CHAPTER 30

After a glorious, two-week long honeymoon in Hawaii, Ashwin and Kasey returned to Myrtle Beach and settled into a happy routine of married life. A few days after they had returned home, Kasey once again woke to the same horrible nausea she'd experienced at Ashwin's mother's house, and she didn't have time to go running downstairs in order to be sick in private. Instead Ashwin found her slumped against the cool, pristine white tile of his bathroom wall, her face deathly pale as her entire body shook from what she'd just endured. He crouched in front of her, his face dark with concern as he gently inquired, “Are you alright, sweetheart?”

Kasey weakly raised her hand and waved it in the air before she let it fall limply into her lap. “Oh, yeah. I'm just fantastic.”

“Has anyone ever told you what a great sense of sarcasm you have?” Ashwin quipped as he straightened and soaked a washcloth with cold water. Kasey tried to glare up at him from her spot on the floor as she replied, “Well, they have now. Thank you, I think.”

Ashwin simply smiled and shook his head as he crouched in front her again and gently wiped her face with the washcloth, and Kasey sighed and closed her eyes as Ashwin tended to her with extreme gentleness. She would have fallen asleep if Ashwin hadn't given her a gentle nudge and suggested, “I think you should go back to bed, sweetheart.”

Kasey opened her eyes and slowly shook her head. “No, I'm good. I'm up.”

Ashwin chuckled softly as he pulled her to her feet. “Yeah, it sure looks like it.”

“What time is it?”

“Five a.m.”

Kasey sighed. “Don't you have to go to work today?”

Ashwin nodded. “Yes.”

“Bummer.”

Ashwin laughed and said, “If you get sick again, you might just be coming to work with me.”

“Oh? And why's that?”

Ashwin pinned her with that look that brooked absolutely no arguments as he replied, “Because I said so, that's why.”

Kasey nodded and sat down on the bed as she watched Ashwin pulling his clothes out of the closet. “That's a really good reason, Ashwin, if I do say so myself.”

Ashwin nodded as he pulled a crisp pair of slacks and a white shirt from the closet. “I thought so as well.”

Kasey suddenly folded her arms across her chest and pretended to pout as she exclaimed, “You're bossy. And when you're bossy, you're mean.”

Ashwin laughed and said, “I'm not mean.”

“A-ha! So you DO admit to being bossy, then.”

“Someone has to be, especially when it comes to you.”

Kasey poked her bottom lip out as she inquired, “What's that supposed to mean?”

Ashwin simply laughed again and inquired, “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Ashwin smiled and gently tapped the end of her nose, and Kasey frowned when she realized how smoothly he'd changed the subject of their conversation. She shook her head and pointed her finger at him as she intoned, “Hey, wait a minute--”

Ashwin laughed again as he gently pushed her against the pillows and covered her with the blanket. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I'll come in to give you a kiss before I have to leave. OK?”

Kasey snuggled beneath the blanket as her eyes grew heavy. “You'd better,” she mumbled just before she slipped back off to sleep. Ashwin smiled and shook his head as he finished getting ready for work, and an hour later he slipped into the bedroom and dropped a gentle kiss to Kasey's lips before he left for the day. He loved her even more than he'd ever thought possible, and with a final kiss to her forehead, he quietly left the apartment and headed to work.

Kasey sighed as she slowly came awake, and she instinctively knew that Ashwin wasn't in bed with her when she reached over and felt nothing but the cold, empty sheet on his side of the bed. She slowly sat up and glanced at the clock on the nightstand, then sighed when she realized she was becoming lazy with no job to go to anymore. It was well after ten a.m., and she suddenly jumped when the telephone rang in the quiet stillness of the apartment. She leaned over and retrieved the cordless from its cradle on Ashwin's side of the bed, then cheerfully said, “Hello?”

“Hi there. I was just calling to check on you.”

Kasey smiled at the sound of Ashwin's deep, sexy voice before she said, “I just woke up.”

“See? Now wasn't it a good thing that I made you go back to bed?”

