One Tree Hill: With Teeth

[identitycrisis]

Nathan was running. No. Nathan was sprinting. He was hauling ass as fast as he could as hard as he could without putting any conscious thought into where he was going. His feet had traveled the streets of this town so much they seemed to know their way home without his brain having to give them directions. That was a good thing, since his brain wasn’t exactly cooperating with him at the moment.

He passed the old court by the river without even realizing it, pounded down several familiar streets without taking his eyes off the path ahead of him. His heart was pounding in his ears and his lungs were burning with every breath. He was over-exerting himself and he wasn’t breathing right. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that, but it was a faraway thought that didn’t quite register.

God, why were all the streetlights so damn bright?

Nathan blinked hard, trying to get his vision to straighten out. His legs were starting to feel like Jell-O and every one of his muscles felt white-hot. But all that discomfort was nothing compared to the pain shooting from his neck all the way into his shoulder. A part of him was aware he had a pretty serious wound in his neck, but he couldn’t think about that now. There was only one clear thought in his head as he ran.

Home.

[identitycrisis]

Haley sighed as she scraped macaroni and cheese out of a glass baking pan and into a Tupperware bowl. This was her fourth attempt at making baked mac and cheese from scratch, and she knew this time she’d finally nailed it. But, the only one to eat any other than her was Jamie, and she was pretty sure he’d compliment anything she put in front of him. She loved him for that, but she couldn’t trust him for honest feedback.

She looked at the digital clock on the microwave. Nathan was supposed to be home an hour ago. Where the hell was he? She knew this new schedule wasn’t exactly set in stone, but would it kill him to pick up the phone if he was going to be this late?

Haley chewed her lower lip as she put the cover on the bowl and walked it over to the fridge. She hoped everything was okay. She worried about him playing ever since the accident. If something had happened someone would have called her, right? As she set the bowl in the fridge it occurred to her that something could have happened to Nathan on his way home. What if he’d gotten in a car accident? Oh, God, what if he was lying in the road hurt and bleeding and no one even knew?

“Mom?”

Haley almost screamed as she spun around and pressed her back against the fridge, closing the door. Her six-year-old son stared wide-eyed up at her.

“Mom, are you okay?”

Haley forced a quick smile and walked over to her little boy.

“Yeah, sweetie, I’m fine,” she said brightly. “Come on. Why don’t we go watch some TV while we wait for Daddy to get home?”

Jamie’s eyes lit up.

“Am I gonna stay up late?” he asked.

Haley smiled.

“I hope not. We’ll see.”

Haley guided Jamie gently by the shoulders into the living room and got him settled on the couch. All the while she tried to stop her brain from flashing horrific images of all the possible things that could have happened to Nathan between leaving practice and coming home. She picked up the remote control and powered on the TV.

“What are we watching, Mommy?”

“Um…”

Haley’s mind drew a blank. She had no idea what to put on. She sighed and handed the remote to her son.

“You pick,” she said.

Jamie looked as if she’d just trusted him with the biggest responsibility in the world. She guessed for a six-year-old being the one in charge of the TV was a pretty big deal.

“Really?” he asked in disbelief.

Haley smiled and kissed Jamie on the forehead.

“Nothing scary or violent,” she said. “I’m gonna see if I can figure out where your dad is.”

She walked back into the kitchen and got the cordless phone off the counter, punching in Nathan’s cell phone number. She held the phone to her ear and listened to Nathan’s ringback tone for what seemed like way too long before she heard his voice.

“Hey, it’s Nathan. I’m busy right now, so leave a message and I’ll get back to you when I can.”

“Crap,” Haley muttered.

She leaned against the counter as she listened to the automated voice on the other end of the line list off all her options. Finally, she heard the beep.

“Nathan, it’s me,” she said. “It’s after eight o’clock. Where are you? I’m starting to get worried, so call me back or get your butt home soon, okay? Love you.”

Haley ended the call and set the phone back on its base. Well, that hadn’t made her feel any better. Even when Nathan was driving he usually answered his cell. At least, he did when she called. If he was still at practice she’d have to have a long talk with his new manager.

