Love Bites
Chapter 19

When he got to their room, the curtain between their beds was drawn. Peeking in on both of them, nothing was going on that required the curtain to be drawn, so he pulled it back, opening up the room.

Both girls were hooked up to various monitors and Lily had IV drips, so he carefully unlocked the bed wheels on each bed and pulled both beds a little closer to the center of the room where he had placed a chair. When both beds were close enough so he could reach both of them, he relocked the wheels and sat down in the chair, tired. He reached out and took the hand of each girl in one of his.

Now that the adrenaline rush had worn off and his job of taking care of the girls and details were done, fatigue set in and he fell asleep in the chair, arms spread out, fingers intertwined with both his sister and his girlfriend.

He awoke to the sound of someone calling his name softly. As he regained consciousness, he was having a hard time placing the voice. It wasn’t his sister, nor was it Lily. Pain shot through both arms, causing his eyes to open suddenly. The room was dark, but his eyes adjusted quickly. The voice belonged to the person standing in front of him.

Abigail.

He moved to hug her, but both arms were stuck and prickling with pins and needles. Turning his head slightly, he released he was still holding hand with both girls and his arms had fallen asleep. Still looking at his one hand, he croaked, “Help?” with his dry mouth.

Abby laughed softly, realizing his situation, and helped him untangle himself while she rubbed some feeling back into his arms. “Your mom and Blaine are getting something to drink. They’ll be here shortly. Your mom told me how Kayla and Lily are. How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay, I guess.”

“No one mentioned Dallas… Is he still a threat?”

Cory simply shook his head no. Abby didn’t ask for more information.

Abby asked quietly, “Did he um… take advantage of Kay?”

“No, thankfully,” he replied just as quietly.

Abby just gave him a curt nod. “You want to go home? I’ll stay with them until you get some sleep and come back.”

Cory’s first thought was not a chance, but he was still tired and sore. His body hurt from the fight and from being asleep in a chair with his arms spread, extended as far as they would go.

“Blaine can give you a ride home.”

Home. Did he want to go home? Alone in a house that was trashed by a mad man. No, not a man, a vampire.

Cory was still having issues wrapping his mind around the idea that vampires were real and most of the tales and rumors were false. What else might be out there that was thought to only be myth? Werewolves? Aliens? Bigfoot?

Cory sighed and said, “I’ve got a way home,” not wanting to have to explain the car and everything else right now. He wasn’t sure anyone other than his mom needed to know the truth. The more people who knew, the bigger the risk of this happening again in the future, either by accident or on purpose. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go through this again.

Abby pulled up another chair beside the one he had sat in and sat down, taking Kayla’s hand, leaving Lily’s hand for him.

Now that he had feeling back in his arms and hands, he took Lily’s hand again and stood there in silence, only broken by the occasional noise of the monitors or Lily’s IV pump, until Blaine and the twins’ mom came in.

Abby got up, giving Kayla’s mom the chair she had been in so she could take her daughter’s hand. Abby sat in the chair that had been occupied by Cory.

Cory moved so Abby could take Lily’s hand, which she did as soon as he let go. He moved to his mom and said, “Mom, I’ll explain it all later. I’m tired and sorel so I’m going home to get some sleep. I’ll be back later. They’re both okay though, and so am I.”

His mom looked at him in the dim room light and said, “I’m glad you’re all okay. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you two,” as the tears finally came to her.

Cory went to his mom and gave her a hug, then wiped the tears from her cheeks. Still bent over, he whispered in her ear, “I’ve got an interesting story to tell you later. I’ll make you proud of a lot of people.” He straightened with a wince, then winked at her.

He then walked around to the far side of Kayla’s bed, kissed his on the temple and told her, “I’ll be back soon.”

Walking to the other side of the room to stand next to Lily, he leaned over and tucked a loose strand of hair over her right ear. The nurses had taken her hair out of the braid after they took the elastic band off the end because of the metal in it.

Being on her left, he had to be careful since it was her left side that took the most beating. Her broken arm in the pink cast laid at her side, her cracked cheekbone swollen and an awful shade of purple – almost black now – with the two white strips across the cut there.

He was hesitant to even touch her, but still he bent and kissed her lightly on the lips, then whispered, “I’m going home to rest. I’ll be back soon. Mom and Abby are here to watch over you two. Blaine too. Kayla is in the bed next to you. You relax and get better.”

He expected some kind of reply, even if it was just in his mind, but none came.

She must actually be out then, Cory thought with a smile. Good.

Cory said his goodbyes again and gave hugs all around, even to Blaine, which made Blaine feel uncomfortable kind of, and he left the hospital, taking the BMW home, making sure to drive carefully.

He parked in front of the house and got out, pushing the remote button to lock the car behind him. After all that’s happened, he didn’t want someone to steal Lily’s car too.

Going into the house, he closed the door and looked around. His mom hadn’t gone home, and the house was still in shambles. Too tired and sore to care, he walked upstairs, closing the door, where he hid on the way past.

He stopped at the threshold of his room and looked inside. While his room wasn’t as bad as downstairs, it was tossed about enough to depress him. He turned around and walked into Kayla’s room instead.

Cory was asleep almost as soon as his eyes closed. He dreamt that his sister came into the room, looking like an angel in the ethereal gown and light brown tan, getting into bed with him. She told him she was fine and to go to sleep. He looked into her blue eyes, which suddenly flashed a molten gold and it startled him awake.