CHAPTER 10
Ashwin breathed a sigh of relief as he finally parked in front of his mother's house, but he already knew his relief would be short-lived as soon as his mother and the chief found out what had happened. He was weary beyond words and just as disgusted with Silver Moon, but he knew that a strong, hot cup of coffee would help perk him up a bit as he reached over and gave Sani a gentle shake. “Sani, wake up, son.”
The boy stirred and sat up straight in the seat, then slowly rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked at the unfamiliar house in front of him. He turned to Ashwin and quietly inquired, “Where are we?”
“We're back on the reservation. You'll be reunited with your parents and grandfather soon.”
Sani suddenly jumped across the seat and threw his small arms around Ashwin's neck as he began to cry. “Thank you, Mr. Ashwin.”
Ashwin gave the boy a gentle squeeze and said a bit gruffly, “You're welcome, Sani. Come on, let's go inside.”
Sani nodded and got out of the car, then quietly shut the car door and waited for Ashwin before he fell into step beside him. Ashwin walked up to the front door and gave a few firm, rapid knocks, then patiently waited for his mother to open the door. When there was no response he knocked again, and moments later he heard his mother walking rapidly towards the front door. From inside the house he could hear her muffled muttering. “Who in the world is at my door at five a.m.?”
Ashwin simply smiled to himself and shook his head. “A-lu-li, it's me, Ashwin.”
The door was suddenly flung open at the same time the porch light came on. Ashwin's mother suddenly appeared in the doorway, clad in a hand-made robe and matching slippers as she squinted up at her son. “Ashwin? Ashwin! What on earth...”
Ashwin stepped inside as Sani followed suit. Ashwin's mother glanced from her son to the boy, and when she finally realized who the child was, she gasped and slammed the door shut as if the hounds of hell were hot on Ashwin's and Sani's heels. Ashwin chuckled at his mother's actions and said, “A-lu-li, I'm sure you know Sani here.” He turned to the boy and added, “Sani, this is my mother.”
Sani bowed his head as a gesture of respect. “Ma'am.”
Ashwin's mother hurried into the kitchen and called, “Come, come...you look as if you could use some strong coffee. Sani, would you like some hot chocolate?”
Sani shook his head and politely replied, “No, thank you.”
Ashwin wearily followed his mother into the kitchen, then glanced at Sani and said, “Why don't you go lie down on the sofa in the living room while I have a talk with my mother? I'll wake you up and take you to your Grampa's house when the sun comes up.”
Sani nodded and shuffled off in the direction Ashwin pointed, and moments later Ashwin sat down at the table and said, “Where is the chief?”
Ashwin's mother shook her head as she poured water into the coffee pot. “The chief has been ill ever since the boy was taken.”
Ashwin frowned at this bit of news and inquired, “Ill in what way?”
“He has fallen into a horrible depression, and there is also the question of whether he has suffered a heart attack due to the stress of not knowing what happened to his grandson.”
Ashwin's frown deepened. “I see.”
“The boy's parents have been frantic ever since he disappeared.”
Ashwin sighed as he absently toyed with the napkin holder in the center of the table. “Silver Moon took the boy, A-lu-li.”
“Silver Moon did WHAT?”
Ashwin cleared his throat and repeated, “Silver Moon took the boy. She tried to claim he was my son, from ten years ago.”
Ashwin's mother gasped as the coffee mug she was holding slipped from her fingers and shattered onto the floor, and Ashwin wasted no time in getting to his feet to sweep up the mess. He gently sat his mother down in one of the chairs and said, “I'll clean it up, A-lu-li. You just sit there and take it easy.”
His mother watched as he carefully swept up the sharp, shattered remnants of the mug, and afterwards he retrieved another cup from the cabinet before he inquired, “Where are the boy's parents?”
“They are all at the chief's house.”
Ashwin nodded and poured the coffee, and after setting a cup in front of his mother, he sat back down across from her and stirred milk and sugar into his coffee. “How ill is the chief?”
