Lucia Espinosa:

I had to wait a couple of days but finally, Lucia crossed paths with Laurie once again. The old woman was tending her rose bushes in her front yard. As Lucia walked past, I got as close as I could to Laurie, hoping against hope that she would somehow see me again.

“The shadow around your heart remains persistent, Lucia.” Laurie said in a conversational tone as Lucia passed her.

Lucia stopped short, whipping her head towards Laurie. “What do you mean? My heart does not have a shadow. The old one maybe, but my new heart is strong.”

“I never said it wasn’t strong. I merely stated there was a shadow around it.”

Yes! That’s me! Can you see me? Can you hear me, Laurie?

“Whose shadow? And why is it there? Do you know? Or are you just trying to scare me?” Lucia took half a step away from Laurie.

“I don’t mean to frighten, only to inform. Come closer, maybe I can help you see it, too.”

Come on, Lucia! Go closer! I can’t just watch anymore!

Lucia is hesitating, but slowly, she does walk closer to Laurie. Laurie places one hand over Lucia’s heart and traces a circular motion with two fingers on Lucia’s forehead with her other hand. “See, child. Listen. Let the shadow speak to you.”

Did it work?

“Who said that?!” Lucia jumped back from Laurie, whipping her head back and forth.

“The shadow! You can hear it now!” Laurie breathed out.

“You- you’re crazy! Pamela’s right. Leave me alone!” Lucia turned and hurried back home. She rushed inside and headed straight for her room, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it. She placed her hand on her chest and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-

“Who-!” Lucia jumped away from the door, spinning around, looking around her room. She stopped short when her eyes fell on the floor length mirror next to her bed, and gasped. “There really is a shadow…” she murmured, slowly approaching the mirror, looking closely into it.

You can see me?

Lucia’s eyes widened. She nodded. “I can hear you, too… Who… are you? What are you?”

I’m… no one. Not anymore, at least. I was Jesse. Your heart used to be mine. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t take only being able to watch anymore. I had to tell someone what I saw, but I had no way to communicate.

“What do you mean? What did you see?”

Nothing you need to worry about. I need to go. I need to see if the others are now able to hear me too.

“Wait-!” I vaguely hear Lucia call after me, but I’m already gone.

Mike Greene:

I need to test if the others can hear me too. If they can, I can tell Joanna about what I saw. Of course, I also need to work out how to get them to believe me and not think they’re going insane. I’ll start with seeing if Mike can hear me now too. Worst case scenario he’ll just blame the alcohol for hearing voices.

When I return to Mike Greene, I’m initially confused by the change of scenery. Instead of the seedy motel, I instead see a clean house with a couple of dozen people in army dress uniform, and a few others dressed in black.

Oh yeah, the funeral! With all that’s happened recently, I almost forgot.

Mike is in his formal dress uniform. He’s sitting with a group of people that are familiar for some reason. Wait, they’re the people from that photograph! Plus at least a couple of decades. I should probably wait until Mike is alone. If he can hear me now, it wouldn’t do to surprise him in front of other people. They might worry he’s gone crazy.

They exchange stories about Willis and their time as a unit together in the army. From the sounds of it, they were all a good team, and still have a bond like family. After a while, Mike excuses himself, saying he needs some air, and heads outside. He walks to the edge of the decking, placing his elbows on the fencing, leaning his head on his hands. “God, I could use a drink.” I hear him mutter.

And how would a drink help you?

Mike starts, looking behind him with a guilty expression which quickly turns to confusion when he sees no one there. “Hah, and now I’m hearing things. I really have lost it.”

So, you can hear me now, too.

“Too? Didn’t realise the voices in people’s heads communed with multiple people.” Mike chuckled ruefully. “All right, then. Tell me how much I’ve screwed up. Tell me how I should have drunk myself to death years ago.”

Well, if you had drunk yourself to death, my liver would at least be with someone less inclined to ruin it, like you did your previous one.

“…Your liver?” Mike looked confused again. “I know I don’t deserve my new liver, but why would– “

“Talking to yourself, Greene?” Mike’s interrupted by Major Peters joining him on the decking outside. “They told me you were out here. How are you holding up?”

“Haven’t touched a drop since you dragged me back to my apartment that night.” Mike said, looking out into the garden. “Not for lack of wanting to, if I’m being honest.”

Major Peters stepped up next to Mike. “I spoke to some people, called in a few favours. Got you an appointment with a Doctor Singh. She’s good, has experience helping people struggling with addiction. You’ll be seeing her on Monday.”

Mike nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. I’ll go.”

Major Peters gently clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll get through this, Mike. We’re all here to help you.”

I’ll help, too, Mike.

Joanna Yang:

Now that I know I can speak to all my organ recipients, I return to Joanna Yang. I still haven’t worked out a plan for getting her to believe me, not to mention not making her think she’s gone insane, but I have to try something. When in doubt, just wing it. What could go wrong?

She’s cooking when I see her, with music playing way too loudly, singing along off-key, bobbing her head. She tastes what she’s cooking, thinking for a moment, before adding some extra spice from a jar. She finishes the song dramatically, throwing her hands in the air, bowing to her imaginary audience. She’s definitely in a good mood, probably because she knows she’ll be back at work in a couple of days.

Ok. No time like the present.

Joanna?

“Who’s there?” Joanna spins around, her hand going to her hip where her gun would be if she were in uniform.

