The Medicine Man, Book 2

by Beverly Cialone

  Ashwin smiled and slowly shook his head as he murmured, “Ah, now I have YOU where you've wanted ME for so long. How does it feel, Silver? Good? Bad? Frightening? Or downright terrifying?”

  Sylvie bit her lip at his odd words, words that smacked of nothing but wholehearted truth, and she shifted uncomfortably as she realized that he'd finally called her bluff. And knowing Ashwin the way she did, or the way she used to, she knew that she wasn't going to get out of this lightly. The REAL question, though, was did she even want to get out of it? Despite the fact that he was still quite drunk and monumentally pissed off, as well as grief-stricken, her answer to that was a solid, definite NO. Before Ashwin had a chance to say or do anything else, though, Sylvie gently pushed him back against the pillow and settled her body on top of his as she purred, “You know me SO well, Ashwin. How many times have I told you that we could be good together again, just like we were ten years ago?”

  Ashwin frowned up at Silver Moon as the room began to spin, and he was helpless to stop her as she began unbuttoning his shirt. Moments later his jeans disappeared, and he couldn't help his surprised gasp when he felt Silver's fingers wrap around his member. This wasn't going at all the way he'd planned. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the words out, Silver lowered her head and placed her mouth against his in a warm, soft kiss. Thoughts of his beloved Kasey temporarily caused Ashwin to weakly push against Silver Moon's body in protest, but when she deepened the kiss, he sighed and resigned himself to the fact that his Kasey was dead and gone. Why should he punish himself with self-inflicted celibacy, when he had a warm, willing female right here, right now? Silver Moon raised her head long enough to purr, “That's it, sweetie...just lie back and let me love you, the way you need and deserve to be loved...the way I want to love you.” Despite the way his body was responding to Silver Moon's advances, Ashwin shook his head and weakly whispered, “No...this isn't right...Please, Silver...”

  Silver Moon gave a frustrated sigh before she gently insisted, “Yes, Ashwin, this IS right...this is what we both want and need. Admit it. Let me take that pain away...I promise you won't regret it.”

  Ashwin gasped softly in a mixture of pleasure and surprise when he felt Silver Moon's soft, damp heat envelop his erection, and he couldn't stop the moan that slipped from him when she sank down around him completely. He was vaguely aware of her small, cool hands pinning his wrists to the pillow as her hair tickled his face, and even though he didn't mean to, he gave an instinctive, upward thrust into Silver Moon. She moaned loudly in the quiet darkness of the bedroom as Ashwin thrust into her again, and moments later she threw her head back and moaned again as her body convulsed around Ashwin's. As if he suddenly realized what he'd just done, his member suddenly shriveled and slipped out of Silver Moon, and he gave a soft sigh as he closed his eyes and slipped into a drunken slumber.

  CHAPTER 13

  Cold...it was so cold...and dark...why was she so cold? Kasey wondered as she tried to figure out what was happening to her. Was she dead? She wondered as she tried with all her might to open her eyes or flex her fingers. Her eyes still felt as if they were weighted with bricks, and her entire body felt leaden as she lay in the ever-increasing cold of wherever it was that she'd ended up. A sudden, terrifying thought occurred to her, and as the cold continued to permeate her body (if she even had one anymore, that was), she suddenly understood why people feared death so much. If she was indeed dead, then the thought of spending forever like this, in this dark, frozen paralysis with nothing but her startlingly clear yet bleak thoughts to keep her company, then she would've rather been sent straight to hell, where at least there would've been some warmth. She suddenly wondered how her parents were going to take the news of her death, and the mere thought of how her father was going to react was enough to make her throat clog with tears. NO! her mind screamed as she envisioned his grief-stricken face while her mother would likely wail and sob and then talk bad about her to anyone who would bother to listen. The tears thickened in her throat, threatening to choke her, and if she'd been able to, Kasey would have laughed out loud at that particular thought. She was DEAD, what difference did it make if she had tears in her throat that choked her? Then there was Ashwin. Oh God, Ashwin! Her throat clogged even more as she thought of her sweet, sexy, intelligent, caring doctor-boyfriend, and in that instant she stopped feeling sorry for herself and instead became surprisingly outraged. Outraged that she was dead while others weren't. Outraged that certain people were going to suffer over not having her in their lives anymore while others who were truly evil were still able to enjoy their lives. What had she ever done to deserve this? What kind of God had deemed that her life should be cut short, when she had just begun to live? As the maddening thoughts continued to swirl relentlessly in her mind, she finally gave up and prayed desperately for either sleep or unconsciousness. After what seemed like forever, she finally got her wish.

