Kindred Spirits

by Jean Marie Bauhaus

She shook her head. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  He didn’t doubt that. He’d heard the crash, seen the aftermath of Scott’s anger, felt the vibrations, but it didn’t take a psychic to know that whatever Christine had seen and heard had been scarier. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She kept walking and remained silent, her mouth set in a thoughtful line. When they reached the car she said, “I want to talk about what happened earlier.”

  Derek stopped walking. “Earlier with Scottie, or…”

  She took a deep breath and then blurted, “Earlier at your place.” She avoided his gaze.

  “Oh. That.” He smiled. “That was—”

  “A mistake.”

  The sudden rush of air escaping from his lungs almost sounded like a laugh. “Best mistake I’ve made in quite a while, if that’s the case.”

  Christine lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “We can’t get involved.”

  “Why not?”

  Her jaw slacked a little as she looked at him like she couldn’t believe he needed to ask. “Do you realize what could have happened back there? We could have gotten hurt. You could have gotten hurt. Or worse!”

  He stared at her as her words sunk in. She hugged herself more tightly and lowered her gaze to the ground. “Is that what this is about?” he asked. “This is why you’ve been keeping me at arm’s length? You think you’re protecting me?”

  “I am protecting you.”

  “Well, I didn’t ask you to. I don’t need you to.”

  “Too bad!” She met his gaze again, and hers was full of fire. “You have no idea how dangerous it can get around me. You’ve barely even had a taste.”

  “Newsflash, Christine. I’m a crime reporter. I’m used to dealing with dangerous people.”

  “Dangerous living people. People you can see coming and defend yourself against. This is different. If you would just put aside your male ego—”

  “Stop right there. This has nothing to do with my ego, male or otherwise. This is about the fact that I’m a grownup and I get to make my own choices. And I choose you!” He leaned down to bring his gaze level with hers. She held it a moment, her nostrils flaring and her chest heaving, but then she shook her head.

  “I choose to go home right now. Take me back to my car, please.” With that, she opened the car and got inside.

  Derek stood staring up at the trees that lined the sidewalk as if they might hold answers. Finally, he fished his keys out of his pocket and went around to the driver’s side. He got in and started the car, but then he sat there, white-knuckling the steering wheel, too angry to drive.

  “You know what I think?” When she didn’t reply, he went on. “I think this is not about protecting me.”

  She turned to him, her lip curled up in a derisive sneer. “Please enlighten me. What is it about?”

  He let go of the wheel and shifted in his seat until he sat facing her. “I think you’re protecting yourself.” She huffed and looked away. He kept on. “I think you’ve been down this road before, and this is the part where the guy gets spooked and you never hear from him again.”

  He watched for her reaction, but her face transformed from annoyed to a mask of resolve. A slight quiver of her lower lip was all that betrayed the fact he’d touched a nerve. He scooted closer to her and reached out to touch her chin. “Look at me.” When she didn’t pull away, he guided her face back to him, caressing her chin with his thumb. “Look in my eyes.”

  It took a moment, but finally, she met his gaze.

  “I want you to know that I don’t scare easily. I know this—whatever this is between us—is new. Too new to make lofty promises when I don’t know where we’re headed any better than you do. But there’s one thing I do know.”

  She swallowed. “What’s that?”

  He smiled. “I want to see where it goes, and I want to keep kissing you. And I’m willing to put up with a thousand ghosts for the privilege of doing so.”

  A slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “That’s big talk, Brandt. Are you sure about that?”

  He leaned in. When she didn’t pull back, he captured her lips with his own. Her bottom lip was plump and silky smooth against the tip of his tongue. He felt her shudder, and he broke it off, resting his forehead against hers. “Oh, yeah,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m sure.”

  They sat like that for a long moment, then she caught his hand in hers and squeezed. “We should get back to your place.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he said, straightening up. He lifted her hand and grazed her knuckles with his lips. Then he scooted back behind the wheel and put the car in drive.

  A happy glow settled over him as they headed down the street, and he almost wondered if she could see it. He slowed to a stop at the intersection and glanced over at her. She certainly seemed to be glowing, a big grin on her face as she looked back at him. He was tempted to lean over and kiss her again, but she motioned him forward. “Keep driving, buddy. There’ll be plenty of that later.”

  He laughed and looked back at the road, pulling out into the middle of the four-way stop. He barely registered the scream, didn’t know what caused the crunch, couldn’t comprehend why the world was suddenly spinning before everything went black.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chris heard beeping. Beep. Beep. Beep. The steady rhythm eased her toward consciousness. The smells came next, antiseptic and sterile. She could make out alcohol and latex. She gradually became aware of soreness, but it was a dull, buried under a warm and pleasant floaty sensation.

  She wanted to float away on that feeling and sink back into wherever she had awakened from. Her eyes were all too happy to comply, not wanting to open. But curiosity proved stronger. She pried her eyes open.

  Bright lights forced them closed again, but she fought and managed to squint at her surroundings. White walls, an acoustic tile ceiling, a curtain in an ugly print hanging from a track around a bed. Her bed. She was in a hospital. Why was she in a hospital?

