Hannah blushed, but she was smiling. “It was a very passionate clean up.”
Caitlin laughed. “Did he do a good job cleaning up? Were you satisfied with his performance?”
“I was very satisfied with the job he did cleaning up.”
“Then I take it you will be having him help you do more clean up around your house? Perhaps even around his house?”
Hannah laughed. “He has been helping me clean up more often.”
“I was wondering when you were finally going to do it. Seriously, what were you waiting for? He’s so hot that he could melt the batteries in my vibrator. I’ve got to admit that I’m a little jealous. It’s been a long time since someone’s cleaned up for me. I’ve been taking care of things myself so long that I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have help in that area.”
“Justin looks a lot like Nathaniel, and I’m pretty sure he would help you clean up any time you asked him to,” Hannah teased.
“Justin is a prick,” Caitlin reminded her.
“So you really don’t think I should worry about the dream? I feel a little like I cheated on Nathaniel.”
Caitlin started to speak and then stopped herself. She studied Hannah for a long moment before asking. “Do you love Nathaniel?”
Hannah answered honestly. “I don’t know. He wants to get married, but I just couldn’t tell him yes.”
“Maybe your subconscious really is trying to tell you something. I’m not saying that it’s telling you that you should be with Noah, just maybe that Nathaniel isn’t the right guy for you.”
“Now you sound like Lydia.”
Caitlin shook her head. “No, I’m not telling you to break up with him. In fact I think that you should continue to enjoy his sexy body as long as you want it.”
“I do enjoy his sexy body.”
“Were you ladies talking about my sexy body?”
Noah’s teasing voice startled Hannah and she let out a little scream.
“Why do you and your brother have to sneak up on me?” Hannah complained with a hand over her heart.
“Sorry.” He gave her a sheepish grin and rocked back on his heels. He needed a haircut and his blond hair was falling forward over his eyes.
Hannah reached out a hand to push it back. Her hand lingered on his cheek, and she found herself staring at him. It was hard to read his reaction, because his eyes were covered with dark sunglasses.
“What are you doing here?” Caitlin asked in her usual bored tone.
“Seeing a movie with Justin,” he replied with a teasing smile that Caitlin missed.
Caitlin grabbed Hannah’s arm. “Hurry before he sees us!”
Both Hannah and Noah started to laugh, and the uncomfortable moment was over.
“That was not funny,” Caitlin complained. “I really do have to get home and study so we had better go. I am so tired of hearing that prick gloat about his test scores being higher than mine.”
Hannah hugged Noah, and felt relieved that the awkwardness was gone. Caitlin was right. It was just a dream. She just wished it wasn’t such a hot dream.
“I’ll see you later,” she said with a wave, and headed back to her car.
Chapter Nineteen
“I hear someone coming up the stairs!” Hannah’s bare feet pounded against the floor. “It must be the pizza delivery guy.”
“It is unbelievable how much you've eaten lately,” Lydia murmured, as she rested on the couch. Her face was pale and gaunt. Her eyes, which had once sparkled with life, appeared dull and fatigued. “Every time I turn around you've got something shoved in your mouth. Do you have a tapeworm or something?”
Hannah pushed out her lower lip, as she reached for the front door. “I just wanted to have pizza. Is there something unusual about ordering pizza?”
Lydia stared at her wide-eyed, and shook her head in disbelief. “You had a double cheeseburger with fries, onion rings, and a banana milk shake as a mid-afternoon snack two hours ago. Now you’re going to have pizza with ham, pineapple, jalapeno peppers, and anchovies? You hate fish, and I have never heard of a more disgusting combination.”
“I do not hate fish, and I asked for Canadian bacon, not ham.”
Lydia laughed weakly. “You don’t have a tapeworm; you have a pregnant tapeworm with really bad taste.”
With her nose in the air, Hannah turned away. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” The doorbell rang, so she opened the door and tried to mask her disappointment. “Oh, hi Trish. I thought you were the pizza guy. You didn’t happen to see the pizza guy parking, did you?”
