Disclaimer: Just the usual gang. If you recognize them they’re not mine, and if you don’t then guess what they belong to me so :oP
Author’s Note: Well let me just thank you if you have taken the time to read this story. If you have even left me a review then I give you much love. I live to write and write because I love it. But it makes it much more worth while when I get feed back from those of you that review my work. Also if you don’t like this story the back button is ^^^^^^^^^^^^ there feel free to use it. Sorry about this chapter being so short but I have just started school again and I’m trying to do papers, work and my story so please be patient with me
In a side note I would like to say a special thanks to Songbird and my sister for keeping me motivated. Thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. Now without further ado.
Anita parked in the first space she came to and I was out of the car almost before we had even stopped. Anita was just as quick to get out. We hurried into the emergency room and flagged down the nearest nurse and asked her where Dayla was. She had this confused look on her face. I described Dayla to her and said that she might be a lycanthrope that was just brought in. The light dawned on her and she told us that she was in room 5 and led the way.
What I saw shocked me they had her restrained and the medical staff looked as if they didn’t want to touch her. I was furious all over again. And my growl let everyone in the room know who and what I was. But I was beyond caring. To the doctor that was overseeing her care I asked, “Is this how you treat all your patients or is it just the fact that she might be lycanthrope that bothers y’all.” My tone of voice was none to friendly and my stance was combative. I knew I wasn’t helping the situation but they were beginning to piss me off.
Anita quickly stepped in and apologized for my rudeness and gave me a look that said I would pay for this and dearly. Fine. I thought you deal with them. Before I loose all control and eat them. I crossed my arms over my chest staring at the medical team as they started working on Dayla. She started to come around when they had about finished cleaning her up. And when she felt herself being restrained she started to struggle. Can’t say I didn’t blame her but I knew that if she didn’t quit she was going to end up hurting herself even more. I rushed to her side and the nurses nearest me moved quickly out of my way.
When I was by her side I brushed an errant strand of honey blonde hair out of her face and shushed her. She continued to struggle and I said in my best big sister voice, “Dayla Elaine Lawson, you need to stop this right now! Your just going to hurt yourself even more with your struggling.” I watched her beautiful blue eyes roll towards me with confusion and finally a dawning recognition. I stroked her hair and told her that she needed to relax and let the team do their work. She had relaxed so I moved away to let the staff do their thing but as soon as I let go of her hand she began to freak. The Doctor told me to hold her hand as long as I didn’t contradict his orders. I nodded my head and held Dayla’s hand in mine and continued to murmur reassuring words that I didn’t totally feel.
With her face cleaned up you could see the bruises marking her face and I felt a lump form in my throat. They were stitching up a fairly big laceration by her hairline. It was jagged like what ever had cut had torn the skin rather than cut it. I was betting that whoever attacked had also been a lycanthrope. I wanted to wait until Dayla was escorted to the isolation ward before I talked to the doctor. The last thing she needed to hear was her attacked relived. But I needed to know if the doctor had the same opinion as I did.
The doctor finished stitching her up and told the nurse that to be on the safe side that the stitches needed to removed in about 12 hours. I leaned down to kiss her forehead and told her that I would be up to see her as soon as I talked to the doctor. She rolled her head around to me and said in a weak voice, “How is Jared?” I shook my head and said I hadn’t seen him yet. I told her that as soon as I finished with the doctor I would see Jared and come talk to her. She nodded and let them take her away.
I took the doctor aside as soon as Dayla was out of the area. “I noticed the gash on her forehead seemed to torn rather than cut, what in your opinion was the cause of that wound,” I asked not just because I was the sister but because I was also and investigating officer on this case.
“I’m not sure that I should be telling you what caused that injury, ma’am,” the doctor said with authority.
I flashed my badge and said in a barely controlled voice, “And I think that I need to know who or what attacked my sister. Now doctor you can either answer me or I can call the office and have them send a unit down to question you.”
The doctor swallowed convulsively. Which was a strange reaction I thought, unless he’s hiding something. When that thought struck me I immediately began to look for the signs. He was sweating and his eyes danced around nervously and when he met my eyes it was never for very long. I felt a cruel smile twist my lips, “Tell me doctor what are you hiding,” my voice a seductive whisper.
I watched his eyes widen in shock and then I could feel it. A small prickle of energy, the kind of energy that gave away all lycanthropes. He was good at hiding what he was but he was nervous about something. And that something was related to this case. I cleared his throat and reached up to run a down his face and neck. That’s when I noticed that he had what looked like claw marks across his throat. He finally met my eyes and his eyes were a pale jade green. He motioned me to the back of the room. I went and turned around when I reached the back wall. He spoke softly, “I think your sister was attacked by a new gang of shapeshifters in the area. The kind of people that don’t really care about outing themselves or anyone else for that matter.” He looked at me like it was supposed to mean something to me, it didn’t. He sighed and I could hear the frustration.
