Touched by Death

by Dale Mayer

  "Glad to hear it. Stay alert please or you're going to be the next patient."

  "I'm fine." His temper shone through, strong and defiant.

  Jade was satisfied with that reaction. Better fire than ice. She left the brothers to work things out while she checked with Bruce on Emile. Emile's color had slid from white to dead white. "Shit. He does not look good."

  "No. Not at all. Where the hell is that ambulance?" Bruce stood watch, a careful eye on Emile.

  "It's only been ten minutes."

  Bruce placed a hand on Emile's wrist again, checking the pulse, his frown deepening. "They'd better get here soon or they won't have to rush on their way back."

  Jade winced. "That close, huh?"

  He gave her a sharp nod. Jade hastened over to Meg who was attempting to wash Tasha's face. "How's she doing?"

  "No change. She's almost catatonic."

  "Will that affect the baby?"

  Meg frowned and gently cleaned Tasha's cheek. Tasha didn't respond at all. "The baby is very calm. Too calm."

  "Any idea what could cause this?"

  Meg sighed and gave her a sad smile. "Unfortunately a lot of things. I don't know if there is something physical going on here, but even emotionally… Her father is missing, her brother injured..." Meg shrugged. "Some people just snap, others give up and then there are those that go inside where they can't feel the pain. It's way too early to make any kind of deduction."

  Meg went to the kitchen sink and rinsed her cloth. She came back and finished cleaning Tasha's face then did her hands. She turned Tasha's hands over and studied the chewed nails. In one spot they'd been gnawed so low she had dried blood in the corners.

  Meg and Jade exchanged grim looks. Jade noticed a change in the room. Something was different. Too quiet. Emile's harsh, raspy breathing had silenced. "He's stopped breathing."

  "Shit!"

  Bruce raced back to Emile's side just as loud sirens filled the air. Meg's eyes opened wide. Jade raced to the kitchen door. "It's the ambulance." She ran outside. Doors slammed. "Thank God. They must have been close when they got the call."

  The ambulance parked beside the SUV. Two men hopped out, one carried a large bag. "Hurry please. He's stopped breathing."

  Two men raced into the house.

  Jade stayed outside, gulping in the clean, fresh night air. The house smelled terrible to her – of stale sweat, and fear and something strongly herbal. Maybe it was from the doll making materials?

  While they worked on Emile, Jade walked around outside, praying and hoping for Emile's recovery. She didn't know what had happened to Tasha. She hoped she'd be okay; her baby needed her. But was the baby okay?

  The moon hid behind the clouds above, dimming her view of the property. The darkness provided an appropriate background to the horrible events of the night.

  "How are you doing?" Dane strode toward her, his arms open. "I'm in the way in there."

  She ran into his embrace. "I'm fine. Wish things were different though."

  He leaned back slightly so he could see her face. "Yeah, same here." He sounded so sorrowful, so despondent, she squeezed him tightly. He held her close, dropping his chin down to rest on her head and they just stayed like that, in the darkness, for a long moment.

  "I'm glad you're here," he whispered.

  Just then the kitchen door opened and one of the men ran back to the ambulance. He pulled out a stretcher, dropped the legs, locked them in place and raced to the house.

  "I always feel like I should do something in situations like this but I never quite know what."

  "Me, too." They stared at the house and the sounds coming from within. "How sad that John has to take care of both of them."

  "I know. He's almost a patient himself."

  "I'm glad you can see that too." She shifted back. "What about his missing father-in-law?"

  Dane ran his fingers through his hair. "Who knows? I'll try and talk to John when this calms down a little bit."

  Jade watched in silence as the two patients were transferred to the ambulance in two separate trips. After Tasha was brought out, Meg walked over to Jade, weary sadness on her face. Jade met her gaze with the burning question in her eyes. Meg shook her head once.

  Jade gasped. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach.

  Dane reached out to stroke her shoulder. Leaning down, he whispered, "What?"

