Vampire Hunter D: Stolen Sunlight

Chapter 7

Leigh woke to the sound of voices. Her head was still a little foggy, so she had to look around a moment before she remembered where she was. When she remembered the strange liquid she had been given the night before, she quickly sat up. She looked around the tiny room and noticed there was bright sunlight streaming through a small window near the foot of the bed. She also noticed she no longer heard any voices from the other room. As she stood up she had to lean against the wall for a moment to steady herself. Once the wave of dizziness passed she open the door just a crack to peak out. When she found that there was no one in the small examination room she walked out. She wasn't sure why she was being so cautious, but since she was alone she didn't want to run into any strangers.

She only had enough time to glance around the room once before the door to the outer room opened and the doctor came back in. Leigh jumped slightly but was able to get her rapid heartbeat under control fairly easily. "Ah, you're up finally. How do you feel?" If he had noticed her small jump at his entry he didn't note it. He was giving her a smile while waiting for her response.

Leigh took a moment to assess herself and was surprised to find that now that she was up and walking around she felt the best she had in days. She was completely refreshed. "I feel great actually! My head doesn't hurt at all and most of the soreness is gone too."

"Good. You looked like you needed a good sleep more than anything. I must have been right too since it's already midday." At that Leigh gasped. She knew the sun was up and bright, but she hadn't realized she'd slept away half the day.

The doctor chuckled at her obvious surprise. Leigh suddenly wondered where D was. He had said he would be back that morning and she had slept right through. "Has my companion been here?"

"Yes, he stopped by early this morning and left some things for you. I told him you were likely to sleep until much later, so he said he would check back. That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about but first, why don't you sit here, and I'll check and see how you're doing." The doctor patted the examination table as he spoke.

Leigh obediently sat on the table and watched as the doctor first looked at one foot and then the other. Once he rebandaged them he started to lightly probe the bump on her forehead and she was pleasantly surprised to find it barely hurt at all. Once he was done he stepped back but not far enough for her to easily maneuver off the table. It made Leigh a little nervous. When he spoke up, she became nervous for a whole new reason. "Last night you called your companion 'D'. Would he be the famous dhampir vampire hunter by that name?"

Leigh gave herself a mental kick for being so careless. The last thing she wanted was to cause D problems and she could well remember how people in the frontier reacted to dhampirs. Even if the stories were only half true it was more trouble than D needed or deserved. Her anxiety must have shown on her face because he didn't give her a chance to answer. "I'm not usually one to pry but I know there are a lot of people in this town that won't take kindly to a dhampir."

Leigh mindlessly chewed the corner of her bottom lip for a moment before she answered. "Your name was Doc Baxter, right?" He nodded at her, not wanting to interrupt. "Well, he is who you think but could you please not say anything? I can promise that we will be moving on quickly. We don't even have to stay the extra day you recommended; just... please don't say anything."

At her impassioned plea the doctor only gave her a curious look. Leigh could tell he was confused about something and a little bit afraid. "Are you his client then? Is he hunting a vampire for you or a loved one?" At his last question he gave a pointed look at her unblemished neck.

Leigh's eyes widened as she understood his meaning. "N-no! He is helping me but not because, because of... that!" Leigh could feel her face start to heat up but more than being embarrassed she was starting to get worried. Not only could it cause problems for D but there was no telling what would happen to her if they thought she had been bitten.