It had been hard weeks for Samuel. He had tried his best and he had never felt this freaking powerless. Colin was still busy and Mimi got worse day and day. Salvatore had once again disappeared somewhere, and he was left alone. Adam had gone to tell Alphas a few facts about Bran, whose reputation took another hit again.
Samuel wondered by passing if his father had really lost his mind. To sell Mimi now to the pharma company but then again, after one of Bran's favorite little pussies had been rescued there, and she had been in a terrible state, left her permanently scarred and not any more beautiful, Bran was probably trying to ensure that those monsters would not take his little pussies away from him by selling Mimi to them.
Samuel was watching from the window as his brother drove to the yard. Charles had called and when he had told him what had happened to Mimi, he had promised to come on and visit her, to see if it helped at all. Samuel thought bitterly that this would be most likely goodbye, not getting better. Samuel knew that this was not going to be easy for Charles, not at all. Hell, it was hell for him too.
He was not sure what would happen once Mimi's body would shut down fully, would she be aware, trapped in her own body, would that damn beryllium ever go away and if she would shut down before Salvatore got here, could even help her anymore, or would Mimi be lost, maybe forever.
Samuel tried to keep some hope but as he was ancient, seen a lot, and knew his business, he was always the first realist, so he knew that there was very little hope left. He saw his brother getting out of his big sturdy SUV and he sighed in his mind. This would not be easy. Mimi was in a terrible state, sick as a dog, shutting down and he, the brilliant doctor Cornick, could do nothing. Infections continued to weaken her even more as beryllium shut her down, he was losing her.
Charles came inside, and Samuel sighed as they drank coffee. Charles told him about what he had done and how Bran's reputation took a hit, how Sark was again being hunted by fleas, and how Charles was more and more angry with his father. Samuel was too, but it did not help at all.
He had learned a long time ago to shut his feelings and keep a clinical mind, not let his emotions come in the way when it came to making decisions and being a doctor. It made him somewhat emotionally distant and even though he had fucked with Mimi, right now he saw her as the patient, not as a woman, not as a partner, not as an affair even.
Mimosa and Mirella were free and doing their own thing. Even Mirella could not help Mimi, as Beryllium was in her brain, not in her blood. Mirella and Mimosa were shy and did not come to meet Charles at all. Samuel understood it, as the next conversation would not be easy to have.
He had misjudged his brother and let his father manipulate him to see that Mimi and Charles were not things to be together, but then when he had actually thought about it, Charles was not a bad guy to have in someone's life. Charles was very protective over Mimi and it was only a good thing because she was less protective over herself and could get in trouble because she was brash, reckless, and arrogant when it came to her safety, so little backup would be fine. And since Salvatore had affairs for over ten years with someone before he killed them, maybe Mimi deserved some love, too.
He told Charles about Mimi's situation. "Charles, Mimi's situation is not good, to be honest. Beryllium is in her brain, and it is shutting her down. She has sepsis, blood poisoning by the reaction to metals, and she scratched her skin open. Since these metals shut down her immune system, well bacteria got to her, several strains. I have given her the most potent antibiotics, but her system is so slow that those antibiotics aren't doing what they are supposed to do. She is not pretty, she has boils, she is thin, and not really reacting at all. I'm sorry but I have tried my best, and the prognosis is not good. She is almost fully shut down, so I am not sure what will happen once her body shuts down. So you might say goodbye. She is aware still."
Charles was quiet, he was thinking, and Samuel could see that he was actually conversing with spirits that were around him. Thanks to his witch mother. Charles closed his eyes as he listened to the spirits. Samuel was not sure whose spirits those were or what, but they had helped in the past and right now he was ready to give things a shot. He wanted to help Mimi in some way.
Eventually, Charles opened his eyes, sighed, and said, " Does Salvatore know?"
Samuel shook his head and said, "Damon just disappeared from the ship, and he didn't even come to see Mimi. I don't know where. His phone and wallet were in Mimi's belongings, so restless winds took him. I guess his rage got the better of him. "
Charles smiled and said, "Have you tried close care? If that would help Mimi, to make her try to fight?"
