Two Hearts

by David Connor

The smile broadened.

  "Believe me, it will be wonderful for both of us."

  *~*~*

  Frank and Liam made love and then slept together with several blankets between them that night. Liam was cooperative. He did not try to sneak a touch. Frank had made him promise not to. "It hurts me more than you," he had said, and that seemed to make the difference.

  The following day was Halloween. Frank dropped Liam off at the mortuary so he and his mother could go into town. Marion had to know she wasn't Liam's mother, yet she threw her arms around him the moment he walked in. "She wants to visit him often," Vaughn had whispered to Frank. "But I tell her to leave you be."

  "She is certainly welcomed," Frank replied. "I shall make sure to bring him by more."

  Once the other two had left to purchase a pumpkin and candy to fill a bowl to set outside the mortuary door for trick-or-treaters who probably wouldn't come, Frank felt free to talk.

  "Have you given any more thought to when we can fix me? Have you brought over an associate to assist? Have you begun the search for a heart?"

  "Let the notion go, Franklin." Vaughn would have no part of the discussion.

  "Tomorrow would be good. I could be up and about by Thanksgiving. How wonderful it would be to have that to add to the list of things for which I am truly grateful this year."

  Vaughn walked away. Frank followed, and kept after him most of the morning.

  Marion and Liam were both giggling by the time they returned. When Frank went upstairs, he saw why.

  "Holy moly!"

  The pumpkin Liam had carried in was as big as the kitchen table.

  "It was the largest one they had," Marion said.

  "I can hardly imagine one bigger." Frank watched as Liam and Marion carved it, unwrapping his second chocolate bar already, well before noon. Liam went for the candy corn, and Marion kept up with their pace with long black licorice. Vaughn smiled from across the room where he held a book—one of the brown leather ones. It had to be about the subject that hung over them still. Vaughn was considering the procedure. Frank smiled back. He knew Vaughn would do it for him. What a sweet, odd family portrait they made.

  As dusk approached, both young men changed into their costumes as Marion searched the house for the camera. Frank was dressed as a scarecrow, with patches on both elbows and knees, a straw hat, and corn husks for hair. Liam was a cowboy, in a flannel shirt, a leather vest, chaps, a holster, and a ten-gallon Stetson. He even carried a hobby horse, with a flowy yarn mane and thick, sturdy pole. As they headed out to walk to the festival, Frank turned back to look at the giant spooky jack-o-lantern on the floor of the porch and two with friendly smiles on the railing across the front. The little ones reminded him of himself and Liam, who hadn't stopped grinning throughout most of the day. "Men become boys again on certain holidays," Vaughn had said earlier. "At least happy men do." Halloween was one of those days, and Frank was finally happy.

  The festival was crowded as always. Hay bales and straw, hanging scallops of orange lights, pumpkins, corn stalks, tissue paper ghosts and plastic witches adorned a large tent. There were a couple of carnival rides running several feet behind, and several food carts parked along the side. Frank stopped, a safe distance back. "You go on now, the three of you. I'll watch from here."

  Liam's expression changed to one of sorrow.

  "I'll be fine," Frank promised. "Go. Enjoy yourself, and then come back and give me every detail."

  Marion tugged at Liam's sleeve.

  "And Liam…"

  Liam stopped and looked back.

  "Don't forget to bring me a cotton candy."

  Liam was back and forth a dozen times. He couldn't stop raving about the Ferris wheel, though bobbing for apples had not been quite to his liking. "T-too much w-work for s-stupid fruit."

  Liam Hellier was one wise man.

  "What else would you like to do?" Frank asked him during his latest return.

  "All done," Liam said. "S-tay with you now."

  "You don't have to," Frank told him.

  "I w-want to." Liam took hold of the corn husks coming out of Frank's sleeve. "I've missed h-holding your hand."

  "Look." Frank had caught sight of Vaughn and Marion walking about inside the tent hand and hand. "They do it too."

  Liam looked. "Love," he said.

  "Yes. You and me, Vaughn and Marion, them and us." Frank stood. "Are you certain you are ready to go?"

  "To make love," Liam whispered.

  "Ah. So that is preferable to cotton candy and caramel apples?"

  "Any t-time."

