touch my heart (13 page)

“I’ll be all right,” she said, followed by a fit of coughing.

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital?” he suggested.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Then I’ll call the doctor.”

She opened her mouth to protest.

“Either you let the doctor come or I’m taking you to the hospital. You got a bad battering. Humor me. I want to be on the safe side.”

She stared back at him, her eyes flashing with defiance, but when she spoke her voice was calm and controlled.

“Okay, but only because you insisted.”

He smiled. “Good, I didn’t expect to win that battle so easily.”

“Okay, boys, I need you to help me take her up to the house.”

“No problem.” The boy with brown shorts complied.

“We’ll get a chance to see the house,” the tallest of the boys said.

“Oh, so you want to see the house?” Dominic asked.

“Yes, I’m going to own a house like that one day,” the boy replied. The others nodded.

“It’s always good to have dreams.” The boy’s words echoed so many of his at that same age. “I need one of you to go get my cane and the clothes over there. I’m going to let Aaliyah sit here for a while before we go back to the house.”

Before he could finish, one of the boys raced over and returned with the clothes.

“Thanks,” he said.

“We’ll go back into the water. When you’re ready to go, just give us a shout.”

“Thanks,” Dominic replied. “That’s fine. You go enjoy yourselves.”

With that, he took the beach towel the boy had retrieved and placed it on the ground.

Aaliyah shifted onto the towel, holding the boy’s shirt in her hand and asked, “I’m not sure whose shirt this is, but I’d prefer to wash it before I return it.”

“It is fine, miss,” the tall boy said. “Brandon has a washing machine at home. But I know he is not going to want to part with that shirt.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “His dad passed away a few years ago and it belonged to him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Dominic said.

“That’s fine, sir. He’s fine. It’s been a long time. He just loved that shirt.”

At the same time, Brandon returned with his cane.

“You’re from the village?” Dominic asked.

“Yeah.”

“I was born there, too.”

“I know.” The boy’s words surprised him.

“You do?”

“Yes, my dad told me about you. I recognized you the first time I saw you walking on the cliffs.”

“Your dad?”

“Yeah, my dad was Adrian Keith-Roy Johnson.”

Dominic didn’t know what to say.

“He talked about you a lot. Took me to see all of your movies and boasted that he was your best friend when you lived in the village. Of course, I thought he was kidding me, until he showed me photos of you and him.”

Again, he was at a loss for words.

“He always told me you’d come back to Barbados someday. But I’m sure he would have never thought you’d come to live here. I’m sorry you didn’t come before he died.”

Dominic could feel the sting of tears, but he fought them back. Instead, he felt anger at himself. Anger that he’d never see his best friend again. When he’d made it big he could have returned home. Maybe with all the money he had he could have helped his friend.

“Your mother?” he asked.

“She died when I was born.”

“So who’s taking care of you?”

“There’s only Mama, but she takes good care of me. She’s getting old, but she still thinks she can do all the things she did before. I do most of the stuff and make her think she’s doing it.”

At the same time, the other boys came running up. “We’re hungry, so we’ll go.”

“Thanks, boys, but I’m feeling much better.”

“That’s fine,” Brandon said. “We promised we’ll walk you home to make sure you’re both okay. We’re ready when you are.”

They walked slowly up the pathway and across the field to the house. The boys kept up a lively exchange of jokes and ribbing.

On the walk up, he noticed Aaliyah was quieter than usual. Since they’d fished her out of the sea, he’d been worried. The expression on her face reminded him of the little girl he’d saved. While he’d saved her, he knew it had taken her several months before she could sleep a whole night without waking up to the nightmare of flames around her.

He felt the unexpected desire to bring Aaliyah into his arms and comfort her.

When they reached the back gate of the house, he thanked the boys as they walked away.

“Brandon?” he called.

The boy looked back. “Just a minute. I want to ask you something.”

The boy came back, curiosity in his eyes.

“I just wanted to let you know you can drop by here any time you want.”

