A Witch to Live

by Glenn Bullion

  There was even a washer and dryer in a utility room off to the side.

  Her eyes settled on the refrigerator against the wall, smelling the delicious nectar.

  She opened the door to see bags upon bags of blood, all carefully sealed.

  “This will do nicely.”

  Maybe after she dealt with Walton's werewolf, her new residence would turn out to be a nice vacation spot.

  She went outside to get her travel bag out of her Porsche, and leaned against the car door to enjoy the night air and gentle breeze.

  The moon in the night sky was beautiful.

  It had been a few years since she fought a werewolf, even longer with one without a master.

  She knew she would bleed a little.

  But she didn't want innocents to get hurt, and she was in the rare position to do something about it.

  She didn't need the money, but it was also nice to watch her bank account grow several times.

  Grabbing her bag, she took a step toward the house. She needed to call Jake, tell him she was settling in.

  She froze as a very old, familiar scent touched her nose. One she hadn't experienced in nearly a century.

  Her sensitive eyes focused, searching the street.

  It can't be.

  Traffic was not much to speak of in Walton. Only a single car drove by.

  There was some kind of party going on across the street. The smell of alcohol, drugs, and teenage blood blew through the air. There was even the hint of sex. It wouldn't surprise her, as she saw a boy and girl rolling around on the front lawn. Kids grew up fast in the twenty-first century.

  She saw a buff, love-struck teenager walking away from the party, but that was it.

  There were no signs of the most feared supernatural creature nearby.

  The scent was already gone. She wrote it off to her imagination. Settling in to a new environment was playing tricks with her senses.

  She truly hoped that's all it was.

  Chapter 12

  Kevin walked to school on Monday morning, like he always did. He kept his head low as he made his way to his locker. The bell rang while he shuffled books around. He was already late to class, and didn't care.

  The gossip was all around him as he walked through the halls. The two big topics were Tessa's great party, and Rachel's website article.

  The weekend was still fresh in his mind. He didn't talk to Rachel or see her at all. She tried to call him, but he didn't answer the phone.

  He had to sit with Kristin at the dining room table and lie to her, telling her the fictional side job he had let him go. Kristin simply hugged him and told him it was her job to support them, not his.

  If only that helped him sleep at night.

  He stood outside Mister Daly's literature class for a few minutes, trying to mentally prepare for seeing Rachel. Anger still ruled his thoughts, but he couldn't hide from her forever.

  Surprise set in as he entered class and didn't see her in her normal seat. It dawned on him he didn't see her car in the parking lot.

  Mister Daly shook his head. “Kevin, welcome to my class-”

  “I know, I know. I'm late. Can we move on?”

  Settling in his chair, he glanced at Rachel's seat. He didn't want to see her either, but at least he was brave enough to come to class.

  It was a typical Monday. Slow and boring. He was on the way to the cafeteria when Tessa Hayes stopped him in the hall. She grabbed him by the arm, which he didn't like.

  “Hi,” she said, giving him a bright smile. “I missed you at my party Friday.”

  “Yeah, sorry. I was there, but not for long.”

  “There's a soccer game coming up. You should watch us play. Maybe after we win we can hang out.”

  He nodded, but didn't return her smile. “Maybe I will. Thanks.”

  He kept on his way. The last thing he wanted now was attention from girls.

  That was the last thing he wanted nearly any time.

  There was another tug at his shoulder, right in front of the cafeteria.

  “Look, Tessa, I-”

  It wasn't Tessa, but Tyler, one of Rachel's friends on the media team. The smaller teen stepped back when he saw the anger on Kevin's face.

  “Whoa, man. Sorry.”

  “No, I'm sorry. I'm having a bad day. What's up?”

  He offered a card and pen to Kevin. The front read Thinking of You.

  “Do you want to be the first to sign Rachel's card?”

  “What? Card?”

  “You didn't hear?”

  Kevin shook his head.

  “Rachel's parents were in a car accident Friday night. They were hit by a drunk driver. Things...aren't looking so good.”

  Sweat beaded on his forehead. “What do you mean?”

  “They've got her dad hooked to machines to help him breathe. Her mom's in a coma.”

  His knees buckled as the most powerful sense of déjà vu took hold. The circumstances were slightly different, but the same sadness gripped him.

  He thought back to his freshman year. Kristin and he gave each other confused looks as a police officer pulled them out of their classes, in the same high school, and told them their parents died in a plane crash on the way to Cancun.

  Now Rachel's parents were dying.

  She tried to reach out to Kevin over the weekend, and he ignored her.

  A tear ran down his cheek as nausea settled in. Tyler steadied him by grabbing his arm.

  “Dude? Are you alright?”

  Kevin wiped his face. “No one's parents should have to die.”

  Tyler gave him a sad smile. “I hear that.”

  Kevin walked away, heading straight for the exit door.

  “Hey,” Tyler called after him. “Did you want to sign her card?”

  “I've got something better in mind.”

