Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

I hope you enjoy the next chapter, it's shorter then my previous chapters – but that could be a good thing. You won't have to pack a picnic before you start to read it! The most important thing is that it resolves the last cliff hanger situation.  Many thanks to bajan-martini, my wonderful, fearless, and tireless beta! 

Chapter 20 – It Begins


Wait for it…wait…it's coming…where…where is it? Where is the pain? I lay on my right side, on my deck, allowing my brain time to take damage inventory of my body. Twyla had shot at me; I saw her intentions in her fury-filled eyes before she pulled the trigger. Those few seconds, in between her reaching for the gun and pulling the trigger, was enough time for me to push Eric out of the trajectory path of the bullet and dive for cover.


No blood…no sharp pains…thank you Heavenly Deities! I rolled up into sitting position; elated I wasn't leaking body fluids. I felt pain from my previous injuries, but nothing new, no new breaks, tears, or holes.


How the Hell did I manage that?


As I got my bearings, I heard Twyla yelling and screaming. Her squawks were mixed with shouts from A.J. I heard A.J. telling his men to take Twyla home. I also heard him yelling my name. I looked for Eric and saw him lying on the deck. He looked okay, his eyes were open and he was slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position.


Eric's beautiful pearl grey suit had been damaged from his fall. It was torn in the shoulder and the back was filthy from the fall. I felt genuine sadness for the condition of his beautiful suit.


Something was wrong with Eric. He flopped back down onto his back. He tried getting up again, and twisted his torso in my direction - and that's when I saw the bloodstains. He had been shot. He stopped moving.


"Shit! Eric! Eric, are you okay! DAMMIT." I kept low, and scurried over to where he was. His eyes were closed. I reached to his neck to check for his pulse, but then stopped myself when I remembered that vampires didn't have pulses. A blood curdling scream from a male came from the direction of A.J.'s gang. I looked out and saw two men struggling with Twyla; apparently, she was biting them in her attempts to break free. But it didn't work, and they continued to haul her over to a SUV. I searched for A.J. and saw him dialing a cell phone.


I yelled out to him, "A.J.! Call an ambulance, Eric's been shot!" I gently called Eric's name but he didn't respond. I reached over and tore open his shirt; there were two bullet holes in the center of his right pectoral muscle, and blood was running out from both. I lapped my right hand over my left hand and pressed into the wounds, trying to stop the flow of the blood.


Eric grunted in pain, his eyes cracked open and he slightly twisted his head in my direction. It took him a couple of seconds before he recognized me. He then closed his eyes and moaned.


A.J. had been calling to me, asking me if I was alright, but I had ignored him until now. I called out my response to him, "A.J., I'm fine. Eric's not! He took both bullets. He's bleeding heavily. Did you call an ambulance?"


A.J. came stomping up to the front of the deck and tried to maneuver around some invisible barrier, but to no avail. He was irritated and his voice echoed his emotions. "Dammit girl! This damn wolf bane...I can't get to ya. You're okay, right, RIGHT?"


Again, I confirmed that I was fine. He looked at Eric, snorted, and then sneered out a smile. He turned away and started walking towards his black SUV, throwing out over his shoulder, "Good, I'll call ya."


I called after him, "A.J.! A.J.! Didn't you hear me! Eric was shot, we need an ambulance!"


A.J. stopped, twisted around to look at me and shouted back at me. "He's a fucking vampire, Jo! He'll be fine. But why don't you do us all a favor – and stake him!" He looked at me for a response, but when all he got was my astonished stare. His expression changed from smug to stoic. Though the next words he spoke were uttered almost in a whisper, I heard them quite clearly, "Don't forget what side your bread is buttered on, girly-girl. You git me?" I nodded 'yes.' He smiled, tapped his forehead in a half-ass salute, then turned and continued towards his car.


I was incredulous. You're a fucking sheriff – the chief of police…damn you! I turned to look at Eric and was so happy to see that his eyes were open and he was staring at me. I leaned down until I was close to his face and said, "Eric, listen, I'm going to call an ambulance. You have to hang –"


He shook his 'no,' and then said, "An ambulance…can't help me. They can't help me."


I heard trucks and SUVs starting up and pulling out. I turned to look out over the amazing, mini-fleet of departing vehicles and then turned back to Eric, "They're leaving…they're…Eric…ERIC!"


He closed his eyes and I shook him, trying to keep him from falling into unconsciousness. He opened his eyes and looked at me. His expression was like nothing I had ever seen before on his face. He looked vulnerable. His eyes were beautiful and brilliant blue – cornflower, soft blue. I actually caught my breath. I momentarily thought of kissing him.


He whispered so softly that I almost didn't hear him, "You aren't going to hurt me, are you?"


