Chương 55: Chapter 55
☆ ☆ James ☆ ☆
A nurse came in and started removing Kara's IV, applying a piece of gauze and a self-adherent wrap around her arm. She said, "Make sure not to push yourself too hard when you go home." Kara nodded in response. "I'll be back with your discharge papers after a while.", she said before leaving the room.
We had to wait for over an hour before the staff brought us our discharge paperwork. Kara began signing the documents, and I paid the bill in full. Dr. Lex came in and gave us a list of things to watch out for and reasons to get help immediately. I took Dr. Lex to the side and asked if she would be available for home visits or if she recommended anyone who would.
She thought momentarily, "I could on my days off; aside from that, I could talk to some of my colleagues to see if they were interested." I respond, "I'll pay you $2,000 for each day you visit." Money talks, and I could tell from the gleam in her eyes that she would be there on days that she had to work, too.
I gave her our address and told her, "I will leave your name with the gate guards, and they'll escort you to our wing when you arrive. She nodded, accepting the arrangement. My phone rang, it was Sylas. I said, "Excuse me while I take this." I went over to a corner of the room to answer the call.
"I'm sending five cars to pick you up with some of the strongest vampires in our clan to escort you both back here. Be ready in thirty minutes.", Sylas said before hanging up. I walked back over to Kara and Dr. Lex, "Our ride will be here in thirty minutes. Can we be ready by then?"
Dr. Lex looked at all the paperwork and said, "Everything seems to be in order here. I'll get you copies made and your discharge paperwork, and then you'll be set." I nodded, "Thank you again for everything." Dr. Lex smiled, "Of course, just make her take it easy, especially since she won't have oxygen to help.
I hugged Kara tightly, "I'll take good care of her, and we'll see you during the home visits." She nodded and left the room. We waited a little while longer before a nurse came in with an orange-pronged envelope and said, "Here's all your paperwork." I took the folder and added it to the bag.
My phone rang once. I told Kara, "Our ride is here, Love. Let's get going." I slung her bag over my shoulder and escorted her out of the room and to the elevators; given the circumstances, I wasn't going to make her take the stairs. We walked into the lobby, where I could still smell the faint, musky, damp scent of the werewolf who had been in here earlier.
We walked out to a small convoy, and the brisk night air sent a shiver down Kara's spine. The door was held open for us by the vampire who was driving the middle vehicle. I helped Kara in first and then walked around to let myself in on the other side. Evelyn returned to the driver's seat, and the cars drove off in an orderly manner and headed straight to the Estate.
My worries eased as we got closer to home. Tonight could have ended very differently, and I knew that we would mourn the loss of our fellow clan members. Vampires weren't all as cold-hearted as we were made out to be in works of fiction, except for maybe Sylas. He was the spitting image of those vampires in movies and novels.
I held Kara closely as the vehicles drove through the front gates, temporarily relieved. When we got inside, I whisked Kara up to our wing and showed her the modifications I had made to accommodate her recovery. I instructed her to stay in the bedroom and to keep the door locked until I returned. This room would, unfortunately, be her prison unless I was physically escorting her somewhere.
I couldn't risk losing her, and tonight's scare was another eye-opener; not only did I have to worry about Sylas, but the werewolves were coming to reclaim her, too. I needed to speak with Sylas about our losses and whether we planned to retaliate against the werewolves. I left the wing and locked the main door as well; given the circumstances, I couldn't be too cautious.
I found Sylas pacing back and forth in his office. An old record was playing in the background. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor was an easily recognizable tune. I waited several minutes for the record to finish before interrupting him. He peered in my direction as I said, "Sylas, may I have a moment of your time?"
He hissed, still seething over the situation, "What is it?" I stepped into the room from the doorway, "The female werewolf smelled of maple trees." I paused briefly, "I assume they are from somewhere in the northeast, and I suspect that Kara's true mate is with the two we encountered tonight."
I paused and awaited his response to my statement. When he gave none, I apologized, "I'm sorry that we lost six of our clan members tonight." His eyes gleamed, and he corrected me, "43 members." I was confused, "Did you send another group to finish them off?" He laughed maniacally, "No, the progenies turned to ash shortly after their sires met the true death. Then anyone that they turned met the same fate and so on and so forth."
I paused, confirming that one of the books we had read earlier was true. I asked, "Will more die?" Sylas responded, "Perhaps, but they are not members of the clan, so I'm not sure how many this scuffle actually cost our race." I shook my head in disbelief. "They were strong enough to defeat the six you sent. Were they Betas or Alphas?", I asked.
He scoffed, "They were definitely not Alphas. An Alpha wouldn't be stupid enough to try to do this without his entire pack. Betas are more likely, and those mutts will do anything if an Alpha orders it. Besides, they are smarter and stronger than the other flea-ridden mongrels." I paused, ingesting the information I had gained, "Are our numbers still strong enough if they were to attack us again, or do we need to track them down to even the playing field?"
Sylas paused, "It's better to wait for them to come again. I've contacted our human mercenaries, and they will be standing guard during the daylight with silver bullets laced with Aconitum; they will shoot any man or beast that sets foot on the grounds until you have completed the blood bond with that bitch."
My face contorted at his reference to Kara, but we needed Sylas, so I continued to play nice. I said, "Kara's doctor will be making house visits once a day for Kara since she wasn't going to be released yet. May I leave her information with you so that Kara still gets the medical attention that she needs?"
Sylas nodded and waved me off. I could tell this blow was hitting him harder than he let on, so I left the information on his desk and let him sulk. I could hear the record player turn back on, this time, playing Vers la Flamme, Op. 72 by Scriabin. I returned to Kara, unlocking the door to the main wing and then knocking on our bedroom door at the end of the hall.
It took her a little longer than usual to come to the door, which I had expected, especially since they weren't ready to discharge her yet. She opened the door, and I asked, "How are you doing without the oxygen." She shrugged her shoulders and put the O2 sensor on her finger; she was sitting at 95%, and I could see the effects of her lower oxygen levels weakening her.
Dr. Lex had said that she would need to return to the hospital if her oxygen levels dropped below 93%, so I watched her carefully, propping up the pillows so that she could sit and sleep more upright. "Are you hungry?" I asked. She nodded, so I asked, "Another smoothie? I can make one for you. I had the day staff go and retrieve all of the ingredients." She nodded again.
I went to the kitchen, added the vanilla protein powder, a banana, and some milk, and blended them together until the consistency was that of honey. I poured it into the cup and added a straw before bringing it to her. She sat in bed with a book on her lap, and I handed her the smoothie.
I asked, "Do you want me to read the book aloud while you eat?" She smiled and eagerly handed the novel to me. I picked up where she left off and read aloud as she ate. She sipped her smoothie happily as I continued reading to her throughout the evening.
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