Darius sighed as he remembered the past hour. He'd gotten so close, yet still had pushed too far. Kallie had swam off and continued to conduct a swimming lesson. Darius didn't actually want the lesson, but to spend more time with Kallie, he would do anything. That and he got to see the joy in her face as she continued some of her great joys in life.
They were now getting changed and preparing to return home. Darius had to get some more blood in her soon anyway. He only hoped that this day would make that task easier.
He was now waiting in the reception area of the pool. Kallie had just stepped through the door and smiled at him before averting her gaze. With a final sigh, Darius stood from his chair and took her bag from her arm.
Kallie actually skipped out the door and all the way to the car. Darius smiled to himself.
Kallie chatted the whole way home about classes and plans for next week. Darius couldn't follow most of it and just let her vent. She even continued talking all the way up to the front door and through the front room. Darius dumped their bags at the door to the kitchen, which Kallie promptly picked up and proceeded to walk out the back door with them. At least she had stopped talking.
"What are you doing?" Darius ask following her.
"What?" She turned to look at him before turning back to the clothes line she was now standing in front of. "Towels and bathers on the line, unless you like mouldy stuff."
Obviously a force of habit for her, Darius followed to help her.
"So feeling hungry yet?" Darius asked breaking the silence.
It obviously broke the happy mood to. Kallie froze, arms in the air, pegs in hand.
Slowly she continued what she was doing.
"I don't know." She wouldn't look at him and Darius had the feeling she wasn't only trying to hide the truth from him but also herself.
"It will get easier." Darius tried reassuring her. He held back on adding even if I have to make it so.
Kallie gave a sort of girlish snort before quickly finishing and returning to the house. Darius sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day before following her.
He was glad to find her sitting at the table. "Even if you're not hungry I suggest at least three bags." Darius pulled four out of the fridge, handing one to Kallie, setting two on the table in front of her and keeping the fourth for himself.
"I'm going to have a quick shower. Feel free to do anything you want in the house."
Kallie still wasn't meeting his eyes but responded, "Didn't you have a shower at the pool?"
Darius was a little shocked. "No. I thought home would be better. Are you telling me you did?"
"Of course I did." If she'd been looking at him, Darius was sure he would have gained a glare. She stabbed the bag she was holding into her mouth ending further conversation.
"Right, well I'm not as quick as you in the shower. I'll be back down in 30 minutes." Darius popped his own bag in is teeth before leaving the room.
Kallie watched him go. She sighed around the nearly empty bag. She'd felt normal, or as close to normal as possible, in the last couple of hours. She had actually enjoyed herself. But the mention of food had brought reality crashing back down. Was this how life was going to be from now on? Endless interruptions just so she could feed to stay alive? Staying alive shouldn't be this complicated.
Kallie thought it was hard enough before, when injuries always over took her life. Now when she was supposedly better something else crept up. Darius kept explaining how much better, healthier, happier this life was, but he'd been brought up this way. Another way wasn't an option.
Kallie dumped the now empty bag in the bin and returned the other two to the fridge. She felt hunger nagging in the back of her mind, but ignored it. She grabbed an apple out of the bowl. Normal was what she wanted right now.
Normal led her to and out the front door. She was starting to feel claustrophobic in that house and needed the air. The apple was leaving an awful taste in her mouth as bile rose u, so Kallie chucked it into the garden.
She had promised herself she wouldn't cry in front of Darius again. Crying was always a weakness in her eyes that she had already shown him once. But he wasn't here now.
On that thought tears broke free. Kallie didn't want to be near the house right now, at the risk of being caught. She ran out to the footpath and down the street.
About two blocks down Kallie slowed. The tears hadn't stopped, but she wanted a quite spot for them to stop, where she wouldn't be noticed. A park across the road and just down the street caught her attention. Kallie quickly stepped out off the curb, but didn't see the car until too late.
Darius rushed to the door. He was still soaked from head to toe with only a towel around him. Why wasn't Kallie answering the door? It was the only reason he had waited so long before rushing downstairs.
Darius yanked open the door. "What?" Then stopped. His brother was standing on his front porch.
"Decker. I haven't seen you in a while? Weren't you with the enforcers?" Darius was getting confused as to his brother's unannounced visit, as well as Kallie's were bouts.
