Irene rushed to the mirror, “Matt, have you thought about what Becky said. Have you considered all the things she mentioned? Have you come up with anything that might free you? Time is running out, son. I can hear the police coming for me.” Irene urgently pleaded.
When Bobby entered the front door of the farmhouse, he heard Matt say, “I think I can get out of the mirror if Becky will say some words from that side.” Knowing his mother couldn’t hear him he pointed to Becky on the couch.
“But Matt, Becky is completely out of it,” Irene began as she glanced over at the young woman. Before she could say anything else Bobby was in the room.
“Damn straight you’ll get out of the mirror,” Bobby exploded as he rushed forward. His fist bashed into the reflective glass and shattered it. Shards fell from its frame like rain.
“Bobby no!” Becky tried to protest, but once again she was too weak. She could only watch as Matt tumbled out of the mirror, sprawling onto the living room floor.
“Hell yeah!” Matt exclaimed. In his relief to be free of the witch-trap, he didn’t even notice the situation that had flooded his mother’s home.
“Have you no decency?” Bobby yelled. “My little sister is injured, nearly dead because of your inhumane, selfish actions, and all you care about are yourselves. To hell with all of you! Crazy bunch of hillbillies!”
Bobby rushed to Becky’s side and gently cradled her head in his arm as he softly whispered her name, “Becky, can you hear me? Becky, come on, Sis. Wake up, Becky.”
By then, Patrick came through the front door with weapon drawn. “Hands up and where I can see them,” he ordered. Having already secured Henrietta, he quickly handcuffed Irene.
“I’m so sorry that she’s hurt, but she did get me out of that witch-trap,” Matt apologized, but Bobby wasn’t having any of it.
“Get out of here. Go into the light before I do or say something terrible that we’ll both regret,” Bobby ordered. He ignored the fact that Patrick heard his bizarre outburst and that two EMS attendants were at the door.
Patrick, somewhat confused by Bobby’s rantings to an apparently empty room other than Irene, asked, “Bobby, are you all right? The ambulance is here and we need to get Becky to the hospital. You with me, buddy?”
Chapter 27
Becky recuperated in the hospital Saturday night and most of Sunday while her worried brother and sister waited with her in the private room. Justin, Joyce, Jacob, Myrtle, and Lois were also there. Zetmeh and a myriad of other spirits were there too but no one could see them except Becky.
She carried on a private conversation with Zetmeh, wondering how she could now see her spirit guides.
It can happen, dear one, when one draws close to death, Zetmeh explained. You did not die, but you were on the cusp. Your vibration changed. Can you feel it? That new hum that now streams throughout your body? It will be most evident when you retire for the evening. You will feel it most just before you fall asleep as it oscillates and pulsates throughout your being. It tunes you to your new ability or frequency.
Like a tuning fork? Becky asked.
It is similar. Just as a tuning fork is used to achieve balance in an instrument, your vibration is elevated to achieve balance in your new ability to see spirits from other dimensions.
According to the doctor, Becky’s rib was fractured and would heal on its own in a few weeks once her pain was under control and she could breathe deeply again. Her most worrisome condition was lack of oxygen for such an extended period. She would have headaches for some time, but would recover soon enough. He prescribed bedrest and a pain medication for the next few days and only light activity for the next several weeks – no heavy lifting or strenuous activities.
Sunday afternoon, before she was released, Patrick Burns went to the hospital to check on Becky. In an effort to warn him off, Barbara had told him a little about Becky’s ability. It was something she wished she’d done years ago with Marty Smith.
Now, after so much time had passed, she didn’t know how to tell Marty of her own ability or that she hated it. If she told him now, everything in the past would appear to be a lie. Barbara cared too much for Marty to let their relationship come to an end… and she was certain that it would if he knew the truth about her. It was one thing to know that her little sister had such a gift, but entirely another for him to know that she also had the ability to see and hear ghosts if she chose to do so.
Although Patrick wasn’t sure he understood the things Barbara Tibbs had told him, he couldn’t stay away from Becky. The memory of her pale, nearly lifeless face when he’d entered the farmhouse haunted him. He’d found her unconscious on the sofa. All he could think about was that he wanted to save her, to rescue her, to gather her in his arms and rush her to the ambulance. Although he’d never met her formally, he thought about Becky all the time.
As he knocked on the closed hospital room door, his heartstrings stretched tightly and insecurity flooded through his system. He feared that they’d turn him away. He wasn’t family, not even a friend… yet… but he wanted to be so much more to Becky Tibbs, Asheville’s medium.
Bobby answered the door, ready to tell the visitor to get lost. However, when he saw that it was Patrick, Bobby stepped outside to talk to him. “I didn’t know Marty was sending anyone by,” Bobby said. “It might not be the best time to question her.”
“Although I do need to know if Becky is going to press charges against Irene and Henrietta Johnson, I also wanted to see how she’s doing,” Patrick admitted.
Bobby noticed that Patrick had brought flowers and that he seemed nervous and jittery. The younger man even looked down at his feet like a school boy. Bobby chuckled to himself.