Of course there was also the possibility that something was horribly wrong.

Something moved off to the right and Haley turned her head to look through the back door’s window. She stared at a portion of her back yard for a moment, trying to see if something was moving outside. Was that Nathan? Why would he be coming in the back door?

Haley approached the door and reached to turn on the outside light. She screamed and stumbled back when something slammed against the door.

“Mommy?”

In the quick second she had to stop screaming, Haley realized the thing that had just lunged at the door was her husband. But, something was very wrong. There was blood covering his whole left side.

“Jamie, stay there, honey,” she called.

She tore her gaze away from Nathan to peek into the living room. Jamie was still sitting on the couch, but looked ready to get up.

“Just stay where you are, Jamie. Everything’s okay.”

She went to the door and yanked it open, stepping outside and closing the door behind her. Nathan was leaning against the side of the house breathing hard.

“Oh my God, Nathan. What happened?” she asked.

She touched his arm and he flinched, pulling away from her.

“Don’t… Don’t touch me,” he gasped.

Haley stared at him with wide eyes, her anxiety mounting.

“Nathan, what’s wrong?” she demanded.

He shook his head, still trying to catch his breath.

“I don’t… I don’t know… Something… Something bit me…”

He stood up straight and swayed. Haley hurried to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Okay, hang on. Just try to calm down,” she said.

He draped an arm around her shoulders and rested some of his weight on her and she led him over to one of the lawn chairs by the pool. His shirt was soaked with sweat and he was really warm.

“Here. Sit down,” she instructed.

She helped Nathan get settled on the chair and he collapsed onto it, closing his eyes and breathing. Haley took the opportunity to lean over him to look at all the blood, trying to find the wound it was coming from.

“Where is it?” she muttered. “Nathan, where are you hurt?”

Nathan turned his head and she saw a large bite on his neck. At least, it looked like a bite to her. She could even make out teeth marks.

“Oh my God! What the hell did this?”

“I don’t know, Hales,” he said. “I thought…”

“You thought what?”

Nathan sighed.

“I thought it was a guy, okay? But it wasn’t… it couldn’t have been. Not the way it moved.”

Haley studied him for a second.

“Nathan, what are you talking about?”

He sighed, annoyed.

“Jesus. Just forget it, okay? I just need to sit here for a few minutes and chill.”

Haley nodded.

“Yeah. Okay. I’m gonna go call an ambulance. That’s way too much blood to be healthy.”

“NO.”

Haley gasped as Nathan’s fingers clamped around her arm like a vice. She blinked down at him, stunned.

“Nathan, you have to go to the hospital. That bite…”

“Doesn’t hurt. I’m fine,” he said. “It looks worse than it is.”

Haley just stared at him. Was he serious?

“Nathan… you are covered in blood. There’s no way in hell I can patch this up with a Spongebob band-aid.”

“Then leave it alone, alright?”

His voice was harsh and low and he dropped her arm, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Haley couldn’t help but wonder at this point if he’d hit his head or something. Maybe this was some kind of post-concussion delusional thing. Hadn’t she read an article about something like that in athletes?

“Nathan, what’s wrong with you?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he said. “Just go away, Haley.”

“Oh, so you can stay out here and bleed to death? I don’t think so. I’m calling a damn ambulance, whether you like it or not.”

Haley went to walk back toward the house, but Nathan stood and grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him.

“I said no!”

Nathan’s eyes were wide and he looked genuinely terrified. His grip was tight on her arm and she was starting to get a little scared that Nathan wasn’t quite himself.

“Nathan, you’re hurting me.”

Nathan kept a tight hold on her arm.

“No ambulance, Haley. I told you. Don’t call anybody.”

Haley nodded.

“Okay. I won’t call anybody.”

Nathan stared down at her for a moment, like he wasn’t sure whether or not to believe her.

“I won’t call anybody if you don’t want me to,” she said.

She meant what she said, but there was doubt in her voice, and Nathan heard it.

“Haley…”

She sighed.

“Nathan, I don’t want to just sit here and do nothing while you’re hurt. But if you don’t want me to call an ambulance I won’t, okay?”

