Chapter 33: 33. Infection

CARTER

The pain grew worse as Carter slowly drove home just past eight at night, and even the slightest turn of the steering wheel felt like a stab to his gut. He focused on the road ahead and the clock ticking away on his dash. He could not drive badly. He could not get pulled over.

By the time he pulled into his apartment complex, he felt like he was on the verge of passing out. The pain in his gut was a constant, churning flame that wouldn’t go out. Had he ripped one of Allison’s seals loose? Was he bleeding all over his insides right now?

She’d know. He could just ask her. She had to have been home for hours now, and perhaps she could just do whatever she’d done when she numbed him last night again. He would let her do anything if it would just give him a reprieve from the pain.

The problem was, he couldn’t even seem to get out of the damn car.

The door was open. His seatbelt was off. Yet every time he tried to do something as simple as move his legs out and stand up, the inside of his whole chest felt like there was glass grinding around in there.

He was shocked when Allison burst out of his apartment wearing nothing more than one of her white tank tops and light gray panties. Or was that Allison? She was blond now. She had short hair cut in an adorable blond bob, and where were her pants? Wouldn’t she be cold?

Then she was at his side, with her now strong arms sliding around his chest, and the pain simply went away. The relief almost knocked Carter out.

He didn’t hurt. He didn’t hurt any longer. As Allison helped him to his feet and he leaned against her, with her still barefoot and in her panties and little top, he knew she had entered his mind and numbed the pain in his midsection. He hoped that didn’t hurt her.

“Inside,” she ordered. “Now.”

She must have sensed his discomfort all the way from the apartment. It was impressive she could do that. It also made him feel a lot safer.

Carter managed one last guilty look around for onlookers. “Yup.”

Fortunately, they temporarily had the apartment complex parking lot to themselves, though a driver or two on the road leading up might get an eyeful. He was able to walk much easier as Allison helped him up the stairs—those goddamned stairs—to his apartment, though his body felt like it wasn’t working quite right. Part of however she’d numbed him?

Once they were inside, she immediately attempted to march him to the bedroom, but not before he noticed the two plates laid out on the kitchen counter, along with napkins and silverware. A pot simmered on the stove. Whatever as in there smelled delicious.

“You were cooking for me?” Carter asked in disbelief.

“Bed,” Allison reminded him firmly.  She marched him to the bedroom with enough force that he suspected she could have dragged him if she liked.

She helped him sit down on the bed without pain, and he knew without a doubt that the only reason he didn’t hurt is because she had slipped into his mind and made it somehow impossible for him to feel pain. That was so kind of her.

“I consent,” he said.

“Hmm?” As she settled him and rose, she looked adorably distracted.

He loved what she’d done with her hair. It was crazy how she could change her whole hairstyle and color literally overnight, and that bob looked great on her. “I consent to whatever you’re doing in my mind. It feels great, Allie. Thank you.”

Her expression brightened just a little, but not for long. “Your pain is not expected.”

“Really?” Carter breathed. “I figured it was just overwork.”

“No, I fear a complication. I do not want to risk removing your bandages until I know more. I am going to examine you through them, and if all is well, we will change them.”

“Shouldn’t you go turn the burner off first? We don’t want anything boiling over.” He didn’t mention a fire, but he’d considered it.

She stared at him for a long moment. “Yes.” She nodded. “I will turn the burner off.” She spun and took two steps, stopped, spun back, and pointed. “Do not move.”

“Promise,” he assured her.

She hurried out of the bedroom, and despite his current situation, he didn’t miss the chance to stare at her ass in those tight little panties. She must have been dressed—or undressed—because she expected him home. The kitchen rustled.

She soon returned and immediately knelt at the side of his twin bed. “I am going to examine you now.”

“Got it.”

“Do not move.” She pulled up his shirt with one hand and pressed her other palm to the bandages wrapped around his midsection. She closed her eyes.