  The last thing she remembered was kissing Derek. She’d been afraid that kissing Derek would lead to bad things, but this was taking it a bit far. How had a kiss put her in the hospital?

  Oh, right.

  Images and sensations flashed through her mind—a sudden, jarring bang, everything spinning, the sounds of screaming and glass breaking. Derek calling her name. Sirens and strange voices telling her to hold on. Hands pulling her, lifting her. People in masks shining lights in her eyes and saying things that sounded like they were on Grey’s Anatomy.

  Chris blinked until she could open her eyes all the way. She lifted her head and looked around. Where was Derek? Was he okay? A plump, dark-skinned woman in navy blue scrubs stood near a counter with her back turned to Chris, who opened her mouth to ask about Derek. All that came out was a harsh squeak. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton and sand.

  The woman turned, saw that Chris was awake, and smiled. But before she could do or say anything about it, an alarm went off nearby. A voice came over the air, announcing a code blue. “Sit tight,” the nurse said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She ran out of the room.

  Code blue. Chris had seen enough medical shows to know what that meant. Was it Derek? The beeping nearby sped up as her heart began to pound. The rush of fear helped to clear away some of the cobwebs from her mind. It also increased the pain in her right shoulder, but she didn’t care about that right now. She sat up and tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but there was a rail in her way, and she was all tangled up in chords and tubes.

  Quickly, she removed the clip-on monitor from her finger and tore plastic sensors off her chest. She pulled off a tube wrapped around her face that blew oxygen up her nose. She started to scoot forward to get around the rail, but she was still hooked to an IV. It hung from a poll on wheels, so she grabbed it and pushed it forward with her, and finally managed to get out of bed.

  A wave of dizziness hit her as she stood up, but s
he stood still and rode it out. When it passed, she headed in the direction that the nurse had gone.

  Chris followed the sound of the alarm. She didn’t have to go far to find a room with doctors and nurses crowded around, shouting things at each other.

  The crowd was too thick for Chris to get a good look at the patient. An old woman hung back in the corridor, a look of shock on her face. Chris thought it must be someone the woman knew and felt a stab of guilt under the wave of relief that washed over her at this sliver of evidence that it wasn’t Derek crashing in there.

  She dragged her IV stand over to stand next to the woman. “Is it someone you know?”

  The woman looked at her and seemed surprised that Chris had spoken to her. She blinked and said, “It’s me.”

  “Oh,” said Chris. “I’m sorry.”

  The old woman shook her head. “It’s not me I’m worried about. My husband…this might kill him. And I didn’t even get to say goodbye. We were talking, just ten minutes ago. He was hungry and I insisted that he go get something to eat.”

  “Would you like me to tell him for you?”

  “You can do that?”

  Chris nodded.

  “I would appreciate that,” said the woman. “His name is Ben. Ben Schultz. I’m Marie.”

  She looked back at the room. The crowd around her body began to disperse as the doctor called out time of death. The alarm went silent, and a sheet was drawn up over her head. “Tell him it’s my turn to wait on him now, but that he doesn’t need to hurry on my account.” She turned back to Chris and smiled. “He’ll know what that means.”

  Chris nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

  “Thank you,” said Marie, and then a golden light appeared behind her, startling her as she turned toward it. “Oh, how lovely!”

  “You should go into it,” Chris told her. “Don’t worry about Ben.”

  Marie looked back at her and nodded. Then she walked into the light, and both it and she disappeared.

  As the light faded, a face emerged from behind it. The nurse from Chris’s room stepped right through what was left of the portal to Eternity and took hold of Chris’s arm. “You shouldn’t be up! Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

  “Where’s Derek?” Chris asked. At the nurse’s blank expression, she amended, “Derek Brandt. He was in the accident with me. Is he okay?”

  “If you mean the gentleman who’s been hanging out at your bedside, he’s right over there.” She pointed with her chin. Chris turned around. Derek stood by the nurse’s station, watching. How long had he been there?

  He came over to her. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be there when you woke up, but the police had some more questions for me.” He opened his arms, and she leaned into him. “I’m glad you’re awake,” he murmured into her hair.

  “I’m glad you’re okay.” She pulled back and looked up at him, taking in the butterfly bandages on his forehead. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He squeezed her for emphasis, sending pain shooting across the back of her shoulder and down her arm. She winced away from him.

  “Oh, man, I’m sorry. What is it? Where does it hurt?”

  “And that’s why she should be in bed,” the nurse spoke up. “Let’s go.” She took hold of the IV stand and led them back to Chris’s room. On the way, something Derek had said sunk in.

  “You were talking to the police?”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute,” he said as they reached her bed and the nurse insinuated herself between them. She hummed a tune Chris wasn’t familiar with as she helped her get settled back in the bed and re-hooked her to all of the wires and tubes.

  Finally, she stood back and nodded at her handiwork. “There. Now stay put.” She handed Chris a chord with a button on the end. “Press this if you need a little something for the pain. I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake. She’ll be in to see you soon. Is there anything else I can get you in the meantime?”

  “Some water would be good.”

  “I can do that.” She smiled and nodded for emphasis, then let herself out of the room.

