Chapter two

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 wriggling 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 has 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.

The next time I woke up, I felt very well. Much of the overall ache had subsided. My arm and head were not aching, which was a welcome relief. My IV had been removed from my arm, and my left knee was no longer braced. I was more attentive, and I had the impression that I could think again.

The bed adjustments were simple to locate, and it felt pleasant to stand up a bit. The shades were drawn, so there wasn't much of the outside world visible. As far as hospitals go, it was a private room that appeared adequate. There was no television, which was unusual. A quick look revealed that there was also no bedside phone. Hmmm. There was, however, a call button. Could the nurse provide me with a phone? At the very least, I owed a call and an explanation to my supervisor.

The nurse arrived a few seconds later. Before pouring me a cup of cold water, she clucked at me and straightened my pillows.

"How may I help you, Dearie?" She reminded me of my old third-grade teacher. Gray hair, broad hips, a pleasant smile, and a calming demeanor. I liked her right away.

"Dr. Scott promised me some fantastic orange Jell-O the last time I woke up, and I was wondering if you could wire up a phone in here? Or is my phone somewhere? I need to contact my manager and explain why I haven't been showing up to work recently."

"You had nothing with you when they brought you in. Your clothing was torn, and you had nothing in your pockets. Dr. Scott must authorize the phone, but I will notify him that you have requested one. I'll have your supper ready in two shakes. Do you think you're ready for visitors? There are two guys outside who have been waiting for you for some days now."

Some days? Probably, given how much it felt like I'd improved. It was likely the police. They would need to fill out some kind of report, wouldn't they?

"Sure, I think I can handle that."

She tucked the blankets around me and patted my shoulder, "I'll send them right in. If you get tired and want them to go away, you just call me and I'll take care of it."

"Thank you."

But when my guests arrived, they weren't the cops. They were the two guys from the cellar. And one of them was not just familiar, but a coworker as well.

"David? What about David Jones? I hadn't even noticed you before. Everything was very painful. I couldn't think clearly. 

He gave a faint smile as he led the other guy inside the room. They pulled two chairs from the corner and sat close to my bed. When I glanced at the other guy, I realized I faintly recognized him as well.

"Wait. You're the consultant, the special architect, right? I recall filling out the paperwork for the project."

I'd seen him around the office from time to time, usually with David. He was tall, well over six feet, and had the lean, muscular figure of someone who worked out daily. I could tell his eyes were a rich blue now that he was seated so close to me. His hair was dark blonde with gold highlights that extended nearly to his neck. As I stared at him, his gaze never left mine.

Finally, he nodded, "Yeah, that's me."

David cleared his throat and adjusted his chair so I could see him better. "Elizabeth, what do you remember about that night?"

His question snapped my attention back to him. I couldn't decide if I should tell him the truth about what I remembered or not. It was all so weird.

"I'm not entirely sure what I remember. I think maybe the pain and the drugs the hospital pumped into me have messed up my memory."

"Well, why don't you just tell us exactly what you think you remember, no matter how strange or unusual, okay?"

No matter how strange or unusual. Okay.

"I was working from home when I realized I needed some work invoices. I initially looked in my office, but when I couldn't locate them there, I proceeded to the basement file room."

David listened and nodded his head. The other guy kept his gaze fixed on me. "I recall the rear door not being entirely locked. I didn't think much of it at the time since that lock is difficult to latch properly. So I slammed the door and walked downstairs. When I arrived in the file room..."

I took a breather. I'd tried not to worry about this portion too much. I wasn't sure whether I could go on. I inhaled deeply, sucking the air in through my teeth. My heart was racing. I focused my efforts to get the words out.

It's over, I told myself, finished. Nobody here will ever harm you. Accept it and tell them.

"The padlock and hasp on the file room door had been taken off when I arrived. That terrified me since it had no right to be that way. I reached for the doorknob to open it, but there was someone in the room. He yanked the door from my grasp and tossed me across the room."

In my mind, I was reliving it all. Sweat was running between my shoulder blades, and my heart was pounding in my chest. My hands clenched into fists, and my fingernails slashed into my palms.

"He flung me about and sat on my back. I managed to headbutt him, which enraged him, and he flung me about some more. Then he took me in his arms and..." I raised my hand and felt the gauze bandage around my neck "He grabbed my neck and bit it. He seemed to have fangs. How is it possible, David? He couldn't possibly have fangs."

"Was there anything out of the ordinary about the file room?" My mysterious guest posed the inquiry.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Michael. Derek Michael. The room?"

I considered his question. "It didn't strike me as very significant. Because it didn't flood like the rest of the basement, we utilized it as a filing room. It also lacked windows, making it simple to lock and secure. Because the corporation keeps all of its financial information there, keeping access limited is critical."

Derek gave David a nod. "That makes perfect sense. He'd like to sleep someplace where he wouldn't have to worry about the sun."

I stared at David with interest. "So why not? What's all the fuss about sunlight?"

David groaned and massaged his thick, black hair with his hands. "Elizabeth, the guy that assaulted you was a vampire, and I use that term loosely. That's why he sported fangs. He hid in the file room throughout the day to sleep since sunlight would have killed him. He was draining you dry when we yanked him off of you. He'd drawn so much blood from you that if you died from it, you'd have turned into a vampire like him."

A part of me was scared that my fears had been validated. The other half felt oddly relieved since the thought of being attacked by a vampire made me doubt my sanity. At the very least, I wasn't insane. But was I going to turn into a vampire?

"But I'm not, right?" I looked at Derek, "I remember asking you to stake me so I wouldn't be one. But you said that wouldn't happen and that you would fix it."

The nurse entered my room just as he was about to respond. "You've been in here long enough, gentlemen. Don't think I didn't see her monitors going crazy earlier. She needs rest. You are welcome to return tomorrow to continue the conversation."

They began to get up and go, but I caught Derek's fingers as he turned away. "Please respond to my question first. Will I end up like him?"

Derek and David shared a glance, and I was curious about what it meant. Finally, Derek softly gripped my fingers "No, you aren't. I fixed it. You're not going to turn out like him."

Then he dropped my hand and they walked out of my room, my overprotective nurse herding them out like a mother goose.