariana’s touch just cured me of my morning sickness.”
“Temporarily cured. You will have to come to me every day, I think,” Ariana added.
Lidia got up and walked to the door with a smile on her face. “That’s a small price to pay. Besides, I love talking to you. I feel better now than I have in weeks. Thanks, Ariana. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She lowered her head and opened the door. “Bye, Becky,” Lidia said as she walked out.
“Heh. Is she okay? She seems a little weird around me, like she’s trying to avoid me, or something.”
Ariana thought fast. “Well, can you blame her, with the way you acted Sunday night about her and Jonah?”
“I guess I overreacted. I should apologize to her and let her know I don’t think anything is going on between them.”
“Um… Maybe you shouldn’t say anything. Your mouth tends to phrase things the wrong way sometimes. She will come around.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Becky laughed and took a bite of her mashed potatoes. Ariana let out the breath she’d been holding and concentrated on her own dinner.
When the girls walked out of the elevator, they saw Abe standing beside the Porsche.
He gave Ariana a smile, but she wasn’t giving in to him that easily. It didn’t matter if his smile could melt her heart, or turn her insides into a quivering mess, she was not going to let him win this.
“Abe,” she said as she unlocked her car without meeting his eyes.
“Ariana, I’m sorry. You were right. I’m just worried about you, that’s all.” He held the door in place so she couldn’t open it.
“I’m not mad at you, Abe. I was going to take your advice and put together a schedule when I got to work, so I don’t get overly exhausted, but Becky beat me to it. You were right about that one. Now, can I please go to work?”
Abe looked at Becky. “Thank you, Becky, for taking care of her when I can’t. I have another job for you, though. Make sure she answers her phone.” He spoke through clenched teeth, but still managed to smile.
“Yes, Sir, I’m on it. Ariana, give me your phone and I will answer it and give it to you if it’s important.”
“It’s always important if it’s me,” Abe started.
“Really? So there won’t be any calls that involve ‘I miss you so much’, ‘I love you so much’, ‘I can’t wait to wrap you in my arms’ and…”
“That’s enough, Becky. Here, you can screen my calls for me.” Ariana handed the phone to Becky and smiled at Abe.
He grabbed her up in his arms so fast she didn’t get the chance to make a sound. “I don’t mind talking to Becky, as long as I know that you are okay. Just, someone, please, answer the phone. You are leaving tomorrow morning, so will you please try to get out of there at eight o’clock tonight?” he pleaded.
“I’ll try my best, Abe.”
“Let’s put it this way: if you’re not here by the time the sun goes down, I’m coming to get you and I will physically throw any patient left in the clinic out on their…”
“Okay, Abe, I got the message. I will make sure there are no patients there when you show up.”
“Be careful, please.”
Ariana rolled her eyes. “Are you ever going to stop worrying about me?”
“Yeah. When you let me turn you, I won’t worry about you at all.”
She sighed. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? I will be careful, I promise.”
“Thank you. Have a good afternoon.” He moved his hand so she could get in the car. “I’ll call you,” he mouthed through her rolled up window, so she laughed and mouthed back before backing out, “I can’t hear you, the window is rolled up.”
Ten minutes later Ariana opened the clinic door to find at least forty people in the front lobby. The Shaman walked up to her. “They said they will only see you. The patient rooms are full, too.”
“Great. Looks like another busy afternoon. How did all these people live before I got here?”
“You know what Abe said, Ariana.” Becky took her appointment book out. “I’ll find out what each of them needs and schedule them if they’re not emergencies.”
“Have a nice afternoon, He Who Heals.”
“Thank you. You, too. Oh, and you can call me Bill.”
Ariana smiled. “Thanks, Bill.”
Within seconds, Becky had put a sign on the door that read, NOT TAKING ANY MORE PATIENTS TONIGHT, UNLESS IT’S AN EMERGENCY! CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT!, along with the flyer she’d made earlier.
The appointment book was almost full by the time Ariana had finished with her last patient, two minutes before the sun went down.
She didn’t want Abe barging in here, ready to throw people out, so she texted him to say they were on their way back.
CHAPTER 54
When she pulled in garage number three, Abe was leaning against his Hummer as if he were about to leave when he got her text. It made her smile. He opened the door for her and offered her his hand.
