All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire(124)

 

"It's all my fault." He watched Toni on the operating table. She looked so pale. "I dinna get her out of the way fast enough."

 

"We saw it on TV," Shanna said. "It was terrifying. Everything was happening so fast."

 

"Aye," Connor agreed. "Ye did well, lad. The Malcontents lost about ten men, and we dinna lose a single one."

 

But he'd failed to keep Toni safe. Ian gazed sadly at her. "Can ye fix her?"

 

"We're trying," Roman said. "But we're not surgeons."

 

Laszlo nodded. "We've never had to repair internal injuries. Vamps always heal naturally from within."

 

"Because of our vampire blood." Roman looked at Laszlo. "I've always been curious about how well our blood can heal. What if we give her a transfusion of vampire blood instead of regular synthetic blood?"

 

Laszlo fiddled with a button on his lab coat. "We could give her a sedative to keep her unconscious. That might simulate death-sleep enough that the vampire blood would start to heal her internally."

 

"Are you planning on turning her?" Shanna asked. "We should have her permission."

 

"This won't transform her," Roman said. "She would have to be drained completely and in a vampire coma. And then she would have to drink from a vampire and ingest the blood in order to change. This would keep her mortal, but we could see if the vampire blood heals her."

 

Laszlo nodded. "It would be very interesting to see if it works."

 

Shanna gave the two men a dubious look. "You want to experiment on her. Wouldn't it be safer to take her to a hospital?"

 

"She would have to undergo surgery in a hospital," Roman argued. "If our theory works, she'll heal naturally and quickly."

 

"Indeed." Laszlo twisted a button. "We'll be able to tell fairly quickly if it's working or not. If it doesn't, then we can take her to a hospital."

 

"Then let's get on with it." Ian strode toward the operating table. "I'll give her my blood."

 

"We'll need to make sure your blood is compatible." Laszlo swabbed Ian's arm with antiseptic.

 

"It should be. I drink AB positive all the time."

 

"So I see." Roman glanced at the bite marks on Toni's neck and frowned at Ian.

 

"I–I dinna force myself on her."

 

"How recent?" Laszlo cleaned Toni's arm and inserted a needle.

 

"About nine hours ago." When Ian received some confused looks, he explained. "I took the Stay-Awake drug, so we could have some time alone."

 

Connor muttered a curse under his breath.

 

Roman exchanged an amused look with his wife. "Well, since your blood came from Toni, it should be a perfect match."

 

Lazlo rolled a second gurney up to the operating table. "Get on."

 

Ian lay on top, and soon his blood was being pumped directly into Toni. Roman and Laszlo kept a close watch on Toni's wound, while Shanna watched her vital signs.

 

"The bleeding stopped," Roman whispered.

 

Laszlo fiddled with a button. "That's a good sign."

 

"Blood pressure's still too low," Shanna murmured.

 

"Sir, I believe that tissue is closing," Laszlo exclaimed.

 

"Yes, it's working," Roman announced. "Let's sew her up."

 

Thirty minutes later, Toni's wound was continuing to heal but her vital signs were still problematic. The transfusion had left Ian weak and hungry, so he rested on the gurney while he drank several pints of synthetic blood. AB positive, just in case Toni needed some more.

 

A loud cheer erupted from the waiting room. Connor's announcement about Toni's recovery had been well received.

 

Shanna shook her head. "We shouldn't celebrate just yet. She's running a fever."

 

Ian said a silent prayer for Toni as he slipped off the gurney. Connor had brought him a navy polo shirt from the security office. He put it on and peeked out the door to see who was in the waiting room.

 

His mouth fell open. Everyone was there. Jean-Luc and Heather from Texas. Angus, Emma, and Robby. Zoltan and Jack were there. Their burned wrists had been bandaged by Laszlo. Dougal was there, unharmed.

 

Phineas's shoulder was bandaged.

 

Ian walked up to him. "Ye were injured?"

 

"It's nothing." Phineas waved a dismissive hand. "Stan managed to poke me a little, that's all."

 

"Did ye finish him off?"

 

"I wish." Phineas made a face. "When Carlos shifted into a panther, Stan freaked out and ran. Ran straight into the parking lot, and the women out there nearly tore him to shreds before he managed to teleport away."