“Are you ready, Dr. Ross?” the ME kindly asked as he curled his fingers around the handle of cabinet 32. Ashwin slowly nodded and braced himself for what he was about to see, and moments later he grimaced when the ME suddenly opened the cabinet and smoothly rolled the stainless steel table out. He carefully drew the sheet back and stepped aside, and Ashwin gasped as he took in the sight of his beloved Kasey. Her face was unnaturally pale, but at least she looked at peace as he gave her still, lifeless body a lingering once-over. The impact of seeing her like this finally hit him hard, and he suddenly turned away as his throat clogged with tears over all that he had lost. His stoic act finally crumbled as he began to sob, and moments later he was stumbling out of the morgue, blinded by his tears as he all but ran for the elevator. Yes, his beloved Kasey was gone from him forever.
The ME sighed and sadly shook his head as he glanced at the large, black and white clock on the wall, then secured his mask over his nose and mouth before he turned to his assistant and said, “Beginning of autopsy, eleven-thirty-four a.m.”
His assistant nodded and scribbled the time down on the clipboard he was holding, then flinched and grimaced behind his own mask as he watched the ME carefully pick up a scalpel from the gleaming stainless steel tray that was right beside the autopsy table. The ME shook his head again before he said, “Caucasian female, age thirty, name, Kasey Marshall. Time of death, ten-thirty a.m., twenty-five hours prior to autopsy. Cause of death unknown, although the patient had been catatonic for approximately three weeks prior to onset of death.”
The assistant nodded as he scribbled furiously, and when he was finished writing, he nodded and watched as the ME prepared to make the standard “Y” incision. The ME pressed the tip of the scalpel against Kasey's pale, cold chest, and after applying a small amount of pressure, the blade sank through the flesh, just as expected.
Kasey's eyes popped open at the excruciating, slicing pain she suddenly felt directly above her right breast, and the intense cold and paralysis she'd suffered were suddenly gone as she screamed before she rolled onto her side and promptly fell onto the concrete floor. The ME staggered backwards in shock at what he was seeing, but he quickly regained his senses when he realized that she was alive and had been all along. He turned to his assistant, whose face was even paler than Kasey's, and barked, “Contact Dr. Ashwin Ross RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
The assistant nodded and nearly fell on his ass as he scrambled backwards, and as the ME hurried over to Kasey she attempted to weakly fight him off as she cried, “Get away from me! Who are you? Why did you cut me?”
The ME gently covered Kasey with a blanket and said, “Miss Marshall, I am SO sorry...we had no way of knowing...”
“Where am I?” Kasey inquired as her eyes darted from the ME to her strange surroundings. “Why am I here? Who are you?” She glanced down at herself and gasped before she added, “Why am I naked? Where are my clothes? Who ARE you people?”
The ME glanced up as his assistant came running back into the morgue, and moments later Ashwin nearly pushed the boy down in his rush to get to Kasey. He had been two steps away from walking out of the lobby when he'd heard his name over the intercom, and now he couldn't believe what he was seeing as Kasey huddled beneath the blanket, pale, terrified, and shivering as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She threw her arms around Ashwin's neck as he easily scooped her up and cradled her against his chest, and he didn't bother to hide his tears as he sobbed, “Oh my God, Kasey...you're alive! Oh my God...Kasey...sweetheart...”
Kasey clung to him as she bled through the thin blanket and onto Ashwin's clean shirt, but neither seemed to care as Ashwin heavily fell into a chair that the ME provided, still cradling Kasey against his chest as she shivered violently in his embrace. He raised his head and frowned at the blood that was still coming from the cut on her chest, and his voice was gentle as he murmured, “That needs stitches, sweetheart.”
Kasey was still clinging to him for dear life as she continued to shiver beneath the blanket, and when the ME approached, Kasey's eyes widened in fear as she weakly screamed, “GET AWAY FROM ME!”
