章節 59: Chapter 59
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I was awoken by my phone ringing. Disoriented, I grabbed the only light in the room that was emitted by the phone. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust from the heavy cloud that fogged them. I blinked several times as I looked at the phone. It was just after 9:00 a.m., and I hadn't been asleep for very long.
The notification was a text from an unknown number. I opened it and read, "I will be by in an hour to check on you. - Dr. Lex" I needed to get ready and move to the sitting room, so I slipped out from under James' head and gently tucked a pillow in my place. I used the walker, which James had gotten me to move around more efficiently, and used my phone to light my way.
James had gone above and beyond to accommodate me in our wing. There was a mini fridge and a microwave in the master bedroom now so that I could stay with him during the day. In addition, the home visits with Dr. Lex; I knew that was him, too. He was making sure that I was healing properly and had apparently hired her to ensure the continuity of my care.
I used the bathroom first and combed my tangled brown hair while I sat on the toilet. Then, I changed my clothes using the walker to support myself; it was very beneficial, and I would thank James tonight when he woke back up. I went to the bedroom door and unlocked it before slipping out. I tried my best to prevent any light from entering as I left.
It took me longer than I thought to go down the long hall. The lack of oxygen probably affected me more than anything else, the downside of being away from the hospital. I finally got to the sitting room and unlocked the door to the wing; that's when I realized I had forgotten my whiteboard.
Damn, there was no way that I would make it to the bedroom and back in time. I went to a small desk near the library portion and shuffled through the drawers; I found a few sheets of blank paper and a pen, so I took them with me. The walker had a convenient seat and a basket to store items underneath it.
I made it to the couch and sat down. I was already exhausted; the lack of oxygen and sleep were getting to me. My phone buzzed; it was Dr. Lex. She said she had just arrived at the front gate and would be up shortly. I responded, texting her, "The door to the wing is unlocked; just come right in."
She arrived about fifteen minutes later and said, "I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't realize how massive your home was." I wrote on the paper, "It's okay, I'm still not used to living here." She had brought a bag in with her and started pulling out some medical instruments and an IV bag. She asked, "How are you feeling today?" I responded by shaking my hand, implying I was feeling mediocre.
She took my blood pressure and oxygen levels first, then listened to my heart and lungs with her stethoscope. "Your oxygen levels are a little lower, but not at the point where we need to give you some to assist yet." I nodded in understanding. Then she took out an IV bag, some sterile tubing, and a few needles. "I'm going to give you another IV so that I can get your antibiotics and steroids to you." I nodded and gave her my arm.
She looked around the room and saw an old wooden coat rack; she pointed as she asked, "Do you mind if we use this to hang the IV bag from?" I shook my head, no, and she retrieved it from near the door and brought it over to the couch. She strung the IV bag up and said, "I need to wash my hands and put on some gloves before I run the needle. I nodded and pointed down the hall.
She left swiftly, and I heard water running faintly in the distance. As she walked back, she opened a bag containing a package of single-use nitrile gloves and dawned them. She expertly ran the needle in and hooked everything up, and once my IV was running, she added the medications to the drip.
She said, "Now that it's running, I need to check one last thing." She picked up the otoscope and checked my eyes first, then had me open as wide as I could manage to look at the back of my throat. She smiled, removed her gloves, and said, "You're all set; I'll remove the IV once your drip is finished in about an hour or so." I nodded and signed for thank you.
Then Dr. Lex said, "Do you need me to do anything else for you while I'm here? I have to stay to remove the needle anyway." I shook my head in response. She said, "Alright, well, after I remove everything, I'll come back in before my shift starts tonight, and we'll do this all over again. It shouldn't take more than an hour and a half, though. I nodded again and smiled.
Dr. Lex began to walk around the sitting room, admiring the beauty and opulence of everything. She muttered, "They didn't spare any detail or expense when building this place, huh?" When she made eye contact with me, I nodded. She added, "I didn't know that anyone lived here; I thought it was just a place for tourists now."
I shrugged because I, myself, was new here, and I didn't know how they came to be here, and I hadn't really thought to ask. Dr. Lex looked over at me skeptically, "Is your husband somehow related to the Vanderbilts?" I shrugged again because I didn't know how to answer; perhaps Sylas was related to them, and maybe James was in a way because of his sire.
It's not as though James and I had known each other long; this was technically an arranged marriage, and she was asking questions that meant little to me. It's not as though she knew about vampires and werewolves being real, though. To her and all other normal humans, they were myths; fantasies dreamt up by creative individuals to entertain others.
I would ask James when he woke so that I would have answers for her in the future. She moved over to the small library in our wing and began to read the titles on the wall, "What a marvelous collection you have; how many have you read?" I held my fingers up, indicating three books. Technically, James had read two to me, but they still counted.
She paused, "Then you haven't been here very long." I nodded. I had only been here for 12 days, but I held two fingers up. Dr. Lex questioned, "Two months?" I shook my head, and her eyes widened. She corrected herself, "Two weeks!" I nodded in response. Her expression saddened, "Bless your heart; I'm sorry that something so terrible happened shortly after you arrived here."
I wrote on the paper, unable to convey the message with body language. Dr. Lex walked over to me so that she could read the message. She read it quietly and responded, "I'm glad you met James; though I initially thought he might have done this to you, I can tell he's kind. I know you said you are cursed, but I think you're pretty lucky." I scoffed in my head; little did she know.
She looked at the IV bag and then continued to walk around, "When you're feeling better, I'd love a tour; you can show me your favorite places." I smiled and nodded. I would like that, and it's not like I had any friends around here. Though she was older than me, I felt a kinship toward her.
I thought about it for another moment and then blushed when I thought of some of my favorite places; James and I had been intimate in most of them except for the music room, of course. She walked away, and I heard the water running again; she returned and put on another pair of nitrile gloves. She grabbed a piece of gauze and placed it over my skin before she removed the needle.
She dropped it into a little red container before wrapping more self-adhearing tape around my arm to hold the gauze in place. She said, "I'm going to leave this sharps container here since we'll do this twice daily. When I return this evening, be ready to try the mashed potatoes again." I nodded, knowing that I couldn't live off smoothies forever.
With her gloves still on, she wiped down her instruments with a strong-smelling wipe before tucking them back into her bag. With that, she nodded and said, "I'm going home to get some rest. Don't hesitate to text me if you need anything. You have my number now." I nodded and followed her to the door with my walker so that I could lock it behind her.
Once she left, I walked all the way back down the hall so that I could get some much-needed sleep. I opened the door quickly, trying to prevent as much light from seeping in as possible, and then locked the door behind me. I used my phone's flashlight to go to the bed where James was resting.
I crawled in beside him and repositioned my pillows so I could sleep upright. He subconsciously embraced me immediately upon my return, and I stroked his hair for a time. I placed my phone on the nightstand after I made sure the volume was still on before I fell fast asleep.
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