Back at home, Vicky felt otherwise. She stood stick-still in the hallway, her eyes drilled to the spot where Johnny Teddington stood only minutes before, Kevin's freshman year portrait clutched to her chest. Something about that man really set her off… Something about him, something about his curiosity in that portrait, something that proved he knew more than she did…

And that made her feel worse than ever.

From an outsider's view, Vicky may have seemed prone to a mental institution; The way she guarded the only piece of Kevin she had, holding the very piece of canvas he'd carried home to her only a few years ago. She could still see his fingerprints on the corner of the frame, coated in the debris of God-knows-what he'd touched that day. But the point was, he'd touched it. And she'd touched it. Their connection was never lost. Not until Johnny Teddington bustled his nosy ass through her front door, anyway.

Vicky sighed heavily, causing the light layer of dust covering the photo to gather up into little clouds around her forearms. She loved this portrait… Kevin hadn't been so sick then. He still looked healthy; Healthy enough, even, to attend school for most of his ninth-grade year. Then, during the last few months, the doctors had called him back in, claiming that the tumor in his heart had not in fact stopped growing; It was swelling at a progressive rate, something that still puzzled and shook the doctors' minds. "Never in my life," Dr. Cronin had told her silently, out of Kevin's earshot, "Have I ever seen cancer take over someone's body like this."

Vicky wiped away the last of the dust, her heart sinking. She always found comfort in this portrait; For a moment, she felt as if Kevin were still there with her. But with it came those last memories, the feelings of guilt and remorse any mother would be expected to feel watching their own child suffering at his death bed, unable to soothe the pain.

The sound of the telephone brought her back to her senses.

Vicky sighed heavily, carefully placing the portrait back onto the drywall, her face looking more aged and haggard than ever. "Fuck you!" she screamed towards the telephone as it rang a second time. Her fingers trembled slightly as she worked to set the frame straight. 'Not again,' she told herself, as she felt her breathing pick up and her eyes start to sting with tears, 'You can't keep crying over him. He's not coming back.'

The phone rang again.

"Jesus Christ, Dave," Vicky muttered under her breath, strolling into the kitchen. She stepped over to the only cordless phone in the house, and wiped her eyes with her bathrobe. "God forbid you could leave me alone for two goddamn seconds – Hello?"

"Hey, Vick."

She froze. That was in no shape or form her husband's voice.

There was an awkward pause, and then the man's voice broke out again. "You there?"

Vicky blinked momentarily, tearing at her mind for something to say. "Um… Yeah – yeah. I'm here… Sorry – Who is this?"

"It's Johnny."

Vicky felt a surge of relief flow through her. "Oh… Johnny, I thought you were –" Suddenly, the anger she felt only minutes before returned to her. "Why are you calling? How the hell did you get our number?"

There was another pause, along with the sound of David asking what was going on. Teddy didn't answer him, but instead replied to Vicky, seeming just as calm and polite as always, "I got your car going. I just wanted to let you know we're heading back now. In case you worried about time or anything… Figured I'd check up."

Vicky blinked again, puzzled. "What…? No, no, I wasn't worried. I wasn't even thinking…" She turned to look at the clock, and winced slightly. "You fixed it?" she spat out, unable to conjure anything else to say.

"Yeah," Johnny confirmed, "We'll be home in a few."

Vicky felt her heart sink at those words. 'We'll be home,' she thought, 'Acts as if he's part of the family.'

Then, before she could register what she'd done, she'd hung up.

Vicky stared motionlessly down at the phone, the dead line audible from where she stood. She then carefully placed the phone back onto the receiver, sighed heavily, and ambled into the living room.

The bay window at the rear of the living room had been Vicky's favorite aspect of the home since she and David had first walked in there 19 years ago. The stretch of beach that lay beyond it was breathtaking. She'd never seen the beach before she'd looked through those windows. A childhood in Arkansas granted her that. David, on the other hand, lived and breathed the ocean since he was a kid. And then Kevin…

Vicky swore under her breath, turned from the living room, and instead tried the bathroom. She was sick of having to have everything remind her of Kevin. It was beginning to be too much. Too painful.

