by Cas Martin
'Elizabeth,' came Garth's voice from behind her. 'Is he…?' It cracked before he could finish the sentence.
'He can't be,' she whispered to herself, knowing full well it was a lie. David had become their first casualty of the battle.
She felt the bile rise up in her throat. She staggered to her feet and just made it to the edge of the pier as she vomited violently. The feel of David's dead skin under her fingers was going to be a memory that wouldn't leave her for a long time. She wiped her lips and chin with the back of her hand, shaking uncontrollably. She turned back around to face the devastation, her brain trying hard to focus, but fear and dismay kept it confused.
'Come on, we really have to get out of here,' said Dennis. He picked Monica up in his arms, much to Elizabeth's disbelief. She had no idea where he got the strength from in his current state, but somehow he managed it. She swallowed the lump in her throat as Monica fell back limply, clearly deep into unconsciousness.
'Is she okay?' she asked. David was bad enough. She couldn't lose Monica too. Since when had she cared so much for a vampire?
'Barely. We need to get her away from all of this. If they send out anyone else then we're in trouble. You okay buddy?' he asked Garth, who was bent over double, puking his guts up.
'Yeah. One punch too many,' he gasped. Elizabeth suspected it was really the sight of David's dead body in front of them. She turned away.
'You're going to have to deal with that back at home kid. We need to get out of here.'
'Do you sense more of them coming?' Elizabeth looked around, fear spiking the nausea again.
'Not sense in the way that you mean, but call it a gut feeling. The people who wanted to take Monica out are the kind of people who have a plan B. And since we've managed to blow plan A out of the water, I would imagine they're going to be gunning for us even more. If that's even possible.'
'What about David?'
'We have to leave him here. I'm sorry.'
'We can't.' She felt numb at his words. Memories of her father came tumbling back. No one should be left to die like this alone.
'We have no choice. Whoever comes out here to clean up this mess will probably deal with him too. We can't drive around the city with a dead body in the car. There is nothing else you can do for him. Really. I'm sorry. But we need to move.'
'But, I can't… we…' Elizabeth couldn't find the words, even though she knew he was right.
'The safest place we can go to now is Monica's apartment. I can't think of anywhere else to hide. It should be safe there. She takes more precautions than anyone I know. Are you okay to drive?'
'I think so,' said Elizabeth, her hand going to her shoulder. The pain was back now, more intense than before. 'I'm assuming you've got an automatic?'
'Yes. If I get us there will you be able to look after her?'
Of course. Why? Won't you be staying with us?'
'I need to get you somewhere safe, but then someone has to do damage limitation. Monica has enough enemies that resent her position, and they will try to take advantage of this situation the best they can. It's my job to look after her, and that's something I have to do now more than ever.'
'Okay, I'll stay with her. Just as long as you promise to be safe. And maybe help David if you can? I hate the thought of…' she trailed off again.
'I promise I'll do my best,' said Dennis. His eyes met hers and she wanted to believe him. 'Come on, follow me.'
They got to the car and Elizabeth sat in the driver's seat, adjusting it for her much shorter legs and height. She realised that she had never driven a car over in America before. Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end for making you learn fast, she reasoned, as she fastened the seatbelt.
'Garth,' instructed Dennis, 'I need you to get in the passenger seat next to Elizabeth, so that'll give us more room here in the back. I'm going to lie Monica down, but first I need you to go to the other side so I can pass her over to you. Can you do that for me?'
'Sure.' Garth winced in pain. Elizabeth wasn't stupid to think he'd made it through the evening unscathed. Dennis glanced at her, also worried.
'Are you going to be okay? Do we need to get you to a hospital?'
'No I'll be okay.' Garth used the car itself to help him balance as he made his way to the other side. He climbed in and reached over to open the door so Dennis could attempt to get Monica's unconscious body onto the back seat.
'You ready?' Dennis asked.
'I think so,' Garth struggled from the awkward angle.
