The Curse of Being Me
Chapter 9- Family connections
"What do you mean, you can't heal her? You're a fucking doctor; it's your job to heal her!" Eric was snarling, his fists clenching as he paced up and down beside Sookie's bed. He had immediately brought her to Ludwig's hospital, but three hours later she was still unconscious and he had no answers.
"Physically she's as fit as a fiddle. There is nothing for me to fix," Ludwig snapped, unfazed by the angry Viking.
"Then what the fucking hell is wrong with her?" He roared.
"My best guess is that she developed a new gift and her mind is protecting itself from the trauma. She is fae, and something else, they do this from time to time." Shrugging her shoulders as if to say ' no big deal', Ludwig jumped down from the bed and waddled over to a monitor by the wall.
"But when will she wake up?"
"When she's ready." The new voice took Eric by surprise. Whirling around he snarled at the man before him. He had been so angry and afraid over Sookie that he hadn't noticed the man enter the room. One look, well sniff, told him all he needed to know. The man was part fae and thus had no place near his bonded while she was incapacitated.
"I mean her no harm, vampire. My name is Fintan Brigant, Sookie's grandfather."
Eric paused a moment to assess the fairy. He was tall for a fairy, matching Eric's six foot seven inches. His long blond hair, the same shade as Sookie's, flowed freely down to his waist. His eyes, too, matched Sookie's sapphire blue exactly. Aside from these features, however, there was little resemblance. He was dressed in a grey suit and blue silk shirt. He wore the Brigant crest on a gold ring which adorned his left hand.
"Why should I believe you?" Eric demanded with a growl. He noticed the tiny doctor had scurried away, but not before bowing reverently to the fairy. Typical!
"Because, like it or not, I will be getting to know my granddaughter and helping her adjust to her powers. My father, Nial Brigant, wishes to include her in our family and now she has developed her spark I cannot hide her from our world. If you do not accept this we will simply take her to fairy where you cannot interfere." The threat was spoken with a small smile, causing Eric to snarl.
"Never! You will never take her from me!"
"That is not my wish, vampire," Fintan promised as he held his hands up in surrender. The small smile on his face showed he felt no threat from the vampire. "But be assured if you stand in our way it will be inevitable."
Eric was about to attack the fairy when the subtle squeezing on his hand drew his attention. Sookie was waking up.
"Eric?" Her voice was a soft whisper; barely audible and her eyes fluttered as if she struggled to open them. Eric could feel her confusion and fear, along with a great deal of pain.
"Sookie, my love, I was so worried about you." He leaned over her so he was in her line of sight and pressed her hand to his lips.
"Eric? It hurts," she cried softly.
"Here," he offered, lifting his wrist to his mouth. A warm, strong hand stopped him.
"No, that will make it worse," Fintan said confidently- ignoring Eric's fangy snarl. "It's the magic in her blood that's causing the pain. Your blood is potent with magic, try this instead," he explained handing Eric a golden goblet.
Eric sniffed it warily while glaring at Fintan. After a few minutes he nodded and began to help Sookie sip it. She slowly drank a few sips before he pulled it away to allow her to breathe.
"Lemonade?" She asked weakly; her eyes only focusing on moved to the opposite side of the bed and placed his hand on her arm. Eric tensed, but remained silent.
"Hello, Sookie," Fintan smiled down at her.
Turning her head to the side, Sookie gazed up at Fintan and gasped softly. "I know you…how…how do I know you?" Her eyes bugged out slightly as she tried to remember through the fog.
"My name is Fintan Brigant, Sookie, I'm-"
"My real grandfather," she gasped her voice still as light as a feather.
"You know?" Fintan and Eric gasped in unison.
Sookie couldn't take her eyes from Fintan. "I read gran's mind, she explained it all. She thought you were an angel- when Andre found out I was part fairy I figured you were just as secretive as all the other supes."
"In that case, I am sorry I waited until now to meet you. I was afraid of ruining your grandmother's memory, but it seems my fears were unwarranted."
"Yep," Sookie chided with a wince. Fintan urged Eric to help her drink more of the lemonade.
"Better?" Eric asked, brushing the hair away from her face and behind her ear.
Sookie nodded and smiled adoringly up at him. "Thank you."
Eric leaned over the bed and pressed his lips to hers lightly. "No need to thank me, my little princess. I told you that you never knew how special you were."
"Princess?"
