𝐟𝙪𝐥𝐥 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚 ┃ 𝐥𝙪𝒌𝙚 𝐩𝙖𝒕𝒕𝙚𝙧𝙨𝞸𝙣

Chapter 12

We spend hours there, sitting, talking, remembering him, healing. Mom smiles for the first time hearing his name. It's good for all of us.

"Hey, who is that?" Alex says, nodding towards a car that just pulled in. I look up and see my Grandpa getting out of the drivers door. I haven't seen them in years, when Dad died they took it super hard, and we were far away, and then the monster happened.

"Grandpa!" Ben yells, bolting for him. Grandpa looks up, in shock, before yelling "BEN!" back.

They hug it out, and Grandma gets out too, going straight for my mom.

"You came?" She seems shocked.

"We moved here about a month ago, to escape the monster." Mom explains. Hugs go all around, and then Grandma looks straight at Luke, who had been quiet this whole time,

"And whose this?" Luke's jaw drops and I can tell he didn't expect that.

"Luke." Mom fills in for him.

"Luke, aren't you weirded out to be in a graveyard?" Grandma pushes him. She can see ghosts too, she was the one who convinced my mom she wasn't crazy. See, she and Grandpa are Native American, and they adopted my Dad as an infant since they couldn't have kids. They know a thing or two.

"You can see me?" He asks.

"Yes, I can. Now. Why are you kicking it with my grandkids?" She looks so proud using that phrase that Ben and I taught her the last time we saw her. Awww, she remembers!

"Well, the monster kept coming for them, and then this whole day happened, and they just needed a little help." He explains. She smiles.

"Name?"

"Luke. This is Reggie and Alex." He says, pointing to the others.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Grandma." She smiles, before turning to my dads grave.

"How is he?" She asks me, quietly.

"He sent us flowers." I smile. "Ben and I went to the store and there was a bouquet of red pink and yellow roses there waiting for us."

"Ah, he's still with you then." She gives me a side hug and I happily take it.

"If you ever need help, you know I have friends in low places." Grandpa tells Mom, who laughs. That's when I notice Alex stiffen, and I turn to look at where he's looking. There's a cop car pulling up into the cemetery.

"Hey, heads up." I quietly inform everyone of the additional presence. Nothing to be worried about, just so that they know that there's someone there.

The car stops, and the officer opens the door and steps out. He's pretty young, and by the looks of it, he's really bored.

"Hey folks, how's it going?" He walks up to us, and Grandpa shakes his hand.

"Surprisingly well." He tells the officer.

"It's unusual to see this many people here at once, just wanted to check in." He smiles politely at Mom and Grandma, and nods at us kids.

"Yeah, that's my dad." Ben points at the gravestone. "He's been here a while and it's the first time we've been able to come see him."

The officer smiles at Ben, and says

"I think I have just the thing for him, and you guys."

He goes to his truck, and pulls out a single dark pink rose, walking it to my Mom.

"I got my wife a bouquet that I was going to drop off, but I think it can spare a flower."

Mom puts a hand over her mouth and chokes back tears.

Dark pink always stood for healing with her and Dad.

"That color is their code color for healing." I tell the cop, who looks like he just shot a puppy for making Mom cry.

"Wait, what?" He looks at me.

"Yeah, he always got Mom dark pink roses when she was sick for healing, red roses because he loved her, and yellow roses because it meant new beginnings." I quickly fill him in. He lets out a gasp and goes back to the car, pulling the full bouquet out. Red, yellow, and dark pink. He did it again.

"Dad did it again!" Ben pumps the air with his fist with a big grin.

"I don't even know what to say!" The officer says, looking at a loss for words.

"Thank you." Mom smiles at him, and they exchange a hug. He hands her the full bouquet.

"I can buy my wife another one, I think you need this more than we do."

After heartfelt thank you's, from all of us, he heads back out. Mom laughs, which I've never heard her do in association with my dad since he passed.

"You did it again Josh, you did it again."

I grin at Kota and Ben, and the other boys too. Out of nowhere, the wind picks up and whips my hair around as well as mom and Grandmas.

"DAD!" I gasp, looking around. I swear I can hear him laughing too.

"Did anyone else just hear that?" Ben asks. Everyone else shakes their heads no, except me and Mom.

"I heard it too Ben. He's here." I grin, and Mom grins back. We're going to be ok.

"Get over here ya dork." Luke pulls me into a hug and I can't help but hug him back. Pretty soon we're all in a big group hug, and I never go through Luke.

"How is that possible?" Grandma asks.

"I I I I don't know, when we really need each other we can touch!" Luke stutters through his words. I laugh, and then notice that Grandma is thinking.

"I have a theory, but I'm not sure if it's right. What is your love language?" She asks Luke.

"Touch." No hesitation there.

"Well hers isn't, I know that for a fact. I have a idea, but it would mean you would have to stay with us overnight."

After the day we've had, none of us want to drive back home anyways.

"I'm cool with staying if you guys are." Mom says. And with that, we pile into the car, and head to their house.