Chapter 22: The Cure

“You can come in,” Oskar whispered to Elaine, as he stepped across the threshold. Elaine quietly retracted her claws and stepped in beside him.

“Okay, Oskar. Now go wait for me in the car.” She whispered. She stepped past him, sniffed the air for a moment, then went silently down the hall past two bedrooms, and stopped in front of the third. She wrinkled up her nose; the whole house smelled of cigarette smoke, stale beer, and mildew. She listened for a moment, then carefully opened the door and stepped inside John’s room.

She moved quietly over to his desk, reached into her pocket, pulled out his wallet and laid it in plain sight next to his new one. She slipped the note under it. Sweet dreams, it said; that had been Eli’s suggestion. Elaine smiled to herself. Even if John got up the nerve to tell anyone the details about that night, the note wouldn’t help him prove his case at all.

She slipped quietly out of his room and, after examining the front door for any sign of damage, headed for the next block, where Oskar was waiting with Eli in the car. This was the last of them and all had gone off without a hitch. “Good work, Oskar! Let’s call it a night. If there was any danger of the three of them speaking of their little twin ‘monsters’ to anyone. I think this will end it. She started the car and they headed for home together.

§

Eli jumped up from the bulky lab computer excitedly. “Papa! Papa! Look at this!” She grabbed the printout and ran towards him, knocking over her chair and a lab stool. “It worked! It worked!”

Papa took the papers from her and scanned the results carefully. Eli appeared to be right. The two immortal mice he had injected with their latest antidote appeared to be aging. Besides not eating as much, their DNA, although still containing the vital Vampire sequence, was no longer responding to it. It was no longer functioning. They had found the switch. “You’re right Eli. This is the one!”

She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh Papa! Does this mean you can marry Elaine now?”

He smiled down at her, “Yes Eli. If she still wants to after having to live with us all these years,” he teased. “And it means that you can be a child again. But one that will grow up to be an adult. You and Oskar. Together.”

Eli jumped down and ran for the elevator and bounced back and forth in front of the door waiting as the arrow above the door slowly rose from the 1st to the 3rd level. The door opened slowly and she collided with Oskar as she rushed in. “Oomph! Eli, what…” She grabbed him and squeezed him hard, but he lost his balance and they fell into a heap on the elevator floor as the door closed behind her. She grabbed his beautiful face in her hands and kissed him.

“Oskar, we have it! Papa said we have it! We are all going to be cured!” The elevator started back down. “Oh Oskar! I’m so happy! Do you know what this means? We can go out in the sun together. We can have dinner together. We can do…anything we want! We can go anywhere we want, whenever we want!” She sat up and straddled him. He looked so sweet laying there looking up at her with that big goofy smile on his face. She loved him so much. She lay down on his chest, held him tight and pressed her cheek against his. He put his arms around her gently. He loved it when she was happy. She was even more beautiful to him when she was happy. And when she was happy, everything seemed brighter to him. Also, her beautiful blue eyes sparkled when she was happy. She kissed him on the neck just as the elevator door opened and Elaine, her face buried in a book, tripped over them, dropped her book, and barely regained her balance. “What on earth are you two doing down there?! You almost killed me!” Eli leaped up into her arms. “Papa found the cure! You and Papa can get married now!” All Elaine could see was Eli’s smiling face, two inches from her own. She laughed in spite of herself. “Eli, you’re impossible! I wouldn’t mind the fact that you wear your heart on your sleeve, but it beats so loudly sometimes we can’t hear anything else!”

She cocked her head to one side, “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“I mean I love you, Eli. And all your noise too! Did I hear you right? The last lab results were positive?”

Eli was exasperated, “Yes, yes!! That’s what I’ve been telling you!” Once again, the elevator doors opened on the third floor. Papa was standing there waiting for them.

Elaine looked at Rich with a big grin on her face. “You did it.” She said softly. She couldn’t believe it. After all these years. “You did it!” she shouted. She rushed over to him hugged him tightly and spun him around. “Does Jack know yet? Jack!!” she shouted.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” He stopped quickly as he saw them all standing there looking at him. He looked at Dawson, “You didn’t!” They all nodded together. His first thoughts turned to Eli, “Eli, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you.” She ran over and put her arms around him, “And Elaine can marry Papa! And you can be the Best Man.”

