by Alice Brown
“Wow, that is quite a story, little one. But how do you know Tim?” Mr. Sutton asked.
“Stephanie thought we should meet, so she brought me down here after school a couple of days ago. Since we had both been saved by Stephanie, it gives us something really cool to talk about,” Ramona replied.
“Oh, okay, I see.” Mr. Sutton glanced over to Stephanie. “Sounds like you stay busy, young lady.”
“Sometimes worse than others. I find I have a calling toward children in need of help. When I hear it, I simply must respond and do what I can to help,” Stephanie replied with a smile as she hugged Ramona to her.
“I would love to meet your parents, young lady. They have done one fine job of raising you,” Mr. Sutton stated to Stephanie.
“Well, you probably will. My mom and Ramona’s mom usually come up about six o’clock to check on Tim and his mother, and I know Dad drops by occasionally, too.”
“Yeah, Mr. O’Rourke was in here earlier this morning,” Tim injected.
“Oh, he was? He must have stopped by on his way to the office,” Stephanie replied, smiling at little boy.
“Mr. Sutton, I’ll show you to your daughter’s room if you are ready,” Marshall offered. He waited until they were down the hall before speaking again. “I don’t know how much you have been told, but your daughter is in far worse shape than Tim is. We have been a bit reluctant to tell him exactly how severe her injuries are, but I thought you should know before seeing her,” he said quietly.
“Yes, I talked with a nurse on her floor just before boarding the plane. I know she is not in good shape. Why in the world she stayed with that scum is beyond me. And to put Timmy’s life in danger? I will never understand that.” Mr. Sutton shook his head as they walked down the hall to the elevator.
“Well, sir, I don’t know too much about the situation prior to the night we were called in. But, I do know that many women feel threatened and tend to lose their self-esteem when they are with someone like that. Stephanie’s own mother, Erica, was in an abusive relationship for four years before finally finding the courage to get away. She was lucky that she already knew Kevin, and was able to get the help and protection she needed to stay safe. Eventually, they fell in love and were married, and trust me when I say that you won’t find a more committed family when it comes to spousal or child abuse. They simply can’t stand the thought of it happening. I think the most important thing now is for you just to be here for Betty and Timmy. I can tell you that even after the physical injuries heal, the emotional ones hang on a lot longer.” They had reached Betty Sutton’s room, and Marshall held the door open for Mr. Sutton.
Mr. Sutton saw his daughter connected to all the machines, tubes running everywhere, and broke down. He knelt on the floor by her bedside, crying on the side of the bed. At times, it sounded like he was praying, at other times it sounded like he was apologizing to Betty for not being there. Marshall silently stood by the door, knowing the older man needed some time to come to grips with the situation.
A nurse came to the door about ten minutes later, and Marshall stepped out and explained that Betty’s father had just arrived and needed a few minutes alone with his daughter. She smiled gently, and assured Marshall that she would come back later. “By the way, how’s Betty’s son?”
“He seems to be healing okay, but he is very worried about his mother. We watch how much we say around him, but he sees right through us. The longer he is kept away from her, the more he worries.”
After the nurse walked away, Marshall remained in the hallway just outside the door. About twenty minutes later, the elderly man walked out of the room. His eyes were puffy, and he was using a handkerchief to mop his face.
“Oh, I thought maybe you had gone back to Tim’s room by now,” he stated when he spotted Marshall waiting for him.
“No, I knew you needed to be alone, so I stayed out here,” Marshall replied quietly as he placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. I’ll tell you, just as soon as Betty can be transported, I am moving her and Timmy back to Georgia with me.” Marshall raised his eyebrows and the older man held his hands out in front of him. “I know Betty’s got a long road of recovery ahead of her. I just don’t want her or Timmy in the same town as that low life. I don’t want to take another chance of this happening again. I’ll have her airlifted to the Atlanta hospital; they have an excellent burn center there. That way Tim can stay with me and we can see she gets the very best of care.”
“Speaking of the lowlife, I hate having to tell you this, but he posted bail and is already out of prison. It is one of the reasons our members are taking turns checking on these two as much as we are. We usually don’t follow up after turning everything over to the local police but when Stephanie gets involved in a case, things tend to take a different turn. She simply refuses to stop until she feels confident she has done all she can do to help, and knowing that the man is on the loose and facing charges, well, she wasn’t willing to risk leaving Tim and Betty alone.
“I know eventually Betty and Tim are going to want their personal belongings out of the house. We could easily get a court order, and I’ll take the team over there and load up their stuff if you would like. I don’t think it is safe for you to go over there, though, Mr. Sutton.”
“No, I don’t trust myself if I run into that scumbag. If you don’t mind, and can spare the time, I’ll be happy to rent a storage facility just to get their belongings out of there. My son-in-law is a Texas Ranger, and he’s coming with my other daughter in just a few hours. If you need some help, he could be a good asset.”
“That will be fine, Mr. Sutton. I’ll have Erica work on the court order and rent a storage facility. Your son-in-law could probably come in handy helping us figure out what to pack,” Marshall replied as they headed back to Tim’s room.
