Marty's Horrible, Terrible, Very Bad Day Page 15

  All motion ceased but the rocking of the building, which was sure to come down around their ears. Dr. Valentine’s heavy breathing rasped loudly, and as the lights flickered on, she got a bird’s-eye view of the landscape when she craned her neck upward.

  He held the elixir out to Hudson with his beefy hand as Nina was just turning around after throwing her father to Darnell. Heath blasted into the room, heading toward Dr. Valentine with flaring nostrils.

  With Dr. Valentine distracted by the commotion, it enabled Rocky to raise her aching arms and slip out of her sweatshirt and his iron grip—and that was when she saw it.

  Her father’s scythe, fallen to the ground, left in a pile of rubble no more than a couple of feet away.

  “Drink it, Hudson!” Dr. Valentine seethed the order, handing it over to Hudson, who popped the top off and prepared to tip it upward.

  “Noooo!” Rocky screamed, and in one swift motion, snatched the scythe from the floor and swung, the slice through the air making a keening screech of sound just before she knocked the elixir from Hudson’s hand and in the process, cut off Dr. Valentine’s head, too.

  She blinked and put her free hand over her mouth to keep from gagging at the blood as her stomach churned. There was so much blood.

  And then she looked up to see Hudson, Nina, Heath and Darnell, rooted to the spot, their jaws unhinged.

  Heaving out a trembling breath, she frowned as she looked at the tip of the scythe. “Wow. That’s a lot sharper than I thought.”

  Hudson threw his head back and laughed—laughed so hard, tears fell down his face and he could hardly stand up.

  Nina held out a fist for her to bump. “Jesus Christ, kiddo. You got aim.”

  “Guys?” Heath yelled as the rumbling became even louder. “We need out, now! Grab Rocky, Nina!”

  As the building began to crumble around them, Nina didn’t appear to think twice. She wrapped her arm around Rocky’s waist, tucked her entire body under her arm and headed for the hallway, where there was a bay of blown-out windows. “Hold on, kiddo!” she ordered.

  Her eyes widened in terror as they headed for an open window at full steam. “Wait! You’re not going to jump, are yooouuu?” she screamed as they whipped downward with everyone else in tow.

  When they hit the ground, Nina set her down and brushed off her shirt as Rocky wobbled, gripping Nina’s arms. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Now, let’s get you in the car. It’s freezing and we don’t want your little reaper toes to get fucking frostbite.”

  That was when she saw her poor father, as Greg was making his way to the car.

  “Daddy?”

  “I’m fine, Roxanne. Everything is okay, honey.”

  “You threw my father out a window while he was still attached to a chair!” Rocky squealed, as Nina wrapped her arm around her and helped her to the car.

  Greg chuckled. “Hey! I caught him. He’s fine, aren’t you, Mr. McNally?” he asked as he carried her father, still in the chair, under his arm like a sack of potatoes. “No big.”

  Rocky shook her head at them and laughed a shaky laugh. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, where were you two hulks all those years ago when he was grounding me for partying at the coliseum?”

  Nina and Greg and even her stern father laughed into the cold night air.

  Keegan came up behind them and barked, “Hurry it up, ladies and gents. We don’t want to be caught here when this place falls to the ground.”

  As he said the words, the building began to fall apart in chunks, making Rocky wince and rush alongside Nina to get to the car.

  Hudson caught up to them just as they were about to reach Nina’s SUV. As Nina tucked her into the backseat, he climbed in next to her and grabbed her hand.

  Hudson gave her a serious look. “You saved my life.”

  “You were willing to save mine, too.”

  He shrugged comically and wiggled an eyebrow. “All in a day’s work.”

  “I cut someone’s head off.”

  Oh, God. She’d have nightmares for centuries to come.

  “Yeah, you did,” Nina snickered as she put Rocky’s seat belt on her and pinched her cheek.

  Hudson leaned into her, pressing his nose to hers as Nina got in the passenger seat and they took off. “Is that like some kind of territorial thing? You know, like cats do when they bring a dead mouse to your doorstep?”

