“You didn’t. I… I actually liked hearing him say it.”
“That’s good. Maybe one day, after you pay off your debt to me, we can talk about it.”
We both snickered.
“Listen, I didn’t call your mom. I didn’t want to worry her needlessly. Two hours after we got here, they came in and told me your blood sugars were almost back to normal, so—”
“That was a good idea. If she had come up, she would have been fussing over me. I’ll let her know later.” I stretched and yawned. I was so tired, my entire body ached.
“We should get you home so you can get some sleep.”
If he asked, I would probably deny that I got a thrill when he said home. It made me feel better, knowing that he thought of the house as my home too.
I yawned again. The thought of crawling into bed, pulling the covers up, and sleeping for a week sounded perfect.
We waited a good hour, me dozing and Tim sitting beside my bed, stroking my arm, before the nurse finally showed up, pushing my conveyance in front of her. She was a perky thing and exuded a calm that washed over me.
“Hi, I hear you’re ready to get out of here.”
“Hell yes.”
Tim helped me out of the bed, which was a good thing, because my legs were like Jell-O. After he had me situated in the chair, he stood by my side as the nurse stepped up and put her hands on the grips.
“I’m Meg. Glad you’re getting out, but I was looking forward to taking care of you. Seems you have quite the history.”
I groaned. “Don’t listen to the doctor.”
That made her chuckle. “You’re the talk of the ward. First you come back from death, and now you survived something that would have killed most people. Pretty impressive. But what do you do for an encore?”
“Nothing.”
I looked up at Tim, his steely gaze locked on Meg.
She flushed. “I’m sorry. Katy says sometimes I overshare. I meant no offense.”
“Ignore him. He got scared.”
Tim shifted his attention to me, and I shuddered from the look in his eyes. “Someone has to take care of you.”
Meg cooed. “You two are adorable. When did you get married?”
I chuckled as I glanced toward my husband. “When was it, dear? My mind is foggy.”
“We’ve been together since we were kids. Getting married is only a recent thing.”
He said it in a totally serious way that sent a shiver through me, and this time he didn’t seem at all sorry for it.
I might have swooned just a little.
Chapter Ten
“SO WHAT are you going to tell them?”
We were sitting in the living room, and I was chewing my nails. I’d invited Mom and Ryan over to talk about my decision. My stomach was doing flip-flops as I watched the clock, waiting for them to arrive.
“That’s easy. ‘Hey, remember when I died? Well, I came back being able to see ghosts. And now I’m going to be helping them find their eternal peace.’ See? Doesn’t that sound altruistic?”
“And certifiable.”
I dropped my head back onto the couch. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Tim chuckled. “Oh no. This is all your show. I plan on sitting there and watching this all unfold. Should be… educational.”
As I sat up, I gave him a pout. “Please, help me here.”
Before he could reply, the bell rang. He gave a cocky grin and went to answer it. When he got back, Mom and Ryan were in tow, and Ryan had brought his wife and their kids. Oh, joy.
I got up and met them halfway across the living room.
“Scott, meet my wife, Karen.”
“Hi, nice to—”
Karen smiled at me and immediately handed me a squirmy child.
I stood stock-still, no idea what the hell I was supposed to do.
Ryan laughed. “See? I told you he’d go white as a sheet.”
Karen snickered. “You were right. His expression made it all worthwhile.”
Ryan reached out and took the boy back. “This is Carter.” He gestured to the little one Mom was holding. “That’s Samantha. Kids, this is Uncle Scott. Say hi.”
They both turned and buried their faces, but I heard a mumbled hello from them.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
Now that my arms weren’t full, I took a few moments to look at my niece and nephew. I’d never been one for children, but these two were…. God, they were so damned cute, with their almost white blond hair and their piercing blue gazes that seemed to see everything. I could see what Tim meant by having a hard time saying no.
“I have to go so I can get the kids to class.” Karen leaned in and kissed Ryan. “I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay. Drive safe.” He kissed his kids. “Be good for Mommy.”
Karen gave me a smile. “Scott, it was nice to meet you. I hope we get a chance to get to know each other.” She picked Carter up, and he immediately buried his face in her neck. Then she reached down and took Samantha’s hand.
“Do you need some help?”
She glared at Ryan. “See, at least he asks.” She laughed. “I’m kidding. Ryan’s a great father. The kids couldn’t ask for a better dad.” Then returned her focus to me. “I appreciate you asking, but I’m good. I’ve gotten to be an expert at it.”
One more kiss from Ryan, who opened the door for her, and then his wife and kids were gone.
Karen was so nice, and once again I cursed myself for missing out on Ryan’s life. Using ghosts as an excuse no longer seemed feasible to me, because I’d held on to the past too much and tried to tell myself that it was okay to be gone because Ryan and I hated each other.
Now? So much bullshit.
“You should have seen your face. It was priceless.”
Mom snorted. “You know, I would have paid money for a picture of that.”
Ryan took out his phone, and a moment later, hers chimed.
She glanced at it, then up at him. “Oh, that’s awesome.”
“That’ll be five bucks.”