  Frank signaled to Vaughn, a goodnight wave, and he and Liam started back toward the woods, holding corn husk hands. They might never get to hold hands in public, even if the procedure Vaughn was going to perform worked. Frank was a bit nervous doing it now, but with nearly everyone in town at the festivities or down on the street, there was a good chance they would never be seen. There were all sorts of things to be afraid of, Frank realized. Bigoted human beings, people who expressed their prejudices with violence, like Frank heard about on the news almost every night lately, they were possibly the scariest "I'm glad you had fun," Frank said.

  "I'm s-sorry you c-couldn't."

  "Oh, but I did! Through your eyes, watching you and hearing you tell of it. I have not enjoyed this carnival so much in many, many years, and I owe it all to you."

  Just as they entered the threshold of the woods, Liam flinched. "Oh no."

  "What is it?"

  "I for-got my h-horse. And my h-hat fell off… b-bobbing for apples. M-mother picked it up."

  "We can go back," Frank said.

  They turned toward the lights and people.

  "No," Liam decided. "Mo-ther will b-ring them home. Or s-some child can… have them. What use do w-we have for a Stet-son and h-hobby horse at h-home?"

  Frank thought of one and grinned. "Hopefully your mother will collect them."

  When Frank turned back for the trees, he gasped. Someone stood right in front of them. He was apparently wrong about the woods. "Probably teenagers goofing about," he said quietly to Liam.

  Older kids didn't like harvest festivals, did they? They liked soaping windows and spraying cars with shaving cream on Halloween.

  "I guess we should be on the lookout for eggs."

  "I didn't bring any eggs, Freaky Frank."

  "Do I know you?" Frank released his end of the corn husk, ready to protect Liam if need be. He had never used the lightning's curse as a weapon, but something about the situation already felt menacing, and he would if necessary.

  "You don't remember last year, do you?"

  Frank would never forget it. "We don't want trouble," he said.

  Whoever it was, this person who had snuck up behind them, he wore a mask. Not a Halloween mask, not Frankenstein, or one of the Beatles, and definitely not Mickey Mouse. It was only when the stranger turned toward the moonlight that Frank saw it was a winter hat. That was also when he noticed the red yarn chevrons.

  "What do you want?" Frank was shaking, but he stepped in front of Liam. The aggressor was on top of him before an answer came. As Liam yanked at the guy from the back, Frank raised his arms to ward of the blade that had sent off a flash as it was raised above the attacker's head.

  Frank tried to deliver a volt of energy like the one that had sent Renny flying, and more recently, had knocked Liam out cold. It didn't work. Frank was no superhero, or even a villain with control of his powers. Perhaps the thickness of chilly weather clothing and the mugger's gloves protected him like last time.

  Frank's next thoughts were of Liam, who had entered the fray, punching and shoving. "Please, don't h-hurt him."

  The knifer threw Liam off with ease, and prepared to once again plunge the knife straight into Frank's chest. It was already hot there, sticky and wet. Frank tensed, awaiting one more stab, but it never came. A sickening crack stopped it, splintered wood and human bone. The man fell back, and just before Frank's vision faded, he saw
Marion Hellier standing over him with the broken hobby horse in her hands.

  *~*~*

  Frank saw the light. He saw the robes this time. He saw his father, and his cat. Renny was there, and Melissa too, and even Mr. Ottley. Frank swore they were real, and he knew that he should have felt at peace. Maybe that would come later on, the wondrous calm of Heaven. But in the very first few moments of death, he worried for Liam. He ached to return to him.

  "Be happy, dear Franklin," a sweet voice said to him. It came from a woman, one older than Melissa. Could it have been Frank's mother? "Love Liam, and be happy," she said.

  The next moment Frank was aware, it felt as if a great deal of time had passed. He tried to put an earthly idea to measure just how much. It didn't feel like hours—Was there sleep in heaven?—but rather days, even weeks. A foggy sort of gauzy concord did exist within him now. And there was music. Piano music, not harps. Frank thought that odd, and so too was the pain. Heaven was not supposed to hurt. He listened closely, and tried to make out the melody. Suddenly, it stopped.

  "Frank?"

  "Liam."

  "I love you so much, Frank."

  "Are you…? Did he kill… you too?" Frank's words came haltingly.

  "No."

  "You're not… in paradise?"

  "I think that I am, at hearing your voice. But not the one you may be thinking of. Were you?"

