Falling ch. 4

A/N: Ms. Harris and HBO owns everything, I just play tricks with our beloved characters.

Chapter 4


After Eric left I collapsed back into my pillow. My heart was racing from pure rage; adrenaline pumping through my veins and his words echoing through my mind.

“Do not ever think to defy me again. Do not think I will ever give up on you. And do not ever think I will give up on us.”

The words were like torture. I pulled the pillow over my head to muffle the scream I was sure was about to erupt from my throat, but it wouldn’t come. I wanted to erase his voice. I wanted to scream to erase myself.

Why won’t they just leave me alone? Just forget I ever existed in the first place! I don’t want anything to do with them! I just want to disappear!

“Do not ever think to defy me again. Do not think I will ever give up on you. And do not ever think I will give up on us.” Eric Northman, get out of my head!

I had to do something to get him out of my head. I pressed the little red button so a nurse would come. Sure enough not two minutes later a young woman entered my room. She introduced herself as Nurse Svensson. Oh you’ve got to be kidding me! A Swedish name! Give me a goddamned break here, Lord!

I really had no intention of getting to know this person, whatever her name might be. Wait did she have a Swedish accent? I had to figure out what her game was, so I did a quick scan of her brain. All human was the first thing I got from her and then…

“...Mr. Northman might have hired me and arranged for my employment here, but I can’t for the life of me understand why he’d be so concerned for this girl. It’s not like she deserves better care than any of the other patients here. Why is she looking at me that way? Oh well he is paying me $10,000 on top of the pay I get from the hospital. So I better get on with it.”

I flinched at the thought of all the ways he was trying to control me. First having me moved from Texas to here, then the private room and now this.

“Yes Miss Stackhouse, what can I do for you? Are you in any pain?”

Well if she was playing, then I’d better up my game as well.

“Please tell me Nurse Svensson, and please do not lie to me. Are you working for Mr. Northman?” The woman looked utterly baffled at my bluntness.

“Well I – I – Yes, Mr. Northman did arrange for me to personally take care of you during the night, but only because he has your best interest at heart. How did you know?”

“My best interest at heart!” I sneered malevolently.

“He doesn’t even have a heart! He’s dead for Christ’s sake! And how did I know? Well, you have a Swedish name and accent. I’m not stupid you know! I don’t mean to be rude, but could you just please get out of here and send somebody else for me to talk to?”

I was rancorous at this point. Who the hell does he think he is?

My own personal Nurse Ratched wasn’t having any of it. “Well, I’m sorry Miss, but I was assigned to you tonight. So I’m afraid you’ll just have to accept my help.” She said, sounding a bit miffed.

“Fine”! I exclaimed. “I’m tired and I can’t fall asleep. Could I possibly have something to help me with that?”

The nurse raised an eyebrow as if she was waiting for something.

“Please.” I said with a slight annoyance. Bitch!

“Certainly, Miss Stackhouse. I’ll be right back.”

She came back quickly with something in a syringe, which she injected into my IV. I have no idea what it was, but it worked like a charm and I was out like a light.

I woke up the next morning with an odd sense of foreboding; something wasn’t right. I looked around the room trying to get my bearings. And there it was, right next to me on the side table, the most obscenely large bouquet of deep-dark crimson roses I had ever seen. In the middle of it there was one single white, perfect calla lily. The flowers were breathtaking. There was a champagne coloured card attached to it. I didn’t need to read it to know who it was from. Due to the fact that my heart felt like it had turned to stone, I knew the flowers were from Eric. But, for some unknown reason, I reached out for the card and saw his distinguished chirography written with a crimson coloured pen.

I will never give up.
Eric

Five little words made my blood boil. I flung out my arm so it connected with the vase - flowers, glass and card scattered on the floor. The card soaked up the water, making the red ink float out so it looked like blood merging with water.

