Page 22 of Never Leave Me
Except he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep up the charade. Maybe he’d had excuses to hide behind before when he’d been paralyzed. But what legitimate reasons did he have for not speaking up and telling her the truth now?
With the passing of so many years, was he too old for her now? Did she deserve someone younger?
She touched his knee. His eyes flew open, and she was leaning toward him, her forehead wrinkled with concern. “You’re tired, Harrison. You should have slept more during the flight.”
He’d rested for a couple of hours. It wasn’t much, but his body was still too excited over everything that had happened.
He laid his hand over hers, knowing he was taking advantage of touching her every chance he had but unable to stop. “I’m fine,love. Don’t fret over me.” The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was an old bore who couldn’t keep up with her.
“Only if you’ll promise to stop worrying about me.”
He hesitated.
She squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to watch over me anymore. I truly feel like a new person. I promise.”
Watch over? More like ogle her because he couldn’t take his eyes from her. But thankfully she couldn’t tell the difference. “I’ll try to do better. But to be fair, old habits die hard.”
“You’ve taken good care of me, Harrison. But I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me any longer.”
“I haven’t put it on hold.”
“Yes, you have. To oversee my health care.”
“I wanted to. Helping you get better was the only thing that has mattered.”
“And now that I’m better, you can get back to everything else—your work, Parliament, all the charities you oversee—”
“Being with you has been more important.” Embarrassed heat speared him at his admission, and he tore his attention away from her to stare unseeingly out the window.
Had he been temporarily insane to plan a trip like this with her? Spending endless hours with her on an island paradise would likely push him past the point of endurance. He’d need the virtue and holiness of a saint if he hoped to resist his desire for her.
Nevertheless, what was done was done. They were here. And he intended to make sure she enjoyed every minute.
She’d been handed a second chance at life. Last night, when the results of her blood work and other tests had come back one by one, he’d nearly wept with the relief of seeing the results.
The doctor had been just as flabbergasted by seeing Ellen’s tests, since he’d watched her deterioration over the past weeks. When the last tests confirmed that her blood was healthy without a trace ofcancer, the doctor packed his bags and equipment and left, shaking his head in bewilderment and wonder.
Of course, Harrison hadn’t said anything about the holy water. If he mentioned the ultimate cure to the medical community, he’d have a lot of explaining to do. In addition, he’d draw unwanted attention again from anyone else seeking the cure.
Instead, he’d allowed the doctor to believe the miracle had happened out of thin air. Harrison had asked him not to say anything just yet, to keep the matter private. When the medical specialists learned of Ellen’s miraculous healing from cancer, they’d want her to come in for more testing. Physicians and researchers would vie to examine her and try to understand what had happened.
Cancer in remission? Cancer gone? As rare as it was, the phenomenon had happened in certain cases.
However, a paralyzed man regaining mobility overnight? Harrison couldn’t recall a single incident of that ever happening—except, of course, the miracles recorded in the Bible as well as other historical records attesting to the power of the holy water.
So far, he’d managed to conceal his healing from everyone except Drake, his driver, Bojing, and a couple of his most trustworthy maids. The pilot also knew, but he was an old family friend who wouldn’t think of gossiping. This trip would give him a chance to sort out how to tell everyone else.
Did he dare announce to the world that Arthur Creighton had discovered the ultimate cure? The original holy water? That it had the capability of vibrating energy particles that were billions of times smaller than a nucleus, and that the frequency and wavelength of the vibrations could heal and rejuvenate a body?
He and Ellen were living proof. When they returned, he couldn’t deny Ellen her request to attempt to get more holy water from Marian to give to the children who came to Serenity House. They might be able to keep their own healings fairly private, but if theywere able to help heal the children, how would they explain it? And what kind of danger would they bring upon themselves from competitors like Lionel?
Harrison pushed down the growing unease. For now, he intended to do as he’d requested of Ellen—not think of anything else and enjoy the time together.
When his jet landed a few minutes later and they disembarked at Hewanorra International Airport on Saint Lucia, he led Ellen to the helicopter he’d chartered to take them to Opal Mountain. When he’d phoned hotels last night after learning of her test results, he hadn’t really expected to be able to get into the world-renowned exotic resort at the last minute. But it was still early May, not the peak tourist season. Thankfully, honeymooners had just canceled their reservation, so a room had become available.
Of course, it had also helped that his parents had holidayed there long ago. Sometimes inheriting his father’s title of Lord Burlington had its perks.
As the chopper lifted into the air above the beaches into the more mountainous terrain, Ellen chattered with excitement through the headsets they’d been given. Instead of an hour of winding and bumpy roads in the back of a shuttle, they arrived within minutes at the landing pad behind the resort and were met by the hotel staff, who took their luggage and directed them to their room—one of only thirty private rooms.
