Rogue Wave (The Water Keepers, Book 2) (8 page)

Rayne wouldn’t relent. “Trust me. My system can go much longer without the water than yours can.” He took a step closer and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Please? I’ll worry all night if you don’t take it.”

I looked up at his tired face, hesitating. He moved his body suddenly closer. The next thing I knew, he was kissing me again, soft and warm and so different from the night before. My body melted like ice dripping over a blazing flame. I placed my hand on his arm, worried my legs might turn to mush.

Rayne paused, resting his forehead down on mine for a moment, then he pulled his head back, still holding me in his arms. “I guess I should let you get back to your mom.”

“My mom?” I said, still trying to clear out the dreamy clouds floating around in my head.”

“Didn’t you say you have plans with her this afternoon?”

I bit my lip. “Oh right. But what about the Healing Water?”

He grinned. “Don’t worry. You’re good to go. In the Academy they taught us how to do two things at once.”

My mouth dropped open. “Hey. You mean you…while we were…”

He shrugged, silently and mischievously admitting his guilt. His grin grew wider. “Have a nice time at dinner tonight.”

7. THE RUSTY PELICAN

The asphalt was almost spongy beneath my feet as I wobbled back to my house. The talk—and the kiss—with Rayne had left me flustered. I somehow made it to the couch and sat, staring at the wall, wondering if my brain could physically break into pieces just from sheer overload.

My mom appeared from the computer room. “Honey, good, you’re home.” She moved around the living room, picking up a used glass from the end table and a pair of dirty socks from the floor by the couch. “Listen, I have to run over to Lori and Steve’s house for a bit. They went out of town for a few days, and I offered to feed their cat while they’re gone.”

It took me a moment to realize she’d stopped talking. I glanced up. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

She looked at me funny. “You remember Lori and Steve, right? They live a couple houses down from us?”

Now that I was actually paying attention, I could answer coherently. “Oh. Yeah, I know Lori. She’s the one that works over at the elementary school, right?”

“Yes, that’s her,” Mom said, but there was an odd, suspicious look on her face. She abandoned the socks and glass to grab my arm and pull me off the couch. “Maybe you should come with me, sweetheart. You look like you could use some fresh air.”

I followed after my mom down the sidewalk, glancing every few seconds at Rayne’s front yard. What was he thinking coming out and just kissing me like that again? Telling me he wanted to date me,
for real,
and risking his station as a Keeper? He wasn’t acting like himself, at all.

Mom unlocked our neighbors’ front door and asked me to go in the backyard to water Steve’s plants while she took care of some things inside the house.

I sprayed the hose water aimlessly around the yard, still deep in contemplation. It had to be the lack of Healing Water that was impeding Rayne’s judgment. He would say he was fine whether he really was or not, and it was even possible he didn’t realize it was affecting him so badly. I knew firsthand what could happen when the Healing Water ran low from someone’s system.

Nothing had actually changed about our situation. The only thing different was Rayne and his ability to reason. This was probably why he didn’t stop me from kissing him. He wasn’t strong enough to maintain his usual level of control and fight off the effects of the bond between us.

I couldn’t entertain any of the ideas he had planted in my heart, not when it was so obvious he wasn’t thinking clearly. For all I knew, he would come back tonight with a fresh supply of Healing Water, a clear head, and the intent to take back everything he’d just offered me.

And I had to remember, no matter if Rayne was losing his strength or not, that deep down I would always know…allowing myself to love him meant living nothing more than a blissful lie. I still didn’t believe I could live with that.

“Sadie,” Mom’s voice called in concern. “That’s plenty. Are you trying to kill their garden?”

I looked down and found a pool of muddy water drowning a small collection of herbs and tomato plants. The raised garden bed was so full that water was spilling over the edges of the wood siding onto the grass.

“Oh no,” I said. I jolted away with the hose so quickly I accidentally sprayed Lori’s cat, which hissed at me and ran away as Mom went to the side of the house and turned off the water.

“Sorry,” I called to my mom. I started to cross the yard in her direction. “Do you think their plants will be okay? I just got distracted.”

