"Fine, I thought I would start up stairs today."
"Jackson is a bit under the weather. Why don't you skip his room."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Can I do anything for him?"
"No, I'm sure he'll be fine soon, just needs some rest."
Consuelo spotted the cased liquor. "Are you having a party?"
"No... um… getting a head start on the Halloween Gala."
Every year on Halloween, regardless where they were living, the vampires threw an elaborate party. It would fast become the social event of the year. They invited the whole town, and the wealthy were asked to dig deep for charity. In America, the proceeds went to The Red Cross. Jackson felt it poetic justice that their gala should benefit the organization that supplied blood to the masses.
When Sarah returned to Jackson's room he still sat at the window. He didn't have a bottle in his hands. She took that as a good sign. He gazed out at the trees remembering Mount Greylock, how mesmerized Elisabeth seemed by the view and how connected he felt to her then. He didn't see any way to ever find that emotion again, not now.
"So, feeling any more clear-headed after your shower?"
"Nope." Sarah sat on the arm of the chair and hugged him. He whispered, "Does she want to see me?"
"Very much, but like you, she doesn't know how to act. She is blaming this whole thing on herself. I think she's wrong; you deceived one another, and you are both going to have to forgive to have a future."
"Do you honestly think there is any way we could have a future?"
"All I know is I have never seen two people more in love. To throw that away because of an accident of circumstance would be a tragedy. I don't have solutions to make this work. You're in uncharted territory there, but I truly believe you owe it to yourselves to at least try. If you don't, you will always carry that regret."
Jackson retrieved another bottle, though he didn't drink from it. After a while he placed it on the floor and stood up. "May as well get this over with."
Sarah kissed him on the cheek. "Listen to your heart."
On the way out, he met up with Consuelo. "Oh, Mr. Jackson, I hear you're not feeling well."
"What? Oh yeah, I need to get some air." Consuelo looked after him quizzically. That was the first time he had ever neglected to tell her how ravishing she was.
Jackson drove for a while before heading to Elisabeth's. He tried to come up with something to say that made sense, but failed. Listen to my heart? If I listen to my heart I will be screaming bloody murder.