PER-I-LOUS,, jp-jw/hp

Chapter 3

Harry felt like utter crap. He was lying on something hard and he felt like he was swaying. His mouth was dry, his throat seized up... a kitten could have beaten him.

"Mmmmm." Not his most articulate moment, but it was all he could manage.

"Harry, Alan said you should drink this slowly."

That sounded like Lex. He could feel her next to him and he assumed she was trying to help him sit up.

A bottle was put to his lips and he felt the water touch his dry, sealed lips. There was a sting of pain as he pried his lips apart and the water seeped in.

He struggled to open his eyes.

Yep, that was Lex. Or a smaller Ellie.

"'Appen?" His voice was weak and barely audible.

"You collapsed." Lex answered. "Ian said he hadn't seen you eat, drink or sleep since you arrived on the island. He said you might be suffering from exhaustion."

"'o 'ime." He mumbled as he sipped more from the bottle Lex was holding to his lips. He could barely get his eyes open.

"Harry! Thank god." Alan said as he approached. "We're a few hours out from the coast of Costa Rica."

"He can't talk properly. But he sounds like he knows what is going on." Lex offered.

"Just make sure he keeps drinking the water slowly." Alan instructed before he returned to the front.

"How's your granddad?" Harry asked as he tried to sit up against the bed. John was currently laid out on it and Harry had been laid down in the narrow walkway. Ian appeared to be dozing as he sat in the small booth opposite the shower on the starboard side at the back of the cabin.

Lex was obviously concerned. "He hasn't woken up yet."

"What happened to him? I came out the shower and Gennaro was just standing there, waiting."

"He hit Ellie with a fire extinguisher, took the gun and pushed Grandpa hard. Then he shot Ian when he tried to tackle him."

"Is Ellie okay?" Harry asked as he carefully looked around.

"Yeah, she's up front with Do- Alan. She seems better, just a major headache."

"She almost became a major headache." Came the chuckling comment from Ian who was still lounging. "Her wound made her extremely loquacious on any subject that we brought up. She gave a ten minute lecture on treating head wounds and the effects of concussions."

"Was she... accurate?" Harry asked curiously.

"From what I could tell." Ian nodded. "Aside from the slurring.

"Can you get up here, Harry? It will make it easier to reach John."

Harry struggled to get up, but with Lex's help he managed to pull himself into the booth. Lex slid in next to him as Ian had his leg elevated on the seat next to him.

"How's the leg?" Harry asked.

"I'm having trouble using it." Ian admitted reluctantly. "I also took a shot of morphine for it."

Harry grimaced. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I did wrong."

"You did three things wrong, Harry." Ian said as he held up three fingers. "First, you didn't tell us you were only fourteen. Second, you didn't take care of yourself by resting and eating and drinking.

"And third, you are blaming yourself for things you have no responsibility for."

"But you were pretty good at being responsible." Lex smiled at him.