Page 10 of Ghost of Christmas Future
Cope knelt in front of his niece. “It’s okay, honey. You did so well. When I tried to reach Jude, all I got was a blank space in my head.
“Did you talk to my Daddy, Everly?” Wolf asked, running up to her.
Everly shook her head and started whispering to Wolf. Seconds later, Aurora wrapped her arms around both of her friends.
“No!” Wolf shouted. “Everything isn’t going to be all right. You were my only last chance to talk to my Daddy! You were supposed to tell him I was sorry!” Ripping himself away from his friends, Wolf ran down the hall toward the main waiting room.
Cope followed behind his son. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ten and Ronan comforting Everly. None of this was her fault. He’d make sure to remind Wolf of that as soon as he caught up with his son. “Wolf, wait!” Cope called out, just as the little boy yanked open the door to the ICU ward. “Come talk to me.” Taking his son’s hand, he led him back to the sofa near the door.
Tears streamed down Wolf’s face, which he buried against Cope’s chest. “It’s okay, Wolfie. I’m here. I’ve got you. Everything’s going to be okay.”Someday, Cope added silently to himself.
“It’s not okay! Daddy’s in the hospital because of me!” Wolf’s words were muffled against Cope’s shirt, but he’d heard them all the same.
“You were in the kitchen when Daddy fell. None of this is your fault.” How could it have been? Cope wanted to hear Wolf’s answer, but knew it would take a few minutes for Wolf to calm himself down.
“Daddy asked me to help him bring up the boxes of ornaments. He said I was a big boy now and could help him.” Wolf sniffled and wiped his runny nose on the sleeve of his shirt. “I didn’t want to. I was hungry. It was hard work putting up the lights and I just wanted to rest for a minute. That’s why Daddy tried to bring all three boxes upstairs at once. I did this to Daddy.”
Cope held Wolf tighter. “No, Wolfie. The Christmas boxes are almost as tall as you. There’s no way you could have brought one up the stairs. Daddy always carries all three upstairs at once. He would sing stupid circus music and pretend he was a clown about to drop them. He never did.”Until today, Cope’s mind added.
“But I should have helped him,” Wolf protested.
Rocking his son, Cope tried to find the right words to soothe Wolf. “If Daddy were awake right now, what do you think he’d say if you told him the accident was your fault?”
Wolf pulled back from Cope’s chest. He wore a thoughtful look. “Daddy would tell me I was being silly. I didn’t trip him or push him.”
“That’s exactly what he would say to you, not to make you feel better, but because it’s true.” Cope pressed a kiss to Wolf’s forehead. “What happened today was very scary. Not knowing if Daddy is going to be okay is scary too. It’s Daddy’s job to rest and get better.”
“What’s our job?” Wolf asked.
“That’s such a great question.” Cope had never felt more proud of his son. “Our job is to support Daddy with our positive thoughts and words.”
Wolf grimaced. “I didn’t do that today. I yelled at my best friend.” His bottom lip trembled.
“Everly’s been helping people with her gifts for a long time, Wolfie. She understands that things don’t always go the way she wants them to.” Cope’s mother had explained this very thing to him time and time again when he was growing up. As a psychic, it was the hardest lesson he ever had to learn.
“Things didn’t go my way today. I wanted Everly to tell Daddy I was sorry. I need to go apologize.”
“That’s a great idea,” Cope said. “You can go tell Daddy how you feel. He can hear everything you say. Ask Uncle Ronan to tell you about that, okay?”
“Thanks, Dad.” Wolf gave Cope a hug and ran back toward Jude’s room.
Saying today hadn’t gone his family’s way today was the understatement of the century. It seemed like weeks had passed since Wolf had woken Jude up that morning, begging him to start making pancakes. Never in his wildest dreams could Cope have imagined that he’d end this day with Jude in the intensive care unit.
Now that he was alone with a minute to catch his breath, Cope tried again to use his gift to see if he could catch a glimpse of what was in store for Jude. After a few seconds of darkness, Cope stopped trying. His mind wandered to the other patients on the ward. A woman with pneumonia wasn’t going to make it through the night. Another, who’d undergone a quadruple bypass surgery would be home in time to open gifts with his grandkids.
One by one, Cope focused on each of the five patients. He could clearly see how their stories would play out, for better or for worse. He could see all of their futures, but for one. Jude.
Not being able to see his husband’s future meant that Cope was flying blind. He was terrified of what tomorrow would bring. Bowing his head, Cope began to pray.
7
Jude
“Okay, we’re here,” Bertha said, nudging Jude’s right arm. “Open your eyes.”
“I don’t think that’s the best idea. I think I’m gonna hurl.” Jude had no idea if ghosts could throw up and wasn’t in the mood to find out. “Where did you take me?” With his eyes still slammed tightly shut, Jude could tell he wasn’t in the hospital any more. Where would Bertha have taken him to prove her point that his life was worth fighting for?
Bertha sighed heavily. “Jude, things would go much more smoothly if you’d just do what I say. I’m a very busy woman. Nothing here can hurt you.”
