~ Jed ~
"Happy release day to you…" Gemma sang, coming in with a small cake in her hands with an unlit candle stuck in the middle. She sang the whole thing and then set the cake on the table beside me. "Sorry, I would've lit the candle but there's a rule against open flames."
"This is very nice, thank you," I replied, and she immediately dimpled into a smile. "You didn't have to go through the trouble."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. Any excuse to stop by and pick up some cream buns is good."
"Cream buns… I can't remember the last time I've had one."
"Oh… would you have rather had one of those than the cake? I can go see if there are still any at the nurse's station…"
"No, no this is fine. It's better than fine. It's very thoughtful of you, really," I insisted when she would've ducked out.
"Well, I just wanted you to have someone wishing you well today," she said with a half shrug. "Go on then, tuck in."
"Right, will you share it with me?"
"Oh no, that's your cake."
"I can't possibly eat the entire thing myself," I insisted. That likely wasn't true, but I shouldn't eat the entire thing by myself, and that certainly was true.
She looked across the room. "Oh alright, just a bite then."
"I've been meaning to ask you, have many people died here?"
Gemma looks up in surprise, tucking her hair back behind her ear. "Well… yes. It's inevitable in a place like this. Many never wake from their coma. Why do you ask?"
How strange that I hadn't flashed on a single one. "I'd just wondered." Only she knew that was a lie, like as not. "You know about my history, yeah?"
She tucked the hair behind her ear again in what I was coming to recognize was a nervous gesture. "I do. I'm sorry…"
"No, nothing for you to be sorry about." I shook my head. For a moment I thought maybe she'd understood about me, but that sorry told me she didn't believe I actually saw anything, it was all a mental deficiency. But then she kept on apologizing and I wasn't so sure.
"No, I am sorry though. I know I've no right to go poking around in your medical records. It's just… it interested me. Someone who sees ghosts. Do you, um… see any now?"
She looked so excited at the notion, I hated to disappoint her. "No, actually. I haven't seen any since I got here."
"Really. That's interesting. None at all?" She looked across the room again. "You wouldn't be telling porkies, would you?"
Why did she keep looking over there? "No, why would I lie about something like that?"
"To keep from being held for a psych eval?"
I froze, a cold knot forming in my stomach. "Would you recommend that if I said I did see a ghost?"
"No, of course not," she said quickly enough that I believed her, and that knot of worry loosened. "I don't think you're the least bit bonkers."
"Medically speaking?" I raised a brow at her, and she blushed.
"Medically speaking, yeah. I think you're perfectly sane."
"Then you believe there are ghosts walking around among the living?"
"I think… there are so many things we don't know, it's good to keep an open mind. Who am I to say whether ghosts are real or not?"
An open mind. That was a refreshing start. "Well, sorry to disappoint, but I haven't actually seen any ghosts."
"Not at all," she said, but from the slump of her shoulders, she did look a bit disappointed. "But if you want to hear about ghosts, you should swing by the flat sometime." Why had I said that? "Actually, that's probably a terrible idea. You don't want to get mixed up with any ghosts there."
"Then it is as haunted as they say?" Her eyes stretched wider.
"Yes, very much so. And none of them are very nice," I said diplomatically. "Probably for the best if you give it a wide berth."
"Of course," she said with a little nod. "Well, I should leave you to it," she said, getting to her feet.
"What about your cake?"
"I probably don't need any cake on top of the cream buns today," she said, her hands going to her softly rounded hips.
I don't know why, but I got the impression I'd disappointed her about more than the ghosts. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be sure to save you some."
"Don't be silly, enjoy it, it's your cake," she waved me off.
"Are you sure? I don't mind sharing."
"Share it with your mates. I'm sure they'll be very glad to see you again." She backed toward the door. "It was very nice getting to know you, Jed. I hope… I hope everything works out for you out there."
"It was nice to know you too, Gemma," I said with sincere thanks. She was the only thing that'd made the place bearable.