I guess Marty was right, Bobby silently conceded. Young Patrick here is taken with our Becky. She could do worse, but the point here is that she’d never done anything when it comes to men. Hell if I’ll stand in her way. This might be exactly what little Sis needs.
“I didn’t know official police business called for flowers,” Bobby teased. “Listen, Patrick, you don’t know my sister yet, but I can assure you that not much can get her down. Come on in and see for yourself. It’s about time that you met her while she’s conscious.”
Bobby opened the door to Becky’s room just as she struggled to put on her boots. “Are you nuts?” he chided. “You know what the doctor said. No heavy anything. Here let me help you.” Then, he glared at Barb, “You’re just going to sit there while she struggles to get dressed?”
“I’m sorry, Bobby. I was distracted by a text from Hillary. You know everyone is worried sick about Becky. Someone has to let them know she’s OK,” Barbara said as she looked sheepishly at her brother and then Becky. “Sorry, Sis. Really. What can I do to help?”
“Who’s this?” Becky asked, ignoring the chit-chat between her siblings as her eyes strayed to the cute police officer standing in the doorway.
“This is Patrick Burns,” Bobby looked around to see that the young detective still stood half in and half out of the room. “He was responsible for getting the Intel that saved you from those monsters. Come on in, Patrick. Meet Becky.”
“My pleasure,” Patrick said as he handed Becky the colorful bouquet of wildflowers that were tied with a pink ribbon. “I’m so glad that you are recovering from the ordeal. Miss Tibbs, I need to know if you plan to press charges…,” but Bobby and Barbara exploded in outrage.
“Of course she’ll press charges!” they exclaimed in unison.
“Now, hold on you two. Just hold on. I don’t think I will,” Becky asserted. “They were desperate for my help and not completely responsible for their actions.”
“Pardon me, Miss Tibbs, but they calculated and planned your abduction to the letter. They are responsible for their actions.”
“Please call me Becky, and no, they weren’t. I’m sorry detective, but they were simply out of their minds with grief over the loss of a family member and his terrible dilemma.”
�
��I’ll call you Becky if you’ll call me Patrick,” he countered.
“All right, Patrick,” Becky agreed as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but it quickly disappeared at his next statement.
“What you don’t seem to comprehend is that you were injured during their ‘grief’ as you put it,” Patrick objected. “That is considered assault. You could’ve died.”
“But, I didn’t,” Becky insisted.
“Well, if you had, those folks would be looking at a murder charge along with kidnapping,” Patrick interjected.
“But, I didn’t die,” Becky argued. “They needed my help and, although they went about getting it in the wrong way, they don’t deserve to be prosecuted or persecuted for their actions.”
“Please don’t be so stubborn about this. If they get away with this and it gets out, someone else might try the same thing the next time they need your help. Now, I get that you have some kind of magic ability, but no one should take advantage of you like that. It’s not right. What they did was illegal as hell.”
Becky’s eyes rose slightly at his language and that was enough for Patrick to apologize, “Forgive me, Becky. I just get really angry when I consider all the ways this could have turned out.”
“Damn straight!” Bobby agreed even though he knew Becky would give him the evil eye too.
“I really appreciate your concern, Patrick, but as you can see, it turned out just fine. I’m fine.”
“I can see that,” Patrick smiled.
Barbara and Bobby caught each other’s eyes and they grinned like Cheshire cats at each other. Becky had finally met her match and it looked as if Patrick would handle the touchy stuff for them. Dealing with Becky and her ghost cases was always a sensitive area and a bit tricky. They continued to watch the interaction in silence.
“Listen, Patrick, I know you don’t understand why I feel this way, but it is my job to help people and departed spirits with their unfinished business. I agree with you that Irene and Henrietta went about this all wrong, but neither of them is pressing charges against Bobby for knocking Henrietta flat on her back. If I press charges, they might get a lawyer and do the same. It’d be more beneficial if we let the incident die with a strong warning to both of them. Make sure that they understand that this better not get out. That way, it won’t be repeated by some other desperate soul. Okay?” Becky smiled sweetly.
The banter between Becky and Patrick continued for some time as Barbara and Bobby observed the pair. The strangest part of it was that neither Becky nor Patrick seemed self-conscious that they were watched.
“It’s as if they are in a private bubble,” Barbara whispered to her brother.
“So it seems,” he whispered back.
“Would you care to have coffee with me once you are back on your feet?” Patrick asked as he glanced at his watch. “I have to get back to the precinct right now, but I’d love to continue the conversation.
“I think that would be lovely if you’ll set aside your desire to punish the Johnsons,” Becky grinned.
“I’ll set it aside, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get a strong warning just like you suggested.”
That night, and each night after, Becky felt her body quiver with an increased vibration. It didn’t frighten her, in fact, she felt calmly receptive to the increased pulsation. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she had the impression that her body levitated, floating right above the bed.
It is healing, dear one, merely healing, Zetmeh assured.
Chapter 28
Monday evening, Becky met Hillary at Stoney Knob Café, a family restaurant located in Weaverville. As she neared I-26, she had a mild flashback of her kidnapping when she merged west.
