A Few Author's Notes: What's a Bates' Motel fiction without a little angst and a couple of surprise visitors?
*I'm sorry for the terrible delay! As a peace offering, I've written an extra-long chapter for you. Unfortunately life got in the way for the past couple of weeks, but I'm back now.
*Please let me know what you think, I always value opinions! If you want more, let me know by leaving a review.
*This chapter was especially difficult for me to write. I actually ended up rewriting it three separate times and honestly, I'm still not sure I like it.
Oh and this chapter isn't edited properly yet, but I really wanted to post it since it's been awhile.
I hope you enjoy…
Chapter 8: Ghost
"I-I don't think what happened to Norma was accident," Dylan stutters awkwardly.
Emma's eyes widen. "But, they ruled her incident as an accident." She twists her body further to the left to face him more comfortably. "What do you think happened?
"I have this gut feeling that I haven't been able to shake since last night," Dylan mentions quietly with a slight unsteadiness to his voice. "I think Norman has something to do with all of this."
Emma is stunned at her boyfriend's accusation and shakes her head from side to side once in disbelief. "That's a pretty big assumption, Dylan."
Without intention, Dylan ignores his girlfriend's astonished reaction. "I'm going to talk to Romero about it this morning."
"I don't think this is something you should talk to the Sheriff about, not yet at least," she suggests. "You have no proof Norman had anything to do with Norma's accident."
"You saw what Norman is capable of, Emma." The young man responds harshly with a raised brow, ripping his hands from her grip. "Or did you already forget my little brother choked me a few days ago!?"
With intense vigor, Emma defends herself against the insult. "No, of course I didn't forget. I was scared to death to see you like that!" She yells with a half cry at the memory, reaching for him again only to be left disappointed when he moves further away from her. Upon seeing her boyfriend's adverse reaction to her attempted touch, Emma drops her hands to her lap and then softens her tone. "All I'm trying to say is to wait until you have more information."
Tearing his irritated glare from his girlfriend's now damp eyes, Dylan returns his attention to the unoccupied road ahead of them. He then grasps the stirring wheel firmly with his left hand and shifts the truck into gear. "I shouldn't have said anything to you," he grumbles in obvious frustration. "It's good to know I have your full support," he adds sarcastically.
As the tires beneath the couple squeal roughly from the gravel to highway pavement, Emma's focus lingers on her boyfriend's disheartened profile. After noticing Dylan's jaw once again tighten, Emma exhales in defeat and shifts her eyes downward. While wiping the tears threatening to fall with the palm of her right hand, Emma's mind continues to spin with the theory of Norman intentionally injuring the only person he's ever been fully devoted to.
Norman could never hurt the person he loves the most in this world … could he?
The rest of the drive to the motel is spent in unbearable silence as Dylan attempts to dilute his anger and Emma tries to mentally put the missing pieces of Norma's "accident" together.
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Romero scrunches up his face in disgust at the abrupt brightness of the morning sun which seeps through the almost see-through curtains of his shared bedroom. He inhales deeply through his nostrils with a closed lipped smile as he remembers the special moments from the prior evening. Reaching his left hand next to him with eyelids still sleepily sewn shut, the Sheriff's breath suddenly quickens and his heart beats faster in alarm.
The feeling of cool, wrinkled silk replaces the sense of soft skin under his fingertips which he swears was there only a short time ago. The man's eyes instantly fly open as he simultaneously heaves himself into a seated position and frantically searches the area with his still blurry vision. Swiftly freeing himself from the thin blanket tangled between his tired limbs, Romero swings his legs over the side of mattress and then puffs a sigh of relief in witnessing his wife standing inside their walk-in closet.
As Romero fondly gazes upon the back of Norma's flawless figure, his mind drifts to his nearly sleepless night. He yawns quietly while thinking of how many times he peeked an eye open during his restless slumber, simply to convince himself all of this was real. Seeing and feeling his wife lying in his arms throughout his wakeful rest appeased the doubts in his soul for hours.
It wasn't a dream. She was real, all of it was.
Norma is oblivious to her husband's heavy stare, believing the man remains peacefully asleep. She was careful not to disturb the sleeping man lying next to her when she decided to carefully crawl out of his embrace about an hour ago. As a confession, it was the best natural sleep she's had, from what she can remember anyway. Even though her past is a crazy haze of confusion, the feeling of pure affection and comfort throughout her slumber projected a strong sense of safety within his arms.
