When it comes to playing a smarmy superhero who thinks he’s all that, is there anybody in the world you call besides Nathan? – Joss Whedon
Emily blinked and looked around. She looked down at Chad and rolled off him. She crawled weakly over Cal and fell against him. “Are you okay?”
Cal showed Emily his hands, his eyes red and swollen. Emily sighed and glanced over at James. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
She stood Cal up and took him into the adjoining bathroom. Emily turned on the faucet and held Cal’s hands under the water. She washed off the blood as quick and fast as possible.
“I killed him.”
Emily looked up at Cal. “What? No you didn’t.”
“Did you see my hands? That’s not my blood. It was James’s.”
“He’s not dead,” Emily said, still washing Cal’s hands. “Just sleeping.”
Cal pulled back, flicking water everywhere, spattering everything with pinkish dots. “Sleeping? What am I? Twelve?!”
“No, I was just—”
“No, just leave me alone.” Cal sat down against the tub. He was careful not to put his head in his hands.
“No.” Emily sat down next to Cal.
“What are you doing? I could kill you.”
Emily snuggled up to Cal. “I know.”
Cal sighed. “You’re going to be here no matter what I say, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
Cal smelled Emily’s hair and leaned his head on hers. “You’ve got a real problem, you know that?”
Emily only smiled.
It wasn’t long before they were both asleep in a tangle of limbs on the bathroom floor.
Arthur woke up not long after. He saw immediately that Cal and Emily were missing. He heard that the faucet still running and ran in hoping that someone hadn’t drowned in the bathtub.
The two were still curled upon the floor together. Arthur let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He bent down to wake them up when he remembered James.
Arthur rushed out and kneeled down next to James. He felt James’s neck, which was crusty with drying blood. James’s pulse was beating so rapidly that Arthur was startled. He felt it again to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.
Arthur took a deep breath, feeling slightly woozy, his neck still hurting. He walked back over to the bathroom holding a hand to his head.
“Cal, wake up!” he rasped, shaking Cal’s shoulder.
Cal stirred and pulled Emily closer.
Arthur huffed and shook Emily’s shoulder. “Emily, wake up!”
Emily grunted and opened one eye to glare at Arthur. “What?”
“If we don’t hurry to the hospital, James will die,” Arthur croaked.
“He’s not dead?”
“He will be if we don’t hurry,” Arthur tried to sound angry.
Emily nodded and shook Cal. “Wake up! Wake up! We need to get James to the hospital.”
Cal blinked blearily. “He’s not dead?”
“Nope!” Emily replied happily.
Cal jumped up while Arthur and Emily struggled to their feet. Cal walked out and picked up James. He looked over at Chad and leaned back toward where Arthur and Emily were struggling with each other.
“Hey! Arthur, wake Chad up. He should probably come to the hospital too.”
Arthur nodded and walked over to Chad. He kicked the big man’s boot-clad foot nearly falling over in the process. Emily steadied him. “Hey, you. Get up.”
Chad shook his head and blinked a few times. “What’s going on?” He tried to get up, but grunted in pain and grabbed his back.
“Yeah, that’s why we’re going to the hospital,” Arthur leaned against Emily again and the two walked slowly out of the room after Cal.
Chad got up gingerly and hobbled after everyone.
A few minutes later, Chad’s SUV pulled into the Emergency Room parking lot. Cal hopped and ran into the building. He was out a few minutes later with a few wheelchairs. He put James in one propping him up. Cal helped Arthur put Emily in another one. The billionaire offered one to Chad who shook his head and stood up as straight as he could. Cal rolled his eyes.
Arthur pushed Emily’s chair into the room and Cal soon followed with James. They were met as soon as they came in.
A pretty nurse, who name tag said Isabella, came out and said something in Italian. Cal quickly replied in kind.
Arthur tried to follow the conversation and wished he remembered something from his Italian classes at Vyren Academy. He turned to Chad. “Do you know what’s going on?”
Chad gave him a look that made it clear that he thought Arthur was a moron and no, he didn’t know what was going on.
“You don’t talk much.”
“Don’t need to,” Chad replied, shifting his weight onto his other foot; his thumbs hooked into his belt.
Since he couldn’t follow the conversation, Arthur took the time to study the nurse. She had her dark hair pulled back in a bun. She had a fairly average face, not too skinny, not too fat. She was the same height as Cal and it looked like with a curvy figure. Arthur figured she seemed nice from the sound of her voice.
Cal walked back over. “The nurses are going to take you to your respective rooms, which will be near each other.”
“How do you know?” Arthur asked.
“I’m Cal Hardwick.”
“Why did I even ask?” Arthur said and turned to Chad for backup.
The muscle-for-hire only raised an eyebrow and didn’t respond.
Arthur felt his cheeks heat up and wished that James was awake to back him up or make some snarky comment or… something that James always did.
The nurses came out and helped them all to their rooms; two in each – James and Emily in one room and Arthur and Chad in the room next door. Arthur and Chad weren’t in their room for long however. A doctor came and checked them out. Nothing was seriously wrong with them so they were released after being bandaged and walked into the room with Emily and James.
