Sapphyre_Burden to Bare

by Felicia Leibenguth

  “Umm, Miss?” Someone called close by.

  I opened my eyes and saw the same doctor from before. I instantly became anxious. What would be the news now?

  “How is she? Is she any better?” I asked. I want to get straight to the point.

  “Yes. She is doing better. She did wake up for a short time. She’s sleeping now, and stable.”

  I took in a relieved breath. Thank God, she’s okay.

  “But,” the doctor continued on. “I wanted to find out if you know how we can get a hold of her mother. The school seems to have lost her file.”

  I shook my head. I never even met her and I certainly don’t know how to get a hold of her. Poor Katrina, alone without anyone by her side.

  “Can I go sit with her, at least until someone gets a hold of her mom? Please, she has no one else,” I begged again. I just want to see for myself that she’s okay.

  “Alright, but by all rights, I shouldn’t even be allowing you back there since you’re not family,” he smiled lightly.

  “No problem. Thank you,” I smiled back.

  “Right this way,” he started to walk down the hall and I followed in step behind him.

  I didn’t know what to expect as we walked through two huge double doors labeled ICU. It’s a little unnerving, I’ve never been in an intensive care unit before. I was thinking there would be people lying in beds with tubes down their throats on ventilators and a bunch of other machines. Once we walked down the hall a little, we came to the nurse’s station. Around the nurse’s station are rooms and the walls are glass. They can easily get a good view of the patients. Some rooms have people in them, but most are empty which surprises me. Some rooms we passed, the people are hooked up to machines just like I figured. I feel horrible for these people, fighting for their lives.

  That’s when we came to Katrina’s room. I can see her through the glass as we approached. She’s lying in a bed with white sheets and blankets. Her head is slightly raised up by the bed. She has an IV in her right arm and in her left arm is another IV, but that bag held blood. I’m so glad I don’t faint at the sight of blood, or I might be in a bed next to her about now.

  I started to walk over to her when the doctor made me stop for a moment.

  “We had to give her a lot of blood. We don’t exactly know what happened, but she is going to be exhausted for a while. She needs her rest, so keep it quiet, alright?” he whispered.

  Did he think he was talking to a five-year-old?

  “Yeah, I’ll try not to get excited,” I whispered back almost inaudibly.

  He smiled and walked away.

  I walked into her room taking a seat as close to her as the bed would allow. I sat and just looked at her. She did look a little better. Her skin wasn’t as pale, well the places that aren’t bruised, but the bruises look worse, especially the handprints on her neck. I’m sure they are going to look even worse in a little while. Her breathing is normal and from what I hear of the beeping on the heart monitor that’s normal too. A wall of relief washed over me. I know Katrina is going to be okay, at least for now.

  I hope she will wake up soon. I want to know what happened. I’m still filled with so much anger for him that I want to rip him apart for what he’s done to Katrina. Now I thought back to the moment in the parking lot when I saw him for the first time. He could have very easily silenced my screams. He’s obviously strong enough from what Katrina has told me. He could have killed me with just a flick of his wrist, but for some reason, he didn’t. He could have killed Katrina too, but she was still alive, if only barely. Now thinking back, how did Katrina drive her car to the school in her condition? She couldn’t have. Someone had to of. Could he have? But… why? Did he want her found, to be saved? That doesn’t make any sense. He’s told her many times he would kill her, but he hasn’t. Of course, he hasn’t been pleasant and has used her as his own personal blood bank.

  That’s so disturbing.

  Thinking about it, I raised my hand up to my neck not sure what to expect and felt the spot he sank his fangs into. A bit surprised, I feel nothing. No wound, no blood, no scar, just nothing. I don’t even think he took any blood from me…

  What is really going on here?

  Lucky

  I’m actually surprised with myself. I’m handling this Supernatural stuff well. At least I think I am. I’ve lived my whole life, not believing in Vampires and now here I am… bitten by a Vampire and wanting to kill one! I have to laugh at myself, it still sounds crazy. The existence of Vampires, but I know for a fact they are real, I had the proof in front of my eyes. So that makes me wonder what else is real. Can the books mom read to Bree and I when we were little, with fairies, unicorns, and trolls be real? Or are they made up? I always thought Vampires were made up for people’s entertainment. I don’t know what’s real anymore, and it’s frightening to think about because there are more dangerous things in this world than I thought. I feel a shiver go down my spine. I really don’t want to know what other creatures are real because if I found out that would probably be too much for me to handle. How much information can one person take before they snapped, anyway? I hope I never find out.

  I sat looking at Katrina and I started to wonder where he decided to bite her this time. It had to be in the main vein for him to take that much blood. Could he have bitten into her Juggler? That would have the best flow, it’s the main artery. Biology class finally paid off.

  I have to look. There should still be a wound, but I don’t see where the doctors covered it up. I got out of my chair and looked at her neck. Nothing on the right, so I leaned over to the left and looked. It wasn’t what I expected to see. I figured since he did this to her last night or early this morning, the puncture wounds would look like the ones on her chest, still bright red. These… if I didn’t know what to look for… I probably would have missed them. They are faded out, almost invisible against her skin. Like a scar that’s years old. Maybe this isn’t where he did it, but where else would he have?

