"Just stay quiet and try to relax. I"ll be right back," Dar a.s.sured her.
Kerry just watched, her breathing now coming in shallow heaves. She felt like there wasn"t enough oxygen in the air, and as Dar came back and knelt next to her, she noted that her fingers and toes were tingling. An unreasoning fear swept over her, and she started to panic.
Dar"s voice penetrated the haze around her. "Ker...Ker...take it easy."
"Da... I can"t breathe," she panted.
"Sweetheart, I know. Just give me a minute. Hang in there."
Kerry suddenly felt something cold against her arm. "Wh..."
She turned her head and saw Dar bringing a needle close to her, its length quivering as Dar"s hand shook. Kerry looked up at Dar"s face and saw a fierce, intent mask, eyes widened in fear, and that terrified her. Am I going to die? A soft cry escaped her throat. She felt a sting and her arm jerked, then a solid bolt of pain made her*167 struggle, panting, unable to draw in a decent breath.
Dar"s weight pressed against her abruptly, pinning her down.
Kerry felt panic take over and she fought the hold, grabbing at Dar and pushing hard against the powerful body laying over her. One arm was grabbed and held tightly, and she felt another p.r.i.c.k, then a chill, then a hot, strange sensation under her skin where the needle had entered. Then it was gone, and she thought she heard a clatter of something going across the room. The weight came off her and the cabin whirled up and around, and she couldn"t breathe, and it was cold and...
"Kerry!"
The voice penetrated her confusion. Kerry coughed, and then inhaled in reflex, surprised when she was able to suck in a lungful of air. The bands of pressure around her chest eased and she shivered, huddling close to the source of warmth now wrapping itself around her. Slowly, the tingling in her hands receded and she flexed them weakly. She could still feel harsh chills shaking her body and it was very hard to think straight, but she did know she was being held securely and she could feel Dar"s breathing against her back. At least she could breathe. Kerry sucked in air gratefully, feeling completely drained. "Wow," she whispered. "That sucked."
She felt the faint jerk behind her as Dar almost laughed. She could hear the hammering of Dar"s heart where her ear was pressed against her chest and she coughed a little, hearing a rattling in her lungs that unnerved her. "Ungh."
"Easy." Dar finally spoke, easing back against the couch and cradling Kerry closer. Kerry"s face had taken on a pale gray tinge, and she could feel the shivers working their way through her body.
Now that the injection, a stimulant she always carried, had been administered, there was not much more Dar could do other than just be there. There would be time later for her to curse herself for not seeing the signs. Time later for her to be angry she hadn"t checked Kerry"s sting further, or taken more precautions, or...
Dar exhaled. Kerry had never had a reaction to a sting before.
Truth be told, Dar kept the shots on board for herself, since she"d gotten stung once at age ten and had almost gone into convulsions.
"Easy, honey."
Kerry simply lay there quietly, her head resting against Dar"s chest. Her hand rested limply on her partner"s, her thumb moving ever so slightly. "Dar?" she murmured.
"I"m here."
"Am I dying?"
Dar felt her blood pressure shoot up so high she got lightheaded and saw sparkles in front of her eyes. "No, sweetheart," she answered softly. "Please don"t even think that."
It was like listening to constant thunder. Kerry almost couldn"t 168*
count the beats. She rolled her head to one side and looked up fuzzily, seeing the stark fear written across her lover"s face. Her hand lifted to touch Dar"s jaw, and she felt it quiver under her fingers. No. Kerry blinked. She couldn"t die, now could she? Dar needed her. Wanted her. "Never felt like that before," Kerry burred.
"What happened?"
Dar swallowed hard and then impatiently wiped her forearm across her eyes. "You reacted to that d.a.m.n f.u.c.king sting."
Kerry"s eyebrows lifted slightly. "Ouch. Never did that before." She felt another chill take her and she burrowed into Dar"s embrace, seeking warmth. Her arm ached, and she looked at it with a frown. "Ow." She touched the sore spot.
"Sorry." Dar shifted. "Had to stick you pretty fast." She drew in a breath. "How about I get you into bed? Bet the covers"ll feel good." Her voice sounded a little rough. "Should get you to the hospital on St. Johns."
Hospital. Kerry"s nose wrinkled. Ick. "How "bout we start with bed?" she conceded. "But only if you come in with me."
"You"re in no position to be bargaining, Kerrison." Dar"s tone had gentled, and Kerry could hear her heartbeat slowing down and steadying. "You need a doctor." But she carefully stood up, letting out a little grunt of effort as she picked Kerry up and cradled her.
She walked slowly into the bedroom, turning sideways to get them both inside the door and then putting Kerry down on the bed.
Kerry gazed at her through half-closed eyes as Dar examined her. "Urmph."