  She smiled at him and sighed, trailing a finger over his sharply angled cheek. “Nope. That means we’re engaged, right, Daddy?” she teased.

  “Right, Muffin!” her father chimed in with a laugh from the last row of seats.

  Hudson laughed, too, and then he sobered. “I’m sorry I stormed off the other night. I was just—”

  “A man?” she offered, and then she patted his cheek with a chuckle. “It’s okay. You were blindsided. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you we’d met before.”

  “So how about we start over?”

  She grinned at his handsome face and shoved her hand between their bodies. “Deal. Hi, Dr. Hudson Khalil. My name is Rocky McNally. Nice to meet you.”

  “I didn’t mean start over-over,” he teased back.

  “Then what did you mean?”

  “Well, you did cut off a head for me. We’re engaged.”

  She giggled, her cheeks burning. “And?”

  “And this.” He angled his head, placing his lips over hers, and kissed her soundly, making her toes curl—right in front of everyone.

  Ah, yes.

  She understood what that meant.

  Later that night, as they all waited to see if the spell on Marty had begun to wear off since she’d contacted Reaper Central and explained what went down with Dr. Valentine, Rocky kept scanning the list of souls for reaping while fighting to keep her happiness about Hudson quiet.

  “So, Marty’s name on the list? Did anyone at this Reaper Central mention what went wrong?” Hudson asked as he peered over her shoulder at her phone.

  “The only answer I could get out of them was it was an egregious error and someone was in big trouble. The guy I talked to had the gall to compare it to an accident, which he said was kind of ironic, seeing as Marty’s turning was an accident, too. And then he laughed and I hung up on him in the loudest way possible when you’re on a cell phone and not a landline.”

  He laughed. “The nerve.”

  “So do we think the spell caused Marty’s stroke and heart attack?” she asked as she kept her eyes on her phone.

  Hudson nodded his head, his mouth a thin line. “With the symptoms the ladies said she was experiencing before she ever went to the karaoke bar, like the headaches and such, I’d say the spell wasn’t the cause. But I think what put her in the coma and kept her there was the spell. When it rebounded off me, maybe it wasn’t as strong as it would have been if it had hit its intended target.”

  They might not ever have all the answers, but at the very least she’d managed to talk some sense into people.

  “And the person who sold the spells and elixir to Dr. Valentine?” she wondered out loud. “Do you think we’ll ever know who was responsible?”

  Hudson shrugged, his face grim. “I dunno. I do know, I wouldn’t want to be the poor bastard if these women find out who’s responsible.”

  Rocky’s phone dinged then, and when she looked at the notification, it made her grin. “Marty’s name is officially off the list!” She almost screamed her joy, holding up her phone to show Hudson with a grin.

  He let out a long, ragged sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Thank God.”

  Nina came up behind them where they stood outside Marty’s bedroom, wrapping her arms around their necks. “Listen, I’m gonna say this shit once and once only. I’m never gonna fuckin’ forget what you two did for our girl here. There’ll never be enough ways to thank your asses, but thank you just the same. You ever need something, all you gotta do is say my name and I’m there. You especially, Reaper,” she said, her voice husky as she dropped a kiss on the
top of Rocky’s head and gave Hudson a slap on the back before she pushed her way into the room.

  Rocky wiped a new crop of tears from her eyes and inhaled, focusing on Marty. “So her breathing tube’s out?” she asked, latching onto Hudson’s hand to keep him close. She never wanted to be far from him again—or at least not until she got past what had happened with Dr. Valentine.

  “Yep. She’s only been getting stronger since Dr. Valentine died.”

  Rocky inhaled, letting it out with a puff of breath as she fought another shiver. “So now what happens?”

  He reached down and ruffled Dwight Johnson’s head, then kissed the tip of her nose. “Now we wait, honey. Now, we wait.”

  “Marty?” Nina whispered, husky and raw, reaching for her friend’s hand. Then she turned to them, pointing at Marty’s fingers. “They moved! I swear to motherfucking Christ, I saw her fingers move!”

  Wanda was there in an instant, her fingers running over Marty’s forehead. “Wake up, honey. It’s time to wake up. We need you. I need you. If I ever have this child, he or she will also need you. Please, sweetie.”

