The Sleeping Beauty Bride

by Glenys O'Connell

  Deep in thought, she slowly became aware of a sense that someone was watching her . . . and when a cold finger touched her arm, startling her, she whipped around to see who was there.

  The sidewalk in front of the store was empty. She suppressed a shiver and hurried back into the warmth of the store.

  “Noelia, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Sasha declared as she carried their afternoon coffee things into the store. “Whatever happened?”

  Noelia shook her heard. “Honestly, I don’t know. I was trying to make my mind up about what should go into the window display, and suddenly it felt like someone was watching me. And then . . . this might sound crazy, but I was sure a cold hand had touched my arm.”

  “Sounds like something from the twilight zone.” Sasha looked at her with one raised eyebrow. “Maybe there was a squirrel or something on the roof watching you? And the cold touch—a drop of water from that leaky gutter? It did rain last night.”

  Noelia felt her shirtsleeve. Dry as a bone. The thought made her think of rattling skeletal fingers, making her shudder again. And she doubted that a squirrel could stare with the intensity she’d felt. Sasha’s words about seeing a ghost hit home. She hadn’t yet been able to forget her last encounter with a restless spirit who was trying to get Kelly’s attention. That ghost had thrown things around the store and scared her half to death. Pasting on a bright smile, she told Sasha that she was probably right and maybe she’d feel better after another cup of coffee and some of those chocolate cookies . . . and silently made a note to talk to Kelly as soon as she could. The opportunity came the next day when Kelly suggested they get together for dinner out at a new seafood restaurant that had opened near the piers. Noelia was due to put in another three-hour stretch at the hospital, so she suggested Kelly meet her in the café there and then they could go to the restaurant.

  Doctors in white coats looking preoccupied, nurses checking their watches as their shifts drew near or breaks were coming to an end, visitors, patients’ family members, and even some perambulatory patients filled the echoing room with talk, laughter, and anxiety. Noelia spotted Kelly in a corner near the window. She was sharing the spot with a harassed-looking woman with a young baby.

  The baby was screaming bloody murder, and Kelly’s face lit up with relief when she saw her friend waving from the door. She quickly got up, paper coffee cup in hand, and joined Noelia in the corridor outside the café.

  “You didn’t look like you were having much fun over there,” Noelia teased as they made their way to the elevators.

  “Oh, my word, no. Do babies scream like that all the time?” She dropped the empty paper cup into a garbage can by the elevator doors.

  Noelia shrugged. “Not all the time, no.” She drew out the word all, making Kelly wince.

  “Like, how much time is not all the time?”

  “Oh, I’d say . . . Well, depends on the baby and the circumstances.”

  Kelly moaned. “How ever did you survive bringing up two boys?”

  “Well, you might think it’s bad when they’re babies, but wait until you see them in adolescence.”

  “I don’t think I’d survive.”

  “Sure you would. You’d make a wonderful mom.”

  The elevator arrived, and they pushed in, carried along by a stampede of people. It seemed like everyone wanted a different floor, and each time the car stopped, a new influx of people flowed on. Noelia noticed Kelly’s face was flushed and sweating.

  The moment they exited the elevator, she turned to Kelly. “Okay, lady, what aren’t you telling me?” Noelia stood with her hands on her hips, her don’t-even-try-to-shine-me-on stance.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kelly fumbled in her purse for a compact and began to powder her nose.

  “This is Noelia you’re talking to. I’ve never known you to get queasy in an elevator before . . . umm, let me see . . . unexplained appointments . . . looking a bit peaky in the mornings . . . and all those questions about babies . . . ” Her voice trailed off as realization dawned. “Oh, my lord, Kelly, are you . . . ?”

  “Pregnant? Yes. Yes, Brett and I are going to have a baby.”

  The two stared at each other for a moment, then Noelia grabbed both Kelly’s hands in her own, and the two of them twirled around, laughing and hugging each other.

  Room doors opened as patients and visitors peeked out, and even a couple of people walking with IV poles stopped to see what the fuss was about. It seemed in no time that they’d gathered a small crowd.

