A Special Gift

by Alice Brown

  Erica walked over to both Dr. Weathers and Dr. Carlson.

  “Dr. Weathers, I do apologize for my daughter’s behavior. This is not like her at all. I beg you not to hold this against her.”

  Dr. Weathers smiled over at Erica. “I understand. I did a year of psychiatric training years ago. She has been through a lot. Her behavior is not that unusual.”

  “We are going to have to put her on something for the time being,” Dr. Weathers stated as he looked over to Dr. Carlson. “Can you be assured she isn’t going to be a danger to herself or others?”

  Marshall immediately remembered Mrs. Goodberry, and how they had used the interrogation table to secure her until her mental condition could be evaluated. He knew this was what the young doctor was talking about, and he was not about to allow them to tie Stephanie up. He’d tie the two doctors up himself before he allowed that to happen. She had just been through too much, and needed time to process everything. But before he had had a chance to speak, Kevin beat him to it.

  “Dr. Weathers, I thank you for your concern of my daughter. But rest assured, she can be controlled if needed, and she will not, and I repeat will not be tied up! Do I make myself clear?” Kevin was in his all-too-familiar stance that signaled to anyone with a drop of common sense that trying to fight the inevitable would be a complete waste of time.

  Dr. Weathers faced Kevin with the patience of a saint. “I never stated anything about tying up your daughter, Mr. O’Rourke. I just wanted to make sure we don’t have a problem with having so many half-vamp children in the same house with her.”

  Dr. Carlson quickly stepped in the middle of this one. “Gentlemen, this has been a very hard and trying couple of days for all of us. Now, I feel certain we can leave Marshall with a few light tranquilizers as well as some nerve medicine. Rest assured, neither will be in shot form since Ms. Stephanie seems to have an aversion to shots.” He grinned and continued, “I think we will notice a remarkable difference in a couple of days. She is going to need some time to process everything, and the loss of her beloved Pop Atkins is going to tear her heart in two. But I also know this young man here,” he placed his hand on Marshall’s shoulder, “and I know for a fact he would never allow her to injure herself or anyone else.”

  Dr. Weathers walked over to Kevin. “I apologize for giving you the wrong impression. I personally do not believe in ever strapping someone down, unless there is no alternative. I should have chosen my words more carefully, but it has been a long two days. I ask for your forgiveness.” He held out his hand to Kevin, who took it in a firm handshake.

  “It’s water under the bridge,” Kevin replied. “You have been a huge help to us in our time of need, and I do thank you. You are right; it has been a long two days, and, unfortunately, my patience is not what it should be. I also apologize.”

  Dr. Carlson cut in. “Okay, folks, here is what we are going to do. Marshall, you are staying put, correct?”

  “Yes, sir.” He raised an eyebrow at Kevin, just to make sure there would be no problems, and Kevin gave a short nod, confirming his consent.

  “Very good, son. I am giving you the two prescription bottles. We have run into some problems with the nerve medication causing depression in our half-vamps, so I do not suggest using it unless you absolutely cannot get her calmed down. I think if it had just been the two of you this evening, you probably could have talked her down a bit. But, I may be wrong. Try to get her to process her feelings, without totally losing control, of course. Quite often if you can get the patient to open up and discuss her feelings, it will help them process them. Use the medicine only as a last resort,” the elderly doctor stopped and grinned. “Oh, and I would advise you to avoid the word ‘shot’!”

  Marshall laughed, standing up to shake hands and take the prescription bottles. “Thanks, Dr. Carlson.”

  He also shook hands with Dr. Weathers. “Thank you for trying to help. I know you were only doing what you felt was right.”

  Turning his attention back to Dr. Carlson, he asked, “By the way, how are Mrs. Yates and Mrs. Goodberry doing?”

  “Mrs. Yates actually was the one to help bring Mrs. Goodberry out of whatever frame of mind she was in,” Dr. Carlson replied. “She woke up screaming at the top of her lungs, until I mentioned Mrs. Yates, and it was as if something snapped in the woman’s mind. She immediately asked where she was, and if she could see her. From that point on, she knew who she was, what had happened, everything. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I had just witnessed a split personality disorder in her. But, I’ve never heard of such a thing in vampires.”