“I hate you so much, I hope you know that.” I grinned. “They’re beautiful. Thank goodness they look like her.”
“No shit.” Ryan reached up and touched his forehead. “I was terrified they’d end up with my receding hairline and fucked-up nose.”
“Hey! That’s your grandpa’s nose. It’s very… uh….” Mom shrugged. “Yeah, it isn’t the cutest one.”
The laughter came easily, for which I was grateful. “Why don’t we have a seat?”
As we moved into the living room, Ryan glanced over his shoulder. “You living here now?”
Before I could answer, Tim piped up. “Yep, and if I have to tie him down to keep him here, that’s what I’m going to do.”
“You kinky bastard.”
My fifty-two-year-old mother, talking about kink. I might have thrown up in my mouth just a little.
“Look how green he’s gotten.” She chuckled. “It’s so easy to work him up.”
“You don’t know the half of it, Andrea.” Tim winked at her, and this time she looked a wee bit green.
Tim sat next to me on the couch, with Ryan and Mom taking the chairs flanking it. My palms were sweating as they watched me expectantly.
“Okay, so….” God, this was hard.
“Scotty sees ghosts.”
Apparently it wasn’t going to be as hard as I thought it would be.
“Yeah, what he said.”
I expected laughter or something, but instead they both sat there quietly for a moment.
Ryan’s gaze snapped to Mom. “I told you he talked to himself too much. Didn’t I say it was like he was having conversations with someone? Why the hell do you think I moved out?”
Mom sighed. “I know. I want to say it’s not possible or that you had a lot of imaginary friends, but….” She ran a hand over her hair. “God, logically I want to say this is crap, but it answers so many questions I had when you were growing
up.”
That made no sense. The only ghost I ever saw at home was Jeff. “I only saw one ghost when I was at home.”
Mom shrugged. “You used to sit at the dinner table and talk. I always thought it was to yourself, but when I listened, you were answering questions.”
That was freaking me out. I couldn’t remember ever seeing a ghost in our house other than the one. “Do you remember what I said?”
Mom bit her lip, but then her eyes opened wide. “We were at dinner one night. Ryan had gone over to stay with a friend, and we were having macaroni and cheese with hot dogs in it. I had to keep telling you to eat, and you wouldn’t answer me. Then you started saying something about…. Damn. What was it?”
Really? She could remember we had macaroni and cheese with weenies, but not the conversation? Ugh!
“Oh! You were saying that you understood, and you promised when you were older, you and Tim would help people.”
“And you’re sure I said Tim?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“That’s what I heard too. You were in your room, staring at the window and muttering something about you and Tim.” Ryan sat back and stared at me. “I didn’t see anyone and thought…. Well, okay, I thought you were a freak.”
Like I hadn’t heard that before. “You probably weren’t wrong.”
Ryan jerked up. “No!” Then he leaned forward, arms on his knees, his head in his hands. “No. You weren’t a freak. I just didn’t understand, that’s all.”
“Why are you telling us this now?”
I glanced over at Tim, who nodded. So I told Mom and Ryan the story of what I’d seen, leaving out the part about the ghost inhabiting Tim’s body, and that I wanted to help them.
“You were always such a sweetheart. You hated seeing anyone hurting. Even after everything you went through, no matter what happened, you always stepped up because you wanted to help others.”
Warmth flooded me. “Thank you.”
Tim rose off the couch. “This is weird, even by my standards. How was I supposed to help you help people?”
I thought for a moment. “You did, though.” I turned to Mom and Ryan. “I was in the hospital earlier in the week. Tim has a friend, Rachel. Her son died a few years ago, and they were blaming themselves. Tim and I went to where he died to see if he was, you know, still there. I found him sitting on the steps to their home, crying. He was so sad, even Tim could feel it. After I touched him, I found out he died of an accidental overdose. He didn’t mean to do it. We got his parents there, and I touched him and them, and they could see and talk to Burton. When he faded away, they felt the weight they’d been dragging around all these years lifted from them. Without you, I couldn’t have done it.” We were all quiet for a few minutes, and then I put my hand on Tim’s arm. “Without you, I can’t do it.”
He grinned, sat back down, and leaned into me. “Okay, let’s assume that you were talking to a ghost, then. Why wouldn’t you remember it?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe the drugs affected my memory?”
A frown marred Tim’s face. “You weren’t taking them when you were a kid, so I doubt they affected those specific memories.”
“Maybe he was just too young to understand.” Mom leaned in. “What if you didn’t realize they were ghosts? I mean, when you asked me if your friend Jeff could come with us for cookies, did you think he was a ghost, or did you believe he was real?”
That one didn’t require a lot of thought. “I believed he was real. When he disappeared, I didn’t understand it but never imagined he wasn’t as real as I was. I mean, he played toys with me.”
“So, maybe in your mind, the other ghosts you saw were just as real?”
That idea had merit. “Can you remember anything about what I said?”
Ryan bit his lip. “A couple times I heard you mention a lock, and you were excited when you did.”
“Please, Ryan, you have to tell me exactly what you heard.”
