The second I was free, he yanked me from the car and wrapped an arm around my waist, again. Half allowing me to run beside him. The other half carrying me most of the way. He soared through the doors of the hospital, while I cursed at him, and he ran past the nurses’ station and down the hall.
“Tell him.” At the third door, he all but threw me in, panting. “Tell Brandon about Kipp.”
“Tell who what?” I stumbled forward, drew in a deep breath to regain my composure, still wondering how in the hell I got here and what happened in the last few minutes.
But then, I caught sight of the man standing by the window. He turned to face me, and my blood ran cold. I might not have met him before, but I recognized his features immediately—the almond eye shape, the soft shade of brown hair, the chiseled jaw…and his name.
Kipp’s brother.
His chocolate brown colored eyes flicked from Eddie, then to me. “Tell me what?”
Eddie pushed me forward, causing me to stumble—again—and as I righted myself, I happened to notice the bed in the room. But the bed didn’t hold my focus for long. The who in it did.
My heart leapt into my throat and I’d bet money that it stopped beating for all of one second.
I managed to make my feet move and approached the bed, but even behind the ventilator and too many cords to count the face was recognizable. I blinked, forced my vision to clear.
Was I seeing this right? Was I in shock from all I’d been through and so exhausted that my eyes simple didn’t work properly?
But even after several more blinks, the man in the bed remained.
“Kipp,” I managed.
The world around me froze as I closed in on the bed. The beeps of the heart rate monitor surrounded me and it eased me somehow to hear that sound. It meant all that I thought about Kipp McGowen was wrong.
At the bedside, I touched his hand as it rested outside of the blanket. When I met warm flesh, I gasped and snapped my hand away. “How can this be?”
“Who are you?” Brandon asked.
I paid no attention to him, wrapped my hand in Kipp’s, and ignored the odd feeling of warmth. He’d always been so cold—his touches an icy embrace. My eyes fluttered closed as for the first time I experienced his touch.
Strong.
Soft.
Warm.
“How can this be?” I asked, again.
I opened my eyes and stared down at the man I thought I’d never see in the flesh. He looked exactly the same since ghosts always appeared alive. But his hand in mine was solid and the heat of it burned through me causing more tears to rush down my cheeks.
Eddie’s incredulous voice sounded behind me. “Did you not know he was here?”
The sight of Eddie was blurry through my tears. “How is he here?”
“Okay.” Eddie shifted on his feet, seemingly mildly uncomfortable as his cheeks flamed. “You didn’t know he was in a coma.”
“A coma?”
I turned toward Kipp and squeezed his hand. Even though he never returned the hold it didn’t much matter. Feeling him for real had been something I never expected, and my heart clenched. I lowered my head against his stomach, feeling the hardness of the abs I longed to touch, and let the tears flow wildly.
Who knew how much time passed, but when a hand settled on my back, I glanced up. Zach, ever so strong yet compassionate, gazed down at me. “Come here, Tess.”
I flung myself into his arms and he wrapped himself around me. How could this be? I raked my brain trying to remember anything that came up about this. But no one had told me. Maybe I missed it. Maybe I was so wrapped up in myself that I hadn’t seen it. But how could I miss something this important?
“I’m sorry.” Zach cradled me to his chest, holding me close. “I thought Kipp told you.” He moved away from me, but kept me in his arms. “I think with all that happened it just took a backseat to what we were dealing with in the now.” He sighed deeply. “Shit, I thought you knew, but figured Kipp didn’t want to talk about it since you never said anything, so I didn’t want to bring it up.”
Eddie added, “I tried a couple times, but Zach finally knocked sense into me.” He rubbed his shoulder, as if at a memory, and I took that to mean that Zach did so literally. “We didn’t want to upset Kipp anymore than what he’d already been through. And the fact that you hadn’t talked about it, we thought it was an off-limits conversation.”
“All right,” Brandon cut in. “Y’all are starting to freak me out. Why are you talking about Kipp like he’s with you?”