“No.” Trish answered. She looked a little distracted.
“She has a pregnant tape worm,” called Lydia from the couch.
“That’s actually why I came by,” Trish said as she held up a small paper bag.
The doorbell interrupted them and Hannah raced to answer it. “Finally, the pizza is here!” She paid the driver quickly, then dropped the pizza on the coffee table, and ate directly from the box as she sat on the floor. Her eyes darted from Lydia to Trish. “Did you guys want some,” she asked around a mouthful of pizza.
“Ummm . . .” Trish paused as she eyed pizza dubiously. “I think I’m going to pass on that.”
Hannah moaned as she savored her food. Never had she been quite this hungry. Her appetite faded some when Trish dropped the contents of the paper bag onto the coffee table. Staring back at her were two pregnancy tests.
“Holy crap!” Suddenly Lydia showed more energy than she had in the three weeks since Hannah’s party. “You don’t have a pregnant tape worm, you are pregnant.”
“Why would you think that I’m pregnant?” It was a dumb question. Hannah knew the answer, and wondered why she hadn’t considered it herself. Still, she argued, “I can’t be pregnant. We use a condom every time.”
“Condoms are not one-hundred percent effective,” Trish said patiently. “You puked three times when we were out yesterday. You eat like you’re starving, and your boobs are bigger.”
That was not something that had escaped Hannah’s attention. Her bras were much too tight and her nipples hurt. Still she stared at the tests without moving.
“You need to take a test,” Lydia said gently.
“You too,” Trish pointed to the second test.
With her hands in front of her as if to ward off an attacker, Lydia shook her head. “Oh, no. Dominic always uses condoms, and I’m on the pill. I’ve got a timer on my phone to remind me. Besides, I just had my period two weeks ago.”
That slip made Hannah’s gaze snap to Lydia. No longer was her mind consumed with the pregnancy test. “You and Dominic broke up months ago,” she said slowly.
Lydia leaned back into the couch, and blew out a long breath. Her eyes wouldn’t meet Hannah’s. “We never actually broke up.”
Emotions flashed across Hannah’s face, confusion, hurt, and anger. “Why would you lie to me about something like that? I kept thinking that you were depressed about the break up,” Hannah’s voice rose. “I was worried about you, and you were lying to me the whole time. You’ve been lying to me for months.”
“Nathaniel told Dominic to stop seeing me. He threatened to kick Dominic out if he didn’t end things.” No one could mistake the venomous way Lydia said Nathaniel’s name. “I just don’t get what you see in that jerk, and now you might be pregnant with his baby?”
“Don’t turn this into one of your Nathaniel hating rants. What you said doesn’t even make any sense,” Hannah argued. “Why would Nathaniel care if you were dating Dominic? Did it ever occur to you that Dominic might be the one lying?”
“Why would Dominic lie?”
“Maybe he’s cheating on you,” Trish suggested.
“Maybe Nathaniel is cheating on Hannah, and he was afraid Dominic would tell her,” Lydia shot back.
“Then wouldn’t he want Noah to stay away from her too?” Trish had her hands on her hips and she was practically yelling at Lydia.
Through the door she could hear Trish and Lydia arguing.
“I thought we were friends!” That shout was Trish. “You don’t lie to your friends like that.”
“I promised that I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Lydia’s much weaker reply.
Their voices were suddenly drowned out by the loud humming in Hannah’s ears. The test hadn’t taken five minutes to give her an answer ‘PREGNANT’ blared back at her. She just stood there staring at it, not sure what to do.
The sound of the doorbell gave Hannah something to do. Lydia and Trish were too busy yelling at each other to answer it.
Hannah walked out of the bathroom, opened the front door, threw herself into Noah’s arms, and burst into tears.
It was hard to make out anything Hannah was saying. Between the screaming match Lydia and Trish were having, and Hannah’s hysterical weeping, Noah was more than a little confused.
