The Medicine Man, Book 2 Page 8

  Dr. Hall sighed and tried to explain. “Dr. Ross, I still do not understand it myself. For all intents and purposes, Kasey had improved drastically, and I fully expected her to be awake and talking, or even discharged, at this point.”

  Ashwin frowned and demanded, “Dr. Hall, what is going on?”

  Dr. Hall finally raised his head and met Ashwin's worried gaze. “Dr. Ross, I'm sorry to inform you that Kasey passed away at ten-thirty this morning.”

  Ashwin's mouth dropped open at the doctor's words, and for a moment he was certain he'd misunderstood what the man had just said. “I—I”m sorry...what did you say?”

  Dr. Hall cleared his throat and repeated, “Kasey passed away this morning at ten-thirty, Dr. Ross.”

  Ashwin shook his head as if that could somehow erase what Dr. Hall had just said. “That—that can't be! That's just—no.”

  Dr. Hall drew in a deep breath and slowly nodded. “Yes, Dr. Ross, I'm afraid it is.”

  Ashwin shook his head a little more vehemently as he insisted, “NO! That CANNOT be true! You take me to her right now!” He got to his feet so fast that the chair he'd been sitting in tipped backward and crashed to the floor, and Dr. Hall swallowed hard when he saw how red Ashwin's face had become. His chest was heaving as his nostrils flared, and there was no mistaking the abject terror and hurt in Ashwin's eyes as Hall slowly got to his feet and carefully opened his office door. He sighed and gently placed his hand on Ashwin's elbow as he quietly directed, “Come with me.”

  Ashwin staggered into the hallway, still convinced that the otherwise amiable Hall was playing some kind of cruel, twisted joke on him, until he stopped at the main nurse's desk and politely inquired, “Has Nurse Jenkins gone home?”

  The young nurse at the desk slowly shook her head and averted her eyes from Ashwin's grief-stricken face. “No, Dr. Hall, she's still here. Just a moment.” She disappeared into a small, closed room beside the nurse's desk, and moments later she returned with Nurse Jenkins, who was a bit older than the young woman who had summoned her and was still dressed in her nurse's outfit. It was obvious that she'd been crying, and as Dr. Hall gently placed his hand on the nurse's arm he turned to Ashwin and said, “Follow me.”

  Ashwin nodded and walked behind Dr. Hall, feeling as if he were trapped in a never-ending nightmare with no way to wake up. He followed Dr. Hall into a small room marked “Family Consultation” and sat down heavily in one of the plush royal blue chairs, then leaned forward with his head in his hands as Dr. Hall cleared his throat and said,

  “At approximately ten-fifteen this morning, Nurse Jenkins entered Miss Marshall's room to check her vitals. When Miss Jenkins couldn't rouse Miss Marshall, she then noted that there appeared to be no chest movement. Upon checking her vitals, Miss Jenkins was unable to detect a pulse, and there was no measurable respiration. A code blue was issued, and although we tried using a defibrillator to resuscitate Miss Marshall, it was unsuccessful.” He released a weary sigh and dropped into the chair beside Ashwin, then said, “I'm the one who pronounced her, Ashwin. You have no idea how much I wish this wasn't true. But it is.”

  Ashwin sucked in a deep, shuddering breath before he quietly inquired, “But how? And why?”

  Dr. Hall shook his head. “I don't know the answer to that yet, Ashwin.”

  Ashwin sighed deeply and shook his head. “Where is she now?”

  “In the morgue. Would you like to go down and see her?”

  Ashwin raised his hand, as if that would stop Dr. Hall from saying more, before he shook his head and replied, “No.”

  “Are you sure? It won't be any trouble at all--”

  “I said no, Dr. Hall.” His precise, biting tone was enough to let Hall know that he was near his breaking point, but Hall said nothing else as Ashwin slowly got to his feet and simply said, “I'll be in touch. Please don't do anything until you hear from me. She has no family, so...” His voice trailed off, and Hall nodded in understanding as he watched Ashwin turn and slowly walk out of the room.

