Chapter 2

Time's Leftover into Time's Graveyard

I spent four days in the hospital and was discharged after walking around the hospital floors without consent. I got bored, what can I say? The Kriticos family left after day three, saying they would be back when I had to be discharged. Arthur went back to work, the kids went to school, and their caretaker Maggie left just as she had promised. I think she was over-reacting personally but some people have breaking points and hers was probably when the house exploded in her face. Yeah that's enough for anyone to flip out, anyone who wasn't used to that kind of shit I guess. I wonder if Arthur is gonna find a new nanny.

Yeah, you. Yeah I couldn't help but remember my flashes and ok, maybe me being a nanny was funny but if my vision was right, that very well could happen. I'm ok with a broom and I haven't poisoned anyone yet with my cooking so who knows? Right now, I had other important things to worry about.

Those things being me sitting outside the hospital with a bag of my cut up clothes in the grossest outfit available. Generic t-shirt and sweat pants. God I would kill myself right now if I hadn't already evaded that once this week; I'd feel bad wasting good medicine and care if I ended it all. Really though, this was a bit much. If they hadn't chopped through my clothes I could at least leave alive and in style but at this point, I guess alive is the best alternative there is. The nurse had told me that they called Arthur from work since that was the direction he left them upon his leave yesterday. I only had to wait a little while and before too long, Arthur pulled up in that piece of shit station wagon and I was all too happy to see him. Yeah I was a little embarrassed to be seen in my current outfit and the fact that I was just discharged from the hospital didn't seem to register. People who come out of the hospital always look like shit.

"Hey, get in. We'll go get lunch," said Arthur with a smile. Food that wasn't hospital prepared sounded great and I think I could go for just about anything at that point. McDonalds sounded like a five star idea even if it was gross. I got into the front seat and tried to put on my seatbelt; something hard to do I learned with only one working hand and one working shoulder. I gotta say though, I was grateful that Arthur didn't ask to help me. Pride ya know. I don't have much of it but the little I have left didn't need to be assaulted.

We wound up in a café about ten minutes away from the hospital. Sandwich and soup, pumpkin spice latte and a cookie because I was a good boy in the doctor's office. This all rounded up to ten bucks sans tip. Jeeze.

"How you feeling?"

"Better," I started, " now that I'm out of that place. I need to go to my place though. This whole bum look is getting to me."

"I can take you after you eat. Eat as much as you want, lunch is on me," said Arthur with a huge smile coming from a man who had just been exploited a few days ago by an evil relative and ghost monsters. I gave him a look of curiosity and annoyance; quit babying me man. I might be dressed like a bum but I still had my wallet and that wallet still had a twenty in it, even if that was the last of my cash. Arthur whom I just noticed was all teacherly and dressed like a.. well teacher, pulled up a briefcase and sat it on the table close to my lunch. I pulled it away as he opened the case and exhuming a few papers. It's hard not to be rude and nosey but that was ended when he explained them to me.

"After the police cleaned up the mess Cyrus made, they found the papers the lawyer had. Everything was still in order and the house and its property is still technically mine. Even though Cyrus had faked his death, his real death sealed this. I have the rights to everything on the property, including all the artifacts and the area itself. Which means… if I do this right, I could make enough money from this to finally fix everything that was lost in the fire." I gave Arthur a look he read and he fixed my fear.

"No don't worry I won't be going back there. But I'll get someone else to go there and gather up the valuables and we can auction off what we don't want. I just don't know what to do about the property itself." Now I might have been rude because he didn't out rightly ask me my opinion on the subject but as sound council in this matter, I made it my business to add my two cents and keep my big fucking mouth moving.

"I would tear the place down and sell the property. Sell it to someone who won't inhabit it. Sell it to someone who needs the land for anything but a home. Just wash your hands of it." I hid myself behind my latte because I couldn't take on eyes that would think of me a bastard for being so forward. Arthur seemed to consider the idea and as he leaned back in his chair, he gave me a look that brought down my cup. I didn't have to be ashamed for my statement.