“Hannah, try to calm down,” Noah soothed, as he rubbed her back.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Lydia shouted. Sweat ran down her face and she began to shake violently.
“Are you okay, Lyd?” Trish looked concerned.
“Hannah, sit down so I can take care of Lydia.” Noah led her to the couch.
Hannah obeyed without a word.
“Lydia,” Noah said, taking her arm, “I think you should lie down for a few minutes.”
“I don’t need any advice from you!” Lydia snapped. As soon as the words left her mouth she looked ashamed. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, Noah. Hannah, I’m sorry for upsetting you and lying to you. Trish . . .” Her trembling hand reached out to Trish, and then she collapsed.
Noah knelt on the floor to check her vitals. “Call 911!” he shouted urgently. “She’s not breathing and I can’t find a pulse.
As Trish called 911, Noah performed CPR. Hannah begged, prayed, and cried. The plants wilted further, and the last petal from Lydia’s Drift Rose bush fell to the floor.
Chapter Twenty
At the hospital, Trish and Hannah paced nervously in the waiting room. Noah sat with his head buried in his hands, feeling completely helpless. He’d managed to resuscitate Lydia before the paramedics arrived, but she hadn’t regained consciousness. They had been at the hospital for more than two hours with no word on Lydia’s condition.
Doctors and nurses scurried by. Each time one of them passed, Hannah stared at them as if she could will them to stop and bring good news about Lydia. The longer she waited, the more she worried.
Finally, a doctor approached them. He was a middle-aged man, with pale skin, and thinning brown hair.
“Is she okay?” Hannah asked nervously.
“Can we go in to see her now?” Trish asked.
The doctor had a grave expression on his face as he spoke. “Which of you is Hannah?”
“I am!” Hannah moved close to him. “Does she want to see me? Is she okay?”
The doctor took a deep breath and let it out. “Your cousin is on life support. We’re not sure why, but most of her vital organs are just shutting down.”
Noah wrapped his arms around Hannah’s shoulders from behind.
“She’s going to recover, right?” Hannah refused to believe anything else.
The doctor shook his head. “Her mother is coming tomorrow to say her last goodbyes, and sign the paperwork to take her off of life support,” the doctor explained gently. “I’m very sorry, but we’ve done all that we can.”
Trish began to cry, and Noah pulled her in close. He held both of them against his chest and whispered nonsense words.
Finally, they both calmed down some.
“We should call Dominic.” Hannah’s voice was raspy from her sobs.
Noah looked confused. “Why would we call Dominic about Lydia?”
Trish wiped her tears, and answered. “She was still dating him. I guess she lied about them breaking up.”
“Motherfucker!” Noah said harshly. When Hannah jumped at his tone, he rested his chin on her head and murmured softly.
“The test?” Trish asked tentatively.
“It was positive. I’m pregnant,” Hannah replied.
“Motherfucker!” Noah repeated.
Noah had a sudden thought. He knew it was crazy, but he had to try something.
He took Trish’s hand. “Trish, I need you to take Hannah by her place to pack a bag, and then bring her back here. I know it sounds silly, but I’m going to donate blood in case they need it. Take the keys to my truck. I’ll drive you back to your car when you get back.”
Trish nodded.
Then he turned his attention to Hannah. “You’re going to stay at my house tonight.”
Hannah nodded and then followed Trish out of the room.
Noah spotted the doctor and hurried after him. “Can I have a word with you about Lydia Montgomery?”
The doctor stopped. “Of course, but I won’t be able to release any more details since you aren’t family.”
Noah smiled. “I understand.” He reached out his hand. “Noah Christiansen.”
The doctor took his hand to shake it. Noah clasped it tightly, and looked into the doctor’s eyes. “I’d like to see Lydia now. It won’t be a problem.” There was a moment of hesitation before the doctor nodded. Noah had spent many years avoiding the use of compulsion, and he’d used it twice since meeting Hannah. He didn’t release the doctor’s hand right away. Noah drained just a little energy. The man would feel slightly weak, but still able to care for patients.
