CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN
[57]
song: apocalypse by cigarettes after sex
THE ENTIRE CAR RIDE WAS SILENT. Kai drove to the nearest town, hoping there'd be a hospital or at least a doctor's office. He kept glancing at Daisy, to see if she was asleep. But she never did, she just kept her terrified eyes glued on the road. She hadn't said a word to him yet.
About an hour out, there was a much bigger town with a hospital. Kai had parked right outside the ER building and helped Daisy inside to the nearest room.
After Kai brought her to the room, he helped her up onto the bed and he went back to the entrance to do a cloaking spell— just in case. He wandered around different 'employee only' sections, and gathered the things he thought she might need.
When he came back, he saw her sat up in the bed through the window by the door. She had taken off the blood stained dress and changed into a hospital gown. She ran her fingers over her scar covered arms, then to her face. She closed her eyes as she touched the scars that ran over her eyes, her shoulders slumping in defeat at the feeling.
When she reopened her eyes, she caught glance of Kai standing in the doorway, but quickly looked away. He swallowed before walking in, setting a few things on the table.
"I— um." He searched for something to say, but he wasn't really sure where to start. She examined the things he'd set down. A few sharp objects, some gloves and things to help clean her open wounds. He followed her gaze and then turned back to her, realizing it probably looked a lot more intimidating than it was. "I don't have to— I just—" He scrambled for words and he felt ridiculous for it. "—thought you might need a few stitches and maybe—" He trailed off, as he hadn't even fully seen the wound on her stomach that was inflicted moments before he arrived. He didn't have any idea what she needed. Her eyes just stayed glue on the metal objects that sat on the operating table. Kai hid them with a cloth. "I can knock you out if I need to like— do something for the— you know—"
Her eyes quickly flickered up to him and she looked scared. He swallowed harshly as he sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed. He took a deep breath and tried to desperately remember what it was like to be comforted.
When he was eight, his mom and Josette had gotten in a bad car wreck. He remembered visiting them in the hospital with his dad and not wanting to leave his twin's side before they took her to the operating room. He was just as scared as she was and he remembered her reaching out his hand for him to hold when she was getting drug away. Kai wasn't allowed to touch her, but she still tried.
He gently brought his hand up and went to grab Daisy's, but she flinched and pulled it away.
Kai sat back in his seat. His breath hitching at the sight of the two massive scars on her palms. He didn't even want to imagine what had happened for those to have been there. He clenched his jaw. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "There's a cafeteria on the first floor."
Daisy rubbed her hands for a few seconds, her eyes trailing around the room before she shook her head no. Kai took a deep breath as he nodded, but was then distracted by the blood stain that was beginning to grow right under her collarbone, and bleed through the hospital gown.
He got to his feet, thinking over his words carefully before speaking. He didn't want to come off as harsh or intense, but she needed help. "Can I see it?" He asked, gesturing to the blood. "It could be small enough for just stitches and— you don't want to lose blood if you don't have to."
She watched him as he spoke, trying not to let his words freak her out. It wasn't the pain she was scared of, it wouldn't even phase her at this point. She moved the gown out of the way, pulling it down to reveal the deep stab. It was a thick, direct line. They'd aimed for her heart, but slipped. She remembered the feeling of them yanking the knife back out, only seconds before dying.
Kai inhaled deeply as he examined it. "Well since it's definitely deeper than a quarter inch, and I can see a bit of tissue I can probably sew it up pretty easily." He spoke, realizing that his choice of wording was definitely not what the someone who was getting 'sewn up' would want to hear. "Stitches were the first thing we learned in medical school." Kai responded, trying to assure her he knew what he was doing. When she didn't say anything, or move, he spoke again. "They're really not that bad and—"
"I believe you." She spoke quietly, turning to him and struggling to meet his gaze. Kai kept his eyes steady on hers. She shifted closer to the edge of the hospital bed, and hung her feet off, pulling the gown down again.
Kai glanced at her and then back to the operating table. He nodded towards her a bit before going to wash his hands at the sink across the room.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes glued to the ground as she didn't even want to think about the massive wound on her stomach that stitches would definitely not fix. It'd probably kill her, but what was once more?
Kai came back over to the bed. "I've actually never done this on a real person before." He says as he examined the tools. Daisy looked up at him with concerned eyes. "I'm kidding." He responded. Daisy felt something like a smile creep up from below.
He took a small cloth and coated it with disinfectant, walking over to her. "I'm just cleaning it now." He spoke. Daisy clearly understood that, but it was probably the protocol he was forced to learn in school that he had to explain what he was doing to the patient.
Her heart beat began to beat rapidly as his hand got closer to her. He glanced at her and back to the wound. "This'll probably—" He placed the alcohol covered cloth on the gash and she winced, flinching away and squeezing her eyes shut at the harsh sting. "—burn a bit." He felt himself wincing too.