  Hudson pushed his way through the group and grabbed Marty’s hand, his face still swollen and bloody from his fight with Dr. Valentine. “Marty? It’s Hudson Khalil. You’ve got a lot of people waiting for you to wake up. Can you hear me? Gimme a squeeze if you can hear me. Open your eyes, Marty,” he ordered, his soft voice resonating in Rocky’s ears.

  Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to her hand…but she didn’t respond.

  And then Nina did something—something Rocky would remember for the rest of her days.

  “I have an idea. Work with me, folks,” she instructed, turning to the home device on Marty’s dresser. “Hey, Google, play ‘Copacabana’ by Barry Manilow. She hates that song. Which is batshit, because hello, Barry Manilow. But if this doesn’t wake her ass up, nothing will!”

  As the strains of the song began, Nina grabbed a bottle of Marty’s bath salts from a mirrored holder in her connecting bathroom and began to shake it like a maraca. “C’mon, Wanda, get in line!” She shook her butt at her friend, who began to laugh as she tried to grab on to the vampire’s waist and do the conga.

  “C’mon, honey!” Wanda yelled to Heath and the others, as they all sashayed around the room.

  “Copacabaaaaaana—have aaa bananaaa!” Nina sang off key at the top of her lungs, and even though her throat burned and her eyeball might as well just fall out on the floor for all the good it was doing her, Rocky sang, too.

  “His name was Rico, he wore a diamond! But that was thirty years ago, when they used to have a show!”

  And then, as though the Heavens opened up and focused all their love and light on Marty, the conga line suddenly stopped, and Greg said, “Wait!”

  “Are you kidding me?” someone croaked, raspy and dry.

  No one moved as they all looked toward the big bed.

  “Why are you all in my bedroom staring at me…and who the hell are you?” She lifted a shaky hand and pointed it at Rocky. “And worst of all, who had the nads to play ‘Copacabana’ in, of all places, my bedroom? Is their no respect—no decency anymore?” she asked.

  And then everyone descended on Marty at once.

  Keegan scooped her up and pulled her close, burying his face in her neck, while both Nina and Wanda hugged each other as Wanda sobbed before they all but pushed Keegan out of the way and showered Marty with hugs and kisses she appeared utterly bewildered to receive.

  She waved them off with an exasperated sigh before she caught Rocky’s gaze. “I still don’t know who you are. Identify yourself.”

  Rocky sighed a happy sigh and smiled at Marty, who didn’t look at all like someone who’d just spent over a month in a coma after having not one, but two major medical events.

  As she approached the bed, she stuck out her hand with a wide grin. “My name is Rocky McNally, and I was sent here to reap your soul. But a funny thing happened on the way to the karaoke bar…”

  And while Marty stared up at her with wide blue eyes of shock, everyone else in the room laughed.

  And then when they caught their breath, they all laughed some more.

  Tonight was for celebrating a la hashtag #Martylikeits1999.

  Epilogue

  Later that month…

  * * *

  One gorgeous cardiologist/phoenix who’d finally found a place to belong and a woman he belongs with; a grim reaper with a heart bigger than all of the cosmos and the handsomest beau in the universe; the father of that reaper, who was finally learning how to show his daughter how much he truly loved her by taking her to lunch and inviting her and her new boyfriend over to watch The Walking Dead; a half vampire, half witch who’s never going to stop singing the song ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’ to her favorite reaper of all; a pretty blonde, no-longer-comatose werewolf who’s back on her feet, singing karaoke like a champ and ready to take on the world on her low-sodium, low-carb diet; a very pregnant halfsie, who feels like she’s been pregnant for a thousand years and has the swollen ankles to prove it; an assortment of OOPS clients past and present; three adoring husbands, a zombie, a demon, and a passel of children, all gathered together at Marty’s amazing home to celebrate a very special first for a very special doctor and to welcome him into the framily…

  * * *

  As he made his way into Marty’s crowded living room, filled with the tons of people she’d helped save through OOPS, as well as her family and friends, Hudson grinned. He loved these get-togethers almost as much as he loved Arch’s banana pudding. They’d been to two since the mess with Dr. Valentine, and he couldn’t wait to do two hundred more.

