Ever After (13 page)

“Okay, so we’re good on time. You keep his ass away from here. You got it. I don’t want to have to mess with him tonight!” I watched Todd flip closed the phone. He narrowed his eyes as he shook his head. “Lover boy won’t be coming to your rescue. I have some friends taking care of him.”

“No, don’t hurt him. He hasn’t done anything to you!” I yelled even though it killed me.

“Oh so protective are we?” He walked over to the bed and stood there for a second, the gun still in his hands. “Now let’s finish what we started so long ago.”

“No Todd, stay away from me!” I tried to yell. My voice was cracking and weak.

“No such luck, you owe me this!” I turned away as he kissed me. This only angered him as he yanked my hair, pinning my head down. I pounded my fists into his chest; he grabbed them together and held them over my head. I was losing this fight, the pain in my head nearly blinding me. I couldn’t break my hands free to hit him. I felt another blackout coming and I tried desperately to stop it.

“Give up, Corrine, you can’t win. It will all be over soon, and I do mean all.” I cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face. What a way to die, was all I could think now. I gave one last effort to break free, and it got me a hard smack across the cheek; my face burned and I could taste blood coming from my lip.

“William!” I screamed with all I had, praying that somehow he would save me. I jerked away in fear as Todd’s cell phone began to vibrate. He jumped up to answer it.

“What?... How…. you stupid…no…I told you.…” Todd looked up, his face suddenly pale. I could hear my cell phone ringing like crazy. It was William’s ring tone over and over. He knew I was in trouble. It did not stop ringing; he had to know something was wrong.

Todd seemed stunned as he pulled out a knife from his coat pocket. He looked thoughtfully at the blade and then at me. “It seems your boyfriend, is a killer.” He looked at me for a shocked reaction. He did not get one. I knew what Will was capable of. He was half vampire. He had done things in his past he was ashamed of. I knew if one of Todd’s stupid friends tried to stop him from getting to me, he would do anything including kill.

“I told you he would
do
something.” I said weakly.

“Ah and so will I Corrine, just sooner than I expected.” I could see he was shaken by the phone call. “I don’t want my throat ripped open by your crazy boyfriend tonight.” He swallowed hard. “What the hell is his deal anyway… he’s…..” He muttered the rest of the sentence under his breath, kneeling over m. I tensed up in fear not knowing what he might do next.

“No God no!” I begged crying again, knowing these may be my very last moments alive.

“Shut up. I don’t have time for this bull!” I felt him yank my arm close to his chest. He pulled out the knife. He jumped as his phone went off again. I felt it in shock as he ran the sharp blade across my wrist. I gasped as the brilliant red line appeared. I was stunned as the bright red drops came faster and faster.

I yanked back my arm, curling it into my chest. I tried to staunch the bleeding. I didn’t have a second to think as he yanked my other arm from me. I was near hyperventilation as he pulled the knife across my other wrist. He was laughing the entire time, telling me he should have done this long ago. I pulled my arm free from him. I curled up into a ball, holding my arms to my chest, my blood was everywhere. I felt my head spinning. I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t stop bleeding. I was dying and I knew it. I could feel myself slipping away. I put my head down and closed my eyes.

“Pay backs are hell aren’t they, Corrine? You messed with the wrong guy this time. I will think of your dead lifeless body tonight on my flight to Mexico. They will just think you finally committed suicide and never even suspect me. Rather clever setting you up like this, it really is.” I could hear him running down the stairs now. He was on his phone again talking. “It’s done. She’ll be dead in about ten, fifteen minutes tops.” He laughed loudly as I heard him slam the front door shut.

I felt so cold, so alone, as I heard my cell phone ringing. I knew Will was coming, but I was not going to be here for much longer. I felt my breathing slow down. I was too weak to hold open my eyes, and I just wanted to go to sleep. I licked my lips; they were so dry. I wished I could have a drink one last time. I wished I could look into William’s eyes once more, feel his strong arms around me. I longed to feel his gentle kiss on my lips, but I knew time was running out.

I tightened my arms to my chest, hoping it would slow my blood’s descent from my weakening body. I could barely hear what sounded like the front door being kicked in. I turned my head deeper into the pillows, which were now stained with blood. I feared Todd was coming back to make sure I was dead.

“Corrine… Corrine!” The voice I prayed to hear just once more was here. “Oh God, what did he do to you?” I couldn’t answer. My body was too weak. I opened my eyes slightly, and looked down at my arms.

“Oh my God!” Will gasped again. He quickly ran to the bathroom and got towels. I had to wonder how seeing all this blood would affect him, would he lose control? It wouldn’t matter. I figured I was already nearly dead anyway. I was like a rag doll as he wrapped each one of my arms tightly in clean bath towels. My body was completely limp.

“Will, help me.” I was only able to whisper. I could feel him scoop me up into his arms. He cradled me close to his chest protectively. I felt him grab his cell and dial for help. I leaned into him, thankful he was here. I could hear him tell the 911 operator the details and my address.

“I’m so sorry Corrine. I had to take care of two of Todd’s friends when I went to get into my car to come to you. I never should have left you alone, I’m so sorry. I should have seen this coming.” I could feel him kissing my forehead, stroking my hair. He told me over and over to hang on.

“I don’t think I can. I’m so cold Will.” I could barely speak my body was getting weaker.

“You have to try, please. You know I can’t live without you. Corrine, you must fight for me, for us.”

I could feel Will adjusting the towels. I could hear him on the phone as I drifted in and out of consciousness. It was getting harder to breathe. I suddenly felt so much pressure on my chest it was hard to breathe. I tensed in William’s arms trying to keep air going into my lungs.

“What is it sweetie? You have to stay still if you can.”

