Sherry
I could feel the wind on my face as Merrick and I drove down the highway. The top on the Rabbit was down, and
my cheeks were getting wind burned in the Chicago chill, but I didn’t care. I leaned my head back on the scratchy leat
her and soaked it
all in.
“Are you happy?” he asked me and smiled as he waited for my answer, his gaze switching from me to the road and back again.
“Yeah,” I sighed with no hesitation. “You’re so good at driving now.” I giggled. “It’s pretty funny.”
“What’s that, sweetheart
?”
“How you were so, so bad at it before.”
He mock scowled at me and then smirked. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“Why?
” I said coyly and fiddled with my necklace. “
What would you do
to me
?”
“Something
fun…for me.” He grinned at his humorous threat and I laughed, throwing my head back and leaning over to rest my head on his shoulder. He pulled me the rest of the way with a hand on my thigh and then slung his arm over my shoulders. “Well, I’m happy.” His fingers squeezed affectionately and he kissed my temple
and spoke against it
. “God
,
thank you
…I’m so happy here with you.”
“I’m happy about that.” I looked up at him, seeing the glow of joy on his cheeks. Not that he could lie to me anyway, but still. “I don’t know if I ever told you this or not, but I’m so glad that you broke the rules. I’m so glad that you came here to save Danny…and me. And I’m so glad that you want me, with all my weirdness, brokenness and shortness.” He snorted, but I kept going. “I just can’t
wait to be at our cabin in the hills, away from everybody and everything. Be normal. Watch Lily con you out of everything she ever wanted.”
He laughed. “Oh, that’ll definitely happen.”
I smiled at him and then looked back to the road…just in time to see Mrs. Trudy standing in the road. “Watch out!” I yelled, but I wasn’t sure who I was yelling it to.
She didn’t move, just watched us stoical
ly as Merrick slammed on the br
ak
e
s and came to a stop inches from her. I looked at her and back to Merrick. He was smiling. He leaned down to me, nose to nose, and let his fingers run a path across my cheek. “No matter what happens, baby, I love you more than I ever thought was humanly possible. Sometimes, my heart hurts from being too full. Know that. If nothing else comes of this day, know that I loved you so much
that I could never be sad again, wherever I am.”
“Merrick?” I asked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I love you, baby. I wi
ll always love you.”
“I love you, too,” I answered even though I wasn’t sure of his confession or what Mrs. Trudy was doing there. I looked back to Mrs. Trudy and she waved. The
n
she pointed to her watch and lifted her eyebrows in a ‘hurry up’ motion.
I was more confused.
I mean
, not five minutes ago I was look
ing down at Merrick
. He was bleeding on the floor, the life literally draining from him as I held in my shaking hands. And now, we were cruising along the
highway…
and…
Wait. I gasp
ed
awake.
I looked up and
push
ed
Cain’s hand away from my neck. I scramble
d
up and away from
his lap, where I’d been
laid out like I was the one dying
. He must have caught me when I passed out. I put my hand on Merrick’s cheek and
failed at stifling a sob at
seeing him so lifeless all over again.
He’d told me he loved me in the dream. He said he was so happy, no matter what happened… Had he known he wouldn’t see me again? Had I met him in some dream place and he was telling me goodbye
,
or was it all just wishful thinking?
Lily still had her hand on Merrick’s arm and her face was calm and
anticipatory. She was waiting for something. I looked around and everyone else seemed to be waiting for something, too.
I looked back at my
very
life, my love, my
soul mate and
husband who risked everything to be here with me, who chang
ed the
very core
of my being. I waited.
Cain once again rubbed my shoulder.
“Sherry,” he tried, but I didn’t want to be placated or soothed. If this was it, if Merrick was slipping through my fingers, I wanted to see it all and not have any doubts abo
ut the realness of it all later. I would
torture myself with this memory
for as long as I lived.
A
nd then…his fingers twitched. I heard more than felt the gasp that invaded my throat. I sat
stunne
d as he opened his eyes slowly with flutters and blinks.
