Melissa flinched back hard, so hard she almost pulled Stephanie off her feet. Her knees went weak and she felt numb, unconsciously using her daughter to lean on as she stared, white-faced, at the man--the skeleton--across the table.
"Mr Pleasant," she heard herself say very calmly, "you're a skeleton."
She was going to fall down. She could feel it. Her knees were shaking. She was going to fall down, but she didn't, because someone took her elbow and eased her into the chair behind her. She was vaguely aware of that same person putting Stephanie's chair closer so she could sit down too, without them breaking apart. That was good, because right now Stephanie was the only solid thing in the room, and Melissa was fairly sure if she let go she'd go spinning off into some mental void.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath."
Melissa took a deep breath and then wrenched her gaze away from the skeleton who might have been looking back at her from across the table, only she couldn't quite tell, because he was a skeleton. The first thing she saw was another skeleton, this time printed on a T-shirt and dressed in ... well, in exactly the same suit Mr Pleasant was already wearing. It would have been hilarious if Melissa felt like she wasn't going to go insane. If she started laughing she didn't think she'd stop.
"He's a skeleton," she repeated to Gabe, and now her voice was shaking. He smiled at her gently.
"Yep. Reduced to his bare bones."
"But you--and he--"
How did that even begin to work? They were so obviously together, but one of them was a skeleton.
Gabe shrugged in a very resigned way. "It's more of a soul thing, really."
Melissa could still see the skeleton out of the corner of her vision. Like a magnet, it drew her gaze back and she stared, trying to imagine the handsome young man that had been there before. It wasn't exactly easy. Her daughter was doing detective work with a detective, who was a skeleton, who was in a literally soulful relationship.
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"Mr Pleasant," she heard herself say very calmly, "you're a skeleton."
She was going to fall down. She could feel it. Her knees were shaking. She was going to fall down, but she didn't, because someone took her elbow and eased her into the chair behind her. She was vaguely aware of that same person putting Stephanie's chair closer so she could sit down too, without them breaking apart. That was good, because right now Stephanie was the only solid thing in the room, and Melissa was fairly sure if she let go she'd go spinning off into some mental void.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath."
Melissa took a deep breath and then wrenched her gaze away from the skeleton who might have been looking back at her from across the table, only she couldn't quite tell, because he was a skeleton. The first thing she saw was another skeleton, this time printed on a T-shirt and dressed in ... well, in exactly the same suit Mr Pleasant was already wearing. It would have been hilarious if Melissa felt like she wasn't going to go insane. If she started laughing she didn't think she'd stop.
"He's a skeleton," she repeated to Gabe, and now her voice was shaking. He smiled at her gently.
"Yep. Reduced to his bare bones."
"But you--and he--"
How did that even begin to work? They were so obviously together, but one of them was a skeleton.
Gabe shrugged in a very resigned way. "It's more of a soul thing, really."
Melissa could still see the skeleton out of the corner of her vision. Like a magnet, it drew her gaze back and she stared, trying to imagine the handsome young man that had been there before. It wasn't exactly easy. Her daughter was doing detective work with a detective, who was a skeleton, who was in a literally soulful relationship.
"Oh."