However, currently her mind is so consumed with the essence of happiness and apprehension she's rendered completely unaware of anything happening around her. Her nerves have been jumping in anticipation ever since she flickered her eyes open this morning.
Today she'll finally receive answers to the many questions she's had ever since waking up in the hospital.
This is the day Norma will be speaking with her son. Finally, she will learn the truth behind her relationship with Dylan, which leaves her feeling both excited and panicky. What if she is the reason why he's so distant and uncomfortable around her? Norma attempts to shake the continued negative question swirling in her thoughts, but she's failing.
Romero notices his wife's delicate fingers anxiously fumble with the clasp of the thin white material wrapped around her middle. In observing her discreet distress, the Sheriff decides to approach the woman to offer comfort but with a tinge of hesitance in his soundless steps. He pauses for a few seconds, wondering if he's doing the right thing. Should he be making the first move? For the most part he's allowed Norma to drop subtle hints of her readiness, permitting him to deepen any movements originally initiated by her but how would his wife's reaction be if he instigated any spontaneous behavior? With a deep breath Romero ultimately chooses to cautiously continue toward her.
Upon reaching her, the Sheriff slowly and carefully snakes his arms around his startled wife's waist, hearing a tiny gasp escape her lungs at the surprising and gentle contact. In recognizing the embrace, Norma nudges her back further into his chest to seek even more connection which Romero happily and readily obliges by tightening his hold. Lying her hands on top of his, Norma leans her head slightly backward and to the left with a tiny smile in order to allow her eager husband more access to her neck. Immediately she feels a warm breath tickle her now blushing skin before the touch of firm yet tender lips hover over the sensitive area between the top of her collar bone and the tip of her chin. In response to her husband's passion filled actions, a relaxed moan releases from the woman's throat causing a proud smirk to form on the Sheriff's face.
Many neck kisses later, Norma finally loosens her body from her husband's snug grip. Her nerves have calmed dramatically in his hold, but regardless of how comfortable and supported Alex's arms have felt around her for the last several minutes, the upcoming talk with her son has not left her thoughts. Turning around in Romero's arms, the smirk on his lips has apparently not disappeared. "Pretty brave of you, Sheriff." She giggles with a light shove to his chest with the palm of her hand, earning a chuckle from her husband in return.
"Does this mean you want me to continue?" Alex asks with a raised brow and a slight devious smile.
Norma flashes her own smile. "You don't even need to ask."
In hearing those words, Alex lunges forward with confidence and connects their lips in a mutual adoring and overly fiery kiss.
After a significant amount of time, the Sheriff reluctantly pulls away from his wife with a little sinister grin. "Well, I probably should get ready for work," he mentions while glancing at the clock on their bedside table.
Norma doesn't want him to leave. "You're going to work today?" She asks with a wobble to her voice.
Taking ahold of her hands in his, Romero meets her eyes. "Yes Norma," he speaks quietly with a softened expression. "There's a case I need to investigate today."
This is sort of the truth. His wife doesn't have to know the investigation involves her forgotten youngest son.
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The young pair remain still as the truck comes to an abrupt stop in the motel parking lot. Without sparing a glance to the noiseless passenger seated next to him, Dylan roughly removes his keys from the ignition and then exits the driver's side with a huff.
Emma's entire body cringes at the loud clatter of metal harshly slamming against metal. She instantly lifts her focus from her shaky fingers resting on her lap to the grand house on the hill. With a sigh, she unfastens her seatbelt and then quickly exits the truck in order to follow her agitated boyfriend. Emma knows she needs to fix this situation but with Dylan not acknowledging her existence at the moment, it will be pretty difficult to have a healthy discussion.
Instead of forcing her frustrated boyfriend into a conversation neither one of them is capable of having right now, Emma settles for keeping her mouth clamped shut and racing up the outside stairwell leading to the house. If she is unable to assist in solving the mystery of Norma's incident, the least she could do is offer some sort of hushed support for the people she considers to be her family.
