Calhoun had gone to the address written in the note that was given by Theodore, where he had spoken to the physician, who had agreed to come and take a look at his mother. The physician held his mother’s hand, feeling her pulse before he placed it back on the bed.
Stepping outside the house, the physician said, “She doesn’t have a cold, nor does she have a raging fever. How long has it been since she has been like this?”
“Weeks,” replied Calhoun, “What do you think is wrong? The other physicians said it might be the flu, and the medicines they wrote, none of them worked.”
The physician pursed his lips, “Frankly, I am not able to place my finger on what is wrong. I can give you the medicines, but for that, she would need to eat. I don’t think she has been eating well. If this continues, the medicines that she takes will only break her body down. If I may ask, she’s a human, and you are a vampire…”
“She is my mother,” Calhoun clarified the physician’s doubt, “My father is a vampire.” The person nodded his head, and it seemed that he had no clue about Calhoun’s origins.
“There’s a well-renowned physician who goes by the name Atticus. Some of his medicines are said to do wonders. It is expensive because the man makes the medicines only for the royal family and some of the elite families. They cost more than two gold coins,” explained the physician. “Forgive me for my lack of knowledge.”
“I am grateful that you took the time to come here. It was more than I could ask,” said Calhoun because the previous physicians who had come to look at his mother had spared no more than two minutes before writing the medication and leaving the house.
“I pray to God that your mother gets better,” and the physician bowed his head, and Calhoun returned the gesture, seeing the person walk away from there.
When Calhoun returned inside the home, within the next ten minutes, he saw his mother coughing with her hand covering her mouth.
“Mother?” Calhoun went to his mother’s side. Her body shook continuously as she coughed. Every cough wrecked her body a little more than it already had. He placed his hand on his mother’s back, gently rubbing it and said, “Let me heat the water. Maybe you can inhale the steam.”
But his mother shook her head while still lying on the bed. “Cal…Can you bring some logs of wood?” she requested with a feeble voice.
“I have already stocked the logs in the back that should suffice for the next four days. Do you want me to light the fireplace?” He couldn’t see his mother’s face as she had her back facing him. He had altered the room, by building a fireplace that could keep his mother warm.
Slowly the faint smell of blood started to diffuse in the room and Calhoun’s eyes narrowed. When she slowly turned around and pulled her hand away from her mouth, he caught sight of the blood she had spewed from her mouth.
“I am sorry,” she whispered.
“That’s alright, mother. Let me help you in cleaning that,” said Calhoun dutifully and he went to get a wet cloth before cleaning her hand and mouth.
At the time of dusk, Calhoun sat on the chair, watching his mother sleep. The food his mother had eaten, she had thrown up as if her stomach was not letting her keep the food in her body. The only thing she could swallow was water. The time he had with his mother was slipping through his fingers, and he desperately wanted to fix it. Getting up from the chair, he went to his mother’s bed and slowly pulled the blanket upward to tuck his mother. His eyes fell on the chain that she wore, and he pursed his lips.
Leaving the house, he made his way to the place where the man named Theodore was often found hanging around, which was in one of the Taverns.
The Tavern was an open inn for people who wanted to drink and eat, filled with men inside. His eyes swept across the place, but the man named Theodore was nowhere to be seen. Calhoun’s eyes then fell on the woman who was serving the food.
Walking straight up to her, he demanded, “Do you know where I can find Theodore?”
“Theodore?” the woman looked puzzled.
“The one with the four eyes,” said Calhoun and the woman quickly gave him a nod.
“He hasn’t come here since last evening. I heard he was going to the town as he had work there-“
“Le Bone?” questioned Calhoun, cutting their conversation short and the woman nodded her head.
The woman stared at Calhoun, and offered him a coy smile, “Yes.” When she saw him leave the Tavern, she muttered, “What a rude man, not even a thank you,” and she went back to work.
As Calhoun stepped out of the Tavern, he wondered if he should go and find Theodore or leave him be, because if Theodore’s luck was worse, there was no telling if he would live long. But at the same time, Calhoun was in need of work, and that work was something Theodore was well versed with.
Reaching the town of Le Bone, Calhoun came to stand near the mansion that stood out from the rest of the buildings. It belonged to the wealthy magistrate Jasper Chapman. The man wasn’t a human or a vampire, but a demon. With Calhoun’s hands disappearing inside his pockets, he decided to wait outside. Pulling out the berries from his pocket, Calhoun threw one of it in his mouth. Minutes passed and a carriage finally arrived at the front and when the door of the carriage was pulled open, Mr. Chapman stepped down and went inside the mansion.
But Calhoun didn’t move from his place. With his back leaning against the tree, he continued to throw the berries in his mouth, chewing it slowly while waiting for the commotion to take place.