She hesitated by the door. "Only… if it doesn't… work out for you, I mean, you can always give us a ring. We take in boarders, if you need a place to stay."
"Oh." The offer caught me off guard. "That's very nice of you to say, but I'm sure I'll be fine." The truth of it was, I really didn't want to involve such a cheery, positive person with my mess. I'd only end up dragging her down to the bottom with me.
"Right. Good luck then, Jed." And then she was gone.
~ Jed ~
Ryan had brought over a change of clothes and my pack earlier in the week. Thanks to hoarding for a rainy day, I had a twenty-pound note tucked away, so I wasn't completely penniless. I was also surprised to see my scratched, but functional mobile in one of the pockets as well. Checking the history, I hadn't had a single call or text in all the time I was out. Not only that, all of the Save Kate texts were gone, as if they never existed. Had Ryan gone through my phone? Or had Warren taken steps? I wondered if he'd been paying for its upkeep or for my stay at the facility, for that matter.
I tried not to take it as a bad sign that Gemma wasn't about for any final goodbyes, best to leave that where it was. All I had to do was sign some release papers and I was a free man. Not knowing how things stood, I took the bus home, feeling a bit strange being out and about with all the sounds and sights and smells of town.
The building looked just as imposing, despite the sunny cheer of the day and the new sign calling it Brightmoor instead of Bedlam Heights. Still, there was a prosperous amount of activity going on, obviously the renovations were carrying on, right on schedule. All I wanted was a hot shower and a beer, but the flat was locked up tight, and Ryan didn't seem to be home. Fancying I might meet him at the office, I went searching for him only to find Warren's scowl waiting for me.
"What are you doing here?" he asked irritably.
"Nice to see you too, Uncle Warren," I said dryly. "I came to get a key to the flat and see if I still have a job."
He went to the desk and pulled out a white envelope. "There's nothing for you here now that Kate's gone."
"That's not really your call."
"Actually, it is. This is my building and I think it's best you moved on. Now I've settled your hospital bill. Here is your final pay, and there is the door."
"I don't want your money," I scowled, when I saw the sheaf of notes in the envelope.
"That's the thanks I get," Warren scoffed. "Suit yourself, but I've offered it to you, there's no sense in filing a complaint with the labor board. That's all you'll get from me."
I took out what I figured he owed me and tossed the rest of the guilt money back onto his desk. "You know, it didn't have to be this way," I said. All I'd ever wanted was a family and he'd always treated me like the dirt stuck to his shoe.
"Yes, it did," he retorted. "The instant you let your diseased brain draw negative attention to this family was the day you stopped being a part of it. I did my best to try and get the best care for you…"
"You know that's a load of bollocks," I threw back at him, my temper rising. "You, of all people know what's here, in this building. What keeps trying to reach out and let the world know what happened here. You know everything I've ever said has been the complete truth. But then again, that's what you've always been afraid of, isn't it? The truth."
"Leave or I'll have you locked away again before you can say electroshock therapy," he said with a gleeful smile that I wanted to wipe from his face with his own nameplate.
"I'll go," I said lightly, trying not to let him see how deeply that threat got to me. "Just remember, those secrets have a way of getting out, whether I'm here or not."
"I think we've managed to keep things as they should be for quite some time now."
"Obviously not, or the foundation wouldn't be crumbling beneath you," I smiled. "I'll send for my things."
It felt good having the last word until I got outside and realized I had no place to go. That pay in my pocket wouldn't last me very long if I had to come up with a deposit for a new flat, if I could even get a new flat without a job lined up.
And then I remembered I had another option. Pulling out my mobile, I sent a quick text to Ryan.
*Do you have that nurse's number?*
A/N: So, what did you think? Can you tell how much I hate Warren?
I'm still working out how quickly I'll update on this one. I'll probably jam this one all out at once and then work on my next book after this is finished instead of trying to mix both.
~ Feedback is Love ~