The Undead Heart

by Tate Jackson

  “Fine. When can I tell her to expect you home?”

  “When she is gone.”

  “Beck’s right…You are a dick,” Leso stated simply as he left.

  ***

  She had waited up for him all night and all morning, but he had not come back. Now it was almost time for her to leave. She put on the same dress and shoes she was wearing when she had come here. She put the syringe and her wedding ring into the packed bag, and went downstairs. She opened the watch that D.J. had given her, saw she had less than ten minutes left, and went out the front door. Everyone was waiting for her on the porch.

  “Well, this is it, I guess.”

  “I’m so sorry, Beck,” Jenny told her.

  She knew Jenny was talking about Richard not being here.

  “Hey, at least I won’t have to get a divorce, right? When I get back to the future, we will have never been married at all. But, please do what I asked and be safe,” she said, trying to smile.

  “We’ll see you when you get home,” Bruce said. “You don’t have to, I’ll understand, but let me know you’re still safe.”

  “Beck, we want to see you. This is his problem, not ours,” Harley assured her.

  Potter added, “I know me and Jenny will be there. You’re my sister now, and I’m not going to lose you.” Jenny nodded in agreement. “We’ll be there too, dear,” Rita added. Leso told her, “I’ll build your house by myself.”

  “I’ll help,” Heidi stated.

  “Me too,” Saphira added. She looked at all of them. “I want you all to know that I love you, and that I’m really glad that I came here to meet you.” She hugged and kissed every one of them. All of them had blood running down their faces. She wished she could cry with them, but she had no tears left. She stepped back and checked the watch again, one minute left. She picked up the bag and waited.

  ***

  He was watching the sky. He didn’t need a watch to know what time it was. Beck would be gone in a few minutes, and he could go home. He knew he was going to hear it from his family when he got there, but what was he supposed to have done? Just let her keep lying to him? He looked up at the sky again. She would be gone in about three minutes.

  She would be gone. She would be gone? He wouldn’t see her again for 113 years. Gone. He felt like he’d just woken up. Gone! He took off running. He had to get there He had to see her. He had to tell her how much he loved her. He had to hold her, and kiss her goodbye. He ran as fast as he could, faster than he had even known he could. He ran down the lane to the house and into the front yard just in time to see her disappear from the porch. NO!!!

  Chapter Twelve

  She was back, and she was dizzy as hell. D.J. jumped up and helped her to steady herself as she stepped down from the platform. “Sorry,” he said. “The return trip can be a little disorienting.”

  “Who was Jack the Ripper?”Dr. Rogers asked.

  “Aaron Kosminski,” she said, saying the name of the first Ripper suspect that popped into her mind.

  Dr. Rogers nodded and walked away.

  D.J. was ecstatic. “I knew it! That’s the first bet I’ve ever won with him.”

  He led her back to the room she had changed in before she left and handed her a hospital gown.

  “Put that on, and we’ll get you into the M.R.I. and get the transmitters deactivated. I’ll be right outside the door,” he told her, and stepped out of the room. She peeled out of the dress, kicked the shoes off, and put on the gown. D.J. was waiting for her when she stepped out of the room.

  “So, did you enjoy your trip?”

  “Yes, it was very interesting. Is that all Dr. Rogers is going to ask me?”

  “Yes, he just wanted to know what you found out, and then he was leaving. He’s probably already gone. They may ask you to write a report later, but all they really wanted to know was who the killer was. It’s this room,” he said, stopping and opening a door.

  “Just lay down here, and I’m going to pass you through once. It will only take a minute for the magnets to kill the transmitters,” he said as he left the room.

  She lay down on the table, went into the machine, and back out once, and then D.J. came back. “All done, we can go back to the room now.”

  He led her back to the room she had changed in. “Hop up in the bed, and let me put the blood pressure cuff on you.”

  She got in the bed and let him put the cuff on her arm.

  “You’re going to be tired, that’s normal. You’ll probably sleep most of the day and night. There are some sandwiches and bottles of water in that little fridge over there if you want them, and the bathroom is through that door over there. If you get up, just remember to put the cuff back on when you get back in bed. It’ll check your blood pressure every thirty minutes. I’ll be able to see the readings on the computer in my office. I’ll be here the whole time. So, if you need me, just hit that button on the bed.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Do you want me to turn the light out?” he asked. “Yes, please.”

  “Okay, get some sleep,” he encouraged, turning the light off and leaving the room.

  She didn’t remember ever being this tired before in her life. She fell into dreamless sleep as soon as she closed her eyes. She vaguely remembered getting up and drinking some cold water at some point in time. She must have remembered to put the cuff back on, because it was on her arm when she woke up again. There wasn’t a clock in the room, so she had no idea what time it was.

  She turned the lights on and went to the bathroom. She nearly cried when she saw the toilet. It was beautiful. When she was done in the bathroom, she went back into the room to find her clothes. She found them in the cabinet where she’d put them before she left. They were not the same clothes she had on when she had come here. Of course they weren’t. These were the other Beck’s clothes, a Beck she had never known.

