Seven Days

Chapter One

December 3rd

Friday

Christmas music?

Frerin blinked sleep from his eyes as he swung out a hand to bat at the alarm clock. He successfully silenced the annoying alarm, but also swept the clock and a water bottle off the nightstand and onto the floor.

With a low groan, he shifted onto his back and closed his eyes once more. Everything ached. From the top of his head to the soles of his feet, he just hurt. Damn, what happened last night, that he hurt like this? He couldn't remember at first. It was all a blur.

He stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't tranquil blue. It was gray. Tranquil gray, instead. He lay there in his own bed, for the first time since the previous December.

Wait. It was the previous December.

Holy—

He smiled. A second chance. He really had a second chance. The fire hadn't happened and wouldn't for another week. It wouldn't at all if he righted his major wrong.

His smile faded. He still had no idea what his major wrong was, and what was worse? He had no way of finding out.

Worse still?

He had a week to figure it all out and fix it.

Fuck.

Something rustled and he looked over to see Riley stretching out on her dog bed. Riley. That's right, he had a dog.

His eyes stung as he remembered how much he'd missed his golden retriever and when he rolled over onto his stomach and looked down at her, his breath hitched as well. Damn, he'd missed her.

Her fur was every bit as soft as he'd remember, and as he rumpled her one ear, she picked up her head and looked at him like he'd lost his damn mind. To him, it'd been six months since he'd been able to pet her. But to her? Only a few hours.

Still, she nuzzled his hand with her cold nose, and then stood up, stretched, shook, then leaped up onto the bed to curl up next to him. Just as she always did.

"I missed this," he told her as her head came to rest on his hip, her brown eyes sad as always as she stared at him. "You don't know that I missed this, but trust me, I was gone a lot longer than a few hours."

Her tail swished across the dark brown comforter. Her eyes closed. He sank back into the pillows and just smiled as he continued stroking the silky golden fur. Something as simple as being able to pet his damn dog and he was ready to cry like a baby over it. But then again, Riley wasn't just a dog. He'd found her at a fire, trapped in the corner of a burning garage in an abandoned house. Neighbors recognized her as having belonged to the former owners. Apparently they'd just left her behind when they moved.

She'd come a long way from the skinny, frightened pup she'd been and now, as she settled against him with a low sigh, Frerin whispered, "I have seven days, Rile. Seven days to figure this out and I will figure it out. I mean, I know Dís and the kids love you, but..."

His throat tightened. That was the worst thing about being dead. He could see his family. Some of them even saw him back. But he couldn't touch any of them. Couldn't hug them. Or in Riley's case, couldn't pet her. And what was worse? She barked at him. Barked, bared her teeth, growled, snarled. She hated him dead.

"But you don't hate me now and it's going to stay that way."

She opened one eye and stared at him. Then she closed it once more.

"Okay, five more minutes, then I'm dragging your lazy ass out of bed."

She didn't acknowledge him this time.