The Ones She Left Behind

Chapter Thirteen

Topher had stayed by Maggie’s side, but there were still no signs of her waking up. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, for time was a mere illusion in this world. What felt like an eternity may have only been an hour, at the most. The presence of the pink line going up Maggie’s arm made him more cautious of how much time was passing, however. As much as he didn’t like the idea of Darcy being in Maggie’s body, he hoped she would wake soon so that Maggie would wake. The sooner the sisters woke up, the sooner he could fix this mess. In the meantime, there wasn’t much he could do.

At least he and Maggie were alone, he thought. Since crossing over, he had spent a fair amount of time here and never did he run into another spirit, which is one of the main reasons he had brought Maggie here. When she did wake, he didn’t want her to be overwhelmed by everything at once. If he was the only one she saw, he thought it might startle her less, as long as she was able to recognize his new, aged-up form. Although, he figured that wouldn’t be a problem since she had recognized him before.

Placing his hand over Maggie’s, he immediately felt more of her guilt. Frowning, he tried to send her feelings of calm in hopes that, although unconscious, she would still feel them and that would somehow ease her guilt.

Topher couldn’t help but wonder how Maggie would react to knowing every time she tried to touch someone, she could give away her feelings, thoughts, and memories. It was the one part of being a spirit that he was never fond of. When he realized this could happen for the first time, it was with Darcy. Neither of them knew until that moment that it could happen, and it had shocked both of them. While Topher shied away from most physical contact with her after that, Darcy wouldn’t leave him alone until she knew just about everything she could about him. Darcy knew the things about his past that he had kept hidden from Maggie. If Maggie knew what he had done, he knew she would be more afraid of him than she was the night he ruined her date.

The fear he had seen in Maggie’s eyes after he ruined her date haunted him. He had made a promise to always protect her. He had always made sure she never had a reason to be afraid as long as he was around, and especially not of him. He had ruined her trust in him as well as their friendship out of jealousy. He had known the day would come when Maggie would want to start dating, and he had thought he would be okay with that, but seeing her in the arms of someone who wasn’t him brought all of his anger and jealousy to the surface.

He knew, when she woke up, she would probably want to talk about that night. Topher wasn’t sure if he was ready to answer any questions she had, but he knew, if there was any hope to restore their friendship, he would have to tell her the truth.

"So, are you having fun on Earth?" he asked, though he wasn't expecting a response. Still, he liked talking to her, whether she could hear him or not. He knew that she would wake when her body woke up, but he hoped the sound of his voice would speed up the process.

"I hope you're having fun, but not too much fun." He clasped her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I couldn't handle it if something happened to you." He looked down. "Well, I guess it has, but I can fix this."

He looked away from her. "And, I hope Lewis is treating you well. I hope he makes you happy. But, don’t expect me to like him. I don’t know if I ever will. Then again, I probably won’t like anyone that you date. No one will deserve you.”

He stroked her knuckles with his thumb. Her guilt seemed to have subsided, as all he could pick up on now were the same calming feelings he transferred onto her. “I never wanted to tell you this as I was afraid it would hurt you, but by not telling you, I’ve made things worse. I don’t want to just be your best friend anymore. I want to be more than that, but I know it can’t happen. You’re alive, and you should be with someone else who is. If I stay with you, I know that I’m just going to get in the way of that, because there is some selfish part of me that doesn’t want to share you with another man.”

Topher studied her face, looking for any sign that she heard him, but her expression was as peaceful as before. He sighed and pulled his hand away from hers. "This mess you’re in is my fault. I never should’ve left Darcy alone.”

Topher laced his fingers with hers. “I hoped to someday introduce you to her. I guess I waited too long. I just hope we can convince her to give you your body back before it’s too late.” 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Darcy opened her eyes, she was instantly blinded by a bright light.

Am I dead?

Nonsense, she thought. How could something that was never alive possibly be dead?

"Oh, thank God," a voice gasped.

Darcy fixed her gaze on the woman standing next to her. She looked familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint who she was exactly.

