by Rose Pressey
He stood beside me on the sidewalk.
“What did I tell you about popping up like that?” I clutched my chest.
“Sorry. But I missed you.” He leaned against the brick wall.
“Right. Well, I have to go to the hospital to see a friend, so I can’t talk right now.” I brushed past him.
“Hey, darling, why you look so sad?” He followed along behind me as I made my way to my aging BMW. Or, as my mother called it, my rattletrap.
“There’s just a lot of stuff going on right now, Anthony. But thanks for asking.” I climbed into my car, slamming the door in his ghostly face.
“What kind of stuff?” he asked from the passenger seat.
I jumped. My keys flew from my hand. “Oh, for the love of ghost hunting, would you stop that.”
“Sorry, doll.” He winked.
Thinking they’d leave me alone had been a crazy thought. The gang had hopped in my rattletrap, too. It looked as if I’d be taking them on a hospital visit with me.
“Fine. You can come along. But you must behave. There are sick people there and they don’t need you guys messing with them.” I gave my best angry psychic glare.
“Sick people at the hospital? I’m shocked,” Anthony quipped.
“You’re not doing anything for your whole ‘please love me, Larue’ spiel.”
He frowned, but didn’t come back with a quip this time. I’d finally gotten him to shut up for a second. A very brief second.
“Well, I’m happy that you invited me. Just wish you’d made those two stay away.” Anthony pointed over his shoulder.
As if I had a choice of asking him to come along or not.
The hospital was about twenty-five minutes away, so I flipped on the oldies station to drown out Anthony’s chatter. Maybe he wouldn’t talk so much with Elvis tunes in the background.
Mae and Seth seemed to like the music as well, so no more arguments. I’d heard enough bickering from all of them that morning. After a surprisingly quiet ride, I pulled into the hospital parking lot, scouting out the nearest spot which, by the way my feet ached when I reached the door, was at least twenty miles away.
Not only did my feet hurt, but my stomach ached, too, not knowing what to expect when I saw Karyn. Pushing through the revolving doors, I made my way across the lobby to the front desk.
A little old lady sat perched behind the huge information desk, barely visible until I walked near.
“May I help you, young lady?” she asked with a gravelly voice.
“Yes, ma’am, I’m looking for a patient’s room.”
“What’s the name, dear?”
“Karyn Bentley.”
“Let me see.” She adjusted her glasses and used her index finger to peck at the computer keys.
At the rate she was going, I could have checked every room until I found the correct one. Mae tapped her red fingernails against the counter. Of course, the woman had no idea there were four of us standing in front of her. That fact very well may have given her a heart attack, if she’d known.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she said, “Ah ha. I found her, sweetheart.”
Anthony blew on my ear and I swatted at him.
“Oh, dear, are those darn flies back? You’d think they’d die off this time of year.”
She shuffled contents around in a drawer and finally pulled out a swatter. A fly swatter in the hospital? That couldn’t be sanitary. Thanks to Anthony, I now had to wait until she killed an imaginary fly before she gave me the info I needed. Do you have any idea how long it takes a great-grandma to kill a fly? With reflexes like hers? Let me tell you, it was a long time. I leaned against the counter as I watched her swat at the air around me. I was about to give up when she finally realized there must be no fly in the area, and put the thing away.
“Now, where were we?” she asked as she shoved the swatter back in the drawer.
“Karyn Bentley. Room number. I’m looking for her.” This woman was so sweet and cute that I didn’t have the heart to rush her too much.
“Oh yes. Let me see.” She held her glasses up to her face again. The thick bifocals had been dangling from a chain around her neck.
“Room 416. That’s the ICU.”
Finally. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re very welcome, dear. I hope your friend feels better soon.”
“Thanks. Me, too.”
I made my way down the hall, following the signs leading to the elevators. Thankfully, I got one that was empty because I was going to give Anthony a verbal tongue-lashing for his attempts at flirting with me at the most inopportune times.
