necking by Chris Salvatore

Author:Chris Salvatore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2008-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

11

I’ve Used Up All My Sick Days, So I’m Calling In Dead

The airport personnel didn’t even bat an eye when I limped up to the counter and asked to buy a last-minute ticket for the 11:20 red-eye to New York. I cried and ground my teeth all the way home.

This was so f-ed up! Not only was I just bitten by a complete stranger after ten years of avoiding that danger, but I was also just dumped—and not only by the love of my life, but the man I still had to work with. I had a conference call on Monday with Jonathan, Bella, her agent, and the publisher of Speculation, so I’d be talking with him again—like it or not—within seventy-two hours. This really sucked.

I needed to talk to Lola. I called her when I landed, and told her to stop having sex for a few hours and meet me at my apartment.

I then drank martinis and yelled things at Lola. She did the good girlfriend thing and nodded noncommittally to everything I said. She asked if I wanted to see Dr. Laktarnik about the bite, but I said I was fine, though I promised to call him if I felt any effects. She left Sunday morning. I couldn’t expect even my best friend in the whole world to put up with my psychotic ratings forever.

I’m not sure if it was the martinis or sheer adrenaline that kept me from feeling sick, but by Sunday night I was in bad shape. I knew from my vampire friends that most people’s reactions to a bite only lasted twelve to twenty-four hours. Something was wrong. I had all the symptoms of a stomach flu, but they didn’t hit me until that night. I called Dr. Laktarnik.

He asked a few questions: where the bite was, how quickly it healed, etc. He told me to treat it like a flu, that the toxins should work their way out of my system by the end of the week. He said that the herbs I took to stop the bleeding had prevented her from getting too much of my blood, but also made my reaction a little more intense. He also told me I did a good thing by abandoning my plans to change. Like that was my idea. So on top of feeling incredibly sorry for myself, I was going to be sick for a week, but at least a crazy old warlock/vampire killer from Brooklyn thought I was being a good girl.

I made myself some dry toast. How could things possibly get any worse?

I didn’t have to wait long: I woke up Monday morning feeling like someone had run over my head with a truck. I had the vampire flu and a hangover. I threw up, showered, dressed, and dragged my sorry ass to work.

I considered calling in to my boss and saying “I’ve used up all my sick days, so I’m calling in dead,” since I was sure death couldn’t hurt this much.

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