Midnight Magic, page 190
I crawled onto the hospital bed and lay down inside of my body. Or tried to anyway. The heart monitor continued to beep at a steady pace. I was still cut off from my meat suit.
Could I really go back? Or was this it—a long sleep until I actually died. I sat up and looked down at myself. Even halfway seated inside of my body, when I touched myself I didn’t feel the heat of me like I did with Sekani. What did that mean?
Cold fingers washed down my spine and I gasped for breath. It felt as if my head had been shoved under icy water. Sekani appeared in the room from thin air.
How had he done that? Where had he come from?
“Figured you’re already a ghost so using your door couldn’t do more damage,” Sekani said. He came through my door? He could do that? Was that safe for me—for him? “Waylin and River are on their way.”
“How do we get me back in my body?” I asked as I climbed off the bed. He said that was the purpose of this visit. “What happens after I’m back?” I chewed on my lip.
Would that be it? Would the pair of us go our separate ways?
“I’m going to force you back into your body. I can’t promise it will work. Or that it won’t hurt like a son of a bitch if it does. It might actually kill you.” My eyes widened. What did he mean it might actually kill me? I was dead enough already, thank you very much. “You’re already dying so it’s a risk we have to take. When you’re back in your body, you might have all your memories. Even if you don’t, at least you’ll be in your body again.”
I looked down at my body in the bed. “Sekani,” I whispered, shaking my head. I couldn’t ask him for anything else. He had already done so much. “Never mind.”
Sekani grasped my arm and tugged me through the bed. “Just say what you gotta say now, Ghost Boy. You might not get another opportunity. The chance of you popping back in your body and forgetting the last couple of weeks with me are pretty damn high too.”
I shook my head. Forgetting him sounded just as bad as forgetting myself. “Promise . . . Promise if this works, even if I forget, you won’t . . .” I grasped the hem of his shirt and stepped into his personal space. “I want to know you—really know you.” Was that silly? To want to know him in ways I didn’t already?
“How about we get coffee? When you’re feeling up to it.”
“Really?” Maybe he liked me a little too. He did wank me a few short hours ago.
“Yeah, Callum,” he said. “I’ve gotten pretty used to you being around.” I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. His arms curled around my shoulders and he squeezed. “It’s going to be fine. The important thing is getting you back in your body so you don’t get dead for real. The rest is just details.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” I whispered as I clung to him. I wasn’t ready to let him go—to say goodbye. If this worked and I came out on the other side intact, maybe I wouldn’t have to.
“So much for not fucking ghosts,” River said. Sekani and I pulled away from one another as River and Waylin, dressed as a nurse and a doctor, shut the door behind themselves. They looked ridiculous but the outfits most likely allowed them to slip past the nurses’ station.
“My dick has never been in one and I’ve never had a ghost dick inside of me either. Can you say the same?” Sekani asked.
“Uh . . .” Waylin raised his hand. “I can, just for the record.”
River shrugged, not looking guilty in the least. “So, what’s the plan?”
Something was wrong with him.
“In simple terms, I’m taking him through someone else’s door and pushing him out of his.” Sekani said.
River and Waylin looked at Sekani with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
“You can do that?” River finally asked.
“I can do a lot of shit we’ve never discussed. Now isn’t the time either,” Sekani said. “Right now, you two are about to get a crash course in unpleasant memories. Basically, behind the doors are the dead who went through a door that wasn’t theirs. And they want back on this side of things—bad. They’re gonna be on us—him mostly—like white on rice as soon as I open his door to put him through it. And one of them might get out. If that happens, one of you is gonna get possessed. But not a little possessed. It’s not gonna percolate in you like bad coffee. It’s gonna go full demon in two point zero seconds. Whichever one of you isn’t possessed needs to deal with it. And by dealing with it, I mean KO whoever’s getting bitched around.”
“Okay,” River agreed. He sounded so at ease. Nothing about this sounded easy.
“Wait.” Waylin frowned. “What if more than one . . . unpleasant memory comes through? How do we deal with it if we’re both possessed?”
“Let’s pretend like that problem doesn’t exist.” Sekani said.
“Sounds like a bad idea.” Waylin crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m in.”
Clearly, River wasn’t the only one with issues.
This whole family needed therapy.
“Good luck, Ghost Boy,” River said, a far too excited grin stretching his mouth. I didn’t know which of the four of us needed luck more. One of them was possibly about to be possessed by something nasty.
Sekani turned to me. “It’s gonna be hard for you over there, Callum. You’re gonna feel all kinds of things. You’re gonna see your nightmares—your personal demons—come to life before your very eyes. And your deepest fantasies may speak to you. Do not stop walking. Do not talk to anyone. Whoever you’re seeing isn’t really there. Of course, it might affect you differently than I’m prepared for because you’re a spirit. I can’t promise I can even get you out without letting you possess me.”
I wrapped my arms around my midsection. Possess him? Like something had possessed River? “Sekani . . .”
Should we really do this? Maybe it was better for me to just . . . let go.
“Callum.” Sekani grasped my shoulder and I looked up. “You’ve trusted me this far. Just keep doing that.”
