CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Yeah I know I am asking a lot,” Samuel spat into the phone. “Can you just make it happen?” He listened intently to the woman screeching on the other end of the phone line. “Thank you,” he said with a sigh. He dropped the phone back on its cradle and rubbed his temples. The headaches were getting worse.
But he didn’t have time to think about that now. Right now, he had to leak a story to the tabloids for his friends. He didn’t really understand why Angel wanted him to do it that way, but as far as vampires were concerned, Angel was the authority in this area. Samuel had called a few of the more respectable papers first, but since he didn’t really have any solid information that he could give, he had resorted to contacting the seedy ones as well. All he could tell them was that the king of vampires lived, and had been living quietly in LA for some time.
He rubbed his eyes. What the hell was going on with the light lately? He stood and walked to the window to close the blinds. Before he could twist the little stick to close them, he saw a man in a Stetson walking up the steps of the police station. Sure as hell looked like Rebel, but he was a vampire.
Vampires did not go out in the midday sun. Then he realized, it was Rebel and he could go out in the sun. Every time he thought he knew all there was to know about vampires and the supernatural, something happened that made him start all over again. Samuel shook his head and closed the blinds. He walked over to the office door and opened it wide. A moment later, Rebel was standing in the doorway, lightly knocking on the frame.
“Come on in,” Samuel said lightly. He offered his friend a smile. “What can I do for you?”
“I was just in the hood and thought I would come by and see how things were going on this end,” Rebel answered, taking a seat across the desk. “You get the word out?”
Samuel nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, pain lanced through his head and killed any thought he may have been having.
“What’s wrong?” Rebel asked.
Samuel pinched the bridge of his nose and willed himself through the pain while Rebel watched silently. When it had subsided enough for him to form a coherent thought, he looked up at Rebel. The concern was plain as day in the vampire’s eyes. “I’ve just been getting these bad headaches lately,” Samuel finally said.
“You should have that looked at,” Rebel told him. “Come on by the house and let Jacque have a look at you.”
“Now what the hell is he gonna do?” Samuel snapped at him. The second the words were out of his mouth, Samuel regretted them. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I guess I’m a little grouchy lately.”
“No sweat man,” Rebel said, waving it off. He leaned forward in his seat. He could easily see the lines that had appeared on Samuel’s forehead. He could see the thin sheen of sweat on the man’s skin, could hear that his heart was pounding, but most of all, he could smell that something wasn’t right with his friend.
“Listen,” Rebel continued. “Come on by and see Jacque. He has been studying up on humans a lot more since the women moved in. He isn’t just a rocket scientist anymore. He is a licensed physician now. He can take a look tonight and see if there is anything that can be done about those headaches.”
Samuel wanted to argue with him. Really he did. He even opened up his mouth to say something when another lightning bolt crashed through his head. This one was worse than the others, and it made his vision blur and the edges of the room become darker. He could feel himself falling, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Rebel wasted no time. He saw his friend losing consciousness he jumped into action. As Samuel’s body went limp, Rebel was there to catch him. He scooped the man up into his arms and left the police station. He did remember to tell the receptionist that Detective Corbin was sick and he was taking him to the doctor. He just didn’t tell her which doctor.
He bolted through the double doors and down the steps. His cargo was light to him, even though Samuel outweighed him by about fifty pounds. He ran through the streets at top speed, wondering why he didn’t bring a vehicle. But he knew why. Ever since he had mated with Leigh and could withstand the sun, he got out in it every chance he got. He had never regretted his decisions about the sun before now.
Samuel’s breathing became labored and Rebel found it in himself to move faster. He sped through the streets until the gates of his home became visible. As usual, about fifty people were camped out in front of the gate. Rebel didn’t want to waste any time wading through them, but he also did not want to waste time going around to the secret entrance either, which was about a mile away.
Rebel decided to try something he had not tried before. He pulled on the magic his mate loaned him and lifted himself up into the air. It was tricky at first, but soon he and his cargo were floating through the air. They floated above the crowd of people and over the gates. Rebel didn’t touch foot to the ground until they were at the front door.
He kicked the door open with his boot, breaking the hinges. Brea was gonna kill him for that, but she would get over it. He ran into the house and up the stairs to the medical room they had designed for Jacque. Frankie had been the first to use it when she changed from human to vampire and Jacque had saved her life.
He sent out a mental shout for Jacque, but then decided it was better to use his voice. “Jacque, get your pretty ass in here! Got a 911!”
Just as Rebel was laying Samuel on the bed, Jacque burst into the room. It was obvious he had been sleeping, but he was on top of it. “What happened?” he demanded as he looked Samuel over.
“His head was hurting, bad. Then he just collapsed. I brought him straight here.”
“Why not to a human hospital?” Jacque asked, as he began gathering the supplies he needed.
“Because you are much faster and a shit ton smarter than any human hospital. And if all else fails, your blood can heal him,” Rebel explained.
