Blood Type-O

Chapter 6: D is for Dr.Barnes

I woke up in a hospital bed. There were white washed wall and plaster cracks spider webbed across the ceiling. In the background the clock ticked and ticked. I stared absently at the ceiling there was nothing else to do.

My body felt like gelatin. My mind was hazy with images of my escape from certain rabid related doom. It's ghostly eyes haunted the fog of my pained mind. There was something so familiar about that rabid the way it stood. It's long glossy hair. It's images danced around my head in a taunting circle. If I just were to reach out I'm sure I could figure it out. I could figure out who that rabid is and why there so important. Why there image is scarred into my brain.

"Hello Violet. You were very brave today," said a calming voice. Almost hypnotic like a snake charmers from one of those myths I used to read about. I'd know that voice anywhere. Dr.Barnes has been my doctor Barnes and Father's closest friend since I can remember. Since it's against the rule for family members to treat other family members Dr.Barnes has been mine since the accident. Father normally kept in touch with him long distant and after we moved he had been my doctor.

"Hi," I managed.

"Alright Violet I'm going to ask you some question and all you need to do is answers them," Dr. Barnes said moving to my bedside. His dark eyes find mine and a perfectly plastered smile graces his lips.

"Okay," I said. There isn't much to say. I'm tired and have another headache.

"What was the first thing you did when the sirens sounded?"

"I grabbed the gun and dove into the cellar," I said.

"Okay and what of your sister and mother?"

"Ana grabbed mother and went to the cellar first," I said trying to shove the aching of my head away. I tried to scratch and itch but, the gauze was getting in the way. Why did I even have it on? My hands felt fine. Much better than my head which felt like an earthquake had hit it.

"Oh I see," he said making a note on his clipboard, "Now let's move to the rabid attack. How did you manage to get your family safely away from rabid?" He asked this last question with a bite. it shouldn't surprise me because rabids are hated and feared. Still his words struck a chord.

"I shot the revolver at it's shoulder.... And I rushed them up the stairs and through the kitchen... I went so fast. I kept on yelling for them to move faster," I said. The plaster on the ceiling seemed to be so interesting in that moment. I wanted to stop talking about the rabid and the escape. it was making my heart beat faster like it was racing itself.

"Violet it's okay just breathe. Your safe now and so is your family. I just want to ask some more questions and then you can rest," said Dr.Barnes his voice soothing all the aches my fevered brain feels. I felt myself lean closer to him. The man had a way with words. "Can you tell me what the rabid looked like?"

"It was a male. Long black hair and ghostly green eyes. Very very very tall like an oak tree, " I finished sinking into the bed. My body was a weight sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean of my pain. Only Dr. Barnes seemed to make me stay adrift.

"And did this Rabid look familiar?" He asked.

There was a suspended bubble of silence over head. The Rabids image danced and danced across my mind.

"Yes," I said and the tension eased from the room. The silence shattered by my admittance. Guilt still weighed me down and not even Dr.Barnes hypnotic sounding voice could wash it away.

"Do you know where you might have saw him," curiosity bit into his voice. I didn't know why it had such a curt ring.

"No," I said. really it was the truth but it didn't free me from the pulsing in my brain or the constant visions of him. Nothing was going to.

"Interesting," he muttered scribbling something into his notepad. I hadn't kept track of his note taking but I did know he was on his second page. "Violet how have you been doing taking your medication?"

"Fine I guess."

"How so?"

"Well it's just I've been having these really bad headaches and I blacked out in the cellar but thankfully Ana knew what to do...." I trailed off. It was rather embarrassing to talk about my black outs. I already felt like I didn't have much control and telling the Dr. Barnes this was the laying out of just how vulnerable I was. It made me queasy and turned my stomach to cement. I hated talking about my vulnerability. Especially when my father entrusted me with taking care of Mother and Ana.

"Violet you have nothing to be ashamed of. Today you single-handedly saved your mother and sister from a rabid attack. Your father is very proud of you," said Dr. Barnes a warmer less perfect smile crossed his face. When he actually smiled it did wonders to his angular face.

"Really?" I asked. Father didn't just hand out praise not even when Ana had been selected to receive the gold note award in school or even when I hit a bulls-eye three time in a row. He'd only give a curt nod. Always a stiff nod. Never had I thought I would hear such a thing from a trusted friend. I thought Hell would have to freeze over or maybe another nuclear war was more likely than his praise.

"Yes. Now to your health. you experienced a blackout before the rabid attack," said Dr. Barnes looking at his clip board. his eye-brow wrinkled slightly. "and you had one just as you reached the gate before that Rabid attacked again. So I'm going to up your medication for a few days and hopefully that will lessen the headaches and pains," he concluded scribbling into his notepad.

I nodded meekly. I was so tired. Too tired for anymore conversations with Dr.Barnes. He stood and produced a syringe and vile from the his lab coat. The doctor still smiling went over to my IV and put the medicine into it. I sighed has a heavier drug began to invade my blood stream. Dr.Barnes smiled once again and turned for the door. As he left I though I saw his shoulders sag and heard the static of a radio.