Chapter Text
Hetty looked enviously over at Trevor, sleeping soundly next to her in their bed. She was once again resigned to another night of poor, broken sleep. Her anxious nerves never allowed her much rest. She cuddled into his shoulder, wishing, wishing that perhaps some of Trevor's own deep sleep might filter over to her.
“Oh, I'd give anything to get a good, full night's sleep every night!” she murmured into the darkness. “Absolutely anything!”
As if her wish had been instantly granted, Hetty felt a heavy wave of sleepiness obscure her, drawing her down. She sighed in blissful content, it was just what she'd asked for.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she lay there in bed with a content smile still on her face. She rose and stretched with a pleased little moan. “Oh! I do believe I finally slept like the dead last night!” Hetty turned and saw Flower sitting on the edge of the bed, frowning sorrowfully.
“Flower? Whatever is the matter? I just got--”
“The best sleep of your afterlife, I know,” she nodded somberly, sliding in next to her and looping her arms around Hetty's neck. Hetty was too surprised to object to being cuddled like this. Flower gave her a squeeze, pressing her cheek to her before withdrawing again. “I'm glad you get at least that much out of it. It's what you'd wanted for so long.”
“What are you talking about?” Hetty asked, becoming worried. This didn't sound right, and it certainly didn't sound good! What was the matter? What could possibly have Flower so down that she'd gotten a decent night's sleep? The poor girl was acting as though Hetty were terribly ill!
Flower just shook her head, forcing herself to smile. “Nothing. You're fine. It's all fine.” And with that, she left, leaving Hetty alone in her room.
The next moment, a bright orange ring erupted in the middle of the room, issuing forth her loathsome former husband, Elias. He wore a cocky, satisfied smirk beneath his mustache as he approached Hetty. “What's the matter, my dear? Aren't you enjoying your gift?”
“Gift?” she answered blankly, quickly filling with rage at the sight of the man who'd ensured her life was miserable.
Elias sauntered toward the bed, as grandiose as ever. “I answered your prayer, Henrietta. The least you could do is show some gratitude. But that's you all over again, isn't it? When have you ever shown gratitude for any of the number of things I've done for you?”
Hetty scoffed at the man's dramatics. Especially after his last visit, she had no patience for him. “Elias, tell me what you came here to say before you toddle off back to Hell where you belong,” she growled, standing and advancing upon him, her eyes ablaze!
Elias was unmoved. He simply shook his head and finger at her. “Tut, tut, my dear--”
“And you can stop calling me that! I've never been your dear. We've hated each other since we were children!”
Pouting in theatrical thoughtfulness, Elias shrugged, turning his back on her to pace carelessly. “Very well, if you wish to withdraw the niceties. You asked to get a decent night's sleep at last. I granted that. You said you'd give anything for that to happen. Absolutely anything, you said.”
Hetty nodded, not liking where this was going. “So, you've come to claim my soul? Take me to Hell along with you?”
“Pfft! Why would I want you down there with me??” Elias scoffed with a laugh. “No, you'd ruin the entire atmosphere! Why would I willingly add to my own punishment?”
Satisfied by this, Hetty brightened, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “So you are being punished, not just sending phony emails to trick the gullible?”
Elias heaved a weary sigh, clasping his hands behind his back. “Yes, yes. I'm being punished. Rest easy there. It's not as light a sentence as I would have hoped. Oh, that reminds me: Thomas sends his regards.”
“Oh, professional courtesy only gets you so far down there? How dreadful for you,” she snipped sarcastically. The second part of what Elias said hit a second later. Hetty flinched at her son's name, the memory of his terrible crime brought once again to the fore. “You can tell that murderer that I told Alberta that he killed her, and that I've spent the last century ashamed of him! Now what did you take from me?”
“Hadn't you guessed?” Elias mocked, a triumphant grin on his bland, passive face. “It's very simple. I've taken your memory. Yes, you've been like this for weeks now. Every day you wake up, feeling refreshed, as if you'd gotten the best sleep you could have ever hoped for, but the entire previous day has been wiped out. I even played extra dirty and whittled away some of your already-formed memories. All told, you've lost a year of your afterlife. Don't worry, I can't dig any deeper than that after this. I do feel sorry for my poor replacement, though. Enjoy!” And with that, he practically skipped down the hole back to Hell with a wicked laugh.
Hetty stood on the spot, flabbergasted at all that had been revealed in the last few minutes. She gulped, clenching her hands nervously. Deal with the Devil she thought, and I didn't even realize I was making one. Not like Peter did last year. Silly man. Should have known better.
