Flutter
Page 56
“That really stings!”
“It needs to be clean,” Milo said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t think it’s that dirty,” Bobby grimaced. “You bit me all the time and never washed them at all.” Milo didn’t say anything, and Bobby tired of it, so he pulled away from Milo. “It’s clean enough.”
“No, I don’t think it is!” Milo reached up for Bobby’s neck again, but Bobby grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Milo could easily overpower him, and he looked like he was considering it. “Please. Just let me clean it a little bit more.”
“Milo! No! It hurts, and it didn’t hurt until you started messing with it!” Bobby held onto Milo’s wrist because if he let go, Milo would immediately start cleaning his neck again.
“That’s because I’m getting all his saliva out!” Milo pushed Bobby’s hand back, but Bobby jerked back in the corner and pressed his back against the mirror so Milo couldn’t reach it. “Bobby! Just let me clean it!” If he got any more aggressive, I’d have to intervene. “You still smell like him, and I have to get it out!”
“No!” Bobby shouted. “You’ll have to deal with it! I just got attacked by a vampire, and I’m feeling bad enough without you clawing out the back of my neck!”
“Fine.” Milo sighed and threw the bloody rag in the sink, then he had a change of heart. “You’re right. I’m sorry. You had a really bad night, and I’m just glad you’re alive and that you still want to put up with me.” Ashamed of his behavior, Milo stared down at the sink.
“I’ll always want to be with you,” Bobby smiled at him and gently touched his face.
Milo lifted his head and they kissed, just long enough for me to feel embarrassed that I was in the same room with them. I cleared my throat, and Milo blushed when they stopped.
“Sorry about that.” Milo dried the cuts on Bobby’s chest and shoulder so he could apply giant Band-Aids.
“So all those scratches, those are from Jonathan’s fingernails?” I nodded at Bobby’s chest.
“Yeah, I think so,” Bobby said, watching as Milo bandaged a particularly nasty one that ran down his collarbone. Hopefully, none of them would leave scars, or they would damage his tattoos.
“That’s weird. Clawing at you seems like such a girlie thing to do,” I wrinkled my nose. Sure, that is how I had fought against Jonathan, but I was a girl, and I was openly a terribly fighter.
“Maybe, but our fingernails are more like claws,” Milo said absently. “It’s a weapon we have, so why not use it?”
It wasn’t until he said something that I looked down at my own nails. Before I had turned, I had bit them all the time, but I lost the urge. They were longer than I had them before, but I hadn’t really thought about them being stronger. I tested one out on my arm and winced.
Milo and Bobby continued talking, getting more flirty and lovey, so I tuned them out. Milo had gotten awfully freaked and possessive because Jonathan had bit Bobby, and he hadn’t even drank his blood. It surprised me because Milo had never been the possessive type, but I suppose that had nothing to do with who he was as a person. It was all part of being a vampire, but I had never gone through it because nobody else had bitten Jack since we’d been together.
Or at least that I know of. I had no idea what he was doing now. For all I know, someone could be biting him. Lots of someones could, or he could be biting lots of people. He could be doing anything, and I had no idea when or if he would ever be back.
After Milo finished getting Bobby cleaned up, they went back up to his room so they could change out of their costumes, and Milo needed to wash off all his makeup. Ezra and Mae were still up in Peter’s room with Jane, so I sat on the steps and waited for someone to tell me what was going on. The night seemed to drag on forever, but finally, Ezra descended the stairs towards me.
“How is she?” I got up but held onto the wall, bracing myself for bad news.
“I don’t know,” Ezra shook his head. “She’s been doing this for too long. Part of the reason her bite looked so terrible was because she had scar tissue building up. He had to gnaw through it to get to her veins.”
“Oh my gosh!” I gasped, feeling disgusted.
“But the good news is that she hadn’t lost as much blood as I’d originally thought.” He gave me a weak smile. “I didn’t give her any blood, although we did give her IV fluids.”
“You have IV fluids just lying about?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“In a houseful of vampires and the occasional human, someone is going to lose too much blood eventually, and its best to be prepared,” he said. “Your friend is resting now, but only time will tell how well she will do. Mae is giving her vitamins and plenty of water, and that’s the best we can do.”
“Why didn’t you give her a transfusion? Wouldn’t that have fixed her right up?” I asked.
“No. Like I said, she’s been doing this too long,” he said. “Her blood wouldn’t mix or coagulate right with fresh blood. She has too much vampire saliva in her, messing with her body. That might actually be to her benefit. Our saliva can be very helpful in the healing process, and the only thing that has been keeping her alive the past few days is how much she has in her system.”
“So the fact that she’s getting bit too often is killing her and saving her life?” I looked at him dubiously.
“So it would seem,” he sighed. “You can go up and see her if you like, but she’s unconscious.”
“Unconscious like sleeping or unconscious like coma?”
“Only time will tell,” Ezra said
“Really?” I had been asking more as a lark, but if there was a possibility that she could be comatose, it didn’t seem right that we were just keeping her in an upstairs bedroom. “Shouldn’t we get her to the hospital or something?”
“If I thought there was anything they could do for her that we couldn’t, I would’ve already taken her there. She just needs to rest and rebuild her blood.”
“No offense, but you’re not a doctor. How can you possibly know? If she’s dying, they can put her on life support,” I said.
“She’s not dying, not yet, but if you think she would be better suited at a hospital, or she would be happier living out the rest of her existence on life support, I will take her there,” he said, not unkindly. “But I have spent most of the past 300 years trying to keep the human victims of vampires alive. I doubt highly that anybody at the hospital can make that same claim, but yes, they do have more advanced medical equipment than I do.”
