The Death Thief

Finding Happiness

It didn't take me long to make my way down to the end of our small corridor. No other hotel rooms were on the first floor and part of me wondered if they were ever meant for guests in the first place. Adjacent to our section of the hotel was the laundry room and utilities closet. Not far from that was the kitchen which I imagined led into the grand hall used for dining. We were probably staying in what used to be servant quarters. It was interesting, though, because by trying to keep us filthy humans at a distance, they also gave us a private island away from their madness.

I found the door I sought and gave it a light knock.

"One moment," called a warm voice from within Room 105. After a few seconds, the door opened and the handsome doctor greeted me with a boyish smile. "Ah, Del. You must be here to get those bandages checked."

I didn't know how old Gregory was, but whatever it was, he seemed a good ten years younger in that moment. His eyes sparkled, his cheeks dimpled, and his body vibrated with excitement.

"Come," he said, waving me through the door. "Come in."

I slipped in, offering my gratitude for his hospitality. He then indicated the bathroom by the door, his room laid out in the same manner as my own a few doors down.

"I'll need you to remove your pants again, but at least you can do it behind a closed door. Might make you feel more comfortable."

From a logical standpoint, I didn't know why it would. He'd see me in frighteningly old underwear in desperate need of a wash, one way or another. Still, I breathed a bit easier once I stepped into the bathroom and closed myself away. It took only a minute however, and soon I was back out in front of the young doctor.

"All right, have a seat here and I'll check over these. Have you felt any pain? Dull? Stabbing? Burning?"

"Sometimes a bit of a dull pain, but only when I'm thinking about it or if I turn the wrong way." I sat down on the corner of his bed, while he looked at the wound on my calf.

"Well so far it looks good," he said, then directing me to lift up my shirt to reveal the more serious wound on my side. "But, if you haven't been feeling any more severe pain than just general irritation, then I think we avoided any nasty infections. Not to say you still shouldn't keep an eye out. Just keep these cleaned and protected until they've properly healed. You don't need to have them bandaged 24/7, though. I'm sure you'd like a shower."

I blushed a little, wondering if I smelled too terribly, but took a few deep breaths before reminding myself that he was a doctor and had probably seen worse.

"What do I do if it does get infected?" I asked as he finished removing the bandaging from my side.

"Come see me of course," he replied with a light laugh. He then turned for his kit and poured a bit of some clear liquid on to a cotton ball. I braced myself for another stinging application of antiseptic, but instead he rubbed it along the sticky residue left by the tape that had been holding my patch of gauze down. Like magic, the liquid melted the residue away.

"Well, I guess I'm just wondering because I heard you are getting converted soon and I didn't know if you'd be doing this still."

"Ah," he said, his toothy smile returning, "good news travels fast."

"It's a small town," I mumbled.

"Don't you worry, though," he said as he moved on to cleaning up some dried blood around the wound. "There are a couple other doctors in town, but they are a bit stuffy when it comes to treating humans. Doesn't matter if they're a coveted Body or a human sponsored by the most wealthy vampire in town. To them, humans are still humans, no matter who has claim over them. I suppose they're more aware of this because to a doctor all that matters is the patient before them."

"But, you won't be like that?"

"I have no intention of forgetting my first life," he answered, rising up and gesturing to the bathroom. I went in to put on my pants and he continued his explanation through the door. "There's a need for a human exclusive doctor in town and that's the role I hope to fill. So should your wounds get infected, I'll still be here to treat you."

I stepped back out, fully dressed and ready to go back to my own room to strip right back down and jump into a shower.

"Those stitches are dissolvable by the way, so really you don't have to worry about them unless you see discharge, increased swelling, or redness. Also watch out for feverish symptoms and of course, pain that goes beyond the standard irritation of healing."

"Thank you, I'll keep an eye on it." I gave him a nod and headed for the door. He, however, jumped ahead of me so that he could turn the handle and hold it open like the gentleman he was. A bit embarrassed by the unnecessary show of chivalry, I gave him another nod of my head and slipped into the hallway.

"Del, before you go, I just want to say that...that I hope these first couple of days won't color your time here." He sighed, his face weighed down by a pitying gaze. "Most of us came here to a warm welcome, not a dead body. We also were not attacked by rabid vampire children on our first night." A light laugh hitched up a corner of his mouth so that a crooked smile lit his face. "I just hope you'll get your chance to start over here. That you'll find the happiness you just couldn't find in the outside world."

"Have..." I paused, choosing my words carefully as the whispers of suspicion urged me towards an opening. "Have you found a happiness here Gregory?"

"I have," he said with a smile that effortlessly cast all the pity, all the sympathy from his handsome face. I'd never known the emotion myself — at least not in a romantic sense — but I felt certain it could only be love that would shift a man with such ease.

"You'll find it too Del. I know you will."

"Thanks Gregory. For everything. Have a good night."

"You too."

He shut the door as I turned for my room. There was love there, I thought. But I refused to believe it was for Calista. The same certainty that told me Gregory was pursuing a romantic path from his contract, was also what convinced me that Calista loved Matias. I supposed the question was, did Matias realize that.

Of course, I could have been completely wrong as well.

The day was late and I was filthy and tired. I took a long shower, that, had I not been standing, might have put me to sleep right there in the embrace of the sultry steam. Thankfully, I managed to make my way out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around me, before I plummeted onto my bed.