Strength

Chapter 1

The stale air of a hospital was something that Alfred had grown to associate with home. He practically lived in and out of hospitals ever since he turned five. The routine of each visit was the same, feeling ill beyond imaginable and unable to move an inch from wherever he had collapsed to or lain down. His brother or parents finding him and carting off to the hospital. The urge to sleep taking him over on the way there, and then waking up in a hospital bed with black leeches on his arms and chest, and an IV needle stuck in his arm. That was his routine, but he never understood exactly why until he got a little older. He had been ten years old when he finally understood why he had to sit in a hospital bed with leeches and an IV attached to him for hours.

It had been the first time he had been left in the hospital alone. His mother hadn't stuck around to watch over him like usual, and he had asked a nurse that had been in his room at the time where she had gone.

"She said she needed to go, little one," the nurse had said.

"Did she leave because I'm like this? I don't know what it is, but I can fix it right? I know she gets sad when I'm here."

"Alfred, what you have can't be fixed forever. It's called Taint."

"Taint?" Alfred had repeated, confused.

"Yes," the nurse had said as she moved to sit on Alfred's bed. "It's a sickness that came from vampires and makes normal people feel so sick they have to come here to get their blood drained and cleaned."

"I'm a vampire?!" Alfred had asked feeling a bit excited but also scared.

The nurse chuckled at his wide-eyed expression and flashed him a smile that showed off her pointed canines. Alfred gasped as he took notice and realized then what the nurse on his bed was.

"No, little one. You are not a vampire."

Alfred could still remember that conversation so clearly fourteen years later, even in the most vivid detail when he was laid up in a hospital like he was now.

"How are you feeling, Al?" Dr. Kirkland-Bonnefoy asked as he looked at his patient.

"As well as someone with leeches on their nipples can be, Arthur," Alfred said with a grin.

The doctor rolled his eyes and wrote down that his patient was fine.

"They are not on your nipples, they are above them," Arthur corrected and Alfred just gave a snort.

Arthur had been taking care of Alfred since he was a child and had come to know the blonde in more detail than he'd care to admit. He was like the son he never had or a brother he never wanted. Arthur had been trying his best to find alternative treatments for Taint with his fellow doctors, but curing a disease with vampiric origin is no easy task. The disease had sprung up after a war between vampires and humans had taken place, and it had spread like HIV—becoming as common as the STD, but it wasn't passed on by sexual acts. No one really knew how it infected a person, but when it did it came through their blood and even took the victim's life after years of treatment. Arthur didn't want to see that day come for Alfred, but there was no helping it. Alfred was already 24, and the oldest person who had been infected by the disease had never gotten past their late 30s.

"Alfred, I have a question for you," Arthur said.

"And that would be?" Alfred inquired, looking up to his doctor and friend.

"Are you still living alone?"

Alfred gave a curious look at hearing this but nodded his head.

"Yeah… You know I am after my last boyfriend ditched me."

"Right, right… And are you tired of having to come here so frequently?" Arthur questioned as he looked at Alfred.

"Not really, I mean… the bill is a pain in the ass, but I rather live than, ya know, die," Alfred admitted and Arthur gave a hum. "Why are you asking me about this anyways?"

Arthur rapped his fingers on the back of his tablet in thought, then moved to sit on his friend's bed.

"I was thinking that, for the sake of money and your health, perhaps you would consider a home nurse?"

Alfred stared blankly at Arthur as he tried to piece together what he had just been asked. A home nurse for those with Taint was a vampire in the medical profession. They would care for the patient with everyday things but also be of use as a medical leech, in layman's terms, when their illness overcame them. Taint was only a disease that affected humans oddly enough, and vampires had the ability to filter the blood like a leech. However, all medical vampires had to abide by a very important rule when caring for a person with Taint. That rule was: Do not turn a human under any circumstances.

Alfred had been told of these nurses many times over the years, and now he was given the option to have one of his own. He didn't know how to really take it though, whether to be happy, sad, or angry. On one hand he'd be saving money, becoming more comfortable with himself, and having a cool roommate. On the other hand, it meant he was getting closer to the end, and he wouldn't be able to do much for himself as he got older.

"I know the idea isn't appealing, but it is for your health, Alfred. I even have someone in mind."

Alfred arched a brow at hearing this and Arthur pulled up the file of the vampire in question. He handed his tablet over to Alfred to let him see who it was. The picture on the screen was of a pale man with a slightly round face that was framed by ash colored hair. His eyes were a bright violet and the corners of his lips were ever so slightly turned up. He was pretty attractive by Alfred's standards, and looking down at his file, he was also pretty well experienced.

"Ivan Braginsky?" Alfred said, testing out the name.

"Yes, he's an excellent nurse, though a bit imposing in my opinion," Arthur said.

Alfred looked back at Ivan's face then sighed and rested his head back on the bed.

"Fine, but if he's not as great as you say you can take him back."

Arthur smiled at hearing that and patted Alfred's knee as he got up.

"I believe you two will get along well," Arthur said. "Now I'll go tell him that you're ready and he'll be over to your home in a few hours."

"Yeah, yeah… Can I get the leeches off now?" Alfred asked wanting to move the conversation along.

Arthur arched a thick eyebrow at the question and moved to look at Alfred's monitors. He looked over his vitals and the time clock running before consenting.

"Yes, you're stabilized now and all the readings are in the green."

"Finally! My ass hurts from just sitting here for so long," Alfred complained and Arthur just rolled his eyes.

"I'll send in your nurse while I go inform Ivan of his assignment," Arthur said before turning around and heading out the small room.

Alfred just gave a weak "Whoopie" in response and stared out the window as he waited. He thought about how things would go with Ivan, but he didn't dwell on it long. He didn't feel up to thinking how close his own death was, or how his freedom would become limited when the time came. Alfred didn't want to get agitated at the guy before even meeting him. With that in mind, he let out a sigh and kept his mind empty until the nurse arrived to discharge him.