I felt tears stinging my eyes; I blinked them away and swallowed hard to push down a knot in my throat. I whispered my response, hoping it would soothe and reassure him, "NO! I'm not going to hurt you, Eric. I'm going to stay with you. I swear." He smiled weakly at me and I smiled back.


The blood flow from Eric's wounds had significantly slowed down and seemed to have stopped. I slowly lessened the pressure on the wound to see if my compression was still needed. The bleeding didn't start again, so that told me that I now had time to go get the first aid kit.


"Eric, I'm going to go get towels and the first aid kit. What can I do now…what should I do for you?"


His response was slow in coming. He seemed to be mauling over some thoughts. His eyes had a silver glint to them, and he kept them leveled on me, never blinking. When he seemed to have come to some conclusion, he quietly said, "I hate asking you…but…"


I thought I knew what he needed. SHIIITTTTTT! Ah man, this is so not…oh fuck it. I rolled up my right sleeve, and tried to hide my agitation while saying, "You need blood, don't you? That's okay…you can – ah…it's okay. Not a problem. I just, you know…Let me –" I started to maneuver into a position that would allow me to place my wrist at his mouth, but he verbally stopped me.


"No, I don't need that right now. I need you to…remove the bullets."


I know my eyes bugged out when I repeated his words, "Remove the bullets? Oh, Eric, I –"


He started to cough and I heard a wheezing sound coming from his chest. He reached up and grabbed the wrist that I had offered to him. "No, you have to – the bullets…they're silver. They're eating away at my flesh. I won't heal…I could die, Jo. Please. Please, help me."


I nodded my head and I started to get up, when he tugged on my wrist again. "You have to suck out the bullets, quickly." He gently yanked on my wrist again. I smiled and gently extracted my wrist from his grasp.


Like Hell I'm going to suck out those damn bullets! Vampire blood…diseases…Hell no! Sorry, princess!


I quickly stood up before he could grab me again, and said to him, "Eric, I'll do that, but let me get some bandages and something to clean the area around the wounds. I'll be right back – don't move! Okay?"


I sprinted away from him quickly before he could grab me again. I ran into the house and grabbed my first aid kit, several face towels, a bottle of peroxide, and then I ran to my dresser and grabbed my Swiss Army knife that I carry with me while on duty. The knife is from the Deluxe Huntsman Lite Ruby series, which has many attachments including miniature scissors, a cork screw, several knives – and a miniature pair of tweezers! I thought it would be perfect for going into the wound and plucking out the bullets.


I ran back to Eric, carrying my bounty. Once back by Eric's side, I unloaded and quickly arranged everything near me so that I could reach all of it quickly. Eric suspiciously looked at all the items and then asked, "What are you doing? What is all of this stuff?"


I held up the peroxide and said, "This is peroxide. I'm going to clean the area and then remove the bullets." He nodded his head and lay back down.


I poured some of the peroxide on a towel and started to clean around the wound area. However, after being touched for a couple of seconds by the moistened towel, Eric yelled out and grabbed my hand that was holding the towel. "WHAT – WHAT IS THAT? STOP IT! Give me that!" He wrestled the towel out of my hand and threw it over the railing of the deck.


"Why did you do that? It's just peroxide."


"Well, it hurt!"


"What? How could it? Maybe it bubbled or fizzed-"


"It stung! Don't use anymore of it on me. Get it away from me!" He grabbed the bottle of peroxide and threw it over the railing to join the exiled towel.


"Dammit Eric!That was a new bottle!"


"Be quiet…just…just suck out the bullets…" He lay back down and closed his eyes. He then pointed to the wounds with his left hand.


I picked up my Swiss Army knife, found and pulled out the tweezers. I leaned over to assess the wounds and quickly tried to formulate a surgery plan.


One of Eric's eyes popped open and he asked, "What are you doing now?"


I held up the tweezers for him to see and then clapped the prongs together several times for emphasis. "I'm planning my strategy."


Both of his eyes practically bulged out of his head. He immediately sat up and tried to grab my hand, while angrily blaring at me, "What the Hell are you going to do with these?"


I shrugged my shoulders in frustration and blurted back at him, "I'm going to take out the bullets! With these! I can't drink your blood…it's disgusting! Hell, you could have the bubonic plague for all I know! This will work."


He attempted to pull the tweezers out of my hand and send them to join its friends, Mr. Towel, and Ms. Peroxide Bottle, but I smacked his hands away. "No, no, nooooo! I said, NO! This goes with my Swiss Army knife kit! Stop! You're not going to throw it away!"


Then it dawned on me, "Hey, you seem to be feeling a lot better. You even look better, too." It was true. He seemed more energized, and he didn't look as pasty and sickly pale as he had earlier. He now looked… less pale-ish and the pasty element was gone.


