The Assassin Awakens

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

2 WEEKS EARLIER

Tasha Salen worked as a medical assistant in the Emergency Department at Metropolitan Hospital and was exhausted from working a double shift.

She was twenty-six years old, married to a great man with whom she had two wonderful young children, and she hated her life. That wasn’t always the case. Three years before, she was fresh out of the Army and working full-time as a paramedic as she finished nursing school. It was an exciting time in her life, and she had a bright future.

One cold, winter evening, she agreed to go out for drinks with her dear high school friend Bethany Braxton. The two had been very close for years and played basketball together throughout high school. Bethany always looked up to Tasha and all that she’d accomplished. Tasha had managed a full-time job while going to school. That was motivation beyond what Bethany had. Bethany was content working as an assistant manager in a convenience store.

That evening, both girls drank too much. On the way to drop Bethany off, Tasha was driving when she hit an icy spot and slid across the road, striking a tree.

Tasha regained consciousness moments before the police arrived and found herself moved to the passenger seat of the damaged car. Her head was pounding, and blood was running down her face. Uninjured, Bethany was now behind the wheel. She looked at her best friend and said, “I was driving.”

Tasha was in no condition to argue.

Tasha was still plagued with severe head pain and memory problems from the grade 3 concussion six months later. She had to drop out of nursing school and quit working as a medic. At the same time, Bethany was getting out of county jail after completing the sentence she served for a DUI causing injury, which she didn’t deserve.

When Tasha asked why Bethany had switched places with her, Bethany explained, “You had worked too hard and had much more to lose.”

Now, three years later, the headaches and memory problems were gone, but with two young boys, going back and finishing school seemed like an overwhelming prospect. Instead, she worked as a medical assistant for a fraction of what she would have made as an RN and resented every minute of it.

Still, she was eternally grateful to Bethany for her sacrifice. If it weren’t for her act of friendship, Tasha would have been the one in county jail, and she wouldn’t have met Danny Salen, her husband and the father of her two young boys.

She was a little surprised when Bethany texted her out of the blue, asking if she could meet up that evening. Even though Tasha had worked sixteen hours, she agreed to meet her best friend for dinner. For some reason, Bethany asked her to meet at a restaurant on the other side of town. It was a place Tasha had never even heard of.

The map on her dashboard screen led her to the parking lot behind the establishment. Tasha parked and got out, looking around at the less than impressive restaurant in a neighborhood that had seen better times. Avoiding several large holes in the pavement, Tasha walked towards the restaurant, opened the door, and was aware of the dim lighting. She assumed it was to hide the place’s lack of cleanliness. There was an unnaturally strong floral smell, which probably was there to conceal something more unpleasant. It was a little before 8 pm, and the place was nearly empty. She quickly spotted her friend sitting near the rear of the dining room.

As she approached the booth, Bethany stood, and the two friends embraced.

Bethany had always been a bit overweight, with a round face and long blonde hair.

Speaking first, Tasha said, “From now on, I pick the restaurants.”

Bethany smiled, “I thought we’d do something different tonight.”

Sitting down on the sticky bench seat, Tasha noticed that her friend already had a soft drink in front of her. “Does different need to mean gross?”

“Yea, this place is pretty nasty.”

The friends giggled.

A waitress with a filthy apron approached and said nothing. She stared blankly until Tasha ordered her Diet Coke.

The girls engaged in small talk and agreed to share a pizza.

Halfway through an unimpressive meal, Tasha said, “So why did you pick this place? I’m sure it wasn’t for the quality of the food.”

Fidgeting and not looking at her friend, Bethany said, “I wanted to meet somewhere we’d never go again.”

“Well, you certainly did that. What’s up?”

“It’s my parents,” Bethany said.

“What about them? Is there any change with your dad?” Tasha was very fond of Bethany’s parents. They’d always been kind and friendly when she visited, until the accident that destroyed Connor Braxton’s life.

“No. No change, and the doctors say there won’t be. You know, they call it a persistent vegetative state. There’s no awareness and no response to anything, and there never will be.”

Tasha nodded; she understood the situation well.

“My bigger concern is my mom. She’s becoming despondent. She rarely even gets dressed, never leaves the house, and won’t let anyone else take care of him. We’ve tried to talk her into getting a visiting nurse, but she refuses. And don’t even try suggesting a nursing home to her. Tash, she needs her life back.”

Tasha understood; she’d seen the situation before. It wasn’t uncommon when a loved one has a severe accident for the spouse to become fixated on providing care. Over an extended period, it could wear someone down. It certainly sounded like this was happening to Bethany’s mom.

“If she doesn’t get help, this will start affecting her health,” Tasha said.

“I know. Mom needs help, but not like that. My dad has been gone since the accident. My mom’s killing herself over his shell. As long as his body is alive, she won’t change.”

Tasha nodded.

“It’s time. This has to end, or it will destroy my mom.”

Tasha nodded, agreeing with her friend.

“My brother and I came up with five hundred dollars. I wish there were a way to make both of their suffering end. If only there were someone who owed me a big favor who knew what to do. I’d be so grateful.”

Tasha didn’t nod. Instead, to hide her shock, she took another piece of pizza, closed her eyes, and slowly started eating. Eating and thinking.

After several minutes of silence, Tasha finally said, “Are you sure you’ll be able to live with yourself if this happens?”

“I won't be able to live with myself if I don’t do something. What we have now is much worse than if he dies.”

After several more minutes of silence, Tasha nodded.