  I hear a very small sound. Like someone letting out a breath.

  I leaned back and looked toward the door, but no one is there. I look back at Katrina confused, and that’s when I see her chocolate brown eyes looking at me.

  “Katrina!” I whispered relieved.

  She smiled.

  I hugged her, very gently. I’m so happy she’s awake.

  She moaned lowly in pain and I backed off saying, “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean-”

  She stopped me by shaking her head slightly.

  Something is wrong.

  I look at her wide-eyed. “Katrina… can you… talk?”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out is a small squeak. She shook her head no.

  “Oh God Katrina, I’m so sorry! I promise I will take care of this. I will figure it out.”

  She shook her head again, telling me no.

  “He’s going to kill you, I have to do something.”

  Another no.

  I sighed.

  “Are you in a lot of pain? I could get the nurse.”

  She looks scared. I remember she doesn’t like hospitals. Neither do I for that matter.

  “It’s okay, they’re not going to send you anywhere. She could just give you some pain meds that’s all.”

  No again.

  “This would be so much easier if you knew sign language.” I took a few courses at my old school as electives.

  To my surprise, Katrina looks smug. She pulled her hands out from under the blankets and started moving her hands. It’s some basic movements I know. I’m not a pro at ASL by any means, but I know enough.

  She said, “My grandma was deaf.”

  “Well, that’s good to know!” I said aloud.

  She smiled again.

  I have a question I want to ask her, but I’m afraid she isn’t going to answer. I asked anyway. “I hate to ask this now, but…” I didn’t finish.

  “What?” she signed. By the look on her face, s
he knows what I’m going to ask.

  “Well… what happened Saturday night, after my dad dropped you off?”

  Her hands started moving, and it’s a little hard to keep up, but I understood most of it.

  “After your dad left, everything was normal. It wasn’t until mom left for work that ‘he’ was waiting for me. Let’s just say there are some holes in the walls,” she flinched. “He was yelling at me a lot and when he was done, he took my blood. I don’t remember anything after that. I passed out, and I thought he finally killed me, but I woke up here,” she looks confused.

  I had the urge to explain that the hospital is my fault. I also filled her in on how I found her in the school parking lot and the incident with him.

  Her eyes became really wide. “Lexi he’s going to kill you! I knew this was going to happen if I told you. This is my fault!” Her face looks frantic like she’s going to fly out of bed to do something, but I don’t know what.

  “No, it’s not. You don’t need to worry about me, I’ll be fine, I don’t think he even took any blood from me-”

  “He bit you!?” she signed before I finished. She looks disgusted and horrified.

  “Had I forgotten to mention that?” Oops. “Don’t worry. He didn’t even leave a mark.” I showed her my neck where he bit me. “See. You need to worry about yourself and getting better, not about me. Now calm down or that heart monitor is going to send the nurses in here,” I hissed.

  “You’re something else.” She tried to calm down taking in small breaths. Every time she breathed in she winced.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She did the sign for ‘pain’ by her side and pulled the light blue gown up along with the blankets to show black and blue skin. Her whole side is covered in a massive bruise. It’s bigger than if I put my hand's side by side, with my fingers all spread out.

  I stared wide-eyed. This only shows a small amount of the torture she went through last night, so I can only imagine what she really went through.

  “He broke a few ribs this time,” she signed, looking in a lot of pain.

  “Do you want some pain meds?”

  “I don’t want them to know I’m awake, not yet.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to talk about last night, and who would believe me, anyway. If I bring up Vampires, they’ll… you know.”

  “Well… umm… you do realize you can’t talk, right? They don’t know you know sign language. So, if you don’t sign they’re not going to be able to talk to you.”

  She laughed quietly than the look of pain again. “Ow.”

  “Yeah, I bet. So, how about those meds?” I pressed. She’s obviously in a lot of pain.

  She nodded.

  “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  I went out to get the nurse, and she said she would be in in a moment. She had to tell the doctor she was awake. So, I went to sit with Katrina for a few minutes while we waited.

  “Thanks,” she signed.

  “For?” I asked confused.

  “Being here for me and being a true friend. I never had that before. Most of all, for saving my life.”

  I smiled, “No problem.”

  After a moment Katrina rested her hands on her blanket and I soon found out why. The doctor is coming in the door.

  The doctor came over with a chart in his hands and stood at the bottom of Katrina’s bed. It’s the same doctor I’d been dealing with ever since I came to the hospital with Katrina, but this time I actually saw his name tag. I was too stressed out before to notice. It says, Dr. Adam Ryder.

  “I’m glad to see you’re awake Ms. Morrison,” he smiled relieved.

  Katrina looked at me a little annoyed and I can guess why.

  “I think she would prefer Katrina,” I said to Dr. Ryder then turned to Katrina, “Right?” I didn’t want to speak for her but seeing she didn’t want to talk to anyone, I don’t have a choice.

  Katrina nodded in agreement.

  “Okay, Katrina. I would like to speak with you for a moment.” He turned to me and said calmly, “Would you mind stepping out for a few moments please?”

