Chapter Four
Believing The Impossible
Just as I thought I was doomed, the door to the Soundstage bursted open and someone stomped out into the parking lot. I struggled to see who it was, and from what I could see... dark skin, black hair, tall, a guy, could be anyone... but whoever it was didn't see me and wouldn't see me if I didn't say something. I wheezed in some more air, wincing at the pain of my heart strumming and faltering.
The guy turned his head to look back at the Soundstage, and in the glow of the twisting light, I could see his familiar black eyes. I knew him... I...
"D--," I breathed, "D.J... D... D.J..." But I couldn't get it out that well. It was just a wheeze, and he turned back around and started towards the parked cars. I rolled my head back, closing my eyes in pain. And gathering all the strength I could, I yelled (which more came out like a regular voice), "Darwin... D--" It went back to a low whisper, but D.J. stopped in his tracks. He turned around and looked in my direction.
"Hail? You there?" The words were sluggish in my head, but a sudden jolt went through my veins at them.
And I had enough to cry out, "Help me.." Before any further words were choked off by my sudden wheezing sobs. Still, it was enough because D.J. ran from the row of cars and before I knew it, he was in bent in front of me. I felt his hands on my face, wiping off the tears that now flowed freely.
"What happened? What... were you attacked," D.J. asked, sounding slightly scared himself. But I was beyond words now, finally allowing myself to just stop fighting now that someone had found me. My sudden silence and slow movement to slacking scared D.J. even more, and he said, "It's okay. I'll take you to the hospital. Hold on." And I felt his arm move across my back and around my waist while he grabbed my left hand and put it over his shoulder. Keeping ahold of my waist with his right hand and my arm with his left, he slowly lifted me from the ground. I had no control of my feet, though, so I was lucky that D.J. was strong enough to hold me up.
We started towards the car. D.J. was panting a bit, more from fear of my life than the struggle to drag me along. And he said, "I brought my motorcycle, so we're going to have to jack Tony's car. I'm sure he'll find someone else to drive with. There no way you can drive with me on a motorcycle like this anyways." Tony was D.J.'s best friend; the only one besides D.J., Kyler, and me who knows D.J.'s real name. But I didn't care about any explaination at this point. My breaths were now short gasps every once in awhile, and I couldn't open my eyes anymore.
It was gaps in times from that point on. First D.J. was dragging me to Tony's car. Then we were already driving at high speed towards the hospital. Next, D.J. was carrying me and yelling for help. And then I was in a bright room, and people I'd never known were yelling something about a blood transfusion. Finally, I heard the words, "She's going under." And there was peace, quiet, and darkness...
My finger twitched. The sudden jerk of the muscle irritated me, and so I started clinching my right hand in a fist so that it wouldn't do it again. I had a piece of thick cloth in my clutch, and before I could wonder what it was, I felt a tightened pressure of hands wrap around mine. I turned my head towards the hand and slowly opened my eyes. My dad's old, grey eyes were smiling at me, happy probably that I had woken up, though I had been half-awake yet delirious awhile ago. At least, it seemed only awhile ago when D.J. had brought me here.
"How do you feel," Dad asked gently. To tell the truth, I felt as though I had a tube shoved down my throat. And I reached my hand out of dad's grip to touch my nose. Sure enough, thick tape was holding a tube that was entered through my nose, and I turned my head to see it led to a bag of gross looking creamy brown stuff. That's what they're feeding me? I'm glad I don't have to taste it. Then I noticed that my hand wasn't there. Well, it was under a thick white bandage that was wrapped all the way around my hand and wrist, leaving my fingers bare like a glove. And on my other arm was another tube that led up to a bag of 'A positive' blood; which was my blood type. And on my left forefinger was some... thing clipped on the tip that was white and glowed slightly on the inside. I think it helped with the pulse detection. But then, what were the plastic, rounded, wired things on my chest and stomach?
I was definitely in a hospital bed. And tears started to burn in my eyes as my dad just stared at me, waiting for my answer. So I said, "I didn't drink, do drugs, or even really say more than one word to strangers. I'm sorry." I wasn't sure why I was apologizing, but I think it was a sudden wave of guilt of having to force my already broke parent to pay for more hospital care. Either way, dad just gripped my hand and shook his head.
