Vessel X OC/reader

Chapter 17

I can't help but scream. I flinch a little, and as I open my eyes, he's gone.

Vessel barges in, making me flinch again, and he grabs me tightly.

"What is it?! What's wrong?"

"I saw a guy. In a mask." I say, getting my breath, and Vessel tilts his head a little, confused. He looks around the bathroom.

"Gaia, there's no one here."

"I know." I manage to say quietly. "I must've imagined it. But it was so real."

He takes a deep breath, almost like a sigh of relief, and spins on his heel to leave. I grab his hand tightly, and he stops, and looks at me. He doesn't say anything, but gently squeezes my hand.

"You still don't look good." He says, quietly.

I nod, in agreement, and suddenly feel a pain in my stomach. Oh, this is not going to be attractive. I gag, and quickly hold my head over the sink. I throw up, and Vessel quickly holds my hair back for me. When I open my eyes, I'm horrified. It's not vomit - it's blood. The whole sink is covered in it. I step back, in shock, and slip slightly, but Vessel, still behind me grabs me tightly.

"It's OK, just-" He stops talking. I guess he's just seen the blood.

He quickly scoops me up, and I feel myself going limp in his arms. He takes me out of the bathroom, places me on the bed, and shouts for a maid to grab a doctor. Kneeling beside me, he cleans the blood from my mouth, and I assume for my own comfort, he takes off his mask.

"What's the point of a doctor?" I weakly ask him, and he looks confused.

"So we can figure out what's going on."

"Are you dumb or in denial? I've obviously been poisoned." I reply, sharply, and his face twitches at the mention of the word.

"We don't know that."

I laugh quietly, and try and sit up a little, but he holds his hand up signalling me to stop.

"Rest."

"Did you have a second choice? It might be time to contact her." I say, and he raises his eyebrow, confused.

"To marry." I say, and he frowns at me.

"Shut up. Wait for the doctor."

I feel myself zone out slightly, and my vision goes a little dark. I don't exactly feel like I'm dying, but I don't know, I might pass out.

I'm too out of it to see or hear much, but the doctor does get here. He examines me, and sighs.

"I would get her family here, sharpish. Definitely poisoning." He says, as he cannulates my wrist, and attaches what I think is a bag of fluid.

"Her family? What? What are you saying?" He asks the doctor.

"I'm saying, she has been poisoned, Vessel. We dont know how severe. I'll give her something to counterract it. And fluids. Maybe she'll survive. Maybe not."

I groan, slightly, and Vessel looks at me, a little surprised. Probably thought I was unconscious.

He places his hand on my forehead, and sighs.
"Your brother was right. I shouldn't have let you marry me." He says, quietly. As I nod back off, he kisses my forehead. "I'm sorry, you beautiful little thing."

"What... you really think you're gonna be rid of me that easy?" I reply, still weak, and he looks surprised I'm able to respond.

Still kneeling beside the bed, he gently leans forward and rests his head on me.
"You're gonna pull through. But either way. I'm going to tear out the throat of whoever did this."

I sigh, heavily.
"I don't know what I did wrong." I say, mumbling slightly. "It was meant for me. The wine, in the kitchen."

"You didn't do a thing wrong. Not a fucking thing." He says, sharply. "I... I'm going to have to get your family. I won't be long."

He gets to his feet, and leaves, and I look around the room. I see my IV bag, and not much else.

I shut my eyes, and when he returns, I feel him rush over to me. He places his ear to my chest for a few moments, and sighs, before sitting back down on the floor beside me. I don't have the energy to talk to him, or even move, but it's nice that he's there.

"If you can hear me, your family are on the way." He says, quietly. Sure enough, I hear the door open in half an hour or so, and a bunch of footsteps.

I immediately hear my mom sob, and she kisses my forehead.

I open my eyes, and give them my best smile, which at the moment has to be pretty grim. Eric, my dad, and my mother are sat beside me, not taking their eyes off of me.

I try and sit up, but Vessel glares at me.
"Don't. Please."

I smile at him when I realise he's not wearing his mask. He doesn't do that around my family, or any one else, really.

He chews his nail, and my mom wipes her eyes.
"I just don't get who would do this."

"I can think of one or two people." Eric says, and glares at Vessel.

Vessel stares into space for a moment, and suddenly his eyes dart over to Eric.

"Eric. I really recommend you don't try it. Just be there for your sister. You're good at trying to be a good brother, but,  you're the worst brother I've ever seen. If this is the last time you see her, I suggest you make it a visit that was one of love and not violence."

"How can you give up on her that easily? She's strong." My dad says, getting angry.

"That she is. And I haven't given up on her."

"Of course you have. She's replacable to you, right? You can just marry the next girl." Eric says, and I groan slightly, disapproving of the conversation but not  able to intervene.

I expect Vessel to attack Eric, but instead, I hear him suddenly break down, and sob quietly. He stops pretty quickly, and thankfully, my family are quiet, probably from shock.

"I love you too." He says, quietly, and kisses my forehead.

So I guess Vessel is pretty sure I'm gonna die. I mean, for him to say that, he has to be. I'm ok with this.

He squeezes my hand, and I gently squeeze it back, hoping he knows I heard him.

Fuck this. No, I'm not ok with this.

I take a deep breath, and groan.

"God, I feel shitty." I manage to force out, and I smile as I hear Vessel chuckle.

"I'm not gonna die, you dumbasses." I hiss at them, and use my last but of energy to sit up. Vessel doesn't stop me this time, so I take a few deep breaths.

"Gaia. Sorry, I know you might not be feeling up to it. But that man you saw. What did he look like?"

"He was masked, like I said. But he resembled you. A little shorter. It was just a hallucination from the poison, though."

Vessel thinks, carefully.
"Maybe it wasn't. He was holding a knife, right? Sounds like a warning. And then a dose of poison that has damn near killed you. But not quite."

"Can we quit the sherlock shit?" I hiss at him, and he looks a little shocked, but nods.

"Sorry. I just... I want to make sure you don't get hurt again."

I groan, and lie back down.
"Let me sleep. Vessel can stay, but I don't want to be watched."

Vessel looks over at my family, and faintly smiles at them.
"One of the housekeepers will show you to a spare room if you'd like to stay."

They nod and leave, and Vessel lays beside me.
"Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."