21
Nan was laid to rest that Wednesday. The graveside service was so well-attended the local police were called in to aid with traffic control.
Jamie had spent the past two days with Mark and Abby. Lexi and Phil had wanted a few days to visit a nearby amusement park and zoo, and while normally Abby would have been ready to go before them, this time she did not want to leave Jamie. Lexi was troubled but Phil talked her into going anyway.
It was odd, how she was currently feeling. They were at the edge of the crowd, the three of them wearing almost matching shades of dark blue and gray. Jamie had been asking questions, and while she did not sense any sort of deception in Mark's answers, it was still hard to believe that he remembered nothing at all. Not even the fact that they had slept together not once, but twice the past weekend, and that she was pregnant because of it.
Jamie knew it was too early to be thinking about, but she could not help it. She fought the urge to call the hospital to see if Chris could run some blood work. She knew that blood tests could detect pregnancy earlier than an at-home test kit, but less than a week? She had been out of nursing for a while, but knew that it would be at least another few weeks before she could find out for sure.
The service wound down to a close, and Abby reached for her hand. Jamie held on to her as most of the crowd wandered down the small hill toward their parked cars. Slowly but surely the cemetery emptied of mourners, except for Randy and Lucy. There were still sitting in the chairs that bordered Nan's grave.
"We're going to head back to the house." Glen and Kayla were also there, and Glen had spoken, bringing Jamie's attention back to the fact that she was not alone.
"We're right behind you." Mark wrapped an arm around Jamie's shoulders and they watched as Glen led Kayla down to their car. "Are you ready to go? Or do you want to…" He nodded in Randy and Lucy's direction. Jamie hesitated and shook her head.
"I don't want to bother them." Jamie leaned her head again Mark's shoulder.
"Well…" Mark kissed the top of her head. "How about some lunch? It's not often I get to take two pretty ladies out to eat." Abby smiled weakly. Jamie shrugged. "Or we could just go home."
"I don't like this place." Abby said softly. She wore a distracted frown on her face.
"Hon, it's a cemetery. Nobody likes…"
"Why aren't the rest of them leaving?" Abby spoke right over Jamie. "And why are they staring at us?"
Jamie felt a cold knot form in her stomach and she looked up at Mark. He was grinding his teeth, something she had missed completely since she had been so lost in her own thoughts. "Mark?"
"Just ignore them, Abby." He finally said, shifting his eyes to look at the little girl. He managed a smile. "They're just sayin' goodbye too."
Abby nodded and gripped Jamie's hand tighter. "Can we just go back to your house?"
"Sure." Mark scooped her up and held her easily, then reached for Jamie's hand. He led the two women down the hill to Jamie's Jeep. They were all quiet on the nearly hour long drive home, with only the low mutter of music from the radio.
Once at the house, Mark lifted a sleeping Abby from the backseat. That explained why she had been so quiet. Jamie smiled and followed them into the house and up the stairs, where Mark tucked Abby into bed after gently pulling her shoes off.
"Kid hasn't been sleeping so good the last couple of nights." Mark observed, stepping into the hallway. He kept his voice low.
"I've slept like a rock." Jamie smirked. "Maybe it's the funeral. Her dad's wasn't so long ago. But she wanted to go…"
"I know." Mark shook his head. "Hungry?"
"Not really." Jamie watched as his fingers went to work undoing the braid that held his long hair back from his face. Due to the heat, he was not wearing a suit jacket, just a long sleeved button down that hid his tattoos. Smirking, Jamie pulled his shirt free from his waistband and slowly worked her way up, unbuttoning the material along the way.
Mark raised an eyebrow and watched as she traced a finger down the bare skin that she had exposed. Jamie smiled sweetly and hooked her fingers into his belt, tugging it open.
"As nice as you look in your fancy duds…" She finally got the belt unfastened. Now her finger worked the button on his waistband. "I think I'd rather see you without."
Mark's slow smile at that was enough to make her knees feel weak. He caught her hand before she could do more than brush the skin exposed by the lowered zipped of his pants. He pulled her into the bedroom and swept the door shut behind them even as he yanked her against his chest and found her mouth with his.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early the next morning, Mark woke slowly with a stretch. Jamie muttered under her breath and rolled, snuggling deeper into her pillow. They had spent two hours Abby had slept in bed, doing everything but sleep. When Abby had awakened, Jamie and Mark took her swimming in the pool, and then out to eat at a local pizza place.
Jamie did think it was odd that Mark did not object to going out. In fact, she had barely mentioned it when he was helping Abby get ready to go. She had been too stunned to question him. Jamie had imagined prying him out of the house, especially after the store trip, would be one of their bigger challenges.
