SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (12 page)

Then
I waited.

Despite
the cold, I fell asleep, waking only when I heard someone calling my name.
Confused, I looked around me, then suddenly remembered what had happened.
Tentatively, I tried to stand up, but my legs refused to obey.

»I’m
here,« I whispered, then said it again, louder this time.

Calum
suddenly appeared next to me, his eyes glinting. He pulled me close to him, an
expression of utter relief on his face.

»You
didn’t make it easy for me to find you, Emma. We’ve been looking for you for
hours.« Shaking his head, he looked down at me. His voice was filled with concern.

I
tried to answer, but couldn’t stop shaking.

»I’m
sorry, I got lost,« I finally said with great effort, relishing the warmth he
was radiating.

»Come
on,« he said, »we need to get you into the warm.«

I
tried to take a step, but my legs felt like cotton wool. When Calum realized I
wasn’t in any fit state to walk, he gently swept me up into his arms. I wanted
to protest, but it felt so good. My teeth continued to chatter relentlessly.

»We
have to do something about that,« he said, seemingly to himself. He reluctantly
lowered me down again and took off his jacket. Then he helped me into it,
despite my weak protests.

»But
you must be cold too, Calum. You need the jacket yourself.«

Calum
laughed softly in my ear. »Emma, if I had to, I could walk through the storm
half-naked and I still wouldn’t get cold. Believe me, a little bit of wind
doesn’t affect me in the slightest.«

The
image made my heart pound quicker. And he must have noticed my body’s
traitorous response, for he laughed softly again and held me closer to him.

»Showoff,«
I murmured petulantly, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

Wrapped
in his warm jacket and encased in his arms, I started to feel better minute by
minute.

It
took us a while to reach the car. Once we did, Peter came running to meet us.

»Calum,
you found her! Quick, get into the car.«

I
could see the shock on his face as he noticed my blue, frozen hands and purple
lips.

Calum
helped me into the back seat and sat down next to me. Exhausted, I laid my head
on his chest. Peter turned up the heat, called Bree from his cell phone, and
then started chattering away to us.

Still
feeling ice-cold, I was happy to feel Calum’s arm around me. I pushed my hands
under his pullover. Feeling him jump in surprise, I was about to pull them
back, but then he held me tighter.

»It
seems you’ve turned into an icicle.« He shook his head with a laugh. »How on
earth did you get up there?«

We
arrived back at the house all too quickly, and I reluctantly left his embrace.
As we made our way to the house after getting out of the car, he was carrying
me more than I was walking.

Bree
was standing at the door, her eyes red from crying. She snapped into action,
obviously intent on thawing me out from my frozen state, and sent me off to
have a hot bath. Then she brought me my jogging bottoms, my thickest pullover,
and warm socks.

Downstairs,
she put on a big pot of tea for Calum and Peter, then I heard her asking them
to fetch some wood and start a fire.

Relieved
and happy to be home safely, I sunk down into the bath. Even here, in the hot
water, the thought that I could have spent the night up on the mountain made me
shiver.

The
warmth felt so good. Suddenly, I heard Ethan’s voice out in the hallway. Amelie
came running into the bathroom, still in her coat and shoes, leant over the
bathtub, and gave me a bear hug. »Emma, you have no idea how worried we were. I
was so scared you might have fallen from the cliff.« She shook her head in
disbelief. »It’s unbelievable that Calum managed to find you. Come on, we’re
waiting in the living room for you.«

I
reluctantly left the warmth of the bath, pulling on the thick clothes Bree had
brought me and blow-drying my wet hair. I tied it into a ponytail, then went
down to the living room. Hearing the excited chatter even from the hallway, I
started to feel really uncomfortable. It was difficult to imagine what it would
have been like if something had happened.

