“Before we begin,” Eli said, “I want you to describe what you feel when you touch her,” he said. Julie nodded and walked over to the child’s sleeping form. She reached under the covers and grasped Michele’s arm. “Why the arm?” the doctor asked.
“My choice,” Julie said. “When healing, sometimes, the intensity of the disease, or the amount of pain I receive, is tremendous. I clamp down hard in reaction to it, and find I do less damage to an arm or a leg than any other part of the body,” she explained.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on exploring deep inside Michele. “So much pain,” she gasped. “The sedatives have done a good job at keeping her in a comatose state. There is no pain medication in existence to battle what she has inside of her,” she said.
“Where is the bulk of the cancer?” Eli asked her.
“It’s everywhere,” Julie said.
“Can you remove it all?” he asked her.
“Most of it, I think,” she said. “Anything I miss or am unable to get today, I can get tomorrow,” she added. “Her heart is weak. You may want to have paddles ready,” Julie said, removing her hand. “I think I should start by taking the cancer from in and around her vital organs. This way if my own body has its fill, at least her organs won’t have to work as hard to stabilize her,” she spoke quickly and surely.
“Besides the paddles, what do you need me to do?” he asked her, not quite sure on how their roles got reversed.
“Try and not let my head hit the ground when I collapse,” she stated, matter-of-factly. She would not be hurt by the head trauma, but any extra time spent healing herself meant less time for Michele.
Everything was set. They were ready to begin. “Okay, here we go,” Julie said, placing one hand on the child’s arm and one on her leg. She felt Eli standing behind her. It was time. She closed her eyes and once again dove inside Michele’s disease-ridden body. As the cancer was pulled from Michele, Julie fought to keep focused. The pain increased as she cleansed areas in and around the child’s tiny organs. She heard herself moan as the cancer filled her. “Just a little more,” she said, unsure if she spoke these words internally. She could feel herself weakening.
She thought she heard the doctor’s voice before losing consciousness. “That’s enough for now.”
Eli scooped Julie up in his arms and placed her prone form on a sofa that was in the room. He was amazed at what he had just witnessed. He went and checked Michele’s heart rate. It was still weak, but steady. He went back to Julie.
The doctor did a check of Julie’s vital signs. Her pupils were dilated, her heart rate was rapid, and her breathing was shallow. If this were a normal patient, he would hook them up to an IV immediately. He decided to follow protocol. He had a line strung and ready in minutes. He attempted to insert a starter line into Julie’s arm, and was taken aback at what was happening. Each time he inserted the needle, it was pushed right back out and the skin resealed. “Incredible,” he breathed, after several attempts. Even his tries to take a sampling of her blood proved impossible. He was left with only one thought: “What are you?”
Doctor Elsworth went back and forth between his two patients. He took blood from Michele and sent it down to the lab. He wanted to see if her numbers improved any. There was not much he could do for Julie. He made her as comfortable as possible, placing a warm blanket over her. After about an hour, her heart rate had slowed slightly, and her breathing had regulated. Still, two hours had passed, and Julie had not awakened. Finally, after about three hours, Julie shifted slightly on the sofa. Eli went over to her and spoke softly. “Julie, wake up. Can you hear me?” A soft moan escaped her lips. “Julie,” he tried again.
“Still hurts,” she mumbled, curling her legs up to her chest.
“What can I do to help you?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said, her face pinched in pain. After a moment, her features relaxed as she fell into a deep slumber.
“Rest,” Eli whispered, kissing her head.
Some early blood work came back for Michele. It had improved from tests done on her two days ago, but that was not necessarily an accurate indication. He ordered a CT scan and a spinal tap to see if the cancer showed any signs of decreasing. Because of the late hour, those tests would be done first thing tomorrow morning. Eli decided to get some rest, parking himself in the chair next to the sofa, his feet resting on an ottoman. Because his body had only some similarities to a human body, he didn’t need to sleep much, but the strain of the last few hours warranted some amount of rest. He awoke to Julie climbing into his lap, she was kissing him and he found himself kissing her back. He awoke again, to a loud clang. He had dropped the metal chart with Michele’s lab that had been in his lap when he fell asleep. He looked over at Julie, who was still fast asleep. He had been dreaming.
