Mental Fiction Follows Me

Jimmy's POV

I rolled over onto my side and propped myself up on one elbow. Syd was laying beside me, and the only movement coming from her was her chest moving as she breathed. Her eyes were closed, shielding the pale brown orbs I had missed so much over the past year. Her colorful arms were stretched out above her head, one hand touching the headboard.

My fingers absently moved to her side and traced the scar there. Syd was a lot tanner than she had been when she left, and the scar was almost a blinding white against her dark skin. Her stomach muscles contracted at the contact, and I stared at them in amazement. Syd must have worked out some, because her muscles are a little harder than they used to be. Her body isn't like one of those creepy women body-builders. It seems to be just perfect.

Syd rolled onto her side and placed her naked chest against mine. Her arm wrapped around me and she laid her palm flat against my back. She moved one of her legs against mine and buried her face in my neck. I felt her chest rise as she took one deep breath, and then she went back to her shallow breathing. I wrapped my free arm around her and pulled her closer to me.

I was still scared that I was going to wake up and find out that this had all been a dream. Syd's fingers curled against my back and I smiled. No, this was way too real to be a dream. Syd was back, she was home, and she was here with me. She wasn't dead, she never had been. So, what exactly had happened?

Woooooooooh
Ghost band, ghost band,
There's a ghost band, girl, playing our songs now,
Ghost band, ghost band,
There's a ghost band, girl, playing our song

I jumped at the sound of my phone, and so did Syd. Her head tilted back, which caused her now almost-waist length hair to fall back around her. The golden brown waves shone in the sunlight pouring through my window, and I almost forgot that my phone was ringing. Her eyes slowly blinked open, and I got lost in the almost translucent brown depths.

"Jimmy?" Syd whispered. Her pale lips were a little swollen and barely moved.

"Yeah?"

"Your phone's ringing." Her smile was wide as she looked up at me, and I rolled my eyes and turned over.

Syd's POV

I moved my head to Jimmy's chest since he was now laying on his back, and I watched as he finally opened his phone. Instead of putting it to his ear, he pressed a button and held it somewhere between my head and his.

"Hello?"

"Sullivan, what have you done to my cousin?!" I heard Brian yell from the other side. A small giggle escaped my lips.

"Syd?! Is that you?! What are you laughing at?!" Brian yelled.

"You, dear cousin, you. Calm down and breathe, okay? Jimmy and I were just catching up. We'll be back at Papa Gates’s house within the hour," I said.

"You better bring her back, Jimmy. You can hog her later," Brian said seriously.

"Yes, sir." Jimmy closed his phone and tossed it back onto the table. He wrapped both arms around me and I relaxed against him.

"Syd?"

"Yeah, Jimmy?" I didn't bother lifting my head, but I did raise my fingers to lightly trace his hipbone.

"There's something I want to ask you, but I don't know if it's too soon." Jimmy's voice came out in the quietest whisper, and I knew what he wanted to ask.

"It's okay, Jimmy. I don't mind."

"What happened out there, Syd?" I sucked in a deep breath and reached behind me to grab one of his arms. Jimmy realized what I was doing and moved his arm so that I could play with one of his hands.

"We were doing a routine check, just the usual stuff. I was checking the outer perimeter when the first building exploded. I could feel the blast, and then I just started running. I must have ran a pretty good way too before I finally passed out. I'm not sure when I woke up, but it was sometime in the early morning. It took me forever to walk back to the site, and I realized what had happened after I got there. Everything, everyone, was gone. I knew it had been reported that there were no survivors, which left me alone."

"What'd you do next?"

"I did the only thing I could do. I started walking. I found a small hut, and the old woman and young girl living there helped me out. They let me stay for the night, and they gave me food and water. The old woman pointed me in a direction, and I found a village after walking for three days. It was burned to the ground. I found a little food and water before walking some more.

"The next thing I knew, a month had passed. I'm being honest, Jimmy, I didn't know how I was still alive. I came across a moving family, and they gave me some more food and water. But I was running out quick, and I was getting so tired. The sun was relentless, and I was only getting a few hours of sleep." I paused and tried to think if I should tell Jimmy about the sandman.

"Syd?"

"Sorry. Well, one day I got caught up in a sandstorm. Something, I'm guessing a rock, hit me in the back of the head and knocked me out. When I woke up I was in some kind of hut with two people speaking English. It was Chase and Julie Fischer. I woke up on February third in a village so small it didn't even have a name. Chase and Julie do mission work, so that's why they were there. Unfortunately for me, no one was going to come get them for nine months and they had no way of contacting the outside world.

"There was an airport two days away, if you were driving. No one was there though. It was basically abandoned except for the day that was scheduled for Julie and Chase to get picked up. They let me stay with them, because going back into the desert was suicide. I decided that waiting nine months to go home was better than never coming home at all."

