Page 8 of Burn Falls

“Ten blade,” I requested.

I made the incision, and the crimson blood spewed profusely. Even though I’d fed recently, my mouth started to water. “Irrigation please.” I grabbed the clamp the nurse was holding and began to repair the artery after they sterilized the wound.

As I was making the repair, a nurse came in. “The family have arrived and want an update.”

“Tell them he’s in safe hands, and let them know that as soon as we’re done in here, I’ll go out and give an update.”

After testing that the artery was repaired, we made the decision to put Mr. O’Bannion in a medically induced coma because of the amount of blood loss and lack of oxygen to the brain from the time he was attacked until I was able to repair the artery. I knew he wouldn’t survive, but I couldn’t make that call while he still had a pulse.

Once I cleaned myself up enough to return downstairs to the waiting room, I left to break the news to the family and find out all the information I could. There were several people waiting when I entered the area.

“O’Bannion?” I called out.

“Yes?” I turned my head to see three women and one male rushing toward me. “I’m his wife, and these are my children,” the older woman stated.

“I’m Dr. Young. Let’s go inside the hall where it’s a little quieter.” I gestured to the door that I’d just entered through.

They all started to move as I held the door open with my hand, and when I saw the one who I assumed was the oldest of the siblings, the one who discovered her father bleeding to death, I had an uncontrollable urge to reach out and touch her. My hand went to her lower back, and feeling the heat radiate off her body sent an unfamiliar ping to my dick. I’d been with many women since my transition, but none had this instant effect on me. It was the vulnerability in her deep-green eyes, and those curves. I just wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her.

“How’s my husband?” Mrs. O’Bannion asked once we were all through the doorway. I noted her taking deep breaths, no doubt in an effort to stay calm.

“He’s stable for now, but his carotid artery was severed, and he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Will he be okay?” the male asked, clearing his throat.

I smiled tightly. “It’s too soon to tell. Because of the blood loss, there’s a chance he’s sustained damage to his major organs including his brain. For now, we’ve put him in a medically induced coma to give his body a chance to recover. I’d like to get more info about the attack so I have a better timeline and know how much blood he’s lost.”

All eyes turned to the woman I’d touched. “I was the one to find him.”

I nodded. “Can you tell me what you’ve told the police?”

“Sure.” She rubbed the back of her neck as though she was nervous or stressed. “I’d been helping my dad at our distillery with some paperwork after lunch, and I’d lost track of time. I hadn’t realized the sun had set, but when I heard a scream, I jumped up and ran toward it.” She broke off into a sob. “I rounded the corner and saw him lying on the ground.”

I didn’t understand why the vampire had chosen to attack someone while he was at workandwhile others were around. It made no sense. “Let’s have a seat,” I suggested, gesturing toward the chairs that lined the wall. After we all sat, I pulled my chair in front of the young woman. “Now, take your time. A nurse said something about a man being there?”

“Yes … He was kneeling over my father’s body, and then he was gone.”

“Do you know what he looked like?” Normally I wouldn’t ask this because it was a job for the police, and it was their responsibility to open an investigation, but given the circumstances, I needed to know.

She shook her head. “No. It all happened so fast.”

I placed my hand on her knee, needing to feel her heat again. “It’s okay—”

“It’s not okay,” she cried, her beautiful emerald eyes rimmed with red. “How will the cops be able to catch him if they don’t know who they’re looking for?”

The sister wrapped her arm around the woman’s shoulder and hugged her. “It’s okay, Calla. They’ll find him.”

The mother tsked as if she were annoyed that her daughter didn’t get a full description of the guy, but I was actually surprised she’d caught even the slightest glimpse of the vampire given our amplified hearing and speed.

“Let’s not worry about that right now,” I said. “We should focus on your father’s recovery. He’s on antibiotics to prevent a possible infection, and we’re monitoring his vital signs.” There wouldn’t be an infection from a vampire bite, but I obviously couldn’t tell them that.

“Right,” Calla sighed. “I just don’t understand why he would be attacked.”

“You said yourself that you don’t know how long you were doing paperwork. Is it possible he went out during that time? Maybe the guy brought him in, panicked, and then left?”

“I guess so, but who attacks someone by biting them?”

“Mike Tyson,” the boy scoffed.