Dark Price of Paradise

Comfort of Friends

Nash came over in the evening. Teuila was up. She had eaten some soup. Nash brought her a pork cheese burger, french fries, and a Coca-Cola. Teuila wasn't sure she could eat it. Sefina was happy to devour the cheese burger that Nash had brought for her. Nash had assured them he had already eaten at the Victory Cafe.

"Teuila. Doctor Bao told me that the baby might have eventually died, if not in the next few days, then in the next few weeks." Nash said as they ate. "You can't blame yourself. It was merciful, what you did."

"I'm not ready to talk about this." Teuila said.

"Zach tells me that Mike Hatta was there to see him." Nash didn't want to lay this on Teuila so soon, but she deserved to know what was happening. "He asked Zach straight out where his loyalties lie."

"Mike wouldn't dare try to press a murder charge." Sefina was angry. She didn't believe that a member of the council would stoop to something like that.

"Mike didn't press charges. He has called a council meeting." Nash said. "Nehili Lagi has already called me. She wants me to assure you that nothing is going to happen any time soon."

Teuila knew she should be angry. She looked at her cheeseburger. Teuila had only managed to eat a few bites. Her stomach wasn't rebelling against the food. Teuila ate another fry. She should eat, she thought. She should be angry. She wasn't either. It took her an effort just to eat.

"Nehili will handle Mike." Sefina said, when Teuila didn't seem to be even listening. Teuila was looking at her food as if debating if she was even hungry. "Are you okay? Do you want another pill? Maybe you should sleep some more."

"No. If I sleep anymore today, I won't sleep tonight." Teuila didn't want their company. She had a headache from the drug. Fighting to stay awake. "I just want to sit on the porch. Alone. I need to work through this."

Teuila's voice sounded hollow. Sefina didn't like the sound of it. Neither did Nash. "I can go, if you want to be alone with Nash." Sefina said.

"Do what you want, just don't bother me." Teuila got up, leaving the meal on the table and walked out to her patio that faced the sea.

"If you want, I can leave." Sefina said. "Maybe you can help her more if you two are by yourself."

"No. She's not in the mood to deal with me tonight." Nash said. "I'm going to come back tomorrow. If you can stay the night, I'd appreciate it."

Nash didn't have to ask, Sefina had already planned on it. She walked over to the patio door. She heard Teuila crying as she stood there looking over at the moonlit ocean. Sefina knew that Teuila wanted to be alone, but she couldn't let her friend go through this alone.

When Teuila turned when she heard Sefina coming into the patio. Teuila was going to tell Sefina to just leave her alone. She turned straight into Sefina's hug. Teuila began to sob on her shoulder. Teuila cried herself out after ten minutes. After that she went back in and finished her meal. Sefina knew that it had helped.

Sefina wouldn't go home. She slept on a mat on the floor. Guests who stayed the night either slept on the floor or the couch. Many of the farmers and fishermen slept on mats on the floor. Teuila knew she had to get back to her old self, if she was to get Sefina to go home.

"Go." Teuila told Sefina. "You have a job. Go to it."

Teuila knew she had to keep herself from feeling that apathy she couldn't fight yesterday. She couldn't manage a smile or sunny attitude, but she put some inflection into her voice. She made herself sound irritated, more so then she really felt.

"I told you last night. I need time to myself. You can come see me after your shift. I want you to." Teuila stuck with this explanation. "If you are here, Nash won't be tempted to ask to spend the night. I just don't need that kind of attention right now."

"Alright." Sefina said, reluctantly. "I think Kane is going to pay a visit, purely for clinical reasons."

"I don't want any more pills. That medicine knocked me flat yesterday." It hadn't just been the pills, it was the shock of what she had done. Today she felt slightly better. Less in a fog, thinking clearly.

"All the same, I think I'll leave you the bottle. In case you need it to sleep at night." Sefina put the bottle on the kitchen counter as she went to leave.

Sefina would bicycle to her home, to shower and change. After that she'd head back to the station. She still had time before she needed to go back on shift.