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.”

“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?”

Ashwin smiled. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

“Where are we going?”

“I think you need to get away for a bit. Feel up to taking a road trip with me?”

Kasey smiled and enthusiastically nodded as she leaned over and unzipped the duffel bag. In it were some of her clothes, shoes, and needed toiletries, and as she glanced back at Ashwin she inquired, “Can I take a shower?”

“Not yet, sweetheart. You have to wait until you're all healed up.”

Kasey made a sound of frustration as Ashwin gently pushed her back against the pillow, and her confusion was evident as she said, “I thought you just said you were releasing me today!”

“I am, sweetheart, but if we're going to take a little road trip, I need to put a fresh bandage on your chest.”

“Oh, OK. You had me worried there for a bit.”

Ashwin simply smiled and shook his head as he donned a pair of gloves and summoned the nurse, and five minutes later he discarded his gloves into the trash and said, “There. Good as new. Do you need some help getting dressed?”

Kasey adamantly shook her head. “No, I can manage. I'll be out in a few.”

Ashwin nodded but insisted on carrying the duffel bag into the bathroom for her, and as he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom, he smiled when he realized that his life was slowly getting back to normal. He could only hope that what he had planned in the upcoming week would truly set things right again, both for himself and Kasey, but especially for Kasey.

Kasey sighed as she glanced out the window of Ashwin's car, and she felt her throat clog with emotion when they passed the Skywheel and the boardwalk. That special date she and Ashwin had shared seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago, and she sighed again as she turned to look at Ashwin. He briefly turned his head and smiled at her, then turned his attention back to the traffic as he inquired, “What are you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about that date you and I had.”

Ashwin smiled again. “Ah, yes. That's a favorite memory of mine as well.”

“So when are you going to tell me what happened to me?”

Her simple question was enough to make Ashwin tighten his grip on the steering wheel, but his voice was calm as he replied, “Soon, sweetheart. Very soon.”

“Why won't you tell me now?”

Ashwin sighed as he turned to glance at her again. “You'll know everything soon, sweetheart. Just trust me on this, okay?”

Knowing that he wasn't going to budge, Kasey sighed again and leaned back in the seat, feeling drowsy from the warm sunshine that was streaming through the windshield. Instead of going to sleep, though, she stifled a yawn and inquired, “So where are we going?”

“I'm taking you to the mountains. More specifically, to the reservation where I grew up.”

Kasey sat up a little straighter in her seat. “You mean I get to meet your parents?”

Ashwin nodded. “Yes. Well, my mother and the chief. My father is dead.”

Kasey nodded and clasped her hands together in her lap at his words. “I'm sorry to hear that, Ashwin.”

Ashwin shrugged as he navigated through the light traffic. “It was a long time ago. The chief took over as my mentor.” He turned his head to smile at her and added, “I think I turned out alright.”

Kasey smiled back. “I think you did too. No, wait, I take that back. I KNOW you turned out alright.”

Ashwin laughed and teased, “You do, huh? And how do you know that?”

Kasey's smile widened as she replied, “Because you're with me. What more proof do you need?”

Ashwin laughed again and reached over to ruffle her soft blonde hair, and for the first time in a long time, Kasey's life felt complete.