C2 Chapter 2

It was warm and dimly lit. Quiet. I could hear something beeping faintly in the background, but it was far away and didn't bother me. I went back to sleep.

But I had the strangest dream. I was growling on my hands and knees in a hospital bed. The guy from the basement, the one who forced me to drink his blood, was present. He was assuring me not to worry because no one was going to harm me. He continued speaking to me in this calming, gentle tone, but I was furious. Why? What has gone wrong? But he advised me to sleep again, which seemed like a nice idea, so I cuddled up on the bed. My tail beat a few times on the bed before I fell asleep again.

Wait. My tail?

I pushed my eyes open again, perplexed. White walls, shady windows, a faint beeping, and a stench could only be described as a hospital. When I glanced down, I saw an IV in my left arm. My right arm seemed to be in a cast. I tried wiggling my butt in the bed, but nothing moved. Even yet, I couldn't detect a tail. Just a dream, I thought as I fell back asleep.

I wasn't as drowsy the following time I woke up. I wasn't high as a kite on whatever they were giving me for pain relief.

He couldn't have died then. What in the world happened?

I rummaged through my recollections of that night, and the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. There was no way a vampire could have attacked me. Is there anything like that? And whence had those two men appeared? There had been a wolf there as well. That couldn't possibly be what occurred. I must have been involved in a vehicle accident on my way home. That made perfect sense. A car accident. The other thing had to be a dream because of all the drugs I felt in my system.

Vampires don't exist, I told myself emphatically. It had all been a dream. If it had been a vampire, I'd be one too, right? Did I have a strong want for blood? I gave it significant thought before concluding that I didn't appear to be interested in it. Although I was starving, blood did not seem to be my favored food. I could need a pizza, which I doubt I'd be able to find in my hospital room. I considered looking for a call button, but it seemed like too much work.

But he bit my neck, didn't he? I groped tentatively for my neck. The entrance to my room opened just as my fingers brushed over the gauze bandage. A charming young guy walked in, holding a binder that had to contain my chart. He was dressed in pastel blue scrubs beneath a white lab coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. He should be wearing a neon sign that says, "Doctor here!"

"Ah, you're finally awake! I thought perhaps you might be." He smiled at me as he put my chart down on the bedside table and sat on the edge of my bed. "I'm Dr. Scott. How are you feeling today?"

"Everything seems to hurt, but it's not too bad. But I'm not in a rush to go out and party." My stomach grumbled angrily. "I'm guessing you don't have pizza around here? I'm pretty hungry, as I'm sure you just heard."

He burst out laughing "There will be no pizza for you for the time being. When they brought you in, you were a very ill young girl. Before we order the pizza, I want to be sure you'll be able to keep it down. To begin, how about some orange Jell-O?"

"Yes, certainly," I wrinkled my nose, "that sounds utterly delightful." "So, who precisely brought me in here, and what happened to me?" I worriedly bit on my bottom lip.

Dr. Scott stopped, and I saw him carefully considering his response. "You were brought in by some friends. Do you have any recollection of what happened?"

I began to shake my head, but the agony caused me to rethink "No, not at all. I mean, I believe I recall some of it. But it seems so strange that I'm not sure I recall it accurately. What occurred?" There was no way a vampire could have attacked me. Telling him that would very certainly place me in a mental institution.

My hand was gripped by the doctor "Don't worry about it. In situations like yours, some disorientation and memory loss is common. I'm sure your pals will be able to clear everything up for you. Let's have a peek at you now."

He took my pulse and looked me in the eyes with his penlight. Then he walked around the bed, poking my feet and insisting that I twitch my fingers and toes. I considered giving him the bird with the hand that wasn't in a cast, but it didn't seem very nice, so I held back. I was scared to inquire what was wrong with me, but I needed to know.

"Dr. Scott? Am I going to be okay? Is any of this permanent?"

He smirked slightly "You had several fractured bones and some internal bleeding, but those injuries are mending and I don't think there was any lasting damage done. You have a dozen stitches in your neck and will most likely have bruises all over for a time. When you arrived, you were in fairly bad condition. You may express gratitude to your friends for saving your life. You would not be here if it weren't for them."

What friends? He must be referring to the two guys from the basement who dragged my attacker away from me. Without the anguish and panic of that night interfering with my capacity to think, I didn't even recognize them, though one of them looked slightly familiar. However, I was unable to positively identify either of them.

"How long have I been here and when will I be able to leave? No offense intended. I'm sure you're great, but I'd prefer to go home."

He grinned, but it never reached his eyes. "Keep the orange Jell-O down, heal a little more, and I'll see what I can do. Looks like you'll need another pint or two." He touched my IV stand's empty bag. There had been blood. A large bag of transparent material hung next to it. "You sustained some significant injuries, not to mention the fractured arm and blood loss. Give it a couple more days and see how it goes, okay?."

With a put-upon, dramatic sigh, I replied, "Alright, but the orange Jell-O better be damn tasty."

He laughed and adjusted the drip on the small, clear bag, "I'll see what I can do. For now, get some rest, and the Jell-O will be waiting, I promise."

As he walked out of my room, I was already dozing off. That transparent bag wasn't only saline; it also seemed to contain pain relievers. With no other option, I squirmed about a little till I was largely comfortable. I was falling asleep when I remembered he hadn't informed me how long I'd been in the hospital.