  She put on the shorts, tank top, socks, and shoes that were there. She picked up the purse that she had found laying under them and took out the wallet. The identification inside told her it was indeed her purse. She flipped through the pictures. She knew nothing about her life now. All of the pictures were of herself and Bev. Some of the older ones she remembered, the newer ones she did not. She had changed her future, and for what?

  She’d tried her best to help them, and she’d lost Richard for it. He hated her, he had left her. She’d been sure that he would come home before she left, but he hadn’t. She wanted to cry, but couldn’t. She just felt numb. Had she done it all for nothing? No, if her family was still alive, then it had not been for nothing.

  Well, it was just his family now. She didn’t really expect to see them again. It has been 120 years since they’d last seen her, and she’d learned all too clearly that things change over time. She found makeup and a hairbrush in the purse. She also found perfume. This proved to her that the Beck these things belonged to had never known Richard. Richard didn’t like it when she wore perfume, and she had given it up years ago.

  She went back to the bathroom and fixed her face and hair. he wanted a shower, but that could wait. She threw the bottle of perfume in the trash and dug a cell phone out of the purse. At least the phone looked the same. The clock on the phone said it was 6:32 a.m. She looked on her contact list and found Bev’s number. It wasn’t the number she remembered. She closed the phone. She’d call her later.

  She hit the button on the bed and said, “I’m awake.”

  “I’ll be right there,” D.J. said a moment later. She took the needle and wedding ring out of the bag, put them in the purse, and waited for D.J.

  “Morning,” he smiled, stepping into the room a few minutes later and handing her a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking a sip. No French vanilla creamer, but still much better than the coffee she had been drinking. “How do you feel this morning?”

  “I feel fine. I was wondering if I could leave yet.”

  “You’re supposed to stay 24 hours, but you
r blood pressure has been fine since you got back. You’re not dizzy anymore, are you?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Well, I guess you can go whenever you’re ready.”

  He had not mentioned her arm coming back without her, and she knew it hadn’t happened to the other Beck. Well, she was the other Beck now.

  “You know the rules about not telling anyone what you’ve done here, right?”

  “Yeah, who would believe me anyway?”

  He laughed, “Probably no one.” She stood up and grabbed the purse.

  “Don’t you want any of the dresses you brought back?”

  “No, I’ve seen enough of them to last me a lifetime. You can throw them away if you want.”

  He walked her to the door of the waiting area.

  “It was a real pleasure to meet you, Beck. Maybe we can work together again some day.”

  “That would be fun,” she said, knowing there was no way in hell she would ever go through time again, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “Well, you have yourself a good day and thanks for helping us out,” he said, giving her a quick one-armed hug, and walking away down the hall. She walked out into the waiting room and saw that Shelia wasn’t there yet. She walked out the front door and looked around. No one was there, not even the guard. She looked in the purse and found car keys, but had no idea where her car was or even what it was.

  She put the wallet in her back pocket, and her ring and cell phone in her front pocket. She threw the purse in the dumpster at the end of the driveway. Nothing in it was really hers anyway. She twisted her hair up into a knot on the back of her head and took off running.

  It felt good to run again. She’d kept in shape while she was gone, but hadn’t gotten to run. She ran down College Street to Kraft Street and kept running when Kraft ran into Riverside Drive. She stopped at a gas station that she knew had coffee and her creamer. She paid for her coffee and walked across the street to the River Walk. She sat on top of a picnic table, put her feet on the bench, and watched the river run below her. The numbness was wearing away, and she was starting to get angry. She’d been trying to keep him safe, and he had left her for it! He didn’t want to hear her explain why she had lied to him. Didn’t want her to talk to him at all. Fine, screw him. She didn’t need this shit!

  ***

  She was still sitting there an hour later, trying to figure out what to do next, when movement down the walk caught her eye. Her stomach flipped over when she saw Richard. He was wearing sweat pants, tennis shoes, and a black t-shirt, and was walking toward her. She got off the table, threw the cup in the trash can, and jogged off in the other direction.

  He jogged up beside her. “Morning.”

  She ignored him and ran up the stairs to the crossover that ran over the street. She sprinted across, jogged down the stairs on the other side, and then ran down Riverside Drive. He stayed right beside her. She could feel how confused he felt, she just didn’t understand why. He was the one who had left her, after all. Did he think she had forgotten? To her it had only happened yesterday. She ran down Crossland Ave., turned onto Cumberland Drive, and jogged toward Austin Peay. He was still next to her.

  “It’s a nice morning,” he attempted again. She ignored him again and kept jogging, but he wouldn’t go away. She ran across College Street, up the steps to Austin Peay, and stopped. Richard stopped beside her.

  She put her hands on her hips and bent over to catch her breath. “What do you want?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why are you following me?”

  “I wasn’t. I was just jogging with you.”

  “Well, don’t,” she said, and turned to go back down the stairs. “Wait, please,” Richard said quickly. She could feel fear and panic coming from him now.

  “What?”