"I think that would be the best idea. I've gotten appraisals for the land. I'm amazed at how fast people work when land and money are involved. When this all happens, I'm taking my family and getting out of that apartment and buying a house. I don't care if there's money left over or anything, I just want them to have a new home." Ok, I won't lie. I felt envious, pissed, and a little jealous. The money Cyrus owed me was a check never to be cashed because it was never in writing and the only person who could allow me such a payment was Arthur and I'm not gonna take away his wish. It was a noble wish and you can't hate a man for that. All I would have done with my share was pay off bills, buy more clothes, and replenish my tranquilizer bottle for the future. Lunch lost its taste and I felt a little bit of drama-queen coming on.

"Think you could take me to my apartment now? I want to put on some real clothes." I didn't look at him. I didn't want to.

"Are you still hungry?"

"No." I was starving.

"Ok… let me go pay the bill and…" he stood and I stood. He paid, I went to his car and waited. I had eaten all my food but I was still wanting more but I'd buy my own damn food if I needed it. Eventually Arthur returned and we drove in a chilled silence, my face to the window and my hand rubbing the stub of my wrist. It was starting to hurt and I hadn't picked up my prescription yet and all my tranquilizers had gone bye-bye when the paramedics frisked me of my clothes and possessions. I was running on empty.

You could say my place was like a British flat; dingy and cool at the same time. No doors but an elevator to my room that was open and lacked any rooms save for the bathroom. A true studio worthy of a bohemian artist or a poet, not for a ghost hunting druggie like me. It was cheap so who am I to bitch about atmosphere? The first problem I noticed was that there were several boxes in the parking lot under the patio cover where my designated parking spot was. Many had Room 6 written with a Sharpie on the side and some had been plundered through. And of course, none of it was really salvageable. I think my face gave me away because Arthur reached to touch my shoulder in apology but I was out of the car before that could happen. It started to rain somewhere between the drive.

With my good hand, I rummaged through the boxes and found that of the six there, only three had anything worth while left. My TV, DVD player, and CD player were gone; either sold, stolen, or used as a means of payment for my past due rent. Ok. Fine whatever, material only. Two of my boxes were clothes and I was grateful for that because my clothing was my life. I know I had more than this but if I could make due with just a few articles, I can always compensate for what was lost. The last box was more important. This box was always there for just an emergency like this because I never kept my journals out in the open. I figured if I ever got thrown out on my ass and if people had to go through my stuff, my journals wouldn't ever be of any value to anyone but myself and in this case, I was totally right. They were safe and I was relieved. Arthur, however, was curious.

"What happened?"

"Haven't paid my rent in a while. Dear old Uncle Cyrus was supposed to pay me a few days ago so I could pay my rent. He didn't. I think you can gather the rest," I said while lifting up the smallest box with my good arm and balancing it in my other. I don't know what made me do it but I walked over to Arthur's car and sat on the hood, waiting for him to open either the door or the trunk so I could get my shit out of the rain. He got the hint, grabbed another box, and popped the trunk. Three boxes in the trunk and some memories left behind, Arthur drove and I assumed he was driving me to his place because the homeless shelter was the opposite direction.

"You're staying with us for a few days anyway."

"Heh, yeah I guess this just makes it impossible for me to escape that huh?" I tried to laugh in light of my situation. I've been through worse, I can deal with this. But I still felt oddly screwed through all of this and even though divine retribution had its way of showing itself, I thought this was a bit much. I mean ok, I trapped souls. I fucking helped bring along an almost apocalypse and I probably helped in a few deaths. But I'm a freak of nature with a missing hand and no money. How much more do I have to suffer before I'm considered good in the eyes of whomever? Dramatic.

"How much did Cyrus owe you Dennis?"

"More than your little checkbook can handle." Spiteful.

"I'm serious."

"So am I," I shuddered a sigh and felt cold. Arthur had a jacket on and the heater in the car wasn't on his mind, "about fifteen grand." I probably have no right bitching over fifteen grand when I know people with credit card debt more than that but to me, that was rent and food for a few months. And fucking Cyrus said he'd pay me more if this worked out in his favor so who knows how much more he was planning. I'm gullible like that because now that I think about it, I doubt Cyrus was ever planning on paying me in the first place. Some judge of character I turned out to be.

"If," Arthur started and got my attention back from my pity, "I sell everything I'm planning on and sell the property, would you accept money from me?"