“Okay, I’ll speak to him just as soon as he gets here. I know he won’t mind helping. He is a good man; you’ll like him.” He paused for a moment and shook his head in wonder. “You know, he and Sissy have been married for fifteen years now, and that man doesn’t look a day older than when I first met him.”
Was it possible? Could Mr. Sutton’s son-in-law be one of them? Marshall couldn’t help wondering. It would certainly put a new twist on things if the son-in-law were a vampire. He excused himself when they reached Tim’s room, saying he needed to call the office to check in.
Once he was completely out of earshot, he called Kevin. “Mr. Sutton has arrived, and his daughter and son-in-law should be on their way from the airport shortly. It’s getting interesting; Mr. Sutton’s son-in-law, who, by the way, is a Texas Ranger, may be one of us.”
“You know, you may be right. I think I remember Charles saying something about most of the rangers these days being vamps. I’ll give Charles a call and see.”
“Okay, well, I will know for sure myself shortly. They are due in soon. By the way, Mr. Sutton wants us to go ahead with a court order to get Betty and Tim’s belongings out of the house. I told him the team would take care of getting their things, since our drunk is already out on bail. He wants his son-in-law to go with us, figures he would know more of what to take and what not to,” Marshall continued.
“Okay, things are light at the office for now, so I think I may join you up at the hospital shortly and meet this Texas Ranger. This could be interesting,” Kevin replied.
Marshall had been back in Tim’s room for about fifteen minutes when Kevin, Erica, and Inez all showed up. Inez only stayed a few minutes before taking Ramona down to the cafeteria for dinner. Mr. Sutton decided to join them and get a cup of coffee. They had just walked out the door, when it opened again, and a tall man and a pretty blonde woman walked in.
As soon as they walked in the door, Marshall, Kevin, Erica, and Stephanie all knew they both were vampires. There was a slight difference in scent between humans and vampires that only the enhanced senses of a vamp would be able to distinguish.
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nbsp; Everyone shook hands as introductions were made. Walter Andrews immediately walked over to Tim’s bed and kissed his forehead. “Your Aunt Sissy and I have been so worried about you,” he paused and gave an affectionate pat on the top of the child’s head. “No worries now, the Texas Ranger is here on the job,” he stated with a kind smile.
“Ranger. That was the word I was looking for the other day,” Tim told Stephanie. “You know, the other day when you were asking me for their last names or where they worked so you could call them?”
“I remember, but that’s okay that you didn’t remember, Tim. You did great. You gave us enough information to help us find your grandfather, and he contacted your aunt and uncle,” Stephanie responded.
Sissy came up to the side of the bed. “Sweetie, I am so sorry you had to go through all that, but don’t worry. It is not going to happen again. We are here now, and we won’t be leaving until everyone leaves together.” She gave him a gentle hug, cautious not to jostle his injuries. “I just wish your mom had gotten in touch with me before now, we might have been able to prevent this from happening.”
“Do you two have a place to stay while you are in town?” Kevin inquired.
“No, we came straight from the airport. I am hoping there is a hotel nearby,” Walter replied.
“Well, my wife and I have plenty of room, and my father lives next door to us and has even more space. I think you are going to want to speak to him about how things are set up here,” Kevin stated meaningfully.
“Okay, but I hate to impose on your father. He has never even met us,” Walter replied.
“True, but trust me, you two will get along very well. I’ll tell you what. Inez and Ramona are staying with us right now, so how about if George stays with us, and you and your wife can stay next door with my parents,” Kevin offered, then in a whisper meant for vampire ears only he continued, “I think you will be interested in how we have our own society and underground development.”
Both Walter and Sissy’s eyes grew big at this news. “Okay, thank you for the generous offer,” Walter said.
“Good. Kevin, I’m going to step out and call Rosetta and Charles, to give them a heads up,” Erica said. “Rosetta would kill me if I didn’t let them know we were bringing company home.” She smiled.
“Would you like one of us to show you to Betty’s room?” Marshall inquired.
“Stephanie, would you please stay here with Tim until your mom gets back?” Kevin requested, looking over to his daughter. “I am going to walk Walter and Sissy to Betty’s room and I need to speak with Marshall for a moment.”
The four adults headed to Betty’s room. Kevin warned them about her condition, and Marshall interjected that George wanted her in Atlanta with him as soon as possible.
“I’ve kept up with her chart on a daily basis. The prognosis for a full recovery is not very good. Evidently she has had multiple broken bones before this episode that have gone untreated, and that just complicates things now,” Kevin spoke quietly.
Walter turned to look at Sissy. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking? If we could get your father out of the way, we could go ahead and change her. The change should heal all of her injuries, and you would have your sister again,” he stated softly to her.
“We have an excellent underground medical center of our own. Our medical doctor has been through many changeovers. My own wife, Erica, was involved in a serious car accident when she was pregnant with Stephanie, and I had no choice but to change her. Her injuries were as severe as Betty’s, and she recovered perfectly. If we could get George out of the way for a few days, we could get Betty moved to our medical facility and do the changeover. We have a mandatory three-day isolation period to allow the patient to adjust to their new life and surrounding family. I think you would be impressed with the set up. If you would like, I can call Dr. Carlson. I believe he still does occasional work here.”
