Bump in the night.

Chapter Five: Reading is for Slayers

The next two weeks passed pretty quickly for me.
Grayson had started to spend some nights in the house instead of outside, mostly because I'd protest when I'd find him in the barn. Winter had started to come into full swing, the temperature had dropped significantly and snow padded the ground every night so far, I didn't care how good his Slayer system was, I wasn't letting him sleep outside if I caught him.
He'd been quiet about the hoard dealings and Slayer business after what we did to help Stella, but I didn't pry, even when I'd wake up in the middle of the night alone.
He'd paid off her debt with a bag of cash, telling her to keep the cheque for her and Avery. The last I'd heard, the bank called to verify the transfer and that was it.
It felt good, but Grayson had told me to avoid intervening any more.
I did, but I had asked Reed to send me some books on Slayers and Dark Ones. He happily did, leaving me a stack on my desk when he came to see Dr. Hyde. I'd often wait until I was alone and read them in the attic, where I had them stashed so Cindy wouldn't find them.
Since then, and having seen the back room now, Dr. Hyde allowed me to come in and out as I pleased, even asking me to assist him occasionally or clean up when he would forget he had a lecture.
I'd become use to the schedule now, even managing to take on some extra jobs with the free time I had.
I'd found some jobs in Tapestries with Alison, heading up there on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help her with cataloguing and sorting the inventory for a big collection exhibition that was coming up next month.
We'd had to postpone our drinks night twice already, mostly due to snow storms, but we'd started getting lunch in the cafeteria on the days I worked with her. We've even managed to lure Dr. Hyde out of the dungeon, as Alison called it, to join us every so often.
I waited at the elevator of Astronomy on Friday, my arms filled with paperwork for item transfers I'd made.
I almost hated myself for making more work, but with the exhibition meaning some of Dr. Hyde's personal collection was being displayed, I refused to let anyone touch anything until I made them sign for it.
I impatiently slapped the elevator door, checking my watch to see it was almost 4pm. The museum would be closing soon and Dr. Hyde had a lecture at 6pm to get to, meaning I had maybe ten minutes of his time for signatures before Reed would sort the handovers tomorrow.
Some of the paperwork fell onto the floor making me groan in annoyance, I dropped down in a squat, trying not to drop anymore when a familiar pair of hands helped me, Grayson's soft chuckle making me smile and look up at him.
He handed me the stack and helped me stand up, the elevator doors finally opening.
"What're you doing here?" I asked as he pressed our respective floors.
"Astrology had some samples go missing of an asteroid that crashed in the sixties." He rubbed his eyes, his voice bored.
"Oh, hope it's not stolen." I frowned, trying to even think of how it'd be useful, even to a Dark One, maybe the books Reed gave me hadn't covered them.
"Oh, it's not." He said in a slow, annoyed tone. "One of the assistance mistook the powderised rock as coffee and drank it."
I started to laugh, uncomfortably at the stupidity.
Having seen the Astronomy samples room, I knew everything was labelled and coded.
Grayson chuckled. "Yeah, the department head is not happy. But, least I found it."
We laughed together a bit more before the elevator door opened, the overhead speakers reminding patrons the museum was closing in an hour.
He held the door open with his hand, leaning in to steal a kiss from me, making me blush.
"I have to stay late, I'll see come by the ranch later?" His eyes melted and made me smile.
I nodded, he hadn't been around for two nights, I had to admit I was a little lonely. "Dinners at 8pm, tell Ben he can come if he wants."
Grayson winked at me, kissed at the air and left, making me roll my eyes and spend the rest of the travel down trying to stop blushing.
I found Reed at my desk, setting down a stack of new books.
"I haven't finished all the ones you gave me," I admitted sadly.
Reed shrugged and helped me with the paperwork I had, letting me squeeze past to sit down finally.
I buzzed the intercom.
"Dr. Hyde, it's 4pm and I need your signature for some things before your lecture at 6pm. Reed's here too."
"Thank you, Penny. Won't be a moment." He said hurriedly, like he was in the middle of a discovery.
Reed and I shared a look as I turned off the com.
"So we have half an hour." Reed chuckled.
"At least," I huffed, starting to organise the paperwork.
I stood back up and headed for the back shelves where Dr. Hyde's personal collection was, starting to tag everything that would be going.
