Over the last century or so, Jamie had transformed many Hunters and Guardians using the serum method. He had not originated the idea or developed the serum, but he had made many improvements to the procedure, and while Cadence was still extremely nervous, she felt assured that she was in the best hands possible.
Cadence was lying in her pajamas on her grandmother’s guest bed, still a little stuffed from the Thanksgiving dinner they had thrown together. It didn’t have every dish one might imagine for the traditional holiday, but it was sufficient, and after the late football game had concluded, Jamie had asked if she was ready. Now was as good a time as ever so she had gone upstairs to prepare herself for a nice long snooze.
“Now, you should know, I’ve used this serum hundreds… maybe thousands of times to help both Hunters and Guardians Transform,” Jamie said from his position beside the bed.
“Did you make it?” Cadence asked, hoping they couldn’t hear the nervousness in her voice.
“No, but I’ve helped make it better,” he replied.
The calmness of his voice was a reassurance, but Cadence was still unsettled. She looked to her Grandma Janette, who stood at the foot of the bed next to Eliza, and the reassuring look on the familiar face was comforting.
Aaron was lingering by the door, and she was thankful he wasn’t so close. She couldn’t imagine being any more jittery than she was, but something told her, if he was next to her, she’d find a way.
That was everyone as Elliott had been sent back to check on the situation in Shenandoah. She knew that Aaron would be leaving soon as well, but she had made him promise to stay until she fell asleep. For some reason, she just felt better knowing the man in charge was present while the procedure was taking place, though Aaron certainly did not have the same calming effect on her that Jamie did. Even now as she watched Jamie, whom she discovered was a doctor, removing hypodermic needles and vials from the small black kit he sat on the nightstand next to her, she felt as if she could trust him completely. That didn’t make her stomach calm down any, however.
“How are you doing, Cadence?” he asked pausing for a moment to glance down at her.
She nodded her head. “I’m a bit nervous,” she said, “but I trust you.”
“Good,” Jamie replied smiling. “Do you want me to explain to you what I am doing as I go, or would you rather just let me do it and get it over with? Either way works for me.”
She considered the options. She already knew the gist of what was going to happen. Jamie was going to insert some sort of serum into her bloodstream, which would activate her DNA and make her Hunter abilities dominate her human limitations. She would be able to run faster, jump higher, aim more accurately, all of the skills she would need in order to successfully hunt and kill Vampires. She knew he was also injecting a medication that would make her sleep for at least twenty-four hours. This was essential for two reasons. First of all, it would allow her body to Transform while in a dormant state, which caused the process to happen more quickly and any damage to be repaired without delay. Secondly, while some Hunters never felt a twinge of pain while undergoing Transformation via serum, for others it was excruciatingly painful. Jamie had perfected this method so that no one need suffer for no reason. “You can just do it,” she finally decided.
“All right then,” he said, his smile reassuring her once again.
“Will it hurt at all?” she asked. She had asked that question earlier, and she felt like she got a non-answer so she decided to try again.
Jamie cleared his throat, an indicator that Cadence was not going to like his answer. “There is a possibility that it might hurt a little at first, depending upon whether or not you are predisposed for a painful Transformation.”
Cadence glanced past him at Aaron who was avoiding eye contact with her now. Clearly, he had known about this caveat and left it out of his rousing recruitment speech. By Jamie’s tone, Cadence got the impression she was likely one of those “predisposed” Hunters.
“And what sorts of Hunters are predisposed toward painful Transformations?” she asked, sitting halfway up.
Jamie glanced at Aaron this time, but Aaron didn’t acknowledge him, an indicator that the Leader wouldn’t be fielding this question. Jamie let out a sigh and turned back to face Cadence, forcing a small smile. “Well, usually those who have the most genes to transform are the ones who are most affected by it.” Her eyes widened and she glanced at the faces at the foot of the bed and then back to Jamie. “But don’t worry,” he assured her again, “It will only last a few minutes, and then you’ll be out.”
“What do you mean by ‘a few minutes’?” she asked. “And what did you mean by ‘excruciating’?”
“I promise you, Cadence, you’ll be just fine,” he said, glancing at Eliza who was nodding. “There are a few minutes between when the serum begins to activate the DNA and the medication kicks in, but I’ll be able to help you through those.”
“Why can’t you just give the medication first then?” she asked.
He chuckled a bit, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “Because I don’t want to kill you,” he said.
She took that to mean he had tried it that way before, hopefully on lab rats or something, not actual Hunters, and it hadn’t worked out right.
“All right. You all set?” he asked in that soothing voice.
Cadence glanced at the nightstand. Jamie already had the first syringe ready to inject. Her arm had been cleaned, tourniquet wrapped, Hello Kitty Band-Aid ready to apply. With one more glance around at the reassuring faces hovering over her, she nodded.
