The Doctor's Medicine Woman (11 page)

After they exchanged a look, the boys focused their gazes on the doorway of the wigwam and shouted, “Hey!” Jared glanced at Travis and whispered, “That means hello.”

“O’ho,”
Diana called back. “Welcome!”

Travis followed the boys inside, ducking his head in order to get through the doorway. The inside of the wigwam was toasty warm due to a small fire that had been built in a shallow pit in the middle of the floor. Wisps of smoke rose, escaping through the hole at the apex of the ceiling.

“Come in.”

The sound of Diana’s soft coaxing drew his gaze to her, and the sight of her made him stop in his tracks. Her ceremonial robe was made of supple white deer hide, the front of it decorated with elaborate beading. And the fluidlike fringe swept through the air with each movement of her hands and arms. Her black hair, left loose and flowing, glistened in the firelight. She was beautiful. Utterly and breath-takingly beautiful. It would have been easy for him imagine stepping back in time a thousand years.

Diana motioned to him and the others, and they all filed in. Then Sloan, the last to enter, folded down the blanket attached to the top of the doorway in
order to hold in the heat. “Please, sit,” she instructed them, and they all lowered themselves onto the mats and quilts she’d used to cover the bare earth floor.

Expectancy and anticipation seemed to ripple over the small group. Travis felt anxious nerves dancing in his stomach. Maybe that was because none of them really knew what to expect.

The sound of Diana’s lyrical voice filled the air, and Travis’s gaze riveted to her as she lifted her hands, palms open, in prayer. He wondered what the others might think of his magnificent Medicine Woman, yet he was too enamored with her at this moment to look at anyone or anything but her.

The Algonquian words rolled from her tongue like liquid gold, coating them all with the distinct feeling that this moment was sacred. Finally she let her gaze meet everyone in the wigwam and she greeted each person with a smile of true welcome.

“Tonight,” she said, “you have graced us with your presence as we name Josh and Jared and Travis with their Kolheek names. But first, the boys have gifts for the ladies.” She looked at the twins, then nodded at the boys.

“A long time ago,” Jared haltingly began, “Indian girls would decorate their hair with beads made of seashells. Later, they had beads made of glass. The beads were sometimes used like money and it was called…” His words trailed as he looked at Diana with sudden panic. She smiled at him calmly.

Josh offered, “Wampum.” He offered Sydney a string of colorful beads. “It’s for decoration,” he told her.

Sydney grinned with glee. “It’s a hair clip,” she
told her sisters as Jared handed the other girls theirs. The triplets thanked the boys and busied themselves inserting the clips into their hair.

“Back in the olden days, little girls played with dolls,” Jared told Jane who was holding little Joy, “just like girls do today. So we made Joy a doll. It’s felt, but sometimes the dolls were made of wood. But me and Josh don’t know how to carve.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jane told him. “Joy will cherish it.” Joy’s eyes were wide as she accepted the doll with its long hair made of strands of yarn.

Josh said, “We made purses for Jane and Rachel.” The women smiled at him and he turned red.

Jared said, “These purses are better than what you buy in the store. They tie around your waist so you don’t have to hold onto ’em.” His tone was filled with fascination, as though he’d invented a brand-new idea.

Jane and Rachel oohed and aahed appreciatively over their gifts.

The boys then returned to the seats and Diana said, “I made the gifts for Sloan and Greg, but please remember, the gifts are given in honor of the boys and Travis.” She twisted and when she turned to face them once again, Travis saw that she was holding two strips of fabric.

“Wampum belts were important to the Kolheek,” she explained. “They were a record of history. Some wampum belts were a record of the laws. These belts I have made are of your personal history. As your history changes, the belts can change, too.”

Greg received his belt with an indrawn breath. “It’s just lovely, Diana. Thank you.” Then he
pointed to the beaded figures, saying to his wife, “Look, here’s me, you and Joy.”

“I’m on mine,” Sloan said. “With the girls. Three of them. Identical triplets.”

“Cool,” one of the girls said.

“But, Diana,” Greg said, “what’s this symbol?”