Mom came back around the corner with a little smirk. “I think their garden will survive the flood.” Then she motioned to one of the patio chairs at the outdoor table. “Why don’t you come sit down with me for a minute?”

I took a seat, cringing a little. “I feel bad,” I said. “What if I ruined their plants?”

“Honey, the plants will be fine. Are you okay, though? You seem like you’ve got something on your mind.”

“No, I’m fine,” I said out of habit. But I corrected myself. “Well, maybe not. Maybe things are kind of weird with Rayne right now.”

“Why?” she asked. “Did something happen?”

“We, sort of, broke up.”

Mom’s face crumpled immediately. “Oh no, sweetie. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, shaking my head. “It was pretty much my idea. And he said he agreed with me that it was the best thing. At least, at first he agreed with me. But that’s not even the weird part. The day
after
we broke up, we had our first kiss.”

My mom’s frown quickly turned into a happy glow. “
Sadie-bear
…your first kiss… That’s so adorable.”

“
Mom
, are you even listening to me? We broke up. And now all of a sudden he keeps kissing me. Doesn’t that seem a little messed up to you?”

It was as if she didn’t hear a word I had said. She was too giddy. “Wait, so he kissed you
again
? How many times? Was it romantic?”

I covered my face with both hands. “Mother, please focus. You’re missing the point.”

She stifled her amusement and put on a serious face. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to joke about your relationship. I’m just so happy that you wanted to tell me about it.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re just lucky I’m used to all of your giggling by now.”

She chuckled then scooted her chair closer. “If you ask me, your situation doesn’t seem weird at all.”

“It doesn’t?” I asked, surprised.

“No. I think, for some people, a break-up is the only way they’re able to realize how much they actually want to be together.”

I sighed. “Well, what if the question isn’t whether or not we
want
to be together? What if it’s more a matter of whether we
should
be together; if it’s the right thing for our futures?”

I wasn’t sure why I was even bothering to ask for my mom’s advice. She still didn’t know anything about Keepers or Healing Water, and she couldn’t possibly understand all the complexities of my relationship with Rayne.

Mom nodded thoughtfully. “Sweetheart, I’m no expert on relationships, and I think love is a hard subject for anyone to figure out. But, I believe if you’re really meant to be with someone, things have a way of working themselves out. Our hearts have a way of knowing what to do. If the love is really there between you and Rayne, then you’ll find a way to mold your futures together.  If either of you can’t do that…then your love was never true to begin with.”

I stared at her for a moment, repeating her last words in my head.
Your love was never true to begin with
. I lifted the corners of my mouth slightly. “Thanks, Mom. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” But the small smile on my face was only an outward appreciation for my mother’s attempt to help. Inside, I felt more conflicted than ever.

A few hours later back at home, Mom waltzed out of her bedroom with a twirl, showcasing an elegant, knee-length black dress. “What do you think? Do you like it?”

“Wow, Mom. You look amazing.”

She grinned. “Thanks, honey. Are you ready to go?”

“I think so,” I said, standing up from the couch. I glanced down at my periwinkle sundress and white cardigan, feeling slightly under-dressed. “Maybe I should go change into something a little nicer.”

Mom shook her head and kissed me on the cheek. “Don’t be silly. You look beautiful.”

We drove in my mom’s car to the hospital where we were meeting Dr. Jensen before dinner. He was planning to take us in his Jaguar to the Rusty Pelican, an expensive restaurant with a view of Newport Harbor. I’d only been there once a few years ago when Heather’s mom had invited us to their traditional champagne brunch on Mother’s Day.

As soon as we stepped off the hospital elevator and turned the corner to my mom’s department, I ran into a familiar face in the hallway. It was Brooke, one of the younger nurses who’d helped me after my car accident last November. We still chatted now and then when I’d come by the hospital to visit my mom.”

“Sadie,” she greeted happily. “How are you?”

I stopped and gave her a small hug. I was still feeling a little down from my earlier conversation with Rayne, but seeing a friendly face helped cheer me up. “I’m great,” I chimed.

