What Happened That Night Ch. 02

So the guy agrees and every day, instead of coming to see Chris, I have to go to the gas station. It sucked, but Chris was adamant about it. Then one day Perkins, the owner, says that if I did not want him to tell Chris that I was stealing again I would have to perform some "special" service for him.

Azrael just looked at Ashley and said "What did you do?" her tone was not judging just curious.

"Well I got on my knees and when he went to drop his pants I punched him square in his balls and hauled ass. When I got to the shop I was in tears and told Chris what happened. Chris just held me and told me everything would be ok and he would take care of it. He gave me some money and told me to get some take-out and rented a hotel room for me that night."

Ashley smiled "So I went to Pizza Hut and ate and went to the hotel room Chris got me. I just could not relax there and really missed the shop so I snuck back in. By that time Chris had already moved in a lot of tools and he had Perkins head in a vice and was using a blow torch burning off what little hair the guy had."

"Now Perkins, you are going to be Ashley's guardian angel. From what I hear you sick kiddy fucking nasty's all know each other or something. I have to go back to my unit so here is what is going to happen: you will make sure nothing, and I mean NOTHING, happens to her. You will do this and she will never know that's you. In fact, if she so much as gets a paper cut or hangnail I am coming for you. If she even gets a whiff of your fetid stink in her general direction then I am coming for you."

Chris said everything with a smile, like he was just talking to an old friend. Chris then kicked him in his nuts and told him.

"You know what; I don't think Ash is going to come into the gas station anymore. I bet we can call her debt paid."

"I never told Chris I saw that. He could have got in so much trouble. I mean no one would have believed me over Perkins, but Chris didn't even question it. He always has my back like that. Of course he did not leave just to Perkins to put the word out and look after me, he told his father too. If you stick around he might take you to meet Steven and trust me, no one wants to fuck with that guy."

I don't know what to say, listening to Ashley tell this just brings up old memories. I know it was not my finest hour, but I have never regretted it. I just wished that she never knew what I did. I do not want her to look at me as some kind of monster. The girl is a pain in the ass but she is my pain in the ass I guess. I turn to walk into the room where my body is. I know I have not done shit today but I am already feeling tired.

When I step through the door I am bewildered to find myself standing in front of Joshua's house...the genesis of my old life's ruin. All of this insanity...no, craziness. Insanity would have meant this wasn't really happening to me.

It felt like it was only yesterday that I rode my bike here. I approach the door.

"What does this do?" a melodic female voice muses behind me. I spun around to see a woman bent beside my bike, looking at my fuel intake system. She wears a simple, ankle-length blue skirt and a billowy, white Peasant blouse. From my angle I can tell she's nicely endowed and going bra-less. Her hair is thick, black and wavy - clearly of Eastern Mediterranean extraction.

"That's my...." I notice when she stands up, she looks obliquely past me. I make a snap gaze over my shoulder to see what she is looking at. Nothing stands out.

"Ah...Christopher, my direct gaze is not for someone of your lineage. Not yet anyway," her voice flows out like a cool mountain stream with a hint of honeysuckle.

"You are not...are we real?" I piece together thoughts from my confusion.

"You and I are quite real, Christopher Sanders. I am Ishara of the Hurrian and Hittite peoples, Martial Goddess of the Host, Dot to those who hold my heart and in my time a twin-soul of Ishtar - it's complicated. Suffice it to say, your circumstance is near-death, perfectly normal for a person with your condition and rarely fatal."

"I - okay, Ishara. What does that mean: 'near-death, perfectly normal for a person with your condition and rarely fatal'?" I engage her.

"Oh," she laughs. "I am like most divinities; often meddlesome, occasionally helpful and never precise."

"Par for the course," I mutter. "Why are you here? Are you interested in Azrael? And what is with the 'Host' bit? Angels...demons?"

"I am here to give you a nudge and remind Azrael of the rules we operate under - guide, but do not direct. Don't worry, I'm off to see her next. As for Host," she chortled. "That is what my Amazons call themselves. Amazon is a Greek word and they don't much care for anything Greek, past and present."

"If you are here to pay a visit to Azrael, why are you here...at this place...with me?" I inquire.