  *****

  Kevin shifted the vase of roses from one arm to the other as the bus hit another bump. Opening his backpack, he glanced in and made sure the bottles of water were still there. He normally took a few bottles of water to school anyway, to help with aching muscles after working out. But when he bought the roses he made sure to buy a few extra bottles of water. It was probably foolish, and he wouldn't need more than two bottles of water.

  At least he didn't think he would.

  He never tried to heal anyone as badly hurt as Rachel's parents.

  But it would work. It had to.

  Part of him wanted to march into the hospital, water bottles in hand. No pretenses, no deception. Just walk into their room and do what had to be done.

  That simply wasn't a good idea, not only for himself, but also for Rachel's parents.

  The bus stopped at the hospital. Taking a deep breath, he slipped his backpack onto his shoulders. He grabbed the roses and worked his way to the front of the bus.

  His nerves attacked him as he walked across the parking lot to the front doors.

  What if the water didn't work?

  What if he got caught?

  What if there were fifty visitors with them?

  He pushed all his doubts aside and kept his legs moving. A pretty woman behind a desk smiled at him as he walked into the air-conditioned lobby. Her name tag read Lisa.

  “Hi. Can I help you?”

  “I hope so. I've got a flower delivery for Rachel Evans.”

  “Does she work here?”

  “No. Her parents are here, I think. They're patients. She's with them.”

  “Do you know their names?”

  Kevin already felt his plan falling apart. “Uh, no. Sorry.”

  Lisa gave him a sympathetic smile. “Well, let me see if I can help you.” She gestured to the vase as she worked. “Who got her roses?”

  “Um, why?”

  She shrugged. “I didn't think roses were a hospital thing. I always thought that was a romantic thing.”

  “Well, I like them.”

  “Oh, they're beautiful. Ah, here it is. Room 209. Use the elevator at the
end of the hall.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kevin tried to relax as he rode the elevator to the second floor. One obstacle down, what felt like one hundred more to go.

  Following the room numbers, he flashed a smile to each doctor and nurse he passed.

  He bounced slightly as he turned the corner, just to feel the water in his backpack.

  Room 209 was coming up on his right. Slowing down only a little, he walked straight by, and casually stole a glance inside. He figured if Rachel were there, she wouldn't notice him. But if he stopped to stick his head in, that would be a different story.

  His heart ached at what he saw.

  Rachel was asleep on the floor. She had no pillow, only a sheet pulled up to her neck.

  Her parents were out of sight. Only the ends of their beds were in view. Various machine noises came from the room.

  He wanted to go to her, hold her in his arms, and they could fall asleep together on the floor.

  Tears were coming on as he struggled to compose himself. Crying would not help him accomplish his goal.

  If things went right, Rachel would never know he was there.

  He walked down the hall and rounded a few corners before finding a nurses' station. Two women chatted while another took a call on the phone.

  “Excuse me?” he said, trying to keep his voice polite and even.

  “Yes?”

  “I have a flower delivery for the daughter of the couple in room 209.”

  The nurses' faces softened. “Aww. Did she finally fall asleep? That poor girl has been crying her eyes out all weekend.”

  Kevin's chest tightened. “That's so sad. Listen, I really don't want to be the one to wake her up to give her these.” He held up the vase.

  “That's so sweet. I was starting to think she didn't have anyone. Roses are a little weird, though.”

  “I...think they're very cool. So, could you wake her up and give her these?”

  One of the nurses accepted the vase. “I will. She should eat soon, anyway. I haven't seen her eat at all.”

  “I really appreciate it.”

  He smiled at all of them and was halfway turned around.

  “There's no card or anything.”

  He broke down a little, barely keeping his voice under control.

  “Just tell her they came from someone who likes her a lot.”

  *****

  The first thing Rachel felt was the hard floor. She didn't know where she was, or where her nightmares ended and her life began. The hospital had been her home since Friday night. Dreams haunted her of her parents being in an accident. There was only a few seconds of relief when she woke up, until she realized she was in the hospital and the dreams were real.

  She climbed to her feet. Looking at her parents in their beds, she thought her tears were all dried up. That wasn't the case, as a few trickled down her cheek.

  Dad was in the worst shape physically. There were more machines hooked up to him than Mom. He had a collapsed lung and needed a machine to breathe. His body was cut up and bruised, his entire right leg in a cast. His eyes were swollen shut, his nose broken from their car's airbag. He hadn't opened his eyes since coming through the emergency room doors.

  Mom had fewer machines, but her situation was just as dire. She was in a coma, with a long feeding tube through her nose.

  The drunk driver who hit them walked away without a scratch.

  The doctors hadn't told her directly, but she heard them talking to Nancy in the hall.

  They didn't think either one was going to make it.

  She collapsed in the uncomfortable chair. The sun poured in through the window overlooking the front of the hospital, but that didn't ease her mood. She never felt more useless in her life. Her parents were dying, and all she could do was watch them go.

  She kissed her father on the cheek, then her mother. The tears came all over again, a vicious cycle that wouldn't let up.