Arthur scratched at the bandage around his neck. “This is not comfortable.”
Chad was rewrapping his bandage. “Morons don’t know what they’re doing.” He pulled it a lot tighter making him look skinner and making him stand straighter.
Cal was sitting on a chair between James and Emily’s beds. He glanced at Chad “I’m fairly certain that it was loose for a reason.”
Chad gave Cal a hand gesture that made it clear what he thought of the billionaire. Cal only snorted in amusement and shook his head.
Emily glanced over at the men. “Why don’t you guys go get something to eat?” She yawned being close to dreamland.
Arthur glanced at Chad and shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”
Cal rolled his eyes. Emily nodded and closed her eyes.
Isabella came bustling in and pushed Arthur and Chad out of the way. The two backed into an available corner, but not without a growl from Chad. Isabella gave him a reprimanding look and Arthur was surprised when Chad looked slightly abashed.
She turned to Cal and spoke. Cal shook his head and replied.
Isabella looked at Cal, took in James’s death like pallor and shook her head.
Cal scrutinized her before nodding. Arthur looked to Chad who shrugged.
“It’s all Greek to me.”
Isabella was busy taking James and Emily’s vitals. She checked under James’s bandaged throat. She pulled back the gauze and furrowed her brow. She walked over to a drawer and pulled out some scissors.
“What’s she doing?” Arthur asked.
“I’m not sure,” Cal answered and stood up.
Isabella started cutting the bandage away. She pulled the gauze away and gasped.
“What? Che?” Cal ran over and stepped back. He muttered something under his breath.
“What?” Arthur rushed to James’s side and couldn’t see anything wrong with his neck. What are they gasping about?
Isabella said something in Italian, crossed herself and ran out of the room.
“What’s going on?” Arthur asked, frustrated.
“The bite marks,” Cal whispered. “They’re gone.”
Arthur realized he had been looking at pale, unblemished skin. “Wow. Amazing. Do you think that means he’ll wake up soon?”
Cal nodded. “I do.”
Emily rustled in her sleep and Cal was at her side in nearly the blink of an eye. He looked her over once before gently laying a prolonged kiss on her forehead.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Cal said. “That’s the way to tell if someone has a fever. Hands are good, but lips are better.”
“Sure, sure…” Arthur looked over at Chad who had sat in a vacated chair in the corner they had been backed into by the nurse. His head was laid back against back rest. He was sound asleep. Arthur felt a smirk tugging at his mouth. Not so tough now, are you?
Isabella came back in with two doctors and three nurses in tow.
“That’s a lot of medical people,” Arthur noted.
Cal nodded and he and Arthur backed away, bumping into Chad. Chad grunted, but remained asleep.
Isabella was pointing at James’s neck and speaking very rapidly in Italian.
“What’s she saying?” Arthur asked Cal.
“Shh. She’s talking too fast. Uh… vampire… massive blood loss… miracle… I think she may have just called James the … the… cacciatore di vampiri?” Cal chucked.
“Cachatori de vampiri?” Arthur asked
“Vampire hunter. Someone that’s destined to kill supernatural creatures, vampires, werewolves and such. If I remembered correctly, and as much as I hate to admit it, I probably don’t. Legend says that this ‘killer’ will be strong and kind and pure. James is none of these Especially not pure,” Cal replied. “He’s no more a Vampire hunter than I am.”
“Hey! James is nice. He may not be the other things, but he is kind,” Arthur responded.
“Still. Not a Vampire hunter,” Cal said and watched the doctors check James.
The doctors eventually shrugged and walked out. The three nurses that had followed them in, followed them back out.
Isabella walked over to Cal and spoke to him.
Cal turned to Arthur. “She wants to know where we have been.”
Arthur shrugged. “Tell her the truth.”
“Un hotel,” Cal replied.
Isabella nodded and hesitated before speaking in halting English. “He is vampire hunter?”
Cal laughed. “He’s not a vampire hunter.”
“How you know?”
“He’s not pure.”
“Come lo sai?”
“I’ve met some of his, uh, partner di sesso,” Cal replied, a smug look on his face.
Isabella’s eyebrows hit her hairline, but she nodded and left.
“What did you say?” Arthur asked.
“Just told her the truth. James isn’t the Vampire Hunter. She didn’t believe me though. The thought that there is one is too deeply ingrained in her mind for her to believe me.”
Arthur nodded and sat down in a chair in the corner next to Chad. Cal sat back down between the beds. Arthur slouched down in his chair to take a short nap. Through his nearly closed eyelids, he saw Cal gently take Emily’s hand and squeeze it.
“Mi dispiace sto ti ho fatto male, amore mio,” Cal whispered to her.
While Arthur didn’t know what the billionaire said, he couldn’t help the smile that graced his sleepy face.
Author's Note: HAHAHA! See I told you I'd get the next chapter up sooner. I apologize if the Italian is wrong. You can only blame Google and their translations as I don't speak Italian. Still, overall, I do like this chapter.
No comments:
Post a Comment