Ashwin tightened his hold on her and soothed, “Shh...it's alright, sweetheart. He means you no harm.”
“Bullshit! He—he cut me! And why am I naked?”
Ashwin got to his feet to take Kasey out of the morgue and up to the ER, and the ME turned to his assistant and said, “You stay down here. I have to accompany Dr. Ross and Miss Marshall to the ER.”
At the mention of the word ER, Kasey raised her head and gave Ashwin a frightened look. “ER? Why are you taking me to the ER?”
“You need stitches, sweetheart. And quite possibly some blood.”
Kasey's face became even paler as she weakly shook her head and protested, “No! Can't you take care of this at home?”
“It'll be alright, sweetheart, I promise,” Ashwin soothed as he carried her out of the morgue and headed for the elevator. She began to cry as soon as they were all in the elevator, and her intense emotional distress only caused the wound on her chest to bleed even more as she sobbed, “I thought I was dead! I was SO cold...and I thought I was paralyzed...I couldn't even cry! Oh God, what's happening to me?”
Ashwin hugged her close against his chest and murmured reassurances to her as the elevator smoothly stopped on the second floor, and moments later he briskly walked into the ER and told the nurse, “I need a room RIGHT NOW.”
The nurse nodded and quickly led him to an empty exam room, and after gently depositing Kasey on the table, he turned to the ME and said, “I think Kasey would prefer that you NOT be in here while I do this.”
The ME nodded and quietly left, and as Ashwin turned back to Kasey he murmured, “Calm down, sweetheart. Do you remember the car accident you had a while back?”
Kasey weakly nodded.
Ashwin gently pulled the blanket down to reveal the startlingly small wound on her chest, and his voice was steady and gentle as he continued, “Did I hurt you then?”
“N-n-no...”
“And I'm not going to hurt you now. I just need you to try to calm down, OK?”
“But Ashwin—it was horrible! I thought I was dead!” The mere recollection of what she'd been through was enough to make tears spring to her eyes, and a stricken look came over her face as she whispered, “Oh my God...do my parents think I'm dead?”
Ashwin frowned at her question, even though he was relieved that what the owl had instructed him to do for her had worked. He cleared his throat and gently replied, “No, sweetheart, I don't think they've been informed yet.”
“Oh, thank God,” she intoned as Ashwin gently examined the cut on her chest. It was more of a deep puncture wound than a cut, but because it had been made by a very sharp scalpel, it had sliced through enough tissue and veins to cause copious bleeding. Ashwin sighed as he slowly straightened and donned a pair of gloves, and after opening a large gauze bandage, he firmly pressed it against the wound and inquired, “Do you want to be put to sleep while I take care of this?”
“How bad is it?” Kasey inquired as she took note of Ashwin's deep concern.
“You need stitches from the inside and the outside, sweetheart, and quite possibly a blood transfusion.”
Kasey gasped as the gravity of the situation finally hit her, but more than anything, she didn't want to go to sleep again for a long, long time. She slowly shook her head and said, “NO. DO NOT put me to sleep.”
“But Kasey--”
“Just give me something milder.”
“Something milder will still make you woozy.”
“I can deal with woozy, just not all-out unconscious.”
Ashwin sighed and said, “Alright, then. If you insist.”
“I do.”
Ashwin nodded and hit the call button for the nurse, and moments later she appeared with the items that Ashwin would need. He decided to start an IV while she was drugged, since the poor girl had already suffered enough trauma for several lifet
imes. He helped Kasey don a hospital gown, then washed his hands and pulled on a fresh pair of gloves before he picked up the small paper cup that contained two pills. He shook them into Kasey's hand and said, “Here, take these,” before he handed her a Styrofoam cup with a small bit of water in it.
Kasey peered down at the pills and inquired, “What are they?”
“Halcion and Valium.”
“I know what Valium is, but what's Halcion?”
Ashwin knew a stall tactic when he saw one, but his voice was gentle as he said, “Kasey, sweetheart, just take the medication and lie back on the pillow. I promise you, everything will be fine.”
