Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Integra rubbed her temples. A headache had been gradually building all morning, and now had finally formed in all of its painful vengeance. She wasn't sure what had brought it about…could've been a lot of things. She sighed and continued reading, half squinting at the screen. It took her a bit to catch herself and when she did, she sighed, reaching for her address. She supposed she was due for an eye appointment anyway.
The earliest they could schedule her was in two weeks; not too bad considering. She made a note on her calendar and went through the rest of the day uneventfully. By the end of the week, though, it was hard to read at all. Everything was blurry and out of focus and her head pain was only mounting.
"Perhaps you should see if you could move it closer?" Walter suggested after he caught her rubbing her forehead. She took a deep breath of the aroma as he set her tea in front of her, a pill of ibuprofen on the side.
"I doubt they could," she grumbled, popping the pill in and taking a sip of tea.
"Well, it is a bit of an emergency. We can't have you running around blind," he pointed out. Integra smirked.
"That would be pretty bad," she admitted.
IIII
"Better or worse?"
"…worse."
"Better or worse?"
"…worse."
"Better or worse?"
"'bout the same."
She hated optometrist appointments, ever since that first one at age five. This one was no exception. Dr. Jacobs finally allowed her to pull away from the mechanical lens viewer, looking quizzically at her.
"…have you lost weight?" Integra shook her head.
"Not significantly. Why are you asking me this?" He was a little old and content with his wife to be hitting on her. He pursed his lips.
"Nothing, it's just occasionally when someone loses a significant amount of weight, their vision improves," he motioned to the eye chart, "You've improved three lines."
"Three…lines?" She hadn't been able to see that much since her teenage years.
She glanced at him.
"What else could cause it?" She asked, feeling a bit of trepidation. Dr. Jacobs shook his head.
"Could be a lot of things; I'm not sure."
Within the next week, as she waited for her new glasses, she found herself using her current ones less and less. After nearly twenty years, she had gained 20/20 vision almost overnight.
"Been eating your carrots?" Walter asked, trying to make light of the confusing turn of events.
"Apparently so," she murmured, pulling out a cigar and her lighter. She lit it, took a drag…and choked on it. She coughed the fumes out, shaking her head. The taste…the smell…
"Are you alright?" Walter was at her side, looking ready to pound her back. She nodded, blinking the water out of her eyes.
"I'm fine," she croaked, glancing at the cigar. The usually soothing scent now revolted her to the point of nausea.
Without a second chance, she snuffed it out in her ashtray.
Random ailments kept striking her; much like the cigars she could no longer smoke. Her teeth and gums ached. Everything seemed louder and sharper. Her appetite had decreased and her sense of the weight of an object was distorted. Most alarming was Alucard's increased presence; he hung around for no particular reason other than to watch her.
"Something's wrong," he finally spoke up. She turned to him, trying to smother the anxiety his statement caused her. To a monster who shrugged of his head being blown up and who had burned infants alive without a qualm, "wrong" was synonymous with "apocalyptic".
He shifted, leaning up against the wall.
"You're different. And I can feel it." Every word carried importance. Integra glanced away.
"I'm glad not to have to wear glasses anymore," she commented. Alucard frowned.
"You can't ignore what's going on," he growled. Integra grit her teeth and, as much as she hated to admit it, he was right.
III
Integra leaned her back against the table, Walter by her side and Alucard off in a corner. The clock seemed deafening as it ticked off the seconds in the silence.
All three turned as Dr. Trevelyan came in, his face unable to hide his concern. He turned to her and she straightened, bracing herself.
"What is it?" She asked brusquely. He looked her in the eyes.
"We found something cancerous in the blood work."
Cancer… Strangely, the blow wasn't much to her. There was still a chance, then; it couldn't be too far along yet and-
"Cancerous," Alucard repeated the word, "…but not cancer."
Dr. Trevelyan gave a nod.
"Right. The abnormal cells we identified in your blood work don't match any of the diseases or viruses in our system. We're beginning an investigation of causes we may have overlooked."
Integra glanced away. She had been ready for cancer, almost hoping it was. Leukemia seemed like cake after dealing with the undead for a decade. But now there was a daunting question mark, seeming to taunt her with its vagueness. The known she could deal with efficiently; the unknown was a bit of a thorn in her side.
"What are the characteristics?" Walter asked, a hint of pleading in his tone. Dr. Trevelyan cleared his throat.
"Parasitic. These cells seem to be converting your own, quickly."
"How long?"
"A few months at best."
She adjusted her glasses, straightening up.
"I trust you to look further into this."
"Yes sir."
Walter followed her as she made her way to the door. She glanced back to see Alucard still where he had been standing, staring at Dr. Trevelyan. The poor doctor looked unnerved, but stood his ground. Alucard must be worried if he was lowering himself to talk to a human that wasn't herself or Walter.
III
Within the hour, the phone was ringing. She picked it up on the first ring.
"Miss Hellsing…" Dr. Trevelyan's voice was strangled. She leaned forward on her arms. He hesitated before speaking, "It's not just parasitic…it's vampiric."
Integra clenched her hand into a fist.
"Explain."
"Sir, it's exactly as I said. There's vampire blood in your system and it's working its way into your tissue."
The phone fell to the desk with a clatter. She covered her mouth as bile rose up her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the tears before they came.
"We'll begin treatment immediately."