Lucia Espinosa:
I spent a while with Lena, comforting her. I didn’t really talk, any words I considered saying just felt empty. I’ve got to think of a way to help Lena gain confidence and make some new friends. I need to think of a way to help her. I need to think of a way to help all of my patients.
The next morning, I find Lucia in her room, talking with Sophie. Since I tend to make people jump when I announce my presence, I think I’ll wait for a better time to alert Lucia. Eventually, Sophie heads to the bathroom, leaving me to speak to Lucia.
Hello, Lucia.
“Ahh!” Lucia jumps, as normally happens. She takes a couple of breaths to calm herself, before turning to her mirror to look at my shadow. “Hi, Jesse.”
Huh.
“What?”
Nothing, it’s just… weird, hearing my name.
Lucia smiles slightly. “Well, it’s weird knowing you’re being haunted.”
Touché.
“How long have you been here?”
Not too long. I heard Sophie invite you to Sandy’s party next weekend.
“That was like, an hour ago! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?!” Lucia objects.
What, and have you suddenly scream for no reason in front of Sophie?
“…Good point.” Lucia mutters.
I think you should go. To the party, I mean.
“Why? You getting bored?” Lucia chuckles slightly. “Sorry I don’t live as fascinating a life as that cop you’re also following.” She has a slight sarcastic tone as she says that.
It’s got nothing to do with me. What you said yesterday, about helping the people who received my organs. I really do want to help you, all of you. I might still be working out how, and each of you seems to need to be helped in different ways, but I want to try. You, for example! You want more friends, you want to be able to talk to people without being overwhelmed with panic and anxiety. You want your mum to be more understanding and just get off your back! Sophie is great at getting you out of your comfort zone, meeting new people, but she’s just one person and can’t be there all the time to give you the confidence boost you need! So, let me be there for you too! Let me help you. If I can’t help anyone in life, please let at least me help people in death!
I’m almost panting at the end of my speech, my lack of needing to breathe helping me keep my voice steady. Lucia is quiet, thinking. She’d looked affronted when I first started speaking, but now she’s taken aback, not sure how to respond.
It’s at that moment Sophie comes back in.
“You alright, Luc? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Sophie says with a smile and a laugh.
“He-he, you have no idea…” Lucia replies, still looking at my shadow. Suddenly, she looks up at Sophie. “I’ll go. To the party, I mean.”
“Wait, really? You said you’d think about it. I thought I’d have to bring it up like, a dozen more times before you were used to the idea and would agree to come! You’re really gonna come? You’re sure?” Sophie was excited, almost jumping up and down.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Lucia said, before turning back to my shadow in the mirror and nodding with a nervous smile.
Thank you, Lucia, for trusting me to help you.
Mike Greene:
I return to Mike tentatively. We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms yesterday, but I can’t just give up on him.
I find him in a diner, sitting in a booth with his army buddies. They’re sharing stories and jokes, laughing loudly, but I can see there’s still a sadness in each of their eyes. They feel the absence of Willis. Mike especially has a tightness around his eyes, his laughter sounding slightly forced. Their food arrives, burgers and fries, but Mike eats slowly. I see Major Peters cast frequent glances towards Mike, checking on him, making sure he’s ok.
When the others have emptied their plates, Mike’s only managed to eat a third of his burger and about half of his fries. He stands up, with the pretence of needing air, and steps outside. Once outside, he reaches into his pocket and takes out some pain meds, before spilling a few into his hand and downing them.
I’m pretty sure you’re only meant to take one.
Mike starts, staring around guiltily. When he sees no one there, he looks confused for a brief moment, before a look of understanding crosses his face, followed quickly by annoyance. “I thought I told you to piss off.”
And I told you that I would be back.
“Yeah, like a shitty Terminator.” Mike sighs deeply. “You didn’t nag me enough yesterday or what?”
I’m sorry for my tactlessness. I’m annoyed and irritated at your actions, but we’re stuck together. And I do genuinely want to help you. So, I’ll hold back on the judgemental comments if you put effort into healing and recovering. Deal?