“Hi, Brooke,” Mom said. “Sadie, honey, I’m just going to say hello to a few people. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to Brooke. She always looked so official and smart in her hospital scrubs. We talked for a few minutes about her new boyfriend and my plans for graduation less than two months away. But Brooke was on the clock and had to get back to her patients. I walked with her to the nurses’ station at the center of the department, expecting to find my mom there gabbing away, but I didn’t see her there.

After looking around for a minute, I recognized an older woman sitting at the desk.

“Have you seen my mom?” I asked her.

The woman answered, tone dry, not interested enough to glance away from her computer screen. She lifted her pen and pointed it across the room. “Last I saw, she went down that hallway with Dr. Jensen.”

“Thanks,” I said hesitantly. I turned quickly away from the desk, worried I had bothered her. The direction the woman pointed to was also the direction of Dr. Jensen’s office. It seemed like the next logical place to look. I made my way down the hall and knocked lightly on his door. No one answered, but the door was unlocked, so I poked my head inside.

When I determined the room was empty, I started to pull back through the doorway, but just before I closed the door, I noticed a tastefully wrapped gift on Dr. Jensen’s desk. I raised my eyebrows, wondering if it was something for my mother. There was only one way to find out. I hurried over to the package with a curious grin. The box was too big to be jewelry, too small to be clothing. I examined the cream-colored envelope attached to the burgundy ribbons, surprised to find it wasn’t my mother’s name on the card. It was mine. The handwriting was definitely not my mother’s either, so it had to be from Dr. Jensen. I wasn’t sure why he was buying me presents, but I certainly didn’t have a problem with it.

Feeling even more curious, I lifted the box off the desk to get a better look. I moved it only an inch when I heard a small clank. I must have accidentally knocked something over on the desk. I moved the box to the side with my hand and froze when I saw the object behind it. It was a small, silver bottle, just like the ones Rayne used for the Healing Water. Seeing a vial like that anywhere but in Rayne’s own hand made me immediately suspicious.

I looked at the out-of-place object in horror. Unless Dr. Jensen was also a Keeper, he shouldn’t have anything like this in his possession. Or was I jumping to conclusions? Maybe there could be a lot of reasons someone might have a little metal bottle like this. But when I saw the file folder lying next to it on the desk, with the name
Miracle Water
written in black marker on the tab, there was no question in my mind. Something wasn’t right.

Without thinking, I threw the file open and started flipping through the pages. What was Dr. Jensen up to? The file was full of case studies, names and photos of patients with extensive notes on each. There were files on at least twenty patients being treated. It listed different dosages administered and the changes and progress of each person’s recovery. The patients’ ailments weren’t even similar to each other. There was a child with Type I diabetes, a middle-aged woman with breast cancer, an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease…the list went on.

My heart thumped heavily in my chest. I wasn’t a doctor, but I’d been around my mother enough to know these illnesses weren’t easy to treat, and usually couldn’t be cured. Yet most of the case studies had a clearly marked note at the end of the file which said,
patient fully recovered
, with a date next to it. I looked closer at some of the dates. None of them showed treatments beginning more than a few months back.

It had to be Healing Water. What other explanation could there be?

A male voice came from the doorway. “I see you found your present.”

I dropped the papers and jolted around in alarm. Dr. Jensen stood a few feet away, wearing a broad smile, not seeming the least bit worried about me being alone in his office or snooping around through his private things.

“Oh, uh…yes,” I said trying to cover up my shaky nerves. I picked the gift up from the desk again. “This isn’t for me, is it?”

Just then my mom came through the doorway. “There you are,” she said to me. “I was looking for you everywhere.”

My shoulders relaxed at the sight of her, suddenly feeling safer with someone else in the room. “Sorry,” I said. “I was looking for you, too. One of the ladies up front told me you came back here.”

Dr. Jensen put his arm around my mother. For the first time ever, seeing him touch her made me uneasy. “Well, I was going to wait until dinner to surprise you,” he said. “But since we’re all here, why don’t you go ahead and open it now, Sadie.”