Uncle Carter is dead, Heather told herself as she quietly followed Brian into the hospital room. She wanted to grab him before he stepped inside room 210, but he had been too quick and had already opened the door and stepped inside before she could do anything. Plus, voices came from inside the room. Heather soon discovered the voices belonged to a doctor and a woman later introduced as Carter’s caretaker.
“You came.” Flora sounded relieved as she greeted Brian, giving him an awkward hug. Both she and the doctor stood with their backs to the hospital bed, with the doctor scribbling notes on a piece of paper affixed to a clipboard. Heather ignored the inquiring frown Flora gave her before the caregiver turned her attention back to Brian. Heather glanced over to the hospital bed, where Carter’s body remained, his face turned from view.
“Of course I came. And I’d like you to meet my friend Heather Donovan.” Brian reached out and grabbed hold of Heather’s right hand, pulling her closer to him. “Heather, this is Flora Bennett, Carter’s caregiver.”
Flora smiled weakly in Heather’s direction, gave an unconvincing, “Nice to meet you,” and turned back to Brian and said, “This is Dr. Morgan.”
Heather said nothing, feeling awkward, since Brian proceeded as if Carter still lived. She waited for them to tell Brian.
Dr. Morgan glanced up from his clipboard and gave Brian a smile. “I’ve met Officer Henderson before.”
“How’s he doing?” Brian asked the doctor.
He’s dead. That’s how he’s doing, Heather silently answered. Normally, Heather would find those words harsh when talking about someone Brian so clearly cared about. But Heather understood Carter was not only old, but Alzheimer’s had trapped him inside his body for over six years. Moving over to the other side and starting the next leg of his journey would be a relief, in her opinion.
“His vitals are good,” the doctor said.
Heather jerked her head around and looked at the doctor, whose attention was focused on Brian. She looked back over at the bed with Carter and then at the monitors. Action on the monitors confirmed the doctor’s claims. While Brian talked to Flora and the doctor, Heather slowly walked toward the hospital bed. The three did not seem to notice her departure from Brian’s side and her sudden interest in the patient.
If he’s alive, who is the ghost who greeted us at the door? Heather asked herself. He obviously knew Brian. But that’s no biggie. Everyone in town seems to know Brian, even the doctor. I wonder, is our ghost newly departed? Is his body still in the hospital? Or has he been haunting these halls for years?
Heather inched her way to the hospital bed as the questions ran through her head. When she reached Carter’s bedside, she moved over to the other side of the bed to get a better look at his face. To her surprise, the man sleeping in the bed looked just like the ghost who had greeted Brian in the hallway.
“Holy crap,” Heather muttered. She looked up from the bed and glanced around the room. Carter is obviously having an out-of-body experience. Is he in a coma like Lily and Chris were? Where did he go?
A few minutes later, the doctor left the room, leaving just Flora and Brian chatting amongst themselves. Silently, Heather returned to Brian’s side.
A sound from the bed interrupted the discussion. The three turned to the hospital bed in time to see Uncle Carter open his eyes and look around the room in confusion. Both Flora and Brian moved to his bedside.
“Mr. Carter?” Flora asked as she took his hand.
He looked at her and blinked several times before asking, “Where am I?”
I guess his spirit jumped back into his body, Heather told herself. No reason to search the hospital for him after we leave.
“You’re in the hospital. You got a little sick, and they’re taking good care of you here,” Flora explained.
Brian moved next to Flora and smiled down at the elderly man. “Hello, Carter. How are you feeling?”
Carter frowned. “Who are you?”
Brian smiled sadly. “My name’s Brian. Brian Henderson.”
“Do I know you?”
“You did once. We used to play cribbage together. Once a week.”
“I used to play cribbage with my dad. You’re not my dad.” Carter looked at Flora. “Where is my dad?”
“He’s with your mom. You’ll see him later,” Flora told him.
Carter considered Flora’s words a moment and then looked at Heather, who stood to one side of Brian. “Who are you? Have we met?”
“This is Heather. You’ve never met her before,” Brian explained.
Carter looked from Heather to Brian and asked, “Is she your daughter?”
Heather grinned while Flora let out a snort.
Ignoring Flora’s reaction, Heather stepped closer to Carter and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Carter. No, I’m not Brian’s daughter, just a friend. And he was worried about you, so I offered to come with him to check on you. I hope you’re feeling better.”
“I don’t remember him,” Carter said as he glanced from Heather to Brian, back to Heather. “You’re pretty. I’d remember you.”
Just as Heather flashed Carter a grin, a raspy voice called out, “Criminy, old man, she’s young enough to be your granddaughter.” Heather, being the only one in the room who heard, looked up from Carter to find the ghost she had seen earlier standing by the hospital window, looking their way. Confused, she glanced from the ghost to Carter. They look like twins. Did Carter have a twin? One who passed before his brother, Heather wondered.
