wrath of the Sea Queen by Cynthia Woods Read Free Book Online Page A

you would help us, if you could only know how much he is suffering.  I have read so much about you and your work that I feel as though I know your heart.  I believe that you must be a good person to do the work that you do .  Because of that, I know that you are my brother 's last hope .
Whatever antidote you found in that blood sample is the key to curing my brother, but we cannot get the medicine.  We are told it has not been made available yet because it has not been properly tested.  I am begging you to intervene on my brother's behalf.  Please, Dr. Erickson, help him get into the test group.  Test your medicine on my brother.  We are willing to take the chance that it might save his life.  His time runs short.  Please help!
     
    With hope and urgency,
    Maku
     
     
    Salma read the letter again as she sat at the small desk in her living room.  She had received it nearly two months ago, but did not respond.  There was nothing that she could do.  Her hands were tied, which upset her deeply.  She was not permitted to treat anyone with her new vaccines or medications , and she was not allowed to directly participate in the testing either.  This was to prevent any possibility that the results might be biased in her favor.  Protoc o l was strict and had to be followed or else the medicine might never reach the public.  Knowing this medicine's potential for decreasing suffering on a global scale, Salma did not want to take that chance.  She had shared Maku's letter with the committee that selected the test groups, but they never told her if the man 's brother was chosen or not.  S alma desperately hoped that he was receiving treatment .
    " The letter again?  You wi ll only upset yourself. "
    Ben came up behind Salma and placed his hand gently on her shoulder.  Salma reached up and covered hi s hand with her own, leaning her head gently on top .
    " I know, Ben.  There is som ething about it that tugs at m y heart strings , makes me curious. "
    " Yes .  I a m curious to know how he got your unpublished home address.  But let ' s not worry about it right now.  If you don't get moving, you a re going to miss your flight. "
    Ben had already loaded her luggage into his jeep and was waiting for Salma to finish her last minute items.  He had been sitting on the sofa watching her sign papers, flip through charts, and fiddle around for the last fifteen minutes.  W hen she pause d with the letter in her hand, Ben knew he was going to have to nudge her away from it.
    " C a eli would never forgive me if I let that happen .  And , as much as I will miss you, there are some fish anxiously waiting for me to pluck them out of the water.  Besides, I've got to teach that man of hers how to relax and enjoy a bit of down time, " Ben said cheerfully.
    " Thanks, Ben.  What would I do without you? "  
    "You woul d miss your flight, that's what.  Come on, Doll."
    Ben and Salma started dating after the incident with Vin and C a eli six months earlier.  There was a spark between them from the beginning .  Salma t ried to deny it as first, but only briefly, because she had been worried about C a eli at the time.  It was an instant romance . 
    Both Salma and Ben had lived alone for most of their adult lives, neither having found the right person with whom they could settle down.  Each focused on their work as a substitute for the family life that encompassed their friends' time.  In a stroke of good luck, f a te finally intervened , and t hey were thrown together at exact ly the right time.  Ben proposed to Salma after only three months, and Salma knew they would spend the rest of their days happy together.  Ben gave up his long-time bachelor's apartment and moved into Salma's small house.  A few weeks later , they were married and enjoying their new life.
    Salma put the letter back in its envelope and laid it on top of her desk .  She and Ben made their way to the door, locking up the house before they left for the