Halfway In

The body in the hospital bed was me.  I wasn’t dead. Was I dying then?  The woman in the room with my body smiled when she saw Sekani. It didn’t make sense. He offered her a cup of coffee. “Sorry. It took a little longer than expected. I’m Sekani Aelor.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card and handed it to her. The woman looked down at the card, a small frown pulling her brows. “Did someone hire you?” She looked up at Sekani. “In a manner of speaking. Do you recognize this young man?” Sekani pulled...

Was it against department regulations? Yes. Could Barnet lose her job of almost fifteen years if anyone ever found out? Yes. Did she still show up with Callum’s case file after her shift? Yes. I took the file from her outstretched hand and flipped through it quickly. Several witnesses had identified the car, but there was no indication whoever was working Callum’s case had done more than a basic search on the make and model.  No mention of collecting surveillance tapes or traffic camera footage. It mentioned where the accident happened, the time of night, the weather conditions, a few...

Now that everyone was asleep, the house was quiet.  What kind of house did I grow up in? Somewhere noisy, where we all laughed and made fun of each other like these brothers?  Or was I an only child? Something told me my house was calmer, that I had more time to myself so I could focus on drawing and painting. My upbringing probably wasn’t as loud or as chaotic as Sekani, River and Waylin’s. I was dying. It wasn’t as if it really mattered if I had siblings, or how I grew up. Would something change once I was...

The suspicious husband got home early—thankfully—and I returned to my apartment, Isla in tow. She was babbling happily as she munched on a french fry when I knocked on Mrs. Taffett’s door.  She yanked it open, heaving for breath. For once, she wasn’t an utter mess. “Come in. I’m making dinner.” I stepped inside and looked around. The whole place was spotless. The laundry had been washed. The dishes were put away. She’d picked up toys and organized the things that had been scattered everywhere. Compared to what I usually encountered when I ended up inside her apartment, this was...

There was a little coffee shop on the corner of Meadowlark and Rosewell, just like Sekani said. We arrived before four and sat where he could see everyone coming and going.  I looked around. “I know this place.” Was it because I’d walked up and down this street for so long, or was it something else?  I felt like it was something else.  I knew this shop—the smell of coffee, the sweet scent of the bakery. I’d been here a lot. “It’s not far from campus. You probably spent a lot of time here.” Sekani said.  I nodded but didn’t...

I headed straight to the hospital upon leaving the coffee shop. Maybe it was all my years as a detective, or maybe it was the freaky gut feeling Barnet accused me of having, but I didn’t trust Luke.  I didn’t like him as a person either. He was supposed to be Callum’s best friend, but he hadn’t had a positive word to say about him. That struck me as odd. Nor had he been particularly helpful, considering Callum was in a coma and the guy who put him there hadn’t been caught.  Luke should’ve been tripping over himself to be...

As soon as we stepped into my apartment we were greeted by the thick scent of paint.  Sekani flicked on the light and I took in the studio that was my home. It was filled with sketchbooks, canvases, paint, brushes.  There was a folding screen dividing the room, almost hiding a dresser and bed. A small, cluttered table was pushed against the wall near the kitchen. In the center of the room sat a stool and an easel with a half-finished painting. “This is my house—my home,” I said. There were so many paintings on the walls and even more...

Hours had passed since we’d arrived at Callum’s apartment.  He’d returned to his canvas and brushes on shaky legs after I’d jerked him off. I ignored the throbbing of my own cock and continued the search, looking for the backpack his mother said was missing. The whole time I searched, I could only wonder if it counted as sex with a ghost if they didn’t touch you? I’d only touched him so . . . didn’t count, right? Plus, Callum isn’t technically dead, just . . . slowly dying. I needed to save him. But how? I sat on the...

My parents were likely at home, since it was past visiting hours. I sat on the bed beside my body. It looked skinny and pale and . . . like it was barely clinging to life.  How long did I have until the door Sekani said was hanging out in my hospital room became visible to me? Something was telling me not long—not long at all. So much was happening it was making my head spin. I felt as if I was missing something—something important. Aside from my memory.  Luke wasn’t being a good friend. Someone was stealing my art....

By the time I arrived at the hospital a little after three in the afternoon the following day, Barnet in tow, Callum was awake and sitting up in his bed.  He looked better than he had when River, Waylin and I had left him. He had a happy smile on his face. Flushed cheeks. The doctors were probably wondering how someone who’d spent six months in a coma could be functioning so well.  They could classify it as a medical miracle for all I cared. It was just good to see him awake—alive and kicking. His family seemed to agree...

Now that I was alone, I was nervous.  My mom, dad and more importantly, Sekani were in the next room over but that didn’t mean I wasn’t sweating bullets as I waited for Luke to arrive. The door opened a handful of long minutes later.  Luke took two steps inside, and stopped. He had flowers in his hand, but now I suspected he only brought them as a show for my mom. He wasn’t actually wishing me well—he was probably the reason I was in the hospital to begin with. “Callum!” He rushed forward.  I shifted in the bed, trying...

Before long, Isla started to fuss. There was nothing interesting about a sterile hospital room and boring adults. Callum bounced her on his lap but she wasn’t interested—in him, or in the teddy bear he was waving in her face. Clare scooped Isla up without a moment’s hesitation. She had two kids and they’d made it to adulthood, so she obviously knew what she was doing. “How about we go down to the cafeteria and get you something to eat?” Clare cooed at Isla. “Is that alright?” “Yeah. Nothing with apples,” I told Clare.  If Isla had a blowout at...