Without a Sound

(Charlotte’s P.O.V.)

I felt the rumble of the car’s engine when Mikey started driving. I wondered how he managed to drive with me in his lap and while he continued to brush my cheek with his fingers, but I was glad. I think I would’ve died it I didn’t feel him touching me. I’d have no reason to hold on to my sense of touch.

I didn’t know what he was doing when the car stopped for a minute or so. Before he started the car again, he kissed me. I kissed him back so he would know I was still there. Then he started driving again, much faster this time. I felt us turn right and go down a gravel driveway, so I knew we were going to Gerard and Celia’s house.

When the car stopped again, Mikey carried me up stairs and set me on a bed. I guessed it was Gerard and Celia’s bed. For a split second, Mikey wasn’t touching me and I panicked, but then he was sitting under my head. His body was shaking. I couldn’t tell if he was shivering or sobbing. I doubted he was laughing.

After he kissed me again, something was set on the bed. Mikey ignored it for a while and just kept kissing me. After a little bit, he took my disgusting shirt off. I felt like crying. I wasn’t embarrassed anymore. I wished I wasn’t in so much pain so I could respond to him.

Then I felt a smaller hand on my arm. It must’ve been Celia’s. She was helping Mikey with me now. They turned me on my side and poured a liquid into my mouth. I felt it, but I didn’t taste it. I think they were washing the blood out of my mouth. After they were finished, they sat me up.

Celia put two pills and water in my mouth. Mikey kissed my throat. I knew they wanted me to swallow. When I did, my throat burned and I wanted to cry out. Mikey was shaking again, and they laid me back down on my back. They waited a few minutes while whatever they’d made me swallow started to take effect. The unbearable stinging in my chest slowly ebbed, but it was still there. Just not as bad.

Too soon they started pulling wood from my chest with gloved hands. Most of it came out with the original stake, but they had to pull a few stray splinters out as well. It still hurt, but not nearly as bad. Why wasn’t I dead yet? I didn’t hope that I would stay alive. I just wanted to stay alive longer.

Mikey carried me to a different room and set me down on a cold, hard surface. I wasn’t quite sure where it was until the water started running. I was in a bathtub. He took off my jeans and started washing away all the stickiness. Celia was not there. It was just me and Mikey.

The soap stung really badly when he shampooed my hair. After a while, I felt clean. My chest wasn’t bleeding anymore. I suspected I was out of blood to bleed with. He dried me off, and then Celia helped him dress my legs in what felt like pajama bottoms.

They took me back to the bed, which had clean sheets. Celia must have changed them while Mikey was washing me off. Waiting for my hair to dry, they wiped the wound on my chest with something that stung more than the soap. I writhed in pain.

Mikey kissed me and said something against my cheek, but of course I couldn’t hear him. He was shaking once again, though, so I tried to stay still for his sake. I didn’t want him to worry about me. It took them a long time to wrap up the hole in my chest. At last, they put a shirt on me.

Celia brushed my hair and Mikey rubbed my cheek while a third set of hand – Gerard’s – worked on the cut on the back of my head. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the one on my chest, so it didn’t hurt quite as much.

At least, they were finished with me. Gerard and Celia left. Mikey lay down next to me. He played with my hair and held my hand. I was tired. I knew I was starting to fall asleep. Either that or I was dying. I didn’t know, so I squeezed his hand. He squeezed back firmly and kissed my cheek.

I put pressure on his hand again. If I was dying, I wanted a better kiss than that. Either he understood or just didn’t want to leave me with a kiss on the cheek either, because he kissed my lips for a long time. I tried to use all the strength I had left to kiss back. I don’t remember anything after that.

When I awoke, I could hear. I heard the buzz of electricity, the wind ruffling the leaves outside, someone running water in the kitchen, and most importantly I could hear Mikey’s even breathing close to me.

I opened my eyes, but I still couldn’t see. I couldn’t sense blood, and I couldn’t taste anything. I didn’t know if I could smell. I wasn’t breathing. The pain reliever had worn off, and my chest burned almost as much as it had originally. I wanted to talk to Mikey, though. In order to do that, I needed to at least take a breath.

I inhaled slowly and rigidly. Mikey, who had his arm around my stomach, stirred. His head was very close to my ear. “Charlotte,” he whispered desperately. “Are you awake?”

I moved my hand to touch his. I wasn’t going to talk if I didn’t have to. He understood perfectly.

“Can you hear me?” he asked hopefully.

“Only feel and hear,” I breathed, my voice cracking.

He kissed me. “Don’t talk if it hurts,” he pleaded. “What hurts?”

I smiled slightly. No offense to him but that was a pretty stupid question. “Everything,” was my reply.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized as if it was all his fault. “I’ll go get you something to make it better.”

I gripped his hand tighter. “Don’t go,” I begged.

He was quiet for a few seconds. Then he promised, “I won’t. I’ll stay here with you until you’re better.”

I answered in a gravely voice, “Then I don’t want to get better.”

Mikey smoothed my hair back. “I’ll stay with you after, then. As long as you want.”

I reached out with my free hand, trying to find his face. “I love you too,” I whispered raggedly.

He took my searching hand and pressed it to his cheek. “That’s good,” he admitted. “If you didn’t, you’d probably be pretty pissed at the way I’ve been treating you lately.”

I smiled and shook my head. “I would’ve given up if you hadn’t.”

“Don’t say that,” he said almost angrily. “You wouldn’t have given up. I wasn’t going to let you.”

I leaned forward to kiss him, even though it hurt my chest so much I winced. Mikey gently pushed me back. “I though I was going to die.”

“I thought so too,” he said softly. “I thought I was going to lose you, too. I wouldn’t have been able to handle that.”

“Why didn’t I die?” I asked.

Mikey laughed shortly. “The stake missed your heart by a millimeter.”

“There must be a God,” I concluded. “One that cares about people on this earth. One that even cares about vampires.”

“I don’t think so,” he replied darkly. “Not if you’re a millimeter away from being dead.”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” I demanded. For some reason this triggered a long string of coughs from me.

“Shhh,” Mikey said, kissing me. “Don’t talk. We can talk later. Just rest. Please.” I nodded. He’d been worried enough. I didn’t need to worry him more.