Moving as if it were not a part of him, his hand picked up the decanter to fill the wineglass before him. Only after setting the vessel down and raising the glass to his lips did he realize that both glass and decanter were empty.
Annoyance and puzzlement filled his mind as he frowned at the glass, momentarily driving out all other thoughts.
How much had he drunk? He wanted another glass, but knew he had to keep his mind clear to sort out the current situation. Had he filled the decanter this morning? How long ago was morning?
He ran a weary hand over his chin and noted with some surprise the well-developed stubble which met his touch. It had obviously been more than twelve hours since he shaved, but he couldn’t remember shaving.
With a growl of self-disgust, he pushed the glass and decanter away from him. If he couldn’t even remember what time of day it was, he certainly was in no condition to drink.
“Are you with us again?”
Tambu turned his head slowly and found Ramona perched on the foot of his bed. He hadn’t heard her come in and didn’t have the faintest idea how long she had been there.
“I’m sorry, love,” he apologized, smiling faintly as he stretched. “My mind must have drifted a bit. Did you say something?”
Ramona shook her head.
“You know, lover, for a grim, humorless type, at times you have an incredible talent for understatement.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning this is the first time you’ve come up for air in over two days. When your mind drifts, you don’t kid around!”
“Two days!” Tambu exclaimed, ignoring her jibe. “What happened? Was I drinking? What about the fleet?”