All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks
Page 42
Shanna, while Connor appeared with Constantine in his arms. "Oh, thank God," Ian breathed. "She--she's losing so much blood. " Already the sheet beneath her was stained red.
Roman and Shanna ran to the sinks to wash their hands. Connor disappeared, then returned with Radinka. Laszlo snapped on a pair of surgical gloves. "You realize she may have to go to a hospital?"
"Yes, of course. " Ian didn't know how to help. He pulled off Toni's shoes and socks. Laszlo grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting away her polo shirt. Ian unbuckled her belt and pulled it out from underneath her.
"Ian, stand back. " Roman snapped on gloves. "I canna lose her. " Ian flinched when Connor grabbed his arm to pull him back. "Get out of their way, lad. Let them do their job. " "Is Toni hurt bad?" Constantine asked, his bottom lip trembling. "She'll be fine," Connor said. "How is she?" Radinka asked. "She'll be fine," Connor repeated as he handed Tino to her. Radinka forced a smile. "Of course she'll be fine. " She hurried from the room with the little boy.
"Let's wait outside. " Ian watched helplessly as Toni lay on the table bleeding. "By all the saints, I canna lose her. " "She'll be fine, lad," Connor murmured. Ian turned to him. "I love her, and I willna let ye fire her. I doona care what the rules say. " "Calm down, lad. No one wants to fire her. We saw what she did on the telly. She overcame
vampire mind control and staked a vicious Malcontent assassin. It was truly an amazing feat for a mortal. "
"She is amazing. " Ian looked at Roman. "Ye have to heal her!" "We'll do our best," Roman said calmly. "The wound is shallow. No major organs were affected. " He gazed at the monitor that Shanna had hooked up to show Toni's vital signs. "Her blood pressure's very low, but that's to be expected. " He tossed a bloody pad into a metal pan.
Laszlo passed him another pad. "We could give her a transfusion. She's AB positive. " "Do whatever ye have to do!" Ian demanded. "I'm no' going to lose her!" "Calm down. " Shanna walked toward him, carrying a tray of gauze pads and a bottle of something
nasty, no doubt. "You've been burned. Let's get you cleaned up. " Ian waved a dismissive hand. "I doona care. I'll heal during my death-sleep. "
"Ian," Shanna spoke sharply. "Those wounds need to heal cleanly. " He groaned. "Fine. " He endured the stinging medicine she applied to his burns. It served him right
for failing to protect Toni. He'd been so relieved to hold her in his arms, he hadn't seen Nadia sneak up on them. "It's all my fault. " He watched Toni on the operating table. She looked so pale. "I dinna get her
out of the way fast enough. " "We saw it on TV," Shanna said. "It was terrifying. Everything was happening so fast. " "Aye," Connor agreed. "Ye did well, lad. The Malcontents lost about ten men, and we dinna lose a
single one. " But he'd failed to keep Toni safe. Ian gazed sadly at her. "Can ye fix her?" "We're trying," Roman said. "But we're not surgeons. " Laszlo nodded. "We've never had to repair internal injuries. Vamps always heal naturally from
within. " "Because of our vampire blood. " Roman looked at Laszlo. "I've always been curious about how
well our blood can heal. What if we give her a transfusion of vampire blood instead of regular synthetic blood?" Laszlo fiddled with a button on his lab coat. "We could give her a sedative to keep her
unconscious. That might simulate death-sleep enough that the vampire blood would start to heal her internally. "
"Are you planning on turning her?" Shanna asked. "We should have her permission. " "This won't transform her," Roman said. "She would have to be drained completely and in a vampire coma. And then she would have to drink from a vampire and ingest the blood in order to change. This would keep her mortal, but we could see if the vampire blood heals her. "
Laszlo nodded. "It would be very interesting to see if it works. "
Shanna gave the two men a dubious look. "You want to experiment on her. Wouldn't it be safer to take her to a hospital?" "She would have to undergo surgery in a hospital," Roman argued. "If our theory works, she'll
heal naturally and quickly. "
"Indeed. " Laszlo twisted a button. "We'll be able to tell fairly quickly if it's working or not. If it doesn't, then we can take her to a hospital. " "Then let's get on with it. " Ian strode toward the operating table. "I'll give her my blood. " "We'll need to make sure your blood is compatible. " Laszlo swabbed Ian's arm with antiseptic. "It should be. I drink AB positive all the time. " "So I see. " Roman glanced at the bite marks on Toni's neck and frowned at Ian. "I--I dinna force myself on her. " "How recent?" Laszlo cleaned Toni's arm and inserted a needle.