She wrapped her fingers around his hand, still clutching her arm. He looked down, seeming to have forgotten he was still holding onto her, and loosened his grip. He sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He let go of her and sat back down on the patio chair, leaning his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. He was getting a headache, and he could hear this loud drumming noise. What the hell was that?

Haley stayed where she was, studying him carefully. At least he seemed lucid and she didn’t see any kind of head injury. But all that blood made her stomach turn. Maybe once he calmed down he’d let her take him to the hospital, if he didn’t want to call an ambulance. Or maybe he was right and it wasn’t as bad as it looked. She’d have to get a better look of it.

“You should come inside and let me clean you up,” she said.

He didn’t respond and she wondered if he’d heard her. She was about to say something else when he spoke.

“Where’s Jamie?” he asked.

Haley glanced toward the house, remembering.

“He’s in the living room. I told him he could watch TV until you got home.”

“He shouldn’t see this,” Nathan said. “I don’t want to freak him out.”

Haley nodded. She didn’t want to freak Jamie out either.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll take him upstairs.”

She ran a hand over Nathan’s hair unconsciously.

“Just stay here and I’ll come get you,” she said. “If anything happens or if you need anything, come in and get me okay?”

Nathan nodded. She leaned forward and kissed the top of his head before turning around and heading back inside. Jamie was standing in the middle of the kitchen with a worried frown on his face. Haley smiled.

“Hey, Jimmy-Jam.”

She walked over and crouched down in front of him.

“Is Daddy home?” Jamie asked.

Haley thought for a second. Should she lie? No. If she said Nathan wasn’t home Jamie would wonder why he wasn’t home yet. He was like his mother with how he worried.

“Yeah, but he’s not feeling that great, so he’s going to stay outside for a few minutes,” she said.

Jamie looked confused.

“But, if he’s getting sick, won’t staying outside make it worse?”

Haley smiled.

“He won’t be out there too long,” she assured him. “He said to take you up to bed and tuck you in for him.”

Jamie’s frown deepened. Oh, this was going to be a battle. She could already tell.

“But, Daddy always tucks me in,” Jamie said.

“I know, honey, but he doesn’t want to get you sick if he’s coming down with something.”

Haley ran a hand through Jamie’s hair. Please, Jamie, just this once, don’t argue with me, she thought.

“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “I’ll take you up to bed, and I won’t tuck you in. And if Daddy’s feeling better in a little while, I’ll send him up to tuck you in. How’s that work for you?”

Jamie smiled a little.

“Okay, I guess that works,” he said.

“Good.”

Haley stood up and took her son upstairs to get him ready for bed.

[identitycrisis]

Nathan was not okay. He didn’t need a doctor to tell him that. He’d been injured enough times to know when he couldn’t walk it off.
The problem was this wasn’t something a doctor could fix. The wound at his neck had stopped hurting miles ago and it was already healing. He didn’t know how, but it was healing. By the time he got to a hospital there’d be nothing to look at. He guessed he should have been relieved at that. But, he wasn’t. Getting bitten sucked and it left a mark. Having a wound was normal. Going to the hospital for some stitches was normal.

Having no wound wasn’t normal, and it meant something was wrong.

And then there was his eyesight. That wasn’t right either. The shadows seemed darker than they should have been and lights were painfully bright. He wondered if that was something he could blame on blood loss, but he had a sickening feeling it wasn’t. His hearing was weird too. He kept hearing random noises he couldn’t trace: a car horn, someone laughing, a door slam. But they faded as quickly as they came and he tried not to think about them.

Nathan stood up carefully, expecting his legs to give out. When they didn’t he crossed the patio and walked up to his back door. He could see through the window that the kitchen was empty. Haley must have gotten Jamie upstairs. He opened the door as quietly as he could and slid into the room, closing the door slowly behind him. It made the slightest click as he closed it. Once he was inside it occurred to him that Haley could have been in the living room. Somehow he knew she wasn’t. He’d known it before he opened the door. He added that to the growing list of things that weren’t quite right as he flipped a switch by the door to kill the overhead light.