  "I believe I was… with my father, and Renny… and Melissa's souls." No matter how quickly the sentences came in thought, the words struggled to get out. "They are at peace. You have… your own, Liam. Your own… soul that… is definitely only yours."

  "Vaughn!" Liam called out. "He's awake!"

  "Where am I?" Frank tried to sit up. "Ow!" The pain was intense.

  "In my old room. Vaughn saved you. The hospital would have let you perish, he said."

  "Hush, Liam." Vaughn entered the room.

  Liam lowered his head. "He's saying some rather odd stuff, Vaughn… Father."

  "Liam carried you all the way back here, Franklin." Vaughn approached the bed with a needle.

  "Petrified all the way," Liam said. "Because there were no shocks. I knew that meant you were not alive."

  "But he is, and you saved him as much as I."

  "Marion. Marion… saved me too… Vaughn." Liam must have felt the same frustration whenever he spoke before. "If I am… alive, and I still have… doubts I am, she deserves… the credit."

  "Yes," Vaughn said. "You are, and she does."

  "Is it… gone?"

  "That is the first thing you ask?" Vaughn said, checking the machines.

  "There used to be more of them," Liam said. "More machines. Then fewer and fewer."

  "Now they tell me you are alive, rather than making it so," Vaughn acknowledged. "Your vital signs are good." He smiled—sort of. "That is much better."

  "How are you, Vaughn?"

  "Old."

  He looked it, so close to Frank's eyes.

  "It has been a struggle, Franklin, but I fought, so you could live."

  "Thank you. Is it gone?"

  Vaughn smiled again, more warmly this time. "I believe it is."

  Liam took Vaughn's place right in front of Frank. "I haven't touched you, Frank. Fank, I mean. I haven't touched you, not at all. I vowed that I wouldn't until you could feel it. I didn't cheat—not once. I swear to you."

  "I believe you."

  Vaughn pulled back the sheet. He touched Frank's chest. When Frank held his breath, "Please do not do that," Vaughn requested. "Seeing you breathless, seeing your chest completely still is not something I wish to ever witness again."

  "You healed me, and everything… is fine."

  "You are weak. There was much damage inside you."

  "I died. Thank you, Vaughn, truly."

  "We all do what needs to be done." Vaughn stepped aside after putting whatever the needle contained into Frank's IV. "You will fall asleep again soon. Rest is important. There will be a lengthy recovery."

  "I'll help," Liam said.

  "I know you will. He is strong," Vaughn told Frank. "You both are. You have long lives ahead."

  "Who's helping… you at the mortuary? I need to… get out of this bed… as quickly as I can."

  "I have a new apprentice. A second son. You will take whatever time you need."

  "He's taught me so much," Liam said.

  "The two of you will work together very soon. Liam is good out front. He is a good talker, like me."

  "Yes." Frank was amazed how good. "What happened… to the guy who… attacked me?" He tried to turn toward Liam. "Did he hurt you?"

  "No."

  "Do not concern yourself, son. You are safe. I promise you." Vaughn left the room.

  "He seems to be aging still… several years in just… days. Many in… the few I have… been asleep," Frank said, still unsure about time, even if he believed he was now alive and awake. "I hope he can rest… and get better… now that I am."

  Liam said nothing.

  "Liam kiss." Frank smacked his dry lips.

  "Fank kiss." Liam stepped up to the bed. "There is stuff—disinfectant—I have to clean my hands with before I come in," he said, picking up a bottle and dribbling something purple into each palm. After rubbing his hands together vigorously, he picked up a mask and put it on. "This is temporary, until you heal." Liam touched Frank's chin. He ran his hand through his hair. The sensation was heavenly. Liam's expression told he concurred. He touched Frank's bare arm and held Frank's hand, even before the kiss.

  "My Liam."

  "I missed you, Fank."

  And then they kissed through a paper mask. There was a current, for certain, but it was not one of danger, but definitely one of love. The real thing would come—a bare, flesh to flesh kiss—but compared to the ones they'd shared through thick layers of folded fabric, the warmth and wet of Liam's lips against Frank's, his breath entering Frank through the thin, sterile weave, was divine.

  "What were… you playing… when I awoke?" Words came even more slowly, the sedative, perhaps. "I didn't even… know you… could."

