Blueblood: A Dark Southern Aristocracy - 36. Willie's Sunrise

We headed back to Willie’s room. Gabriella walked ahead with Willie as they talked. He looked so…different. After he’d gotten cleaned up he looked almost human again. His eyes still needed moisture and his overall skin needed moisture, but he looked good.

“He’s doing well,” I said to Colin quietly.

Colin nodded. “He is…for now.” He said sadly.

I was not prepared for that. “For now!?”

Colin nodded. “He has…these moments.” He looked for words to tell me. “He’s fine right now. He has these moments when he just…phases out. He gets…this look and he’s unresponsive. When he comes out of it...his loss of time is worse and he can’t seem to hold on to anything.” He tapped his own head. “His thoughts are scattered.”

I looked at Colin. “That sounds like PTSD! Are there triggers?”

“Triggers?”

“These triggers usually is something that will bring on an episode. A sound or even a smell will throw them back into…whatever he experienced.” I explained. “Don’t see me as an expert, I’m not claiming to be one, but many veterans will be thrown back to…whatever trauma they went through.”

“What can we do?” Colin asked.

I thought before I said anything. “There’s a website on dealing with PTSD. Willie’s been dealing with this himself; like his need to be alone most of the time; his lapses with memory and time.” I patted Colin’s arm. “I’ll get one of the tablets.”

Going to the website, there were things suggested to deal with Willie. So far, we were doing what was needed. The part about him being a vampire had its own problems and complications. This was unknown territory.

We stayed with Willie a while when I noticed Colin begin to nod. He’d been up for over twenty-four hours. So, had I. I knew Colin wouldn’t leave, so I went to one of the other rooms we had for holding people and got a second twin bed and wheeled it in Willie’s room. Colin saw what I was doing and gave a small smile.

“Good idea,” Colin said looking over at Willie who was lying on his side away from us and drifting off himself. He stretched smiling. “I am beat.” He walked over kissing me. “I know you are.”

I nodded. “We maybe vampires, but we need sleep.”

Colin lay down on his side and patted the space just in front of him. “Let’s do this.”

“In the morning, I’ll get us our own clothes and we’ll shower down here, taking our turns, but not leaving Willie,” I said sitting on the bed.

Colin nodded kissing me. “I love you, Devon.”

I smiled and nodded. “I love you, Colin.”

Our whole schedule was upside down. It was sundown when we woke again. Willie was sitting up, looking at us with a sad smile.

“Know where there are any rats?” Willie asked us grinning. He wasn't anxious about the need for blood. He didn't hunt like other vampires did.

Colin shook his head. “No more rats, Willie.”

I chuckled. “Let’s do the bathroom thing and then I’ll get your meal, Willie and then I’ll get ours,” I said touching Colin.

Going to fetch Willie’s needed blood, I returned and handed Willie two bags of blood. Then I went to Vamps to get Colin’s and my meal. Willie again looked at the abundance of food and frowned, but didn’t comment as he saw us eat.

“I guess there’s no way to try the serum first?” Willie asked quietly as he sucked on a bag of blood.

Colin shook his head. “There isn’t.” He smiled at Willie. “But it works. You’ll have a much better life if you do.”

Willie was thinking as he drank his needed blood and then started on his second bag. “All or nothing.”

Colin nodded. “Yes, it is.”

I looked at Willie. “I know there are things you don’t remember, and somethings you can’t forget,” I said quietly. “When you do remember, things get mess up in your head.”

Willie nodded. “I can’t help it.”

“I know that,” I said calmly. “I also know it’s not your fault. Things we see in war never leave us. It’s been a century since you fought in that war, but there have been wars since then. I’ve dealt with the victims of a war recently. I don’t know of a person like us, a vampire that has suffered from that kind of trauma. I assume the basic psychology still applies so treatment will be the same.”

Willie sat back with a sigh. “I suppose there’s no choice.”

Colin shook his head. “Of course, there is a choice. You can remain what you are, but you don’t have to be by yourself anymore.”

Willie nodded. “Okay.” He looked at Colin and said with sudden conviction. “I’ll do it.” Then he smirked. “It hurts a lot?”

Colin nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

Willie drained the last of his blood. “This is good blood.” He sighed. “I’ll miss it.”

