Status: This is the 1st time I have ever tried to put pen to paper for the stories in my head. Please provide feed back and comments it will help me to know if I am moving in the right direction and if I should continue. Thanks K
Embraces the Night
Chapter 13
She was stuck in such an oppressive darkness; she fought her way to the top, and then would get sucked back under. It was so hard to push out. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Sometimes she would swear when she opened her eyes she’d see Brody Marshall sitting in the chair next to her, or sometimes he was wiping her brow with a soft cloth. She even imagined him pressing his soft warm lips gently to her own lips.
She liked the idea of Brody Marshall standing guard over her. Then again, she wondered why anyone would be standing guard over me. She tried to open her eye lids but it was like they were glued shut. She tried to open her mouth and holler out to anyone who could hear her, but she found her throat to dry and swollen. Nothing would slip past her lips but a shallow breath of air.
Her brain was trying desperately to make sense of what had happened. She recognized these feelings. She knew the pain she was experiencing in her eyes; chest and throat were synonymous with her allergic reactions. But why? Why had she had a reaction to Brody?
She hadn’t done anything that should have triggered a reaction. She found her mind floating back to the pool, rounding the corner, him looking up. Oh no, that wasn’t Brody at all! That had been Josh standing out by the pool. How had I not noticed that? That’s why I am feeling so sick.
She again tried to force her eyes open. This time she thought she saw Brody resting his head in her lap. He was sitting in an old tan leather recliner. His head was face down across his arms that were resting on her lap. She suddenly could feel the slight pressure of his arms on her legs.
She blinked and forced her eyes open again. Yup he’s still here she thought. Maybe he really is here. Maybe it’s not my imagination. With that thought, Emily again tried to force her vocal cords to work. She managed to make a small mewing sound come out.
Brody opened his eyes to see Emily awake with her eyes open. They were very red and glassy and tears were running down her face, but they were open. Pure joy and happiness bloomed through his chest. He was so very happy to see her awake. Emily made a small choking sound and Brody bolted to his feet. He leaned in close to her face and opened her mouth. Looking in he said
“Emily, can you swallow? Is your throat getting tighter again?” He released her mouth and immediately pushed the call button for the nurse.
Emily started shaking her head back and forth. She couldn’t make her voice work, but she knew her throat wasn’t swelling. It was just the pain from the swelling going down. Brody saw her shake her head and relaxed slightly.
“We were all very worried about you. It has been touch and go for a few days. The doctor said you should be fine now, but it is imperative that they get to the bottom of this.”
It took another full day before Emily was speaking and could begin to drink and eat. Brody had left last night since she was now awake, and he wasn’t ready to discuss with her why he’d stayed. But she knew anyway. Three different nurses praised her fiancé. Went on and on about he never left her side. How handsome he is, they’d say. What a nice man. So loyal and good looking. You’re a lucky girl etc. etc. etc.
Emily was going to kill him. What the hell made him stay in a hospital watching someone who hasn’t even accepted a date with him, and WORSE he told the nurses he was her fiancé. Some fiancé, she probably would have a new reaction when he came back later tonight. Just her luck she would die in a hospital bed because some self-proclaimed fiancé decided to choose her. What does he think this is “While you were sleeping” that only happens in the movies.
Brody Marshall was going to have some explaining to do if he actually came back to her room. If not, she was going to send him one very long, very opinionated email when she got out of here. That thought had her moving on in her brain to next steps. She had talked to MaryAnn earlier on the phone. It had been a very interesting conversation since MaryAnn now believed the truth about Emily’s allergy.
MaryAnn is willing to help Emily find employment at one of the designer firms in NYC. She’s not happy that Emily has to move on, but understands this is life and death. MaryAnn had apologized over and over during the short conversation. She’s also let Emily know that there was no need to return to the Jensen place. MaryAnn was personally going to finish the job. It was more important for Emily to make a full recovery and focus on the relocation ahead.
Emily pushed the button on for the TV, and pushed the tray closer to the bed so she could drink some of the cold chicken broth the nurse had left for her about an hour ago. She dipped the spoon into the broth lifted it to her mouth and was suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of something horrifically rotten. It smelled like chicken that had been left in the sun for 3 days to rot.
“UGG, what the hell is this. It smells really bad.” She mumbled. No way was she forcing that down. Just as she was about to push the call button for the nurse she spotted something. Her head turned of its own accord.
Her eyes took in the sight before her. What the fuck is that her brain said. It kind of looks like some kind of monster out of a Steven King movie. It had very dark skin that looked almost leathery. It’s nose was missing flesh, just looked like to holes in it face where the nose should be. It only had a few scraggly hairs stuck to the left side of its head. The right side was covered in red oozing bumps. She couldn’t clearly see the body but somehow she knew it too was misshapen. The putrid smell from the soup was drifting up to her nose and she could feel vomit hit the back of her throat.
Brody smelled it the second he got off the elevator. There was a Vulnus nearby. He scanned to the right and left and didn’t see anyone moving. He picked up his pace as he headed towards Emily’s room. The smell slammed into him as he cleared the open door. He looked quickly looked around the room then his eyes settled on Emily. She appeared to be staring blankly at the window. His eyes moved in the direction of hers. There it was. Standing at the open window. Disfigured hand jutting out towards Emily.
Brody moved with lightning speed from the doorway to the window. As quickly as he moved however, the Vulnus moved just as quickly away from the window and out of Brody’s reach.
“Did you just see what I saw?” said Emily.