§

Jack’s own work on the aging vaccine had been the first success story. All he really had to do was make what they already had, safer. With the 15 years of advancement in DNA research coinciding with his advanced degree, he was finally able to perfectly isolate, then strip out the already-switched-off vampire strand, removing any possibility that a future mutation could inadvertently switch it on again. But now that they had it they had absolutely no idea what to do with it. It was a potential bombshell. How should they release it? Should they just have a news conference and release it to the public? Should it be freely distributed, or rationed out? Should anyone have access to it? Should they and their families take it themselves in secret, or would that be somehow unethical? Eli had already been asking him about Hannah and her family. And Oskar had even asked about his own mother and father. And Jack himself was fighting the urge to inoculate his mother; he and Henry knew they still had plenty of time to think about it for themselves. He relied heavily on Dr. Dawson for advice on the matter, because he was the only adult who could really look at this objectively.

The ramifications were mind-boggling. Retirement benefits would have to be abolished, except for the very old and handicapped, but those younger, healthier retirees already receiving them would certainly resist losing them. Major legislation would have to be passed to reflect the inevitable societal changes. Strict laws would have to be passed limiting the number of children that could be born, especially to immortals. Would any government be up to the task? There was already a population problem. This would only exacerbate it, possibly to the point of global warfare for survival. They had discussed it many times and the only thing they had all agreed on is that none of them were qualified to make such a decision. The instinctive urges of mankind to have children, to procreate, was as strong as the will to survive. Both would be in jeopardy if the secret got out without some kind of preparation. Jack’s suggestion, that they hold off until they could insert a strand that severely limited fertility, or actually caused infertility, had been met with some skepticism by all, even Oskar and Eli. Eli had a fantasy that once they were cured, perhaps she and Oskar could grow up, get married and by some miracle, have children. He had to delicately explain to her that in a society with population overload and filled with immortals, turning a castrated boy into a fertile woman would not be a high priority in the scientific community. And there were religious considerations also. Many would consider it an abomination; a circumvention of God’s will. Their lives could even be in danger as a result. This would all have to be handled very carefully.

§

“Rich, I think Eli is really worried about my getting the injection. At first, she insisted that she go first to protect me; then she wanted us to do it at the same time. She seems confused and uncertain about the whole process. You know how she reacts to change of any kind. We have to be careful how we handle her.”

“How about Oskar? Does he have any problems with it? Of course it won’t do much to him except reactivate the aging process just like with the mice, or with me.”

“You know Oskar. He seems to be oblivious to the effects his decisions have on himself. His motivations always seem to be centered on Eli’s welfare and happiness first, ours second and, if he even thinks about it at all, finally his own. He’s the most unconsciously unselfish person I have ever known. So much so that I’m not sure it’s healthy for him.”

“I know. I have to be always on my guard to make sure he doesn’t fall through the cracks when we make family decisions, he’s so damn agreeable.”

“Perhaps if we keep her busy…Eli!! Come down here! I want to speak to you.”

Eli thundered down the stairs and swung into the kitchen on the doorframe. “What, Mom?!”

“Our final decision has been made. Jack, your papa and I have decided I’m to go first, and within a day or two at the most, we’ll do you.”

“But Mom!”

Elaine interrupted, “Eli, I really need your help on this,” she said earnestly. “If it turns out I can’t eat anything after the cure, I’m going to need you to be there to re-infect me. It’s really important! Do you have the stomach for it?”

Eli’s eyes got big, “Of course I do! I’ll do anything you want! I can be there the whole time?”

“Of course Eli,” Papa said, “All of us, including Jack and Henry, will be there. We’re doing this here at home in Elaine’s old room. Which reminds me. Would you and Oskar move the boxes out of her room and put them back down in her studio for us? It would be a big help. We’ve scheduled this for tomorrow evening.”

“Sure!” she dashed up the stairs.

“Rich! I had no idea you could think on your feet so well! And besides, I would much rather do this at home anyway. Should I call Jack and tell him our change of plans?”