"I'm sorry." I released Jimmy's hand and twisted so that my chin rested on his chest. Jimmy's was rubbing one hand over his face so I couldn't read the look in his eyes.

"Sorry for what?" I asked. Jimmy removed his hand from my face and placed it between my shoulder blades.

"For doubting you. For thinking you were really gone. For believing you were like everyone else." I felt a small smile on my lips as I lifted myself up and kissed the underside of his jaw.

"You're forgiven this time," I said and moved my lips to his. I pulled away a second later and continued to smile at him.

"I probably should get you back to Brian's," Jimmy said quietly.

"Yeah, there's still some things I need to get sorted out," I said.

"Sorted out?" Jimmy asked. I straddled his hips for a second before rolling off him and touching my feet to the floor. I felt sunlight from Jimmy's open window warming my body, and I stopped to stretch.

"Yep. Do you know if Brian got rid of all my clothes?" I asked.

"He didn't. They're still in his guest room, the one you stayed in," Jimmy said. I heard him standing up too, and then I felt his arms go around my waist. He propped his chin on my shoulder and kissed the side of my neck.

"That's good to know. Hey, Jimmy? Does all of this mean that we get to start where we left off?" I asked.

"Only if you want to."

"Of course I want to," I whispered and took both of his hands in mine.

"Then will you move in with me?" I turned my head to look at him, and his blue eyes looked so open and scared.

"Are you sure you want to put up with me every day?" I asked. It hadn't settled in yet, but I knew that it would. Flashbacks, nightmares, and the inevitable breakdown.

"For the rest of my life," Jimmy said.

"Then I'd love to." I moved my arms to behind his neck and craned my neck around to kiss him again. We pulled away a few minutes later, and I leaned back against him.

"So, do you want to wear some of my clothes or out the army uniform back on?" Jimmy asked.

"Some of your clothes, please," I said.

"My clothes it is. We'll pick some out after our shower."

"Shower? Jimmy!" Jimmy hooked one arm behind my knees and pulled me up into his arms. I quickly wrapped my arms back around his neck as he carried us into the bathroom.

*** __***__***

"I'm going to get a water! Want one?!" I yelled from the hallway.

"Sure!" Jimmy yelled back. I started walking down the stairs, and I looked down at what I was wearing. A pair of loose black shorts and a random Jeff Dunham tee shirt. Personally, I was planning on stealing it from Jimmy. My feet were bare, and I didn't care if I ever wore shoes again or not. I officially hated boots and shoes now. I walked into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator.

I froze as I looked at the giant structure in front of me. I was very sure that it was a refrigerator, but it was impossible to see the actual door because of everything covering it's surface. There were pictures from coloring books all over it, and a small name was written on the many sheets of paper: Devin. I felt my eyebrows pull together as I looked at all the pictures. Was I missing something?

I lightly shook my head and found the door handle. I pulled it open and grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge. I turned and walked back up the stairs, and I found Jimmy in his bedroom pulling on a pair of shoes. He smiled when he looked up at me, but his smile quickly vanished.

"Syd, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Who's Devin?" Jimmy's smile returned and he quickly stood up. He walked over to where I was and placed one hand on my cheek.

"He's probably the only thing that's kept me alive this long," Jimmy said. His bright blue eyes were filled with love, but I still didn't know who exactly Devin was.

"Is he...is he your son?" I whispered. Jimmy's smile faltered and he shook his head.

"No, nothing like that! Come on, sit down," Jimmy said and pulled me back over to his bed. We sat down on the edge, and Jimmy took one of the bottles of water. He took a long sip, and I mirrored his actions. One thing was for sure, I was never going to take bottled water for granted again.

"So..." I said and glanced over at Jimmy.

"I went grocery shopping, at the beginning of February. Brian even called me while I was there to see if I could watch Pinkly for him while him and Zacky went on that cruise. This little boy ran into me and told me he couldn't find his mom. So, I looked for her. The grocery store was basically empty, but I couldn't find her. I talked to the manager while the cashier rung up my groceries, and he watched the security tapes. She left him, Syd. She waited until he was looking at something, and then she ran out," Jimmy said and looked over at me.

"Just like that? How could a mother do that?" I asked. The thought of a mother leaving her son in a grocery store, where just anyone could grab him, pissed me off.

"She did it. Less than a week later I had custody of Devin. I adopted him. His father signed his rights away, and the only relative on the mother's side is his grandmother and she didn't want him," Jimmy said. I laced my fingers through his and rested my head on his shoulder.

"How old is he?" I asked.

"Five. He started school this year," Jimmy said.

"I'd love to meet him."

"You will. I'll pick him up from school later this afternoon."

"Jimmy?" He turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. I smiled at him and moved to kiss his cheek.

"What was that for?" Jimmy asked.

"For being a wonderful person," I said. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Jimmy blushed before pulling me up and dragging me out of the house.