The Seer by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 35

Returning to Tom's house, the team, once again, gathered in the kitchen. The children were asleep, and Linda, as usual, waited up in the living room. Everyone was curious as Tom connected Donna's camera to his laptop, and starting the footage, Gordon guided the team through the entire course of events. Just before the end, the laptop display turned a brilliant white with the explosion of ethereal light, spilling over into the dark, earthly world of the cemetery.

“So,” Tom began. “How did you get them connected?” Gordon took a moment to reflect on the night's events.

“I think they're attracted to me,” he replied. “Maybe they see me as some kind of conduit. I'm not sure.”

“That makes sense,” Steve said. “From what you've said, it seems like she was waiting for you.” Examining the footage again, they saw a blurry form dash towards Gordon, and pausing the recording, Tom turned to him.

“What was going on there?” he asked. The explosion of light had blinded Gordon's senses, but he managed to recall one important moment.

“Um... she gave me a hug,” he answered. The team was stunned. They hadn't been doing this very long, and now, had discovered something that had never been considered; that a ghost could not only express affection, but make physical contact with the living. Even Fraser, who would normally walk away in silent jealousy was interested, as the only question that could be asked arose.

“What did that feel like?” asked Steve. Everyone's eye was fixed on Gordon in anticipation of his answer.

“Um...well,” he began.

He chose his words carefully as he tried to remember every detail.

“She definitely felt solid.”

He tried out any comments that could be construed as erotic, when, in fact, as she threw her arms around him, he reactively put his hands around her waist. It was only for a moment. But sometimes, a moment can go on forever, and this was one of those moments.

Now, the details came flooding back to him, as though he, once again, stood with Grace in the midst of the interred dead. Her hips and waist were firm between his hands. He felt her breasts press against him as her body struck his. Yet, it was her scent that he found most odd. In all other respects, Grace looked and felt real. However, her body carried the smell of the ocean, the place where the lives of her and her young son had been taken, stolen by an unkind sea. As the explosion of light spread out over the cemetery, Grace dissolved into the ether, leaving Gordon with only the memory of their embrace.

He revealed the details of the event, as his new teammates were left stunned and wide-eyed.

“Wow,” Donna said. “Too bad it wasn't a fireman. I would've been all over that.”

They watched the video again, but in reviewing the footage, it was concluded that an encounter of this nature would likely never happen again, and after what was certainly a dramatic event, the team's attention was once more, turned to Gordon.

“So, Gordon,” Tom said. “You doin’ okay? I mean, you were right there at ground zero.”

Gordon let out a deep sigh as he finally got the chance to relax.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I think so.”

Everyone believed him except Donna, who, in spite of her life having taken a downward spiral, had a peculiar gift for reading behavior – breathing patterns, eye contact, and physical cues. Seeing what she knew to be correct, she quickly expressed her concern.

“Guys, hang on,” she said. “Gordo, you sure you're okay? You look a little flushed.”

Once again, all eyes were on him as the team's concern mounted.

“You're right,” Gordon said. “Do you mind if I just stepped out for a few minutes? Just to clear my head.”

Getting up from the table, Gordon walked toward the back door, and as he turned the door knob, Donna offered to go with him, thinking he may want someone to talk to. After all, even a psychiatrist sometimes needs a sounding board.

“Donna,” Tom said. “I think Gordon needs his space.” Hearing this, Gordon turned as he walked through the open doorway.

“Oh...no, it's okay,” he said.

Without appearing too eager, Donna caught up with him as he stepped out onto the porch. As he closed the door behind her, he saw Fraser out of the corner of his eye. It was less than a moment, but he noticed an angry glare on his face, and immediately assumed it to be an expression of jealousy. People, it seems, can easily create the things they find threatened, as part of an invented reality, when in fact, there is no threat. One could say that these are the things that make us the most miserable, and are the products of deep insecurity.

Gordon ignored Fraser's silent tantrum, for now, but would later approach him with the assurance that he was, in no way, trying to steal his thunder, even though he knew that Donna would never be interested in him. Perhaps, if he participated in another investigation, he would talk to him then. But as Gordon and Donna stepped down to the loose dirt of the back yard, Donna continued to hide her infatuation for him. It was something she felt as soon as she saw him. He was intelligent, well educated, and employed as a professional, but these were not the things that attracted her to him. For Donna, it was pure chemistry. Yet, after a bad marriage, she remained guarded, not wanting to get hurt. The only question on her mind was whether Gordon shared this chemistry.

They walked around the house and into the driveway as Donna examined Gordon's face for distress. Feeling her gaze, he inquired about her concern.

“Ya know,” he began. “You don't have to worry. I'll be fine.”

Donna read his words like a trained therapist.

“You what that tells me, Gordo?” she said. “Right now, you're not fine. You're kinda freaked out by this whole thing, aren't you?”

