Book Twenty-Three: Rikki and Seth
Sunday – October 20, 2013
I bided my time until Elizabeth had left the room before immediately dosing Seth's new body with the first of Leah's syringes. My blood had already given him more muscle definition than was natural for a four year coma patient but I could almost feel her heat working through his body as I visualized the blood running through his body.
That was a week ago. Today I was administering the last dose that Leah had given me and I hoped that it was enough to wake him up. I'd turned in my two week notice a few days ago saying that when the boy was taken off life support I was going off into the world to find my calling, even though it looked as if I'd found my calling.
It was probably eleven o'clock already. Easily time that I should be slipping away to my own bed to sleep. But in the past week I'd been so scared that he'd slip away from me in the night that I'd taken to sleeping next to him in the hospital bed. I hadn't been able to share a consciousness with him since my birthday and I needed desperately to tell him he needed to fight to regain control over this body or I'd lose him forever. But tonight I felt his pull and as soon as I drifted into a soft slumber he was there.
We weren't in the hospital bed like the previous dream had been like I'd never fallen asleep. Tonight he'd pulled my memory of how peaceful the night was after the birthday bash with the Cullens and instead he was standing just near the edge of the river. His blue eyes shone in the darkness as if they were his wolf eyes. Every part of me called out to him but my voice. I didn't want to ruin this moment with words and it was obvious he didn't want to waste words because the second the distance was closed between us he was kissing me. It wasn't soft like before, it was wanting, it was animalistic, and I was a slave to it as much as he was. I could only imagine how many times he'd wanted to hold me this way, how many times he'd tried and I'd pushed him away; but all that mattered right now was that I was with him and he was with me and we would find a way for this to work.
When he'd decided that he'd filled enough of his desire to kiss me he laid down on the grass by the edge of the river and looked up at the stars, or possibly me, I couldn't tell, but I laid down next to him and let him wrap an arm around my shoulders. I felt safe, warm and more than anything I felt home. "I can't wait until we can do this in somewhere other than my trapped mind," he said as I rested my head on his chest.
I cursed under my breath, "Seth…They're pulling your life support in a little over a week."
I heard his breath catch momentarily and then he sighed, "I heard. I've been fighting a fog for the past week. Whatever you've been doing up there is starting to work."
"I'd asked Lara to pull your consciousness farther forward a couple days ago, but it didn't seem to do anything," I said reaching up to touch my nose to his neck.
"You really do have a wolf spirit," he laughed and he rested his chin on my head.
"How do you think I came to love you?" I asked and then realized I'd admitted what I'd been trying to figure out for the past week. I loved him.
"Did you just…?" he couldn't bring himself to say the words.
"Yes Seth Clearwater, I just said that I love you," I said propping myself up on one of my elbows and giving him a quick kiss.
"Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that?" he asked.
"I'm sorry it took me so long," I said as he pulled me back into another kiss. It was more like the first kiss and it sent shivers through my body. I wanted him and he wanted me, but this was still just a dream and we'd have to wake up eventually.
"I'm just glad you came to say it at all," he said and I realized there were tears just exiting the corners of his eyes. I brushed them away before standing and offering a hand to pull him up. "Now I have something to really fight for," he said jumping to his feet in a way that was so much like the boy he'd been. I couldn't help noticing how much of a man he'd become in the past year, beyond his physical appearance.
"Wake up Seth, I've always been here and I won't leave," I said but I could already feel myself being pulled into my body that was waking up, "Wake up for me Seth."
I cursed as I opened my eyes and looked at a clock. It was five in the morning. I could easily have had a couple more hours with him than I'd gotten. "Wake up for me Seth," I repeated in my awakening body.
Sunday – October 27, 2013
In a week I saw physically the fight Seth was having trying to wake up. Even in a coma he moved and his brain activity spiked and I had to fight hard not to ask Leah for more of her blood because with all the activity more nurses were assigned to check up on him. I left his side only to use the restroom and to get food when there was no one around to do that for me. But today I felt something coming, something big. If he didn't wake up today I was going to lose hope that he ever would.