While thoughts ricocheted around in Heather’s brain, Brian and Flora chatted with a confused Carter.
“I don’t remember you,” Carter once again told Brian.
“It’s Brian, you idiot,” the ghost shouted. “I swear, watching you like this drives me crazy!” The ghost turned to Flora and said, “It’s all your fault! If you had simply gotten the DNR, I don’t believe we’d all be here right now. I can’t move on as long as he’s sitting in that damn hospital bed sounding like an idiot!”
Distracted by the ranting ghost, Heather found it impossible to follow Brian and Flora’s conversation. A moment later, Carter closed his eyes and fell back to sleep. Flora and Brian moved away from the hospital bed to discuss the patient. While Brian and Flora quietly chatted, Heather silently moved toward the window and the still ranting ghost.
Heather stood in front of the window. If Brian or Flora looked her way, they would assume she was looking outside. She stared at the ghost, who could not ignore the woman now standing inches from him, looking into his eyes. He frowned. “You can see me?”
Heather nodded.
“Who are you?” he asked. “What are you to Brian?”
“I’m his girlfriend,” Heather whispered. “Who are you?”
The ghost’s eyes widened. “His girlfriend?” The ghost looked from Heather to Brian, who stood on the other side of the room, still talking to Flora. He looked back at Heather. “How old are you?”
Heather flashed the ghost a scowl. “Old enough.”
“Does Camilla know about you?” the ghost asked.
“He’s no longer married to Camilla. They haven’t been married for years.”
“I know that,” the ghost snapped. “But does Camilla know about you?”
“I doubt it. He hasn’t seen her for years,” Heather whispered.
“I’d like to be there when she sees you.” The ghost chuckled. “She didn’t treat Brian right. Broke his heart. Don’t break his heart.”
“Who are you?” Heather asked.
The ghost glanced at the hospital bed and then back to Heather. “Seriously? You don’t know?”
“I assume you’re Carter’s twin brother, who passed before him. I’m just surprised Brian never mentioned he was a twin.”
The ghost laughed and then said, “I’m Homer. Homer Carter.” The next minute he disappeared.
Heather glanced around and turned from the window.
“Thanks again for coming,” Heather heard Flora say when she returned to Brian’s side. “While you’re technically not family, Mr. Carter always called you family. And frankly, in his current condition, I think he deserves to have family with him.”
“I’m sure Camilla will call you back. Maybe she went away for the weekend and her phone doesn’t have service,” Brian suggested.
“I also called her brother and sister. They haven’t called me back.”
“In fairness to them, they probably expect Camilla to handle it and assume she’ll be calling you. When you left a message, did you tell them you’ve been trying to contact Camilla?”
Flora nodded. “Yes.”
“If you don’t hear from Camilla by tomorrow, call me. I’ll try to get ahold of her brother. We always got along well.”
They chatted a few more minutes while Heather silently listened, eager for Brian to say goodbye to Flora so she could ask him about Homer Carter. Ten minutes later, Brian and Heather were finally alone as they walked down the hallway toward the elevator.
“Who is Homer Carter?”
Brian glanced at Heather and frowned. “Umm… you just met him.”
They stopped in front of the elevator, and Brian pushed the button. The elevator door opened. It was empty. As they stepped inside, Heather asked, “Was that a question or a statement?”
Now standing in the elevator, Brian glanced at Heather as the elevator door closed. “What are you talking about?”
“Who. Is. Homer. Carter?”
Brian frowned at Heather. “He’s my ex-wife’s uncle. You just met him.”
The elevator stopped. The door opened, and Brian stepped out onto the first floor. Heather remained standing in the elevator, a confused look on her face.
When Brian realized Heather hadn’t moved out of the elevator, he turned to face her. “What’s wrong?” Brian asked.
The elevator door started to close. Brian moved his hand between the doors. The doors opened. Zombie-like, Heather stepped from the elevator.
“Heather? What’s going on?”
“I’m so confused.” Heather took Brian’s right hand. “We need to go somewhere private to talk.”
Thirty minutes later, Brian and Heather sat in Brian’s car, still parked in the hospital parking lot. Heather had finished telling Brian about her encounter with the ghost. After answering a series of questions Brian asked, they now sat quietly, rethinking their conversation.
Finally, Brian said, “I don’t understand.”
Heather shrugged. “I don’t either. If the dude in the bed had been sleeping while the ghost ranted, I would assume he was simply having an out-of-body experience.”
“I have to say, being with you is never boring.” Brian let out a sigh. “Now what?”
“Now we talk to Eva. If anyone knows what just happened, she will.”