Walter and Sissy entered the hospital room first, while Kevin and Marshall waited outside to give the couple privacy. Sissy walked out a quick moment later, a look of anguish on her face. If it had been possible for vampires to cry, she would have been broken down in tears. She glanced over to Kevin and requested, “Please, make the call to your Dr. Carlson. If he is willing to help, I’ll come up with something to keep dad out of the way.” She turned to her husband, who had followed his wife out. “I should have known something like this was going on. We have to turn her, Walt; I don’t think she is going to make it, otherwise.”
Walter wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her to him for support. “Okay, honey, we will. I promise you, you will have your sister back.”
Kevin dialed Dr. Carlson at the underground hospital and briefly explained the situation. “He’ll be here in about an hour,” he said. “Now, we’ve got to figure out how to keep George away from the hospital. I’m hoping Erica can help with that.” Sure enough, they ran into Erica on their way back to Tim’s room. Kevin caught her up on the developments, and asked if she could keep George occupied while they took Betty down to the underground vampire hospital.
“Okay, I can take George home with me. I’ll tell him I need his signature on the court order request for the removal of personal property. I’ll try to get him interested in some of the computer equipment or something. Stephanie said he was taking an interest in the team as a whole, so maybe I can even get your dad in on this,” Erica replied, smiling at her husband.
“I think maybe it would be wise to leave Stephanie here watching Tim, at least until either Walter or Sissy gets back,” Kevin added.
They were standing in the middle of the hospital hallway, but their voices were low enough that no one could hear a word that was said. Walter replied, “After the change, Sissy can stay with her sister, and I’ll come back and relieve Stephanie for the night.”
Having reached Tim’s room, Walter started to open the door, but then closed it and turned back to Kevin. “So, is Stephanie half-human, half-vampire?”
Kevin smiled at him. “Yes, but that isn’t even the half of it. She has some extraordinary abilities that make her unique. After we get all of this under control, maybe we will have the time and she can show you what I mean,” Kevin said. He no longer tried to hide his daughter’s extra abilities. He had always been proud of her, but when she was younger, he feared their community wouldn’t accept her because of these gifts, but the community had accepted and befriended her a long time ago, and her gifts wouldn’t change that.
Erica smiled over at Kevin and added, “Let’s just say that when she used her mind to throw bottles at the nurses when she was only a couple of hours old, we knew she was going to be a handful.”
Walter and Sissy both shook their heads in amazement. “We didn’t even know it was possible to conceive.”
“Only if the female is a human. The female vampire body can’t handle pregnancy,” Erica replied.
“I had heard of a few mixed couples trying, but none ended well. It looks like you guys have made some remarkable strides. Have you ever had a half-vamp female get pregnant?” Sissy questioned.
“No, we haven’t. Most of our female half-children don’t have the monthly cycle, so it isn’t possible,” Erica said.
Marshall stood by silently listening to the conversation. What Erica said was all true, but he knew one half-vampire/half-human girl who did have her monthly cycle. Stephanie. She’d been having her cycle for a couple of years now; he knew because he could smell the blood every month. It had been torture for him to leave her alone, not touch her, and remain only a friend to the girl he had been saving himself for.
Sissy took hold of Walter’s hand. “Well, at least Betty will have Tim.” Everyone filed back into Tim’s room except Kevin, who excused himself to make a phone call. A couple of minutes later, he requested Walter and Marshall to join him in the hallway. “Dr. Carlson’s here.” He led the way back to Betty’s room. Dr. Carlson, dressed in a lab coat, was reading Betty’s thick chart to get up to speed on he
r condition. He looked just like any number of doctors who had been in and out, and it took a moment for Marshall to realize who he was.
Kevin introduced Walter to Dr. Carlson. Looking back down at the file in his hand, Dr. Carlson said, “She definitely needs to be changed if you are looking for a full recovery. I doubt there will be any other way. Not only are her burns fairly serious, but she has some internal injuries and possible bleeding also.” He looked up from the chart to Walter.
“We have a few hurdles, first,” Kevin spoke. “How do we get her out of this hospital and down to ours, and how do we stall George for three days?”
“Well, as far as getting her out of here, that one is easy. I call a code, work on her for a little while, pronounce her dead, and then send her down to the morgue. Your friend, Davidrick, is still there, isn’t he?” Dr. Carlson asked Kevin.
“Yes, he is. And Jordan can transport Betty to our hospital facility. Brilliant,” Kevin exclaimed.
“Now, what about George?” Marshall inquired. “Even if Erica is successful in keeping him entertained tonight, he will be up here first thing in the morning. He’ll panic thinking that the drunk that did this to her has now taken her to finish what he started.”
Dr. Carlson spoke, “I suggest we tell George that I am a burn specialist. Because of the extensive burns on her face and chest, I want to try a new procedure on her, but she will need to be moved to where the equipment is. We can tell him that she will need to be under my care for three to four days, but the same equipment that is used on her burns will also help with her internal injuries.”