“Yeah it could, but it could also change him,” Jacque pointed out.
“Just help him,” Rebel snapped. “That man is family, damn it.”
“I know that,” Jacque answered. “I need fluids, wide open IV push. I also need…”
Rebel had no idea what Jacque was talking about. He ran to Jacque and Frankie’s room to get his wife.
“Jacque needs help,” he told her. “It’s Samuel.”
Frankie rushed to Jacque’s side to help. The other members of the family had gotten out of bed and were gathering outside the room to wait and watch. They knew if they all crowded in, they would just be in the way. As they watched Jacque and Frankie work, Rebel explained what had happened.
After a few minutes, Jacque came out into the hall. “I need to run some tests. Right now I just want to keep him alive. I need to run a CAT scan of his head. I can’t tell what is wrong, but whatever it is, it’s bad. Let’s give him fluids and watch him for a bit, and if he doesn’t wake up soon, we will run the tests anyway.”
Two hours later, Samuel’s heart rate returned to normal and his eyes finally flitted open. He looked around to assess his surroundings. “Where did I pass out this time?” he asked himself out loud. “This time?” a female voice demanded. “How many times have you passed out?” Samuel turned his head and realized that it was Frankie talking to him. He squinted his eyes against the blinding light in the room. Frankie moved as a blur to the light switch and plunged the room into darkness. Samuel felt himself sigh in relief. Now if she could only stop the marching band in his head.
“I ran some tests while you were out,” Jacque told him. He had been sitting quietly beside the bed and Samuel never even noticed.
“How did I get here?” Samuel asked.
“Rebel ran your ass over here when you winked out on him. Scared him half to death. Want to tell me just what the hell has been going on with you lately?”
“I have been having headaches,” Samuel said. “Sometimes they get pretty bad.”
“I’d say they are a tad more than pr
etty bad,” Frankie said, calling bullshit. “I think they have been going on for a while, and I think they can be unbearable.”
“Yeah,” Samuel said, “You could say that.”
“Here is the thing,” Jacque told him. “I have some serious shit to tell you, so are you up for a chat?”
“Yeah, hit me with it,” Samuel said.
Jacque took a deep breath. “I could smell it in you,” he began. “I only ran the test to be sure. I can show you the pictures if you want.”
“Just tell me what the fuck is wrong with me,” Samuel said to him. “Play it straight, huh?”
“You got a cancer ball in your head the size of a baseball,” Jacque blurted out.
Well hell. He asked for it straight, and it didn’t get any straighter than that. The big C. He had already suspected it, and that was part of the reason he hadn’t gone to the doctor already. He irrationally thought if no one told him, it wasn’t there. But damn if Jacque didn’t just tell him.
“What do I do about it?” he asked.
“The way I see it, you got a couple of choices.” Jacque leaned back in his chair and stared Samuel right in the eyes. “You can do nothing and die. I figure at this rate, you’ve got about a month or so before it grows big enough to start affecting your motor functions on a serious level.”
“Pass,” Samuel said.
“Two, you can go to a human doctor and let them treat you. That would involve chemotherapy and surgery. They will open your head up and cut the diseased portion out. There are some shitty risks involved. The chemo will make you sick as fuck, and the surgery could kill you. But if you do nothing, you’re a dead man anyway.”
“Dead man walking,” Sam whispered.
“I think you should take some time to think about this,” Jacque told him.
“You haven’t told him all of his options,” Rebel interjected into the conversation.
“What do you mean?” Samuel asked. “What else is there to do?”
Jacque pushed his hand through his spikey hair. “There is one other option,” he finally said. “But it is dangerous and painful.”
“What, this shit isn’t painful by itself? I’m not afraid of pain.”
“I don’t think he understands,” Frankie said. “Jacque has healing agents in his blood. He could give it to you.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad,” Samuel said. “Just give me a shot or whatever and let’s see what happens.”
“It isn’t that simple,” Jacque said, shaking his head. “You have to drink it.”
Frankie watched Samuel’s reaction. Even though it was dark in the room, she was fairly certain he turned a nice shade of green. “Is that all?” he asked, faking bravado.
Frankie shook her head. “Not by a long shot. If Jacque gives you his blood, there is a chance it will not work. It doesn’t work on everyone. There is also a chance that it could begin a change.”
“What kind of change?” Samuel asked suspiciously.
“The kind that turns you into one of us,” Frankie said softly.
“Oh,” Samuel said. He sank back down into his pillows.
“If you take his blood and it begins a change, you will need more blood from all of us. We will have to feed you to keep your body alive while it does its thing. The change is painful.” Frankie wanted to soften it for him, but she felt he deserved a choice in the matter. “I compare it to someone dragging razor blades all over your skin and then dunking you in salt water, all while stabbing you in every organ with a hot poker at the same time. It is hell. And it might kill you.”