Samuel looked at his brother for a long time and said, "Mimi's body temperature without the incubator is 34 degrees Celsius at most and it is dropping all the time. She can't stand to be away from it. I haven't given her any more sedatives now, but bed rest is not the answer when she seems to shut down no matter what I try to do. I should get her system going properly. And nothing helps, not adrenaline or Ritalin. I've tried every stimulant there is. She is too frail to be moved and her skin is badly inflamed so it would be painful for her to be close to someone, I am truly sorry but I am running out of options and once Salvatore returns and finds out what is happened, I am not sure what comes out of it. Will he be broken or what? I am not sure if he can help her if she is fully shut down, even. Colin has been busy, so he is unable to come and see her. "
Charles was silent for a moment and said, "I'll see if I can catch Damon and see what he thinks."
Samuel looked sharply at his brother. " So you know where Salvatore is? Where and what is he doing?"
Charles said, "Like you said, he has his rage on and I supply him with victims, and he plays with them, so I'm not sure if he's in the right frame of mind to help Mimi, but I'll take a tube of Mimi's blood, and then I'll call you. After that, well he knows where we are and it will be then his decision what he does, so no need to be afraid of blowback. "
Samuel took Charles to the medbay, where Mimi was sleeping in the incubator. Mimi was covered with a sheet. Boils and pustules were visible even on her neck and jaw. Charles knew Samuel had covered her, so he would not be shocked.
Mimi was thin, her gaunt face was white, her chest barely moved, the sharp tang of antiseptic lingered in the air and Charles slowly stepped closer. Mimi's hands looked so thin, so frail and pustules were in her wrists and palms too. Samuel went to one cabin to get a blood collection kit ready so he could have a tube of her blood. So if Damon had any idea what to do or if Damien was still on the surface, well, he might not want to help her.
Charles knew somehow that Damien was a truly nasty piece of work, but then again, he had also his tendencies for cruelty and torture if needed. He was not sure if was Damien a separate being or just part of Damon. Mimi believed that he was a separate being, somehow, but he was not so sure. If Mimi would get better someday, they could talk about that some more.
Right now, Charles was struggling, pain that tore his heart when he saw Mimi in such frail condition was somehow so new to him. It had been ages since he had felt nothing this strong for anyone. He wanted heal her, take her in his arms, kiss her again. She looked so sick, so frail. So maybe someday, this could go further too. Charles swore to himself that if Salvatore ever hurt Mimi again, ever break her heart, he would be there to help and heal her.
He watched as Samuel bent down and took a tube of Mimi's blood without disturbing her. Charles went to the incubator, slipped his hand through the opening in the side, and squeezed Mimi's hand. He felt Mimi squeeze back. Her hand was ice cold, and he was careful as he felt those lacerations on her skin, not wanting to hurt her even though Samuel had put some kind of gloves on her. Somehow, his heart almost broke at the sight of her. He wanted her to hang in there.
Samuel nodded grimly. He said," At first, Mimi even spoke a word or two and kept her eyes open, moved. Now that's what you get from her, that's why I can't guarantee anything. That infections is on top of everything and her condition is not good. We've been ashore for three weeks now, and I don't know how much longer ..."
As Samuel handed him the bag where had packed the few tubes of her blood in the little cushioned box, Charles stood up and said, "I'll call you tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest."
Then he left. He was sure to find Damon and show him in what state Mimi was. And if he did not care, Charles decided he would return to be with Mimi until the end. She would not be alone.
Damien was bored. The victims were fun to play with, but when they died, they didn't give him the feeling that they had helped him. He felt himself falling back again as Charles came over, told him about Mimi, and brought in a few blood tubes. Damien went to rest again when he was forced to. Something in those tubes gave Damon the strength to push him down and come out fully again.
They had been doing this little torture almost together, as true brothers. Good thing for Damien to manipulate Damon even more to feel that he was just part of him. Not separate being. But now, he felt his powers dwindle as Damon came forth. But what could Damon do when he had once again emptied his teeth fully? Maybe he could get back onto the surface in some time. And maybe he could help Mimi so she would be grateful for him, not Damon. Damien's thoughts shut down as he fell into a deep sleep again.
Damon had been surprised when Charles came across his little shed where he'd just tortured one guy from the pharmaceutical company to death. Charles told him about Mimi, and Damon felt the instinct to save Mimi begin to put this more violent side back in the bundle.
He somehow woke up, came to the surface, and was in control fully himself again. He sniffed the blood tube and wondered. He was shocked by Mimi's situation and those bloods told him their story too. Things weren't good for Mimi at all and there was added complication too.