Ashwin's mother shook her head as she gingerly sipped the steaming coffee. “He's been bedridden for the past week. He's weak, in and out of consciousness. It doesn't look good, son, and I'm worried for him.”
Ashwin nodded and took a tentative sip of his own coffee as he waited for his mother to ask him the inevitable. She took another sip and blew across the black, hot surface of her coffee before she slowly set the cup on the table and inquired, “Is there anything you can do for him, son?”
Ashwin bit his lip as he stared into the light brown liquid in his cup. “I will examine him and see what I can do.”
His answer seemed to satisfy her, and after glancing outside she said, “The sun's up. Why don't you wake the boy and walk with him to the chief's house?”
Ashwin nodded and finished his coffee, then slowly got to his feet and walked into the living room to wake Sani. Five minutes later he and the boy set out for the chief's house, which was only five minutes away, and as they walked Sani suddenly asked, “Am I in trouble?”
Ashwin glanced at the child and replied, “No, son, you aren't in trouble. Why do you think you would be?”
Sani shrugged but said nothing else as he shuffled through the dry leaves that had formed a single layer atop the damp grass, and Ashwin smiled at the boy as they neared the chief's simple, modest home. He knocked on the door and patiently waited, and moments later Sani's mother opened the door. She was so shocked to see Ashwin standing there with her son that she gasped as her hand automatically flew to the center of her chest, but before Ashwin could prevent it, she tumbled backwards and fainted. Sani immediately darted to the center of the room and knelt beside his mother, and as he repeatedly cried out, “Mommy, Mommy!”, Ashwin knelt and gently checked her pulse. Sani turned pleading eyes to him as he frantically inquired, “Is she alright?”
“Yes, son, she'll be fine. Go get me a pillow off the sofa, please.”
Sani nodded and immediately did as Ashwin requested, and after sliding the pillow beneath the woman's head she began to stir. She blinked up at Ashwin and frowned, then moaned, “Sani...”
“Yes, Mommy?” Sani replied as he leaned over and smiled down at his mother. She gasped and reached up to gently stroke Sani's face, and her voice was full of wonder as she whispered, “You came back to me...”
“Yes, Mommy. This nice man Mr. Ashwin brought me here.”
Sani's mother smiled up at him as she continued to gently stroke his face. “Is that so.”
“Yes, Mommy. He's been taking care of you since you fainted.”
For the first time since she'd fainted, Sani's mother realized she was on the floor, and she blushed a deep shade of red as she slowly sat up and glanced around the room. Ashwin stepped forward and extended his hand, and after helping her to her feet he led her over to the sofa and said, “You need to sit down and take it easy.”
“Ashwin! My God, it's been so long since I've seen you!”
Ashwin simply smiled at her statement. “Yes, I know. How have you been?”
“Well, I was doing alright until Sani disappeared.”
Ashwin gave a deep sigh and said, “I can imagine.”
“Is he OK?”
Ashwin nodded. “He's fine.”
“Do you know who took him?”
Ashwin sighed and nodded again. “Yes, Little Bird, I do.”
Little Bird glanced at him expectantly as Ashwin cleared his throat. “According to Sani, Silver Moon took him.”
Little Bird gasped at this bit of news, and she fell silent as she tried to wrap her mind around why Silver Moon had kidnapped her son. As if he could read her mind, Ashwin added, “She showed up at my apartment last Sunday and tried to say that Sani was my son from ten years ago.”
Little Bird frowned in anger and exclaimed, “She did WHAT?”
Ashwin shrugged and said, “That's what she told me, Little Bird. As for why she did what she did, my best guess is that she's suffering from a major case of postpartum depression.”
Little Bird snorted. “Ha! She should be suffering from more than that!”
Ashwin frowned. “Why do you say that?”
Little Bird's expression went from angry to incredulous as she inquired, “You mean you really don't know?”