I
shyly entered the room, wishing I could sink into the floor. But no one was
looking at me reproachfully; instead, every gaze was filled with concern. Bree
stood up and pulled me over towards the fireplace, pushing me down gently onto
the sofa next to Calum. He pressed a mug of hot tea into my hand. Thanks to the
open fire on my right and Calum’s warmth on my left, my cheeks were glowing in
no time at all. Feeling slightly too hot now, I longed to take off some of my
layers, but there was no way I wanted to give up my seat next to Calum.

»Emma,
where were you walking to anyway?« asked Dr. Erickson, who had come over to the
house with Calum.

»I
was just following the path, and it was so beautiful I didn’t pay attention to
where I was going, let alone the time.« I shrugged apologetically. »When it
started to get cold and windy, I walked back the same way I had come. Or that’s
what I thought, but it seems like I was wrong.«

Calum
laid a comforting arm around me. I leaned against him, but couldn’t help but
notice the strained look on Dr. Erickson’s face.

»Luckily,
Calum found you,« he said slowly. »We were about to inform the police. It’s
almost a miracle he happened to look in that very spot. You were so far away
from the path....«

Everyone
looked at Calum, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Now
Peter spoke up. »No one knows the island like he does; it’s unbelievable how he
always finds the right path when we go hiking, without any help whatsoever.
Emma, the weather can change very quickly up in the mountains, so it was wrong
of us to let you go up there alone. Although I never would have thought you’d
go so far up.« He shook his head. »In future, only go up there when I’m with
you.«

»Or
with me,« whispered Calum in my ear, unnoticed by the others.

The
front doorbell rang, making me wonder who else had been looking for me. It was
Sophie, who walked in with a big pot of soup. Only now did I realize how hungry
I was.

We
all just about managed to fit around the big table in the kitchen. Calum didn’t
move from my side for a single moment. Bree and Amelie swiftly set the table
while Sophie heated up the soup and sliced fresh bread. When I tried to stand
up to help, Calum pressed me back down onto the chair.

»You’re
not leaving my side today,« he said with a roguish grin. »Who knows what else
you might do.« He shook his head, trying to suppress a laugh. I watched
indignantly as he exchanged glances with Peter, who was less composed and
started to chuckle. I crossed my arms defensively, feeling offended.

The
soup tasted wonderful, and when Bree conjured up a chocolate torte for dessert,
the evening was given the perfect finishing touch. Thankfully everyone had
decided not to talk any more about my escapade, which meant the conversation at
the table was considerably more enjoyable than the one in the living room
earlier.

»I
need a whisky,« groaned Ethan after the meal, looking at Dr. Erickson
persuasively. Dr. Erickson took him up on the offer at once, giving Sophie a
kiss on the cheek, and following Ethan into the living room. Peter slunk off
behind them as the women turned their attentions to dealing with the chaos in
the kitchen. Calum and I cleared the table. He seemed really adamant about not
letting me out of his sight.

»You
can go join the men if you like,« I said.

»No
chance. I’m staying with you. You might accidentally fall down the drain or
something.«

»Very
funny.«

He
smiled, knowing that I couldn’t be mad at him for long when he looked at me
like that.

We
drank our espressos back in the living room, by the fire. But despite the
caffeine boost, I was finding it harder and harder to follow the conversation.
My eyes kept drifting shut.

Calum
looked at me with concern and put his arm around me. I snuggled against his
chest and fell asleep, not even noticing when he carried me to bed and tucked
me in. It was only when his lips grazed my forehead that I woke up. His blue
eyes were staring at me intently. »See you tomorrow,« he said softly, »and no
more risk-taking.« That irresistible smile crossed his lips.

Chapter Nine

The
next day began painfully. My neck and head were both unbelievably sore. Bree
called the family doctor, who promised to come by at midday; then she brought
me an aspirin. »You’ll be fine, Emma,« she said, trying to comfort me. »It
could have been much worse. I can’t bear to think about what would had happened
if you’d fallen or broken something.« Shaking her head in horror, she left the
room.