“Thank you, sir. I’d like that.”

He gave the boy his number, hoping Brandon would remember, and waved him off.

“He seems like a good boy. It’s hard losing both your mother and father at such a young age.”

“I’m sure,” he replied. He turned to face her. “You’re sure you’re feeling better?”

“I am, but I do have a slight headache.”

“I’m calling the doctor as soon as I get in the house.”

* * *

When the doctor arrived an hour later, the consensus was that Aaliyah would be fine. Dr. Brown had given her some pills to help with the slight pounding in her head and made her promise to retire for the day. Aaliyah had immediately headed to her room, leaving Dominic all by himself and...lonely.

It was still quite early, but for the first time since he’d moved to the island, he felt alive. He headed for his bedroom and went straight to the bathroom, deciding to take a long soak in the tub. It was strange how people built bathrooms with showers and tubs and rarely took the time to enjoy them. He stripped his clothes off and turned the faucet on, and decided to shave before he took the bath.

He got his shaving set from the cabinet beyond the mirror at the sink and proceeded to shave.

The task took him a bit longer than normal, but when he was done he glanced at his face in the mirror. While his face was not a replica of what the public saw in magazines and on the big screen, what he saw looked better than the image he’d seen for the past few months. It was not only the outer facade that looked different. His eyes no longer seemed dull and uninterested. What he saw now was a glimmer of the hope he hadn’t dared to embrace.

He placed the shaver down and stepped into the tub, slowly lowering himself into the warm water.

He reached for the plastic bottle of soap and squeezed the floral-scented liquid into the tub. He was feeling happy. Meeting Brandon had been the highlight of his day. He’d cared about Adrian, and for a moment, a wave of sadness washed over him. One of the highlights of his days as a teenager had been his days with Brandon’s father. His best friend had had the same sense of adventure as Dominic. Since he’d returned he’d tried to keep thoughts of his childhood friend at bay. He’d thought briefly about going to the village and asking around, but he’d not wanted anyone to see him as he was. He wanted their image of him to be the celebrity, not the poor boy who had made it out of the village. He definitely didn’t want them to see his current pale reflection of himself.

He would go and check in on Aaliyah before he went to bed. He still had to go down for dinner, but the throbbing on his side reminded him of the day he’d had. He was hungry. The exercise and the day had taken a toll on his body. While Aaliyah had come out of the ordeal unscathed, his part, or lack thereof, in the whole event had left him feeling useless. What would have happened if those boys had not been there?

He didn’t even want to think of it. While he could do supervised exercises in the water, his ability to swim for an extended period of time was definitely questionable.

He wanted to see her, needed to see her. He rose from the water, unplugging the drain so the tub could empty.

When that was done, he dried and donned a pair of shorts and a polo shirt.

He exited his room and walked along the hallway to Aaliyah’s room, his cane tapping on the floor. When he stood by the door, he raised his hand and knocked.

There was no response. He knocked a second time.

“Come in.” Good, she was not asleep.

He pushed the door open and entered.

She was sitting up, her head resting on a large pillow.

She smiled briefly, grimacing with the effort.

“Do you still have the headache?”

“I was fine when I took the first pill, but I suspect it’s time to take another.”

Dominic glanced around the room, his gaze landing on the pitcher and glass on a tray on the dresser.

“Which of these tablets are you to take?” he asked.

“I have to take one of each just before I go to bed.”

“I’ll bring the cup of water to you.” He walked over to the dresser, poured the water and picked up the tablets and handed them to her. “Did Mrs. Clarke bring your dinner?”

“I told her I wasn’t hungry, but she insisted I eat some vegetable soup. I was glad she insisted. The soup definitely made me feel better.”

“She cooks better than some chefs in many of the restaurants I’ve been to.”

“Yes, she’s a gem. I love her food. Especially the dishes from the island she makes. But she can cook those just as well as she can do everything else. I love the crab chowder she made the other night.”