“Yes, but do it quietly.” He smiled at her. They both knew that if something went wrong, there was an even chance that Eli would not be able to re-infect her; at least not quickly enough to save her if there were serious problems. And since they already had frozen and processed samples of Eli’s and Elaine’s ‘infections’, Eli’s bite wouldn’t really be vital anyway. But it would certainly be quicker. And if Elaine lost control, Eli would be the only one strong enough to even begin to handle her.

§

Elaine’s bed was normally up against the window, but they had turned it 90 degrees so they would have access from both sides in the event of a problem. Jack had insisted on giving her the injection, although he reluctantly agreed that Richard should have the final say on any other action taken as a result of any unexpected complications. Jack was genuinely worried about his objectivity in any life-threatening situation related to Elaine...or Eli for that matter.

“Are we ready?”

“Go for it, Jack,” Elaine said firmly. She was sitting on the side of the bed, having refused to lie down unless she felt it was necessary.

Jack lifted the vial, filled the syringe and, without hesitation, plunged it into her shoulder.

“Everyone, breathe now. In, out, in, out.” Elaine said sarcastically, “What did you expect? A flash of light, a clap of thunder, and a dark sinister form floating away from my body, cursing and spitting?”

Eli grinned at her, “I was kinda hoping…”

Oskar nodded vigorously, “Yeah, I was REALLY hoping we’d see something like that.”

“Do you feel anything at all at this point?” Jack asked.

“No. Nothing.” She glanced at the heart monitor. Slightly elevated blood pressure and increased heart rate, but under the circumstances, normal, she thought to herself. She hadn’t allowed herself the luxury of imagining what her life would be like after. It was like a door waiting to be opened. Never mind that Eli had already bounced back and forth through her door hundreds of times since they verified the stability of the antidote.

Four Hours passed. As near as anyone could tell, nothing had changed. Eli and Oskar were reading books, Jack and Henry were dutifully writing down all of Elaine’s vitals, and Richard was getting more and more nervous.

“Rich. Did you forget to wind your clock? It stopped running.” Elaine said abruptly.

Dawson looked at her intently for a moment, then turned to Eli, “Eli, go check the grandfather clock in the living room for me will you?”

“But Papa, it’s running just fine. I can hear it. I can always hear it…” Everyone turned to look at Elaine.

“It’s working,” Jack said quietly. He handed her Eli’s book. “Read this aloud for me.” She began reading as Jack stepped over and flipped off the light.

“I…I can’t see. I can’t see to read!!” Elaine exclaimed. She looked at Rich and smiled. He took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

Jack quickly flipped the light on again. Richard checked his watch and wrote something in his notebook. Eli, wide-eyed, backed away from her and sat down in a chair against the wall.

“Oskar? Think something to Elaine,” Jack said softly.

Elaine? Do you really think it’s going away?

She looked at him intensely, “Oskar, I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you at all!” she reached out and took his hand. “Again!”

Elaine! Can you hear me?

She nodded, “I can hear you now Oskar. But I think it’s all you at this point. It’s your talent doing all the work.”

No one noticed the frightened look on Eli’s face. And Oskar’s attention was on Elaine.

“Elaine? How do you feel? Can you stand up?”

She stood up and made a full turn with her arms outstretched “No problem.” She bent down and picked up the footstool. “Umph! It’s heavy!” She quickly put it down again, and sat on the bed.

She suddenly looked up at Richard, startled, “It…it’s gone! Dead! The parasite is gone! I’m alone. I’m really alone for the first time in over 50 years! I’m really alone!” she held out her hands and tried to grow claws. Nothing. She turned and smiled wistfully at Eli, “I guess I’m going to have to start using my tools on my sculptures again, Eli.” She smiled at her. Eli didn’t smile back. No one noticed in all the excitement.

“Elaine, I want you to lie down. You’re perspiring heavily.” Richard popped a thermometer in her mouth.

A strong metallic smell suddenly permeated the room. He quickly removed the thermometer. “98.8 degrees. It’s going down.” He pulled out a cotton swab, wiped it across her chest and put it in a plastic bag. “Elaine, why don’t you take a quick shower. I think you’re leaching out a great deal of salt, most of which is probably not simple Sodium Chloride; and it’s not all free ions or oxidized metals either or the smell wouldn’t be so strong.” He took her arm and they went together down the hall and into the bathroom.

“How could this be happening so fast?” Henry asked. “It seems unreal.”