He was just full of surprises. Mark still did not trust the television. He would rather it be left off, especially if they were all going outside. And when he was alone, Jamie knew that he turned it off and on a few occasions he had gone so far as to unplug it from the wall.
Mark smirked and settled the light blanket over Jamie's sleeping form, unfortunately hiding her bare, smooth back. If he let himself give in to the temptation of touching her now, it was likely neither one of them would get anything done. He gathered up his clothes and took a quick shower, dressing quietly in the bathroom.
He glanced at his watch on the way down the hall. It was just past six in the morning, and sunlight was already streaming in through the windows. Mark cracked open the guest room door to check on Abby. She was still sleeping, right in the middle of the bed, on her stomach. Her feet were on her pillow, and her head was at the foot of the bed. Mark smiled and debated setting her right, but he did not want to wake her up. He quietly shut the door and went downstairs to make some coffee.
It was hard to believe that just a year ago, a morning like this would have led to a day of depression. The house was quiet but not empty, and Mark figured that was what made the difference. He had never really given much thought to just how lonely he was before Jamie had come into his life. The six months she'd been gone had been miserable.
Mark shook his head and took his cup of coffee outside onto the deck. He figured that Lexi and Phil would be returning a bit later that day, and Jamie and Abby would be going to Glen's to go over some last minute wedding details with Kayla. Mark figured he would eventually get around to finding out what Glen wanted him to wear as the best man. He only hoped it wasn't too fancy a monkey-suit.
"Can I have some cereal?"
Mark had been so lost in thought that he did not hear Abby open the door behind him. He smirked and glanced at his empty cup. "Darlin', I think we might be able to do a little better than cold cereal." He tousled her already sleep-messy hair, chuckling at her noise of annoyance. But she looked at him with a grin.
Almost an hour later, Jamie wandered down the stairs. She had pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, and she'd put on her shorts and tank top, but that was it. It was too early for anything else.
"Mornin', Jamie!" Abby greeted exuberantly. She was sitting at the table with a stack of pancakes in front of her.
"Tell me you are not attempting to eat all of that." Jamie said with a snicker. She stretched her arms over her head, saw the look Mark was giving her, and smirked to herself.
"I'm starving…" Abby drew the word out while using her fork to cut into the stack. She had a huge forkful bound for her mouth as Jamie sat across from her at the table.
"Hungry?" Mark asked, lifting an eyebrow. Jamie felt a warm flush crawl over her cheeks as her eyes met his. Loaded question. And she had not even had her ritual morning caffeine. He did not wait for an answer. He grinned, hid it by turning his back, and set to work making a plateful of pancakes for her.
After breakfast, and showers for the ladies, Jamie and Abby both gave Mark kisses goodbye and left to meet Kayla at her house.
Mark spent a few minutes straightening the kitchen before heading outside to work on his bike for a while. He needed some parts, but more importantly he was going to have to get Jamie to take him into town and soon, so he could buy a new vehicle for himself. As much as he loved the bike, it was not really practical for year-round transportation. Maybe he could salvage his SUV. From what the insurance adjuster had said, it was a lost cause due to the damage but Mark had always been good with machines, especially if they had four tires and an engine.
He found himself to be more restless the past few days, especially when he was alone. There was a time not long ago that he preferred to be by himself. Now it was too damn quiet, not only because of Jamie. Abby had a hand in that too. The little one had sure gotten to him fast. Mark smiled as he ran through his usual maintenance routine on the motorcycle. He had never considered himself a kid-friendly type of person, but he liked having her around.
He had to stop kidding himself though. If he allowed himself an honest minute, he knew what that restlessness meant. The spirits, or more accurately his own power to send them over, wanted to be used. Mark had wanted to be done with it, because even if he did not fully remember, he knew that there was something happening to him. Maybe he took it a bit too much to heart, what he was doing. But the urge to seek out particular spirits…
As much as he covered it up, he had the feeling that Jamie sensed it. Even though she said her own power had withered, she had to see his indecisiveness. Mark did not want to do it anymore. But the power inside him had never been bound by what he wanted. It was like a living thing.
Without aiding the spirits, he felt useless.
When Jamie had mentioned returning to work, Mark had told her it was not necessary. And that was true, from a monetary standpoint. His parents had left Glen and Mark enough to keep them comfortable, and to keep their children comfortable. They had invested wisely and the amount had grown. Neither lived an expensive life. They had the house, the SUV, the motorcycle. A splurge had been the pool. Even that did not put a dent into the cash reserve Mark had in the house safe.
Mark thought he finally understood.
Without using his power, he had no sense of purpose. And he had not bothered to fill that void. Now maybe it was time to really figure out what he wanted to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I can't believe this!" Kayla was livid as she paced around the living room. The beautiful white dress was unzipped, unbuttoned, and dragging the floor. "It fit me three days ago!"
