Golden Hue (12 page)

“I think I might just take you up on that,” I said. “Once the red room is repaired, I might ask if Cathy and myself could stay there for our honeymoon.”

“I'll be happy to let you use it,” she said.

“Thank you,” I responded.

“Now, there’s something else I want to discuss,” she said. “I heard you killed a witch or at least destroyed her body.”

“Yes,” I said. “Queen Teresa had a friend who was a witch.”

“I didn’t want to alert Sarah to this, yet,” she said. “But the witch's sisters are coming to the dance; two of them are vampires. It’s likely that they’re very unhappy about their sister's demise.”

“Do you think the witch that I exorcised from my friend's body could have taken another host?” I asked.

“It’s possible, yes,” she said.

“I need to let Sarah know about this,” I said.

“You can do so, but please break the news to her gently. She’s a lot of stress on her,” she said.

“May I ask you a question,” I said.

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your name?”

“Don't ever address me by this name in public, but my full name is Emma Kate Sky,”

“I like it.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“I just want you know that I'm going to do everything I can to look out for you, Sarah, and Cathy in the days ahead,” she said. “However, I need you to keep me fully informed about everything you see and hear. My full resources are at your disposal, but I need to know how to use them.”

“Thank you,” I told the empress. I was beginning to like her a little more, but I still felt a little uneasy around her.

“You’re welcome,” she said.

I said goodbye and started to search for Cathy, Lizzie and Sarah. I looked throughout the mansion for a long time and finally, I saw the three of them at the end of a long hallway. I hurried towards them, and I noticed that Cathy and Sarah were both talking on the phone.

Lizzie walked up to me, took me by the arm, and pulled me aside.

“I have some news for you,” she said. “You might want to sit down.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Please, just sit down,” she said.

I found a small chair next to the wall and sat.

“Your mother is alive,” she said. “But she’s had a diabetic attack.”

“What! Where is she? How do you know?”

“Sarah left her phone number in the kitchen when you three visited her. A neighbor came to check on your mother, and found her on the floor of the living room, unconscious,” she said. “The lady called 911, and the paramedics took your mother to the hospital. Then she saw the note Sarah left your mom and called her number.”

“Oh God,” I said. “I have to go see her.”

“No, you’re not,” Lizzie said. “You’re in no condition to be traveling.”

“I feel better,” I said. “I have to go see my mom.”

“Don't worry,” Lizzie said. “She’s stable at the moment, and Cathy and Sarah are arranging for a friend of theirs to give her an injection of vampire blood. It should reverse her diabetes all together.”

I wondered for a moment why I didn't ask Sarah or Cathy to give her an injection of their blood when we were visiting her. It was stupid that I didn’t think about the option. Even though my mom was not ready to be turned into a vampire, she would have probably said yes to such a blood donation.

Cathy got off the phone and gave me a hug.

“Your mom’s going to be okay,” she said. “My friend Heather is going to the hospital now and will inject her with her blood.”

“I want to see my mom,” I said.

Cathy's brown eyes peered into mine. She pulled me closer to her.

“You need to rest,” she said. “In the morning, if you’re better, we will go see her.”

I was not overly comforted by her words. I wanted to go see my mother immediately.

“Cathy, I love you,” I said. “But I have to see my mother now.”

She took out her phone, called her friend, and put me on the phone with her. Heather told me that she was on the way to the hospital, would give her a shot of her blood, and that she’d keep a close eye on my mother. She said that if her condition changed, she’d call us.

I thanked her and ended the call.

Sarah then got off the phone, walked up to me, and hugged me.

“We’re going to make sure nothing happens to your mom,” she said.

I turned away and started walking.

“Where are you going?” Cathy said.

“To the medical center,” I said. “I'm going to get dosed up.”

I walked into the nurse’s office of the medical ward and sat down. A black nurse sat at the desk on the other side of the room. Upon seeing me, she stood up.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Smith?”

“I'm overdue for my injections and meds,” I said. “Can you help me?”

She walked to a computer terminal in the corner of the room, punched a few keys, and I could hear a medicine cabinet unlock. She reached in, pulled out a tall vial of liquid, and a few bottles of pills.

“Let me go get a syringe for your injection,” she said, as she walked into an adjoining room.

Sarah, Lizzie, and Cathy then walked into the room.

“She’s preparing my injection,” I said.

Cathy sat down next to me.

A moment later the nurse returned with a cart. I could see a box of syringes, a container of latex gloves, various medical instruments, and other items on it.

“Could you give me a larger dose this time?” I asked. “I feel that the amino acids are really helping me.”

The nurse paused for a moment and looked at me.

“Well, I don't see how it could hurt,” she said. “I'll just have to record the change of dosage in the computer.”

Instead of drawing half a syringe full of the pale, yellow liquid, she filled it completely.

“Where do you want the injection?” she asked.

“In my arm will be fine,” I said.

She took a sanitized a spot on my arm with a alcohol soaked cotton ball and pressed the needle against my skin. Before it could penetrate into my flesh, it snapped.

“You must be getting stronger,” she said. “Your skin is hardening. I'll have to use a stronger needle.”

She reached into the cart and pulled out a plastic box. As she opened it, I could see a syringe with an even larger needle.

