Hell's Bells

by Lesli Richardson

The dreams continued the next three nights, both good and bad, then thankfully ended. At least she couldn’t remember most of the details upon awaking.

  She enjoyed her time alone with Will. When they finally flew back to Columbus at the end of their journey, Ryan met them at the airport.

  “All’s well,” he assured them. “I’ll walk to the parking garage with you. You can take the car from there, I’ll return home.”

  Kal watched the men interact. Will still acted reserved, but not the blatant, outward hostility he’d once expressed for Ryan.

  So far, she’d managed to keep Ryan’s secret for him. After her initial shock of the revelation had worn off, and then with the wedding and her father’s illness to cope with, not to mention the little matter of a wildly famous TV show to produce, it had become easier to not think about it.

  Ryan and Will talked on their way back to the car, the men refusing to let her carry any luggage other than her purse. Ryan helped Will load everything, then shook Will’s hand before hugging Kal.

  “I hope you had a wonderful time, love.”

  She hugged him a hair tighter. “I did. Thank you.”

  As she held him, her dreams came back in full clarity, slamming into her brain with cataclysmic force. Ryan, but going by a different name, and everything they’d done…

  The amulet around her neck suddenly felt very warm against her skin.

  Ryan quickly stepped away from her and opened the back passenger door. “Until later, then.” He climbed in, closed the door and disappeared.

  Will held the passenger door for her. “I’m guessing back to your mom and dad’s?”

  Kal nodded, still reeling, looking at where Ryan had been. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

  Chapter 18

  Aidan changed clothes three times before Jeff enveloped him in a strong hug and refused to let him go. “Stop it. You look fine.”

  Aidan tried to crane his neck around Jeff to view at himself in the mirror. “I don’t want to screw this up.” He’d eschewed the flamboyant tropical shirts and mismatched shorts for a sedate button-up Oxford shirt and khaki slacks. “I want to look nice.”

  “You do look nice.”

  He met Jeff’s gaze. “I want you to be proud of me.”

  Jeff looked taken aback. “I am proud of you! What are you talking about?”

  “I mean…” Aidan stepped out of their embrace and sat on the bed. “I don’t want to look like a doofy screw-up to them. I want them to like me.”

  Jeff sat next to him. “They will like you. They already do like you. You saw how they were at the reception.” He smoothed Aidan’s hair, a habit Aidan had quickly grown to love. “No, they still haven’t totally wrapped their heads around the ‘gay son’ concept, but they’re getting there. They’re okay with it.” He squeezed Aidan’s hands. “It’s not like I’m going down on you in front of them at the dinner table.”

  It took a second for Jeff’s words to register in Aidan’s brain. Coupled with Jeff’s playful smile, it set Aidan off on a laughing jag. “Holy crap, buddy. I never would have expected you to say something like that.” He tightly hugged Jeff. “Okay. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior tonight. I’ll let you take the lead.”

  “Just be yourself. Be your normal self and they’ll like you.”

  Aidan was glad Jeff felt so confident. Frankly, he didn’t share his lover’s positive attitude. He let Jeff drive. By the time they’d arrived at the Conrad home, Aidan had nearly worked himself into a panic attack.

  Jeff noticed. Before they exited the car, Jeff leaned in and kissed Aidan. Suddenly, everything felt perfectly copacetic in Aidan’s world.

  Jeff stroked his cheek. “It’s okay. They like you. Quit worrying.”

  “How’d you do that?” Aidan hoarsely whispered.

  “Do what?” Jeff asked with a puzzled look.

  “Calm me down like that?”

  Jeff smiled. “Maybe that’s a sign we’re meant to be together. Did you ever think of it that way?”

  “I love you.”

  Jeff’s smile broadened. “I love you, too. When we get back to the hotel tonight, I’m going to show you just how much I love you.”

  During their walk to the front door, Jeff firmly clasped Aidan’s hand and refused to let go. Aidan didn’t want him to let go. The brief return of his anxiety between their kiss and getting out of the car had disappeared when Jeff gripped his hand.

  Jeff knocked on the door, then opened it and stuck his head inside. “Mom, Dad, we’re here.”

