As the doctor closed the door behind him, the sterile echo of the ward faded into the general hum of the hospital. Fumbling for his phone, he dialed a number with shaking hands. With each ring, apprehension grew; his heartbeat was like a faraway, muffled drumbeat. "Come on… pick up," he muttered under his breath, voice a whisper lost to the empty corridor.
And finally, the line connected. "Hello, missy," he stammered out, his tone barely above a low croak weighted with wariness, every word as though standing on the narrow tightrope of caution.
Rose, swallowed in the opulent interior of her father's luxury car, lifted her ringing phone to her ear. Draped in a black gown shimmering with tiny diamonds, she looked every inch the queen of her world. Her gaze flickered to the rearview mirror; her crimson eyes gleamed with a faint hint of curiosity. "Is something wrong, Dr. Lanre?" she asked, her voice delicately threaded by curiosity and constrained concern.
The doctor's footsteps quickened as he was led from the busy hallway to the rooftop of the hospital, his sanctuary. With a heavy door swung open, he looked around the rooftop to make sure he was alone. "He's awake," he burst out, tumbling from his lips in hurried melody.
"What?" Rose's voice rose in incredulity as her poise finally cracked. She straightened in her seat, tense and alert.
"The boy you brought in," said the doctor, still standing, speaking more or less deliberately and obviously trembling, "is awake. But there is something peculiar. there are no signs of any change in the vampire way: his blood keeps warm and the pulse goes, at double.
For a moment, there was only silence on the other end, the weight of his revelation hanging in the air like a storm cloud. Then Rose's voice cut through, firm and resolute. "Wait. I'll be there shortly."
Ending the call, she leaned forward, tapping the driver's shoulder with urgency. "Turn back to the family hospital," she commanded, her tone a whip of authority.
"But miss, your..." the driver began, only to be silenced by her sharp interjection. "Just take me there, or I'll get out here." Her words left no room for argument, each syllable carrying the weight of unyielding resolve.
The driver nodded and made a perfect U-turn; the car cut through the traffic with a sense of purpose. Within minutes, the luxury car pulled up to the entrance of the hospital, and in a second, a uniformed guard opened her door. Rose stepped out, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she strode through the revolving doors with the grace of a tempest.
Already waiting, Dr. Lanre had gone pale but was resolute. "Take me to his ward," she commanded, her gait nimble, uncompromising as the stairs mounted.
He explained, his voice even, his mind screaming in turmoil: "His circulatory and respiratory systems are functioning right. His body's warm, his vitals normal, but there's no hint of a vampire transformation. It seems this. is a failure."
Rose listened to his every word in silence, her crimson eyes dancing with unsaid thoughts. As they reached the door to Felix's room, she turned to the doctor. "Fetch me a blood bank."
The doctor, without a moment of hesitation, nodded and disappeared to carry out her order. Rose entered the room-a formidable presence that made Felix's heart leap with instant confusion.
"Thank you for saving me," Felix said gratefully and in a tone full of admiration. "You must have spent so much and gone through so much for me."
Her eyes ran across his glowing skin, her brain registering every little detail of his changed physique. But though his teeth flashed warmly in the most reassuring smile, tension betrayed her doubts in the gaze. She took a step closer, her slender fingers brushing his forehead, touching a warmth that shouldn't be there.
"What's wrong?" Felix asked, very well aware of her unease. "Is there something wrong with me?"
The door opened before she could answer, and the doctor returned with a blood bag in his hand. "I brought what you requested. O-positive, if I recall correctly-it's known to trigger transformation most easily."
Rose took the bag and thrust it near Felix as though expecting some kind of wild reaction. In her dismay, nothing happened. Felix even touched the bag, confused; his brow furrowed. "Why the blood?"
Disappointment clouded her face, the curl of a bitter smile playing on her lips. "Why would I have hoped to succeed, after six failures before?" she muttered, tossing the bag of blood at the doctor as if in annoyance; he barely caught it.
"Let him leave when his charges are settled," she instructed coolly and detached. Her eyes turned away to the door. It was just a shadow of a storm-it rested on Felix for a short second. "As for the feelings you might hold for me, discard it. They don't mean squat in the world that I live in."
The words cut into Felix like shards of ice, the chill seeping into his very soul. She stepped out, closing the door with a soft click.
Outside, Rose leaned against the door, her hands trembling as they covered her face. Sliding down, she crouched, her emotions swirling in a chaotic maelstrom. "I'm lost," she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her despair. "Is there no other path than the one my family has laid for me?"
She stood there for a moment, an unspeaking figure torn between duty and desire, before turning and leaving to go back to the life she had fled for a moment.
Inside the ward, Felix's gaze sank to his lap, his chest heavy with a sadness that seeped into his very bones like a slow, unrelenting tide. "Doctor," he called, his voice fragile, barely rising above a whisper.
The doctor, who was halfway to the door, paused, turning back with a quiet hum of acknowledgment.
"What is she expecting from me that got her so disappointed?" Felix's voice cracked, his eyes shimmering like reservoirs on the brink of overflow. "Can you please… explain it to me?"
The doctor hesitated, his expression a blend of reluctance and compassion. "It's not you she's truly disappointed in," he began, his words measured. "It's herself. I'll tell you something, though I can't reveal everything. I don't have that right." He kept his distance, his voice steady, carrying a weight Felix couldn't yet understand.
"In this world we live in, there are beings beyond what we consider normal, mythical creatures who walk among us. The young lady is one of them. Her kind has unique ways to grow stronger, and one of those methods was… well, used on you. Your resurrection was meant to be part of her strength, but now that you show no sign of transformation, it's left her disheartened."
Felix's brows furrowed, his heart sinking deeper with every word.
Meanwhile, Rose arrived at the opulent restaurant, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Her gaze swept across the room, searching with a mix of dread and resignation for the man her father had chosen. Yet, all she found was an empty seat, the intended suitor having already left after a long, fruitless wait
Her crimson eyes lingered on the emptiness of the place, her frustration curling around her like a storm cloud. "Good," she muttered under her breath, though her voice wavered. "Perhaps this fate was better left untangled."
Back at the hospital, Felix sat motionless, the weight of the doctor's words pressing against his chest like an invisible hand. "So, in short," he murmured, his voice cracking under the strain of unspoken sorrow, "I can't get her attention anymore. I'm just… a failure. A reminder of her disappointment."
The doctor stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder with a faint smile that carried both pity and intrigue. "That's the script, yes," he said, his voice tinged with bittersweet acknowledgment.
Yet, something flickered in his mind, and he turned fully to face Felix again. "Actually," he began, his tone shifting to one of subtle excitement, "I wouldn't say you're a complete failure."
Felix looked up, hope flickering in his tear-soaked eyes. "What do you mean?"
The doctor gestured toward Felix's chest, his finger steady, as though pointing to a mystery waiting to be unraveled. "Your body… it's different now. Stronger. Formidable. Whatever happened to you has left you with something extraordinary, though I can't say what exactly it is."
Felix's confusion deepened, but there was a glimmer of curiosity now, shining through his pain like a light piercing through fog.
"If you figure it out," the doctor continued, his tone lightening as he allowed himself a small smile, "you might just have a chance with her after all."
With that, he turned and left, his footsteps echoing down the corridor, leaving Felix alone with his spiraling thoughts. Confusion and determination wrestled within him, each thought louder than the last, as he stared at the sterile white ceiling above.