Whispers of Death (9 page)

   I looked at her gratefully. "Are you sure?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

    She gave me a hug. "Don’t worry, he'll be okay," she whispered in my ear.

    "I know," I whispered back.

    "Hey superman, what kind of ice cream do you want?" Olive asked Hunter.

    I smiled and pulled out my phone, heading for the hallway.  I explained what had happened to Ms. Sable and explained that my sister would be coming to pick up Abby from school.  She thanked me for calling and said she would have his teacher send him his homework for today and tomorrow.  As I hung up the phone I felt the pull of whatever was trying to get my attention.  I looked into the room where my family was and beckoned for Mark to come out into the hallway.

    "I'm going for a little walk," I said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

    He searched my face for answers but just kissed my forehead.  "Come back soon," he said.  He slid his hand down my cheek and pulled my chin up so I would look at him.  He kissed me softly on the mouth, then returned to our son.

    I walked down the hallway toward the entrance of the hospital.  The hallway led off in multiple directions, and I stopped to read the sign to see which way I should go.  I could feel whatever was pulling me as I turned down the Oncology hallway.  I passed several closed doors for doctors’ offices, maintenance closets, and labs.  With each step I took, the pull became stronger.  I took several more turns and found myself alone in a long hallway, doors on each side, with masks and hand sanitizer outside each one.  A beeping noise sounded down the hallway, and a nurse walked by quickly, entering a room to my right.

    My mind tried to focus on the pull. I took a few more steps, stopping just outside one patient’s room.  The pull became so strong that I began putting on a mask.  I quickly washed my hands and pushed open the door.  The room was filled with a dark cloud, almost like a mist.  I made my way inside, barely able to see the small frame of a woman sleeping on the bed near the window.  The sun was shining, but no light entered.  Panic started to set in.  I hurried to the woman and could faintly hear the beeping of all the machines attached to her.  A man walked in, his face ragged and tired.  He sat down opposite of me and grabbed the woman's hand.  I stood, not really knowing what to do.

    "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," I said in a whisper.

    The man didn't look at me.  He actually gave no indication that I was even there.

    "Sir?" I bent down, trying to look in his eyes.

    Nothing.

    "He can't hear you," a raspy voice said.

    I jumped, slamming against the window.  I searched the darkness, trying to locate the new sinister sounding voice.  Standing at the foot of the bed was a dark shadowy figure.  His body seemed to move gently, almost as if it weren't solid.  A thick black mist came from his fingertips, weaving up to the woman lying in the bed.  Her monitors beeped wildly, as her heart rate spiked.  The woman's eyes shot open.  Her body convulsed as she screamed in agony.  I watched as her spirit slipped away from her body. The monitor gave a loud ear-piercing beep, and the woman's husband ran from the room calling for help.  Nurses immediately came in with a crash cart.  I stood dumbfounded.  The dark figure laughed darkly, pulled a long blade from his cloak, and disappeared.  The darkness in the room vanished, the sun streamed in through the window, and I stood in shock.

    "Ma'am?"

    I jumped again. "Oh I'm sorry, what?" I said.

    "I said we need you to leave the room now," a tall nurse said, trying to hurry me from the room.

    "Yes! I'm so sorry." I apologized again before hurrying through the door.

    As I exited, I noticed the woman's husband on the floor near the door, kneeling and praying for his wife.  He sobbed loudly, not caring if anyone around him heard.  Standing just in front of him was Death, holding the woman's spirit who seemed to also be crying.  Her face was one of agony and pain.  Death stroked the back of her head, trying his best to calm the new spirit in his care.  My heart broke as I watched the two struggling souls, one human and one spirit.

    "Can't you do anything?" I asked Death.

    He shook his head. "Her life was just cut short by Fear. I can't even ease her pain."

    The door of the hospital room opened, and the man on the floor stood up.  The doctor dropped his head.  The man collapsed to the floor, his sobs louder now, mixed with sounds of "why her?" and "why us?"

    "What happened?" I asked.

