by Strider, Jez
I was still dwelling on the dream from the night before as we sat in the waiting room. A good rest was becoming elusive. Perhaps, Marc was right and I should take it easy, I thought. He was making enough money to cover the bills but just barely. My job distracted me from the worries going on in my life and I felt like I made a difference in the world doing it. So, I decided it probably wouldn’t help to take any time away.
The sound of a laughter erupted from a child nearby and I looked over. My husband had been making goofy faces at the boy. I found myself smiling. It was a waste of energy to worry so much.
“So, what do you honestly want it to be?” I asked the jester of the waiting room.
Marc gave a shrug. “Don’t matter. I told you before. Though, a girl will probably be more trouble. Like her mother.”
“Oh, whatever.” It was true, but I figured I had to argue the fact and defend myself.
“Evelyn Hart.” The call to come back interrupted any further debate. It was time. We’d been waiting for at least an hour to be called back. “Let’s get your weight and blood pressure then we’ll hopefully find out what the bundle of joy is!” The woman’s overly bubbly attitude made me uneasy. I wondered if I was some sort of freak. Shouldn’t I be happy and excited about finding out?
I stepped on the scale reluctantly as Marc stood back with crossed arms. His impatience was contagious.
“Well, your weight is a little higher than normal, but it’s nothing to worry about.” The nurse said as she recorded the information.
Great…she was calling me fat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marcus crack a grin. Hilarious, really…I rolled my eyes as she took my blood pressure.
She led us down a short hallway and into the ultrasound room. “The doctor will be in shortly.”
“Thanks.” I said and we were alone, once again waiting. I really hated going to the doctor. How can an appointment be set and it take as much as two hours to be seen?
“I told you not to eat that extra piece of cake.” Marc was in a joking mood, but he should have known better than to go there by now.
My teeth clenched slightly before I spoke. “The baby was hungry.”
His laughter made it hard to stay mad. I closed my eyes. The chair was actually pretty comfortable. The next thing I knew there was a brief knock and the doctor entered the room. For a moment, I was confused on where I was, but I shook the doctor’s hand when he extended it to me. Strange that I would fall asleep peacefully in the doctor’s office and not at home.
“Trouble sleeping at night?” He asked with a smile. “It’s not abnormal.”
“A little.” I conceded.
The doctor nodded. “Maybe you’ll rest easy after you know if the baby is a boy or girl.”
Marcus piped up. “I know I will.” As if he ever had trouble sleeping.
The assistant and the doctor set everything up and put the cold goo on my belly. “Alright. He’s being cooperative. How lucky.”
“So what is it?” I asked.
“He…. He? The doctor said he! It’s a boy!” Marc was out of his chair, looking closely at the screen.
I followed the pointing of the doctor as he explained all the parts. It was amazing looking at the little person. “He.” I said simply, feeling more emotional than I had expected.
They printed out a photo for us and answered Marcus’ questions before leaving us alone to get ready to leave. I hadn’t said much. I didn’t want to cry in front of people. If I spoke, I knew I’d lose control of the emotions.
“What’s wrong?” Marc’s smile faded slowly.
I put my hand up to my mouth, giving a small shake of my head. “Nothing…he’s just….” And then it happened. The flood gates let loose. In my long, seemingly never ending life, I’d never loved anything more. Until then, it hadn’t seemed real. The disconnection I had been feeling was finally gone.
Marc pulled my head against his chest, letting me cry. “I know, love. I know.” I took the tissue he handed me and blew my nose. He absolutely didn’t know, but I appreciated the comfort.
“Sorry.” I gave a small laugh. “Stupid hormones.”
“Are you sure you want to go to work?”
Briefly, I considered going home and climbing back into bed. “No. I have to show Ash and Fate the picture!” I told him with genuine enthusiasm.
Marc snickered. “Alright, then.”
When we reached our car, I noticed a piece of paper underneath my windshield wiper.
