by Bell Stoires
Clyde moved over to Ariana quickly.
“Please,” Clyde said, as a man moved to stop him. “I just have to say goodbye.”
Ari felt someone reach down to her and heard whispering.
“You will be alright,” said Clyde. “I’m sorry I am making this decision for you… but I can’t let you die.”
Then, just before the darkness engulfed her, she felt soft cold lips brush against hers, and something else… a coppery tang assaulted her taste buds. Just as her mind faded she realised what it was- blood.
Chapter 21- Limbo
For three weeks Ariana was stuck in limbo- between life and death. Every night Ragon and often Clyde would go in to see her, until the late night visiting hours passed and even then, they would remain until the nurses, who Clyde would flirt with shamelessly in order to convince them to extend their visiting hours, kicked them out. Sometimes Ragon would pace the room, desperately trying to make sense of everything, and other times he would just sit and hold Ari’s hand, willing her to live.
During these forced instances, when Clyde ad Ragon were required to tolerate each other’s company, the pair did not communicate, and each pretended the other was not there. When Ragon had reached the hospital, following Ari’s attack, he had not missed the blood stained kiss that Clyde had given her. The moment his eyes fell on her lips, and he had seen the dried blood there, Ragon had known exactly what Clyde had tried to do. Ragon had been forced to wait the longest, tensest four hours of his life, while Ariana had been rushed to surgery, during which time he had no idea whether or not she would die, remain human, or become a fledgling.
Though Clyde still remained with the coven, he had been sulky and moody since the night of Sameth’s betrayal. During the day Clyde locked himself in his room and at night he left the house only to feed or visit Ari. It wasn’t just Clyde and Ragon who visited Ari; the rest of the coven came periodically to see her also. The only two who did not visit her were Patrick and Ryder. Ryder’s transformation into a vampire fledgling had been successful, though he had been forbidden by the coven to leave the house. Patrick remained with him at Ragon’s estate, trying to keep his blood lust under control.
It wasn’t until Christmas day when finally Ari awoke from her coma. Flashes of conversations came to her instantly, and she tried desperately to piece together the missing parts of her life. But for all she tried, she could not remember how or why she had come to be in the hospital. She remembered everything about her life leading up to her hospitalisation; she remember Ragon and the coven, even Crystal and Ryder, but how she had managed to end up in a hospital bed, trapped in a coma for three weeks, baffled her.
The moment she had opened her eyes and seen the white sterile hospital walls, all manner of thoughts swamped her. What had happened? It seemed that she was not the only one who was clueless as to how she had been stabbed; the doctors at the hospital had questioned her extensively and, after insisting that she had no knowledge at all of her attack, had ordered a psychological evaluation. This might have been the worst thing, had she not already been told by her physician, that due to the nature of her attack, a police officer would be coming by shortly to question her.
“So you can’t remember anything?” asked one of the doctors, staring at her plainly.
Ari rolled her eyes. She had only been awake for an hour or so, and was already wishing that she was still asleep, away from the prying sterile stares of the hospital staff. All she could think about was Ragon. Where was he? Why hadn’t he come to take her away?
“No- nothing,” Ari insisted, for what she thought was the hundredth time.
“Amnesia is common with injuries such as these,” said the female doctor, swinging her stethoscope in her hands, much to Ari’s annoyance.
A few short knocks on the door made Ari and the swarm of doctors around her turn around. Slowly the door opened and a tall young man with a strong frame walked inside.
“I’m officer Ryans,” said the man, looking apprehensively at the doctors who were staring at him, before moving over to Ari and saying, “miss, I am a police man, and I am here to find out what happened to you.”
Ari looked solemnly up at the young officer; he didn’t need him to introduce himself- the navy pants, light blue shirt and upholstered gun, didn’t leave much to the imagination. Still she thought, trying hard not to blush when he moved to sit next to her on the chair beside her bed, he was incredibly handsome. He had wavy blonde hair, a long face and brown eyes. There was an air of concern and protectiveness about him, that somehow, despite everything that she had been through, made her feel comforted.