A myriad of emotions twisted his facial features. He seemed suspiciously coy and he looked like he was stifling a smile! He started to babble out some inane explanation that I barely heard or understood.


"I…am…pushing…myself. It's like a reserve of energy that I have – vampires have…It's an energy reserve…for emergencies." He puffed out an exasperated huff of air and turned away from me.


I was totally confused and slightly miffed. Plus, my bullshit alarm was blaring. I muttered, "What?" I wanted to say something more, and I grappled with words, but my tongue and brain were out of alignment. I gave up in frustration.


Eric took a deep breath and let it out. "It's a little known fact…we…vampires have-"


I cut him off; things were just too fishy for me, "Are you bullshitting me?"


I could tell that he was getting agitated and he confirmed it when he coldly uttered, "Go into the house. I'll do this myself."


"Eric, come on, don't be a little pouting princess - if you need this done, let's do this! Let me help you. But, I'm sure as Hell not sucking out your bullets - what kind of lame, brain idiot do you take me for? These tweezers will be more effective and efficient-"


He snapped at me, "I SAID GET INSIDE!"


I slowly stood up – I had to move slowly because my ribs and joints were aching, and said, "You know what? Fine! I'm going. I'm exhausted; in pain…I'm trying to help you, dammit!…Fuck it! Those bullets probably weren't silver, because you look…better…Let me know if you need anything." I started walking away, but stopped half way to the door. I turned and asked, "Hey, do you want me to call someone to pick you up? Pam, maybe?" He shook his head 'no.'


I went into the house, and walked straight to my pain killers. Bouncing around on the deck was now taking its toll. My body was coming out of its state of shock and now I was aching everywhere. I took the pills and then walked to my front door to check on Eric. I peeked out and saw…nothing. He was gone. I went out and looked around; making sure that he hadn't staggered somewhere and fallen down. I didn't see him, so I went back inside.


Later in the evening as I got ready for bed, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing my teeth. I remembered back to when I had first arrived in Bon Temps, and how I stood in front of this very mirror, giving myself a pep-talk, extolling my attributes and tallying up all my accomplishments. It was an exercise that I invented in-country, during my tour of duty in Iraq. It helped my fears enough to get me out of my tent and into the patrol jeep every day. I had used the same pep-talk for about a month after arriving in Bon Temps, but had stopped, because I thought I didn't need it anymore.


Now looking at myself, I really didn't see much to admire. I just didn't have it in me to pump my ego up with hot air and bullshit. The mirror was way too honest. I looked like shit. I could tell that I had lost some muscle mass in my upper arms and shoulders. I looked bruised, used, and abused. The only other time I had looked this bad was after the helicopter crash.


Things are going to change, girlfriend. Stop your bitching and start pitching. I vowed to start taking better care of myself. I would need to – especially if my life in Bon Temps continued along the same path that it was on.






The next day was full of surprises, good - and very bad.


First on my to-do list was to leave a message for Eric, thanking him for his help for…well…taking a couple of bullets for me. While re-hashing the events of the previous night, it occurred to me that we were pushing each other at the same time, trying to get the other out of the line of fire. His shove was more effective; I was sent into safety and he took the bullets.


I should have waited and talked to him directly, but fuck it, I took the rude, cowardly approach and called at a time knowing that he wouldn't be able to answer. I wasn't in the mood or had time for the road less traveled approached to the situation - I needed a well-paved highway - to move me along, so I could keep up with the flood of current events.


I still didn't know why he wanted me to suck out the bullets – who does that? Who asks someone to suck out bullets? How many doctors actually suck out bullets? Hello – I'm not a vampire! That's not my idea of a midnight snack!






Right around lunchtime, Liam showed up at my office, all bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. He was warm, charming, bearing flowers, food, and sincere apologies. His sexy appearance, charming platitudes, and warm, happy attitude pissed me off.


I lead him into my office, closing all blinds and locking my door for privacy. I waved him to sit down in one of my visitor chairs, and I took my seat behind my desk. Liam ignored office visitor protocol and chose to kneel at my feet, stroking any of my body limbs that I didn't jerk away from him.


"Darling lass, you've had a time of it, haven't you?" He caressed my face and looked genuinely upset. "I called the hospital to check on the conditions of some of my patients, and the attending doctor that worked on you when you were brought in, told me about the accident. I came here straight away. I'm soooo sorry. So very sorry. Bullocks! I wish I had been here. Quite an ordeal that you've been through...I'm here now and I'm going to take care of you…" He rambled on, and I only half listened. When he spoke, his dimples would flash, which was very sexy. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle. I felt myself starting to relax. I really wanted to slap him.


