Page 8 of Cold Blooded
“What if she’s poisoned me?” I panic.
“No,” Granite says calmly. “I am certain that she didn’t poison you. Maybe some of the herbs just didn’t agree with you.”
I know that he’s probably right, but I sit on the ground until my stomach settles and let my imagination run wild about what could have been in that cup of tea.
Granite
Amber’s sickness seems to come and go over the next few days, and I start to worry that maybe she needs some help. I watch over her closely as I work on making shelter preparations for us to stay comfortably in while we work on building our home, but she seems to have some days were she is too dizzy and too nauseous to do much of anything but sit or lie down on the blankets. If it had been from something in that tea that didn’t agree with her, it should have passed by now. I can’t take her back into the town, and the only people around are Tom and Lana.
“I’m going to go back down to ask Lana if there might have been something in that tea that messed with you,” I say as I hug Amber and sit with her for a while. “Or at least see if they have some medicines that might help you feel better.”
“I’ll come with you,” she sys. But as soon as she stands up, she gets lightheaded again.
“No, you need to rest here. I promise I’ll be right back and will only be gone for a short time.”
“Okay,” she answers.
I can tell that she’s less than happy for me to leave her here and go back to that cabin with the people she already had a weird feeling about, but she looks too tired to argue with me.
When I get down to the cabin and explain what is going on, Lana assures me that there was nothing in the tea which should have made Amber ill. She also insists on coming back with me to check on Amber and see if there is anything she can do to help. I get ready to decline her offer, but then realize that we really could use her help. Plus, Pete is going to come with her so at least she can’t get flirtatious or out of line on the walk there.
When we get back to where Amber is lying down, she is fast asleep. I sit down beside her and rub her back to wake her so that she isn’t startled when she opens her eyes and sees Lana and Pete sitting around her as well.
“Here,” Lana says as she hands a piece of root to Amber. “Chew on this, it will help calm your stomach.”
“What is it?” Amber says as she sits up and takes it from her hand.
“Ginger. It won’t hurt you; I promise. It tastes pretty good too.”
I leave to go grab some fresh water real quick and Pete comes with me. He seems like a decent kid, despite how strange his parents might be. When we get back to where the girls were sitting, they are at the tail-end of a conversation in which Amber is describing how she is feeling to Lana. She seems to be looking at least a little less pale and feeling better, which I am glad for. That ginger must have helped.
“You know a lot about medicinal stuff,” Ambers says to her. “Don’t you?”
“Oh yes,” Lana answers. “I know all about things that deal with health and growth, and all sorts of important and useful information that is very good to have when you are living out here in the wilderness, especially with children.”
I look over at Pete, who is busy drawing doodles in the dirt with a stick.
“He seems like a really good kid,” I say to her as I shoot Pete back a smile.
“He is,” Lana says proudly. “It’s not easy having a child in the wilderness. Especially not the birthing part.”
“Wait, you gave birth out here?” Amber asks in a wide-eyed shock. “All alone?”
Lana laughs. “Of course I wasn’t alone, Tom was with me.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lana says. “I just meant that it must have been scary to give birth without a doctor and medicine and stuff.”
“Not at all. Nature provides everything that you need. As long as you give your body the rest and fuel that it needs to function, nature takes care of all the rest. But,” Lana continues. “If you ignore your body then you are in for a whole host of problems. Kind of like what you’re going through right now. You need to take it easy and get rest in your current condition.”
“Yeah,” Amber chuckles. “I guess I could have been a bit better about eating and sleeping and stuff. I’m just impressed that I’ve made it this far without getting sick or breaking something.”
I laugh. I’m impressed by how much Amber has acclimated to living in the wild and how much she’s adjusted to all of the crazy shit we’ve been through. I can’t wait for her to feel better so that we can now just enjoy making our home together out here. And even if Tom and Lana are a bit weird, they do seem to be a good resource to have as neighbors, just so long as they keep a good distance and don’t become a nuisance in our little sanctuary.
“Thank you for coming,” I say to Lana as she and Pete get up and ready to leave. “And thanks for the ginger. Hopefully that will keep her stomach calm until she gets over being sick.”
Lana laughs and I fail to see what’s amusing about Amber being ill.
“Oh I don’t think she’s sick at all,” she says as she looks between Amber and I. “I think she’s pregnant.”
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