She opened her eyes to the brightness of the room, then quickly closed them again. The lights hurt her eyes.

Slowly, she opened her eyes again. She squinted at the starkness of the white walls and the bright florescent lights that hummed overhead.

"How are you feeling, child?"

McKenna struggled to sit upright, but she couldn't. Her hands were bound to the bed by straps. She let her head fall back onto the pillow in defeat.

"Go away. You're not real."

"I am real. I was flesh and blood once, just like you. Now I’m a spirit. You can see me. You can talk to me. Not many others can do that."

The tears slid down McKenna's face, wetting the pillow beneath her head. "I have to get out of here," she whispered.

"Child, you need to get well."

"I'm not sick."

"You tried to drown yourself."

"I did that because I need to stop talking to dead people, like you."

Grandma shook her head. "Drowning yourself won't do that, child. That will only get you dead."

"Fine by me," McKenna snapped, her eyes blazing into the old woman’s.

"And what about Dane?" Grandma asked.

McKenna's heart dropped to her stomach. She started to cry.

"I don't think you really want to die,” Grandma assured her. “You just had a lot of information dropped in your lap. I'm not sure your parents should have done that to you."

McKenna shook her head on the pillow. "It doesn't matter. They did it. Now I have to live with it.”

"Yes, you have to live with it, but you also have to learn how to accept it."

"And how do I do that?"

"Very slowly and with time."

"But I'm talking to dead people. How do I know when they are dead or alive? Is that why Kelly was assigned to be my handler?" she spat out the word. 

"That was one of the reasons."

"What are the other ones."

"I don't know."

"So answer the other question. How do I know if people are alive or dead?"

Grandma shook her head. "I don't know that either, child."

"God," McKenna sobbed. "What am I supposed to do?"

"In time, you'll know. As you grow into this gift, you'll learn."

"Gift?"

"Yes, child, it's a gift."

"I don't see it that way," McKenna hissed. "It's a curse. A curse I have to live with until the day I die. Oh, God," she sobbed again.

"McKenna, honey," Grandma touched her hair, but McKenna flinched away from her. "Soon, you will learn why you have this gift. Once you understand it, you'll realize it was never a curse, but a blessing."

"Go away!" McKenna turned her head to scream at her grandmother.

But her grandmother was already gone.

***

"I can loosen those straps for you if you promise to behave."

McKenna turned her head toward the voice. The nurse that entered the room was young and pretty, with dark chestnut hair and brown eyes. The many keys she held on her key ring jangled against each other.

"How can I misbehave?" McKenna asked sarcastically. "I'm locked in a room."

The nurse ignored the remark and started to unlock the straps that held McKenna hostage. Her hands were cold as they touched McKenna’s skin. On her wrist, she wore a charm bracelet that jingled with her movements.

Once the restraints were off, McKenna rubbed her wrists where her skin was tender and red. "I want to see my parents," she demanded.

Once again, the nurse ignored her. Her anger grew inside her. Why wouldn't she answer her?

"Did you hear me?” she glanced at the name tag the nurse wore. “Susan? I want to see my parents! I want to know why I'm in here!"

Finally, the nurse responded. "Your doctor will be in shortly. He'll be able to answer all of your questions." Without another word, Susan unlocked the door and left the room. McKenna could hear the clang of the keys as she locked the door behind her.

She jumped off bed, ran to the door, and started to beat at the small window. "Let me out of here!" she screamed. "I don't belong here! I need to see my parents! Where are my parents? Let me out of here, you hear me? Let me out!"

The anger and rage she vented on the door finally exhausted her. She slid to the cold tile floor, shaking with her sobs.

Her mind tortured her with thoughts of Dane. She wondered where he had gone. And with more thoughts of her parents. How did they find her? Why would they put her in this place?

Where were they, and why were they not here? How could they just leave her here? Left alone, McKenna stayed where she was on the floor and let the loneliness and fear take over.

"You have to stop this, child."

"Oh, Grandma," she sobbed. "Just go away. You can't help me."

Grandma sat down on the edge of the bed. "Come here, child."

McKenna shook her head. "You're not real."

"But I am real, McKenna." Grandma left the bed and walked over to her, the old hands reaching out. "Come here. Let me help you."

Still sobbing, McKenna grasped her grandmother’s hands and rose from the floor. She fell into her grandmother's arms. "I'm glad you came, Grandma. I didn’t mean the awful things I said. Oh, I know you're just a ghost, but I needed you so bad."

Her grandmother stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I'm here, child, and I always will be."

"Thank you, Grandma. I’m sorry I was so mean to you."

Her grandmother sighed. "You were upset."

The sound of keys in the lock once again made McKenna's heart jump in her chest. "Grandma, someone's coming."

"It's alright, child. This isn’t a regular hospital, you know. It is a special place. These people know about you."

"A special place?"

"Yes, for people like you. People that see ghosts." She leaned toward McKenna and grinned when she said the word ghosts.

"But what about you?"

"They can't see me, McKenna."

McKenna accepted her answer and waited for the door to open. She had no idea who was going to emerge, but she stayed in her grandmother's arms and held her breath.

***

"Good morning, McKenna." The doctor smiled at her, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'm Doctor Olsen. It’s nice to meet you.”

Nice for who? McKenna wanted to shout. Instead, she said nothing.

He had a clipboard tucked under his arm and a pen stuck out of his breast pocket.

“I'll be your physician while you're here."

She didn't answer, only snuggled closer into her grandmother's bosom.

Dr. Olsen pulled the pen from his pocket, the click loud in the quiet room. "Is someone here?" he inquired.

"My grandmother," she whispered, settling deeper into her warmth.

He nodded and made a note on his clipboard. "McKenna, I'm not here to tell you that you’re crazy. I’m not going to tell you that your grandmother isn't here. See, I'm a different kind of doctor. I'm a parapsychologist. I study and believe in the paranormal. Things like telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to see spirits. I know your grandmother is here."

McKenna's eyes widened. "You do?"

He smiled. "I know because you told me. Obviously, I can't see her. I don't have that ability. But I know that you do. And that you came by this ability after you had a drowning accident. Most people come back from an NDE with certain paranormal capabilities."

"NDE?"

"Near-death experience."

"Why am I here?" she asked.

He pulled up a stool that had been in the corner of the room. "You're here, McKenna, because you tried to drown yourself after your parents told you about your ability. I must admit the way they went about it was very unwise. It traumatized you. You're here now because of that. I'm here to help guide you through the process of understanding it and accepting it."

"When can I go home?"

"That all depends on you," he answered.

"On me? Why?"

"Because there are a lot of people out there that love you and want to make sure you never try to harm yourself again. Living and dead," he added.

"But I have to get out of here," she said, the anxiety rising in her. "There's someone I have to see. Dane has to know what happened to me!"

"Dane’s a boyfriend?"

"Yes, don't you see? He doesn't know where I am. He'll be worried. I need to see him." She started to cry again, and her grandmother held her tighter. "I love him," she cried weakly. "I need him."

"McKenna," Doctor Olsen set his clipboard aside and took her hands in his. "Believe it or not, I completely understand. But what you need to understand is that you come first, before any boyfriend, before your parents." He let his hand gesture around the room. "And before any grandparents. I’m very sorry."

"When can I see my parents?"

"You can't. There won't be any visitors allowed in here. Well," he smiled. "except for the spirits. I can't lock them out.” He stood suddenly, pulling the ring of keys from his pocket. "Your breakfast should be here any minute, McKenna. I'm sorry it will be a standard breakfast because you weren't here to place your order. Either way, it will be good." He turned and left the room.

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