'I've got the strength to get her in, it's just the manoeuvring that will be difficult. I don't want to make the damage any worse than it already is.'
'She is going to make it isn't she?' Garth asked. There was something in his voice that made Elizabeth's heart break. He might not like vampires, but something had changed with the ones surrounding him now.
'I think so. I hope so. But it's going to be a while before she's back on her feet. Have you got her head and shoulders there buddy?'
'Yep, I got her. Start sliding her over.'
'I'm at a bad angle here, you're going to have to take some more of her weight, can you do that for me?' Dennis cut off as Monica moaned in pain, even though she remained unconscious. 'Okay, she's in.'
Dennis stood up and cricked out his back before staggering into the car behind her. The extra toll of carrying Monica was writ large on his face. Taking a deep breath, he took some of Monica's body weight onto his own. 'Okay Elizabeth, we're good to go here. I really need you to avoid any sudden braking if you can. Any more shocks to her system could be more than she can handle.'
A silence descended on them as she drove. Every time she stopped concentrating, even just for a second, she pictured David's dead body. His eyes, still and lifeless, had been the last thing she would ever see of him. He had died the one way he feared the most, dragged into a battle he had never wanted to be a part of in the first place. The silence did nothing to help distract her from the guilt. The only person who spoke was Dennis and that was only to give directions, first to the bus station where Garth clambered out and then on to Monica's apartment.
As they pulled up to the building, Dennis pulled the key card from Monica's pocket. As they drove into the basement parking lot, Elizabeth kept the engine running while he got out to make sure that the coast was clear. She saw the anger starting to burn in his eyes as he closed the door. 'If you see anyone suspicious, if anyone comes at me then just drive. I don't know where, you'll have to figure that out for yourself. But don't worry about me. If they're going to be waiting for us, the main thing that you can do is get Monica the hell out of here and to somewhere else. Don't panic, just do it. Can you promise me that?'
'I promise.' Elizabeth was surprised by the authority in Dennis' voice. He was clearly more than a PA at heart. He obviously cared deeply for her, and was reluctant to put her safety in the hands of someone else. Especially a human.
'Good.'
'Dennis, trust me. I'll put Monica first when it comes to making sure she's safe, okay? You're preaching to the converted.'
'Okay.' Dennis moved away from the car and through the lot as fast as he could. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how much slower he was moving compared to earlier that evening. In the back seat, Monica moaned in pain, but Elizabeth didn't turn around. She kept scanning the lot, looking for signs of trouble, feeling overwhelming relief when Dennis came back into view and indicated that the coast was clear.
'We're okay,' he confirmed, opening the rear door. 'I know we made slow progress back over here, but they haven't caught up with us yet. That's bought us a little bit of time, but I won't be able to stay up there for long once we're in. I need to get moving.'
'I understand. We need to get her upstairs. She started to regain consciousness while you were out of the car, and it didn't sound good.'
'You go first. I'll carry her.'
'Will you be alright?'
'I'm not sure I have any choice in the matter,' he replied.
'But thank you for your concern. Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be. We're going to get out, get up and get in as fast as we can. Sound like a plan?'
'Yes. I'll go ahead and open the doors.'
The progress up to the apartment took longer than either of them would have wanted, Monica's body a dead weight in Dennis's arms. When they exited the lift onto the Penthouse floor, his eyes went to the chair where Eric should have been sitting. Elizabeth watched as he discretely sniffed the air. 'I can smell the clean up team, but no one else. We can go in.'
Elizabeth swiped the card, surprised when a keypad activated. 'Do you know the code?'
'Try 42873.'
Elizabeth typed in the number, letting out a sign of relief at the sound of the lock clicking open. 'Thank god you knew it.'
'Lucky guess,' he muttered, but didn't elaborate. Instead he walked inside and made his way straight to the master bedroom. He kicked the door open and walked over to the bed where he lay Monica down as gently as he could. As he did so, Elizabeth flicked on the lights, and for the first time they could both see Monica's injuries in all their glory.