"I know. It's okay. You were my good girl, just didn't see it coming," Dad reassured. And so I calmed myself down. I looked around the room to see it dimly lit, seeing as if it were bright, it would've hurt my eyes and probably would've given me a headache. But on the seats, window, and tables were balloons, flowers, candy, and cards that flashed the words 'Get Well, Soon' on it. I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the candy, but it was touching that so many people had thought of me... but how did all these things get here overnight?
"How long have I been here," I sniffled, looking from the flowers to dad.
"A week and two days," dad responded, and I leaned back my head through the pillow with shock. Dear God, how can someone be asleep for that long? But I pulled my head back to look at dad.
"Well, what happened," I asked, afraid to actually know the answer. I may have been out for a week, but there's no way I could forget those peircing blue eyes and those glowing white fangs that bit into my hand. Still, I wanted to know what everyone thought had happened.
"Well, some boy who says he knows you said he found you nearly dead against the concert building. He's the one who brought you here, and lucky he did because it was almost too late," and Dad paused as if pained at the thought before continuing, "You weren't getting enough blood through your system. And your blood pressure was through the roof because of that. It's was like your heart was thinking that the reason why you didn't have blood was because it wasn't pumping good enough. And so the doctors were trying to get blood into your body when your heart first gave out. They had to revive you, but for awhile it looked like you weren't going to come back. Then you did, and they started getting blood into your system, but you stopped breathing because your airway was blocked. And while they were sticking a breathing tube in you, your heart stopped again for the longest time. But then you came back again. And after a long couple of hours, you were fine... just sleeping.
So the hospital has just been keeping and eye on your blood pressure and sugar level, seeing as the blood transfusion would be putting sugar from that person into you. Along with your medication, and we've just been waiting for you to come back. While that's been happening, they were looking at the bites on your hand and wrist. It looks like you were attacked by some sort of animal, and that's how you lost so much blood. But your wounds had been clotted so you weren't bleeding when you got here. So they were cleaning it real good, and it was as if they broke open the clot and you started bleeding again. Now they have to keep rebandaging it because it keeps opening. But I think they've gotten ahold on it by now, so I don't think we'll have to put stitches on it."
I looked at the tightened bandage around my hand, remembering the metal ball on his tongue rubbing over the bites. "I don't remember being bitten by anything," I lied. Of course I was going to lie. They'll think I probably got damaged during the bite, and started thinking up things like vampires. Then again, they would probably just say that because I was at a vampire band concert, I just replaced the animal with a vampire. Either way, there was no point in explaining something like that. I prefered to let the past stay in the past. Obviously the vampire wasn't smart enough to know how to kill me the right way, so there's luck in my life after all.
"Well, it was an accident, so I guess it's better that you don't remember it," Dad responded. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a man with a white coat on walked in.
The doctor grabbed a chart at the end of my bed and said, "Hello, Hailence. I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Doctor Wells..." He had sandy blonde hair with some gray hairs starting to grow in places. His face was shaved clean so that his cleft-chin and dimples were clearly seen. And something about his smiling brown eyes made me relax a bit. He walked over to the opposite side of the bed my dad was at, and pulled out a small flashlight. "Are you feeling all right?" And he flashed the light into my eyes, sending a shock of pain into my head. I smacked the flashlight out of his hands hard enough that it flew into the wall and shattered on the floor.
"Fine, thanks," I said in annoyance. Bright light usually irritates me, but that actually hurt. Not that I meant to smack it that hard. And the doctor was looking at the broken flashlight with surprise.
"That's good... yes...," And Doctor Wells looked through the chart, pausing at the last page. "Well, I'd like to check your blood pressure and glucose level real quick, okay?" I shrugged. If he could find an unused part of my arm, he could go ahead. The doctor started on the blood pressure first. "So, do you remember much of what happened before you got here?"
"Umm... I remember spilling my cherry sno cone at the Bloodscore with Kyler... and then she left me there. We said we were going to meet up at the concert once I was done looking at the jewelry. And then I remember something about D.J... but that's about it," I lied through my teeth as the doctor pumped the manual blood pressure and started listening for my heart beat. "But I don't remember anything attacking me."