“Can you remember what happened to you the night you were attacked?” he asked, and before she could stop herself, Ari let a small hysterical laugh escape her lips.
“She has amnesia,” said the female doctor, moving over to Officer Ryans, her eyes lighting up as she scanned him from head to toe.
“Actually,” said the officer, pushing past the doctor, “I’d rather hear what Ari has to say.”
The female doctor pouted and moved over to Ari’s hospital chart.
“I can’t remember anything. I have been saying that since I woke up, or came out of my coma… or whatever,” said Ari, her eyes tearing up as she purposefully tried to avoid eye contact with the handsome policeman.
“I’m sorry,” the officer replied, his brown eyes becoming large and sympathetic as he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. “It’s just… you’re the tenth female to be attacked in Brisbane in the last month, and the first one to survive. I don’t want to push you but-”
But before officer Ryans could finish, the door to her room burst open.
“This is a private room,” the female doctors began to say, until her eye’s widened and she swooned at the gorgeous green-eyed man wearing a beanie, who had just walked inside.
Next to her, Ari felt the officer’s hand leave her shoulder, as he moved to stand protectively in front her.
“Wait,” said Ari, her mouth slightly open in awe- it was Ragon.
“Ari, are you’re alright,” said Ragon, sweeping over to her and embracing her, before the doctor could protest. “They called me an hour ago, but,” he broke off, looking out the window at the light blue dusk that was just visible from this floor, “I had to wait half an hour before I could leave.”
“Ragon,” she breathed, and she felt a fresh wave of tears escape her, as she cried openly against his shoulder.
Instantly everything that had happened to her the night she had been attacked came flooding back. She remembered Sameth; his dark cruel eyes explaining calmly why she had to die, and then stabbing her. And… and Clyde saving her,.
“You know this man?” asked officer Ryans, surveying Ragon suspiciously.
“This is Ragon,” Ari said quickly, wiping her eyes with the hand that was not attached to a drip.
“Her boyfriend,” added Ragon, glaring at the officer.
At these words the female doctor, who had been eyeing Ragon with interest, let her mouth fall open as she uttered a surprised cry.
“Well, if you remember anything, anything at all, please call me,” the officer said. “My home phone number and address is on the back, so don’t hesitate… day or night.”
Ragon looked at the policeman with narrowed eyes, which turned to shock as Ari reached out to take Officer Ryan’s business card. But before she could take hold of his car, Ragon had stretched out his own hand and intercepted Ari’s, pocketing the small card quickly without so much as looking at it. The female doctor, who had also watched the exchange, looked jealously down at the card with the policeman’s contact details.
“Thanks,” said Ragon.
“So you are the one who found Ari?” Officer Ryans asked.
Ragon shook his head and avoiding Ari’s eyes, gruffly said, “No.”
“Well I need to talk to the person who brought Ariana in here,” said Officer Ryans, putting his notepad and pen away disappointedly. “They may ha
ve seen the person who attacked her.”
Next to her, Ari felt Ragon tense.
“What makes you think she was attacked?” asked Ragon. “I thought it was an accident?”
“She was stabbed,” Officer Ryans replied coolly, indicating Ari’s stomach.
“But that doesn’t mean -” Ragon began to say.
“And there are bruises on her wrists and ankles from where she was clearly bound,” added Officer Ryans.
“Officer Ryans… a word please,” said the female doctor, swinging her stethoscope to steal the policeman’s attention, and indicating for him to join her outside.
Officer Ryans followed her out of Ari’s room. The moment they were alone, Ragon turned to Ari, his face an image of guilt and sorrow.
“My love,” he said, one hand reaching to cup her face, while the other rested softly on her stomach. “I am so sorry. Nothing I can say will-”
But Ari stopped him quickly, shaking her head as she placed two shaky fingers over his lips.