Kasey laughed softly and replied, “You didn't MAKE me do anything.”

Ashwin laughed in return and softly said, “That's what YOU think.”

Kasey shook her head and inquired, “So how's your day going?”

Ashwin sighed. “Oh, you know, the usual.”

“What would you like for dinner tonight?”

“Food, and then you for dessert.”

Kasey smiled. “Mmm, sounds delicious.”

“I thought so too.” He cleared his throat and added, “Have you been sick anymore?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“You didn't really answer my question.”

“And what question was that?”

“What would you like for dinner?”

On his end of the line, Ashwin shrugged before he seductively replied, “Surprise me. You could feed me hot dogs every night of the week and I wouldn't care, as long as I have you to come home to.”

“Aw, Ashwin, that's sweet.”

“I'm just a sweet kinda guy, or hasn't anyone told you?”

Kasey smiled, but her smile faltered when she felt her stomach churning again. “You just told me.”

“That's right.”

“So are you having a good day?”

“I can't complain too much, but I've only been here for three hours, so...”

Kasey nodded and clutched her stomach as the churning definitely grew worse. She swallowed hard as bile rose in the back of her throat, and Ashwin didn't miss the breathy, desperate sound of her voice as she said, “I—I have to go, I think someone's at the door. Call me back on your lunch break, OK? I love you, bye!”

She hung the phone up and made a mad dash for the bathroom, and she was dismayed to discover that this time she was even sicker than she'd been earlier. As she wearily leaned against the cool tile of the wall, she pressed her hand against her forehead as she suddenly remembered that she hadn't had her period in at least two or three months. She sighed deeply and carefully got to her feet as she realized just what she had to do, and after washing her face and brushing her teeth, she staggered into the bedroom and dressed in jeans and a sweater before she made the bed and headed for the nearest drug store.

Kasey stared down at the small white stick that bore two straight pink lines in the little display window, then sat down hard on the closed toilet lid as her mind raced with the ramifications of what she'd just discovered. Pregnant! But how...She giggled as the thought popped into her mind and just as quickly popped out. She already knew how, just as she had a good idea as to when she'd gotten pregnant with Ashwin's child. She sighed and glared at the little white stick again, then got up and began to pace back and forth in the cool, quiet bathroom as she tried to figure out how she was going to tell Ashwin. She thought back to when she'd gotten sick at his mother's house and how she'd tried to blame it on a gas station cheeseburger, and she wondered if Ashwin had known then and had merely been playing along to appease her. But then again, how could one episode of illness make him think that she was pregnant? Then she remembered what he'd told her about being a Shaman, and she had no reason to doubt that everything he'd told her had been true. If that was the case, then chances were he had a “sixth sense” about these kinds of things and he was merely waiting for her to come right out and tell him for certain. She sat back down on the toilet lid and chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to figure out just how she was going to tell him, but after a few moments she got back up and walked out of the bathroom in disgust. What she needed was a sympathetic FEMALE ear that would listen, and she knew someone who fit the bill perfectly. She grabbed her purse and keys and dashed out of the apartment, oblivious to the ringing of the phone as she walked down the hall to the elevator. Moments later she was in the lobby, and as she approached the main desk, Holly frowned when she saw the intense look of worry etched on Kasey's face. She walked over to her and gently inquired, “Kasey? Is everything alright, hon?”

A bright sheen of tears covered Kasey's brown eyes as she absently chewed on her bottom lip. “No.”

Holly's concern deepened at her friend's words, and as she gently took Kasey by the elbow she murmured, “Let's go to the restaurant and grab a bite to eat, shall we? You can tell me all about it in there.”

Kasey nodded and allowed Holly to lead her to the back of the restaurant, and Kasey was glad for the privacy of the dimly lit booth that Holly selected as she slid into her seat and clasped her hands together in front of her. Holly slid in across from her and sighed, then inquired, “What's wrong?”

Kasey bit her lip even harder as she tearfully replied, “I—I think I'm pregnant.”

Holly gasped in surprise at Kasey's words, but she kept her enthusiasm in check as she hesitantly inquired, “Well, that's great, isn't it?”