“Keep your mind on work, Doctor,” he chastised himself. He led a solitary life by choice. He let his work consume him. Eli never sought out companionship, at least not on a regular basis. He enjoyed being ‘married’ to his work. He strived to be an infallible, unflappable surgeon. The doctor felt he had achieved this and had settled into a comfortable lifestyle here in this small town. Then along came Julie Miller: a young, fresh, beautiful girl who had consumed his thoughts more often than he cared to admit. He wondered if the attraction to her was mere fascination. She was, obviously, not entirely human. This was something they had in common. Her vulnerability was another characteristic that drew him to her. Julie was running from her past. A past filled with secrets. A past she was fearful of being pulled back into. He felt a longing to protect her. His skills as a doctor were of no use in helping her.
Eli’s musings came to an abrupt halt when Julie suddenly opened her eyes. She sat up quickly, and immediately regretted it, as a wave of dizziness hit her. She placed her head in her hands. “How long was I out? What time is it?” she asked.
The doctor checked his watch. “It’s almost one AM, about six hours,” he said, going over to sit next to her.
“Six hours!” Julie exclaimed.
“It has never taken me that long to recover before. How’s Michele?” she stood.
“She’s stable. I’ll know more after I run more tests in the morning,” Eli said. Julie swayed as she took a step toward the child. The doctor was immediately by her side, his arm around her waist, steadying her.
“Why am I still out of sorts, six hours later?” she asked, angry at herself.
”Julie, this is an extremely aggressive cancer. It was inoperable,” the Doctor said.
“Still, it doesn’t make sense. I shouldn’t feel this weak,” she argued. “Walk me over to her, please. I want to see what’s left,” she requested.
“Julie, I don’t think…” Eli began.
“Please,” Julie pleaded. She just had to see if she had done any good.
“Against my better judgment,” he said, as he helped her over to the child.
Julie held onto the bed rail as she looked at Michele. The doctor kept his arm around her for extra support. “She’s on her back, instead of curled up,” Julie noted that as a good sign. She reached down and grasped the child’s arm and dove inside. “It’s almost gone,” she said, smiling. “I should try and get the rest of it now,” she said, but Eli removed her hand.
“No, not now. You are too weak,” he said.
“But, there’s just a…” she began.
“No, Julie!” Eli shouted. Julie jumped at the harshness. “It’s foolish for you to attempt it in your condition. I have no way to treat you. I can’t run a pick line or even draw blood. You, yourself, are not even sure how it is you are able to heal. It’s irresponsible to try and do it again so soon,” he preached.
“Okay, fine,” Julie agreed, reluctantly.
“Good,” Eli said. “Let’s get you back to the sofa,” he said, steering her back. “Want me to get you something to drink?” Eli asked once she was settled. A light bulb went off in Julie’s head.
“That’s why,” she
said, grabbing his arm. “I forgot to eat,” she remembered. “That’s why it’s taking me so long. I’m so stupid,” she said. “I need to eat,” she shrugged her shoulders at how simple the answer was.
Eli knelt in front of her. “What can I get you to eat, Miss Miller?” he asked, with a smile.
“Anything,” Julie said and smiled back, “I’m starving.”
“You stay put,” he ordered her as he stood. She saluted him and laid back on the sofa. He shook his head, and went off to find her something to eat.
While the doctor was away, Julie debated about finishing what she had started. There is not much left. I should just do it, and be done. Her thoughts remained just that: thoughts. She still couldn’t get over how tired she was. It must be because I haven’t eaten, she tried to reassure herself. Eli had made some valid points. She really didn’t understand the mechanics of what she did. In the end, she decided to play it safe, and rest. She closed her eyes and began to dream.
