Treasures Lost, Treasures Found

from her face. Was it possible that she’d imagined it all—the gentleness, the sweetness, the passion?
    She’d needed Ky. That hadn’t been a dream. Even now she could feel the dull ache in her stomach that came from need. Had the need caused her to fantasize all that strange,stirring beauty during the night? The bed beside her was empty, the sheets cool. She was alone.
    The pleasure she awoke with drained, leaving her empty, leaving her grateful for the pain that was her only grip on reality. She wanted to weep, but found she hadn’t the energy for tears.
    “So you’re up.”
    Ky’s voice made her whip her head around. Her nerves were strung tight. He walked into the bedroom carrying a tray, wearing an easy smile.
    “That saves me from having to wake you up to get some food into you.” Before he approached the bed, he went to both windows and drew up the shades. Light poured into the room and the warm breeze that had been trapped behind the shades rushed in to ruffle the sheets. Feeling it, she had to control a shudder. “How’d you sleep?”
    “Fine.” The awkwardness was unexpected. Kate folded her hands and sat perfectly still. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done.”
    “You’ve already thanked me once. It wasn’t necessary then or now.” Because her tone had put him on guard, Ky stopped next to the bed to take a good long look at her. “You’re hurting.”
    “It’s not bad.”
    “This time you take a pill.” After setting the tray on her lap, he walked to the dresser and picked up a small bottle. “No arguments,” he said, anticipating her refusal.
    “Ky, it’s really not bad.” When had he offered her apill before? The struggle to remember brought only more frustration. “There’s barely any pain.”
    “Any pain’s too much.” He sat on the bed, and putting the pill into her palm curled her hand over it with his own. “When it’s you.”
    With her fingers curled warmly under his, she knew. Elation came so quietly she was afraid to move and chase it away. “I didn’t dream it, did I?” she whispered.
    “Dream what?” He kissed the back of her hand before he handed her the glass of juice.
    “Last night. When I woke up, I was afraid it had all been a dream.”
    He smiled and, bending, touched his lips to hers. “If it was, I had the same dream.” He kissed her again, with humor in his eyes. “It was wonderful.”
    “Then it doesn’t matter whether it was a dream or not.”
    “Oh no, I prefer reality.”
    With a laugh, she started to drop the pill on the tray, but he stopped her. “Ky—”
    “You’re hurting,” he said again. “I can see it in your eyes. Your medication wore off hours ago, Kate.”
    “And kept me unconscious for an entire day.”
    “This is mild, just to take the edge off. Listen—” His hand tightened on hers. “I had to watch you in agony.”
    “Ky, don’t.”
    “No, you’ll do it for me if not for yourself. I had to watch you bleed and faint and drift in and out of consciousness.” He ran his hand down her hair, then cupped her face so she’d look directly into his eyes. “I can’t tellyou what it did to me because I don’t know how to describe it. I know I can’t watch you in pain any more.”
    In silence, she took the pill and drained the glass of juice. For him, as he said, not for herself. When she swallowed the medication, Ky tugged at her hair. “It hardly has more punch than an aspirin, Kate. Bailey said he’d give you something stronger if you needed it, but he’d rather you go with this.”
    “It’ll be fine. It’s really more uncomfortable than painful.” It wasn’t quite the truth, nor did he believe her, but they both let it lie for the moment. Each of them moved cautiously, afraid to spoil what might have begun to bloom again. Kate glanced down at the empty juice glass. The cold, fresh flavor still lingered on her tongue. “Did Dr. Bailey say when I could dive again?”
    “Dive?” Ky’s brows rose as he uncovered the plate of bacon, eggs and toast. “Kate, you’re not even getting up out of bed for the rest of the week.”
    “Out of bed?” she repeated. “A week?” She ignored the overloaded plate of food as she gaped at him. “Ky, I was stung by a stingray, not attacked by a shark.”
    “You were stung by a stingray,” he agreed. “And your system was so depleted Bailey almost sent you to a hospital. I realize things might’ve been rough on you since your father died, but you