Author's Note: Thanks so much for all your comments and suggestions! I wanted to get this to you a lot sooner, but life did what it always does and got really really busy at just the right time. Again, please let me know what you think, I love to have your input.
~~~~~
When Elliott returned to the clinic, he and I worked steadily through until dawn. During his little trip about he had found out that more and more vampires were experiencing similar symptoms to Helena. They couldn't quench their thirst, no matter how much they drank, and as they withered and wasted away sores were opening up over their body. Vampires, who had never had to deal with anything like a wound before were suddenly finding themselves prone to some sort of infection that seemed eat away at their flesh. In fact, in the first hour of contacting friends and talking to acquaintances, Elliott found that everyone knew at least one person with the sickness. It had been slow at first, but vampires were showing the first symptoms in alarmingly high numbers, even within the past week. He counted 45 of his personal acquaintances (and their acquaintances) who were infected. I was amazed. I had Sandra begin contacting these people once more to get information from them—the time frame of the symptoms, the intensity, the patients histories—so that I could attempt to make some sort of database out of the information. From there I hoped to find a general pattern that could point to a cure or at least a cause. Elliott and I studiously set up a number of different tests for the infected tissue samples and were working our way through them when the sun snuck up over the buildings and pushed her first rays into the lobby windows. I pulled the curtains shut and closed off the doors.
"I'm feeling so close right now that I don't want to leave," I said to Elliott who was already slipping out of his scrubs and into a t-shirt and boxer shorts to sleep in.
"Keep working then—I won't even notice you, I'm so tired."
He must have been, since the minute he finished talking to me he slid into the cot, pulled the blanket up tight, and passed out. I smiled. I hadn't known what to think of Elliott at first, but I could tell now that he was incredibly dedicated to healthcare. He kept working, constantly coming up with new and fascinating ideas and techniques, and it was because of him that we had made any progress at all. I was beginning to get a sense of the disease, but even though we still new very little I felt like I finally knew where to look. We had been able to identify the bacteria that seemed to be causing the infection, but so far we had no idea what was actually going on. In fact, we merely identified the fact that there were unknown bacteria in the infected tissue—something that could or could not have been actually related to the symptoms. I rubbed my temples and went back to using an eyedropper to put a controlled amount of a solution infused with the bacteria into test tubes containing pieces of vampire tissues taken from various volunteers from the clinic. It would be a rough study, but we didn't have time to make a well researched, perfect clinical study. This was just to figure out whatever we could as soon as possible and hopefully save a few lives.
I worked for another hour and a half before feeling the indisputable pull of sleep at my eyelids. I finished up my round, shut off the machines, and crawled into the cot alongside Elliott. I was too tired to go anywhere, and I hoped Elliott wouldn't mind. As I lay there, feeling his warm body pressed against mine, I felt a thrill of attraction. My core began tingling. I shook my head with frustration. What was this? Any time I found myself in close proximity to a vampire I began to feel totally overwhelmed by attraction to them. First Theo, then Elliott, then Knox—even when Inga drank from me at her birth, I was overwhelmed by the sensations. It was almost like I needed something from them. I needed the touch, I was almost hungry for them. I thought back to Elke, the werewolf Alpha's words to me, insinuating that I might not just be human. Well, at this point I figured that I certainly couldn't be generic variety human because of all the messy powers I had. I just...I didn't feel any different than normal. Should I have been feeling suddenly superhuman? Should I be craving blood or invisible to others? Was I always like this?
A memory struck me suddenly. I hadn't thought of it in years—maybe it was one of those self-protective denial things—but now it rushed at me, filling my mind. I stood, as a four year old, in the hallway of the house I grew up in. I was wearing footie pajamas, and I remembered hoping that my parents wouldn't be able to hear the sticky soles of the feet sucking gently at the floor as I took each step. I had wanted someone to help me fall back asleep, but my parents were talking in that tone of voice I knew was serious and not to be interrupted.
"—but why now?" my mother was saying, fear and anger in her voice.
"I don't know. Isn't it her right though?" my father paused, I imagine leaning forward in his characteristic way to touch my mother's shoulder. "You have to give some weight to the fact that she gave birth to the girl."
"No. No. That's it. Lana is my baby girl, no matter who she grew inside. Kate may have been my friend once, but after abandoning her own child, I have no interest in her anymore."
"Are you sure? I'll support your decision no matter what, but do you really want to lie to Lana for her whole life?"
"It isn't lying if I tell her that I'm her mother and you're her father. It's true. We're the ones who stepped up to take the baby in when Kate disappeared when no one else in her family bothered to."
"All she wants to do is visit with Lana though. She doesn't want to take her back."
"No. I won't confuse my daughter with that. No."
Whoa, I thought, my breath suddenly coming fast and hot. Whoa. The impact of that experience had been so soul-shaking that as a four year old I just couldn't handle it. I'd tucked it away so well that I hadn't thought of it again until just now. I was adopted? What a cliché! I could have laughed, but the feelings of betrayal started to creep over me almost immediately. I was suddenly unmoored—everything I knew about myself and my history was a lie. Well, not everything, I reminded myself, trying to not be overly dramatic. But certainly a few very basic, important things were withheld. Who was my mother? Some woman named Kate. I'd never heard my mother, my adoptive mother, talk about any friends named Kate. My mind was running overtime thinking about every aspect of the conversation I overheard, and all at once my extreme tiredness crashed over me. Within moments I was fast asleep.