Jamie picked up the first needle and caught her eyes. She had to look away. She had never been a big fan of needles, and the fact that she was growing more terrified by the minute would only make matters worse. She felt a pinch as he began to slide the needle into her vein.
At first, there was just a slight burning sensation at the sight of the injection. Then, it started to radiate up and down her arm. She wondered if this was normal, or if this was what he’d meant by “predisposed” to “excruciating pain.” Jamie was saying something about waiting two minutes before injecting the medication, but by the time he completed his sentence, Cadence had the answer to her question. The pain came so quickly and intensely, she could no longer hear a word he was saying. The serum was spreading through her body rapidly, and she felt like surely her veins must literally be on fire. She could feel the tears rolling out of the corners of her eyes, and she tried to open her mouth to tell the doctor, but she couldn’t speak or even move. In fact, she was in so much pain, she was finding it hard just to breathe. She tried to stay calm, but panic was racing through her almost as fast as the serum.
She could see Jamie’s face, though it was blurry through her tears, and she suddenly realized Aaron was there as well. She could vaguely feel his hand on her arm, but she couldn’t really see him. She was slightly aware that he was giving some sort of command to Jamie, ordering him to do something, to do it now, and the next thing she knew Jamie had climbed on top of her. Initially, the weight of his body seemed to increase the pain, but after a few seconds, she began to feel a warmth spreading across her skin wherever their two bodies met. It was as if some sort of medicinal property was radiating out of him and into her. After a few moments, she began to feel the pain subside and felt her breathing return to normal despite the man she hardly knew lying on top of her.
Once she regained her ability to see, she looked past Jamie’s shoulder and realized her grandma was crying, Eliza’s arm around her shoulders. Aaron still had her arm in his hands, but she couldn’t turn her head to look at him because Jamie was blocking her view completely. Still, knowing he was standing there made her feel much better, despite the fact that she was currently furious that he had not mentioned this Transformation being painful when he had initially told her about it. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her own breathing, not the serum coursing through her veins. It didn’t hurt so much now, but she was still very much aware of its presence.
Though the pain prolonged the passage of time, Cadence realized it hadn’t even been two minutes yet or else someone would have administered the medication. With Jamie sprawled on top of her she wondered if this responsibility would fall to someone else. The longer Jamie was on top of her, the limper his body became, and she thought he might be having some issues of his own.
After what was probably only a minute, though it seemed like days, Jamie said weakly, “Aaron, you’re going to have to administer the medication.”
The leader didn’t answer immediately, and Cadence wondered if he was surveying the room to see if there were any other takers. She struggled to get the words out but asked, “Can he do that?”
Jamie couldn’t answer, but she heard Aaron’s voice. “I’ve seen this procedure hundreds of times, Cadence. I’m the most qualified of those present to do it. The syringe is already loaded. I’ll just need to find a vein.”
“Why can’t Jamie?” she managed. She turned her head as far to her left as she could and saw Aaron had already picked up the syringe.
He was kneeling beside her now, and she felt his hands on her arm. “I’ll have to explain what’s going on with Jamie later. If he gets off of you, you’ll go back to that state of intolerable pain, and your body might start shutting down in an attempt to protect itself.”
“I’m sorry, Cadence,” Jamie whispered. “I should’ve thought this might happen. I just…”
“It’s okay,” she assured him, though she thought she might need some clarification on all this later.
To Aaron, the doctor said quietly, “Make sure you get a vein.”
“I know.” He was already looking for one. Cadence could feel it.
“If you don’t… the medicine will do no good. Might be… dangerous.”
“I’m trying to use the same one you just did. I think I have it. As long as it doesn’t roll.”
Cadence was completely still at this point, and her arm was relaxed, giving him the opportunity to check it thoroughly, but she held her breath, waiting to see what happened while trying to ignore her grandmother’s sobs.
Aaron thought he had located the same vein Jamie had just used. He lined the needle up and looked at Jamie, hoping to get some sort of indication that he was safe to proceed. From his vantage point, Jamie concurred that it looked like the placement was right. He slowly nodded his head just once, giving Aaron the motivation he needed to follow through. He felt the needle slide into her vein and breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, he pushed down on the plunger, letting the medication flow into her body. As the last few drops exited the syringe, there was a collective exhale from those in observation. Aaron applied pressure to the injection site with a cotton ball and secured it with the Band-Aid. He continued to apply gentle pressure for a few more seconds until he was sure that the bleeding had stopped.
“How do you feel?” he asked quietly, moving her arm over next to her body but not removing his hands.
It took her a moment to answer, but when she did, her voice was groggy. “Tired,” she mumbled. “Warm.”
A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “That’s good. You should go to sleep.” Then, turning his attention to Jamie, he said, “I think she’s stabilized. Do you want us to help you up?”