“You have to stop it,” I reprimanded when the door closed. Why did I have to be a babysitter to the dead?
“I wish I could punch him,” Seth said. “If I was young and alive, I would. Believe me, I would.” He shook his fist at Anthony.
“It’s okay, Seth. You shouldn’t get yourself all worked up.”
That type of emotion from a ghost wasn’t good; he’d drain my energy in no time. Spirits tapped into my energy whenever they decided it was necessary. My aura was like a neon diner sign blinking ‘open all night’ to the spirit world. I had more energy for them to draw on than the average person did, so they didn’t hesitate to take it, and they never asked first.
Anthony didn’t utter a word, he just flashed his gorgeous smile at me. His eyes sparkled under the bright elevator lights. I had no idea why I saw him so vividly. Most of the time, ghosts appeared dull to me. Grainy. But not him. He was so clear that he almost sparkled. I hated to admit it, but he had a sparkling personality to match. Sure, he was persistent, but there was a quality about him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. If I’d been around when he was alive and Callahan wasn’t in the picture, I could see myself falling for his charms. I’d always been a sucker for compliments. He had a way of making a girl feel like a queen, as if you were the only female in the room.
Mae spoke up. “Listen, Anthony, she’s got a gorgeous hunk of a man, you need to back off.”
“Yes, listen to Mae West,” I said, pushing the elevator button several more times as if that would make it go faster.
I guess it worked, because the elevator door had opened without my noticing. Damn.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I wanted to crawl under something, but being cornered in an elevator didn’t give me that option. There was nowhere to hide. The woman standing in front of the open doors didn't say a word. She didn't need to, though. Her gaping mouth and wide eyes said it all—she thought I was nuts. Talking to myself as if I was really chitchatting with Mae West doesn’t exactly scream sane. She probably thought I’d lost my way from the mental ward.
She waved me off. “Um, I’m going down.”
She probably wanted to go to the fourth floor, too. Oh well.
As the doors closed, I turned and raised an eyebrow at Anthony. “It goes from bad to worse with you, doesn't it?”
“If you'd just give me a chance…get to know the real me.”
“The real you? You mean this is all an act? Are you putting on your best behavior? ’Cause if that’s the case, I’d hate to see the bad behavior. I can't talk about this right now.” I adjusted my purse strap on my shoulder and stared at the elevator doors, willing them open.
Finally, the elevator dinged and the doors opened again. Thank goodness this time I hadn’t been caught talking to myself. Stepping out, I turned to my right, following the arrows directing me toward room 416. The gang followed along behind me, the clicking of their shoes against the floor only audible to me. I was like a mama duck with her ducklings trailing behind her. Again with the mama duck routine!
The sign outside the door announced only two visitors allowed at a time. Too bad I couldn’t turn to my ghosts and tell them to wait in the hall. Oh, how I wish I could have. At least the nurses wouldn’t know I had others with me.
When I entered the room, I was taken aback. Just yesterday Karyn had been walking
around full of life. Now she lay motionless with a tube in her mouth and machines hooked up everywhere. No one was in the room with her. Where was her family? Where was her boyfriend? It felt strange being alone in the room. Well, alone with no living people other than Karyn.
Now that I thought about it, I didn't know much about Karyn. Other than that she was the leader of the coven and had helped me break the spell on Callahan. She hadn’t talked about much other than my spell casting the last time I saw her. She certainly hadn’t mentioned feeling ill.
My knowledge of witches and witchcraft had been limited—still was limited. And she wanted me to oversee the entire Magnolia coven? What would happen now that she wasn’t capable of making a decision about who would take her place? Was someone else in charge now? I’d have to find out. I'd never known a witch before Brianna or Karyn, let alone had I known that there was a coven in little ol’ Magnolia. Supernatural stuff had been going on all around me and I had remained clueless.
