Chapter 21
"Raymond if you insist on giving yourself cancer take it outside! I don't want to smell it in the house."
"Yes Melody," Ray said as he crushed the cigarette he had been smoking out into the ash tray.
"You know," Melody said standing before him with a pair of keys in her hand, "that's really the only nasty habit you have."
"It's a hard one to break too," Ray replied as he stiffly got up from the kitchen table to walk Melody to the front door.
"You only picked it back up after your new knee replacement last month," Melody replied.
"I know," Ray said as he took Melody by her arm and turned her towards the front door, "it helps to keep my mind off the pain."
Melody frowned and stopped walking.
"Why don't you just let the doctors know that you need stronger pain killers?"
Ray smiled at her and shook his head.
"Melody, I don't want to go back down that path ever again."
Melody placed a hand onto her husband's arm. She knew what had happened to him after his last surgery. She knew that the dark road that Raymond had traveled down had been lonely and scary for him.
Doctor Elton Strauss had given Ray pain medication, but Ray had become dependent upon them to the point where he couldn't make it through the day without at least two handfuls of the medicine.
Melody and Nokomis were away most of that first year when it had happened. Jean had seen the change in her brother and had him once again committed to Parkview Medical Hospital. After two long horrible weeks Ray had emerged, ten pounds lighter, and cured from prescription drugs. The only thing wrong had been Ray's mental status.
Ray went to see Egon's old student, Doctor Charlie Levine, for a good year of counseling. Ray had considered himself well, both mentally and physically, after that. That was one of the reasons why Ray had kept on postponing his surgery. And then she, Melody, had to go and ruin that for him too. It seemed that she had been ruining a lot of good things in her life lately.
Ray saw Melody bow her head to the floor. He knew that she blamed herself about what had happened in China, but it wasn't her fault. He loved the time that they had spent together. It had brought them closer as a couple. Ray kept telling her that everyday. Melody just needed to listen to him.
"Melody," Ray said gently lifting her face up with his hand, "go to work and forget about me for a couple of hours, okay."
"Raymond…," Melody started to say, but her husband interrupted her by leaning in to kiss her on her lips.
Closing her eyes Melody gave into her husband's advance, to passionately kiss him back. She wanted him so bad right now. Her mother called it 'hot and bothered' and she quickly pulled away.
"What?" Ray questioned, "Are you not into kissing this week."
"That's not it," she replied, "I need to get to work not play 'house' with you this morning. You are just going to have to wait until tonight Lover Boy."
"Lover Boy?" Ray questioned releasing her and taking a step back. "So I get a new nickname?"
Ray turned his head to the side to study his wife. She was beginning to turn red in her face and he liked that.
"I like it Melody," Ray said as he opened the front door for her and she quickly retreated through it.
Closing and locking the door Ray went into the parlor. Since he still had a hard time with stairs Melody had gotten him a rental hospital bed to sleep on. She had it set up in the parlor so that he could sleep on the ground floor and still be close to a bathroom when he needed it. Ray smiled as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Ever since he had been sent home from the hospital in China Melody had wanted him. Ray had let her lead their "dance", as he called it, whenever she came to him in the night. He liked the different things that Melody tried, she being fully aware of his hurt knee, and he was also worried about her.
Even though Melody had gone back to her normal activities and was sleeping better, she was now tired all the time and with that came her being more irritable. She also was hardly eating the meals that he made for her. Melody would pick through them and leave half of it untouched some nights. Something was wrong, but Melody shrugged it off as jet lag and he had let it go at that. They had only been back for five days, but still he had seen Melody like this before. Ray just couldn't remember when.
Lying down, Ray decided he was going to catch a couple of hours worth of sleep before his doctor's appointment at one that afternoon for his knee. He had been up late with Melody last night. She had wanted him and he had returned the favor.
Closing his eyes, Ray remembered back to his hospital stay in China. When he had awoken Melody had been by his side, but a problem arose the next day. Melody had wanted to stay with him, but she was also torn between her responsibility at the Loulan Ruins. There were only seven days left and every minute counted. Ray had told her to leave.
"Besides," he tried to reason with her, "there is nothing that you can do here."
"I can translate for you."
