Page 35 of The Final Storm
“Okay, do I need to be worried about anything? Or is this just overprotective mother stuff?”
Beep… whoosh… beep… whoosh
“Sam’s wife, Cecilia.” I choke on the words with a tremble so intense that I worry Lori may not understand them. “Sam’s wife is alive. She’s on the ship. I’m scared of what she could do to my family. I don’t know what that means yet, but I need you to protect them.”
Lori’s mouth drops open. Her eyes grow wide, and she slaps her hand on her chest.
Beep… beep… beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Our heads shoot to Luke. Nurses rush inside the room, pushing us to the side. Lori screams, and the space fills with chaos. Men and women shout orders at each other while Luke’s body seizes. I drag Lori toward the exit while the machines blare.
The beeping stops, and it’s replaced by her sobbing.
Chapter 13
Go Back
“Thisthrowsawrenchinto your plan, I bet.” Lori paces between our cabins, her eyes looking down at the floor, and her hands writhing at her front. I’ve begged her to eat, but she vomits every morsel of food that slips past her lips. Her skeletal body still shows the bruises I caused when I dragged her away from Luke yesterday.
“We need to leave today,” Sam speaks cautiously to her. We argue incessantly about who will go to the island to get the boys. They won’t let a tender leave without two members of the military manning the vessel, and Lori’s not going anywhere.
Luke’s in critical care. His seizure goes unexplained, and he rests in a cocoon of plastic sheets to avoid any infection. Morgan, now allowed out of her box twice a day, brings Lori some joy. Desperate to hold Luke, she pours all of her emotions into those brief moments with our girl, and I let her have them, doing everything I can to ease her pain.
“We need to decide,” Lori reiterates my concerns. “I’m not going. I’d be a mess with Luke back here, but I have an idea we haven’t talked about yet.” Lori sits between us on the bed and crosses her legs. “Caleb has been visiting the medical unit and checking in.”
We look at Sam, and he shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve been a bit preoccupied with other things, so I don’t know why, but he’s a good man. He’s always been a good friend.” I bristle at the sound of his name. It’s obvious he knew about Cecilia the moment we arrived and told Sam. The phrase, shoot the messenger, is common knowledge for a reason.
“Anyway,” Lori continues. “I think we can trust him. It’s the same feeling I had about Luke. Who knows, maybe your psychic abilities are rubbing off on me a tad.”
“You felt like you wanted Luke’s dick. Is that the feeling?” I nudge her shoulder, hoping she takes the joke well. She sputters a laugh and jabs me back.
“Sam, I think you need to ask him to go with you. And bring something to Gemma, something they need. Medical supplies or clothes or something. He’ll be better received that way. Rowan and I should stay here.”
Sam clenches his jaw and squints in thought. With a curt nod, he rises to his feet. “Lori, that’s a good idea.”
She smacks her lips. “Why are you surprised? I’m very smart. You should listen to me more.”
There’s the Lori I know and love. Sarcastic. Funny. Her love and concern for Luke drain those pieces of her, but they still exist beneath the surface. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and we sit together while Sam packs a small overnight bag, just in case.
“Shouldn’t you talk to him first?” I ask Sam. Lori yawns and her body sags, begging her to sleep.
Sam slings a few things from the sink into his bag. “He’ll go.”
“So, are you going to give him an order, or something like that?” I ask.
“I know him. He would go even if it was against the captain’s orders. We went through a lot together over the years.”
“Okay, that’s good. Sounds like Lori’s prediction about him is right. She’s a good judge of character.” A weak smile crosses her lips. She hears us, but sleep begs her to stay motionless. She was up all night, and there’s no fighting her exhaustion now that she knows I’m staying.
“I’ll only be a half day if all goes well, but just in case…” Sam trails off. He pauses, holding a shirt from the drawer, fidgeting with the fabric in between his fingers. “There is a small arm in the weapons safe under our bed.”
I blink in shock. “Like, a gun?”
“Yes, Row. A gun.”
“For what?” Lori slumps onto my side, and I lower her to the bed and move to Sam.
“The Cecilia situation has escalated. Yesterday, she came to engineering when I was talking with the captain. I was told she started throwing things and became hysterical. Someone reported her actions. When they went to talk to her, her lashing out continued and they had to put her in isolation. I don’t know when they’ll let her out.”