"Ah, yes," Fintan smiled down at her with the pride of a new father. "You are a fairy princess, Sookie. In fact, Nial- your great grandfather- rules the fae and I am his heir. You may not be full-fae, but you are still family and that makes you royal by blood."
"Why was I in pain? What was the light? Are you telepathic, too?" The questions came one after another.
"Easy," Fintan chided. "There is time. I will answer everything, eventually. Now, where to start?"
"How about how to stop the pain?" Eric recommended sarcastically.
Sookie was surprised by his hostility, but she was too weak to get mad. She felt comfort with him near her. Scooting over the bed, she pleaded with her eyes for him to join her. She wanted to feel him holding her as Fintan unravelled her life.
Eric needed no further encouragement to get closer to his bonded- especially when she was in such distress.
"Very well. Fairies are fatally allergic to lemons and iron. Just a tiny amount of either is equivalent to silver in a vampire. However, as you are part fae, you are immune to iron. Lemons, on the other hand, can affect you. Lemons react to fae magic, now as strong as your magic is (and it is very strong indeed) your human side stops the lemon juice from harming you. It will merely weaken your magic. That will be bad enough when you can master it. Magic to a developed fae is like breathing, essential to our identity. But, the first few weeks of a developing spark are very painful. Your body is having to learn to adjust to the new power and power is like a muscle. It has to be used for it to grow strong. The lemonade will weaken the power and stop the pain, but you will still grow tired a lot. It is important that you rest and eat well. In a couple of weeks we can begin training your magic.
"Now, as for your telepathy, that is not a fae power. You are something more- I shall investigate what and get back to you.
"The light was your magic emerging to your will. I will explain all about that when we train." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"I am so proud of you, Sookie. I want to know you and be part of your family. I am also sure that you have many more questions, but your vampire must go to rest soon and you must sleep."
"You'll come back?" Sookie gasped, afraid she would never see him again.
Fintan nodded and smiled down at her. "Take care of her, Vampire. You have two weeks and then we will come for her training." He nodded his head to Eric and popped away.
Sookie started at the empty space for a moment and turned to Eric. "I'm scared."
Eric wrapped his arms tighter around her and kissed her forehead. "I know, my little princess, but I promise everything will be okay. You just need to look after yourself and be happy, dearest. We'll deal with the rest together."
Sookie could feel his cool breath on her neck and it made her relax. "I know I can do this if you're with me, Eric. I just wish everything would go back to normal for a bit."
Eric nuzzled her neck. It was a gesture meant to sooth them both. "I know, love. Now, you are tired, so you must rest. I'm going to make arrangements for Bobby to come over tomorrow and then I will take us home. Just sleep, Sookie."
Sookie could feel the weight of exhaustion on her mind. She hated parting from Eric when there was still so much to discuss, but she knew he was right. There was no use fighting it, so she closed her eyes and let his soft humming in her ear send her to sleep.
Eric waited a few moments to be sure Sookie was properly asleep, before he reached down and pulled out his cell. Bobby was on speed dial.
"Master, how can I serve?" Bobby's voice was nervous. Eric had already had a long conversation with him about his behaviour and Sookie's position.
"My bonded is quite unwell, Bobby. I need for you to buy as much organic lemonade as you can and bring it to my house early tomorrow. Then, I want you to wait for her to rise and see to her every need. Ensure she is as happy and as comfortable as possible. I recommend you take her shopping. She needs a laptop and an iPod for starters, but will be reluctant to spend my money. Take her out and help her get what she needs."
"Yes, Master. I shall take good care of the Mistress."
"And Booby…" Eric's tone remained soft, but it held a lethal edge.
"Yes?"
"I don't need to tell you that your…job is dependent on your conduct, do I?"
"No, Master! The mistress will be well cared for."
"Good." Eric hung up and returned the phone to his pocket.
He just hoped Bobby could give Sookie all she needed. He had been worried about her being alone before, but now she was weak and in pain his concern was magnified. He knew she would hate having Bobby there, but it was only temporary. Glancing down at his sleeping angel, he once again thanked the gods for sending her to him. He had always known she was special, but even he had never imagined she was a Brigant. It was perfect, and he got the feeling she was going to keep surprising him. He couldn't wait to see what else she could do, but most of all he couldn't wait to see what she would become. He would love her no matter what. The only thing to fear was if she would be able to handle everything. As strong and brave as she was, he knew she was deeply hurting from everything that had happened. Would his love for her be enough to pull her through?