"So can I," said a voice from the doorway of Ray's hospital room.
Standing there with a bouquet of flowers and a card was Ethan.
It had been Ethan in the end, physically removing Melody from his hospital room and placing her into a waiting taxi that had made her leave.
"That is one stubborn woman!" Ethan said when he returned to Ray's hospital room.
"Don't I know it," Ray replied, "I have to live with her twenty-four seven."
"You're a better man than me. Depending upon the day, eight hours is my limit with her."
Sitting down into the chair next to Ray's bed, Ethan had settled himself in for the long stay. Melody had come back that night and Ethan had bid them both farewell until the morning.
Ethan showed up again the next morning and sent Melody once again on her way. Melody was clearly having a hard time with the arrangement but Ethan only smiled and bid her good day. This continued for the week that Melody had to finish up with her expedition of the Loulan Ruins. Ethan stayed with Ray at the hospital and accompanied him during his physical therapy times to translate for the doctors.
"Ethan," Ray told him one time when Ethan was pushing him down the hospital corridor in a wheelchair, "I'm sorry you're stuck here with me."
"What, are you nuts!?" Ethan replied back, "Ray I'd rather be here with you than out in 50 degree Celsius weather with no shade, little water, and eating nothing but dust all day. Trust me, I've had my fair share of dig sites."
"But you're missing out on the culture here."
"Missing out? Ray I get to speak Mandarin here and have it spoken back to me. There are only two other people that I know of in New York, not including Melody, that speak it and since they don't speak it every day they have forgotten a lot."
"The same goes for me too. You know the old saying if you don't use it, you lose it."
"Yes," Ray replied as he stood up out of his wheelchair for the therapist, "I know that saying well. My Latin was a bit rusty until five years ago."
"Did you take a review course?" Ethan asked as he took the wheelchair away and parked it next to the wall.
"No," Ray grunted as the therapist stretched his leg, "I just went and talked to a very close friend."
"Raymond."
Ray stirred in his sleep. He swore that he heard someone calling his name. He must be dreaming.
"Yes that had to be it," Ray thought to himself as he rolled onto his left side letting his mind drift back to last night.
It had been close to midnight when he felt her lift the covers and slide in close to him. Opening his eyes he saw Melody with her head on his left shoulder.
"Melody?" Ray questioned her as she lifted her head up off of his chest.
"Shush," Melody said as she turned her body so that she was facing her husband and placed her index finger on his lips to quiet him.
Ray took and draped his right arm around the small of her back, pulling her closer to him.
"Something I can do for you?" Ray whispered into her ear.
"Yes," Melody replied as her curly shoulder length hair fell down to cover her right cheek. "I love you, Raymond."
"Oh yeah?" Ray questioned raising his eyebrows up at her.
Ray saw that Melody had on a coral lace babydoll lingerie that tied in the front. He knew that under the covers, where he couldn't see was a matching V-string panty. Taking his hand off of her back he slid the thin spaghetti strap off of her shoulder before undoing the tie between her breasts.
"I love you too Melody," Ray replied as he leaned into her bosom.
"Raymond!"
Melody's cry was louder now as Ray turned onto his side to watch her sleeping next to him in bed. "It couldn't have been her crying out," Ray thought to himself as he reached forward with his right hand to remove a lock of her hair that was on her check.
The moment his hand reached her face Melody vanished before his eyes.
"Melody!" Ray screamed out.
Now Ray was wide awake and sat straight up in bed. "What a dream," Ray said to himself as he ran both of his hands down his face to feel that he had been sweating in his sleep. He wrote if off to the humid July weather until he heard her cry once again.
"Raymond!"
"Melody!" Ray cried out as he swung his legs over the side and grabbed his cane from the foot of the bed.
As quickly as he could, Ray limped over to the bottom of the stairs. He knew that he couldn't climb them safely, but he would if he had to.
"Melody!" Ray called up the stairs, "what's wrong?"
"Raymond," the voice said now softer to him.
The voice was coming from behind him by the back door. Ray turned around to see a spirit dressed in white. For a moment he stood paralyzed until he recognized who it was.
"Jean?" he questioned.
"Yes Raymond," Jean said standing her ground in front of the back door.
