Unclean Spirit (18 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTY

              “Oh, Paul! Thank God your heart is okay! Maybe this whole mess was caused by that PAT-thing." That's what Tamara wanted to believe. 

              "Mom..." 

              "Starr," Tamara began, tears glistening in her eyes, "just allow me a few moments of self-deception here! Right now I couldn't care less about demons or exorcists! Don't you understand? Your Dad didn't have a heart attack, he's going to be fine!" 

              Paul sent Starr a look that said, "Leave it be for now." But, as he cradled Tamara in his arms, Paul found himself wondering why he hadn't been shocked by what Starr had told him had been going on at the ranch. In point of fact, Paul found himself smiling inwardly. 

              Starr, having realized that her parents needed some time alone, left the room and was headed outside for a smoke when she saw Javier Gomez exiting the elevator. She was a bit taken aback by the little jump her heart took when she saw the physician. "Christ, Starr," she told herself, "get a grip!" Little did she know that Javier's heart took a similar bounce when he spied Starr. 

              "Starr, good morning." Javier said as he walked toward Starr with his hand outstretched. 

              As the two shook hands, they were both aware that there was more to their greeting than a simple "good morning." Starr and Javier chose to ignore that "more," for now at least. 

              "Dr. Gomez, I'm so glad I ran into you. Do you know what deliverance is?" 

              Starr and Javier had settled into chairs in the visitor's lounge. The lounge was otherwise empty, so Starr told Javier what had transpired at the ranch last night. 

              "You're kidding, right?" 

              Starr did not answer. 

              "Oh, hell! I know you're not kidding, but this is all so unbelievable! Things like this simply don't happen in real life!" 

              "You wouldn't think so, would you?" quipped Starr. "The fact remains, however, that these things
are
happening." 

              "God, I don't know what to say! What are you going to do?" 

              Starr answered honestly. "Go back to the ranch as soon as you discharge my father." 

              "Starr, this changes everything!" Javier exclaimed. "I can't let your dad go back home now. I don't know what's taking place in Van Horn, but, whatever it is, your father can't be exposed to it. Christ, he just went through major surgery!" 

              "You're right, of course. Problem is, you don't know my Dad." 

              Javier did not even broach the subject of Paul's discharge from the hospital until after he had examined the wounds on his skull and legs. 

              "Your surgical incision looks great so I'll take the staples out tomorrow as planned and we'll get the MRI done. The wounds on your legs are healing amazingly well; they don't even need to be dressed any more." 

              "So, I can be released tomorrow." Paul stated, more than asked. 

              "Mr. Forsythe, Starr shared with me what happened at your home last night. I really don't think that..." 

              Paul did not permit Dr. Gomez to finish his sentence. 

              "Doctor, I don't mean any disrespect, but I will go home tomorrow, with or without your permission. I will be eternally grateful to you for all you have done for me, but it's time for me to take charge. I appreciate that you have my best interests at heart, but something is going on in my home that cannot be ignored. I don't expect you to understand or accept this, but my family is being attacked by something unfathomable, something other-worldly, something that must be conquered. As melodramatic as that sounds, it's true, and I refuse to stand idly by while my family and home are being besieged.  Furthermore, it's obvious to me that whatever has taken possession of my home has the power to reach out to me, regardless of the fact that I am a hundred miles away. I, on the other hand, have no leverage here, I can't fight back. Perhaps in my own home I will have some type of power over this...this, whatever it is. Hell, I don't know! I just know that I must, I will, go home tomorrow."

              Paul's soliloquy left everyone temporarily speechless. It was Javier Gomez who finally broke the silence. 

              "Mr. Forsythe, I concede that something extraordinarily peculiar is going on with you and your family. For all I know, you're right--some malevolent force has moved into your home. Or maybe, just maybe, there's something in Van Horn, tainted water, for example, that's causing mass psychoses. Either way though, I cannot be responsible for sending you back into that environment. You are too physically and emotionally vulnerable right now. If you insist on leaving tomorrow, you will be doing so against my medical advice." 

              "Paul, perhaps you should listen to Dr. Gomez." Tamara had been swayed by the doctor's adamancy. 