“Please don’t… don’t say that,” she stuttered, but Ragon had stood suddenly, an angry expression on his face. “I’m serious Ragon!”
“What happened to me?” she asked, searching his eyes for answers.
“Clyde found you at my mausoleum. Sameth had already… had already stabbed you and he thought that you were going to die, so he brought you here.”
Ari had sat upright, her mind racing as she remembered being in the car with Clyde as he drove to the hospital. But there was something else, something else when she had been close to passing out. He had asked her something. What was it?
“I should have known, should have-” but Ragon’s words broke off as he moved towards the door, straining his neck to one side as he listened carefully.
“What is it?” whispered Ari.
“The doctor, she’s talking to the policeman about your injuries,” Ragon hissed.
“What’s wrong with that?” asked Ari.
“Not this injury,” said Ragon, pointing offensively at Ari’s stab wound, “your… previous injuries.”
“What are they saying?” asked Ari, her eyes tracing down to the small pink scar on her wrist, relic from when Ragon had bitten her.
“She’s saying that some of your x-rays showed abnormalities; there are contusion marks on your ribs, consistent with falling or taking a beating in the last few months,” said Ragon.
“But that was Kiara and Matthew,” said Ari.
“She says that you have classic strangulation hairline fractures but there are signs of ossification, indicating that the injuries occurred prior to your attack,” Ragon added in a dull lifeless tone, ignoring Ari’s comment.
As Ragon spoke, his fist bawled at his side and he shook his head violently.
“Ragon, what happened to me was not your fault,” said Ari.
Ragon did not have a chance to reply, the officer and female doctor had filed back into her room.
“Ariana, for the duration of your hospitalisation I am going to post a plain clothed policeman on watch,” said officer Ryans, his eyes darting angrily up at Ragon. “When your memory does come back, I am hoping that you will be able to help us find the person responsible for all these deaths.”
“When can she come home?” asked Ragon, ignoring the officer and directing his attention to the doctor.
The female doctor looked sheepishly at Officer Ryans, then swooning, turned to face Ragon, as if uncertain who to side with.
Finally she said, “Well… as soon as she recovers, though her retrograde amnesia may take longer to heal than the rest of her body, but she will need round the clock care and-”
“Actually,” Officer Ryans interrupted. “I’m not so sure it is a good idea for Ariana to return home with you.”
At these words Ragon growled. Officer Ryans had not missed this, and he gestured down at his holster, where a concealed gun was hanging. Ragon smiled grimly at this.
“Well I’m not sure that’s your call,” Ragon said between gritted teeth.
Officer Ryans made to move towards Ragon, but Ariana sat up quickly, the effort forcing her to cry out in pain. Both men looked over to her instantly.
“Perhaps both of you should leave,” said the doctor, moving over to Ariana and placing a hand on her wrist so as to feel her pulse.
From the way the doctor battered her eyelids at the policeman and Ragon, Ari wasn’t convinced that she was genuinely interested in Ari’s wellbeing, as much as she was jealous at all the attention that Ari was receiving.
“I’ll be back soon,” said Ragon, moving over to her and kissing her on the forehead.
“As will I,” said Officer Ryans, holding the door open for Ragon to leave first.
Chapter 22- A Stroll Through The Morgue
It wasn’t until around 2am in the morning that Ragon’s promise to return was fulfilled. It had taken Ari until around midnight to fall asleep. The night sky had settled over the Brisbane Royal hospital, bringing with it large rain clouds form the sea. A few times the police man on guard at the front of her room had popped his head in to check on her. Each time she had pretended to be asleep, snoring loudly until she’d head the soft click of the door, telling her that he had resumed his post.
She had woken suddenly to a cool breeze against her cheeks. As she sat up in bed, the gentle whoosh of the curtains caught her attention and she narrowed her eyes at the open window, certain it had been closed previously.
“How are you feeling?” whispered Ragon, emerging from the shadows and moving over to her.