Ok. I’ll get straight to the point. When I died, you received my bone marrow. I recently gained the ability to communicate with you and the other recipients of my organs. Previously I could only watch you. But I saw something. One of the other recipients, the man who received my kidneys. I watched him murder someone, his nurse. You may not believe me, you may think you’re going insane. Just tell me what I need to do to prove to you it’s true.

My words come tumbling out, as if nothing can hold them back. Throughout my plea, Joanna keeps looking warily back and forth, searching throughout her apartment for intruders. She collects her gun from a safe by her bed as I finish speaking. “Ok. Say I believe you. What’s your name?” As she speaks, Joanna continues her search throughout her apartment, her gun at the ready.

I was Jesse. Jesse Finnegan. I grew up in Brooklyn, in the foster care system. I was meant to start medical school in the Fall, at Grossman. I died because of a stupid drunk driver. You can check all of this. But please, also look for Richard Wilkes. He’s 34, Caucasian, he received my kidneys 9 days ago, and he killed the nurse who was looking after him. Anna. She had red hair. He stabbed her in the alleyway across from the hospital… it was awful… I… I couldn’t do anything. Please. You have to catch him.

As I’m talking, Joanna completes her search of her apartment. She does seem to be listening though. She lowers her gun and takes out her phone. “Hey Sarg, can I ask a favour? I need a background check on a Jesse Finnegan, from Brooklyn. Med student at Grossman. No, I’m fine. Just idle curiosity, I guess. No, I’ve not done anything rash or stupid. Thanks.”

Joanna hangs up, moving to her living room and sitting down on the couch, placing the gun within easy reach on the coffee table. “Ok. We’ll see soon enough.”

It’s an agonising wait. Minutes seem to take hours. Eventually though, Joanna’s phone rings. She picks up and listens. Ugh, why can’t I hear anything through the phone?! I can hear everything else just fine! Don’t tell me ghosts are unable to interact with technology! Though, that would explain why there’s no tangible proof that ghosts exist. Existential theories aside, Joanna finishes up her call, looking thoughtful as she places her phone down.

“Ok. There was indeed a Jesse Finnegan, due to start at Grossman. And they were indeed killed in a tragic accident by a drunk driver. He’s doing time, by the way, if you were curious.”

I honestly hadn’t thought about it that much. Too absorbed in my own self pity and false delusions, I guess.

Joanna suddenly stands up from the couch, pacing around her living room. “This is just crazy. I’m being haunted by the bone marrow that saved my life?! I’m not just imagining things, am I? But there’s no way I could know who my donor was? They keep all that anonymous and confidential. Did I maybe overhear some doctors talking about it?” She continues pacing around, muttering questions and possible explanations to herself.

I’m sorry.

“What for?”

I didn’t mean to make you think you’d gone insane.

Joanna laughs. I find myself laughing, too.

“Look, I get that you need to report a crime, or whatever, but I’m having some issues believing all this. I mean, it’s crazy, you get that right?”

I know. I don’t think I’d believe it either, if I were in your shoes. Take all the time you need. I’ll leave for now, give you some space to think. I’ll let you know when I’m back.

“Back? You’re not here all the time?”

I can switch my focus between the different recipients of my organs. That’s how I saw… I find myself unable to finish the sentence. I’ll go, now.

Lena Bleu:

I check in on Lena while I wait for Joanna to come to terms with my existence. It helps me, having a structure, a pattern of checking each recipient in turn.

Lena is sitting by the window looking down at the street below. A group of kids are kicking a ball around. She sighs deeply. “They look like they’re having fun, don’t they, Indigo?” Lena says to her teddy bear. Wait… I wonder…

Why don’t you go join them?

Lena sits up in shock, whipping her head towards the pink and yellow bear leaning against the window frame where she placed it. “…Indigo?” she asked uncertainly.

Yes.

I know it’s wrong, lying to a kid, but she’s young and is more likely to believe her toy came to life than she’s being haunted by the person who donated her new lungs.

“How are you talking right now?” she gently picks up the bear, holding it up to her face.

I’ve woken up because you need me. Because you were lonely. Toys are always there to keep their children company. I’ll stay awake to help you make friends, and when you no longer need me, I shall go back to sleep.

“Wow! I knew magic like this existed! All those stories had to have been inspired by something!” she hugs Indigo close to her chest. “But how can you help? I’m supposed to be resting. I still get tired easily. I can’t play soccer like the kids outside.”

Maybe you can’t run around with them yet, but you can still go outside and talk to them. Why don’t you ask Georgia to take you for a walk?

Lena thinks for a moment, looking outside again longingly. “Georgia will be with me if I get tired, and the doctor said fresh air would help me heal faster.” After another moment’s thought, she comes to a decision, nodding firmly to herself. She puts on some shoes and grabs a coat, before going into the kitchen. The old woman looking after her, Georgia, is there, kneading some dough, flour up to her elbows. “Nana Georgia?”

Georgia looks up and smiles warmly when she sees Lena. “Yes dear?”

“Can we go for a walk please? I’d like to say hello to the kids in the street and see the ducks by the pond in the park. I promise I’ll be careful, and I won’t go too fast. And I’ll tell you as soon as I start to get tired and come home. Please?” Lena pleads, tilting her head down while looking up at Georgia hopefully.

Georgia’s heart visibly melts. “Of course, darling! Let me just get this dough resting. We can go for a little walk while it proves. We shouldn’t be out for too long, though. You’re still recovering from your surgery after all.”

“Thank you!” Lena happily exclaims.

Georgia sets the dough to one side under a tea towel to prove, and she and Lena head off.

Now I can talk to my recipients, I finally feel like maybe, just maybe, I can really help them.