Real Vampires Don't Wear Size Six(56)

"They're gone. They left a bunch of leftovers in the fridge. I figure Trey or Rafe would enjoy them later. Or not." Penny had a pen and notebook in her hands. "Let me take your temperature." She stopped by the bed. "Do you have a thermometer in the bathroom?"
"Uh, that would be a no. Vampires don't worry about stuff like that." I groaned and rolled over. "Ian's on his way. Look at my stomach." I pulled down the covers. "It's like it's alive."
"Damn. And I always said Mom's roast beef was cooked to death." Penny poked my swollen skin. "You may be right; something's trying to get out of there."
"Answer the door. They must have shifted to get here so fast." I recognized Ray's scent.
"No kidding." She turned and ran to the front door. I heard her greet Ian and Ray. She was busy answering questions about when we'd taken the drug and what we'd eaten when Ray came to stand next to my bed.
"What the hell, Glory?" He sat beside me and brushed back my hair.
"Don't know." I blinked and a tear rolled down my cheek. "Penny's fine. But my stomach-" I bent over and held it as pain ripped through me again. "Damn it!"
"Gloriana, breathe through it." Ian pushed Ray out of the way. He opened a doctor's bag and pulled out that stethoscope Penny had wished for. "I'm going to take a listen. See what's going on." He rubbed the metal sensor with his hand, then placed it on my chest, right inside the vee of my sweater, then he lifted that sweater to check below my breast, moving down toward my stomach.
I could see Ray watching his every move. I stretched out my hand and he took it, squeezing my fingers reassuringly. When Ian pulled down the sheet and my stomach was exposed, he hissed and Ray leaned to see over his shoulder.
"Damn, Glory. Did you eat a side of beef?" Ray gawked at my stomach.
"Very funny." I moaned as my stomach rolled. "No, but I ate two enormous pieces of cake, three rolls, or at least the tops of them, slathered with butter. And some weird but tasty sweet green beans. We both did. Right, Penny?"
"Yes. We were pigs. My mom's not a great cook, but with a chance for a vampire to eat . . ." I saw her look to Ray for sympathy and he nodded.
"Yeah, I get it, especially for my gal here. Glory's been without solid eats for way too long. But you seem to be holding up fine, Penny. Glory's stomach looks like it's about to blow open and I wish I was exaggerating." Ray pulled my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. "Crazy."
"There is something about you, Gloriana. This is the second of my formulas that hasn't agreed with you. It's like an allergic reaction. At least that's what I think this is." Ian pulled a hypodermic needle from his bag. "This time I hope you'll let me treat you."
"Yes. Whatever it takes to stop this. Surely this tummy bulge won't be permanent." I looked like I'd swallowed a small watermelon.
"You mind if Penny listens to your stomach before I give you the shot? This is a chance for her to learn something." Ian took off his stethoscope.
I glanced at Penny's eager face. "Sure, go ahead. But hurry."
She took the stethoscope and carefully placed the earpieces, then leaned over. "Wow, fascinating." She and Ian said a few things that I ignored. It was technical jargon and I had a feeling my fledgling was going to end up in medical school after all. Maybe I could plant the idea in her parents' minds that time spent with Ian would make that happen. Surely that would make them happier about her possible trip to Sodom and Gomorrah, otherwise known as California.
"Okay, I think I've suffered enough for science. Give me the damned shot." I offered my arm.
"Wait. What is it?" Ray blocked Ian. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a sap, but this is what Blade would want to know."
"Hello? In pain here." I didn't care what Ian gave me, just wanted the next lightning strike headed off before it hit ground zero.
"No, Ray's right." Ian smiled at me. "It's a cocktail of a common antihistamine and a muscle relaxant." He glanced at Penny. "Your fledgling saw me fill the syringe out in the living room after she described your symptoms."
"That's right, I did. You want me to read the labels on the vials? Look the stuff up on the Internet?" Penny didn't know much about Ian's history with Jerry, but she had a lot of respect for Mr. Blade.
"No, just shoot me." I looked at Ray and Penny. "I appreciate the protective bit, but Ian is just trying to help. And if this kills me? He won't live to see another sunset. Jerry will see to that." I handed Ian my arm again. "Now get after it."