"No."

"Why not?" Why not indeed Dennis? You're kind of stupid like that buddy. Maybe I was tired of Kriticos promises and though Arthur was nothing like Cyrus, I didn't trust maybes. That or I didn't want to just be paid off and sent away. That's happened a few too many times in my life already.

"I don't want your money Arthur. All I need is a place to live and food, money doesn't have much meaning to me. And I don't want to take away from your plans." My pathetic meter went up a little there but so did my pity meter. I'm just wracking in all the points in this game of life. Maybe I was better off with the Breaker.

"My plans don't need much either," Arthur parked suddenly and I was brought from my trance, "Ok. Stay with us until you feel you can get on your feet. Stay here with us in the apartment and stay with us when we move to the house, if and when I find one."

"I said I don't want to bother you and fuck up your plans and-"

"You saved my life and the lives of my children. You're getting screwed over by things beyond your control. I don't have much right now but I can at least offer you the little I have." He was staring at me sincerely and I hated it. He had eyes that could make you feel safe and I hated that too. I don't want to be around when those eyes accidentally touch me again and I have to see through them again. I hate seeing people's lives and hidden secrets because no matter how good the person was, I always saw their deepest horrors and Arthur was one of those people whose horrors could stay hidden for all I cared. He was too good to be tainted.

But I needed a home. And I needed my prescription. And, most of all, I needed people. I scratched my head then rubbed my eyes. I wished my glasses weren't broken; I could really use them. They hide emotions better than I can.

"Ok." I couldn't manage much else. Arthur reached out to pat my arm then stopped. He didn't have to stop, I would have been ok with a small flash. Contact was never made and I got out of the car with the belongings I could hold while Arthur grabbed the rest. He was excited it seemed because as we walked from the parking lot to the building, he began speaking in a hurry.

"We'll get you settled in and I'll start dinner. Or we could just order out. That might be better, surprise the kids when they get home with food and the news. We've got a fold out couch for when Maggie would stay over and help out so you can sleep on that, at least until we figure things out. If you stay longer, we can move Bobby in with Kathy so you can have your own room." His drabble was like talking to a wife about some amazingly new and interesting thing and I was fine listening to it since it regarded me. Ego, I know. He startled me a bit because he wasn't angry at altering his life for me. Most people whose couches I've slept on never stopped with the bitching so I took this graciously and tried to stay quiet while he continued on.

"And when we move, we'll get a four bedroom house, just like our old one."

"How long are you thinking I'm gonna stay with you Arthur? I wasn't planning on moving in."

"Huh? Oh. I guess we'll come to that when it's appropriate. This one," he said, standing in front of his door. He held the boxes with his chest and the door itself and unlocked it with his free hand. The door swung open and he grabbed my box again but nothing was damaged. I entered and looked at the cold, small apartment. My place was bigger than this and he's housing three, no, four people?! Arthur sat my stuff down next to the couch and I sat, the couch being very comfortable and very big. It smelled like wood fire smoke even though there was no fireplace to be seen.

"Mind if I change?" Arthur got the hint. I just wanted a moment to be alone. He left for his room and I sat there on the couch wondering what all this was. First thing's first, I wanted new clothes. Ripping open one of my boxes I found a pair of jeans and a sweater and changed from my hospital garments to something in better taste. A change of clothes can alter a person's disposition greatly and when I stood in search of Arthur, I felt great in spite of all this weird shit. I peeked at the personal space I was occupying and found information here and there about their lives. Pictures, A+ papers, local obituaries, and a few un-graded math tests sitting around. Hey these were my future dwellings, I have a right to be a snoop.

"Dad! We're home and-" I spun around, seeing Kathy and Bobby entering the apartment with happy eyes. I smiled in response to their infection and part of me wondered if this would be reoccurring. I can dig this. Their happiness shifted to shyness but I was still grinning like a fool. Arthur appeared behind me and slid beside without touching me. He went to his kids and hugged both of them. It was one of those hugs you could tell happened once in a while, not every day but not infrequent enough to be forced. He was genuinely happy and he excitedly rambled off the same information he had said to me earlier.

"We don't have to go there right?" asked Kathy.