I was starting to panic; my stomach felt like it was about to jump out of my throat. I’m sure the nurses and doctors had heard the shattering of glass and were on their way to assess the situation. I had to get out of there. I did the only rational thing I could think of at that moment – I pulled out the IV with a swift movement…MOTHER. FUCKER! Okay, well better quick and painful than slow and painful. However, it might not have been the best thing to do since my hand was now covered in blood. Fuck it!

I was about to place my bare feet on the shards of glass that covered the floor, when Nurse Lang, the good Dr. Balleby and…oh Christ Almighty…Sam, Alcide, Tray and Calvin Norris bolted in through the door. The next I knew, Alcide had me in a tight grip, pinned down on the bed, while the nurse and doctor tended to my hand. Sam and Tray stood guard on either side of the door and Calvin Norris towed an orderly into the room, ordering him to clean up the mess I had made. Calvin bent down in order to salvage what was left of the flowers.

“No!” I shrieked, struggling to get out of Alcide’s death grip.

“You put those flowers back on the floor Calvin Norris! You hear me? They belong in a garbage dump, together with the decaying corpse they came from! As for the four of you, well you can just haul your chameleon asses out of here! Just leave me the hell alone so I can get out of this place.”

I was screaming at the top of my lungs – soon somebody would probably put me in a straight jacket and place me in a padded cell. I didn’t care.

Nurse Lang and Dr. Balleby had finished patching up my hand, not inserting a new IV thankyouverymuch, and left the room on their own accord.

I kept screaming and screaming, clawing at Alcide trying to make him let go of me. Sam was by my side as well and shocked the silence into me when he slapped me clear across the face. The others gasped in surprise.

“Pull yourself together Sookie. What the hell is the matter with you? We’re only trying to take care of you.”

I looked at Sam’s angry yet concerned face and then promptly started to sob uncontrollably.

“Just leave me alone. I don’t want you here. I don’t need you. Where have I heard those lines before? Why am I repeating myself? Oh right, nobody listens to a word I say! Leave or I’ll call for security to remove you from the hospital.”

Alcide had let go of me and was looking at me bewildered. Sam pulled me into to his arms and just hugged me tightly. I tried to push him away, but I was weak and Sam is a pure-blood shapeshifter so the odds weren’t in my favour.

“Oh Cher, don’t you know that we are security? We’re here to insure nothing happens to you and nobody gets in to see you without our or Eric’s approval.”

Sam was obviously trying to put me at ease, but it only made it worse. Alcide and Calvin Norris both felt the need to remind me I was a friend of both their packs and it was therefore their duty to assure my safety.

Tray was silent. I knew he resented me for treating Amelia so badly, I could hardly blame him. They spend a long time trying to “talk some sense” into me, as they put it. I just blocked them out. At some point I think they figured out I wasn’t listening. Sam kissed my forehead and put me back into the bed and tucked me in.

“Sookie, one of us will always be outside that door if you need us,” Sam said as he left with the others. I closed my eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

I woke up in the mid afternoon and saw there was a tray of food on my table. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate anything and my stomach was growling. I took a few bites of the tuna sandwich the staff had provided for me, but I didn’t get any fulfilment out of eating and frankly it made me want to throw up. I abandoned the idea of eating any more and went back to sleep.

I knew Eric was with me all night. I didn’t wake up to see him; I could just feel his presence. Under any other circumstances, Eric being there would probably have been comforting, but it made me feel uneasy and spied on.

The next morning there was another bouquet of flowers. They were the same as the day before – crimson roses and a single white calla lily and of course, a card. I simply got out of bed and threw them in the trash can, not even looking at the card, I knew what it said.

Over the next few days, the nurses and doctors did their jobs, monitoring my progress and told me I was getting better by the day. I mostly ignored them.

I ate only enough to satisfy my immediate hunger, which the doctor thought was adequate.

Although I was sleeping, I knew Eric was there every night. Each morning the same arrangement of flowers was there and each time I threw them out.

I was done fighting everyone. I just gave up and ignored them. To use were terminology; I simply abjured them.