  Ashwin groaned and slowly rolled onto his side, away from the too-bright sunlight that was streaming through the window in his bedroom. He knew he couldn't stay in bed forever, but dear God, did he have the headache from hell this morning. He vaguely remembered something bad happening, he just couldn't remember what. At least not yet. However, he DID recognize a hangover when he had one, and at the moment, he had an excruciating one. He opened one eye and squinted at the digital alarm clock on his nightstand, then groaned again when he saw how late it was. Ten a.m. For him to have slept in so late, he certainly felt like death warmed over as he closed his eyes again. Death. Hmm...there was something he was supposed to remember, but for the life of him, his memory was limited to coming home drunk the night before and...and then what? He gently massaged his temples as he tried to remember what had happened the previous night, but all he kept getting were distorted images and broken bits and pieces of a rather angry exchange between him and some woman. A woman...Kasey! A mental image of his beloved Kasey suddenly popped into his throbbing head, and Ashwin moaned softly when he suddenly remembered that his Kasey was dead. He bit his lip as fresh tears welled in his eyes, and the pounding in his head increased exponentially as he sobbed brokenly for the woman and the pure, undying love he'd lost. Moments later he was besieged by another insidious memory that wedged itself firmly into his already tortured mind. This memory seemed to make no sense at all, as it involved a rather young boy, a baby, and another woman, one who looked nothing like his beloved Kasey and certainly didn't act like her. He shook his head and groaned at the splitting pain that accompanied the slight movement, but he knew that if he didn't get out of bed, he would feel even worse as the day progressed. He sighed and slowly sat up, then gasped in horror when he saw Silver Moon fast asleep beside him. The pain in his head became almost unbearable as he suddenly remembered what he'd done with Silver Moon the night before, and the memory was enough to make his gut churn even more as he shook his head and groaned, “No...no...oh God, no...” His words were enough to wake Silver Moon, and when she rolled over to face him, he nearly vomited at the triumphant look that crossed her face. He quickly got out of bed and made it to the bathroom just in time to become violently ill over the toilet. Several minutes later he weakly leaned against the cool tile of his bathroom wall, his hand pressed against his forehead as he wondered how he could have done such a thing, especially with Silver Moon. Yes, he'd been drunk, but still...He grimaced when Silver Moon lightly knocked on the door, and after wiping his mouth with a piece of toilet paper, he threw it into the toilet and flushed the vile mess before cautiously getting to his feet. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with cold water, then washed his face and completely soaked his hair before he brushed his teeth and finally chanced a look in the mirror. His pale face and bloodshot eyes didn't surprise him, but anyone who knew him would think that his appearance was due to his grief over Kasey's sudden death. He sighed and slowly opened the door, then stood there staring down at Silver Moon with what he hoped was a none-too-pleased expression on his face. Her eyes wid
ened and her voice faltered as she stammered, “I...I was just checking on you...are you alright?”

  Ashwin frowned at her words and angrily replied, “Do I look alright, Silver? What do you think?”

  Silver Moon gave a maddening, nonchalant shrug and replied, “I don't know what to think, Ashwin. I can't read your mind.”

  Ashwin cocked his head and blandly stated, “The baby's crying. I think you should go check on him.”

  Silver Moon bit her lip and turned away, and as she walked out of the bedroom, Ashwin sighed as he wondered just how he was going to force her to leave now. With renewed determination, he realized that he owed her nothing, and for his own sanity, it was imperative that she get out of his life for good. Today. He slowly walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, then glanced into the living room and watched as Silver Moon tended to the baby. He gave a deep sigh before he authoritatively stated, “Silver, we need to talk.”

