Chapter 51.

Hunter POV.

I could hear the family coming into my room. My eyes were closing again. I was finding it difficult to stay awake. Man, I felt like shit! I don't think I have ever felt more human, than I did right now.

"Please, everyone. We can't all go in. He can't be crowded right now. I'm sorry. I know you are all desperate to see him, but he needs a little more time, and I need to figure out how to feed him. He will drift in and out of consciousness, so I can't have you all bombarding him," I heard Carlisle whisper.

I could hear moans of disappointment, and I slowly opened my eyes again to look at them. I managed a very small, weak smile, and noticed them smiling back as my eyes closed again. Why was it so difficult to keep them open?

"Edward, Eva and Bella can stay, as long as you stand back until I can check him," Carlisle said, and I felt him playing around with my drip and the machinery that I could hear bleeping.

"Hunter?" he asked. "Are you still with us?"

"Yes." I didn't even know if I had said it aloud, as my voice was so weak, and barely audible. Even to my own ears.

"Good," he replied. "Edward said you were thirsty, but we are unsure as to how we can feed you. You would need to be fully conscious, and I doubt you would have the strength to feed from an animal yourself, right now."

He was right. I could barely hold my eyes open, never mind an animal and feed from it. But I needed to feed. My body was crying out for blood, and I knew it needed it to heal me. What was I going to do? Wait. Did I hear someone mention O negative for a transfusion? I didn't like the idea of human blood, but it was donated, and I desperately needed it. Now.

"O negative," I said in a whispered breath.

"Sweetie, are you sure?" I heard my mom say, and her voice sounded torn between needing me to have it, and not wanting me to drink it.

"Need it …. Donated," I managed.

"Okay. Do you think you could drink, Hunter?" Carlisle asked. "Through a cup and straw? It's the fastest way to get it into your system."

I nodded, very slowly, and it hurt. The faster the better. I could feel myself drifting again.

"Okay. I'll be right back," he said.

"Hunter, stay with us. Carlisle will be right back," dad said, and I tried to open my eyes again.

"Tired," I whispered.

"I know son, but you need to stay with us until you have fed. Then you can sleep while your body heals."

"Okay, here we go. Edward, you support his head and neck while he drinks. We don't want him choking on it," Carlisle said, and I could smell the blood from inside the cup.

I felt dad lifting me up, and holding me across my shoulders. I managed to open my eyes slightly, and saw him holding the cup for me. He brought it to my lips, and I started to drink. It didn't taste right to me. It was pretty disgusting, actually, but my body was accepting it gratefully. At least I knew I wouldn't want to drink it again, when I was better. I was quite glad I had my human side. I think that's why I found it disgusting. I drank every last drop, though, and I felt better already. Exhausted, but a little better inside.

"Do you need more?" dad asked.

"No. Need sleep," I whispered, but noted my voice was a little stronger.

"We could put some more on a drip, while he sleeps. He's just had an instant boost, so we could that now," Carlisle said to dad.

Dad laid me back down, and made sure I was comfortable. Mom and Bella were by my side now, and I felt each of them take one of my hands. I managed to squeeze theirs a little, and I closed my eyes again.

"Look, Edward," mom said. "The swelling is going down already."

"Yes. The blood will help him heal quicker. He's going to be fine." I heard him say, before I drifted into sleep once more.

I was awakened by a pulling sensation in my head. I opened my eyes and saw that Carlisle was standing over me.

"Hunter. You're back," he smiled. "I'm just taking your stitches out. The blood we gave you made your wound heal almost instantly."

I actually felt quite good. A lot better since I last woke up, anyway.

"How long have I been sleeping?" I asked, and noted my voice was stronger, too.

"A little over three days. But that's okay. Your mind was just shutting itself away to give your body the time it needed to be well again."

I looked around the room and noticed no one else was here. I still had the I.V's attached. One with blood, and one with a clear fluid. I could smell the scent of flowers, and saw there were six vases full. Mom and aunt Alice's work, I assumed.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, as I tried to sit up.

"Stay still for now, and give yourself a chance to fully wake," he said. "Charlie managed to persuade Bella to go home for some rest. She's been with you the whole time, and she was exhausted. The others managed to persuade your mom and dad to hunt, so that's where they are now."

"What exactly happened, Carlisle?" I asked.

"You had a fractured skull, and your brain was bleeding. I managed to control it and repair the damage. I had put a drain in your skull, but had to remove it after the first day, as your wound was healing rapidly. I shall still need to give you another CT scan, when you fell well enough. I just need to check that everything is how it should be."

"Skull fracture? Did I hit my head?" I asked. I couldn't believe I had a fracture of any kind.

"No, but I think it may have happened the night you 'exploded'. I think the pressure was too great, and it needed an outlet. I also think it took so much time for the symptoms to show, because your vampire half was trying to heal it, but couldn't."

"Why not?" I asked. I should have healed instantly.

"I think maybe it was because of your diet. I know you have not been hunting as much as you should have been, lately. So I think it was having trouble keeping up."

"But I can survive on both. I can go months without blood."

"Yes, but not when your body needs to heal. Without blood, it doesn't heal the way it should. Of course, you didn't know that it needed to heal."

Okay. I would need to make sure I hunted every week, even if I didn't need to.

"Will this happen again?" I asked.

"I really don't know the answer to that. It may, especially if you become as angry as you were that night. But it may not. Maybe your body knows what it feels like to explode now, and it may compensate for that the next time."

"Okay, so if I keep my diet completely balanced at all times, it would heal if it happened again?"

"It should, in theory. We just don't know. There is a lot we don't know about you Hunter, and it's worrying us all," he said, as he finally stopped playing around with my head. That reminded me that dad was following leads.

"Did dad find out anything at all?" I asked.

"Not yet. He was about to follow a lead, when this happened to you. He came straight home, never stopping. I know he wants to go back, once you are well, of course. He desperately needs to know more about you and what you can do."

"Why?" I asked, disappointed that he would be leaving again.

"He worries that you won't be here forever, like us. I know your mother agrees with him, too. He doesn't want to leave you, but he needs this. He couldn't bear to lose you, Hunter, so he needs to know everything he can."

"But why does he have to go?"

"He's the fastest on his feet, and he knows if people are lying to him. And he won't ask anyone else to do it for him."

I closed my eyes with a sigh.

"He won't be gone as long this time. He said he was fairly sure the last lead he had would be a good one. And I know he would never stay away as long again," he said smiling down at me.

I nodded, closed my eyes, and drifted to sleep with the thoughts of dad leaving again. It didn't feel good, at all.