"About nine hours ago. " When Ian received some confused looks, he explained. "I took the Stay- Awake drug, so we could have some time alone. "
Connor muttered a curse under his breath. Roman exchanged an amused look with his wife. "Well, since your blood came from Toni, it should be a perfect match. "
Lazlo rolled a second gurney up to the operating table. "Get on. "
Ian lay on top, and soon his blood was being pumped directly into Toni. Roman and Laszlo kept a close watch on Toni's wound, while Shanna watched her vital signs. "The bleeding stopped," Roman whispered. Laszlo fiddled with a button. "That's a good sign. " "Blood pressure's still too low," Shanna murmured. "Sir, I believe that tissue is closing," Laszlo exclaimed. "Yes, it's working," Roman announced. "Let's sew her up. " Thirty minutes later, Toni's wound was continuing to heal but her vital signs were still
problematic. The transfusion had left Ian weak and hungry, so he rested on the gurney while he
drank several pints of synthetic blood. AB positive, just in case Toni needed some more. A loud cheer erupted from the waiting room. Connor's announcement about Toni's recovery had been well received.
Shanna shook her head. "We shouldn't celebrate just yet. She's running a fever. " Ian said a silent prayer for Toni as he slipped off the gurney. Connor had brought him a navy polo
shirt from the security office. He put it on and peeked out the door to see who was in the waiting room. His mouth fell open. Everyone was there. Jean-Luc and Heather from Texas. Angus, Emma, and
Robby. Zoltan and Jack were there. Their burned wrists had been bandaged by Laszlo. Dougal was there, unharmed. Phineas's shoulder was bandaged. Ian walked up to him. "Ye were injured?" "It's nothing. " Phineas waved a dismissive hand. "Stan managed to poke me a little, that's all. "
"Did ye finish him off?" "I wish. " Phineas made a face. "When Carlos shifted into a panther, Stan freaked out and ran. Ran straight into the parking lot, and the women out there nearly tore him to shreds before he managed to teleport away. "
"So he's still alive. " "Yeah. " Phineas shrugged and winced. "I'll have to watch my back from now on. " "Doona fash," Dougal said. "We'll watch yer back. "
Ian spotted Carlos sitting between Sabrina and Teddy. Carlos must have called them about Toni. Teddy grinned as he approached. "Hey, man, I heard you guys defeated the evil forces. " "Toni killed Jedrek," Ian said. "She was amazing. " Sabrina snorted. "She could have gotten herself killed. I told her to stay away from you. . . Vamps.
It's not safe to be around you. " "The mortal world is dangerous, too," Carlos told her. "But Toni has no business trying to fight evil vampires," Sabrina insisted. She glared at Ian. "I
swear, if something happens to her, I'll sue your ass. I'll--"
She paused when Constantine climbed up on the chair next to her. "My gosh, little boy, how did you get in here? What are you doing with these. . . people?" "These are my friends," Constantine said. "I'm worried about Toni. " "Toni's going to be all right," Ian told the little boy. He just hoped it was the truth. Constantine gave Ian one of his bright, angelic smiles. "Good. I like Toni. " "Who are you?" Sabrina whispered. "I'm Constantine. My mommy is like you, and my daddy is a vampire. " Sabrina's eyes widened with horror. "Oh my God. " She flinched when Tino touched her arm. Constantine gazed at her with his wide blue eyes. "It's going to be all right. " Sabrina'
s horrified expression slowly melted away. She glanced down at Constantine's hand.