  "You did. Somewhere deep down, you knew. I brought it in—the piano—hoping it might help somehow. I was playing O Holy Night. Vaughn said it was one of Marion's favorites."

  "Isn't it… a little early… for Christmas music?"

  "Maybe slightly, but not too early."

  "Last I recall it was… Halloween."

  "Last you recall," Liam repeated. "Time moves swiftly. We had only those days from September until Halloween. Then they almost came to an end forever. It's December tenth, Frank. I've been without you for six weeks, as long as I was with you. Now we get to start over forever."

  "December?"

  "Yes. Many, many days brought many changes. Thanksgiving was sad, yet we were also glad we still had you. Now winter comes. Christmas is nearly here, our first one together, and I've gotten my miracle, my wish, the one Vaughn promised me. He kept you sedated until you were strong enough to be awake."

  "You do speak… so clearly."

  "You don't." Liam kissed him lightly. "You shouldn't be speaking at all. Shush, now. Rest."

  Frank smiled. "Sorry."

  "It is such a joy to hear your voice, I don't mind the rasp or the quietness. But don't overdo."

  "I won't." Frank yawned.

  "Does it hurt?" Liam asked. "To speak, I mean? Is there pain anywhere?"

  "A little."

  "It'll get better. Vaughn wanted you out through the worst of it, he said." Liam took Frank's hand again. "I wish I never had to let go."

  "I may never let you. Except… to make love." Frank yawned again. "I don't… want to sleep."

  "You need to."

  "Can you sleep… be-side me?"

  Liam let go of Frank's hand. "Vaughn said yes. I asked."

  "No clothes."

  "Frank…"

  "I've w-waited so long."

  Liam let out a breath and started to undress.

  "Stand where I
can see you," Frank requested. "And put my glasses on me."

  Liam smiled. Frank could see that. It was just a bit blurry.

  "I can't douse my entire body with the cleanser. We'll have to keep the clean sheet between us—a very temporary safety measure." Liam gently placed Frank's glasses onto his face.

  "One sheet is… better than a… dozen blankets, but still… a… frustration." Frank watched as Liam stripped down to socks and undershorts.

  "Yes. And soon there we won't need either." Liam took off his socks, and then re-cleansed his hands. He sat upon the very edge of the bed. His feet still on the floor, he put his head next to Frank's on the pillow, lying back as best as he could. He kissed Frank's cheek, where the scars were. "Vaughn said he knew of doctors who could make these better. I told him not to change one thing about you that wasn't necessary. I love you exactly as you are. I hope I did the right thing."

  "Oh."

  "Are you angry?"

  "No. Just uncertain. Maybe… down the road…"

  "It's better if it's your choice, then. Though I hope you leave your face alone."

  "Vaughn… has been our… champion, always," Frank said.

  "And I will continue to be, as long as I am here." He had appeared quietly back in the doorway. "He must rest, Liam. Do not overexert him."

  "I promise not to," Liam said.

  Frank smiled. "Marion can be in charge of chasing him away if he tries, as long as there's a newspaper nearby. Can I see her?"

  Vaughn and Liam exchanged a look.

  "What?"

  "Let the sleep come, dear Franklin. There is plenty of time to talk," Vaughn told him.

  Once Vaughn was gone, Frank asked again. "What is it no one wishes to tell me?"

  Liam kissed him upon his forehead, and then his lips. "Miracles rarely come without sacrifice, Frank. Those aren't my words. My father repeated them often to make me feel better, to remind me. I love you, Fank. Vaughn and Marion wanted to be certain you would still love me as well, that we would always love each other as much as they did. I'm sorry I have to tell you this."

  Frank steeled himself for troubling news. Then he cried at how terrible it was, until he drifted off to sleep.

  *~*~*

  Just three weeks later, Vaughn was gone. Snowflakes fell as a new year began. Frank and Liam stood, hand in hand, at the graves lightly dusted, one older, one fresh after everyone else had gone and Dr. Vaughn Hellier had been laid to rest. The day of his passing, he had come upstairs from the mortuary with Liam. The three of them—father and surrogate sons—had shared a late lunch, Frank's first out of bed. Vaughn had gone in for a nap shortly after. When he hadn't come out for supper, Liam decided to check on him. Vaughn had peacefully died in his sleep. "He fought to be here as long as you needed him," Liam said to Frank.