"To let you know we care, Christopher. We can only safely do so much without upsetting the balance. It is that balance that keeps you mortals safe from things far worse than Azrael - things like the creatures who placed that abominable lore in the minds of those who would have turned you into their sacrifice."

"I hadn't thought about that..." I mutter.

"Yours was no accidental meeting. You and Azrael were targeted," she gives a weary smile of one who is used to being savaged by limitations.

"Targeted by who?" I perk up.

"I have to go, Christopher. Don't just take care - take care of those who care for you. Good-bye. Oh, before I go, remember the fortune cookie." With that, she vanishes into a rapidly diminishing silver mist.

With her disappearance comes the pain. No, not the emotional pain that came with seeing my mother or grandfather. No, this is good'ol regular physical pain. It's pretty sad that this is the most normal thing that has happened to me lately. I hurt all over. This is worse than when my M1025 Humvee got flipped in an IED attack.

"Come back Chris, that's right lyublyu wake up."

I open my eyes to the beautiful Dr. Koshka running her fingers through my hair.

"Welcome back" she says with a smile that just melts me. Then she gets up and leaves like the fires of hell were warming her wondrous backside...for a white girl she really has an ass.

Soon a man in a white lab coat comes in.

"Hello Chris I am Dr. Richards. You gave us quite a scare."

The Dr. starts looking over a file while continuing to speak. I am pretty much ignoring him while he goes on about the medical mumbo jumbo. Then it dawns on me that the lovely Dr. Koshka has not returned.

"Umm where is Dr. Koshka? I thought she was taking care of me." I ask the Doc.

He looks at me for a minute, then wrote something in his chart. Then he starts checking some readings on the machine before just walking out the door, not even answering my question. He is gone only a minute or two when he comes back followed by another doctor type.

It's the second Doctor that speaks this time.

"So Chris, you are asking about Dr. Koshka. Has someone mentioned her to you?"

What is the big fucking deal, I mean does me asking a question really rate two doctors. Then it dawns on me I should have not known her name. I was supposed to be out of it when I saw her stand off with Ashley and Azrael.

"Yeah Doc I was in and out of it when I heard a nurse or someone mention her name."

The two docs visibly relax and the other pats Dr. Richards shoulder and just walks out. Dr. Richards starts with his bag again and I start ignoring him. I am sure in his own little world he's saying something important. Doctors always thought they were so important.

"Ok Doctor can I get out of here now and where is my clothes and the rest of my shit?"

The doctor looks at me like I grew a second head.

"Mr. Sanders I don't think you understand; you are coming off a sustained episode of involuntary muscle spasm and extremely abnormal EEG and EKG readings."

"Sure doc, just bring out the AMA. I will sign it, give me my shit and I will leave."

"Mr. Sanders please understand..."

"No Doc I don't want to be here. I am not staying, so unless what you have to say gets me out of here I don't want to hear it."

You know that is real big talk coming from a guy in a paper gown and strapped down to a hospital bed. It must have worked because he leaves pretty quickly and it's not long before the same nurse that tried to hold Ashley and Azrael is back with my things and papers for me to sign.

"Excuse me nurse there should have been two women here, one a young blond and the other a brunette. They were not kicked out of the hospital or anything were they?"

The nurse just laughs.

"No, someone has called them and they will be here shortly."

Called them from where I wonder. I would have thought they would have been in the hospital all night. Then I remember that tonight is Ashley's GED prep class and I told her that she could not miss any of them for any reason. That seems to answer what Ashley is doing but what about Azrael? I hope that she is not out being left to her own devices.

I finish getting dressed and find my keys and my boots. I start walking out when the nurse comes back with a wheel chair. I almost tell her to piss off that I don't need it, but I figure she has already been through enough today, so I just sit down like a good patient. I swear I hear her sigh in relief and she starts pushing me to my freedom.

She wheels me outside right when Ashley and Azrael show up in the truck. It is bright outside, so I must have been here overnight. Ashley is wearing her riding boots, jeans and one of her mechanic shirts that say her name on the front and has the black jack cycles logo on the back.