Carter could only imagine the tiny tendrils snaking into his body and examining his wounds. It never got any less weird, but it also didn’t bother him. Those tendrils were a part of her, and she was doing this to take care of him. He was simply glad she was here.

She was silent for almost a minute. Maybe longer. When she finally lifted her hand and opened her eyes, she looked concerned.

“Something bleeding?” Carter asked. “Can you seal it over again?”

“My seals all remain intact,” Allison said. “You have an infection.”

Carter sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

Allison looked truly annoyed now. “The blade must have been infected. Or perhaps your shirt. Or your body has reacted to my seals in some way. Regardless, the infection has spread inside your body. It is now beyond my ability to control.”

“You can’t just kill it with your mind powers?”

“Not without also damaging your tissue. The infection had spread out from your initial wounds, and cleansing it to the point where I could remove it on my own is not possible. Only your own body’s cells can do that, and only if we get you a round of antibiotics.”

“Well, shit.” Carter frowned. “You can’t just buy those without a prescription.”

“No.” Allison stood. “We will forge one.”

Her immediate decision to commit a felony was a side of her he hadn’t seen before. “You mean you’re going to sneak into the hospital and steal some doctor’s scribble pad?”

“I will do whatever I must to ensure that you remain alive and unharmed.”

He beckoned her closer. When she leaned in, he took her hand. “That sounds like a big risk. After last night, I bet there’s multiple Tharons camped at the hospital, especially if they know I got stabbed and you protected me. They’ll expect you to sneak in.”

She immediately removed her hand from his. “You will not stop me.”

“No, I get that.” Carter sighed. “Still, we might have a safer option.”

She quirked one eyebrow. “If you believe it is safer, I will consider it.”

“What if we just asked Rick?”

Allison’s gaze focused intently. “Rick has antibiotics?”

“I doubt it, but I bet he knows someone who could get them. That dude does a lot of drugs. He also buys drugs. So he knows people who sell drugs, one of whom can get us antibiotics.” He snorted. “He also knows I was stabbed. He actually feels bad about it.”

“I do not believe such drugs as Rick could offer would be healthy for you.” Allison now had an audible quaver in her voice. “Addiction may result before you are aware.”

Was she thinking about everything with Ryan? His addictions? Was she worried about him getting hooked on morphine or something similar?

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“Hey, I’m not getting hooked on painkillers,” Carter assured her. “I saw it happen enough back in Texas, especially with all the sports injuries I saw. This isn’t that. We wouldn’t be buying those types of drugs, just some antibiotics for my infection.”

“And you believe that contacting Rick and then having him contact one of his suppliers would be safer than me simply forging a prescription on a doctor’s pad I acquired at the hospital. Even though I can easily shift into the guise of a current employee.”

“I don’t know that, no,” Carter admitted. “But I do know what I’d do if I were a Tharon, and I knew the fugitive I was hunting needed medical attention. I’d tell my folks to stake out the hospitals in case you came in, and around here, there’s just one hospital.”

Allison was starting to look convinced and also increasingly worried. “What about pharmacies? I could steal antibiotics directly from there.”

“I’d bet the Tharons have those staked out as well. How many are there in the group that’s hunting you?”

She was silent for a moment. “I cannot say for certain.”

“How many have you seen?”

“Eight... that I am personally aware of. There could be more.”

“That’s more than enough cops to stake out the hospital and every pharmacy you could drive to in my car,” Carter said. “Also, there’s you driving. That’s a problem too.”

Her lips compressed before she spoke again. “I can handle it.”

“I know you can, Allie.” He offered his hand once more. “But there’s still a chance a cop could randomly pull you over. That’s bad for both of us, so I’m just talking through our options out loud. We can’t jump before we think. So let’s think a little.”

After a moment, she took his hand again. She looked so worried it just about broke his heart. He loved that she cared this much... but it also hurt him to know she hurt.

“How about this?” Carter asked. “We’ll work down the line. Talk to Rick first. See if he can get us what we need. If he can’t, we’ll move onto the pharmacy idea. And if we don’t think that’s safe, we’ll fall back to the hospital. You’re sure we can’t just wait this out?”

