Ever After

Chapter 33



Alive



I suddenly felt a wave of heat across my body. It felt like boiling water in my veins, spreading slowly through me. It was a searing UN bearable heat. I needed to breathe. I wanted to cry out in pain, but could not get any air into my lungs to do so.

I wanted to scream in agony, and tell them all how much it hurt and to try to make it stop. In a split second, I felt a jolt in my chest, as if I was hit with a baseball bat. I was pretty sure I did gasp in pain this time. I jerked back trying desperately to move away from the pain inside me.

I threw my head back and took a deep breath, the air burned as it filled my lungs. I tried to pull my arms free from Doc and Pratt, to wrap around my aching chest, that felt like it might split open at any moment. I started to choke and cough. The air was burning too much, now I did not want to breathe, I just wanted to die.

I felt my head spinning as I tried to open my eyes; everyone was a blurb of mixed colors and shadows. I felt afraid; I suddenly couldn’t remember where I was anymore. I tried hard to remember, but then I knew. I was in the woods, Todd had seen me and he was about to attack me.

I had to run and get away from here. I could smell the cologne her wore, he was holding me down and wouldn’t let go. I pulled as hard as I could begging for him to let me go. I heard myself scream out for William, but he was not there. I thrashed my head back and forth; the pain the fear, all of it was too much.

I could not break free from Todd’s grip; he seemed to be holding my whole body down. I knew he was going to kill me now. I felt tired. I had nothing left in me to fight him off with. I panted trying to catch my breath, my body was still being held down, but I didn’t care anymore. Familiar voices filled my ears, as I tried to understand them, not one of them sounded like Todd.

“Corrine, easy now its Doc you’re ok. Try to keep breathing for us please.” I knew that voice, Doc it was Doc. I had to think hard, Doc was good. If he was here, William must be too.

“I’m here.” The voice I was so desperate to hear came next. It was my William, he was here, and he was with Doc.

“William.” I managed to whisper.

“Todd is dead, you are safe Corrine. Doc and Pratt are here you are in no danger ok?” He desperately tried to calm me down.

“What?” I took a deep breath, and this time it no longer burned my lungs.

“Will is right Corrine, you are safe now.” Doc’s voice said calmly.

“Corrine, it’s Pratt, can you try and open your eyes for me honey?” I pulled my arms in now to my chest, as they were let free.

I turned slightly and felt William’s arms around me. I leaned into his firm chest. It felt like I was melting into him. I tried to open my eyes all the way, but the light burned them. I turned my head into Williams arm, away from it.

“No I can’t it burns, too much.” I cried out clutching William’s arm.

“Sayann dim the lights please. I had forgotten she might be highly sensitive to them for a few days now.” Pratt ordered.

I turned my head slowly away from Will, and carefully opened my eyes. I could see Pratt, and Sayann standing next to Doc and Libby. I looked up despite my neck feeling like a stiff board, directly in to William’s stunning blue eyes. I did not move as our eyes took each other in. I had feared I would never see him again, and now he was right in from of me. A smile spread across his face.

“You’re all here, all of you?” I whispered. “William, you are here.” I sighed with relief.

“Yes, my love. I have not left you since I found you in the woods.”

“Is this real? Am I alive or are you all in my head?” I blinked hard thinking they all would just diaper when I opened my eyes again. I was terrified this was just a dream, and I would be thrown back into my “tomb” again.

“It’s real Corrine, relax we are all really here. You were in a coma, a very deep nearly death like coma for a few days. The venom from Todd’s bite attacked your body system.” Pratt shook his head.

“Fortunately you had enough of the serum in you to safe guard your heart from stopping. Doc and I just gave you an injection into the heart muscle to wake you, but all will be well now.” Pratt thoroughly explained.

“Venom?” I shook my head, and then I felt the sting in my neck and it all came flooding back into my mind. I slowly placed my hand on my bandaged neck, and I knew it was really true. Todd had become a vampire and he had bit me.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop him Corrine.” Will said softly.

I felt sort of dizzy at the thought of Todd as a vampire, but now I remembered the night at my house when he and Kyle kid napped me. I remembered being at the stone house and meeting Leo, and how Sayann helped me escape. I remembered the look in Todd’s eyes right before he bit me also, that I could never forget as long as I lived. I must have been about to hyperventilate as the heart monitor started to go crazy.

“Corrine, calm down now you must not get upset ok.” Pratt warned as he placed a hand on to my arm.

“Sorry, I just had like a massive flash back; it’s kind of a lot to take in all at once.” I sighed leaning back in to William again. I made myself take a deep breath and try to pull myself together.

“I need you to rest now, and we will talk more about all this later. You are in no danger, so try to relax.” Doc smiled at me and gave William a wink.

