The Charity of Saint Elizabeth

The cemetery is slowly disappering around me. I feel like my body is folding in on itself. Almost like dying all over again. Could it be that I'm being sent off to heaven or hell?

No! That can't happen! I have to stay here and watch over Parker. I have to...

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I'm...I'm okay. But where the hell am I? It's so dark. After a few seconds, my eyes adjust to the dark and I begin to recognize the familiar surroundings of Parker's kitchen. What am I doing here? All the lights are out except for the faint glow of what is obviously candles coming from the living room. Oh, no one can see me, why not investigate?

In the living room, the Say Anything guys are sitting around a table that comes up to about knee height. They're all holding hands and Jake is reading from a prayer book off the table. Everyone else has their eyes closed.

A...a seance?

That's it then. That's why I disappeared from the cemetery. They called me here.

Jake clears his throat. "Lynn, if you're here, please give us a sign. We need to know that you're here. Touch one of us."

Can I do that? Everytime I've tried to touch someone so far, they haven't felt it. But who knows? Maybe when you call up someone's spirit, it gives them a little extra something. I walk around the back of the table and kneel down beside Parker and reach my hand out to his cheek.

Closer.

Closer.

"Holy shit!"

Oh my God, he felt that.

Jake narrows his eyes and tightens his grip on their hands. "Parker, careful! If you get scared and let go, the circle is broken and we could lose contact! What's the matter? Did you feel something?"

Sweat drops the size of bullets are running down Parker's face, his eyes crazy wide. Did I scare him? Oh, I didn't mean to!

"She...she's here, guys. She t-touched my face."

Alex's jaw nearly hits the floor and Coby's eyes glimmer with wonder. Y'know, I've done this kind of stuff before, but I never thought I'd be the one being contacted.

"Lynn, some of us have something to say to you. Max?"

The lead singer chews his lower lip nervously before speaking. "Lynn, you were one hell of a girlfriend to Parker, and an even better friend. I wasn't there when...it happened, but I just want to say goodbye to you, and that I hope you're okay. Err, Jeff?"

Jeff opens his mouth, but closes it quickly, as though he doesn't know what to say. He lets out a deep sigh.

"We all miss you so much. Jake and I wrote a song for you that we're going to put on XO's first album. God Lynn, nothing's going to be the same. You helped make each day worth living."

He stops, looking across the table. Parker is shaking slightly. He has to tighten his grip on Coby and Max's hands because his palms are so sweaty. I can't imagine what he'd be like if he knew I was kneeling right next to him.

"Parker, I know you want to say something to her. Go ahead."

Parker is searching his mind for the right words. C'mon, babe, talk. I know you can do this.

"Lynn, you...you have no idea how much I miss you. Of all the times you could've been taken from
me, it just had to be right before our wedding. I'm never taking this ring off, and I hope you won't either. In my mind you'll always be my girlfriend, dead or alive. Don't forget about me, okay? That grave plot next to yours is reserved for me. Someday I'll be buried right next to you. Oh Lynn, I think of you every day. I still have a bunch of your things at my place. Just remember that I love you Lynn."

A few tears slip down his cheek, and I can't help but lean in to kiss them away.

Not such a good idea. The contact of my lips makes him jump, breaking his hold on Coby and Max's hands. Jake curses under his breath and runs a hand through his hair. Does this mean Parker can't feel my touch anymore? Sure enough, when I set my hand on his shoulder, he doesn't even flinch.
Damnit.

Parker is the definition of ecstatic. His eyes are wide and he's practically jumping up and down.

"Guys, she was here! It worked and she was here! She...she kissed me on the cheek!"

His fingers run over the spot where my lips were, smiling like crazy.

"Oh, Lynn...

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I don't think I've ever been more worried in myafterlife.

Ever since the seance three weeks ago Parker hasn't had a proper night of sleep. He's constantly tossing and turning and mumbling to himself. More often than not he wakes up in a cold sweat and can't get back to sleep. I wish I knew what was going on inside his head. What could he possibly be dreaming about that's causing him to lose so much sleep?

Tonight is no different. He went to bed early, so it's only about eleven o' clock. The sheets and blanket are in a tangled mess on the floor, leaving him lying on the bed covered by nothing but the boxers he wore to bed. He's mumbling something to himself, tossing his head back and forth.

"No, I can't. Lynn. Lynn!"

He shot up in bed, breathing heavily. My poor boy. His shaking hands reach for the Sidekick sitting on his nightstand, sweat pouring down his pale face. I lean in close, trying to overhear his conversation. Maybe then I'll know what's going on.

"Parker?"

"Coby, there's...there's something wrong with me."

There's shuffling on Coby's end of the phone. "Parker, what's the matter?"

"Ever since we did that seance, I keep having these freaky dreams. I-I can see Lynn and she wants me to follow her, but no matter what I can't catch up with her. She keeps telling me that if I really love her, I'll keep running. But my lungs hurt and my legs get tired, and I just can't keep running and when I look up, she's gone."