"No, I'm going to have someone go for us. Just think, by the end of the month, we could be living in a new house." Bobby dropped his bag and scooter in the doorway and laughed.

"I won't get in trouble for leaving my stuff all over anymore!"

"Well I don't know about that. And guys, I want both of you to be on your best behavior. Dennis is going to stay with us awhile so no being terrors, got it?" Arthur said with a hard to believe stern attitude. Kathy peeked past her father at me and Bobby approached me.

"Why?" asked the young little genius. I guess that was sort of a good question because I wasn't anything before a few nights ago and now I'm apparently good enough to be living and leaching off them. Suddenly I felt guilty, unneeded.

"He's staying until he feels better."

"And I'm gonna help out. I mean," I started before I knew what I was saying, " since your maid left. You guys are messy and Arthur needs help and I know to cook. So…" I lost what I was going for. But the effect was achieved because the kids grumbled and Arthur laughed. Kathy put her hand on her hip and smirked.

"Wow is this some way of telling me that my cooking is REALLY bad Dad?"

"What?! No no!" Haha I put Arthur in the dog house.

Enough of boring domestic hostility, let's skip a few hours to when things are interesting. Chinese take out is some of the best food a person can eat because when you order enough for your family, they send you enough for three. Kathy and I had a contest of who could eat the most peppers from the General Tsoa's chicken and of course I lost because I'm a pussy and she did have some awesome Italian blood in her. Stereotyping for the goal. I got through three, she had about seven. Fun food times aside, the evening ended with bed times and me chilling on the couch and going through my journals in the peace and quiet of the apartment. The TV was playing and that too was soothing. I told Arthur I would do anything he asked if I could have one condition; the TV must play at night. No matter how old I got, I have a fear of silence. At one time in my life, I lived next to a cemetery and yeah, you can only begin to imagine how shitty that was for me. Every time a funeral was held, boom! I'd get ghost central in my room. Most of the time they'd just show up for a few minutes then leave but often it was loud enough for me to wake up. So to combat this, I would keep my TV on all night to disguise the noise. It worked surprisingly well and I got used to the sound, it being my white noise. Now you know the rest of the back story.

So, sitting on the folded out bed couch and hanging with my journals. That's back up to speed. It was around midnight and I was up, writing down what I usually wrote in these pages, when I heard some footsteps in the kitchen. Reflex made me hide my journal under my pillow but I calmed down when Arthur came out, pajama clad and drowsy. I wondered if the sound from the TV was keeping him up but he didn't say anything. Actually all he did was sit down next to me with a Coke in his hand and a pretty exhausted look on his face.

"I bothering ya?" I asked. He took a moment to acknowledge me then shook his head. I turned a little because my shoulder was in a lot of pain but I tried not to show it. Still hadn't filled out my prescription and I should probably do that sooner than later. I'll ask Arthur to do it tomorrow.

"I haven't been sleeping well since we came back home."

"Nightmares?"

"Something like that."

"Yeah. I had my first phantom pain not too long ago. Doctors said it wouldn't take too long."

"What's that?" I was sort of surprised he wouldn't know what a phantom pain was, he seemed like an educated kind of guy but maybe he was just making conversation. Sure, I'll humor him.

"It's when I feel my hand even though it's not there. It feels like when your foot falls asleep after you sit on it too long and then you try to move and it starts stinging."

"I'm sorry."

"Story exchange. What was your nightmare like?" Ok, I was really awake and I wanted company and Arthur didn't seem to be sleeping soon so why not?

"Ah… I don't know. Just keep seeing the house and everything inside it. Keep seeing the kids getting hurt. Keep seeing Jean." He must have had a lot built up inside. I'm psychic to a point but it didn't take no crystal ball or Ouija board to see that this guy wanted nothing more than to vent out some of this shit that's been accumulating on his shoulders over the past year. I don't think I'm the best one for that though but I can at least listen. I'm good like that. But then again, part of me had a lot to say too and no one else felt it necessary to talk to me or listen about my ghosts, my issues, my painful mind fucks. We'll see how this swings.

"That house was one piece of fuckery wasn't it? When I was poking around it when you guys arrived, I nearly pissed myself at how freaky it was. Then the insides… shit." Little tid-bit about me, I curse a lot. It's a form of linguistics I like to think adds color to the American language. Sue me.