The doctor wrote down the reading, and pulled out a blood sugar level monitor, pricking my finger. "Well, it was a traumatic experience. After all, we nearly lost you twice. But you're a fighter, you pulled through, so I didn't think you would have much memory of th--," The doctor paused, frowning deeply at the monitor that was beeping with the results. He hesitated, and wrote down the reading on the chart again before staring at the chart. This worried my dad in a heart beat.
"What's wrong? Is it too low or high? Does she need something? Or is there really a poison...," Dad started shooting questions, tightening his grip on my hand. I felt fine, so I didn't think that whatever it was would be that bad. Usually I'll either start shaking if it's too low or I'll start getting reeeeaaaalllly thirsty if it's too high. Which makes it higher, ironically.
"No," Doctor Wells said with a voice of wonder, "Actually, it's fine. That's what's confusing me..." I shrugged. Apparently he's figured out I always have problems, but if it's fine, I'm not worrying about anything. Wait. I'm not worrying, am I? Weird... I thought about all the possibilities. I could become infected with some sort of vampire-induced disease. Or maybe there's a little tracker you get whenever you're bitten... and he could come back and finish me off. Anything. But still, I felt no fear. So this is what adorexia is like. Nice.
"It seems that whatever bit you seemed to have DNA in their saliva that actually strengthened your immune system rather than breaking it down," Doctor Wells said, flipping through the chart. "It looks as though your melanin production is lowering, which is why you look as though you're becoming paler. We've got to watch to make sure it won't cause albinism, which it seems to be heading to, due to your hightened sensitivity to light... besides what your JRA already caused. But to add to that, for the past week, we haven't had to inject insulin. Your blood sugar seems to be staying at a normal rate, so we added more sugar to your food. The results... it seems your pancreas is actually producing insulin. I've actually never seen that happen before... Your blood pressure seems to be staying in the boundaries of prehypertension still, but it's an improvement from what you're recent readings have been. And your joints no longer seem to be swelling or inflammed as before, which is usually expected once you hit puberty anyways."
I felt a sudden inner pleasure. "And how's my stomach protein doing with B12?"
"It looks as though after a couple of standby months of just oral vitamins, we just might be able to allow you to just stick to diets of red meat and leafy vegetables," Doctor Wells said. I could do the red meat... not so much the leafy vegetables. But either way; nothing to tempt my asthma means no more asthma attacks or less of them. Wow. "It seems as though you came out of this luckier than thought possible. Now if only you could remember what bit you... but anyways, we'll keep an eye on your glucose level. This may be just temporary, so any sign of abnormalities, you call for me immediately. And if you need anything, you call for the nurse, all right?"
"Yeah, okay, but one more thing," I stated quickly, "How much longer am I going to be here, and when can I get this thing out of my nose?" And it wasn't long before I got to remove the feeding tube, now that I was awake. It was a nasty experience, but ultimately satisfying in the end. I couldn't leave until they felt that I was going to be just fine, though, but I felt great. I could... eat... anything. After a life of diets and constant monitoring... ANYTHING!! I should've gotten nearly killed by a vampire a long time ago. Well, I guess I would've picked Jesus' healing hands over fangs, and I prefer never to see that guy again.
At some point, Kyler jumped into the room and screamed with happiness that I wasn't dead. I was chowing down on chicken and around three different types of candy bars that dad had fetched for me. Plus a nice long drink of orange soda. I had to eat the potatoes and jello that the hospital gave me, but otherwise it was nice. The only point I got sort of afraid was when Kyler opened the blinds to the sun, and I was blinded with a sharp pain. I could handle some light, but the whole sun was killing my head. And I started panicking. Does this mean I'm a vampire? But then, if I was a vampire, I'd want to eat people. And I'd have sharp fangs. And I'd be super strong. I might even fly. But I didn't want to eat people, didn't have fangs, and wasn't completely strong, nor could I fly, so I calmed down.
When Dad left, Kyler pulled a chair up next to my bed. "You look freakishly pale. Did you talk to the doctor," she asked, poking my cheek. I looked at my arm, but I couldn't really tell if I was pale. Then Kyler, who was freakishly pale to me, put her arm next to mine, and -- sure enough -- I was a full four shades paler than her. Which was actually scary to me.