“Isn’t illegal to put advertisements on people’s cars?” I asked as I picked up the folded piece of paper and opened it up.
Marcus shrugged. “Dunno.”
The paper had letters cut out from various sources to spell out the words,
Dangerous secrets.
“Evey?”
I didn’t respond. What did it mean? Did someone know I was a vampire? That my baby might be Antonio’s? Or was it a warning?
“Evelyn!” When Marc raised his voice, I looked up. I frowned deeply and he came around to my side of the car to see the paper for himself. “What kind of deranged bastard leaves a vague note on a pregnant woman’s car?” He opened my door. “Get in.” I didn’t argue. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was being watched.
“It’s probably just a joke or something. Maybe it doesn’t even have anything to do with us.”
“I don’t know. I’m reluctant to leave you alone now. Do you have to go to work?” Marcus was stealing glances at me as he drove.
Always…always something. “I won’t be alone at work. Besides, you know I can take care of myself.”
He gave a scoff. “Right….”
“I’ll call you if even the slightest thing seems odd. Promise.”
“You better.” His fingers entwined with mine as he took my hand.
It didn’t take long to reach the clinic. I leaned over and gave Marc a kiss. “Thanks for going with me to the doctor. I love you.”
“Love you more, baby. Pick you up at five.” He watched me as I made my way to the door before driving off.
When I pushed open the door to the building, I was assaulted with the smell of blood. Fresh, human blood and in copious amount. I turned back toward the street, but Marcus was already long gone. It would have been smart to call him right at that moment, but I was concerned for my friends.
I hadn’t carried my gun in a long time, but I did have a can of pepper spray. It was better than nothing so I pulled it out of my purse, holding it at the ready.
“Hello?”
Yeah. Probably not the brightest thing I’ve ever done. The jingling bell atop the entranceway would have already alerted everyone to my presence when I walked in. There was no response to my greeting so I followed the scent toward the operating room. The door was slightly ajar. When I looked down there was a trail of crimson fluid leading into the room.
“Oh god….” I tried to steady my arm in front of me as I held out my only weapon. Then, I pushed the door open. Ashley was slumped over in a sitting position on the floor with her head limply leaned forward. I rushed across the room, falling to my knees in front of my best friend. Frantically, I put my fingers on her wrist, searching for a pulse. It was futile. I knew her heart wasn’t beating before I crossed the room. So much blood….
Gently, I touched the wild mess of curls atop her head as tears streamed down my face. There was nothing I could do for my friend. Her throat was slit. I tore myself away. Fate…she would have been there as well. I pulled myself together as best I could to search for her.
It didn’t take me long to find her. One of the operating tables had a cloth thrown over top of it. Fate was hiding underneath, rocking back and forth. I waved my hand in front of her face, but she just kept staring in the direction of her dead mother. She was completely unresponsive when I spoke to her. I had to get her out of that room. With a little tugging and urging, I was able to get her out from underneath the table. Her arms wrapped around me and she buried her face against my shirt, but s
he didn’t make a sound. I led her outside of the building, sitting down on the sidewalk with her as I called 911. Then I called Marcus.
“What’s up?” He asked loudly before turning down the car radio.
My lips trembled and I could hear the sirens already in the distance. “Ash. Someone killed her.”
There was a loud squealing of tires and horns blaring from the phone as he turned around. “Did you call the police?” He was trying to be calm.
I’m not sure how he could understand anything I was saying through my sobs. Somehow, I managed to tell him yes. I think. The smell of my friend’s blood was making me sick to the core. I didn’t know how I would ever feed again.
“I’ll be there soon.”
I didn’t say anything else, but kept the phone up to my ear. The police, ambulance, and Marcus arrived at about the same time.
“You’ll have to stay back, sir. This is a crime scene.” The men putting up the yellow tape told him. Fate and I were being led toward an ambulance.