  CHAPTER 12

  “This can't be happening.” Over and over, that thought ricocheted through Ashwin's brain as he somehow managed to maneuver through the heavy afternoon traffic, and when he found himself sitting in the parking garage a few minutes later, he had no idea how he'd gotten there. He released a deep sigh and uncurled his fingers from the steering wheel, then shook his head as he tried to make sense out of what Dr. Hall had told him less than half an hour before. It was just...inconceivable. He suddenly pounded his fist against the steering wheel as fresh, hot tears welled in his eyes. He loved her, dammit! How could she be taken from him like this? What had she ever done to deserve such a horrible fate? He covered his face with his hands and released another deep, weary sigh, then slowly got out of his car and blankly glanced around at the bland, shadowy concrete of the parking garage before he began walking towards the entrance of the hotel. Holly. He had to tell Holly. He pulled the front door open and walked straight to the desk, then asked the young clerk on duty, “Where's Holly?”

  “I'm not sure, sir. Could I take a message?”

  Ashwin leaned forward and harshly demanded, “NO...I NEED TO SEE HOLLY RIGHT NOW! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

  The clerk gasped and took an involuntary step backwards at Ashwin's sudden change in demeanor, and her hands were shaking as she reached for the phone. “Just a moment.”

  Ashwin nodded and slowly straightened as he glanced around the lobby, and moments later Holly appeared, her face creased with worry as she all but ran up to Ashwin. “Ashwin! Is something wrong?”

  Ashwin bit his lip and blinked furiously as more tears welled in his eyes. “Yes, Holly, there is. Let's go into the restaurant, shall we?”

  Holly nodded and allowed Ashwin to lead her into the restaurant, and after picking a private booth at the back of the restaurant, Holly leaned forward and implored, “Please, Ashwin, tell me what's going on!”

  The stress of the past hour finally got to him as he shook his head and wailed, “She's gone, Holly! My Kasey is gone!”

  Alarmed, Holly leaned forward and inquired, “What do you mean, she's gone?”

  Ashwin grabbed a handful of napkins and swiped at his eyes as he explained, “She's—she's--” Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to say that she was dead, and instead he said, “She is no longer with us, Holly.”

  Holly gasped as the full meaning of his words finally sank in, and tears welled in her eyes as she covered his hands with hers and quietly whispered, “Surely you don't mean...”

  “Yes, Holly, that's exactly what I mean.” He pressed the napkin against his eyes and released a deep, shuddering breath, then exclaimed, “I don't know how it could have happened! She wasn't catatonic anymore! She was just...sleeping.”

  Holly shook her head as her own tears fell, and as they sat in their own private, silent grief, the waiter cautiously approached. Ashwin ordered a beer and offered to buy Holly a drink, but she quickly shook her head and said, “No, thank you. I haven't had any alcohol since—since that morning.”

  Ashwin nodded in understanding and began slowly shredding the napkin that was damp with his tears, and when the waiter returned with his beer he downed it in three long gulps and ordered another. Holly watched as he drained the bottle, then inquired, “Who was that woman in your apartment this morning?”

  Ashwin narrowed his eyes as he pinned Holly with a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

  Holly gave a dainty shrug and said, “Some woman called the front desk from your apartment this morning. She wanted to know if we offered babysitting services.”

  Ashwin leaned forward and inquired, “And what time did all of this happen?”

  That dainty shrug again. “I'd say around nine or nine-thirty.”

  “Do you remember what she looked like?”

  Holly nodded and sipped her ice water. “She had long, black hair, and after she left her baby in our daycare center, she went into the bathroom and changed into hospital sc
rubs.”

  Ashwin gasped as he finally began putting the jumbled pieces of the puzzle together, and a hatred so strong welled up in him that he felt physically ill. At that moment he knew he'd have no problem choking the life right out of Silver Moon, but all of his hatred and enthusiasm to inflict harm upon her suddenly fled, because he knew that his feelings were based on speculation and his own debilitating grief. So far it had left him a slumped, exhausted mess of a man, and after he quickly downed another beer he softly wailed, “What am I going to do without her?”

  Holly bit her lip and released a quivering sigh as she honestly replied, “I don't know, Ashwin.” She quickly swiped at the tears that were sliding down her cheeks before she glanced at her watch and then at Ashwin. It was sad to see him cry, and witnessing his grief only served to increase hers. It was an utter shame that Kasey had suffered the way she had, and now this. She bit her lip as even more tears slid down her cheeks, and she knew that if she didn't get up and leave right then, that she'd end up sitting in the restaurant with Ashwin all night, nursing her grief while he nursed his. After deciding that he was a big boy and would be alright, she slowly got to her feet and said, “I have to go, but you know where to find me if you need anything.”

