Change of Heart 2

Chapter 59

"Lydia," He gasped softly as his eyes which were struggling to remain open landed on the waitress. "Why...why do you have a gun?" His question was mostly a whisper and his eyes closed completely right after he noticed Ian's body on the floor not too far away from him.

"Adrian! Hey wake up, come on!" She knelt on the hard cold concrete next to him and slapped his cheeks until they burned and turned red.

"Tell−tell J−Jennifer I'm sorry..." He spoke so soft that she almost didn't hear him.

"Tell her yourself!" Lydia yelled and grabbed something from her bag that in his poor vision looked like a test tube containing a blue green liquid attached to a very long needle.

"Don't you think...I'm going through enough already−

His speech came to a halt when she stabbed the needle directly into his heart which caused his broken body to jolt upwards before falling back down limp as a corpse afterwards.

"Adrian?" She held his face in her hands and the coldness scared her. This wasn't supposed to happen. "Adrian come on...this is gonna work it has to work! Wake up!"Tears soaked her face as she screamed and rocked his body. "You can't die! Please! Wake up!" When he refused to respond and his pulse never returned she hugged his body on her lap and continued to cry and scream.

One hour later:

"Hello?" At first the room was so incredibly bright it hurt his eyes and he could see nothing at all. After it cleared up he realized that he was inside Stefano's. The shop was empty and exceptionally silent except for the blond woman sitting by the window, facing the outside. Nevertheless he knew who it was. With a smile he passed a hand through his hair and walked towards her.

"Cate?" He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to get a glimpse of her face but she didn't turn around.

"Adrian, you're here." Even though he could not see her face he could tell that she was smiling. "I remember, Adrian. I remember you now."

He laughed in relief and felt his heart stop. "Oh my God. Thank God, Cate. I missed you so much, you have no idea how hard these few months without you has been for me. Please come home with me baby." He put his arms around her.

"I can't..."

"What do you mean you can't?" His happiness was diminishing quickly. "Cate please?"

"Adrian I can't. I can't come with you."

"Why not!" He shouted and slammed his hands on the table which caused her coffee to spill all over her but he was too angry to care. "Look at me!"

She finally turned her head but there was no face.

"What the fuck!" He immediately fell to the floor. "I gotta get out of here!" He got up and began to run when he bumped into a man who had just entered the shop.

"Adrian?"

"W−what?" He stared at the man in disbelief. "Cal?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" His best friend shouted at him.

"Um...getting coffee?"

"Look Reynard this is not a joke! Why are you here? What happened?"

"I don't know Cal...fuck I don't even know where I am. Why are you here?" He took a seat on a chair but Calvin pulled him up.

"Don't you get comfortable here! You need to go back right now!"

"Back where...where are we?"

"We are dead! I am dead that's why I'm here! This is the fucking other side! Why can't you keep yourself safe Adrian?"

"There's coffee on the other side?"

Cal slapped his palm into his face and sighed. "Adrian, please go back right now! You can't die, it has to be a mistake you're here anyway."

"Why do you keep saying that? I can't die. What am I super dog?"

"You don't get it do you? Adrian you are special. Why do you think you always escape death? Do you think it's luck?" Cal looked him in the eye. "Maybe if I knew this before I would still be alive today...but you my friend are a miracle. Death is the least of your problems."

"Funny you say that considering I am dead as we speak."

"You are, but you have the ability to go back. Something normal people don't have. So sit down."

"You just told me not to−

"Sit!"

"You're mean on the other side." He frowned and took a seat.

"What your caretaker did for you is what helped you to meet me sooner here. Thank God you were near her."

"My what now?"

"Never mind, you'll find out. Close your eyes."

Without asking why, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Now, I need you to focus. Focus on the other side, the living side, where you belong. Think of something that's there that you would never want to leave. Something you can't just die and leave there. Something you must return to."

Cal's voice was calm and soft and as he closed his eyes Adrian thought of Cate. Her smile, her laugh, her voice, her scent, her touch.

"I think it's working Cal..."

"Good...I won't see you soon, Adrian. Please, take care of yourself."

"I will Cal...I−

"Adrian?" Lydia's voice was soft but he could hear her clearly. "Adrian, you're ok." She smiled and helped him sit.

He smiled and looked on the floor but Ian's body was already gone.

"He um, got up and left about an hour ago." Lydia explained.

"You shot him."

"Tranquilized him for a bit. I needed him to stop crushing you." She smiled and wiped his face.

"You just happened to have a tranquilizer gun in your purse today?"

"Uh no, I um...I−

"Hey it's ok." He held her face and looked into her eyes. "You helped me Lydia. You don't owe me any explanation; at least not right now." He smiled and kissed her head.

"Thank you." She returned his smile.

"No, thank you." He hugged her. "Now, how about a redo on that coffee?"

"Double the gin?"

"You get me woman." He laughed and followed her into the shop.