The Turning (35 page)

As I slept, all I kept thinking about was how I wanted Brian there. He was the one I was pissed at but he was also the one I wanted to comfort me.

I woke up the next morning and realized I wasn’t alone. I rolled over to see Brian moving towards me and laying his lips on mine. For a moment I almost forgot what had happened and started to melt into his chest. Then it hit me.

“Get off me,” I yelled, shoving him off me and the bed. “What are you doing?”

“You wanted me here last night,” he said, his tone thoroughly confused.

“No I didn’t. I never said that! I told you to leave, and you did after you explained what was going on in your mind.”

“I was on the couch, waiting for Nicole to get home so you were not alone. I felt you calling to me, to join and comfort you. I swear, Kelly.”

I remember thinking that when I was sleeping, dreaming of him making it all okay. Did I really send that out to him?

“Fine, I believe you, but I wasn’t conscious, and I didn’t ask you to. Please leave.”

“I do not understand. You called to me, but you do not want me here?”

“I didn’t call to you. You picked something up from my dreams or whatever. No, I don’t want you here. You’ve caused me enough pain and trouble. I want you gone.”

“If that is what you truly wish,” he rasped, starting to walk out of the room. “I love you, Kelly. I always will.”

He left and closed the door. I heard him leave the apartment altogether, but he must have seen Nicole. Without a word, she opened my door, took one look at me, and crawled into bed with me.

I lay against her and just let it all out. I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I didn’t care that I was getting blood tears all over her. After I finally stopped crying about an hour later, she dragged me out of bed and grabbed a few pints of blood.

“Come on, Kelly, you’re not sulking in here today. Let’s go have some breakfast.” I nodded and followed her blindly, not in the mood to do anything
but
sulk. I did want to get some sleep today. There had been a lot going on lately and tomorrow was the first official day of my internship.

She zapped some blood for me in the microwave. She threw the whole pint in there. I guess that made sense, but I just hated putting anything plastic in there with what I was going to eat.

That made me laugh to myself. With everything going on and now being a vampire, I was worried about some plastic in my blood? “So what you got planned today, Nic?” I inquired, trying to be somewhat social.

“Resting up for tomorrow and reviewing some of our med school books. I’ve not looked at them in two weeks. I’d like some things fresh in my mind.”

“That’s a good idea. You want to do some study sessions?” At her nod, I grabbed a mug, emptied the blood into it, and we met in the living room with our books.

Our study session mainly consisted of quizzing each other back and forth with example symptoms making the other guess what disease it was. We worked at a good pace for several hours until a knock at the door. Nicole and I looked at each other, leery of who was on the other side of the door.

I took a long sniff. “It’s Julie!” I exclaimed and ran to get the door. She came in and gave me a huge hug, then did the same to Nicole.

“I missed you ladies,” Julie greeted. “I hate to be rude, but Kelly and I need to discuss a few things, Nicole.”

“Julie, it’s okay. Nicole knows,” I told her and when she raised an eyebrow I continued. “I told her everything. There have been some, um—things going on and well I told her everything.”

“Do you think that wise, Kelly? I could erase her memory of them if you would like.” Nicole did not look too happy at the idea of her memory being wiped.

“No thanks, Jules. She’s cool with it. She even had me bite her to see what it felt like.” After I told her that, Julie’s lips started to turn upward and then she let out a laugh that filled the whole apartment.

“Well bravo, Nicole!” she praised when she finally stopped laughing, “I have found few humans I like over my centuries. But you, I’ve just come to adore more and more every time I see you.”

“Same to you, Julie,” Nicole replied. “You take good care of my girl Kelly. And you are a lot of fun. Just no more mentioning of wiping my memory, okay?”

“Of course, my dear. But you understand why a human knowing what we are would concern me?”

“Sure, but I can keep a secret, besides if I told anyone they would lock me up in the loony bin!”

“So, Kelly, please fill me in on what happened. Brian called me in near hysterics yesterday afternoon. He insisted I get on a plane right away and come talk some sense into you. I came straight to you after I landed. I figured you would be able to explain it to me better. Also, let’s face it, men can be such babies when they have misbehaved that I figured I would be lecturing him later anyway,” Julie said with her normal flare.

I tried to smile, not really having the energy for this drama, but I started to tell her what happened.