Colin shook his head. “You won’t. Trust me.”

It was later when Willie consented to the serum. He was very uneasy when we took him to George’s lab. He kept looking at the many different things, the computers, and monitors and various items George used. It was all new to him. When George came in he smiled at us, but he looked at Willie.

“Willie!” George said startled when he saw Willie. “You look…almost normal!”

Willie grimaced. “Yeah? Well, I don’t feel normal. Colin said this hurts.”

George nodded. “We have to counteract the venom in you. It will start your heart again. Yes, it will hurt.”

Willie sighed. “Well, let’s not waste time talking about it. The sooner we start, the sooner it ends. What do you need?”

George prepped him and inserted the needle into Willie’s heart. It was just as horrible as the others and myself. I watched Willie writhe in pain, but smiled when I saw the vein in Willie’s neck as his heart again began to beat. He had a pulse once again. This went on for several hours before he finally relaxed and went to sleep.

“Day one is over,” Colin said grimly.

I patted Colin’s arm. “Only a few more, then George will make a disc and it won’t happen anymore.”

We waited for Willie to wake up from his sleep. When he finally did, he grimaced as he sat up and rubbed his chest.

“Damn!”

Colin nodded with a chuckle. “Yep, that about sums it up.”

Willie looked at Colin. “You did this every day for how long?”

“A little more than twenty years,” Colin said.

“Damn,” Willie said again.

“I still had pain, but it only lasted a few minutes later,” Colin explained. “The discs are new. No pain now.”

Willie sat up which Colin helped him do. “Lucky me.”

We still kept Willie’s exposure to just me, Colin, George and an occasional visit from Gabriella. I grinned as Willie began arranging the room he stayed into his particular taste. He was making himself feel at home. He stopped at the TV.

“Is this a radio?” Willie asked touching the TV.

Colin nodded. “Sort of. You’ve seen movies, right?”

Willie tried to remember. “I don’t remember.”

Colin nodded. “Well, they showed pictures on the screen and people moved around on them?”

Willie’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah!” He looked at me. “They were getting to be very popular. A Nickelodeon?”

I nodded. “Sort of, this allows you to see them here,” I said picking up a remote. “But, these are in color and has sound.” I looked at him. “Do you want to see something? It’s a good preview before you see the world.” I turned the TV on. I watched as Willie’s eyes grew when the picture came up. I had turned the volume down at first. “Where is the sound?”

“I wanted you to see the picture first,” I explained and turned the volume up a little.

Willie sat in a chair I brought in that was comfortable for me, so I knew it was comfortable for Willie.

He looked at Colin and me as we sat on a small sofa. “Wow, this is like…” he waved at the screen. “…a window into another world!”

Colin nodded. “What’s great is there are a lot of worlds to see. You will see something you want to see.” He said changing the channel.

For the next few hours, Willie was spellbound as we watched. Colin showed him which buttons to push to bring up the menu and channels, how to find one and pull that program up. Willie was becoming a couch potato fast. I dozed off for a while and was awakened as I heard.

“Willie?” Colin said getting up from beside me and going over to Willie. “Willie!”

Looking at Willie, I saw the blank look on his face. I looked at the screen to see a war movie or something on. The scene was showing a battle with the bombs going off, the sound of machine guns and men yelling. I grabbed the remote from Willie. “He’s having an episode,” I said to Colin and thought what to do. I went to the wall and turned the room’s overhead lights on full and then I used the remote to go to a rock station I knew that played hard rock and heavy metal music and turned it up to where it was nearly too loud for me. “He needs the outside stimulation to get his mind back.” I grabbed Colin and held him back. “Don’t touch him! If his mind is in a battle, he could react to you as the enemy. He won’t see you, but he may see you as the enemy.” I went to a bucket of ice we’d gotten for Colin’s and my drinks. Fortunately, there were a few ice cubes still at the bottom. “I hope he’s at least a little more human now to feel this,” I said and put the ice in Willie’s hand. We watched as Willie’s eyes held some horror at what he was seeing. It took a few minutes when he suddenly jumped up, threw the ice down and looked with terrorized eyes at the room. He hurried to a corner and crouched down there holding the walls. I pushed Colin toward Willie. “He’ll recognize you, I’m sure. Don’t touch him, let him touch you, but talk to him.”

