With the beeping sound of the heart rate monitor as my constant companion, I look back on my vacation. It’s as if my brain is seeking for a more pleasant situation than the one I’m currently in at the moment. I can’t complain about much. Other than the apparent ease in which tourists get drunk around here, it’s been wonderful so far. There may only be one source of excitement, but I don’t need more. When I met her, it was more than just excitement. It was craziness, wrapped up in a sexy, curvaceous body, eager to take me on a journey of passion. I don’t know how many women on this island would be willing to do that, but I didn’t want to search for anyone else. It isn’t just the sex that’s had me hooked into her. I can always find someone else to have sex with somewhere. It is her zest for life and her gentle heart that appealed to me. And when Ray joins me, wearing perhaps his most serious expression, I get an opportunity to visit her in her room.

I take the elevator to the recovery ward on the sixth floor, feeling a tiny bit lighter since last night. The prospect of seeing that beautiful face again has given me a reason to smile. I have no illusions, though. That smile is faint. My concern for Dean is hiding behind it. The only way for it to get stronger is some good news about his condition.

My quest for Stacy bears fruit within minutes. I find her lying in bed, in the company of her friends and laughing out loud. I stop outside her room and look at her through the window. But as our eyes meet, her smile vanishes altogether. I stay silent, expecting her to say something; yet, she doesn’t utter a word. I catch Karlie starting off towards the door out of the corner of my eye, while I try to make sense of her behavior.

“Good morning,” she says to me, clicking the door shut behind her. “I take it you’d like to see Stacy.”

“Good morning,” I tip my head down in a polite manner, turning to face her. “Yeah; I would have come last night, but I was too tense to see her. How is she?”

“We’ll get to that,” Karlie assures me. “Stacy’s told me you are the head of the IT department in a security company. Is that true?”

“Yeah,” I admit with a nod. “What does that have to do with anything? And why won’t you tell me how she is? Is something wrong?”

“Never mind,” she waves her hand in a dismissive manner. “She’s fine, but, uh…” Karlie falters, averting her gaze from me. “She doesn’t wish to see you; or your friends.”

“What?” I ask, my eyes widening with surprise. “Why not?”

“Michael, she’s traumatized,” she explains, her voice coming out mellower. “Being around any of you will not help her heal. I hope you understand.”

“No, I don’t,” I maintain, annoyance deepening my tone. “I mean, what did I ever do to her? I…”

“Do you have feelings for her?” Karlie’s question makes my jaw drop. I stare at her, and then steal another glance down at Stacy through her window. They may be tight, but I’d like to have this conversation with her friend, not her.

“I’d rather not answer that. Not to you, anyway. No offense,” I respond, furrowing my brow.

“None taken,” she shrugs her shoulders. “Please, tell your friends about this. And please, respect her wish. You take care.”

Now where the hell did that come from?

Alas, I don’t have an answer to this question, and Karlie doesn’t give me a chance to pose it to her. Before long, she’s back in Stacy’s room. Amazingly enough they all stare at me once more. I’m desperate to talk to her and find out more, but my hands are tied. Not only is she surrounded by Karlie and Emily, but also there must be more than three hundred people in this ward. My personal life is none of their business. Nor do they have to tolerate any argument Stacy and I might have. So, I turn around and shamble off towards the elevator, still struggling to make sense of what I had just heard. I don’t buy her excuse by any means. Yes, she’s been through an ordeal, but that’s no reason for her to tell me to go away. If anything, she should be glad that I stopped by her room. It shows interest in her well-being. Whatever drove her to that decision, she is wrong to think that this is over.

With a heart filled with determination, I return to the emergency ward. As I stroll into Dean’s room though, I discover that I’m in for a wonderful surprise. Ray and the kid’s attending doctor are in the middle of a pleasant conversation. She is holding out a piece of paper in front of her, explaining something to him.

“Hey, man!” he cheers. “I was just about to call you. Guess what.”

“Your friend is responding to the treatment,” the doctor informs me, making my heart flutter. “We were able to stop the internal bleeding. It’s still too early to tell, but I am hopeful he will make a full recovery.”