              "Tam, we are all going home tomorrow after I have the MRI. Dr. Gomez, I'm sorry if I've offended you but this is something I have to do." 

              "You've not offended me, Mr. Forsythe. I just hope you don't wind up regretting your decision. 

              “By the way, Mrs. Forsythe, your lab work came back and, just as I suspected, you are slightly dehydrated. The only treatment you need for that is to drink plenty of liquids and stay out of the sun for awhile.” 

              Starr followed Javier out of her father's room and softly grabbed hold of his arm. 

              "Dr. Gomez, please don't be angry." 

              "I'm not...yes, all right, I am angry. Your father is an intelligent man but he's behaving stupidly! He had brain surgery for Christ's sake and now he wants to go home and fight demons! He simply does not have the strength right now to do battle with the preternatural!"

              "Dr. Gomez..."

              "You would think that he would pay attention to my advice! Jesus, I've had umpteen years of medical training and experience. I..." 

              "Javier!" The physician was stopped short by Starr's use of his given name. "Listen to yourself. You sound as though you actually believe what Dad had to say." 

              Javier was shocked by Starr's comment. Could she be right? Was he starting to buy into all of this supernatural bullshit? Had his grandmother's antiquated belief system taken root within him after all? Javier's thoughts were transformed into words as he finally responded to Starr. "I believe that your father believes everything he says. As for me, I'm not convinced that there isn't a rational and scientific explanation for all that has, and is, happening. For example, when I mentioned the possibility of tainted water earlier I wasn't being facetious. I hadn't thought of it until today, but the water should be tested. Having said that, I have to acknowledge the fact that science does not yet have an answer for everything that occurs in the universe.  In short, do I believe that demons are residing in Van Horn? No, I do not. I am, however, ready to at least consider the possibility of the paranormal as it relates to your father's condition and the occurrences in Van Horn." 

              "Thank you, Dr. Gomez. That's all I ask." Starr felt as though she and the doctor had hurdled a barrier.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

              Saul was exhausted, but he couldn't ignore his professional responsibilities. Fortunately, it hadn't been a very busy day at the office. Little Rocio Parra had fallen off her tricycle and needed a few stitches in her arm; Mike Murphy's prostate had been acting up again and he'd needed to be catheterized; Jim Howard had a infected toenail that required treatment. 

              Saul was winding up for the day when Wanda's voice came booming over the intercom. "DR. GOMEZ ON LINE ONE." 

              A very frustrated Saul Feener put the phone's receiver back on its cradle. Why hadn't he thought to have the drinking water tested? How could he have missed something so basic? And all of a sudden, Saul was thinking about Hillie Perkins again: The child had died because he hadn't detected the sickness in her mother; were the citizens of Van Horn going to suffer because he had overlooked the obvious? 

              "It's not the water, Doctor." 

              Saul was yanked from his thoughts by a soft, sweet voice; a voice that emanated from the wraith that drifted directly in front of him.

              "Not the water..." Hillie Perkins repeated as her small form mingled with the molecules of the air until she was no longer visible.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

The Seventh Night

              Despite Hillie Perkins' admonition, Saul had worked late into the evening testing samples of Van Horn's potable water only to discover that Hillie had been right; there was nothing in the water that could account for the strange goings-on at the Forsythe ranch. Additionally, while examining the water's chemical properties, Saul had been struck by the realization that he had not been surprised to see and hear from Hillie again. In point of fact, he had to acknowledge to himself that he was starting to view Hillie as a living, breathing person. Saul knew the child was dead; was he cracking-up, he wondered, or was he finally opening interior doors that had been kept closed and locked for most of his life? 

              It was well after eleven by the time the Forsythe household had settled in for the night. Mag, thinking that his presence might be needed, was sleeping over. Patsy, exhausted and sore from the events of the preceding night, snored loudly while Marybeth watched over her. Charlie, tired, but too wired to sleep, spent time with Jose Cuervo. Penelope and Cooter cuddled in the barn. 

              The plaintive howl of a coyote punctuated the otherwise quiet darkness. A thick blue, malodorous haze haunted the cellar floor and encased the pulpit that stood at its center.

