Chapter 24
Vico
I press my hand against my stomach.
Not again. Please. Not again.
But my stomach doesn't care. It cramps so hard that I curl up in pain on the mattress of my van.
Oh.
My.
God.
When it finally subsides, I reach for the bedsheet. I have no strength left, but that's no surprise. This has been going on for half the night already. With effort, I pull the sheet up to my nose.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Hanna's soft voice reaches my ear. "We were supposed to meet for departure an hour ago. Where are you?"
Sleepyhead, my foot. I let out a whimper, as that's all I can manage.
Suddenly, the mattress sinks behind me. A moment later, her face hovers over me, a crease forming between her eyes. "What happened?" she asks, resting the back of her hand against my sweaty forehead. "You have a fever."
Oh no, the opposite is true. I'm freezing! "Mm-hmm," I reply anyway, lacking the energy for a retort.
"Where does it hurt?" Her gaze travels down my body to where I'm pressing my forearms against my stomach. "Could it be that the fish yesterday tasted strange?"
"I don't know. It was so heavily spiced that I…" Another cramp builds up in my body. "Oh God."
Her hand gently touches my back. "I'll get help."
"Not necessary," I reply, but without strength.
"Hold on," she says, caring. "I'll be right back."
Before I understand what's happening, she's gone. I close my eyes and try to breathe evenly until she returns. Why did I order the fish? Hanna had even warned me not to eat something in an empty restaurant that might have been sitting in the fridge for days due to lack of guests. I thought she was crazy. And now I pay the price for it.
"We need to get him inside the house," Hanna says, climbing into the van and gripping my shoulders. Behind her, the concerned face of Pietro appears. "Can you walk, Vico?"
I nod, and with Hanna's help, I manage to sit up. As soon as we leave the camper, Pietro takes over. Leaning on him, I drag myself to Camilla's bungalow.
"Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" I ask my brother-in-law. "Or at the workshop?"
He shakes his head with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be gone in a moment. Camilla and the little ones are allowed to go home today, and of course, I'll pick them up."
"How wonderful!" Hanna says with that delighted tone in her voice she had when she first saw my nieces. "Can I prepare something for them?"
"I think it's enough if you take care of our patient here," Pietro directs me toward the house.
Once inside, I sink onto the sofa bed in the guest room and close my eyes, utterly exhausted. I've only covered a few yards, but they have drained all my strength. I feel something cool on my forehead and wrists. Then I fall into a blissful twilight sleep.
***
A soft voice hums a gentle melody, and a feeling of comfort envelops me.
"It will be okay," says the voice now. A hand brushes back my hair, and a gentle breeze grazes my skin. Then the humming starts again.
A sigh escapes my lips. The knot in my stomach feels looser, and I no longer shiver.