Six stone, three metal and crystal artifacts and two weapons. All varying in age and condition.
Since reading the Slayer books, I'd come to learn some of the real histories behind them.
"The sword of Arthur." I muttered, tagging the pristine 14th century sword, labelled as Knights Weapon.
"The belt of Hercules." Another artifact labelled as Grecians Belt.
I rattled off the historic names of the items, Reed checking them against the request list from Alison.
When we were done, we carefully moved everything to the large wooden boxes that were set up near the cargo elevator towards the delivery bay.
I always felt a shivered walking in alone, my memory spiking to the first day.
But Reed's company and his light banter calmed me. He was where most of my Slayer and demon knowledge came from, being recruited by them after he'd discovered demon DNA by accident.
His expertise was genetics and molecular structure biology. Whatever that meant, but he was also a whiz at Slayer history.
He was retelling me a Slayer story I'd zoned out to, having heard it a few times already, but he was always excited to tell it, so I didn't stop him.
We loaded the last of the items and waited at my desk for Dr. Hyde who I buzzed again.
He didn't reply, making me look at Reed.
"I don't like this." I muttered, heading for the back room, Reed on my heels.
He helped me push the door open, seeing Dr. Hyde on the floor.
"Thaddeus!" Reed yelled as we ran to him, dropping beside him.
I checked his pulse, feeling a very weak and slow response.
I checked his airway.
Nothing.
I moved him into CPR position and started to deliver breaths quickly, turning my head after a set to listen for a response.
"His heart stopped!" Reed yelled, falling over Dr. Hyde to deliver strong chest compressions.
We alternated between breathes and compressions for a moment, still not getting a response.
My brain switched to the Wendigo section of the Demon book and I delivered four heavy breaths into his mouth before I pressed my ear to his chest, hearing a squelching sickening noise in his rib cage.
I sat up and looked around for a scalpel, finding one on a silver tray.
I snatched it and pulled open the good doctors shirts, popping buttons.
"What're you doing?!" Reed yelled at me, trying to stop me, I elbowed him.
"Call Grayson! I need him!" I shouted back, fear taking me but if I didn't act quickly, Dr. Hyde would die.
I took a deep breath and cut into his pale skin, I heard Reed yelling on the phone but I ignored him when the wound on Dr. Hyde sealed before I could see inside.
I cursed and tried again, apologising out loud to him as I recut the same line.
I screamed out when it rehealed and looked around wildly for an answer.
Grayson was suddenly there, looking at me with assurance.
"It's a parasite. Oh-veca-something." I rushed at him, trying to get him to understand.
His eyes widened and he moved my hand to listen to repeat the same steps I had, delivering large breathes and listening to Dr. Hyde's silent chest.
He sat up and nodded after a moment.
"I'll hold his cut open, you get the parasite. Can you do that?" His voice was steady, his eyes set on mine and I nodded.
We leaned down.
I cut again, deeper this time, Grayson's hands waited and pulled the skin apart as soon as there was room.
I almost wanted to be sick, seeing the internals of a man I admired. But I saw the parasite wrapped around Dr. Hyde's internal organs.
I filled with anger and snatched the pair of forceps off the tray, reaching in to grab the things head.
Reed leaned over, stabbing it with a needle and injecting it with something.
The leech-like parasite went limp suddenly, allowing me to pull it completely out and Grayson pulled his hands back.
We all watched while the wound healed and we waited for him to start breathing again.
I panicked after a moment, almost throwing the parasite to restart CPR but Dr. Hyde sat up suddenly, gasping and looking around.
He looked at Grayson who crouched next to him and gave him a gentle smile.
"You're right, Thad. Penny apparently has been studying up on Wendigos." He turned to look at me with a smirk.
Dr. Hyde was catching his breath, probably a little confused when he turned to look at me, Reed leaning behind me with his hands on his knees.
I still held the forearm long parasite with the forceps, reaching to hand it to Dr. Hyde.
He took it and stared at in surprise.
"Omveryvecta." He awed.
I smiled a little that I was close enough to the name. He met my eye again and swallowed hard.
"Did you...how did you know?" He asked, Grayson also watched me for my answer and I looked up at Reed, looking for help.
He just shrugged at me.
I sighed.