I sniffed, willing myself to stop crying to figure this all out. “Because he was here. That is, until recently.” I ignored the way Brandon gawked at me like I’d lost my mind since my thoughts were too centered around what this meant. “Kipp didn’t know about this.”
Zach looked at me incredulously. “He didn’t?”
I shook my head, slow and steady. “Trust me, he didn’t know.” But didn’t that explain everything? This was why he’d been so different. He wasn’t a typical ghost because he wasn’t dead. “He’s been here the whole time?”
Zach nodded. “Yeah.”
I remained in Zach’s arms, but examined the monitors, and the breathing tube. Normally, I’d hate to see someone I love under this type of care, but considering that I thought he was dead, this was a blessing. “How’s he doing?”
“Exactly the same,” Brandon interjected. “The doctors can’t understand it. He shouldn’t be in coma. He should have recovered, but hasn’t, so I’m taking him off life support.” Darkness drifted over his features, bottom lip quivered. “If he comes back to us, then so be. If not, I’m letting him go.”
“You are not.” I tore out of Zach’s arms and rushed Brandon, pushing him so hard he went flying to land in the chair behind him. “Don’t you even fucking think about it.”
Eddie chuckled, as did Zach.
“I believe that’s my right as his brother.” His gaze shifted toward the bed before it returned to me. “Kipp wouldn’t want this. It’s been too long and we’ve seen no improvement. It’s time for this to end.”
“Wanna fucking bet?” I bit back.
He studied me with a tight set to his lips. “Who are you, anyway?”
“Kipp’s girlfriend.”
Brandon snorted and all but rolled his eyes at me. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend. I’m his brother. I would know.”
“Well, I didn’t date him when he was living. I dated him when he was dead.” I hesitated at the shock rippling across his face, then clarified. “That is, or I thought he was dead.”
His eyebrows shot right up to his hairline. “Is this some sick fucking joke?” He glanced at Zach, and gestured to me. “Who’s this freak?”
I resisted my urge to punch him since this did seem crazy. “I’m not lying to you.” His focus returned to me, but he didn’t seem convinced. “I can see ghosts and I’ve been seeing your brother since he got shot.”
He paled. “Pardon?”
“You know me, Brandon,” Zach cut in. “You know I’d never believe in this shit.” He smiled at me, placed a hand on my shoulder. “But she’s proved it, time and time again. Kipp’s been with us.”
“I’ll vouch to that,” Eddie added. “As fucked up as it is, the woman has gifts.”
Brandon laughed, somewhat nervously. “Please tell me you’re kidding.” His tone deepened. “And if you are, you’re a bunch of bastards since this isn’t the time for jokes.”
“I know it’s hard to wrap your head around,” Zach murmured. “I tried my damndest to discount her, but it’ll do you good just to accept it. Ghosts are real. Kipp was here. End of story.” Then, his gaze came to mine. “It was why when you told us about Kipp being a ghost our disbelief wasn’t just about believing in spirits, but more so, why would a person not dead be a ghost?”
I nibbled my lip, and wondered the same thing. “Good question.”
Brandon stood from the chair I shoved him in and approached. He stop
ped in front of me, a little shorter than Kipp, then he gazed over my face as if to see the truth in it.
Finally after a long moment, his posture relaxed. “I’d be tempted not to believe any of this, because it’s just so far out there.” He turned to Zach. “But you’re Kipp’s partner and he trusted you, so if you believe this, then...”He paused and looked toward the hospital bed. “Is…” Raw pain showed in the depths of his gaze. “Is he all right?”
I sighed, happy to see his resolve. Maybe even surprised that he didn’t question it more. I suspected that was because Zach and Eddie had agreed with me. “He was until he up and vanished into the….” I chose my words carefully not to make this any more complicated than it had to be, “…where ghosts go.”
Brandon’s face drained of any color that remained. He rubbed his hand over the stubble on his jaw. “I know this is going to sound crazy—”
“Crazier than my saying I can see ghosts?”
