Better Off Dead (Kellic) ✔️

28: Vic

oops, long chapter... 3 to go! and I suppose an epilogue too.

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**Vic's POV**

"It's definitely some kind of infection..." The nurse trailed off in a thoughtful mumble as she inspected the wound on the back of my shoulder. "I've never seen anything like it, though." She added.

"What does that mean?" Jaime asked. I had asked Jaime to come with me to the hospital. Walking the streets by myself had become something that I tried to avoid doing. And I sort of figured that if I had someone by my side who wasn't supposed to die, then I'd be safer.

I don't know, could be bullshit, but I was going with it.

So far, so good.

Except for that darned wound.

"It means that I'm not sure how to treat it." The nurse admitted. I could feel her sticking something into the wound, making me wince in pain. Whatever this infection was, it really fucking hurt. And it was literally getting worse by the hour.

"I'm going to have to stitch it up to stop further bleeding. I'll start by administering a local anesthet—"

"Don't bother." I interrupted the nurse, taking a deep breath. "It can't possibly hurt more than it already does."

Jaime stared at me with worry in his eyes, and I felt bad for dragging him along. I knew his mind was probably littered with questions, ones I doubted I could truthfully answer.

I knew that he was sort of open minded after the whole séance thing, but still... even I knew that all of this sounded completely insane.

I gnawed hard on my bottom lip as I felt the nurse starting to stitch up the wound, knowing I was biting so hard that I drew blood, but I didn't really care right now. When she finally finished, she covered it up, snapped off her gloves and washed her hands.

"I took some blood samples to get tested. I somewhat doubt that the results will be conclusive, but it's worth a try. I really have never seen anything like this." The nurse told me, looking beyond confused and somehow disappointed in herself. "I could prescribe you some antibiotics and inflammatory inhibitors, but I can't promise you that they'll work. And if it spreads... well, the only other thing I can think of is a full blood transfusion."

The nurse walked over to her desk and pulled out my file, scanning through it and making notes. "You will need a donor, however, since your blood type is quite rare." She then said, not looking up from the file.

I have a rare blood type. Figures.

"You haven't by any chance been on a vacation in the past 3 weeks to some exotic island? Or somewhere like Africa perhaps?"

I chuckled darkly and slowly shook my head. "I've never even been out of the state." And something told me that was never going to happen either.

The nurse wrote me a prescription, telling me to come back in five days if it became worse, and apologizing sadly multiple times for not being able to do more. 

I dressed myself back into my tank top and threw on my red flannel shirt before shaking her hand and giving her a half smile. "I'm sure I'll be fine." I told her stubbornly before leaving with Jaime closely behind me.

"There's something you're not telling me." Jaime then finally spoke up as we walked out of the hospital. I made a b-line for the pharmacy across the street, ignoring my best friend the entire way down there.

"You've been acting strange, man." He then pointed out. But I still ignored him.

I quickly picked up the medication and walked back out, deciding that I felt like having a coffee, so I started walking in the direction of the nearest Starbucks. But then Jaime stepped in front of me and stopped me before I could get there.

"Vic, we've been best friends for years. I can tell when you're hiding something from me. Why won't you tell me? We always tell each other everything." He pleaded. I sighed, rolling my eyes a little.

I felt genuinely bad for not telling him.

Jaime then let out a deep sigh. "Dude, even Mike called me and said that your lawyer contacted him to inform him that you had changed your will and you're leaving everything to him. Why would you suddenly do that now?"

I simply shrugged. "Just making sure that everything is arranged in case something happens. Any day could be your last, right? You never really know."

Jaime's eyes widened, looking at me skeptically for a moment, until a look of realization seemed to hit him. Oh god, had I said too much?

"Well that sounds awfully depressing." He muttered, before narrowing his eyes at me. "Is this part of your grieving process, Vic? Is this about Tony?"

Now it was my turn to widen my eyes. "No, of course not!" I immediately defended. I hadn't even thought about Tony since I moved out on my own. I mean it had been... wow; it had been a year today.

"Oh come on, Vic. I know better than anyone that you moved out of your parents' home just so you wouldn't be reminded of him. Yet here you are, acting like you're ready to die too or something."

I groaned loudly, rubbing my hands over my face. "You are the one reminding me of him right now, thank you." I muttered, slightly annoyed by his assumptions. I then pushed myself passed him and walked on, forgetting about the coffee entirely.

This really wasn't the time to be remembering how my boyfriend of five years had hung himself in my basement a year ago. When I moved out on my own, I had sworn to myself to forget about it and move on. Which I did.

This wasn't about Tony at all. But I suppose I understood why Jaime would think that now. In a way I guess it was why I wasn't scared of death. I was just pissed off at him.

I wanted to rip off its head and squish it like a melon. Though I bet that could never even be done.

I walked angrily across the street, until I suddenly got grabbed by the neck of my shirt and pulled back. I only just noticed a car speeding by, the horn blaring furiously as it passed me.

I looked back, my heart beating in my throat by the sudden rush, to find Jaime had just saved my ass. He looked at me skeptically before finally letting go of my shirt.

"I'm sorry for bringing him up, okay?" He then said, his face turning apologetic. "Just... if this isn't about him, then what is it?"

Should I tell him... really?