Kasey slowly shook her head. “I don't know, Holly! I mean, I just got married, and--”

Holly frowned as the tears finally slipped down Kasey's pale cheeks, and her concern deepened even more when she noticed the slight tremor in Kasey's hands as she grabbed a napkin to wipe her face with. Holly gently covered Kasey's hands with her own as she soothed, “Calm down, sweetheart. What, exactly, are you so upset about?”

Kasey shrugged. “Like I said, I just got married, and—and I've never had a baby before!”

Holly sat back and said, “I'm sure Ashwin will be delighted. And women have babies every day, sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about.”

Kasey finally bit her lip so hard that it bled as she said, “I know it hurts like hell, and then--”

“And then what, sweetheart?”

“You have at least eighteen years of trying to raise it right—making sure it's clothed and fed and gets a decent education and--”

“Kasey, hon, please calm down. You're getting yourself all worked up for nothing.”

“Nothing! You call a baby nothing?”

“I didn't mean it that way, I just—ah, hell,” Holly said as she summoned a waiter and ordered two mixed drinks for them before she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse and offered one to Kasey. “Here. Seems like you need one of these to calm yourself down.”

“I've never smoked,” Kasey said as she eyed the cigarette Holly was holding. Holly shrugged and replied, “There's a first time for everything. Here, take it.”

Kasey hesitantly took the cigarette and stuck it in her mouth, then leaned forward as Holly flicked her lighter and stuck the flame to the end of the cigarette. Kasey leaned back and hesitantly inhaled, and after a few moments of harsh coughing, she took another draw off the cigarette and nodded as the nicotine finally hit her bloodstream. She was instantly and pleasantly high, and Holly was relieved to see that Kasey had calmed down considerably in the space of just a few minutes. She smiled up at the waiter and thanked him when their drinks arrived, and as Kasey downed hers in a few gulps, Holly ordered her another one and said, “Feel better now?”

Kasey nodded and took several more draws on the cigarette, then leaned back in the booth and slurred, “So what if I'm pregnant. It can't be that bad, right? Otherwise women wouldn't continue to have babies.”

Holly nodded. “That's right. I've heard it's the pain that women immediately forget.”

Kasey snorted and sarcastically replied, “Really? How can you forget something like pushing something the size of a basketball out of something the size of--”

Holly laughed and shook her head at Kasey's words, but she didn't want to say or do anything that would send Kasey back into the same state of panic she'd been in a mere half an hour earlier. She leaned back in the booth and waved her hand in the air before she said, “Kasey, sweetheart, all you have to do is talk to Ashwin, and I'm sure he'll explain everything to you. You really have nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about? How can you say that?” She glanced down at her still-flat abdomen and added, “How am I going to grow another human being in there? Huh? Tell me that.”

“It happens every day, sweetheart. You'll see. Now stop worrying and finish your drink.”

Ashwin walked through the lobby and headed for his apartment, his concern deepening with every step. The last thing Kasey had told him was that she had to get off the phone because someone was at the door, and every time he'd tried to call after that, she hadn't answered. He had envisioned all sorts of scenarios since he'd left the hospital, and now he found himself impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for the elevator to stop on the twenty-fifth floor. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors finally slid open, and he all but ran to his apartment and quickly unlocked the door. He walked through the living room and kitchen, his concern increasing to a near-panic when there was no sign of Kasey. He walked into the bedroom and noticed that the bed had been neatly made, and he wondered what kind of attacker would bother to make the bed before he dragged his victim—in this case his sweet, new bride Kasey—kicking and screaming out of the apartment. There had been no blood, there was no sign of a struggle, and a sudden, horrifying thought occurred to him as he rushed over to the balcony and hesitantly looked down at the deserted beach. There was no mangled, bloody, lifeless body laying on the sand, and his confusion and panic increased as he stepped back into his apartment and went into the bathroom. As he stood in the clean, orderly bathroom, his attention was drawn to the small white stick that was laying innocuously on the counter. He picked it up and saw the two pink stripes in the display window, and in that instant, he knew. His mind flew back in time to the day he'd taken Kasey to the ER after she'd fainted at the hotel entrance, and he suddenly remembered the tiny, almost imperceptible thump he'd felt against his palm as he'd rested his hand on Kasey's belly. He picked up the white stick again and frowned as he studied the two pink lines, then gently set it down on the counter before he turned and strode briskly through the living room. Five minutes later he was in the lobby, and on a hunch he walked into the restaurant. He spotted them before they saw him, and his face was dark as he purposefully strode through the almost-empty restaurant and stopped right beside their booth. Holly looked surprised to see him, and Kasey's mouth dropped open in surprise when Ashwin suddenly plucked the cigarette out of her mouth, dropped it into what was left of her drink, pointed toward the door, and commanded in clipped tones, “You. Upstairs. NOW.”

