The Vampire's Maid

Part 27. The Vampire's Maid

The beeping of machinery filled my ears as we passed open door after open door, revealing the quiet chaos of hospital wards. Only a few wards were closed off, their doors closed; I knew that these were wards filled with the dying. A handful of the angular, white beds had been personalised, adorned with photographs of family members. How surreal, how odd the technology of the place seemed after living in Goliath's home for so long. But oh, how comforting.

 This was real life, this was normality. Here the light was bright and fluorescent, not flickering dimly from a candle. The floors were tiled and blank, not covered in thick crimson carpet. It was how life should be. But the memories that being in a hospital stirred were not pleasant ones. My mother, my father. Every fleeting glimpse I caught of a ward reminded me of the state they'd been in ten years ago. The ghastly memory had stuck firmly in my six year old mind.

"Are you okay, Elizabeth?"

Ashley was beside me, guiding me by my uninjured arm in pursuit of the nurse who'd introduced herself as Daisy. Her white coat came to a halt beside a doorway and, before I could reply to Ashley's concerned question, she was ushering us into a small room where a woman with greying hair sat methodically scrolling down her computer screen.  

"Elizabeth Bourne?" She asked, looking up as we entered. Her voice held the traces of a London accent.

 I started, unused to being addressed by my full name. I'd not been called that for so long, having being just 'Elizabeth' in the company of servants and vampires.

"Yes." Ashley answered for me after a few seconds of silence.

The woman's blue eyes took in my appearance and a disapproving look fell upon her features. I glanced down, embarrassed, at my ruffled uniform.

"I'm Dr Grant." She spoke and I had the feeling that she was addressing Ashley, in his smarter and less revealing clothes, rather than me. "How did you injure your arm?"

She hadn't offered me a seat but I sat down anyway. She scrutinised me over the top of her glasses, adopting the superior look that adults gave to teenagers. I held my head up and stared back at her, annoyed at the prejudice she seemed to be holding against me and determined not to let her feel too superior.

"I... fell down the stairs."

I bit my lip. It was hard to sound dignified when I said that. Ashley's mouth twitched up at the corner.

"I see."  

During the scan, Dr Grant's lips remained pursed and only after she'd bandaged up my arm did she relax her face, addressing Ashley.

"There's some paperwork on the desk outside that needs signing, dear. Daisy will take you." 

Ashley glanced at me and then at Dr Grant. He knew that women like her angered me, he must do. But he left with Daisy all the same, flashing an amused smile in my direction.

"It's just a bad sprain but try not to move your arm too much." Dr Grant snipped. "And keep off the alcohol for a while, it may result in less injuries."

"I'm not drunk!" I protested.

"My dear, I've seen girls like you before."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion and bemusement at her pure rudeness. Surely they should leave doctors like her to do paperwork and not to interact with the public. Despite this, I found it hard to be too affected by her words; I'd faced far worse.

"Girls like me?"

"You do have him under your spell, don't you?" She avoided the question and stared out of the doorway at Ashley who was leant over the desk.

"I really don't see what that has to do-."

"Awfully good-looking isn't he? I have a son just like him, Michael. Captivated, he is, with this one girl. She's a lot like you; attractive, never wears much, the type to go out to parties at all hours."

I glanced at the clock which revealed it to be the early hours of the morning. I could see why she thought I was the partying-type, having arrived at the hospital with messy hair and in a short dress. But presuming something was totally different to acting with such superiority.

"Dr Grant," I interrupted. It had been a long time since I'd interacted with a human outside the confines of Goliath's house but I was sure that normal people didn't act with such rudeness and bluntness. "I assure you, I am not the type of girl that you're talking about."

"Whatever you say, I just don't want to see him fall for you like my Michael fell for this girl."

"And if I've  fallen for him?" I asked, standing up and leaving the room.

.............................

Unsurprisingly, questions were asked the next day about the bandage on my arm. I told everyone the same, conventional lie that I'd told Ashley and Dr Grant: that I'd fallen down the stairs.

"God, Lizzy. Only you could manage to do that." Joe chuckled, unsympathetically as we were walking down to the kitchen.

I didn't answer because at that moment, Dane appeared, seemingly from nowhere, at the bottom of the stairs. Our eyes locked. I'd expected him to look away from me but instead he started to walk up the stairs towards us, his eyes flickering towards my bandage.

"You're looking lovely today Dane, as always." Joe smiled with just the right amount of sarcasm.

"Run along, boy." Dane coughed.

My hand leapt to Joe's arm and grasped it tightly. Dane didn't miss this action, his eyes held a trace of satisfaction at my apparent fear. Don't leave me. I silently willed Joe.

"Lizzy," Joe took my wrist and pushed my arm away. "I do understand how irresistible I am, but try to keep yourself under control...for now."

Joe grinned at me, fully aware of how annoying he was being. My stomach squirmed, but not at Joe's words; I was too preoccupied staring at Dane's devilish face.

"What do you want?" I hissed once Joe had left.

"That's not the way you should be talking to someone who-"

"Pushed me down a flight of stairs and left me?"

"Someone who has information for you," he wheezed.

I scrutinised his ugly face, the translucent skin, the clusters of veins. This man was not going to give away any information that would help me. No, his face was already gloating as if he'd won some battle unknown to me.

"I don't understand you!" I nearly yelled, backing away from him. "You try to kill me and now you're offering information?"

"Girl, if I'd have tried to kill you, we wouldn't be here having this conversation."  

Dane really was a mystery to me. He seemed so weak from the outside but the strength with which he'd pushed me down the stairs was not from an old man. Not from a ninety year old. And why was he showing this sudden interest in me? Was it because I knew about Elizabeth Sancruor?

"But I want to issue a warning." Dane breathed into my face. "I've told Goliath. I've told him about you and Ashley."

..........................

Hello :D I know this chapter may seem slightly irrelevant at the moment (with Dr Grant) but all shall become clear in time....

Wow, that sounded really deep and mysterious.