“You okay to go for a walk tonight?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Becky took care of the appointments. I told you we had it organized. Are we going to the cave?”
“See you in the morning, girl,” Becky said, already most of the way to the elevator.
“Good night, Becky.”
Abe took something out of his back pocket and a light came on. “I had to steal it from Ryan in maintenance. You drowned mine. It’s alright. If you’re up to it, we can run to town later and buy him a new one.” He looked at the one he was holding. “It looks as though he might need a new one, anyway. Come on, let’s go. There’s a door that leads to the gardens over here.”
When they got to the door, he bent down and picked a big black duffle bag off the floor.
“What’s in the bag?”
He grinned. “You’ll see. How long has it been since you ate?”
“Um, Becky got us something just before we went to work. I didn’t have time for a break after that.”
Abe rolled his eyes. “We are definitely putting a clinic here, in the palace, for you. And you will take regular, scheduled breaks, just like everyone else on the island. You might consider yourself their equal, but you damn sure aren’t going to be beneath them. I’ll get the medical stuff ordered for you and you can set it up how you like. Make me a list of anything special you need. You can still work for “He Who Doesn’t Know What He’s Doing” if you’re too kind to put him out of business, but you will be working from the palace, not the clinic. I’m not trying to tell you what to do – I know you don’t like that since you’ve shouted it at me in the elevator – but you are going to wear your immune system down and get sick, and we both know you can’t use your magic on yourself, don’t we?”
“If that’s what you want, Abe.”
“Is it what you want, Ariana?” He had stopped and was looking at her searchingly.
“I don’t care where I work, as long as I get to help people. You won’t let me go off the island to heal, so…”
“That’s not negotiable, but this is. I just want you to be safe and healthy.”
“And you want me where you can stop in anytime you want and aggravate me, huh?”
“That, too. I might even need some healing occasionally; my heart’s been aching a lot lately.”
They both laughed as they walked in the cave. Abe turned the flashlight on and handed it to her. He started walking again and suddenly the whole cave lit up before him.
“What the…” He turned quickly and looked at Ariana who had her hand out, a globe of blinding light resting in it. She smiled as she handed the fl
ashlight back to him.
“You really come in handy, you know?”
She giggled. “I know.”
The cave was magnificent. Long pillars rose all the way up to the ceiling. The pool of water Ariana had almost fallen in the other night was actually a beautiful stream that lead to the pond outside. The cave walls glistened, multicoloured light bouncing off shiny rocks embedded in their surface.
“What are the shiny stones in the wall?”
Abe smiled. “What do you think they are?”
She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. “Diamonds?”
“They are not diamonds. They are some type of jewel; I’m not sure what, though. It might be one that hasn’t been discovered yet. We could chisel some out and have some jewelry made for you, if you want.”
“Definitely.”
He still hadn’t said what they were going to look at and she assumed it wasn’t this beautiful antechamber, since he hadn’t stopped walking yet. It would be highly unlikely that he would answer her questions outright, so Ariana decided to open her mind to his briefly, to see if she could get a clue.
“I’m not telling you, Ariana, I’m not telling you, Ariana, I’m not telling you, Ariana…”
So much for that. Not even her magic could breach his walls tonight. She just hoped she didn’t faint from the surprise.
“How much further?”
“Not long. Are you tired? Do you want me to carry you?”
“No, I’m fine, I was just wondering.”
“Here we are,” Abe said as he stepped aside.
They had walked into an open space that had a huge stone table with at least twenty stone chairs lined up around it. There were six open passageways in the walls of the room. Unusual objects hung from the high ceiling – people must have used those for lighting.
“We weren’t the first ones here,” Abe explained, “but there was no one here when our kind came. We don’t know what happened to them. There are no skeletons, nor anything that resembled food or cups, or any other possessions. It’s empty. The rooms back there,” he pointed to the passageways, “have flat stones, raised off the ground, that resemble beds. But again, no sign of blankets or bedding material. It’s like whoever lived here packed their bags and left. There is writing of some nature carved in the walls everywhere. I’ve been all around the world and I’ve never seen it anywhere else.”
Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) Page 28
