We had been traveling for a couple of hours and I started to feel nauseous once again. I grabbed my purse and clamored through it, looking for my motion sickness pills. But that was taking too long. I started to climb over Damon because I knew I was about to throw up.
Damon stood up to let me past and I rushed to the back of the bus. But the bathroom was occupied. I could not help myself. I moved the person sitting closest to me out of their seat and rushed to the window. I slid it open just in time.
“Pull over.” I heard Damon shout. “We have a passenger who is not feeling well.”
CHAPTER 29
Damon
Carla was not well. She’d looked a bit green this morning. I looked over to her seat and saw her motion sickness pills.
I was about to take them to her when I saw her getting sick out the bus window. I’d told the bus driver to pull over, and as soon as he was able to, he did. Carla had rushed off the bus to go and get some air.
I got a bottle of fresh water from the tour guide and followed her off the bus to give her her motion sickness pills. I found her near the back of the bus holding her stomach and standing with her eyes closed while she took deep breaths. Even when she was sick she had that air of serene beauty about her. But there was something else as well. I’d noticed it when I’d first got on the bus and had spotted her. Even though she was sick right now, she looked… healthy.
I gave myself a mental shake and walked over to her.
“Hey,” I said gently, “how are you feeling?”
“Embarrassed,” Carla didn’t open her eyes. She stood exactly as I’d found her.
“I brought you your pills and some cold water.” I stepped up toward her and held the items out to her.
Carla’s eyes flew open and she flopped forward like someone had bent her over and she vomited. All over the bottom of my jeans and one-of-a-kind sneakers. I stood staring horrified as I watched her wretched up breakfast congeal on my sneakers and soak my jeans. Before I could step away, she vomited all over me once again.
I opened the bottle of water and helped her stand up, trying to ignore the warm liquid running down my legs and into my shoes. I helped her take small sips of the water and took out one of her motion sickness pills for her.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, thank you.” She took the napkin the tour guide had given me for her. “I’m so sorry about your jeans and shoes.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s get you back on the bus before they bring you a mop to clean off the side you vomited on.”
Carla looked at me and gave a small laugh. When she got back on the bus, everyone fussed over her, making her feel a little less uncomfortable.
I pulled the change of clothes I had in my backpack out and went to get changed in the bathroom. There was no way I could sit for the next three hours in these wet jeans and soggy sneakers.
***
Carla slept for the rest of the trip. The tour guide gave me a blanket to cover her with. I pulled up the arm rest that was between us. Carla curled up on the seat with her head against the wind and let me put her feet on my lap.
While Carla slept, I sent Drew a message asking him if Hayley had said anything about Carla being ill. Drew knew nothing about it and messaged me back an hour later to tell me that Hayley said Carla had a stomach bug on top of being really stressed.
Carla was looking a lot better when we arrived at our next stop. The vineyard was a lot bigger than the one we’d been to the day before but it was not as pretty as the smaller one. This vineyard also wasn’t as traditional as the smaller one. Both Carla and I agreed that although this vineyard and winery were very impressive, we preferred the smaller, more traditional one of the day before.
But I was getting more and more worried about Carla. Something had changed. She was not as competitive as she normally was. She let me lead all the conversations and most of her questions she wanted to ask about the farms we’d seen she’d asked me instead of our host. That was so unlike her. Even though she was not herself, she seemed calmer and more content. I was kind of glad that I got on this bus tour. What would she have done all alone with no one close to care for her for so many days.