“Well, according to Elaine, and to Eli also, becoming a vampire only takes a few hours. The process is usually complete within 8 hours or so.” Jack said. “Is that right, Eli? Eli?”

“She must have gone with Dr. Dawson and Elaine.” Henry said. They began recalibrating the heart monitor and reloading the chart paper in the ECG module, while Oskar watched intently.

“Are you okay?” Richard asked worriedly. She had washed and rinsed repeatedly for almost an hour before they finally seemed to have gotten rid of the smell.

“I’m fine, Rich. I feel like I’m all stuffed up, though. I can’t hear, I can’t smell, and I can’t see. If I weren’t one of you again, I’d feel sorry for you -- as a species! Nothing personal.” She grinned at him.

She suddenly got down on one knee in the tub and, still dripping wet, looked up at Richard and took both his hands in hers, “Will you marry me? I know we haven’t known each other as humans for very long, but I think it’ll work out just fine! At least now it won’t be a ménage a trois.”

He stepped into the tub and hugged her tightly. “Yes! Unequivocally!”

“And it’ll be just you and me. Rich, you have no idea how it feels to be alone in my own skin for a change. After over a half century!” She put her head on his shoulder. “Just imagine how Eli will feel.”

Eli moved away from the bathroom door, quietly slipped down the hall, and hid halfway up the stairs to her room.

Rich kissed Elaine on the cheek. “We’d better get back in and hook you up again. We don’t want to miss anything.” He quickly stepped out of the tub and handed her a robe. He put his arm around her and led her back down the hall into her room, where she was promptly manhandled back into bed and reattached to all her equipment. Jack even let Oskar help hook her up.

“Are you okay, Mom?”

“I’m fine, Oskar. Where’s Eli?”

“I thought she was with you.” He looked around. “I’ll go get her.”

He started for the door, just as Eli stepped in and slowly walked over to the bed. “Are you okay, Mom? Can I get you anything?”

“Eli, I’m perfectly fine. Don’t you worry about a thing. The worst is over.”

“Is it Mama? Are you sure?” her voice sounded tense. She laid her head on Elaine’s chest.

Mama? She never calls me ‘Mama’

“What? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you!” Eli had tears in her eyes.

Elaine was startled, “What’s wrong, Butterfly?” she reached up and kissed her on the forehead.

“I’m just worried about you, that’s all. I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…” she got quiet.

Elaine knew there was something wrong. But she knew that Eli was determined to keep whatever it was to herself, at least for now. She would talk to her about it later, as soon as they were all sure she was safely through this.

§

They were working in shifts now. Jack and Henry were asleep in Oskar’s room. The sun had been up for a couple of hours; it had been over fourteen hours since the antidote had been administered, so most of the changes should have taken affect by now. Everyone was getting a bit more relaxed. Oskar was making breakfast down in the kitchen.

Elaine stood up, paused, then let her robe drop to the floor. She looked down for a moment, then raised her arms. “Nope! I was really hoping I could still grow my wings, but I guess I’ll have to take the bad with the good.” She smiled wistfully at Eli as she put her robe back on. Eli’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

“Elaine? Are you hungry at all?”

“I’m not sure. Rich, hand me a bag will you?” He nodded to Eli, who quickly disappeared and reappeared a minute later with a bag. She handed it to Elaine, then sat against the wall and watched intently. Elaine unclamped the bag, raised it to her lips, hesitated, and quickly reclamped it.

“Nope! This absolutely does NOT appeal to me in any way! In fact it’s disgusting! She looked quickly over at Eli, but she couldn’t read her expression at all.

“Eli?” Papa handed her the bag.

Eli took it quickly and disappeared once again down the stairs. After a few minutes, she reappeared carrying a bowl of chicken soup.

“Eli made this for you herself,” Richard explained. “She insisted.” He winked at her, “And I know it’s good because I tasted it myself. What do you think?” he handed the bowl to Elaine.

She smelled it, then dipped her spoon in and brought it to her lips. It smelled good, but she was a bit apprehensive. She took a sip. Wonderful! She had forgotten how good food could taste. She began eating. She could feel its warmth as it went smoothly down her throat. There was no revulsion, no sudden cramps, nothing. “Eli, this is wonderful! You’re a good cook.” Again, she couldn’t read the expression on Eli’s face. It was as though she was looking right through her – like she was somewhere else. Elaine was becoming genuinely worried now.