The doctor could hardly lift his head by himself, but he managed a small nod. He relied on his teammates to lift him up off of her, and Eliza grabbed one arm while Aaron took the other. They carefully lifted him up and off of the bed. Once he lost contact with Cadence, he began to restore himself and Aaron watched as it seemed like a wave of energy wash over his friend. “I think I’ll be okay in a few moments,” Jamie said as they carried him toward the door. “I’d like to stay until she’s completely asleep.”
“I know you want to stay,” Aaron said, “but you’ve got to take care of yourself, too. That was a huge drain to your system, and you need to replenish.” He and Eliza continued to walk Jamie to the door.
“Take him to my bedroom,” Janette yelled after them. “He can rest in there.” Eliza acknowledged that they had heard her, and they made their way out into the hall.
Jamie didn’t protest anymore, and they laid him down on Janette’s bed. Eliza stayed with him a moment to tuck the blankets around him, but Aaron rushed back into the other room.
Janette was stooped at the side of the bed. Cadence’s eyes were barely open, and her breathing had become deep and slow. “How are you doing, darling?”
Cadence moved her head, as if she was aware that her grandmother was nearby but wasn’t exactly sure where or what she had said. After a moment, she said, “So good.”
“Do you want me to stay?” Janette asked, seeing that her granddaughter was quickly falling into a deep slumber. Cadence did not answer, so she lingered for a moment, brushing the hair off of her granddaughter’s forehead.
“I know you wished there was something you could do. Watching her go through such a painful episode must have been very difficult. I’m sorry it happened.” Aaron was standing next to the bed now.
“It’s not your fault,” Janette replied, catching his eyes. “Although, it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t decided to go through with this at all.”
Something about her tone made him think perhaps she was wishing her granddaughter had made another decision. He had no response for that, so he didn’t say anything at all.
After a moment, Eliza returned. She approached the bed cautiously. “Looks like she’s almost out.”
“How’s Jamie?” Janette asked.
“He’ll be okay,” Eliza replied. “He just needs to rest for a few hours. I’ve never seen something zap him so quickly,” she added.
Janette nodded. “Well,” I think our little princess is off to dreamland.” She gazed down at her granddaughter’s slumbering face. “Do you think she’ll be okay now?” she asked Aaron.
He nodded. “Yes, I think she’ll be just fine.” He knew there had been a possibility that Cadence would have some pain with her Transformation simply because of all of the coding on her DNA that would be activated. He had never expected anything like that. This was one time when he was especially glad that Jamie was a Healer.
“All right then,” Janette, nodded. “I guess there are other things we should be doing.” She squeezed Cadence’s arm and whispered, “Sweet dreams, my darling.”
Eliza glanced down at Cadence and smiled a sympathetic smile before meeting Janette at the foot of the bed and escorting her out of the room. She paused for a moment at the door. “Are you coming?” she asked, the lilt of her voice a bit grating to his ears.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” he assured her.
“She’s asleep. There’s nothing else to do,” Eliza reminded him. Once again, he found himself at a loss for words, so he said nothing, and as she left, he heard her mutter, “I don’t know why he needs to stay.”
Aaron wasn’t quite sure why he was still there either. He had promised Cadence that he would stay with her until she was asleep, and he had done that. Though her eyelids fluttered every once in a while, he knew she was out and would remain so for quite some time. He knelt down next to her again, studying her face. Though her lids were closed, and he could no longer see those curious brown eyes, he couldn’t help but find himself reflecting on just how beautiful she truly was. In the brief seconds during the Transformation gone wrong when he thought there was a slight possibility that they might lose her, he didn’t find himself wondering what his team would do if she was no longer able to help them defeat Holland; rather, he found himself pondering what he would personally do if something happened to her. This feeling both excited and terrified him at the same time. In his position, it was never a good idea to become emotionally attached to anyone, particularly a Hunter he was attempting to protect. As much as one attempted to always make rational decisions, nothing was as likely to interfere with decision making like an emotional reaction. So, he had attempted to avoid emotions as much as possible. Though it sometimes made others describe him as too direct or impersonal, this style of leadership had worked for him for more years than he cared to count, and he knew it was not in his best interest to let Cadence or anyone else interfere with that.
And yet, he couldn’t help but remain next to her bed, watching her sleep, for much longer than he intended. Just another sign that he needed to find a way to distance himself from her emotionally before it was too late. She was perfectly still, except for the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. She looked peaceful, even happy. He hoped she was dreaming sweet dreams of more innocent days when Vampires were only Halloween legends, and the only guarding she needed was from scrapes to the knee. He stood and pulled the blankets up more tightly around her. As he leaned more closely to her face, he couldn’t help himself, and before he even fully realized what he was doing, he gently kissed her on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, Cadence,” he whispered, leaving her to slumber. When she awoke, everything would be different. And then, the real work would begin.