She spent the night in Marcus’s room, sleeping lightly, waking whenever the nurses came in to check on him or adjust IV bags. He was quiet through the night, and when she woke during the six a.m. check, he stirred slightly. In spite of her intention to be strong, her tears began again.
“Marcus, darling. I love you so much.” She rubbed his hand. “Please wake up. I spoke to Mike. He told me you had one of the hardest heads he’s ever known, and that you are stubborn to a fault and you never give up and that your liver has to be hardheaded, too—if that’s possible. He said you would know what that means. Your buddies in journalism have all been to the blood bank to replace what you soaked up and spit out again. I did, too, even though I’m not the same blood type as you. Cece wants to read to you again, but she can’t do that if you’re going to die.” She couldn’t seem to stop the words from spilling out now—all that she was feeling and hoping for. “Please don’t leave us. I want you to be an official part of our family. I really do. You and I—we’ll figure out how to do that. You have to come over so we can talk to Cece.We should have done it already. It’s my fault we didn’t, and I’m so sorry about that. We’ll do it together … as soon as you leave the hospital—”
“Is that a promise?” a hoarse whisper came from the bed.
She glanced up. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His pallor made her think of a recluse, someone who never saw the sun. But he was alive and talking.
“You’re awake!” She smiled and laughed and cried, all at the same time. “Yes, it’s a promise.” She kissed him on both cheeks and his lips, and then grabbed the buzzer for the nurse.
The oldest of the three nurses assigned to Marcus’s care entered the room. “It looks like he’s still pretty groggy. Why don’t you give him a bit more time and then you can come back and talk to him.”
Marcus’ eyelids fluttered.
“I see what you mean. Are you sure he’s out of danger now, that he’s not going to start bleeding again?”
“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Later that afternoon, the same nurse preceded Amanda as she entered the room.
“Professor Dunbar, you gave us a scare yesterday. That’s not nice. We don’t like patients to do that.” The woman bustled about the bed, stepping around Amanda after checking his vitals and the different IV bags suspended around the bed. She noted the readings on the various monitors, and asked, “So, tell me. How are we feeling now?”
“We—the royal we?” He licked his lips.“Well, we are feeling like shit if you must know, but at least I’m awake,” he replied. “And I’m dry as a desert.”
The nurse held the straw and a glass of water for him to sip.
After she’d pulled the glass away, Marcus said, “Amanda, I just thought of something. Could you tell Leonard I may not make it to class today—or is it tomorrow?”
She laughed out loud. “I think he’s figured that out already. He’s one of the people who said you were Dracula—drinking everyone’s blood yesterday—and it isn’t even Halloween for two more weeks. But I’ll tell him. I’ll tell everyone.”
He looked over at her, his eyes bleary. “I feel weak as a soggy rag. Don’t you have class today—or is it Sunday? I can’t remember what day it is.” He yawned.
“It’s Monday. I’ll call Mike and give him another update—now that you’re awake. I have an early class tomorrow, and I promised Cece I would bring her back to see you after you’re awake. Maybe tomorrow afternoon? After my last class?”
He nodded. “I’ll hold you to that. Reading will make me stronger, I’m sure.” Then he descended into sleep.
The nurse checked him and turned to Amanda. “He’s asleep, not unconscious. You go on home. We’ll watch him, don’t you worry.”
“Make sure Eeyore stays next to him.” Amanda placed the stuffed animal between his cheek and his chin. “That little donkey has healing powers.”
She called Mike with the latest news, then went home. The next morning when she arrived for her first class, students were still talking about the attack in the English department and how Professor Dunbar had captured the bad guy, but was now in the hospital.
Evan approached Amanda as she came out of the lecture hall. “I hear your buddy, Marcus, got hurt.”
She looked up at him.
“My blood type makes me a universal donor.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I went to the hospital yesterday and donated in his name.”