Saving Her
Breaking the News Disclaimer: Je ne possede rien ("I own nothing" in French. I thought I'd do it a little differently today).
At about 6 o'clock that evening, Rafe stood on Ian and Lucy's porch. He had been there for several minutes, unnoticed. Every time his hand reached for the doorknob, he pulled it back at the last second. He wanted to see Alison so badly, to just put his arms around her and hold her forever. No, it wasn't a question of whether Rafe wanted to go in or not. It was a question of whether he could.
'How can I go in there and look her in the eyes, knowing what I do now?' he thought painfully. 'How can I see my beautiful angel and not break down, knowing that the only way for her to live is for her to become what she fears most? How am I supposed to tell her that?'
It was then that Rafe thought of Alison's dream, in which he left her and never came back. He remembered the look of pure terror on her face, and how she had cried just thinking about it. He also remembered telling her that he would be back as soon as he could, that her dream would never come true. Yet here he was, standing on Lucy and Ian's porch, making his time away from her longer. 'And why am I doing this?' he thought to himself. 'Just because I'm afraid that I won't be able to handle what's on the other side of this damn door.' Taking a deep breath, Rafe turned the knob.
Ian was sitting in the living room, once again bent over his work. Seeing Rafe, he immediately put it away and addressed his friend.
"Rafe, good to see ya. How'd it go?"
Rafe didn't say anything. He simply gave Ian a grim look, knowing he'd understand. He did.
"Ah, I see.well, is there anything I can do for ya?"
Rafe just shook his head. "No, not just yet," he said flatly. "Where's Alison?"
"She's in the guest bedroom with Lucy." Rafe began to walk towards it, but Ian stopped him. "Rafe, there's something you should know before you go in there," he said solemnly.
Rafe stopped dead. "What happened Ian?" he asked in a panicked voice. "Is she okay?"
Ian looked at the floor. "I'm afraid not," he replied. "You see, she had been getting' worse. I know that is to be expected, but I had no idea it would happen this rapidly. She is 10 times worse then when you last saw her. She is even worse than she was this morning. She can't keep anything down anymore, not even water. She spiked a fever of 104.0 degrees about an hour ago. And it's getting harder for her to breathe." Ian had more to say, but never got the chance. Rafe had barely heard what he had already said before sprinting towards the guest bedroom.
~*~*~*~*~
Lucy sat at Alison's bedside, trying desperately to help the poor girl. She had given her medication for her fever, but it wasn't working as well as it should. None of the traditional methods seemed to be. 'Well what can you expect,' she thought bitterly, 'when you're dealing with a vampire's curse.' She was now resorted to pressing a cool, wet washcloth on Alison's face as a desperate attempt to give her comfort. Her throat was parched, but she could no longer keep down the water that would soothe it. She seemed only semi-conscious most of the time, and rarely spoke except to call out Rafe's name weakly. Her condition brought tears to Lucy's eyes. 'Come on Rafe,' she thought, 'get here soon.'
No sooner had she thought this than Rafe came bursting through the door. Lucy let out a sigh of relief.
"It's about time you got here!" she said. Rafe didn't reply. His gaze was fixed on Alison. 'I had no idea she would get like this so fast,' he thought, awed by how ill she had become. Slowly, he went and sat at her bedside. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, gently kissing it. She stirred a little. "Angel," he said softly, "it's me, Rafe. I'm back."
Alison opened her eyes slightly. When she saw Rafe, she let out a faint smile, the first one since that morning when Rafe had called.
"Rafe," she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "I missed you."
Taking her cue, Lucy got up. "I'll let you two talk," she said. But before she left, she gave Rafe a look that clearly said, "you WILL tell me everything, or else." Once she was gone, Rafe and Alison resumed their conversation.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Not so great," she choked out. "But so much better now that you're here."
Rafe didn't say anything. She still had hope that he could save her, and he couldn't. He had let her down when she needed him the most. And now he had to tell her that.
Despite her condition, the change in Rafe's demeanor didn't go unnoticed to Alison. "What's the matter?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
Rafe smiled despite himself. She knew him so well! And her thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze him. Her she was, her life slowly slipping away from her, and she was worried about him!
"I'm okay, Angel," he lied.
Though she didn't believe him, Alison dropped the subject. Instead, she got right to the point. "Did you find it?" she asked.
This was it. The moment Rafe had been dreading. He had to tell her. There was no other way. It would kill her, but this was something that he just couldn't protect her from.
"Alison, um, there was a book at my old house. In it, I found the exact discription of this disease. And it didn't stop there." He paused to look into her deep blue eyes, which he had somehow been able to avoid thus far. "Alison, it said what the cure was."
For a brief moment, pure joy lit up Alison's eyes, and great relief spread over her. 'I'm going to live!" she thought. "I'm going to be okay, and Rafe and I will have a life together!' It was then that she noticed that Rafe didn't share her joy. Waves of panic began to consume her.
"Rafe, what is it?" she inquired urgently. "Why aren't you exited? What aren't you telling me?"
Taking a deep breath, Rafe uttered the hardest words he would ever have to speak. "Alison, the only way for you to get better is to become a vampire."
