Tinnean

David Knight has been plagued by dreams his entire life, only to have all memory of them vanish when he awakens. Now the dreams are coming with more frequency, and they seem to be drawing him to the Amazon. A scientist with a PhD in ichthyology and a dedication to learning all he can about lungfish, whose existence dates back to the Devonian era, David is determined to see what the Amazon holds. His hopes seem about to be answered when Dr. Carlos Avila contacts him. It seems the Brazilian archeologist discovered the remains of a previously undiscovered species on a tributary of the Amazon, and he’d like nothing better than for David to join the expedition to see if more of the creature can be found. Of course David leaps at the opportunity and flies to Pesadelo Bay to join the mismatched team. Once there, he discovers not only does Dr. Avila have his own agenda, but a former conquest as well as a friend who’d saved his life years before are part of the team and are engaged to be married. Meanwhile, the need to sail up the Amazon to find what ... or who ... is calling him there has become more and more pressing, and David must decide which is the most important -- learning what Dr. Avila really is searching for, or finding the answer to his dreams?

Lagoon of Dreams

Once at the hospital, the staff whisked me to a private room with an adjoining bath. I didn’t know this at the time, but I’d sneaked a peek into my chart when no one was around and read of my treatment.


They drew blood and replaced the electrolytes I’d lost with IV fluids. They inserted a catheter into my penis and inflated the tiny balloon that would keep it in my urethra. With that done, they hustled me into the bathroom. While an aide kept me upright as the cold spray poured down on me, another aide stood outside the cubical holding both the IV bottle and the drain bottle for the urinary catheter. After they got me into bed, nurses smeared aloe vera over my burns, using a topical cream with anesthetic properties for the worst of them.


I had to admit they did take good care of me, and by the next day, while I was still in pain, I had regained consciousness.


Chapter 31