Let's Go For A Pint (Vampire/Humor)

4.2 Let's Play Detective

Content warning still plays in here even if it's minimal.

Whenever I walk into a hospital, I get the impression everyone's eyes are on me. Maybe it's the way I eye at people since some patients have open wounds and are hooked up to IV units. In other words, the scent of blood is everywhere, and it isn't easy to control my impulses. Even with feeding beforehand. If I focus on the cleaning stuff used, my stomach turns into an active volcano. The nurses passing me by will think I'm ill or about to pass out.

And as promised I accompanied Carmen to visit her supervisor at the hospital. There were no "get well soon" balloons or similar shit in her room, bar a photo on the nightstand. Shaved head wasn't lying on the bed and this made her identity obvious.

"The nurse said she'll recover," Carmen whispered as we stood by Dr. Black's bedside. "I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but I can't shake it off after what I said to her and what followed."

"Carmen, for the hundredth time it's not your fault," I assured her. "She'll recover, and that'll help us in finding out who or what attacked her."

And speaking of recovery, Dr. Black stirred a bit. She opened her eyes. Okay, an eye as her right one, the green one, was blackened and puffy. She turned her head slightly towards us. "Oh, hi there."

Carmen sighed. "Glad you're awake. Listen, I'm so sorry about last night. I shouldn't have tried to argue about my outline."

Dr. Black hummed. "Don't be. I stepped over the boundaries. I should be the one apologizing. Once you form your thesis and have it published, this would be nothing." She looked at me and asked. "Is this a friend of yours?"

Carmen nodded. "This is Lena. She's with me for, emotional support."

The woman smiled, using the side of her face that could. "How kind and thoughtful of you."

After that brief introduction, she continued with setting things straight. "While I can let go our arguments, I can't help but blame myself. After I left, I may have — no, I said things and wished they would happen out of anger. Please forgive me —"

"Carmen," she cut in, "if you'd wished I'd been hit by a bus then I would've been hit by a bus. I can still move, can't I?"

"The nurse told us your injuries were not severe. Only some broken bones," Carmen explained.

Dr. Black looked down and saw her right arm in a sling. "Nothing but a flesh wound. How's Alice by the way?"

"Alice? Who's Alice?" Carmen's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name.

Dr. Black pushed herself up slightly, a curl of brown hair falling on her forehead. "She's someone interested in the beauty product, and a friend from my youth." She winced as she adjusted her position. "Everything moved rapidly but those three young men, maybe three? I can't recall the details, but Alice took most of the damage. I tried to defend her, but one of them knocked me to the ground and I blacked out."

"What do they want from her?"

Before Carmen could get answers, an orderly entered the room with breakfast. Dr. Black pressed a button to move her bed upright. "I can't say for certain. I suspect a hate crime based attack but I doubt competitors want to sabotage her. Right now subpar hospital food is calling me."

Carmen hung her head low. "I'll come visit again tomorrow. I should go work on my outline."

"Take some time off. For fuck's sake I won't be able to do my own work for a while."

I laid a hand on Carmen's shoulder. "Come on, the longer we stay the sooner I'll puke."

So I walked out of Dr. Black's room following Carmen. What puzzled me was why her potential business partner would be the target. Was a rival behind the attack? Someone who participated in a clinical test that turned into a mutant sea monster? I had to find out. Dr. French's work must be important if she was the target. I pulled a nurse aside, stared into her eyes and asked, "Do you know where I can find Alice, a woman who arrived last night? I'm a friend of hers."

The nurse had a dazed expression and answered with a cheerful tone. "She's just down the hall in Wing E."

After the nurse left, I headed to Alice's room. Along the way Carmen, who I assumed had left after our visit, asked, "How the Hell did you alter your voice like that?"

"What do you mean?" I stopped walking and stood outside the door to a custodian's closet.

"You know, change it so it sounded like all Bene Gesserit and made her tell you whatever."

"What's a Bene Gesserit?"

Carmen opened her mouth to explain then shook her head. "Never mind."

We continued down the hall until we arrived outside the room. Unfortunately the room was one that required everything to be sterile. From what I could see through the tiny window Alice was connected to a ventilator. Hey, I hypnotized the nurse into telling me the location, not kind of room she occupied.

"She certainly had it worse," Carmen commented and tapped the window. "You're not going in, are you?"

"Of course I am! How else am I going to resolve this?"

"Just leave it to the cops. Not like they're of any help unless she's some important person. Anyways, we're out of vodka. You know the way back."

I should've stopped her. The marathon imbibing she was about to do wasn't helping, but my drive to play detective was stronger. Much stronger than the hospital smell even. So I proceeded with the investigation. I put on the mask, shoes, gloves and gown, and entered the room. One would think I'd avoid all the other scents inside a hospital when a single room is kept sterile. Whatever kept the room sterile made me just as queasy. Hell, I even threw up in the tiny washroom. There goes the sterility.

I took a closer look at Alice. Most of the wounds were to her neck and upper torso. There were also white, slightly pinkish patches on her skin, but I assumed those were from before the attack. The style and type of attack were familiar, but I had to be sure my doubts were set straight.

Focusing on ignoring the sterile chemicals scent I took in a deep breath. From that I gathered the scent of her and Dr. Black's attacker, or should I say attackers. Even after the hospital cleaned her up, I still picked up not only three but four attackers, and none of them were human. I had my lead, and all I needed was some assistance.

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Lena, you should know better! Your roommate's safety should be more of a concern! Hardheadedness aside it looks like she got a lead.

Interactive question for the chapter: how do vampires make good crime solvers?

You know the drill: vote, share, add, comment.

Song featured: "Cite Tango" by Astor Piazzolla

edited 19/04/2018