Azrael is dressed in some really short shorts and a white wife beater. Seriously, Catharine Bach would be shocked how short these things were. As soon as they saw me they rush up to hug me, with Azrael lifting me out of the chair. It is amazing how strong she is and when she is in this form sometimes I forget she is not human. I turn to make sure no one noticed that this woman just dead lifted my big ass with no problems but the nurse is already hightailing it back into the hospital.

"Ok Ladies we have a lot to talk about so let's head to my house. First let's stop by Wendy's and grab something to eat."

The girls just look at each other and we all get in the truck and head home. My body's still sore but not as bruised as I expected. In fact the bruises look less vibrant than they should for only a day. I was sitting in the back with Azrael driving and Ashley in the passenger seat playing with the radio.

I swear I only close my eyes for a second and when I open them again we are at the house. Azrael just unlocks the door and Ashley walks in, cool as you please, with me following close behind. I look around in awe for a second then step back outside to make sure this is my house. I walk back in and it is spotless. Not only is it clean but the furniture is rearranged and it smells wonderful. I look around downstairs and everything is immaculate and it is the same upstairs.

It looks like instead of two there are three of the four bedrooms occupied. The one I used to sleep in is very different, gone where the posters of bikes, bands and girls. My motorcycle manuals are nowhere to be found. A new queen size bed takes up a lot of the room and the ensuite bathroom is now dressed in light blue. I open the top drawer of the dresser and there are some ladies unmentionables. I lift up a pair of boyshorts that seem to be made out of lace... I hope that these are ladies undergarments.

"Chris, what are you doing?"

Ashley rushes in the room and grabs the panties out of my hand while starting to push me out of the room.

"Excuse me young lady this is my home and what the actual fuck is going on?"

"Well Chris, since this is your home then we are your guests. Go cook us something. in fact, make that thing I like." Ashley says as she pushes me down the stairs to the kitchen.

When my house was a disaster pretty much mirroring my life, the kitchen was my solace. Both my mother and father always used to say that a man must cook well if he ever wants the love of a good woman. I cooked for Samantha the first year of our marriage, but after I found out she was buying tickets to ride the cock carousel I stopped.

Azrael is sitting on my kitchen counter while I pull out the chicken and carrots for my Coq Au Vin that Ashley loves. I see that the women planned ahead. This must be why they let me sleep instead of stopping at that fast food joint I asked them to.

Azrael is swinging a shapely leg back and forth humming something to herself. She looks really happy as she watches me preparing the food.

"Hey Ashley, why do you want dinner when it is barely lunch time?"

I was curious. This dish was pretty time consuming not to mention it sits heavy on the stomach so she will not be in the mood for dinner.

"Hey man, unlike some people, we have not laid around in a hospital bed, so after I eat I am going to pass the fuck out and not get up again unless the house is on fire or some hot Asian chick comes in and wants to lick peanut butter off my toes."

Well with that stunning visual I decided it was my time to shut the fuck up.

"Master, she seems happier now that she does not have to hide this from you."

I pull out the chocolate and the cognac and just smile to myself.

"She never did, all I want is for her to be happy and I don't care who it is with...well as long as it is not you."

I break a piece of the chocolate bar and offer it to Azrael and she just freezes. Like she's made of stone, she just stares at me unblinking. What the hell is wrong with this girl? She slowly opens her mouth but that's the only movement. I don't even think she's breathing. So I just place the piece of chocolate on her tongue and she closes her mouth still staring at me.

"You would feed me master? From your own hand?"

Crap, did I break some form of demon etiquette or something? She looks like she's about to start crying so I just hug her. She spreads her legs to pull me closer and clutches me pretty tight, so tight that her talons dig into my side. It hurts like hell but it feels like she needs this, so I just grit my teeth and hope she doesn't draw blood.

"Whoa, what did I miss?"

Ashley comes in grabbing a piece of chocolate and sits on the counter where Azrael is. Azrael still hasn't let me go.

"Hey Azrael you are going to have to let him go if you want him to finish."

Ashley gently lays her hand on Azrael to pull her away. Azrael kisses me again and slips her too long tongue in my mouth before breaking away and getting off the counter. I swear it might have been a tear falling.

"You know Chris, she might not be human but I think she will be good for you."

I just look at Ashley before putting the oven on simmer and start with the rice.

"Thanks Ashy you know I live for your approval."