After five days, Dr. Balleby was convinced I could be sent home. That little piece of information was the only good thing that had happened to me in weeks. I just wanted to go home so I could pack up and leave for good.

In the afternoon, an orderly came to take me out to the front desk so I could sign all the insurance papers and be on my way. I was honestly surprised when nobody was there to pick me up, not that I wanted them to at all, I just couldn’t believe they had actually decided to listen to me for once. Since, for obvious reasons, I didn’t have a car, I decided to take a taxi home. The most expensive taxi ride in the history of Louisiana, I thought. Yet it didn’t matter, all I wanted to do was to go home so I could leave again.

On the ride home it felt as if a storm was brewing, not on the weather front, just the whole ride felt eerie. The darkness of night was slowly creeping up behind; it was suffocating me. As the car turned down Hummingbird Road, a sense of panic started to rise inside of me. When we got all the way up to the house it didn’t look like anything as wrong, which made me a feel a bit better. This was my home, the one place I was suppose to feel comfortable.

As I walked to the door, I noticed the light was on in the kitchen. Amelia must have forgotten to turn it off when she moved out, I thought, not thinking the better of it.
I walked through the kitchen, taking in the familiar scent of my house; it was soothing. I went through the house and into the living room, turned on the lights…I almost jumped out of my own skin…there they were, all of them, sitting on the couch, on chairs, on the floor and leaning against the wall; Amelia, Tray, Claudine, Niall, Tara, Sam, Jason, Pam, Alcide, Bill, Calvin Norris, Eric and “Bubba!”

I practically threw my arms around his neck and gave him a good squeeze. “How are you, Bubba? It’s good to see you again.” If there was any person in the world, supe or otherwise, I was always delighted to see no matter the circumstance, it was definitely Bubba. He always had such a kind heart one couldn’t help but like him.

“I’ve been good Miss Sookie. It’s good to see ya too. ‘ow ya been holdin’ up?” He looked just as concerned as the rest of them.

“Oh I’m fine Bubba, a little tired but just fine.” I was lying through my teeth. “Bubba I would love to sit and visit with you, but I would really like to go rest. So, if you wouldn’t mind stepping aside so I can go to my room. Please.”

“Miss Sookie, if ya don’ mind me sayin’ so, ya don’t look fine. I wish I could do as ya ask, but Mr. Eric here told me not to listen to a word ya say tonight. Now these here nice people would like to speak with ya for a minute. Please listen to them Miss Sookie, please?”

My heart stopped; the one person I thought I could count on was in cahoots with the rest of my so-called ‘friends’. I felt the acidic sensation of bile creeping up my oesophagus; I wanted to throw up, but I suppressed the urge and instead, decided to focus the tension on the people in the room.

“Who the hell do y’all think you are trespassing on my property like this? You just added breaking and entering to your rap sheets! Now get the hell out of my house, before I call the police!” I screamed, but nobody moved.

“Fine, suit yourselves! Northman, Compton, Pam and Bubba I rescind your invitations into my house FOREVER!” None of the four vampires even so much as flinched. What the hell?! Eric was staring at me intensely, yet remained leaning up against the wall, arms crossed in front of him.

“What the hell is going on here? Why aren’t you backing out of the house?” I was completely stunned by the lack of reaction from any of them.

“Well my telepathic friend, our dear witch here and the fairies collaborated on a little spell that would insure something like your little demand there wouldn’t have any effect.” Pam was grinning widely. Dead piece of trash!

“Amelia you traitor, what gives you the right to…to…I told you to leave me house, why are you still here? You know what, never mind, I don’t want to hear a fucking word out your mouth. Just get out of my house!”

Tray stood up and began taking a step towards me, but Amelia just put a hand on his arm and made him sit down again. I couldn’t possibly describe all the conflicting emotions that were emerging. Everything came crashing down again. All the distance I had tried to put between them and myself the past few weeks was instantly shattered. The only thing I could do was lash out at all of them to make them understand and hopefully they would just give up and leave – if that didn’t help, then I would simply just walk straight out the door again and never look back.