  Silver nodded and demurely walked into the kitchen, then sat down at the table and watched the coffee as it dripped into the pot. Ashwin sat down across from her, unable to meet her gaze as he toyed with the salt shaker. “I think it's best if you and the baby leave today.”

  Silver Moon bit her lip at his words. “But Ashwin, I have nowhere to go! And I don't know where Sani is! I can't just leave without him! I--”

  Ashwin shook his head and held his hand up as anger rose within him. “Spare me, Silver. I already know what happened regarding Sani.”

  Silver's mouth dropped open in surprise, and her voice was a mere whisper as she said, “You do?”

  Ashwin suddenly leaned forward, his face dark with anger as he replied, “Yes, I do, Silver! If you don't take that baby and leave today, you WILL go to jail for kidnapping Sani, as well as murdering my girlfriend! I NEVER want to see you again! Have I made myself clear?”

  Silver Moon's face took on a desperate expression as she pleaded, “But Ashwin, what about last night? We were so GOOD together! Don't you want that again?”

  Any remaining sympathy that Ashwin may have felt for her suddenly disappeared as he leaned even closer and spat, “NO, Silver! I do NOT want anything else to do with you, ever again! Last night should have never happened! I was drunk, and you took advantage of that fact! And if YOU hadn't murdered my girlfriend, I wouldn't have been drunk! I suggest you take me up on my offer before I have a change of heart and have you thrown in jail! NOW have I made myself clear?”

  Silver Moon's eyes widened at his outburst, and as Ashwin got to his feet he said, “I'm going to take a shower. I expect you and the baby to be gone when I get out. Do you understand?”

  Silver Moon gave a slow nod as she watched him walk away, and tears slid down her cheeks when she realized that her plan had failed miserably. Now there was nothing left for her to do but go somewhere and think of what to do next.

  Ashwin sighed as he turned the water on in the shower, and his mind was suddenly assaulted with images of the last time he and Kasey had shared his shower. The mere thought was enough to make his lip quiver as fresh tears welled in his eyes. As soon as he stepped beneath the warm spray, he began to sob again as he thought of Kasey and all that he'd lost. He'd never really told her how much he loved her, and that only served to increase his mental anguish as he absently let the water course over his body. Half an hour later he dragged himself from the bathroom and dressed in fresh jeans and a clean button-down shirt, and as he brushed his teeth again he decided to leave his hair loose and free-flowing. He finally met his own gaze in the mirror and frowned, for the man looking back at him frightened him somewhat. The man staring back at him would have never done what he'd done the night before, and moments later he set his mouth in a grim line as his fist connected with the glass in the mirror. He grimaced at the sudden, sharp pain of the glass slicing into his hand, but he was beyond caring as the shattered pieces fell into the sink and onto the counter. The image of the man in the mirror was now horribly distorted, and he felt a sick sense of satisfaction when he realized that the current image represented perfectly how he was feeling—broken and horrible, with distorted thoughts that were threatening to drive him insane. He hung his head and cried again for all that he'd lost, as well as what he was becoming before he wearily raised his head and tended to his bleeding hand. He shook his head and sighed as he walked out of the bathroom, and after tossing his dirty laundry into the hamper, he frowned as he surveyed the sheets on his bed, sheets that held nothing but bad memories of the grave error he'd committed, memories he would much rather forget. In a sudden fit of rage he stripped the bed of everything and stuffed the linens into a large trash bag, then slung the bag over his shoulder and walked briskly into his living room. He stopped in his tracks at what he saw. His living room and kitchen were immaculately clean, right down to the trash cans. There were no signs that anyone had been there, much less an infant, and after the initial shock wore off, he continued his trip to the dumpster behind the hotel. He threw the entire bag of his tainted bed linens into the dumpster and sighed, then walked away without looking back.

