Lana's in Denial
1320 Words
It was hours later that Lana woke up on a table. Dr. Foley looked at her and offered a friendly smile, “Welcome back.”
“Where am I?”
“You blacked out after seeing Eric. I had my assistant help me get you on a table.” Foley said as he handed a glass of water to her.
“Thank you.” Lana smiled as she took it and sipped it slowly. Her vision came back into focus, and she had seen that Foley had placed Eric back in the freezer. “You didn’t take me to a hospital.” She noted.
Foley shook his head, “No, I didn’t. I knew you would come to and wanted to make sure you were alright mentally before I took you in.”
“I’m a detective, I’ve seen it all before.” Lana said as she slipped off the table. She stumbled a little and Foley came to steady her.
“Easy now,” he said as he helped her to stand on her feet, “and you may see it all the time, but not from a loved one. You, yourself have probably told the friends and families of victims not to see them that way because that’s not how you want to remember them.”
“I do say that. But I can handle seeing Eric this way.”
Foley laughed, “Yeah, your doubling over my recycling bin to puke and black out said otherwise.”
Lana cringed, “That was your recycling bin? I’m sorry.”
Foley shrugged, “Not the worst thing that could’ve happened to a bunch of paper.”
“Let me see Eric again please.”
Foley shook his head, “I can’t let you do that.”
“It just shocked me. I want to examine his body myself.”
“I know you may find this hard to believe Detective Morgan, and I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest. Eric killed himself. Plain and simple.”
“The Eric I knew would have never done something like that. No matter how hard life was, Eric was a fighter.”
“With all due respect, everyone is always surprised when a loved one kills themselves. What you’re feeling is completely normal. I think it’s best if you put this behind you, lay Eric to rest, and go back from wherever it is you came from.”
Lana felt her blood start to boil. This entire conversation was all textbook and he had been saying things she herself has said. She ran a hand through her hair and tucked some behind her ears. “With all due respect Dr. Foley, I happened to see Eric last night. He came to me in my car. I saw him as he is now and he asked me to help him.”
“As a detective, you should know that it’s been known to happen that people will hallucinate their loved ones to give themselves some closure.”
Lana slammed her hands on the table she was laying on, “I did NOT hallucinate this! There is something dark and unnatural in this area and I believe it’s what took Eric. Along with every other male who has committed suicide. After I left here to become a detective in New York, I have studied the statistics. Red Hills, and the surrounding areas have the highest percentage of male suicides in the last hundred years. Do you have any idea how common it became growing up that a classmate either suffered a freak accident or killed themselves? It shouldn’t be a normal day at school, and you find out the guy you sat behind is dead the next day. But in this town, it is, and that sickens me. Now, if you would kindly let me see Eric, I would like to examine him myself.”
A couple of officers came into the room, “Detective Morgan, you may quietly leave the premises now.”
Lana looked at Foley with annoyance in her eyes, “Really? You called the police on me?”
“You’re acting a little crazy. You barely got into town yesterday. I think it’s best you accept things for how they are and give him the respect of resting in peace.”
“You’re not going to let me see him, are you?”
Foley shook his head and Lana pushed past the officers. She went back to the Broken Road Inn and got some proper rest. That night, she snuck downstairs when she knew Steve would be doing security guard duties. Just like the night before, Steve was in the chair, head back, and snoring loudly. Lana had to laugh at the image. Poor guy was a cop by day and a night guard for Gwen. When would he sleep? She gently shook him, “Steve…” she whispered. Nothing. “Steve!” she hissed loudly which startled him awake.
“Mrs. Banks!” he exclaimed in surprise.
“No, Lana.” She laughed.
“Oh…Lana! Hey girl!” Steve smiled and held his hand up for a high five. “How did it go today at the morgue?”
Lana high fived him and sat down in the empty seat next to him, “Not as good as I was hoping.”
“What happened?”
“I got there, took one look at Eric, puked my guts out, and blacked out.”
Steve frowned a bit, “Oh…it must have been traumatic to see Eric that way. I puked too when I saw him.”
“You saw him?”
Steve nodded, “Yeah I did. I was the one who found him.”
Lana looked at Steve with sadness and compassion in her eyes. She reached over and placed her hand on his, rubbing the back of it with her thumb, “I am so sorry Steve. I can’t imagine the shock of finding him that way.”
Steve smiled at her, he nearly forgot how beautiful Lana is. Her kindness pulled at him and he gripped her hand. “Occupational hazard; you’re not promised you won’t find your best friend like that while on duty. To be honest, it’s why I took the night guard job. I only started it, but I haven’t been able to sleep since I saw him.”
Lana chuckled softly, “You sleep just fine here.”
Steve shook a finger at her as if to say ‘you got me there.’ He chuckled wryly and took off his ball cap, ran a hand through his sweaty hair, then placed it back on his head. “I feel like I’m safe here. I’m not alone. I can look out for my best friend’s wife and kids at night and ensure they’re safe.”
Lana nodded with understanding, “I get it. That’s really great of you too.”
“Thank you. So, what else happened?”
“I woke up on a table. Dr. Foley wouldn’t let me see Eric after that.”
“Why?”
Lana took a good look at Steve, he seemed trustworthy and wouldn’t berate her for what she wanted to say. “He thought I was acting crazy. So much so he called the police on me.”
Steve furrowed his brows, “That’s what two officers were sent out for? Because you got mad?”
“Apparently.” Lana shrugged then gave Steve a serious look. “Something happened last night, while I was driving to get our food. Steve, I think Eric came to me. I saw him with his gunshot wounds, blood dripping from his face. It got so cold in my car that I could see my breath. He asked me to help him.”
Steve looked at her with shock in his eyes, “Lana…I saw him last night too.”
- Writer
