Ashwin laughed at her choice of words and said, “I DO apologize. What would you like for breakfast, sweetie?”
Kasey shrugged. “Whaddya got?”
“Food.”
“Now who's being a wise ass?”
Ashwin laughed again and got out of bed, then turned to Kasey and gave her an amused grin. “Are you sure you can walk?”
“We're about to find out, aren't we?”
“I know this great trick with ice cubes that seems to work pretty well...”
Kasey quickly got out of bed and announced, “I'm up. No ice cubes necessary.”
Ashwin simply laughed and shook his head as he walked naked into his kitchen. Kasey was right behind him as she doubtfully inquired, “You aren't going to be frying any bacon like that, are you?”
Ashwin laughed again and opened the cabinet to retrieve the coffee. “I have an apron.”
“Um, OK.” Kasey suddenly grinned and added, “Is it a frilly one?”
Ashwin looked at her as if she'd suddenly and completely lost her mind before he replied, “You're kidding, right?”
Kasey laughed and gently touched his arm as she teased, “There's absolutely nothing wrong with showing your feminine side, sweetheart...”
Ashwin simply shook his head as he scooped coffee into the filter, and after pouring the water in he hesitantly inquired, “Is that what you're planning to get me for Christmas? A frilly apron?”
“I haven't even thought about Christmas.”
“Well, now you have.”
“How do you usually spend the holidays?”
“If I'm not working, I try to go to my mother's.”
Kasey nodded. “Why are we going back in January?”
Ashwin gave her a mysterious smile and said, “You'll see.”
Kasey smiled back. “I can hardly wait.”
After breakfast Ashwin and Kasey enjoyed a leisurely shower together, and as they dressed in the bedroom Ashwin casually inquired, “Is there anything you need to do today, or anywhere you need to go?”
“Where's all my stuff? And where's my mail been going?”
“Holly has been taking care of all that.”
“Then I think I'll go down to the desk and get my mail, at least.”
“What are you planning to do with your furniture and such?”
Kasey shrugged. “I don't know yet.”
Ashwin nodded and watched as she tied her shoes, then helpfully offered, “Would you like for me to come with you?”
Kasey smiled up at him. “Sure, if you want to.”
Since Ashwin was loathe to leave her side for longer than he absolutely had to, he smiled and said, “I'll come with you.”
Kasey stood and reached up to kiss his cheek before she murmured, “Thank you.”
Ashwin blinked in surprise. “For?”
Kasey shrugged. “Everything.”
“Stop thanking me, Kasey. Trust me, there's a method to my madness.”
Kasey scrunched up her face at his odd statement. “What's that supposed to mean?”
Ashwin gave her that mysterious smile again as he replied, “It means that there's a reason for everything I do. In this case, the reason is simple—I love you that much.”
Kasey put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest as she murmured, “I love you, too, Ashwin.”
Ashwin gently kissed the top of her head before he said, “I'm glad. Let's go get your mail, shall we?”
Holly's face brightened when she saw Ashwin and Kasey approaching the desk, and her smile was warm and genuine as she said, “Good morning, you two. How was your evening?”
Kasey smiled and blushed deeply as she demurely replied, “Great.”
Ashwin chuckled softly when Holly's smile widened at Kasey's reaction, although she felt a twinge of jealousy and longing as she wished for the millionth time that she could find a man like Ashwin. She gave a soft sigh and said, “So what brings you two by?”
“I came by to get my mail. Ashwin told me you've been holding it for me.”
Holly nodded. “Oh, yes. I have it in my office. Follow me.”
Kasey nodded and followed Holly into her office, and after Holly shut the door she inquired, “You're coming back to work the week before Thanksgiving, right?”
“Yes.” Kasey sat down in one of the plush leather chairs across from Holly's desk and added, “I'll need some time off in January. Apparently Ashwin has something big planned at the reservation, so...”
Holly nodded. “That shouldn't be a problem.”
“I think it's planned for New Year's. I'll let you know more as soon as I find out more.”
“OK.” She opened her desk drawer and retrieved a huge stack of mail that was bound with a large rubber band, and as she handed it to Kasey she teased, “Could you do me a huge favor?”
Kasey nodded. “Sure.”
“If Ashwin has a brother, could you please let me know?”
Kasey blinked at Holly before she laughed and replied, “I think he's an only child, but I'll ask.”
Holly smiled and leaned against her desk with her arms folded across her chest as she said, “I'm thrilled to have you back, sweetheart. How have you been feeling?”
Kasey smiled and said, “I've been feeling great. Ashwin is a great boyfriend as well as doctor.”
Holly nodded. “That much is obvious.”
Kasey suddenly grinned and teased, “I'll see if he has a cousin or something for you, OK?”
Holly laughed and said, “That'd be great.”
Kasey got to her feet and embraced Holly, then said, “Well, I guess I'd better get back out there before he starts wondering what we're doing in here.”
Holly laughed as she followed Kasey back out to the desk, and her words were genuine and sincere as she said, “You two have fun and be careful. I'll see you later.”