Jean was already in trouble and she didn't want her brother involved with what she had promised Shino. Looking around her she decided that no one had followed her here.
"Jean, why are you here?"
"Raymond," Jean replied as she saw her brother limp towards her, "Nokomis is back but…," Jean started to say before Ray interrupted her.
"Nokomis?" Ray questioned stopping his advancement towards her, "Where?"
"Right outside the back door," Jean gestured with her right hand, "but Raymond I have to tell you something about her."
"Is she okay? Where was she?" Ray questioned as he started limping towards her and the back door again.
Jean could see that her brother was angry and relieved at the same time, but she couldn't let him touch her and she backed away from him as he went to open the back door.
"Nokomis has been hurt," Jean said as she backed herself even further away from her brother.
"WHAT!?" Ray roared dropping his hand from the door handle to turn on his sister. "You said that she was safe! Melody and I believed you!"
"Raymond," Jean stammered fully aware that he was mad at her and for good reason, "I didn't expect this to happen."
"You didn't expect what to happen Jean!?" Ray spat out as he advanced once again on his sister. "Out with it Jean. Where has Nokomis been for the past month?"
Jean suddenly ran into something solid as she backed away from her brother.
"It's not your sister's fault," a voice said behind Jean.
Jean turned around. She was just as surprised as Raymond was to see the man dressed all in white standing before her.
"Daddy?"
"Papa?"
Jean and Ray said together.
"It's not Jean's fault Raymond," Doctor David Stantz said again to his son before he turned his attention to his daughter.
"Go Jean," David said as he gestured with his head to the right, "I know you're in trouble already."
Jean looked sadly back at her brother.
"I love you Raymond," Jean said before she vanished from his sight.
Ray watched her go and then turned his attention to his father.
"So what's your story!?" Ray spat at his father still mad that Nokomis had not been kept safe like Jean promised.
"Raymond," David said as he walked towards him, "I know that you're mad at me and your sister right now, but believe me Raymond what Jean has done will someday save your life."
"Save my life?" Ray questioned his father, "Jean has already saved my life."
"I know son," David said stopping before him, "I'm sorry that you had to go through that," he said as he placed a hand on Ray shoulder.
"How do you know what I went through?" Ray said as he backed away from his father.
David dropped his hand down to his side and sighed. Raymond was mad at him, but he needed to hear him out.
"Raymond, just because your mother and I are gone doesn't mean we don't see what is happening in your life. You had to go through your attempted suicide so that you can know how others are feeling."
David looked around him to make sure no one was listening. What he was about to tell his son was something that Ray couldn't know about, yet he felt that Raymond must know what lay ahead for him.
"Raymond," David whispered to his son, "you have to be there for someone you care deeply for in their time of need."
Ray looked into his father's eyes. He could see sorrow there and wondered who he could be talking about. Ray closed his eyes to think.
"Melody?" Ray questioned opening his eyes as his father faded from his view.
"Only time will tell son," David's voice could be heard resonating around the kitchen.
Ray opened his eyes and stared at the window that overlooked the backyard. He shook his head to clear it. He had let his mind wander too much. First it had been Melody, then Jean, and finally his father. Sighing Ray sat up and stiffly got out of bed.
It all seemed too real for him as he realized it was five past noon. If he didn't get a move on it he was going to be late for his doctor's appointment. Stopping at the front door he picked up his house keys, cell phone, and metro card depositing them into his pants pocket before he placed a hand on the door knob.
He had been rude to both his father and sister. That wasn't like him. Ray shook his head, "Stupid humid weather," Ray said to himself as he went to turn the knob.
Still, Jean had said that Nokomis was back. Releasing the knob Ray turned towards the back door. It loomed larger then he ever remembered it as he took a step towards it. Jean had said that Nokomis had been hurt. But it had been a dream Ray told himself as he slowly advanced towards the back door.
Now he stood in front of the back door but he couldn't make himself open it afraid of what he might find.
"Snap out of it," Ray said aloud, "the sooner you open the door the sooner you can get to your doctor's appointment."
Ray summoned up the courage and reached out a hand to pull the door towards him.
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Melody was wishing that she had left earlier for work. The subway into Manhattan was packed and she had to stand.