  She shook her head violently. "Not now," she whispered. John walked beside Bruce but either he didn't understand Meg's motion or couldn't take much more.

  Dane dropped his arm from Jade's shoulder and walked over to his brother.

  "John, do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

  "I'm going in the ambulance." John gave Dane a tight smile. "Would you mind following?"

  "I'm right behind you." Dane fished the keys out of his pocket and watched with the rest of the group as the ambulance flicked on its lights and sirens and took off into the night.

  Dane turned to Meg and Bruce. "Thank you."

  Bruce shook his head. "Sorry the prognosis isn't better."

  "I didn't hear… Is Emile that bad?"

  Bruce sighed. "He might pull through if they can stop the bleeding fast enough. He's young and strong."

  Dane winced. "I guess that was quite the blow to the head."

  "Not at all. Even a light fall can cause this kind of trauma." He rotated his neck. "I'm thinking Emile will recover. Tasha now... I don't know."

  Dane's eyes widened. "What? I don't understand."

  Meg sighed. "I don't know how she's doing mentally. As for her baby well...we couldn't find a heartbeat."

  ***

  Peppe ducked below the old dead mango tree close to Tasha's house. Wide enough to hide him, close enough to see the flashing lights and the crowd of strangers moving in and out of his daughter's house. Darkness had long descended. He'd forgotten how long before. He crouched lower. His stomach growled. He couldn't remember when he'd eaten last. Surely his kids would bring him a meal soon.

  Not Emile. Something was wrong with Emile. He squeezed his eyes shut. What happened? Yelling, fighting, ropes. Running. He opened his eyes again, moisture collecting in the corners. Why couldn't he remember anything?

  As he asked the questions visions of Emile's anger and more yelling swept through his mind. They'd both been so angry. He thought his son had done something wrong. Again. But he was a good kid, just always getting into scrapes. Fighting over nothing.

  He didn't know what the fight had been about this time. But Emile didn't deserve whatever had happened to him. As Peppe watched the activity at Tasha's house, the moisture in his eyes dripping down his cheek, the stretcher was loaded into to the ambulance.

  Emile didn't deserve this. He was a good boy.

  The stretcher came back out and went into the house. He straightened – fear sending icicles down his back. He hated doctors. All of them. They'd taken his money and let his beloved wife die. They'd smiled and said they'd help… Instead, he'd gone broke trying to keep her alive. In the end, she'd still died and the bills had continued to come.

  He huddled deeper in the darkness. The flashing lights hurt his eyes. Made his head ache. Made him confused.

  It was hard to keep watching the house. Small groups of people clustered around. He glanced around the property. It was still his place. But he didn't know who everyone was. What were they doing here?

  They didn't belong here.

  Neither did all the vehicles.

  He squinted. The stretcher came back out.

  Tasha. He perked up. The baby was coming. He was going to be a grandpa.

  His enthusiasm fell. His wife hadn't gone to any hospital then. She'd delivered their two children just fine at home.

  So why was Tasha on the stretcher?

  That bastard who'd married his daughter sto
od beside the ambulance. John. He was to blame for all of this. Things had been good before he'd come. Now look at this mess. Even worse had been John's brother...and all those strangers digging their noses in where they didn't belong.

  Shivers wracked his thin frame.

  Maybe they were all to blame.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Jade could feel the sun shining on her face and tried to open her eyes. Grit and dried tears had mingled to damn near seal them shut. She yawned and burrowed deeper into the blankets. Thank God it was Saturday. She didn't want to go anywhere.

  Her body felt like wax that had poured itself into bed then hardened overnight.

  Memories slammed into her heart as she opened her eyes and stared across the empty room. Last night…

  Emile. Tasha and the baby.

  Her eyes burned. There were no tears left. She'd cried herself to sleep asking herself and God why it had happened this way. Why the baby? She could deal with Emile and his sister and their father, if the news turned out to be bad. But the baby? The unborn baby. Just like hers. Only worse because Tasha had been seven or eight months along. To lose a baby at that stage...well.

