Father Eric closed the door fully before turning back to me.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then he sighed quietly and reached for the clipboard sitting near the sink.
“I need to do a checkup,” he said.
I blinked.
“What?”
He picked up a pen and began writing something quickly.
“If anyone asks,” he continued calmly, “you came in for medical attention.”
That made sense.
“I will need to log it in my medical records.”
“Right,” I said softly.
He gestured toward the examination table.
“Sit.”
I climbed onto it, the paper lining crinkling softly under my weight.
Eric moved around the room with practiced familiarity, pulling his stethoscope from the counter and slipping it into his ears.
“Deep breath.”
I inhaled slowly.
The metal pressed cold against my chest.
He listened for a few seconds before moving it slightly.
“Again.”
I obeyed.
The routine was almost comforting in its normalcy.
Finally he stepped back.
“I won’t take your blood,” he said.
I let out a small laugh.
“That’s probably wise.”
“You gave some recently.”
“Yes.”
He studied my face a moment longer.
“You look exhausted.”
I shrugged slightly.
“Yesterday was… complicated.”
Eric wrote something down on the clipboard.
Then I said quietly, “I lost my faith.”
The words surprised even me.
They slipped out before I had time to stop them.
Eric froze slightly.
The pen paused in his hand.
“I was wrong,” he said slowly.
I looked up.
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“To assume Zane was right,” he continued.
“And you were wrong.”
I shook my head faintly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
His voice softened slightly.
“Thank you for warning me.”
I nodded once.
The room fell quiet again.
Eric finished writing a few more notes before looking up at me again.
“You need to take care of yourself,” he said.
I frowned slightly.
“I’m fine.”
“No,” he said firmly.
“You are thin.”
I sighed.
“You’re pale,” he continued.
I rolled my eyes slightly.
“You look tired.”
“Because I am.”
“And I would bet,” he added, scribbling something else onto the clipboard, “that you are dehydrated.”
I gave a small shrug.
“Probably.”
He finished writing and set the clipboard down.
“You may not be welcome at the church right now,” he said.
“But that does not mean you stop taking care of yourself.”
I nodded slowly.
Eric finished the last note on the clipboard, then looked up at me again.
“I won’t tell anyone why you’re doing what you’re doing,” he said quietly.
My brow furrowed slightly.
“As a favor,” he continued, “for telling me what happened.”
Relief settled in my chest.
“Thank you.”
He nodded once.
“Now go,” he added. “Before you draw more attention.”
Fair.
I slid off the exam table and headed for the door, my stomach still tight but at least slightly calmer now that he knew.
The hallway outside smelled faintly like disinfectant and coffee.
I pushed the door open.
And nearly ran straight into Xavian.
He stepped forward immediately.
“Are you hurt?”
His eyes moved quickly over me like he was scanning for injuries.
“What’s wrong?”
The urgency in his voice caught me off guard.
“I— uh—”
“Cazaro is in a meeting,” he continued quickly. “He sent me when he heard.”
“Heard what?”
“The guards reported you leaving your apartment,” he said. “And coming here.”
Oh.
Great.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I’m just slightly dehydrated.”
Xavian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You need to care for yourself,” he snapped.
The sharpness in his voice made me blink.
I had never seen this side of him before.
The usual sarcasm was gone.
So was the amused smirk he usually wore like armor.
Instead he looked…
Genuinely irritated.
Concerned.
“Xavian,” I said carefully, “I’m not dying.”
“That is not the point.”
He crossed his arms slightly, still watching me with that same sharp expression.
“You are thin,” he said.
“You look tired.”
“You probably haven’t eaten.”
His gaze flicked briefly toward the exam room door behind me.
“And now you’re apparently dehydrated.”
I stared at him.
“You sound like a doctor.”
“I am not,” he said flatly.
“But I have watched humans die from ignoring basic care.”
That shut me up.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then he sighed quietly, the sharp edge in his expression fading just a little.
“Come on,” he said.
“We’re getting you food.”
“I’m fine,” I told him as we stepped outside.
Xavian didn’t answer.
The guards were still standing near the clinic door like statues. One of them glanced toward us, clearly waiting for instructions, but Xavian simply gave a small wave of his hand.
“We’re walking,” he said.
They fell in behind us immediately.
I sighed.
“I really am fine,” I repeated.
Xavian glanced sideways at me.
“You said that already.”
“And it’s still true.”
“It is not convincing.”
I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands into my jacket pockets as we started down the street.
But as we walked, my mind started catching up with my body.
The last few days had been… chaos.
The article.
Getting fired.
Zane screaming at me.
The Blood Bank.
Cazaro claiming me.
Politics.
Guards.
Running around the city trying to keep secrets from collapsing.
My stomach twisted slightly.
I had barely eaten.
Barely slept.
Barely stopped moving.
No wonder Eric had looked at me like I was about to pass out.
“I guess…” I muttered.
Xavian looked over.
“What?”
“These past few days have been kind of insane.”
“That is an accurate assessment.”
“I got fired,” I said.
“Yes.”
“I lost a friend.”
“Yes.”
“I joined a vampire… situation.”
His mouth twitched slightly.
“That is also accurate.”
“I’ve barely eaten,” I continued.
“Yes.”
“I’ve barely slept.”
“Yes.”
“And now I apparently have two bodyguards and a political leader claiming me.”
“Yes.”
I stopped walking and looked at him.
“You see why I might be a little tired.”
Xavian studied my face for a moment.
“You look terrible,” he said.
I groaned.
“Wow.”
“You asked.”
“I did not ask.”
“You implied.”
I shook my head and started walking again.
“Great.”
Xavian’s expression softened slightly.
“But,” he added, “that can be fixed.”
“How?”
“Food,” he said simply.
“And sleep.”
Honestly… that sounded pretty good right now.