  Ashwin sighed as he walked into the lobby of the hospital, and his steps were painfully slow as he made his way to the bank of elevators and rode in silence down to the basement. He stepped off the elevator and kept his head down as he walked along the dimly lit, chilly corridor, and five minutes later he found himself standing just outside the morgue. A young, bored-looking college student was sitting behind the glass window, chewing bubble gum and texting furiously on his cell phone, and Ashwin sighed as he firmly tapped on the glass. The boy behind the glass nearly jumped out of his chair, but Ashwin was far from amused as he solemnly explained, “I'm here to see Kasey Marshall.”

  The boy nodded. “Right, right. I'll just need you to sign this, and then I can let you in.”

  Ashwin sighed and retrieved his wallet from his jeans pocket, then flipped it open to his MD license and held it up to the window as he sarcastically inquired, “I'm sorry, I need to sign what?”

  The boy's eyes widened as he realized his serious faux pas, and after immediately allowing Ashwin into the morgue he began to apologize profusely. Ashwin held up his hand and said, “Forget it. Just do me a favor. When someone comes down here, remember that they're usually in the throes of some pretty severe grief and don't need to deal with someone who obviously has their head lodged up their ass.”

  The boy nodded and mumbled, “Sorry,” as Ashwin briskly brushed past him, but the entire incident was soon forgotten as Ashwin walked into the main area of the morgue and shuddered at the macabre sterility of it all. The pristine tile walls, the gleaming silver of the autopsy tables, all of which smelled strongly of industrial-strength antiseptic and something else that Ashwin preferred not to think about. He shook his head and took a deep, fortifying breath as he slowly walked over to the medical examiner and politely cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I'm here to see Kasey Marshall.”

  The medical examiner turned and nodded, and there was no mistaking the sadness in the man's eyes when he realized that the young woman he'd put in the cabinet refrigerator had obviously been important to this man. Ashwin watched as the ME curled his fingers around the handle to cabinet number 32, and he couldn't seem to stop himself as he suddenly gripped the ME's shoulder and softly pleaded, “Please...tell me you haven't done an autopsy yet...”

  The ME slowly shook his head and replied, “No, sir, Dr. Ross. Nothing has been done yet, per your request with Dr. Hall yesterday.”

  Ashwin breathed a deep sigh of relief as the ME once again prepared to open the cabinet, and as an afterthought he released the handle and said, “One more thing.” He walked over to the counter and retrieved a clipboard, then walked back over to Ashwin and said, “I have to get you to sign this before I can allow you to view the body. It releases myself and the hospital in general from indemnity in the event that something, ah, drastic occurs when I open that cabinet and allow you to view the body.”

  Ashwin simply shook his head as
he took the pen the ME offered, then muttered, “Indemnity from what? Someone coming back from the dead and scaring someone into a heart attack?”

  The ME simply shrugged as Ashwin hastily scribbled his signature. “Stranger things have happened, Dr. Ross.”

  Kasey floated back up to consciousness, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She was still horribly cold, even more cold than she'd been before, and she felt her spirits hit rock bottom as she realized that things were going to be like this for her forever. Forever. Good God, that was a mighty long time to be like this—cold, paralyzed, horribly depressed, forced to remain in utter darkness, heartbroken...She sighed and bit her lip as those tears clogged her throat again, and it took her a few moments to realize that she'd actually been able to sigh and bite her lip. She suddenly opened her eyes, but her spirits sank even more when she realized that everything was still pitch black. She blinked and savored the feel of the cold tear that rolled down the side of her face, and after furiously blinking several times in a row, she was delighted to discover that she'd gotten both cheeks wet with all of those tears that had been previously stuck in her throat. She suddenly focused on her hands, and even though it took every bit of willpower she had, she managed to flex all ten of her fingers. She winced at the pain and stiffness she felt, but it was pain she was glad to feel after being convinced that she was going to spend forever in a dark, frozen paralysis. She frowned and bit her lip again as her mind began to work overtime, and as she slowly breathed in the cold air, it suddenly occurred to her that if she was dead, she wouldn't be breathing, nor would she be feeling any pain. What the hell was happening to her? Her short burst of activity had left her feeling physically drained, though, and before she could make any sense of it all, her thoughts faded as she drifted back off to sleep.