“It represents a healer,” she told him. “And the fringe on the bottom represents tendrils of smoke. Kolheek are The People Of The Smoke.”

Everyone settled down quickly, but the excitement sparking in the warm air seemed to pop and snap with more energy as each second passed.

“As a Medicine Woman,” Diana said, “it is my duty to get to know the boys well enough that I can bestow on them a name that fits them perfectly. Normally I do this by talking with their parents. However, that wasn’t an available option to me since Travis was just getting to know the boys at the same time I was. So, I’ve spent lots and lots of time with them. We’ve talked about many things. I hope they have learned things from me, just as I have learned things from them.”

Reaching out, she offered her hand to Jared, who took it and came to stand in front of where she sat.

“You will be called
GansXewulon kwan,
” she told him. “Roaring Wing. Your wit is quick. Your communication skills powerful. I have watched you jump and play with great abandon. You will fly high and achieve many successes in your life.”

Now it was Josh’s turn to stand before the Medicine Woman. “Josh,” she said, “you will be called
Kulamapuw Ox cho.
Quiet Mountain. Brother Mountain is loyal beyond belief, lending himself as refuge,
year after year. He is honorable, loving those who come to dwell on him. And his vast age has granted him wisdom that is hard to equal. You, too, will achieve many successes in your life.”

Emotion knotted in Travis’s throat. He would never be able to repay Diana for the pride she was helping to instill in Josh and Jared, for the memory she was providing his boys.

Diana asked both boys to stand and face the fire. All eyes were on the twins as Diana said, “These children will require years of love and guidance if they are to grow into capable, strong and self-reliant adults. I ask you to grant these children the concern and affection that will instill in them a deep sense of security, and the firm direction that will enable them to grow into moral, responsible young men.”

Emphatic nods and murmurs of assent stirred the air. Then Diana paused, the wigwam once again growing silent, expectant. Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply. She rose and inched around behind Travis, placing her warm fingertips on his shoulders.

“For Travis, I have chosen the name
Xing wee E lah.
Great Warrior.”

Travis started with a jerk. He knew Diana had to have felt his reaction. But there was no way for him to see her face. Why would she gift him with such a name unless she’d had a change of heart? Unless she’d realized that the two of them belonged together…

“No one,” Diana calmly continued, “but the greatest of warriors would come to the aid of two sick little boys. No one but the greatest of warriors would go to the lengths that Travis has for Josh and
Jared. Rescuing them when they were lost. Taking them in. Loving them. Providing for them. When they had no one else.”

With each word she spoke, Travis felt a little more deflated. He’d thought the name she’d given him had to do with her feelings for him. With their feelings for each other. However, he quickly realized that wasn’t what she’d been thinking at all.

He was proud of his Kolheek name. He was proud to be seen, to be thought of, as having saved the boys. But that concept went both ways. Those children had saved him. They had helped to open a whole new world to him. They had brought the bright and warm light of love into his cold, dim life. For that, he would be forever grateful. He loved his boys. Very much.

“I know that all of you here love Travis,” she said to the group. “During my time in Philadelphia, I have seen the deep friendships all of you share. All I ask, is that you continue to support Travis. Continue to love him. Continue to be his friends.”

Emotions ran high in the small confines of the wigwam. The eyes of every female were misty with tears. Even the men seemed choked up by the warm sentiment Diana had created.

The feelings churning in Travis were phenomenal. Pride and love for his boys roared through him like a raging river. Appreciation, affection and joy rushed at him when he gazed at all his friends. Yet a deep sadness squirmed inside him when he thought of losing the love of his life.

Later that evening when the house was quiet, Diana stood in the living room, staring out at the night.
Clouds had begun to gather and snow was falling, softly, silently.

The guests had left, the boys were sleeping, and she had no idea where Travis was. But she knew he hadn’t gone to bed. She knew he intended to speak with her. She had read it in the deep, intense looks he’d given her through dinner.

She hadn’t wanted to tell him the full truth. She hadn’t wanted him to know that she wasn’t a whole woman. But in the end, she was sure he’d force her into it. She was sure he wouldn’t stop trying to convince her that they were meant to be together until she revealed all there was to reveal. The thought made her melancholy. But she could tell revealing all would be inevitable.