***
I opened my eyes slowly to see Elliott...dancing. Little white earbuds were wedged into his ears and his eyes were clenched shut as he shimmied past the microscope, dipping and spinning and flailing around the table. I could hear a very distant thudding of the beat coming from his head, but other than that and the sound of his breath, the room was silent. I chuckled, laughing harder and harder as I watched him. Finally he spun round to see me laughing at him, and turned bright red, pulling the headphones out of his ears immediately.
"I didn't know vampires could blush," I giggled, sitting up out of bed.
"Yeah, well, they don't. I don't. I'm just red with, with, uh, viciousness! Yeah!"
Elliott gave up being serious and laughed with me. I walked up to him and pulled him in tight for a hug. Again I noticed the sweet smell of him and suddenly how intensely hungry I was.
"Oh my goodness, I don't think I've eaten in at least a day!" I said. "How on earth could I have done that?"
"You're on a vampire sleep schedule now—maybe you're eating like one now too."
The hunger was intense and I felt like I had an idea of what it must be like to be a vampire—the hunger was all mixed up with pain, desire, and deep, deep need. I held my stomach and closed my eyes.
"Whoa, Lana, you okay? I'm going to go get you food. I'll be right back."
Elliott whooshed away and I sat down at his bench. Take deep breaths, I told my self. I breathed slowly in my nose and out my mouth, calming my body down. When Elliott reappeared a few minutes later he found me totally immersed in the notes he had been working on before I awoke.
"Elliott—this is brilliant! Do you think you have enough evidence to be sure this is how the bacteria replicate?"
"Why don't you eat a little something, doc," Elliott chuckled, handing me a carton of Pad Thai, "and then we can chat."
I devoured the food, quenching the hunger, but not the need. I wasn't sure what that emotion was, but I didn't say anything to Elliott. Instead I asked Elliott to explain his notes to me, because if what he wrote was true, I could begin to craft some sort of antibacterial that would fight this specific infection.
After about an hour of working in silence I suddenly remembered him dancing that morning. I chuckled and looked over my shoulder at him.
"So why were you dancing with such exuberance when I woke up?"
"Well, I had just figured out the last of the bacteria's transduction period, and it felt," he blushed again, "it felt good to be working on something so meaningful. I mean, we're really going to be helping people here. I hope I didn't wake you up."
"No, I think I would have woken up anyway. And actually, it was quite nice to start my day with so much laughter," I smiled at him, tapping my pen on my forehead. "And you're right. It does feel good to be doing something worth while. But you know, I'm worried that we're not going to be able to keep going at this rate. I have to keep seeing patients, and it makes it a hell of a lot easier when you're around to help me take care of my patients. I think I need to talk to Theo, and ask him for some more employees."
Elliott eyed me covertly, but I caught him. "Oh come on now, it'll be fine. I'll go to him in peace. In fact," I checked my watch. "Why don't you keep working, and I'll go to him right now. You can see the first patients that come who just need basic check ups and anything else you think you can handle. We're outside of the jurisdiction of the AMA now, so you do what you feel capable of doing, but know that if you injure one of my patients I will hurt you very badly."
"Yes ma'am," Elliott replied, pretending to act scared, but clearly thrilled.
"I'll be back as soon as possible."
The big old building was so familiar, and yet within the space of about a week it had become entirely unwelcoming. The gothic decorations I had found so cute and quaint when I first arrived now felt intimidating and medieval, and the previously refreshing coolness of the stone now chilled me deep within my core. I waited for half an hour before the door swung open and Theo strode through, looking impressively royal. His hair had been combed back into a coif and his typical rumpled shirt and tie was replaced with a fine silk suit and shining black loafers. Even his eyebrows gleamed in the beams of blue light that fell across his face from the stained glass windows.
"Dr. Crane," he boomed, his voice smooth, deep, and distant. "What can I do for you?"
He stared at me while I stuttered for words. I realized that I hadn't thought this visit through at all. Maybe this had been a bad idea. I started to stammer and apologize, trying to pick up my belongings and get out as soon as possible. I had forgotten how golden his eyes were.
"I'm sorry, ex—excuse me. I'll get out of your way," I looked up just as I was getting to the door, and I saw his perfect royalty crumble just for a moment.
"Lana! Wait." He sighed deeply. "Tell me what's up." He came to the front of his desk and sat down in one of the leather chairs, pointing to the other one for me to sit down again.
When I hesitated he pulled out a small, wavering smile, and gazed at me. "Come on now, let's talk. We need to talk."
"Theo, I'm sorry," I said as I sat down, suddenly finding I had much to say to him. "I'm sorry about all of this. I came here for two things. No, three. No, well, maybe more. But three specific things." Theo chuckled and his smile steadied a little bit. "First," I continued, "I want to thank you so so much for providing me with such an amazing clinic and such incredible employees. And thank you for coming to my aid when I needed to perform emergency surgery on Nora, the werewolf. You saved her life without even thinking of it, and I have to admit I don't think I would have been so generous and, not, well, petty."
"Of course, Lana. You know you can ask for whatever you need. At this point you're my only healer, and you do an amazing job. I have nothing but positive reviews from your patients."