I'd changed all his bedding and his IV drip and was washing the sweat off his face and chest when it happened. His eyes flew open and I had to fight hard to keep my voice low so people didn't come running in. "Enjoying what you're finding?" he asked his eyes glowing with some mischievous glint.
"Well it's definitely more to look at then the elderly men I've had to give sponge baths to," I giggled. My Seth was awake, he was here.
"I don't know how much time I've got this time, Rikki… The coma is still pulling heavy at me. You mentioned something to someone about Leah's blood. Is that what's giving my body strength again?" he asked.
"Ya, why?" I asked.
"It's not enough. I know you've used your Shifter blood on me before; I think you need to give me another dose," he said placing a hand lightly on my arm, "Now if you can."
Without thinking I went for a syringe and drew a vial full of my blood. I healed from the prick in an instant and instead of using his IV I plunged it directly into his chest somewhere near his heart, it would take effect the fastest there. He moaned in pain slightly and I felt his grip on my hand tighten ever so slightly. This had to work because there was a nurse scheduled to check on him any second now.
"You didn't have to do it there," Seth groaned rubbing the spot where I'd injected my blood.
"You said you didn't know how much time there was and I couldn't risk another nurse coming in finding my blood on your IV again. I had to write it off as a cut last time," I said, "How's the fogginess?"
"Still there, but I don't have to fight it as hard," he said.
I looked at the clock; the nurse would be here within the next minute. "I love you," I said quickly giving him a quick kiss and recovering just in time for the nurse to walk in and notice he was awake.
Moments after he'd been checked over and his vitals taken I was ushered out of the room as Aaron's family and friends came to greet him. They should be allowed to grieve for Aaron. They'll never see him again. And that was when it hit me. Seth would have to become Aaron in order for them to check him out of the hospital with a clean bill of health. It seemed my victory of winning back my guy would be short lived.
An hour later Elizabeth came out and gave me the largest hug I'd ever received, and I'd been hugged by both Jacob and Emmett. "You brought him back! Thank you so much, Rikki," she said.
When nightfall came and visiting hours were over I stayed. I was still his primary care giver at the moment. But when I closed the door behind me Seth's words shocked me.
"I have to die," he said.
I looked at him not sure how to respond, "I just got you back," was all I could get out.
"No Rikki, I mean all those people that were here. They're all happy to see me awake because they think the guy is still alive. I'm not him. I can't ever give them what they're hoping for," he said taking my hand in his as I sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Did you meet him before he slipped away?" I asked.
"He was ready to die. I provided a very easy way for him to move on. I saw his girlfriend that had died too; he was going to propose that night that she died. She looked a lot like you," Seth blushed lightly.
"You have me now," I said looping my fingers through his.
"You have to turn me, Rikki," he said looking at our hands rather than my face.
"The last couple of people that I tried that on died, Seth," I said.
"I'm stronger than they are," he said.
"Your body is only human," I said.
"You've turned a human in the past. He lived," I saw him wince and I'm sure I must have flinched when he brought up Rick, "I have something to live for."
"He was declared dead for three hours before his heart started beating again. My heart stopped for twenty-four hours when I changed," I said looking intensely into his eyes.
"Rikki," he said in a voice that made my skin electrify, "We can't be together until this is officially over."
I pulled my legs up onto the bed and leaned against his chest pulling his arm around me, "I know, I just don't want to watch you die again."
"I promise, I will always come back to you," he said using his free hand to pull my chin up so he could kiss me. "You know," he said pulling away from me just so much that our lips barely touched as he spoke he was driving me crazy, "I'm glad that I died in a way. I mean you never would have admitted your feelings for me if I was still in my wolf-shifter body."
"No, you're too important. I would have eventually learned to love you," I said.
"Oh but you melt every time you see these blue eyes. You never did that for anyone with brown eyes," he said as an animalistic growl built in his throat, "You drive me crazy, I hope you know that."
"You do the same thing to me Seth Clearwater," I replied closing the distance between our lips again.