  “What happened?” Chris asked once they were alone.

  Derek scooted a chair closer to the bed and sat down. “We were in an accident,” he said, taking her hand. “Do you remember?”

  “Yeah. Barely. But why are the police involved?”

  Derek’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “Because they’re not so sure it was an accident.”

  “What?”

  “It was a hit and run. I didn’t even see it coming. Witnesses described a black SUV. They said it sped up when we entered the intersection, ran the stop sign, plowed into us, then backed up and drove off.” He shook his head and raked his free hand through his hair. “Thank God you weren’t hurt worse. If we’d been just a few more feet into the intersection, he’d have smashed right into you.”

  Chris stared at him as what he told her sunk in. “Why would anyone do that on purpose?”

  Derek shook his head. “Scottie Tucker might have been afraid to name Jimmy’s killer for a good reason. It sounds like it’s someone who has a certain amount of power. If he knew we were sniffing around, questioning Scottie’s mom—”

  “You think Jimmy’s killer’s been spying on us?”

  “On me, maybe.” He blew out a breath and leaned back. “It doesn’t make any sense, though. Why would someone like that target Jimmy in the first place? He was just a high school kid.”

  “This whole thing keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

  “Tell me about it.” He leaned forward and brought her hand to his lips. Then he held it there, thoughtfully. “There you were, all concerned about protecting me from the spooks, and then a real-life spook puts you in the hospital.” He kissed her fingers again and rested his forehead against their hands. “Thank God you’re okay.”

  “I am,” she said. “I’m not too sure what’s wrong with my arm yet—”

  “Your shoulder’s dislocated.”

  “Ah. Well, that’ll make it hard to cuddle and stuff.” She winked at him.

  He smiled. “The police are going to place an armed guard outside your room as a precaution. But don’t worry. I’m pretty sure they were just trying to scare us. If they wanted us dead or unconscious, we probably both would be.”

  The nurse arrived with a plastic pitcher and a little plastic cup covered in sterile wrapping. “Here you go,” she said, placing them both on a tray and then wheeling it over next to the bed. “Don’t drink too fast. The doctor should be in to see you soon.” As she left, Derek got up to unwrap the cup and pour Chris some water.

  “Here.” He handed it to her and she took a sip. That only seemed to ignite her thirst instead of quenching it. She gulped the rest of it down and asked for more.

  “Didn’t you hear the nurse say not to drink too fast?”

  “Yeah, but I’m thirsty.”

  He shook his head, but a smile betrayed his amusement as he poured another cupful. “Drink this one slooowly.”

  She accepted it and held it instead of drinking it right away. “Can you do something else for me?”

  “Anything.”

  “A couple of things, actually. First, I need you to go by my place and—oh, Derek. Is your car okay?”

  He waved a hand as if to say it didn’t matter. “Forget about my car. The insurance company already hooked me up with a rental.”

  “Aw, man. I’m so sorry. That was such a sweet Mustang.”

  He shrugged. “It’s just a car. That’s pretty much the least of my worries at the moment. Now, what do you need?”

  “Can you go by my place and let Ron know what happened? My keys are—” She looked around. “Oh no. I have no idea where my keys are.”

  “I’ve got them. Don’t worry.”

  She nodded. “Just go inside and yell out what happened. They’ll hear you. Be sure to tell them which hospital I’m at, and what room, so Ron can find me.”

  “Consider it done. What’s the other
thing?”

  She told him. At the quizzical look he gave her she added, “Please? I know it’s weird, but it’s important.”

  “It’s not a problem. Now get some rest. I’ve got it all covered. I’ve got an errand of my own to run, too. And then I’ll be back.”

  Chris smiled. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

  “That goes both ways.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.

  Chapter Eighteen

  One errand down, Derek thought as he drove away from Chris’s house. He hoped the ghosts there got the message. He’d felt a little silly standing in the foyer and shouting to a seemingly empty house. A big gray tabby had hurried down the stairs and yowled at him, and Derek wondered if it needed to be fed. He decided to wait and ask Chris. He’d come back later to take care of it if necessary.

  Before leaving, he’d thought he’d heard a door slam somewhere upstairs. He took that as confirmation that his message had been heard.

  The other favor she’d asked for—looking up an address—would need to wait until he got home. She hadn’t been explicit about why she wanted it, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the invisible person he’d seen her talking to in the hospital corridor.

  It occurred to him that it would be normal to be a little freaked out by seeing his girlfriend—could he call her that?—carrying on a conversation with thin air, but what he found weird was how used to that sort of thing he was already becoming.

  At any rate, he had his own errand to take care of first. He navigated to the expressway and pointed his rental car south.

  Steve Lansing lived in one of the prettier parts of town along a stretch of road that wound through rolling, thickly wooded hills. Houses here sat on at least a couple of acres and weren’t quite big enough to qualify as mansions. It was the sort of place people generally expected Derek to live, but he could never see what a single guy like him needed with so much house.

  It made him wonder, though. If he’d chosen to live somewhere else, would Jimmy have moved with him? Or would he have been stuck haunting the house’s new occupants? Either way, Derek was glad he’d kept his childhood home.