Besides, what did it matter if he knew? She’d be leaving here. And she’d never see Travis again.

That thought was enough to make her eyes mist.

“Diana.”

She closed her eyes. It was time. She’d have to tell him.

“Please don’t be angry with me any longer,” he said. “I know now that I should never have kissed you that way. I should never have tried to…”

His words faded. It was clear that his heart was aching. But there was nothing she could do about that. There was nothing she could do about the ache in her own heart. “I’m not angry anymore,” she told him. “I do understand that you meant well. I know that now.”

“But you still don’t understand that we’re soul mates, do you? You still intend to leave.”

She sighed then, and turned to face him. “I will tell you the truth, Travis. I believe that…” Her breath caught. Did she really have the courage to say this? “I believe that we are soul mates. But I still intend to leave.”

“But
why?
”

He touched her then, his palms cupping her shoulders, and hot tears welled in her eyes. She hated seeing the hurt in his eyes, hated knowing that she put it there. “I have proof,” she told him. “Evidence of my…condition.”

“Evidence? What are you talking about?”

Her inhalation was shaky. “All those months I was married. I never had an…I never…”

“Climaxed?” he offered. “You’ve never had an orgasm?”

She nodded, unable to look him in the eye. “If I stayed here, if we were to be together, our relationship would fall apart faster than you can imagine. Frustration is a terrible thing for a man to have to suffer. I know. I’ve seen it before.” Forcing herself to look up into his face, she added, “I would never want to see you look at me with anger and disappointment. Never. That’s why I’m leaving. Tomorrow.” With sorrow weighing heavy on her, she turned from him and walked away.

Hours later, she lay awake, desolation covering her in a mantle colder and more suffocating than the inches of snow that had fallen. What would her grandmother say? she wondered. How would her grandmother respond to Diana’s returning to the reservation, once again, brokenhearted.

It was then that her grandmother’s odd words
came back to echo in her mind:
We’ll see what fate has in store.

Diana sat up in bed. Could her grandmother have known? she wondered. Could her grandmother have realized that she was going to fall in love with Travis?

The knock on her bedroom door had her glancing at the clock: 2:00 a.m. The last thing she wanted was more discussion about her sexual dysfunction. She covered her head and hoped he’d go away. Long minutes ticked by without a second knock. Why would he…?

Curiosity made her toss back the covers and go to the door. She pulled it open. The hallway was empty, but taped to the outside of the door was a note. Peering in the moonlight, she read,
Meet me in the wigwam.

Oh, Lord, he was going to make her refuse him yet again. Tugging on her boots, she wearily tied the laces and pulled the quilt off the bed to use as a cloak. This wouldn’t take long.

Moonlight lit a path through the bare trees and threw shadows over the snow. She shivered, but trudged ahead. Pulling aside the blanket covering the doorway, she ducked and went inside.

“Travis…”

The wigwam was empty, a fire casting an orange glow and plenty of warmth. She let the quilt drop to the floor. Where was he?

The question barely had time to register in her mind when she heard it. The soulful notes of a flute. Travis was serenading her! The idea was so romantic, so heartwarming, that she had to smile. The man was
impossible. Unwittingly she knelt down on the quilt to listen to the simple tune. What it told her was that he wanted her despite her problem. That he loved her enough to want her just the way she was. Her heart swelled with warmth.

The music ended, and his handsome face appeared in the doorway. “Okay,” he said, “so I don’t have much musical talent.”

Despite the dire situation, she laughed.

He came inside, sliding down next to her. “That’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Prettier than any flute. Any flute I’ve ever played, anyway.”

“You’re so silly,” she said.

“But you love me,” he whispered. “Say it. I want to hear you say it.”

“Oh, Travis.” She tried to look away, but he captured her chin between his gentle fingers. Finally, she admitted, “I do. I love you. But—”

“No buts. Trust me.”

“I want to, but—”

“Now, now,” he warned, a delicious twinkle glittering in his dark gaze, “what did I say about that?”