Sequel: The Lunacy Fringe: Part Two ›
The Lunacy Fringe
Seventy-One
When Felix came to check on me, I wasn't feeling well, and he didn't stick around. My dad called Crystal again, but she told him there was nothing to worry about unless I started to get worse. Regardless, he was reluctant to go to work in the morning. He was afraid to leave me alone, but I promised him I felt much better and Felix would be by once school let out. He ended up asking Claire to keep an eye on me anyway. She came by several times just to see if I needed something. I still felt like garbage, and I just wanted to sleep, but I didn't think anything was significantly wrong with me. I was probably already getting sick when I got bit by a vampire.
It wasn't until Felix got home from school that I started to believe it might be serious. I heard him come in the door. He asked if I was awake. I told him I was. But he still seemed concerned. He crossed the room and put an ice-cold hand on my forehead.
"Crap. You're burning up. Do you feel okay?" he asked.
"I'm just—I don't know," I replied, waving my hand. At least—that's what I thought I said. He lifted my arm. "Son of a bitch." Then he pulled the bandages off and was silent for a second. "Shit." I tried to ask him what was wrong but was too tired and hazy to get the words out. "Ruby? I'm going to call my mom. We're gonna take you to the hospital, okay?"
"I'm sure it's fine," I told him. But he either didn't listen or didn't understand.
"Mom," I heard him say after he sat down at my desk to pick up the phone. "Ruby's not doing too great. She's burning up. And she seems kind of—out of it. Her arm is really swollen and bruised, and it's bleeding and kind of—oozing." Gross. "She's not really responding. I know she can hear me, but she's not saying anything that makes sense… Yeah… I'll be right down."
He hung up and then pushed his arms beneath me. The next thing I knew, he'd lifted me from the bed bridal style and was carrying me down the stairs. His mom was already waiting at the door to help. The air outside felt icy against my skin. I squeezed closer to him, trying to steal his warmth. Then he was lying me down in the backseat of his mom's car. The engine was running, and they were fussing over me. I felt someone put another hand on my forehead.
"You're right," Claire said with her watered-down French-Canadian accent. "She's not doing well. I called her dad to let him know we were taking her in. I had to leave a message."
"Alright," Felix replied.
"I'm gonna fucking kill her," I mumbled. Felix laughed from the front seat.
"I guess she isn't completely out of it."
"You understood that? What'd she say?" Claire asked.
"She said, 'I'm gonna kill her." Claire's laugh was only half-hearted. The car pulled away from the curb, and one of them reached into the back to tuck the blanket up over my shoulders. I was pretty sure it was Felix. He touched my cheek when he was done as if to reassure me.
"Felix?" I started. "I think—I'm gonna turn into a zombie." He laughed again and swept my hair off of my face.
"Then you'll just have to bite me so we can be zombies together."
I might have actually done it if I wasn't half asleep.
It wasn't until Felix got home from school that I started to believe it might be serious. I heard him come in the door. He asked if I was awake. I told him I was. But he still seemed concerned. He crossed the room and put an ice-cold hand on my forehead.
"Crap. You're burning up. Do you feel okay?" he asked.
"I'm just—I don't know," I replied, waving my hand. At least—that's what I thought I said. He lifted my arm. "Son of a bitch." Then he pulled the bandages off and was silent for a second. "Shit." I tried to ask him what was wrong but was too tired and hazy to get the words out. "Ruby? I'm going to call my mom. We're gonna take you to the hospital, okay?"
"I'm sure it's fine," I told him. But he either didn't listen or didn't understand.
"Mom," I heard him say after he sat down at my desk to pick up the phone. "Ruby's not doing too great. She's burning up. And she seems kind of—out of it. Her arm is really swollen and bruised, and it's bleeding and kind of—oozing." Gross. "She's not really responding. I know she can hear me, but she's not saying anything that makes sense… Yeah… I'll be right down."
He hung up and then pushed his arms beneath me. The next thing I knew, he'd lifted me from the bed bridal style and was carrying me down the stairs. His mom was already waiting at the door to help. The air outside felt icy against my skin. I squeezed closer to him, trying to steal his warmth. Then he was lying me down in the backseat of his mom's car. The engine was running, and they were fussing over me. I felt someone put another hand on my forehead.
"You're right," Claire said with her watered-down French-Canadian accent. "She's not doing well. I called her dad to let him know we were taking her in. I had to leave a message."
"Alright," Felix replied.
"I'm gonna fucking kill her," I mumbled. Felix laughed from the front seat.
"I guess she isn't completely out of it."
"You understood that? What'd she say?" Claire asked.
"She said, 'I'm gonna kill her." Claire's laugh was only half-hearted. The car pulled away from the curb, and one of them reached into the back to tuck the blanket up over my shoulders. I was pretty sure it was Felix. He touched my cheek when he was done as if to reassure me.
"Felix?" I started. "I think—I'm gonna turn into a zombie." He laughed again and swept my hair off of my face.
"Then you'll just have to bite me so we can be zombies together."
I might have actually done it if I wasn't half asleep.
♠ ♠ ♠
Fact dump about this chapter. I had to do a lot of research into what hospitals do with human bites, but I did write this chapter about ten-eleven years ago. Since then, I have had the fun experience of taking my child to urgent care after being bitten by a cat. Yes, they are very different kinds of bites, but I figured the same principle applies. Basically, they would not have given it a chance to get infected in the first place.Reworking this chapter ended up being a little bit more of a challenge. I still wanted to convey that same sense of urgency and humor but also keep it real. Crystal is a medical professional and would have known that Ruby needed to go in. So my excuse is just that it was a different time (this is not modern if you haven't figured that out yet).
Also, the wound was originally a lot gorier but with that age and experience, I realized the worst of the bite would be from the awful bruising. And the infection would come from very small tears in her skin when Felix ripped her away.
If you're curious about cat bites, however, the damage is mostly due to their razor-sharp teeth and not the force of the bite. Even a relatively shallow bite will be very bloody.