Before reaching the front door, she witnesses Dylan having a rather animated conversation with his step-father on the porch. Emma doesn't have to guess the topic, she already knows the subject is regarding Norman. By observing the Sheriff's aggrieved reaction, she assumes Dylan has just mentioned his theory. Both men freeze instantly in detecting Emma's presence, snapping their focus to her direction with clenched jaws and narrowed eyes as she tentatively approaches them.
Romero immediately attempts to calm his stern features and soften his tone in the young woman's company, but his underlying irritation remains apparent. "Hello Emma. Could you go inside and watch over Norma? I believe she's in the kitchen," the Sheriff advises while flashing a strained closed-lipped grin. "Also as a reminder for all of us, there will be no mention of Norman today. Right now, he doesn't exist."
Emma nods her head once in response with a sweetened smile as she tries to make eye contact with her boyfriend, who actively avoids her efforts.
Hanging her head lower in a tad bit of shame, Emma steps through the front door and quietly closes it behind her.
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While stepping near the threshold of the kitchen, Emma hears the sound of tiny whimpers wavering from across the room. As Emma quietly tip toes inside she notices her mother figure with her hands covering her face, posture slightly hunched and shoulders bouncing with each sniffle.
At the sight of a weeping Norma, Emma immediately moves toward the upset older woman. "Norma?" She whispers with heavy concern.
In hearing an unfamiliar voice, Norma gradually slides her hands down her face and is instantly met with a kind smile. A slender young woman with brightened eyes and auburn hair stands in front of her, offering a Kleenex from her bag.
Graciously accepting the tissue, Norma swiftly wipes the tears from her eyes and her tear stained cheeks. "Thank you," she whimpers and then pauses. "Are you Emma?"
Emma doesn't know why she's anxious all of a sudden, but she is. She can hear her own voice crack as she attempts to acknowledge Norma's simple question. "Oh um, yes I'm Emma."
Norma's face revitalizes rapidly as she reaches her arms around the young lady for a bone-crushing motherly hug. "It's so nice to meet you!" The older woman literally squeals in excitement, tears easily replaced with a glow of delight as she pulls away. "Alex has told me about you and how good you are for my son."
A dash of guilt strikes Emma's heart in hearing Norma's words. The guilt over this morning's intense argument with her boyfriend causes the young woman's smile to falter, which luckily goes unnoticed by the other woman.
After a few minutes of friendly chitchat between the two women, Emma decides to return to the reasons for Norma's previous emotional breakdown.
Emma carefully proceeds with sympathetic eyes. "Norma, can I ask you something?" In receiving a slight nod with a smile in response, Emma feels safe to continue. "Why were you upset earlier?"
Norma looks down briefly before once again making eye contact with the young woman. "It all started when I couldn't find a whisk," she giggles uncomfortably. "It sounds so silly when I say it out loud, but at the time I guess I just felt lost." She breaks for a moment before speaking again. "All I wanted to do was make my husband breakfast before he goes off to work this morning, but I didn't know where anything was. I felt absolutely helpless."
"How about I make breakfast for all of us." Emma offers, already reaching in one of the many cupboards attached above the countertop for the appropriate bakeware. Norma raises no protest at the suggestion, instead she takes a step backward with a grateful grin and watches the young woman effortlessly flitter around the kitchen.
The continued friendly conversation between the women is suddenly interrupted with the sound of a throat clearing. Norma follows the sound with her stare until she's met with a pair of strong brown eyes standing in the doorway.
"Everything alright in here?" Romero strides into the room with a grin, relieved to see his wife more at ease.
Norma steps swiftly and cheerfully across the floor toward her husband with a snicker. "We're just having a little girl talk."
The Sheriff smirks while lightly gripping his wife's hips. "I see."
Instinctively, Norma rests the palms of her hands on her husband's broad chest. "I wish you didn't have to work today Alex," she pauses with a frown. "But I must admit, I do love seeing you in this uniform." Norma giggles as she smooths the collar of his shirt with her fingertips. While standing on the tips of her toes, Norma then strains her neck and places a chaste kiss on his lips.
Continuing to stretch her body to allow herself to seem taller, Norma briefly captures the corner of her bottom lip in her teeth playfully and then tilts her chin upward to whisper in her husband's ear. "Have a good day at work, honey." The woman doesn't realize the impact of her gentle and heated breath gliding over the sliver of exposed skin on his neck until she notices his upper body shiver in response.