“What do you mean,” I asked. “Why would someone not care about outing themselves? I thought most people feared being outted.”
His eyes traveled the room to make sure that we were alone was my guess. Then he leaned in and his voice dropped to a whisper, “I don’t know why they don’t care about outing themselves they just don’t. Not to mention that I really don’t care all I know is about three weeks ago I get a call from a friend saying that she’s got some newly turned friends that had a fight and wouldn’t go to the hospital. So I went over as a friend to help her out. And when I got there they were badly injured I told them I knew of a hospital that specialized in lycanthropes and wouldn’t even tell the cops. I pleaded with my friend to tell her friends about this place but she just laughed in my face and told me that if I didn’t help them that she would make an anonymous phone call to this hospital to tell my supervisor that I was a lycanthrope. And when I still refused she had one of the uninjured new friends break one of my fingers. She told me that if I still refused next they would break my arm. I gave in and treated the injured. And left the house as soon as I was finished. I haven’t heard from her since.” He searched my face, he looked near tears and I could sympathize.
I didn’t want to be insensitive but I had to ask, “Who was this friend?”
The fear in his eyes spoke volumes. He didn’t want to tell me and I could understand but still I had five unsolved assaults three of which were now classified as homicides. I needed to know. He closed his eyes a tear trickled from the corners of his eyes. And I could feel my own eyes water but I couldn’t let this stop me. “Please I really need to know who this friend is.”
He shook his head. I was understanding but I was still in a sense a cop. And so I tried one more tactic, “Doctor if you don’t tell me these attacks are going to increase in frequency and brutality until they’re not just assaults anymore they’re going to be out and out homicides. And how are you going to feel then knowing that you could’ve helped and didn’t and more lycanthropes die.”
He was weakening but still afraid. I could smell the fear rolling off of him it was sweet, like cotton candy. Finally he said, “Please you have to understand I don’t want anyone else to get hurt but I don’t want to loose what I’ve worked so long to achieve.” I nodded my understanding and took my leave. I was disgusted with the doctor. Anyone that was willing to stand by and let innocent people get hurt should end up being the ones that get hurt in my estimation.
I walked over to where Anita was standing and took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. She threw a questioning look at me I shook my head. When she would have asked I just said later. Her look said that I had better mean it too. I told her that I need to see Jared and talk with my sister. We headed off in the direction of the information booth. I asked what room Jared Allen Lawson was in. I was informed that, that information was not available. I flashed her my badge and asked again and was told that he was on the first floor in the isolation ward, room 109, I thanked her and we left.
We walked over since we were already on the first floor. The isolation ward had an intercom on the outside of the door I rang it and told the nurse or whomever answered that I was S.L.P.D. and I needed to speak with one of the patient’s in this ward. There was a buzz and the doors swung open. I walked over to the nurse’s station and asked them if Jared was conscious enough to answer a few questions. The nurse said that she would have to check with his doctor before she could authorize that. I told to go ahead and call the doctor we would wait.
The nurse picked up the phone and was soon talking to the doctor or at least I assume it was the doctor because she told the person on the other end of the line that there were some police officers here to speak with Mr. Lawson. She spoke a few more moments and turned to us a smile as brilliant as an light bulb and just as empty on her face. “You can speak with Mr. Lawson, just don’t over exert him.” I assured her that we wouldn’t and went in to talk to Jared.
Jared was sitting up in bed watching the TV when we walked in. His face-registered shock when I walked threw the door. I smiled brightly at him and in a jovial manner said, “Say hey Sparky, what’s shaking?”
He just chuckled and shook his head. I went over and hugged him and kissed his cheek. “So how you feeling,” I asked. I ran my hand over his head someone had just shaved it. And fairly recently too because he already had new growth coming in. I always did like to rub a shaved head. He took my hand and kissed the palm.
“I’m doing pretty good all things considered. But tell me how is that wife of mine treating you? Is she driving you nuts yet?” At the mention of my sister my eyes started to water and I couldn’t speak. “What is what’s happened?” Jared shook me when I didn’t answer. To Anita he asked, “What happened to my wife?”
I begged Anita with my eyes to tell him because I couldn’t. I could already feel the tears beginning to fall. I saw her compress her lips and cross her arms. Sighing she said, “Mr. Lawson I regret to inform you that your wife has been assaulted this evening.” She held a hand up when he would have interrupted. “At the moment she’s fine. She’s on her way to this ward. But we have a few questions that we need to ask you.”