  “We had a good long talk before I released her, and I have warned the other doctors that we may not be totally out of the woods yet, but I am hoping that maybe she just hit her head or something, and it took a few minutes for everything to straighten itself out. She has been by Mrs. Yates’s side ever since, attending to her every need. You know, when you’ve practiced medicine as long as I have, you’d think that I would have seen just about everything. But obviously, I still have much to learn.”

  “Is Mrs. Yates improving?” Kevin asked.

  “Oh, yes, I think she will be just fine. It will take a little time. Elderly vamps don’t heal as fast as the younger generation does,” Dr. Carlson replied.

  “Speaking of healing, did you check Stephanie’s injuries?” Dr. Carlson asked Dr. Weathers.

  “He really didn’t have a chance to,” Marshall replied before the young doctor could answer. “He sort of walked into a disaster. Stephanie was already having a full blown panic attack when he arrived.”

  “Okay, well, let’s take a quick look and try not to disturb her. She still needs plenty of rest,” Dr. Carlson said, lifting the sheet to check on her leg. He also checked the arm, and her midsection, but she started talking in her sleep and moving around a bit, so he stopped.

  “If she wakes back up, try to get some blood in her,” Dr. Carlson instructed Marshall quietly.

  “I will. I managed to get some in her earlier today.”

  “So, she has been awake and coherent enough to drink blood?” the elderly doctor asked in surprise.

  “Well, I am not sure how coherent she was. She drank the blood from me, and unfortunately, I fell asleep, so I am not sure how much she drank before the cut closed up.”

  “Well, whatever it takes. Just make sure you replenish yourself. If nothing else, do it for her. It will be the only way she regains her strength. I’ll be back up here tomorrow morning to check on her.” Both doctors left, followed shortly after by Kevin and Erica. Somewhere in all the confusion, Wild-man had slipped out of the room. He let himself back in as Kevin and Erica walked out, and took one look at Marshall that clearly stated, “Damn. You’re still here?”

  Marshall decided then and there that he and this cat were going to come to some type of agreement. He snorted a laugh, wondering if he could get away with telling Stephanie that her cat had died in the earthquake. Funny as the idea struck him, he knew he could never do such a thing to her. It was bad enough that she had to suffer the loss of her Pop Atkins.

  The cat jumped up on the bed and curled up alongside Stephanie. “You are going to share her tonight with me, boy,” Marshall informed the cat. “There is only one bed in this room, and I plan on sleeping in it.” He pointed his finger to the empty side of the bed as he was talking to this cat. Wild-man just looked at him, bored. Okay, we will see who wins this battle of wills. So much for our little truce.

  After checking on Stephanie one last time, Marshall was almost in bed when there was a soft knock at the door. He opened it to find Erica standing in the doorway, holding a glass of blood and a straw. “In case she wakes up tonight, you won’t have to come downstairs and try to find some,” she explained, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you, Marshall. Thank you for loving my daughter as much as I do.”

  “You know I do.”

  He closed the door and walked back over to the bed. Stephanie b
egan talking in her sleep again. This time she was fighting it, and seemed to be trying to wake up. Marshall sat on the edge of the bed and picked up her good hand.

  “Stephanie, it’s Marshall. I don’t know if you can hear me, but sweetheart, I love you. I always have, and I always will. You have no idea how scared I was when I thought I might have lost you yesterday. Baby, you have to pull through this, we have our entire lives to live. I’m right here with you, and I am not leaving you, no matter what.” Was that a smile trying to break through? It only lasted a second so he couldn’t be sure.