  “Come on in!” his mom called from inside the house.

  Jeff pushed the door open and led Aidan inside. Bill and Elise Conrad owned a typical middle class home, neat and tidy and nothing you’d see in a Vogue layout, but nothing to be ashamed of either. The table in the large eat-in kitchen was set for five, Aidan noticed. Elise walked over and hugged Jeff and Aidan. Bill shook hands with both of them and motioned them to the table.

  “Can I do anything to help, ma’am?” Aidan asked.

  Jeff obviously favored his mother in appearance. Her smile looked nearly identical to his. “No, it’s done, I just need to put it on the table. Kim will be here any minute.”

  Jeff groaned as he sat. “I should have known. Mom, did you have to invite her?”

  “She’s your sister. You haven’t seen her in a while.”

  “Did you give her a ‘no lecture’ rule for the night?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  Jeff motioned Aidan to sit next to him. His father had already taken a seat at one end of the table. Aidan remembered Jeff mentioning his sister, but he hadn’t talked much about her. Jeff looked at Aidan. “Just ignore her if she starts in on one of her tirades. I’m apologizing in advance. Seriously.”

  Bill Conrad laughed. “Well, she’s opinionated, I’ll give her that.” He directed his next comment to Aidan. “I’m sure you and Jeff have had talks about our family and our beliefs. While I’ll admit there’s things I’m not comfortable with and don’t necessarily agree with, I’ll also admit that we love our children first and foremost, and we want them to be happy.” He took a deep breath. “Jeff’s sister isn’t as… shall we say, flexible.”

  Aidan felt his gut tighten. Apparently sensing his nervousness, Jeff patted Aidan’s leg under the table.

  It immediately calmed Aidan.

  Aidan wondered about that for the briefest of moments. Here he was, ages old, much older than Jeff, and yet Jeff was handling this like everything was normal and easy.

  Aidan was about to ask a question when the front door opened and slammed shut. “Mom, Dad, I’m here.”

  Jeff had time to flash Aidan a reassuring smile and wink before Kim walked through the doorway.

  Kim was five years older than Jeff, but she looked even older than that. Where Jeff looked young and mellow, she looked like something rode hard and put away wet for far too many seasons. Her dark brown hair was liberally threaded with grey. Pulled back tightly into a severe bun, it only emphasized the deep lines etched around her eyes and mouth, which added several more years to her face. He didn’t even have to get a whiff of her to know she was a heavy smoker. Her coarse voice betrayed her. Her dark brown pantsuit looked like a rummage sale discard and made her appear even older.

  “So there you are,” Kim barked. “About time you came home to visit.” She sat across the table from Jeff and Aidan without attempting to hug her brother or parents. She made no move to shake hands or introduce herself. She did, however, shoot an evil glare at Aidan.

  Was it even worth it to try to mojo her into behaving herself? Aidan considered it for a moment and realized the effort would most likely be wasted. He’d have to focus on her all evening to keep her civil and accepting, maintain eye contact with her.

  “Aid, this is my older sister, Kim,” Jeff said. Now a shade of anxiety tinted Jeff’s voice.

  Something deep and instinctive inside Aidan took hold of him. Protective. No one would make Jeff feel like that and get away with
it. He wouldn’t let anyone treat his Jeff like that.

  Aidan turned on the charm. “Pleased to meet you, Kim.” He extended his arm across the table as he reached up with his free hand and touched his amulet through his shirt. When he looked into her eyes he felt a negative wave of energy from her wash over him.

  Damn, she was a fucking black hole. Totally human, obviously. Sometimes people were like that. Very few people, fortunately. Whether they were emotional vampires or simply assholes, they sucked the life out of a room, metaphorically speaking. She could do a Hoover vacuum proud.

  Well, why not? He enjoyed a challenge once in a while.

  Kim’s voice faltered. “Um. Nice to meet you.” She shook Aidan’s hand and looked a little confused.

  Aidan felt Jeff’s eyes flicker to him. Perhaps he sensed something. Even so, Aidan couldn’t be distracted. Not yet. Not until he had a firmer hold on her. “Jeff said you’re a computer programmer?”