"Yeah, he said that the animal had weird saliva... might've given me a disease," I answered.
Kyler made a face, "Oh, God, you have AIDS?"
"No, not that disease," I laughed, "It might've given me albinism. Which means my hair will turn white, my eyes will turn freak blue or pink, and I'll burn if I step into the sun..." Kyler's eyes widened. "Well, I'm exagerating a bit, but to tell the truth... the doctor said I'm just showing signs of maybe getting the disease. Maybe I'll just get partial albinism." Kyler started helping me eat my hospital food. For some reason she actually liked the potatoes.
"On the other hand, I don't think I have diabetes anymore... or arthritis... or maybe even pernicious anemia," I added dully. I was starting to understand why this creeped out the doctor. People don't just heal out of nowhere, but then again, it was a vampire. But they don't know that. So now they'll probably start trying to get me to remember what it was. Might be on the news or something. No way. I'm not doing hypnosis. I'll be considered insane.
"That's awesome, Hail," Kyler said, at awe with the information. "So you shouldn't be here for too much longer. Maybe just another week." I nodded in agreement. We were silent for awhile, and I had stopped eating. Kyler suddenly put down the spoon and looked at me in that serious way. "So... just so you know, I was mad at you for not showing up at the concert, and I wanted to apologize for that."
I chuckled a bit, yet not finding it that funny. It was just something to add. "It's alright. I figured you would be for awhile there..."
Kyler practically jumped up in her seat. "For awhile there? You mean you remember?" Crap, I gave that away. I was never good at keeping secrets from Kyler anyways. She bent closer. "What was it? What attacked you that you wouldn't want to tell the doctor? Was it a unicorn?" I smiled weakly, my heart starting to race with indecision. Should I tell her? Maybe I shouldn't. Maybe she would just shoot it down. "Come on, Hail, you can tell me. I promise I won't even tell a soul. You know I can keep secrets."
Then again.. she is my best friend. "Okay," I said in a low voice, pushing the tray away. I lifted my bandaged hand for her to see. She looked at it in preparation. "First, do you remember how some jerk shoved past me and made me drop my sno cone?" Kyler nodded of course. "Well, you were right. I went walking around the store, practically following him except I couldn't find him to follow him. And you remember how I kept trying to ask you if you saw his fangs?"
A light went off in Kyler's eyes, and suddenly shut down. "You're not serious." I suddenly felt stupid. I knew I shouldn't have told her. But it was too late now.
"I am," I said, and Kyler scoffed in disbelief. "Look, he bit my hand and then my wrist, and he nearly killed me. There was no blood anywhere, and nobody even took notice. He drank my blood, and something about his saliva made me better than I was, while making me paler and more sensitive to light. How else are you going to explain that?"
Kyler had her mouth opened in disbelief. "You know... maybe he was one of those freaks who got his teeth professionally done. And maybe he's sick. So he likes the taste of blood; probably made him throw up later on. And maybe he has a weird disease that somehow made you better. Plus, he had white hair and was pale... is albinism contagious?"
I shook my head in frustration, "First of all, albinism is not contagious. Second of all, if he had it professionally done, then how could they grow out of nowhere? Plus, it paralyzed me when he bit me. I couldn't even fight back. So unless you can come up with an animal that can give you aspects found in vampires from what we've heard of, along with healing loads of my problems, then I was attack by a vampire." There was dead silence as Kyler's face turned from disbelief to shock and as I breathed deeply from my speech, sitting straight up in the bed.
The door to the room bursted open, and Pheonix, Mandy, D.J., Dad, Tony, and some other people from school crowded inside, with the mass of black laughing at something. I laid back down, using this button thing that made my bed move mechanically up for me to be half-sitting while Kyler stood up to let Dad sit down. I wasn't mad at Kyler, I just really wanted her to believe that I knew what I saw. And as she stood back to let everyone talk about how pale I was and how happy they were that I was awake, we connected eyes and I knew that when she nodded, she decided she believed me. I sighed in relief, and started listening to everyone's account of what concert I missed.