He smelled the beryllium, but his teeth still did nothing. He smelled all those infections, Mimi's frailty, everything, and his teeth did not do anything. Then again, he saw the strange ampoules that had been around for years that put his teeth out, and again, there was one on the table.
Damon didn't remember taking it, but the evidence said otherwise. Now, he was just in a hurry to get his teeth working, and he didn't quite know how. He hopped to Charles's SUV, letting him drive as he pondered what he could do about Mimi. It took six hours before they got to the house. He had one empty ampoule with him, in case Samuel or Mimosa could help him understand what that stuff did to his teeth and how he could get them back to work.
He strode inside, Mimosa was there, and Damon said, "I know Mimi has problems, but somehow I've put my teeth down and can't get them on yet. Mimosa, my love, hang in there. I will do everything I can, but before my teeth react, so..."
He gave Mimosa the ampoule. Wolf sniffed it and smiled slyly then. She knew something.
Mimosa said, "What is that stuff chemically? What does it bind to? Think about how it puts your teeth out. It doesn't so much seal them. It just ..."
Damon looked at Mimosa and said slowly, " Drain them. My teeth don't react when I don't have the substances. Fine. So I have emptied my teeth at some point and I have no recollection of that, but now I know what is wrong with them."
Mirella came in from the other room and said, " I can help you. I will go inside Mimi for a while, just a few minutes and I will release a lot of molecules in her blood. So then you will drink Mimi's blood. There's a lot of material. You can drink her dry as many times as you want. I guarantee her blood will be teeming with molecules. She is frail and her skin is in a bad way so you need to be careful when handling her. She is minimally aware, Samuel has not given any sedatives to her so she will feel pain."
Damon nodded as Mirella went already on medbay. He dashed upstairs to their bedroom, took a shower, and put just a tee shirt and cotton pants on himself so it would be easier for him to drain her blood. He knew that skin was one priority, but the most important was to stop beryllium from shutting her down. It would be a little rough for her because he could not use velvet right away because she was too critical. He needed her to have circulation and breathing as well as possible.
Damon went to the medbay and momentarily looked at the covered incubator. It was covered like that it almost resembled a coffin. He went to the incubator and opened the lid. He turned it off, lifted his wife into his arms, and carried her to one bed.
He spoke to Mimi. He could feel her squeezing his hand weakly. "Baby, I am here. Come on, this will be rough, painful even at first, but I will help and as soon it is safe to give you velvet, you can be sure that is coming and plenty of. Right now, you are first my meal, so it will be okay. Mirella has released a lot of molecules in your blood for me to have building blocks to beryllium, so let's start then. It will be painful when I start to bind the beryllium because I need you to wake as much as possible to bind it fast, but then I will start to treat those infections and velvet will be abundant then. So not to worry, darlin, I got you."
He was unsure how much Mimi heard him or understood, but he had talked to her, anyway. He went to lie next to Mimi and sank his teeth into her heart and drank, to empty, all of about 55 liters, and again. He talked to her with his telepathy each time he felt her to be awake, trying to get her hold on him.
Mirella had been right; Mimi's blood was teeming with various substances. He knew that beryllium is bound to the brain and doesn't immediately leave it. He didn't think of anything as he drank, and at one point, he stopped drinking as he drained now substances from Mimi.
He talked to her until it was safe to give her velvet. Some relief from the pain that she had been in. He had felt it and it was hard for him to hurt her, to heal her, but once beryllium was bound and harmless, he gave her lots of very strong velvet and started to treat her infections.
Samuel put Damon on an IV and poured all sorts of substances into it, whatever you might need, lots of vinegary things. Damon had his teeth in Mimi's neck for a month, then one day, but he was gone, and Mimi was fine. A phone and wallet were on the bedside table again, as usual. Mimi was thin but kept her temperature, her skin was healed and she was healthy once again.
Samuel had recorded everything in her medical files, including coal gold. He had analyzed those bottles of spumante and they had been tampered with, from the start. It had been this killer ruse to get Mimi into the Wives' club in the first place, so she had never actually tasted the actual spumante that had been there.
Samuel chuckled as he analyzed that spumante and used Mimi's AI-powered analyzer, well if Mimi had drunk it, she would have seduced Salvatore and they would have been fucking whole five weeks as it would have been a very strong aphrodisiac for her. Even one little bottle would have lasted for weeks. He kept this information strictly confidential. Again this was something that he did not want his father to know about.