My Haunted House

Chapter 29

I know I'm not dead, but I can't see anything except darkness. I start to hear voices inside my head. "Mike, Mike, Mike."
The voices are definitely coming from a male and a female.
"Who are you?" I ask scared.
"It's easier to show you." They reply.
Two figures appear out of nowhere. They look familiar. I know I've seen them before.
"Do I know you guys from somewhere?"
"Yes. We are Abigail and Kara's parents."
"Mrs. and Mr. Nicely?"
"You would be correct. Before we pass on we wanted to thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"For helping Chelsea finish her quest. Now my family can live in peace."
I frown. "What's wrong?" Mrs. Nicely asks.
"It's my fault Chelsea is dead. I was the one supposed to die."
"It's not your fault that my granddaughter died," Mr. Nicely replys. "Chelsea made her own decision. I saw how happy she was when she crossed over."
"She was so young. So much to live for."
"In time your heart will heal. You'll accept the fact that Chelsea is dead. I lost my own daughter. I know what it's like." Mrs. Nicely exclaims.
Mr. Nicely taps on his arm like it is a watch. "Honey, it's time to go."
"Goodbye, Mike."
A bright light appears in the distance. It looks like the one Abigail used to cross over. They both run towards it, the light consuming them both. The second the light disappears,my eyes open slowly, and I can finally see colors other than black. I feel someone squeezing my hand, and I hear the beeping of a machine. I turn my head slowly. The pain is skyrocketing.
"My head, my head!" I scream.
"I'll get the doctor."
I know that voice. I know that voice. My eyes are blury as I look at her face. Carol, it can't be? She wasn't with me. How can she be with me? And where am I? I certainly wasn't in Chelsea's house anymore. And why do I need the doctor? The door opening distracts my terrain of thought. In walks a man in a lab coat.
"Where the hell am I?" I don't usually swear, but I'm completely baffled.
"You are in the hospital. I'm Dr. Wright. You hit your head pretty hard."
"The last thing I remember is laying on Chelsea's floor."
"Do you know who you are?"
I laugh. "Of course I know who I am. I'm not stupid."
"Who are you?" The door repeats, more seriously this time.
"My name's Mike Vander!" I yell. "I told you I'm not stupid."
"I didn't think you were. Sometimes when you hit your head, you have memory loss."
"How long have I been out?"
"About three hours. Your girlfriend has been here since she found out you hit your head."
"She's not my girlfriend," I whisper. "Although I would like her to be."
Carol blushes beside me and then giggles.
"Okay then. I will leave you two alone, but there is one more thing I have to do."
The doctor comes over to my bedside, and pulls out a small and skinny flashlight. I know he's going to shine it in my eyes. I hate bright lights. I squirm. There is no way I'm letting him do this.
"Hold him down. I need him still."
Carol holds both my arms down to the bed. I'm too weak to fight.
"Mike, breathe. Everything is going to be all right."
I relax. I look at her as the doctor shines the light in both my eyes.
"Everything looks good." Carol releases my arms. The doctor then puts a little bit of pressure on my forehead. I flinch.
"Ow!"
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt?"
"A ten."
"The nurse will be in shortly with Tylenol."
The doctor leaves the room. Carol and I are alone once again.
"I didn't get the chance to tell you how I feel."
"How do you feel?"
"I love you, Carol. I've loved you since I first saw you."
Carol giggles again. Man, her laugh is cute.
"May I kiss you?" Carol asks.
"Yes you may.
Carol's lips are so soft as she kisses me on the lips. I don't want it end. I haven't been kissed like this in twenty-five years. However, our kiss is interrupted by the nurse coming in.
"Sorry to interupt, but I have your Tylenol."
Carol pulls away. All I can think about is kissing her again.

The red-headed nurse with freckles hands me a glass of water. I take it and quickly swollow two Tylonol.
"Do you need anything else?" She asks sweetly.
"I think I'm good."
The nurse nods and starts to leave. She is almost at the door when she turns around.
"I forgot to tell you that you have visitors waiting outside. They wanted to know if you were okay."
"Who?"
"The Thomas family."
"Send them in." I needed to know how terrible I was. I know what Mr. and Mrs. Nicely said was true, but I still feel guilty. If I wouldn't have been at the excercism, Chelsea might still be alive. The nurse opens the door and in walks Kara and Ryan.
"Mike, thank God you're okay." Kara says.
"Yeah, you hit your head pretty hard." Ryan chimes in.
"Cut the crap. I know you guys are here to tell me I'm a terrible person."
"We're not here to make you feel bad. In fact Ryan and I came to thank you."
"You're just like your parents. They said Chelsea made the decision to save my life and she was happy about it."
"You saw my parents?"
"Yeah, they wanted to thank me. They told me Chelsea passed on, and then crossed over."
Kara smiles. "I'm glad my daughter can rest in peace."
I just can't take it anymore. I burst out in tears. Kara, comes over to me and hugs me. I feel her own tears seep out of her eyes.
"I loved Chelsea. I loved her as a niece. We had a special bond."
"I-I feel like such a bad mother. I should have made Chelsea stay with Hannah over at her friend's house."
I pat her on the shoulder. "You're not a bad mother, Kara. You taught Chelsea to be kind and courageous. I don't know too many eleven year old kids who would jump in front of a knife to save someone's life."
Kara sniffles and wipes her tears away with the palm of her hand.
"I-I guess you're right."
She gives me one more hug, before stepping back.
"Mike, Ryan and I have to go now. We have to pick Hannah up at her friend's house."
"Does Hannah know?"
"No, we have both decided to tell her on the way home."
"Well, good luck."
"Thanks."
Ryan gives me a goodbye nod and they both head out. I'm not sad to be alone. I need more time to grieve over Chelsea's death.