Ashwin's frown and confusion deepened. “What don't I really know?”
“I know you were here about a month ago and that you delivered her baby. I would give anything to hear just what, exactly, she told you regarding her husband and his tragic death.”
“She told me that he went to his mistress's house one night, got drunk, and crashed his truck into the creek on the way home. She said she never found out if it was the accident that killed him or if he drowned in the creek.”
Little Bird shook her head and said, “And you believed her?”
Ashwin shrugged. “I had no reason not to believe her.”
Little Bird sighed and slowly stood before she began to pace back and forth. “Everyone on the reservation knew what he had done, Ashwin. He was talking to developers who wanted to come in and take our land and build some huge, fancy shopping mall and casino here. Hell, even the chief knew about that. But that decision wasn't up to Lone Wolf. The developers soon found that out and abandoned their plans, especially when the chief firmly refused to negotiate with them.”
Ashwin got a sudden sinking feeling in his gut as Little Bird's explanation sank into his sleep-deprived brain, and he knew the story was about to get even worse when Little Bird stopped pacing and added, “Silver Moon had been expecting Lone Wolf to bring a huge check home to her, the check the developers had promised Lone Wolf in exchange for his information and help. Well, when no check came, she kicked him out, even though the baby was due soon. The day before you got here is when her husband died. That night she went to Lone Wolf's mistress's house and killed them both. Yes, his body was found in his truck in the creek, but we all know that she killed him.”
“And how did she kill his mistress?”
Little Bird swallowed hard and gripped the window sill as she stared out at the early morning mist. “Are you really sure you want to know?”
“I asked, didn't I?”
“There was...there was blood everywhere. She had stabbed his mistress in the stomach with a butcher knife. What she didn't know was that the mistress was pregnant. So she really killed two people that night.”
“So why wasn't she arrested?”
Little Bird sighed. “As soon as she had the baby, she disappeared. The mistress's body wasn't discovered until the day after Silver Moon disappeared.”
“But didn't she show back up to take Sani?”
Little Bird shook her head. “None of us saw her. Sani was outside playing. When we called him to come inside, we thought it was odd when he didn't respond. When we went outside to look for him, he—he was already gone.” She slowly turned away from the window, her pale face testament to the torture she'd suffered as she'd wondered and worried about Sani for the past week. “You really don't know how much I appreciate you bringing him home.”
Ashwin shrugged. “It was the least I could do.”
“Where is Silver Moon now?”
Ashwin sighed and shoved his fingers through his hair as he wondered just what he was going to do about Silver Moon. “She's at my apartment, sleeping off the drug I slipped into her Pepsi last night.”
Little Bird actually chuckled. “You didn't.”
Ashwin smiled. “Yes, I'm afraid I did.”
Little Bird shook her head and chuckled again before she grew serious. “What are you planning to do about her?”
Ashwin sighed. “I don't know yet, Birdy.”
Little Bird mulled over his answer before she inquired, “Do you know about the chief?”
“Yes. May I see him?”
“Of course.” Little Bird led Sani and Ashwin down the hallway to the chief's bedroom, and Ashwin allowed her to approach the bed first with Sani right beside her. She gently shook the chief and murmured, “Pa pa, wake up. I have a surprise for you.”
The chief stirred and drowsily blinked at Little Bird, and his face lit up when he saw Sani standing there beside the bed. He threw the covers aside and slowly sat up, then picked Sani up and crushed the child against his chest in a bear hug as his body shook with the force of his sobs. “Sani! Sani!” the chief wailed as he finally eased his grip on the boy's body and gently framed his face with his hands as if to prove that he was actually there on his lap. Sani smiled and gently touched the side of the chief's face before he said, “Yes, Grampa?”
The chief wiped away tears of joy before he glanced up and noticed Ashwin standing at the foot of his bed, and his smile grew even wider as he said, “Ashwin, what a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?”
Little Bird spoke up. “Ashwin brought Sani back.”