Karyn’s long, silky blonde hair cascaded out beside her on the pillow. In spite of being in the hospital, her inner spirit shined through. She looked like Sleeping Beauty. The machine beeped a steady rhythm. The room was private, no other patients. A chair sat next to her bed, so I eased down. I didn't know if I should talk to her or just be quiet. What would I say?
“Listen,” I whispered to my gang of ghosts. “I can't talk to you all while I’m in here. I don't want to be caught, again. If a nurse or doctor catches me talking to thin air, I'll be kicked out for sure. Or sent straight to the psych ward. So no yakking, all right?”
They nodded as if they were innocent little angels.
I leaned in closer to Karyn, grasping her hand in mine. “Karyn, it's Larue. The hopeless woman you’ve asked to lead the coven. What’s happened to you? I hope you get well soon.” I wiped a tear from my eye.
I should have tried to call Callahan again to tell him about Karyn. He’d have wanted to visit. After all, she had saved him from a lifetime of misery. After helping us, Karyn had tried modesty, claiming that it was all me who’d reversed the love spell cast on Callahan but, without her help, there's no way I would have broken the spell. I’d tried to end the hex without her and failed miserably. Callahan would have been on his honeymoon right now if not for her.
I wasn't sure what else to say to Karyn, so I picked up an issue of Cosmo magazine laying on the nightstand and started reading from it, one of those does-he-really-like-you quizzes. I glanced over at Anthony and he wiggled his eyebrows. I didn't dare read the sex article out loud.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After I'd read several magazines cover to cover, I wasn’t sure what else to do. My mouth felt as if I had swallowed a bag of pretzels. Unfortunately, there was probably nothing else to do but go home. I hated leaving Karyn there, but I was powerless. As I stood to exit, an older couple entered the room. I recognized the woman right away. She had the same refined facial features as Karyn, along with the same long, silky blonde hair. She wore black slacks with a beige-colored blouse. The man had dark hair sprinkled with gray. His large brown eyes narrowed when he saw me.
“Hello,” the woman said, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Are you a friend of Karyn’s?” the man asked.
“Um, yes.” I didn't know what else to say. Could I call us friends? I didn't know what our relationship was, really. Yes, definitely she was a friend after what she’d helped me with. Did I tell the man she’d chosen me to take her place as coven leader? No, they may not even know about the coven.
“We're her parents. I'm Maggie, and this is Steve.” The woman gestured toward her husband.
“It's nice to meet you. I'm so sorry about Karyn. Do the doctors have any idea what’s wrong?”
“No, not at this point. They’re running tests, but it's a mystery as of right now. Her friend Becky went to her home and found her. Thank heavens. I can’t stomach to think what might have happened if she hadn’t found her.”
Becky Shultz, her fellow coven member? I was surprised to hear that Becky had found her. I paused, thinking of the right words. But what were the right words at a time like this?
“I'm sorry,” I said again. I wished I could be more articulate, but that wasn't possible. A fog covered my thoughts, weighing them down and pushing them out of my reach. “I was just on my way out. My name is Larue, by the way. I read a couple of magazines to her.” I placed them back on the nightstand.
“I’m sure she liked it. I read to her, too.” Her mother smiled.
“I hope it's all right that I visited.”
“Of course. I’m sure Karyn is glad you did. Come back any time.”
After digging around in my bag, I handed Maggie my business card. The card for Book Nook, not the ghost hunting business. I wondered if they knew their daughter was a witch. Were they witches, too?
“Please call me if you need anything.” I stretched my card toward her.
“Book Nook? I thought I recognized you. You own the bookstore in town. I know your mother and grandparents. Actually, I’ve played tennis with your mother on occasion when my shoulder isn't acting up. You look a lot like her.”
“I hear that a lot,” I said.
Karyn’s father remained quiet. Not a lot to say, I guess, but under the circumstances, I completely understood why.
I leaned down and kissed Karyn on the cheek. Karyn might not be the touchy-feely type, but I thought she wouldn’t mind this time.
“Well, goodbye and it was nice to meet you both.” I nodded.