"What did you do?" "You were hurting," Tino said. "Do you feel better now?" "Yes. " Sabrina's eyes widened with wonder. "I do. " This gave Ian an idea. "Tino, would ye like to see Toni?" Constantine jumped in his seat. "Yes! I like Toni. " Ian picked the boy up in his arms. "She's still hurting. Do ye think ye can make her feel better?" "I'll try. " In just the short amount of time it took to carry Constantine into the operating room, Ian noticed
that the pain from his burns had lessened. "Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!" Constantine grinned at his parents. "Goodness. " Shanna took him from Ian. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. " "I want to see Toni," Tino announced. Shanna hesitated. "She's not feeling well, sweetie. "
Constantine stuck out his bottom lip. "I want to help her. I like Toni. " "All right, sweetie. " Shanna set him on the gurney next to Toni. He reached out to touch her, then withdrew his hand. "She's hurt bad. " He stretched out beside her
and wrapped his little fingers around her hand. "Look at this. " Roman motioned at the vital signs monitor. "Her fever's going down," Shanna whispered. Constantine yawned as he gazed at Toni. "She's going to be like me. " His eyelids shut, and he
drifted off to sleep. "Thank you, Tino. " Ian smoothed a hand over the little boy's blonde curls.
Toni was going to be all right. Toni woke slowly as if she were climbing out of a deep, dark hole. "Look. She's coming to. " "Oh, thank God. " She heard Carlos's voice, followed by Sabrina's. Her eyes flickered open. Their faces hovered
over her, their features fuzzy and unclear. She spotted another person at the foot of the bed. Ian? She blinked, trying to focus. What was wrong with her eyes? "Hi, Toni," the third person said. "Oh. " She swallowed her disappointment. "Hi, Teddy. " "How do you feel, menina?" Carlos asked.
"I'm fine, I think. " She lifted a hand to rub her eyes. "My eyes are burning. " "I was afraid of that," Sabrina said. "They didn't realize you wear contacts. " She fumbled in her handbag and pulled out a compact mirror.
Toni sat up.
"Careful. " Carlos grabbed the bed's control device. "Let me adjust the bed for you. " With a humming noise, the back of the bed rose up to support her back. "I'm in a hospital?" Toni asked. "No, this is the operating room at Romatech," Carlos explained. "Ian brought you here. " Toni tried to focus on the compact mirror. She removed one contact and passed it to Sabrina.
"Where's Ian? What time is it?" She removed the other contact. "It's just after five. " Sabrina tossed the contacts in the trash. "In the morning?" Toni blinked.
"Evening," Teddy said. "You slept all day. " Toni looked at him. Then at Carlos and Sabrina. Then around the room. "Oh my gosh. " "What's wrong?" Sabrina rushed back to her side. "My eyesight. It--it's perfect. Without contacts. " She handed the compact back to Sabrina and
looked around the room once more. Her sight was more than perfect. She could read the fine print
on a poster across the room above the sink. It described the proper procedure for washing hands. She caught Carlos and Sabrina exchanging a worried look. Something was wrong. She lifted the sheet and blanket to look at her side. The last time she'd looked, there'd been a dagger stuck in her. She touched the area gingerly, expecting to feel some pain. Nothing.
Underneath the sheet, she pulled up her hospital gown. She peeked at her side. There was a faint scar, barely noticeable. She touched the scar. No pain or tenderness. And all the bite marks that had dotted her torso were gone.
Alarm crept into her. She must have slept for weeks to be this healed. "How long was I out? Was I in a coma?" "Menina. " Carlos touched her arm. "You were wounded last night. " "Last. . . but that doesn't make sense. " She grabbed his hand. "Tell me what happened. " He winced. "Toni, lighten up. You're about to crush my bones. " She released his hand. Her sense of alarm grew into full-fledged panic. "I hurt you?" Carlos flexed his fingers. "You seem a lot stronger. "
"Oh my God. " Sabrina stepped back, her eyes widening. "Will someone please tell me what happened?" Toni grasped the railing beside her so she could lower it and get out of bed. She gave it a little push, and it broke completely off.
Sabrina gasped. "She's Superwoman!" Teddy announced, grinning. "What?" Toni dropped the bed railing, and it clattered on the floor. "Oh no. " Great eyesight, super
strength. Was she still alive? She touched her teeth to see if she'd acquired any pointed fangs. "Relax, menina. " Carlos patted her arm. "You're not a Vamp. " She exhaled with relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Not that I have anything against them. I'm really
Shanna, while Connor appeared with Constantine in his arms. "Oh, thank God," Ian breathed. "She--she's losing so much blood. " Already the sheet beneath her was stained red.