“Really Pam, you call me your friend? Whatever happened to vamps before humans? What the hell are you doing here anyways, don’t you have some fangbangers to fuck or eat? Oh that’s right, you’re only here because your Master ordered you to be here. Figures, you wouldn’t be able to do anything without him ordering you to do it or consulting Dear Abby first. You’re one sorry excuse for a vampire, you know that?”

Okay Stackhouse probably not the best thing to start out with the one vampire in the house who has absolutely no scruples with ripping your throat out. Nicely done…NOT! Pam seemed indifferent to my rambling and was, possibly, grinning even more.

“Fine! Y’all have your little tea party here, but don’t think I’ll sit by and watch you take over another part of my life.” I stalked towards the door, but Sam gripped me by the shoulders and yanked me down onto a chair.

“Sookie, sit your ass down and listen to us before you do something stupid…again.” Oh he did not just call me stupid!!

“Or what Sam? What are you going to do? Slap me across the face again like you did at the hospital?” Well that got über-vamp’s attention. In a split second Eric had Sam by the throat smashed up against the wall.

“If you ever lay a hand on my Lover again you filthy mongrel, I will personally see to it that every bone in your body is broken into a million pieces…”

Tara, bless her heart, decided to step in. I had no idea why she was here, since I hadn’t spoken with her for quite a while. “Now y’all need to sit your testosterone overdosed asses down and act civil. Jesus effin’ Christ, you’d think we’re in a loony bin with all this craziness going on.” Neither Eric nor Sam made a move to back down, which only fuelled her determination more. She went over and grabbed Eric by his shirt collar, trying to get him to let go of Sam. “Eric. Sit. Your. Ass. Down. Or I’m going to start yelling at you to leave just like Sookie here. And Sookie, you need to take a chill pill and listen for a while girl.” The whole scene was just so comical that I couldn’t help but break out in a fit of laughter. Apparently, I was the only one who could see the humour in it. Tara especially wasn’t please with my reaction.

“Sookie, I said chill! I have no idea what’s been going on lately. One day out of the blue, I get a phone call from Amelia telling me you’ve gone bonkers, wrecked your room, practically attacked Eric and Bill, left town, been in a car crash and was in the hospital in Shreveport. Am I leaving out anything?” I just shook my head and let her continue.

“Girl, this is so unlike you. I know how much pride you put in being able to take care of yourself, but you’ve got to let people who love you take care of you sometimes and this is clearly such a time. Which is why we’re all here right now – for lack of a better word this is an intervention Sookie and you’ve got to let us plead our case, after that you can go off on us again if you feel the need. Right now you just need to listen.”

Tara had a point, but they had no idea what the hell I was thinking or going through, so I didn’t see the need to sit there and be patronized. “Well you know what Tara? I really don’t see how you could possibly know what I need, so I’m just going to get out of here since none of you seem to want to leave MY house.”

I was about to get up, but girlfriend wasn’t having any of it. “Sookie, I swear if you don’t sit your ass down right now, so help me God, I will tie you up and gag you! Now, since it seems I’m the only one here who can keep her cool, I’ll be the moderator and you can each take turns telling Sookie here how you feel, but don’t make any accusations. Sookie, you’ll get your turn to respond in the end.” Everybody seemed to agree with her and nodded in recognition, except for me of course.

“Jason would you like to tell your sister how you feel?”

Jason got up from his spot and kneeled down in front of my chair, trying to look me in the eyes. This was clearly an effort on his part since he looked completely out of sorts and pale as a ghost. “Sis, I – I don’t know all the details of what’s happened, but ever since you got involved with those vampires…”

uhmm Tara cleared her throat. “No accusations Jason.”

“…right umm, it just seems like you’ve lost part of yourself. I’m worried and I love you.” He sat back down in his seat with his head in his hands. Claudine gently rubbed his back and whispered something to him.

