Vanilla Lace

Every second, every minute, Tom was beside Bill. It was a day since the tragic news was announced. Was there no way to save Bill? Tom had never ever prepared himself for this day. He started thinking about the girl, and why Bill was trying to chase her. Clenching his fist tight, he swore to find her and get his revenge should the worst happen to Bill. It wasn't fair to Bill, so it could never be fair enough for that girl.

Analiese stayed in hiding for the past few days in various parts of the hospital, in closets, empty rooms, the cafeteria. She merely went back once each day for a shower, nothing more. She couldn't eat, just like Tom.

"Please come out," Simone pleaded with her older son. "Tom, don't make me cry. Your mother has got no more tears to spare, please. Bill wouldn't want you to be like that."

Tom swallowed. He was thirsty and his throat was dry. He hadn't had more than a few sips over the past few days and Simone feared that Tom couldn't take it. She had to force him out of the room.

"Tomi," Simone started sniffling, her tears flowing out again as her son once again ignored her. His eyebags grew more prominent and he had a certain smell coming from him because he hadn't left this room for days. "Tom, come back to the hotel with me and we will come back later, I promise you. Please."

Being a mother who was going to lose half of her offspring, she tried her best to face the fact. She didn't deny the doctor's predictions. She wanted Tom to take care of himself as well.

"I cannot lose you as well, Tom," Simone said, crying once more. "I cannot afford that." She place her hands on Tom's shoulders, begging the boy to return with her. She had to take care of him and make sure he was taking care of himself. Though deeply hurt, she had to accept the truth though she was secretly in denial. Crying for three days was painful, but she had passed that phase. For now.

Tom gave a sniffle, inhaling deeply and shakily. Tears streamed down his cheeks from his swollen eyes. He hated life so bad right now. So bad, that it hurt every part of him. Especially his heart. It ached a lot. He stood up slowly, back aching from being in the same position for hours on end at each time as he watched Bill. Leaning over his lifeless-looking younger twin, Tom leaned in and gave his most beloved other half a kiss on his forehead. He hoped it wasn't his last. He was going to come back and accompany Bill to the end no matter what.

No other words were exchanged as the two left the room in silent agony. Tom gazed once more at Bill before leaving for the hotel for a proper meal and shower in days.

Analiese had her hair tied up and she wore a cap, in hopes that no one that had seen her would recognize her hanging around the hospital. Bill's section was in a private wing and no one was allowed to go there except permitted family and friends. Most of the time, only Tom stayed inside. People only stood behind the glass window to take a look at Bill. While she was just waking up from a sudden afternoon nap by the front counter, she noticed that the press outside got noisier and it just so happened that Tom was leaving the hospital. There was a woman with him, and she supposed it was his mother. It was Bill's mother.

The girl observed for a while, and realized she finally would have the chance to see Bill in private. That was, if she managed to get past the personnel that stood in her way. It was lunch and there was a pattern she noticed over the days, that there was a five-minute interval when the nurses exchanged posts. She had only five minutes to see him. The worst that could happen was that she would be told to leave. Five minutes was all she needed.

Quietly, she went to the floor where she knew Bill was at. The girl was smart, and she had to be just so she could see Bill. She stole a cleaner's uniform from the utility closet and pushed the equipment trolley around while still under her cap. She'd hate to be discovered by Gustav suddenly. When she saw pushed the trolley into the sector where Bill was, she sighed, relieved that she wasn't chased away. Hovering around and mopping the floor, the time finally came where she noticed the nurses leave their post.

"Hey, sanitize that room there," a nurse pointed out. "The patient's brother just went home after four days of not bathing."

Analiese was elated, finally finding a reason to go in. She also decided to take the chance to ask as she was facing away from the nurses. Looking at Bill, she asked. "What happened to him?"

The other nurse replied as she went beside Analiese, looking at Bill sympathetically. "Bad, bad jaywalking accident. He's only got two or three days left because his heart fails him. He's apparently a German singer, you know? Poor guy." With that, the nurse left.

Distraught Analiese couldn't believe what she heard. Two or three days left? And this was all her fault. She couldn't process it, and she stood in shock for a while. Without hesitating, she went in and left her trolley outside. Tears streamed down her face unavoidably as she entered the room. There was a certain smell lingering but it didn't bother her. She went straight to Bill. She wanted to save his life after so recklessly causing the near loss of it, and there was only one thing she could do.

She didn't have the skills of a miracle maker, but she could give him new life. The thought just dawned her, and she felt her heart racing faster and faster. It wasn't going to be the best life, but it was the most she could do. She didn't want Bill to go just like that, and she hated being the cause of him leaving. How could he die? Looking around briefly, she noted there was no one there.

Analiese looked at Bill. His porcelain features radiated even though he was the most pale she had ever seen him. She swallowed hard before caressing his face with her cold hands, and she leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips. It was a lifeless one, and her tears fell on his face. Bill didn't move; he stayed motionless with the faint beating of the life support machine beside him.

"I'm sorry," Analiese muttered. She was sorry for doing this to him, but she wanted to see him alive again and for that split moment, she didn't consider the consequences. She leaned in to his neck and pushed away his hair and the tubes that blocked the way. Without a second of hesitation, she sinked her fangs deep into his skin. Bill, though in a coma, felt a tiny piercing pain that shocked him, and there was a tiny gasp that escaped him.

The young reckless vampire drew blood from him, and she noticed he had a very sweet blood. Not that he had diabetes, but he wasn't as bitter or rusty as those she'd ever tasted before. No, it wasn't that she did this to a lot of humans before, she was forced to take a few lives when she was little. Thinking about that, she forgot she drew too much blood from him. Her secretion had engulfed Bill's blood enough, and she was sure this was how it worked. It had to. She pulled away, leaving two deep holes and two not so deep ones and the mark of her lower half set of teeth as well.

She wiped her mouth, licking away the blood and all. Staring at Bill, he looked more pale now since she took more blood from him. The girl was unsure how long it took for it to take effect. She couldn't wait for two days, because he might go anytime. The beeping of the life machine was status quo, and she felt disheartened. Did she do anything wrong? Why wasn't there a sign to show that he was going to be fine?

Wiping Bill's neck with a clean towel, she made sure there wasn't any blood left. The holes were pretty obvious, but she hoped he would be regenerating fast enough to heal those scars. Her mind was in a state of blur as she waited for a reaction, but she heard noises. Nurses were headed here and she couldn't be risked being seen. When she turned, she head a scuffling, and she turned to see Bill moving a bit.

Bill felt a sharp headache in his head right after that pain in his neck. And he opened his eyes slightly, feeling like he had this sudden outburst of energy from within him but he was too weak to use it. The life support machine started beeping at a faster rate, more normally, and Analiese was shocked when she watched Bill come to life. She gave out a small sound like a gasp, and Bill stared frowning at her. He couldn't see too well due to the fact that he had been sleeping for the past few days and the sudden readjustment to the lighted surrounding was quite uncomfortable. All he could make out was the rough figure; a girl, possibly, wearing a cap and she had... She had mahogany hair. It seemed so familiar to him, but he couldn't think that second. His body still hurt. And he closed his eyes once again, succumbing to fatigue.

Though startled, Analiese didn't waste a single second and she pushed the trolley out of the room after spraying the sanitizer like she was told to. The nurses passed her and went to the counter right across Bill's room. The girl quietly pushed away, exiting the private wing and going down to where she had stolen her disguise from to return it. Her job here was done, hopefully.