The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Complete Collection(65)

“Oh. Well, you’re awesome, too,” I called out to Drew, but the compliment felt pathetic to me.

He finally turned from the sink. “Thanks. I’m happy that you’re happy. I’m going to go see if they will do the release paperwork soon.” Then he hurried out the door.

Luke looked at me with a question in his eyes, and I shrugged. “In a hurry to go home, I guess.”

Luke somehow managed to look even more quizzical. “I’m not blind, Chloe.”

Uh-oh.

“I’ve known Drew his whole life. I know him better than I know you, better than almost anyone, and I’ve never seen him act this way.”

Turning my head away, I tried to lie. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Act how?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Chloe.” Luke moved over to the vacated chair and sat. “I don’t care what's going on between you guys. It would be natural, because you spend so much time together. I just want you to remember two things.”

I widened my eyes in question.

“One, you’re not quite sixteen… and you know what I mean by that. And two, you be careful with him.”

I laughed. “Seriously! Aren’t you supposed to be telling him that he is supposed to be careful with me? Like, when the dad says ‘if you hurt my daughter, I’ll kill you’ and goes about cleaning his gun?”

Luke managed a weak smile. “You are resilient, Chloe. You have a quality that makes you bounce back from the bad things in your life. Drew, he dwells on the bad things and never really gets over them. If he cares about you, really cares, that is a big deal. I don’t want his heart stepped on any more than it already has been.”

I suddenly remembered when Drew told me about how his mother had deserted him. Oh, she had better hope she didn’t cross my path anytime soon. What a loser. In a way, I felt she didn’t deserve Drew.

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll remember.”

Drew came back in the room, followed by a nurse who carried a big clipboard with lots of papers. She gave me a wide, toothy smile.

“Hi, Chloe. We're going to check your vitals again, and if they are all good, then we can unhook the IV, and you can go home.

“Okay.” I tried to catch Drew’s eye, but he was busy inspecting a picture of a bird on the wall.

After my vitals came back good, they removed the IV and allowed me to get dressed. First, I was given what seemed like a million directions on how to clean the wound and re-dress it and how much medication I was allowed to take. The nurses brought me a wheelchair and gave me some crutches to use if I needed them. I doubted I would use them. I had hurt my ankle once when I was twelve, and the crutches had hurt my armpits. Drew wheeled me into the hallway and then passed me off to Luke.

“I’m going to see if Alice is ready to go now.” He left me sitting in the hallway with Luke.

“Nice,” I said, to no one in particular.

Luke ignored the obvious snub from Drew and pushed me down the hallway to Gavin’s room. It was dark in his room, and nearly silent, except for the low hum of some machine he was hooked up to. He had an IV too, with two bags hanging from the pole.

Luke wheeled me right up to the side of Gavin’s bed, where I could easily hold his hand.

“Gavin,” I whispered, “are you awake?”

His eyes fluttered a bit, but didn’t open.

“Gavin, I’m sorry you’re hurt. I hope you can hear me, because I just want you to know how grateful I am for your help.” I was grateful. Even though he didn’t come with Drew, he did come through in the end. “I hope you’re going to be all right.”

“He’s probably on heavy pain killers,” Luke explained.

“I know.” I nodded. “I just wanted to say thank you.” I squeezed Gavin’s hand. “I’ll try to come visit you every day until you go home.”

Suddenly, I felt his hand move in mine, and I was sure he could hear me. His body simply wouldn’t let him respond. “Okay. I have to go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

I released his hand and nodded at Luke.

“I’m ready.”

He wheeled me back into the hallway, and I saw Drew waiting with Alice by the nurses’ station. Alice was also in a wheelchair. She looked exhausted, but other than that, you couldn’t tell anything was wrong with her.

“Hi, Alice.” I waved a little.

She lifted her hand in a weak wave back at me.

“Hey,” she whispered. She looked up at Luke. Apparently, they had already met and no introduction was needed. “Are you guys sure it’s okay if I come home with you? I’ll understand if you don’t want me.”

Luke waved her comment away. “Don’t be ridiculous. We wouldn’t put you out in the street. Where else would you go?”

Even though Luke tried to reassure her, tears formed and fell down her cheeks. She didn’t sob, but silent tears continued to escape from the corners of her eyes.

“Alice, it’s all right. We’re going to take care of you.” I tried to help. I knew it was hard for her. She had lost everything.

Drew turned her wheelchair in the direction of the elevators. “Let’s go.”

We wheeled out to the car in silence. I guess no one could think of anything appropriate to say. The ride home was quiet, too.