  Had Tasha known? Would that, along with her father's disappearance and then Emile's injury, have ensured her mental slide down? Even a healthy mind would break under far less.

  God knows Jade had struggled over the loss of her baby.

  A light knock sounded on her door.

  "Hello?"

  "Jade, it's Meg. Can I come in?"

  Jade groaned softly as she forced her aching limbs to action, grabbed her housecoat and walked to the door. She unlocked and opened it.

  Meg smiled at her, looking marginally better than Jade felt. "Hey. Tough night, huh?"

  "That's an understatement." Realizing she hadn't opened the door fully, Jade motioned her inside. "Sorry. I only woke up a few minutes ago."

  "Good for you. I woke up at six, as usual."

  Closing the door behind her, Jade added, "I normally would have but..."

  "Yeah." Meg looked around the small room. "This room is the twin to mine."

  "Is it? Makes sense, I suppose." Jade could sense there was a purpose to the visit. She gave Meg a moment to get around to the topic. Jade walked back over to her bed and crawled under the covers to wait.

  "I have an update." Meg took a deep breath. "Tasha's baby is dead. Usually when a fetus dies, the body aborts it. In some rare cases, the body continues to ignore the fact until it can't be ignored any longer."

  Poor Tasha. Blinking several times to hold back her hot tears, Jade tilted her head back and thought about Meg's news. Regaining control, she looked her colleague in the eye. "So you're saying the baby has been dead for a while?"

  Meg winced. "Yes. In the US, an autopsy would likely be done to find the cause. Here, I don't know what happens." Rotating her neck as if to ease some stiffness, she continued, "Emile is alive. They think they've stopped the bleeding. It's still touch and go for him though."

  Swallowing hard, Jade couldn't do much more than nod to acknowledge Meg's words. She didn't trust herself to speak.

  "Tasha..." Meg stopped. "Tasha goes into surgery this morning and will undergo a psyche evaluation when she's healthier. The bottom line is there's been no change. She's not talking, eating or acknowledging the world around her in anyway."

  Jade couldn't help wincing. "Poor John."

  "Yes." Sitting in the single chair, Meg rested her feet on the corner of the bed. "I've also spoken to Dane. I wanted to know if there was anything I could do for his family."

  "And? Is there?" Jade leaned forward.

  Meg slumped back. "No. John's a mess. Dane said he'd call or stop by later, if he can. He's sticking close to his brother."

  "He was worried about John's mental state before this."

  "It's out of our hands." The two women sat in depressed silence.

  Then Jade remembered. "Any idea if their father has been found?"

  The two women stared at each other, frowning. Meg shook her head slowly. "I forgot to ask."

  "It was because of Tasha I was asking. Dane said Peppe isn't right in the head; makes me wonder if Tasha has a heredity issue here." Jade considered Tasha's life. "Not that what she's been through isn't enough to make anyone retreat inside."

  "Any idea how old Peppe is or how long he's been like this?" Meg asked.

  "No. You'll have to get Dane to ask John." As much as she wanted to laze around the hotel today, Jade couldn't stand the thought of the old man out there wandering around lost. "We should also sort out if he's in need of finding or if he's home and fine."

  "Yes. Do you want to call Dane, or should I?"

  "I will." Jade threw back the covers. "As soon as I have my shower and get dressed. We might as well meet in the dining room and figure out what's next."

  Meg tossed her cell phone on the bed before walking to the door.

  "Hey, Meg. Where was Dr. Mike last night? Did anyone ask him?"

  A funny look crossed her face. "I haven't spoken to him. Haven't heard anything."

  "He's back though – isn't he?" Dread edged Jade's words.

  "I don't know. Things got a bit crazy last night. I'll find out." Meg rushed out leaving Jade, standing in the middle of the room, shocked.

  ***

  Dane stretched his long legs out on the stone patio, tilting his face to the morning sun. Sleep had been hard come by when he finally collapsed on his bed in the wee hours of the morning. The few hours he'd managed hadn't helped much; he still felt worn out. Not the ending he'd hoped for.

