"Yeah." Duncan ran a hand over his jaw. "I know." He had worked with vampires before, he thought, thinking about Grigori and Ramsey. Maybe it was just another sign that it was time for him to look for another line of work. Lately, he was spending more time with the Undead than the living. "Get some rest," he said gruffly, and left the room.
The doctor came in later that morning. He looked at her chart and asked a few questions, then examined her wound. He pronounced it healing nicely, but concluded that she should spend another night in the hospital.
With a sigh of resignation, Vicki thanked him, then closed her eyes and slept.
When she woke, her room was filled with dozens of red roses. They filled every available space. She plucked the card from the nearest bouquet. It read, All my love, A.
No one had ever sent her flowers before. She was still smiling when a nurse came in to remove the IV.
A short time later, lunch arrived, along with a box of chocolates and another dozen roses. The card read, I am dreaming of you. A.
After lunch, she settled down with the book Bobbie Sue had left for her, but she couldn't concentrate on the words. She kept seeing Falco's fiendish yellow eyes, hearing his voice in her ear as he outlined his plans for her, watching the zombies obey his commands. She wondered who they had been before Falco enslaved them. Three had been in their thirties; the fourth no more than twenty. And now they were dead because of her.
She shivered with the memory, thinking how sad it was that their families would never know what had happened to them.
Hearing heavy footsteps, she looked up to find Ned and Arnie striding toward her.
"Afternoon, Vicki," Ned said.
"Hi."
Arnie nodded at her, then closed the door.
Vicki looked from one to the other. Neither was smiling. Arnie was holding a thick canvas bag. "Is something wrong?"
"We'll let you know," Ned said in a tone she had never heard before. "Why don't you tell us what happened to you last night."
Vicki's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, that. It was nothing, just an accident."
Reaching into the canvas bag, Arnie pulled out a set of heavy silver manacles and held them up. "Really? What kind of accident?"
She stared at him, her mind racing. What should she say? They would never believe the truth. But she didn't like them thinking what they were obviously thinking, either. She blew out a breath. "I have nothing to say."
"Like hell! Something went on last night," Ned said, "and I want to know what it was and who else was involved."
Vicki crossed her arms over her chest. "It wasn't anything for the police to get involved in. No one else was hurt." She swallowed hard, thinking of the four dead men. "I made a stupid mistake. If you want to arrest me for that, fine, go ahead."
Ned stared at her, his eyes narrowed. "The old house out at the Hollow burned to the ground last night. Would you be knowing anything about that?"
"No."
Ned swore.
Arnie gave her a hard look, then dropped the manacles back into the bag. "I don't know what happened," he said, his voice grim, "but you aren't doing yourself or anyone else a favor by refusing to talk to us."
"I'm sorry, but I've got nothing to say."
"If you change your mind," Ned said flatly, "give us a call."
"I will."
Vicki stared after them as they left the room. Maybe she should have told them the truth, she mused, then shook her head. If she started going on about vampires and vampire hunters, they'd think she was insane. Instead of lying in a hospital bed, she would probably find herself in a padded room. So, instead of them thinking she was insane, now they probably thought she was involved in some sort of kinky sex. She wasn't crazy about that idea either. Crazy, she thought, that was definitely the right word for the way her life had been going lately.
She frowned. Maybe she should tell Ned and Arnie the truth. They needed to know what they were up against. But even if they knew, what could they do about it? If a vampire hunter couldn't find Falco, what chance did Ned and Arnie have? She weighed the pros and cons until her head ached.
Eager to think of something else, she turned on the TV and lost herself in the antics of an old I Love Lucy rerun.
Her dinner tray arrived an hour later, and then one of the nurses came in to take her for a walk down the hall.
Bobbie Sue, Gus, and Mrs. Heath all called to see how she was doing. Bert Summers came by to talk to her, anxious for a scoop. She told him the story she had concocted, that she had fallen in the vacant lot outside of town and cut her neck on an old piece of barbed wire. She wasn't sure if he believed her or not, but she was certain he wouldn't believe the truth.
As soon as the sun set, Antonio strolled into her room carrying a huge bouquet of red roses with a red balloon heart in the center. Just seeing him made her spirits soar.
"I was hoping you'd come," she said.
"Where else would I go when you are here?" He glanced around the room. "Where should I put these?"
"Antonio, all these flowers must be costing you a fortune. Here, put them on the table by the phone. I'll ask the nurse to bring me another vase."
Pulling a chair up to the bed, he sat down, then reached for her hand. "Are you all right?"
"I am now." She studied his cheek, noting there were a lot of new blisters. The old burn looked ugly and painful but didn't look as bad as it had before. "Does it still hurt?"
He nodded. "When can you leave here?"
"Hopefully tomorrow. It's up to the doctor."
"I do not want you to go back to your house."
"That's what Bobbie Sue and Duncan said. They want me to stay at Bobbie's house with them."
"They are living together?" Antonio asked, a note of surprise in his voice.
"So it would seem."
"Is that what you wish to do, stay with your friend?"
"Not really, but I don't want to stay home alone, either, not now."
"You are welcome to come and stay with me."
Vicki stared at him. "Stay with you? Where?"
"At my house in Maine. I think you would like it there."
"I've never been to Maine. What's your house like?"
"It is a castle of sorts, though not as large as most. The house sits in the middle of several acres of land, most of it heavily wooded. A very wealthy man had it brought over fromEngland for his bride some three hundred years ago. He thought it would please her, but the poor girl fell down a flight of stairs and broke her neck. Some say she fell because she was frightened by the ghost of the castle's former mistress. Some say it was because her husband pushed her."