  “My friend’s going to have a baby!” Noelia told them, ignoring the embarrassed blush that crept over Kelly’s cheeks.

  A round of applause and words of congratulation brought Nurse Wilkinson out from the nurses’ station, and she didn’t look at all happy.

  “What’s all the commotion? Ms. Russo?” Her voice was disapproving. “I know you know that quiet is required on this floor.”

  “I’m so sorry, Nurse Wilkinson. It’s just that my friend has just found out she’s going to have a baby!”

  The nurse’s stern look changed to a big smile. “Congratulations, dear,” she told Kelly. Then turning to Noelia, she frowned. “A little more decorum, if you please. Could we have everyone return to their rooms?” And she walked on, leaving Noelia struggling not to stick her tongue out. She shrugged. “She’s right—we really shouldn’t disturb the long-term care patients along this ward.”

  Chastened, the two headed off to Room 307 where Sleeping Beauty lay, still and quiet as always.

  “She’s so beautiful . . . and this seems so sad. How long has it been?” Kelly asked as they stood by the quiet bed and studied its silent occupant.

  “Three months now, and they say there’s no reason why she can’t wake up—there’s no brain or nerve damage that they can find. It’s as though she doesn’t want to come back. Kelly, Lydia is Dr. Westbury’s daughter.”

  “Oh, dear. The poor man. Is this why you wanted me to come here? Because of . . . let’s call it my special talent. Because I can tell you now, it won’t work with the living.”

  Noelia bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Kelly. I really didn’t mean to make you feel obligated.”

  “I understand; it’s just that I don’t think I can help. Is it always this cold in here?” Kelly shivered and pulled her jacket closed.

  “I’ve asked the service guys to take a look at the heating several times now. I don’t know what the problem is, but it’s always cold in here, especially over in that corner where the visitors’ chairs are, and sometimes there’s an awful draft.” Noelia frowned. It didn’t seem right that this young woman should lie here helpless in a room that even healthy visitors found to be colder than the North Pole.

  “Would you just sit with Sleeping Beauty for a few minutes, maybe talk to her? They say that sometimes coma patients can hear what’s said to them even if they’re not showing signs of waking up. And maybe hearing a fresh voice will have some effect.”

  Kelly moved closer to the bed, keeping her jacket on. Noelia saw that she was studying the young woman who lay there, her eyes sad as she observed the calm beauty that imitated death so closely.

  “It’s strange, isn’t it—she’s so still, and yet there’s something of life about her,” Kelly whispered.

  Noelia nodded. Even in her stillness, Lydia gave off a sense of youthful vibrancy that lay just beneath the silence, something that went beyond the irritating beeping of the monitors that measured her vital signs. If Sleeping Beauty began to wake up . . . or . . . no, the alternative didn’t bear thinking about. Noelia shivered.

  Kelly placed her hand on the young woman’s cool, dry one and spoke quietly. “Are you going to come back to us? I am sure it must be agony for your family to see you like this. And it can’t be much fun for you, either, hiding from the world and missing out on the wonderful life you could be having.”

  Suddenly, Kelly reared back with a gasp, her face suddenly pale as she stared at a spot near the wind
ow. Seeing Kelly’s startled reaction, Noelia whirled around in her seat.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” Kelly said.

  “Who are you talking to?” Noelia whispered, scared to hear what had made her friend go so pale.

  “We have company,” Kelly said, indicating the visitors’ chairs. “She said Lydia can’t wake up because she’s afraid.”

  Noelia looked but couldn’t see anything. She brought her hand up to her breast where her heart began to pound as she realized that Kelly must be seeing a ghost.

  “Yes, I’m Kelly,” Kelly spoke to the empty chairs, then grasped her head. Noelia cried out as she recognized the signs of the sharp headaches Kelly got when seeing a restless spirit. She rushed over to put a protective arm around her friend.

  “Can I help you with anything?” Kelly voice quivered.