“That’s one of my favorite dishes. She does it at least once every week. But I just came to find out how you were doing. I’ll be heading back to my room.”

She didn’t respond immediately and he wondered why.

“You can stay if you want,” she finally said.

His heart soared. He wanted to stay with her.

“I was hoping you’d ask, but I knew you may be tired and want to sleep alone.”

“I don’t like to sleep alone. I want you to stay.”

“I’m already feeling tired. I’ve had my bath, so all I have to do now is hop in bed.”

She smiled.

He crawled onto the bed, his side barely touching her. She drew nearer and placed her head against his shoulder.

They both stared at the ceiling.

“Today was an interesting day,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Yes, it was,” he replied. “I need to tell you how sorry I am that I couldn’t help you.”

“I’m your therapist, Dominic. I know about your injuries.”

“But what if the boys hadn’t been there?”

“Let’s not deal with what could have happened. The fact is they were there. But I’m positive that if they were not there, you would have reached me. You’re stubborn and determined.”

He didn’t know what to say. She was a truly amazing woman. With a few simple words, she’d made him feel as if he’d been the one to rescue her, and she was right. He would have done whatever he could to get her out.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” she said. “He died so young.”

“Yeah, it’s sad. I didn’t even make an attempt to contact him when I left. He was my best friend. I don’t even know how he died. I could have helped him.”

“Maybe you can ask Brandon. I’m sure he’d tell you. He seems like a nice boy. Hopefully, he’ll stay that way.”

“I sure hope so. With the drugs and influences he probably has, it’s going to be a close call. Even back then, when I was a kid, his father and I made the choice to stay away from those things. I hope Brandon did.”

“So what are you going to do about the boy?”

“I know I have to do something. He’s my best friend’s son.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She yawned.

“Are you feeling sleepy, like I am?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s get some sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open.” His yawn echoed hers.

“Me, either.” She giggled.

Dominic turned slowly on to his side and used his hand to draw her to him. She curled her body into him, wanting to be close to him.

He smiled in the darkness. He’d always found images of couples lying the way they were so romantic. He felt that way right now.

A soft snore escaped Aaliyah’s lips. It was sort of cute the way she snuggled up to him, a hand resting on the curve of his behind.

What the hell was going on with him? He was being all romantic. It just wasn’t him.

Or was it? In the past, his focus had been on his career. He’d had no time for love or romance. In fact, he wasn’t even sure if those things existed, especially for him. He had the occasional exclusive companion, but he had no problem moving on after things came to an inevitable end.

With Aaliyah, it felt different. She was different. From the time she’d stepped out of the car when she’d first arrived from the airport, he’d noticed the way she carried herself. There was an innocence and vulnerability about her that made him think about her long into the early hours of morning. Despite those traits, she was sexy. It was not that bold, blatant sexuality he saw in the women who were part of his celebrity lifestyle. It was a sexiness that came out of not knowing that you were sexy.

His thoughts about her were becoming crazier with each day.

Time for him to go to sleep and see what tomorrow would bring. Now he was looking forward to each day and what it brought him. He couldn’t imagine his life without Aaliyah. Even the thought that he could have lost her today made him sad.

He moved his neck from side to side, feeling the weariness of the day resting on his shoulders. He needed to sleep. He raised himself on an elbow and kissed her on the cheek.

Closing his eyes, he was soon fast asleep.

* * *

In the middle of the night, he woke to the sound of rain hammering against the roof. He’d grown accustomed to the sound. The rain had been active in recent months, a reflection of the season.

He’d never adjusted to the four seasons in the U.S. Here it was only the dry and the rainy season. He loved them both, but there was something about the time when the rains came that he found more appealing. It was the time when the sugar canes swelled with intake of water, which was necessary to create the sweet liquid needed to make sugar.

Those were the nights, like tonight, were he would sleep with his window wide open. The ocean breeze caressed him with its gentle hands, until he would sleep like a baby.