    "She was diagnosed with cancer two weeks ago.  It spread so quickly that the doctors knew they couldn't stop it.  They gave her six months at the most, but this morning she collapsed while taking a shower.  There were no signs of trauma, so the doctors told him to just let her rest, and they could go home in a few hours." Death explained. "That is when Fear took over, and you watched the rest."

    I shivered at the memory of his black mist wrapping itself around her. "Couldn't you have saved her?"

    "No.  Fear has stolen my only way to ease her pain and the pain of others in hospitals and homes all over this world," he explained. "Without my Scythe, I can only accept them.  I can't ease their discomfort before or after they die.  That is why I brought you here, so you could see for yourself what is happening."

    "Wait, you brought me here?  The pull I felt was you?"

    "Yes," he explained.

    Understanding rushed through my mind. "Did you have something to do with Hunter's accident?" I said through clenched teeth.

    He nodded. "It was the only way to get you here.  I knew that you would do anything for your children."

    "You could have killed him!" I screamed.  My stomach was in knots.  I was sure I was going to throw up.

   "Hunter was never in any danger.  I would not harm you or your family. After all, you are the only one who can help me save these people," Death said calmly.

    "You made him fall off a swing and nearly break his neck!" My whole body was shaking with anger and fear.

    "No, I put Hunter in a deep sleep and then made it look like he fell off the swing.  Like I said, he was never in any danger."

    A dark shadow began growing on the floor in front of me; it quickly formed into a figure of a man.

    "Amelia, you need to control yourself! You have become so full of fear that you have summoned him back.  He will take more lives," Death said calmly but with a hint of urgency.

    Fear stood in front of me, his face full of hatred and humor.  The dark mist snaked through his fingertips and began slithering toward me.  It wrapped around my ankles, and I felt the pure panic and fear rise through my body.  More mist etched its way under a few more doors, and I could feel the pain of the patients on the other side of the wall.  I tried to clear my mind and picture something that made me happy.  I could see Mark, standing a few feet in front of me, his arms outstretched as Abby ran to him.  Her little arms wrapped around his neck as she squealed with delight.  Hunter threw himself into his father and intertwined himself onto his daddy's legs.  Mark stomped around the house with Hunter and Abby giggling.

    My heart filled with warmth at the sight of my family. I felt the darkness slipping from around my leg, so I kept going.  I thought of Olive and Peter on their wedding day and how beautiful she’d looked in her long white gown.  The lace from her veil laid gently down her back, and she smiled as Peter kissed her as his new bride.  Her cheeks were flushed, and she beamed as they took the floor for their first dance as husband and wife.  The joy rushed through my body, and the darkness retreated from the happy thoughts.  I could still sense the fear on the other side of the walls, but Fear was kept at a safe distance from me for now.

    Death watched as I controlled my emotions and push Fear further away from me.  A dark smile formed on his lips.  He knew at that moment that he had found the right person, the person to defeat Fear and get back what had been stolen from him.

Nine

    I sighed as Fear finally retreated and I could no longer feel the agonizing pain of the people around me.  It was a horrible feeling knowing that my emotions had almost taken the lives of the people in this hospital.

    "It isn't your fault."

    I looked up. Death watched me with understanding. "I know, it's yours," I said angrily. "If you wouldn't have done what you did to my son, this never would have happened."

    I stormed away from him down the hall and back toward my son’s room.  Fear wasn't what I felt anymore; it was anger.  My son was sitting in the hospital because Death had decided to put him here.  As I came closer to Hunter's room, my breathing became labored, and I knew I was about to have a panic attack.  I found the nearest chair and dropped into it.  I pulled my legs up and rocked myself back and forth.  I knew that I had to control myself before I went back into Hunter's room.  I had to get my emotions under control so Fear didn't come take my son's life.

    "Miss, are you okay?"

    I looked up; a woman stood in front of me dressed in black scrubs with a stethoscope stretched around her neck. "Yes. Just out of breath." I tried to reassure the nurse.

