Chapter 19
Beckett woke, there was a heavyweight on his chest, a strange light, and a disorienting vibe. Where was he? Oh, right, he was with — he lifted his head and Luna was lying on his chest, looking up.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
He lifted her arm to shift her weight. His left side had gone numb.
She said, “Beckett.”
He smiled. “Yep. It’s me.”
She nodded her chin rubbing on his chest. “I thought so, but I wasn’t sure if you were a dream.”
He propped his head up with an arm. “One hundred percent.”
“Good.” She put her head on his chest and nestled in for a moment. Her fingers traced lazy circles on his t-shirt. Then her head came up and she asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Just that after you disappeared from the radio, I went to find you, and here you are.”
She blinked a couple of times. “The longer version, please.”
“Dan and I were in the Zodiac, searching inlets until we saw your boards, we found your tent, then you, and we transported you to the ship. You’ve been sleeping since yesterday.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “This scratch on your cheek? I think I need the very, possibly excruciating, longer version.”
He stared at the ceiling, choosing his words. “You were really scared, screaming, you struggled to get away. I thought you were going to—” He looked down at her face. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”
She nodded.
“I tried to calm you down, to hold you still so you could hear me, but you were screaming and talking about me —tome.”
“I did this?”
Beckett touched his cheek. “This is nothing Luna, don’t worry about it.” He said, “We administered a sedative to calm you down, so we could get you to the boat. There was no other way.”
She squinted her eyes. “You darted me? That’s why my thigh is sore?”
Beckett nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of what else…”
Luna smiled a slow sad smile. “Well, one thing, it makes our love story really weird. So that’s cool.”
Beckett smiled with relief, flashing her a dimple. “You aren’t pissed? I thought you would be pissed.”
“No. But let’s not allow it to become a precedent.”
“Deal.”
“The whole story please.”
“You collapsed, and Dan and I packed up your things. Or rather, not packed but bundled and carried them. Then I carried you. You were bathed.” Luna held up a hand, investigating the mud caked around her nails and her wrist. “Not necessarily well, and you were checked by Dr Mags, and now you’ve been sleeping for hours and hours.”
“While you waited to see if I would wake up like a screaming banshee again?”
“The possibility crossed my mind.”
Luna nodded slowly and stared into his eyes. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
