Double Trouble

Savannah still had a grip on Dawn’s body. She knew that there was no point in doing so, but she couldn’t bring herself to let go of her daughter. Dawn, why would do something so stupid? It seemed as if the decision she and Toby about hiding Toby’s past was a mistake; if Dawn and the boys knew the truth about what was going on beforehand, there was a possibility that she wouldn’t be gone. All Savannah could do was sit there in wonderment over what might have been if she could change things. Would things have changed if Toby and I told them what was going on? Or, would the outcome still be the same?

Unfortunately, it seemed as if Savannah had no chance of knowing if things really would be different if that one minor change was made. There was nothing she could ever do to change the choices she made. And now, her daughter was dead because of it. How can I live with what happened? My middle name is a testament to my daughter since she was given my middle name as a way to protect her. Now it will always serve as a reminder for that which I lost.

One way or another, Savannah needed to get over her daughter’s death. It was not going to end well, especially after the two years she spent sulking over her parents’ deaths. Savannah always did know that she was going to outlive her parents; just never that early. Her children, of course, were a completely different story. Under no circumstances were Savannah and Toby supposed to outlive their children, even if they weren’t immortal. And, there was also the fact that Thomas and Toby would never allow her to go back to the way she was fifteen years ago; she was a wreck fifteen years ago and couldn’t go back to that.

“Savannah, you okay?” Thomas asked.

“Why would I?” Savannah asked her brother. “I lost my daughter because Jason and Justin were because back to life as a result of your father-in-law coming back into our lives.” She groaned. “I really don’t see how that man could ever have been your father-in-law. There’s a part of me that’s glad he’s dead. Now, we never have to worry about him. But, there is the fact that my daughter is dead because of their interference in our lives.”

Thomas wrapped his arms around his sister, hugging her tightly. “I really am sorry about that. I feel as if it’s my fault that any of this occurred. You warned me about Iyana and I never listened; I never really cared about what I thought. Look where it got me.”

Savannah nodded, knowing her older brother was right. Thomas was partially to blame for everything that happened. If Thomas never married Iyana, none of this would have happened. In fact, now that Savannah had the chance to think about it, Calarasi’s appearance in the Meadowbrook family’s life came shortly after Iyana’s wedding to Thomas; it definitely wasn’t before. Eli was a year-old when Calarasi first made a play for Toby’s immortality, once Iyana had been in their lives for about two years. There was really no other explanation for what was going on, other than the fact that Iyana introduced it into their lives. “Yeah,” Savannah mused, “you can’t deny that one. You made a whopper of a mistake bringing Iyana into this family. The only good thing Iyana ever did for us was giving birth to Eli. Despite the fact that Iyana was the one to introduce this whole thing into our lives, she inadvertently brought it to an end because of Eli.”

“Had to be the side he gets from me,” Thomas injected.

“Yeah, because what are the chances he got a recessive gene from Toby?’ Savannah asked. She knew there was no chance of that happening, so it could only come from her brother, just like the fact that Eli was acting much like his father. Eli seemed exactly like his father when it came to dealing with the possibility of dealing with death. “So, why are you here?”

“Why else?” her brother laughed. “Come on, Savannah; you’ve always had your issues with death. I suffered through two years of listening to you sulk over Mom’s and Dad’s deaths. I am not about to do the same because you lost your daughter. Savannah, you need to get over this one fast, before it begins to affect your sons. There’s no way that you can do what you did all those years ago; it just won’t work this time. Not with Reuben and Keith around.”

Savannah nodded, knowing her brother was right. Despite this, she still couldn’t bring herself to let go of her daughter’s body. Glancing up, Savannah saw that her sons were standing a few feet behind Thomas, both sleepy from getting up so early. “Thomas,” she shrugged, “you know it’s not going to be that simple. As much as you say I need to get over what happened—and as much I know you’re right—there’s no easy way for me to get over Dawn’s death.” This was her daughter she was taking about. How could Thomas—or Toby—ever expect her to get over Dawn’s death so easily? It was never going to be that simple, as much as all the men in her life thought it was going to be. That was another thing. Now that Dawn was dead, Savannah was the only woman living in a house of men. Savannah was quite sure that getting used to that was sure to be a difficult feat, one that she would have to work through for her sons’ sakes. She couldn’t do this.

“It needs to,” Thomas warned. “And, just so you know, we’ll all be right there to help you deal with what happened. You’ll have us to rely on throughout this entire ordeal.”

“Yes, I know,” Savannah replied. “However, I don’t know if it will help.” There was a lot that needed to be worked through if Savannah was to get over Dawn’s death. Counseling sessions for Reuben and Keith needed to be scheduled, funeral arrangements would have to be made, and Savannah needed to deal with the fact that her older brother inadvertently married into the worst possible family imaginable. That would be the hardest thing for her, dealing with the fact that Toby’s family—Thomas’s in-laws—was responsible for all that went wrong with her life. How am I ever going to get over what happened?

