Page 10 of Brush with Death
“With your luck, you’ll end up in a car accident,” Vale grumbled.
“Maybe, but if I do, you’ll come and get me from the hospital like you did yesterday.Besides, it’s not like I get into this kind of mess every day.I’m fine.I promise.”
Vale was still grumpy by the time they were done eating breakfast, and Robbie texted Cyril that he was waiting for him downstairs.Cyril had to resist the urge to say fuck it and stay home, especially when Vale was being so domestic.He was still cleaning up breakfast, and seeing him in the sunlit kitchen was a dream come true.
A dream that Cyril could come back to as soon as he was done working.
He kissed Vale on the lips, then on the cheek when Vale pulled him closer again.“I’ll be home soon,” he promised.
“You better because if you’re not, I’m coming to get you.”
That kind of sounded like a threat, but Cyril wasn’t afraid.He could never be afraid of Vale.
He had to tear himself away from his boyfriend and his comfortable couch, but he managed to trudge downstairs and climb into Robbie’s car.Robbie eyed him as if he could feel that Cyril wasn’t feeling well, but thankfully, he didn’t say anything about it.He just turned the engine back on and drove away.
Cyril was relieved that his appointment was at a funeral home.Things were always easier to deal with when there were other professionals around, even though some of them didn’t like Cyril and what he could do.They both worked with death, though, so they understood each other.
“Maybe I need to start asking more questions when I book your appointments,” Robbie said as they exited the car and started walking toward the funeral home.
“Like what?”
“Like who’s going to be there and why they want to talk to the deceased.I thought that Mrs.Maxwell just wanted to say goodbye, but clearly, her son had something else in mind.We should know these things so you don’t get in trouble again.”
“You can’t know how people will react, even if they don’t have anything sinister in mind.Grief is hard and complicated.”
“I can’t, but Icando everything in my power to keep you safe.”
“It’s not like I get knocked into nightstands every day.”
“Thankfully, but you still need a keeper.”
“That’s why I have you.”
Robbie still didn’t look happy, but the corners of his lips curled into an almost smile, which Cyril took as a victory.
Their smiles didn’t last long.The tension in the air was thick when they walked into the funeral home.Cyril wasn’t worried.It was always like this when death was involved.
They were taken to the viewing room where the family waited for them.These rooms were supposed to give a serene and peaceful feeling, but Cyril never felt that way when he visited one, no matter how tastefully they were decorated.This one was in shades of cream and brown, with soft lighting.The chairs were arranged in rows.Most of them were empty, and the family of the deceased was hovering by the door as if afraid to sit.
The open casket was at the back of the room, surrounded by flowers, with a large picture of the deceased woman to the right.Cyril allowed Robbie to take the lead and watched him as he went to talk to the woman’s family.Robbie might feel like he needed more details, but Cyril didn’t.He didn’t care what had happened to this woman, who wanted her to be reanimated, or why.As long as nothing illegal was happening, he wished to help every person who needed him.It wasn’t possible, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try.
“Mr.Farmer and his family just want to say goodbye to Mrs.Farmer,” Robbie explained once he came back to Cyril’s side.“It should be an easy job.”
Mr.Maxwell should’ve been an easy job, too, but Cyril had come out of it with a fierce headache and a trip to the hospital.Still, he thought that Robbie was right.Mrs.Farmer appeared to be in her late seventies, so even though people were grieving her loss, they’d known to expect her to pass away.Their goodbyes would probably be peaceful.
Someone had placed a chair next to the casket, and Cyril slipped into it.He took a moment to gather himself.He could relax because he knew that Robbie would stop anyone who tried interrupting him.Once he was ready, he nodded at Robbie and reached for the deceased.
He wrapped his fingers around Mrs.Farmer’s wrist and closed his eyes.He could feel her soul waiting for him to pull her back into her body for a final goodbye, but when he tried doing that, nothing happened.He frowned and tried harder, but it was as if something was blocking the soul.
Cyril couldn’t remember anything like this ever happening to him.He pulled harder, and his headache worsened.It was like someone had driven a spike into his brain, and he whimpered as he let go of Mrs.Farmer’s wrist.
He couldn’t do it.He couldn’t reanimate Mrs.Farmer.
* * * *
“INEED TO KNOW WHYhe’s here and what he’s planning,” Vale barked into the phone.
“I’ll check if he accepted any jobs recently,” Rachel told him.“But you know it’s not easy.I’m not John’s handler.”
