((itscalled))xx;pain.]

[[Melinda Gordon]]

The searing pain in her head had been reduced to a dull throb, but Melinda barely took notice. Her amber eyes stared directly ahead, fixed on nothing in particular. It was as if her soul and mind had departed, reducing her body to some lifeless rag-doll. In a way--this was almost true. A part of her seemed to have faded away with that light--and the figure blocking it--and Melinda could feel it already. But that didn't matter. Nothing mattered except what she had experienced that night. What that man, her father, had said.

She had never known him well, for he had left when she was a young child. It had always been something of a sore spot, and she didn't think that she had ever forgiven him for it. Sure, as a child she had wished for the day he returned, but as she grew older and her sense of abandonment grew, she had decided that she wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, before this encounter, Melinda had absolutely no idea whether her father was even alive or not, and if he was, where he resided. Well...it seemed that she had found him. Dead? Of course, he had to be a spirit. He was there...the light...Melinda's eyes snapped shut, as if this simple action would ward off the pain and confusion she was going through now. Something wasn't right. He had told her things...things that didn't make sense. That couldn't possibly be true. He had spoken of a darkness that had 'always been inside her'. What could that possibly mean? At any rate...it sounded anything but good. In fact, the very sound of her father's voice had been ominous. Especially when he had mentioned her brother.

But how did one have a brother without knowing? And who could it be? Not...surely not Gabriel. Melinda wasn't sure she could handle something like that now. And yet, it made the most sense. Though she could try up and down to deny it, he obviously had some sort of connection to Grandview--not to mention the fact that he, too, could see ghosts. But how could anyone so unlike her be related to her? Gabriel had chosen a darker path--in fact, he was the reason that she had nearly died tonight. No...she had died. The realization sent a shiver down her spine. Yes, she had died, if only briefly. She had seen the light, and other things that she would have rather not. And as hard as she tried, she couldn't make sense of it all...

And she would probably get no rest until she did, despite Jim's voiced concerns. Melinda now sat bolt upright in the hospital bed, brow furrowed in thought. Her whole body had tensed without her even realizing, her knuckles whitening from the tight grip they had on the white bed sheets. What was happening to her?

[Jim Clancy]

Jim looked into the room anxiously. If it were up to him, he would have been at his wife's side all night, but he had other duties to take care of. But he couldn't get her off his mind. When he had thought her dead, even the memory of that pain was unbearable. He had to make sure she was alright.

"Melinda?"

Jim called softly. He scanned the room, his eyes fixing on the hospital bed where Melinda was. Concern sparked in his ice-blue eyes when he saw her. She sat bolt upright in, tense and clutching the sheets, her eyes staring directly ahead. His wife looked completely haunted. He frowned and walked quietly over to the bed. He didn't want to startle her because she didn't seem to have heard him, so he took her hand gently and pried it away from the sheets, running his fingers over the back of her hand in an attempt to soothe her.

"Mel, you should really be resting." He told her gently. He couldn't even begin to guess what she must be feeling like now. All he knew was that Melinda had died for a short period of time. Like those kids. Would she end up like them? Distant and haunted for the rest of her life? He prayed not.

[[Melinda Gordon]]

Melinda had been so deep in thought that indeed, she hadn't noticed Jim's approach. Her bemused frown still in place, she slipped off into her own little world. Perhaps it was a better one, where people didn't die, where she had never met Gabriel or her father...but whatever it was, she didn't stay their long. When another hand tenderly touched her own, she started rather violently, her eyes widening as she gave a little 'oh!' and whipped around to face whoever it was who had approached her. Seconds later, Melinda relaxed again--partially, at least. One couldn't completely relax under such circumstances. Still, Jim's presence was comforting. Seeing the concern in his eyes, Melinda couldn't help but smile weakly.

"I did--I am." She responded, almost instinctively. Truth be told, Melinda was much to mortified to rest--although she had been asleep for some while previously. But she didn't want her husband to worry. There was enough going on right now, it would only make things worse to burden any one. Still, it would be hard to fool Jim. He knew her too well, so she had to be careful. It pained her to hide things from him, but it pained her even more to see him so worried. Besides, Melinda didn't think she could confide in anyone right now...even if she wanted to. Everything was still to fresh in her mind, and it made her head spin.

Concentrate, She reminded herself carefully, giving an involuntary shudder. Blinking rapidly, she tried to relax her rigid position and brighten a bit. Her weak smile widened to a forced grin, and she gave Jim's hand a little reassuring squeeze. "Actually, I'm feeling a lot better now." Yeah, right. If anything, Melinda felt as if the weight on her shoulders was growing heavier and heavier with each passing second.

[Jim Clancy]

Jim just shook his head. He smiled when she claimed she was resting, in spite of himself. Melinda was stubborn, he knew that. But she really needed to rest. He couldn't let something else happen to her. He wasn't fooled by her second statement, either. It was bothering her enough to keep it from him, so this made him even more concerned. His smile dissappeared into a frown, never taking his eyes off of his wife's troubled ones.

"Mel, you don't have to carry this burden alone. It's alright to talk about it."

He reminded her. Jim hated himself for feeling this helpless. He had always accepted that Melinda could talk to the dead, and he'd even been proud of her. She did so much good for so many people. But now, her life was seriously in danger. How far could they let this go? If he tried to stop her, she probably wouldn't listen. He knew that. But Jim also knew that he couldn't just sit around waiting for the next time something happened. And maybe that time Melinda wouldn't be able to come back. But he blocked out that thought very abruptly. He couldn't even think that way. He had to keep her safe...somehow.