Kasey bit her lip and blinked as the room suddenly tilted out of focus, and after hesitantly swallowing the medicine, she lay back against the pillow and blinked up at Ashwin as he curled his fingers around her wrist to check her pulse. The medication was making her pleasantly dizzy, and all of her terror and doubts vanished as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 14
Kasey woke a few hours later, relieved when she saw the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. She knew she was in a hospital room, though, and as she slowly turned her head, she couldn't stop the slow smile that spread across her face when she saw Ashwin sitting in the chair beside the bed. He smiled back and got to his feet, then lowered the safety rail on the bed before he sat down and gently inquired, “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Kasey's brow furrowed as she said, “Why am I here, Ashwin?”
“I'll explain everything later. Right now I just want you to get some rest.”
“I think I've gotten more than enough rest. What time is it?”
“Three o'clock.”
Kasey glanced to her left and saw the clear bag of fluid hanging from the IV stand, and as her eyes followed the IV tubing down to the vein in the back of her hand, she bit her lip and inquired, “What's this for?”
“It's just saline and glucose. It's nothing to worry about.”
“Did I need a blood transfusion?”
Ashwin gave her a slow smile as he stretched his right arm out. On the inside bend of his elbow was a small bandage, and his voice was soft as he replied, “Our blood types match, so I decided to give you a pint of my blood.”
Kasey gasped as the implication of his words sank into her brain. Ashwin's smile widened as he leaned over her and murmured, “Now my blood courses through your veins. We are intrinsically connected now, and nothing can ever destroy that.”
Kasey bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes. 'You did that for me? But why?”
Ashwin's only response was to lower his head even more so he could gently brush his lips across hers. “Why do you think I did it, sweetheart?”
“Because...because you love me?”
That slow, enigmatic smile graced Ashwin's handsome face as he nodded and softly replied, “Ah, now you finally understand.”
Tears slipped down Kasey's cheeks at his softly spoken statement, and Ashwin laughed when she said, “I love you too, but I need to use the bathroom.”
Ashwin nodded and helped her out of bed, but his concern increased when Kasey stumbled and had to cling to him just so she could stand up. Her legs felt like two pieces of overcooked spaghetti, and as Ashwin held her up she cried, “What is wrong with me?”
Ashwin gently kept his arm around her waist as he murmured, “Calm down, sweetheart. Just take one step at a time and you'll be fine.”
Kasey nodded and hesitantly put one foot in front of the other, and with Ashwin's help she slowly made her way to the bathroom. She was holding onto the doorknob for dear life as she weakly protested, “I'll be fine, Ashwin. There are some things I prefer to do in private.”
Ashwin frowned and firmly shook his head. “I'm a doctor, Kasey, and nothing you say or do is going to stop me from going into that bathroom with you. Are we clear on that?”
Kasey frowned and set her mouth in a straight line as she tried to think of a clever retort, but try as she might, her brain seemed to be working in slow motion as she and Ashwin engaged in a stare-down before she finally sighed and relented. “Oh, alright, then. If you insist.”
“Oh, I do.”
“Well, at least turn your back to me so I can pretend to have some privacy.”
The corners of Ashwin's mouth quirked as he nodded. “Alright. I think I can do that.”
“I'm glad you think this is funny,” Kasey retorted as Ashwin helped her into the bathroom and even sat her down on the toilet. He straightened and folded his arms across his chest, the corners of his mouth still threatening to turn upwards as he replied, “So you need to pee. That's not really a big deal to me, sweetheart.”
“And what if I needed to do more?” Kasey demanded as she desperately tried to tug her flimsy hospital gown down to her knees. Ashwin shook his head and shrugged as he replied in a matter of fact tone, “You haven't really eaten anything substantial, so nothing going in means nothing is going to come out.”
Kasey moved her hand in a circle and said, “OK, turn around. A deal's a deal.”