“Dude, it was, like, fourteen years ago. God, let me think.” He huffed out a breath. “You were playing in your room, and I was going downstairs to get something. I heard you talking. When I peeked in your door, you were there, staring at nothing. You giggled, and then you said, ‘What kind of lock?’ Then you cocked your head and I heard you mutter Tim’s name.”
Holy shit. “Ry, please. Anything else?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, that’s all I can think of.”
“Mom?” I was desperate. If I was talking to a ghost and mentioning Tim, it might be important.
“Oh! You were talking and said Tim wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you. You said he’d always protect you, because he was your best friend.”
I twisted in my seat. “I said Tim? Are you sure?”
“Oh, yes. You were very adamant about it. I’d never seen such determination in your face before.”
“If I talked about a lock, did it have a key? Or was it—”
“A key!” Ryan leaped up, gesturing wildly. “You were the key! I remember now. Tim was a lock, and you were supposed to be the key. I thought it was some weird game you made up, but you said it once after that too. You were in the back, sitting beneath the big tree. I snuck up, thinking about scaring you, and you were nodding and saying, ‘Tim is my key, and I’m his lock, right?’ It freaked me out so much, I turned around and went back in. I told Mom, and she said you had just been playing, but I never believed that.”
I strained, trying to reconnect with those memories. Something flitted through my mind. A snippet of conversation where someone told me how important Tim and I were. How we had to work together or problems would follow. It was a lady, and she was beautiful. She knelt next to me and held my hand and we talked about… about….
Shit, why couldn’t I remember?
BY THE time Mom and Ryan left, we were no closer to any answers. If anything, there were simply more questions.
“And you don’t know anything about this?”
Tim shook his head. “But….” He turned away. “I feel like I should. There’s this niggle in the back of my mind, and it says this sounds familiar, but I can’t pull up any details about it.”
“That’s how it is for me too. It’s right there, but I can’t reach it.”
He got up and moved toward the window. “We’re not going to get any closer by sitting here and stewing about it. I’m tired.”
So was I. Exhausted didn’t even begin to describe how I felt.
He came over and helped me up, then wrapped an arm around me. “Let’s go to bed.”
“No blowjob tonight?”
“Nah. I feel as though all the energy has been sucked from me already. Not sure I’m up for more sucking.”
He guided me to the bedroom, then stood in front of me and ran a gentle hand over my chest. It was sweet, really.
“I love your body. The way you get goose bumps when I touch you, the way you smell, and how you taste.”
A shiver ran through me as he slid my shirt off my shoulders and let it drop to the floor. He stripped off my pants, took them off over my shoes, then went down to his knees and removed those. His face was right in front of my crotch, and I wasn’t getting hard.
“You must be tired.”
“I am.”
He chuckled, leaned in, and kissed my flaccid cock. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Maybe.”
He grinned up at me. “I was talking to your dick. Shut up and get in bed.”
I laughed as I got under the covers. He went to the other side of the bed and slid in beside me. He reached for my hand, and we entwined our fingers moments before I fell asleep.
“WHAT KIND of key?”
“A very important one.” She knelt in front of me. She smelled sweet, like vanilla. “A key can open many things, but your key works with a very special lock. When you grow up, you’ll need to be there for Tim, because without you, he could be hurt.”
“How?”
“Locks and keys are meant to b
e together always. No other key will fit the lock, and the lock can’t be opened by any other key.”
“I don’t get it.”
She leaned forward and brushed my hair out of my eyes. “You will when you’re older.”
“Mom says I’ll be nine soon. Is that old enough?”
“No, you’ll need to be much older than that.” She sighed. “I wish it could be easier for you, but there are lessons you have to learn on your own. I don’t know which way life will take you, but I am certain you’ll be ready to be Tim’s key when you’re older.”
“Tim is my best friend.”
She ran a hand over my cheek. Her touch was cold. “Oh, he’s so much more than that, sweetheart. Tim will need you more than anyone else in the world, and you’re going to need him. He protects you from yourself, and you’ll keep him from becoming overwhelmed.”
I giggled. “You talk funny.”
“I know. But you’ll understand when you’re older, I promise.” She started fading away, just like Jeff had done.
“Where are you going?”
“I haven’t the energy to do this for long. Don’t worry—we’ll meet again one day, when you’re old enough to understand.”
As I watched, she faded into nothingness, just like Jeff had done. Once again, goose bumps rose on my arm.
I LURCHED up, my heart pounding. I turned to Tim, and in the light from the streets streaming through the curtains, I found him staring back at me, his mouth open wider than his eyes.
“Did you—”
“What was that?”
“I don’t know!”
“I remember that.”
“Me too.”
We sat there, still clutching hands, as our heartbeats returned to normal. It took a long time, but Tim never let go of me. Once we were able to breathe without hyperventilating, we got up. Tim made us some coffee and led me to the kitchen table, where we sat sipping and not talking.
Finally, Tim cleared his throat. “Well, that was… intense.”
Talk about an understatement. “Your gift for words is unparalleled.”
The Spirit Key Page 11