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“Did your parents ever talk about the body’s energy centers? I think the Sanskrit word ischakrasor something like that.” Indy looked up at Ice from her upside-down vantage point just in time to see the flinch in his eyes.
Ice shrugged with a disinterest that Indy sensed was forced. “All of their woo-woo shit sounded like Sanskrit to me. I tuned out most of it.”
“But not all of it.” Indy narrowed her eyes up at him like a curious cat. “You remember them saying something aboutchakras—I saw you flinch. What did they say?”
Ice shrugged again, then took a breath and sighed it out. “Focal points of spiritual energy. Something like that. Why?”
Indy glanced down along her almost-prone body. “I think maybe there’s something to it. I can sort of feel this throbbing pain radiating out from those exact points in my body that I’d seen on that yoga-chart. It’s like a pulsing pain, almost like it’s being broadcast from these points throughout my body.”
Ice said nothing, but Indy felt his body tighten briefly, like he’d flinched again. She turned her gaze upwards once more, saw the hesitation in his dilated pupils, sensed the conflict in his tight lips, like Indy’s questions were clearly evoking something that Ice didn’t particularly want to acknowledge.
“You don’t want to admit that maybe thereissomething to your hippy-dippy parents’ woo-woo nonsense.” She grinned impishly up at him. “But you’re thinking of something. Spit it out, Soldier.”
“Hey, I’m the interrogator in this relationship.” He gazed down at her in amusement, then looked away, sighed, and nodded. “They refused any conventional medical treatment, no chemotherapy, no prescription painkillers, none of that stuff. But they did have this therapist come over once a week to do what they calledlaying of hands. This woman would press her palms against each of thesechakrasor whatever.” He chuckled dryly. “I used to call her the witch-doctor. But it did seem to help with the pain. Told myself it was a placebo, but . . .”
“But in your altered state of mind right now it feels a bit less like hokey nonsense, doesn’t it?” Indy smiled up at him. “Maybe there’s a reason the ancient Indian systems ofyogaandayurvedaandchakrasare still around after five thousand years.”
Ice grunted. “The reason is good marketing.”
Indy giggled, but she saw something in Ice’s eyes that wasn’t just eye-rolling sarcasm and dismissive wise-cracks. “Can we try it?”
Something flashed across Ice’s face. “Try what?”
Indy shrugged in his lap, then struggled and wriggled to sit up, somehow managing—with Ice’s help—to get into a cross-legged position, still leaning heavily against him to keep her achy body upright. “What that witch-doctor did to help your parents. Come on, you’ve read the marketing brochure. Lay your healing hands on mychakras, baby.”
Ice chuckled. “When that therapist showed up I’d go out for a run. Didn’t have the patience to sit through that nonsense. So I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“Begin at the top of my head.” Indy closed her eyes, kept her back as straight as possible in her cross-legged position, still using Ice’s body as an anchor. “That’s the firstchakra. Just press your palm there. Close your eyes, try to . . . try to send me good vibes, I guess.”
Ice groaned, and Indy could almost hear the epic eye-roll that was undoubtedly occurring behind her. But then she felt him adjust his position behind her, going up on his knees, keeping his thighs pressed against her back for support, one hand on her left shoulder to steady her.
Then she felt him gently place his open palm on the crown of her head.
At first Indy felt nothing.
Then she felt something.
And suddenly she felt everything.
“Ohmygod,” she gasped, keeping her eyes closed even though it felt like her vision had somehow expanded from the vibrant energy sparked by Ice’s touch. She let the warm sparkly energy move through the cells of her throbbing head, easing the slinters of pulsing pain that she’d felt distinctly emanating from that exact point corresponding to the topchakrain that yoga-chart from her class. “It’s working, Ice. Keep doing that.”
“Placebo,” Ice muttered above her, but he kept his palm steadily pressed on her head.
“Placebo or witch-doctor magic, I don’t give a shit. All I know is that my headache is going and I feel better.”
Ice grunted. “Headache was from dehydration. You just drank water. Therefore the headache is gone.”
Indy sighed loudly. “Oh, wait, the headache is back again. Because now you’re sendingbadvibes through my skull.”
“We’re on a plane flying at seven hundred miles per hour. Everything is vibrating.”
“Well, your tongue is vibrating a little too much.” Indy huffed out an exasperated breath. “Just give it a rest. What were you thinking about when you first placed your hand on my head, when it seemed to be working?”
Ice shrugged behind her. “Nothing.”
“Perfect. Think about nothing again. Just close your eyes and put your hands where I tell you, for as long as I tell you.”
Ice’s body stiffened against her back. “All right.”