  “Please let me stay with you,” he said quietly.

  “No, go away.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Figure out a way to do it,” she stated flatly, and ran back down the steps.

  She ran toward downtown. He ran up beside her again.

  “I said go away,” she panted. He didn’t say anything, just kept pace beside her. he turned onto 2nd Street, ran back down to Riverside Drive, and back to the River Walk. She couldn’t run anymore. She had to stop.

  She walked back down the River Walk and laid on top of the picnic table she’d sat on earlier. Richard sat down on the bench attached to that table. She kept her eyes closed until her breathing had returned to normal.

  “I asked you to go away.”

  “And I told you, I can’t do that.”

  “Then tell me what you want.”

  “I just want to talk to you.”

  “Well, I don’t want to talk to you,” she said, and got off the table to walk away.

  “Please don’t leave.”

  “Why would I stay?” she turned back around and asked “And just for the record, you left me, remember?”

  She turned to walk away again.

  He grabbed her arm, spun her around, jerked her up against his chest, and kissed her. It was the best kiss he had ever given her, making her toes curl inside her shoes.

  “Beck,” he whispered inside her mouth.

  She could feel his joy and relief, but why? She hadn’t forgiven him yet. She pulled her head back.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I thought maybe you weren’t you,” he answered, still holding her tight. Confused, she asked, “What?”

  “I went to pick you up and caught your scent on the street. You’d already left. When I found you here, you acted like you didn’t know me. I followed you, hoping you’d get mad, and at least say my name, or say anything that would let me know it was you, but you didn’t. Then, I noticed you’re not wearing your wedding band. I thought maybe something had gone wrong, and you weren’t the same Beck that went into that building yesterday.”

  “Are you high? You been smoking that shit? If I didn’t know who you were, I would have called the police when you wouldn’t stop following me.”

  “I didn’t know what the other Beck would do.”

  “She wouldn’t have come back. She died, remember? I’m sure Leso or Potter told you about that when you finally came home,” she stated coldly, trying to pull away from him.

  “I did come home. I realized that you were really going to be gone, and I ran home. I saw you disappear. I was there. I was just too late to tell you I love you, to late to kiss you one last time. I was stupid. Can you forgive me, Little One?”

  “I can if you promise not to leave me again.”

  “I didn’t leave you. I could never truly leave you, Beck. But, I will never run out on you like that again.”

  “I’ve heard that from you before.”

  “You’ll never have to hear it again.”

  “Look, I’m going to do things that make you mad. I understand that sometimes you need to walk away. Just don’t leave me with the impression that you’re not coming back.”

  “I promise.”

  She kissed his neck, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Little One,” he said, pulling her tightly back against him.

  “How is everyone?”

  “Alive…every one of them,” he smiled. “And Bev?”

  “Is at home with Leso. I dropped her off before I went to pick you up.”

  “And where is home?”

  “I’ll take you there. Can you wait here while I go get my car?”

  “Where is it?”

  “Just down the street at Taco Bell. I parked it when I knew I was close to you.”

  “You can follow my scent from a moving car?”

  “Yes, I can smell your scent stronger than anything else.”

  “That’s so cool,” she said. “I’ll just walk with you to the car.”

  “Sure you’re not too tired?” he smiled. “You look a bit winded.”

  “Oh, shut up!”

  “Where’s your ca
r?” he asked as they were walking down the road. “Who the hell knows. I don’t even know what she drove. I threw her keys and purse away. I don’t want her things.”

  “What about her money?”

  “Let’s not get crazy. It was my money first, and I never told you I had money. How did you know?”

  “When Bev read your letter, she asked me if I married you for your money. How much money do you have that would cause her to think that?”

  “My grandmother setup trust funds for me and Bev when we were born. When we turned 25 years old, we received over six million dollars each.”

  “Six million dollars?,” he whistled. “I can see why Bev might have been worried.”

  “At least we don’t have to worry about money.”

  “I don’t want your money, Beck.”

  “Our money, we’re married.”

  “Not legally.”

  “Close enough, and we can fix the legal part.”

  They walked into Taco Bell’s parking lot, and she saw his car. It was the same car he had had when she left. Every detail about it was the same.

  “Did I ever show you a memory of this car?”

  “No, why?” he asked.

  “Because it’s the same car you had before.”

  “I restored this car myself,” he said proudly, opening the door for her. When she got in she saw a cup of chewed up food in the console and a box of Fruit Loops lying in the back seat. “Have you been chewing up Fruit Loops?”

  “I can’t help it. They smell just like you. I really missed you, Little One,” he smiled.

  “I guess that’s sweet, in a weird, messed up kind of way.” He reached for the keys to start the car, but she stopped him. “I need to tell you some things before we go.”

  “Am I about to find out why Elderson and his clan have been chasing us all over the world?”

  “Yes, and you’re going to be mad at me again.”

  “Let me get us out of this parking lot, and then you can tell me.”

  He started the car, rolled up the windows, turned on the air conditioning, and pulled out of the parking lot. He drove down the road to a gas station and pulled in.