"We alone?" Megan asked quietly.
"Yeah, Ray and Bethany were taking Kel out to some concert tonight, but I'm sure Betty will be here." Lance was glad he didn't have to hide the fact they had ghosts living with them from Jackson's girlfriend. It was hard enough not to slip up and mention them to people as if they were living members of his family.
"Have you spoken to my father lately?" Megan asked.
"He dropped by the morgue a few days ago to talk to Jeremy, but I just saw him for a moment. I wasn't alone, so we couldn't talk." Lance thought of how often ghosts came and went from the morgue. Not ghosts who were recently killed and whose bodies were there, but ghosts who had been dead a while and were going about their afterlife as if they were still alive.
Jeremy was a young man who'd died from a massive heart attack and had decided to make the morgue his home. He spent most of his free time there unless he was helping Megan's recently deceased father, Isaac, track down drug dealers in the area.
"How's your brother doing?" Angus asked Megan.
"Not good. Still trying to hide his drug use from me and Mom, but it's gotten so bad it's obvious to anyone who sees him. He's high all the time, and he's started wearing long sleeves to hide the track marks on his arms. Mom's in denial. I keep trying to convince Ethan to get help, but he's refusing. Keeps saying he has it under control. I hate that there's nothing more I can do." Megan sighed as they walked down the sidewalk.
Lance saw Betty and Martin standing just outside the restaurant, waiting for them. He smiled at the couple, hoping that his relationship with Angus was as solid when they got toLizzy and Martin's age. At Lizzy's side, visible only to Lance and Lizzy, was Betty. Even though others couldn't see her, she'd chosen to appear in a nice formal dress, including heels high enough that Lance was sure she'd twist her ankle if she'd actually had to walk instead of float.
"What a handsome bunch." Lizzy grinned as they approached.
"You're looking beautiful tonight, Mom." Angus kissed her cheek.
"You as well, Betty. I'd hardly recognize you if you weren't with Lizzy and Martin," Lance told the ghost.
"It's fun to dress up from time to time." Betty swirled in the air. "You're looking dasher as well."
"Thank you." Lance grinned.
Once everyone had said their hellos, they headed inside. The restaurant was large, done in dark woods with candlelight flickering from each table. It took only moments for them to be led back to their table. It was a large, round one that sat against the large windows, giving them a good look at the city around them.
Lance took a seat with his back to the window, between Angus and Lizzy. He smiled at his brother as Jackson took the seat nearly across from him after holding the seat for Megan to sit. The place was packed with couples taking up most of the tables in the building. The smell of garlic and something Lance couldn't place filled the air, making his mouth water.
"Welcome home, Jackson, and thank you for your service." Lizzy lifted her glass in a toast once everyone was settled and orders had been taken. "We may not be your parents, but like your brother, we consider you one of our children. I hope you'll allow us to fill the role of parents, and eventually grandparents, as you settle into your new life."
Lance blinked back tears. He loved Lizzy and Martin so much. They'd been there for him and Angus through everything. While he wished for his own parents, Lizzy and Martin definitely filled the role since his own couldn't be there.
"Thank you." Jackson's voice was husky with emotion as he smiled at the older couple. "You have no idea how much that means to me." He swallowed hard, then met Lance's gaze across the table. "I'm honored to be part of this family, and I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be back home." He leaned over and kissed Megan's cheek. "I'm looking forward to what the future brings."
Everyone clinked their glasses and fell into comfortable conversations. Lance noticed Betty talking to another ghost across the room, and he saw two other ghosts lingering at tables nearby. He wondered about their stories but was quickly pulled back into conversation with Lizzy when she started suggesting new places for Angus and him to go on vacation when they both decided to take a week off work.
"It will be a while before I can escape," Lance told her. "Hopefully, when the new city budget comes out, we'll have enough money to hire a few more people and then I can take vacation without feeling guilty."
Lizzy sighed. "What a nightmare. Do you think we'll see big changes?"
Lance thought about it. The corrupt mayor of Fairway had died recently, and everything was up in the air while everyone and everything at the Mayor's Office seemed to be under investigation. Several people had been arrested, and more had resigned, leaving almost the entire staff there needing to be replaced. "I'm not planning on much happening until elections happen in November, honestly. There's just too much to be done. I think they'll wait for a new mayor and city council to make most of the decisions."
"We're seeing a few changes at the police station. I know they're hiring more officers and that we have got approval for a few new squad cars. It's not a lot, but it's a start." Angus rested his hand on Lance's thigh. "We're all hoping for new computers and maybe even some remodeling if they can find the money."
"The station needs a remodel worse than the Medical Examiner's Office." Lance smiled. "Walking into your office reminds me of those old sitcoms from the sixties and seventies."
"Tell me about—"
A loud explosion filled the restaurant as glass shattered and there was a huge burst of pressure that knocked Lance from his seat. Smoke filled the room around him as screams mixed with the sound of crashes and bangs.
It took Lance a moment to realize that he was lying on the ground. He blinked as pain rushed through him as he tried to push up. Glass cut into his palm, and his shoulder burned as he tried to blink away the dust that seemed to hang in the air. He saw Lizzy sit up, blood running down her forehead, then turned his head to look at Angus. "No, oh no." Lance ignored the pain, getting to his feet as he saw Angus's body on the ground beside him. One large piece of glass cut into Angus's neck, and several pieces stuck out from his skull. "No!" Lance cried out, then froze as he saw Angus's body seem to split in two as his spirit slowly started to float from his physical body. "No, no. Go back. No!" Tears fell from Lance's eyes and his body trembled as he rushed to Angus's body.
"Angus!" Lizzy's choked cry echoed through all the noise and continuous screams. "Angus!"
Lance fell to his knees, ignoring the glass that cut into his legs as he reached for Angus's ghost as it started to separate from his body.
Without warning, Betty flew by Lance, seemed to grip Angus's ghost, then both of them disappeared.