Monday – October 28, 2013
It was early in the morning. Just an hour before visitors would be allowed to come back and see my Seth. "Are you ready?" I asked.
He nodded and I attached the bag of my blood to his IV. I didn't try and slow the flow as this needed to be over and done with before Aaron's family came in or before a nurse came in to check on him. "Promise me that you won't watch," he said.
"What?" I'd become distracted staring at the curves of his lips for the umpteenth time that morning.
"You don't need to watch me die again. The last time was bad enough as it was, when it's done go out and tell Elizabeth that you're going home for a quick shower and a real breakfast and that you'll be back in an hour or two. Go home and change and when you get back, use all that wonderful acting talent you have and act shocked when she says that I've had a seizure," he said.
"Seth, it's not just a seizure. You watched me when I died," I couldn't help but think back to the memories he'd shared with me of my bloody body, "it's much worse than a seizure."
"Promise me Katie," he said.
I took a step back shocked that he would use my real name now of all times, "I promise."
"Good girl, now hurry up and dispose of the evidence before someone figures us out," Seth said.
Ten minutes till visiting hours. I kissed him with all the passion I could fit into a three second kiss and wished him well before following his instructions.
At home I showered and washed with the same Rum Berry body line that I loved so much and dressed in one of Alice's outfits. It was a simple pair of white-gray leggings with a very pale shade of lavender tunic top that had such a wide neck that it fell off my shoulders even though the sleeves were only down to my elbows. I looked in the mirror as I pulled my hair into a bun. I knew Seth hated when I pulled my vibrant curls back but I needed to know that when the doctors told us that he had passed away that I didn't have to worry about my hair looking dull which was always the tell-tale sign that you were grieving.
I couldn't get myself to eat anything from my own kitchen so I stopped by the mom and pop coffee shop at the end of my block and somehow managed to force down a breakfast sandwich and an espresso. When I'd managed to kill two hours I walked back to the hospital. Elizabeth was waiting for me.
"Oh good, you're here," she said.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Oh, just something minor with Aaron. He's in surgery right now," she didn't look like a woman who was about to lose her nephew.
"Why is he in surgery?" I asked suddenly worried that something had gone wrong with the change. Had I administered the blood transfusion too fast?
"Just an ulcer in his stomach. He was coughing up blood. Doctor said it was completely normal with the way that he's been fed for the past few years," she said, "But I heard that tomorrow is your last day. And since Aaron is going to be discharged as soon as he's stable I wanted to give you a token of our appreciation."
She handed me a delicately wrapped box and ushered me to sit on the couch with her. I opened it to find a beautiful pearlescent pendant with a howling wolf silhouette engraved into it, "This is gorgeous, but I can't accept it."
"Nonsense. You've worked hard when you didn't have to and I want you to have it. It's been in Aaron's father's family for generations. Aaron was going to give it to his girlfriend on the day she died as his way of proposing, but he had a ring for her too. He wanted you to have it as well," Elizabeth said pulling it out of the box and tying the leather straps behind my head.
"You're going to make me feel guilty for taking a priceless family heirloom," I said.
"Forget about it. It would go into a box never to be seen again if left to the men. Besides it's Aaron's to give and he wanted me to give it to you. Wear it proudly for us," she said.
"Thank you," I said and gave her a swift hug.
And then before I knew it the doctor was walking toward us, still in his scrubs and splattered in blood. I knew before he even spoke that Aaron was dead and that meant that Seth was currently floating in purgatory. "I'm sorry Mrs. Turner, Miss Winters, but it was much more than an ulcer. Aaron was bleeding internally in too many places…" the doctor said.
"What are you saying?" Elizabeth asked her voice shrill.
"I'm sorry, but Aaron is gone," he said looking first at me and then at Elizabeth probably because I looked sick and she looked angry.
"How did he die?" she asked, "Exactly?"
"You don't want to know that Mrs. Turner," the doctor said.
"How?" she asked again more firmly.
"He drowned in his own blood," the doctor said.
A/N: Okay this time I liked giving you the cliffy ending! I'm so terrible I know. So there's the end of it. Hope you guys enjoyed it!