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"It doesn't sound good," I said, shaking my head. "Candace is really sick. The infection's in her bone and her leg could be amputated. That's serious."
"God," John said. "That's rough. It's pretty bad when it's more dangerous to be in the hospital than out of it because of the antibiotic resistant bugs. We've really screwed up as a species."
"We have," I said. I went right to my desk in the cat and opened a browser in my laptop, searching for flights out of Sao Paulo to Manhattan, deciding to book the first flight I could find just because I was certain that I would need it. I knew Alexa was fighting having to ask me to come and be with her.
"Do you want me to book a flight for us back to New York?"
"Might as well.”
So, I did.
By the time Alexa got back to me with a tearful call, saying that Candace's physician said she was very sick and could die, I had booked tickets for the two of us. We'd fly together and return once Candace was in the clear.
I was able to tell Alexa that I would see her in less than twenty-four hours and would be with her to watch over Candace. As I packed up The Phoenix, paid the yacht club to let her stay in a slip while I was back in the US with Alexa, I prayed that Candace didn't die while I was in transit. If she did, at least I'd be there for Alexa when she had to face her best friend's passing.
Having lost both my parents, I knew what losing a loved one meant.
So, it was with regret and a general sense of doom that I watched The Phoenix disappear as our taxi drove away from the yacht club on that Wednesday morning on our way to the airport. John was busy reading texts on his cell while I watched the passing scenery, rubbing my chin and realizing that I had better shave when I arrived in Atlanta, so I wasn't too unpresentable.
That was the least of my worries, of course, but still, I tried to be positive, hoping that doctors would be able to successfully treat Candace's infection and we would all spend some quality time together before flying back to Sao Paolo to continue our trip. While I had spent time with Candace before we left New York and at Christmas, we hadn't spent any time with her since then. Candace had been itching to come and spend time on the yacht with us, but now I doubted if she would be able, even if she recovered from this current setback.
If she survived, at least Alexa would get to spend time with her even if it wasn't on The Phoenix. Since there was nothing that I could do one way or the other, I decided to just focus on the now. Soon, I'd be with Alexa and together, we would face whatever life threw at us.
Chapter Three
Alexa
I took time away from the hospital to meet Luke at the airport. I'd been there all night with Candace's mom, sleeping on one of the recliners in the family room off the ICU where they moved Candace. She was in isolation because of the infection, and each time we visited, we had to put on gowns and masks so that we didn't become infected or introduce any new pathogen that would make matters worse. When I arrived at the airport, I stopped in at the washroom and checked out my reflection in the mirror. I looked terrible, with bags and dark circles under my eyes. My nose was red from crying, and my clothes were wrinkled.
If Luke still loved me when he got a look at me in my current state, I knew that he was truly 'the one'.
I sighed and went out to the baggage carousel and waited for him to arrive. I checked my watch and saw that it was past time for their plane to have landed. They had to go through customs first, so that would take time. I heard a ding and saw that he'd sent me a text.
LUKE: Just going through customs now. See you as soon as they're finished with me.
ALEXA: Okay. I'm waiting with open arms.
LUKE: XOXO
ALEXA: OXOX
Finally, in about fifteen minutes, I saw him come through the doors into the baggage return area. He scanned the crowd of people waiting outside the restricted zone and finally saw me. He smiled and came right over, putting down his carry-on bag and wrapping his arms around me.
We kissed warmly, then hugged for at least five minutes. It was a hug I needed terribly badly and the warmth and compassion I felt from him made my eyes tear up.
"I'm so sorry this happened," he whispered in my ear, kissing my cheek. He pulled back and wiped tears off my cheek. "How is she this morning?"
"Same. She's holding on."
Luke nodded. He craned his neck to see the baggage carousel. Luggage was finally starting to arrive, so he pointed to the restricted area. "I'll go grab my bag and we can get out of here."
"Okay," I said and nodded. I watched while he went back inside and watched for his suitcase. In a few moments, it appeared, and he grabbed it. "John will be through any minute."
Sure enough, soon after we got Luke's bag, John came through the door from the Customs area and came right over to us.
"Hey, Alexa," he said and gave me a quick hug. "Sorry to hear about Candace."
"Thanks," I said and gave him a smile, appreciating his willingness to end the trip for a while so Luke could come and stay with me. Together, we walked to the exit and out to where our Ubers waited. It was raining lightly, of course, as was usual for that time of year.