Her eyes darted quickly; From the sink, to the toilet, to the shower; And then she finally lost everything. Her legs gave way beneath the soft terry cloth of her bathrobe, and she found herself slouched against the sink, crying heavily. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to pull through with this. Kevin was one thing she'd never get over.

Something happened then; Vicky had stopped crying for a moment, only to take another look around her; When she finally felt a sense of comfort. She felt as if she wasn't herself, as if she were trapped in someone else's body, someone who couldn't feel pain or grief. She felt light again; But what really caught her was how she could feel Kevin. He was right there, with her. She could reach out and touch him, but she was unable to control her own body. Still, she knew he was there; She could see him…

Then it ended, as quickly as it had come.

Vicky awoke right then, breathing heavily, her bathrobe soaked in sweat. She opened her eyes, realizing she was still in the bathroom, David bent over her, his hand shaking as he gently rubbed her back, trying to get her to come to. Vicky looked around her, confused. Kevin had been right there… He was standing right there. She felt a mixture of disbelief and frustration as she stared blankly in front of her, in a daze.

"Vick…?" David calmed his voice best he could as he carefully helped his wife back to her feet. He peered into her empty face, impulsively sweeping her sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes. "What the hell happened?… Why are you on the floor?"

The vision of Kevin swam into her mind again. He was right there. She hadn't seen him in so long, and suddenly, he was there. And she hadn't been taken aback, or shocked, or anything. It was like she'd been expecting it…

"Vick?" David shook her shoulders slightly.

The vision left her completely, and Vicky finally seemed to get her breath back. She fell forward momentarily, weakly catching her balance. 'I'm losing it,' she thought fearfully, 'Nothing makes sense…'

"I'm calling someone," David snapped, releasing his grip from her shoulders and rushing out of the bathroom nervously. "I don't know who," he called from the hallway, "But this can't keep happening to you-"

"No, this hasn't happened before!" Vicky yelled after him helplessly.

David's heavy footsteps fell silent. Vicky cringed, hugging her bathrobe tighter around her, wishing she hadn't say anything. She'd have to clarify what had happened. And she wasn't sure whether or not David would take her seriously.

David circled the hallway briefly before stepping foot before his wife again in the bathroom. She stared up at him timidly, which killed him every time. He hated the fact that he held the ability to make his own wife feel uncomfortable. He felt like a monster, and she was his trapped prey. He hated the view of their relationship. "What happened?" he asked, his tone mellow.

Vicky sighed heavily, her heart still pounding in her ears. Nothing had ever shaken her up like that. She wasn't sure of what exactly happened to her, but she knew it was supernatural.

"What the hell happened!" David yelled, finally losing his cool, causing Vicky to jump.

"I… I don't know!" Vicky yelled. "I just passed out… The heat, I think." She looked up at David, who was staring back at her, his arms folded over his chest, looking apprehensive. "I'm fine," she confirmed. "I need to go lie down… That's all. Just back off a little, okay?" She lowered her voice a notch. "I need to be alone."

David peered into the soft brown of her eyes, wondering what they were hiding. He knew for a fact he wasn't gonna be welcomed back into their bedroom with open arms anytime soon.

A silence sat between them for a moment, the only sound coming from the wall clock hanging above the toilet. Vicky silently paced the bathroom, distraught, her head in her hands.

"You alright?" David finally asked.

Vicky nodded slowly, glancing at the spot where she had seen Kevin. "Fine," she said. "I'm going to bed."

David opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. He knew there was more to what his wife was feeling. But he also knew, as he'd known since the day he'd married her, that she would never let him pry at her emotions. She always got over her feelings one way or another, on her own. But what scared him more than ever was the realization that she wasn't gonna be able to work her way out of this one.

Vicky eyed David as he walked out of the bathroom and back into the hallway. She closed her eyes, listening to his footsteps growing more and more distant, the sound of the refrigerator creaking open as he (undoubtedly) searched for a beer to help calm his worries. She closed her eyes, listening to the wall clock behind her, feeling the coolness of the moist air around her.

Then she opened her eyes.

Kevin still wasn't there.