Mike is silent for a moment, processing this. “You’re not just some voice in my head, are you?”
No, I’m not. I’m the one who died before I could do anything, before I could really live my life. I never even reached twenty. No. Instead, I’m the one who donated their liver to you, and really, Really, does not want to watch you ruin it.
Huh. Guess I’m more resentful about dying than I realised. And for some reason, I’m taking most of it out on Mike.
“You’re dead? A ghost?”
Something like that, I guess.
“Ghosts are real…” Mike looks thoughtful, almost… hopeful. “Do you think, I could talk to others that are dead?”
I doubt it. You couldn’t hear me until one of the other recipients talked to this old woman who could ‘sense my shadow’.
“A psychic?”
Sure, I guess.
“I wonder…” Mike trails off again, the hope in his eyes growing stronger.
“Greenie! If you don’t finish off your meal, Matthews will finish it for you! You know that dude eats like he’s got a black hole in his stomach!” One of Mike’s army buddies calls from the door with a laugh.
“Right, yeah, coming.” Mike turns and heads back inside the diner. As he does, he mutters under his breath, “When we’re alone again, I want to know everything about that psychic, you hear?”
If you tell me why you want to know.
Mike sucks in a breath between his teeth. “We’ll work something out.” He mutters, before sitting back down with his friends in the booth.
Joanna Yang:
Leaving Mike to hang with his friends, I return to Joanna. She’s due to start at work again tomorrow and is likely going stir crazy with anticipation.
Unexpectedly, I find her debating with someone in her apartment. It’s someone I don’t recognise. Both Joanna and the mystery man gesticulate throughout their debate, and I catch a glimpse of a holstered gun and a badge at the mans’ waist. Ah, a cop.
I start paying more attention to their mild argument.
“Come on, Jo, for the last time, no! Sarg would kill me if she knew I let you in on this case. You’re meant to be taking it easy!”
“Please Bobby? I promise I won’t go out in the field at all! During work hours I’ll stay cooped up in the evidence locker. I won’t even be on the case! It’ll be more like, I’m an ear for you to bounce ideas and theories off of. Come one, please!”
“Why are you so interested in this case anyway? It’s not the first murder case, not the first stalking case. What’s got you so involved?”
“I…” Joanna trailed off, clearly working out how to phrase her next sentence. Eventually she sighed. “Ok, look. I did some digging on my own on that guy who was stalking Ferris. He was a transplant patient. I... made some calls, and I think the kidney donor was the same person who donated my bone marrow.” Joanna didn’t make eye contact with this Bobby guy. She was stretching the truth, no doubt about it, but it was more believable than what was actually happening.
From the sound of it, Joanna still wanted to be a part of Anna Ferris’ murder case, and I didn’t blame her.
“Jesus, Jo! Why are you even– “
“Bobby,” Joanna interrupted him, “I just felt like I was connected to this case somehow, and this is it! Come one, you know I’ve been having a hard time lately! I haven’t been able to go out into the field in months! Even now, I’m stuck in evidence, and after that I’ll be stuck on the desk! I just want to feel normal again! Forget this whole thing happened, forget I got sick. I need to get on with my life!” Joanna stares Bobby down. I can see his resolve wavering. Damn she’s good. “Please, I just want to feel normal again. Prove to myself that I’m really better.”
Bobby opens and closes his mouth, trying to say something but struggling to find the words. Finally, he lets out an exasperated sigh. “Agh! Alright! Fine! I’ll let you help with the case.”
Joanna starts to celebrate, but he quickly cuts her off.
“My terms though. You do NOT go out into the field, you are not one of the investigative officers. You only help in providing theories, helping me talk through motives and suspects. That is it. And we don’t let the Sergeant know, or it’ll be both of us on suspended leave.”
“Thank you, Bobby. I mean it.” Joanna smiles, giving Bobby a hug.
