Seeing Ghosts
Chapter 9
By Dottie
Copyright 2015
Chealyn sits on the couch in Kevin’s living room and looks around. Hanging above his fireplace is a single picture of them together, surrounded by pictures they had taken on the special trips they had taken. Pictures of things they had seen together, her for the very first time. She sniffles as she looks at each picture in turn, remembering the times they shared…the love.
The front door opens and Grant sticks his head in. “Chealyn, Nick is here. He wanted to check on you. Is it ok?” She nods, turning back to contemplate the wall over his fireplace once again.
When Nick walks in, he looks around, missing Kevin even more. He walks over behind Chealyn and looks up at the wall. No one ever asked Kevin about the picture. They had all seen it, but no one thought to ask who the pretty girl was.
He moves around the couch to kneel by Chealyn. “I know you said you wanted to be alone, but…”
She shakes her head. “Don’t go. I just…Nick how can I go on without them?”
He reaches for her hand, his own trembling slightly. “I’ve been trying to answer that question myself. The only thing I can come up with is Kevin would want us to.” She nods, drawing strength from his grip. He wipes fresh tears from his face and whispers, “Want to talk about it?”
She turns her eyes to his. “I…yes.” He smiles and moves to sit on the couch beside her, keeping her hand in his. “Talk to me.”
She looks back up at the pictures. “Kevin showed me so many wonderful things I wouldn’t have seen.”
Nick looks at the pictures. “Tell me.”
She gets up and one by one takes the pictures off the wall. Settling back down on the couch with Nick she picks up one. “On our one month anniversary, he took me to Randy’s Donut Shop.”
Nick chuckles. “I’m not surprised.”
She laughs, running her fingertips lightly over the frame. “He did it because I was such a fan of Iron Man. He said no one living in California should miss seeing the big donut.”
Nick scoots closer to her. “Where else did you go?”
She reaches for the next picture as Nick takes the first and puts it beside him on the couch. “Our second anniversary, he took me to Alcatraz.”
Nick looks at the picture she’s holding. “That’s an odd place for a date isn’t it?”
She glances at him, smiling at the memories she’s sharing. “You’d think…but it was so much fun. We did the whole tour and I couldn’t tell you one thing the guide said. Kevin was so flirty that day. He kept pulling me into corners and behind stuff to…”
When she blushes hotly and starts to stammer, Nick chuckles. “Sounds like Kevin.”
She shakes her head. “When we left the island, he said he wouldn’t mind being locked up with me.”
Nick nods. “That sounds like Kevin too.” When he sees tears forming in her eyes, he whispers, “Where else did he take you?”
One by one they go through the pictures and she tells him about her life with Kevin. Though their time together was limited to only a year, Kevin showed her as much of the world as he could and loved her with all he had. Twice during their talk she had broken down and sobbed.
The first time she was telling him about their trip to the Grand Canyon. From what Nick could gather, that was the first time they had made love. When Chealyn started crying, he pulled her against his chest and cried with her, wishing they could turn back time and somehow stop her from leaving Chicago that night. Then he realizes if they had done that, Chealyn might be dead too…and none of them would have ever known the truth.
The second time was when she got to the last picture. Holding it gently, she whispers, “He took me to Hawaii for our one year anniversary. I had never been. Didn’t think I’d ever get to see it. It was…oh it was breathtaking.”
Nick smiles. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. He always loved going there.”
She sighs, hugging the frame. “We went on a helicopter tour the first day. Then it rained the next six, but I didn’t care.”
He watches her face and he sees so much love in her eyes he starts tearing up again. “Why didn’t you care?”
She glances at him. “Kevin…he proposed at this waterfall.”
Nick’s eyes widen. “He…you...you were going to get married?”
She reaches up and grabs the chain of her necklace, pulling it out from under her blouse to show him. On it, he sees a locket…the locket she wore in Chicago. But, he also sees two rings on it. She looks up. “I kept these hidden for so long.”
He sees a diamond ring and a wedding band. He looks up at her. “Why hide them?”
She sighs, shivering slightly. “I was trying to protect him. If Sawyer ever found me, he’d know…and he’d go after Kevin.” Nick stares at the rings. She wraps her fist around them and whispers, “Nick, Kevin and I were married the day before I went into witness protection.”
His eyes fly up to hers. He stares at her briefly before pulling her into a tight hug. “Oh my God…Chealyn…you…Jesus!”
She sobs into his shoulder and wails, “I loved him so much Nick…I loved him and I got him killed! And my babies! Oh my God, I killed my babies!”
He holds her as tightly as he can. “No! God Chealyn, you didn’t do this! It’s not your fault!”
Grant comes flying into the house after hearing her cries. Once he sees Nick holding her as she sobs, he backs out slowly. He doesn’t know how long the marshal service will allow him to ‘protect’ Chealyn…Elena. He slips back out, grinding his teeth and biding his time. If the last three years have taught him anything, it’s patience.
Over the last three years, he fell in love with Elena. If she ever found out she really wasn’t in any danger, she’d probably kill him. All the moves…all the times he told her Sawyer’s men were there, they really weren’t. Sawyer was a small time player and the mob washed their hands of him when he was convicted and put away. But Elena doesn’t know that. She never knew it. She went on believing the lies he told.
Everyone believed them. His boss believed it when he told them she was being threatened. The ‘evidence’ he concocted to stay on the case worked well. But now that she’s so vocal about getting out of the program, he can’t…he can’t keep finding ways to keep her in. He knows he’ll have to make a move and soon. If only that plane hadn’t crashed. That was a wrinkle he didn’t need. Now he has to find a way to make it work for him. He has to find a way to bring Elena home with him…where she belongs.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry it's been a couple of days. I've been having problems with my eye so looking at the computer has been forbidden (well, strictly limited) by the doc.
Chapter End Notes:
Let me know!! :)
