Surviving Paradise (Full Draft Version)

CHAPTER 11

"Well we are, comeon party with us Whisper"

"Whisper, that is a pretty dress you are wearing"

CHAPTER 11

Floors buffed to a high shine seemed to be common in all hospitals, as was the ding of the elevator and quiet bustle of people.  Allisa made her way down the long hall, swiped her id tag outside doors marked authorized personnel only, and twisted her key into the locked lab door. 

     Flipping the switch to the fluorescent lighting, she crossed the long expanse of the room, pulling the sheaf of papers from the top tray on her desk.  The coffee she had stopped downstairs for was placed in the anchored holder and Allisa squinted over the computerized photo printouts of microscopic slides, and the accompanying charts to each.

     Her efforts to concentrate continuously ended with her staring into space immersed in thoughts of Will, his lips, hands, fingers, tongue, there and there and there and there–

     “Allisa!” Sayer greeted, and Allisa had not even heard his key twisting.  “How was the vacation?”

     Dr. Sayer was an attractive man, early thirties maybe, with an incredible bedside manner.  His patients loved him, the female nurses drooled stupidly over him, and Allisa respected him immensely. Sure she couldn’t help notice he was hot, but she had her own hot guy waiting at home.  Will was probably cooking supper right now, if Sayer had just finished his patient rounds it must be around six. 

     Confirming the time with a glance at the wall clock, Allisa sighed but smiled.  “Vacation was nice, you should try it.” 

     Sayer by his own admission, awhile back, had never taken more than a couple of days off in the last few years.  “I have, it’s overrated.”  The MD sent an accompanying wink in her direction, but there was an edge to his voice.  Selecting a file from her desk, he tapped it on the corner of her desk, instead of taking it to his own office or opening it.  “If you don’t mind me asking, how did the magic memory shield work out for you?”  Dramatically he stressed magic memory shield in a twilight zone tone.

     “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been there and done it.”

     Allisa proceed to tell her partner and friend the details.  How Ashton had drank blood right in front of her, how she had tried to talk him into staying out in the sun, the blinding headaches and nausea when she had been on the brink of a memory.  Sayer seemed intrigued when she related Jane’s most memorable experience, the morning Ashton had been dreaming of a fight or something that had made him make a feral noise. 

     “The weird thing is I don’t think Jane doesn’t remember that even happened.”  Allisa mused slowly, really giving the incident some deep thought for the first time since they had returned home.

     “Hrmp, Vamps and their hypnotic abilities, that IS something I wouldn’t mind having.”  Sayer grinned thumbing open the file he held and turning his attention to a paper inside.

     Allisa abandoned her own papers and stared at Sayer with dawning comprehension.  Ashton had erased Jane’s memory of the growl!  The thought of Ashton appearing with vampire speed in the bathroom door the day that Jane had been sick spurred another similar memory.  Only it was herself was staring at Ashton who was staring at her!  “Son of a–“

     “Whoa, what did I do now?”

     “No, it’s...”Allisa shook her head, memories of Ashton in that hotel bathroom still clicking like a slide show.  But the memory she wanted was no doubt gone for good.  Her gaze went up to the file in his hand and she griped, “Actually yes, you sent the wrong file to Gabrielle.”