Colin nodded and walked slowly over to Willie and knelt beside him. “Hi, Willie.” He peered in Willie’s face, but Willie was looking all around, but not at Colin. “Willie, do you know who this is?” I watched as Willie finally looked at Colin. His face was confused a little, but slowly he began to recognize Colin. I went and turned the TV off and then turned the overhead lights off.

“Colin?” Willie asked and looked around the room. “Where am I?”

“You’re safe, Willie,” Colin assured. “This is where you’re living now.”

Willie was trying to remember. “I…I don’t…” he looked a little helpless. “I don’t remember.” He said softly in a heartbreaking voice.

Colin nodded. “But you know me. I won’t hurt you, Willie. You know that. You’re safe. I promise.”

I walked closer to Colin. “Offer your hand.”

Colin held his hand out to Willie. “Trust me, Willie. I won’t let them hurt you. Give me your hand.” Willie looked at Colin’s hand. I could see the conflict in Willie’s eyes. He was lost, but he knew who Colin was. Willie slowly reached his hand out and gave it to Colin, taking it.

Willie grabbed Colin in a hug. “It was horrible!” Willie said shutting his eyes, but this time, he had moisture…a little and I watched as a tear form.

Colin nodded standing them both up, but not letting Willie go. “I know. I saw it.”

Our modern world had some good things. One of those things was the cell phone. I called George and asked him to come down.

George came down and looked as Colin sat with Willie on the bed where Colin sat rubbing Willie’s back gently. “His blood is flowing again…” George said softly. “…but he’s still a vampire. He’ll need more serum soon.” He thought. “I’d feel better giving him something when he’s further along. The injections would work better.” He pulled out a small vial. “I’ll try this orally. It should help him relax a little…I hope.”

When Willie did finally relax, he lay on the bed and went to sleep.

Colin sat with me again on the sofa. “The war was a century ago.”

I shook my head. “Not for him.” I pointed at Willie. “That memory was current. For him, it was just a few minutes ago. What happened was a century ago, but his mind replayed it like he was just there.” I frowned. “I understand why he chose to be down there alone. No triggers down there.”

Colin gave a shrugging shake of his head. “I’m glad you knew what to do.”

“I only knew from what I experienced when a medic and other veterans. The website gave some good pointers.” I looked at Colin’s worried face. I smiled and leaned in kissing him. “He’s getting treatment, Colin. Long overdue, but he’s being treated. We’ll just up the game as we go along.” I pulled Colin to me. “He’ll get better. I promise.”

“I hope so.” Then Colin smiled. “Actually, he is the one person I’ve known the longest.”

“How long was that?” I asked.

Colin thought with a shrug. “Sixty…seventy years?”

“That’s longer than some people live! That’s way longer than most marriages! I’m jealous!”

“We never…a marriage without any of the fun parts!” Colin huffed as he thought what to say. “You weren’t born yet.”

I shrugged. “I’m still jealous.”

“I married you. Now I have the fun parts.” Colin kissed me again. “My favorite person and the one I love the most.”

“Okay.” I smiled. “That helps.”

George came back when it was time for some more serum. He spoke to Willie. “Can you remember what we were doing?”

Willie nodded. “In pieces.” He looked around the lab. “I remember coming here…when was it? Yesterday?”

George nodded. “It was. If we don’t give the next injection, we’ll have to start over.”

“No!” Willie shook his head. “We don’t start over. I do remember the pain.” He started to open his shirt. “Do it.”

George grinned stopping him. “Okay, but not in the chest now. I gave it there directly in the heart to restart your heart, now I just need an arm.”

Willie nodded and then rolled up his sleeve. “Whatever.”

As with the others and me, it was almost as painful as the first. Colin and I watched again as Willie hurt so badly. It seemed like it just kept on going. Once he relaxed and it stopped I think I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Willie again was asleep.

This time, when Willie woke up, I had gotten Colin’s and my meal and a little for Willie.

Colin grinned at Willie. “Here we go.” He picked a plate that held a little bit of a chicken dish I brought up from the restaurant. “Smell this.”

Willie looked as he always did, not certain, but once the plate got under his nose, I watched his eyebrows rise. “Say, that smells pretty good!”