Lydia was in intensive care with machines hooked up everywhere. It seemed so wrong to see someone like Lydia unable to even breathe on her own. The nurse looked surprised to see him there.
“Only staff is allowed in the room at this hour,” she said briskly.
He looked into her eyes. “I’m sure it’s okay for me to be here.”
She blinked several times then smiled. “Of course, I don’t know what I was thinking.’
Noah placed his hand on Lydia’s. It was a long shot, and he knew it. If it worked Dominic had even more to answer for. Noah reached inside of himself mentally. He felt his own life force combined with the small amount he’d just stolen from the doctor. He pushed the energy into Lydia. It flowed through her and he felt her hand twitch under his. That simple movement made him smile.
He walked out of the room, and down the hall. He pulled out his phone when he left the ICU and called Nathaniel.
“Noah!” Nathaniel sounded excited.
“We have a serious problem,” Noah said.
“Is Hannah okay?” Nathaniel asked right away.
“Her cousin is in the hospital on life support. They just told us that she’s not going to make it. Her body is shutting down.”
“Is Hannah there with you?” Nathaniel asked. “She shouldn’t be alone.”
“I sent her home with Trish to pack a bag. I’ll have her stay at my house tonight.”
“Thanks, Noah. I’ll get back there as soon as I can.”
“There’s more,” Noah said. “Hannah asked me if we should call Dominic, because apparently he never stopped seeing Lydia.”
Nathaniel cursed in at least four languages. “I’ll kill him!”
“I was able to push some energy into Lydia and I’m going to try to steal a little more for her, but you might want to get some others down here to help out. Hannah will be back soon with her overnight bag so I can’t stay long. I’ll text you the hospital information.”
“Noah, she’s just a normal human,” Nathaniel said as if he were an idiot. “You know we can’t give her energy. We can’t fix this.”
“Wrong,” Noah said. “I’m sure Dominic knew she wasn’t your average human, and thought he could feed on her more often because of
it. The rest of us just assumed. I feel like an idiot, because the clues were all there.”
“Which clues?” Nathaniel asked.
“The plants,” Noah explained. “Don’t you remember how they were all lush and green when Lydia was full of energy? I’m guessing that Dominic was visiting his mother during those times. When she was weakened, the plants looked as wilted as she did.”
There was a long silence at the other end of the line. Finally, Nathaniel spoke. “I’ll be home tomorrow morning. My father is with me so I suspect he’ll want to deal with this Dominic situation. In the meantime, I’ll have Justin go to the hospital. Drew is too young to do any good. I’ll visit her before I go to the house.”
“We have some other things we need to discuss, but they can wait until you get back.” With those ominous words, Noah hung up.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning Hannah woke up in Noah’s bed. He was sitting on a chair beside the bed, staring at the ceiling. There was no way she could have slept at Lydia’s house, and Nathaniel was out of town. Noah had tucked her in, and sat by the bed until she fell asleep. Apparently, he had stayed there all night.
He leaned forward and wiped the tears from her cheek with one hand. She hadn’t even realized that she was crying until that moment. He gently stroked her hair. “What can I do to help you?”
“You’re already doing so much. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for trying to save Lydia.”
“Maybe you should call the hospital this morning to check on her,” he suggested.
Hannah shook her head. “I can’t. I know I’m a coward, and I should at least call my aunt to see if I can say my goodbyes too, but I don’t want to see her hooked up to machines. Most of all I just don’t want to hear that she’s gone.”
Noah dialed the number, asked to speak to an ICU nurse, and handed Hannah the phone.
“ICU nursing station,” said a dour voice.
There was a quiver in Hannah’s voice as she spoke. “I wanted to see how my cousin, Lydia Montgomery, is doing this morning.”
Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) Page 12