I
buried my face in my pillow and tried to go back to sleep. Suddenly, a terrible
thought shot into my mind. Bree would never allow me to go to guitar practice
with Calum if I was sick. The thought of not seeing him this afternoon, of not
being alone with him, was even more painful than the pounding in my head. I had
to get up and get some fresh air; then the headache would go. Carefully, I
heaved myself up onto my elbows. Even though I tried to move slowly, everything
went black in front of my eyes. I laid back down with a groan; clearly getting
up wasn’t such a great idea. I bit my lip in frustration. Even more slowly this
time, if that was possible, I sat upright and pulled myself up onto my feet
using the bedposts as support. I was standing now, but my legs weren’t doing
what they were supposed to. Just as I noticed they were failing me, and before
I could reach out and grab onto something, I fell to the floor. The collision
with the hard floorboards was painful. When I came to, I was still lying on the
floor, but with a pillow beneath my head. Amelie and Bree were kneeling next to
me, looking on in shock.

»Emma
are you okay?« asked Amelie. I tried to nod, but the pain was threatening to
burst my skull.

»Do
you think you’ll be able to get up and get back into bed if we help you?«

I
licked my lips, which had gone completely dry. Bree handed me a glass of water
and I drank thirstily.

»What
happened?« I asked.

»You
fainted. We heard a dull thud and rushed up to see what happened,« said Bree in
answer to my question.

Combining
their strength, they managed to get me back into bed. I wouldn’t be going
anywhere today, that much was clear.

»I’ll
ask Dr. Brent to come at once. Maybe it’s more serious than we thought.« She
left the room.

»I
have to go to school,« said Amelie. »Don’t move a muscle, do you hear me?
Normally, I’d be jealous of you for getting off school, but...« she hesitated, »you
really don’t look good.«

»Would
you please tell Calum that I’m sick and that we can’t practice today? And that
he can’t come here to see me... Promise me you’ll talk him out of it if he
wants to. I don’t want him to see me like this.«

Amelie
nodded. »I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.«

She
was barely out of the room before my eyes closed and I fell asleep. I woke up
again only when Bree gently shook my shoulder.

»Emma,
wake up. Dr. Brent is here and wants to examine you.«

I
struggled to open my eyes. Dr. Brent must have only been in his mid thirties at
the most, but he had a very competent air about him. He examined me thoroughly.
Then he frowned and looked at me.

»You’ve
brought back a pneumonia as a souvenir from your expedition. This isn’t to be
taken lightly, do you hear me? I’m prescribing you antibiotics and strict bed
rest. You’re not allowed to leave the house.«

I
nodded in resignation. It seemed this was my punishment. »For how long?« I
asked as he tucked his stethoscope away in his bag.

»That
really depends on how fit you are. I’d estimate you’ll be past the worst of it
in two weeks.«

Two
weeks, that was an eternity. I could forget about the first swimming
competition. Mr. Fallen wouldn’t be impressed.

»The
most important thing is that you make a full recovery. But you’re in the best
possible hands with Bree.« He gave me an encouraging smile and left the room.

Bree
instantly devoted all her energies to nursing me back to health, so much so
that I felt tired just watching her. First she brought me a plate of sliced
fruit, then a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. She repeatedly fluffed my
pillow and fussed with my blankets. Later, she came in with a bowl of hot
broth. Exhausted, I pretended to be asleep, and hoped that Amelie would soon be
home. But waiting impatiently for something only makes the time pass unbearably
slowly.

When
I next woke up, the room was dark. I reached out to turn on my bedside lamp. I
could hear voices outside, so it couldn’t be night yet. I moved my head
carefully; the pain wasn’t as strong as it had been that morning. I sat up and
reached for my robe, desperately needing to go to the bathroom. Very slowly, in
order not to faint again, I made my way down the hallway, then washed my face
and brushed my teeth. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a stranger staring
back at me. Even though I was normally quite pale, now I was as white as a
sheet. There were dark shadows beneath my eyes and my lips were blood-red and
chapped from the cold. I was just searching the cabinet for some lip salve when
Amelie came in.