  Marshall continued stroking her hand for about ten minutes to see if she was going to wake up. She didn’t, so he went around to the other side of the bed to settle in for the night. As soon as he lay down, Wild-man stood and arched his back at him, growling deep in his throat. He pointed his finger at the cat’s nose. “Don’t go there!” The cat walked up and sniffed his finger, as if it was no big deal, then decided to settle back down. He huffed as he lay back down, his head on Stephanie’s leg. Marshall chuckled quietly. I knew you weren’t a stupid cat and would see things my way. And I also need to commit myself to a vampire insane asylum. He shook his head. Talking to a damn ornery house cat. If his coworkers ever got wind of this, they would never let him live it down.

  About three hours later, Stephanie woke up. Marshall was only in a light snooze, not able to go into a deep sleep until he knew she was okay. The moment she started to move around, he turned the lamp on and leaned over to face her.

  “Marshall?” she called out.

  “I’m here, sweetie,” he grazed his fingertips down her cheek. “Do you think you could drink a little blood for me?”

  “Yes, I think so,” she replied, attempting to sit up. Her breath caught halfway, and she fell back against the pillows. “What is wrong with me?”

  Thinking she didn’t remember what had happened, Marshall started slowly. “You were underground when an earthquake hit a few days ago. You have several broken ribs, a broken arm, and a broken leg.”

  She frowned up at him. “I know about the earthquake, although I wish I could forget. I was just asking about my injuries. Why isn’t everything healing? What is wrong with me?”

  She ended with a decidedly hysterical note to her voice, her breathing speeding up right along with her heartbeat.

  Marshall hooked a finger under her chin and brought her face so he was looking into her eyes. “Stop. You are okay. Hell, we lost a couple of full-blooded vampires down there in that mess. You are lucky to be alive. Your injuries are healing, but you haven’t had much blood in your system, and that is slowing your healing down. Dr. Carlson said it would go slower than normal anyway because the body has to repair multiple areas. You are to rest and drink plenty of blood. Those are the only things you have to worry about.”

  Marshall reached over for the glass of blood sitting on the nightstand. She attempted to sit up part way in order to drink the blood. “Uh-uh, little one, lie back down and get comfortable.” When she started to argue, he cut her off. “I’ll feed it to you a little at a time,” he assured her as he stuck the straw into the blood.

  She smiled slightly. “You are going to spoil me. But I hope you know I love you.”

  He leaned over, brushing his lips gently against hers. “And I love you, sweetheart. Now, let’s get this blood in you so we can get you feeling better.”

  Holding his finger over the top of the straw, he brought it to her lips to sip, a small amount at a time. Over and over again, he filled the straw and brought it to her mouth to swallow the life giving liquid. He fed her until her eyelids became droopy, halfway through the glass.

  “Do you want more?” he whispered as he watched her eyelids flutter.

  She shook her head no, and attempted to slide closer to him. He decided to leave the lamp on until he knew she was asleep.

  “Marshall, will you hold me?” she mumbled, and he knew she was falling back to sleep. She moved to place her head on his chest. He could barely make out what she said, but she continued, “Please, just hold me. I don’t want any more nightmares. I don’t want to go through that again. I want to feel safe.”

  He soothingly stroked her arm. “Shh, little one. You are safe with me. Go to sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up again.” He looked down at her face and for the first time in days spotted a definite smile gracing her lips. His heart skipped a beat. Never before had he been so happy just to see her smile. The tension that had been with him for days, living like another entity within his body, suddenly evaporated. She was going to be okay. Yes, they had a lot of work to do. Everyone in the community would need to pitch in if had any hope of rebuilding their dream community. But they would get through this, and be stronger in the end.

  He lightly wrapped his arm around her as she cuddled up with him, and felt a sigh escape her as she was finally pulled under.

  She woke up about seven the next morning, and they were still tangled together. Marshall felt her eyelashes on his bare chest when she opened her eyes. She took her good hand and lightly ran it across his abs and stomach. His dick immediately perked his head up, but he knew now wasn’t the time. They would need to wait until her injuries were healed before having sex. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Good morning,” he murmured, taking the hand that was bringing such agony to his dick.