The corner of his mouth arched. “No, not crazier than that.” His expression became lax. “The other night I had the sense Kipp was with me. And I thought…”
At his hesitation, I waved him on. “Spit it out. Honestly, you can’t say anything that’s more shocking than what I deal with on a daily basis.”
“I imagine that’s probably true.” After a quick exhale he continued, “I thought he’d come to tell me that I needed to let him go.”
I doubted that. Maybe he’d gone to Brandon because it’d been the only place he could think of to go. But I listened as Brandon went on, “I said aloud that I’d return to the hospital and instruct the doctors to take him off life support.”
My heart skipped and I whispered, “You told him he was still alive?” But that didn’t make any sense. If Kipp realized this, why would he go into the Netherworld? Why wouldn’t he have come and found me, told me to tell Brandon the truth just as Eddie and Zach had done.
Something wasn’t adding up. “What happened when you got here?”
“I talked to the doctors, told them my plan, and then called Zach…” His eyes went huge now. “And that’s when Zach told me I couldn’t do anything until he showed up at the hospital. That he had something to tell me first.”
“Did you say any of that aloud?” I asked.
Zach nodded. “Yeah, you did, remember. You were repeating some of my lines to me.” He gave a small smile. “Something like, what the fuck do you have to tell me at a time like this? Just get here and say your goodbyes.”
“So, Kipp heard you, which means he knew that Zach was coming and never would’ve let you take him off.” I tried to understand, piece it all together. “He knew you’d bring me here to stop you.”
And that thought made my heart hurt so much I nearly dropped to my knees. If Kipp had known, why wasn’t he here waiting for me? This was a huge discovery. And a hopeful one, too.
“What do you think that means, then?” Zach asked.
I approached the bed, and Kipp looked so peaceful. “I don’t know.”
“All right,” he continued, going into detective mode to get the facts straight. “So, he knows he’s alive, but something’s happened that made him not care enough to come and find us.”
What? Was the unasked question, but only one thing mattered. “I need to find a way to get to him. Talk to him. Something isn’t right about all this.” Even if Kipp was angry about Dane, this would’ve been a shock to him. He would’ve wanted answers. And Kipp didn’t want to die, that much I believed. So, why wasn’t his focus right now on finding a way back?
What in the hell was he doing in the Netherworld?
Silenced settled around us, but then Eddie finally broke it. “I hate to say it, but how do you plan on doing that? You going to become a ghost and go and hunt him down.”
If that’s what it takes. Gretchen’s advice hung like a heavy cloud around me—Remember, you choose your life. Do not let others tell you what is right. Follow your heart.
She’d been right. And so had Dane. Falling in love with a ghost was in every way a bad idea. One I shouldn’t have done and should have left alone. But my heart told me that I needed Kipp.
And I had to wonder if it was all connected. Was Kipp still in a coma because his soul—ghost—couldn’t find a way back into his body? That theory made sense. How could he come out of his coma, if his soul wasn’t attached to it?
But the same worry drifted up, why was Kipp not thinking about that either? Even if he was pissed at me, he’d want to live again, that I didn’t doubt for a moment.
Which meant maybe Zach was onto something. The reasons for Kipp’s disappearance seemed less likely about me and more so because of something. But what that something was, I had no idea.
“I haven’t a clue how to get in contact with him,” I said honestly. “But we’ve all seen things that go beyond reason, right?” At nods from Zach and Eddie, I continued, “There has to be a way to—I don’t know—speak to him.” My path became clear. “I loved him as a ghost and if I have the chance to love him as a man, I’m taking it.”
“Use an Ouija board,” Brandon offered.
Zach laughed. “That’ll work.”
“While I’m glad that you’re not thinking I’m nuts and open to the idea to suggest something,” I said to Brandon. “I don’t really think that’s going to work. But Gretchen might know a way.”
“The witch?” Eddie asked.
