Blood Red

“Bobby, check the reports.”

“I can’t wake her up!” Heidi said, wide-eyed with alarm as she stared at Lauren over Deanna’s prone body. “Look at her! She’s not just pale, she’s gray. She’s really sick, Lauren. And she won’t open her eyes.”

Lauren strode straight to the phone and dialed 911. Then she sat down next to Deanna and tried to find a pulse.

Nothing at her wrists!

Then, at her throat, at last…

“She’s alive,” she breathed in relief.

Almost as she spoke, she heard the sound of a siren.

The next few minutes were a blur, as EMTs came rushing in, and she and Heidi tried to answer all their questions. The techs worked over Deanna, one of them in constant contact with an ER doctor through the entire process..

Lauren and Heidi scrambled into the bathroom quickly, one after the other, to get dressed, and Lauren found Deanna’s purse, then made sure her ID and insurance information were there. The EMTs said one of them could ride with Deanna; the other would have to find her own way to the hospital.

With Deanna strapped to the gurney, they were just heading out when Helen and Janice came into the courtyard, already dressed for the day, to see what was going on. They had a car and were quick to offer a ride, along with their concern.

Lauren sent Heidi with Deanna and let the other women drive her over, thanking them profusely. At the hospital, as she exited the car, she paused.

“Please, you two be careful, okay?”

“Of course. Trust me, we’re plenty street-wise,” Helen assured her.

But Janice frowned. Something wasn’t quite right, and Lauren could tell that she felt it.

Just like she did herself.

“Keep us posted,” Helen told her, and Lauren promised that she would.

Lauren walked into the emergency room to find Heidi sitting in the waiting room.

“They’re working on Deanna right now,” Heidi said.

“Any word?” Lauren asked.

“They’re transfusing her. She’s dangerously anemic, that’s what I’ve been told so far. This is so scary, Lauren. Maybe this is why she’s been sleepwalking.” Heidi shivered. “She would have died if we hadn’t gotten her here when we did.”

Lauren saw the sheer exhaustion and terror on Heidi’s face and gave her a fierce hug. “She didn’t die. She’s here.”

“It’s my fault. I just know it is,” Heidi said, and Lauren could tell that she meant what she said, but she was also perplexed as to just how it was her fault.

Lauren couldn’t let her carry the guilt.

“If she’s sick, there’s no way it’s your fault. And think about it. If you hadn’t been with her and noticed that she’d passed out, she really might have died. We were there to get her straight to the hospital,” Lauren said.

Heidi nodded, but she still didn’t look entirely convinced.

“It’s all right,” Lauren promised.

And it was. Or at least it would be, because as soon as Deanna was strong enough to travel, Lauren was going to get her the hell out of here.

She just hoped they weren’t followed.

She chided herself for the thought and told herself not to be ridiculous. It was all Mark Davidson’s fault for trying to convince her that they were being stalked by something evil.

By vampires.

Bull!

“Hey…there’s that guy,” Heidi said.

“What guy?”

“The one who came in to watch the band last night. Didn’t you say he’s a cop?”

Lauren swung around. It was the cop. Sean Canady. He was at the triage station, asking questions.

As she stared at him, he turned, his eyes fosusing straight on her.

He came toward her. “Miss Crow?”

“Yes, hello, Lieutenant. This is my friend, Heidi Weiss.”

He nodded gravely to Lauren. “I hear your other friend is very ill.”

“Yes.”

He smiled gently at Heidi. “I’m sure they’ll let you sit with her for a bit, if you ask.” His voice didn’t sound quite