Jared nodded his head. And Anita looked to me to take over. I grabbed a couple of tissues out of the box right by his bed. I wiped my face and blew my nose. After taking a couple of deep breaths I turned to him with my cop face. He was unphased he had seen in before. “Jared I just need to ask you some questions about your attack.” Again he nodded. “Jared I need to know if you can recall anything regarding your attack? Names, faces, anything said or done, anything that might be able to help us figure who attacked you or why?”
Jared’s forehead furrowed and I could tell he was trying to recall anything that would help solve these assaults especially since Dayla had been attacked. Finally his head came up and he looked at me. His voice was hesitant, “I remembered waking up and hearing them chat something.”
I was excited we may getting a break in these cases. But I hoped that my face didn’t show what I was thinking. Although considering how well Jared knew me, he probably already knew what I was thinking. “Can you remember what it was?”
He nodded and said, “Á la déesse nous prions. Á la déesse nous donnons l’éloge. Á la déesse nous demandons cluice que nous recherchons. They kept repeating it over and over again. And then I felt this blinding pain, but it was like the pain was centered in my brain. Luna it was like they were looking into my brain for whatever information they were looking for. And Luna, I’m sorry if I pronounced any of that wrong.”
“Oh Sparky please, I’m not all that worried about the pronunciation. I just want to repeat it to you a couple of times okay?” He nodded and I said it so many time I was sure that I could quote it from memory. It sounded French, but hey I’ve been wrong before just ask Sparky. “Okay Sparky, now is there anything else you remember?”
He thought about it and said, “There was only one person that stood next to me and the rest I couldn’t see but I knew that there were more than two. But I don’t remember too much else,” he cupped my cheek. “I’m sorry but I can’t remember any more than that, Luna.” I guess that my expression had been on my face without me realizing.
I kissed his forehead and told him that I was going to check on Dayla before we left and that I would be back tomorrow night. We said our good-byes and Anita and I left. We walked back to the nurse’s station and asked if Dayla had been brought in yet. She directed us to her room.
We walked in and Dayla looked to be sleeping but I knew my sister well enough to know that if I didn’t tell her about her husband that I could just kiss my ass good-bye right now. I walked up to her bed and brushed the hair back from her face. Her eyes fluttered and opened. She smiled when she saw me.
“Well,” she asked when she had woken up enough to be able to form coherent thoughts.
I didn’t even try to pretend ignorance with her, “Sparky’s doing just fine, Dayla. I just got threw talking to him and he’s sitting up in bed. Hell we was watching TV when we walked in.” I laughed and she smiled.
Turning her head towards Anita, she looked at her quizzically and turned back to me. “Who,” she asked motioning to Anita.
Motioning Anita over I began to make introductions. “Dayla this is Anita Blake. Anita this is Dayla Lawson.” They nodded politely to each other. I watched her yawn and took that as our cue to leave. I kissed her forehead and told her the same thing that I had told Sparky. “See ya tomorrow, Dayla. I love you,” I said as we walked out the door.
Anita and I walked out to the car in an uncomfortable silence. What the hell do I have to deal with now I kept thinking. My mind was suddenly on the comment she had made back at the crime scene. Are you always this male friendly? Kept running through my mind. The more I heard that question the angrier I got. When we got to the car my temper was at its boiling point. Finally not being able to stand it anymore I turned to face her.
“What did you mean at the crime scene earlier,” my voice harsh.
At first Anita looked confused, then pissed, “Well you seemed to be throwing yourself at every available man. That I just wondered who weren’t you going to flirt with,” her voice just as angry as mine.
I was pissed, “What do you mean throwing myself at the men. I did no such thing! If you mean Ricardo, I just bummed a smoke from him and was making small talk with we waited for Dolph. I couldn’t ask you because you don’t smoke,” my voice raising with each word.
I don’t know what she would have said next because in the next moment we were attacked. There were too many of them and the blows came hard and fast I heard one of them saying something it sounded like, “Vont de nouveau à celui le bâtard blond,” there was such hate and malice in that voice that I didn’t or wouldn’t recognize it. The blows were coming harder and faster now and I had just enough time to think, “Please God don’t let them kill me.” And then everything went black.
Author’s Note: I will be giving translations to the phrases used here honest. And if I used the wrong accents please feel free to let me know. I know that sometimes something as small as a misplaced accent can change the whole meaning. But if you know what it means and see a problem, like I said let me know.