Kiss Me, Curse Me - By Kate Shay Page 0,15
was the dam that was ruining the balance, and he had awakened the curse by entering the cave.
He then realized what the bones were—the dead—all a sacrifice to the wolf.
“Come out to me now then. You showed me what you wanted, now come. Show me the way out. I can only offer you my help, okay? I can offer it; I can’t promise that I will actually be able to do what you ask of me. Just don’t take her from me, okay? Don’t take her from me. You have plenty back there.”
Ahanu awaited a response and thought he heard a faint growl come from somewhere, but wasn’t sure if his severe hunger caused the auditory hallucination or not.
***
“The little angel sleeps, while the rest of us work,” said Betty, wiping a single bead of sweat off Coreen’s forehead.
“Don’t doubt that she isn’t working,” said Doc, lifting up the bed sheets, “She’s naked!” He quickly put them back over her.
“Don’t ask me. I didn’t take that little dress off. I think I know who did.”
“Who?”
“I’m not saying.”
“I see then.” He lifted the sheets up just enough to see her leg, red from infection spreading up the groin area.
“What’s the prognosis then?”
“She’s in a coma. Get something on her, Christ. She shouldn’t be laying here like this, you know, with who’s about and that.”
“I’m the only one in this room. I’ve been entertaining in other places. Come on now, Doc. No need for a scolding here.”
He shook his head as he opened up his black bag. “I’ll change her bandage, and I’ll be back later.”
“Ah, I bet you will.” Betty gave him her best smile with red lipstick and all.
“Not for that.” He pouted. “I have a new patient nearby.”
“Who?”
“You tell me your story, and I’ll tell you mine,” he teased as he undid the dirty, bloody wrap.
“No deal.” She folded her arms.
“See . . . anyway, I don’t think it’ll amount to anything serious, nothing you’d be interested in, even from a gossip standpoint.” He looked closer at his work.
She squeezed his arm, “You’ve got me pegged, haven’t you, Doc?”
“For years now, I’d say.”
The wound looked worse than the previous night, inflamed around the stitches; he carefully rewrapped it and put the leg to rest.
“Can she hear us then?” Betty stood, staring, as if disturbed by the girl and the unending stillness.
“I doubt it; there’d be more response from her from our voices, perhaps a flicker of the eyelid or a twitch in the finger. She’s somewhere else.”
“Is it like death? I mean the coma?”
“Close enough, I’d say.” He closed his bag and turned to face her, noticing she was dressed very conservatively in a white, button-up blouse and tight, black skirt. “You going somewhere?”
“Yes. I have to go into town. I hate going into town.”
“I thought you sent someone?”
“Not today, she’s under the weather. My Raska, my seaberry. I have to go.”
“You want me to take a look at her?”
“Not that kind of weather.”
“What kind then?”
“A letter came, and though it was months ago . . . her father died, bad news from mother Russia. It pains me to see her like that.”
“You still have half a heart then.”
“And the other half is broken.” She closed her eyes thinking of distant times. “I’ve tried to forget, but it lingers, you know.”
“I do. It never does really leave you, these things, these dark things.” He opened up the window to let the breeze in.
“No. Why do think I’m here?”
“Same reason we all are. Where the hell else would we go? Now see to it that Blondie here has a cold cloth on her, try to cool her down a bit. I’m going to see if I can get some of this new drug in I’ve been hearing about, some fungal derivative. It’s rare and costly.”
“I’ll cover it, and I’ll keep her cool,” said Betty.
“There could be two angels in this room,” he chortled.
“That’s enough. You wouldn’t say such a thing if you knew what I was really up to.” Betty shooed the old man, her good friend, away.
***
“Help, we need help.” Patty called out.
A couple free men came running back up the trail at the sound of the destruction. Leaning over, they saw a crumpled boat below and an injured Doug grasping at trees along the rock face.
“This is some pretty shit.” one of them mumbled.
“Shut up. We need to get him up, need rope,” said Patty.
Doug moaned under the pain, blood seeping through his brown, button-up shirt. Every cough