Shout the Call

The ride to the Royal Hotel was silent and I managed to bite every fingernail down to the quick. I felt sick to my stomach and didn’t dare to speak for fear of breaking down, again.

We pulled up outside the hotel and I could have smashed the window just to get out but Aaron, once again, knew how to soothe me.

“Shh,” he said, stroking my hair, “you need to calm yourself down and take a long, deep breath. Your Dad won’t want to see you in a state.”

“You think he’s dying, don’t you?”

“I don’t think anything yet honey,” he answered firmly, “let’s just see what’s going on.”

I nodded, shaking and attempting a smile. Aaron scooped up my right hand and pulled me towards the grand entrance of the Royal Hotel.

******

“We’re looking for Mr Harvey,” Aaron said, not even saying a polite hello to the girl on reception.

“Paul Harvey,” I added.

“And who is asking?” she replied.

“I’m his daughter, Beatrice. Beatrice Harvey. This is my boyfriend, Aaron,” I replied.

Girl-on-Reception looked at Aaron suggestively, utterly blanking my response, opting instead to converse only with my boyfriend.

“Do I know you, Sir?” she asked. It was pretty obvious that she did as she curled her hair round her fingers.

“Quite possibly; I’m lead singer in a band called Shout the Call,” Aaron answered, “but, and excuse my rudeness, that really is beside the point; I’m not here to discuss me. We’ve told you why we’re here so can you help us please?”

Girl-on-Reception’s flirting quickly fizzled out and the look on her face was priceless. Her eyes dropped to the computer monitor in front of her and she tapped away on the keys.

“Mr Harvey is staying in room twenty three on the second floor. Would you like me to request he come down?”

“Actually, we need to go up to see him.”

“Well, it’s not company policy……”

“Look, screw your damn policy,” Aaron shot in, becoming more exasperated by the second – now who needed to calm down? “The guy’s not well and we’re not sure if he has the strength to come down. Beatrice here was supposed to be meeting up with him today but she hasn’t been able to get hold of him to arrange where. So, can you please let us up to him?”

“I suppose….” Girl-on-Reception said, mulling over the question.

“Come on,” Aaron almost shouted, “please, we need to see him; we have to.”

“Okay, okay – go on up,” she said, handing Aaron a key card, “I’m going to get in so much trouble over this!”

“Thank you Miss,” Aaron said to Girl-on-Reception, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the stairs “and don’t worry, if anyone ever does find out, I promise I’ll cover for you.”

******

We came to a sharp halt outside room twenty three.

“I can’t do this Aaron.”

“Yes you can,” he said, his eyes full of sympathy, “you can and you must.”

“I’m scared. What if…..”

“I know you are honey and that’s completely natural. Deep breath, okay?”

I inhaled on cue and with shaking hands, I knocked on the door. No answer. “Dad,” I called; still no answer. Aaron slipped the key card from his back pocket and pushed it into the slot above the door handle. A green light flashed and I slammed the door open.

“Dad,” I shouted, running over to my father, lying listlessly, unconscious on the king size bed, “oh my God. Dad!”

I grabbed his chin in my right hand and shook his head sharply from side to side. His eyes stayed shut so I shook even harder. “Daddy,” I yelled, hoping the increase in volume would have more of an effect. His eyes slowly flickered open.

“Dad, it’s me.”

“Beatrice,” he whispered hoarsely, “oh my darling. I’m so sorry I couldn’t meet up with you…”

“Ssh,” I stopped him, “it’s okay; I’m here now.”

My father looked towards Aaron who was still standing at the door, and smiled weakly.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked.

“Let’s just say Aaron’s been my private investigator,” I replied, trying to sound as light hearted as I possibly could. Aaron smiled awkwardly as we both looked at him.

“I just spoke to Jim, that’s all,” he said quietly.

“Well thank you,” my father said, “thank you for getting the information and thank you for finding me.”

“It’s really no big deal. No problem,” Aaron said, batting the thanks away. I looked at him and smiled; he could be so adorable sometimes.

“So, how are you feeling Dad?” I asked, immediately feeling foolish; what a stupid question.

“Ah well, you know….”

“No, I don’t – tell me.”

“Beatrice, there’s no easy way of saying this but I think this is it. I think I’m dying.”

“Please Dad,” I said, struggling to swallow the lump in my throat, “don’t talk like that.”

“Sweetheart, I know this isn’t what you want to hear and I know you certainly don’t want to believe it but I’m afraid it’s the truth.”

I looked at Aaron, hoping he would come to sit next to me. He answered my silent plea and headed over to the bed. He sat down next to me and began stroking my back.

“We need to get you to a hospital Dad.”

“And what would be the point sweetheart?”

“Well, there could be a chance….”