She let out a few breaths as she relaxed, her eyes trailing up to him as he focused on what he was doing. He gently dabbed the cloth a few times, making sure not to add too much pressure, but enough to get it clean. He glanced at her and she quickly looked away, refocusing her attention to the ground.
As he continued with the procedure, he talked it out to her like he probably would in his demonstrations. It was comforting, knowing that she at least had a little knowledge as to what was happening to her.
The pain was nothing. It felt like getting bit by a cat, although it was definitely one hundred percent worse than that. She barely flinched after the first needle puncture. Kai looked more worried than she did, which wasn't exactly ideal.
"I'm almost done." Kai said as he pulled the string back against her skin, squeezing an eye shut as he did. He turned around and grabbed a small pair of scissors, cutting the last bit of string.
He examined it a bit before leaning away, taking his gloves off. Daisy looked down at the jagged black string that was now sewn into her skin, holding the cut together to produce faster healing. She glanced back at him and he looked at her, awaiting her response. She nodded a bit, and he took that as enough— letting out a deep breath.
"Why don't I— um—" He scratched the back of his head, not sure what to say or do next.
"I'm gonna take a shower." Daisy responded quietly.
"Yeah." He nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." He looked around the room for something to do before shoving his hands in his pocket and turning back to her. "Do you need—" he didn't want this to come off bad but she could barely stand. "Um— help?" He asked awkwardly. Daisy shook her head. He nodded and gestures towards the door. "Okay— I'll be— I'll go get some food and some extra clothes and— yeah." He left before he could ramble on anymore.
Daisy sat atop the bed, watching as he walked down the hallway until he was out of view. As soon as he was gone, she choked up the blood that had been creeping up this whole time. She threw it up all over the gown and her bed as she struggled to get herself to the bathroom.
She held herself up in the doorway as more blood spilled from her mouth, then her nose, then her eyes. It was the worst feeling. She tried to get it to stop, but there was no use. She just had to let it happen, she turned herself around and pushed herself to at least make it to bed before it happened.
"Here's this if you need—" Kai spoke as he made his way back to the room, a glass of water in his hand. He raised his head and saw Daisy, blood spilling out from everywhere as she struggled to get back into the bed. He sat down the glass quickly and rushed over to her. He ignored how much she flinched when he grabbed her arms, and continued to help her up to the bed.
She hunched over and coughed up more blood. He watched with frantic eyes, trying to understand what was happening. "Just let me die." Daisy let out weakly before letting out another spill of blood.
Even with the knowledge that her words were not as terrifying as they sounded, it was still hard to hear. He watched in panic as she closed her eyes, leaning back in the now blood drenched hospital bed.
Kai glanced around the room for something that might ease the pain, but stopped when he felt her grasp onto his hand. He looked down, and she was gone.
For a split second, it felt real. It felt like a part of him had broke off and drifted away to somewhere he couldn't reach. And while those feelings totally freaked him out— he couldn't help but feel another part of him become relieved. Relieved that he could finally go back to his old ways, without the burden of having to worry about someone else anymore.
Sometimes he missed that. He missed not knowing love. It was nice not having that constant anxiety about where she was and if she was okay. Before her, the only thing he had to worry about was himself. And that was enough for him.
But he liked knowing love. He liked knowing her, and knowing where she was and if she was okay. He liked worrying about someone else. It made him feel normal. It made him feel human.
She made him feel human.
A few minutes pass. Kai was seated beside her in a chair by the bed, he hadn't let go of her hand yet.
She came back with a few coughs, the blood that lingered in her mouth coming up as she let them out. Kai let go, and stood up quickly, coming to her aid as she readjusted.
Daisy wiped her mouth and looked around at the blood covered white blankets and hospital gown. "What was that?" He asked, he wasn't sure what else to say. He would ask if she was okay, but that felt like a dumb question to ask the girl who just came back to life.
"The bleeding?" She asked, struggled to keep her eyelids open. Kai nodded and she shrugged. "It started happening a few deaths in."
Her tone was unreadable, as she sounded weak and confused— he could also sense a bit of sarcasm, but he wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. He nodded, and looked around the room before walking over to the corner where a folded up wheelchair sat.
She looked at him confusedly and he shrugged. "I'll take you to a non-blood covered bed." He asks, unfolding the chair and pushing it over to the bed.
Daisy felt like an idiot as Kai pushed her around the hospital hallways. She was completely helpless and if she didn't already feel like a burden before all this, she definitely did now.
"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" Kai asked from behind her.
She shook her head. Nothing had changed since the last time he asked, the thought of food still made her sick. "Just tired." She responded quietly.
"Oh." Kai spoke, bringing the wheelchair to a slow as he looked around for a room. He'd forgotten what they were originally doing wandering the halls. "Right." He leaves the chair and quickly walks down a few corridors, looking around for a bed.