“This needle should be able to go through your skin,” she said. “It's a special atomically aligned tungsten alloy. Let’s try this again,” she said.

She plunged the needle into my arm; the pain was intense. As she pressed the plunger, I could feel the liquid burn as it went into my arm.

“From what I’ve been told, a couple of those pills are supposed to make me heal faster,” I said as she next prepared my medications. “They’re supposed to improve my cellular function and make me heal faster.”

The nurse looked at me with her dark, brown eyes.

“Yes,” she said. “Your chart says that your last blood test showed reduced regenerative capacity.”

“Would you mind increasing my dose?” I asked.

“I’m not authorized to do that,” she said. “One of the drugs is quite difficult to synthesize, and the other comes from a very rare, expensive plant. We have to ration their usage.”

“The empress told me I had full access to all of her resources,” I said. “If you like, I could go find her and ask if she would give me a written note authorizing you to increase my dose.”

The nurse looked concerned.

“You don't need to disturb her,” the nurse said. “I'll increase your dosage.”

Instead of giving me one pill of each of the drugs, she gave me three.

“I’ll have to talk to Dr. Ellen before I’ll be able to give you another dose,” she said, as she handed me the paper cup.

I put the pills in my mouth, walked over to a water fountain, took a sip of water, and swallowed them.

“Take one of these,” she said, handing me another pill. “It's just a calcium supplement, but it might help with your bone growth.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

I swallowed the calcium supplement as well.

We exited the nurse’s office, and I walked towards my room.

“I'm going to take a nap,” I said. “We’re going to go see my mother in a few hours.”

Looking at Sarah, I could see she was not happy.

“I'm your mother too,” she said. “And I know if I was your human mother, I’d be telling you to wait a few days before coming to see me.”

I remained silent as we walked into my room. As I climbed into the hospital bed, I looked at Sarah's face; she seemed concerned.

“And if anything ever happened to you,” I told Sarah. “As your son, I’d want to be by your side as well.”

She leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

“Just rest,” Sarah said. “I'm going to my room for a little while. Lizzie and Cathy will stay with you.”

Sarah walked out, and took off my shoes. Cathy put them on the floor for me, and Lizzie pulled a blanket over me.

Cathy pulled up a chair, leaned over, and laid her head on the bed. In response, I turned on my side, and I placed my good hand on her face.

“I love you,” I said.

“I love you too.”

“You know,” I said. “You two could go find a room and get some sleep. I'll be fine.”

“No,” Cathy said. “I'm staying close to you. Remember the doctor's orders?”

“Okay,” I said.

“I'm not leaving either,” Lizzie stated.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The smell of bacon and sausage awakened me.

As I opened my eyes, I could see a huge platter of food in front of me on a hospital tray.

Cathy and Lizzie were already sitting in chairs and eating.

I lifted up my right arm, and I was shocked; my hand was as good as new.

“Cathy,” I said. “Look.”

She put down her plate of food and rushed to the side of my bed.

“My hand is back,” I said.

She reached out, took it in hers, and kissed it.

“I knew it would,” she said.

“How do you feel,” Lizzie asked.

I took a moment to do a mental check, and I realized that I felt good.

The door opened, and Sarah and the empress came in.

“Good morning,” the empress said. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel good,” I said.

“My hand has grown back,” I added, lifting it into the air for her to see.

“That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed.

She and Sarah both sat down in chairs on the side of my bed opposite of Cathy and Lizzie.

“I hear your mother, your human mother, is in the hospital,” the empress stated.

For some horrible reason, I’d forgotten that she was ill. I felt a wave of shame pass through my mind.

“What is the latest on her?” I asked.

Sarah stood up and walked towards me.

“Cathy's friend injected her with vampire blood, and she’s doing better,” she said. “However, there’s been a complication.”

“What's wrong? What happened?” I asked, becoming slightly frantic.

“Last night she tried to get out of bed and fell,” Cathy said. “She hit her head and had a mild concussion. They had to give her a few stitches.”

“I have to go see her,” I said. “She needs me.”

“I'm taking care of that,” the empress said. “My personal driver is waiting to take you to the hospital as soon as you’re ready to leave.”

“Thank you so much”.

“Not at all, it’s the least I can do.”

I climbed out of the bed, had some breakfast, then changed clothes, and prepared to see my mother. Cathy and Lizzie were coming with me, but Sarah said she needed to stay at the mansion.

It was a bright and beautiful day: the birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the weather was warm. The three of us climbed into the back seat of a large limousine and we set off for the hospital.

“I wish Sarah was coming with us,” I said, looking out the window.

“She’ll be okay,” Lizzie said. “The empress won't let anything happen to her.”

I looked at Lizzie and said softly, “I'm not sure if I trust the empress, at least not totally.”

Suddenly, I remembered that I needed to tell Sarah that the witch's sisters would be coming to the dance. For all I knew, they could be arriving at the mansion any time.

“Can I use your phone?” I asked Lizzie.

“Sure,” she said.

I took the pink smartphone, and started texting.

Hi Sarah, I’m sorry, I should have told you this earlier, but the empress says that the witch's sisters will be at the dance. They could arrive any time. Please be careful. Text us if you need help.