With a sigh, Dar unzipped the raincoat Kerry was still wearing and pulled it off. Then she drew the covers over her partner"s body, tucking them in carefully around her. The blonde woman"s skin still had an unhealthy tinge, and she was shivering. "We"re heading back," Dar told her.
Kerry reached out and caught her hand, holding it. "Don"t leave me."
Dar"s brows contracted. "Kerry, I"ve got to drive the boat."
"Don"t leave me," Kerry begged softly. "Please?"
Indecision seared its way across Dar"s face, as she found herself caught between two overwhelming urges. Her better sense was telling her to get Kerry to a doctor"s care. However, she knew St.
Johns was a long ride away, and by the time they got back there Kerry"s symptoms would most likely have faded.
"Let me get you something for your fever," Dar temporized.
"And get those wet clothes off," Kerry teased weakly. "We don"t both need to be sick."
The coherence in her partner"s eyes rea.s.sured Dar immensely.
"Okay. Don"t go anywhere," she warned, as she turned and eased out of the bedroom.*169 "I won"t." Kerry watched her go. She relaxed a little and pulled the covers more closely around her, relieved to feel her body starting to feel more normal. Her arm hurt where Dar had injected her, and the sting throbbed, adding that discomfort to her fever, but she could now breathe easily and all the feeling had returned to her hands and feet.
"Son of a biscuit," Kerry remarked to the cabin ceiling. "That was not funny." Not funny at all.
DAR WALKED INTO the galley and stood for a moment, then she slowly leaned on the counter and cradled her head in her hands.
Son of a b.i.t.c.h, she thought silently. Son of a f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h, that was too close. With a sigh, she straightened, letting her hands drop to her sides. She felt completely drained and her legs were still shaky, but she forced herself to walk over and pick up the teapot. Hot tea would not do anything particularly medicinal, but she knew Kerry liked the beverage. Besides, it gave her something to do.
Dar filled the pot and put it on the galley stove, then opened the cabinet and removed a bottle of Tylenol. She shook out a couple of the tablets and set them down, then removed Kerry"s mug from its hook and put it down next to them. She studied the items, then shook out a few more tablets and palmed them, putting a little water in Kerry"s cup and using it to swallow down the pills. Then she turned and leaned on the counter, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for the water to boil.
The dampness against her forearms reminded her she"d forgotten to change. With a sigh, Dar pushed off the counter and walked over to where their bags were still resting on the table. She unb.u.t.toned her shirt and removed it, draping it over the chair, then pulled off her sports bra, wincing at its clammy dampness. Dry clothes felt good against her skin, and she felt a lot warmer as she crossed back over to the galley and poured the boiling water over the herbal tea ball she"d placed in Kerry"s cup. Steam rose, carrying with it the scent of blackberries. Taking a small jar of honey from the refrigerator, she drizzled some into the cup and carefully stirred it.
When she was satisfied that it was perfect, she picked up the Tylenol, tucked a water bottle under her arm, and secured the teacup. With a glance around the cabin, she headed back for the bedroom, entering the door and sweeping her eyes over the bed with badly hidden anxiety.
Kerry was right where she"d left her, curled on her side with her arm wrapped around her pillow. Her eyes were half open, watching the door, and they widened as Dar entered.
"Ah. There you are."
170*
"Here I am," Dar agreed, setting her burden down on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"
"Feeling like I want my Dar." Kerry reached out and fingered the soft cotton of Dar"s shorts.
Dar sat down on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Kerry"s forehead. It was warm to the touch, and her color was still definitely off. "Sit up a minute and swallow these." She helped Kerry sit and handed her the pills, then uncapped the water bottle and held it while Kerry suckled a mouthful, then swallowed.
"Thanks." Kerry leaned against her. "Jesus, I feel like hot boiled trash."
"Hm." Dar put her arm around her. "I bet."
Kerry shivered. "That was really scary."
"Oh yeah." Dar picked up the cup of tea and offered it to her. "I was scared."
Kerry cradled the cup in her hands, savoring its warmth. She took a sip of the sweet, hot tea and sighed. "I know," she said. "I think that scared me the most."
Dar eased off the bed and knelt in front of the dresser, opening the lower drawer and rummaging in it. She found the small case she"d tucked inside when they"d boarded in Miami and picked it up, bringing it with her as she resettled herself on the edge of the bed.
"What"s that?" Kerry watched her curiously. Her eyes followed the zipper as Dar unzipped it, then the eyebrows over them lifted sharply as she saw the blood pressure cuff inside. "Where in the h.e.l.l did that come from?"
"Dr. Steve," Dar replied quietly. "Gimme your arm."
"Dar."
Ignoring the mild protest, Dar fastened the cuff around her lover"s toned arm and started pumping it.
Kerry sighed. "Do you actually know how to use that?"
