Earl cradled Daria in his arms, lifting her out of the van. He carried her up the stairs to the beach house as she ruffled his dark curls. "You should grow a beard, Earl, or at least some scruff - maybe a few tattoos."
"Dare," he responded, "I'm a Navy doctor. I can't wander around looking like a street urchin. Besides, your sister's not big on ink. She says she likes me smooth and silky."
Daria reached for the doorknob since Earl's hands were occupied. "She's not talking about your face, silly."
Earl turned several shades of red as he settled Daria into her wheelchair. "Quit being dirty, Dare."
"Oh, you love it. I've told you before, you're marrying the wrong sister. I could rock your world if you'd give me a chance - I know how to slurp a smoothie." Daria spun her wheels on a dime, perusing the flat. She swirled through the kitchen and into the great room, then back down the hall to the bedrooms.
"I'm going back to help Cari with the luggage," Earl announced. "Your room is first on the right and don't roll out on the balcony until I check it."
"I'll roll where I want, pretty doctor!" Daria whirled into her assigned quarters. The bedroom was simple and spacious so she could move around freely. The ensuite bathroom had bars for transfer and stability. Cari had researched the premises, studied the amenities to suit every need.
In the bedroom corner was a small vanity with a mirror, tiny drawers for Daria's brushes and makeup, a place for her catheters - and a book. Sea Witch by Anon Imus. 'How ridiculous,' thought Daria. She had seen a similar title months earlier on Amazon but had neglected to download it. Her Kindle was packed to the brim. Reading had been Daria's primary activity since the accident, her escape from reality.
She flipped through the pages. The book was hardbound and heavy. There were sketches of characters - pirates! Beautiful maidens. Swashbuckling adventurers, murderous thieves, rape and pillaging. 'Perhaps I'll read this later,' she considered.
"Daria! Where you be?" Cari walked through the bedroom door, rolling Daria's suitcase. "You like it - your room?"
"It's fine." Daria placed the book on the vanity.
"You don't look too excited, sweet sister." Cari plopped the suitcase on the bed, unzipped it and unpacked the contents into assorted piles.
"You can quit babying me, Cari. I can do that myself. Besides, I might have something in there I don't want you to see."
"Like what? A bottle of scotch? A big dildo?"
"So, what if I got both?" Daria snooted. "Your dildo carries your luggage. Some of us can't run around picking up doctors."
Cari folded her arms across her chest. "Are we going back through this? Dammit, Daria, I bust my ass finding the perfect beach bungalow, and I don't even get a thank you - just more crap about Earl."
"You deserve it, Cari, but I'm done arguing. And thanks for bringing me on your fuck-fest. Don't worry. I'll wear my earbuds every night, so scream your heart out."
Cari sat down on the bed. "Dare, did you seriously think you had a shot at Earl? I'm just being realistic here."
"He was my doctor, Cari. Not yours. And, yea, he liked me, even if I couldn't walk. He promised I would...one day."
"Firstly, doctors can't date their patients," Cari retorted.
"I'm not his patient anymore, Miss Board of Medical Ethics."
"Fine. I'm done," Cari cringed, raising her hands in surrender. "I stole your boyfriend. We're getting married, and you are my maid of honor, full military regalia. Would you like to hit the beach or sit up here and sulk?"
"Sulk on the beach," she replied.
Daria sat in her lounge chair, scanning her novel. The tide circled her feet as the sun descended. Across the horizon, she saw something odd - a ship - a dark silhouette, large and stately with masts and sails, like nothing she'd seen on the ocean.
"Hey, do you guys see that?"
Cari and Earl were wrapped in a blanket on the sand, oblivious and uninhibited. Daria removed her earbuds, confirming her suspicions.
"Oh, shit! Oh fuck! Yea, right there, Earl. C'mon, harder!"
Daria replaced her earbuds and went back to her book.
***
