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Kai met Jun’s gaze. “Po?” he mouthed and Jun nodded.
“He’s sleeping now, but do you think he’ll wake up? Will this happen again?” Kiki was asking.
“I don’t know, but just keep him calm if he does. Don’t try to wake him. Just speak calmly and tell him to get back in bed. Eventually, he goes.” Jun rubbed her eyes, feeling suddenly tired. She heard as she spoke how useless her advice sounded, because it was. When Po was in the middle of a night terror, there really wasn’t anything to do. The doctor had said if he got more sleep, he’d have fewer of them, but she’d also suggested a psychiatrist.
Kai put on shorts and then sat down on the bed next to her, rubbing her shoulders. She felt so glad to have the little comfort.
“I’m coming home tomorrow,” Jun said. “Call me if anything else happens tonight.”
“I will,” Kiki said, and then ended the call.
“More night terrors?” Kai asked, big brown eyes full of sympathy. Jun nodded. Kai took her hand in his and squeezed it. “He’ll be okay.”
“Will he?” Jun wasn’t so sure. “Maybe I should go home. Get him.”
Kai put his arm around her shoulders. “There’s probably only one flight left out tonight, and even if you managed to get on it, you wouldn’t get to your sister’s house before eleven. You won’t do Po or yourself any good dragging him out of bed. If he’s sleeping now, he might sleep through the night.”
“You’re right.” Jun leaned into Kai’s strong shoulder, feeling protected and warm, glad that he’d talked her off the ledge. She could be overprotective—she knew that.
“I know... I mean, it’s not my business, but—” Kai squeezed her tighter “—have you thought more about the psychiatrist?”
Jun sighed. “No,” she said, defeated. She didn’t have the strength to fight him then, although she wanted to. She might have shared her body, but she wasn’t yet ready to share Po with Kai. She wasn’t ready to give over her tight rein on his care. She didn’t know if she’d ever be open to sharing that. Raising Po was in no way a democracy. It was her responsibility and hers alone. “I just don’t see what a psychologist could do that I can’t.”
“Maybe something, maybe nothing,” Kai said. “You don’t know until you try. And when we get home, I’ll talk to him. Spend some time with him. Maybe that will help.”
“Kai... I know you mean well, but...”
“It’s not my fight, is it?” Kai shook his head as Jun nodded slowly. Not the words she would’ve used, but appropriate nonetheless.
“Okay.” He sighed. “How about I feed you dinner? Will you let me do that?”
* * *
KAI TOOK JUN to a modern new five-star fresh-seafood restaurant on Maui’s coast where, normally, she wouldn’t have been able to afford a single appetizer. While everything on the islands was casual, Jun felt a little underdressed in her white sundress. She had packed but one change of clothes, and those were shorts and tennis shoes for her return trip tomorrow. The restaurant was all open to the sea, a giant patio bathed in moonlight and firelight from the twinkling candles on tabletops. A few patrons recognized Kai. Some even whispered as they came in. Jun noticed more than a few of the women follow Kai’s fine form to their table and wondered what it would be like to be on Kai’s arm all the time. Would she get tired of the attention? She thought she might. As she settled down at the table, she saw someone near them snapping a picture. How quickly would that make the social media rounds? Probably instantly. Everything about Kai seemed to go viral.
“Given the day we’ve had, and the fact we’ve broken rule three already today, what do you say to loosening up the alcohol rule?”
Jun didn’t see any harm. What was the point of sticking to the rules? Any of them? “I guess that’s okay.”
“Good. Do you like white or red?”
“Either.” Jun didn’t really know much about wine. What she’d had to drink, she liked, but she didn’t drink very often.