Breathe, dear one, just breathe, Zetmeh encouraged, and as she took a few deep breaths, Becky was glad that the effort wasn’t as painful now. She began to relax.
By the time Becky parked her truck in front of the restaurant, she was calm. Hillary immediately rushed to the driver’s door to help her friend get out.
“Becky, we didn’t have to do this so soon after your injuries. It could’ve waited,” she admonished.
“Are you kidding? Barb and Bobby are driving me crazy. Neither of them has gone home since I got out of the hospital yesterday. I’m simply not used to having someone around all the time or treating me like an invalid. I needed to get out of that house.”
“I get it. I really do,” Hillary agreed. “That would get to me too.”
Once inside the casual restaurant, they were shown to a table on the left near the front windows. Becky sat facing the interior of the café and immediately noticed a male ghost that followed a waitress to their table. His pleading voice was apologetic, but of course it was in vain because the young woman could not see or hear him as she greeted Becky and Hillary, “Welcome to Stoney Knob. I’m April and I’ll be your server. What can I get you to drink this evening?”
Becky glanced at the young male ghost before answering, “I’d like iced tea. Hilary?”
“Same for me.”
Becky smiled at the pitiful ghost. He was so focused on April that he kept talking while she tried to take their orders. Becky cleared her throat and looked pointedly at him before he finally noticed.
“Wait, you can see me?” he marveled.
Becky nodded and he was instantly beside her at the table even though April moved away to get their drinks.
“How can you see me when no one else does?”
“I’m a medium,” Becky confessed as she lowered her voice.
“Wait, are you talking to a ghost right now?” Hillary excitedly asked.
Becky nodded and then added. “They’re around more often than most people can imagine. Do you mind if I act like I’m talking to you, Hills? That way we won’t get kicked out of here before we’ve had dinner.”
“That’s not a problem at all. Oh my goodness. I’ve always wanted to see how this works,” Hills gushed at the same time the ghost was talking. Over the years, Hillary had helped Becky with some of the criminal aspects of her ghost-related cases. She’d used her position at the police department in any way that would assist Becky, but to witness it first hand was new and thrilling.
“Just realize that it’s more difficult if you both speak at the same time,” Becky advised and then asked, “What is your name and how can I help you?”
“I’m Brad and I need to get a message to April, your server. Will you do that for me?” The candle on the table flickered and almost went out indicating that Brad was anxious to get his message across.
“I will try, but you have to work with me. We can’t draw attention to ourselves. We came here to eat and we haven’t yet placed our food orders. So give us a minute,” Becky said as she picked up the menu and scanned it. Hillary was so enthralled that she stared at Becky with new eyes – eyes that were filled with amazement – until Becky encouraged her to look over the menu with, “What looks good to you, Hillary?”
“I came here planning to order the shrimp and grits,” Hillary said as she snapped out of her mesmerized state easily enough, “so I guess I will do that.”
“Isn’t that a real southern dish?” Becky asked. “It seems like I read somewhere that it was introduced to settlers by Native Americans.”
“Yeah, well corn and hominy was introduced by the Native Americans, but fish and grits was something that the coastal fishermen came up with as another way to use their fresh catch. Most people think the dish originated in New Orleans, but it became the official food of South Carolina in the mid-seventies. Don’t get all hung up on what I’m ordering, as I told you before, they have some vegetarian dishes that you might enjoy. Look at their Polenta and Eggplant Napoleon.”
“OK, let me read the ingredients,” Becky replied. “Oh this sounds delicious. Its breaded fried eggplant, Italian polenta Primavera, Havarti cheese, and sautéed spinach covered with crushed tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil drizzle. That’s exactly what I want.”
“C
ome on, ladies,” Brad cried out. “Get on with it already. I really need April to know that I didn’t ditch her at the last minute.”
“We’ll get to that, Brad,” Becky promised.
“What have you decided,” April asked as she returned to their table.
It didn’t take a medium to recognize that behind April’s forced smile, she was sad and filled with grief. Becky’s heart went out to her but she placed her order and attempted to act normally. After the waitress left, she asked Brad, “How did you die and what do you want me to tell April?”
“I was supposed to meet April the night I died. It was a big deal to both of us because I was going to propose. I think she knew that too. At the last minute, I realized that I wasn’t fully prepared. I didn’t have the ring. I left work early and rushed to Columbia to get the wedding set that my grandmother had intended for me to give my future wife.
“The traffic was heavy and I was running late. Worried that April thought I was flaking out on her, I panicked. I took an exit trying to find a shortcut around the gridlock on the interstate. In my haste, I plowed into a tractor that was crossing a one-lane bridge.
“I could see the tractor’s taillights, but the huge plow he towed didn’t have any lights at all. I died instantly and April thinks I stood her up. She thinks that I didn’t care enough to follow through with our plans. She doesn’t even know why I went to Columbia or what I was doing on that bridge. She doesn’t know that her ring is in the glove box of my car.”
“I will relay your message, Brad, after we’ve finished our meal,” Becky consoled the anxious ghost.
“What?” Hillary asked. “What did he say? What is his story?”
“I’ll let you listen when I tell April,” Becky promised.
A Medium's Thanksgiving Table Page 8