Ghostwriter

Chapter 10

Hill stands up. "Here, I'll carry the bag, too." I thank him and fork the bag over. He puts his coat back on, then shrugs the bag on over his shoulder. I slide my own coat over my shoulders, then hold the door for him and turn off all the lights. We trot down to the elevator.

"I can't wait till you two meet. You'll love her, Annie." A couple of people clamber into the elevator with us, pushing our backs against the wall.

"I can't wait either. Maja sounds great." Colton leans out of Hill's arms towards me, with arms extended. He shrieks, and some of the people in the elevator give me looks. I sigh before taking him back. "Sorry, Hill. I guess he's clingy today."

"It's ok. He just wants his mama. I can understand that." Hill ruffles Colton's hair and winks at me. Colton sucks on his fingers and lays his head down on my shoulder. The elevator opens, and we all shuffle out.

Mr. Mires waves at us and types in our computer. We wave back, and Mr. Mires winks at me. I blush and revert my eyes to the ground. Colton touches my shirt then starts chewing on it. Hill holds the door open, and we're off to the Subway.

The sun shines down on Gotham today, warming us through our coats. Colton tugs on his hat, trying to pull it into his mouth. I shift it back. "No, Colton. You gotta keep the hat on or you'll freeze."

Colton whines again and shivers as a breeze rolls by. The sun does not equate for the cold that plagues Gotham as we fall into winter. I pull him closer to me. Cars hoot and honk, and the city smells of trash and lost dreams. The metal of the towers gleam in the light, and the bricks beam red. Cold bites my nose and knifes my cheeks, which flush pink.

"Does he get out much?" Hill asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. Small puffs of visible air come out of his mouth with every word.

"I take him to visit his grandparents once a week, usually. Otherwise he stays in the apartment building with me or Mrs. Dubmire. It's his first winter."

Huh. I forgot that everything this year was his 'first'. What kind of mother forgets that? His first Halloween, his first Thanksgiving, and his first Christmas are all on the horizon.

It's going to be our first holiday season without Mari. I shudder and remind myself to put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

"Hmm. We should bring him to the park. I hear sunlight is good for them." Hill glances at me. The wind blows by again, fingering with his hair and messing it up in all the right ways.

I smile. "I would like that. How's Maja doing?"

"The doctors say she's got another week or so. She's pulling through. I think she'll last at least three more." Hill stares ahead. We descend into the subway.

I my heart beats in my chest, and my shoulders drop. I shift Colton to pull him closer to me. Colton eats away at my scarf. I squeeze Hill's shoulder.

"You'll get through this. Promise." He holds the door for me, and we walk through.

Hill lets out a broken laugh, wipes his nose, and glances at the ceiling of Gotham's subway station. "Promise, huh?"

I stare at him, eye-to-eye. "Hill, if a hormonal, sixteen-year-old, its-not-a-phase phase Antigone Jackson can get through the death of her soulmate, a grown mature Hilton Grey can."

"Can we talk about something else?" Hill purses his lips together. We swipe our cards to go through the gate. We're lucky, a train going our way just stopped. We power-walk to it.