true, but there’s an old saying, you have a face only a mother could love? Well my face never did a thing for her except make her mad. But at least I never scared kids. Now they run screaming. You get how that feels?”
“I do now, Arnie, and stop blubbering. I can’t see.”
“Let’s go look in the mirror.”
“No! Not again.”
“Do it! Or you’ll be sorry!”
“Aw, Arnie, I’m fed up with looking at my face, and seeing you leering from my eyes. And quit being so pushy.”
“Sorry. Don’tcha wish I could stay here with you forever?”
“God forbid!”
“I like looking at our face.”
“Yeah? I’m glad you’re getting a kick outta it. Just stop telling me to go to every mirror we pass. I’m sick and tired of combing my hair all the time.”
“Okay, Joey.”
Chapter Fourteen
True to his word, Ashley arrived at the hospital the next morning, waving a release form signed by Dr. Andrews with instructions to pick up Crystal’s body. While he helped the nurse on duty to get her ready for the wheelchair, his hands teasingly took liberties.
“Shame on you. Stop feeling me up, or the nurse will see you.”
“I told her you were my wife, remember. And I’m not feeling you up, as you so indelicately put it. I’m dressing you, and honey, it isn’t easy putting clothes on a flopping doll. I can’t help it if my hands slip now and again.”
“Did your mouth slip, too? You’ve been kissing me in some pretty improper places.”
“You’re just in a snit because you can’t feel anything, but don’t let it bother you. I promise, when we get home I’ll re-kiss all those improper places until you beg me to stop.”
“Then you’d better have Chapstick. I can’t wait to be in your arms again, and to have your mouth on my body.”
A rush of passion streamed through his system, which made him double over. Urges of lust and visions of satisfaction had him closing his eyes.
“You’d better stop that trash talk or the nurse will have a graphic indication of where my thoughts are right this minute.” He pulled at his sweater, bringing it over his hips, while he leaned over her and fiddled with nothing.
“Hurry, love. I want to get back into myself and find some privacy. Quit dawdling.”
The nurse, who’d been eyeballing this handsome man, dredged through her mind for an interesting topic of conversation.
“Mr. Parks, are you aware your wife’s symptoms stymied all the local specialists? It’s become the talk of the hospital, and especially now that we’ve had a second comparable case.”
Ash stopped dead and swiftly turned to the woman in white. “You have another patient with similar problems to Crystal’s?”
Supposing his interest in this news to be on behalf of the woman now resting in the wheelchair, she gently explained. “Yes! A man who suffered the same symptoms as your wife arrived a couple of days ago. They weren’t able to help him, either. Now it’s too late. We lost him yesterday.”
“Lost him. You mean he died? From being in a coma?” Ash’s head swung towards the woman as his voice rose, and she had his full attention.
“No, from a heart attack. Poor man. His face appeared to have been battered recently. He suffered from poor general health, untreated diabetes, and the autopsy showed his lungs were weakened and black from excessive smoking. He was an American, also. We were planning on calling in Dr. Andrews to consult on the case, but it became apparent rather quickly that he wouldn’t be much use.”
Shock blasted Ash, but Crystal’s reaction to this news shot way past normal. She shut down. Her simmering anger warned of a pending eruption.
Coward or not, Ash said nothing, keeping his thoughts locked away. He waited, and finally she broke an hour later, while they were on the bench preparing to reverse the spell.
“Wait! Ashley Parks, you need to answer my question before we go any further. When you agreed to let me free, did you realize Arnie had
“I do now, Arnie, and stop blubbering. I can’t see.”
“Let’s go look in the mirror.”
“No! Not again.”
“Do it! Or you’ll be sorry!”
“Aw, Arnie, I’m fed up with looking at my face, and seeing you leering from my eyes. And quit being so pushy.”
“Sorry. Don’tcha wish I could stay here with you forever?”
“God forbid!”
“I like looking at our face.”
“Yeah? I’m glad you’re getting a kick outta it. Just stop telling me to go to every mirror we pass. I’m sick and tired of combing my hair all the time.”
“Okay, Joey.”
Chapter Fourteen
True to his word, Ashley arrived at the hospital the next morning, waving a release form signed by Dr. Andrews with instructions to pick up Crystal’s body. While he helped the nurse on duty to get her ready for the wheelchair, his hands teasingly took liberties.
“Shame on you. Stop feeling me up, or the nurse will see you.”
“I told her you were my wife, remember. And I’m not feeling you up, as you so indelicately put it. I’m dressing you, and honey, it isn’t easy putting clothes on a flopping doll. I can’t help it if my hands slip now and again.”
“Did your mouth slip, too? You’ve been kissing me in some pretty improper places.”
“You’re just in a snit because you can’t feel anything, but don’t let it bother you. I promise, when we get home I’ll re-kiss all those improper places until you beg me to stop.”
“Then you’d better have Chapstick. I can’t wait to be in your arms again, and to have your mouth on my body.”
A rush of passion streamed through his system, which made him double over. Urges of lust and visions of satisfaction had him closing his eyes.
“You’d better stop that trash talk or the nurse will have a graphic indication of where my thoughts are right this minute.” He pulled at his sweater, bringing it over his hips, while he leaned over her and fiddled with nothing.
“Hurry, love. I want to get back into myself and find some privacy. Quit dawdling.”
The nurse, who’d been eyeballing this handsome man, dredged through her mind for an interesting topic of conversation.
“Mr. Parks, are you aware your wife’s symptoms stymied all the local specialists? It’s become the talk of the hospital, and especially now that we’ve had a second comparable case.”
Ash stopped dead and swiftly turned to the woman in white. “You have another patient with similar problems to Crystal’s?”
Supposing his interest in this news to be on behalf of the woman now resting in the wheelchair, she gently explained. “Yes! A man who suffered the same symptoms as your wife arrived a couple of days ago. They weren’t able to help him, either. Now it’s too late. We lost him yesterday.”
“Lost him. You mean he died? From being in a coma?” Ash’s head swung towards the woman as his voice rose, and she had his full attention.
“No, from a heart attack. Poor man. His face appeared to have been battered recently. He suffered from poor general health, untreated diabetes, and the autopsy showed his lungs were weakened and black from excessive smoking. He was an American, also. We were planning on calling in Dr. Andrews to consult on the case, but it became apparent rather quickly that he wouldn’t be much use.”
Shock blasted Ash, but Crystal’s reaction to this news shot way past normal. She shut down. Her simmering anger warned of a pending eruption.
Coward or not, Ash said nothing, keeping his thoughts locked away. He waited, and finally she broke an hour later, while they were on the bench preparing to reverse the spell.
“Wait! Ashley Parks, you need to answer my question before we go any further. When you agreed to let me free, did you realize Arnie had
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