She finished the soup, but she was still hungry; very hungry! But she thought it was wiser if she left it alone for now. No sense in pushing her luck.

“Rich, I feel like sitting out by the pool. What do you think? Can I give it a try?”

“I think so, if you’re careful. But remember, you’re as white as a sheet. The sun is still not your friend. Fifteen or twenty minutes tops, at least the first time. Let us unhook you first.” Jack and Henry had just gotten started after their nap. “Looks like we got up just in time,” Henry said. “The final test!”

They all stepped out of the room so Elaine could get herself dressed. She stood there a moment looking out the window; then impulsively, she unlatched it and slowly opened it. She put her hand in the sun; then her arm. Nothing. She slowly opened the window and felt the unfiltered sun on her face for the first time since she was dragged into the Other One’s hole. She shook the dark thoughts off, then quickly closed the window and got dressed. She went down the stairs, stepped out on the back porch where everyone was waiting for her, and calmly walked past them, out the door that Rich was holding open for her and plopped down in her favorite lounge chair. She suddenly realized that Eli wasn’t there. On a hunch, she looked up at Eli’s window, and saw her quickly step back as soon as she realized that Elaine had spotted her. “That’s it! Rich, stay here with everyone for a minute. I’ll be right back.” She strode purposely into the house, up the stairs and into Eli’s room. Eli was lying on her bed, face to the wall. Elaine sat down beside her.

“What’s wrong, Butterfly?”

“You can’t call me that anymore!!”

“Eli, look at me. What’s wrong?”

Eli sat up, tears in her eyes, “I don’t want to talk to you! I want Oskar!” Tears were streaming down her face. She turned back against the wall sobbing. Elaine sat there for a moment, then quietly got up and went down the stairs and into the back yard.

As her eyes met Oskar’s he suddenly looked up at Eli’s window and ran for the door. Elaine sat down abruptly. “Rich, I think we should stop now. Let’s save the celebration until we’re sure I’m 100 percent okay. Besides, I’m worried about Eli. Something is bothering her and it’s quite serious.” She still felt the sting of Eli’s rejection, in spite of herself.

“Let me talk to her.”

“No, Jack, I think this one is Oskar’s. Let’s go in and finish up the tests. I’m sure you’re both tired.”

“We’ll stay if it’s okay with you two. Oskar’s bed is quite comfortable, and we have to prepare for Eli’s injection.”

“You’re welcome to stay, but I think we’ll put off Eli’s injection until we know what’s bothering her. It’s going to be enough of an ordeal for her under normal conditions.”

§

“Eli? What’s wrong?” he lay down on her bed and put his arm around her. She turned around and took his hands in hers and pressed them against her chest. “Oh Oskar! I can’t do it! I’m afraid.”

“You can’t do what? What do you mean?”

“I won’t get the shot! I won’t! I can’t!”

“But…why? I thought it was what you wanted more than anything. To grow up so we could get married.”

Because I love you, because you can hear me and know that I love you, and I can know that you love me. That will all go away. Elaine has already gone away and she already hates what I am. She was disgusted by what I have to eat; what she had to eat only yesterday! And I can’t tell her how I feel anymore. She’s gone and she’ll never come back. And she doesn’t care! She can’t fly and she doesn’t care! She can’t hear and she doesn’t care! She can’t see those beautiful things we saw together in the darkness when she painted and she doesn’t care! And once we’ve changed, once you’ve changed, I won’t be able to talk to you or Papa like this ever again. I’ll be all alone again, just like before. All I’ll have is my strength and my wings – and my beautiful sounds and beautiful night things. I won’t give them up too. If I do, I’ll have nothing. Nothing! I’ll be lonely and I’ll be weak besides. I can’t do it Oskar! I can’t!

Then, I won’t do it either! We’ll be together just like always. And I can help you talk to Mom and Papa. I can do that, remember? I promise!

“I love you so much, Oskar!” her relief washed over him like a flood, tumbling him over and over like a pebble in the rapids. For a minute, he couldn’t even think as her fear of being alone and her love for him buffeted him back and forth like a feather in a storm. He clung to her with all his might.