Ari beamed at him.
She wanted to say so much; to ask him to thank Clyde for what he had done, to tell Ragon that she was ok, ask how Crystal was, but all she managed to say, as she became lost in his deep green eyes, was, “Fine.”
In truth the wound which Sameth had inflicted all those weeks ago, only bought her minimal discomfort. The doctor’s had seen to her pain relief, and she had been on a cocktail of drugs since her surgery. Thankfully these had finished when she had woken from her coma.
She was just about to sit up, when a second figure emerged from the night, climbing cat-like through the window and landing crouched on the hospital floor.
“Clyde,” breathed Ari, her smile widening.
“In the flesh,” said Clyde, “so to speak.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“It was nothing,” he replied, “just doing my civic duty.”
For a few moments the pair stared at Ari, as if afraid that any movement they made might break her.
“Do you know why?” Ragon began to say, apparently unable to finish his sentence.
“Why did Sameth attacked you?” said Clyde, finishing Ragon’s sentence.
“For Kiara; he said that he was in love with her. He thought that by killing me she would finally see him and not Ragon,” said Ari.
As Ari spoke, she avoided looking Ragon in the eyes. She knew that hearing this would hurt him, but at the same time, she felt almost proud- proud that he had chosen her love, the love of a mortal, over Kiara.
“We have to go, but I will come back soon-” Ragon began to say, moving over to Ari and kissing her lightly on the forehead.
“Go… go where?” she asked, reaching out to grab his hand.
Clyde and Ragon exchanged worried looks.
After a few moments of deafening silence, Clyde finally said, “The morgue,” just as Ragon glared at him.
“The morgue?” said Ari.
“Clyde’s looking for a date,” said Ragon, shaking his head and staring incredulously at Clyde.
Ari scoffed; she was not an idiot. The injury had damaged her body, not her mind.
“Why are you going to the morgue,” she asked again.
“To find out who is killing all these other girls,” said Clyde.
“Clyde!” said Ragon, his voice raised to an angry whisper.
Clearly Ragon had not wanted Ari to know their plan.
“Those murders that officer
Ryans told me about?” said Ari, her face narrowed on Ragon, “all those girls that were the same age as me that were killed in Brisbane?”
Ragon looked down at his feet and nodded.
“And you weren’t going to tell me?” she asked.
“I thought I’d wait until after we found out what we were dealing with,” said Ragon, his eyes narrowed at Clyde. “I didn’t want to-”
“You didn’t want to worry me,” Ari finished. “But we know who attacked me.”
“Yes but…” said Clyde, taking a meaningful look at Ragon before adding, “but it’s too stranger coincidence that ten other girls, the same age as you, have been killed also. Sameth wouldn’t have killed them also. Why would he?”
“You think someone else is after me?” said Ari. “But why are they killing girl’s my age; why not just kill me? Unless they don’t know what I look like? But that doesn’t make sense. How would someone know how old I am but not who I am… And why would someone want me dead?”
At this both Clyde and Ragon looked away, apparently angry that Ari had managed to deduce their rationale for wanting to investigate the murders in Brisbane.
“I’m coming with you,” she said, moving to the edge of her hospital bed and standing.
“No you’re not,” said Ragon, racing over to her and trying to place her back underneath the sheets.
“Look,” she said, brushing past Ragon, “this is my life you’re talking about. If there is someone going around killing girls my age and you are worried about it, then I have a right to find out just as much as you do. If you think I am going to sit back and do nothing… then neither of you know me very well. Besides, I would be safer with you… both of you, than waiting here with a human guarding me.”
Ragon sighed, moving past Ari as his hand wrapped around the handle to the room’s door.
“I’ll lull the guard outside to keep watch and make sure no one comes in,” he said gruffly, and in a flash he was gone.
A few tense moments followed Ragon’s absence. Ari was staring up at Clyde, her lips twitching as she considered him.