Please note that this story continues to be rated M for strong language and violence…
Chapter 19, Aftermath synopsis:
The fallout from the unauthorized ambush on Mick St. John and Carl Davis continues.
In Los Angeles, Talbot finds his career in jeopardy after the botched assignment and decides to turn to his mentor for help, while Carl continues his own personal investigation into the ambush at Campo.
At Kostan's vineyard, the aftermath of Mick's struggle to survive finds Beth faced with difficult and potentially dangerous decisions, as Gabrielle and Josef plot their revenge. Before the female vampire and Dr. Spector return to New York to help Victoria Silver face the Eastern Vampire Council, Logan and Ryder provide Gabrielle with information that could prove valuable.
And within Crucis, McCallum's execution has operatives questioning their commitment to the organization and their mission, while one member pays the ultimate price for another's mistakes.
Beta: Co-authored with Brat, with invaluable beta assistance from treezacarr, margroks, and casi2.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. The authors are in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This is a partial posting only, due to chapter length. The complete chapter can be viewed at capeandsaber (.com) with embedded music. No membership is required to view or download the chapters at that site, although (free) membership is required to access the always-open chat room or leave a review. Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated, either here or at capeandsaber. Reviews, after all, are what make the world go 'round…and cause writers to write…
Chapter 19
Aftermath
Intro Song:
Mad World by Adam Lambert
YouTube /watch?v=ZxGd0g-wpXA&feature=related
The scream shattered the early morning silence, seeming to hang in the air. Gabrielle was just pouring a much-needed glass of liquid nourishment when she heard it, and her heart sank. Fearing the worst, she dropped the tumbler, whirled, and hit the study door like a linebacker, throwing it back against the wall so hard the doorknob gouged a hole in the plaster. She flew back down the hall at top speed, Josef hot on her heels.
Beth was standing in the doorway of the freezer room, mist coiling out around her as the frigid air collided with the warmer, moist atmosphere in the hall. Her vivid blue eyes were wide with shock.
Gabby raced up to grab her, enfolding the trembling woman in her arms. "It's okay. It'll be all right," she said soothingly, knowing that, if Mick were dead, things might never be all right for Beth again.
Josef crowded past them, his heart in his mouth. Bracing for the worst, he charged up to the bench where the injured vampire lay stretched out... "He's- he's not dead!"
"Of course not!" The light from the broad hallway framed Beth in the doorway as she jabbered excitedly, "He woke up! Mick woke up! " Her eyes wild, she grabbed Gabby's arm and tugged her back into the cold room behind her.
Josef frowned, looking from the excited young woman to Mick's still, gray form. "Beth, what did you think you saw?" he asked patiently.
Furious at his tone, Beth shook Gabby off and turned on the elder vampire. "I know what you're thinking, Josef! I did not make this up and I'm not seeing things! Mick woke up! He talked to me!"
John Spector, summoned by Guillermo, who had also heard Beth's scream, arrived just in time to hear her last statement. "Tell me exactly what happened, Beth," he said, his voice calm and reassuring as he made his way over to the quiet figure of Mick St. John.
Beth took a deep breath. "Gabby and Logan left, and I went over to check on Mick. I kissed him and then, I realized he was kissing me back! He opened his eyes and talked to me, and then he went back to sleep." Her eyes roved from Spector to Kostan. "You have to believe me, Josef. I'm not making this up. Mick woke up!" Her voice was pleading now.
"I believe you wanted that to happen, Beth." Josef's eyes were sad, his voice gentle.
Frantically, she turned to the physician. "Dr. Spector, check him again. Please!" I'm not crazy, he talked to me!
Spector moved over to the bench and examined the vampire carefully, then turned to the anxiously waiting group, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"He does appear to react slightly now to pain and pressure, which does not happen with deeply comatose patients. It is feasible that Mr. St. John might have regained consciousness temporarily."
"Can you wake him up again?" Josef asked, his keen eyes traveling over his friend, vampire senses on the alert, searching for any sign that Mick was recovering.
"Well..." Spector hesitated, chewing on his lower lip thoughtfully. "It should be possible to bring him around with a shot of epinephrine if he is in a deep sleep as opposed to a coma." He looked up at Josef, his eyes bright above his gray beard. "Yes, it should be possible."
"Without harming him?" Gabby interjected, putting an arm around Beth protectively.