The Sheriff coughs awkwardly and promptly clears his throat again, trying to hide the blush steadily radiating to his cheeks. "Um, right. Sure. Okay," he stutters while releasing Norma from his loosened grasp. "Well, I guess I should take off then." The typically stoic Sheriff stumbles as he steps backward toward the doorway, his thoughts still consumed with the sensation of Norma's exhale.
Not wanting to disturb any private moments, Emma strategically had kept her back toward the couple while she gathered the required ingredients and equipment to make a proper breakfast. She promptly turns to face the couple in hearing Romero's plan to leave, grinning widely in detecting the man's suddenly reddened complexion. "Do you want any breakfast before you go, Sheriff?"
"What? Oh, um no th-ank you Em-ma." Romero once again stammers, unable to pull his gaze from his wife's slightly frenzied eyes while continuing to clumsily step backwards toward the threshold of the room.
Alex's stare is ultimately broken when his right shoulder painfully collides with the wooden frame surrounding the kitchen doorway, wincing at the burst of discomfort. Before he can embarrass himself further, Romero grabs his shoulder with his left grip and quickly slinks out of the room.
The last sound the Sheriff hears before stepping out of the house is uncontrollable laughter, no doubt at his expense.
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Dylan is slowly pacing in the living room, lost in his own thoughts. He's completely oblivious to the noise of laughter roaring from the other room or even the sound of the front door closing shut. All the young man is concentrating on at the moment is the difficult conversation he's inevitably going to have with his mother today. His heart beats so brutally against his chest due to a combination of nervousness and anticipation that he actually feels a painful ache. In attempt to calm himself, Dylan shakes the nerves from his fingers and then takes a long deepened breath without breaking his almost robotic stride.
"Dylan?" A female voice speaks from the corner of the room, halting his movement immediately. "Would you like some breakfast sweetie?"
When Norma only receives a blank stare in response, she moves closer to her son out of concern. "Are you okay honey?"
He blinks dramatically and gives his head a small shake before making eye contact with his mother. "Oh, yeah sorry. No I don't need breakfast but actually could I talk to you for a minute?" This may not be the best time to have this challenging talk, but with the way Dylan is feeling right now it's the only chance he has. Might as well get this over with now, versus waiting until he loses his courage to speak freely.
"Yes, of course." She agrees with a small smile, immediately moving to sit on the couch in preparation to give Dylan her full attention. She sits near the side of the sofa to ensure there is enough room for her son to sit beside her; however, much to her disappointment the young man pulls over a foot rest and takes a seat on it across from her.
Dylan slouches forward and rests his elbows on his knees, making direct eye contact with his mother. "So, I know you have questions about my childhood and to be honest I'm not exactly sure where to begin or where this conversation will even lead to, but I think we both need this so there is no reason for delaying it further."
Norma simply nods in agreement, clasping her trembling fingers together in order to soothe her uneasiness a bit.
He sighs deeply before he begins in another attempt to calm himself. "I know it will be difficult for you not to interrupt, but I would really appreciate it if you just listen to me first." In receiving another nod from his now visibly stressed mother, he proceeds.
"In all honestly, I don't have much of a memory of you when I was very young. I guess that is what has made me uncomfortable around you now. At this very moment you remember me as a happy two year old boy that you would do anything for, but for me that time period is all just a haze. In seeing how you are now, I have no doubts that you were a good mother to me at that time," he flashes a small yet sad smile. "I think maybe under different circumstances we may have been able to continue to be that close, but unfortunately things didn't turn out that way." Dylan shifts his eyes away from hers briefly before carrying on with more details. "Everything started with a man named Sam."
Norma squints her eyes in confusion, but doesn't speak.
"Sam Bates was your second husband," he inwardly cringes at the man's name. "You moved here from Arizona to White Pine Bay immediately after he passed away. He was not a good man, Norma. In fact, he was not only a terrible man, he was also a dangerous one. Anyway, shortly after I turned three you left John and started seeing Sam. I didn't know until a little while later that you were with this other man at the same time you were married to my dad." He studies his mother's face for a second, noticing her eyes start to fill with tears. "I didn't understand what was happening because all of a sudden I was taken from the home I've always known to a completely different house with my mom and a man who wasn't my father."