"Maggie, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Oh, Lani, the girl doesn't have a concussion," another voice said. This voice sounded deeper, and Darcy knew it probably belonged to a man.

The rest of the room finally materialized around her. She was in an off-white room with a little bit of floral design. A curtain surrounded her bed.

Bed.

She didn't sleep. What did she need a bed for?

She tried to sit up, but every muscle in her body screamed in protest.

Muscle.

Body.

She was alive.

A small smile spread across her face.Her plan had worked. She was finally human.

"Maggie, sweetie, do you remember who we are?" Lani asked.

Darcy nodded. "Aunt Lani."

"See? She's fine," the guy said. Darcy looked at him, trying to decipher who he was. His dark-red hair reminded her of Rydelle. He must've been Ronnie, Rydelle's brother.

"Maggie, do you remember what happened?" Lani asked.

She remembered exactly what happened. She used her powers to knock Maggie unconscious, allowing her to take possession of her body. “I had been drinking . . . I was upset. I don’t really remember anything else. Did I fall?”

Darcy's head pounded, though she wasn't sure if it was Maggie's hang-over or being knocked in the head by a radio.

"The kitchen and dining room are a mess, but police have found no evidence of a break-in."

Darcy fought back a smile. Of course a ghost would show no signs of a break-in.

"Do you remember throwing anything? The radio was smashed against a wall, and there was also a cutting knife stuck in the wall,” Lani said.

Darcy hung her head. “It could have been me. I don’t remember. If it was, I’m sorry.”

Lani sighed. “Kiddo, I know you’re having a rough time, but it’s not looking good on my part if you end up in a hospital. You could get taken away from me.”

“I want to be with my mom.”

Lani turned her gaze to Ronnie for a moment, and then looked back at Darcy. “Kiddo, you know that if that was possible, then you would be. For now, you’re with me, and we’re going to keep it that way until your mother can take care of you.”

“And that day will never come as long as you keep locking her away into nut houses,” Darcy said. Moisture was gathering in the corners of her eyes. Is this crying? “I just need to see her. I need to talk to her.”

Before Lani could respond, a young woman dressed in hospital scrubs came into the room. “Good, you’re awake. How are you feeling, Maggie?”

Darcy stared at the white sheet covering most of her body. She couldn’t bring herself to answer the woman. Lani answered for her, “She seems okay, but I think we might want to visit those counseling options the doctor had mentioned.”

Darcy’s gaze fixed back on Lani. Counseling? Like the countless sessions she had seen both her mother and Maggie go through in the past?

“I don’t need counseling,” she said. “All I need is my mother.”

“Dr. Hammond will be in shortly. You can discuss your options with him.”

Darcy crossed her arms as the nurse left the room. “I’m not going to see some shrink. I don’t need--”

“What you need are coping skills that don’t get you sent to the hospital,” Lani interrupted. She sat down on the bed beside Darcy and held out her arms. Darcy wasn’t familiar with the notion of a hug, but she dropped her arms and let her aunt pull her into a tight embrace.

"Aunt Lani . . . you're squeezing me . . . too . . . hard," Darcy choked out, but she secretly didn’t mind. As a ghost, no one had ever held her. Most ghosts shied away from touching another ghost, including Topher, due to the memory and thought exchange that happened with it. Only ghosts who were intimate with each other would hold each other like this, but Darcy had never personally experienced this. She couldn’t help but wonder how physically intimate her sister would get with Topher now that she was a ghost. 

“Do you know how scared I was when I found you unconscious?” Lani said. “I don’t want to come home to that ever again. That’s why I think counseling will be good for you.”

Darcy looked away from her as Lani finally let go. “If I agree to go to counseling, then can I see my mom?”

Lani placed her hand on Darcy’s cheek, brushing away the tear in the corner of her eye. “We can check into it, okay? I can’t make any promises, but I can ask.”

Darcy nodded. “You get me an answer, and then I’ll give you an answer.”