“We cannot,” Allison said firmly. “You have already developed a serious infection. There is visible inflammation.” Her light green eyes glistened. “I fear I may have contributed. I believed I properly sterilized my tendrils and seals, but perhaps I failed to do so.”

“Hey, you saved my life,” Carter reminded her firmly. “Don’t ever forget that. And also, don’t forget I trust you. Since we can’t ride this out, we’ll get antibiotics. We have several ways to that now. Let’s start by calling Rick, but only after he’s home.” He smirked despite the situation. “Can you believe he actually told me to go home early and rest?”

Allison breathed, visibly gathering herself. Carter let her focus. Soon enough, her composure returned. “How soon will Rick be home?”

“Probably by 1 AM, since he’s slow to close. He’ll still be up, so we’ll call him then. He also said I could take the day off tomorrow, so we’ll have time to figure the rest out.”

Allison dropped to her knees beside him, then dropped her head to rest on his chest. Even with most of his midsection numb, he could still feel her cheek against his chest. He really was starting to wonder if she was hotter than normal, and not just visually.

 He wrapped an arm around her back and rubbed gently. “I’m going to be okay, Allie.”

She huffed against his chest. “I often worry you are too dismissive of dangers to you.”

“I’m only this confident because I have you to look out for me.”

She shifted her head to rest her chin on his chest instead, so she could look at him. She still looked both worried and disappointed, which made Carter feel just awful.

“What?” he asked softly.

“I wanted to surprise you with a meal. And then sex.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle and was relieved it didn’t hurt, thanks to her. “You don’t ever have to cook for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it. I really do.”

“But you will not get to eat it now.”

“Why not? I’m fine here. I’m just resting on a bed. Why can’t you finish cooking dinner?” He cocked an eyebrow. “If you want to?”

She observed him for a moment. “I could numb you until we are ready to eat, but not mentally. Not the way I am now, while I am actively in your mind. I cannot block the pain your body perceives and also concentrate on another complicated task, like cooking.”

“Then we’ll just cook another night.”

“I want to cook for you,” Allison said plaintively. “I want to feed you. I can do so, but only if you are comfortable with invasive but temporary alterations to your body.”

“That sounds almost sexy. Tell me more.”

She smiled briefly. “For lack of a better translation, I can temporarily block the connection between the inflamed parts of you and your brain. The pain will stop.”

“Sounds great. What’s the catch?”

“You brain will not be able to send impulses to those parts until I wake them up. In effect, I will be temporarily paralyzing you.”

“But you can undo it?”

“With concentration,” she agreed. “But you cannot undo it. Not without me.”

“I trust you all the way to the moon, Allie. If you really want to finish cooking, and you can keep me from being in pain even if it means I can’t move around, I’ve love for you do that.”

“Even though I will essentially be paralyzing you in this bed?”

“Under the right circumstances, being stuck on this bed might be pretty hot.”

Allison snorted softly. “Now you sound like Larika.”

Carter wasn’t sure what she meant by that. “Your sister?”

“She has a fetish for being paralyzed.”

“Woah, okay now.” Carter laughed and raised one hand. “I don’t know if I’m ready to hear about your little sister’s fetishes just yet.”

“We are the same age,” Allison reminded him patiently. “And if you are at all interested in bondage, I would eagerly engage in such activities.” She was starting to look awfully horny again. “Would that make you hot?”

She constantly left his mind churning with new and incredibly hot possibilities, but for now, he needed her focused. “Let’s just handle dinner for now. I might have an infection, but I can still eat. And even numb as you’ve made me, I’m still hungry.”

“Then I will feed you, Carter,” Allison said. “And afterward, I will pleasure you until you reward me.” Her intensely protected gaze softened. “So long as that is what you wish.”

He relaxed on the bed but didn’t release her hand. “You remember yesterday afternoon, when you said I spoil you too much?”

“I do recall those activities.”

He squeezed her hand. “Same here.”

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