"Are you looking at pictures of her before you go to bed or eating anything strange?"

"No, dude. I'm kind of freaked out. Can I come over to your place?"

"Sure thing. I'm up anyways. You can crash on my couch if you want to."

"Thanks Coby. I'll be over in a little while."

Parker hastily jumps out of bed and grabs for the nearest clean clothes, which just happen to be the skinny jeans he wore earlier that day and my old white v-neck. He glances over it quickly before slipping it on, reveling in the smell of my perfume that still clings to it. I should follow him. God only knows what kind of things he might admit to Coby. I need to know what's wrong with him.

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I don't think I've ever seen a more alert driver. He must be really determined to pour his emotions out on someone. Goddamn, I wish I could do something.

Wait.

So far the only thing I've done unsuccessfully is touch someone.

What if...if I can talk to them?

I lean over to the driver's side of the car (snuck in while he wasn't paying attention) and place my lips close to his ear. I hope I don't make him crash...

"Parker."

Well, he jumped about three feet out of his seat, but no crash. His eyes dart around wildly, his breathing as heavy as when he woke up.

"L-lynn? Are you here?"

Now what do I say? Carrying on a conversation in a car with your deceased girlfriend might slightly affect your mental state later in life, so that's a no go. Maybe I should just tell him I love him? That I miss him?

Or maybe that there's a fucking semi headed straight towards him.

"Parker, the road!"

His head whips forward just in time to see the blinding headlights, but it's far too late for him to move out of the way. I know nothing will happen to me, so all I can do is close my eyes as I hear metal smashing against metal and Parker's scared voice cry out.

Please don't let him die...

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Everywhere I look, I see white. What the hell is going on? It's like a neverending fog.

After a few seconds the white starts to clear and in front of me lies the crash Parker just went through. Paramedics are pulling him out of the mangled mess that was his car. Oh my God. All I can see is blood. I can't even tell if he's alive.

"Lynn?"

"Parker?"

I turn my head and lo and behold, Parker is standing a few feet away from me, wringing his hands nervously. He takes a few uneasy steps, then practically sprints over into my arms.

"Lynn, w-what's going on? I'm so scared. You're...you're dead. How can I see you and touch you? Am I d-dead too?"

Honestly, I'm just as confused as him. While my hand strokes his hair, I look over at his body. The paramedics have begun attempts to revive him now, his blood smearing on their clothes. Now I can clearly see what kind of damage he's in. His wrist is bent at such an angle that it's obviously broken. There's a nasty gash in his left cheek, and there's so much red soaked onto his shirt that I don't even want to know where it's from. But his chest. Faint as it may be, I can see that he's still breathing.

Thank God.

"No Parks. I don't think you are. You're caught somewhere in between. I think you just needed to see me, to be near me one last time. To hear me tell you how much I love you, and that I'll never stop loving you."

Parker looks up at me. His eyes are brimming with tears, threatening to spill over at any second. No words are needed. Our lips connect in seconds, and the whole world around us melts.

No car crash, no paramedics, nothing. It's just me and Parker and all of our love.

If only that feeling could go on forever. But I have to let him go back. He's only in his twenties. He's got so much life left to live.

I place one last kiss on his forehead before letting him go and pointing him in the direction of the crash.

"Now go. Coby's probably scared shitless because you should've been there thirty minutes ago and he's going to have a fit when he finds out what happened."

Parker nods, walking back over to his body. Right before he reaches, well, himself, he turns back to me, a smile on his face.

"I love you Lynn."

I smile back. "I love you too Parker. See you on the other side, kid."

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Ugh, hospitals suck even more AFTER you're dead. But I'm not planning on leaving until they release Parker. He's been unconscious for two days and he just woke up, so Jake and Jeff are making a fuss over him. They sound like old women. If they weren't brothers I'd think they were a couple.

"There's no way we're letting you pick up a keytar, let alone any other instrument, with that wrist."

"I can't believe you made it through that."

"Losing two friends in less than three months would've killed us, man."

"Do you still need someplace to stay?"

Laughing, Parker holds up his good hand to silence them. "Guys, chillax. I'm gonna be fine. My wrist and back are gonna be fucked for a little bit, but besides that I'm okay. And no Jeff, I don't need anywhere to stay. I'm much more comfortable at home. Lynn is everywhere there."

How did I manage to land the world's biggest sweetheart?

"Oh, and as for that song, would you mind if I took the reins on that one and release it as I And The Universe? I want to do something in Lynn's memory. What do you say?"

Jake and Jeff glance at each other, then shrug.

"I don't see why not."

"It's a great idea. Good thinking, Parker."

"Thanks. Now you two bickering bitches get on out of here and update Say Anything's and my Myspace with that info. I'm not going to be able to stand not picking up my guitar for more than a week, and I need to rest to be able to play for Lynn."

I smile.

Even in death I've got the best damn boyfriend I could ask for.