“Fuck that, man. She’s my wife.” I saw him point in my direction just before he pushed by the man towards me. Several of the people moved to hold him back, but their boss shook his head and they let him by.
I looked up at him as they were guiding Fate gently into the ambulance. “This must be my fault. Why would anyone hurt Ashley?”
One of the paramedics perked up, listening.
“Shh. You’re in shock.” He gave a small nod in greeting to the paramedic. “Do you want to ride with Fate?” Marcus looked me over, checking for any injuries. “So long as you’re sure you aren’t hurt?”
That’s what I had to do…pull myself together for Fate. “She needs me.” I wiped the tears from my face for them to be instantly replaced by new ones.
“I’ll follow you to the hospital, okay?” It seemed like he was talking slowly to me as if I were a child. “Okay?” He asked again and I nodded.
“We’re ready to go, miss.” The paramedic held the door open for me to climb inside.
I looked toward Marc and he told me to go before walking back to our car. The last thing I wanted was to leave him, but Ashley would have wanted me to take care of her daughter. I understood that better than ever since I’d had my first look at my own child.
The entire ride I held Fate’s hand. They had given her a sedative shortly after we climbed into the ambulance. She had starting screaming at the top of her lungs. Finally, she was sleeping. I kept hoping that when she woke up, she wouldn’t remember seeing her mother murdered.
Due to the traumatic experience, the doctors put Fate in a room to keep her for overnight observation. I was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants that one of the kind nurses had given me. My own clothing had been stained with blood. I was waiting in Fate’s room anxiously for the sedative to wear off.
Marcus and Antonio came into the room together. Marc immediately came over, kneeling down beside me. Antonio went straight to Fate. I saw him lightly touch her cheek before pulling a chair up next to the bed.
“I will stay with her. Why don’t you go home?” Antonio said without looking at me.
“The police are coming to question me soon. Not much I can tell them, but if anything helps catch the person who….” I couldn’t even say it. I wanted to burn the vision of my dead friend from my memory. Suddenly, dizziness overwhelmed me and I closed my eyes.
Marc frowned deeply. “I’ll run down to the cafeteria and grab some orange juice.” He left the room in a rush like a man on a mission. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten lightheaded during the pregnancy. My thirst for blood was practically nonexistent and my blood sugar levels were all over the place.
“How’d you know to come to the hospital? I would have called, but with everything….” Once again, I couldn’t finish my sentence. I bit my lip to fight back against losing control.
Antonio finally looked at me now that Marcus was out of the room. “Your husband called me. I’m glad I was in town.”
“That’s good.” I said meekly.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the baby?” He asked in an accusing tone I didn’t like.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. It was really not the time for the conversation. “We haven’t spoken much. What was I supposed to do? Call up and randomly tell you? It’s not like you had the consideration to tell me you were dating Fate.”
He looked to the sleeping girl and sighed. “Because I did not want to start needless drama. I did not realize how much I would come to adore her. I was only going to have a little taste….” His finger traced over the vein in her neck. There was a small pause. “Your baby, though. That is different. Vampire woman almost never get pregnant. It must have had something to do with consuming mine and Dante’s blood and the effects as your body adjusted. Just…perfect timing.”
“Will he be a vampire?” I’d wanted to ask so many questions about it before, but I had been ignoring the supernatural implications until then.
Antonio frowned. “I do not know. It would be more likely if it was my child.” He shot me a pointed look, but I didn’t flinch. “You’re a doctor. Let us look at it this way. A mother with HIV doesn’t necessarily infect her baby, but there is a risk.”
It was a perfectly simple explanation that I could understand. I was going to ask more questions that were weighing on my mind, but Marcus came back to the room faster than expected with the juice.
“One of the ladies at the nurse’s station gave me this so I didn’t have to run all the way downstairs.” He tore open the tin foil top of the cup and handed it to me.
Immediately, I started sipping on the beverage. “Thank you, hun.” He kissed my forehead before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall beside me. There weren’t enough chairs in the room.
