Memento Mori = "Remember that you must die."
James Barnes is a mysterious and handsome newcomer to the sleepy town of Graybrooke. Rumor has it that he's come to take over running the town's popular flower shop after the mysterious illness and disapp...
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A/N: The Karen Jenson mentioned is Karen Jenson from Blade. She's a badass and she's amazing.
CW: Discussions of death, brief description of the embalming process, and discussions of alcoholism. No smut in this one, we're trying to drive the plot forward so that I can start to finish this thing that I've been writing since July. God, I'm slow.
"This inhuman place makes human monsters." - Stephen King, "The Shining"
After James left for work, the morning was chaos. The phone wouldn't stop ringing, Vada put another floral arrangement order in for an extra bouquet at the family's request. She invoiced Frank, and then dealt with his whining about having to deliver a coffin and take a body to the next town over for cremation— all before 9:00am, and all before was able to sit down and have a cup of coffee, or even a shower.
It's noon and the body is supposed to be arriving from the hospital. Vada is tugging her soft cherry red sweater over her head when she hears a knock at her bedroom door. Huginn is outside, perched on a branch, staring daggers at her. She can't let him in today.
"Are you decent?" Sam calls.
"One second!" She calls as she ties her hair up into a bun and secures it with a hair tie. Some of the shorter strands fall out and she fixes them. "Okay, I'm good!"
Sam chuckles and pushes the door open.
"The body's downstairs."
Vada sighs.
"Thanks for taking care of that."
"No problem, it showed up when I did, and I figured you might be getting ready. I repaired the injured tissue around her neck and chest. We just have to embalm her. You ready to prep her?"
"Yeah," Vada replies. She reaches for a tube of red lipstick and smears it on her lips. Sam laughs.
"You got a big date tonight?"
"Yeah, with my best friend." She winks at him and Sam chuckles as Vada walks over and he wraps her in a hug.
"Sorry for ambushing you the other day."
"No, it... it's okay, Sam. You... you were right."
"I think I was just worried because I'm going through my own shit."
She pulls back.
"What do you mean?"
He sighs. "I almost had a drink last weekend."
Vada's jaw drops.
"Sam, why didn't you tell me?"
"You've been dealing with this autopsy stuff, and if you were drinking again, I wasn't about to ask for help. I love you, Vada, but we both know what an alcoholic who's relapsing and one who's about to relapse will to do each other."