“If you need anything let me or Libby know we are your nurses now. We will be in the next room ok?” Sayann smiled at me.

“I never got to really thank you for, saving me from Leo and the Dark coven.” I smiled back at her, truly grateful for her kindness.

“No need to thank me Corrine. I wanted to thank you. I would never have been brave enough to leave on my own. I saw how desperately you wanted to be with William again and how much you loved him. It gave me the drive to get you out of there. You are the reason I am now with the coven I should always have been with. I had heard of the Followers and how they honored human life but I never knew how to find them. I will always be thankful to you forever.”

“And I you Sayann, we saved each other.” I waved her in for a hug. She carefully wrapped her arms around me as if I were made of porcelain.

“I’m so happy you are going to be ok.” She said to me as she and Libby left the room. I watched Doc and Pratt now, bent over my charts, in a deep discussion about my treatment no doubt.

“What happened to Leo and Todd?” I asked Will as he sat on the edge of my bed, and held me in his arms lovingly.

“You need to rest love, don’t worry about all that now.” He rubbed my arm softly.

“No really. I will feel better if I know, please tell me.”

“Well. Ok then, if you must know. Todd is dead; Roth forced him to drink a vial of dead blood in the woods after he attacked you.” I was shocked, was I finally rid of that varmint after all the hell he put me through?

“Really, he’s gone?” I said in shock.

“Yes, he was working with Leo, he was to kill you and bring me back to Leo and the Dark coven. If he succeeded, he would be Leo’s right hand man or something like that. I was shocked they wanted an idiot like that in their coven really.” Will laughed and so did I, Todd had always been moron.

“I still can’t believe he was a vampire!”

“That makes two of us. It all made sense though; we never could track him down all those months after he last attacked you in your room. It was all because we were looking for a human, not a vampire and he was turned not very long after he ran off.”

“Leo?”

“Doc’s dealing with him; he won’t ever come out where we can get at him. Doc told us he always has his vampires do his dirty work for him. He directs them, but never really gets his hands dirty. The house here is on lock down, so if he sends any of his grunts to try to get us, they won’t have a chance.”

I snuggled in closer to William, trying to block out the fact Leo was still out there, but glad to know Todd was finally gone for good. I would not have to worry about him trying to kill me anymore. Doc and Pratt finished their conversation, and walked back over to my bedside. I was starting to feel tired and hoped they might let me sleep a little bit soon.

“Pratt and I have brain stormed and we feel we know how to handle your recovery Corrine.”

“Yes, we both feel we have the best way to handle this. My good friend Xavier is coming tomorrow and he also will advise us further as he his very educated on changing issues. The course of action is to begin the serum treatments again. I ran a blood panel earlier, and your cancer seems to be re surfacing. The serum will once again set it back to remission, and we can continue with the process to change you to a half blood.” Pratt folded up my chart thoughtfully as he looked at me.

“I feel we can safely see you through the change Corrine, and all will be well.”

“Yes, and with Pratt’s friend coming, we will have even more help to make sure things go the right way.” Doc added. I wanted to jump up and hug them both. I would not have a chance in hell if those two were not here.

“You are certain all of this will work then? It’s not just educated guessing or anything like that is it?” Will’s ever present worrying jumped in. I couldn’t blame him after all the problems I had, he had a right to be cautious.

“Yes, William Doc and I are very confident this process will see Corrine safely to compete her changing process.”

“Then we will do it!” I added smiling. I was ready for some god news now. I was over depressing stuff. Doc seemed edgy as he cleared his throat, to let us know he needed to say something.

“We do have one more thing to discuss quickly, as I want Corrine to get some rest. I feel though we should speak about it briefly right now.

“What’s that?” Will asked, seeming somewhat annoyed. I think he was like me; we just wanted some peace for now, no more drama.

“Corrine’s father, he has called at least five times a day, ever since your abrupt departure back to Maine.” He shook his head, as we all knew that was a bogus story. I have been keeping him at bay, so far, but he wants’ to speak to you Corrine. The manner in which we left so quickly has him a bit upset, understandably.”

I was not surprised. Dad had expected to have some more time with me after he got back from the benefit dinner the night of my kidnapping. I to want that, he and I had always been close; we were our own little family with Gram, before Sara came along.

“What do we do about it then?” I was baffled; it would be too hard to stage another fake clinic, so quickly right now.

“We will handle it very carefully, Corrine. I know he is going to want to see you.” Doc frowned as he looked at Pratt.

“She can’t make the trip home right now, even across town to her own home. She needs complete rest for a few days than we can discuss it.” Pratt added.

“We can’t stage another clinic either. Corrine doesn’t need to be in Maine in the winter season. The weathers unstable already.