I nodded. “But take it easy. Your stomach hasn’t worked in a hundred years digesting food, only blood. You’ll want to take it slow.”

Willie nodded to us. “Okay.” He picked up a fork and had to remember how to use one. Once he had it in his hand he took a bite. His eyebrows rose again and he smiled. “Wow! This tastes damned good!” He ate a little more and a little faster.

“Devon just told you…” Colin warned with a chuckle.

“I know, I know…take it easy.” Willie shook his head. “But it’s so good!” He chewed a little, but his mind was going over something else as he became serious. “I…I appreciate what you two did…when I had that...”

Colin nodded grasping Willie’s shoulder. “How could we not? You mean a lot to me, Willie.”

“And you mean a lot to me now,” I added. “I said it before. I mean if even more now. You’re family.”

Willie smiled at that, but he tapped his head again. “This…damned brain of mine. I can remember some things…”

Colin squeezed his shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Willie. None of it is.”

I sat back. “You know? I think a lot of it because you never came above ground.”

Willie looked a little surprised. “What do you mean?”

“You lived one very long constant night down there, Willie.” I smiled. “Even a vampire is regulated by the sun. It comes up you go underground; it goes down you get up and hunt. Colin even told me you really didn’t have that schedule. You got up when hungry and fed, it didn’t matter what time of day, it was always night for you.”

Colin nodded. “He’s right.” Then he grinned at Willie. “But I’ll promise you this…after the next injection of serum. You, me, George Gabriella and Devon will be on the roof watching the sunrise. Not a picture of the sun, not on TV! The actual sunrise!”

Willie looked a little worried about that, but he nodded. Sunrises for vampires was death if not hiding. He thought and then brightened. “I can’t wait!”

He got the third dose of serum. The pain came and once again it was agony. He gritted his teeth and looked at Colin. “Tell me again this is worth it.” He muttered as he still held his teeth shut.

“You’ll see it yourself in a few hours,” Colin said wiping his own tear at seeing Willie suffer.

As with all of us, the pain didn’t last as long as the first two. I was so glad when he relaxed and went to sleep.

He woke up a few hours before dawn. Gabriella and Alex had patrolled that night and before they turned in came up to the lab. Colin and I thought Willie could stand meeting a new vampire, so we invited both Gabriella and Alex to the roof.

Gabriella smiled at Willie when she came in holding Alex’s hand. “Grandpa, this Alex Chance.”

“Her fiancé.” Alex grinned with a bounce looking at Colin. He stuck his hand out to Willie. “It’s nice to meet you, Willie.” He grinned. “Or do I call you grandpa, too?”

Willie gave a frowning smirk. “We’ll see.”

Colin’s eyes widened as Gabriella held her hand up to show her new diamond. He held his hands up to stop everyone. “Hold on! What? When did…who…?”

Alex grinned and nudged Gabriella. “Hey, she asked me! I said yes.”

Colin rolled his eyes and then looked at Gabriella and Alex. “I’ll deal with you two later.” He smiled as he turned to Willie. “Do you want to see the sunrise?”

Willie nodded. “That’s the reason we’re doing this, right?”

“That’s a very important reason,” I said.

Willie had been asleep when he got there. He was not prepared for the elevator ride to the roof as he saw the door open and hesitantly walked after us. “We’re up how high?”

Colin chuckled. “About sixty stories.”

Gabriella turned back to Willie. “At least you knew what it is. I’d never seen one before when I rode the first elevator!”

Once on the roof, Willie was staring in awe, not at the sky, but at Manhattan.

“All this was above me?” Willie asked as he looked around the city. “I knew it was big, so many lights, but…”

Colin nodded. “Yes, it was just above our heads.” He put an arm around Willie’s shoulder and pointed. “But see?”

Willie looked at the horizon which was getting brighter. It was the first little bit of sun that broke the horizon and Willie looked down at himself. He did as Gabriella had done; rubbing his arms as the tingling started. “It doesn’t hurt. It kind of tickles.” He looked up as more of the sun rose and as it got higher, his eyes got wider. “I’d forgotten…how…beautiful it is.” He said in a whisper. “How could I forget?”

“You won’t be able to forget it now,” Colin said quietly. “Welcome back to life, Willie.”

Now there was moisture in Willie’s eyes as I watched the tears fall.