Blood Lust (COMPLETED)

Chapter Thirteen: Erased

"Do you remember what happened?"

The doctor asked, shining a tiny light in my eyes.

I shook my head as she checked my pulse. "Last thing I remember is getting out of the shower."

Why couldn't I remember? Had I hit my head?

Moving on from my wrist, the doctor retrieved a blood pressure cuff from my I.V stand and wrapped it around the place above my elbow.

"Well, you had a pretty bad fall this morning." She said, finished with checking my blood pressure. "You tripped and impaled your neck with a pencil."

"I did what?" Clumsiness wasn't something I was known for. I'd never even had a stubbed toe, for crying out loud!

Yet, there I was. Lying in a hospital bed because of a freak accident.

I stabbed myself in the neck with a pencil? I thought incredulously. Who the fuck does that?

"You were very fortunate,"

Doesn't sound like it.

"Another inch back and you would have punctured your carotid artery."

I felt myself pale. I could've died, and no one would have known... well, until Jo inevitably came looking for me when I didn't show up for breakfast.

Jo!

She wasn't in the room when I got out of the shower... she had left a note. It was fuzzy, but I remembered tossing her note on my bed after reading it. Was she the one who found me?

"Alright, Miss Ridley, your vitals look good." The doctor smiled. "I'll have the nurse come and remove your I.V, then you can go back to your dorm."

She walked out before I could ask about my memory. Seconds later, the nurse from before came in and swiftly unhooked me from my I.V. He placed a tiny piece of gauze and tape over the hole in my hand, and began spouting out instructions.

"Get plenty of rest tonight. No class tomorrow. And be sure to eat; it will help build up your strength."

He picked up the clipboard from earlier and wrote something else down while asking, "do you have any questions?"

"Why can't I remember getting hurt?"

The nurse paused for a second, then spoke without looking up. "Memory loss is common with a traumatic injury. It may, or may not, come back to you. But I wouldn't fret; just be grateful things weren't worse."

I gawked at him. Be grateful? I was in a hospital bed with a chunk of my memory missing. How was I supposed to be grateful about a situation that made no sense?

"Your roommate is waiting to escort you back to your room. Take care, Miss. If you start feeling nauseous, or dizzy, come back and see us. And try not to wander around the university alone."

And just like that, he was gone.

~~~

Jo brought me a change of clothes, and quietly helped me get dressed. It was strange, her not speaking. Maybe she saw how preoccupied I was? Or, maybe she just didn't care? Either way, I was glad--I wasn't ready to face questions I didn't know the answers to.

After we left the clinic, she wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me upstairs, waiting until we were in our room to let me go.

Once we were inside, she twirled around to scoop me into a big bear hug.

"Jo?" I managed, shocked for a second time.

She sniffled against my hair, and held me tighter. "It was my fault. You almost died because of me."

I stiffened. Why was it her fault?

"I must've left my pencil sticking up in the cup." She sobbed. "I do that all the time. I didn't think...oh, Audrey! Will you ever forgive me?"

I glanced over at Jo's nightstand, at the little pink cup holding two mechanical pencils, and noticed that the eraser sides were pointing up-- not the sharp ends.

Did she turn them over after my accident?

She let out another sob, and I finally returned the hug, trying my best to console her.

"What happened to me wasn't your fault. It was just a freak accident." As I finished speaking, I got a flash of something. An image.

Nero. He was sitting on his knees across from me, panting, with blood staining his soft lips. My blood.

"Audrey? Audrey? You okay?"

Jo was holding me at arms length, eyes wide and confused.

I shook my head, uncertain. "Yeah," I mumbled. "Guess I spaced out for a second."

If Jo didn't believe my fib, she never let on. Instead, she steered me to my bed.

"Get some sleep," she gently ordered, green eyes red rimmed from fresh tears. "And don't worry about missing class today; Connor picked up the books you needed, and he took extra notes for you."

"He did?"

Wow. That was really sweet of him.

Jo nodded. "Yup. I'm gonna take a shower. You good?"

I gave her a short nod. "I'm fine. Thanks, Jo "

She playfully waved me off. "No problem. Just get some rest, 'kay?"

"Yes, ma'am." I smiled.

She walked over to the bathroom and gave me a smile back, then she stepped inside, gently closing the door behind her.

I lied down, already asleep by the time my head hit the pillow. The dreams I had that night were random, disturbing. Images of the Dean, of Nero, their mouths dripping wet with my blood. Then, there was Lucius. The confession he'd made to me in my hospital room was fragmented, his words echoing off of each other until they no longer made sense.

By the time I woke up the next morning, I was wired, desperate to find out what really happened... to find out why I dreamed Nero and Dean Lachlan were vampires.

A/N*
So I know a lot didn't happen in this chapter (besides Lucius' crazy confession 😮 ) but I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think! Oh, and I'm thinking about changing the cover, so if you guys know any graphic designers (or are one yourself) give me a holler!