[identitycrisis]

Haley closed Jamie’s door and leaned up against it, letting out a sigh. It had taken her a few minutes to get him into pajamas and to brush his teeth. Then he hadn’t been as cooperative with going to bed once she actually tried to get him into bed. She’d had to remind them of her deal and pinky swear that she’d read him a story if Nathan couldn’t come tuck him in.

She walked down the hall and went down the stairs as fast as she could without rolling her ankle or tripping over herself. She’d left Nathan outside longer than she’d planned to.

She stopped in the middle of the living room, realizing it was dark in the kitchen. A knot formed in her stomach and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

“Nathan?” she said.

She took a few tentative steps toward the kitchen, listening for a reply she didn’t get. She paused in the kitchen doorway and poked her head in, able to see a portion of the kitchen with the dim light from the window.

Okay. She just needed to calm down. This was her own kitchen and if anyone was in it, it was her husband. There was nothing for her to be scared of. She took a deep breath and walked across the kitchen. She stopped in front of the back door and started feeling around the wall for the light switch. She turned off the outside light without meaning to, adding a second layer of darkness to the kitchen that made her panic a little. She felt around frantically and her fingers found a switch she didn’t know for sure was the right one.

She gasped as something touched her hand and pulled it away from the switch.

“Don’t,” Nathan said softly.

She sighed in relief when she heard his voice behind her.

“The light hurts my eyes,” he said.

Haley frowned without turning around. Again, she wondered if he had some kind of head injury.

“So… we’re gonna stand here in the dark?” she asked.

She felt him release her hand and saw movement out of the corner of her eye. He flipped the outside light back on, casting dim blue-tinted light through the window again. It hadn’t seemed like much when she first walked in, but after complete darkness it was welcome.

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Well, I still can’t see much, but it’s better than nothing.”

She turned around and almost bumped into Nathan, he was so close to her. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, just in case. She could barely see his face in the dark, but she could still make out the worry in his features. Whether he was worried for her or himself, she didn’t know.

“So, what happened?” she asked. “You said something bit you.”

“Someone,” he corrected. “Some guy. He was on the side of the road near a car. Looked like he was stranded or something. I pulled over to ask if he needed some help. He said he had a flat tire. So, I pulled over and got out to take a look. But, I didn’t see a flat. When I turned around, the guy grabbed me and… and he bit me.”

Haley’s eyes widened.

“That bite’s from a man?” she asked.

Nathan turned away from her, running a hand through his hair.

“That’s the thing… I don’t think he was a normal man,” he said. “I tried to fight him off and it was like hitting a brick wall. Then when he backed off I must’ve caught him off guard or something. I just sort of threw my leg out and hoped to hit something and he let me go. So I started running… and then he was in front of me.”

Haley wrinkled her brows.

“You mean he cut you off?”

Nathan shook his head and turned to face her again.

“No. I mean one second he was behind me and the next he was right in front of me. I didn’t even see him move. He was just… there.”

He started to pace back and forth and Haley wondered how he wasn’t bumping into anything. She couldn’t see at all beyond her little square of light from the window.

“What, he just poofed in front of you like I Dream of Genie?” she asked.

Nathan paused in his pacing to look over at her, but then he shrugged.

“Well… Yeah, I guess.”

Haley laughed nervously.

“Nathan, that’s…”

“What?” he asked. “Crazy? Yeah, I know, but it’s true. And that’s not even the weird part.”

Haley’s eyes widened.

“Once he was in front of me I got a good look at him and he had these teeth,” Nathan continued. “These long, sharp teeth, like a shark or something.”

Haley wrinkled her nose.

“Ew.”

“Then he bit into his arm and made this big open wound and he jammed his arm up against my mouth – almost broke my teeth.”

“Oh my God, why?” Haley asked, horrified.

“I think… I think he wanted me to drink his blood.”

Haley stared at his silhouette for a long moment, not at all sure what to say. This sounded like something out of a horror movie.

“Did you?” she asked.

She didn’t know why she thought that was an important. Maybe because Nathan seemed to think it was. She saw Nathan throw his arms out in an exaggerated shrug.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I couldn’t really help it,” he said. “The guy was strong… stronger than me.”