  There was a pause, ostensibly as Kelly listened to the ghost’s response. Then Kelly whispered to Noelia, “She wants to talk to you.”

  “Me?” Noelia gasped.

  “Noelia’s right here beside me, but she can’t see you or hear you,” Kelly said. “Can you tell me why Lydia is afraid?” Then, after a moment, she said to Noelia, “She says that’s not allowed; you have to work it out. Just know that she’s afraid to wake up and afraid to stay where she is.”

  Noelia could now see a slight shimmer in the air near the window. Remembering the time she had thought someone stood behind her when she was looking out of that very window, she shivered. Had this ghost been in the room all the time she had been visiting? Had she witnessed Noelia’s ministrations to Sleeping Beauty, heard the silly chatter she’d used to try and get through to the girl?

  This ghost was speaking in riddles, like the other spirit they’d dubbed Peter the Friendly Ghost, who’d driven them all to distraction with his oblique comments. Noelia felt a burst of hysterical laughter bubble in her throat. “Can’t you spirits ever speak directly?” she demanded of the shimmering air.

  “It’s not allowed,” Kelly relayed to Noelia.

  “Not much help to us, eh?”

  Noelia hugged Kelly closer, feeling the cold shivers running over her friend’s body.

  “Who are you and what do you want with Lydia?” Noelia demanded, but Kelly shook her head.

  “She was a woman about your age, Noelia, but she’s gone now. And all she’d say was that Lydia was afraid to wake up and afraid to stay where she was and that we had to work it out for ourselves.”

  Noelia blew out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Fat lot of good that does us,” she said. “Don’t you just hate these riddles the ghosts share?”

  Kelly smiled weakly. “Oh, my, Noelia. What have you gotten yourself into?”

  Chapter Ten

  “So, what did Brett say when you told him he was about to become a daddy?” Noelia asked the next morning as she and Kelly sat in Wedding Bliss with hot drinks—French vanilla coffee for Noelia and hot chocolate for Kelly, who had declared she couldn’t drink coffee without feeling queasy.

  They’d begged off the trip to the new seafood restaurant the previous night, Kelly admitting that her stomach was all butterflies after meeting the Cranky Ghost at Sleeping Beauty’s bedside. Noelia had voiced her concerns about the effect such stress could have on her pregnant friend, but Kelly just brushed it off. “Takes more than a silly ghost to get me down,” she declared.

  “But you must think of the baby now, too.” Noelia had insisted they call it a night so Kelly could get some rest.

  Now they were enjoying a break during a rare quiet morning moment at Wedding Bliss. It seemed that love was in the air, and the bright spring weather was inspiring people to make their wedding plans for the summer. They’d been run off their feet for the past few days.

  Kelly had colored to the roots of her auburn hair and chewed on her lip before answering Noelia’s question.

  “You have told him, haven’t you? You know he’ll be over the moon, and Brett will be a wonderful baby daddy,” Noelia urged.

  Kelly swallowed. “I’m longing to tell him. I know just how great he’ll be, and how much he’ll want this baby. But honestly, Noelia, I’m scared he’ll get distracted, worrying about me and wanting to be home, and that could be dangerous where he is right now. Put a foot wrong or say the wrong thing and the whole project could be lost. It could even be physically dangerous for Brett and the other non-profit workers who are trying their best to help the poor people there in the face of a drought.”

  Noelia got up and hugged her friend. “I know what it’s like to be worried about someone you love, even to the point of wondering if they’ll stay safe while they’re away.”

  Kelly bit her lip again. “I’m sorry, Noelia. I know how hard it was for you when Andre was lost at sea. And you know, maybe I’m just exaggerating the danger. They say the pregnancy hormones play tricks with your emotions. I just wish he was home safe with me. And I’m so afraid if I tell him about the baby, he’ll try to rush everything through to get back here to me, and that could get him into trouble or lose them the chance to organize aid for people who would end up starving.”

