To celebrate the upcoming release of my paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side, I’m sharing random excerpts of the story each week from now until July 22 when the book goes live.
Click here for more info on By Your Side and to pre-order the ebook for $2.99 from Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Nook, or Smashwords. For now, enjoy the following scenes from Chapter Five – Broken Families
It was dark by the time Tammy pulled into the parking lot at Irvine Cancer Center. She handed the keys back to Miranda as they made their way to the building’s entrance. A few minutes later, they marched into the pediatric oncology ward on the fifth floor.
Jackie glanced up as they approached the nurses’ station. “Hey, Matt’s parents are in with him now.”
“How is he?” Tammy asked.
“Perfectly calm, like nothing ever happened. Robert and April, on the other hand…”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Tammy introduced Miranda and explained that she was there to talk to Matt about his visions.
“Are you a psychiatrist?”
“Funny,” Miranda said. “You’re the second person today to ask me that.”
“Jackie, I’ll fill you in later,” Tammy promised. “For now, I think it’s best that I go in alone. Miranda will wait here until I call her in. I want to explain everything to the Meades as gently as I can.”
“That works,” Miranda said. “I could use a few minutes of quiet.”
“You and me both.”
* * *
During the ride to Irvine, Tammy and Miranda had discussed—and dismissed—a number of methods for approaching the Meades about their son’s newfound ability. There was no easy way, so Tammy resolved to take Robert and April aside, well out of earshot of the nursing staff, Matt, and Miranda.
“A psychic-medium?” Robert was incredulous. “What the hell is that? You can’t be serious. Of all people. You’re a doctor. Don’t tell me you believe in this crap.”
“Until recently not at all, but honestly, Bob, I can’t explain how Matt knows what he does about the people who—”
“My son doesn’t know a damn thing about those people,” Robert said. “You want an explanation? One that makes sense? Maybe Matt overheard your nurses or a visitor talking about them. Maybe he saw news reports on the TV in his room and all of that caused him to dream about those people.” Robert’s voice cracked as he spoke, and his eyes brimmed with tears. “Or maybe he’s having nightmares because he knows he’s going to die in a few days.”
Tammy had no response. The last thing she wanted to do was press the issue with parents whose emotional states were scoured raw by a coarse and hopeless reality. They were already in mourning and had been for weeks.
Nevertheless, she knew that something must be done or more lives would be lost. Taking a deep breath, she tried a different approach. “When Jackie called me to come here, Miranda and I had just prevented a young woman from committing suicide. She was a complete stranger, and we only knew it was going to happen because your son predicted it in enough time for us to save her.
“Now, I know you’re both going through hell, and I completely understand if you don’t care about the people that have died over the past few weeks, but somehow your son has made a connection to them. Matt saved a life tonight. If we could understand what’s happening to him, maybe we can find the pattern in these deaths and put a stop to them.
“I’ve known Randy for years. She has three kids of her own. She’s a sweetheart and has a soft touch. I guarantee she won’t do anything to upset Matt. You can be here the entire time, and we’ll back off if he starts getting stressed out.”
There was a moment of tense silence before April squeezed Robert’s hand. “I’m OK with this, provided it won’t take too long.”
“It won’t. I promise,” Tammy said.
Robert’s shoulders slumped, but he lodged no further protest.
* * *
A few minutes later, Tammy led Miranda into Matt’s room. She nodded politely at his parents standing by the window. April whispered a “hello” while Robert cast a stern gaze.
“Tammy.” Matt’s eyes opened wide. “Is Heather all right?”
“Yep. She’s fine thanks to you, Matt. Maybe when she’s feeling better, she can thank you in person. Would you like that?”
“Sure. I’m just glad she’s OK.”
He appeared so fragile. Had his brief surge of excitement earlier tonight drained him? Miranda couldn’t imagine watching without hope as one of her children deteriorated.
“Matt, I brought along a friend who would like to—”
“Talk to me about my visions. I know.” Matt craned his neck to peek around Tammy at Miranda. “You helped save Heather.”
Miranda stepped forward. “Yes, I did. Did your parents tell you that?”