Breaking the News Disclaimer: Je ne possede rien ("I own nothing" in French. I thought I'd do it a little differently today).
At about 6 o'clock that evening, Rafe stood on Ian and Lucy's porch. He had been there for several minutes, unnoticed. Every time his hand reached for the doorknob, he pulled it back at the last second. He wanted to see Alison so badly, to just put his arms around her and hold her forever. No, it wasn't a question of whether Rafe wanted to go in or not. It was a question of whether he could.
'How can I go in there and look her in the eyes, knowing what I do now?' he thought painfully. 'How can I see my beautiful angel and not break down, knowing that the only way for her to live is for her to become what she fears most? How am I supposed to tell her that?'
It was then that Rafe thought of Alison's dream, in which he left her and never came back. He remembered the look of pure terror on her face, and how she had cried just thinking about it. He also remembered telling her that he would be back as soon as he could, that her dream would never come true. Yet here he was, standing on Lucy and Ian's porch, making his time away from her longer. 'And why am I doing this?' he thought to himself. 'Just because I'm afraid that I won't be able to handle what's on the other side of this damn door.' Taking a deep breath, Rafe turned the knob.
Ian was sitting in the living room, once again bent over his work. Seeing Rafe, he immediately put it away and addressed his friend.
"Rafe, good to see ya. How'd it go?"
Rafe didn't say anything. He simply gave Ian a grim look, knowing he'd understand. He did.
"Ah, I see.well, is there anything I can do for ya?"
Rafe just shook his head. "No, not just yet," he said flatly. "Where's Alison?"
"She's in the guest bedroom with Lucy." Rafe began to walk towards it, but Ian stopped him. "Rafe, there's something you should know before you go in there," he said solemnly.
Rafe stopped dead. "What happened Ian?" he asked in a panicked voice. "Is she okay?"
Ian looked at the floor. "I'm afraid not," he replied. "You see, she had been getting' worse. I know that is to be expected, but I had no idea it would happen this rapidly. She is 10 times worse then when you last saw her. She is even worse than she was this morning. She can't keep anything down anymore, not even water. She spiked a fever of 104.0 degrees about an hour ago. And it's getting harder for her to breathe." Ian had more to say, but never got the chance. Rafe had barely heard what he had already said before sprinting towards the guest bedroom.
~*~*~*~*~
Lucy sat at Alison's bedside, trying desperately to help the poor girl. She had given her medication for her fever, but it wasn't working as well as it should. None of the traditional methods seemed to be. 'Well what can you expect,' she thought bitterly, 'when you're dealing with a vampire's curse.' She was now resorted to pressing a cool, wet washcloth on Alison's face as a desperate attempt to give her comfort. Her throat was parched, but she could no longer keep down the water that would soothe it. She seemed only semi-conscious most of the time, and rarely spoke except to call out Rafe's name weakly. Her condition brought tears to Lucy's eyes. 'Come on Rafe,' she thought, 'get here soon.'
No sooner had she thought this than Rafe came bursting through the door. Lucy let out a sigh of relief.
"It's about time you got here!" she said. Rafe didn't reply. His gaze was fixed on Alison. 'I had no idea she would get like this so fast,' he thought, awed by how ill she had become. Slowly, he went and sat at her bedside. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, gently kissing it. She stirred a little. "Angel," he said softly, "it's me, Rafe. I'm back."
Alison opened her eyes slightly. When she saw Rafe, she let out a faint smile, the first one since that morning when Rafe had called.
"Rafe," she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. "I missed you."
Taking her cue, Lucy got up. "I'll let you two talk," she said. But before she left, she gave Rafe a look that clearly said, "you WILL tell me everything, or else." Once she was gone, Rafe and Alison resumed their conversation.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Not so great," she choked out. "But so much better now that you're here."
Rafe didn't say anything. She still had hope that he could save her, and he couldn't. He had let her down when she needed him the most. And now he had to tell her that.
Despite her condition, the change in Rafe's demeanor didn't go unnoticed to Alison. "What's the matter?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
Rafe smiled despite himself. She knew him so well! And her thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze him. Her she was, her life slowly slipping away from her, and she was worried about him!
"I'm okay, Angel," he lied.
Though she didn't believe him, Alison dropped the subject. Instead, she got right to the point. "Did you find it?" she asked.
This was it. The moment Rafe had been dreading. He had to tell her. There was no other way. It would kill her, but this was something that he just couldn't protect her from.
"Alison, um, there was a book at my old house. In it, I found the exact discription of this disease. And it didn't stop there." He paused to look into her deep blue eyes, which he had somehow been able to avoid thus far. "Alison, it said what the cure was."
For a brief moment, pure joy lit up Alison's eyes, and great relief spread over her. 'I'm going to live!" she thought. "I'm going to be okay, and Rafe and I will have a life together!' It was then that she noticed that Rafe didn't share her joy. Waves of panic began to consume her.
"Rafe, what is it?" she inquired urgently. "Why aren't you exited? What aren't you telling me?"
Taking a deep breath, Rafe uttered the hardest words he would ever have to speak. "Alison, the only way for you to get better is to become a vampire."