Dylan squeezes his eyes closed in remembering some of the distressing details of his past with his mother and Sam, before blinking them open again. "Sam never liked me. He thought of me as a burden at first, but then after a few months of me living with the both of you he simply saw me as his enemy. I think I was about four years old when things went from bad to worse in the Bates household." He conveniently skips the birth of his baby brother, adhering to the Sheriff's demand to keep Norman's name out of any sort of chitchat with Norma. "Sam turned violent towards you. At first it was just screaming, well, it could've been worse at that time but whenever I heard yelling start you always told me to run to my room and close the door, so I always did." A noticeable tear slides down one of Norma's cheeks as she continues to listen patiently to the disturbing memories. "Then things escalated and instead of waiting for me to leave the room, Sam became more aggressive and I witnessed him hit you for the first time. I remember crying hysterically and trying to get to you but you kept trying to nudge me out of the away and yelled for me to go, but I didn't leave. I saw everything."
Norma uses her hand to quickly wipe away the dampness from her cheeks.
"You always tried to protect me, until everything changed again. It started with a shove here and there, nothing I couldn't handle even for a five year old. Unfortunately Sam's threatening behavior progressively got worse to the point where there was no limit to what he would do to me. I remember going to kindergarten with bruises on almost a daily basis, which were always explained away by clumsiness but I wasn't clumsy or accident prone," he sighs in frustration remembering how Norma's sole concern was her new family which didn't include him. Only Sam and Norman received her protection, he was a mere disruption to their familial dynamic. "I'll say this about Sam, he covered his tracks. Not only did he have you to protect him, he also made sure to stay clear of my face. Any injury there would've been too noticeable, he knew that." Dylan mocks with bitterness. "Even when abuse was suspected by the teachers, you gave excuses so the issue was dropped. No one helped me."
His mother's tears now furiously fell down her face with no attempts from her to stop them. Her sniffles become louder but she remains focused on every one of Dylan's words.
"I know you're probably wondering where John was when all of this was happening and well, the truth is he wasn't around. Hearing of your marriage to the man you cheated with was too much for him to bear. When I got a little older, I understood that. I guess because I looked so much like you, it was too difficult to be around either of us." Dylan pauses for another few seconds before speaking again. "Anyway all of this tension remained a constant in the Bates residence, until one day Sam screwed up and actually punched me in my face. Knocked me out cold if I remember correctly. At that moment, the both of you realized the extensive bruising to my eye couldn't be concealed and instead of you leaving him to protect me, you tracked down John and dumped me on his doorstep. John no longer lived in my childhood home. It turned out he sold the house shortly after your divorce. He explained later the reason he stayed in the original house after we left was because he believed at some point you would return to him, but he gave up hope once the divorce was finalized. John decided he needed to get away from everything and everyone for a while, so he ended up moving into a rundown shack in the middle of nowhere."
Norma's eyes have turned fire-engine red at this point, but her son pushes forward needing this conversation just as much as she does. Finding this his only opportunity to discuss the topic of his troubled childhood. He actually finds this whole talk to be rather therapeutic and isn't ready for all of this to end quite yet.
"John tried, he really did but he had no experience dealing with a 10 year old or a child at all. He would forget to take me to school sometimes, forget to pick me up and forget to watch some of my football games when I got a little older. To be honest I just appreciated the effort, especially since you were no longer in the picture. You used to visit weekly to check up on me. Then the once a week visit, turned into once a month and then eventually not at all. I believe I was about 13 or 14 years old when I actually decided to see you on my own terms, but that didn't go well so eventually I just stopped trying. When I turned 18, I left AZ and I never looked back or saw John again. He might still be in that same shack, I have no idea. I changed jobs every year but always had a pretty steady income to take care of myself. When I turned 21, I lost a good paying job because the company I worked for closed down, so I decided to see if I could find you. After a month or so of searching, I finally found you. The rest is history, I guess." Dylan takes a deep breath and briefly closes his eyes before once again focusing on his mother. "The true ending of the story here Norma, is that I have forgiven you. Sure, nothing is easily forgotten but I have forgiven you."
