Jason and Lafayette arrived soon after they allowed us into Sookie's room to sit with her. "My God, Dallas, what happened?" asked Jason as he grabbed me and pulled me close. I almost wanted to cry, I was so happy to see him.

Once Alcide and Tara explained everything, we all just sat in the room with Sookie. Jason was watching over her bed with Tara and Alcide and I were sitting in chairs against the wall. "How do ya'll not have a blood type?" asked Tara. I shrugged as she turned to Jason. "You've got one?"

"AB Negative. I only know 'cause I'm always cutting myself with power tools and stuff," he responded. "But Sook's never really been sick before and as far as I remember, Dallas hasn't either. They've definitely never stayed in a hospital."

"That is true," I said. "I've never thought about it, really, but I don't even think I've ever really had a cold. I don't even remember having a doctor's appointment as a child."

"Well, Sookie wasn't even born in a hospital and you weren't either, were you?" Jason asked.

"No… actually, I wasn't…" Had our parents known Sookie and I would be different and that's why we'd never been in a hospital before this? I was so confused and I kept feeling Eric in my head or my heart or wherever the blood let us bond.

"Well, is it vampire blood that did this to ya'll?"

"It ain't the blood they had that did this," said Tara.

"Honestly," I said, "I've had vampire blood once and I was tricked into taking it. I've certainly never had as much as Sookie has."

"Bill did this," said Tara.

"You really kicked him out in the sun?" asked Jason and Tara nodded.

"No matter what Bill had done, I wouldn't have pushed him into the sun like that," I said.

"Yeah, well, that's your problem. You're weak for Bill even though he was dating Sookie," said Tara. "I saw you trying to protect him even when he had practically killed you both!"

"Tara!" reprimanded Jason.

"What does attacking me about Bill have anything to do with this?" I asked. I felt Alcide put his hand on my arm.

"I always figured you two had a thing for each other, you know?"

"Tara, please."

"No, let me finish. You may not have done anything behind Sookie's back, I think you're way too innocent to ever do anything like that, but don't tell me you haven't thought about it. I saw the way he was holding you in that van and I heard him only address you and not Sookie." I shrank into my chair. This was so entirely embarrassing. Maybe I'd thought about it once or twice, wondering what it would've been like if Bill had been with me instead of Sookie but it wasn't because I had a crush on him. And after I've thought about it long and hard, I realize that my friendship with Bill has only caused bad things to happen to me. If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't know Eric. I felt a pang at the thought and I didn't know whether it was because I'd be happier without Eric or because I actually cared about him.

"What are you trying to say, Tara? You admit you don't think we had an affair so what is this argument doing for you? I know you're mad about Franklin and you have every right to be but Bill and I have nothing going on." She had explained what happened to her at Russell's and even before then with a vampire named Franklin.

"You say that now but you'll have something with him soon enough." Alcide linked our fingers together to calm me down and I appreciated it. "Jason, don't you think Bill and Dallas have a weird friendship?"

"Uh, I noticed that they were close and I can tell they're attracted to each other," said Jason, dumbly.

"Well, Bill is attractive. Just because he's with Sookie doesn't mean that I can't find him handsome." I saw Tara begin to say something and I dropped hands with Alcide. "I'm not arguing about this anymore. It's late, we should all get some sleep. I'm going to get a drink of water." I stepped out of the room and walked down the hall like I was on a mission.

I saw that the hallway was empty because of the late hour and then I noticed someone down the hall. I could tell it was Bill. I turned back and started to run down the hallway. I didn't get very far because vampires are fast. He pushed me up against a wall and held his hand over my mouth. I tried to scream and my eyes were watering. "Please don't scream," Bill begged and I reluctantly nodded. He could kill me whether I screamed or not and I knew that. I was so scared.

He took his hand away and he reached around my back and hugged me close to the wall. I sobbed in terror a bit and barely touched him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. I started crying into his shoulder and I held onto his waist. I realized that I had cried a lot lately.