Daisy got to her feet, her scrawny legs wobbling as they worked to keep her upright. She leaned against the nearest wall as she felt herself begin to tumble over. Moving made her nauseous. Maybe it was the lack of blood, or food. Or maybe it was the fact that she was dead five minutes ago.
When Kai came back around the corner he quickly rushed over to her, grabbing onto her arms to help her. "I'm fine." Daisy responded, gently pushing him away. His fingers grazed the raised scars that lined her arms. His eyes lingered on them for too long and when Daisy took notice she jerked her arms away.
Kai clenched his jaw as he glanced back behind him. "There's a maternity ward down the hall. With a tv. And a nicer bed." He suggested.
Daisy nodded a bit, beginning to walk herself down the hallway. Kai stood by her side, forcing himself not to hold onto her and help her walk even though she clearly couldn't do it herself.
When they got inside, Daisy walked to the bed and examined the soft white sheets. She was exhausted, and she so badly wanted to just curl up under the blankets and sleep forever. But she knew she wouldn't be able to. Not yet.
The TV turning on distracted her, and she looked up to see some sitcom playing, and Kai with a remote in his hand, sitting down in the chair by her bed. She glanced at him and then back to the bed, thinking for a moment.
"Actually—" She spoke, her throat sore. "I'm hungry."
He leaned up from his seat. "I'll go get something— and find a change of clothes. And maybe—"
"That'd be great." Daisy interrupted with a swallow.
Kai stood up and nodded. "I'll be right back." He said before leaving the room. Daisy waited for him to be out of view before she walked out of the hallway herself.
Kai took the elevator to the bottom floor where the cafeteria was. When the doors opened it was completely silent, an eerie feeling that he would probably never grow used to. He walked around trying to find something that sounded at least somewhat appetizing.
After gathering a little bit of everything, he made his way to the gift shop to grab a handful of cheesy t-shirts. He would've grabbed a few balloons and stuffed bears, but wasn't sure she was really in the mood for jokes.
He came back to the floor he left her on. Food and clothes in hand, contemplating whether or not he should've gone to a real restaurant to get real food. "Don't get too excited, but I got you hospital nachos." He spoke as he walked into the room. Only the sound of the TV filled the room, with no sign of her. He glanced around, setting his things down. "Daisy?" He spoke, walking over to the bathroom. The door was open, and there was no shower running so he walked in and scanned it. Nothing.
He hated how quickly panic washed over him. He hated how quickly his mind filled with the worst possibilities he could think of. He hated how quickly his feet carried him out the room and down the hall to search for her.
As he came to the end of the hall, he glanced to the left and the right, not sure which was she could've gone. It was then when he spotted a few drops of blood on the shiny tile floors that led closer to the exit.
He picked up his pace, following them but came to a sudden stop when he saw Daisy pushing the door open to the parking garage outside. "What are you doing?" He asks, catching up to her.
Ignoring him, Daisy pushed harder, wanting to scream at how much strength it took her to open a glass door. "Hey—" Kai spoke, redirecting her away from the door.
She pulled away and fought against the urge to cry. "Stop." Was the only word she could get out.
Kai looked at her with confused, concerned eyes. "What are you doing?" He repeats.
Daisy swallowed, "I'm going back."
Kai raised his eyebrows and looked at her confusedly. "Going back?! To Winslow?!"
"I want them dead." Daisy responded.
Kai could hear the anger in her voice, and knew exactly what she was feeling. She pushed against the door again and got outside, Kai to follow. "And how do you plan to kill an entire Coven?" He asks as Daisy trudges on to the nearest car.
"I don't know." She responds shamelessly.
Kai let out a deep sigh. "Daisy you can barely walk—"
"I'm fine!" She shouted as she wiped blood from her nose.
He caught up to her and stood in front of her, blocking her from going any further. "You're not fine." He says concernedly.
"Yes, I am." Daisy insists. It felt silly to say it when she was covered in her own blood.
"It's okay." Kai spoke. "It's okay to not be fine—"
The last thing Daisy wanted was a lecture. She pushed past him and he gently grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back around. "Let me go, Kai!" Daisy yelled, feeling her voice tremble. "Just let me do this—"
"You can do this." Kai responded. "We can go back and do what needs to be done." He nodded reassuringly. "But not like this. Not when you look like you could fall over by a breeze." He spoke. "And I'm not—" he flexed his hands. "I'm not in the best shape either." He clenched his jaw.
Daisy watched with intense eyes, examining Kai who looked just as frail as her. She hadn't even noticed the stubble on his face yet, or the pale skin and hollow cheeks. She'd been too busy dying to notice that they'd clearly gotten him, too. She wanted to scream. "What did they—"
"Later." Kai shook his head to stop her from asking. "Let's go back inside."
Daisy lingered in place for a few moments, and Kai waited. He could read by her expression that she had to see them dead to carry on, but he also knew that if they went in this condition— they'd just wind up in the same place again. He clenched his jaw and nodded reassuringly. "We'll kill them." Kai spoke. "All of them."