by Lia Kane
“It must be flattering to be that in demand.”
“Well, it’s not that I’m any great catch. It’s just that I think some women see the white doctor’s coat or the stethoscope around my neck and they get visions of dollar signs dancing in their heads. It’s just easier if I look like I’m not available.”
“Just because this is a small town, and times are hard, doesn’t mean that all women here are gold diggers with nothing to offer.”
He blushed. “I guess that came out the wrong way. I didn’t mean any offense. Aside from the whole doctor thing, the bigger consideration is that I’m only here temporarily, and I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea – as in, you might be interested in meeting someone and settling down here.”
“Now is just not the right time,” he insisted.
“And Blue Sky isn’t he right place,” I said.
He frowned. “It’s not that, Jerrika.”
“So what are your reasons?”
“I’m obligated to practice here in Blue Sky for seven years so the government will repay my med school loans. After I’m done here, I want to go to China.”
I raised an eyebrow curiously. “Why China?”
“The Chinese are at the forefront of VAM research. It’s rumored that they’re on the verge of a cure. I want to be a part of the research team that makes it happen.”
“A cure,” I murmured. “My God, I would give anything to be cured.”
“And I’d give anything to cure you. That’s why I want to go to China and help make it happen.”
I stared at him. “So you don’t want to be tied down.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not to anyone in Blue Sky, not to anyone or anything, period. I’ve devoted my life to VAM research, and I’m going to do everything I can to see the cure discovered in my lifetime.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about my house. It’s big enough for all of you. I’ve got eight bedrooms total. There are four bedrooms upstairs and four downstairs, all with private bathrooms.”
“Eight bedrooms and bathrooms? Are you serious?”
He nodded. “It was built to be a retreat-type vacation rental home for large families or groups. My sister made a down payment on it a few years ago with the inheritance my father left her, hoping that she could use it as an investment property. Unfortunately, right after she signed on the dotted line, that’s when tourism seemed to come to a screeching halt in this area. So I’m living there now, renting it from her and helping her out as much as I can with the mortgage to keep her from going under financially.”
“Is that why you came to Blue Sky to practice?”
“It’s part of the reason, yes,” he said. “I was offered half a dozen medically underserved areas to choose from, and Blue Sky just happened to be close enough to Maria’s property that I could live there and commute to work.”
“Does your sister live there too?”
He shook his head. “No. She still lives in Connecticut, where we were both grew up. We used to vacation in the Carolinas during the summer, hence the bright idea to buy a vacation home here.”
“So tell me about your sister. What does she do?”
“She’s a teacher. She loves it, and she’s great at it, but she’ll never make enough money to pull herself out of the bad investment.” He hesitated for a moment. “Maria also has VAM, which is why I’m driven to find the cure.”
“Ah. So it’s big brother to the rescue.”
“Actually, she’s thirty-three; four years old than me.”
“Pardon me – little brother then.” I smiled as I did the math and realized how close we were in age. “You’re doing everything you can to take care of your sister.”
“That’s what you do for family,” he said with a casual shrug. “If we don’t take care of each other, who will?”
“Right.” I pondered how sad it was that my own mother didn’t feel the same way anymore.
“At any rate, my door is open to you, Sarah, Claudia and the children.”
“It sounds great. I just need to run it by Agnes and find out what we need to do to get it approved.”
“I spoke with her earlier in the day. She said that if it is fine with you, she’ll convene the board for a quick vote over the phone. Unless anyone else can provide a better solution, the votes are likely to be a unanimous yes, and we can move all of you in.”
“Well then what are we waiting for?”
“There is just one condition with the offer,” said Paul. “You can’t tell anyone where you’ll be going. Only the police and the board of directors for the orphanage will know, and all will sign confidentiality statements. You’ll be asked to sign one too, as will Sarah and Claudia. The scary truth of the matter is, whoever set the Hope House on fire didn’t just do it for kicks, Jerrika. Whoever did it wanted all of you dead, and will probably be bold enough to give it another shot if they have a chance. They can only do that if they find you, which won’t be very easy if you’re sequestered away in a private location.”
“I understand. I’ll gladly sign the confidentiality agreement. I don’t have anyone to tell, anyway.”
“You have family in this town, don’t you? You can’t tell anyone, not even family.”
“It’s just my mother who lives here. We haven’t spoken in years.”
“I remember at your appointment the other day, you mentioned a best friend here in Blue Sky, and someone that you might be seeing romantically…”
“No,” I shook my head furiously. “I’m not seeing anyone, and I don’t plan on starting any time soon. I was wrong about that. It was a bout of temporary insanity, but I’m over it.” I added an unconvincing laugh. “And as far as my best friend, she won’t know. We’re not exactly on speaking terms either at the moment. You have my word; I won’t tell a soul where we’re going.”
“Alright,” he said, and paused to sip his drink. “I’ll head home and get the house ready for all of you. When you get back to your suite, give Agnes a call and let her know that she can call on the board for a vote.”