Roman and Shanna ran to the sinks to wash their hands. Connor disappeared, then returned with Radinka. Laszlo snapped on a pair of surgical gloves. "You realize she may have to go to a hospital?"
"Yes, of course. " Ian didn't know how to help. He pulled off Toni's shoes and socks. Laszlo grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting away her polo shirt. Ian unbuckled her belt and pulled it out from underneath her.
"Ian, stand back. " Roman snapped on gloves. "I canna lose her. " Ian flinched when Connor grabbed his arm to pull him back. "Get out of their way, lad. Let them do their job. " "Is Toni hurt bad?" Constantine asked, his bottom lip trembling. "She'll be fine," Connor said. "How is she?" Radinka asked. "She'll be fine," Connor repeated as he handed Tino to her. Radinka forced a smile. "Of course she'll be fine. " She hurried from the room with the little boy.
"Let's wait outside. " Ian watched helplessly as Toni lay on the table bleeding. "By all the saints, I canna lose her. " "She'll be fine, lad," Connor murmured. Ian turned to him. "I love her, and I willna let ye fire her. I doona care what the rules say. " "Calm down, lad. No one wants to fire her. We saw what she did on the telly. She overcame
vampire mind control and staked a vicious Malcontent assassin. It was truly an amazing feat for a mortal. "
"She is amazing. " Ian looked at Roman. "Ye have to heal her!" "We'll do our best," Roman said calmly. "The wound is shallow. No major organs were affected. " He gazed at the monitor that Shanna had hooked up to show Toni's vital signs. "Her blood pressure's very low, but that's to be expected. " He tossed a bloody pad into a metal pan.
Laszlo passed him another pad. "We could give her a transfusion. She's AB positive. " "Do whatever ye have to do!" Ian demanded. "I'm no' going to lose her!" "Calm down. " Shanna walked toward him, carrying a tray of gauze pads and a bottle of something
nasty, no doubt. "You've been burned. Let's get you cleaned up. " Ian waved a dismissive hand. "I doona care. I'll heal during my death-sleep. "
"Ian," Shanna spoke sharply. "Those wounds need to heal cleanly. " He groaned. "Fine. " He endured the stinging medicine she applied to his burns. It served him right
for failing to protect Toni. He'd been so relieved to hold her in his arms, he hadn't seen Nadia sneak up on them. "It's all my fault. " He watched Toni on the operating table. She looked so pale. "I dinna get her
out of the way fast enough. " "We saw it on TV," Shanna said. "It was terrifying. Everything was happening so fast. " "Aye," Connor agreed. "Ye did well, lad. The Malcontents lost about ten men, and we dinna lose a
single one. " But he'd failed to keep Toni safe. Ian gazed sadly at her. "Can ye fix her?" "We're trying," Roman said. "But we're not surgeons. " Laszlo nodded. "We've never had to repair internal injuries. Vamps always heal naturally from
within. " "Because of our vampire blood. " Roman looked at Laszlo. "I've always been curious about how
well our blood can heal. What if we give her a transfusion of vampire blood instead of regular synthetic blood?" Laszlo fiddled with a button on his lab coat. "We could give her a sedative to keep her
unconscious. That might simulate death-sleep enough that the vampire blood would start to heal her internally. "
"Are you planning on turning her?" Shanna asked. "We should have her permission. " "This won't transform her," Roman said. "She would have to be drained completely and in a vampire coma. And then she would have to drink from a vampire and ingest the blood in order to change. This would keep her mortal, but we could see if the vampire blood heals her. "
Laszlo nodded. "It would be very interesting to see if it works. "
Shanna gave the two men a dubious look. "You want to experiment on her. Wouldn't it be safer to take her to a hospital?" "She would have to undergo surgery in a hospital," Roman argued. "If our theory works, she'll
heal naturally and quickly. "
"Indeed. " Laszlo twisted a button. "We'll be able to tell fairly quickly if it's working or not. If it doesn't, then we can take her to a hospital. " "Then let's get on with it. " Ian strode toward the operating table. "I'll give her my blood. " "We'll need to make sure your blood is compatible. " Laszlo swabbed Ian's arm with antiseptic. "It should be. I drink AB positive all the time. " "So I see. " Roman glanced at the bite marks on Toni's neck and frowned at Ian. "I--I dinna force myself on her. " "How recent?" Laszlo cleaned Toni's arm and inserted a needle.