"Hey, shit happens. Get up, Liam...you don't have to beg for my forgiveness." I forced out a strained laugh, but actually…smart man, the begging was a good move on his part. Despite all the attention, petting, and groveling, I just couldn't let go my anger completely. Heat from the anger crept into my voice when I asked him, "So, what was the emergency? What happened that kept you from escorting me to a very important, work-related, social event?"


I could see his body tense up as he prepared to respond. He seemed extremely uneasy. His response was slow in coming, and I could tell that he was pre-editing what he was about to say to me. "Something came up…It was an emergency. I was on the upper side of Boyer's Lake and there's no radio or cell phone reception up there. I meant to call you later. A girl was, well…You see, I've started my own private program…I offer my services free to all those in need, who can't afford proper medical care…This was a very delicate matter."


He glanced at me, searching for my response. I remained expressionless, but nodded my encouragement for him to continue.


Liam, if at all possible, became more endearing and charming as he continued his explanation. "She's fine now, but her family wishes to keep everything private, so I'm not at liberty to say too much. Of course I wouldn't, because, well you know - patient confidentiality, as it were. I'm so...my lips are sealed from saying more. But it was touch and go there for awhile. Buuutttttt…enough of that…back to you, my beautiful lass. You were on my mind, almost to the point of distraction. How can I tell and show you how terribly sorry I am for not being there for you? But, I'm here now, you can bank on it. Ah, wait, I forgot!" He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, glass, clamp-topped jar.


"I made a few quick stops before I came here, including my house, where I went to get this." He handed me the miniature glass jar and clasped his warms around my hands, as I held the jar.


"Rub a dab of this on your bruises and aches right before you go to sleep tonight. You will feel so much better in the morning. This I promise! I use herbal remedies in my practice and this practical concoction is a specialty of mine. The recipe for this ointment is actually quite old. Scotsmen would soothe their battle wounds with this. It's quite effective. It will turn warm on your skin, but for just a wee spell, but it won't be uncomfortable. It will set you right, straight away."


He looked intently into my eyes; I could feel a flush of sexual attraction spread up my neck. His large, warm hands caressed my hands and wrists.


Liam continued his barrage of smooth talk, soothing voice, and attentive, nurturing manner. He had successfully chipped away my defenses. I was tired and didn't feel like pushing or punishing him further. In truth, I loved the attention, and the view – those dimples, and the outline of his chiseled abs that showed through the fit of his oxford shirt - was lovely to behold.


I started to rationalize with myself. Liam hadn't done anything wrong. I had no real reason to be offended or bitchy. So, I decided to let go of my anger and allowed the fine doctor to lavish his attention on me.


However, my Mama hadn't raised a fool. I couldn't and wouldn't ignore all the internal warnings blaring in my head. My 'bullshit' radar was turned on and tuned into the fine Dr. Liam McTavish. Being stood up for vague reasons just didn't jive with my common sense or pride. But, as I said, it was time to let go and enjoy. Plus, it would be rude to refuse the fine food basket that was brimming with goodies…and there was a whole pecan pie in the basket…it would be an unnecessary waste to throw it away – a sin actually.






Bad news came from the hospital. The grown daughter of Miss Sadie, Ruby Jean, was stricken with the disease or whatever is was that ultimately killed Sadie. The disease turned Ruby Jean into a biting, flesh-ripping, deranged monster that attacked and maimed two nurses and three orderlies. All five personnel were immediately quarantined.


What we didn't know was that a deputy on my staff, who was present and part of the team trying to subdue the attacking Ruby Jean, had also been infected by Ruby Jean.


Ted Millot, who I had appointed as the lead deputy on the Moufette cases, was the infected deputy. Unbeknownst to Ted, he had cut his hand during the skirmish with Ruby Jean and drops of her saliva or blood had entered his open wound.


After the attack, Ted finished his tour of duty and while on his way home, he decided to stop off at a brother's house for a drink and to unwind. His brother had company. The visitors, following Southern tradition, brought the host a present, which was a sample of their own fine, home-brewed, moonshine booze. All the men who enjoyed the brew - all five of them – drank directly from the same bottle. When they were sufficiently pickled by the booze, all guests and Ted drove precariously home to their respective families.


Lacey, Ruby Jean's daughter, was understandably terrified and rightfully so. She didn't want to turn into a monster. Her main concern was in regards to Jacob, a boy at her church. She confided to a nurse that she had never kissed a boy and had hoped that Jacob, a boy in her bible class, would try to kiss her at the upcoming Christmas dance at her church.


Lacey cried herself to sleep and then awoke at three o'clock in the morning and attacked the night staff on her hospital ward. She savagely attacked a nurse; so much so, that all in the vicinity of the attack feared for the nurse's life. Lacey was shot dead by a deputy's bullet.


Then things got bad, very, very bad.


 

Chapter End Notes:

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