Ashwin turned around and finally allowed himself to smile, and as he stood there he inquired, “Are you hungry?”
“This is a hell of a time to be asking me something like that.”
Ashwin ignored her sarcastic comment and said, “Well, are you?”
“Not really.”
“I want you to eat something before I release you, sweetheart.”
“And when is that going to be?”
“Soon,” Ashwin promised as he began to formulate a plan in his head. “Very soon.”
Ashwin returned to his apartment long enough to pack enough clothes for at least a week at the reservation, then went down to the lobby and found Holly poring over some boring paperwork in her office. At the sight of Ashwin, she got to her feet and gave him a gentle hug, then inquired, “How are you doing, Ashwin?”
Ashwin couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face as he replied, “Come have lunch with me in the restaurant. I have some great news.”
Perplexed, Holly followed him into the restaurant, and after they were settled in a booth, Ashwin linked his hands together and said, “You aren't going to believe this, but Kasey is alive.”
Holly gasped at this bit of news, and her eyes were wide as she leaned across the table and exclaimed, “What? But how? I thought--”
Ashwin nodded and sipped his ice water before he explained, “Kasey was given tetrodotoxin, which is a powerful neuro-toxin. It's derived from the Puffer fish and is often used in Haitian voodoo rituals. It's also called Haitian zombie powder. Once it's administered, the recipient's vital signs slow down to the point where they aren't detectable, which leads people to think the person is dead. However, quite the opposite is true. The recipient is paralyzed, but they are still aware of everything that's going on around them. They can still see, hear, and feel. Often times the victim ends up getting buried alive.”
Holly gasped at Ashwin's explanation and incredulously exclaimed, “Oh my God! Who would want to do that to Kasey?”
Ashwin frowned and replied, “That woman who left her baby in your daycare—that was my ex-fiance, Sylvie, also known as Silver Moon.” He sighed before he added, “She showed up here about a week ago with the baby, as well as a ten year-old boy whom she tried to claim was my child from when she and I were engaged ten years ago. I found out that she had actually kidnapped the boy and had been treating him quite badly. I think she was suffering from some major postpartum depression, but I can't really be sure.”
Holly leaned back in the booth and inquired, “Where is she now?”
“Who, Silver Moon?”
Holly nodded. Ashwin shrugged and took another sip of his ice water before he said, “I don't know. I haven't seen her since the morning after I was told that Kasey was dead.”
“Are you going to try to find her and press charges?”
“I can try, but it may be a useless endeavor by now.”<
br />
“What do you mean by that?”
“I'm pretty sure that she's long gone, or quite possibly dead by way of suicide.”
“I see.” Holly toyed with the straw in her glass before she added, “Are you sure it was this woman Silver Moon who tried to kill Kasey?”
Ashwin nodded. “Very sure.”
“That's horrible what she did to Kasey, but I'm glad that Kasey is alive.”
“So am I.”
“What happened? I mean, how did you find out that she was alive?”
“She woke up in the morgue right before the medical examiner almost sliced her open for her autopsy.”
Holly gasped at the horror that Kasey must have gone through, then shook her head before she decided to change the subject. “So what are you and Kasey going to do now?”
“I'm releasing Kasey today, and then we're leaving for a little road trip. I came by to see about getting some of Kasey's things.”
Holly nodded and said, “I have all of her small belongings locked away in my office. Her furniture has been placed in storage here at the hotel. After lunch you can take what you need for her.”
Ashwin nodded. “Thank you, Holly.”
Holly smiled. “You're welcome, Ashwin. Anytime.”
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you ready to go?” Ashwin inquired as he walked into Kasey's hospital room and set a rather large duffel bag at the foot of the bed.
Kasey frowned up at him and said, “I can't go anywhere like this.”
Ashwin nodded towards the duffel bag. “I brought you some things.”
“Are you releasing me today?”
The Medicine Man, Book 2 Page 10
