“I know. It took me some time to process it too. But now I want to get out of here. Indie, I can't stay here a second longer. And I know you want to leave this place behind too. Let's go. Come on. Help me sneak out.”
“Sneak out?!” I hissed. “You can't do that. What if this is temporary? You could be experiencing some kind of an odd surge of health before you . . .” I trailed off, then said, “They need to clear you first.”
Jake went serious. “If this is temporary, then that's all the more reason to get gone. I need this, Indie. Please.”
I sighed and stroked Jake's cheek again. Then I ran my hand back to his head. His hair was growing in. He'd lost it all during chemo and it never grew back. But there was hair on his head now. In a fucking day! Funny, but that's what convinced me. The hair. It wouldn't have regrown if this was just temporary. Or at least, that's what I told myself. I guess if you really want to believe something, you'll find the reasons to.
“All right.” I smiled, then joy burst inside me and it became a laugh. “Oh, my God!” I stood up and pulled him into another hug. “You're going to live! Oh, God, thank you.”
Jake chuckled. “Yeah. Literally, it's thanks to God.”
An odd shiver ran through me at his words, but it was drowned by happiness. I didn't know who this guy was who had healed Jake, but I was certain that he wasn't God. God doesn't make hospital calls. But the man could call himself whatever he wanted if he had truly healed Jake.
I eased back and kissed Jake. Kissed him like I hadn't kissed him in months. Jake groaned and pulled me closer, his hard, big body seeming to consume mine, just close around me like the mouth of a giant beast. Strange imagery, but that's what came to mind. I didn't care. I wanted to be consumed. Anything to take me out of that old, awful reality and into this new, bright one.
The kiss was a little odd too, but I blamed that on the situation and how long it had been since we'd shared such an intimate kiss. Lately, it had been chaste pecks. But this was deep. Real. Soon enough, the awkwardness shifted into something that felt more natural. Jake's lips moved over mine the same way they used to—gently but with a hint of aggression. My head spun, and I had to hold onto his shoulders. But when Jake eased back, and I opened my eyes, the world righted itself around me. Everything went right again—the past, his sickness, all of it. It seemed like a nightmare, one that was fading fast now that I was awake.
“Is it really over?” I asked.
“Yeah, babe.” Jake kissed my forehead. “It's over.”
Chapter Three
The illness may have been over, but this, whatever this was, had just begun.
I sat in the passenger seat of my little Honda Civic, staring at my healthy boyfriend wondering who the fuck he was. I had just helped Jake sneak out of the hospital like a criminal, although he made it into a game—laughing every time we got past a nurse's desk and kissing me every time we had to hide in an empty room. It was fun and Jake seemed like the old him. But that had changed once we got to the car.
Jake took my keys and insisted on driving. About five minutes away from the hospital, I realized he was heading for the interstate. That's when I told him I had to go to work. He, of course, told me to call in sick. I would have agreed to that—I mean, my dying boyfriend had just been healed—but then Jake went on, talking about how he wanted me to meet Silas. Silas was evidently the name God went by when he was slumming it on Earth.
I started worrying that Jake might get sucked into a cult. Sure, he'd been healed, and I understood how that could convince him of this man's divinity, but I wasn't convinced. Healers all over the world have mystified medical people for centuries by curing all sorts of diseases. It was rare for one ofthose healers to declare themselves God, though. That was scary suicide cult territory.
So, I asked Jake if we could stop for some breakfast and talk it over.
Jake's response was to take my cell phone and toss it out the window.
The expense of the phone notwithstanding, that was a bit extreme. And it scared me even more. When I tried to get him to pull over again, he swung his head and pinned me with a stare that didn't belong to the man I loved. I wasn't sure who was looking at me through Jake's eyes, but it wasn't him. It didn't even sound like him when he told me we were going on a little road trip, and I should just relax and enjoy myself.
That had been an hour ago. Now, looking at him, odd things raced through my mind. I felt as if I'd gone from a tear-jerker drama to a fairy tale only to get dropped in the middle of a horror movie. What if Jake had died? What if this man Jackie brought to the hospital was evil? Maybe a witch doctor or a warlock? Something like that. Maybe he performed a spell that killed Jake and summoned a demon into Jake's body. Bringing someone back to life never worked out well in the movies. I kept seeing the scene inPractical Magicwhere they brought that bastard back to life, and he nearly strangled Nicole Kidman.
Was Jake going to strangle me while he shouted about how much he wanted me to be his wife?
Get it together, Indie!I mentally hissed at myself.Jake is not a demon wearing a Jake-suit. Oh, fuck. Now, I'm thinking about “Men in Black.” Edgar-suit. Gross.
“Um, I really am hungry,” I said. With perfect timing, my stomach rumbled. “I haven't eaten today.”
Jake looked over at me, and that other person vanished. “Oh, fuck, Indie. I'm sorry. I'm losing my shit, aren't I?”
“Thank God,” I whispered and let out a half-hysterical laugh. “For a second there, I thought you'd been possessed.”
“Possessed?” he asked sharply.
“Yeah, by a demon.” I rolled my eyes. “Jake, you threw my phone out the window. You know I can't afford a new phone. And who does that? Only crazy people and abductors.”
He winced. “Sorry about that. I'll buy you a new one.”
“All of my contacts were in there.” I grimaced. “I don't think I actually know anyone's number off the top of my head.”
“Forget them.” He grabbed my hand. “I want a fresh start, Indie. Look, I know you don't believe that this guy is God, and that's fine. I probably seem like some whacko cultist with a thirst for Kool-Aid. But just give him a chance. He's got this awesome property in Montana, and I—”