Everything about Bill was going through my mind at a mile a minute. He'd been keeping a file on me. He was my best friend. He'd almost killed me. He'd taken care of me. He was a monster. He was beautiful. He was liar. He cared about me. I was scared of him. He was sorry. I held onto him so tightly and I was crying. "Dallas, I am so sorry," he said again and I nodded into him. "Please don't be scared of me the way you are of Eric." At the thought of Eric, I dropped my hands from his waist.

"I can't promise you that," I responded. Looking in his eyes, I remembered the files he'd kept on me and Sookie and that he was working for the queen. I thought maybe I should tell Sookie but then I thought that the way he was acting right now was not for show. Eric just didn't want us to be friends. Maybe the files and working for the queen was true but that didn't mean that Bill cared for us any less. Eric was just using that to his advantage.

"I can't live with you being scared of me," he said.

"I'm scared of every vampire, Bill. It just wasn't until earlier today that I realized you actually were one." Bill looked a bit hurt and I felt bad for him. "Listen, I was only supposed to be gone a couple of minutes. They're probably wondering where I am."

"Can I see her?" He looked so desperate that I nodded. We breezed into the room and of course, Tara went into an uproar because she now had a personal vendetta against Bill. I guess we all have one now. "She's dying," he declared when he looked at her.

"Thanks to you!" said Tara. "You're lucky we pulled over in time or it could've been Dallas too!"

"I can help," said Bill.

"The hell you can," said Lafayette.

"Hell nah, he's the one who did this!" said Tara to Jason. I looked at Jason, pleading with him to let Bill do what he could.

"Jason, there is no time! My blood can heal her!" exclaimed Bill.

"Let him do it," I begged. "This may be the only thing that can help her!"

"Do it," said Jason. Tara started screaming at him. I saw Bill bite his wrist and put it into Sookie's IV. She responded well to it and we all fell asleep against the wall while Bill sat with Sookie. We were awoken by her screaming. Jason yelled at Bill to get away from Sookie. Alcide and I rose from our chairs and exchanged looks with each other.

"Sookie," I said. She looked around nervously. Jason went over to her and started talking to her. I looked at Bill and I could tell he was upset.

"I need to speak with Bill, please," said Sookie. "Alone."

"So he can finish what he started? Hell no!" said Tara.

"Tara, please," I said. Alcide and I walked out and so did the rest of them. I paced around with Alcide. "I think she may break up with him," I said.

"Don't you think she should?" asked Alcide.

"I dunno. Maybe it's the right thing to do… but I don't want him to get hurt."

"Oh, he can take care of himself, I'm sure." Then I saw Bill emerge from Sookie's room and Jason, Tara, and Lafayette all went back in.

"You can go in too, Alcide. I ought to speak to Bill."

"I'm not leaving you alone with him."

"That's sweet of you but Bill isn't gonna hurt anyone right now." I noticed the blood tears on his face and I saw him look at me. "Go on, Alcide." He finally went in to the hospital room and I ran and hugged Bill close. "I'm sorry, Bill."

"It wasn't a shock," he said. I let him go.

"Bill, I-"

"I don't want you to forgive me, Dallas. You or Sookie. I don't deserve it." I bit my lip. It was killing me to see him so hurt.

"I still care about you, Bill, even after all that. Even if I'm scared of you. If you need anything, you know you can still come to me."

"I don't know whether it would be wise to keep being friends, Dallas."

"What?" I asked. My heart pounded unnaturally and I felt like I was sweating. "Bill, I want to be your friend. None of this changes anything for me."

"But it should. I could've killed you both. Sookie has the right idea in letting me go. You should too." He began to walk past me as new blood tears began to fall but as I started getting choked up, he stopped.

"I'm not staying away from you or Eric or any other vampire. I can't. Besides, you are my best friend, Bill. I don't know how many times I've said that." Bill walked towards me and let his hands cup my face. I shivered a bit because I was still scared of him but I didn't shrink away.

"Dallas," he breathed, "I love you." He then kissed me on the forehead and disappeared from moving so quickly. I sank into a chair nearby and sobbed.