“Niall, I understand you’re related to Sookie in some way, so you’re next in line if you want to say something.”

The Prince stood up, walked over to me and kneeled down just like Jason did. “My child, I know not what is the matter with you, but if want I will gladly take you to my realm so you can get better. You’re very dear to my heart.”

Apparently, über-vamp didn’t like Niall’s suggestion and openly growled in contempt.

“Eric, can it!” Tara yelled, for some reason her new role as chairwoman of this whole mutiny had made her fearless of vampires. Rock on girl!

“Claudine you’re next.” The fairy came over to me, gave me a kiss on the cheek and went back to her seat. She didn’t utter a single word, maybe because she knew that anything said in that room couldn’t make me feel better or maybe she just didn’t have anything to say to me. Amelia was next, she mirrored Claudine’s gesture, but added that she loved me and feared I would hurt myself further if I didn’t get any help. Sam agreed with Amelia and told me I could take as much time off from work as I needed, as long as I promised to get better. Alcide and Calvin repeated their speeches from the hospital – I was a friend of both their packs and it was their duty to protect me. Tray was indifferent. That left the big guns of the little gathering and Bubba.

Bubba just patted me on the head and said he was going out to find a cat for dinner. I shuddered at the thought, but gave him a slight smile as he left.

“Eric, Bill, Pam would you like to say something?” Tara asked with a small trace of nervousness in her voice.

Pam came over to me and took my head in her hands. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at her. “Sookie, regardless of what you might think of me, I do consider you a friend. You’re one special human.” Well slap me silly did Pan just show she had feelings?

Bill came over next, gathered my hands in his, which I promptly pulled away from him. He decided to use the same old exhausted rant about how much he loved me yada yada yada.

That only left Eric. I wanted to leave, but was honestly terrified that Tara would make good of her promise and get out the rope and gag, so I stayed put. Acting passive and indifferent was my best chance of surviving the next speech, however long it might take. For a few minutes or so nothing happened, I was starting to panic. Then he walked over to me, kneeled down in front of me like the others had done, but put an arm around my waist and pulled me as close to him as possible. I heard him take a few deep breaths, taking in my scent, before he put his forehead to mine and simply flooded our Bond with emotions and images of us together. I didn’t know he could do that, but there is was; all his memories of us together – the first night we met at Fangtasia, the first time we fought side by side, our first kiss, the first time we made love. We were happy together. I was beautiful to him. He was proud of me in Rhodes. He showed me us dancing together; how our hair tangled together when he gently lifted us of off the dance floor. It was all so overwhelming, I could barely breathe.

The next he showed me was the night I ran away. Most of it was blurry and confusing, but then I saw and felt what he experienced, when I burned his face. I screamed out in pain and terror and shoved him away from me.

I kept screaming and crying like a madwoman. “What the hell did you did you just do to me?! Is that how you see me? Like something out of a fairytale? Like some beautiful princess, who is suddenly possessed by some great evil? Are you going to be my knight in shining armour, who comes to save me from the evil, who comes to save me from myself? Tell me Eric, is that what you see?” Gran’s words came echoing back to me with such force I almost fell over.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!”

“Well Eric, let me tell you what I see! I see a woman who in her short life has been in constant Hell. I lost my parents when I was a child, my uncle molested me, my Gran was murdered and I have been beaten to within an inch of my death, shot, stabbed, raped by my boyfriend, and kidnapped several times. I have almost been blown up twice in a matter of a few days. I have been pimped out, by YOU because of my telepathic abilities. I have lost friends and loved ones. I have found love and lost it. And then you come here thinking you can fix me! You can’t, don’t you see I’m damaged? I have nothing left. Nothing at all! I can’t breathe! I’m falling and I can’t find a foothold!! Everything is falling apart!”

I fell to the floor; exhausted and absolutely defeated. Eric sat down next to me and picked me up in his lap – gently rocking us back and forth.

“Leave.” He said to the others, who seemed to disappear without a sound.

We just sat on the floor rocking back and forth.