I had trusted him so far. Why stop now? “Okay.”
He grinned. “Let’s get this show on the road. Maybe we can make tomorrow the best day of your mom’s life.”
I smiled in return. I couldn’t remember my family, but I knew they loved me. They were always here—my mom or my dad by my side, hoping for a miracle. I wanted to give them one, wake up and tell them I was okay. More than that, I wanted to see Luke’s face when he arrived tomorrow and saw I was awake. “I’m ready.”
I was ready. We had to do this if I wanted a life and . . . I did. There was so much I wanted to do.
Like get coffee with Sekani.
“Be careful you two,” Sekani told his brothers. They still looked way too excited.
“We got you,” River said as Waylin passed over his doctor coat.
Yeah. I wasn’t nervous before but now, knowing it was those two watching over me on this side of the door, I was. They seemed like an accident waiting to happen. Those two would do something dumb and I would be the one getting possessed.
“Don’t let anything in my body either,” I said.
“Oh yeah. Don’t let that happen. He’s empty right now so whatever gets in him isn’t gonna come out without a lot of try-hard.” Sekani said before we left the room. We walked through the halls, peeking into different rooms. Sekani stepped inside one; there was an old man lying in a hospital bed. “On the other side of the door, don’t use my name. You can call me Kani.”
“Kani,” I repeated.
“And just for future reference, if your memories of the last couple weeks are gone once you pop back in your body condom, what’s a sure-fire way to guarantee you agree to a coffee with me?”
I laughed under my breath. “You’re hot. Just ask.”
Sekani smiled before reaching in his pocket and taking out a knife. He cut his hand and blood spread across his palm. “I’m right behind you.”
He smacked his hand on nothing and shoved me forward. Suddenly, I was in a different place. It was dark and cold and felt like every bad day I’d ever had combined. My stomach cramped. A loud buzz sounded in my ears. I was somewhere that shouldn’t exist but somehow did. And it was loud—so loud I covered my ears and dropped to my knees. A warm hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me to my feet. Sekani, silent as a church mouse, pulled me forward. His steps were quick but he wasn’t outright running.
“They’re screaming,” I whispered. They were screaming, all together. The buzz was a hundred, a thousand, a million ghosts screaming. Could he hear them too?
“You would too if this was home for all eternity.” Sekani said.
“It hurts.” My body ached everywhere. Every step made my bones rattle. It felt as if I was being pulled in a hundred different directions by just as many hands.
“Just a little longer, Ghost Boy. I’ve got you.” He dragged me forward but it was so hard to move here. It felt as if I was running in a sandpit—being pulled down, on the verge of being swallowed. And there were so many unpleasant memories—screaming, screaming, screaming. I wanted to scream right along with them but I bit down on my lip to stop myself from howling.
Sekani stopped and I bumped into his back. There was a multicolored door in front of us—splashed with a hundred different colors. On either side of it were two more, glowing. “This is it. You ready?”
“Yes.” I needed to get out of this place. How could Sekani stand being here?
“Put your back to mine and face your door. I’m gonna shove you through while occupying these fucks.” Sekani said. I nodded and stepped around him, pressing my back against his.
“You owe me coffee, Ghost Boy. Don’t forget.” Sekani slapped his bloody hand against the door. It sprang open and he stepped backwards, shoving me through. I gasped and felt heavy—heavier than I had in the longest time.
My head pounded. My throat burned. And I was tired, so tired.
A pair of blue eyes peered down into mine but . . . I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
I just needed to sleep, just for a minute.
Then there was something else I needed to do, something important but . . .
SEKANI AELOR
By the time I arrived at the hospital a little after three in the afternoon the following day, Barnet in tow, Callum was awake and sitting up in his bed. He looked better than he had when River, Waylin and I had left him. He had a happy smile on his face. Flushed cheeks.
The doctors were probably wondering how someone who’d spent six months in a coma could be functioning so well. They could classify it as a medical miracle for all I cared. It was just good to see him awake—alive and kicking. His family seemed to agree as they gathered around him.
Last night, I wasn’t sure my plan would work. I mean, in theory I knew it had a good chance, but I’d never attempted anything like it before. The risks were numerous. But in the end, it looked as if my gamble paid off. Of course, whether Callum remembered me and our time together remained to be seen. If he didn’t, I’d ask him for coffee when he was on his feet and see what happened. No risk ensured no reward, after all. And after spending weeks on end in Callum’s company as we tried to put his memory together, I’d realized he was worth more than a little risk.
Callum wiggled free of his mother’s arms, gaze tripping around the room, snapping past me before jerking back. His eyes widened as a smile tipped up his lips.
“Sekani.” Callum reached for me.
I grasped his hands and smiled down at him. “Hey, Ghost Boy. Looks like you’re back among the living. How does it feel?”
“I’m a little tired but the doctors said that’s normal.”
“You’ll be on your feet in no time and when you are, you owe me a coffee,” I said, not really caring that his family was watching, that Barnet was watching and probably wondering what the hell was going on. As far as they knew, Callum and I were strangers. We had been, before his brush with death.