Ashley kisses me on the cheek as she walks out the kitchen.

"You're such a dick Chris."

I putter around the kitchen until the meal is about done and I hear the doorbell chime. It is all quiet for a minute or two and then I hear it go off again.

"Hey is someone going to get the door?"

I am met with silence. Fuck, there are two other people in my damn house and I'm the one having to answer doors. This is some bullshit and I'm considering letting whoever it is at the door carry their ass on. I'm not in the mood for company and none of my friends would come to my house. Well one would but he is off in New York.

The doorbell goes off again so I throw one of the dish towels over my shoulder to answer it. I open the door, about to chew the ass off whatever salesmen that wants to fucking bother me and am pleasantly surprised. There's this red hair at about chest height, part of the beautifully angular face of Dr. Koshka. I learned from my previous snafu with the two doctors when I woke, so this time I am going to let her start. I just look down at her and try to put on my most charming smile... that I am probably failing miserably at.

"Can I help you mam?"

She just opens and closes her mouth like she is trying to figure out something to say. Her hands keep moving like she wants to do something with them, but she doesn't know what. She finally just takes a big breath.

"Yes. My name is Doctor Koshka, Lada Koshka and I am a Dr. Well I was your doctor, not that I am your doctor anymore but I am still a doctor. Anyway I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to check how you're doing and see if you needed me, I mean not me but a doctor not that you would need a doctor but umm..."

Then Azrael comes out with a spoonful of rice and stew and shoves it in her mouth. The lovely Dr. Koshka lets out an audible moan and closes her eyes savoring the food.

"Well Lada, I think you owe Ashley twenty dollars."

The aforementioned person comes down while the good Doctor pulls some money out of her bra strap and hands it to her. I just crook my eyebrow at Ashley and she smiles sheepishly.

"I bet Lada that you could make a woman melt with your cooking."

I look at Ash in exasperation "Well, invite her in for lunch then."

As Dr. Koshka walks past me she runs her fingers over my chest, sending tingles through my skin. I swear I smelled lilacs very faintly.

I come back to the kitchen while the women talk to one another like old friends. It leaves me wondering what the fuck has happened while I was out. Shit, it was only a night.

I start making plates and pull out a bottle of 1983 Merlot from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. I might not drink but I can appreciate how a fine wine can really bring the meal together. For me I pull out a bottle of root beer.

"Hey Ashley, food's on and the plates are on the counter."

I'm making my way with my plate to the sofa to see what I missed on the boob tube. Maybe I can see if Netflix has my cartoons streaming. I'm pissed that they keep putting on shit and taking it off as soon as I add it to my queue.

With nothing on I settle for some inane TV show when I catch Ashley out the corner of my eyes with her hands on her hips looking at me with what I detect is some annoyance.

"Hey Ash what's up?"

Then Lada comes from my other side and grabs my plate and drink off the living room table and goes back into the dining room.

"What the fuck!"

I jump up and see what they did. The dining room is clean. In fact it looks amazing. It is taking some getting used to. Samantha never cleaned and I would be damned if I was going to make my house nice, just so she could use it as a brothel. Now though, the unused work out equipment is gone... as well as the motorcycle parts and miscellaneous odds and ends. My table instead of looking like another work bench is cleaned and the plates are arranged nicely, even with coasters for the cups.

Lada sets my plate and bottle down at the head of the table and she takes her seat to my left. Azrael sits to the right and Ashley sits besides her.

"You know Chris, meals as fine as this should not take place in front of the television."

When Lada says that Azrael and Ashley chuckle. Not knowing what else to do and feeling more than a little hungry I sit down. I notice that no one had started eating until I sat and felt bad for making them wait.

The conversation flows easily and the good Dr is really funny and engaging. She seems really interested in my shop and makes me promise to bring her by sometime. She also touches me a lot, which is kind of odd; it's almost like she's flirting.

"Chris what are you drinking?"

Azrael holds my bottle while asking, smelling it and giving the liquid a swirl.

"This is A&W root beer. It is truly nectar of the gods. Why don't you try some?"

Azrael stops what she's doing and looks at me. She slowly brings the bottle to her lips and takes a very delicate sip, which she holds.