Chapter 25

I felt sluggish and weak, cold and uncomfortable and distinctly unhappy. There was a bright light stabbing my eyes, something hard was jabbing into my side and I couldn't move.

I wiggled experimentally but still couldn't move. Growling in frustration, I gathered my strength to fling myself to the side. No such luck, I was held fast.

"What's wrong with her?" The voice was worried and I felt myself held tighter.

"I want to move is what's wrong with me," I croaked and wiggled again. I felt joy even as I was crushed against something hard and uncomfortable that I vaguely realized was a chest. My eyes opened but I couldn't make out anything other than the bright light.

"I'll go get Marcus," I heard a male voice say and followed the sounds of his passage down a hall.

"I told you she would make it." I recognized the musical voice and smiled.

"Did anyone really doubt you, Morgan?" I asked and felt a shift as I was released from the vice and gently lowered down to a soft surface. My hands stroked the surface and identified it as a blanket. I inhaled and smelled sandalwood and something else. "Connor?"

"Right here, Trish. I'm right here." There was relief in his voice that spoke of a great fear being overcome. I blinked a little more in an effort to see. Thinking it hopeless, I closed my eyes and counted to ten, then opened them one last time.

And I could see. His beautiful face loomed above me, his skin glowing like a sun and his smile the most welcome sight. He reached out and caressed my cheek in a familiar gesture and I sighed, content.

I closed my eyes and tried to roll over, but something tugged on my arm. I looked down and saw an I.V. tapped to my hand, the nearby bag dripping something into my bloodstream. I tried to shift but gasped as a sharp pain traveled the length of my body.

"What happened?" I asked, my memories a little fuzzy.

"We almost lost you," Connor whispered, gently stroking my hair. "We almost didn't make it in time."

"I'm sorry," I whispered hoarsely. "I couldn't think of anything else. I thought she had him." My eyes started to fill and I swallowed a sob.

"Shhh, Tricia, its all right," his voice was like a balm as the tears rolled down my cheeks. The memories came flooding in and I sobbed as all the terror I'd ignored returned. Connor once again picked me up, carefully cradling me in his arms and humming softly.

When I finished, I was weaker, tired and embarrassed and in pain. He laid me back down on the bed and pulled up a nearby chair.

"You look like hell," I croaked and he gave me my favorite crooked smile.

"I'll look better when you've finished healing," he told me, carefully grabbing my hand.

"How?" I asked, gesturing gingerly at my body and he nodded his understanding.

"Morgan. She was trying to staunch the bleeding from your ribs and noticed something none of us ever had or knew." His eyes were like melting chocolate and I was glad; that meant that he was okay.

"I had the hunter's blood on me," she said and the satisfied look on her face needed no explanation. "I was concentrating on not breathing and noticed that your wound wasn't bleeding as much. I took my hands away and the torn flesh I'd been holding together was half-healed." My stomach turned as she described what had been done to me, though the excited look in her eyes and the speed with which she spoke made it hard to concentrate on anything but her words.

"What are you saying?" I asked, not making the connection.

"Our blood can heal," Marcus' voice, the calm voice I'd heard before, proceeded him into the room with Chadwick on his heels, both of them giving me wide smiles. "It was something I've never thought of before, though I'm not sure why. Our bodies heal almost instantly," he explained, "and we can survive almost anything because of that. I never thought to try to heal other beings with it."

"So what does that mean, exactly?" I asked after Connor presented me with a glass of cool water to sip from.

"It means that our blood kept you alive," Marcus said softly, coming to sit beside me, across from Connor. "I don't know if it will have any side effects but, for now, it keeps you with us."

"How bad was it?" I asked him and not the others because, as a doctor, I knew he would give it to me straight.

"Bad enough," he said with a grimace. "You broke two ribs along with gashing them open, fractured your left femur, barely missed your heart and sustained multiple abrasions and bruises." Despite his professional tone, I could tell that he was worried, I could almost feel it.

"So what's left?" I asked, ignoring the unsettling sensations that were streaming in, sensations I didn't think were coming from me.

"A few bruises, a scrape or three and scars; it wasn't clear how much of your blood we could replace so we only gave you enough to begin healing." I thought about that as Marcus checked my bandages, a few questions forming in my head.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked quietly. Nobody answered and the tension was tangible in a way that made me worry. "How long?"

"Two weeks," Connor finally spoke up and I gasped. "And you weren't asleep, you were in a coma. It happens sometimes after a particularly traumatic situation."

"Where am I?" My eyes couldn't seem to focus right, but it didn't look like any hospital I'd ever been to.