"Reed's been giving me books about Dark Ones." I admitted, not looking at the two men. Reed straightened, I assumed also avoiding their glaze. "I read about Wendigos and it mentioned about how they can get parasites, it had a whole diagram of extractions."
"But how did you know it was a parasite? I could have been having a heart attack?" Dr. Hyde didn't sound mad, just curious.
I finally looked at him, seeing he and Grayson had intrigued expressions.
"Reed and I checked that first, it wasn't until after I gave you breathes, that your heart stopped. When CPR wasn't working, I remembered the way to find out. So, I gave you big breathes then checked your chest, hearing it digesting the new oxygen."
They both stared at me in a bit of wonder.
Dr. Hyde stood with the help of Grayson and put the parasite into a jar filled with preserving liquid.
"Um, shouldn't you burn that?" I asked, watching him seal the jar and grab a pen.
"My, no! We can't get rid of such a find! No one's ever had a preserved Omveryvecta." He said proudly, putting it on his desk that was wedged in the corner.
It had a small label he'd written on.
Disc. By Dr. Thaddeus Hyde (carrier) & Penelope Wayland (extractor).
I chuckled, rolling my eyes as he smiled at me.
"I would have been fine with just a photo." I joked, stepping forward to check the damage of his shirt. I sighed, seeing it was ripped too badly, even for the seamstress upstairs to fix.
I found him a clean shirt from his desk and made him change, Reed checking for any stray blood while I was checking the time.
It was 5pm.
I almost couldn't believe such little time had passed. It felt much longer than that.
I felt tired and drained, yawning suddenly.
Grayson grabbed my hand and we walked back into the main room, I made Dr. Hyde sign everything he had to before we all walked to the elevator, Grayson with my books from Reed in his arms.
We rode the elevator and I walked Reed and Dr. Hyde to the car they shared, Reed driving him everywhere since he lived in the same building.
They reminded me of father and son often.
I told them to call me tomorrow to tell me how Dr. Hyde was doing, he tried to brush me off but Reed nodded in promise.
Grayson and I walked to the underground parking then, finding my car gone.
My face dropped before Grayson started chuckling and pointed to Ben's car.
I smiled, when Ben or Grayson drove me home, Grayson would take my car home during the day so I didn't have to come back and get it.
I giggled, eyeing Grayson mischievously as I climbed into the front seat with Ben.
Grayson stepped to my window and leaned in, capturing my chin with a gentle hand and turning me to face him. He dipped his head and kissed me softly.
"I'll see you tonight," he whispered, kissing me again before he left.
"I hear you're cooking tonight, mum." Ben joked, pulling me back to reality as he drove out of the carpark.
The snow was already falling heavily, making it hard to see so he drove slowly.
"I feel like ordering out." I yawned, blinking back tiredness and stretching.
Ben chuckled. "How about I cook then?"
"You can cook?" I asked, more surprised than anything.
He shrugged. "I dabble."
We fell into a comfortable conversation on our way back to the ranch, the Jeep out front telling me Cindy was home.
I smiled, walking Ben into the house without saying anything.
Cindy ran down the stairs while I waited, patting Molly and chatting to Ben.
Use to Grayson, Cindy came down with a face mask and wax strips on her legs.
She saw Ben and almost fell down the stairs, turning around and instantly going back up then.
Ben looked at me confused as I was laughing, shaking my head and showing him the kitchen.
After I'd showed him where everything was, he shooed me out. I went upstairs, putting away Reed's books in a chest in the attic with the others then found Cindy hiding in her room, grumbling to Molly about me.
I leaned against the door frame and giggled, making her jump to look at me.
"You're an ass." She threw her pillow at me. I dodged it, stepping into her room.
"You asked if Grayson had friends," I pointed out.
"Yeah! And just like Grayson, your introduction is terrible." She groaned.
"I like to see it as memorable. Ben's making us dinner, he kicked me out but I'm sure you can offer to help." I smiled.
She grinned at me and stood then, checking her reflection approving she jogged downstairs.
Molly followed me upstairs, laying at the door to alert me is Cindy came up.
I opened the old chest and pulled out one of the books at random.
It was called Gargoyles and Ghouls.
Shrugging, I sat down on the old wicker chair that Grams gave us, using an old stained glass lamp to help me see, and started to read.