Then, she gathered her skirts and scurried downstairs to tell the others. Hetty appeared on the scene amid an argument in the living room. None of them even noticed her arrive. She lingered in the foyer, watching and listening
“Flower! How could you leave her all by herself when she just woke up! We take turns for a reason! And you just left her!” Isaac was scolding the hippie.
“Guys, relax. There's no reason we need to start each day laying it on her like that anyway. She's been sleeping like the dead lately, and thank god for small blessings. I always said we oughtta give her time to wake up first before reminding her of her...curse!” Alberta countered with a sympathetic shudder. “Poor thing. Imagine starting each day being reminded of that! Why don't we just let her go about the day sometimes?”
Trevor nodded emphatically. “Yes! That's what I've been saying, too! Since we figured out Hetty loses her memory every morning, even if we don't know why, sometimes ignorance is bliss. Don't get me wrong, there's stuff I wish I could help her remember, but...” he trailed off sadly.
Hetty watched and listened her friends discussing her. They all sounded so concerned for her! It was rather touching! She wondered what Trevor wanted to help her remember...
“Everyone!” she burst out urgently, charging into the room. She saw them all look anxiously at her, clearly worried about her! She held up her hands to command attention. “Elias was just here! He told me that weeks ago, I'd wished to get a good night's sleep every night, that I'd said I'd give anything for it. He granted my wish and as payment he took my ability to form memories. That he'd...even stolen some from the past year.” Hetty felt hot tears well at that, although she didn't know why. Her heart panged, not sure what she'd lost and there was no point in seeking it out if she would just forget again by tomorrow morning.
“Yeah, we figured whatever it was had dug into the recent past,” Trevor observed, carefully approaching her. “We should've known that rat was behind it! If he shows his face in front of me again, I'll punch his lights out!”
Taken aback at Trevor's violent gallantry, Hetty smiled grimly. “You'll have to get in line.”
Trevor grinned and made a deflecting gesture. “Ladies first.”
Hetty felt her smile grow and she automatically reached to take his hand. Trevor took it and patted it with a soft look in his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something, but the moment passed. The others had all gone quiet, staring cautiously at the pair, almost afraid to breathe. Hetty looked from their clasped hands up to Trevor's face, blushing shyly, her heart trembling. Then, she put two and two together with a gasp!
“You're his replacement!”
“What?!” Trevor cried out, repulsed! That he would have anything in common with her horrible ex-husband!
“He-he said he felt sorry for his poor replacement. I didn't know what he meant but...Are you, are...we...?”
Looking like he was fighting back tears, Trevor clutched her hand tighter and drew her close, not daring to do more, not when she'd clearly forgotten all about them. “Yeah,” he answered dryly. “We..uh...” he trailed off, not sure how much to say, not wanting to frighten her even more than she had been.
“You and Trevor are married!” Flower burst out happily. “Oh! He's been taking such good care of you, even when you're mean to him!”
Hetty's face grew drawn and shocked...and apologetic. “Trevor...”
Dropping her hand and stepping away, Trevor raised both hands in surrender. “I don't expect anything of you, understand? It's...hard, yes, but you have good days sometimes, where the thought of being with me isn't repulsive. And you're not mean-mean, you're just...how you used to be. The way you were for 20 years, so I can't really complain. I'll be honest, though, I miss you. I miss us...I miss my wife. But I promised you then and I promise you now: to be by your side in sickness and in health. If all I can be is your friend sometimes, that's what I'll be.”
Hetty gasped and fidgeted, looking around at her rapt friends who'd remained gathered around the spectacle. “Oh, what the hell. I'll forget it by tomorrow.” And she boldly took Trevor in a hug. She sniffled. She'd never heard anything so sweet and heartfelt in all her days. While she wasn't ready to be his wife, she could be his friend.
Trevor held her. This was more than she'd allowed since her ordeal began. Occasionally, he caught her smiling at him, vaguely, as if she didn't know why. He figured those were the moments when she not exactly remembered but felt something. Some echo of what they'd once had. As long as she had those moments, he held onto hope. “I love you. Forever and ever.” He put on a brave smile and nuzzled his face into hers.
This was too much for her, though. Far more familiar than what Hetty was prepared for! She startled backward, leaving her hopeful husband sadly crestfallen. She held up a hand apologetically, biting her lip. Trevor just waved a hand, signaling that it was okay.
Today was shaping up to be one of Hetty's good days. The rest of the ghosts all knew, though, they weren't all like this...