"Get changed. We have a problem." Decker pushed Darius back into the house closing the door behind him.
"We? Why is there a 'we' in this?" Darius was still confused and his brother stern face was starting to scare him.
"Yes 'we'. Now get changed and I'll explain." Decker almost pushed Darius back up the stairs. After I found my lifemate-"
"You too?" Darius interrupted, stoping halfway up the stairs.
Decker pushed him again. "Mum was right. You are out of the loop. My lifemate and her sister were turned against their will last month by a rogue I was hunting. Her sister was moved to Seattle and we had to follow. To take her mind off things I suggested Dani start work again as well as keeping an eye on her sister Stephanie. So she's working at Seattle hospital."
"What's that got to do with me?" They were back in Darius' bedroom and he was getting more anxious by the second. Where the hell was Kallie in this entire racket? Darius moved back into the bathroom where he'd left his clothes.
"Seattle hospital is also your closest major hospital."Decker spoke slower now, as if speaking to a timid child.
"Again, what's that got to do with me?" Darius called from the bathroom.
"Dani was on duty when she called me. Said one of our kind had been brought in, but wasn't taking well to treatment. Dani's doing all she can to get herself on the case but too many mortals already know that a car accident victim has been brought in. It's going to take a lot of work."
"Again not my concern." Darius was starting to get mad. Decker was either using up his time or avoiding the major topic, Darius guessed the later. He walked out fully clothed to glare at Decker.
"No, but you are the one who's meant to be caring for said victim." Decker watched Darius carefully, again like a timid child.
"WHAT?" Darius rushed out of his room and back down the stairs. "You couldn't have gotten to the point quicker? What do you mean not taking treatment?"
Decker didn't answer the questions, instead just ushered Darius out the front door. "My car." He said.
Darius waited until they were on the road before asking again. "What do you mean not taking treatment? How did this happen?"
"I don't know the last one, but all Dani said was that her wounds weren't healing quickly. It's the only thing not raising suspicion, but it's also a concern. Now it's our job to get her out without raising that suspicion or Lucern will be out here."
Darius swore, willing the car to go faster. "So how are we doing this?"
"Like I said, Dani is trying to get on her case." Decker quickly glanced at Darius.
Darius was about to ask how Dani would help in this. "Dani's a doctor." Decker answered first, clearly reading his mind. "If she can be the only doctor attending to Kallie then no one will question an early discharge or movement. If not, there's going be more memory changing than just those who see us getting her out of there."
Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive. To Darius it felt like hours, when the clock only showed 20 minutes passing. They rushed into the emergency department. Darius didn't ask how Decker got them through the restricted door but guessed the mind works had began.
Dani found them quickly. "I got her on my patient list, but a discharge won't work. The previous doctor ordered a close watch for the next 48 hours."
"How about a transfer?" Decker asked.
Dani nodded. "As long as someone is willing to cover up the disappearance between here and somewhere else?"
"I'll get Bastein on it." Decker replied.
Dani nodded before turning away. "This way." Decker lead Darius through the maze of wards to a curtain and a bed inside. Kallie was lying there hooked up to an IV and heart rate monitor.
Darius felt sick. Dried blood caked her face but a thin white sheet covered the rest of her body. A nasty gash across the top of her head answered where the blood had come from. Decker and Dani were right though. The gash was as clear as any mortal wound.
"Ah shit." Darius muttered turning to his brother.
Decker had moved back to the curtain. Dani appeared a second later.
"The files say she's being moved. Two nurses are coming to assist the movement to the ambulance. This is where you'll have to take over." Dani explained. "I can't come with you. My disappearance will only cause more questions."
"That's fine. We'll use the ambulance to get Kallie back home before altering their memories. I'll come back for my car when Bastein gets here." Darius only half listened to their conversation. How had Kallie gotten like this?
Two men in green uniform walked in at that moment giving Darius and Decker a confused star before gaining blank facial expressions. Deckers concentration was on both of them, but Darius could see the strain taking its toll.
"I'll take this one." Darius said, gesturing to the youngest. "Let's hurry. The quicker this is over the better."
Decker nodded as Dani walked away. Slowly the nurses started moving, picking up necessary equipment before moving Kallie.
The ride back to the house was another long one, but Darius kept quiet, worry nagging at the back of his mind the whole time.
Could things get any worse?