  Ashwin nodded but didn't look up from his task of methodically shredding the napkins, and moments later Holly pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and disappeared. Ashwin glanced at his watch, then shrugged and summoned the waiter again. It was going to be a very long night indeed.

  Ashwin leaned heavily against his apartment door as he fumbled with his keys, and for some reason they kept slipping from his fingers and landing on the carpet. He cursed as he whacked his head on the doorknob when he reached down to pick them up, and as he squinted at the variety of keys on his key chain, he wondered why they kept falling. Did he have a hole in his hand? The thought was enough to make him giggle as he held his hand up to the dim light in the hallway, and in the process of studying his hand, his keys once again managed to end up on the carpet. “Gosh dammit futher mucker,” he slurred as his head once again made contact with the doorknob, and then he giggled again when he realized how funny his cursing had sounded. “Oh, sheeshus chrisht, I mush be furcking durnk,” he muttered to himself as he finally shoved the right key into the lock and gave the doorknob what he hoped was a firm twist. He all but fell into his apartment, but the fact that he was still holding onto the doorknob prevented him from landing face-first on the carpet. Ahh, the carpet. It looked so soft and inviting and comfortable, but he suddenly remembered that he had a bed...somewhere. He frowned at the doorknob and yanked his keys out of the lock, then pushed the door shut and stumbled none too gracefully towards what he hoped was the bathroom. Instead he found himself standing beside the kitchen table, and it was several moments before he realized he had a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the table. He suddenly let go of the table and fell forward, and as he half-laid across the table, he frowned when he heard the distinct cry of an infant. He pushed himself off the table and slowly turned so that he was facing his darkened living room, and after staggering closer toward the source of the crying, he turned his face to the ceiling and yelled at no one in particular, “Why ish there a crucking frying baby in my goddamned riving loom?”

  The lamp suddenly came on, and Ashwin slowly turned around and pinned Silver Moon with what he hoped was an angry, disgusted glare. “You! You fucking worthlessh slut-whore!”

  “Ashwin! Are you drunk?” Silver Moon got off the sofa and cautiously approached him, but when she tried to put her arms around his neck, he fought her off as if she were a venomous snake. “Get the fucking hell away from me, you fucking tramp!” he snarled as he suddenly remembered why he was in his current frame of mind. “Why the fuck are you even still here? I don't need any worthlessh fucking bitchesh in my life right now!”

  “Ashwin! Surely you don't mean that,” Sylvie purred as she tried once again to console him. Ashwin pushed her away again and said, “Go to hell and leave me the fuck alone! I know what you did!”

  “What did I do, Ashwin?” Sylvie coolly inquired as she folded her arms across her chest and gazed up at him. Ashwin gave a disgusted shake of his head and fell heavily onto the sofa, then glanced around the living room and pointed at the baby. “Sani. Are you going to treat that poor baby the same way you treated Sani?”

  Sylvie remained silent as Ashwin slowly blinked her into focus. “Well, are you?”

  “I don't know what you're talking about, Ashwin.”

  “Sure you do. Sani told me everything.”

  “What did Sani tell you?”

  “He told me you were mean to him. How could you be mean to a child, Silver?”

  Sylvie gave an exasperated sigh and calmly replied, “You know how kids can be, Ashwin. They tend to say and do certain things when they don't get their way.”

  “Ah, much like some adults I know!”

  “Surely that wasn't intended for me,” Sylvie said as she continued to gaze at Ashwin with that maddeningly cool expression on her face. Ashwin slowly glanced around the living room and said, “I don't see any fucking body else in here, Silver, do you? No? Then I must have meant that for you!”

  Sylvie bit her lip at his odd, unusually mean behavior, and her voice was full of hurt as she said, “I don't know why you're acting like this, but--”

  “Really? Are you that fucking stupid, Silver? My girlfriend died today! The last thing I wanted to do was come home to see your fucking ugly ass sitting on my goddamned sofa! There! Now you fucking know! Are you fucking happy now?”