“I did” he said. He then pushed the window shut and drew the curtains tight.
“Looked like a burn patient out for a walk. How sad. Those burns had to be on 90 percent or more of his body” Emily blinked hard, kind of twitched her head to the side and said
“A burn victim” s. Wow those were some burns.”
She liked the idea of Brody Marshall standing guard over her. Then again, she wondered why anyone would be standing guard over me. She tried to open her eye lids but it was like they were glued shut. She tried to open her mouth and holler out to anyone who could hear her, but she found her throat to dry and swollen. Nothing would slip past her lips but a shallow breath of air.
Her brain was trying desperately to make sense of what had happened. She recognized these feelings. She knew the pain she was experiencing in her eyes; chest and throat were synonymous with her allergic reactions. But why? Why had she had a reaction to Brody?
She hadn’t done anything that should have triggered a reaction. She found her mind floating back to the pool, rounding the corner, him looking up. Oh no, that wasn’t Brody at all! That had been Josh standing out by the pool. How had I not noticed that? That’s why I am feeling so sick.
She again tried to force her eyes open. This time she thought she saw Brody resting his head in her lap. He was sitting in an old tan leather recliner. His head was face down across his arms that were resting on her lap. She suddenly could feel the slight pressure of his arms on her legs.
She blinked and forced her eyes open again. Yup he’s still here she thought. Maybe he really is here. Maybe it’s not my imagination. With that thought, Emily again tried to force her vocal cords to work. She managed to make a small mewing sound come out.
Brody opened his eyes to see Emily awake with her eyes open. They were very red and glassy and tears were running down her face, but they were open. Pure joy and happiness bloomed through his chest. He was so very happy to see her awake. Emily made a small choking sound and Brody bolted to his feet. He leaned in close to her face and opened her mouth. Looking in he said
“Emily, can you swallow? Is your throat getting tighter again?” He released her mouth and immediately pushed the call button for the nurse.
Emily started shaking her head back and forth. She couldn’t make her voice work, but she knew her throat wasn’t swelling. It was just the pain from the swelling going down. Brody saw her shake her head and relaxed slightly.
“We were all very worried about you. It has been touch and go for a few days. The doctor said you should be fine now, but it is imperative that they get to the bottom of this.”
It took another full day before Emily was speaking and could begin to drink and eat. Brody had left last night since she was now awake, and he wasn’t ready to discuss with her why he’d stayed. But she knew anyway. Three different nurses praised her fiancé. Went on and on about he never left her side. How handsome he is, they’d say. What a nice man. So loyal and good looking. You’re a lucky girl etc. etc. etc.
Emily was going to kill him. What the hell made him stay in a hospital watching someone who hasn’t even accepted a date with him, and WORSE he told the nurses he was her fiancé. Some fiancé, she probably would have a new reaction when he came back later tonight. Just her luck she would die in a hospital bed because some self-proclaimed fiancé decided to choose her. What does he think this is “While you were sleeping” that only happens in the movies.
Brody Marshall was going to have some explaining to do if he actually came back to her room. If not, she was going to send him one very long, very opinionated email when she got out of here. That thought had her moving on in her brain to next steps. She had talked to MaryAnn earlier on the phone. It had been a very interesting conversation since MaryAnn now believed the truth about Emily’s allergy.
MaryAnn is willing to help Emily find employment at one of the designer firms in NYC. She’s not happy that Emily has to move on, but understands this is life and death. MaryAnn had apologized over and over during the short conversation. She’s also let Emily know that there was no need to return to the Jensen place. MaryAnn was personally going to finish the job. It was more important for Emily to make a full recovery and focus on the relocation ahead.
Emily pushed the button on for the TV, and pushed the tray closer to the bed so she could drink some of the cold chicken broth the nurse had left for her about an hour ago. She dipped the spoon into the broth lifted it to her mouth and was suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of something horrifically rotten. It smelled like chicken that had been left in the sun for 3 days to rot.
“UGG, what the hell is this. It smells really bad.” She mumbled. No way was she forcing that down. Just as she was about to push the call button for the nurse she spotted something. Her head turned of its own accord.
Her eyes took in the sight before her. What the fuck is that her brain said. It kind of looks like some kind of monster out of a Steven King movie. It had very dark skin that looked almost leathery. It’s nose was missing flesh, just looked like to holes in it face where the nose should be. It only had a few scraggly hairs stuck to the left side of its head. The right side was covered in red oozing bumps. She couldn’t clearly see the body but somehow she knew it too was misshapen. The putrid smell from the soup was drifting up to her nose and she could feel vomit hit the back of her throat.
Brody smelled it the second he got off the elevator. There was a Vulnus nearby. He scanned to the right and left and didn’t see anyone moving. He picked up his pace as he headed towards Emily’s room. The smell slammed into him as he cleared the open door. He looked quickly looked around the room then his eyes settled on Emily. She appeared to be staring blankly at the window. His eyes moved in the direction of hers. There it was. Standing at the open window. Disfigured hand jutting out towards Emily.
Brody moved with lightning speed from the doorway to the window. As quickly as he moved however, the Vulnus moved just as quickly away from the window and out of Brody’s reach.
“Did you just see what I saw?” said Emily.
“I did” he said. He then pushed the window shut and drew the curtains tight.
“Looked like a burn patient out for a walk. How sad. Those burns had to be on 90 percent or more of his body” Emily blinked hard, kind of twitched her head to the side and said
“A burn victim” s. Wow those were some burns.”