"Sorry, Glory, but this goes in the bum. Like I said, these are common meds, but pretty strong doses. They'll make you drowsy, but should take care of this reaction." Ian frowned. "As for the swelling? Well, we'll just have to wait and see if it goes down." He gently rolled me over until he could see my hip, slid down my panty and injected the medicine before I could object to the familiarity. To tell the truth, I was in too much pain to care.
"Penny, why don't you come into the other room and we'll go through the symptoms you noticed as Gloriana presented them. She needs to rest." Ian closed up his bag and led her toward the living room. "Ray, you'll let me know if she shows any new signs of distress?"
"What? Any new signs?" Ray's eyebrows went up. "I thought what you just did was supposed to fix her up."
"So it was. But Gloriana never responds to any treatment as I expect, so I'll trust you to keep a close eye on her." Ian smiled at me. "Feeling any better yet?"
I smiled, surprised to realize I was. "Hmm. Yes, I think, um, well, maybe." I looked over at Ray. "Come lie next to me. I'm worn-out and cold. Will you hold me?"
"Sure, babe. Whatever you want." He kicked off his shoes and climbed in under the covers. "How's the stomach?" He laid his hand over my tummy. "Still swollen, isn't it?"
"Stupid me. Can't anything be easy?" I sighed as he pulled me against him. "But chocolate cake, Ray. It was delicious." I ran my hand over his cotton shirt. "You feel delicious too. Whatcha been doin'?"
"Are you okay?" He looked down at me. "You sound drunk. And I should know."
"Just relaxed. Ian's medicine is pretty good. Took the pain right away." I slid my leg over Ray's. "Now talk to me while I'm waiting for my tummy to shrink. Tell me what's up. Besides Little Ray here." I discovered the bulge behind Ray's zipper. "Shame on you. I'm a sick woman."
"I'm not the one making moves. And it's Big Ray who's happy to see you, nothing little about him." Ray picked up my hand. "Lie still, woman. You should know a guy can't always control his body."
"Liar, liar, pants on fire." I put my hand over my mouth. "Oops. Not mentioning fire or hell or any of that stuff. Don't want the demons bugging me now." I blinked when the room blurred. "Last night was a bad night, Ray." I buried my face in his shirt and sobbed.
"What? What happened, Glory?" Ray stroked my hair.
"Lucifer tried to do something horrible to me. In, in the shower." I couldn't seem to stop crying as I poured out what happened. Why now? Why to Ray? Some part of me realized it was the medication working on me, loosening my inhibitions. But another part of me realized I needed to get this out and Ray had always been easy to talk to. I could trust him to get me and not judge. Or rush to take over and try to fix things.
I finally came to the end, cried out and drained. Ray rocked me against him, humming a sweet song in my ear that soothed me and lulled me into a calm I hadn't felt since I'd fallen to the bottom of that bathtub. My own abyss.
"I'm sorry, Ray." I lifted my head and looked at him.
"Sorry for what?" He kissed my damp cheeks. "Glory, Glory, Glory. I can't believe you kicked Lucifer's butt. Damn, girl."
I smiled. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"
"Hell, yeah. I'd like to hear what he said to the guys down under when he came back smelling like he'd been dropped on his head in that girly shit." He kissed my forehead, then pulled me close. He was putting a light spin on this, but I'd seen that this had hurt him, that he hurt for me. And easygoing Ray was struggling with the same rage that Jerry and Rafe felt. If we were fighting against normal men, the demons and Lucifer wouldn't have stood a chance.
"I was lucky he decided I wasn't worth his time after that." I shuddered. "But I'm feeling better now. I needed to unload, I guess. If I fall apart with Jerry and Rafe, they . . ."
"I get it. They go all warrior on you, start looking for the nearest battlefield. Beating their chests and putting you behind them like you're the helpless female." Ray breathed into my hair. "Shit, right now I can relate. Would do me some good to hand that bastard a big dose of whoop-ass. Creeping into your shower, invading your privacy . . ."
"Yes, well, it's over. Moving on." I yawned.
"How is she?" Ian spoke from the doorway. "Any change?"
"Well, she's woozy. I guess that's from the shot. Pain's gone." Ray rubbed my back. "Still is, right?"
"All gone." I lifted the sheet and looked down. "But my damned tummy is still poking out." I sat up but the room spun so I fell back. "Ian, this is unacceptable. My stomach had better be flat, er, flatter, anyway, when I wake up tomorrow night or I'm suing! This has malpractice written all over it."