A Thousand Salt Kisses Forever (Third Book in Salt Kisses series)

You Know

I threw myself down on my bed. For Crap's sake!!

The doctor! Now what am I going to do?

I would have to pretend I was joking or something before they really did cart me off to hospital. Even in my frantic state, I could kind of see where Dad was coming from... His child had come in from a swim in the middle of winter, saying she was engaged to a merman. If I had been him I would probably seek medical help too, especially given Jemima's father's input.

Dammit! How was I ever going to get them to see? Especially with the whole mer-island situation at the moment. I couldn't jump off the jetty and show them; that stupid Portia would probably be lurking with her phone, ready to Instagram it.

I could see Mum was nearly there, I could just tell from the look in her eyes that something had been resonating with her. But even this brought me fresh worries. Why was it resonating with her? What was the meaning of her dreams about The Jewelled Kingdom?

I sat there furiously deliberating, for a good half an hour, until my mind began to tire. Llyr and I had been up till the early hours of the morning and I must have only had a couple of hours sleep. My excitement had been so great that it had actually conquered my recent spells of exhaustion.

As I lay there, I felt the tension leave my body as my mind switched off. I fell into a deep, deep slumber, and I didn't so much as stir.

***

When I awoke, my eyes fell instantly on the clock on my bedside table. It was one p.m.

"Hi darling," said my mother. I looked up; she was sitting beside me on the bed watching over me.

I blinked, suddenly remembering everything. Maybe they had calmed down, I thought hopefully.

"Mum," I whispered, putting my hand on hers, where they rested on her lap.

"We left you to sleep, we thought it would be good for you to get some rest," she said, looking at me dolefully.

"Good, thanks," I said dazedly. "Did Dad call the doctor?"

"Yes," said Mum, looking troubled.

"Oh, for God's sake," I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"The doctor said to take you into the hospital-"

I sat up bolt upright. "What?" I squawked.

Mum put a hand on my arm. "Now calm down young lady, it's just so they can talk to you, check you're okay."

"I'm fine!" I protested, irritably. "Or I was anyway until you guys started up with all of this...I mean, I was more than fine. I just got engaged. I was on cloud number nine... but now, now you're ruining everything for me."

I knew I was being unreasonable but I was starting to feel angry. All the frustration that had built up inside me over the past few weeks was starting to boil over the edge.

The love of my life had just asked me to marry him. Why am I having to go through this?

"Well, Crystal if you are truly fine then I don't see why you are worried about going to the hospital," said my Mum, getting up and walking towards the door.

"I know that you know I'm right," I said as she opened it.

She paused for several seconds, her hand resting on the door frame as I watched her back hopefully. "I don't know anything," she said, leaving the room.