After Laura and Tom walked back to their spot on the beach, not too far away, I looked up at Clare. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she
looked half a second away from sobs.
“Babe, come here,” I said softly, opening my arms so she could fill them. She came willingly like she always did. We sat in the sand, holding
each other for a minute while I gathered my thoughts. She pulled back finally, meeting my gaze, waiting for answers.
I took another sip of water, trying to keep the dizziness at bay. “This has nothing to do with the cancer, okay? Remember, I have no symptoms
yet. They caught it early.”
“Then why did I just watch you almost pass out a minute ago?”
“It’s the meds they put me on. That, combined with the heat. I haven’t had enough to drink, so I got dehydrated. I should have been watching
my fluids. I’m a damn doctor, you would think I’d know this…but we’re usually the worst patients.”
“Well, then why the hell are we still outside!” she demanded, immediately jumping to her feet and trying to pull me with her. I weighed a
good deal more than her so it was like trying to lift a bear. I helped her, rising to my feet slowly so that I wouldn’t get dizzy again.
We made our way inside, where she continued to fuss over me for the rest of the afternoon. After more water and a bit of food, I was back to
normal, but I feared Clare was anything but.
Logan
After a mid-afternoon nap, I was feeling like my old self again. The dizziness was completely gone, and I wanted nothing more than to find my
gorgeous fiancée and spent the rest of the evening with her wrapped in my arms.
I knew she was supposed to be pool side with Leah and Maddie, so I threw on some board shorts, ran my hands through my hair and hurried out to
the door in search of my family. I just about took out Leah in my attempt.
“Oh my God, Logan, would you slow down?” Leah said, catching her breath after having probably lost a year or two of her life from being
scared out of her mind when I came barreling out of my hotel suite straight into her.
“Sorry! Was just in a hurry to get to…hey, aren’t you supposed to be down at the pool with Clare and Maddie?” I asked suspiciously. I could
see the straps of her bathing suit peeking out from under her cover up and a towel was tucked under her arm, but there was no Maddie or Clare
anywhere.
“I was, but they never showed. I was on my way to investigate. Want to help?” she asked with an arched brow.
My answer was to turn and knock on Clare’s door. It wasn’t like her to blow off Leah without so much as a word. I know it was only a trip to
the pool, but Clare was raised in the South and her manners were impeccable. I took her to a dinner party a week or so ago, not really
explaining where we were going, and she about died when we showed up…without a hostess gift. A hostess gift? What the hell was that?
Apparently it was a thing; a big thing to Clare. The next day she’d sent a card and a gift to apologize for her fiancé’s oversight. Living in
the South was a new and different world.
After a few moments, the door finally opened and Clare emerged, dressed in a pair of yoga pants and tank top. Definitely not pool attire.
“Oh. Hey, guys,” she said, before turning around and walking back into the bedroom. Leah and I turned to each other confused, before walking
into the suite together.
I looked around and everything was as neat as a pin. There were no clothes, no shoes…nothing. It looked like it did the first moment we walked
in a few days ago. What the hell was going on?
Before I had a second longer to ponder, I heard soft sobs coming from Maddie’s room. I immediately went to her, opening the bedroom door to
find her curled up on her bed with her knees tucked under her chin. She was dressed in her hot pink Dora the Explorer bathing suit and a towel
was lying next to her.
“Hey, Princess. What’s the matter?”
Her eyes opened and focused on me and she briefly wiped away the tears before sitting up. I sat down next to her and she curled her body into
mine. I loved when she did this. It was natural now. She didn’t even have to think about it. When I put her to bed, or snuggled with her on
the couch, she just melted into me. Such trust. I didn’t know how in the world I ever deserved it, but I would spend the rest of my life
trying to be a man who was worthy of it.
“Mommy says we have to go home.”
My stomach fell to the floor and I couldn’t breathe.
“What?” I managed to say, before looking up to see Leah’s horrified face. She had stopped at the entry way, obviously not wanting to
overwhelm Maddie…but still curious as to what had made our girl cry.
“I told her I didn’t want to leave the beach. I told her I wanted to see her in her pretty dress.”
“And what did she say?” I asked hesitantly.
“She said I would, but not yet. She said we had to get home. It wasn’t safe staying here.”
I took a deep breath. Clare was freaking out again. She was panicking and rushing home where she felt safe. Where she felt I was safe.