The nod was directed at the ghosts as well, hoping they wouldn't stick around and cause trouble when I wasn't there to control them. So far, I had to admit, they had been well-behaved. Nothing like the ghost I’d recently pushed into the light, Mrs. Williams. She had been a pain-in-the-butt ghost who had hung around until recently. I’d finally convinced her to cross over. Thank goodness, she was gone.
Traveling down the long gray corridors, I finally made my way back to the elevators, praying not to repeat what had happened on the way up. Anthony needed to behave himself, or I’d really make good on that threat to call in an exorcist.
No sooner had I stepped inside the elevator when, he started with his antics. Singing. Again. He really had a nice voice, but still… Another Fifties song. He had the crooning thing down pat.
“Your eyes are sparkling. Have you been crying?” he asked.
“No,” I said, pushing the button for the ground level.
“I'm sorry. I figured you were worried about your friend and might want to talk about it.”
“Yes, I'm worried. She was a healthy woman. It just makes me realize how short life is and how we shouldn't take it for granted because in the blink of an eye it can be gone.”
Mae frowned.
Oops, look whom I was talking to—guess they knew all about the life is short thing. Now, the afterlife…that was a different story.
“Sorry, I forgot,” I said.
“No problem, doll.” Anthony winked.
Mae looked at Seth, then she leaned in close and whispered something in his ear, as they stood at the back of the elevator—as far away from Anthony as they could get. They really seemed to be striking up quite a friendship. At least they’d kept each other entertained. Two less to worry about. Anthony was enough on his own. I didn't need any more.
“I'm here for you if you need to talk.” Anthony inched closer to me. In the blink of an eye, he was beside me. He had just been on the other side of the elevator. I wished I could do tricks like that. As close as Anthony was, I couldn't believe Seth wasn't having a hissy fit. But when I glanced back at Seth, I realized why. He was too busy giggling with Mae. Some help he was.
Anthony reached out and brushed back a strand of my hair. His fingers lingered and grazed my cheek. My breath caught in my throat. Like I said, I usually didn’t feel the ghosts. On rare occasions, I’d been able to interact with them, like when Abe Lincoln had hugged me goodbye, but this was different. Anthony had a lot
of stored energy. His touch was soft and not as cold as the others had been.
“You're warmer than I expected,” I said, looking at him.
He smiled and then the door dinged open. No one stood in front of it this time. I was thankful for small favors. Me staring at the wall would have appeared a tad bit strange. Sure, I was looking at Anthony, but they’d only see a crazy woman staring and talking to the wall.
Weaving through the maze of dreary corridors, past the information desk where the little old lady still pecked at the computer keys, I made my way back to the parking lot, the clip-clop of my army of ghoul friends hot on my heels. This was ridiculous—couldn’t a girl ever get any privacy?
The sun had set while I’d been inside. The lights around the parking lot had switched on in preparation for the coming darkness. Clouds shifted slowly across the sky, concealing the stars. I pulled my jacket closer to fight off the chilliness. But was the chill from the night air or the creepy feeling that had its strong hold on me.
I hurried across the lot, sure that I’d seen the dark shadow again, and slipped into my car. Before the ignition had completely turned over, my groupies had slipped in with me. I’d have left them there, and they knew it. Of course, that wouldn’t have stopped them from tracking me down again, but still…it would have bought me a few minutes of peace—something that was hard to come by nowadays. Surprisingly, Mae hadn’t fought with Anthony for the front seat. Perhaps they sensed I wasn’t in the mood for bickering. I flipped the switch on the radio, flooding the car with oldies and everyone listened without arguing; it was nice for a change. Doo-Wop was like a pacifier for them.
As I made my way around a curve, the sensation of fingers brushing against my hand made me jump; the car almost swerved off the road. Anthony’s presence lingered against my skin for a second before I glared at him. He smiled, showing his perfect teeth. He looked like the handsome lead actor in one of those movies set in the Fifties.
