The nurse dropped the tray she was carrying and ran to the bed as the alarm rang out that the boy had stopped breathing. His heart ceased to beat almost immediately after this. She leapt onto the bed, straddling Cameron as she began to perform CPR – pumping his chest and breathing into his mouth.
Help arrived in the form of two doctors and a crash cart. She climbed off the bed and stood back as they shocked the patient’s heart. Once they finally had a rhythm the doctor inserted a tube down Cameron’s windpipe and hooked him up to a respirator. His chest rose and fell with the hiss of the machine’s pumped air.
Maggie Walsh ran into the room, just as things settled down.
“We need to insert a permanent breathing tube,” said the doctor. “We’ll get him prepped and into the O.R. right away.”
“No,” stated Maggie, firmly. “He’s stable now isn’t he?” She stared at the still unconscious boy.
“Well, yes, but when he comes around the tube in his throat could become a problem. It is much more usual for a quadriplegic like him to have a hole cut into his trachea so he can be hooked up to oxygen and yet still be able to speak.”
“Get one of the techs to bleed Four-Fifty-Five. Then give the blood to the boy,” ordered Maggie. “He’s no good to us dead.”
“So it’s true then?” asked the doctor somewhat unwisely. “Vampire blood helps healing?”
“Yes it is true – but the information is classified and its use is only permitted under my orders, so put all thoughts of curing cancer out of your head!”
The doctor gulped and muttered that he would see to it at once.
“The blood has to be given by mouth. It is ineffective if given intravenously,” added Maggie as the doctor hurried away.
Alone with Cameron, she gazed down at the boy and smiled as his eyes fluttered open. They widened with fear when he saw her at his bedside and he coughed feebly around the tube.
“Calm down. Let the machine breathe for you.”
She stayed with him until the doctor returned with a bag of blood.
“It will be dangerous to unhook him from the machine,” he cautioned.
“Just do it!” snapped Maggie.
The doctor obeyed and Cameron’s respirations became shallow and weak.
“Drink this.” The doctor put a tube into Cam’s mouth, but the boy refused to co-operate.
“Get it in by whatever means you need to – the stomach remember,” Maggie said.
Cameron’s breathing was almost imperceptible and so the doctor hurriedly reinserted the breathing tube.
“What are you doing?” Maggie glared at the doctor.
“The blood will be no good to him if he’s dead. I’ll go directly into the stomach – that should still work.”
Cameron watched with detached fascination as the doctor took a scalpel blade and cut into his abdomen. A few moments later and the doctor inserted the tube from the bag of blood into the tiny incision he’d made in the wall of the stomach and squirted in the contents. A sprinkling of antibiotic powder and a couple of stitches later the hole was reduced to a narrow line.
“Keep him closely monitored. I want to be informed the second there is any change – day or night,” said Maggie before she left the room.
The doctor stared down at Cameron. “Let’s see what that does for you.”
*~*~*~*
Spike didn’t realise that he’d been blinded until he surfaced from the river and felt the sun sear his skin without the darkness changing at all. He dived back underwater without even trying to empty his lungs. The stream was deep enough for him to keep moving with the current without the sun’s harmful rays reaching him.
Unwittingly, his movements took him closer to the Initiative’s retrieval unit’s search area.
*~*~*~*
The plane landed after taking what felt like an eternity to arrive in London Heathrow. Craig followed in his mom’s wake as she pushed her way through the other passengers, ignored the luggage carousel and reached the arrivals area. He was pleased that the customs men hadn’t asked to check their small bags as he wasn’t entirely sure that his mother would have obliged and not just tear them in two. The tension in her small body was palpable.
Buffy paused only long enough to locate the nearest car rental desk when they were through customs.
“A car. The best you have – something sporty,” she barked at the girl behind the counter.
“We have a—”
“I don’t need to know what it is as long as it has a powerful engine.”
“Oh…um…well, if you give me a moment I’ll draw up the paperwork. I’ll need your passport and driver’s licence please.”
Buffy handed both over and by the time the key was handed over she was pacing back and forth. Craig muttered thank you in apology as his mother stalked off without a word.
Considering that he was almost a foot taller than his mom, Craig had trouble keeping up with her as they strode to the parking lot to collect the car.
