All I Did Was Help (Zak Bagans Romance) Sequel to "I'm Just Trying To Help".

11. A coma?

Marilyn.

I inhaled in the sweet smell of stale home. You know the smell, when you get home from vacation – and the house is stale, still, untouched? That's how my home was, still and stale. I loved it. I was excited to be alone for the first time in ages, and the spirits in my house couldn't break me this time, my excitement would not be overwhelmed with the anxiety that the ghosts would eventually cause. I tossed my bag onto the couch, and picked up the remote control, flicking on the news channel, waiting for something exciting to come on. I didn't have anything to do, edit the pictures that I had taken at the lockdown, but I wasn't necessarily excited to do that. So, I was going to put it off as long as I could until Travel began calling me questioning where the pictures were.

I turned on Celebrity News, hoping something I could laugh about was on. But of course, as soon as I flipped the channel – Zak stared at me through sunglasses, his hair done up, his smile flashing through the TV. Only in a picture though, Zak wouldn't be in a interview, he was sleeping in from the lockdown.

“Front man, Zak Bagans – lead investigator from the hit TV show, 'Ghost Adventures' is single! According to his twitter, where he had posted this tweet earlier,” The beautiful news lady smiled through the camera, after that, a picture of Zak's twitter flashed on the screen – showing a few of his newest tweets, “He said, 'I just love someone very important to me', and following, 'I messed up, that I did. I hope to fix this, but I don't think I can.' Then, after that, Hashtag, single.” I rolled my eyes, turning the channel with a flick of my finger.

What an over exaggerater! That's so not what happened! But of course, Zak always gets first word – he is the famous one.

I rolled my eyes, turning off the TV and sitting in silence. Then, I heard a crash from the room behind me. I stood up, too annoyed to be afraid of the ghosts in my house right now. I walked down the hallway, turning into my bedroom – obviously where the noise had came from. I looked around, searching for where the noise had came from. And there it was, an overturned picture frame on the floor. I picked it up, it was completely shattered. A photo of Zak and I that was framed. I threw it back down.

Maybe the spirits were right, maybe they knew what was better for me than I did. And maybe they were right, maybe everything of Zak's needed to be put away, maybe I should go out on a date with a cute, long-haired, tattooed boy from the tattoo parlor downtown. Because I'm not tied down anymore, because I'm single. Because Zak is no longer in my life, I'm free.

Then why didn't I feel free?

I didn't feel free because deep down inside I knew that if I dated someone different, someone smaller, someone wiser – they wouldn't know what to do if a spirit attempted to possess me. They wouldn't know how to argue it, they wouldn't know how to fight it. I needed Zak, even though Zak didn't need me.

Who was I kidding? Zak didn't need me at all, Zak could pick up any girl he wanted on the street without a second thought and anybody who thought otherwise was stupid. I couldn't fight this battle with the spirits by myself, I needed Zak.

Suddenly, I screamed, tumbled to the floor, and fell to my knees. My hands finding their way to my head, my head felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop whatever was doing this. I squeezed it, hoping that somehow my hands would make this spirit let go. But I knew deep down it wouldn't. I screamed again, somehow hoping Zak would hear it and come to rescue, but he wouldn't.

I was fully on the floor now, lying on the ground, my lungs empty of air, struggling to breathe – and within seconds, black filled the room.

–

Zak Bagans

I didn't need her. I didn't. I could walk out of this house and pick up any girl on the street and take her out on a few dates. I'll be fine, everybody knows it. But somehow, I couldn't. I kept looking back at the door, but my feet wouldn't let me leave the couch. The house was silent without her. Korn playing softly from the stereo. I kept looking over at the bud-light. I had went and bought a pack, because of my sadness, and I couldn't crack it open. I couldn't drink it. The reason? Funny enough, Marilyn was the reason. Marilyn was always the reason. She had always told me drinking was a stupid thing to do when you're mad.

I began thinking, my thoughts over powering me. Marilyn was the reason for everything. She was the reason my house had a splash of color now. The reason why there was more food in the patury than necessary. She was the reason I woke up in the morning, and was my kiss goodnight. And now that I didn't have her – what did I have? Nothing. When you lose your soul-mate, who do you have left? Nobody, that's for sure. I felt.... empty. It was weird, a weird feeling.

I stood up, running my hands through my hair, feeling quiet a bit annoyed at myself for feeling like this. If this is what she wanted, why would I want to change it. All I could ever want in the world is for Marilyn to be happy, even if I'm not happy – I want her to be. Even if that means me not having her. The worst thing to explain to the guys was why she left, and I was putting it off as long as possible.

My phone rang then, drilling out an incredibly annoying ringtone which made me question why I would even set that ringtone, but nonetheless, I answered it swiftly within 3 rings.

“hello?” I answered it with.

“Zak?” A familiar voice, Aaron's, said, “Have you heard?”

“Heard what?” I questioned.

“Marilyn-” Aaron choked out. “She's in the hospital. She dropped into a coma.” With those 3 words, my heart dropped. Into a coma? Marilyn was in a coma? What had happened? Tears welled up, yet I held them back. I'm Zak Bagans. Zak Bagans wrestles demons in the depths of hell, Zak Bagans does not cry.

“She what?” I asked, choking back the flavor of salty tears.

“I don't know, Zak.” Aaron replied, “Her mom called the office, apparently she found her lying in the middle of her living room unconscious. I don't really know anymore.”

“If you could call her mom and tell her I'll be on a plane by tomorrow.”

Because no matter if we broke up or not, I was completely and utter in love with Marilyn Anderson.

Marilyn Anderson

“Baby girl, please wake up. It's mom.”

Mom I'm fine.

“Please just wake up. Tell me what happened.”

I'm not sure what happened.

Why couldn't mom hear me? The darkness swallowed me, and I could faintly hear my mothers wimpers in the background, her sobbing coming into my ears and no matter how much I wanted to reply to her, give her answers, and hug her while she cried – I couldn't. And I didn't know why. I wanted to so badly tell her I was fine, and it was just an accident, but I didn't know what it was.

“Excuse me.” I heard a voice say, a deep voice. I knew that voice.

“Zak?” Oh god, mom's voice asked that question, I knew it was him. And it scared me. “Do you want a second? There's not much she can do.”

“Please.”

I heard the exchange of thank you's and doors shutting, and then there was silence. I could feel the touching of my hand, playing with my fingers, then holding it softly. “Marilyn?” I heard Zak say, “Can you hear me?” After a moment of silence, I heard Zak chuckle, “That was a stupid question I suppose, because even if you could hear me, I knew you wouldn't be able to answer. Marilyn, how did this happen? How did you get into this situation? I think I know, and I have a pretty good feeling that I'm right. It was a spirit. And I feel stupid because I wasn't there to save you. I wasn't there with holy water to help you out, and goddamn it I should've been!” Zak got mad then, I could feel it.

He stopped talking for a few moments to settle himself to think a moment. And then continued, “Marilyn, I love you so much. I know you might not think it, but I do. You're defiantly my best friend, you know everything about me from my favorite color to the time I wake up in the morning. I am totally and utterly in love with everything about you. I love the way you smell when you get out of the shower, and the way you put your hair up. I love you so much, please please please wake up. I can't live without you. I can't -” he stopped them, sobs erupting from him, his hand clutching mine tighter. He kept sobbing, and it was as if he couldn't stop, until finally he did, and released my hand.

I thought he had gone, until I felt the tenderness of his lips against my forehead.

“I love you baby.”

then he was gone.

–

This is way overdue. I'm so so so so so so so so so sorry.