Chapter Four
"I told you I hated pickles, William."
He heard a sigh. The sound, the smell...
She was cooking.
The eggs sizzled on the frying pan as she hummed to herself, dancing to the sweet tunage.
He felt a calmness that was hard to explain. She turned to him. Her face was blurry but that smile...
It was bright, brighter than the sun.
"Don't just stand there silly, help me out." She giggled.
She dropped the frying pan and turned to leave.
Will panicked.
"No wait, stop—" He hand reached out for her.
Her yellow gown flowed behind her, trailing after her with the soft caress of the wind.
"I'll see you later William." Her voice echoed out in the void
"Don't go. Wait!"
He opened his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was the tightness in his chest, then the smell of sterilized floors and medical equipment.
He was in a hospital. It sure looked and smelled like it.
He looked around him, eyes wide.
I must have fainted.
An unsavory image flashed across his vision and his stomach immediately twisted into knots as everything he'd seen came back.
What was that thing?
Have I finally lost it? He gripped his head.
His blue eyes were wide in fright. It was a nightmare, a sick nightmare.
How long had he been out?
His eyes widened some more,
"Hope."
As though she'd somehow heard her name, she came in a second later accompanied by the doctor.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" William felt her wrap her arms around him in a hug.
"You scared me. Don't ever do that again." She said.
Hope leaned back and he was surprised at the concern he saw in her eyes.
His eyes softened and he suddenly forgot what had made him anxious in the first place.
"Hop-" But he didn't finish his statement.
"What were you thinking?!"
Huh?
He felt a painful slap to his arm.
"Ow!"
"You know you were unwell and you didn't go to the hospital. Do you have a death wish?
You are so irresponsible!" She kept yelling worriedly at him and William didn't know why he found it so attractive.
He just stared at her in awe, awe at the petite woman in front of him who wasn't afraid to give him a piece of her mind.
In his daze, a smile had escaped and it had immediately shut her up.
"You're sound so concerned for me right now," he said quietly, making eye contact, "good to know."
William saw the blush that took over her cheeks but she quickly looked away to conceal it.
William smiled cheekily.
A throat was cleared and both their eyes widened, finally noticing the doctor they'd been ignoring all this while.
Hope's face went redder than the chilly she ate earlier that morning.
The doctor stood with a slight smile.
"Aren't you guys a lovely couple. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that Mr. Robert is now safe to be discharged, " he started,
"the headache was caused by stress and fatigue. I've prescribed some pills for you to use and a little something for the pain."
William's mind barely made it past the first sentence.
'Aren't you guys a lovely couple.'
He was grinning from ear to ear. The doctor left and soon another nurse came in to help him.
Hope got the drugs and helped him get checked out.
It was night already and he was grateful she hadn't called his mum.
They got into the cab and soon they were on the road.
There was silence in the car as neither knew what to say.
He stole glances of her and wondered how she always managed to look so beautiful.
Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were slightly droopy from exhaustion but she was still so beautiful.
"Huh?" She mumbled.
He'd said it out loud but he didn't care.
She turned her head.
"You're beautiful," Will whispered.
This time she heard him. Her mouth was ajar in shock but just when she was about to say something they arrived at his apartment.
She cleared her throat looking away.
"Nice apartment, it's tough though with the theft now and then." She pointed.
Will smiled shrugging,
"I get by." Will opened the door to the cab and asked,
"Wait, how do you know this place?"
Hope just smiled shrugging,
"That's for me to know and for you to find out." She winked.
He grinned and she couldn't help returning it will one of hers.
"Thanks for all your help, Hope. I appreciate it, I really do." He said meaning it.
He got down the cab and started walking up the short stairs to his apartment.
He turned just in time to see the cab pull out of the parking space.
She looked away and looked on ahead.
He smiled a bit. Funny how it took him fainting for him to talk to her more than he had in the last four years.
"Goodnight, Hope." He whispered to the wind. He never quite could place his finger in it. Her hold on him was like a compulsion. His thoughts of her were like the breeze that couldn't be stopped.
He sighed before removing his house keys from his shoulder bag.
The door clicked open and he opened the door the rest of the way.
"Berry, I'm home!"
The dog whined from where he was in the kitchen and came bulldozing towards him—all sixty pounds of him.
"I've missed you boy, who's a good boy, who's a good boy?" The dog wagged his tail at his owner's acts, whining sone more when he gave him a belly rub.
Will retired for the night after eating a scrumptious meal.
The day had been stressful and he didn't have it in him to binge Netflix as he'd planned, but tomorrow was another day.
He took his contacts off and retired to bed. He prayed briefly and read her Bible.
Soon he slept, exhausted, most definitely unaware of the dozens of eyes watching him from a void in the wall.
"Watch him, he isn't going anywhere."
A voice slithered.
{¶{¶{¶{¶}
It was Saturday.
Will woke up the usual time out of habit and couldn't fall back to sleep.
He tossed and turned for nearly half an hour before he gave up.
"I'm up." He groaned standing on his feet.
He took a relaxing shower, this time without the chill and unearthly voices.