Bobby sighs. “Yeah, yeah. The day I learn to say no to you, though.” He says with a small laugh.
“The world would burn,” Joanna laughs as well.
It’s clear to see they’re good friends. This must be Detective Platt. I remember Joanna saying he was the lead on Anna’s case.
Bobby leaves, and Joanna heads into her living room, sighing happily as she sinks down onto her sofa.
So, you’re going to help solve Anna’s murder?
Joanna jumps slightly, before settling back down. “Yeah. Hopefully I can push Bobby towards Richard Wilkes.”
Thank you.
“No problem. I hate seeing killers go free, and you are a valuable witness. Just gotta figure out how to use you.” Joanna says with a slight chuckle. I chuckle along with her.
So, you think Bobby can catch him?
“Bobby’s the best detective on the force! He was my T.O when I was starting out, made detective shortly after I shed my training wheels. Few people on the force I trust more to be honest.”
Ok then. Let’s help him bring a murderer to justice!
Lena Bleu:
Joanna actually wanted a quiet afternoon before starting work again tomorrow, so I left her be and went to check in on Lena.
She was reading quietly in the little reading corner of her room. It was a little blanket fort, with a spare sheet stretched over the back of a chair and the end of the bed, with pillows and toys on the floor and fairy lights stuck to the wall. It was an amazing little reading corner that almost made me jealous. Actually, it did make me jealous. I would have loved something like that growing up. I’m glad Lena has her own little space though.
Hi, Lena! What are you reading?
Lena looked up at where Indigo sat on her bed. “Indigo! You’re back! How are the fairies?” she got up, smiling excitedly as she fetched her teddy bear and returned to her little blanket fort.
The same as always. They’re always busy trying to make sure all the children are happy. It’s ok to lie sometimes, it’s ok to lie sometimes. Time to change the subject, I think. Anything interesting happen while I was away?
“Hmmm, kind of.” I wait patiently for Lena to continue. “I heard Georgia and Mack talking with my parents yesterday evening. They thought I was asleep, but I woke up because I wanted something to drink, and I heard them. That’s… ok, right? I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I know it’s rude to listen in to private conversations, but they never tell me anything, and I was gonna let them know I was there, but then I heard them talking about school and I knew that if I moved, they’d stop talking and I just wanted to know what was going to happen! Was that ok? Was I wrong to eavesdrop?” Lena looked guilty.
I remember what it was like being a kid and having no say. Just waiting for adults to make their decisions about what was going to happen to me. It sucked. I would often eavesdrop on conversations myself, so I’d at least have a heads-up for when I’d next be moved to a new foster home or group house.
It’s not always a bad thing to eavesdrop. Sometimes, it’s the only way for people to learn what they need to. It’s one of those things where it’s the context that makes it bad or good. Similar to lying. Sure, telling lies is usually a bad thing, but if you’re lying to protect someone, or protect yourself, then it can be a good thing.
Man, I hope I’m not giving bad advice to a kid. Is this how you parent? What am I saying, I’m not parenting Lena. At best, I’m a kind of older sibling, or auncle. Older siblings give questionable advice all the time, right?
Regardless, Lena nods, thinking it over slowly.
So, what did you hear?
“Fall semester at school is starting next week. Or at least, the orientation week is next week. I think they’ve had this argument before, and still haven’t come to an agreement yet, because all their arguments seemed tired and rehearsed. Dad thinks I’m still too weak to go back to school, Mack thinks it’ll help me recover faster, Georgia thinks it’ll help me make friends and not be lonely, and Mom wants to wait for me to start school in the spring.”
What do you want?
Lena is quiet for a while. Several emotions dart across her face; excitement, fear, annoyance, hope. After a couple of minutes of silence, Lena says in a quiet whisper, “I want to go.”
So tell them. This decision involves you, so you should be involved in the discussion. Be honest with them about any worries you may have, but also how excited you are at the thought of going.
Lena picks up her bear and hugs her tightly. “Thank you, Indigo. I’m so glad you woke up!”
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