Visiting Mike was becoming a surprisingly pleasant part of my day. Bella had been gone for 4 days now, and Mike and I had a rotating schedule of phone use. I would bring my phone to him during my morning visits and then retrieve it during my night visits. Although I was almost positive that Carlisle was aware that I went against his rule of visiting patients, he never said a thing. The new secretary that I had been telling I was Mike's cousin knew that I was lying also, but she allowed me to visit after taking note of how Mike acted after I left.
"Akon?" I grimaced.
Mike laughed quietly at my reaction. "How can you possible not like Akon? 102.3 is the station."
"Sorry, I like real music."
He laughed again, this time followed by a cough. "Do you want me to leave?" I asked warily.
He shook his head. "Nah, it's nice having someone from the outside world every once in a while. The people here don't even let me watch T.V." he complained.
"Well you aren't missing much. All that's on is the News and Special Bulletins." I answered.
Mike was thoughtful for a moment. "And is there any updates?"
I knew that this was coming and I took a breathe of air before answering. "97 people have been sick. Nobody outside of Nevada or Washington, though." I said, avoiding words that I had seen him react badly to such as "infected" or "killed".
He winced at the large number. "And how many of them...?"
"79." I said, staring just above his eyes. He didn't wince at this new knowledge, rather he just nodded his head, accepting his fate.
"You aren't going to die, Mike." I said confidently. If he was as set on living as he has been on going out with Bella then no sickness would be able to get rid of him. He just laughed quietly and laid his head on his bed.
I just wish that I could see Bella...
It was a strange sensation; dread, regret, anxiety and helplessness. Never before had I had an attachment of any sort to any human but Bella. So why was I internally unsure of whether or not he was going to live? Now that werewolves were involved, Alice didn't have the ability to tell who would live or die. If Mike did die my life would, no doubt, be that much easier. But we were the same. We both loved Bella and we both had been infected with the Spanish Flu.
It took a few moments for me to realize that I had spaced out, and when I remembered where I was I looked around for Mike. He had fallen asleep. I whispered his name a few times and he didn't budge. Sighing, I left my phone on his nightstand so that he could call Bella when he woke up. I would come and retrieve it later that night.
Once I got into my car I couldn't help but smiling as I changed my radio station to 102.3, the station that Mike had spoken to me about. I laughed the entire ride home at the louse interpretation of "music". I made sure to change the station back to what it was originally before walking into the house, guiltily humming the lyrics to some catchy song. As soon as I opened the door I was welcomed by an angry Alice.
"And where have you been?" she hissed. Ever since she lost her ability to see anything at all involving the Flu she's been acting like a temperamental dog.
"I didn't go far." I sighed, trying my best to be sensitive to her new handicap.
"That didn't answer my question." she persisted as I entered the doorway.
"Let's just skip the preliminaries and go straight to what you actually want to know." I said as calmly as I could.
She glared at me bitterly. "Jacob's sick."
"Good!" I said before thinking over that sentence. "Wait... sick with what?"
Alice was growing impatient now. "The Spanish Flu, Edward! Keep up!"
I could feel Jasper's presence before he was within view. The anger and confusion I was feeling slightly left; just enough to drop the edge of the negative emotions.
Please be patient with her, Edward. The Flu has affected so many things and she can't see any of it.
I rolled my eyes at the trivial fact and brought my attention back to the recent update.
"How can Jacob be sick? He's a werewolf. He should be healing at a faster rate than he's getting sick."
Alice opened her mouth to retort but Jasper cut her off.
"We don't know. The treaty's been temporarily overlooked so that Carlisle could check up on Jacob. He said that he would call you for updates."
To be honest, nobody else really cares...
I nodded my head in understanding but then realized that my phone was with Mike. I knew that Carlisle wouldn't say the news when Mike answered so there was no chance of breaking our secret, but I wanted updates.
"Well then I have to go back to the hospital." I said, turning around to leave.
"Can I tag along?" Jasper asked curiously. Alice gave him a questioning look and he just smiled in responce.
"I guess." I said, walking out to the car.
Once we safely in the car and had pulled out of the driveway, I questioned him.
"So why do you want to come along?"
"Alice is driving me mad, Edward... I don't think that she realizes that none of us can see the future either."
I laughed. Jasper was usually the understanding one that would defend Alice, but now he was finally showing his true colors.
"Although I am curious about Jacob." he said seriously.
"He'll get better. It would take more than some Flu to get rid of that dog." I said bitterly.
Jasper was thoughtful for some time. "But he never should have gotten sick at all. Us werewolves and vampires are alike in that way. Our bodies usually kill the bacteria instantly... there's no time to go through the body."
It makes you wonder...
"Wonder what?" I asked, taking my eyes off of the road.
"Well if werewolves can get sick then why can't vampires? We're one in the same."
"Because we're already dead."
Jasper was quiet for the rest of the ride, although I was finding the humor in getting killed twice in the same epidemic.
"Newton." I said to the secretary. She nodded until she saw Jasper.
"Another cousin?" she asked sarcastically.
I grinned and she smiled, motioning for us to go ahead.
I no longer knocked on Mike's door. I was such a frequent that I even had my own chair. Jasper waited outside of the room for me to get my phone. I quietly made my way to the other side of Mike's hospital bed and reached my phone on the nightstand; no calls had been received or made.
But something was wrong here. It was too quiet. I looked at Mike and realized that he was still asleep.
Edward... I think he's...
I turned to Jasper and then back to Mike. He wasn't breathing and after a closer inspection, I saw blood crawling down his lower lip. My breathe caught in my throat as I tried to understand what had happened. Had Mike really died as I left the room earlier in the day? Without thinking, I exited to the room, Jasper close in tow.
"Mike's gone." I said to the secretary, who misinterpreted it and ran to his room to find him.
I didn't clarify as I made my way out of the hospital. Jasper had succeeded in taking the edge off of my disbelief and I thanked him for it. A world without the irritating Mike was hard to picture. I removed one of my hands from the wheel to answer an incoming call.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey!" Bella exclaimed.
I cringed. She didn't know about Mike yet. "Hi.. how are you?"
"Good." she said happily.
"This is a wierd time for you to be calling." I said, slightly panicked until Jasper took that emotion away as well.
"Yes, well, my sinuses are out of control and I'm stuck inside all day." she groaned before coughing.
I was instantly alerted by the cough. "Bella! Are you sure that-"
She cut me off with a laugh. "Don't worry Edward. It's just sinuses. I took some medicine and I should be better soon. The Flu hasn't come anywhere near Florida, remember?"
I realized how ridiculous my accusation had sounded and I laughed at myself as well. "Well then you need to get sleep, Bella." I reminded her.
She groaned. "Not you, too.."
"Yes me, too. I love you." I said.
"I love you, too. And I'll see you in 3 days!"
I laughed at her eagerness.
"You didn't tell her about Mike." Jasper accused.
"I know." I grumbled. Mike wouldn't have wanted her to stress over him.. even in death.
Spoilers... yes, Bella has the Flu. Does she know it? Not yet.
Why did I kill Mike? I had no intention of it.. but I figured that since the wolves suspect Jacob being sick, Mike would be overshadowed.. so I felt that it was suiting to kill 'im off xD
I like to put at least one important, momumental thing into each chapter.. that way there is something for youto chew on, hypothesis on, etc. So I think I was very generous with this one:P
Well please try and review and I'll try and update soon :P