"I wouldn't suggest it if there was any chance of it harming him, Gabrielle!" Spector responded huffily. "Epinephrine is adrenaline, a naturally occurring hormone. It is the drug of choice in anaphylaxis, for example - speeds up heart rate, constricts blood vessels, opens airways. I always carry a few Epi-Pens with me for that very reason. Most physicians do. No, in the proper doses, it will not hurt Mr. St. John - and it may give him the 'jump-start' he needs."
Josef glanced over at Gabby and Beth, still standing together. Both women nodded.
"Do it," he snapped.
The interminable waiting had grown intolerable for him. If Beth were hallucinating, he would ban her from the freezer room and force her to rest, even if Spector had to drug her to get it done. If not... If not, I'll throw the biggest motherfucking Fourth of July party Temecula has ever seen!
"I'll have to get it from my bag." Spector waited for acknowledgment from Kostan. When Josef signaled his consent, he left the room, the vampire's eyes following him.
The billionaire caught Guillermo's eye and motioned him over. "Go with him," he ordered, in a tone too low for Beth or Spector to hear. Gabby, however, jerked her head around toward him, an unspoken question in her eyes.
Josef caught the movement, but ignored her. "Watch every move. If he draws up medication from a bottle, make damn sure you see the label." There was puzzlement in Guillermo's black eyes, but he simply nodded and hurried after the physician.
Gabrielle stared at Kostan, who shrugged and turned away. She hesitated, but decided to let it go for the time being. Victoria was always lecturing her that there was a time and place for everything - and Josef was clearly in no mood to be questioned or challenged right now.
While they waited for the physician to return, all three silently drifted to Mick's side, as if they had conferred on their course of action. Shivering, Beth bent over and kissed him lightly on the lips. There was no response. Did I dream it? She was starting to doubt her own mind.
Gabrielle noticed how violently the young woman was beginning to shake. "Beth, where is your coat? You're freezing in here!"
"In my room." Beth forced out through chattering teeth. "I'm okay." She refused to take her eyes off Mick, afraid that, if she did, that would be the moment he would open his.
Gabby took pity on her. "I'll go get your things. You can't stay in here without a coat."
Glowering at Kostan, she spoke in a range that only he could hear, growling, "Talk to her, Josef," before leaving the two alone with the injured vampire.
"Beth..."
"I'm not crazy, Josef!" Beth interrupted, lifting her eyes from Mick to glare at his best friend.
Kostan's mouth twitched, his brown eyes sparkling with humor, despite the gravity of the situation. "Beth…my darling. You are dating - hell, living with- a vampire and you are standing in a freezer room at a vineyard overrun by vampires. Your picture probably shows up next to the word 'crazy' in the dictionary by now!"
Beth couldn't help laughing; after a moment, Kostan joined in. Her blond hair, held back from her face by a simple black headband, swirled around her shoulders as she shook her head, acknowledging dolefully, "You are probably right, Josef. But, I'm not crazy about this. You'll see."
"I want you to be right, Beth, I really do." Moved by the look of hope on her face, Kostan put his arm around her slight figure, shaking so badly now from the cold that it was a fight for her to remain upright. Pulling her in close to him, he rubbed her arm and back vigorously as he grumbled, "Where the hell is Gabrielle?"
At that moment, the vampire in question returned, Beth's coat and mittens in hand, followed closely by Dr. Spector, who carefully held two odd-looking syringes in his hand as he made his way to Mick's side.
Guillermo trailed in behind them, catching Josef's eye and nodding almost imperceptibly. "It's epinephrine," he confirmed, his comment inaudible to the humans in the room.
"Just a minute, Doctor." Josef stepped up to the physician as he reached for Mick's IV line. "Tell us what's going to happen here. How long will it take after you give him this for the drug to take effect?"
"Immediately. I'll inject it right into the blood transfusion. Of course, with a vampire, the drug will dissipate quickly, but epinephrine – adrenaline, as you may know it - has an almost instantaneous effect, so that won't matter. It should be enough to wake him." Spector eyed Kostan uneasily, uncomfortably aware that the vampire did not trust him. "Do I have your permission to continue?"
Josef nodded curtly and stepped back.
Beth had been too busy pulling on the outerwear Gabby had thrust at her to catch the interchange, but Gabrielle had noted every word, frowning to herself. What the hell is going on, Josef? She resolved to have a conversation with him about it. But, not now...
The tension was evident in each person's face as Spector injected the epinephrine into a port on the IV.
Beth found herself holding her breath. She threw a quick glance at Josef. While he was outwardly calm, she could see a throbbing vein underneath the pale skin of his forehead, and his hands were curled into tight fists… To find out if Mick lives or dies, go to capeandsaber for the complete chapter…
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