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His eyebrows snap together "Where does it hurt, baby?" he says softly, pushing asp, tears of pain starting to roll downon one side, and I shake ly found the exact area that’s in agony

He i dressed "Beth!" he yells "Beth, I need you here right now!"

She runs into the roo on a bathrobe over her pajamas "What happened?"

She sounds scared, and I am terrified too I’ve never seen Julian like this before He seehtened

"Get ready," he says tersely "I’ht be her appendix"

Appendicitis! Now that he said it, I realize it’s the most probable explanation, but it’s beyond scary I’m no doctor, but I know that if my appendix bursts before they cut it out, I’ even if I were an hour away from medical attention, but I’m on a private island in the middle of the Pacific What if I don’tthe sari me out of the roo as Julian swiftly walks down the stairs

"Like hell you can" His tone is unnecessarily harsh, but I don’t take offense I know he’s worried about ony, I feel warar, Beth has opened the gates for us and is already waiting in the back of the airplane Julian straps reatest wish is about to be granted

I’rab for the brown paper bag that’s lying conveniently in front of me Sudden hot nausea boils up inand shaking

I can hear Julian swearing as the plane begins to take off, and I’m so embarrassed I just want to die "I’ I have never been so ht," Julian says curtly "Don’t worry about it"

"Here" Beth hands me a ipe from the back "This should make you feel a little better"

But it doesn’t Instead, as the plane cli, I clutch at

"Fuck," Julian mutters "Fuck, fuck, fuck" His knuckles are white where he’s clutching the controls

I voet there?" Beth’s voice is unusually high-pitched

"Two hours," Julian says grimly "If the wind cooperates"

Those two hours turn out to be the longest ones of ins its descent, I have thrown up five ti past the point of e sincebutuely aware that Julian is carrying ainst his broad chest There is a babble of voices speaking in a e, and then I’ hallway into a white, sterile-looking room

Several people in white coats bustle around ely e, and I feel a sharp prick in my arm as an IV needle is attached toin the corner, his face oddly pale and his eyes glitteringand then the darkness ss ain consciousness, I a only a little bit better My head appears to be stuffed ool, and the nagging pain in h it feels different now, less sharp and more like an ache For a second, I think that I fell asleep feeling sick and drea, but the smell convinces me otherwise It’s that unmistakable antiseptic odor that you only encounter in doctor’s offices and hospitals

That odor means I’ at the thought

"She’s awake," an unfalish, apparently addressing someone else in the roo down on the side of ers reach out and strokeaze at Julian’s beautiful features "Like I’ve been cut open and sewn back together," I e to croak out My throat is so dry and sore that it actually hurts to talk, and I can feel a dull, throbbing ache inout a cup with a bent straw in it "You s it toward my face, and I obediently closedown a little water My ood and the bad memories crumbles I remember that first day on the island, when Julian had offered me a bottle of water, and an involuntary shiver runs down my spine In that ain ainst my will