"Well. You are pregnant." Jamie said soothingly. She glanced at Abby and rolled her eyes comically. Abby grinned back. They were both in their dresses, and theirs fit well. Kayla could no longer zip or button the back of her dress. While she had only gained about three pounds so far, all of it went to her stomach. The form fitting dress no longer fit her form.
"No shi…poop. Crap. Whatever." Kayla huffed and censored herself for Abby's sake. "What am I going to do?"
"We're going to find you another dress." Jamie shushed her when she began protesting. "It's too late to get it resized. Besides that…as gorgeous as it is, it's a little too formal for an outdoor, middle of the woods kind of wedding."
"This was my mom's dress." Kayla said, looking down with it and blinking back tears.
"Well, your mom would understand." Jamie helped her get the dress off and packed back into the tissue paper lined box while Kayla and Abby got dressed.
"I can't believe it. I had no trouble putting it on the other day." Kayla sniffled and heaved a sigh. Jamie shook her head and changed from her dress into her jeans and t-shirt. She gathered her purse and began to herd Kayla toward the door. "Now? I have a million things to do today…"
"You are getting married in a few days. Do you really want to wait even more last minute to find a dress?" Jamie asked, giving her a light push out the door. Abby was giggling and skipping toward the Jeep.
They spent nearly three hours at a local bridal store. Kayla's heart had been set, so getting her to accept a change was a challenge. Abby had a great time, getting compliments from all of the women who were there as she tried on dresses for fun.
Jamie had started off feeling great. But now as she sat and waited for Kayla to change dresses she was beginning to feel a bit sick to her stomach. And she kept seeing things from the corner of her eye. Shadows that disappeared as soon as she turned her head to look.
Kayla came out wearing another dress, and her expression of concentration turned to worry. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah. Probably need to eat though." Jamie smiled grimly. The thought of food turned her stomach. "That's a great dress, by the way." It was. Kayla was wearing an off-white floor length dress with flowing material and one strap. "Very 'Greek Goddess'."
"Is it too Halloween costume?" Kayle glanced at the mirrors. "Because I happen to love this dress."
"I think it's perfect." Jamie's smile turned into a wince, and she hid it from Kayla. Abby appeared at her side and grinned.
"You look like a princess." She said happily, taking in the material of the dress. "I'm hungry."
"You ate forty-three pounds of pancake this morning." Jamie pointed out.
Abby giggled and walked over, giving Jamie a hug while Kayla returned one final time to the dressing room to change back into her street clothes.
"Jamie…are you all right?"
Jamie had seen another of those shadow things and tried to focus on it. She smiled guiltily at Abby. "I've got a little bellyache, sweetheart."
"Your face is all white."
"I would imagine I'm a little pale." Jamie looked toward the mirrors and saw her too white complexion. "Babydoll, I'm going to have to get some air."
"Ok." Abby grabbed her hand and walked with her out the front door of the store. Jamie gulped in several breaths of the warm air and her nausea faded. It was still there, but not so urgent as before. Abby looked up at her, worry etched on her features. Jamie understood why it worried the little girl. After losing her dad she feared more loss.
"Much better." Jamie forced a happier tone. Abby frowned slightly but nodded.
"You look better already." Abby put her hand in Jamie's and swung them, letting the subject drop. She was a perceptive little kid. Jamie had to give her that.
Kayla appeared moment later, a box tucked under her arm. She looked more relaxed. "I got that one. Hey, if I look like a goddess on my wedding day, I will not complain at all. Plus I don't have to get it tailored."
"Awesome." Jamie dug her keys out of her purse and saw yet another shadow move to her right. She looked quickly, but not fast enough. There was nothing there.
"Are you all right?" Kayla asked, coming out of soon to be wedded obliviousness to see Jamie's distraction.
"Fine. But…" Jamie handed her the keys. "You may have to drive. I'm not feeling too great at the moment."
"Damn. And I was thinking some big sloppy ribs for lunch…"
Jamie's stomach rolled. She could feel herself turning green. Abby looked alarm until Kayla snickered.
"Come on. I'll take you home and then I will take Abby and we'll eat some sloppy ribs. You can get some rest. You better not get sick right before my wedding!"
"I am trying not to." Jamie muttered, climbing into the passenger seat. She leaned back and closed her eyes, tuning out Kayla and Abby's chatter on the drive back home.
Jamie did not know what was wrong with her but she was not going to take any chances. Maybe she was just overtired, from everything that had happened over the past few weeks. She told herself that was all it was as Kayla guided the Jeep back to the house.