Norma hesitantly reaches out for him. When Dylan feels her motherly touch, he initially flinches but quickly relaxes, allowing her to gently place her palm on the top of his hand.
After a couple of minutes of pure silence, a noise from the other room sneaks into their eardrums causing them both to jump. Dylan instantly wiggles his hand free from his mother's and blinks out of his oddly calm stare. "Excuse me for a minute Norma. I'll be right back."
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Dylan traces the interrupting sound to the kitchen area.
As soon as he reaches the doorway to the other room, he marches over to a visibly startled Emma.
Her boyfriend has ignored her for most of the morning, so she's a little unsure of what to expect upon witnessing him stride toward her. Emma is pleasantly surprised when she feels two hands tenderly touch her face and a pair of lips suddenly join hers. Her eyes widen in shock but rapidly flutter shut as Dylan deepens their tender kiss.
When Dylan pulls away, he lightly touches his forehead to hers as his hands remain on either side of her face. "I'm sorry Emma," he flashes a sweet and meaningful smile.
"I can see that," the young woman giggles. "I am sorry too. I will always support you, I hope you know that."
"I do," he sighs peacefully. "I just talked to my mom."
"How did it go?"
"To be honest, I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"I think you both needed that talk to clear the air and move forward with your relationship," Emma then leans forward and places a chaste kiss on his lips. "Let's never fight again."
Dylan can't help but chuckle at his girlfriend's optimism. "I agree," he responds with a nod while dropping his hands from her face. "Now, there is a question I've been dying to ask you since the drive here."
Emma chews the inside of her cheek out of anxiousness, wondering what the question could be since the trip to the motel earlier was not a pleasant one. "Okay?"
"How was your conversation with that unicorn?" He laughs when he sees his girlfriend's jaw drop ajar. "See, I told you I listen to every word you say Emma."
XXXX
Norma is left in the living room alone.
The story her son just shared has her heart literally torn in two. The reason for her broken relationship with Dylan was indeed her fault.
Dry tears now stain her cheeks, but she has no desire to dry them and instead allows herself to dwell on the many mistakes of her former life. Norma is convinced she deserves all of the pain she feels right now because even though her son insists he's forgiven her for all of the past hurtful choices she's made, Norma can't forgive herself.
All of a sudden her thoughts are interrupted by the echo of someone knocking on the front door. Adhering to what her husband had advised earlier this morning, Norma does not answer. Instead she stays seated and expects either Emma or Dylan to greet the stranger on the other side of the door.
However, after the third set of knocks she can no longer stand the noise and realizes it's possible the young couple is unable to hear the banging from the other room. Norma pushes herself up off the couch to balance on slightly wobbly legs and moves quietly toward the soft sound of voices in order to alert them to the faceless visitor waiting outside.
Norma's face instantly brightens in observing the scene of her son and his girlfriend cuddling in a tightened embrace. A wide smile automatically appears in noticing the fondness exchanged between the two young people.
While wearing a grin, Norma steps away from the kitchen threshold and decides to answer the door herself. There is no reason in the world she would interrupt the loving pair during this tender moment.
With a sudden spring in her step, the woman strides to the front of the house and turns the handle. When she enthusiastically swings the door open, her smile immediately drops and her eyes widen theatrically at the sight of the somewhat impatient stranger on her porch. Realizing very quickly the person a mere 10 inches away from her is in fact not a stranger, Norma slams the front door and frantically locks it. Her lungs start to burn as she struggles to catch her labored breath and her pulse races so fast that she's beginning to see stars. With her legs weary beneath her and her spread arms trembling down to her fingertips, Norma presses her back as hard as she can against the inside of the entrance. In her clouded mind, she's keeping evil from entering her peaceful sanctuary and most importantly, away from her son.
On high alert after hearing the boisterous noise of the front door slamming, Dylan and Emma race into the entryway with hands firmly clasped in a panic.
Upon reaching the area, the duo stop dead in their tracks at witnessing the scene in front of them.
"Norma?" Dylan tries to break her from her frantic daze, but his mother's eyes remain distant. "Mom? Jesus, you look like you've seen a g-"
The older woman interrupts with a shaky whisper to finish her confused son's sentence.
"Ghost."
Author's Notes: Thank you for being so supportive and patient with me!