“We’ll see to it that it does,” Thomas replied.

Savannah shrugged. “I guess.”

For awhile, Savannah, Thomas, and the boys stayed at the site of the accident; Savannah didn’t want to leave just yet and Thomas was not willing to leave his sister alone when she was in such a fragile state. It was understandable since Savannah had the worst track record when it came to dealing with death. Plus, there was also the fact that Reuben and Keith needed to be near their mother with what just recently happened; it was a family affair, one that they needed to deal with before anything more catastrophic occurred. Savannah was pretty sure that the Meadowbrook family could not handle much more of this.

“Dad! Aunt Savannah!” Eli called as he came barreling through the hallway. “Uncle Toby is awake; he wants to speak with you guys about what happened. Especially you, Aunt Savannah.”

“Figures,” Savannah mumbled. If Toby was asking for her, it could only be assumed that he wanted to speak with her about her mourning process. Two years went by between her parents’ deaths and when Toby was finally able to convince her to let go of what happened. He never wanted to see that happen again. “Alright. I’ll go see him. I already know what he wants anyway; with as bad as I was fifteen years ago when he found me, there’s no way he wants to go through with that again. I just don’t know if I do as he asks.”

Savannah followed her nephew back to her husband’s room. It was hesitant at first, but Savannah went in. “Hey, Savannah,” Toby said weakly as he pushed himself into an upright position.

“Hey, Toby,” she said softly.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“I could be asking you the same thing,” Savannah countered. “You’re sitting here in a hospital bed, unable to go anywhere until tonight when the sun goes down.” She groaned in frustration, knowing that she had something to do with what was going on. “I guess it seems as if I’m partially responsible for what happened here. If I hadn’t been so selfish about keeping you alive, Dawn might still be alive since the only reason she even died was to keep Calarasi from obtaining the immortality I put back in your body. It’s my fault she’s gone.”

Toby grinned knowingly. “I know why you’re so upset about this. Eli told me that you were upset about this, but I didn’t know just how much you were until just this second.”

“What do you mean?” Savannah asked.

“It’s guilt,” Toby explained. “It’s the reason you’re almost in denial over what happened. I have it on good authority that I’m taking the news of Dawn’s death far better than you. My brothers are responsible for what happened—Jason in particular—to this family. Calarasi and Iyana never would have been born if my brothers weren’t vampires. Things might have been different if I was the only one who had the vampire curse.” He sighed. “You’re not the only one who has to share part of the guilt over what happened; we all do. Except for maybe Reuben and Keith; they knew nothing about what happened and I can think of nothing that they could have done to stop this. You’re not the only one who must suffer through the guilt of knowing that things might have been different if their choices differed.”

“Yeah; that’s true. It’s harder for me though,” Savannah reminded him. “My parents remember? Death has never been something I can deal with, not as easily as other people.”

“Which is why we’re going to help you,” Toby said.

Saw that coming, Savannah thought. You, Thomas, and Eli are going to do everything you possibly can to keep me from returning to the way I was when you found me. I was an utter mess and I don’t think that one can take that. Not again, or in Eli’s case, not ever! And, if Reuben and Keith had even an iota of understanding what I went through as a teenager, they’d start hounding me about this. But, they’re too young for that, so I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about my boys doing what Thomas, Toby, and Eli have been. She sighed. “Of course you would say that,” Savannah laughed. “You hate seeing me like this.”

“After all that you suffered through, yeah,” Toby replied. “Now, about what my thrice great grandniece did to me. What did your brother’s wife do to me during the night?”

Really? You choose to ask this question, the one question that I have no answer for. Damn it! How am I supposed to answer that question when I don’t even know myself? What type of answer am I supposed to give Toby? “I really don’t know, Toby. Eli and I got here just in time to stop Iyana from injecting. We never counted on the fact that she’d have a second needle on her. And, unfortunate as if is, neither one of us know what Iyana did to you.”

“So, now what?” Toby asked.

“We wait it out,” Savannah replied. “Maybe waiting it the best we can do. There’s a chance that whatever Iyana did will surface. Only then can we sit and figure out what to do next.” As much as Savannah really didn’t want to wait, she knew it was the only thing she could do for the moment. Even after theirs deaths, questions still lingered regarding some of their actions; this one in particular. What did Iyana do to Toby and why was it so important?

Toby groaned. “Oh the joys of waiting. That is sure to be the highlight of my day, you know; sitting here in the hospital room wondering what a member of my own family would do to me to ensure that I was destroyed. Savannah, I really don’t think that this can wait.”

“And, why is that?” she asked.

“Because waiting will do nothing but intensify the situation we are about to be faced with,” Toby explained. “Because you revived the vampire curse I thought I was rid of, we are now forced to deal with something that never should have happened; something you know I have sworn never to do. Savannah, I think I know what Iyana did to me.”

“What?” she asked.

“Strengthened my blood thirst.”