“So what did you two talk about?” Ashwin casually inquired as he and Kasey returned to his apartment. Kasey shrugged and set the huge stack of mail on his kitchen table before she replied, “She wanted to know if you have a brother or some cousins or something.”
Ashwin laughed. “Why?”
Kasey smiled at him and teased, “Isn't it obvious? She's man-deprived.”
Ashwin laughed even harder at Kasey's words and said, “Man-deprived? I've never heard of that one.”
“Well, there's a first time for everything, so...”
“That's what I hear.” He glanced at the clock and added, “Are you hungry?”
“We just had breakfast, Ashwin.”
“We had breakfast two hours ago. It's lunch time now.”
Kasey laughed as she remembered his insistence that she eat properly, and her voice was full of amusement as she replied, “Sure. I can eat.”
Ashwin nodded and set about preparing grilled cheese sandwiches for their lunch, and as Kasey sat down at the table she watched as Ashwin opened the vertical blinds that were drawn across the huge bay window, effectively brightening the apartment while giving Kasey a glimpse of her old apartment. She gasped and gripped the edge of the table as several memories slammed into her mind at once, and as Ashwin turned around he frowned at how deathly pale she'd suddenly become. He walked over to her and gently inquired, “Kasey, sweetheart, what's wrong?”
Kasey slowly shook her head and blinked away unbidden tears as she softly replied, “I don't know—I just—“
Ashwin's concern deepened at her odd, pale expression and broken words, and as he sat down beside her he gently grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong. Talk to me, sweetheart.”
Kasey swallowed hard and met his kind, concerned gaze as before she softly said, “All these weird thoughts—memories—when you opened the blinds.”
Ashwin nodded. “What kind of thoughts and memories, sweetheart?”
Kasey suddenly shook her head and bit her lip as she went even paler. “Bad. Very bad.”
Ashwin gently f
ramed her face with his hands as he murmured, “Kasey, sweetheart, don't you remember the peyote ceremony?”
“Well, yes, but--”
“But what, sweetheart?”
The tears finally slipped down Kasey's cheeks as she softly replied, “That's all I can see...my parents...and—and--what they did...” She swiped at her cheeks and added, “What happened to my parents' bodies, Ashwin?”
“I don't know, sweetheart.”
“How do I find out?”
Ashwin glanced at the stack of mail on his kitchen table and said, “I'd say start with the mail.” He gently wiped her cheeks with a paper towel and added, 'After you eat, of course.”
Kasey glanced down at her grilled cheese sandwich and sighed. “OK.”
Kasey frowned as she retrieved the first letter in the stack of mail, but Ashwin said nothing as he sat across from her, his concern still evident as he studied her. She opened the thick envelope with shaking hands, then sat back and read the first page of the letter that had come from an attorney's office. Five minutes later she glanced up at him and said, “My parents were buried in my hometown, right beside my sister.”
Ashwin cleared his throat before he spoke. “Is that what they wanted?”
Kasey slowly nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, at least now you know what happened to their bodies.”
“According to this letter, the attorney needs to see me.”
“Did he state why?”
Kasey nodded again. “For the reading of their will.”
“When would you like to go?”
Kasey frowned. “Don't you have to go back to work?”
“Not until the week before Thanksgiving.”
“Oh.” She carefully folded the letter and tucked it back into the envelope, then sat tapping her fingers against the table as she stared across at her old apartment. She suddenly glanced up at Ashwin and inquired, “Today's Monday, right?”
Ashwin nodded. “Yes.”
“I'll call him in a few minutes and make an appointment to see him.”
“OK.” Ashwin leaned forward and gently covered her hands with his as he added, “Are you sure you're up for this?”
“It's something I have to do, Ashwin.”
Ashwin nodded again. “I agree, and I understand. I just don't want you overdoing it, sweetheart.”
“How could this be viewed as 'overdoing it'?”
“The emotional strain.”
Kasey gave him a faint smile and shook her head. “Look at what I've already been through, Ashwin. I'd say this is a walk in the park by comparison.”
“You do have a point there.” He leaned back in his chair and added, “Are you supposed to be buried with your parents and sister?”
Kasey shrugged. “My parents tried to convince me years ago to go ahead and secure a burial plot with theirs. Since I had lived in the same town for my entire life, the burial plot would've been free. I really don't believe in pre-planning those kinds of things, though, because it makes me feel like I'm tempting fate somehow.”
“So what will happen to you? Do you want to be buried with your family?”
“No. I want to be cremated and turned into a tree. Then I want to be planted between my parents' and sister's graves.”
Ashwin smiled. “That's a novel idea.”
Kasey shrugged. “It's what I want.”
Ashwin glanced at the clock and said, “Why don't you go ahead and make that appointment with the attorney? That way we'll know exactly when we need to leave for our little road trip.”
“OK.”
Two days later, Kasey and Ashwin stood in the cemetery where her parents had been buried, and he wasn't surprised at the fact that Kasey had brought a much bigger floral arrangement for her sister than she had for her parents. He watched as she set a medium-sized, silk Peace Lily plant on her parent's grave, and he could tell the difference in her demeanor when she finally turned to her sister's grave. She had bought a dozen live, yellow roses for her sister's grave, and after carefully setting the basket directly in front of the headstone, she straightened with a sigh and simply stood staring down at the grave. Ashwin stepped over to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders before he murmured, “If it's any consolation, sweetheart, she's not in there. Her body is, but not her spirit.”