“Thank you,” I breathe a sigh of relief, walking off towards her. A sea of happiness pours into my heart and soul. As a matter of fact, I’m so blissful that I wrap my arms around her waist. Her brows pop up when I lift her off the floor. “Thank you so much.”

“Easy there, big fella,” Ray chuckles, patting me on the shoulder.

“Man, I needed this good news,” I mutter, setting the doctor back down on her feet.

“Well, uh…” She pauses, straightening her lab coat. “That was quite something. I’ll have more information by tonight. Have a good day, gentlemen.”

“I told you he’d pull through,” Ray says, a smile of smugness spreading across his face.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I suggest, sitting down on a stool beside Dean’s bed. “You heard the doctor. It’s too early to break out the champagne.”

“Before you got here, she said that more than ninety-percent of patients are able to recover after their system responds to medication,” he claims, his smile broadening. “And by the way, she’s got the hots for you.”

“Oh, cut the crap, will you?” I protest, frowning at him. “Why the hell would you say that anyway?”

“I think you need to have your eyes checked,” he teases with a sarcastic smile. “The chick had blushed when you put her down. While you were gone, she peeked through the window. I thought she had something to tell me, so, I opened the door and got out. By then, she and a nurse were walking down the hall, laughing their asses off. I asked a local what they were saying. He said: ‘It’s too bad Mr. Blue Eyes isn’t here. He’s so hot I could eat hot fudge off his chest.’ Is that enough for you?”

“I don’t care, man,” I clip out, tearing my gaze away from him. “I just got back from Stacy’s room. She doesn’t want to see us anymore. Her friend gave me some lame excuse about her being traumatized, which is a load of crap if you ask me.”

“We should give her some time,” he advises me, his tone calm. “The crash terrified her, I can understand that. Let’s wait until our boy here is discharged.”

Ray has barely completed his sentence, when I notice Dean’s index finger twitching. I trail my gaze up his body, my heartbeat escalating. His eyes are flickering. Slowly, he raises his right hand up to his face, parting his lips as Ray and I glance at one another.

“Shit,” whispers Dean, the moment his fingers make contact with the bandage around his head. “Where the fuck am I?” he wonders, sliding his eyelids open.

“You’re in heaven,” Ray’s quick to answer his question. “Four, dusky maidens are just about to give you a sponge bath.”

“Good one,” chuckles Dean, focusing his gaze on him. “How long have I been out? Where’s Stacy?”

“About sixteen hours,” I raise my tone, propping my elbows on my thighs. “Don’t worry about her. She’s going to be all right. Listen, do you even remember anything?”

“Every fucking detail,” Dean puts some force in his voice, assuming a more serious expression. “Why? What do you want to know?”

“Well, for starters, who the hell would want to take you guys out?” I ask, deepening my stare.

“Take us out?” Dean utters, surprise filling his tone. “No, man; nobody wanted to kill us. The driver had a gun. He could have shot us. And that damn car’s a lot faster than my Harley is. He could have caught up with us anytime he liked. He just…” he pauses; “tried to make me slip up. When he realized he couldn’t, he got in my way.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that, too,” Ray interjects. “It was easy for him to just ram the bike, but he didn’t. I think he was trying to scare them, not kill them.”

“Let’s save this conversation for when you get out of here, alright?” I suggest, flashing Dean a bright-eyed look. “You just focus on healing.”

“Hey, bro…” He croaks, shifting his attention back to Ray. “Call me ‘boy’ one more time, and I don’t care how messed up I am, I’ll still kick your ass.”

Ray and I exchange one more glance, before we both burst into loud, hearty laughter. I slam the palm of my hand against my forehead, my spine flexing and extending.

“He’s back,” I conclude, locking my gaze with Ray.

“Oh, he’s definitely back,” He agrees, shaking our brother’s shoulder. At last, we begin to look like the happy bunch we used to be once again. And this may be the best recipe for what lies ahead. We are still in the dark as to who caused the crash the night before. We need this spirit of unity in order to discover their identity. Still, something else is lingering in my mind, something that quickly takes my focus away from that incident: Stacy’s decision. I’m prepared to give her a day or two to clear her head, but after that, I’m going to insist on getting some real answers.