“Is that so!”
“Yes, Grampa,” Sani clarified as he, too, smiled at Ashwin. “I like Mr. Ashwin a lot.”
The chief chuckled and said, “Mr. Ashwin is a very nice man, Sani.”
“I know, Grampa,” Sani said before he scrambled off the chief's bed and tugged on his mother's dress sleeve. “I'm hungry, mommy.”
Little Bird smiled down at her son and replied, “You go have a seat in the kitchen and we'll all be there in a few minutes.”
Sani went running up the hallway, and as Little Bird turned to leave the room she stood on tiptoe and whispered in Ashwin's ear, “Please help him. I don't know what's wrong with him, but we're all afraid he won't be around much longer.”
Ashwin nodded and fixed the chief with that penetrating gaze of his before he said, “I hear you haven't been doing so well, Chief.”
The chief sighed as he leaned back against the ornate headboard and replied, “And where did you hear that from?”
Ashwin shrugged. “A little Birdy told me. Not to mention my mother.”
“How IS your mother?”
Ashwin nodded. “She's fine. Worried about you, but otherwise fine.”
“Thank you for bringing Sani back. You really have no idea how much that means to his mother and I.”
Ashwin frowned. “What about the boy's father?”
The chief frowned. “He had to go back to Tennessee.”
“I see.” Ashwin casually walked over to the window and closed the curtains, then firmly shut the bedroom door before he came to stand beside the chief's bed. The chief was looking at him with an odd, almost frightened expression on his face as he nervously inquired, “What are you doing, Ashwin?”
Ashwin simply smiled and shook his head as he gently pushed the chief back against the pillows. “Just relax,” Ashwin murmured as he placed his hand firmly in the center of the chief's chest and closed his eyes. He frowned when he felt the distressed beat of the chief's weakened, ailing heart, and moments later he found himself in the same forest where he'd undergone his transformation from boy to man. He seemed to know just where to go as he walked along paths that had been long forgotten, but his strange journey soon proved to be worth it when he once again saw his spirit guide. Ashwin immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head in a gesture of reverence and respect for the creature that had shown him his life's path, and at the owl's urging he slowly got to his feet. “There is only one way to save your beloved chief,” the owl stated as Ashwin closed his eyes and focused solely on the owl's words. “Your chief has not suffered a grave attack on his heart, Strong Horse. Rather, his heart has been broken in a much worse and different way. The only way to heal your chief is to help him find love.”
The owl's words surprised Ashwin, for he had never heard the creature speak of things that involved emotion, only the physical aspects of a person's affliction. The owl took a step closer to Ashwin and advised, “There is one true love for your chief, and he does not have to look far to find it. You will be surprised by the outcome, but it is the only way to save your chief.”
Ashwin kept his head bowed and his eyes closed as he solemnly inquired, “How do I help the chief find what he needs?”
“It will soon become obvious to you, Strong Horse. Until then, you must return to your beloved Kasey. She needs you.”
At the mention of Kasey, Ashwin opened his eyes and blinked, but the owl was gone. He slowly turned and walked out of the forest, and moments later he found himself back in the chief's bedroom, his hand still pressed against the chief's chest. He smiled and nodded when he noticed that the chief's heartbeat had become stronger, and when he finally opened his eyes, his smile widened when he saw that the chief's color had returned to normal and his breathing was slow, deep, and even. He slowly removed his hand from the chief's chest and checked his pulse, and when he was finished he teased, “Chief, what you need is a good woman to look after you.”
The chief laughed at Ashwin's statement and said, “Who would have me?”
Ashwin simply smiled and shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest and inquired, “How are you feeling?”
The chief raised his eyebrows and replied, “Surprisingly better.”
“Good. Do you feel like having some breakfast? I know Sani would be thrilled to have breakfast with his Grampa.”
At the mention of his only grandson, the chief smiled and slowly got to his feet. “Breakfast sounds absolutely delightful.”