"I can manually reprogram the flash bios of an IBM mainframe; I think I can figure it out," Dar replied, watching the small gauge on the gadget.
Kerry exhaled unhappily and her shoulders drooped.
Dar glanced up and caught the expression. "He made me bring it," she explained gently. "I wasn"t gonna use it, but since I had to give you a d.a.m.n bucket of stimulant..."
Kerry peeked at the gauge. "Hmph." She tapped it with her other hand. "d.a.m.n."
One sixty. Not good. Dar released some of the pressure and checked again. Over one hundred. She unfastened the cuff from Kerry"s arm and rubbed it in attempted comfort. "Probably from the stimulant, sweetheart," she offered. "Why don"t you lie down?"
Still visibly unhappy, Kerry meekly complied.*171 Dar tossed the device onto the dresser and stretched out next to her partner, gently combing Kerry"s disheveled hair with her fingers.
"Bah," Kerry muttered.
Dar gave her a sympathetic grin. "I bet when I check it later, it"ll be fine."
Kerry eyed her dourly and then held out a hand. "Gimme that."
She pointed to the cuff.
Dar reached over and snagged it, then handed it over, surprised when Kerry wrapped it around her arm and started pumping. "Um..."
"Ah ah." Kerry continued her task. "Fair"s fair, Dar. I thought your heart was going to come out of your chest earlier." She finished pumping and observed the results. "Hah." She gave Dar a look. "Higher than mine, darling. Park your head on the pillow."
Dar blinked in real surprise, looking down at her arm, then she gave Kerry a sheepish grin and wriggled into a more comfortable position next to her partner. "I was stressed," she commented. "You matter to me."
Kerry tossed the cuff into the corner and wrapped her arm around Dar as she put her head down on her shoulder. "I guess we"re letting DeSalliers go, huh?" she murmured. "Are we in this over our heads, Dar?"
Dar had her eyes closed, and she welcomed the easing of the headache throbbing across the back of her skull. She considered Kerry"s question for a few minutes. "I don"t know. Maybe." Her body shifted a little and she pulled Kerry closer. "Let"s take it easy for a while, then head back to St. Johns." She rubbed Kerry"s back.
"I"d like them to check you out, just in case."
A green eyeball rotated up and fixed on her in faint accusation.
"I know, I know." Dar sighed. "I"d be kicking and screaming at the mere suggestion."
Kerry snorted softly. "Yes, you certainly would be."
"Humor me," the dark-haired woman requested. "Please?"
Having made her point, Kerry grunted. "Okay." She closed her eyes again.
Dar put her arms around Kerry and hugged her. "Atta girl,"
she said, then paused as she heard the sound of a motor approaching. She exchanged a quick glance with Kerry. "Let me go see what that is."
Kerry hitched herself up on an elbow and watched as Dar got up and left. She considered following her, but her body protested, unwilling to move. Instead she fluffed the pillow up behind her and settled back, tucking her feet up and picking up her teacup, inhaling the fragrant steam.
172*
DAR THREADED HER way through the cabin and went to the door, opening it and looking outside. A medium-sized fishing boat was approaching them, with two men on the flying bridge and several others standing in the stern. For a moment, she stared at them, and then comprehension dawned. Pirates?
Dar didn"t see any real fishing gear on the boat, and the men were cl.u.s.tering together, watching her. Her heart rate started to increase, and for a single brief moment she wished she and Kerry were back in the office dealing with a multiple-layered, international cl.u.s.ter f.u.c.k. With a soft oath, she pulled her head back inside and bolted for the bench seat, yanking it open and pulling out the case. "Ker!" she yelled. "Keep your d.a.m.n head down!"
She opened the case and removed the shotgun, loading it hastily as she heard the engines outside throttle down. With a savage motion, she chambered a round, then jumped to the door and threw it open.
Two men were about to jump on board from the fishing boat"s bow. Dar braced herself and threw the gun up to her shoulder, sighting along the barrel as her finger curled around the trigger.
"Hold it!" she barked loudly.
The men in the stern had guns. She could see them from the corner of her eye. But her immediate problem was the men on the bow.
"All right, lady! Take it easy! n.o.body gets hurt!" the man closest yelled at her. "You got one gun, we got ten. Now put that down, okay?"
"f.u.c.k you," Dar snarled back. "Touch the boat and I"ll blow your d.a.m.n c.o.c.k off!"
The man lifted his rifle casually. "I"m telling you, lady, put it down!"
Dar didn"t budge. She tightened her finger on the trigger, feeling the cold metal warm to her touch. "Back off!" she yelled at the man. "Get your a.s.ses out of here, you pieces of pirate s.h.i.t!" A hand touched her back and she almost jumped through the bulkhead. "Grrrr!"
"I"m calling the Coast Guard," Kerry told her in a low voice.