I fall sick the next day, as I had suspected I would, and Charles’s condition worsens. He drifts in and out of consciousness the whole day, his fever so bad that it almost feels like he would combust. That evening, I manage to get us some berries to eat. Charles refuses to have any, and no amount of cajoling and crying on my part would make him eat them. I’m too weak to husk any coconuts, so I manage to catch some crabs, but end up burning them when I tried to cook them. The lack of food, appetite, and illness weakens us the more, and on the eleventh day after we find ourselves on the island, I’m so weak that I can’t stand again. I lay beside Charles, totally boneless and unable to do anything to help either of us, not that there is much to be done in the first place. He hasn’t spoken in two days, and the only time I hear anything from his mouth is when he mutters gibberish because of the fever, and when he moans because of the pain he’s passing through.That night, I finally give up
JESSICABy the time I open my eyes, I’m alone and lying in a bed in a hospital room. The familiar panic sets in, and I try to stamp it down unsuccessfully. I hate hospital rooms with a deadly passion. Before I can panic too much though, the door to the room opens and my friend Samantha walks in, all smiles.“Well, well, well. Look who’s awake.” She beams, coming to my bedside and giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Hey.” I croak, and she immediately reaches for a jug by the side of the bed and pours me a glass of water, which I suck at greedily through a straw. “How are you feeling?”“I feel much better than I should, thanks.”“That’s good. The doctor said that you will have no problem recovering. I’m guessing that he knows his stuff. I’m glad to see you’re okay. I was very worried. We all were.”“Who’s we?” I ask although I’m tired of hearing her forcefully cheery voice.“Why? Sebastian and I, as well as the organizers of the cruise, of course. This type of thing is bad for their busine
I only barely manage to conceal my utter shock at this surprisingly unwanted piece of information. There is no reason for the pain and betrayal that I’m feeling at that moment, but the fact is that I’m feeling these emotions.I chalk it up to the fact that Charles had so blatantly lied about being in a relationship just to get into my pants, although if the truth is to be told, I had been very eager to get into his pants as well. No wonder he had seemed uncomfortable when I asked him if he was in a relationship while we were on the island.Meghan is advancing into the room, all smiles and shiny white teeth. I think of my teeth that haven’t really been brushed in over a week, except with twigs that I used as makeshift toothbrushes, and I scowl, but Meghan doesn’t seem to care.“Oh, hi. Aren’t you a beauty? Look at your hair … so pretty. I’m Samantha.” Samantha gushes, moving over to Meghan before she can reach the bed in which I’m lying and giving her a very big hug as though they’re l
When I get back to my room, I find Sebastian, his wife Carol, and little baby James waiting for me. My mood improves immediately, although not by much, and I smile gratefully at them. Sebastian hunkers down and gives me a heartfelt hug, which I return heartily, breathing in his familiar smell. Hugging him feels like home but in a brotherly way. If anyone had ever told me that I would come to think of Sebastian as a ‘brother’ some three years ago, I would have laughed their face off. I glance at Carol to see if she’s uncomfortable with this display of emotion that her husband is giving me, but she clearly isn’t. I wonder how refreshing it must be to be sure of your partner. She’s beaming at me and waiting her turn to give me a hug, which I accept gratefully. Then they place baby James in my arms, and immediately my mood brightens, after he gives me a two-toothed smile, and immediately reach for a strand of my hair. Tugging on people’s hair is his favorite pastime.“I’m so thankful th
CHARLESMy head is pounding hard, and my eyes feel like they’re glued shut. I manage to force them open, and then immediately wish that I hadn’t. The bright light in the room hurt my eyes, so I shut them and only open them again when I have gotten accustomed to the light.I’m in a hospital room … I realize that right away. I glance around and realize that I’m alone, and it’s afternoon. That is no surprise. I don’t have anyone who is close to me enough to sit with me in a hospital room while I’m sick. Belatedly, the events of the past several days come rushing back to me, and I sit up suddenly. My head begins to swim, so I wait for some time for it to calm down before pulling off all the stuff that is connected to me in a bid to keep me alive.The wounds that are all over me protest my movement, but I need to know … need to know where Jessica is and if she made it out of the island alive too. I really hope she did. I can’t bear to think otherwise, because it would hurt a lot.I had co
Sebastian comes to visit me a few days later, his look somber and his expression serious. He takes one look at me and shakes his head before speaking.“You look like crap, man.”“Why, thank you. It’s very kind of you to say so.” I reply sarcastically, and we share a smile. Despite all his money, Sebastian is one of the most down-to-earth and friendliest guys that I’ve ever met.“How are you feeling?”“Much better than I would have thought. That’s for sure.”“Good, good. Carol and I came to see you some days back, but you were still out of it.”“Yeah, I heard. Thanks, man for everything.”“It’s not a problem. We’re family.”“So, have you heard from Jessica? Is she with you guys? I’ve heard nothing about her except that she checked out of the hospital without being cleared to do so. Is she alright?”“Yeah, about that. We need to talk about her. What happened between you two on that island?”“Huh? Why are you asking me that? We were cool with each other. At first, I’ll admit that she was
JESSICAFor days now, I’ve been very ill, tired, and nauseous. When I first got back from the hospital, I had chalked these feelings of illness up to the fact that I left the hospital before I was supposed to and now, I’m suffering the consequences. I have since discarded that notion though.Now, along with my illness and nausea, I’m suffering from a very acute case of disbelief, if such a thing exists. I stare at the pregnancy test strip in front of me in disbelief, willing one of the two red lines to disappear. Maybe if I stare at the strip long and hard enough and will the line to disappear, it will obey my command. However, like the countless number of strips that I’ve wasted in taking the test in the past week, this one doesn’t obey my command.I’m pregnant. I’ve had up to six days to get used to the word, but still, it feels so foreign, as though I’ve never heard it before now. Six days ago, my doctor had suggested taking a pregnancy test, after I complained to him about the wa
CHARLES I’m lying in my hospital bed, alone as usual, when there is a faint knock on the door and the knob turns. Ever since I sent Meghan away, I rarely have visitors, except for the occasional work colleague.The lady who steps into the room looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t really tell who she is, so I just lie there watching her curiously as she approaches my bed. She takes one look at me and her lips curl in what suspiciously looks like distaste.“Hello. Do we know each other?” I ask her. She does not reply, but instead, takes one of the chairs in the room and draws it close to the bed. It is only after she is seated that she speaks.“I see you’re still alive and healing quite nicely.”“Okay … nice to meet you.”“Where’s your fucking fiancee, you asshole? Did she get tired of your sorry ass and left you too?”“Um … I’m certain I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her in bewilderment. She looks and definitely sounds pissed, whoever she is, but still, I can’t remember