Nodding with satisfaction when she saw the car, Buffy opened the trunk and threw her bag inside, glancing at Craig to prompt him to do the same. She slammed the lid shut and climbed in behind the wheel. Craig had only just closed his door as with a squeal of tyres, Buffy drove the car out of the space and spiralled down the multi-storey lot until reaching ground level and setting off for their destination - the location of the Initiative’s research centre on the outskirts of London.
Neither noticed a black Range Rover following them.
*~*~*~*
Spike cautiously put a hand out of the water, bracing himself for pain, but there was none. Night had fallen and finally he managed to find his way to the bank and heave himself out. He coughed and retched several times as he expelled the water from his lungs. The night air held a hint of frost and Spike shivered violently.
Now what can I do?
There had been no more images of the boy in his mind and he began to think that perhaps he had imagined it after all. Why would he have been near a human child? It was an insane thought! Spike closed the lids over his sightless eyes and tried to concentrate on his sense of smell. As a tracker he’d barely missed being able to see once he had adapted to it. Now, after having had the luxury of sight, things seemed very different. For a start, he was alone. Vulnerable to attack from just about anything. He got to his knees and inhaled deeply. Unsure if the Holy Water had permanently damaged him, he tried to glean information from what he could detect.
The principle aroma was that of sheep and Spike’s stomach growled loudly. Beneath that though he could faintly detect human. Not the familiar stink of the ones from the Initiative but a fresh, clean smell. With no idea of what else he could do, Spike rose to his feet and walked tentatively towards it.
*~*~*~*
The first indication Cameron had that the vampire blood had had some effect on him was when he got pins and needles in his arms. At first he welcomed it but then it intensified to something just short of pain. He began to choke on the tube down his throat and his eyes watered as the doctor removed it and watched his breathing carefully.
By the time the tingling had stopped a couple of hours later, Cam could weakly move his arms and head. He still couldn’t sit up unaided but his breathing eased as he found his chest less rigid.
The doctor was assessing the extent of his returned feeling as Maggie walked in.
“Show me what you can do,” she said, staring at Cameron as if he were merely a piece of meat.
“Screw you!”
Her hand darted out and slapped his face hard enough to make it turn to the side. The doctor gasped and Cam slowly brought his head around to face her, his hand reaching up to touch his stinging cheek.
“I will not tolerate being spoken to in that way, child, and you would do well to remember that.” She turned to the doctor. “Tell me.”
“Um…well…he can now move his head, and his arms, as you can see, have movement although it is weak and his grip is poor. He can breathe unaided. As far as I can assess, the improvement stops just below his ribcage. He cannot sit up nor move his legs. I doubt that he will improve further.”
Cameron couldn’t prevent a tear from rolling down his cheek as his condition was so clinically mapped out.
“Can he use a computer keypad?” asked Maggie.
“I would think so."
“Good.” Maggie nodded curtly. “Get him transferred to a wheelchair. He can be put to use.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
“Please…” said Cameron, hesitantly.
“What?” She whirled round to face him.
“Can I have some clothes?”
Maggie laughed. “And there was me thinking that you’d ask me to allow you to go home. Pleased to see you’ve accepted that you’re mine now.”
“But...” Cam stopped when he caught the doctor slowly shaking his head behind Maggie.
“But what?” asked Maggie.
“Nothing.”
Maggie left and Cameron faced the doctor with renewed hope. “Will you help me?”
“No!” The doctor’s eyes widened.
“Please – at least get a message to my mom?”
“Out of the question!”
Cameron watched helplessly as the man dashed away.
Some time later two nurses arrived. A thick set middle-aged blonde pushed a wheelchair with a high back and a thickly cushioned seat. The other, a slimmer taller brunette, carried a hospital gown.
“We’re just going to get you into the chair. It will be easiest if you don’t try to help, okay? Just let us do it all.”
As they began to pull Cam to the edge of the bed, he said quietly, “My name is Cameron Evans.”
The nurses exchanged a glance before the blonde said, “Okay. Now, Cameron, remember just to relax and let us move you. We don’t need you to fall now, do we?”