“It needs to be clean,” Milo said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t think it’s that dirty,” Bobby grimaced. “You bit me all the time and never washed them at all.” Milo didn’t say anything, and Bobby tired of it, so he pulled away from Milo. “It’s clean enough.”
“No, I don’t think it is!” Milo reached up for Bobby’s neck again, but Bobby grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Milo could easily overpower him, and he looked like he was considering it. “Please. Just let me clean it a little bit more.”
“Milo! No! It hurts, and it didn’t hurt until you started messing with it!” Bobby held onto Milo’s wrist because if he let go, Milo would immediately start cleaning his neck again.
“That’s because I’m getting all his saliva out!” Milo pushed Bobby’s hand back, but Bobby jerked back in the corner and pressed his back against the mirror so Milo couldn’t reach it. “Bobby! Just let me clean it!” If he got any more aggressive, I’d have to intervene. “You still smell like him, and I have to get it out!”
“No!” Bobby shouted. “You’ll have to deal with it! I just got attacked by a vampire, and I’m feeling bad enough without you clawing out the back of my neck!”
“Fine.” Milo sighed and threw the bloody rag in the sink, then he had a change of heart. “You’re right. I’m sorry. You had a really bad night, and I’m just glad you’re alive and that you still want to put up with me.” Ashamed of his behavior, Milo stared down at the sink.
“I’ll always want to be with you,” Bobby smiled at him and gently touched his face.
Milo lifted his head and they kissed, just long enough for me to feel embarrassed that I was in the same room with them. I cleared my throat, and Milo blushed when they stopped.
“Sorry about that.” Milo dried the cuts on Bobby’s chest and shoulder so he could apply giant Band-Aids.
“So all those scratches, those are from Jonathan’s fingernails?” I nodded at Bobby’s chest.
“Yeah, I think so,” Bobby said, watching as Milo bandaged a particularly nasty one that ran down his collarbone. Hopefully, none of them would leave scars, or they would damage his tattoos.
“That’s weird. Clawing at you seems like such a girlie thing to do,” I wrinkled my nose. Sure, that is how I had fought against Jonathan, but I was a girl, and I was openly a terribly fighter.
“Maybe, but our fingernails are more like claws,” Milo said absently. “It’s a weapon we have, so why not use it?”
It wasn’t until he said something that I looked down at my own nails. Before I had turned, I had bit them all the time, but I lost the urge. They were longer than I had them before, but I hadn’t really thought about them being stronger. I tested one out on my arm and winced.
Milo and Bobby continued talking, getting more flirty and lovey, so I tuned them out. Milo had gotten awfully freaked and possessive because Jonathan had bit Bobby, and he hadn’t even drank his blood. It surprised me because Milo had never been the possessive type, but I suppose that had nothing to do with who he was as a person. It was all part of being a vampire, but I had never gone through it because nobody else had bitten Jack since we’d been together.
Or at least that I know of. I had no idea what he was doing now. For all I know, someone could be biting him. Lots of someones could, or he could be biting lots of people. He could be doing anything, and I had no idea when or if he would ever be back.
After Milo finished getting Bobby cleaned up, they went back up to his room so they could change out of their costumes, and Milo needed to wash off all his makeup. Ezra and Mae were still up in Peter’s room with Jane, so I sat on the steps and waited for someone to tell me what was going on. The night seemed to drag on forever, but finally, Ezra descended the stairs towards me.
“How is she?” I got up but held onto the wall, bracing myself for bad news.
“I don’t know,” Ezra shook his head. “She’s been doing this for too long. Part of the reason her bite looked so terrible was because she had scar tissue building up. He had to gnaw through it to get to her veins.”
“Oh my gosh!” I gasped, feeling disgusted.
“But the good news is that she hadn’t lost as much blood as I’d originally thought.” He gave me a weak smile. “I didn’t give her any blood, although we did give her IV fluids.”
“You have IV fluids just lying about?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“In a houseful of vampires and the occasional human, someone is going to lose too much blood eventually, and its best to be prepared,” he said. “Your friend is resting now, but only time will tell how well she will do. Mae is giving her vitamins and plenty of water, and that’s the best we can do.”
“Why didn’t you give her a transfusion? Wouldn’t that have fixed her right up?” I asked.
“No. Like I said, she’s been doing this too long,” he said. “Her blood wouldn’t mix or coagulate right with fresh blood. She has too much vampire saliva in her, messing with her body. That might actually be to her benefit. Our saliva can be very helpful in the healing process, and the only thing that has been keeping her alive the past few days is how much she has in her system.”
“So the fact that she’s getting bit too often is killing her and saving her life?” I looked at him dubiously.
“So it would seem,” he sighed. “You can go up and see her if you like, but she’s unconscious.”
“Unconscious like sleeping or unconscious like coma?”
“Only time will tell,” Ezra said
“Really?” I had been asking more as a lark, but if there was a possibility that she could be comatose, it didn’t seem right that we were just keeping her in an upstairs bedroom. “Shouldn’t we get her to the hospital or something?”
“If I thought there was anything they could do for her that we couldn’t, I would’ve already taken her there. She just needs to rest and rebuild her blood.”
“No offense, but you’re not a doctor. How can you possibly know? If she’s dying, they can put her on life support,” I said.
“She’s not dying, not yet, but if you think she would be better suited at a hospital, or she would be happier living out the rest of her existence on life support, I will take her there,” he said, not unkindly. “But I have spent most of the past 300 years trying to keep the human victims of vampires alive. I doubt highly that anybody at the hospital can make that same claim, but yes, they do have more advanced medical equipment than I do.”
