You Had Me at Halo

Holly stopped singing and clutched at her thigh. And now spasms? This was so not her day. “What’s going on?” she croaked as she found herself sitting back down on the bench.

“That’s what I want to know,” the voice said. “One minute I was at Holly’s funeral and the next minute I’m at the bus stop outside Baker Colwell. It doesn’t make sense. And why can I taste lipstick on my mouth?”

Holly felt her hand reach up to her lips and gulped as a thought too startling and dreadful for words entered her head.

No.

It wasn’t possible.

It couldn’t be happening.

“Actually it is,” another voice said and for a moment Holly clutched at her head.

“Don’t tell me there’s someone else inside here too, because I don’t think I’m going to handle it very well,” she said.

“Of course not.” Dr. Hill appeared from nowhere and sat next to her at the bus stop. “I’m right here.”

Holly let out a sigh of relief. “Boy, am I glad to see you. You won’t believe what’s just happened. For a moment I was starting to think Vince Murphy was still alive and in my body.”

Her leg shot out from under her and there was a growling noise from her throat. “Actually I think you’ll find it’s my body. And can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

“Of course.” The doctor gave a small cough. “It’s quite simple. Miss Evans, it appears that Mr. Murphy is in his body with you. At first it wasn’t obvious because he was in a catatonic state, which made us think he was dead, but well…the good news is he’s all better.”

“And the bad news?” Holly could now feel the disbelief oozing out of every pore in her body. Oh no, wait. Make that Vince Murphy’s body.

“I don’t think you’re going to like the bad news.” Dr. Hill let out a sigh as he started to explain what had happened.

CHAPTER SIX

“What do you mean you’ve stuck me in the body of someone who was only nearly dead?” Holly wasn’t sure whether to laugh or burst out in hysterical tears. “How is this possible?”

Vince coughed. “Actually, I know the answer to that. I think I fainted.”

“You fainted?” Holly echoed as she turned to Dr. Hill in disbelief. “So Vince isn’t sick at all and this whole mess is because my spiritual realigner couldn’t tell the difference between a faint and a death?”

Dr. Hill was now fiddling with the fancy cuffs at the end of his white shirt. “Okay.” He suddenly threw his hands up in the air. “I admit it. I made one tiny little mistake. It could’ve happened to anyone.”

Holly could only stare at him. “I’m sorry, I’ve being trying to stay calm about this whole thing, but it’s not working. Don’t you think it’s hard enough for me to have come down here for two days to try and sort out all of my earthly issues while stuck in a guy’s body, without now telling me I have to share the body with the guy.”

“I think we’re forgetting who’s the victim here. I fainted for what—a second or two— and wham, my body gets snatched.”

Holly uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips. “Okay, so I know this might be a shock but at least you only looked like you were dead, I’m going to be dead forever. Surely letting me use your body for two days isn’t really so bad in the big scheme of things?”

“Not if you want to put lipstick on me. And don’t think I can’t smell the perfume either.” Vince scowled and Holly could feel her eyes narrowing. How dare he scowl at her! She turned her head. If anyone deserved to be scowled at, it was Dr. Hill and so she let him have the full force of Vince’s angry glare.

“It was a mistake,” the doctor repeated. “It does happen from time to time you know. After all, I’m only human.”

“No you’re not,” Holly reminded him. “You told me you’d been dead for two hundred years. And you still haven’t said what you’re going to do to fix this mess.”

The doctor rubbed his temples. “That’s the whole problem. There isn’t anything I can do. The technology we used to get you into Mr. Murphy’s body is very exact—”

“Apart from mistaking him for dead,” Holly cut in and she could feel Vince nodding his head in agreement.

“Yeah,” he said.

Dr. Hill ignored them. “I’m sorry, but it can’t be changed or altered. You won’t leave his body until the planned time—the day after tomorrow at one o’clock in the afternoon.”

“But that’s ridiculous,” Vince said.

“Impossible,” Holly agreed. “You must be able to do something.”

“Sorry.” Dr. Hill shot her an apologetic look, which seemed to be aimed at both of them. “There’s nothing I can do. Except perhaps advise you both the more you bicker, the worse this thing will be. You should be pleased you’re body-sharing with someone you know.”

“We went to school together for two lousy years way back when. I know my mailman better,” Holly retorted.

“So think of this as a chance to catch up on old times then,” Dr. Hill said with an over bright smile. “Oh and would you look at the time? I really have to fly. I’m late for a meeting.”

“No,” Holly yelped. “You can’t go. You’ve got to help me. Please.”

Dr. Hill twitched his lips before reluctantly admitting, “There is an alternative.”

“Yes?” Holly clambered at his words like the first in line at a chocolate convention.

“First you have to imagine what hell looks like then you need to double it and—”

Her excitement waned as she folded her arms and shot him a mulish look. “Is this going to be your alternative for everything?”

“I’m sorry Miss Evans, I don’t make the rules. So what’s it to be?”

“Fine.” Holly let out a reluctant sigh. She had the feeling it would be a bit harder to go find Tina Macdonald and make up with Todd, from the burning depths of hell.

“Excuse me,” Vince interrupted. “I’m not so sure I want to go along with anything this guy says. God knows who he might stuff in here next.”

Holly put her hands on her hips. “I know this isn’t ideal but we’ll just have to work around it.”

“Work around what? The fact there’s another person in my body?” he demanded as once again she felt her arms being crossed.

“There’s no need to get snooty,” Holly retorted as she turned to finish her conversation with Dr. Hill, only to find he had disappeared from sight. “He’s gone.”

“Gee, and I didn’t even get to thank him for putting someone else in my body.” Vince’s voice was laden with sarcasm.

Holly got up and began to pace.

“Okay, now is so not the time to panic,” she instructed herself. “We just need to think this situation through. Yes, it’s going to make getting back to heaven a bit more difficult but with a bit of planning—”

Holly suddenly found herself moving back to the bus stop and sitting down with a thump.

“Stop all of that walking so I can get this straight,” Vince said. “Are you seriously trying to tell me you’ve been in heaven and they’ve sent you down for a…a…well…why have they sent you down?”

Holly let out a sigh as some of her anger evaporated. “I guess this is even weirder.” for you than it is for me. The thing is I sort of got kicked out of heaven. Don’t laugh.”

“Sorry,” he said in a contrite voice as she felt him bite down on the fleshy part of his lip. “So coming back to