“I have given you something for pain,” Jacque said quietly. “Rest now and we can talk later.”
Samuel never saw Jacque inject any medicine into his IV, but he was starting to feel the effects of it. His head didn’t hurt as badly anymore and he was starting to feel heavy and sleepy. He knew he had a lot to think about, but for now, he thought he would just sleep on it. Like he had a choice.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“What do think he will decide?” Frankie’s voice asked from what seemed like a million miles away.
“I don’t know,” Jacque replied softly. “There is so much to be considered.”
Samuel knew exactly what he meant. He really had no idea how long he had been out; the pain meds kept him pretty sleepy. He did, however, have moments of lucidity that weighed heavily on his mind. He knew that without the vampires’ help, he would have never sought treatment for his headaches. He would have continued working and probably dropped dead somewhere on the job. He remembered Angel telling him that he had contacted the Chief of Police and requested time off for Samuel, but Sam couldn’t remember any of those details.
He did a lot of thinking during those lucid moments. He had a huge decision to make and it was one he couldn’t make lightly. He only half listened to the hushed conversation that was taking place near his bed. He kept his eyes closed and took advantage of the pain free minute the pain killers were allowing him. He could go to a regular doctor. He would tell Samuel that he needed surgery and chemo; might as well add radiation to that list. That meant risky surgery that he might not survive. But Samuel knew his own luck, and he would live to see the treatments make all of his hair fall out. Oh wait, it was already doing that on its own.
He would live a year or maybe even two, but he would be sick more often than not. He would eventually need someone to care for him around the clock. He had watched his own father die from cancer and he couldn’t even consider going through that himself. His father had been the strongest man Samuel had ever met, and there were times that the disease had that man in tears. Nope. That was not an option, either.
He could just have the surgery. That might make his life a little easier for what was left of it. Of course, he could do nothing and let nature take its course. According to Jacque, that would mean his days were severely limited. And just how many of those days would he have to spend doped up like a drug addict to alleviate the pain? The headaches had been getting worse for some time already; he didn’t want to imagine what they would be like as the tumor grew.
Then there was option three.
Jacque’s blood was said to have healing power. Samuel didn’t have a clue as to how the fuck that worked, but what if it did? A cure for cancer… and the only side effect, besides being a little gross, is possible death or a change to vampirism that involved excruciating pain.
Samuel had worked with the vamps for a while now, and though they were like family to him, never once had he considered becoming one of them. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around what it would be like to be one. He supposed he could get used to drinking blood. He had never heard any of them mention turning into a raving lunatic or a blood crazed monster. But did he really want to live forever? He had no family to speak of as it was, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to live alone forever.
He had some questions, that was for sure. He cracked one eye open to see what was going on in the room. It was dark, but there was just enough light coming through the open doorway to allow him to see. He was hooked to all manner of machinery, the thing casting a dull glow into the room. He could see Frankie and Jacque sitting in opposite chairs, about three feet away from his bed. They were staring into each other’s eyes and the love was so thick in the room that it made Samuel’s throat threaten to close on him.
He wanted that.
He wanted that kind of perfect love. Too bad he was dying.
Jacque broke eye contact with Frankie and turned his attention to Samuel. The ring in his brow sparkled slightly in the dim light. “Bout time you joined us,” he said, moving closer to the bed. “How’s your pain?” He gently brushed the thinning hair away from Sam’s face and examined him with his eyes.
“Not too bad right now,” Samuel said gruffly. His throat felt like sandpaper. As if she picked the thought right out of his head, Frankie opened a bottle of water and handed it to Samuel. “Thanks,” he told her. Jacque carefully sat the bed up so that Sam wa
s in more of a sitting position, and Sam brought the water to his lips. He took several small sips before trying to talk again.
He opened his mouth, but Jacque spoke for him. “Have some questions, huh?”
“Yeah,” Samuel said.
“We better get everyone else in here for this,” Jacque said to Frankie. She nodded and stepped out of the room.
“What time is it?” Samuel asked around the mouth of the water bottle.
“A little after four in the afternoon,” Jacque replied.
“How long have I been here?”
“This makes day number five,” he said. Jacque moved his hand to feel the pulse on Samuel’s wrist. “You seem to be much more stable today.
Samuel hadn’t realized it had been so long. Had they stayed with him the whole time? Was that why Jacque looked so tired?
“We have all taken turns staying with you,” Jacque said as he continued his examination. “Don’t worry about me sleeping, that is more Frankie’s fault than yours.” He turned and gave Samuel a wolfish grin.
“Yeah,” Sam agreed, “women.”
“Yep,” Jacque said with a smile. He ran his hand over his spiky hair and turned serious. “You know you can think about this for a bit more if you want.”
“No fair picking thoughts out of my head,” Samuel grumbled. “Besides, I haven’t decided on anything yet.”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say,” Jacque said. It was then that Frankie returned with her brothers in tow.
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