“No, I’m afraid there isn’t; no chance at all. There is no point delaying the inevitable sweetheart. I’m happy Beatrice. I have you here with me, my beautiful daughter. I’m in a lovely comfy bed in a stunning room and I’m happy. If I was in a hospital, I would die a very unhappy man.”

He began to cry.

I began to cry.

Aaron’s silence was deafening.

“Have you spoken to Mum?” I eked out between sobs.

“No.”

“Why the hell not, Dad?”

“There’s no need to worry her whilst she’s off on this conference. This is a huge thing for her and I will not jeopardise her progress.”

“Don’t you think she needs to know?” I asked again.

“Yes, she does. She knows I’m ill honey; she knows its terminal. As much as we both care for eachother Beatrice, your Mum and I, well, we’re not in love anymore. We do both love you though, very much and it’s you that’s kept us great friends all this time. Maybe you could break the news for me.”

The deep, intense sadness I felt quickly turned to anger.

“Oh, so it’s left to me to do your dirty work. Dad, how the hell do you think that makes me feel?”
“Beatrice, I’m more than aware of the situation and I know it’s not ideal,” he wheezed before letting out a wracking cough, “but I am not prepared to ruin her career.”

I could actually see his point even though I didn’t particularly like it.

“Sweetheart,” my father continued, “I wish this wasn’t the end. I wish we were sitting outside a coffee shop, having our well overdue catch up. I wish for that so much, but it’s never going to happen now so can we just stop with all the bickering and if it’s at all possible, enjoy our last moments together?”

He rolled on to his side and heaved. Blood shot from his mouth on to the crisp, white pillow. I leant over him and rubbed his back and I finally realised that this was it; this was the end.

“Bea, can I have a quick word?” Aaron asked. I turned and looked at him angrily.

“What, now?”

“Yes. Now,” he answered.

“I honestly don’t believe you sometimes Aaron. My father is slipping away right in front of our very eyes and you want to chat? You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

He grabbed me around the waist and whispered in my ear. “I need to speak to you now!”

At that precise moment, it wouldn’t have bothered me if I never saw Aaron again but his powers of persuasion are second to none. I swore under my breath and got up, albeit reluctantly, from the bed.

“This better be fucking phenomenal!” I seethed.

Aaron shook his head.

“Beatrice, we can help your Dad. There is another way.”

“What, digging his grave for him?”

“Hear me out, okay?” Aaron answered.

“Go on then, if you must.”

“I can give him my blood.” Aaron said; awaiting my reaction which he must have known wouldn’t be a good one.

“What?” I shouted.

“I can make him immortal. He’ll never know illness again; he will always be well.”

“Well, yippee,” I said sarcastically, outraged by his solution, “he’ll get rid of his cancer but will have a penchant for sucking blood. Nice; perfect idea Aaron.”

“That’s the only way to save him honey,” he replied, “but it’s up to you.”

“Don’t you think it’s a decision only my Dad can make?”

“Bea, just look at him! He’s barely here with us and even if he was capable enough to make the decision himself, you know he would hate the thought of it.”

He was, even though it pained me to say it, correct. I began to cry again as a deep sense of realisation set in.

“I know. I know. What do I do? What would you do?” I asked.

“You know I can’t answer that sugar. It can only be your decision, but if it helps any, if it was me lying before you on the verge of death, I would choose immortality any day of the week. I would never ever want to be away from you. I know it’s easier said than done because I’m immortal already but that would be my choice.”

I wrapped my arms around Aaron and kissed him deeply.

“I want to save him,” I whispered breathlessly into his mouth, tears cascading down my cheeks.

“Are you sure Bea?” he whispered back.

“I’m certain.”

“Okay, right,” Aaron said as he gently pushed me away before raising his right arm, wrist upwards, towards his mouth. I pushed it away just as his fangs flashed under his soft, full lips.

“No!”

“What the… Bea, what are you doing?”

“If it’s got to be done, he can have mine.”

“What the fuck are you talking about Bea? You can’t do that. You know what will happen.”

“I do. I know full well and you should be happy; at least we’ll be together forever and I’ll never lose my Dad ever again. It’s the only way I can do this; I need you to draw my blood.”

“I can’t Bea. It can’t be this way.”

“Well, if you don’t do it, I’ll just cut myself – would you rather me do that?”

“No. No, don’t you even…..”

“If I cut myself, I won’t be able to stop the blood. If you bite me, it can be controlled.”

“I know that Bea and that’s not what bothers me, but,” Aaron stammered, “you give your Dad your blood and that’s it, there’s no going back; you’ll be a vampire.”

“A small price to pay when it’s me who has saved his life,” I replied firmly, “if saving him turns us both immortal then that’s just the way it has to be. It’s a win-win situation.” I looked at Aaron lovingly and from the look on his face, he knew straight away what he had to do.

“I love you Beatrice Harvey. Here’s to immortality!”