  Noelia was silent, giving Kelly another hug before sitting back down at the antique table and reaching across to hold her hand. “You are a sweet woman, Kelly. And Brett is a good man. He’s also done this work for a long time. He knows what he’s doing, and I’m sure that, especially since the two of you met, he’s not going to take any unnecessary risks.”

  Kelly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. “I know that. He’s really good at his job, too, and I wouldn’t dream of asking him to quit. It’s just that we hadn’t even come to the end of our honeymoon before they called and said he was needed abroad. I know it’s selfish, but the first thought I had when he told me was that I needed him more than some foreign country. I didn’t say it, though.”

  “Let’s just hope and pray he’s back here, safe and sound, soon. And remember, when you were in the military, you took risks for your country and your fellow soldiers.”

  Kelly frowned. “Yeah, look how that worked out—a head wound from shrapnel that left me haunted by restless spirits.”

  They were silent a few moments, the previous night’s adventure sitting like the elephant in the room. Neither really wanted to talk about what the encounter with the restless spirit could mean. Noelia broke the silence.

  “Why do you call her the Cranky Ghost?”

  Kelly sipped hot chocolate and stared out of the window for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she said, “She seemed so very angry, angry about everything and angry with us that we couldn’t immediately grasp what she was saying and do something.”

  “What do you think she wanted us to do?” Noelia offered Kelly the plate of chocolate cookies. When her friend refused, she helped herself to one as Kelly considered how to reply.

  “I honestly don’t know—there just wasn’t enough information to reach any conclusion. Let’s face it, being told Lydia is afraid to wake up and not being given even a clue as to the reason, well, that doesn’t take us very far.”

  Noelia shivered. “You thought she was angry, and I must admit that I’d felt an odd unsettled sensation in that room from time to time. Do you think . . . Oh, Madre Maria e tutti i santi! You don’t think she means Lydia any harm, do you? What if she’s annoyed that Lydia is hanging onto life, and she’s the ghost sent to help her cross over?”

  Kelly sighed. “I don’t think it works that way, but if she’s been angry for a while—isn’t it three months that Lydia has been in the coma? Even if that’s what’s annoying her, it seems she’s powerless to do anything to harm the woman, or she’d have scooped her up already.”

  Noelia got up and began to clear their coffee things. “It’s all beyond my understanding,” she declared.

  “Well, I can’t say I understand this stuff much, either. I really wish I could use this gift I’ve been given to help Sleeping Beauty wake up. Times like this, if feels so much m
ore like a curse than a gift.”

  “No, dear, it is a gift you were given—maybe in exchange for getting a second chance at life after you were wounded. Or maybe as a reward for your courage in saving other’s lives,” Noelia balanced the coffee tray in one hand while she patted Kelly’s shoulder with the other.

  “Watch that crockery, lady!” Kelly warned as the cups began to slide. “Anyway, I wish I thought that seeing ghosts was something that could be useful.”

  “But just think of the good you’ve done with that gift! Mary would have been a bitter old spinster still if you hadn’t listened to that ghost and found her missing groom nearly fifty years after he didn’t show up at the altar.”

  “And now she’s hounding you and Sasha and all her single friends, matchmaking to try to get you all to enjoy the marital bliss she’s found.” Kelly gave a mischievous smile.

  Noelia grinned back. “Yeah, well, maybe that wasn’t such a good thing after all! But seriously, I am sure that Brett will be home safe as soon as he can be.”

  “I know you’re right. Just keep us both in your prayers, will you?”

  Noelia’s cell phone started to ring, and Kelly grinned at the tune it played.

  “Seriously? The Rolling Stones? ‘Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown’?”

  Noelia shrugged. “Oh, it’s Nate.”

  “Then you’d better hurry up and answer it,” Kelly told her, taking the tray from her hands and heading toward the back room with them.

  When Kelly returned a few minutes later, Noelia told her about Nate’s call. “He seemed very preoccupied, and said he wondered if I’d call by his house tonight because he wanted to show me something. No matter how I tried, he wouldn’t even give me a clue what it was about.”

  “Maybe he just wants to be a bit of a mystery man, to lure you to his home and . . . ”