Tainted Blood (63 page)

I thought I’d done a pretty piss-poor job of protecting her, especially considering her current state, and I was pretty sure I had a damn good idea what it did mean to him. I accepted the gratitude with a nod and made to leave once more.

“I owe you an apology,” Oliver said, and I turned back to face him.

“No, man, you don’t.”

He shifted so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Just listen,” he said. “I had no right to treat you the way I have. You are her friend and I know you care for her. I also know that you would never intentionally let anything happen to her.”

I interrupted before he could say another word. “Oliver, I understand,” I told him. “There is no need for you to apologize.”

Those unnaturally green eyes of his narrowed just slightly. “Carter,” his voice was suddenly impatient. “I am trying here. I know how you really feel about her, and how you feel about me. Remember, I can sense your emotions, your feelings.”

Ah, shit.

He looked away from me. “She’s mine,” he said quietly. “I hope that you will respect that.” He glanced up at me and I nodded in response. I left, leaving the door wide open.

I loved her. That wasn’t a secret. I was protective of her. Again, not a secret, but Oliver made it sound like I wanted Laney for my own. Okay, maybe at one point in my life that had been true but I knew a long time ago we couldn’t be anything more than friends. I loved her like she was my sister, maybe a stepsister you can sometimes fantasize about, but still, a sister. Oliver had collected my feelings at all the wrong moments, that was all.

I went back to my life and hoped she would soon be back to normal. I also made sure to put that damn toaster-rabbit in a high cabinet. Just in case.

When she finally did wake up, I hugged her so tight that I thought I was going to crush her. I was so happy and freaking relieved!

I still stand by what I said before; she was exhausting as a roommate. (Insert wicked grin.)

Chapter 32 - Return from Madness

I felt like death warmed over. I felt so awful and weak that I didn’t even have the energy to open my eyes. I could hear voices around me; they sounded familiar but I didn’t have it in me to put the voices together with faces.

“Laney, can you hear me?” I heard a voice say. It was a nice voice but I couldn’t respond. My arm hurt, it felt like someone was pinching me, and I was routing all of my energy and effort to pushing the pinching fingers away. A cool and very familiar hand caught my own. “Laney?” the nice voice said again and my mind conjured up an image. I smiled at the image of Oliver. I missed him. “I love you, Laney,” that same voice told me, but this time the voice sounded so miserable.

I had to see the face that went with the voice and find out why such a beautiful voice was so sad. Forcing my eyes open was a feat. My eyelids battled me and my vision refused to focus. There was a blurry image very close to my face and I raised a very shaky and unsteady hand up to touch it. That cool hand held mine against a cool, strong face and eventually my eyes focused on the figure before me. “You came back,” I said, my voice sounding like a frog being strangled.

Those gorgeous pools of emerald that I had missed so very much were full of concern. He was smiling at me but it was strained. I tried to smile back but I could feel myself struggling to even keep my eyes open.

“I’m so sorry, Laney,” Oliver said to me. He held my hand and kissed my palm. “I love you so much.”

I tried to tell him that I loved him too, I tried to keep my eyes on his, and I tried to squeeze his hand, but I failed at all of these things.

I had fleeting memories, like faint dreams, of the next few days, and when I was finally fully lucid, I woke in my room. Sunshine poured in through the window at my back and it warmed me. Felix was on the bed beside me. His very long legs stretched out toward the end of the bed and a pillow was behind his neck where he sat, leaning against my headboard. He was reading a book. It looked like he was reading Homer’s
Odyssey
and something weird sparked in my brain. Before I could figure out what that little spark was, Felix looked down at me and smiled. “You finally back?” he asked.

“Back?” I asked my voice rather scratchy. Where had I been?

He flipped the book over to save h
is place, setting it on his lap
then he rested his hands over the top of the book. “You have been in and out of consciousness for several days.”

I felt my brow furrow as I questioned Felix in my mind. “Why?”

“You don’t remember?”

I shook my head, a very slight movement, as I stayed curled on my side, my hands resting on the pillow under my cheek.

“It would seem that Oliver’s brother was paying you special visits.” I closed my eyes and breathed deeply as the terrible memories flooded back to me. “Ah,” Felix said and I opened my eyes.

“What?” I asked without actually speaking the word.

“Well, you were the only one who had actually seen him. Until now. Your memories are proof that you did not in fact lose your mind.” I raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. “Yeah, you’re back.” He patted me and as he lifted himself off of the bed he said, “I know someone who will be very relieved to see that you are okay.”

“Oliver?” I questioned with my mind again.

“Him too, Delaney, but I was speaking of Carter.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, Oliver will be back shortly.” Felix left the room then.

Is Oliver actually here?
I wondered, as I attempted to roll onto my back. I really wanted to see him. I stretched a little and my body ached but, on the other hand, it felt…better. That didn’t make sense at all and I wasn’t sure that I was “all there” yet.

I was examining a bandage in the inside of my arm when Carter jogged into my room. His face lit up when I attempted a smile at him. He bounced onto the bed, gathered me in his arms, and hugged me tight against his chest. “Oh God, Laney! I’m so happy that you’re okay! I thought we were going to lose you.” He let go of me and settled me back on the bed, covering me back up with my blankets.

“Lose me? Why, what happened?”

“Don’t you remember? Oscar showed up and just about drained you. You don’t remember, do you?”

“I think I remember most of it,” I said as I pushed myself up to a sitting position. He helped me get settled against the headboard.

“You were fully out of it. It was like you were here, but your brain wasn’t. Amber called it some sort of delirium, and I overheard her and Felix talking, saying something about a possible psychotic break.” I raised an eyebrow. This didn’t sound good at all. “They said something about it being due to the loss of so much blood. That all of the stress and trauma triggered something; it was your brain’s defense.”

