CHAPTER 3

Ashwin slowly walked through the forest, fully expecting to find Kasey perched on “her” rock, but that wasn't the case today. He frowned and put his hands on his hips as he tried to figure out why she wasn't there, but the answer became obvious when a rather large, wise-looking old owl suddenly swooped down and perched on the rock. Ashwin's frown deepened when he remembered what the owl signified—sickness and death. Before he had a chance to say anything, though, the owl spoke. “I mean you no harm. There is no reason to fear me.”

Ashwin was far from surprised at the owl's ability to speak. This was, after all, a normal part of being a Shaman. Ashwin stared right into the ancient creature's eyes and inquired, “Why are you here?”

The owl ruffled its feathers and took a small step closer to Ashwin. “I am your spirit guide, Strong Horse. Do you not remember me from twenty-two years ago?”

Ashwin's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open in surprise, but he said nothing as the owl continued to speak. “I am aware of your troubled thoughts, just as I am aware of things that you are not.”

Ashwin simply nodded. “Go on.”

“I am aware that you have a rather unwelcome visitor. Is that correct?”

Ashwin nodded. “That's correct, O Wise One.”

The owl nodded. “She is not to be trusted, as she is out to use her womanly wiles to trick you.”

“I fear she suffers from horrible sadness, O Wise One, but she refuses to let me help her.”

“Alas, she does not need your help.”

“Then how do I resolve this situation?”

“The answer will be forthcoming soon.”

Ashwin set his mouth in a straight line as he clenched his hands into fists, his frustration evident as he inquired, “What do I need to do?”

“Do not give in to her false claims and womanly temptations, Strong Horse. To do so will not bode well for you or the woman you truly love.”

Ashwin immediately unclenched his fists as he shakily inquired, “Kasey? What do you know about Kasey?”

The owl ruffled its feathers again and took yet another step closer to Ashwin before it replied, “This woman you speak of, the one you truly love, needs you. All hope has not been lost for her...yet.”

Ashwin dropped to his knees and bowed his head in front of the mighty creature that sat before him. “Please, O Wise One, tell me what I need to do.”

“Only you can help her to overcome the tragedy that has befallen her. You, and only you, hold the key to unlocking her mind. Once she has been set free, take her to your people for complete healing. Once again, you are the only one who possesses the power to do this.”

Ashwin raised his head, tears flowing freely down his cheeks as he cried, “But how?”

The owl enfolded Ashwin in its wings, allowing him to see just what he needed to do in order to help Kasey heal. Considering the magnitude of the situation, the answer was surprisingly simple. Confident that what the owl had shared with him would work, he slowly got to his feet and bowed his head in a gesture of respect as he said, “Thank you, O Wise One. When should I administer this method of healing to the woman I truly love?”

“How soon do you want her back?”

“As soon as possible.”

“That's your answer, then. But you must act swiftly. The mind is a fragile thing, Strong Horse. The longer a person teeters on the brink, the greater the risk they will fall.”

Ashwin slowly nodded in understanding, grateful that the owl had decided to pay him a visit. Now that he knew what he needed to do, there would be absolutely no stopping him, by anyone or anything. And that included Silver Moon.

Ashwin woke shortly before his alarm went off, and as he lay in bed thinking about the dream he'd had, he sighed when Silver Moon's baby began to cry. He pushed the covers back and got out of bed to face the day, and half an hour later he walked into the living room to see Silver calmly breastfeeding the infant. Sani was fast asleep on a blanket on the floor, and he wondered just how long Silver Moon expected him to let them stay there. She looked up and gave him a warm smile when he walked by, and as he started a pot of coffee he inquired, “So how long are you planning to stay here, Silver?”

Silver Moon sighed as she glanced down at her newborn. “I don't know, Ash. How long are you willing to let us stay?”

Ashwin shrugged and retrieved his cup from the cabinet before he replied, “Well, you can't get anything done without a babysitter, and I sure can't fill that position because I'm working all the time. Have you made any phone calls?”

“No.”

“Why don't you start there and see what you can find out?”

Silver Moon nodded. “OK, I'll do that today.”

Ashwin smiled. “Good.”

Silver Moon got up and placed the baby back into the playpen, and after covering him with a blanket she straightened and inquired, “What would you like for dinner tonight?”

“I have an important meeting after work, Silver. I probably won't be home until late.”

Silver Moon slowly walked into the kitchen and reached into the cabinet for a coffee cup. “I didn't know doctors had to go to meetings.”

“Yes, I'm afraid we do.” He watched as she carefully poured coffee into his cup and hers, but he said nothing more as she sat down at the table and took a tentative sip of the strong, hot brew. His attention was suddenly drawn to the living room when Sani sat up and cried out, “Pa pa!”

Ashwin frowned and inquired, “Is he alright?”

Silver Moon shrugged as she took a sip of coffee. “He has bad dreams sometimes. Most kids do.”

