This story is fictional, I'm sorry (actually I'm jelous) if it resembles your life in any way shape or form. Constructive criticism is welcome. If gay relationships offend you, then "How did I manage to start reading this story?" is a good question to be asking yourself. However you're still welcome to read it!
This story is owned solely by Gaco and may not be copied by any means by any unlicensed individuals, groups, or organizations.
Copyright 2020 Gaco. All Rights Reserved.
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Chapter 1
I awoke in the hospital with a raging headache. I looked over to my left to see James watching me with anticipation. I slowly turned to my right to find my parents looking relieved. I smiled up at my parents and opened my mouth to ask what happened but the nurse came in at that moment and stopped me.
"I see you're awake." He said.
I smiled tiredly and nodded. He came over and started removing the bandages on my shoulder and I winced at the stinging pain that he caused as the tape peeled away. He half smiled at me as if to say "sorry" and began replacing them with much cleaner, white bandages. The short glance I got at my shoulder revealed an animal bite of some kind. The shape was a bit elongated, puffy, and a very angry red color, rimmed with purple bruising.
"The doctor will be in shortly." He said to my parents as he left, closing the door.
"Hey Thomas, how you feeling?" My mom asked softly.
"I'm ok... My shoulder hurts a bit." I replied, my voice sounding scratchy.
After nearly forty minutes repeatedly telling my parents that I felt fine, except for the soreness of the wound, and recounting what little I could remember, the doctor came in.
"How are you feeling today uhm... eh..." He paused to look at my chart. "Oh yes, Thomas."
My mom rolled her eyes, likely exasperated that the doctor couldn't even bother to read my chart to get my name before entering the room.
I nodded at the doctor and said "I'm ok I guess. My shoulder hurts a good bit."
He shook his head as if he agreed. "Yes, you needed a good bit of stitching, the skin was torn quite a bit... You also lost a lot of blood before your friend got it under control. We almost lost you there, but for his actions. I'll order you something for the pain after I leave."
At this point my mom spoke up "Do they know what attacked him yet, doctor?"
"No, but they're relatively sure that it was some sort of dog or wolf by the shape of the bite marks." He responded.
"Yeah, it was a..." But I stopped after looking over at James who was patently ignoring the conversation, instead trying to look very busy with his phone.
"A what?" My mom asked me looking like she was finally going to get an answer.
"It must have been a wolf." I replied, deciding that sounding crazy while still in the hospital would only subject me to more torture.
The doctor nodded. "That is the most likely hypothesis, though wolves are incredibly rare in this part of the United States. You also seem to be getting a pretty nasty infection, so we have put you on an antibiotic to be administered by your IV. Shouldn't be too much to worry about though. Your fever is already coming down and it looks like your body is winning the fight."
"Infection?" I asked, a hint of fear in my voice. "Like Rabies?"
"Oh, no no, of course not. Nothing so serious." He said waving me off as if I was showing him a stubbed toe and claiming to have broken it. "The Rabies virus would never respond to antibiotics so well, and you likely wouldn't even have a fever yet, were it Rabies. Finally, we already started you on the post exposure treatment as soon as you were admitted."
I nodded dumbly, unsure what to say.
"You'll likely be discharged soon, assuming you continue to improve over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours." The doctor said before walking out without so much as asking if I had any questions or needed anything.
A few moments later the male nurse came back into the room and smiled at me with a weird smile before injecting the pain killers into my IV. I promptly passed out.
In my sleep I had a dream... It was like a replay of when I was attacked. I was picking up wood for the camp fire, when I heard a growling, and turned around. I saw an animal with brightly glowing golden eyes... It was an animal I had never seen before. Before I could reach down to my pistol, a H&K USP .40, it attacked me. The animal was biting me on my shoulder. I was sure James heard me scream, but at that point I passed out.
I woke from the dream in my bed at home panting and sweating. That felt so real. It felt exactly like the real thing. It took several minutes for my pulse to stop racing. Finally, I was able to get up and move.
I went to the bathroom to pee, I had to go badly. As I passed the mirror to make it to the toilet, my reflection caught my eye. I only had white CK boxer briefs on.
"I'm hot!" I mused. I was twenty-two. Though only 5'4, I was only 120 lbs, had nice tight abs, thin but toned arms and chest, and also dark blonde hair... Then I glanced to my face. My eyes in particular. They seemed to call me to look at them. They were their normal honey brown with flecks of gold in them... but they began to take on a more pronounced golden tone, and began to glow... Oh god I was staring face to face with the animal that attacked me!
I woke up with a start in the hospital bed, nearly ripping the IV out of my arm, making me hiss in pain.
"Well I see you're awake." my dad said casually looking up from his book.
"Yeah," I groaned a little "was just having a dream."
"Well, I think they're going to check you over one more time, and then they're going to let you go." He responded.
"How long has it been?" I wondered aloud.
"Nearly five days total here." He said. "It's only been one night since you last saw the doctor though."
"Where is everyone?" I asked, noticing the room was much emptier than last time.
"Your mom had to go to work, and James had class." He said.
"Ah." I responded, ready to escape myself.
Shortly after I woke up the doctor came by and gave me my discharge info. The usual impossible list of things they say: stay off your feet, don't work to hard, try not to strain yourself. What not eating solid food has to do with helping my shoulder, I have no idea.
They wheeled me to the hospital entrance in a chair like an invalid, even though I insisted I could walk. I was bitten in the arm not the leg! My dad had pulled the car around and insisted on helping me get in. My nerves grated and I nearly growled.
On the way home, I dozed off a bit. Feeling the warm sun on my skin after so many days inside, conscious or not, was quite nice. When we neared our neighborhood my dad asked if I wanted some ice cream, and of course, who am I to disagree with free ice cream? He pulled through the drive thru at Spacey's Drive In. I got a hot fudge sundae and he got a banana split.
I started eating the sundae immediately. It was SO good, and I realized I didn't remember eating while in the hospital. Though, I had been so drugged it's a miracle I had remembered my own name. Once we got home I was already finished, and put the trash in a bag in the car. I was tired of TV already so I hung back as my dad went inside. I decided to walk around the yard for a bit. It was nice to stretch out and get my bearings.
As I was walking around the yard, I started seeing much more activity than I was used to noticing. A frog here, a bird there, a grasshopper there, another one there. I thought nothing of it other than the fact that I had been cooped up all day and not able to move about or see anything other than the sterileness of the hospital.
It was around three in the afternoon when my dad got a call from work saying he had to go in for some emergency. He mumbled something about an audit and discrepancies before he rushed out the door.
He left me alone watching television in the living room on our big brown leather couch.
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