The Medium

"I did. But it had to cover both myself and your sister at one point so-."

"Adelaide!" In a lightning quick move, he was at my side again. He must have done his vanishing and reappearing trick in order to be that fast. "You spoke to her? Alone?"

"Yes. She followed me out to the street after I left your parents' house."

"How is she?"

"In good health but concerned for them."

He sat down on the bed and took my hand in his although he seemed unaware he'd done so. "And how were they?"

I drew in a deep breath. "Exactly as you said they would be. Your mother doesn't believe you're dead, even after I told her about the song."

He squeezed my hand and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Were they very awful?"

"They were upset, Jacob. That was the awful part."

He lowered his gaze to our linked hands. "Yes, of course.

But even when I was alive my father could be… domineering."

"You didn't get along, did you?"

He looked up, startled. "Not really. You learned that from a brief meeting?"

I laughed. "No, Adelaide told me."

He chuckled. "Yes, of course. My sister likes to gossip so I'm not surprised. She never did know when to hold her tongue." He said it without a hint of irritation and I got the feeling he would give anything to hear his sister talk just one more time.

"She wants to meet with you," I said.

"When?"

"When she can get away. It's not easy for her."

He nodded. "What else did she have to say? Tell me everything."

I rubbed his knuckles with my thumb. "We got to talking about your death and how it might have occurred."

His hand shifted in mine but I held it tighter, not letting him go. "I've told you not to concern yourself with my death," he said. "It happened and that fact cannot be altered."

"And I've told you we must learn more. It might be the key to why you can't cross."

He tore his hand from mine and stood up. "What makes you think I want to cross over?"

I stared at him but he was pacing back and forth, not looking at me. "But you must-."

"Why must I?" He stopped pacing and I recoiled at the anger in his eyes. Anger directed at me. "Why do you want me to go?"

My stomach knotted at the thread of pain through his voice. I climbed out of the covers and kneeled up on the bed but did not reach for him like I wanted to. "You think I want you to leave?" I shook my head over and over and fought against the tears threatening to spill. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Jacob. You tell me I'm beautiful, you look at me as if I'm more precious than the stars in the sky, and your very touch leaves me aching for more. I've known you two and a half days and yet it feels like forever. How can you think I want you to leave?"