In this dream, she saw herself sitting in the back seat of a big car. There was a man sitting next to her smoking a cigarette. She watched as her ten year old self wrinkled her nose at the smell.
“That smells gross, and your lungs are turning black because you do that too much,” the little girl said.
The man beside her chuckled. “Well I guess it’s a good thing you can fix people, huh?”
“You could just stop smoking, and that would make you feel better,” she told him.
The man exited the vehicle and gestured for her to come along. “Let’s go, smarty pants, and remember… you are picking the numbers of the horses, not the names like last time. Got it?” the man growled his reminder to her.
The little girl shivered, remembering the beating she had received when she picked the horses because she liked the names. The man grabbed her hand and roughly dragged her into the race track. She did as she was told and picked the numbers she saw, even managing a smile when the man picked her up and swung her around at the winnings. She waited by the trash can with her water ice, the reward for doing as told, as the man collected the winnings. A few yards away she noticed an older man leaning against a wall, he looked to be having trouble breathing. The little girl immediately discarded her water ice and walked over to the man as he slid down the wall, with his hand clutching his chest. She placed her hands on arm of the man as others gathered around and shouts to call 911 could be heard. By her touch, the little girl could tell that the man was having a heart attack. She was able to calm his heart and get it back into a normal rhythm. As her own breathing became labored the man looked over at the little girl. “Wha… what did you do?”
She was unable to talk right away and was spared from answering; the man she came with pulled her away from the scene. The look on his face told her she was going to pay dearly.
The dream began to fade.
Julie’s eyes were suddenly open. She was back in the hospital room with Michele. She stared blankly, trying to comprehend the images she had seen.
Doctor Elsworth reentered the room carrying a tray filled with food. He saw the distant look in Julie’s eyes and immediately put the tray down, and went over to her.
“Julie. What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” he asked.
Julie blinked a few times and shook her head. “No, I… I just had a dream, I think,” she replied, her voice distant. In her head, she knew it was more than just a dream. She did not want to discuss it with Eli, at least not yet. She smiled at the concerned look on the doctor’s face. “I’m fine, really. Just hungry,” she emphasized by hugging her stomach. Eli gave an uneasy chuckle, still not convinced Julie was telling him everything. He decided to not push it at the moment.
“The kitchen crew was restocking, I got lucky,” he said, retrieving the tray. He bought the tray over to Julie. It was filled with sandwiches, juice, and fruit. “I didn’t know what you liked,” he explained.
“So you brought one of everything?” Julie laughed, seeing the tray.
Eli found himself laughing as well. That was another puzzling piece to the fascination he felt towards her. He had never found it easy to laugh or smile, yet he found himself doing it more often around this girl. “Just eat,” he said, trying to understand these feelings.
“Aren’t you going to have any?” she asked.
“I don’t need to eat that often,” Eli stated.
“Why not?” Julie asked.
“Eat,” he ordered.
“Are you ever gonna give me any answers?” she asked, unwrapping one of the sandwiches.
“Even exchange, remember?” He reminded her of their agreement. Julie didn’t reply. She munched quietly on her food.
After eating her fill, Julie did feel a lot stronger. “I think that was it,” she said. “I just needed food,” Julie walked over and stood next to the doctor. He was checking Michele’s vitals. “How is she?” Julie asked, looking at the monitors.
“She is stable. I’m not going to lower her sedatives until I see what the scans show in a few hours,” he explained.
“Hours? Shoot. What time is it?” Julie asked.
“Three. Why?” Eli asked.
“I’d better head home. I need to shower and change. I am meeting Mrs. Gosley at nine to see the apartment,” Julie reminded him.
The Doctor closed the chart. “I’ll drive you home,” he said.
“I can…” Julie started to say.
“Non-negotiable. It’s late. You are not walking,” Eli said firmly.
She pursed her lips together, but decided not to challenge him. Silently, they walked to the parking lot. “This town seems deserted at this time of the night,” Julie remarked on the ride home.
