Page 5 of The Awakening
I step up to the counter, smiling sheepishly. “Good morning. I’m so sorry I’m late. I texted you?”
She folds her arms and leans against the counter. “I got your message. It’s not like you to be late. Is everything okay?” There’s concern in her voice, which is nice. Honestly, I don’t have many people in my life who express concern for my well-being. I’ve been self-sufficient for a long time now. No choice, really.
Sora had me over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. The thought of vampire children was always a little horrifying in my mind, but her twins were actually pretty cute. Funny. Like normal kids except they drink blood.Thank GodI didn’t see them do it.
“I didn’t sleep well,” I admit. “Are they already here?”
“They are. I finished the blood draw and now they’re sitting in your office. I’ve already sent the bags downstairs to be shipped to Italy tonight. Separately, my kids are asking when you’re coming to dinner again. How about next weekend, Sunday night? Since tomorrow night is the hospital gala with the board of directors. Don’t forget.”
Nodding, I turn to walk down the hall toward my office. I shouldn’t keep vampire royalty waiting. “I won’t—I already had my suit cleaned. And next Sunday sounds perfect. Thanks, Sora.” Being my only day off, I usually play shogi at the local temple with the old men on Sunday afternoons. Dinner with Sora’s family is a worthy concession.
“I expect pajeon,” she calls out. “Since you bragged about your father’s recipe.”
“Right.” I smile. I’ll need to make a shopping list and remember that. I walk through the doorway to my office, and there they sit. Haruka Hirano and Nino Bianchi. Century-old purebred vampires just hanging out and waiting to see me. No big deal.
I bow politely at the waist. “Good morning. I apologize sincerely for the delay.”
“We’re not in a rush today, don’t worry,” Nino says, blinking his honey, owly eyes at me. His irises are so bright they practically glow. His mate’s eyes are the same way, except the color is maroon—like a glass of Merlot held up to the sun.
“Sora says you’re never late. Is everything alright?” Nino asks.
“Everything is fine, thank you.” I quickly hang up my rucksack, grab my lab coat from the rack and put it on as I shuffle over to sit at my desk. “How was the blood draw?”
He’s holding Haruka’s hand, of course. He smiles, warm, golden and open. “Great. The doctor in Italy says my father is getting stronger every day. Between my brother’s blood and mine, he thinks we can relax a little and start sending blood every other month.”
“That is excellent news!”
“Yeah, we appreciate all your help.”
“It’s my pleasure.” I bow again. It really is. Helping them withanythingis incredible. Even having them sitting here—I’m probably one of very few doctors throughout history to have worked with purebred vampires. Doctors are just not something they typically need. Their bodies naturally regenerate and have self-corrective biological components. Even if Nino hadn’t come to see me a few months back, it might have been a much harder road, but he would have been fine eventually.
“Haruka, are you well?” I ask because he’s been totally silent, and he’s not nearly as easy to read as his mate.
He smiles politely and nods. “I am. Thank you, Doctor.”
If Nino is like a bouncy, excitable and friendly dog, Haruka is a slinky, reclusive black cat. I have no idea how these two ended up together, but their adoration for each other is palpable. When Nino had been in the hospital a few months ago, Haruka never left his side. I’d walk in and he’d be running his fingers through Nino’s hair and holding his hand, or at the end of the bed massaging his feet and legs.
They’re unashamed and open about their love, as if only the two of them reside in this world—in whatever world they’re part of. In vampire culture, they don’t have labels and strict parameters around romantic relationships and identity like we do as humans. Love literally isjust love, and you are who you are.
These two are so deeply enamored with each other, sometimes I think I should look away to give them privacy. I can’t even fathom having a bloke and being like that—perfectly comfortable and carefree. The worldIlive in doesn’t allow me to.
“Sora said the two of you wanted to talk to me about something?”
Nino’s eyes shift over to Haruka. He gives his mate’s palm a little squeeze as their entwined hands rest in Haruka’s lap. Haruka takes a breath. “We are interested in expanding our family in the future. As such, we were wondering if you knew anything about—”
“Surrogates.” I gasp, smiling. “How—Did someone tell you I want to do this? Wait, no… I haven’t told anyone here.”
They’re both blinking at me like I’m insane. “Sorry. I… I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while. Considering the steady decline in the purebred vampire population.”
Haruka nods. “Yes. It is a matter of concern within our culture. Although the recent discovery of the Socotra population has put the masses at ease, for now.”
“Right,” I confirm. News of the Socotra purebreds has been covered in all the major human media outlets lately. It’s incredible to know that there are more purebreds in the world than we originally thought, but still. This discovery is a temporary fix for a bigger, deeper issue.
“I… I was thinking that if we had a reliable surrogate program in place—perhaps a database of willing donors and carriers? It would help with the population issue. It’s extremely difficult and time-consuming for same-sex vampire couples to find appropriate matches on their own. If we had a database available, it would be much easier. We have these kinds of programs more and more in human culture. They’re very successful.”
“Is there currently such a program in place for vampires anywhere?” Haruka asks.
“No. Not that I know of. It’s just my idea for now. I lack resources… contacts and funding. I’ve thought about putting a proposal together, but I haven’t even been here six months.” It’s a lot to ask for—a new database for keeping detailed records of vampire biology. Ranked-vampire records. Which creates added layers of privacy and cultural implications. No ranked vampire would willingly hand over their biological information to some weird human doctor.