“Did I ever tell you that for a while after she died, I would come here to the cemetery, kneel by her grave, and think about digging her up?” She sighed and added, “That was a VERY dark time in my life, and when I was having those thoughts, it was because I felt like she didn't belong down there in the cold, dark ground.”
Ashwin gently pulled her against his chest and held her as he murmured, “Kasey, sweetheart...”
Kasey sighed again and said, “I'm OK now...”
“Are you sure?”
Kasey nodded as she continued to stare at the flowers she'd lovingly placed on her sister's grave. She gave a deep, shuddering sigh and murmured, “Yellow roses were her favorite.”
Ashwin nodded in understanding but said nothing else as he continued to hold Kasey against his chest in a warm, gentle embrace. His heart ached for everything she'd been through, just as it was aching for her now. He knew that Kasey had progressed by leaps and bounds in the past month alone, and he didn't want anything to send her back to those depths of despair ever again. He sighed and glanced at his watch, then gently inquired, “What time is your appointment with the attorney?”
“Three o'clock.”
“Let's go find a hotel room and grab some lunch before your appointment, OK?”
Kasey nodded. “OK. Sounds good.”
After her appointment with the family attorney, Kasey emerged from his office in a mild state of shock. Ashwin was waiting for her in the lobby, and when he saw the dazed expression on her face, he frowned and gently inquired, “Is everything OK, sweetheart?”
She gave a faint nod and replied, “Yes.”
“What did he say?”
Kasey finally met his concerned gaze and replied, “I get everything...their house...their money...just...everything.”
Ashwin put his arm around her shoulders and led her outside to his car, and after settling her in the passenger seat, he slid behind the wheel and turned to her. “Are you sure you're alright?”
Kasey nodded again and said, “I'm fine.”
Ashwin frowned at her bland, too-quick response and said, “Why don't I believe you, then?”
Kasey shrugged but said nothing else as Ashwin started the car and maneuvered out of the parking lot. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearing dinner time, and he kept his voice casual as he inquired, “What would you like for dinner, sweetheart?”
Kasey shrugged again as she gazed out the window at the too-familiar scenery they were passing. “I don't know. Surprise me.”
“You know this place better than I do.”
Kasey finally turned to look at him. “Don't remind me.”
Ashwin shrugged. “It doesn't look like too bad of a place. The first word that pops into my mind is quaint.”
Kasey gave a short, derisive laugh and said, “Try boring. Absolutely mind-numbing boring.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it was.”
“So what did you do for fun?”
“Well, since my parents were very religious, I didn't get to do things like go to parties and stay out real late and go to the river with a bunch of friends from high school. Hell, I didn't have that many friends, now that I remember. I was the shy bookworm type.”
“And what are all of those other party-animals that you went to high school with doing with their lives?”
Kasey shrugged. “I don't know. I went to my ten-year high school reunion, but—some things tend to remain the same.”
“Yes, and some things change. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it always will be.”
“I suppose you're right.”
Ashwin smiled. “I know I'm rig
ht.”
Kasey turned to look at him again as she folded her arms across her chest. “You do, huh?”
“Of course.”
“And why's that?”
“Because I'm the man, that's why.”
Kasey smiled as she shamelessly ogled him right there in the front seat of his car before she purred, “Yes you are.”
Ashwin actually blushed, and Kasey laughed at the dark red stain that suddenly flushed his cheeks and neck. He turned to pin her with a look that made her swallow hard as he said, “You are SO going to pay for that later.”
“Wh-what'd I do?” she stammered as Ashwin pulled into the parking lot of a popular, busy restaurant. He put the car in park and switched the engine off before he gave her a devilish smile and murmured, “We'll have this discussion later, in our hotel room. Right now I want to know what kind of food this place has.”
Kasey swallowed hard at the way he kept his voice steady while fire flashed in his eyes, but she finally managed a weak smile as she answered, “The kind you eat.”
Ashwin growled as he suddenly leaned over and slid his fingers through Kasey's soft, silky hair before he planted a hard, demanding kiss on her slightly parted lips. It was a kiss that let her know just how he intended to extract payment from her later, and when he finally raised his head he was smiling. “I'm hungry, and so is the bear. Real food first, though. Are you ready to go in?”
Kasey swallowed hard again at his mention of “the bear,” but she wasted no time in getting out of the car as Ashwin forcefully shut the driver's side door and pocketed the keys before he walked over to her. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, then murmured, “Shall we?”
Kasey remained silent as she nodded and allowed him to lead her inside.
Of the few hotels in the area, Kasey had suggested the one that offered Jacuzzi rooms. Ashwin was impressed as they walked into their room, which boasted a king-sized bed and a full-size Jacuzzi that sat in the corner, complete with mirrored walls around it. He smiled at Kasey and said, “Wow. This is a really nice room.”
The Medicine Man, Book 2 Page 22