Ashwin watched as the little boy fell back onto the blanket and resumed sleeping peacefully, but something told him that the child's actions went far deeper than a simple bad dream. He sighed and glanced at the clock, then finished his coffee and said, “I don't know what time I'll be home. Call the hospital and have me paged if you need anything.”

Silver Moon nodded as she watched him walk out of the apartment, pleased that her plan was working. She waited a full ten minutes to make sure he wasn't coming back for anything he might have forgotten, then walked over to Sani and roughly shook the child awake. He groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes, then sleepily said, “What'd you wake me up for?”

Silver Moon gave the child a sudden, vicious slap across the face as she snarled, “Don't you fuck up again and do what you did a few minutes ago! You'll ruin everything for sure!”

Sani frowned in anger and bit his lip in an effort not to cry at the stinging pain on the right side of his face, and his voice trembled as he hesitantly asked, “What did I do?”

“You cried out for your Pa Pa in your sleep, you little shit!”

Tears welled in Sani's eyes at the mention of his beloved grandfather, and the sight of his tears only angered Silver Moon even more. “Stop crying! Crying is for sissies!”

“I want my Pa Pa!”

“You'll get to see your Pa Pa soon enough! I just need you to play along for a little while longer, OK?”

Too terrified to disobey, Sani nodded in reluctant agreement. He wished he could talk to the nice man they were staying with and explain what was really going on, but Silver Moon had already told him that the man wouldn't believe him and would likely have him sent away, far away from his family and his beloved Pa Pa. That alone was enough to make him remain silent where Ashwin was concerned, and the child could only hope that Silver Moon would keep her word and return him home soon.

Ashwin walked up to the nurse's desk at the entrance to the psychiatric ward and politely cleared his throat, then said, “I'm here to see Kasey Marshall, please.”

The nurse nodded and immediately allowed him access into the ward, and as he slowly walked toward Kasey's room he wondered how she was doing. He walked into her room and was surprised to see Dr. Hall standing there, looking contemplative as he studied Kasey's chart from the past few days. He glanced up when Ashwin approached and said, “Hello, Dr. Ross. I was just getting ready to call you.”

Alarm flared in Ashwin at the doctor's words, but he managed to keep his voice neutral as he inquired, “Is something wrong?”

“No, it's just...well, I don't know what to make of it.”

Ashwin frowned as he glanced down at Kasey and then back at Dr. Hall. “You don't know what to make of what, Dr. Hall?”

“I don't think she's opened her eyes since you were here the other day.”

“I see. And what does that mean?”

Dr. Hall sighed then, a deep, worried sigh that immediately put Ashwin even more on edge than he already was. “It COULD mean that she's slipping from catatonia to a more comatose, vegetative state. Or it could simply mean that she'd rather keep her eyes closed because keeping them open for an extended period of time causes uncomfortable dryness. There's no reason for her to slip into a coma, though, so I'm hoping it's the latter explanation I gave.”

Ashwin's frown deepened at the doctor's words. “Have you performed an EEG, Dr. Hall?”

The doctor's face brightened as he stuck his index finger in the air. “That's a brilliant idea, Dr. Ross! I'll do that right now, while you're here.” He immediately left the room, which gave Ashwin time to sit down on the side of the bed and gently stroke Kasey's pale, cool cheek. Since his visit a few days prior, Kasey had been hooked up to a heart monitor as well as a pulse oximeter, and as he glanced up at the monitor he noticed that her heartbeat had increased since he'd been in the room. He smiled at this bit of info and leaned down to gently kiss her cheek, which evoked even more of a spike on the monitor. He gently stroked her hair and murmured, “I'm here, sweetheart. I told you I wasn't going anywhere, and I meant that. Just be patient and I'll have you out of here in no time.”

At his gently spoken words, two solitary tears slipped from Kasey's closed eyes and slid down her cheeks, which was all the proof Ashwin needed that his Kasey was still very much alive and well...somewhere. He glanced up when Dr. Hall returned with a nurse and an EEG machine, and after hooking Kasey up to the medieval looking device, Ashwin stood aside and kept an eagle eye on the monitor as Dr. Hall conducted the simple, painless test. Her brain activity seemed normal, with an occasional spike on the monitor, and Dr. Hall seemed relieved as the nurse carefully removed the electrodes from Kasey's head and rolled the machine out of the room. Dr. Hall wrote something on Kasey's chart and gave Ashwin permission to stay as long as he'd like, and once he was gone, Ashwin sat back down on the side of the bed and used baby wipes to gently remove the gel from her fine, soft blonde hair. Once that was done, Ashwin checked the monitor again and smiled when he saw how much her heart rate had increased. He leaned down so that his mouth was right beside her ear and murmured, “I have a little surprise for you tonight. I think you're going to like this.”

Kasey slowly opened her eyes and blinked at him, then took a deep, shuddering breath before closing her eyes and drifting off again. Ashwin gasped at the enormity of what had just happened, and he knew that if he was to follow through with what the owl had told him, he needed to act now. He gently lifted Kasey into his arms and cradled her against his chest, then sat down in the chair beside the bed and leaned his head back. Moments later he was fast asleep.