Chapter 6

"Paging Dr. Zial... Paging Dr. Zial... Please report to the ICU... Paging Dr. Zial... Paging Dr. Zial... Please report to the ICU" came the feminine voice over the speaker as I was placing my stuff in my locker and changing into my scrubs. "Hmmm, I wonder how our patient is doing this morning?" I wondered to myself as I waited for the elevator. I hopped on and rode it up to the ICU floor.

When the doors opened, I noticed there was a definite hubbub going on. Medical staff was running every which way as a group of people in white coats stood around conversing with each other, whispering things like "Remarkable", "It just happened overnight?" "How did it happen?"... things like that. I walked up to the nurses' desk.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Zial, I was paged?"

The unit clerk pointed at the group of white coats that contained Dr. Day, who was looking a little haggard, and said, "They wanted you."

"Oh fuck! Had she remembered? Had Zazul not enchanted Maria and Vicky enough?" these thoughts raced through my mind as I approached the group.

"Ah, Dr. Zial, thank you for joining us." Said Dr. Day, "This is Dr. Singh from neurology and Dr. Schmidt from ID (infectious diseases for those of you who don't speak "hospitalese")."

After the requisite hand shaking and introductions they got down to the heart of the matter.

"Dr. Zial" said Dr. Singh; "It is my understanding that this was initially your patient with the mystery illness?"

"Yes doctor, it was." I answered.

"And you were the last one seen with the patient last night? Is that also correct Dr. Zial?" asked Dr. Schmidt.

"Well, yes, Dr. Day here and I were in the room last night checking on him, but we..."

Dr. Day interrupted, "But at report, Nurse Sanchez said she last saw you in the room with him... alone... around eleven PM."

"Errr, ahhh, I ahh, well, yes I did go back and umm... talked with him."

"You talked with him?" asked Dr. Singh quizzically, "I thought he was comatose?"

"I have been reading abstracts about coma patients still being able to hear you even though they are unconscious, so I figured it wouldn't hurt." I answered.

"Well, whatever you said to him worked. He was awake this morning and has been eating like a starving lion." Said Dr. Schmidt.

Good. He's awake. Now I can get up here and ask him what he remembers about the previous day.

"What did you say to him Dr. Zial?" asked Dr. Day.

What the hell do I say now? Good thing I'm quick on my feet.

"I just talked about how he had much to live for... not to give up... he is a good person, that kind of stuff". I answered.

"That is the first time I have heard of that working that quickly" muttered Dr. Singh

My mind was racing with possible replies if they asked about the little ceremony I had performed when my beeper went off. I looked down; it was the ER, probably wondering where the hell I was.

Dr. Day saved me from having to worry about it, "Thank you Dr. Zial. I'm sure your presence is needed downstairs. You are excused. "

I made my exit and headed for the elevator.

"Whew! That was close." I thought as the doors closed behind me and the car headed downward. On the way I allowed myself a little flashback to last night and the charms of Dr. Day. It has hard not to look at her pouty lips and not imagine them wrapped around my shaft as those hazel eyes looked up at me with lustful wanting.

Little did I know that if I had thought last night was exciting, today was going to be a thrill-a-minute joyride.

I arrived at the ER minutes later to find staff running everywhere. Calls for the crash cart and orders being shouted out by my fellow physicians as the paramedics wheeled in the gurney holding a human wrapped in a shock blanket, the silver one you see on TV. All I could see above the mylar sheet was a respirator mask as they wheeled the bed into trauma room one.

"Hey Llew!" called out my fellow resident Dr. Haines, "Looks like we have a repeat of last night, but worse. You want a crack at this one too?"

No! No! No! It didn't happen again did it?

I dashed into the room as they lifted the body onto the table.

"What happened?" I asked.

The paramedic replied, "We found her laying in an alley next to a dumpster. Her vitals were stable, respirations normal, but we bagged her just in case because she couldn't stand let alone walk. Her O2 level was 95% on room air. It just makes no sense doc, everything about her medically says she's fine, but she seems barely alive."

"Okay man thanks, we'll take it from here." I told him and went into the trauma bay.

I pulled aside the shock blanket and saw an ashen face that was partially covered by the mask for the bag. I checked her oxygen saturation again, 99% this time.

"Okay, I think we can remove the tube and mask now." I said, "somebody get me a body temperature."

One of the nurses, Jamie, went ahead and pulled the tube so another, Karen, could put the probe under the patient's tongue.

"Temp normal doctor." called Karen as I scrubbed my hands before examining the patient.

I pulled aside the silvery material to reveal a stunning woman. I would estimate her to be around five-five, one hundred twenty five pounds. She had fiery red hair and blue eyes that did respond to light when I shone the flashlight in them.

"Pupils responsive and active" I said, as I felt for a pulse in her carotid artery and looked at my watch.

"Pulse sixty five, a bit low, but not horrible"

As I opened the blanket even more, I discovered she was wearing a black cocktail dress with stockings and heels. A long strand of pearls was about her neck along with single pearl earrings in both lobes. Her makeup was still unmussed as was her hair. This was strange, almost as if she was made up after she went into this state.

"Dr. Zial, the police are here and would like to ask you about the patient when you are done." said Dr. Haines as he stuck his head in the room.

"Okay Dave, thanks."

Now what was I going to do? Here I was, stuck in the middle of a situation where the real explanation was the most absurd, at least to mortals.

I could see the look on the cop's face in my mind as I tried to explain the concept of a rogue vampire, now maybe even two, running amuck. "Yeah, that would work." I thought to myself sarcastically.

"Jamie, please page Dr. Day to let her know we have another patient presenting with the same symptoms as th..."

I stopped mid statement because Karen had cut away the dress on the patient to check for other injuries. The exposed skin beneath showed several welts as well as the characteristic striping of a whip. Some of the wounds were fresh, some weren't.

"Holy fuck me." I muttered as Karen removed another swath of black material to reveal a branding on the patient's inner right thigh. It had been healed over well, as if it had happened weeks ago.

Either our mystery patient was a pain freak, or...

I examined the brand closer. It was a thorny rose surrounded by a hexagram.

"Shit doc, it looks like someone branded her like a horse!" exclaimed Karen.

"No, not a horse, more like a cow... an animal for eating" I muttered under my breath.

"What was that doc?" asked Jamie, who was standing just behind me.

"Hmm? Oh nothing, I was just agreeing with Karen. Did you page Dr. Day like I asked?"

"I did, she's on her way."

"Good, thank you. Let me know when she gets here. In the meantime, lets get some fluids and vitamins in the patient, hang a banana bag and run it at five hundred mL's an hour."

"Will do." answered Jamie.

I headed out into the hall to collect my thoughts. Okay, I have a second rogue victim, this one with signs of torture that appear to have been happening for weeks on end before today. Is it possible that a second rogue has moved in? That would completely fuck things up for sure. Nah that would be damn near impossible, according to dad at least, it just had to be only one, otherwise they would have found each other by now and I would have heard the battle. It has to be just one... one that feeds on both male and female mortals. That brand! It had to be a symbol for the rogue, but it wasn't one I was familiar with.