The Healer 4

Part 13

As I started to come to, I had to squeeze my eyes shut. It had been over a month and a half maybe even two months since I'd felt the sun on my skin, and it felt good to feel the warmth of it on my face. As I laid there, enjoying it, my memory caught up with me. I started to push myself off the mattress to look around. My side was still too tender for me to move much, so I laid back down and groaned in pain. "That still hurts?" I heard a sound, like plastic being crinkled.

"You're too weak to heal yourself fully. ... You need to eat." William said indifferently from across the room.

"I know." I grumbled, breathlessly.

"Then, get over here and eat."

"I might, if I could get up." I gasped as I focused on healing myself.

"Here." He murmured from beside me. As I cringed, reflexively, I glanced up to see him offering me a hand to get up. Thinking he must have an ulterior motive, I didn't reach for it, and he scoffed "Do you want to get up or not?" Hesitantly, I reached for his hand, and, as he jerked me to my feet, I groaned in pain and wrapped my left arm around myself, holding my side. Nudging me toward the table, he eyed me over and said "You've only been out for a few hours, so you should try to sleep some more after you eat."

Glancing around, I noticed we were the only ones there and asked "Where's Johnathan and Isiah?"

"Johnathan's getting a few things from down there, and Isiah's behind you." I turned sideways and glanced at the mattress. Isiah was laying there on huge piece of plastic that looked like a clear shower curtain, and I took a few steps back, surprised by his appearance and the amount of blood. He looked different yet the same. He still sort of looked mummified, but he also seemed thicker and moist. Like a full sponge. "You'll have to bleed out a few more times, before he'll be strong enough to drink on his own."

"How does me bleeding out help him?" I asked in a whisper.

"He's absorbing it." He moved closer, barely brushing against me, and pointed over my shoulder to the mattress. "Watch the edge of the blood pool." He murmured near my ear, making me cringe away from him.

As I looked closer, I saw the blood was slowly receding and murmured "How is that possible?"

He leaned against me and breathed in my ear "I told you. ... He's the strongest ever known. ... He can do more than any of us could ever dream of." As I stood there and stared at Isiah, William slid his hand over my right side, stepping behind me. My side was still tender, and I flinched under his touch. Gently taking my arm, he pulled me along and pointed me toward a small door. "There's some clothes in the bathroom. When you're done cleaning up, you can eat." I glanced at him over my shoulder and slowly started toward the door, and he added "Don't take too long, and there isn't any windows. So, don't worry about trying to get away."

Ignoring him, I closed the door behind me and glanced down at myself. My right side was completely covered in my own blood, from my knees to my neck. With a shiver, I peeled off my disgusting nightgown, got cleaned up and dressed as I thought 'Eva? ... Where's Mel? ... I need to know she's okay. ... I can't bring Isiah back, or all Hell will break lose. ... I'm not sure how, but I have to stop him. I can't do that unless I know she's safe. If I do anything to piss them off, they said they'd bring her here, too. ... Please, tell Mel to connect.' I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't tell what it was. 'She has to be okay. ... I don't know what I'd do, if I lost her, too. ... I wonder how Charlotte and Garret are. Mel hasn't mentioned them once. I wonder why. That's not like her.'

"Hurry up in there." William called as he banged on the door.

"Alright. I'm coming." I blurted, nervously and anxiously, and rushed toward the door.