Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down Read Free Page A

interest.  “ What about him? ”
    “ Oh , don’t worry about him , he’s deaf as a post. ”
    “But won’t we keep him awake?”  The idea of barging into his room didn’t sit well with me.
    “Old people don’t sleep,” she scoffed as if it was a well known fact.  “ Hi , Mr. Gutterman! ” she yelled.  “ Just ignore us, we’re having a little girl talk, okay? ” s he nodded and flashed him a thumbs up sign.  The old man gave no indication he’d heard a single thing she said and Bridget turned her back on him.  “ See, we’re fine.   So spill, what’s so important it’s got you out of bed past ten o’clock?”
    My tongue darted out to moisten my lips.  “ I think… I think I died. ”
     
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    “You died,” she deadpanned .  N ot exactly the reaction I’d been looking for, or any reaction at all really.  “What, at home?”
    “No … maybe… I’m not sure.  All I know is, I woke up in the morgue, dressed like this.”
    “My morgue, downstairs?”  That seemed to personalize it for her , and I nodded.
    “No shit!  When did that happen?  Are you gonna sue the hospital?  Oh, if you do, name that dickwad Simpson, I hate that guy.”  Her eyes alight with avarice, I could tell she was already mentally spending my settlement money and anticipating sweet revenge against the hated doctor.   
    “ I don’t even know who that is… ” M y brows drew together as I tried to get her back on track.  “ Bridge , you’re missing the point.  I don’t know how I got there or why I look like this.”
    “Well, what did you do after I left for work?  I told you not to shop for dates on Craig’s L ist,” she teased.  We both knew I hadn’t dated since breaking up with Trent .  Since we’d both broken up with Trent , actually.  It’s a long story.
    “ Very f unny.” I wasn’t as amused as she was.  “I went to bed alone , and the next thing I knew I was here like this , that’s it, I swear.  They said I was pronounced dead over an hour ago.”
    “Damn, I can see how that would wig you out,” she conceded and I was glad to be finally getting through to her.  Bridget ha d a good heart , she just wasn’t always the most sympathetic of ears .  “I wonder what this is all about?”  Her fingers reached out to lightly trace over one of the heavy pins holding up the dress.  “ This is cool, I’m gonna borrow it sometime, okay? ” 
    That was a first , she’d never asked to borrow anything of mine before.  It was kind of cool, but if it brought bloody deaths and trips to the morgue , it wasn’t worth it in my books.  “ Can we maybe focus less on the jewelry and more on the whole dead thing? ”  
    “It’s Norse.” Mr. Gutterman sounded raspy, as though there was too much air passing through in ratio to his voice.
    “What’s that, Mr. G?” Bridget asked as we both approached the bed.
    “I thought you said he was deaf?”
    “I lip read,” he shrugged thin shoulders.  “I said it’s Norse, the jewelry, the clothes.  Old Norse to be exact.”
    “You mean like the Vikings?” My brows rose in surprise. 
    “Yes, exactly.  My mother was Norwegian .  S he had a brooch very similar to that one.  I remember she took me to a festival when I was a little boy.  There were many dressed as you are today.  I remember…”
    “That’s nice , Mr. G , b ut we’re having a private conversation, okay?”  Bridget turned her back on him again, but I wasn’t in such a hurry to brush him off. 
    “I want to hear what he has to say.”
    “Fine, but I warned you.”   
    At first I chalked it up to her brusque manner, but after a couple of minutes I realized she was trying to save me from dying of boredom.  Mr. Gutterman’s walk down memory lane took a lot of twists and turns, and we doubled back a few times.  By the time we got to the end of the road I wasn’t in possession of many more facts beyond what we started with.