Ever After

Chapter 34



More complications



I knew this was once again going to be a problem, just as it was in the fall. I did not think we could pull another fake clinic off either. I really didn’t want to anyway. I was tired and sore, and dealing with the drama between dad and Sara was the last thing I wanted to do.

“I don’t think it’s wise to be moving her at all, in fact for the next week, it is not an option.” Pratt’s words were firm, and not up for negotiation.

I knew this but I also knew my dad. He would have the cops called if Doc refused to let me come home, or let him visit me. I could not risk the coven’s privacy again. I had to do what I could to protect them, as they were my family as well now.

“If I have to go home for a few days, I can do it. I can be tough.” I sighed. Dr. Pratt moved closer to me and looked me in the eyes, a frown on his perfect pale face.

“Corrine it’s not about being tough. You can’t push yourself, for anybody for any reason. I understand your father may want you home, but until you are stronger, I will not allow you. If need be I will pay your father a visit and help him to understand why you cannot be home right now. I am sure I can help him to understand me.”

“Yes, Pratt can be very persuasive; he has a way of handling human minds. It’s a gift very few vamps have.” Doc chuckled.

“Ok than.” I smiled. “We will see if we can stall him. I really think I do need a few days before I can get around anyway.”

I spent the next few days three to be exact recovering. It seemed my life had become and endless merry go round of accidents and recovery periods. I was really getting over it. I wanted the drama to end, the stress and all the uncertainty as well. I knew Doc was dealing with Leo as everyone else focused on me.

I could hear him speaking with the elders about threats Leo was making against the Followers. It seemed since the incident in the woods, Leo was totally ticked off at Doc, and he wanted to kill him and any of the Followers he could get to. It was hard to believe that he and Doc were brothers. The two were so drastically different, it was crazy.

I also learned that Todd had angered Leo and the Dark coven as well. It seems Todd was to have kid napped William, not me that night. Todd had defied Leo. He devised his own plan, which Leo later approved of, to use me as bait to lure the Followers to the stone house to rescue me.

Leo knew how much Doc cared about William so he wanted him. Leo wanted to hurt or kill anyone or anything that Doc loved, to get at him. Doc and the coven were now extremely worried about William’s safety. Leo would steal him or kill him now, and take whatever chance he had to do so. Doc had Will and I guarded at all times. We were never to be alone.

Lydia was stressed tremendously, knowing the risks her only child was facing. I could see the strain on her beautiful face as she watched William whenever he was in the room. It hurt me to see her stare at him, as if she was trying to etch every detail of him in her mind in case something happened.

I watched Will myself now, each day. I could see he was weak and tired; he dozed off all the time. I talked to Doc and Pratt, and they too were worried about him. Will would not let them examine him at all, no matter how much they asked. Doc was worried about how much danger Will was in and with him so weak, he was vulnerable to an attack by the Dark coven.

Pratt confided in me that the only way for Will to fully recover, was to consume human blood from a living donor. The amount he would need would kill any human. I knew he would rather die than take a human life. I loved that he was so noble, but I could not watch him get weaker by the day. I knew he was trying hard to hide how bad he felt in front of me.

I could see the strain in his eyes, he was suffering, and he wouldn’t let me help him. Pratt sat Lydia and me down one afternoon a few days later to talk to us about Will. Roth had Will preoccupied with a game on his x-box along with Taylor and Riley. This was a conversation I had been dreading.

Pratt told us it would be a full year before Will would re cover without the human blood. A year was a very long time. It was especially dangerous for Will since he was a target for the Dark coven. It was highly possible they would try to kidnap him, or even kill him, and with him so weak, he could never fight them off.

Pratt also told us he was prone to becoming sick, even from simple human illness. He was also showing more and more traits of becoming human. It would make him more vulnerable to illness and death, the longer he went without human blood.

The fourth morning of my recovery dawned. I woke as the sun was rising, a slice of sunlight shone through the heavy red velvet drapes on to my bed. Will was curled up in the armchair next to the fireplace, which was blazing. It was now early December and the weather was bitterly cold.

I could hear the wind beating the house and it made me shiver. I watched Will sleeping, he looked like an angel. His thick eyelashes fanned out on his perfect cheekbones. He looked like a Greek sculpture motionless and peaceful. I sighed softly, thinking back to our carefree summer.

I guess the cold weather made me think of all the picnics and warm afternoons we spent together. I had to wonder if we would ever get to be that way again. If it was even possible to be, worry free, and just simply happy. I wanted a quiet life, not one like a roller coaster.

The recent discussion we had with Doc, Pratt and some of the other coven members just yesterday rolled around in my head. My dad was getting very hard to deal with now; he was calling Doc five or six times a day. I had called him, each day since my resurfacing (or whatever) but he was desperate to have me come home.

I told him it would be hard, but he wouldn’t stop, he seemed to think I joined a cult or something. I know he was wanting to see if I came home wearing black eye liner and sporting tribal tattoos no doubt. I imagined Sara was putting doubts in his head about Doc and what he was doing with me so far from home.

This brought about the decision for me to return home, briefly for a visit right before Christmas. Dad could not be put off any longer and I really felt strong enough to handle the trip and even Sara. It being the holidays explained a lot of why dad was so hell bent on getting me home. My mother had died shortly after Christmas, and it was always a very emotional time for both of us, but especially him.

Will was extremely upset. He was afraid I would get sick while we traveled home, or the Dark coven might try to kidnap me again or worse. I had to admit those things were on my mind too. It was only a short trip home of course but still risky.

Pratt had increased my serum doses to make me stronger, and medically I was cleared to go. I was really excited to see dad again. I worried after I completely transformed it might be hard to see him if at all.

Pratt as we had originally planned wanted to take me back to France to complete my change. It was safer there, he said. He had a laboratory and a full medical staff to assist him. Emma assured me I would love their estate in France. Will had been there many times, with his mother when they were hiding from Vincent over the years.