Heart of the Sea

While Quinn's growing relationship with Isla was comforting, he still found himself concerned for Kent and what he was up to with Oscar. Or rather, what Oscar was tricking him into doing. He refused to believe that Kent would actually kill any mermaid if he knew what he was truly doing.

He was lost in thought as he chopped vegetables and absentmindedly tossed them into a soup for dinner. So lost that he knicked his finger with the knife by accident. He cursed and jerked back as his finger started to bleed. Isla jumped up from the couch with her eyes full of concern.

"Did you cut off your finger?" she asked in a panic.

"No, no," Quinn grumbled. "It's just a small cut. I was being careless."

She rushed over and picked up a clean dish towel to wrap around his bleeding finger. The way she acted, it was like he was on the brink of death.

"Isla, it's fine," he chuckled. "It's a very minor accident."

"I can cook," she insisted. "Just tell me what to do."

"Well, everything is in there already," Quinn shrugged. "Minus the bloody carrot, but we probably shouldn't put that one in there. We just need to stir it until it comes to a boil, then let it simmer for ten minutes or so."

"I can do that."

She seemed excited about stirring soup while Quinn cleaned off his cut and bandaged it. When she left the pot to simmer, she came up to hug Quinn from behind. They stayed like that for a little bit until she finally spoke up.

"Is this about Kent?" she asked softly.

"I guess," Quinn said. "I'm just worried about him, that's all. I don't like the looks of that hunter. I feel like I can protect you, but I'm worried I can't protect Kent."

"What do you mean?" Isla frowned. "He's not hunting a human."

"No, but he wants to hurt him in a different way," Quinn sighed. "Kent is an old man. And he's in a very vulnerable and desperate position. Oscar is trying to take advantage of that. Besides taking his money, he's pulling Kent into a situation he doesn't want to be in. At least, I don't think so."

Quinn turned around to face Isla. She looked sad, and through whatever connection was between them, she was picking up on Quinn's worries.

"What if we tell him?" she asked. "You trust him. Maybe we can tell him who I really am, and explain what Oscar is planning."

"No," Quinn said firmly. "I can't risk your life like that. If something goes wrong... I don't even want to think about it. I'd never forgive myself."

"But what if something happens to Kent?"

Quinn felt a pain in his chest at the thought, but pushed the thought from his mind.

"Maybe nothing will happen," he said, though he knew it was unlikely. "Maybe a new treatment will come out and he'll be fine."

Isla didn't seem convinced. She didn't exactly know what cancer was, but she had figured it out enough to know it was a fatal illness. To be fair, that's all Quinn knew too. He felt helpless.

It was strange not having to work, but he would take Isla to swim in the caves every opportunity he could. If nothing else, he was confident he could protect her. With everything on his shoulders, however, he found himself coming down with a cold. He brushed it off as best he could, but Isla could tell something was wrong as soon as they woke up. She put her hands on his face and frowned.

"Why do you feel so hot?" she asked. "It's different. You're not shy or embarrassed. And you look pale."

"I'm a pretty pale guy," he mumbled. "What's that thing they say? I'm a 'winter'. Whatever that means."

"You're paler than normal," she said. "And your voice sounds weak."

"I just woke up."

"Quinn."

"Fine," he sighed. "I might have a slight cold. But it's fine, I'm fine."

"You're sick?!" she asked, panicked. "Are you going to die?!"

"No," he said, taking her hands off his face and sitting up in bed. "It's not that kind of sickness. It's just a cold. It's a week or so of miserable coughing and fevers, and then it goes away."

"What's a fever?"

"It's the reason I feel hot," he explained. "When a human body is fighting illness, sometimes the temperature of our bodies gets hot as a reaction. Mermaids can adjust to colder temperatures, so you probably don't get sick."

"Does it hurt?" she frowned.

"No, it just feels hot," he said. "And cold, at the same time. It's a strange feeling."

She scooted over and hugged him tightly.

"Does this help with the cold?" she asked.

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"It helps more than you know," he said. "But I think I'll just make some tea."

"I can make it," Isla said quickly. "I know how to start the stove and boil the water now. And the tea is in the green tin."

"That's right."

"I'm learning," she said with a proud grin. "Stay here, I'll be back."

Quinn knew there was no arguing with her. He sighed and sank back into bed. He dozed off for a few more minutes until Isla returned with a mug of hot tea. There were more tea leaves used than necessary and they were all floating in the mug since she hadn't used the strainer, but the effort still put a smile on Quinn's face. He looked up and noticed one of Isla's eyes was a little red.

"What's wrong with your eye?" he asked.

"I poked it," she said. "Kind of hard."

"Okay... Why?"

"To make tears," she said.

Quinn looked down in his mug and noticed a strange and very subtle shimmer in the liquid. He hadn't seen it at first with all the tea leaves floating in it.

"Mermaid tears," Quinn mumbled, fascinated. "Do they really have healing properties?"

"I've never tried it," she admitted. "I don't know if it'll work. I thought it was worth a try. It might not fix you right away, but it'll speed up the recovery."

She frowned when Quinn started laughing.

"Did I do something?" she asked.

"You're just a sweet thing," Quinn said. "Thank you, Isla. But please don't poke yourself in the eye like that again."

"Do you need another hug?"

"Yeah, I could use one."