Jackson Collin Levine's POV-
After being stuck in the small hospital for a week, I was finally released. They had tested me for every illness known to man, twice, but they all came back negative. Miss. Wilson, also known as Kate when not in school, helped me as I packed. I didn't have much at the hospital with me but all my movements were slowed with reminiscent pain. Just the school books I poured over for the last week, my phone and its charger, and some leftover snacks from Kate.
"Are you ready to get out of here?" she asked as she slid my bag onto her slender shoulder. I nodded as I grabbed my phone from the bed and sat in the provided wheelchair. As much as I loathed to need it, I did. The Male nurse that was in the room struggled to push me through the hospital.
When we reached Miss. Wilson's car, the male nurse was out of breath. Though, I could not blame him; he had just pushed a three hundred pound man across the entire hospital. He helped me into the dark grey Honda Ridgeline. Kate placed my backpack in the back seat before she got into the driver's side seat. With one last goodbye to the nameless male nurse, we left.
"Do you need to go anywhere before we head home?" she asked and I nodded. I explained that even though she had gotten everything out of my apartment, I needed to talk to the landlord. Mr. Gnocchi had done so much for me and I couldn't bring myself to leave without a proper explanation. The trip was quicker than expected, only a ten-minute drive before she pulled into my parking spot.
I knocked on the door to Andrew Gnocchi's office on the first floor of the building. It took a few minutes but he finally called for me to come in. When he saw me limp into his office, he was instantly on his feet with a dozen questions that spilled from him.
"Jackson! There you are! We were supposed to meet and sign the new papers a week ago. Then some movers stop by and clean out your apartment. What happened? Where have you been? You look pale, are you alright?" he asked as I took a seat on the visitor's chair.
"I am sorry for not contacting you but, I thought that I should talk to you in person. Many things have happened since I last saw you. I had my ass handed to me at school again but I ended up having a couple of seizures while in the nurse's office. I have been in the hospital since then. However, due to my frequent absence from work, I lost my job. So, the school nurse offered to let me live with her until I can stand on my own two feet. After a lengthy discussion, I agreed to live with her. She is out in the lobby if you would like to meet her." I explained carefully and slowly since there was so much to go over. He nodded along as I spoke with a deep frown set on his face.
"You know that you could have kept your apartment. I still own this building and the contracts associated with it. However, you are eighteen now and I respect your choice. It seems like you thought it over before making the decision." he said as he clasped his hands over the desk.
We spoke more about what had happened during the time that I was in the hospital. I told him about the various tests they did on me and he told me about his youngest child. He and his wife adopted a couple of siblings a year and a half ago. Unfortunately, his wife got into a car accident not to long after. She passed away after months of living on a ventilator.
"So, what is she like? The nurse that is taking you in, that it." he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He had a weird fascination with nurses but who was I to judge.
"I'll go ask her to come in! She would probably like to talk to you as well." I answered and stood from the luxurious yet still uncomfortable chair. I opened the office door and slyly got Kate's attention. She followed me back into the office with an odd look on her face. However, it only grew worse when I stepped aside and the two of their eyes met.
"MATE!" they both exclaimed and it looked they wanted nothing more than to be in each other's arms. Which was odd to me, didn't they just meet? I raised an inquisitive eyebrow but neither of them was paying any attention.
"I am not sure what I was expecting today but this was not on my to-do list. Not that I am complaining." Andrew said with a charming smile on his face. I looked over to Miss. Wilson and if she could, she would have been blushing. Instead, her chocolate skin remained untouched by the blush I was sure was there. He seemed to realize as well and his smile grew larger.
"Please, both of you, take a seat already. I want to get some sleep after this." I half complained and half ordered. I had never been the pushy type but I was tired. I didn't have the mental fortitude needed to sort everything out. Kate simply nodded her head and sat in the seat that I had pulled out for her. My ex-landlord took his seat behind his desk. His eyes never once wavered from her.
"Hello, My name is Kate Wilson. I am a nurse with a small local hospital and the high school." the brunette said as she stretched out her hand to Andrew. He smiled again, this time softer, as he reached out and shook her hand. Though, I had not expected the groan to escape them as they touched.
"OKAY! I don't know what is going on but it's obvious you two have some primal chemistry. So, I am going to go up to my apartment and see if the movers missed anything. It should take twenty minutes at the most since it's on the smaller side. You two should handle whatever is going on. You two have been like parent figures to me and it's kinda wigging me out." I exclaimed and again, I was sure the nurse was blushing even if nobody could see it. Andrew Gnocchi just smirked and waved me off.
I quickly maneuvered myself out of the room and over to the elevator. I rode up to my floor and soon enough stood in front of my old home. I had lived here for years and it felt odd to leave it behind. I unlocked the wooden door and it finally all crashed into me. I would not live there anymore. It would no longer be my home and I would no longer see Andrew every day. I looked around the now empty studio apartment and it seemed so much colder than when I left it for school that day.
I flipped open various cupboards in the kitchen, looked under the fridge and oven. However, I found nothing but a few pieces of change that I tucked into my pocket. I moved onto the closet and was shocked to find an old leather backpack. Instead of Zipperes, it had two large buckles on the front of it. I picked it up and threw it over my shoulder knowing it had to of been my father's. One of the few things that I kept from my time with my parents. I walked into the bathroom and it was empty as well. Nothing in the shower, medicine cabinet, or under the sink.
When I was done, I stood at the front door of the apartment. My hand was on the door nob as nostalgia washed over me. However, I pushed the feeling away and opened the door. I followed the path I knew by heart down to the lobby. The two, now disheveled and jumpy, stood in the center of the lobby. I shuddered at the thought of what happened in that office and went to meet them.
As I got closer, things seemed to move in slow motion. First, my sight became sharper as if I was looking through a Microscope. One second I could see every freckle on one of the ladies' faces in the room. The next I could see every cell that made up her being and back again. As if that was not weird enough, I could smell better. There was a steak and potato place around the bend and I could smell the steaks being grilled. I could smell the ashes from a grill several blocks away. Then, my hearing grew so strong that it blocked everything else out. All the various cries, conversations, and whispers attacked my ears. My knee's buckled as I felt every piece of cloth as it seemed to grate against my skin. I could feel every thread of my pants as they pulled taught against me. It was like my entire body was under attack but it was also the attacker.
I groaned in pain as two sets of hands tried to pull me up. I looked up to identify the hand's owners and found Andrew and Kate. They smelled different than what I recognized and both had bite marks on the sides of their necks. It reminded me of an old story I heard as a child.
"Werewolves…" I mumbled just before my vision went dark, my mind not far behind.