Gordon normally held a firm grasp of his emotions, especially fear. Throughout his training, he was told by his mentors that if one wishes to facilitate calm, one must be calm, regardless of the circumstances. Over the course of his education, Gordon had dealt with more than a few violent people, and it was his acquired gift of calm that often kept him from injury.

“To be honest, yeah,” he replied. “I've seen things like this before, but not like this. Until now, only one has made physical contact with me, but this was a lot more involved.” Donna was fascinated, but realizing that this had not been the first time the dead had reached to him, physically, she felt compelled to asked about it.

“This happened to you before?”

Gordon paused as he considered how much he wanted to tell her. He took his experiences as personal events, and not to be shared in too much detail, unless it was part of an investigation. But, he felt Donna's concern was genuine, and felt comfortable telling her the gist of that particular experience.

“Yeah,” he said. “It was my mother.” Donna's concern peaked, and grabbing his arm, stopped near the entrance of the road.

“Jesus, Gordo!” she began. “How did you deal with that? I mean, I would've lost it.”

“To be honest,” he replied. “I have no idea.” She began to feel self-conscious about having her hand on Gordon's arm, and tried to casually remove it.

“Exactly how many ghosts have you seen?” Donna asked.

Gordon was not able to put a number to his answer, but did recall his experience at the cemetery where he'd seen his mother, and described the mass of specters that had surrounded him. Donna was astonished at Gordon's story.

“My mother told me I had some kind of gift,” he continued. “The little girl who spoke to me said the same thing. Now, I know what they were talking about.” Gordon normally held a calm demeanor, but a brief lapse of emotional self-control left his face flushed, and it did not go unnoticed by Donna. Stepping closer, she asked if there was anything she could do. However, Gordon was very independent, and didn't like the idea of relying on someone else for emotional support.

“Uh...ya know, I think I'm going be...” As much as he tried to be convincing, Donna was able to see through his thin attempt to be reassuring, and losing a grip on her own emotions, rushed in, threw her arms around him, and interrupted him with a firm kiss on the mouth.

It had been a long time since Gordon had felt the warm softness of a woman's lips, and reacted as any other man would. Donna felt his body relax as he brought his hands to her hips, pulling her closer. She pressed her body against him, and feeling the firmness of her breasts pushing into his chest, he felt his face flush with the heat of arousal. Gordon was now at the mercy of Donna's need for intimacy, and found himself in what seemed to be an eternity of passionate exchange, the entangling of two souls, having met through a lapse in the memory of fate. But, their moment of sensual intertwining was interrupted when a fiber of logic forced its way into Gordon's consciousness. A thought that demanded his attention. Taking a deep breath, he brought himself out of the moment, breaking away from the moist warmth of Donna's mouth. He felt his head spinning as his hands remained around her waist, while he gathered his composure.

Donna became concerned, fearing she had acted too impulsively and was about to make a fool of herself.

“Um...I'm sorry,” she said.

She brought her hands up to her face in embarrassment.

“Oh, fuck. I didn't mean to...” she continued. Gordon had recovered enough of his senses to be diplomatic in his response, but didn't want to insult her with a clinical approach.

“Donna,” he began. “It's okay, and honestly, it's been a while. But, with everything that's been going on, I don't think that this is the right time for me to get involved with someone.”

Donna was trying to be understanding, but her insides felt the bludgeoning pain of rejection, as the walls of her emotional insulation began to crack.

“Any other time,” Gordon continued. “Things would be a lot different, and I feel a little stupid for saying this after a kiss like that, but I don't think this is the right time. I'm sorry.”

Somehow, Gordon managed to strike a balance between waving off her romantic advance, and complimenting her on her gift for the art of kissing.

Donna stepped back from Gordon, minimizing any emotional threat, as well as trying to repair a moment of impulsive behavior. Although she understood position on the untimeliness of her interest, she was also affected by his compliment.

“So,” she began. “I guess you're not gonna get that from a ghost, huh?”

Gordon was glad to see her handle an otherwise tense situation in a positive manner. He had no doubt she was hurt, but she dealt with her feelings with a sense of humor, and without resentment. This prompted Gordon to continue to ease the tension that had built up between them by exercising his own sense of humor.

“Well, you never know,” he replied. “I guess it depends on how grateful she is.”

Donna giggled in amusement.

“Jesus, that's gross.”

“Yeah,” Gordon continued. “Imagine what that would look like on camera.”

Now, they were both laughing.

“Look,” Gordon interrupted. “I feel it too, but now just isn't the right time.”

Out of a need for reassurance, Donna took his hand, hoping he would return her grasp, and when he did, she realized he wasn't just using empty words, but that a spark had been lit between them. Unlike any other man she had met, Donna was willing to wait, to let the spark come to life as an ember, and hopefully, a fire of passion.