“When are we moving in?”
“How about tonight?” he asked.
“Tonight? That’s kind of sudden.”
“The faster we can get all of you moved, the safer you’ll be. I can fit four at a time in my car, so I’ll just make three trips back and forth. I’ve got some donated baby and toddler seats in my office that I can swing by and pick up for the little ones.”
“Then I’ll go call Agnes now.”
We rose from our seats and he left a twenty on the table. Our waitress Darlene’s service had hardly been worth it, but I was beginning to wonder if Paul had a selfish bone in his body. From what I could see thus far, everything he did was for the benefit of others.
“What about you?” I asked. “If you’re driving us back and forth all night long, are you ever going to get any sleep?”
“I’m used to going without,” he insisted. “I’ll be fine.”
Outside of the lounge, we lingered in the hotel lobby for a moment to finalize the plans for the evening.
“I’ll need to check us out of the hotel after everyone is moved,” I said. “Mayor Drake is paying for everything. The least I can do is call to thank him for helping us and let him know we’re leaving. Will he know anything about this?”
“No,” Paul shook his head. “No one but the people I mentioned to you – us, the staff, the Hope House board of directors, and the police. That’s it. No one else can know.”
“I won’t tell him,” I promised.
“You understand, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Is he the one, Jerrika?”
“What?” I knew what he was implying, but the question caught me off guard.
“Is he the man you spoke to me about the other day? The one you have feelings for?”
I blushed with embarrassment. “Why would you think that?”
Paul’s eyes met mine. He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure how much he should say. “It’s a small town, and people have been talking.”
I postured defensively. “I joined him downtown while he ate dinner earlier this week, and went to a formal event with him yesterday evening at the Arts Center. That’s it. Both outings were purely professional. I know this is a small town, and people talk, but there’s nothing going on between me and him. Don’t believe everything you hear.”
“I believe you. I just need for you to understand how important it is for you to not tell anyone where you’re going, even if there are people in your life that you feel close to and trust.”
“And I don’t mean to be catty with you. It’s just that talk is only talk, and you can’t count on everything that you hear to be true. I know you need to protect your sister’s home. You have my word that I won’t tell anyone.”
“It’s not just about the house,” he said softly. “I need to protect my patients – the children. And you.”
We locked eyes for a long moment. “You have my promise. No one will find out from me.”
“I’ll call you later to let you know when I’m on the way to make the first pickup.”
We parted ways and I returned to the suite. Sarah, Claudia and the children were in bed by the time I arrived, and Naz was asleep on the sofa. I made the call to Agnes. Five minutes later, she called me back to let me know that the board had passed the vote. It was official.
We were moving in with Paul.
Chapter Fifteen
WHEN I OPENED the door to my bedroom in the suite, I half expected to find a trail of rose petals on the floor leading to the bed, where Victor would be sprawled across the mattress in a bathrobe. Poised and ready for a romantic evening of what, I didn’t know. Back rubs? Watching Jeopardy? Stimulating conversation?
Yeah, right.
My fears were relieved when I opened the door to find my room just as I had left it. I crashed on the bed, then reached in my pocket for my phone while I tried to prepare a text message in my head.
Victor, thanks for everything. We’re moving out of the Holiday Inn tonight, can’t tell you where...
What was I supposed to say to him, after all he had done for us? For me? Thankfully I didn’t have to worry about it. Once I brought the phone up to eye level, I remembered that it was a cheap prepaid model for voice calls only. No text capabilities. I laughed at myself, amazed at how easy it was to forget that everything I owned was now a pile of blackened ash.
I tried calling Whitney again. Her line rang once, twice, three times. I was mentally scripting a voice mail when she answered.
“Hello?”
“Whit, it’s me.”
For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the line. “I didn’t recognize the number,” she said.
I almost asked if she would have answered had she known it was me calling, but I didn’t want to know. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
She hesitated again. “What do you have to say?”
I was taken aback by her tone, but swallowed my pride. “I’m calling to tell you how sorry I am for everything that I said to you the other day. I was wrong.” There. I started it. Now it was her turn. I was guessing she’d say something like listen, I’m sorry too Jerrika, I was a real beyotch. Let’s never fight again, okay, bestie?
Instead, she sniffled like she was getting ready to cry. “You really hurt me, Jerrika. To call me selfish after everything that I’ve done for you... that was cold.”
Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. “I’m sorry. I regret hurting you.”
She sniffled again, but said nothing. This wasn’t going the way that I had planned. Whitney had held her weight in delivering the insults right back to me the other day, but apparently from her perspective, she had been the only victim. The silence between us was growing awkward. Instead of waiting for her to talk, I spoke again.
“Did you hear about the fire?” I asked.
“No, what fire?”
“Someone tried to burn the orphanage down.”
“Oh,” she said.