“That’s why it’s my favorite time,” Eli responded.
“I like the quiet, sometimes. Then there are times when I hate being alone,” she said, wistfully.
The Doctor pulled up in front of the hotel. “You don’t have to be alone, unless you want to be,” Eli said. If Julie had looked at Eli’s face, she might have seen more to the comment he had just made. She was, instead, staring up at her room. “Someone’s in my room,” she said, watching the curtain move slightly. She also noticed the light was on. “I just saw the curtain move, and I know I turned the lights off,” she said, already getting out of the car.
Eli shut the car off and got out with her. Once inside, Julie hesitated. What if it’s them? What if they found me? “You can’t go up,” she said to Eli.
“You are not going alone,” he said.
“Eli, please. I can’t put you in danger,” she said.
“Do you think it is the people you are running from?” he asked. Julie started to feel anxious.
“I don’t know. I was sure I covered my tracks, but…” she stopped there. Julie had this intense urge to just run. “I… um…” she stammered, backing up toward the door. Eli grabbed her arms.
“Julie, you can’t run forever. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he tried to reason with her, but Julie kept pulling back.
“No, I can’t. I can’t go back. I gotta get out of here,” she was letting the panic and fear consume her.
Eli pulled her to him and embraced her. He touched her face, his lips near her ear. “You are going to be fine. No one is going to take you back. I won’t let them,” he whispered.
“I’m scared,” she said quietly, letting his arms encircle her. She hid her face against him until her heart rate calmed.
When Eli felt her relax, he pushed her back and looked at her. “Let’s go see who this is,” he said. She trembled, but nodded. They made their way upstairs. Julie noticed her door was slightly ajar as they approached. Eli glanced at her for confirmation, she again nodded. He put his finger to his lips as he pushed the door open. Julie stayed with her back against the wall, too scared to look in. Much to Julie’s surprise, Eli ran inside her room. She heard a commotion and ran to the doorway. The doctor had a man pinned to the ground, “Who are you? What are you doing in her room?” he shouted
at the man. The man’s face was being pushed into the carpet and only a muffling sound escaped his lips. Eli flipped the man over but kept him pinned to the ground. Julie was surprised at who it was.
“Anthony! What the hell are you doing in my room?” Julie shouted angrily.
“You know him?” Eli asked, looking back at her.
“He’s one of the clerks at the front desk,” Julie said, still glowering at the pinned man.
“Uh, M… Miss Miller. I am oh s… so sorry. I became concerned when the maid said you were not in your r… room when she turned down your bed for the evening. I… I didn’t see you come in, and wanted to b… be sure you were alright,” Anthony stammered.
“You check on all your guests that way, Anthony?” Eli questioned, not believing a word he said.
“P… Please, I’m sorry, I just became concerned. I will never do anything like this again, I swear,” Anthony promised.
Eli climbed off of Anthony and stood next to Julie. Anthony quickly righted himself. “I’m very sorry, Miss…” He started to say.
“Save it, Anthony. Just get out,” Julie ordered. The look on Julie’s face prevented him from trying to say anything else. He quickly exited the room. Julie marched over to the door, closed it the rest of the way, and locked it. She leaned her back against the door and looked at Eli.
“So much for peace and quiet,” she said.
“You’re not staying here,” the doctor said.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Julie said. “There are a few other hotels just outside of town,” Julie stated, remembering what Austin had mentioned. She pulled her duffel bag out from under her bed.
“No. You can stay at my place,” Eli said.
“I’m not your responsibility,” Julie said, packing her stuff.
“Julie. I saw how scared you were when you thought the people you are hiding from had found you.”
“My problems are not yours,” Julie said. She walked into the bathroom and began collecting her toiletries. Why did I get other people involved, she thought. I had a plan when I started out. What happened? She walked back out into the main room. She paused when she noticed Eli reading the note that Austin had sent with the rose.
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