Switched

Doctors and A Tender Moment

I woke up the next afternoon; I was so tired that I didn't hear my alarm go off. Zero was nowhere to be seen, the flat was dead quiet. And oh boy, did my neck hurt. I could feel the place where he bit me pulse. I was such a loss for blood that I could barely move my body. That's when I noticed the IV in my arm; the pain from my neck was so great that I scarcely felt the needle. "D-did Zero put this in?" I asked out loud, not expecting anyone to answer. It must have been him, only where did he get IV liquid and a clean needle? I don't remember seeing these anywhere in the dorm. All my questions however, or at least the ones pertaining to the IV, were answered when Dr. Cross opened my bedroom door.

"You're awake, I see," the headmaster smiled over at me. It was a quiet smile, a reserved grin. I could tell that last night events must have been....... Interesting to deal with. "H-headmaster?" My voice was weak and sad; I wasn't actually sad, but I sounded pathetic. "Shhhh, it's ok. You're safe," he cooed, coming up beside my bed. "That must have been some experience for you last night," his armed gently folded. "I'm sorry, Selene. I know you and Zero have an agreement, but it shouldn't have been like that. He was too thirty and consequently, drank too much." "Oh," it barely registered what he was saying; my mind was still foggy. "Is that why I was unconscious?" "Yeah. You lost too much blood. Zero carried you to bed and immediately came to get me and the school's doctor; he's a werewolf. He set you up with an IV and said not to wake you," his lips gave a slight chuckle. "You should have seen Zero. He acted all composed but I could tell he was frantic. He refused to leave the dorm until...... well until morning, when we switched off. But don't worry! Unlike last time, which was a documented illegal attack, no one knows about last night. Since you had a legal pre-arrangement, the authorities haven't been notified. As I'm sure you know now however, Zero unfortunately drank more than the stipulated cup of blood."

There was a short pause. Dr. Cross drew in an anxious breath. "He broke the rules, and while its technically not a legal offence, you have the right to withdraw from the contract and press charges." "Press charges?" That never occurred to me. The headmaster hesitantly nodded. "I know why my son did what he did but I cannot defend his actions. You are a human being, not a walking blood-bank. While I feel sorry for Zero, I completely understand if you feel violated and want to press charges. That's your right."

I thought about it for a minute, which wasn't really thinking at all; I was exhausted. "Is..... is Zero alright?" I finally asked, gazing up at the white ceiling. "He's fine, aside from being out of his mind with worry for you." "I see....... So, did Zero drink enough blood then? To not be thirty, at least for a little while?" Dr. Cross didn't answer right away, just stared down at me with a sort of awe. Eventually his lips parted a tad. "Yes, as far as I know, Zero's thirst has subsided for the moment." "Ah," the tiniest of grins rolled over my lips. "That's good. I'm glad......." My eyes gently shut. "As long as Zero's ok, I'm ok- or I will be...... when I wake up again." "Go back to sleep then," Dr. Cross said in a soothing tone. "I'll stay here until you're awake; sleep for as long as you need, my dear." "Thanks, headmaster," I whispered. "No....... Thank you." This was the last thing I heard until I woke up again. Dr. Cross's voice was so sincere; I had no doubt that he appreciated my uh, sacrifice for his son. The headmaster treated me differently after that day; it was like I had become his new favorite, aside from Zero. But that also could have been thanks to Zero's influence.

"Did you see how savage those bit marks are? He could have really hurt her!" I woke up to the sound of two men arguing outside my room. "My son was starving," I recognized that voice to be Dr. Cross's. "Starving?! He drank almost two pints of blood! Anymore and she might have needed a blood transfusion. You can't him, Cross; that was an attack, a blatant attack on her person." "Look, I know what Zero did was wrong and he regrets it- trust me. He's assured me that it won't happen again." "It better not. I swear, if he ever drinks that much blood without consent again, I will personally see to his immediate expulsion." A brief silence followed. "I got the point," Dr. Cross finally said in a low tone.