They Rise at Dusk (Book #1) ✔️

Chapter 18: Darkness

The next few hours oozed away like syrup – slow, thick and seemingly stopping at times. I watched darkness settle over 10th Avenue through the large windows, covered with pale blue unwashed blinds.

Maimonides Medical Center was awfully empty, and I hated the silence pounding in my ears along with my heartbeat.

Doctor Martin took Lucia the moment we arrived and hasn't let me seen her since. She was alive and tucked away in some corner of the hospital, but I knew nothing more than that.

My nerves felt prickly, and a fight or flight response raged in my veins. My gaze kept escaping to the hospital door, and I eyed suspiciously everyone that walked in.

Lucia was out in the world, not safely locked in my apartment.

If the wrong person simply smelled her, everything would go to shit.

But Doctor Martin said he needed to run tests and he needed machinery that wouldn't even fit in our lame little loft, so I caved and let him bring her here.

I had no idea how long she would have to stay here, or whether her sight returned, or if she would even survive. Dammit, I cared about that stupid girl too.

When I first took her in, my motives weren't entirely selfless. Yes, I wanted to get her away from Edmond and I didn't want to see her dead, but I was also quite interested in her unfortunate case of pregnancy.

It was a big deal. And while I took her in and gave her food, most would have strapped her to a chair and turned her into a guinea pig. I didn't want to experiment on her, I wanted her to live.

Or I wanted the baby to live.

In all honesty, I would let that offspring die right now if it meant she would live.

Our world was screwed enough, we didn't need a half vampire half human baby running around.

Another problem took my brain hostage as if I needed more concerns to fill up my time.

This was a hospital visit. Doctor Martin had to run tests and probably strap her to machine, maybe even keep her here overnight.

This was going to cost me – a lot. And Doctor Martin risked much more by bringing her here, which meant he would ask for more money.

After another hour, during which I even managed to break my promise and respond to Jax's messages, explaining to him that I had a Lucia emergency, Doctor Martin finally showed up.

"Odette." He stopped in front of me. "She has to stay here overnight."

"Tell me what's wrong." I demanded and stood up, feeling weak and small crumbled on the plastic chair.

"Her kidneys are damaged."

"Excuse me?"

"She has preeclampsia." Doctor Martin entered his doctor mood, and I knew he was worried, in a way all doctors were worried about their patients.

He wanted her to live and he'd do everything in his power to make sure of that – if for no other reason, then for his ego.

"English." Pain spread through my gums. "Or layman-ish."

"Her blood pressure is way too high" The doctor said. "It's damaging her internal organs, especially kidneys. I gave her medication and she's stable, but she needs to stay over night."

"How do we treat this?" I asked, trying to make sense of the severity of the situation.

"We monitor her and we give her medication for high blood pressure." Doctor Martin said. "That's the only thing we can do at this point. Other than delivering the baby prematurely."