through the victim, straight to her brain.
Wait a second.
That was my brain.
My eyes snapped open and I found myself staring up into the face of a middle-aged man with glasses and a receding hairline.
He screamed and I screamed.
Yeah, I know. Not a totally vampy thing to do, but we’re talking a scalpel.
Blood oozed from the small cut as I scrambled from the stainless steel table. Metal clanged and instruments scattered.
“Holy shit!” The man holding the camera lost his grip as I hit my feet. The Polaroid sailed to the floor and shattered. “She’s alive.”
Even more, she was naked.
Like, I’m totally proud of my body, but I don’t make a habit of walking around au naturel, and so this freaked me out almost as much as getting sliced and diced.
Frantic, my gaze darted around until I saw a stack of folded sheets. In the blink of an eye, I’d wrapped myself in one and was desperately looking for an exit while the pathologist and his assistant stood there, stunned. Then my brother rushed in, Dr. Mandy on his heels.
“I’m so sorry,” Mandy blurted. “I was on break when they came to get the homeless woman that was brought in yesterday. They misread the files and took you and—I’m just so sorry. Ohmigod,” she shrieked. “You’re bleeding!”
“It’s all right, babe.” Jack slid his arm around her. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. I should have been more careful, but I was really dragging. I needed coffee and they’re not supposed to check anyone out unless I’m there.”
“It’s somebody else’s mistake. You did your best.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad? You didn’t do anything. You can’t help it if someone else breaks the rules. You’re still as conscientious, as dedicated as ever.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“You’re sweet.”
“No, you’re sweet.”
“Excuse me?” I hiked the sheet up more securely under my arms. “I hate to interrupt this warm fuzzy moment, but I’m naked and bleeding, and these guys want to chop me into little pieces.”
“Oh, they don’t chop you up. They just open you up and remove the internal organs.”
“Oh. Well, that makes me feel much better. Not!” I stepped toward my brother. “I was on the sharp end of a scalpel while I was asleep and totally vulnerable.”
“That’s a touchy situation for us,” Jack told Mandy. “Lil’s upset.”
“And mad.”
“But not at you,” Jack assured Mandy. “She’s just upset in general.”
“Your ass. You said I was safe.”
“I thought you were.” Mandy sniffled. “I’m really sorry.”
Her eyes brightened and before I knew it, I heard myself say, “It’s okay.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’m sure you didn’t purposely set me up for an autopsy. That would totally kill your chances at impressing my folks.”
She smiled. “Exactly.”
“She didn’t have a pulse,” the receding hairline said, his trembling voice drawing everyone’s attention. He’d finally zoned back to the situation at hand. “I checked myself and she didn’t have a pulse and now she’s talking and bleeding and talking. ”
“This is some weird shit,” the camera guy muttered. “Twisted.”
“She had no body temperature, either. I checked that myself, too.” The hairline shook his head as if trying to make some sense out of everything. “She was cold. Ice cold.”
“You try sleeping in a refrigerator,” I said. His eyes widened and he stumbled backward.
“I—I have to call security.”
“Lil,” my brother said. “Could you do something please?”
Me? What was I supposed to do—oh, yeah.
I took a deep, calming breath, ignored the burning in my chest, and fixed my gaze on receding hairline who was backing his way toward the door.
“Don’t move,” I said as I stared deep into his fear-filled eyes. He stopped. His expression went from shocked to surprised. “You’re not really here. You’re in the lounge taking a nap and all of this”—I motioned
Wait a second.
That was my brain.
My eyes snapped open and I found myself staring up into the face of a middle-aged man with glasses and a receding hairline.
He screamed and I screamed.
Yeah, I know. Not a totally vampy thing to do, but we’re talking a scalpel.
Blood oozed from the small cut as I scrambled from the stainless steel table. Metal clanged and instruments scattered.
“Holy shit!” The man holding the camera lost his grip as I hit my feet. The Polaroid sailed to the floor and shattered. “She’s alive.”
Even more, she was naked.
Like, I’m totally proud of my body, but I don’t make a habit of walking around au naturel, and so this freaked me out almost as much as getting sliced and diced.
Frantic, my gaze darted around until I saw a stack of folded sheets. In the blink of an eye, I’d wrapped myself in one and was desperately looking for an exit while the pathologist and his assistant stood there, stunned. Then my brother rushed in, Dr. Mandy on his heels.
“I’m so sorry,” Mandy blurted. “I was on break when they came to get the homeless woman that was brought in yesterday. They misread the files and took you and—I’m just so sorry. Ohmigod,” she shrieked. “You’re bleeding!”
“It’s all right, babe.” Jack slid his arm around her. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. I should have been more careful, but I was really dragging. I needed coffee and they’re not supposed to check anyone out unless I’m there.”
“It’s somebody else’s mistake. You did your best.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad? You didn’t do anything. You can’t help it if someone else breaks the rules. You’re still as conscientious, as dedicated as ever.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“You’re sweet.”
“No, you’re sweet.”
“Excuse me?” I hiked the sheet up more securely under my arms. “I hate to interrupt this warm fuzzy moment, but I’m naked and bleeding, and these guys want to chop me into little pieces.”
“Oh, they don’t chop you up. They just open you up and remove the internal organs.”
“Oh. Well, that makes me feel much better. Not!” I stepped toward my brother. “I was on the sharp end of a scalpel while I was asleep and totally vulnerable.”
“That’s a touchy situation for us,” Jack told Mandy. “Lil’s upset.”
“And mad.”
“But not at you,” Jack assured Mandy. “She’s just upset in general.”
“Your ass. You said I was safe.”
“I thought you were.” Mandy sniffled. “I’m really sorry.”
Her eyes brightened and before I knew it, I heard myself say, “It’s okay.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’m sure you didn’t purposely set me up for an autopsy. That would totally kill your chances at impressing my folks.”
She smiled. “Exactly.”
“She didn’t have a pulse,” the receding hairline said, his trembling voice drawing everyone’s attention. He’d finally zoned back to the situation at hand. “I checked myself and she didn’t have a pulse and now she’s talking and bleeding and talking. ”
“This is some weird shit,” the camera guy muttered. “Twisted.”
“She had no body temperature, either. I checked that myself, too.” The hairline shook his head as if trying to make some sense out of everything. “She was cold. Ice cold.”
“You try sleeping in a refrigerator,” I said. His eyes widened and he stumbled backward.
“I—I have to call security.”
“Lil,” my brother said. “Could you do something please?”
Me? What was I supposed to do—oh, yeah.
I took a deep, calming breath, ignored the burning in my chest, and fixed my gaze on receding hairline who was backing his way toward the door.
“Don’t move,” I said as I stared deep into his fear-filled eyes. He stopped. His expression went from shocked to surprised. “You’re not really here. You’re in the lounge taking a nap and all of this”—I motioned
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