Melody had caught the #6 subway train a few blocks from her home in Pelham Bay Park. The subway would take her to 86th Street, but from there she would have to walk the rest of the way to work. Even though the subway cars were air conditioned Melody was having trouble standing and blamed it on the humid weather of July.
Melody was not claustrophobic but she felt trapped, pushed to and fro by the people next to her, as the subway car rattled its way southbound into the city. Each stop collecting more and more passengers and causing the car to become overly hot to her.
As they approached 3rd Avenue in the Bronx Melody tried to think back to a cooler time in her life but couldn't come up with one. She always seemed to be involved in archeology digs in the middle of deserts. For once she wished for a dig in the cold north, but then knew that she wouldn't be happy there.
Where was she happy? Melody smiled as she grabbed the pole in front of her as the subway train came to a stop at 3rd Avenue. She was happy at work, that much she knew and she was now beginning to be happy again at home.
The constant bickering, fighting, sleeping in other rooms had come to an end. Melody had come to realize that most of it had been her fault as she felt the heat from the subway platform come rushing into the car as the doors slid open.
Some people got off but more got on and Melody was pushed further back into the subway car. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and quickly closed her eyes as she swallowed the bile that rose to her throat. She had gone from hot weather in China to humid weather on the east coast and this time she was having a hard time adjusting back.
"I must be getting too old for this," Melody silently told herself, "I'm going to be forty-four years old next month. Maybe it's time to retire."
Melody stifled a laugh. Retire? What was she thinking? Melody loved being center stage and making an impression at work. Sure she may have ruffled a few feathers along the way, being what her students considered overbearing and somewhat autocratic, but she was well organized and idealistic. At least Ethan thought so.
Professor Ethan Harkness. Oh why did she have to bring him up. Melody slid down into an open seat at 116th Street as a business looking man got off. Four more stops to go. Four more stops before she had to confront Ethan and she was scared. She had no idea how she was even going to bring herself to talk to him about what had happened in China with Raymond. How was she supposed to express her deepest darkest secrets to him? And then she had called Raymond "Lover Boy". That wasn't her pet name for him. She was keeping secrets from those around her. What was she going to do?
Frowning Melody decided that she wouldn't bring up the subject unless Ethan did. "That way," she thought as she stood up as the train came to a halt at 86th Street, "I don't have to worry about it for awhile."
Melody knew that Ethan had kept his mouth shut when he had been with her husband at the hospital. Melody had politely asked how Raymond's and Ethan's day had gone when she had come back from the Loulan Ruins.
"Great, Melody," Ray had responded one night, "Did you know that Ethan lived in Taiwan for ten years?"
"No," Melody responded, "I didn't."
It seemed that Ethan was also keeping secrets from her.
Melody wished that she had brought a bottle of water with her as she stepped off the train and the hot, stale, underground air hit her in her face. Climbing the stairs to the street level didn't bring any relief as Melody headed towards Central Park and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World on 84th Street. The heat was stifling, with no breeze in sight, as she turned left onto Madison Avenue and went two blocks south until she came to 84th Street. Here Melody turned right and continued to number fifteen.
Melody was thirsty and she stopped to catch her breath before she entered her building. Housed in a historic six story limestone townhouse built in 1899 and altered in 2004 into offices, study rooms, galleries, and a library was where Melody worked. She approached the entrance, a tall rounded-arch doorway surrounded by Tuscan pilasters that protruded slightly from the center of the building, the number "15" carved into the keystone and opened the door towards her. She welcomed the blast of cold air that greeted her already hot flushed face and crossed the lobby to the stairs that led to her office on the third floor.
Melody reached the first floor and rounded the bend for the second flight of stairs when she heard a worried voice behind her.
"Professor Stantz?"
Melody turned to see a student of hers with sandy blond hair and blue eyes standing at the top of the landing to go down the first flight of stairs to the lobby. It was Cassie the student who she had chased out of the tomb when Raymond had first come to China looking for Nokomis. Melody had apologized to Cassie the next day for her actions and she wondered why Cassie was here in a sleeveless blouse, mini skirt, and high heeled shoes. Melody's lecture wasn't until one. Cassie was always "overdressed" in Melody's eyes. Archeologists should be in "practical clothes" she always told her students before they left for an expedition. Cassie however was different.