  Since that night when Dr. Valentine had almost taken the one thing he loved in this world, he and Rocky had been together every single moment he was free from the hospital.

  He’d made her a priority and cut back on his hours, politely refusing the Chief of Cardiology position. They’d spent their time doing all sorts of things, from riding bikes to watching movies he’d never seen to teaching her how to play golf, and he was finally learning how to use his ultra-high-tech kitchen thanks to her.

  And if he didn’t already know he loved her after remembering their night at the In Between, he knew it now, as sure as he knew he loved being a doctor, and he wanted Rocky to know he never wanted to be apart from her again.

  Slapping Darnell and Arch on the back, he greeted them first. “Gentlemen? How goes the day?”

  “Look at you, my doctor friend,” Darnell crowed pulling him into a shoulder bump. “Fittin’ right in, ain’t ya?”

  Arch rocked back on his shiny shoes and nodded. “As always, it’s wonderful to see you! Tell me, how did you like the new recipe I tried this week?”

  He grinned down at Arch. “You mean the meatloaf? You’re kidding, right? How did I like it? It was amazing. In fact, it was so amazing, you’ve inspired me to try my hand in the kitchen. So it won’t be long before you can take a break from all those delicious deliveries you send over every week.”

  “Bah, it’s nothing, Master Hudson. It will always be my pleasure. You and Mistress Rocky saved one of my most beloved family members on the planet. There will never be enough meatloaf for you and your girl.”

  He leaned into Arch, whispering in his ear, “Speaking of my girl, there’s another reason you won’t need to send meals my way.”

  Arch lifted a graying eyebrow in question, “Sir, are you…?”

  He patted the pocket of his shirt and grinned, stupidly pleased with himself. “I plan to ask her tonight, and if she says yes, I’m hoping we’ll be having dinner together every night for eternity, and maybe with all that time on our hands, she’ll teach me how to cook something other than hit dogs.”

  Arch grabbed his hand and gave it a hard shake. “Oh, sir, what wonderful, wonderful news! Many blessings to you both!”

  Rocky pushed her way through a small crowd of OOPS clients, her gaze meeting his as she approached with a warm s
mile, one he fell in love with over and over. She held up two glasses. “Hey, handsome. I bring the nectar of the gods, otherwise known as red wine.”

  Hudson wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her close, letting his eyes soak in her shiny chestnut hair, falling around her face from her messy bun, and her cute floral dress that accented her waist and swished around her legs.

  He would never tire of pulling her body to his. Dropping a kiss on her soft lips, he whispered, “I saw you talking to Esther. The mermaid,” he gushed. “Did you ask her what it’s like to have a tail and talk underwater? I can’t think of anything cooler.”

  Rocky rolled her eyes at him and pinched his cheek. “I did not. She’s not one of your sci-fi shows, buddy. Now, the ladies and I have a little surprise for you. You up for it?”

  He leaned back in her embrace and smiled. “A surprise? What are you up to now? Is it another tiara and sash that says Best Doctor Ever on it? Because while I love the sentiment, I think a tiara isn’t in my color wheel.”

  Rocky tipped her head back, revealing her creamy throat, and laughed, a sound he loved hearing every day of his life.

  “It’s not anything as pretty as a tiara. But it is something you’ll always remember.”

  “I think we both know, remembering isn’t my strong suit. I mean, I didn’t remember you until you wailed me with that big, sloppy smooch,” he teased.

  He worried a lot about that. Sure, living for five hundred years was a long time, but they both were immortal. Did she really want to have to remind him over and over who she was, and what she meant to him, after he reincarnated—like, forever?

  He hoped she’d give him at least the next five hundred years to prove he was worth waiting for.

  She raised a fist at him. “I’ll give you sloppy, buddy, right in your kisser.”

  He laughed, pulling her fist to his mouth to nibble her fingers.

  “Now, I have a question for you. Do you trust me?” she asked with a secretive smile?

  “Always,” he whispered back against her hair.