“She was spot on about the demon, and I’ll tell you this much, she knows her stuff.”
“Witch?” Brandon whispered. “Demon.”
His eyes were wide with either shock or fear. I couldn’t quite tell. “The boys can tell you all about everything because honestly I’m so sick of talking about it.” I had more pressing matters that didn’t involve scary shit that went bump in the night.
I turned to Kipp, leaned down and drew in a deep breath catching a whiff of soap and antiseptic. But beneath it, for the first time since I smelled him on his pillow that night at his house, I drew in the warm, scent of spicy man.
Not just any man.
My Kipp.
It didn’t matter what was ahead of us, or behind us…only the possibility to be together. I pressed my lips against his mouth and zings of shock soared through me to feel his warm flesh. “I love you and you better have a goddamn good reason for not being here.”
I brushed my mouth toward his ear and whispered, “I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m coming to get you.”
Epilogue
I slammed the front door behind me, threw my keys on the table along with my purse, and headed straight for the kitchen counter.
My morning had been spent with Anna as I filled her in on what happened to her sister. I didn’t have to go to her home, and no one asked me to—except for Lizbeth herself—but after what I’d seen I thought she deserved closure.
The result turned out better than I could’ve expected. A weight clearly lifted off her shoulders in learning what really happened to her sister.
It surprised me the whole demon talk didn’t scare her. I assumed she must’ve already expected it had been something like that. More so, that when she saw Lizbeth’s smile on the night she died that she knew then what she was dealing with. She just didn’t want to say it aloud.
After which, I spent the rest of the day helping the soldier’s at Veteran’s Plaza as I promised. It wasn’t a difficult task. One wanted to see his wife once more so I did some research and took him to her new house. Another wanted to see the grave of his mother. And it all went pretty much like that. Simple requests that didn’t take long, but since there were so many of them it kept me busy for the day.
To say I was left emotionally drained was an understatement. My insides, as well as my heart, were bruised. After a quick bite, I’d go to the hospital to be with Kipp until I could figure out how to get him back.
With the to-do-list down to zero, I had some serious thinking to do. And Max agreed that I could take some time off to figure out this mess,
which I was thankful for.
I grabbed an apple off the counter and just as I took my first bite, a knock came at my door. I wasn’t expecting company so I hurried to answer it. I opened it and was stunned to see Gretchen.
“I’ve come because you need me,” she said.
I finished chewing my apple, then swallowed. “How did you know that?”
“Call it a gut feeling.” She gestured toward my living room. “May I come in?”
“Oh, sorry.” I blinked away my shock, opened the door wider, and stepped aside to let her pass.
She took a seat on my couch, then gave that charming smile. “Since you’re still here, and it’s you, I’m assuming everything went well with the demon.”
I sat in next to her, placed my apple down on the coffee table, and nodded. “It was a bit rough for a moment, but yes, I sent him away. You’re the reason for that, so thank you.”
“The spells are strong.” Confidence radiated off her voice. “I had no doubt if you believed in them they’d protect you.” She cocked her head, examining me. “Tell me then why I’m having dreams that you need something from me.”
“You dream of things?” I scrunched up my nose, not sure I liked that. “Of me?”
“I’m a bit psychic and do have some premonitions.” She fiddled with her cotton black skirt and settled it over her thighs. “I’m not nearly as talented as some others as I know, but mine always come to me in dreams.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “And you’ve been making me dream a lot lately. So what’s going on?”
Weird, but seriously everything around me was weird, so why doubt her? “You know my ghost?” At her nod, I continued, “Well, it turns out he wasn’t exactly deceased, but in a coma.”
Her eyebrows rose. “That explains why his energy was the way it was. How intriguing.” Curiosity flashed over her features. “Is he dying?”
I frowned at her choice of words. Instead, of issuing her a firm lashing for even suggesting such a thing, I said, “No.” I hesitated, then followed up with. “Not yet anyway. They have him on a ventilator.”
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