Thankfully, Nicole pitched in with the story, filling in on what I forgot or sharing her perspective and interactions. It took us at least a solid half hour to go through it all, but when Nicole was wrapping up I went into my bedroom and grabbed Julie and me some blood. By the time I got back to the living room, the story had been told and I couldn’t read Julie’s face if Brian was going to get kicked or I was.

“That idiot man,” she finally seethed after drinking half the pint I gave her. “What an
absolute
imbecile! Well I believe what he told you last night, Kelly, dear, and I’m sure you do too. After all you would have known if he were lying.” She looked at me for confirmation, I nodded that he was telling the truth. “All right, ladies, I am off to go lecture and beat the vampire I made. He started all this trouble! Kelly, is there anything he can do to make this better?”

“I don’t know, Jules, I really don’t,” I whispered, shaking my head. “How can I trust him after this shit? I mean, how do I know that he won’t do this again and risk my job? What do you think?”

“I think he did not know what he was really doing and the aftermath it would cause. I understand your concerns. I do not know what to tell you on that. You have to make your own choices on this, but my offer to help you stands. If you want me to act as your maker from now on, guide you in our world, I will.”

“Thanks, Jules. I’ll let you know, okay?” I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She said her goodbyes to Nicole as well and left. Nicole and I just shook our heads and sat back down, resuming our previous study. We kept at it for about another hour before there was another knock at the door.

I shrugged my shoulders, I didn’t recognize their scent. Nicole went over, looked through the peep hole and busted out laughing. I gave her a look, but she just wouldn’t stop, so I walked over to the door and opened it, and I went with my first instinct.

“Nicole, you’re not helping!” I yelled, trying to close the door, but she stopped me. I was upset and strong enough that I could have closed her foot in it. But this wasn’t her fault and I would never hurt her.

So I opened the door again, and started signing clipboards of the four delivery men that were standing in the hallway. I let them pass as vase after vase of flowers were brought into our apartment. Then the baskets started: floral, cookie, chocolate, stuffed animals, coffee, and I’m sure several others that I didn’t even see. More stuffed animals, ranging from little tiny cute ones you could find in Christmas stockings to huge ones that were as tall as me and Nicole.

There were boxes and boxes of what I assumed were clothes and maybe jewelry. When we both thought it was all over, the last deliver man handed me two envelopes.

One had
Kelly
written on the front and one had
Nicole
written on the front of it. I opened mine as I handed Nicole’s to her. It took me a few seconds to figure it out. “Holy shit! You have got to be fucking kidding me?”

“Oh, oh, oh, Kelly is this what I think it is? Brian didn’t—he couldn’t—could he?” Nicole stammered. “Can I keep it?”

I just stared at her. I tried but my voice just wouldn’t work. After I looked around a few more times and finally sat down, I found my voice again.

“Nicole, I don’t care what you do with your car. I can’t even process this. He bought us
cars
. Our apartment is full with stuff! I need to leave. I need to get out of here,” I choked out, feeling faint. Well I was pretty sure that was what I said since I was so out of it.

“Come on, Kelly, bring your keys, we’re going to check out our cars,” Nicole declared, dragging me out behind her. “One thing at a time, Kelly. We have to go look even if we are going to return them.” We went down to the parking spots that came with our apartment and there were two gorgeous cars with big bows on them.

My key unlocked a 2013 BMW, in the most gorgeous blue, with leather interior and every amenity I could even imagine. Nicole’s opened a 2013 Mercedes in a sleek black with leather and all the fixings as well.

“Holy shit, Kel. What are we going to do with them?”

“I have no idea, but all I want to do is test drive it. Is that wrong?” I just wanted the distraction and maybe some fun right then.

“Not in the least bit. Want to take them by your parents?” she offered. “We could tell them what happened, but leave out the—you know—special part.”

“Good call, I could use my mom’s advice,” I agreed. “Let’s grab some flowers and baskets to bring too.” We ran back upstairs and grabbed what we could, along with our purses and locked up. After loading everything up, I put down the sunroof and we took off in our own cars.

Once we reached the expressway, which was dead on a Sunday afternoon, we opened up the cars on I-90 West. My parents were on the northwest side of Chicago. It was only about a twenty-five to thirty minute drive. I pulled into my parents’ driveway, honked the horn, and Nicole did the same. My parents came out the front door and just stood there as we parked the cars and walked to them.