"In one of our guest bedrooms," Marcus said. "Your-," he paused, visibly groping for a word, "condition- would have proved very awkward to try to explain, so we brought you here to monitor your recovery. We were also hoping that you would awaken more quickly if you were in a semi-familiar environment."

"I think it worked." My eyes continued to wander the room, but I still couldn't see very well. "Why am I having trouble seeing?" Everything was bright and fuzzy.

"I have an idea," Morgan exclaimed and I felt her move off the bed. The sounds of curtains being drawn was loud but it dimmed the light from both the sun and the vampires. "Better?" she asked and I nodded. "I thought so. My eyes were extraordinarily sensitive at first, too." I looked a question at her and she smiled. "I can See a difference in your aura; its like ours," she waved at the four of them, "but not as strong."

"You mean I'm one of you?" I asked, surprised at the hopeful feeling that accompanied that thought.

"No, but I think you may temporarily exhibit some of our characteristics," she told me. I tried not to show my disappointment, but I couldn't help it. So I changed the subject.

"What did you tell my father and Claire? About what happened and why I'm here, I mean?"

"You got into an accident," Connor said quietly, his eyes sad. "My father, sister, brother and myself went down there to help you look for him. You met us at the airport, since we know nothing about Oklahoma and it would just be easier to pick us up than try to rent a car and find your house." The small smile that had peaked through suddenly disappeared. "You were struck by a car. The driver took the turn too quickly, lost control and hit you head on, slamming you into a support pillar. It was fortuitous that Marcus was there."

"How did you come up with that?"

"I've seen my share of hit and runs," Marcus put in as he felt along my ribs. "It was either that or you fell off a cliff, which would work here, but not in Oklahoma. Tender?" he asked as I sucked in a breath.

"A little," I said breathlessly. "I could almost believe I got hit by a car."

"Just be glad that the worst is over with; I'm not sure how long it would have taken to put you back together using conventional medical treatment, nor the amount of pain involved in the attempt." Marcus shooed his children away from the bed and pulled a curtain around the bed so he could continue his examination.

"I'm grateful we didn't have to find out," I told him and he smiled.

"So am I." He poked and prodded my various sore spots, checking bandages and reapplying medicine and wrappings where they were needed. "A few more days in bed would be advisable, though it will be possible to move you about," he said ten minutes later, opening the curtain once again. "I don't want you to try to walk yet; your body will be weak and easily over-exerted for some time yet because of the amount of time you've spent unconscious. Don't worry, though. All it will take is a little physical therapy and you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Doc," I told him and he grinned, setting his equipment on a nearby table before writing something on a clipboard.

"So how did you find my father? You did find him?"

"Oh, yes, it was rather easy," Morgan replied cheerfully as she sat next to my feet. "One of the messages on your phone was from your aunt telling you that your father was in a hospital."

"What?! Why?" I sat up quickly, nearly spilling the glass of water Connor had been trying to give to me.

"Its seems that you two have quite a bit in common, at least in the bad luck department." Her ironic tone confused me.

"Quit torturing the girl," Marcus chastised her and it was her turn to look confused. "He was hit by a drunk driver at a stop light." He pulled out a stethoscope and proceeded to check my lungs and heart, the cold metal giving me chills. "He suffered a concussion, multiple cuts from broken glass, cracked his ribs when he collided with the telephone pole and broke his arm in three places." He moved the metal end around as he spoke. "They had to keep him sedated for a while, after the worst of the swelling went down so that he wouldn't inadvertently hurt himself."

"That's what caused his call to be cut off so suddenly," I said as things started making sense.

"Near as we can figure, yes. He wasn't allowed any visitors or phone calls until a few days ago, when the doctors were sure that he was stable." He pulled out the blood pressure cuff and began to pump it up as I sighed in relief, even though it hurt. He'd been fine, well, kind of, and he'd been relatively protected. I felt a large knot of tension drain away, leaving me slightly light-headed and giddy.

"Well," Marcus declared after taking my temperature and checking my blood sugar, sitting beside Morgan on my bed, "I think you're healing just fine. You will probably be stuck using a leg brace and crutches for a couple of weeks," I made a face and they laughed.

"Its better than a cast," Chadwick told me cheerfully and we all laughed.

"It will be better to favor it for now, until you get your strength back and for show," he told me seriously. "I don't expect any problems but, like I said, I really don't know what effects, if any, will come from your healing." Connor and Marcus shared a glance and he nodded, standing. "Send Connor down when you need me," he told me with a smile, gently patting my arm. Chadwick and Morgan followed him out, quietly closing the door behind them. It was kind of eerie to hear them as they continued down the hall when I could barely tell they were in the room before.