  His cell phone rang. He checked the number before answering. Meg's – therefore hopefully Jade.

  "Hi Dane."

  Jade's warm voice flooded his senses. Damn it was good to hear her voice. "Good morning. How are you today?"

  "Better than most of the people involved in last night's emergency. I have several reasons for calling. First, how is John? Second, did anyone ever find Peppe?"

  Peppe? Shit he hadn't given that crazy old man a second thought. Not after last night's chaos. "Peppe might have come back overnight. We're just up, so I'll walk over and check in a few minutes. John is okay, but not good – still, he's holding on."

  "Not a good night for any of us."

  "Yes. The doctors didn't say much." Dane checked his watch. "Tasha should be out of surgery by now. We might know more soon."

  The kitchen door slammed shut. He spun around see John walking down the garden path, head bent in the morning sunlight, hands in his pockets. "I'll call you back."

  Dane closed the phone and tucked it back into his jeans pocket and hurried to catch up with his brother.

  ***

  Jade walked back to the patio table where Meg sat waiting. Bruce came out to join them. "Dane says he's going to walk over and check on Peppe and will call us back."

  Bruce scrunched his face as he pulled a chair back to sit. "What a mess."

  "That's one way to put it." Jade lifted her cup of coffee, letting the steam waft upward to bathe her eyes. The shower had helped but not enough. She still ached inside, as if she were a faded version of herself. In direct contrast the thick bushes beside her were many shades of vibrant green, their branches, lively in the breeze. Typical of so much of the vegetation here. It took her breath away.

  "Dr. Mike's still missing," Bruce said. "I've contacted the authorities and will be heading there shortly to give them Dr. Mike's photo. He has to be missing for twenty-four hours before they'll do anything official. However, because of the work we've been doing and the missing SUV involved, they'll look into it earlier." He grimaced. "I've also contacted Tony – to give him the heads up."

  "Oh joy," Jade muttered. "Is he coming back?"

  Settling back into his chair, Bruce took a sip of his coffee before answering in a grim voice. "No. Not at this point. He
does want to know as soon as possible, whether he needs to find a replacement."

  "What!" Meg stared at him in shock. "A replacement? For Dr. Mike? Are you serious? Surely that's jumping the gun?"

  "Tony is thinking of the project and his client. If Dr. Mike is injured or missing or... anything else, then Tony needs to find a replacement." Bruce's gaze went from Meg, to Jade. "It's not unreasonable given the schedule. But we aren't going to go there yet."

  Jade shuddered and walked off a ways. She could see both sides regarding Tony's concern but that didn't mean she wanted to contemplate anything nasty. Last night had been enough drama for a long time. "Let's hope he went on a bender and is sleeping it off in the SUV somewhere."

  "Dr. Mike doesn't drink."

  Jade spun around throwing her hands in the air. "Then maybe he found a lady friend or something. Let's remain positive, please."

  "Right. I'm heading out now. I don't know what you two are planning to do today, but if it involves searching for Peppe and Dr. Mike, please wake our two party animals and get them involved. Leave Susan alone; she needs to rest. Maybe she can throw the flu that's plaguing her."

  Jade shook her head, a small grin on her face. "Is that what Stephen and Wilson were doing? Partying? We were so busy last night I never gave them a thought."

  "Me neither. Which is why we dropped the ball on Dr. Mike," Meg said tiredly.

  Bruce leaned over slightly so he could meet Meg's gaze. "Don't think that. We didn't drop the ball. Priorities shifted due to emergencies. I'm going to the authorities right now. We'll find him."

  Meg stood as he walked back inside the hotel. She motioned to Jade. "Why don't you bring your coffee and join me in the conference room? If I stay out here, this morning sun will put me back to sleep."

  Talking quietly, they walked inside to their desks and turned on their computers. Meg's phone rang. She checked the number and handed it over to Jade.