Cassie had arrived in Korla, China with mini skirts, designer jeans, and an expensive two hundred dollar pair of boots. Melody had been livid when she found out that Cassie had no shorts or even a hat to wear to the Loulan Ruins.
"Wear the mini skirt!" Melody had shouted at her as she got into the van with the rest of her team, "If you get sand up your private parts don't come crying to me!"
Melody remembered watching Cassie go back into the hotel and coming out in a pair of jeans. Cassie had been hot, Melody knew, and complained constantly on the way to the ruins the first day. No one in Melody's research team liked the young girl, who had more money then she knew what to do with. Cassie's father was the "Big Wig" of some company in NYC and had paid for half of the expedition to China, but that didn't help matters any. Cassie was stuck up and thought only of herself. No one wanted to be her friend. Melody's daughter Nokomis, however had made friends with Cassie quickly.
Melody had disliked Cassie's attitude from the start, but somehow Cassie seemed different today. Not in her dress, but in her manners.
"Are you okay Professor Stantz?" Cassie asked again, clutching a backpack slung across one shoulder.
"Yes," Melody replied, "why do you ask?"
"Well," Cassie said before dropping her voice, afraid that Professor Stantz might get mad at her, "you've looked better."
Melody figured that Cassie was commenting on how red her face must look right now.
"It's really humid outside Cassie," Melody replied as she started up the second set of stairs, "and I forgot to bring a bottle of water. See you at one for our lecture."
When Melody reached the landing for the third floor she felt worse. Wanting to get to her office as soon as she could, she tried to hurry along the corridor but found the place starting to spin.
Melody made a grab for the nearest wall and continued on down towards her office at the end of the corridor. She wanted nothing more than to sit back in her office chair, turn on the window air conditioner, and drown a nice tall glass of ice cold water.
From somewhere behind her Melody faintly heard a door being opened but concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other. She was now extremely hot and her mouth was dry. She needed water.
"Thanks Lillian," Ethan said shaking her hand standing on the threshold of the door to her office, "I can't wait to tell Professor Stantz the good news."
As Ethan turned to go to his office he saw Melody stumble and almost fall towards the end of the corridor.
"Something's not right," Ethan muttered to himself as Lillian poked her head out of her office to see what Ethan was talking about.
"Well that's obvious," Lillian replied stepping out of her office to follow behind Ethan who had started off down the corridor.
"Melody?" Lillian called out as she saw Melody stop before her office door.
Ethan was two steps behind Melody when she reached her office and tried to pull the door open. Ethan furled his brows. Melody knew that her door opened in, not out. She almost acted like she was intoxicated to him. What was going on?
"Professor Stantz?" he called out as he stopped behind her.
"I'm fine Raymond," she slurred out to him, "I'm just thirsty."
"Melody," Ethan said quietly as he took her hand off of the door and slowly turned her around to face him.
Ethan gasped as he looked at Melody's pinched, pale face. He knew immediately that she wasn't intoxicated.
"I told you Raymond," Melody slurred out trying to turn around, "I'm thirsty. I forgot to bring water with me and I'm hot."
Ethan knew that this had nothing to do with the hot humid weather that the city was having this time of year. This was beyond that.
"I'm not Raymond," Ethan said quietly.
Ethan could see Melody turning back around to try an study him. The pupils of her eyes were now darting back and forth and Ethan knew that wasn't right.
"Raymond?" Melody slurred out.
"No Melody, it's Ethan your…," Ethan broke off as he heard Lillian come to a stop behind him.
Ethan didn't want Lillian to know about what had happened and quickly changed direction in what he said to Melody.
"…your co-worker," Ethan finished.
"Ethan?" Melody once again slurred out.
Ethan could see that she was trying to figure out what was going on. He also saw that Melody wasn't very sturdy on her feet as she grabbed his arm for support. Ethan put his right arm out for her to grab it should she need to.
"Melody what's wrong?" Lillian asked over Ethan's shoulder.
"I don't feel well," Melody slurred out before collapsing into Ethan's arms.