“In the middle of the night, with all of us in it,” I added.
More silence. I wondered how she was processing this information.
“That’s unfortunate,” she finally said.
“Well, everyone made it out okay,” I told her.
No response.
I tried to change the subject. “I stopped by the other day, did your mom tell you?”
“Yes.”
“She said you were job hunting. How’s it going?”
“I’ve got a new job.”
“Wow. That was fast. Congratulations.”
“I’m working as a teller at SkyFirst bank,” she said, still deadpan. “It’s nothing to celebrate. I’m making just above minimum wage, and I’m out of there as soon as I find something better. I thought this call may have been someone trying to reach me for an interview. That’s why I took it.”
Now that was cold. It was my turn to be the silent one.
Whitney continued. “Four years of my life wasted getting a teaching degree, and thanks to me fouling it up and quitting all in one day, I’ll probably never be able to get another teaching job ever again with that black mark on my work history.”
“Do you blame me for that?”
More silence. “I don’t know. Maybe partly,” she finally confessed.
“Well, you shouldn’t. I’m not responsible for any of what happened at your job.”
“Oh, here we go again,” she blurted. “Are you going to get all self-righteous on me again and tell me to stop being immature and selfish?”
“No, but I will tell you that you said some things that really hurt me too.”
“Like what?”
“You called my disease a ‘dirty little secret.’ How do you think that made me feel?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. It’s only a dirty little secret because you make it that way. You’re not so special, Jerrika. There are thousands of other people in the world who have VAM, and plenty of them are out in the open about it.”
“Other people, as in celebrities who can afford to buy blood out of pocket, as well as pay bodyguards to protect them from VAM-hating bigots. I don’t have those luxuries.”
“It’s not just celebrities, and you know it.”
“Well, have you ever thought about why I don’t talk openly about my VAM status? The last time I tried to tell someone, my father died, and my mother disowned me. I lost the two most important people in the world to me.”
“Not everyone would be like that. I wasn’t like that,” she wept.
“I know, and I’m thankful that I had you when no one else was there for me. I always have been,” I said, on the verge of tears myself. “I don’t want to lose you either, Whitney. So I’m trying to make things right. Can you please accept my apology? Can’t we just go back to the way things used to be? I just don’t want to lose you too.”
“Of course you don’t,” she said. “It’s all about you and what you want. And you call me selfish.”
“What do you want then?” I asked.
“Honestly?” She paused. “Time. Just give me some time to myself, Jerrika. I’m finally starting to feel good again, now that I’m not giving up blood every day.”
“I don’t need your blood anymore.”
“It’s not just about that. I said I need time. Just let me be for a while.”
“And then what?” Tears were pouring down my face, and I was choking on my words in spite of my best efforts to contain my emotions. “What am I supposed to do, just wait until you’re ready to be friends again?”
“Yes,” she said. “When – and if – I’m ready to talk to you again, I’ll call you. Bye.”
I hung up the phone and let myself have a good, hard cry. I felt sick to my stomach. I never imagined that my best friend would give up on me too. Had the things I said to her really been that bad?
> I fell asleep and dreamed for a long time that Victor was there with me, holding me, kissing my face, and telling me that I wasn’t going to scare him away, not ever.
And then I grew fangs. I sniffed his neck and bit into his jugular vein. He writhed and choked while his blood splashed all over my face and darkened the sheets. I laughed while I drank it in and watched him lay next to me dying...
Then I awoke with a jolt. The phone on the nightstand was ringing. I answered to find Paul on the other end of the line.
“I’m on my way to the hotel,” he said. “I should be there in about 45 minutes.”
“Okay,” I said, and disconnected the call.
I sat up in bed, resisting the urge to lie down again. I stretched my arms and worked my jaw up and down. I had that same strange headache that had awakened me at Hope House, and that same aching, burning feeling in my mouth again. I stepped to the mirror and bared my teeth. I almost passed out when I saw that the blunted points of my upper and lower canines, which normally aligned with the rest of my teeth, were noticeably extended past the neat line of my incisors.
Oh my God.
I had fangs.
FANGS!
• • •
Paul arrived just after midnight. He pulled his Prius up to the sliding glass door of our suite that emptied into the parking lot. I had awakened Sarah, Claudia and Naz, who dressed the children and babies.
For the first transport, we loaded Charlie and Shannon into baby seats in the back and put Haley between them. She fell asleep shortly after we buckled her in. I claimed the passenger’s seat and left Claudia and Sarah to care for the rest of the children.
“I have to ask you something,” I said, as he pulled out of the Holiday Inn parking lot and onto the highway.
He glanced over at me. “Sure. It’s a long ride, so ask away.”
“What the hell is this?” I bared my teeth.
Paul reached up to flick the overhead light on, then quickly switched it off. “It’s okay, Jerrika. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I have fangs,” I said calmly. “What exactly is it about fangs that shouldn’t worry me?”