“I…I can’t breathe. I….” I started crying. I couldn’t do this anymore it was no use my body was betraying me. I knew it was shutting down. William was holding me begging me to fight and I had nothing left in me to fight with.

“No, my angel. Please hold on, the ambulance is coming. I hear it.” He kissed my cheek. “Just a minute longer please.” Will’s voice was muffled now. I turned my head into his chest, clinging to his shirt with my fingers desperate not to leave him. I held onto him as if he could keep me alive.

“Don’t let me die Will, even if you have to change me to be like you. Please don’t wait until it’s too late. Please. I never want to be without you.”

“Corrine, I will do it. It’s against the rules but I will do it if I must. I promise you.” He kissed my lips softly and I relaxed, trusting him to do what he had to do. I felt no pain as I suddenly heard people all around me. The paramedics were barking out orders to each other. I could hear William answering their questions. I could also hear police cars outside. They grilled Will with questions as he stood there, with
my
blood
all over his hands and shirt.

I wanted to tell them I was okay and that William had not done this to me. I wanted to take Will away from all the cops asking questions. I wanted to scream to them that Todd had done this. He was out there somewhere free, and they had to find him. It was all pointless. I couldn’t speak. I had lost all control of my body; it didn’t even feel like my own now.

Chapter 17

Wounded

It was an odd thing to be present among people you know and love, hearing them speak to you and talking to each other. The odd thing being you cannot talk or move only hear, like being stuck in a bubble or cocoon. I could hear every word said, but my body was like a vault and I was locked inside. I was unable to communicate with any of them. I so desperately wanted to break out and open my eyes, but it was impossible.

Pain in waves seeped into my little bubble. I then most often after that felt a warm rush in my arm. I assumed it was an intravenous line of some sort. It helped erase the pain quickly. It was drugs, I assumed. The flow of visitors was constant from what I could hear. People held my hand and talked to me. They urged me to fight and to live and begged me to come back.

William was always there. I could feel his very presence in the room somehow. He gave off a calming effect. I could feel him slide in next to me late at night when everybody had gone home. I felt his arms around me as he talked to me softly, pleading with me to come back to him. I tried desperately to squeeze his hand when he asked me to. I longed to touch him. He would kiss my lips but I could not kiss him back, it was like a nightmare. I feared this was going to be it. I would never wake up and I would be trapped inside myself until I died an old woman. My body had become my own personal prison.

I hated when Will left. I knew he had to maintain a regular life, or at least appear to, so people would not think him different or unusual. The times nobody was in the room were the worst. I often wondered if I might have died and just did not know it because of the silence. After all, I hadn’t ever been dead before so who knew what happened?

The routine was the same with my parents. My father came to visit every morning before he went to work. Sara stopped by the last five minutes of his visit to appear as if she actually gave a crap about me. I had heard every conversation they had every day. Dad was concerned; the doctors had expected me to be responding to treatments by now. The term “
questionable
recovery
” came up and Sara had brought up the fact I may need to live in an assisted living home. I wanted to reach up and smack her. I was not going to be impaired by this. I could think just fine my stupid body just refused to cooperate.

“This is getting ridiculous John, what do Doctor Mott and Parker say about it?” Sara complained one rainy afternoon. I only knew it was raining, because I heard it hitting the windows. I knew she meant me when she said “
it
.” I cringed as they started to discuss me. This was my fifth morning in the hospital. I could hear my dad sigh as he sat down. I felt him take my hand and kiss the top of it.

“We have to wait. They did a brain scan early this morning, and they will give us the results shortly. I have cancelled all my meetings today so we can have a good meeting with the specialists.” I could barely stay awake to listen to what he was talking about. I was in a deep sleep off and on. I figured the nurses gave me something to knock me out on a regular basis.

“Well finally. Then we can figure out where she needs to go. She doesn’t seem to be doing anything in here.” She drummed her manicured nails on the counter impatiently.

“I only pray they will find some brain activity. I…” He was tearing up. I could hear him sniff, trying not to cry. “I just don’t know if I can handle it if she doesn’t come through this. I just don’t.” I too wanted to cry. I wished so badly to reach out to him to tell him to give me just a little more time and I would wake up.

“I do not like that Doctor Parker or Doctor Mott for that matter. Mott’s always in a hurry and Parker seems so odd and what is it they all call him?”

“Doc. They just call him Doc for short around the hospital Sara.” He took a deep breath, squeezing my hand again. “He is one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons. He’s one of the best, very respected in his field. I like him; he’s got a very professional manner.”

“I still don’t like him. I heard he is William’s grandfather or something. Is that so?”

“Yes he is. He speaks very highly of his grandson. I myself think a lot of that young man myself. He’s been by Corrine’s side nonstop.” I heard her snort as she walked over to the other chair by my bed, her heels clicking loudly on the tile floor.

“Really? Well I hope that for her sake she isn’t brain-damaged. That boy will be gone in a flash. He will not want to deal with that. They are both so young anyway. He’s a good looking kid. He won’t want to be tied to a vegetable for the rest of his life….some other girl will snap him up.”

“Sara, don’t you say things like that. Corrine is a fighter. She will pull through. I can’t believe you would say something so cruel at a time like this. She needs out prayers and love not negativity!”

“Life is cruel and you know it. You can’t sugarcoat this John. She may never be the same girl, and it’s just something we have to face. To fool ourselves into believing she will ever fully recover from this is just ridiculous.”

“Now come on Sara.” My dad tried to jump in, but she went on.

“I just do not see that boy sticking around if things get bad for Corrine. I mean do you really think he will be here if she is…well, not the same?” I so wanted to scream out to her that I was in fact the same, and not a vegetable as she had said.