  It was in the nature of a child to complain about their parents at some point in their lives. Rachel had no such complaints. She loved her father and mother very much. They took care of her all her life. When she came home crying about the kids in school that made fun of her, Mom would set Rachel on her lap and hold her.

  Now, her parents needed her, and she could do nothing.

  Through stinging eyes she looked at her cell phone.

  No new calls. No messages.

  She had called the only person she thought would care over twenty times. Kevin wanted nothing to do with her.

  Taking deep breaths, she tried to keep her crying under control. Saturday night she cried so much she got sick and vomited.

  There was a knock at the door behind her.

  It was Jamie, one of the nurses who had been keeping an eye on her.

  “Oh, you're awake,” Jamie said, offering a small smile. “We have a surprise for you out here.”

  Rachel shook her head. “It's okay. I'd rather stay in here. Thanks.”

  Jamie stepped into the room and gently pulled Rachel by the hand. She was too tired to offer any resistance.

  “Come on, Rachel. Just come with me.”

  Jamie led her to a stool by the nurses' station. They had setup lunch for her. A cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's. Near the food was a vase of roses.

  She was grateful, but didn't feel like eating.

  “Thank you, Jamie. Really. But I'm not hungry.”

  She turned to leave, but Jamie caught her hand again.

  “Rachel, you need to eat. Besides, someone gave you roses. You have to at least smell them.”

  “Roses at a hospital. Nice.”

  Jamie kept her company while she took slow bites of her lunch. The nurse tried to keep the conversation light, keep Rachel's mind off her parents. Then she grew serious.

  “We've got good doctors here,” she said. “They'll take care of your parents.”

  “I'm a big girl. You can be honest.”

  Jamie looked to her friend behind the desk, Linda. Linda saw the call for help and joined them.

  “You should have seen the guy delivering the flowers,” she said. “Very cute.”

  Rachel gestured to the roses. “Must have made a mistake. Must be for my mom. No one gives me flowers.”

  “Actually, he was very clear. He said they were for the daughter, you. He said whoever gave those to you likes you very much.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

  “If only he were a little older,” Linda said.

  Rachel paused as she grabbed her last fry.

  She knew of only one person who could get women this worked up.

  An alarm started going off on a monitor behind Linda. The nurse checked her monitor, than gave Jamie a panicked look.

  “Room 209.”

  Jamie's jaw dropped. “Page Doctor Reynolds.”

  Rachel jumped up, knocking her soda on the floor. “Mom? Dad?”

  *****

  Kevin waited from behind a corner, watching as the nurse led Rachel down the hall and turned the corner. The nurses' station was a few halls over. It was a good distance away, but he still had to hurry.

  He walked down the hall, keeping a steady hand on the strap of his backpack. His heart beat faster as he ducked into room 209 and slowly closed the door.

  His hands shook as he dropped the backpack on the floor and pulled out two bottles of water. He didn't know how much time he had.

  “Come on, Kev,” he scolded himself. “Keep it together.”

  He froze as he finally looked at Rachel's mother and father.

  He had prepared for everything as best he could, except for the sight of Rachel's parents in bed.

  They looked terrible.

  “Holy crap.”

  Kevin started to panic. They both had wires and tubes hooked to them. There were machines everywhere, monitoring everything. Was it even safe to force them to drink his water? Did the tubes and wires have to come out first, something he wasn't qualified to do?
With their injuries, what if they needed more than one bottle?

  What if it didn't work?

  He looked at both beds, and decided the best chance for this to work was to make them drink at the same time. If he healed one of them, and they started screaming, that wouldn't end well.

  Rachel's mother was only hooked to two machines, and both were on wheels.

  He tried to work as quickly and carefully as possible. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he slid her bed and machines closer to Rachel's father.

  Covering the bottles with his thumbs, he turned them upside down, and watched as they glowed bright blue.

  “Okay, here we go.”

  He stood in between both beds and put the bottles to their lips.

  It was difficult to coordinate both hands at the same time. He started Rachel's father off too fast. Some of the water didn't even get in his mouth, but all around the tube blocking the way. Rachel's mother was easier, as nothing was blocking her mouth.

  It took ten seconds, but he finally pulled it off. Some water dripped onto the bed, but plenty more found its way into their systems.

  If they needed a second bottle he had plenty more in his backpack. Two more were directly behind his feet. He could pitch the empty ones, and keep going with little downtime.

  They didn't need a second bottle.

  Both of their eyes opened at almost the same time.

  Kevin winced as machines and alarms pierced his ears.

  *****

  Rachel tried to push her way into the room. It took Jamie and an orderly to hold her back. She needed to get into the room. If her parents were dying, and she couldn't be there to say goodbye, she would never forgive herself.

  “Let me go!”

  Doctors and nurses shouted back and forth.

  “Who's been moving equipment in here?”

  “What happened here?”

  “Mister Evans! Please lay still.”

  Rachel drew in a breath when she heard the familiar sounds of her father, coughing and gagging.

  “Doctor, look at his face.”

  “What's wrong with my father's face?” Rachel shouted.