Cam shook his head, and flushed as the brunette matter of factly handled his penis as she disconnected the catheter from the tube that led to the waste bag. Once in the chair, the hospital gown was put on him and the catheter attached to a tube that as far as Cam could tell, ran to beneath his seat. They wrapped a strap around his body just below the armpits and another at his waist, without which Cameron would have slumped forwards as he was unable to hold himself erect. The headrest of the chair sported a padded block at each side that the nurses explained he could rest his head against should he get tired. His limp legs were strapped together at the knees to prevent his feet from falling off the rests. Finally, they hooked up his intravenous drip to a stand attached to the chair.
Then they left him, without a word.
“Oh, Christ,” he muttered as he tried and failed to propel himself by pushing the wheels. He couldn’t grip tightly enough to be able to hold the rims and he knew that his arms weren’t strong enough to push them even if he could.
The chair looked like the type he’d seen quadriplegics in on the TV, only this one didn’t have any electric controls. He slid his hand beneath the gown and ran his fingers over his penis. The only sensation he got was from his fingers. The flesh felt warm and soft but not a part of him at all. Covering his eyes with his hands, he struggled not to weep again. He needed to be strong if he was going to get out of here. He needed to ignore the little voice that told him he never would.
*~*~*~*
The trip to the north end of Epping Forest had taken place in silence. It wasn’t until Buffy pulled the car up outside a large detached house that had a sign proclaiming vacancies for bed and breakfast, that she spoke.
“Get the bags out of the trunk.”
She handed Craig the car keys and swiftly got out of the car and walked up to the front door. The bell rang as Craig opened the trunk and picked up the two small bags. By the time he’d got to the door, Buffy was being shown inside by a white haired man, who stood tall despite being obviously in his seventies.
“Welcome,” he said. “I’m Maurice Carmichael. My wife, Dora, is out at the moment, but you will see her later, I’m sure.”
Buffy managed a tight smile. “Thank you. I’m Buffy Summers and this is my son Craig.”
Maurice extended a hand to Craig, who put the bags on the floor so he could take it and was surprised by the elderly man’s strong grip.
“Pleased to meet you, sir,” he said politely.
Maurice chuckled. “Sir! I haven’t been called that since I retired. Ex army – Sergeant-Major. Now, let me show you your rooms. I have a double room and a single room next door to each other – is that agreeable? How long are you planning on staying?”
“That sounds great,” replied Buffy. “I’m not sure exactly, but I’d like to pay for a week in advance if possible? If we need to stay longer, we will let you know.”
And if we leave in a hurry, you’ve been paid, thought Craig.
“Excellent!” declared Maurice. “You’re our only guests at the moment – the season is over really, but we keep the sign out there just in case.”
Maurice moved to get the bags but Craig shook his head. “It’s okay, sir. I’ve got them.”
This prompted Maurice to chuckle again and he led them up a flight of stairs to a narrow landing with two doors off it.
“The double is on the right, the single on the left. Both have en-suite bathrooms. Will you be requiring an evening meal?”
For a moment, Craig thought his mother would say no and he was starving, but to his relief she nodded. “Thank you, we’d appreciate that.”
“Any food allergies that we need to consider?” asked Maurice. “Our food tends to be typically English, quite plain but plentiful.”
“I’m sure whatever you serve will be fine,” replied Buffy. “We have no allergies.”
Maurice smiled. “So shall we say dinner will be ready in an hour? Come down when you’re ready. The living room is on the right at the bottom of the stairs, and you’re welcome to use that.”
“Thank you,” said Buffy.
The proprietor nodded and then left them alone. Craig turned towards the door of the single room, but was stilled by his mother’s hand on his arm.
“It’s okay. I’ll take that room. You can have the larger bed. Let’s freshen up. I’ll come to your room in thirty minutes and discuss what to do next.”
“Okay, Mom,” replied Craig, knowing she’d used the word discuss lightly – there would be no discussion – she would tell him what was going to happen and that would be that. He didn’t care. He just wanted his brother back, safe and sound.
*~*~*~*
“They’ve booked into a guest house called Windayle. Will keep them under surveillance until the next shift arrives.” The guard gave the address and directions to the house.
The man on the other end of the radio tried not to let the fact that the Americans had gotten to a location so close to the Initiative base, rattle him. They’d soon be a threat to security no more.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Beta and banner by dawnofme.
Thank you for your great comments so far! Really appreciate them.
Thank you for your great comments so far! Really appreciate them.
Chapter End Notes:
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