  Sylvie gasped in an attempt to sound shocked. “Oh, Ashwin! I am SO sorry! How did she--”

  Ashwin was on his feet in a matter of seconds, and although he tipped backwards, he managed to right himself before he delivered a harsh, vicious slap to Sylvie's face. “Spare me, you fucking murderous whore! Don't you EVER pretend that you cared about her, or even me, for that matter!”

  “But Ashwin, I DO care! Can't you see that? All I want is for us—for you—to be happy again!”

  Ashwin's anger turned into rage at her words, and his face was blood-red as he snarled, “I WAS happy with Kasey! And you had to go and fuck it all up! Please, Silver, just tell me WHY!”

  His constant yelling had sent the baby into fits of terror, and the infant's cries had gone from irritating to long, ear-splitting wails of agony as he lay helpless in the playpen. Sylvie frowned at her child's distress and reprimanded, “Now look at what you've done! You're going to wake the whole floor!”

  “Do you really think I care about that, Silver? My girlfriend is dead, and I could care less about your fucking baby or about who else lives on this goddamned fucking floor! Are you that fucking coldhearted, or are you just brain dead?”

  Silver ignored his hurtful comments and instead focused on tending to the baby, and after changing his diaper she sat down in the rocker recliner at the far end of the living room and calmly said, “Please stop yelling or he'll never get back to sleep.”

  Ashwin stormed across the living room and leaned down so close that Sylvie flinched at the smell of alcohol on his breath as he growled, “It's my fucking apartment and I'll do as I please! And guess what, you worthless bitch! I no longer want you here! I should've never gotten involved with you all those years ago! Now I'm telling you...GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE FOR GOOD! I WANT YOU GONE WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING!”

  Sylvie said nothing as she stared into his bloodshot brown eyes, which caused Ashwin to snort softly before he added, “Yeah, just what I thought. When it comes right down to it, you have nothing useful to say, because there's nothing about YOU that's useful! Even that goddamned pussy of yours must not have been worth much, otherwise your husband wouldn't have felt the need to go and bury himself in a different one!”

  With that, Sylvie calmly got up from the chair, settled the baby in the playpen, and turned around with every intention of slapping Ashwin as he had slapped her. Instead he easily caught her wrist in mid
-air and taunted, “Were you planning to do something with that hand, or were you just waving goodbye to me?”

  Sylvie set her mouth in a straight line at his words, but her anger suddenly melted when he pulled her against his chest and locked his arms around her, effectively holding her prisoner. She swallowed hard when she felt the rapid beat of his heart against her chest, but she didn't have a chance to say anything as Ashwin suddenly shoved his fingers through her long, black hair and firmly planted his mouth against hers. He ground his lips against hers for several minutes before he tore his mouth away and gasped, “Are you happy now? Am I giving you what you want? What you've been practically begging me for ever since you got here?”

  “But Ashwin,” Sylvie breathed as Ashwin's grip tightened around her, “What about Kasey?”

  “Kasey's dead,” Ashwin bluntly replied as he gave Sylvie a quick once-over. “And you're not.”

  “Ash—I'm not so sure about this—”

  “What are you not sure about, Silver? You think a man can't tell when a woman is begging him to fuck her? Did you really think I couldn't tell? At this point, what do I have to lose? Hell, for that matter, what do YOU have to lose?”

  “Ashwin, you're drunk,” Sylvie reminded him as Ashwin effortlessly picked her up and unceremoniously slung her over his shoulder as he staggered towards his bedroom. He kicked his bedroom door open and none-too-gently dumped Sylvie on his bed, then whipped his shirt off and replied, “And since when has that ever stopped me?”

  Sylvie swallowed hard at this side of him she'd never seen, and as she continued to sit motionlessly in the middle of his bed, he kicked his shoes off before doing the same with his jeans. Moments later Sylvie found herself on her back, staring up at him in a mixture of fear and longing as Ashwin whispered, “This is what you wanted, so this is what you get.”

  “Ashwin, please--” Sylvie whimpered as Ashwin removed her socks and flung them across the room. Next he yanked the zipper down on her jeans and peeled them off her legs, then dropped them onto the floor before he literally ripped her shirt and bra off and sat back with a strange, frightening look of triumph on his face. Sylvie swallowed hard again and repeated, “Ashwin, please...I--”