  Kim eventually nodded. “Yeah. I’m a sysadmin for a server farm.”

  Ten minutes later, they were eating. Jeff’s parents looked decidedly relieved their daughter hadn’t blown up yet. Jeff looked silently amused, obviously knowing Aidan was doing something to keep her occupied. Aidan kept busy talking with her, keeping her focused on any topic besides the one she’d so obviously come prepared to do battle over.

  When they finished dinner, Aidan touched his amulet again and focused the strongest thought he could at Kim. She pushed back from the table. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay. I have to go in early tomorrow.” She looked confused. “I’ll talk to you later.” She turned and left without further discussion.

  Jeff hid his amused snort behind a sudden coughing fit. “Bye, Kim,” he called after her.

  “Whatever,” she shot back before slamming the front door behind her.

  Tension immediately bled from the room at her departure. Aidan excused himself to the bathroom, where he locked himself in and held onto the sink for several long minutes with shaking hands. That had taken a lot out of him, even more than he’d anticipated. If it had been for almost anyone but Jeff, he never would have put himself through that. After a few minutes he felt steady enough to return to the table, and washed his face before leaving the bathroom. He forced a smile, but the obvious relief Jeff and his parents felt over Kim not exploding at their guest had been well worth it.

  Elise shooed the boys out to the living room. “I’ll bring our coffee and desert out there. Go on and get comfortable.”

  Bill went upstairs for a moment. Aidan opted to take one of the chairs across from the couch. When he did, Jeff leaned over.

  “What’d you do to her, Aid?” Jeff anxiously whispered. “Are you okay? You don’t look good. Do you want to leave?”

  Aidan shook his head. He still felt too shaky to talk, like he’d just run a marathon.

  An hour later, after coffee, cobbler, and conversation, an exhausted Aidan slumped in the passenger seat while Jeff drove them back to the hotel. Aidan closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window.

  Jeff reached out and caught his hand, held it. “Tell me what happened. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Just really tired.” The feel of Jeff’s flesh against his… It made it okay. Aidan felt a little better.

  Jeff squeezed, and Aidan realized now he felt a lot better.

  He laced his fingers through Jeff’s. Almost as if recharging from the contact, Aidan felt energy flowing from Jeff to him. “Are you okay?” he asked Jeff.

  “Whatever you did, thank you.”

  Aidan opened his eyes. “No, I mean, do you feel okay right now? I mean right this minute?” He sat up, already feeling nearly normal again.

  “Heck yeah, I feel great!”

  “Not tired or drained or anything?”

  Jeff shook his head. “No. I feel like taking you back to our room and having a lot of fun. Why? Don’t you feel well? What happened? You look exhausted.”

  “A little,” he admitted, but already knew he was a thousand times better than he’d felt upon leaving the Conrad home. There was no doubt the contact with Jeff had recharged him. “I’ll be fine soon.”

  Something else he’d have to ask Ryan about if he ever worked up enough nerve.

  Chapter 19

  Some nights, after Will fell asleep, Kal would lie in bed next to him and finger the amulet; her eyes closed, trying to recreate the dreams she’d had while on their honeymoon. She could remember them now, but had no new ones.

  It frustrated her.

  If only they hadn’t felt so freaking real.

  She knew there was a lot of potential mental exploring she could do, yet part of her hesitated. If everyone had multiple lives, did she really want to go there, look and see who she’d been before?

  If she tried to reconcile what the dreams meant, not look at them as memories, perhaps it was just psychological mumbo-jumbo of her feeling like Aidan’s little sister and like Ryan’s…

  Kal squeezed her eyes tightly shut and wished that thought away. She loved Will.

  Still, unbidden, her fingers worked the amulet.

  They couldn’t be memories. They couldn’t be glimpses from a past life. They’d started only after she had the amulet. It had probably just supercharged her imagination. With the stress of the wedding behind her, and now focusing on her father, it was her brain’s way of dealing.

  That was her story and she’d dang well stick to it. It was the safest thing to do.

  The only explanation that didn’t cause an achy, pinching feeling to plague her soul.

