He laughs; it sounds genuine and joyful, like maybe in the last month he’s found some peace. Or at least isn’t in constant pain anymore. “Yeah, she’s going.” He gestures to his leg. “Everyone was right about how my leg is seriously broken.” Dan shakes his head.
I laugh. “Rebecca does seem to be pretty on point most of the time.”
“Yeah,” Dan says. “I guess that’s true. Oh, I talked with Merl earlier. He said he can send Nila and Frank back in three weeks. That’s the next time anyone is coming here from Costa Rica.”
“That’s okay,” I say. “I mean, I miss them but I’m not exactly up for taking care of three dogs at the moment.”
Dan nods. “That makes sense. How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” I say. “Weird. I mean, I’ve lost time before… But I didn’t have a baby growing peacefully inside me, so this is a more shocking return to consciousness.” I gesture to my giant fucking stomach.
Dan frowns and nods. “When I woke up from my coma—which was short—I had a broken leg and fractured skull. I was in so much pain that the loss of time seemed like the least of my worries.” His gaze finds mine. “I’m sorry this happened, Sydney.”
“Thanks.” I give him a half smile. “Now my big thing is…how do I shower?” He barks a laugh. “And there’s one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“None of you thought to notify Robert,” I say.
“Mulberry was in charge of your phone,” Dan says, his brow creasing. “He didn’t let him know?”
“No, he didn’t. I’m surprised Robert didn’t reach out to you. Or Merl; it’s not like he can’t get hold of all of you.”
“I doubt he would have trusted our answers. He must have assumed that you’d gone dark on purpose—that we would have let him know if something bad happened to you.”
“I guess that makes sense. In classic Robert Maxim style, he went straight to figuring out where the island is.” Dan’s face pales. “And he says that if I’m not back to him in two weeks, he will send a small army to come get me.”
Dan’s eyes narrow. “That probably explains why he didn’t reach out. If he was trying to figure out where the island is, he would want us in the dark about his concerns.” Dan looks toward the window. “He threatened you?”
“It’s part of what we do to each other. Lots of threats in this marriage.” I’m trying to make light of it but Dan does not smile…maybe he doesn’t find the toxic nature of my marriage amusing. Or maybe the coma ruined my sense of humor and it’s not actually funny at all.
“Sydney.” Dan turns back to me, his voice low and careful. “No one can come here without clearance.”
“I know. I told him.”
“We will kill them.”
“I said as much. He believes they will be better than us.”
Dan shakes his head. “That’s insane. We are very well fortified.”
“I know.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I’m going to have my baby here,” I say. “To be honest, I don’t see that I have much of a choice. It’s safe. I have Dr. Guilder. Mulberry is already here. I’m not leaving.”
“Okay,” Dan says, placing a hand on my back. “We will deal with whatever comes our way.”
“Thanks.” I smile. “The next thing to deal with is my showering.”
Dan nods. “I know the feeling.” He glances at his own leg. “This thing makes bathing a challenge.”
“I bet. What do you do?”
“I’ve got a special plastic bag and handles for maneuvering in my shower. In the meantime, want me to call Mulberry?”
“No,” I answer quickly. “I don’t think me naked and vulnerable with him is a great idea. Naked and vulnerable isn’t really my thing in general,” I say with a half smile.
“Yeah, broken and needy isn’t mine either but…” He shrugs. “It’s where we're at.”
“That is not comforting.”
Dan laughs. “Sorry,” he says, grinning and not looking sorry at all.
I grumble as I dial Dr. Guilder. She agrees to help, and when I hang up Dan looks at my phone. “You don’t think there is any way you can talk Robert out of this insanity?”
“I’ll try again. But he is a dumbass.”
Dan huffs a laugh. “Yeah, but a powerful one. I’m not interested in starting a war with him if we can avoid it. You guys seemed good when you got back from your trip to Bora Bora.”
“We were. But then I didn’t call because I was in a coma. And that kicked his perpetual need to possess and control into higher gear.”
Dr. Guilder arrives and Dan excuses himself. Blue waits outside the bathroom, his fuzzy face worried. “I’ll be fine,” I tell him. He whines softly as I close the door.
“I want to stay here to have the baby,” I tell the doctor as I slip out of my clothing.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” she says, holding my arm steady—her grip tight but not bruising. “You have about six weeks left before your due date, but you’ll be full term in three weeks.”