He didn't hear her voice since he started taking the new medications, it was some pretty good stuff.
He ground his morning coffee and made some toast.
It was a table for one, serving breakfast of the quick type, designed only to keep you going for the first few hours of the day.
"La toast et la coffee." He grinned to himself. He took the remote and switched on his sound system. Music filled the air.
"Hey boy." He greeted Berry giving him his breakfast—which was also toast.
"How do you like my jam?" He began singing to the beat—all the while going off-key of course.
Soon, his neighbors started to complain:
"Hey keep it down!"
"We're sleeping here!"
"Sorry, I'll turn it down!" Will yelled out the window grinning.
He didn't know why he was happy.
Maybe it was because Hope had taken him home last night or because she'd been there for him at the hospital; something he hadn't totally expected.
He fell more for her each day and he felt like a coward for not manning up and just telling her.
He didn't exactly know why he liked her; there was just this pull he felt to her that was amazing. He hadn't felt it with anyone.
Well, anyone, he could remember.
His mind reminded him.
Will remembered the memory of her cooking.
It'd been the most beautiful sight.
How could he have felt this much love for this woman and not remember her?
He needed to get answers, but every time he'd tried digging up the past, he would always come up empty, like someone was deliberately leading him on a fruitless trail, like someone didn't want him to find out.
Will sighed.
He sat on the floor in front of his couch and took a sip of his coffee.
Cancer didn't run in their family. His father never had it, his mum never did, and neither did their parents.
He was the unlucky one, cursed with the migraine and the ghost of the woman he'd loved.
It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd forgotten all about her but the emotions he always felt when he remembered her were so real, so numbing, so tangible.
I must have really loved her. He thought.
But then, if he did, what about Hope?
What if he suddenly remembers her or she comes back, what would happen then?
But then again, he could live his entire life without remembering who she was.
'Or she could be dead.'
A voice shrieked somewhere far away in his mind.
He got up at once and took the bat that would have served him well had Matt been a burglar.
It sounded like him, the man-creature in his dream. Will thought.
"Who's there?" He turned left, then right. He held the baseball bat in a vice-like grip.
"Where are you?"
He tensed, hearing a laugh—
He's coming for what's his.
He's coming for what's his.
He's coming for what's his...
It was like an unending mantra.
"Stop, stop!" He yelled and suddenly the chants became quiet.
His phone suddenly rang and he jumped. Will closed his eyes, letting out a breath of relief when he discovered it was his mother.
"Mother, "
"I've been trying to reach you. Where have you been?"
Will sighed.
He sat down and rested his head against the armrest.
"Is it your headaches again? Did Matt check up on you?"
"So, it was you who sent him." He said with a half-smile.
"Of course,"
"Aren't I allowed to worry about my only son?" He chuckled. She could always make him feel better without even trying.
"How's Laura mum. I haven't seen her in a while." He asked.
"She's fine. That is why I told you to come to the church. She's always there you know." Will sighed.
"How can I forget? I might make it Sunday. I'm not promising anything though."
"Fair enough. And you're sure you're okay? Matt told me that the headaches have gotten worse."
Will groaned.
Matt, that loudmouth. I'm gonna kill him when I see him.
"I'm fine mum." He didn't want to worry her. If he told her he collapsed, she would have a fit.
"Love you, mum. Tell Laura I love her too."
"I will dear and we love you too." He ended the call, a smile on his face.
He was blessed with a loving family. He didn't know where he'd be without them.
And about the strange voices he'd been hearing, he would talk to his sister about it. She's always been the more spiritual one.
The day was sunny but not scorching, it was the perfect day for a walk.
He would be meeting up with some friends later tonight. Some were college friends and some were from work.
He cleaned up and got dressed in his casual clothes.
He decided to go with his new glasses this time. He never did find the old one.
He put on Berry's collar and they were out the door. He locked up and walked down the short stairs to the walkway.
He was dressed in a plaid shirt and three-quarter pants.
He completed his look with leather flip flops.
He looked good. He'd always had a good fashion sense.
He enjoyed the sun and the cool breeze. He always loved going out, seeing people live their lives. He stopped for a light treat.
He got his order and was going on with his walk to the park when he saw a woman, it was her.
It felt like a dream.
Everything else froze in time, he could only see her. The memories seem to hit him all at once:
"Will...don't." she gasped.
"Please don't hurt her," he whispered.
"She is a threat." an oddly familiar voice replied.
"Take me instead, please."
Will placed a hand on his head, disoriented as the memories hit him unrelenting.
He was somewhere he couldn't explain.
Everywhere was dark and fiery and he felt fear, pure fear.
These were memories, his memories.
He held a hand to his ears at the sudden white noise that filled it.
I love you...
The woman who had triggered the flashback turned and began walking away.
Her back was to him as she walked down the street.
"Wait, wait." He quickly ran after her, not caring about the people he was shoving out of the way in the process.
This was his chance. She quickly got lost in the sea of people that were coming and going.
She rounded a corner and by the time he got there, she was gone.
Will was breathing hard staring at the empty space confused.
Had he imagined it?