  * * * *

  Will understood the honeymoon was a brief emotional respite for Kal. After their return, they still spent many nights at her parents’ home, usually three or four nights a week, “returning” home each weekend. At least now she would allow him to make love to her when under their roof, allowing her a brief emotional respite.

  One afternoon, Will had gone to the Tampa office to help Aidan take care of a few things when Ryan appeared about an hour later.

  From the grim look on Ryan’s face, Will knew he couldn’t have good news.

  “What?”

  Ryan softly spoke. “I suggest you return to Columbus and stay there for the duration.”

  Will paled. “How soon?”

  Ryan shook his head.

  Will immediately returned to their bedroom in the Martins’ home, where he was supposedly napping.

  Reverend Martin’s hospital bed was set up in what had been his downstairs study. He’d been too weak to climb the stairs since after the wedding.

  Kal sat reading in the corner. Her mom sat bedside, holding Kenneth’s hand.

  When Will walked in, Kal looked up and smiled. “Good nap?”

  He nodded.

  Kal must have sensed Will’s purpose because her face immediately fell. She put down her book, walked over to her father’s bed and took his other hand. Will stood behind her, his arms around her, trying to pour as much strength and comfort into her as he could.

  Reverend Martin’s eyes were open, but he didn’t appear to be focused on anything inside that room.

  Kal choked back a sob. “I love you, Daddy.”

  He smiled and slowly swiveled his head toward her. “I love you too, sweetie,” he said in a tiny, weak voice. “I love you very much. Don’t be sad. The pain is gone. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  Kal sobbed.

  Her mom squeezed his hand. “I love you, Kenneth.”

  “I love you too, Laura.” His eyes found Will and seemed to focus on his son-in-law. “You promise? To take care of them?”

  Will nodded. He reached around Kal and gently squeezed Kenneth’s shoulder. “I promise, Dad.”

  He nodded. “Thank you.” He closed his eyes.

  He wasn’t gone yet, but Will sensed he’d slipped into a coma. Will called the Hospice nurse in from the kitchen and she checked his vital signs. Kal refused to leave his side or let go of his hand, so Will dragged a chair over
for her and made her sit. While the women were gathered around Kenneth’s bed, Will stepped outside the front door and summoned Ryan.

  Ryan looked grim. “Not quite yet.”

  “I think I need your help.” Will had dealt with a lot of death in his years. Most of it quick and issued by his own hand. Never had he coped with a slow decline, especially with someone he knew well that so strongly affected those he loved.

  Ryan nodded and followed Will inside.

  Laura Martin didn’t question Ryan’s timely arrival. Kal glanced at him before returning her attention to her father. She had reached across the bed and was also holding her mother’s hand.

  Ryan stood behind Laura while Will retook his position behind Kal. They each placed a hand over the women’s hands and waited.

  Kal knew they had to be doing something—for her and her mother, not for her father. She could feel her grief, while still strong and sharp, almost become more manageable. She rested her head against Will’s stomach, glad he was there to help her through this.

  In the quiet room her father’s breathing became more shallow, took on a rattling tone she didn’t think really happened except in books. After another few minutes his chest rose, fell, and lay still.

  Kal closed her eyes as tears flowed down her cheeks, but it was as if she stood outside herself and watched the scene before her.

  Her mom kissed him and smoothed his hair down, gently squeezed his hand. “I’ll see you one day, Kenneth,” she whispered.

  Kal thought that would finish her, but a sudden flow of calm through her kept her silent.

  Will.

  When Laura stood, Ryan kept his arm around her waist and gently helped her out of the room while the nurse double-checked for a pulse and noted the time. Kal felt frozen in place.

  Will pressed his lips to the top of her head. “He’s out of pain, sweetheart,” he whispered. “He’s free.”

  She nodded, crying, unable to move.

  She tried not to think about Bobby Martinez.

  Will sent a silent message to Ryan. “Summon Aidan, please. I don’t have the energy to do it right now. I need to stay focused on her.”

  A moment later, Aidan and Jeff entered through the front door. Aidan immediately walked into the study and wrapped his arms around Kal and Will. He kissed her cheek. “I’m so sorry, sugar.”