  As soon as she raised her head to look up at him, he noticed more sparkle in her eyes. He took that as a good sign that she was indeed healing. “How are the arm, leg, and ribs this morning?”

  She glanced down at her right arm and moved it around a bit. Smiling, she replied, “It doesn’t hurt as much.” She stopped and took a breath. “And I can breathe easier today. I must be healing.”

  A sudden frown graced her face. “I’m hungry. I need to get some red meat in me.”

  Marshall was quick to stop any plans she may have had. “If you have any intentions of moving off this bed today, I am here to tell you the only way that is going to happen is if I carry you. I have a feeling breakfast will be here shortly, but I will call and check on your room service for you.” Marshall picked up his earpiece from the nightstand and activated it as he placed it in his ear. “Erica, are you on?”

  “No, Marshall, she is sleeping in this morning,” Kevin replied, surprising Marshall, who had been prepared for a female voice on the other end. “Tell my daughter I am taking care of her breakfast order and will be there shortly.”

  “Will do, thanks,” Marshall replied and deactivated the earpiece. He didn’t want to know what the team was doing. Truth be told, he didn’t care. He was staying where he was needed the most. Everything and everyone else would just have to wait.

  “Your dad will be here in just a few minutes with your breakfast tray,” he informed his girl.

  Marshall knew that Kevin trusted him. But it would do no good for him to walk in and find his daughter in bed with her boyfriend. Knowing he only had a few minutes, he regretfully peeled Stephanie off and retrieved his shirt from the bedroom chair.

  As he began to button it up, he looked at Stephanie. The frozen terror on her face made his chest hurt. Thinking she was having a flashback of the earthquake, he quickly made his way back over to her side of the bed. “Steph, what is wrong?”

  “Are you leaving me?” she inquired, but her voice sounded like that of a lost child.

  “No, sweetie, I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me right here in this room with you until you get feeling better.”

  She looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Dad is actually allowing this?” she asked, but before he could reply, Kevin let himself in the room with her food tray and stated, “Yes, your dad is either getting soft in his old age, or completely lost his marbles. At this point, I’m not sure which one it is.” He grinned at her and made a face to look like a madman, which brought a smile to hers.

  Kevin sat the tray down and kissed his daughter’s forehead. “I must say you look a lot better
than you have been. How are you feeling?”

  “Still very drained, like I have no energy, but my arm and ribs are not in constant pain,” she replied.

  “How is the leg doing?” her father inquired as he lifted the sheet to take a look at it.

  “You know, it’s weird, I really don’t feel that leg at all. There is no pain, but there is no other feeling either. It’s like it is not connected to my body anymore. I don’t know what is going on with it.” Her eyebrows knitted together as she examined her injured leg as if it were a puzzle to be solved.

  Marshall caught the frown that briefly flickered across Kevin’s face, but he quickly returned to having nothing but smiles for his daughter. “Your mom needed to catch up on some rest, so I’m having her take this morning off, but I think I did things the way you like them.”

  She dug into her steak, and Marshall grinned as he watched her relish every piece of meat that went into her mouth. She truly savored every morsel.

  Her strength only held out for about three-fourths of the meal. Now that her belly had some substance in it, she was ready to curl back up for a nap. He watched as she pushed the food tray away and slid down in the bed, placing her head on her pillow.

  “Do you not want to finish your meal?” he asked her as he went to pick up the tray.

  “Don’t have the strength,” she replied groggily.

  He set the tray back down as inspiration struck. He cut a few very small morsels of steak and dipped them in the glass of blood that had been included on her tray. He used his free hand to catch any drips, and moved the fork to her lips. Her eyes were closed, but a smile graced her lips as she opened her mouth to take the tidbit of food. She was practically eating in her sleep by the time he finished.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as Marshall moved the tray over to the dresser.

  “For what?”

  “For taking such good care of me, and for loving me.” She was asleep immediately, but that didn’t stop him from placing a soft kiss on her forehead. The day was still young, and he had succeeded in getting blood and red meat into her system. Yes, it was going to be a good day.