    She raised an eyebrow at me, shrugged, and walked back toward the nurses’ station down the hall.  I wiped at my eyes.  I didn't know when I had started crying, but it was no surprise; it was one of my biggest flaws. I took a few more deep breaths, combed through my hair, and walked back to my son's room.

    Mark stood as I walked in.  He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

    I instantly knew that I hadn't given myself enough time outside. "I'll be fine," I lied.

    "Lia, what happened? You can't lie to me."

    He had always been able to tell when I was lying. "Nothing, I just want to take Hunter and go home," I told him.

    He pulled my face back so he could look into my eyes. "Hunter is going to be okay."

    "I want to take him home." I pulled my face away from him and looked at my son.  He was on the bed watching a show on the television, not a care in the world.

    "The doctors said he should stay the night," Mark said, pulling back to look at him. "He has a concussion."

    "No, he doesn't.  There’s nothing at all wrong with him.  It was some stupid game that Death decided I needed to play." My voice broke at the last sentence.  Mark inhaled deeply.

    "What?" he said. Now the concern had turned to anger.

    "Death did this. He said he needed me to see the hospital, so he put Hunter to sleep and made it look like he’d been in an accident.  Hunter is fine." I sobbed.

    Mark pulled me in tighter to hug me, then I heard something unexpected; he was laughing.

    "This isn't funny!" I said, walking away from him and sitting next to the window.

    Mark suppressed his smile and walked over to me; he took my hand in his and kissed it. "Sweet, sweet Amelia, my love, Hunter is going to be okay. I'm relieved that there is nothing wrong. I have been worried sick for the last several hours, and now I know that he will be okay.  Don't you see?" he asked me.

    I looked back over at Hunter and watched; his breathing was slow and long.  He was engulfed by the show, and from the peaceful look on his face, it was a good one.

    "Yes," I whispered. "I do see."

I leaned down and kissed my son on the forehead and smiled. He was going to be okay. He didn't have a concussion or anything else.  It really was a relief, one that I hadn't considered.  I rubbed my hand down his sweet little face and smiled.  Mark stood behind me, his chin resting on my shoulder.  I sighed deeply.  He was going to be okay.

    "Mommy!"

    Abby ran up and threw herself into my arms. "Hi sweetie," I said, kissing her cheek.

    "Is Hunter okay?" she asked.

    "Yes, Hunter will be just fine," I whispered.

    She cocked her head sideways. "Why does Hunter have a sock on his head?

    Mark and I laughed. "Hunter got hurt at school, so they put that on him to help him feel better," Mark explained.

    She looked at me, and I began bracing myself for her next question.

    "Abby, do you want to go get some ice cream?" Peter asked her.

    "YES!" she squealed with delight and jumped down and ran to her uncle.  I smiled at him appreciatively.

   "Any more information?" Olive asked when Abby and Peter were down the hall.

    "He will be completely fine," I told her.

    "Did the doctor tell you anything else while I was gone?" she asked, still concerned for her favorite nephew.

    "No, but Mark and I know for sure that he will be back to his normal self in no time," I said, smiling at Mark.

    Olive glared at me. "You have been hiding some big secret from me for way too long.  What is going on?" she demanded.

    I looked at Mark, who shook his head. "Sorry Liv, this is going to be something I just can't explain right now."

    "That's not fair," she complained, "Wait, are you pregnant?" Her demeanor quickly changed from annoyance to excitement.

    I laughed. "No! I just can't tell you about it right now.  I'm still trying to figure it out."

    "Are you sick?" she asked; now concern seeped from her voice.

    "Livie, I'm fine, and so is everyone else in this family," I explained.

    Olive glared at me but didn't push any further. "Abigail said she had a great day at school.  She said that she played dress up with Mindy all day." She laughed. "I asked her if she did any school work, and she said she didn't have time."

    This time we all laughed.  It was good to have Olive here.  She kept me from going completely crazy.

    "Thank you Olive," I said gratefully.

    She looked at me, and understanding washed across her face. She smiled. "It’s what I do," she said with a low bow.

    "Daddy, look what Uncle Peter got me!" Abby said, running into Hunters room.