"About nine hours ago. " When Ian received some confused looks, he explained. "I took the Stay- Awake drug, so we could have some time alone. "
Connor muttered a curse under his breath. Roman exchanged an amused look with his wife. "Well, since your blood came from Toni, it should be a perfect match. "
Lazlo rolled a second gurney up to the operating table. "Get on. "
Ian lay on top, and soon his blood was being pumped directly into Toni. Roman and Laszlo kept a close watch on Toni's wound, while Shanna watched her vital signs. "The bleeding stopped," Roman whispered. Laszlo fiddled with a button. "That's a good sign. " "Blood pressure's still too low," Shanna murmured. "Sir, I believe that tissue is closing," Laszlo exclaimed. "Yes, it's working," Roman announced. "Let's sew her up. " Thirty minutes later, Toni's wound was continuing to heal but her vital signs were still
problematic. The transfusion had left Ian weak and hungry, so he rested on the gurney while he
drank several pints of synthetic blood. AB positive, just in case Toni needed some more. A loud cheer erupted from the waiting room. Connor's announcement about Toni's recovery had been well received.
Shanna shook her head. "We shouldn't celebrate just yet. She's running a fever. " Ian said a silent prayer for Toni as he slipped off the gurney. Connor had brought him a navy polo
shirt from the security office. He put it on and peeked out the door to see who was in the waiting room. His mouth fell open. Everyone was there. Jean-Luc and Heather from Texas. Angus, Emma, and
Robby. Zoltan and Jack were there. Their burned wrists had been bandaged by Laszlo. Dougal was there, unharmed. Phineas's shoulder was bandaged. Ian walked up to him. "Ye were injured?" "It's nothing. " Phineas waved a dismissive hand. "Stan managed to poke me a little, that's all. "
"Did ye finish him off?" "I wish. " Phineas made a face. "When Carlos shifted into a panther, Stan freaked out and ran. Ran straight into the parking lot, and the women out there nearly tore him to shreds before he managed to teleport away. "
"So he's still alive. " "Yeah. " Phineas shrugged and winced. "I'll have to watch my back from now on. " "Doona fash," Dougal said. "We'll watch yer back. "
Ian spotted Carlos sitting between Sabrina and Teddy. Carlos must have called them about Toni. Teddy grinned as he approached. "Hey, man, I heard you guys defeated the evil forces. " "Toni killed Jedrek," Ian said. "She was amazing. " Sabrina snorted. "She could have gotten herself killed. I told her to stay away from you. . . Vamps.
It's not safe to be around you. " "The mortal world is dangerous, too," Carlos told her. "But Toni has no business trying to fight evil vampires," Sabrina insisted. She glared at Ian. "I
swear, if something happens to her, I'll sue your ass. I'll--"
She paused when Constantine climbed up on the chair next to her. "My gosh, little boy, how did you get in here? What are you doing with these. . . people?" "These are my friends," Constantine said. "I'm worried about Toni. " "Toni's going to be all right," Ian told the little boy. He just hoped it was the truth. Constantine gave Ian one of his bright, angelic smiles. "Good. I like Toni. " "Who are you?" Sabrina whispered. "I'm Constantine. My mommy is like you, and my daddy is a vampire. " Sabrina's eyes widened with horror. "Oh my God. " She flinched when Tino touched her arm. Constantine gazed at her with his wide blue eyes. "It's going to be all right. " Sabrina'
"What did you do?" "You were hurting," Tino said. "Do you feel better now?" "Yes. " Sabrina's eyes widened with wonder. "I do. " This gave Ian an idea. "Tino, would ye like to see Toni?" Constantine jumped in his seat. "Yes! I like Toni. " Ian picked the boy up in his arms. "She's still hurting. Do ye think ye can make her feel better?" "I'll try. " In just the short amount of time it took to carry Constantine into the operating room, Ian noticed
that the pain from his burns had lessened. "Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!" Constantine grinned at his parents. "Goodness. " Shanna took him from Ian. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. " "I want to see Toni," Tino announced. Shanna hesitated. "She's not feeling well, sweetie. "
Constantine stuck out his bottom lip. "I want to help her. I like Toni. " "All right, sweetie. " Shanna set him on the gurney next to Toni. He reached out to touch her, then withdrew his hand. "She's hurt bad. " He stretched out beside her
and wrapped his little fingers around her hand. "Look at this. " Roman motioned at the vital signs monitor. "Her fever's going down," Shanna whispered. Constantine yawned as he gazed at Toni. "She's going to be like me. " His eyelids shut, and he
drifted off to sleep. "Thank you, Tino. " Ian smoothed a hand over the little boy's blonde curls.