“No, the girls did. You’re very pretty.”
Miranda could have melted where she stood. She wished she could trade in her abilities for the power to heal. Instead, all she could offer was a warm smile. “Thank you. About these girls, what are their names?”
“They didn’t tell me, but they said that you see things like I do.”
“Sometimes, yes. Did they tell you I was coming?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you tell us what they look like?”
“They’re older than me, a little bit. They’re twins. Long brown hair and they always wear the same clothes. Big jeans with white shirts.”
“Big jeans?” Tammy asked.
“Bell bottoms,” Miranda said. These girls were the same ones that had appeared in her kitchen during her phone conversation with Tammy two nights ago. Another piece to the puzzle.
“Bell bottoms, right,” Tammy repeated. “So, Matt, when these girls show up, do they come in through the door?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes they wake me up. Sometimes I look around and they’re standing there. I think they’re ghosts.”
Miranda glanced at his parents. They were riveted. “Why do you say that?”
“Because they told me their dad shot them both with a big gun.”
“Oh my God!” April blurted. She cupped a hand over her gaping mouth.
“All right, that’s enough.” Robert glared at Tammy. “Get this freak away from my son right now or so help me, I will go straight to the president of this place.”
“I’m sorry,” Tammy said as she and Miranda turned to leave.
“Dad, wait,” Matt said. “There’s more. The girls—”
“That’s enough. Matt!”
His son ignored him. “More people are going to die.”
“Who?” Tammy asked, despite Robert’s burning gaze.
“I don’t know yet. I’m sorry,” Matt said. “The girls only tell me so much at a time and I only see the other people after they’re dead.”
“Stop it!” April shrieked. She collapsed onto a chair and sobbed.
“You satisfied now, Doctor?” Robert snarled. “You managed to upset my wife and my son.” He pointed to Miranda. “You don’t come near my family again or I will sue you and this hospital. Am I clear?”
Miranda lowered her gaze. “Of course. I’m sorry. You have a wonderful boy. I’m… I’m so sorry.” With that, she dashed out of the room—and didn’t stop until she reached her car.
* * *
Ten minutes had passed before Tammy realized that Miranda was no longer in the building. She found her lying back in the driver’s seat of her car, staring through the windshield at the light of a nearby lamppost.
Tammy opened the passenger door and leaned in. “You OK?”
“Yeah.”
She climbed into the seat and closed the door. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“I’m used to it,” Miranda said. “In fact, I’m used to a lot worse, but I don’t blame Robert at all. These are the last few precious days they have with their son. The last thing I want to do is cause them even more pain.”
“You didn’t. None of this is your fault.” Tammy lowered the back of her seat, bringing herself level with Miranda. “If anyone should feel terrible it’s me. I brought you into this. Christ, you could’ve been shot today.”
“But I wasn’t, and we saved a life, so the night wasn’t a total loss. Still, I don’t know how you do it, watching kids wither away and die.”
“They don’t all die. Many pediatric cancers are treatable, but certain specific tumors, like Matt’s, well… treatment can only do so much for so long. He has what’s known as a diffusely infiltrative brain stem glioma.”
“Now you sound like a doctor, Doctor.”
There was a moment of silence before Tammy asked, “How are your kids?”
“They’re traveling through Europe with their father,” Miranda replied. “I talked to them yesterday before we left to come here. They’re having a fantastic time, but I’ll be glad when they’re home. I worry about them. Brian’s a great dad and I trust him, but sometimes they can be a handful, especially the twins—wait a minute.”
“What?”
“Just thinking about twins. Matt said that the girls who visit him are twins. Remember, he said that they look and dress alike. He also said their father shot them both.”
“I remember,” Tammy said. “I don’t think I’ll forget, and neither will his parents. What are you getting at?”
“When I talked to Amy on the phone earlier, she read a few lines from a newspaper article about a father who shot his two daughters, then himself. The mother committed suicide a week later. Amy didn’t say the girls were twins, but it can’t be a coincidence. We need to get back to your place so I can read that article.”
“Only if we stop and pick up some pizza first. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
Check back next week for another eerie excerpt from By Your Side!