'Jesus,' whistled Dennis.
'Is she really going to be okay?' Elizabeth hated the uncertainty in her voice, but Monica looked at the point of death.
'I think so. I'm going to get her out of these clothes. Make sure there's not any hidden damage.'
Elizabeth watched from the side of the room as Dennis moved with quick, sure movements, taking off Monica's clothes as fast as he could, trying to make sure he caused as little pain as possible. The blood on her T-shirt was thick and dried in places, forming a crust on top of the material. When she was down to just her underwear he walked through to the en-suite and dumped the clothes on the tile floor. 'She'll need to clear those up in the morning, but at least they won't stain the tiles like they would the carpet.' It seemed like a very practical concern in amongst the chaos of the evening. Elizabeth wondered if his emotions were shutting down to allow him to cope.
'She looks pretty bad.' As do you, she added mentally. Dennis was shaking now.
'There's some internal bleeding.' He moved back to the bed, and continued checking her over as gently as he could. He seemed unaware that his boss, the head of his family, was virtually naked in front of him. 'She's cold. I'm worried she's going to go into shock. Are you sure you'll be okay here alone with her?'
'There's no chance she could, you know, do something out of character, is there?' Elizabeth tried to delicately voice her concern.
'Do you mean is she likely to wake up and try to kill you? I doubt it. If I try to give her some blood she'll only choke on it while she is unconscious. Stay with her until she wakes up, and then the first opportunity you get, you have to feed her. Can you do that?'
'Of course. As long as you don't mean with me.'
'I'm being serious. You're human and they tend to get squeamish when it comes to all things blood related.'
'I'm a big girl. And I'm less squeamish than most.'
'I'm glad to hear it, because once I walk out of here, you're on your own. In the freezer, if you dig around at the back of the second shelf you'll find some blood pouches. You'll know then when you see them. They have to be heated in the microwave. Not too long. Use the defrost setting and give them a shake up every minute. When it gets warm — not too hot — cut the corner off and give it to her to drink. Now, are you sure that won't make you faint or anything?'
'I'm not going to lie and say that it sounds like the best thing I could be doing with my evening, but I think that I can manage it.'
'That's all I need to know.'
'Dennis,' she said quietly. 'Are you going to be okay?'
'Of course I am, why?'
'Because as much as I appreciate the fact you've taken charge and made sure she's are okay, you look pretty beat up yourself.'
'I'm just trying to help, is all.'
'I know you are, and I'm not saying I'm not grateful. I really am. But you seriously look like you need some help as well.'
'I'm going to feed now,' he admitted, looking away when he said it. Like he did not want her to know. As if he expected her to judge.
'I think you should. If you need it to heal.' She couldn't believe she was saying it herself, and tried unsuccessfully to meet his eye.
'It's just that some fresh, proper blood will do me good. It helps the healing process so much more than the frozen stuff. I wish that I could get someone for Monica, but with the situation we're in, anything is better than nothing.'
'I'll make sure she gets fed, I promise you. Even if it grosses me out and I throw up afterwards.'
'Thank you,' he said sincerely, allowing himself to smile. 'I'll head off then. Thank you again for staying with her. I appreciate it. I owe you one.'
'No, if anyone owes anyone anything, we both owe you. Take care of yourself out there.'
'I will. Don't answer the door to anyone, and if you need anything, anything at all, just call me.'
'Yes, Dad. Now go.'
Elizabeth watched Dennis leave the room, aware that once he was gone, she was going to be left with nothing but her own thoughts and guilt until Monica woke up. Her legs began to shake uncontrollably as the memories assaulted her senses.
She sat down in a chair opposite Monica's bed and began to sob.
