In the morning, Gina was awake and standing on the balcony that faced the ocean. Rio was beautiful, but she had the urge to move on. She was feeling very tired and weak. She had coughed up blood that morning. The cancer wasn't going to wait much longer for her to see the world. She wanted to go to Cuba, but wasn't sure if her husband could handle going back to a place that knew Sonny Burnett so well. She had finished the letter to Sonny. As she had told her lawyer back in USA, she told him too in the letter, that when she died she wanted to be buried beside her mother in Cuba. She put her hands over her face and cried quietly. Gina didn't want Sonny to see her this way, she didn't want him to worry.
[Def Leppard's Bringing on the heartache plays: "….Lady how you hold the key, Oh you're like a candle, your flame slowly fadein', Burnin' out and burnin' me. Can't you see? Just try and say to you. You're bringin' on the heartache, Takin' all the best of me, Oh Can't you see? You got the best of me, Whoah can't you see?…."]
Crockett opened his eyes and saw Gina standing outside, leaning against the rail. By watching her body language he knew she was crying. His heart ached. He got up and came up behind her. He put his arms around her and held her, just waiting for her to talk to him.
"Sonny, it's time for me to go back to Cuba."
He had feeling of dread and could guess why. "To visit your mother's grave?"
"Yes and to go home. I'll understand if you don't want to come with me. I wouldn't ask you to." Gina said softly, trying to be brave.
"You're my wife and I love you with all my heart and soul. I would never abandon you. We've handled Burnett before, we can do it again if that's what you're worried about." Sonny kissed the side of her neck.
Gina turned around, looking up into his eyes, "are you sure?"
"Yes," he kissed her nose, "yes", he kissed her cheeks, "yes" he kissed her lips.
Gina laughed, "okay. Thank you husband of mine."
They kissed each other a few moments, then Crockett went to make flight reservations. While he was gone, Gina got sick again, coughing up more blood. She heard him return and quickly got into the shower, washing away the blood on her face.
The door to the bathroom was open, so Sonny called out over the shower noise, "the flight out is tonight at eight. I made reservations for a hotel in Varadero."
He went into the bathroom and saw a tissue with blood on it. "Gina?"
She was just getting out of the shower and followed his line of sight. She wasn't going to lie to him, "I've been coughing up blood lately. I didn't want to alarm you. The doctor said that could happen."
"Oh honey," Sonny took her into his arms. "I wish I took make you better. Are you in any pain?"
"No, just keep getting tired so quickly." She laughed, when he picked her up and carried her to the closet and to the dresser, so she didn't have to walk around the room to get her clothing. "Sonny put me down, you're being silly."
He put her down and then after she was dressed, insisted on packing her things. So she directed him around the room, first seriously and then played with him. When he realized she was poking fun at him, he came to the bed and tickled her. She giggled and then called for mercy. She felt like a teenager.
"I like making you smile and laugh," Sonny said, "that makes me happy. Do you want to go to Caleta Buena to go snorkelling?"
"I'd like that." Gina said, putting on her bikini under shorts and a blouse.
They rented a Jeep and drove to Caleta Buena, then spent a few hours just looking at the beautiful reefs and coral fish. Crocket was a natural athlete and a great swimmer. He was able to hold his breath a long time under water. Gina loved skimming the surface of the water and watching him swim between the reefs. To her he was a water god. For him she looked like a mermaid and he would flip over so he could look up at her as he swam. Gina waived at him, pointing to the surface. He swam up and they both removed their snorkels.
"I'm getting tired, I'm heading in." Gina said as she tread water.
Sonny nodded, "I'll come in a bit."
"Stay out here as long as you want," Gina replied. Then she began to swim to shore.
Once she was on the beach towel, she lay down and relaxed. A short while later, Crockett came back to join her. "It's so beautiful out there. The water is crystal clear. I just swam in a school of sardines."
"You should check out the flooded caves, but you'd probably have to scuba dive for that. I love the leaf coral and all the colourful fish! I'll never forget this place," Gina added.
Later that day, they drove into the interior of cuba via some dirt roads. The poverty saddened Gina, but the lush tropical plants and grassy mountains, made her love the country she was born in. Chickens and cows ran around freely, horses were tethered to the side of the roads and large birds soared in the heavens above. Some of the back roads were very bumpy, where flash floods had eroded the dirt away. One particularly bad section, Crockett had to go into 4 wheel drive and navigate the crack carefully, as to not get stuck. This day was proving to have a lot of adventure. They ate at one of the fishing villages, the catch of the day for lunch. It was simple, but delicious food.
When they finally arrived back at their hotel room, Gina was extremely tired. She leaned on Crockett heavily, and he ended up carrying her up the stairs to their room. She fell asleep as soon has her head hit the pillow. Crockett could kick himself for not considering that the drive into the interior of Cuba, would be so long and tire her out so much. She was very good at hiding her pain and seeming to be of normal health, that he forgot that she was dying from cancer.
While Gina slept, Sonny made reservations at a jazz club for 8pm. He went to the hotel's pool bar and downed a few shots of whiskey, then had some cuban rum on the rocks. The sun turned his skin to a golden brown and soon the heat made him go for a swim in the pool. He took refuge in the shade of a palm tree and finished off a rum and coke. An hour later, he went back up to the hotel room. Gina woke up when he came in the room.
"Feeling better darlin'?" Sonny asked, giving her a tropical flower to put in her hair.
"Yes, the nap has helped a lot. I see you've been pool side, I think I will join you." Gina got up, brushed her hair and then followed him down the stairs. At the bar she ordered her favourite drink, "un mojito pro favor."
"Tonight I made us a reservation at La Zorra y Cuervo jazz club. We'll have diner here and then take the jeep there." Sonny said, carrying Gina's glass so she could get into the pool.
Gina traced his stubbly chin with a finger, "you're spoiling me."
"Your my wife, so of course I am," Sonny replied kissing the tip of her finger.
They swam in the pool and even spent a little time making out like two randy teenagers. Then they went back to their room to shower together, before changing for diner. After diner they went to the jazz club. It was a basement club, very laid back atmosphere. It was a bit on the smokey side, but that was common. Crockett jointed the other patrons and lit a cigar.
Gina excused herself from the table and went to talk to the band. She asked them in spanish if she could sing a song with them. They were very enthusiastic to hear her sing, as they were just an instrumental band. The piano player introduced her in spanish, "Ahora para un tratamiento especial, Gina, cantara una Ella Fitzgerald favorito."
She began to sing the song You Do Something To Me. When she got to the chorus she looked directly into Crockett's eyes, "… Let me live 'neath your spell, Do do that voodoo that you do so well, For you do something to me, That nobody else could do.…"
When the song finished, everyone applauded and cheered. They wanted more and she obliged with another song. The look in her eyes when she came back to the table, showed Crockett how much she loved him. That look was more than any words or any actions, she could ever do, to make him believe it. He hoped she could see how much he did love her. He knew in the past he had let his love for Caroline interfere with their relationship. Then when he proposed to Gina after loosing Caitlin, he knew it once again casted doubt in her mind, that his love for her wasn't true. He actually found that he loved Gina more than even Caroline, which he had never thought possible. Not even Caitlin had that power over him. That realization, showed in his eyes and etched itself on Gina's soul.