  I looked at Katrina not sure what she wants. I started to stand up, and she grabbed my hand. The motion made her flinch in pain again. She’s good at covering up her agony; I have to give her that. She started shaking her head and looked at Dr. Ryder.

  “She can stay if you would like her too,” he smiled gently before continuing. “First, I assume someone choked you?”

  Katrina hesitated for a moment then she nodded her head yes.

  “Well… the person did some damage to your vocal cords. We’re not sure of the extent of damage, we're hoping it’s just temporary like some cases. We will have to take it a day at a time and run a few more tests. In some extreme cases, the voice doesn’t return. But, we can get into that later.” Dr. Ryder went on even while Katrina looks horrified. “There’s also the matter with your ribs, as I’m sure you’re clearly aware. They are not broken, but three of them are cracked. You will have a lot of pain, but we have you on some pain meds which we will be upping the dose on.” He smiled gently. “There is not much we can do for them, but to tell you to restrict your movements and at least every hour you need to take a few deep breaths to help prevent pneumonia. I know it will hurt, but you have to try.” Katrina nodded her head in agreement. “I must say, I’m surprised that there isn’t anything more wrong that we have found other than some cuts, bruises, and blood loss. We would like to keep you in the ICU for the rest of the night and if you remain stable, we can move you upstairs tomorrow.” Dr. Ryder smiled again, then his face turned serious. “There are a few officers here that want to speak to you about what happened. They are waiting outside the ICU doors. If you feel up to seeing them, we can get you a pen and paper.”

  Katrina isn’t sure what to do. Why’s she looking at me to answer? I can’t read her mind. I stared blankly back at her and shrugged my shoulders. Before either of us answered, Dr. Ryder spoke again.

  “It’s okay. I can tell them you are resting and you certainly need it, but I’m afraid I can’t do the same for you, Miss…”

  “Lexi. Just call me Lexi.”

  “Yes, well Lexi, they would like to speak to you as well.”

  “O… kay.” What would they want to know and what am I going to tell them? Katrina squeezed my hand with apologies in her eyes. “Don’t worry I’ll be back,” I smiled hoping to make it sound like no big deal. I don’t think it worked.

  “One more thing Katrina,” Dr. Ryder started talking again. “Do you know how we can get a hold of your mother? The school seems to have lost your emergency contact information, so she has not been notified yet.”

  Katrina looks horrified. That’s when I realize something I didn’t think of before. Could he have gotten to her mom? So help him if he did. He’s dead enough as it is.

  Katrina nodded her head as if in shock. I’m sure she’s thinking the same thing right along with me. Dr. Ryder took that as an answer.

  “Can you write the number down for me, then the nurse is going to up your pain medication. As for you Lexi, your presence is requested outside.”

  Katrina quickly wrote down the number on the paper and looked at me with fear in her eyes.

  “It’ll be okay. Promise,” I told her as I started moving toward the door.

  She nodded her head.

  Family

  I walked out the double doors leading back to the regular part of the hospital. I absolutely dread speaking to the police. I don’t know exactly what to say to them, but I decide it has to be the truth and nothing but the truth… well, except the Vampire part. That’s definitely going to be left out. Besides, if they do believe it, what were they going to do about it? Arrest him? I doubt handcuffs could hold him, let alone the entire police force. How do you restrain a Vampire, is there even a way?

  I look up and walking toward me are two officers in black uniforms with unemotional faces.

  As
they asked me questions, I feel like I’m in a locked room being interrogated for a crime I didn’t commit. They asked the same questions, but in different ways over and over. I think they were trying to find a hole in my story about the parking lot incident. It’s very aggravating. Eventually, they gave up on the interrogating and asked me a question I don’t know how to answer.

  “Did Ms. Morrison ever talk to you about anyone who would want to hurt her?” the larger male officer asked. He towered over me, which is intimidating in itself, but the way he stands makes me uncomfortable. I ignored my feelings about the officer and tried to think about answering the question. Be truthful or lie?

  If I tell the truth, what exactly will I tell them, ‘oh yeah, he comes around about every week or two to attack her.’ Yeah, that would go over really well.

  “No,” I told him. I can’t tell them about the things Katrina confided in me. It seems wrong somehow. It’d feel like a betrayal. If she wants to tell them that is up to her. I’m not going to make the decision for her.

  When they finished with me, I walked back into the ICU and I noticed the time. It’s after seven at night. I know I have to call home again soon, but I want to check on Katrina first.

  She’s sleeping, so I told the nurse where I’m going in case Katrina wakes up.

  I walked back down the long halls toward the main entrance. When I looked up, someone paced in the hall. They have their back toward me heading for the door. They turned around with fast movements heading back my way.

  “Bree?” I called.

  “Lexi!” she called back with relief.

  “How did…”

  That’s when mom and dad came walking out of the waiting room. They looked at me relieved. I told them I was fine, didn’t I? I thought I did. All three of them came down the hall, Bree much faster than mom and dad. It surprised me when she hugged me whispering, “Thank God.” Then she leaned back and looked at the side of my neck with wide, horrified eyes. She quickly got her face under control and said nothing about what she may have seen. I wasn’t willing to share any information about it either.