"Everything can be fixed though, you know? I get scared about the house, I just look around and see that I'm here in the apartment again. I worry about my kids, I can walk six feet to their rooms and see them. I don't know what to do about… about Jean. I can't just open my eyes and see her." I thought that's what he was going about. You can't just ignore your wife's ghost after something like that, not after some guys like me and Cyrus came and abducted her poor spirit for our own sick gain. I wondered if it would work, if it would cause any kind of solace in him to even try but what else could I offer? People usually can only offer words, empty ones at that, regarding issues like that but I could maybe catch a glimpse of something that I can interpret as comfort for him.

"Can I?" I asked, lifting my hand toward his shoulder. He looked at me hesitantly, questioning my methods and what exactly I was leaning at but I said fuck it and grabbed his shoulder anyway. He'll forgive me later.

Fucking flashes! Quit moving so fast that I can't see… see this house they had. Huge white one, gorgeous. Jean was a really beautiful woman in a kind of old fashioned sense, reminded me of my mom but a lot more stable. The kids were cute when they were younger and they just seemed like such a group of normal people. That's all. Just your normal average neighbors who'd always be there to help you. Especially Arthur. I didn't want to delve too deeply into that area because again, don't want to find dirty secrets when I didn't want them. But what was I expecting to find about Jean now? It was mostly glimpse and images of times with her, the best times you know? Times I didn't have any right peering on. Dates, wedding, honeymoon, births and funerals. Oh… funerals. Her funeral was beautiful as funerals go, white flowers contrasted by black garments. Arthur and the kids… god guys I'm sorry don't be so sad. But there she was and there I would be to snatch her spirit and stuff it into a box like some sort of trash. I'm a sick fucking bastard.

Maybe I needed to see this. I never took a moment to see the ghosts I caught for the humans they were but most of the time, they weren't people to really respect. Not like Jean here. Not a mother of two, wife and dancer, not a human being who had so much more of a reason to be on earth than I ever would. I occupied space that she should have filled.

The last thing I saw before stepping out was something comforting and something that would help Arthur's sleepless nights. It was something I didn't see because I wasn't conscious for it but I watched through Arthur's eyes now and I envied him. Jean was standing before her family and he was able to see her one last time, something most people would kill for. And she was beautiful and happy and as she dissipated, I knew that as the assent to the next plain, whatever it may be. But it wasn't painful, it wasn't evil, and it wasn't anywhere to be scared of. Don't worry Arthur, she's fine.

"What?" I must have said that out loud for when I lifted my head from Arthur's shoulder, embarrassed that I had spit dripping from the side of my mouth and sweat congregated in every crevice of my face. I breathed a few haggard breaths and grabbed Arthur's Coke from his hand, dying for something wet. He didn't mind and I downed it completely.

"She's fine… I've seen that before. When she faded like that, it means she left this place. She's where she's supposed to be and by the smile she had, it's a good place." I wasn't sugar coating, I'm not that kind of guy. But when I saw things like this, I could tell it as I saw it and that was usually enough. Trust me, I've told people that their relatives were Hell bound and they only laughed in my face and said I was a prick. But Jean… nah if there was a Heaven, I think she'd be escorted there nicely.

Arthur's eyes were unsure how to take this news but I did what I could and I was aching from it. I wanted to sleep so badly now since from head to toe I felt like I'd been ran over a few times. Grabbing a blanket and wrapping up in it, I fell to my side and onto Arthur. I hadn't meant to pin him but Jesus that was one of those flashes that take so much out of me that I can't function anymore. My skin didn't touch any part of Arthur thanks to the blanket I cocooned myself in and within minutes I was asleep. No more flashes tonight please, I've signed out.

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Author's Note: This chapter came a lot fast than I anticipated, probably because it's really dialogue heavy and partly because I threw out my back and I'm bed bound. I have a laptop so I can sit it on my lap without much pain. The next chapter will be in a few days I assure you and it will have more of a plot I promise. Right now I'm establishing character interactions, a little more character developement and setting up the scene. I've also realized, as per Taisia Kuno fashion, this is going to be a rather long story. I always tend to write long stories and I think this one won't be any exception.