              Paul's body hovered inches above his hospital bed. This had happened previously, but this time Paul was aware of his levitation. He yearned to scream out, but he could force no noise from his vocal cords. He struggled to move, but his muscles would not respond. He could do nothing when the blacker than black cloud descended from the ceiling and enshrouded him. 

              Starr was neither asleep nor awake. She was in an altered state of consciousness, one in which sights and sounds merged to create a discordant diorama. A constant swirl of colors--black, violet, blue, yellow--served as backdrop for the tableaus that encased Starr and circled around her at an ever-increasing speed. A dog sat atop a podium and arched its neck at an impossible angle in order to howl at the man who floated above it; a newborn infant wailed as it hammered nails into a miniature coffin; a little girl shoved cake into herself until her abdomen burst open; a naked man farted non-stop while he glued the broken pieces of an enormous crystal cross back together; a young woman in a transparent nightgown balanced a gigantic seahorse on her tongue; the doors of a kitchen pantry flew open, revealing an endless stock of chocolate-chip cookies. Eventually, these scenes spun around Starr so quickly they became a dizzying blur. 

              Then, without warning, Starr fell into a normal sleep cycle, one that carried with it no residue of what Starr had just experienced. 

              Tamara muttered softly in her sleep. "Paul, you must fight it! If it wins, we all die!"

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

              By the time Tamara and Starr arrived at the hospital the next morning, Javier was in the process of removing the staples from Paul’s skull. 

              "Good morning. Come on in. I just have a few more to go."  Javier smiled at Tamara and Starr as they entered the room.

              "There, all out. The incision looks great. I'll see to it that your MRI is done as soon as possible, Mr. Forsythe." 

              "And then I go home." Paul pronounced. 

              "Mr. Forsythe, I've given a great deal of thought as to whether or not I should discharge you and I've decided to do so, if your MRI is okay. Your heart is fine, your neurological assessment is normal, and your leg is just about healed. Moreover, I know you are going to leave with or without my permission. 

              "I've spoken to Dr. Feener several times and he sounds quite competent; I want your word that you will see him regularly once you return home. As soon as I get your MRI results and finish some necessary paperwork, I will send him a complete copy of your hospital records. Also, I want to see you in my office in two weeks."

              "You have my promise, Dr. Gomez, I will follow-up with Dr. Feener. And thank you. Not just for letting me go home but for everything you've done." Paul's gratitude was sincere. 

              "You are very welcome, Mr. Forsythe. 

              "Now, does anyone have any questions?" 

              Tamara spoke up. "Will Paul need any medications?"

              "Yes," Javier replied," but I'll bring the prescriptions in and give you complete discharge instructions once I get the MRI results." 

              "A little insurance that I'll stay put for awhile, Doc?" Paul smiled as he spoke. 

              Javier smiled in return. "Maybe." 

              Paul and Tamara looked knowingly at one another as Starr said, "I'll be right back," and followed Javier out of the room. 

              Javier asked tentatively, "Will you be coming with your parents when they come back to see me?" 

              "That all depends on how Dad is doing. I have a business in Dallas that my partner is running right now, but I can't expect for her to do that indefinitely," Starr answered. 

              Javier's disappointment was evident. When he had first met Tamara, she had told him that her daughter would be flying in from Dallas but he had not recalled that until just now; he had simply assumed that Starr lived in Van Horn. "Oh, I had forgotten that you live in Dallas. Well..."

              "Dr...Javier, you don't know how much I wish circumstances were different, in many respects." 

              While Starr and Javier talked, so did Paul and Tamara. 

              "It's odd, Tam, but I feel better than I have in a very long time, and I don't mean just since the accident. I don't know why, but I feel physically and emotionally strong. Maybe all the 'paranormal' stuff that's been going on is over with." Paul was being truthful about how he felt, but he had no intention of disclosing last night's episode of levitation. For some reason, he felt as though it would be traitorous--to whom, he didn't know--to reveal that phenomenon to his wife and daughter. 

              "God, Paul, I hope you're right!" But something told Tamara Paul was mistaken, that the 'paranormal stuff' was far from over.