The room fell silent. I had suspicions and speculation about the murder, but I couldn’t bring myself to discuss it so soon. The others were probably feeling the same way. Neither of them seemed to want to upset me further by talking about it. Finally, the detectives showed up to question me.
“Ma’am.” They both showed their badges. “We’ll try to finish this up as quickly as possible. I know it’s difficult.”
They ran through the normal line of questioning. Was my name Evelyn Hart? Yes. Was the veterinary clinic mine? Yes. Where was I during the morning hours? The doctor. So on and so forth it went until we reached the questions about suspects.
“I don’t know why anyone would harm her. She didn’t have any enemies that I know of.”
“Mmhmm.” A jotting of notes in a small book. “Did you know she had broken up with her boyfriend the night before?”
I blinked. “What? No. Roger?”
“We questioned him before coming here. He was packing. Have you ever noticed any suspicious behavior from him?” The officer asked.
It took me a moment to gather my thoughts. “He’s quiet and serious, but nothing that would lead me to think he was a murderer. Did you arrest him?”
“There isn’t enough evidence for that, Ma’am. His neighbors corroborated his whereabouts this morning. Hopefully, this poor victim can enlighten us further when she wakes up. Until then, we have officers watching the suspect.” He gestured toward the sleeping Fate before stepping forward and handing me his card. “If you think of anything, please call immediately.” I nodded. “Thank you for your time.”
After the police left, Marcus and Antonio exchanged glances with each other before looking at me.
“Do you think?” I asked.
Antonio appeared conflicted about the matter and Marcus shook his head. “I don’t know, babe. He seemed alright to me. You never know about people, though.”
I was exhausted. Marc took my hand and helped me up. “Take me home, Marcus. I’ll come back after I shower. Call me if she wakes up before I return.” I told Antonio.
“Of course.” He nodded, forcing a polite smile.
It wasn’t as if I’d never lost anyone I loved or cared about. Througho
ut the years, I’d seen my friends age and die while I stayed the same. Death was something I’d never get used to. I’d lost my first husband to war, but at least I knew he died a hero. It was a meager comfort.
My heart was breaking, especially to lose Ash to such brutality. She deserved better. I vowed silently that the responsible party would pay. I had no clue how I would get revenge, but I was determined.
After a long shower and getting dressed, I sat down on the side of my bed. I pulled a blanket around me and decide to rest my head on the plush pillow for just a second. That was all it took for me to fall asleep.
I awoke to a gentle shake from Marc. My mouth stretched open into a yawn and I noticed both our pets curled up on the bed beside me. “What time is it?”
“Almost six in the evening. You’ve been asleep for a couple of hours.” He helped me sit up before handing me a plate off of the nightstand. He’d made me a sandwich. I noticed the bottle of blood sitting there and was instantly repulsed. Visions of the crime scene flooded my mind. It took all my willpower not to vomit.
It’d been a long time since breakfast so I took a bite of the sandwich and forced it down. I had no intention of consuming the blood.
Catching my disgust, Marc sighed. “You have to drink it or you’re not going to see Fate.” Did he really forbid from doing something? I was incredulous. “I’m serious. You and the baby need the nourishment.”
I found myself longing for humanity and freedom from the curse of being bound to blood. He was right, despite my reluctance to admit it. I had to keep my strength. “Is she awake?”
“Yes, Antonio called a few minutes ago. Fate is asking for you.”
That was all the motivation I needed, so I drank the blood as quickly as possible. I tried not to think about it or smell it. I remembered the first time I tried alcohol, when I was still human. My lover had said. “Hold your nose and drink it down without breathing.” It was timeless advice. Besides, there was no time to argue. Fate needed me.
We arrived at the hospital within ten minutes and I practically ran all the way up to her room. I could tell she had been crying when I walked in. Antonio was sitting on the side of her bed, trying to comfort her.
