Serendipity

Credentials

A few months later.

A strong hand folds around mine, as a warm feeling flushes through my body. I look up to see Zak staring down at me with a smile. It injects me with confidence and determination, it's my safety net and I know when I see him smile, that everything is going to be okay.

"Are you ready for this?" He asks quietly.

"As I'll ever be. Are you?"

He smirks "100%." He looks away from me and glances at the crew "Are you all set and ready?"

A chorus of yes' comes back, each of them wearing a level of excitement, except one. I give Billy a gentle smile but its returned with a cold look making me look down. Zak sees the exchange and squeezes my hand.

I would have thought his little vendetta and hate campaign against mine and Zak's relationship would have faded the more months we achieved together. But apparently not, now trying to fix the gap between us was fruitless and often impacted more on the crew whilst in lockdown. I had to accept that Billy had a thorn in his side, with mine and Zak's name etched into it.

Myself and Zak were living together, happily. We became stronger than ever and the transition between life on the road and life home was easy and trouble free. Of course we still had arguments, what couple didn't. But instead of deeming them negative, I saw it as a sign of love. We cared enough about each other to argue about it. Arguing was healthy.. Ignoring the problems were not.

I had finished my therapy and although I still felt some level of guilt from being here, right now. I knew I should embrace the life I had, that if I was upset and sad, I was doing the little girl, called Poppy, a dishonour. My eyes glanced over to see her throwing her teddy up high into the air and catching it again.

Everything had changed, yet nothing had. My life so far had been a complete contradiction of itself. Because as I accepted her death, I also accepted her life, but as a spirit. One that followed me around, causing havoc when she could and finding it funny to scare Zak whenever she could. From moving his keys in front of his eyes, to waiting until he was asleep and tickling his nose until he swatted himself.

I laughed, every single time.

We had been back to see Patti, who communicated with Poppy again, explaining that she was free to leave, to join her mother in the afterlife. But the 6 year old simply answered that she knew, but preferred to come back and see Grumpy from time to time..

We soon worked out who Grumpy was, as he was sat in the corner with his arms folded. I still giggled at the moment Zak realised he was grumpy.

"You can always back out now Katy." Aaron teased.

I grinned "No chance, you'll be screaming before me."

"Now isn't that the truth." Jay laughed making Aaron thump him in the shoulder.

Zak looked down at me "See. You've fitted in easily. Told you that you had nothing to worry about." He whispers pressing a kiss on my forehead.

I sighed softly at his gesture and opened my eyes to catch Poppy creeping towards him. I pulled my head back and smiled up at him.

"What?" He asks trying to gauge why I had a smile spread across my face. That was until he shot forward and grabbed hold of me in fright. As soon as I began laughing he huffed out a breath. "Come on Poppy. Why aren't you playing?"

"She likes to stay with me." I answer patting his chest as he swallows back the fear that had spiked in his body.

"Well maybe you could give me a warning before she grabs my ass like that."