Nadine

18. Mess

"DOCTOR!"

"DID YOU SEE..."

"I LOST MY..."

"WHERE IS..."

"DOCTOR HERE"

I back out the door. I go into an empty office then take the hidden route to my office. I go into the office hallway and it's empty. I can see all the way to the nurse's desk and Dipak is sitting on it twirling his sword. I stop and watch him for a second. He does well in chaos and he's so strong. He turns his head towards me. Oops. I look away fast. When I check again, he's smirking and coming towards me.

"I couldn't get through the normal door. I had to go around." I glance at the patient hallways. "This is a disaster, Dipak. I can't give care here. I can't even find the staff. It's just chaos."

He hands me some food. "Eat, I got this."

He stands on the desk and makes a sound, then puts his sword up. I see a sword go up in another hallway. "QUIET." He yells so loud it shakes the walls but everyone listens and it's quiet. I eat with everyone watch us.

"VISITING TIME IS OVER. WAITING ROOM IS NOW IN THE BALL ROOM. IF YOU ARE NOT MEDICAL STAFF OR A PATIENT GET OUT!" People start coming towards us. "GUARDS CLEAR THEM OUT NOW." He jumps off the desk landing right beside me. He is so close. "There you go princess."

I swallow super hard. I can't take my eyes off him. He puts his hand on my back and I can feel his chest against my arm. He makes eye contact with me through the veil and his start darkening. He pulls me closer.

"Thank you I finally could get through." Dipak lets go of me and starts rubbing his eyes. Dorseti shakes her head. "This is a mess."

"Yes it is." I shove my last bite of food in. "I need the staff. Did Elkie ever wake up?"

"Not yet, doctor."

Vitchen, Dorseti, Mary, Dipak, and Tre all show up at the desk. "Thank you all. Vitchen are the blood drips all in?"

"I really have no idea. I tried but... it's been horrible here."

"Mary do the antiste on everyone. I didn't have it out there. Make sure you document exactly what you use on each person. Dorseti, you are on antidotes and infection control. I didn't use any antidotes out there but you may come up with something. Keep your eyes open. Vitchen you go get cleaned up first. When you get back, switch with Mary or Dorseti. I need you 2 to set up blood drips for everyone. The blood is in there. You take 1 container per person and a tube."

"I know blood drips princess." Dipak stops me so I don't keep going.

"Please show Tre how. There are a lot of people here that need help." He nods. "I will be opening people back up. I will leave the door open in the room I am in. If I start screaming or yelling, someone please come and check on me. I think that's all for now."

Dipak takes a step towards me. "Princess, I have guards on the man you were having issues with in the field. Do not go into that room without me."

"Oh ok." Well, that's not going to be awkward at all. "Let's do this." I turn around and there are 10 servants bowing to me.

"Excuse us, ma'am. We usually do laundry in this area. We believe we can help with keeping the areas clean."

"Oh yes, thank you. Some of the rooms I'm sure are a disaster. And I'm still not done opening people up. Any cleaning help you can give is appreciated. Also, leave your names on a paper at the desk."

"Yes ma'am."

I go towards my first reopen.

I few hours later, I make it back to the desk. The girls are sleeping. Vitchen and Dorseti are sleeping on the desk. Mary is sleeping in a chair. I wake Mary up and send her to bed. Then I wake Dorseti up and do the same thing. "Sleep in bed for a few hours. Then switch with Vitchen please. At least one of you has to be out here all the time." Vitchen wakes up too. "Take turns sleeping in your beds please." They both nod.

Tre hands me some blood. "You need sleep too baby."

I chug it. "Not yet." I motion to Dipak. "I'm doing the guarded one now." He stands up. "Tre you can go to sleep. I only have 1 left and everything is good for now."

He gives me a hug. "You sure?"

"Yes it's 1 more and Dipak wants to be in there."

He says something to Dipak as he walks away, but I don't catch it.

We get in the room and the smell is off. "Smell that?"

"Yes." He takes his sword out.

"What?"

"Continue."

"The skin on the arms and legs is good. The neck is intact and not broken. Head is fine." I open the chest area back up. "So much is not here. And the heart is sort of hanging here." I check the blood drip. "Blood is being absorbed. Yet no healing seems to be occurring." I stop the blood drip and sit down. I don't know how long I'm sitting there staring at the man. "Dipak, I need your sword." He hands it to me again. This time I remember how heavy it is and I don't about fall over. I take the sheet off the man and throw a rag over his genitals. Then I lift the sword and let it fall on the man's leg. It cuts him to the bone, but I really wanted it all the way off. I lift to try again and Dipak takes the sword back and does it.

It's a horrible sound when the sword goes through the bone. I flinch and jump back.

"Sorry princess. Bones are hard to get through."

I check his leg. "Dipak."

"Yes."

I poke at the leg a few more times. Then I look into Dipak's eyes again. They are completely clear. "I have no idea what I'm looking at. I would say this isn't a vampire except it's absorbing blood. It's not healing but the blood has to be going somewhere."

I shivers. "Step outside princess."

"What are you going to do?"

"Put it out of its misery." He motions to the guard. The guard pushes me out and shuts the door.

A few seconds later, I get back in. Dipak is putting his sword away. The man's heart is in several pieces and his head has been detached. I feel the tears coming up in my eyes. I grab a clean sheet and cover his body.

Dipak stands behind me and rubs my arms. I turn around and bury my face in his chest, crying. We wrap our arms around each other.

"I'm sorry princess. It had to be done."

After a few minutes of crying, I let him go. "I have to keep going."

I wipe the tears off my face as I go back towards room 1.

"Where you going?"

"I have to check them all, make sure everything is correct and seal the papers."

"No you're not." Dipak twirls me around and points at the desk. Tre is standing there with more food and blood. Dorseti is sleeping in the chair now. I must have been in that room awhile. "You need to eat."

I go up to the desk with Dipak. "I just did this."

Tre shakes his head. "That was 7 hours ago princess. It's nearly morning." He hands me a plate of food and a cup of blood. "You need to sleep."

"I have to much to do." I down the blood and take a few bites of food. I turn to go back and I must of turned to fast. I feel myself dropping. I don't know which of them catches me. But I feel myself get wrapped up in warm strong arms.

I hear Mary before I pass out. "Well, that did it."