“Are you test driving those?” my dad hedged. “Borrowing them maybe?”

“Nope,” I drawled, trying to find the words. “Brian was bad and he messed up pretty big. This is his form of an apology, plus what we brought in the car. Dad, can you give me a hand, please?”

“Sure, Kel.” He followed me over. “You going to keep it?”

“Dad, I don’t know what to do, that’s why I’m here. I could use some of that parental advice,” I said as we grabbed some of the flowers and baskets and brought them up to my mom. She held the door open and Nicole grabbed some of the stuff from her car and met us at the door.

“Come on in, girls! You’re always welcome when you bring presents,” my mom said with a laugh. “How bad did Brian mess up? He must have sent a whole florist with those cars.” Nicole told the story while my dad held my hand. He knew me well enough to know it was too hard for me to talk right now. I wasn’t good with this kind of stuff.

“Wow,” my dad muttered. “I could see how that would upset you, Kelly. But, not to defend Brian and risk you all yelling at me, I can see how he wouldn’t have thought it was a big deal. He acted more like a father than a boyfriend would, but he was trying to protect you, help where he thought he could.”

“Of course you would say that, Matt,” my mom snapped. “Men stick together. He should be left to suffer for a bit, but I do see what your dad is saying. I still don’t know about the cars though. That’s up to you girls, whatever you decide I’m okay with.”

“I’m not,” my dad said sternly. “That’s way too expensive of a gift. I know he’s generous, he has shown that. I like Brian, but getting you both cars because he embarrassed you at work. I mean why give one to Nicole too?”

“I was the one who saw him first after,” Nicole explained, “and chewed him out for what he did. I think he feels I had to clean up his mess with Kelly and maybe even at work. I do agree that a car is extreme, but Brian has more money than god, Mr. Murphy. To him this might be like taking us out to a fancy dinner and a Broadway play. Plus I really, really like mine!”

“Nicole, I’m sure you do,” my dad said more softly this time. “But I would think long and hard before accepting this kind of gift. And, Kelly, accepting a car I think would be the same as forgiving him. I mean that car costs more than all of our cars combined.”

“I see what you’re saying, Dad, I do. This was the advice I wanted,” I told him. “I have another favor to ask, though. Can you check out the cars and take them for a test drive and let us know if they need anything? I’m assuming they’re new, but you know Nicole and I don’t know anything about cars.”

My dad nodded and got up, knowing it was more about the girl talk than it really was about checking out the cars. Plus, I knew he would have some fun playing with cars that nice. Just as he was about to go outside, my brother Matt came flying through the side door.

“Who’s got the sweet rides in the driveway?” Matt asked out of breath.

“Nicole and I,” I chuckled, getting up to give him a hug. “How you doing, kiddo?”

“I’m good, sis. Nice rides!”

“They’re
I’m sorry
presents from Brian. He screwed up big time.” I looked at Matt’s eyes and instantly noticed that they were blood shot even though everyone else would have missed it. I grabbed Matt’s arm, made some lame excuse, and dragged him upstairs to his room. Once the door was closed, I started talking to him. “What’s wrong, Matt? I can tell you’ve been crying.”

“Sis, I’m good I swear,” he muttered, looking at the floor. I felt the wave of air that he was lying. Shit, I wasn’t in the best emotional state to help anyone right then. But he was family so that meant one thing… I would put my shit aside and help my kid brother, just like he would for me.

“Matt, you’re not. Please tell me what’s wrong,” I begged, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad, okay?” I nodded. “Liz broke up with me. She met someone else, and she’s been cheating on me for months.” He started tearing up. I grabbed him into a bear hug and I had to control my anger. I was afraid I would squeeze him too hard.

“Oh, Matt, sweetie, I’m so sorry. I know it hurts and it will hurt for a while.” I held him at arm’s length so I could see his face. “Matt, look at me. This is not your fault. People cheat because there is something wrong with them, not because of anything you did. It’s happened to me and it sucks. It feels like a knife in your back that keeps turning over and over again. But it will get better, little bro. I promise. You will be okay, move on, and find someone who’s worthy of you. You’re a great guy and any girl would be so lucky to be with you.”