41
Once Dennis left, Elizabeth felt more vulnerable than she had done at any point during the evening. He had assured her that this was the safest place to be, but it still seemed like the most obvious place anyone would try if they were looking for her. She attempted to swallow down the nervousness and went to the bathroom, willing her legs to co-operate.
After hunting around in some very discreetly placed cupboards, she finally found a flannel and ran it under the faucet until it was ice cold. She wasn't sure if it would help or not, but at least it made her feel productive. She wrung out any excess moisture and headed back to the master bedroom.
Dennis had been very careful when he had laid Monica down, but she still seemed in pain. Elizabeth was not looking forward to the moment when she would have no choice but to prepare the microwaved blood. Dennis had tried to be reassuring when discussing its success, but she could see he was not convinced. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she could not reconcile the thought of him bringing someone back for Monica to feed on. Live, pulsing, living blood that could do more than sustain her for a few more hours. Her own blood rushed to her head and she sat down on the edge of the bed before her legs gave out again. She placed the flannel as gently as she could across Monica's forehead, covering the blue-black bruises as best as she could.
She had no idea how long she had been sitting there when Monica's eyes fluttered open. She watched as they attempted to focus on the room around her, trying to process the events of the evening as fast as her brain could manage. She sucked in a deep panicked breath of air, and this was what finally made Elizabeth move.
'It's okay. You're safe.' Elizabeth tried to be reassuring but her voice cracked anyway.
'What? Huh?'
'It's okay.'
'How did I get back here?' Monica tried to push herself up as she spoke, but the pain was too much and her eyes rolled back in her head as she almost slipped back into unconsciousness.
'Hey, hang in there, stay with me.' Elizabeth grabbed her hand and moved closer. Monica blinked several times as the room came back into focus once more. 'Do you want some water?'
'Yes, please.'
Elizabeth reached over to the glass of water on the nightstand and lifted it gingerly to Monica's lips. After a few sips it became clear that even lifting her head that small amount was causing her a lot of pain. 'Thank you.'
'Dennis said there's some blood in the freezer if you want?'
'No!' It was a quiet but emphatic response.
'Really, I think it's what you need.'
'No, it's… just…'
'Monica, don't be embarrassed. Really, I can put some blood in a microwave
.'
'It's not that. Oh god I feel awful. What happened? Is everyone okay?' She groaned when Elizabeth glanced away, unable to meet her eyes. 'Who?'
'You got yourself into quite a mess there. Dennis suspected you were going to try to sort things out yourself. What were you thinking?' Elizabeth tried to deflect the question.
'I was trying to do the right thing. Is Dennis okay?' The panic was clear in her voice now.
'Don't try to sit up. You need to take it easy. They really did a number on you. Dennis is fine.'
'What about you? Your face…'
'A few bruises. Nothing that won't heal and nothing compared to what they did to you. I'll be fine. It'll take a few days longer this time but I'll be okay.'
'So who didn't make it?' Monica whispered, the tears glistening in her eyes.
'David.'
'Shit.' Monica lifted her hand gingerly to rub her eyes. 'I'm sorry.'
'It's not your fault. We all knew what we were getting into.'
'I still blame myself.' Monica looked away.
'If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I dragged him into this. I can't do this now. Especially when you're in this mess. How are you feeling?' Elizabeth tried to change the conversation back to the present. If she allowed herself to think any more about David right now, then the grief would finally consume her.
'Honestly? Right now I feel like I'm not too far behind him.'
'Not to be too harsh about things, but that's possibly because you are. You really need to have some blood. We didn't do all this to lose you now.'
'I know. It's just that…'
'What?'
'It's not a pretty sight. It's not fair to make you do this.'
'Look, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but it's clear we've been through a lot in the past two weeks. You've saved my life and this is a little thing that I can do to repay you. Let me go and make you some blood. Dennis told me what I'm supposed to do with it.'
'It's not just that,' Monica coughed again and Elizabeth quickly reached for the glass of water. After a few more sips Monica was able to continue. 'I need you to get Dennis to come back.'