He looked around the room as if looking for something
specific
. He smiled at Lily and touched her cheek. Then his eyes settled on me and he stilled
, his smile slipping away
. He frowned as he leaned forward and held my face in his hands. My skin felt the familiar tingle of his touch and I broke wide open with sobs that ripped my chest in two.
“Ah, baby,” he soothed and urged me on
to his lap.
“You thought I was gone,” he guessed. His brow bunched as he thought about that. “I
was
gone.
I remember
.
There was this light and then w
e were driving…
the car ride…and Mrs. Trudy.
” We both peeked over at Lily who looked extremely proud of herself. He looked back to me and pressed his
fore
head to mine.
"I was gone, but I'm here."
"How is this possible?"
“You can’t get rid of me, it seems even with death,” he joked.
I wasn’t amused. “Don’t joke,” I croaked and sniffed. I whispered, “I watched you die.”
“And I’m so, so sorry,” he said with conviction, his voice deep and rough.
I sniffed again.
“Do you feel different?”
He shook his head and palmed his chest. “No. I feel like…me.”
“
That’s good.” I sniffed again and someone handed me a tissue. I locked my arms around Merrick’s neck and
sighed into his warm skin. “Don’t
ever
leave me again.”
“Never,” he promised, his arms tight around my back
and he sighed his words into my neck
. “Never, honey, I promise.”
“Merrick,” Jeff said and cleared his throat. You could tell he hated to interrupt, but there was still a crap load of things to figure out. “Sorry. Um…but we’ve got issues here, man. Ellie and Marissa said there’s an army coming. And what should we do with this?” He kicked the Lighter’s boot. “Is it still just a Lighter or is it a human now? He
didn’t burn up when he died so
…
”
It made me pause. That’s right, no lightning…
“Please, Jeff
rey
,” Merrick said roughly
and didn't take his eyes off of me
. “Be the captain for a while, huh? I just…can’t right now,” he confessed and gazed at me with barely veiled agony as he let his hands cradle my face. “I just can’t do anything but be th
ankful to still feel the buzz from
the touch of your skin,” he whispered only to me.
“Al
l
right,” Jeff replied and seemed almost happy with Merrick’s response.
“Marissa, can we have a timeline, sweetheart? When are we looking at?”
“I can’t tell,” Marissa said and gulped. Jeff reached his hand out to her. “I just k
now it’s soon
.
Within the hour.
”
“Ok,” he soothed her and ran a hand down
her arm.
Merrick sighed and
stood as he
said, "I need a minute with Sherry."
I bumped into Cain, who was still b
ehind me. He smiled in relief at
me and patted my arm before walking back to Lillian.
“You’re leav
ing now?” Josh said. It was at that moment that we all noticed him. Like
really
noticed him. Josh was supposed to be dead. He sacrificed himself for Racine. He jolted at all of our silent stares on him and straightened his back. “That’s right. I told you already that I wasn’t Josh anymore. I’m Simon
in here
and this is my body now, so get used to it quick
ly
so we can get to work
."
I felt my jaw drop. It felt different with Simon. With Merrick when he explained being in Matt’s body, it was foreign
,
but not unpleasant. But with the cut of Josh’s death so fresh and there not even being any time to mourn him yet, it was too much. I turned and buried my face in Merrick’s neck, not wanting to see Simon wearing Josh’s face.
I felt Merrick's head shake and an angry breath leave him.
Then Simon said as he glared at Merrick, "Have you forgotten th
e real reason we even came here?
"
“Simon,” Racine growled, low and dangerous. “How could you?”
I jolted my eyes back to them. I looked at Merrick and saw him gritting his teeth. What fo
r? I swung my gaze back to Josh
…or, u
h Simon
…and waited. Racine continued as she made her way to him. “How could you!” she repeated louder. “Did you think about this for one second or did you just snatch the first body that was available and not give a thought to the consequences?
What if I jumped in Cain’s body after he died and you had to face me every
day?
”