Kasey frowned at his odd behavior, and her argument may have held more merit if her voice hadn't been slurred as she said, “I'm vishting with my friend Holl—Holly. Go 'way.”

Ashwin's face grew even darker as he set his mouth in a straight line, and before Kasey could say another word, he pulled her out of the booth and gently settled her over his shoulder before he strode out of the restaurant. Kasey weakly pounded her fists against his back as she slurred, “Wash your problem, Ash? Put me down now!”

Ashwin ignored her as he stepped into the elevator, choosing instead to hold her even tighter against his shoulder as the elevator slowly climbed to the twenty-fifth floor. Kasey weakly pounded her fists against his back again as she wailed, “You're hurting me! Put me down!”

Ashwin sighed and gently murmured, “I am not. Now be quiet.”

Kasey made a sound of frustration and finally went limp against his shoulder, and moments later she gave an exaggerated sigh as Ashwin unlocked their apartment door and stepped inside. He kicked it shut and walked through the living room and straight into the bathroom, then finally set her down and pointed to the little white stick on the counter. “Would you mind explaining that?”

Kasey's eyes widened as she followed Ashwin's finger to the stick laying on the counter. “Oh...um...that.”

“Yes. That.”

Kasey leaned forward and peered even more closely at the stick before she straightened and shrugged. “Well, um, it looks to me like someone is, um, pregnant.”

Ashwin took a step closer to her as he softly inquired, “And would you have any idea who that someone might be?”

Kasey slowly shook her head as she kept her eyes on the little white stick. “Um, hmm...let me think...uh, me, maybe?”

Ashwin gently grasped her arms and said, “Kasey! When were you planning to tell me?”

“Um...today?”

Ashwin sighed and pulled her against his chest, but his voice was far from gentle as he said, “I better not catch you drinking until AFTER this baby is born! As for the smoking, I better not catch you doing that EVER again! Is that clear?”

Kasey bit her lip as she hung her head and nodded. “I'm sorry...it's just that—well, I was scared...”

“What were you scared of, sweetheart?”

Kasey finally met his kind, concerned gaze as she softly replied, “I've never had a baby before, Ashwin! I mean, what—how--”

Ashwin finally laughed and drew her into his arms again, and his voice was amused and gentle as he replied, “Oh, Kasey, sweetheart...all you had to do was ask! How many times have I told you that I never want you to be afraid to talk to me about anything? You should know by now that I'm not going to let anything happen to you.” He sighed against the top of her head before he added, “I kind of already knew...”

Kasey slowly leaned back in his arms and pinned him with an incredulous look. “What do you mean, 'you kind of already knew'?”

Ashwin shrugged. “Just what I said.”

“But...how?”

Ashwin smiled as he gently tapped the end of her nose and said, “Gas station cheeseburger? Did you really think I bought that for a second?”

Kasey shook her head and began to laugh, and moments later she and Ashwin were laughing so hard that their sides ached as tears slipped down their cheeks. He finally calmed down enough to shake his head and murmur, “What am I going to do with you?”

Kasey grinned and quipped, “I have a list...”

Ashwin grinned as he crushed her against his chest and murmured, “I bet my list is longer...”