“I haven’t forgotten,” he assured me as he squeezed my hands. “Anything.”
“But do you remember? That’s the real question,” I teased. Did he know now who was stealing his art? Could he tell us anything about who ran him down? My gut was telling me it hadn’t been an accident.
“Yeah. I mean—” He shook his head as his grey eyes met my blue ones. “I don’t know who hit me. But I was going to go see Professor O’Donnole because Luke was stealing my art.”
I sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry. I know he’s your best friend. If you’d made it to your meeting and reported him, what do you think could have happened regarding his schooling?” I asked. Because, thus far, since Luke had been stealing his art and was about to be reported for doing so, it looked as if he had a strong motive to hurt Callum. We just needed to connect all the dots so if he was the one who ran Callum down, he would pay for it.
“He would have been kicked out for sure,” Callum said, his fingers tightening around mine. “I remember noticing my sketch book was in his bag. And that he was making changes to some of my pictures. When I called him on it, he got mad. A few nights later another friend called me and showed me a painting Luke said he did. Only it was a painting that used to be in my house. So Luke and I started to text because I wanted to know what was going on. He called and things got heated. I told him I was going to see the Professor. He thought I should just shut up and let someone else win for once.”
I glanced at Barnet. “Sounds like enough for a probable cause warrant to me. You?”
“You really think that’s worth trying to kill me over?” Callum asked.
“People get scared and they get stupid, Ghost Boy. He might not have been clear-headed at the time but he still needs to face the consequences. Plus, to be honest, the last couple of days, has he acted like a friend or someone who regrets their actions?”
Callum’s shoulders fell as he shook his head. I squeezed his hands and wished I could do more to comfort him, but now—with a room full of people—wasn’t the time or place. “He probably wishes I’d died and wasn’t just in a coma.”
“I’m sorry,” Clare spoke. We looked at her. “How would you know what Luke was doing the last couple of days?”
My lips tipped up as I looked at Callum. “Yeah. How would you know, Callum?”
Let him explain it to his mother.
“I . . .” He trailed off and glanced at me. “It’s like . . . uh . . . while I was here I also . . . wasn’t here. Not like I was asleep but like I wasn’t in my body.” Everyone looked at him like he was batshit crazy and I swallowed a smile. “I guess simply put my soul was roaming free and Sekani can see ghosts.”
His parents were looking at each other and Callum like maybe they needed to call a psychiatrist in to evaluate him.
“It’s true!” Callum said. “I was right there—” He pointed to the end of the bed “—when Sekani showed you the picture I had sketched of myself and you told him about finding my . . .” his gaze skipped to his father “—rainbow paraphernalia. I was here when you gave him my phone and my keys. You told him Aysha was stressing you out so you sent her home.”
“Mom!” Aysha whined. Clare looked stricken as she stared down at her son.
“I’m a spirit medium,” I explained. “Your son contacted me eight weeks ago. He had no memory of himself or what had happened. The day I encountered you, Mrs. Maslow, I was here to attend to another matter.” The only time River getting possessed had turned out to be a good thing. I sure as shit wasn’t going to tell the fool that. “When I saw Callum in the hospital bed, I recognized him instantly.”
“This is a bit much to take in.” Clare swayed before she sat down.
“All you need to know is that Sekani helped me, Mom.” Callum reached out and Clare automatically grasped his hand. “He’s why I’m awake.”
“I can’t believe this shit,” Barnet muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you saying all those gut feelings were ghosts?”
“Eh. Most of them?” I offered. She glared. The fact that she wasn’t questioning the sanity behind all of this was proof just how good a partner she’d been, and still was when necessary. “Luke’s going to be here in—” I checked the time on my watch “—twenty or so minutes. Maybe everyone should clear out before he arrives. If we can get him to confess, this can be wrapped up quickly.”
“Do you think he will?” Callum asked.
“He’s not very bright. Piss him off enough and he might. I’ll stay close with Barnet.” I wasn’t going to leave him open to another attack. “And New York is a one-party consent state so turn the voice recorder on your phone on. We want solid proof if he does confess.”
“Okay.” His voice cracked as he nodded.
I reached out and cupped the back of his neck. “You’re gonna be fine, Ghost Boy. I haven’t let you down yet, have I?”
He smiled and leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine as he closed his eyes. “I trust you, Sekani.”
I pressed a kiss to his forehead and straightened. “Let’s go in case he decides to show up early.”
Mrs. and Mr. Maslow leaned in, followed by Aysha, each taking a turn to kiss and hug him before we all left the room.
Barnet walked beside me, silent as we headed down the hallway. “So . . . no bullshit?” she finally asked. “You really see ghosts?”
“Since I was twelve,” I told her. “It’s not a secret. But it’s not something I put on my business card either so maybe keep it to yourself.” I’d helped Callum but honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get back into the business of helping ghosts. They were still assholes for the most part.
“Now I know why we always had a high close rate, at least. When the victim can tell one half of the team who murdered them, shit’s a whole lot easier. Wanna come back to the department?”
I laughed, slinging my arm over her shoulder.
“I know what you make. It’s not worth the trouble.”
CALLUM MASLOW