Toni was going to be all right. Toni woke slowly as if she were climbing out of a deep, dark hole. "Look. She's coming to. " "Oh, thank God. " She heard Carlos's voice, followed by Sabrina's. Her eyes flickered open. Their faces hovered
over her, their features fuzzy and unclear. She spotted another person at the foot of the bed. Ian? She blinked, trying to focus. What was wrong with her eyes? "Hi, Toni," the third person said. "Oh. " She swallowed her disappointment. "Hi, Teddy. " "How do you feel, menina?" Carlos asked.
"I'm fine, I think. " She lifted a hand to rub her eyes. "My eyes are burning. " "I was afraid of that," Sabrina said. "They didn't realize you wear contacts. " She fumbled in her handbag and pulled out a compact mirror.
Toni sat up.
"Careful. " Carlos grabbed the bed's control device. "Let me adjust the bed for you. " With a humming noise, the back of the bed rose up to support her back. "I'm in a hospital?" Toni asked. "No, this is the operating room at Romatech," Carlos explained. "Ian brought you here. " Toni tried to focus on the compact mirror. She removed one contact and passed it to Sabrina.
"Where's Ian? What time is it?" She removed the other contact. "It's just after five. " Sabrina tossed the contacts in the trash. "In the morning?" Toni blinked.
"Evening," Teddy said. "You slept all day. " Toni looked at him. Then at Carlos and Sabrina. Then around the room. "Oh my gosh. " "What's wrong?" Sabrina rushed back to her side. "My eyesight. It--it's perfect. Without contacts. " She handed the compact back to Sabrina and
looked around the room once more. Her sight was more than perfect. She could read the fine print
on a poster across the room above the sink. It described the proper procedure for washing hands. She caught Carlos and Sabrina exchanging a worried look. Something was wrong. She lifted the sheet and blanket to look at her side. The last time she'd looked, there'd been a dagger stuck in her. She touched the area gingerly, expecting to feel some pain. Nothing.
Underneath the sheet, she pulled up her hospital gown. She peeked at her side. There was a faint scar, barely noticeable. She touched the scar. No pain or tenderness. And all the bite marks that had dotted her torso were gone.
Alarm crept into her. She must have slept for weeks to be this healed. "How long was I out? Was I in a coma?" "Menina. " Carlos touched her arm. "You were wounded last night. " "Last. . . but that doesn't make sense. " She grabbed his hand. "Tell me what happened. " He winced. "Toni, lighten up. You're about to crush my bones. " She released his hand. Her sense of alarm grew into full-fledged panic. "I hurt you?" Carlos flexed his fingers. "You seem a lot stronger. "
"Oh my God. " Sabrina stepped back, her eyes widening. "Will someone please tell me what happened?" Toni grasped the railing beside her so she could lower it and get out of bed. She gave it a little push, and it broke completely off.
Sabrina gasped. "She's Superwoman!" Teddy announced, grinning. "What?" Toni dropped the bed railing, and it clattered on the floor. "Oh no. " Great eyesight, super
strength. Was she still alive? She touched her teeth to see if she'd acquired any pointed fangs. "Relax, menina. " Carlos patted her arm. "You're not a Vamp. " She exhaled with relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Not that I have anything against them. I'm really