“My brain’s defense was to shut down and start back up without me being there?” I questioned. Carter shrugged. “Stupid brain,” I said. Carter chuckled. It wasn’t funny. Not even a little. It was downright frightening.

He held my hand and his was rather warm. Mine wasn’t. “Do you remember the rabbit?” he asked me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “What rabbit?” I asked. Carter started laughing. Really hard. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

The last thing I remembered, I mean really remembered, was, well...unfortunately, my last clear thought was of Oscar and that made me shudder. I didn’t remember the rabbit at all and I was slightly embarrassed after Carter filled me in on my out-of-mind-antics. Although I didn’t remember any of it, I would never again look at a toaster the same way. And don’t even get me started on chocolate Pop-Tarts. I’d probably just avoid those for the rest of my life. Yet, for someone who thought I was going to die, he sure was enjoying the laughter that he couldn’t seem to hold back.

“I’m sorry, Laney,” Carter said through his amusement. “I’ve been so freaked out thinking that we were gonna lose you that I hadn’t realized how hilarious the whole thing was.” He had another fit of laughter, and I smiled, just a little. “Now that you’re okay I guess my brain is processing it differently.”

As Carter was getting over his fits of laughter, I noticed Oliver leaning in the doorway of the bedroom. I’d felt his eyes on me before I saw him. “Hi,” I breathed when I found him watching us. My heart picked up a beat and my stomach dropped to my toes. I was nervous and excited. But most of all, I just wanted to be in his arms. I got a crooked smile as a greeting, and the way his deep green eyes held me made every part of me melt.

“Well,” Carter said as he scooted off of the bed. “I should go. I imagine the two of you have some things to discuss.” He looked down at me from Oliver’s side of the bed. “I’m glad you’re gonna be okay.”

“Me too,” I said back with a tiny smile as I adjusted myself in excited anticipation.

Carter and Oliver exchanged quiet words just before Carter left the room. It looked friendly and, considering Carter had probably saved my life, I would imagine Oliver was thankful and finally over his issues with the greatest friend I’d ever had.

Oliver crossed the room slowly, I don’t think he meant to and maybe it was just my anticipation, but he wasn’t getting to me quickly enough. I wanted to move past all of the crap and get back to us. I wanted to forget the last few weeks.

He stood beside the bed, and I looked up at him from my side, my back still propped on pillows and the headboard. He handed me a Styrofoam cup. “Felix called. He told me you were awake. I figured you’d be hungry.”

The cup contained a chocolate shake and I don’t think I could have loved him any more than I did in that moment. I sucked the chocolaty goodness through the straw and it tasted better than I’d ever remembered.

“Thank you,” I told him quietly.

He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and looked slightly uneasy. It made me nervous. “Sit with me?” I asked. When his eyes met mine I saw, in that moment, that he was just as anxious, scared, and possibly as excited as I was. A small, pathetic smile touched his lips and he took a seat on the bed beside me. His long legs stretched out, ankles crossed, and he leaned against the headboard next to me. He rested his hands in his lap and he looked so unsure.

“What’s wrong?” I asked softly. I wanted to touch him so badly.

The beautiful green eyes that I’d missed seeing every day flicked to mine for a brief moment before they settled on his fidgeting fingers. He sighed. “I’ve been by your side for almost three straight days and I leave for an hour and you wake up.” He took a deep breath and then let it out, a little unsteadily. His eyes met mine again. “I wanted to be here when you opened your eyes.”

I smiled at him. “You’re here now.” He forced a smile back at me. “Where were you?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

His smile faded quickly as he said, “I had to get my blood tested.” He looked almost…embarrassed.

“Why?”

He focused on his fingers again. “To make sure it’s not contaminated. To make sure that I am not a danger to you or anyone else.” His voice lacked its usual confidence.

I reached over and slipped my fingers between his. He looked down at our clasped hands and heaved a sigh of relief. He lifted our hands, and closing his eyes, he pressed his lips to the back of my hand. “I love you so much,” the tone of his voice brought tears to my eyes.

I wanted to curl up next to him and rest my head on his chest and stay in his arms forever. But first, I needed to know some things and I wasn’t sure if the answers I’d receive would change that feeling—if it would change my feelings for him. I hoped it wouldn’t. But it also wouldn’t be fair to me not to know.

The cotton ball taped to my arm caught my eye again, and before I dove into the serious end of the pool, I figured I’d start at what seemed like the safe end. “What’s this?” I asked. I displayed my arm where the tape and cotton ball were attached.

“That’s where Felix had to insert a needle so that he could save you.”

A rather vague answer. “How did a needle save my life?”

He sighed again and said, “When Felix and I got here, you were so far gone that we didn’t know if you would make it. You needed blood, and since I’d recently had yours, I gave it back.” I raised an eyebrow and a crooked smile appeared in his lips. “I gave you my blood.”

I stared down at the wad of cotton on my arm. “Your blood saved me?” I asked quietly.

“Just as yours saved me.”

I looked up at him. “Is that why I feel…different? Better? Because I have your vampire blood in me?”

He smiled. “You feel better because you almost died.” His smile fell. “No thanks to me.”

“Oliver,” his eyes met mine. “Please don’t blame yourself. None of this was your fault.”

“I wish you would stop treating me like I can do no wrong.”

I felt a little bit of anger spark deep down inside of me and it was obvious in my voice. “I know you’re not perfect, and I do not treat you like can do no wrong. I treat you like I love you because I do.”

A hint of his smile returned. “I didn’t mean it like that. But it’s good to know that I’m not perfect.” He smirked at me and it made my anger fade.

I stared down at the cotton ball on my arm. “Why didn’t you just turn me?” I asked very quietly. I let my eyes flit up to his for a brief moment.