Surviving Paradise (Full Draft Version)

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 43

Much in the same way as the first, it all began with a frantic call from Jane.  Allisa and Will were at the grocery store.  Will was thunking cantaloupes, showing her how to choose the perfect ripeness, when her cell jangled Jane's specialized ringtone.

These days, every call from Jane initially spooked her, but on this particular day, since they were buying groceries, Allisa actually answered with a relaxed hello, thinking Jane had forgotten to add something to the list.

“It's Ash!  You said to call about anything.  He's not waking up!”

The panic pervaded every cell, more profound than any she had ever experienced.  Worse even than being backed to the wall by a pissed off Hector.  Worse than seeing Will bloodied and beaten.  Worse than the night Ashton was turned, although that was close.  What made it worse was knowing that whatever happened from here, she would be the cause of it.

The CT scan had been a precaution, because all along she had known of the possibility that the weakened cells would war with the stronger ones.  The possibility that once apoptosis exceeded healing of the cells, mitosis would instead become mutation.  In an emergency, an extreme choice would have to be made.  All one way or the other.  Ashton had made his choice clear in this happenstance, but had he told Jane, and could Allisa carry his decision through?

“Tell me everything again.”  Allisa, in taking the stairs two at a time, was tripping her way to the landing, where Jane paced in tears.  Will had been behind her, but his longer legs had an advantage, and he soon passed her non stop to his best friend's room.

“He wanted to wake up because he has practice right at dark, before the show tonight, and so when he didn't answer the phone, I came home, and came in here, and he was still asleep.  I jumped in the bed, and was going to wake him up by jumping around, but he didn't move, and.  When I touched him he was--”

Allisa was on the landing now, and impatiently, she turned to Jane as she entered the bedroom.

“His skin his hot!”

Ashton's body temperature normally stayed at room temperature or cooler.  Although, she had known this day was coming, dread seeped into her limbs, making her feet feel heavy as she took in Will's attempt to wake Ash.  The lamp's glow, into the cave of a room, shone on the vampire's pale features, and shadowed his face.

“Jane.?”  Although it felt wrong to ask Jane to do anything, Allisa turned to Ash without pause.  “My black bag please?  I think it's on Will's dresser.”  Technically, it was a stylish leather medical bag in a rich burgundy color, given to her by her parents on graduation day, even though she was a phd.  Her mother's reasoning, was that she had patients.  What her mom did not know was that those patients were vampires.  

Shuffling in front of Will, she placed a habitual hand on Ashton's forehead, and another around his wrist.  Honing in on the shadows of his face, she let her hand drift that way, confirming what she was seeing.

This was no ordinary shadow, it was a  five o clock shadow. 

Ash had not needed a razor in just over a year.  Twisting her head to Will, she sought confirmation of what she was seeing.  Initially, in that first second, his eyes seemed slit in irritation, but his brows quickly spasmed in surprise.  Jane was a streak, entering the room, thrusting the medical bag at Allisa, and her eyes narrowed looking so similar to her brother's a second ago.  Following Jane's gaze to Ashton's wrist, Allisa was just about to drop it, when Ashton's fingers twitched.

“Ash?!”  Prying an eyelid open, she used a penlight to check the pupil, finding it dilated.  “Can you hear me Ash?  Move your fingers again?”  Barely, his finger twitched again, and she requested, “Someone get him a bag?  Heated?”