The Love Bookshop

Chapter Twenty One

                                                     ( Texts )

Carolyn : Ben is in more trouble. He's becoming a bad accident magnet.

Henry : What ?

Carolyn : Brace yourself. Ben was in a car accident. He doesn't look good. Get back if you can. Actually get back if you can't. I'm serious. He's still unconscious. 

Henry : I'm coming back now. What the fuck is going on ? A car accident ? Who hit him ? He drives like a little old lady for God's sake. Take care of him until I get there. Damn. It'll take time to drive back from New Jersey. 

Carolyn : Nobody hit him. He ran a red light and hit another car. Luckily the other people aren't hurt bad. Shook up mostly. Bumps and bruises and all that jazz. 

Henry : WTF. Ben doesn't run red lights !

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Ben stood by the wall of the cramped hospital triage room , fingers still holding his cane , eyes glued to the scene before him. Medical people , doctors and nurses , raced into the room right past him like they couldn't see him standing there. They actually bumped into him rather rudely without even one excuse me. 

But maybe that was because he wasn't really there. Not really anyway. 

He was actually there on the table with all those people working on him. Doing CPR. Was he dead ? He didn't feel dead. He really didn't know what he was. 

" You're not dead , kid. "

He heard the fast paced words from behind him and turned slowly around. He was stunned to see a face he had recently seen on his phone during a google search. 

Eric Tyler. Daniel's Eric. Who WAS dead. 

He looked as handsome and cocky as in the picture as he smiled at Ben. 

Ben swallowed hard. " You're dead. "

Eric smiled even wider. " Yep. Not exactly my shining moment in life but I am dead. You on the other hand have a chance. Don't fuck it up. You need to go back. Now. "

" Why ? , " he said bitterly. " No big loss if I die today. I hit those people ! I could have killed them ! Who'd care if I die ? Really ? "

Eric's eyes flashed at him with a hint of humor and faint anger just as they heard the doctor call out , " CLEAR ! " right before a bolt of electric current shot through Ben's still body on the table. Shit. He felt that even as he stood there. Even as he stood there staring at a ghost. 

" Henry. "

Ben closed his eyes then and within his head saw his best friend in full Lady Ariel glory from the long black wigged head to the perfectly made up face to the specially ordered stiletto heels on stage belting out Respect. Henry. He hoped Henry would forgive him for leaving him. Except he had promised he never would. Henry. 

" CLEAR ! "

He jumped with the second bolt. 

" Daniel. "

His eyes opened and they blinked in confusion at the man , the ghost , before him. 

" I mean nothing to Daniel. I just met him. "

Bullshit , " Eric snapped. " You little foolish bastard. You think you jealous of me ? I hate you. Because you are stealing him away from me. He's falling  for you. I know he is because I remember when it was me. If he loses you now it will kill him. He can't take another loss. And if that happens as soon as you get to the gate I will kick your ass. You can't fucking die before you even live , genius. Get. Back. In . Your. Body. Now. And you treat that man good. He's special. "

Daniel. Henry. Daniel. 

" CLEAR ! "

Just as the electric current hit him Ben felt himself flying backwards through the air towards his body. 

Daniel.

Henry.

Daniel.

He heard Eric say , " Learn to live , kid. Life is shorter than any of us think. " 

" I have a pulse , doctor , " the nurse said. " He's back. " 

                                     --------------

The man in the stolen scrubs wanted to scream bloody murder and start raging in the middle of the hospital. He glared at the triage room where the luckiest man in America currently was. Who was this Love ? A damn cat with nine lives ? He should be dead. He should be dead ! His eyes squinted with pure unadulterated hatred as he focused on that busy triage room. This was the third time he escaped death. He would not get any more escape attempts. Then his eyes widened as he watched the tall handsome man striding into the triage room like he owned the place and was gearing up for battle. 

Fuck it all. The Great Daniel St. Austin. The god of words that never gave up until he figured out a mystery and a puzzle. What the hell was he doing in this peon town ? Not that it mattered. St. Austin wouldn't save that simpering little brat from the fate he should have faced years ago. Woolbury didn't even suspect the truth. He would do this job for free. 

" Your time will be up very soon , Benjamin Baldwin Love , " he muttered as he walked out of the Love General Hospital. It was time to formulate a new game plan.