Haley folded her arms across her chest.

“That’s really screwy, Nathan,” she said.

“I know.”

She sighed, trying to wrap her head around the situation.

“Okay, so what happened after that?”

“He let me go,” Nathan said.

“Just like that? He just made you drink blood and let you go?”

“Well, he sort of tossed me on the ground, and when I got up he was gone.”

Haley blinked.

“What do you mean ‘gone’?”

“I mean he was gone, Haley. He just disappeared. And then I went to get in my car, but my keys were gone. I looked all through the car for them, checked the ground outside, my pockets. Nothing. I checked the other car. Nothing. So I ran.”

Haley’s mouth dropped open.

“You ran? All the way here?”

“Yeah.”

Haley approached him, not really caring what she bumped into on the way.

“Oh my God. No wonder you were so exhausted.”

She reached out and touched his arm. She felt him wrap an arm around her waist and let him pull her close. She hugged him, burying her face in his shirt. It smelled like sweat and dirt.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You’re here now and everything’s gonna be okay.”

He gave her a squeeze and she felt his shoulders shudder.

“Haley, I think something’s wrong with me,” he said.

She frowned.

“Okay, so we’ll go to the hospital,” she said, “have them check you out.”

Nathan sighed and pulled away from her.

“No, it’s not like that,” he said. “I feel fine. My neck feels fine, my muscles feel fine. But I feel different, Haley… I feel wrong.”

Haley stared up at him, seeing fear and anxiety in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“I keep hearing things. Like, this drumming sound. Voices. Cars. Do you hear any of that?”

Haley took a second to listen to whatever she could hear and shook her head.

“No…”

“And then my eyes are all messed up. Everything’s so bright. The streetlights on the way home were killing me. Then the kitchen light.”

“Maybe you’re just tired,” she suggested. “You just ran a good couple miles after getting attacked by some loony. That’ll make anybody a little fatigued.”

Nathan shook his head.

“No. I’ve been fatigued before. This is different.”

He went over and leaned his palms on the counter, bowing his head. He was frustrated. Whatever he was trying to explain wasn’t reaching her the way he wanted. Haley moved behind him and hugged his waist.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know I’m not helping.”

“It’s not that,” Nathan said. “I just don’t know how to explain it to you so you understand.”

Haley just leaned her head against his back and held onto him for a moment. She didn’t know what else to do. Nathan turned around and pulled her close again. For a long time they just held onto each other, trying to figure out what to do with whatever this was.

And then Nathan made a connection.

“It’s your heartbeat,” he muttered.

Haley took a second to think about that, but couldn’t figure out what it meant.

“What?”

Nathan pulled away enough to look down at her.

“That drumming sound I was talking about before… I think it’s your heartbeat.”

Haley stared up at him in disbelief.

“No way. I was on the other side of the kitchen. You couldn’t have heard that.”

“I can hear it now, Hales. And I could feel it when I was holding you. I came into the kitchen before you came to get me because I knew you weren’t in here. I wasn’t sure how until just now. I couldn’t hear the drumming anymore.”

Haley pulled away so harshly she practically shoved him.

“Stop it, Nathan. That’s not funny.”

Nathan blinked at her in surprise.

“I know it’s not.”

Haley turned away from him and started pacing herself, running a hand nervously through her hair. This wasn’t right. Nothing about this was right. Maybe it was a joke. Some, sick, twisted joke Nathan was playing.

“Haley, I’m not trying to scare you,” he said. “I’m just trying to figure this out.”

He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. She looked over toward the window, not wanting to look at him.

“I can’t do this by myself,” he said. “I know this is messed up and it sounds crazy. And you can think I’m crazy all you want, as long as you stick with me on this.”

He put a hand under her chin and tilted her face up so she’d look at him.

“I need you, Hales.”

Haley felt a lump in her throat. She immediately felt guilty for thinking for a second this was a joke. Nathan was freaking out as badly as she was, and he was just as confused and just as scared. Lashing out at him wasn’t helping. She nodded.

“Okay. I’m here,” she said. “I’m freaked out and confused, but I’m here.”

Nathan sighed in relief and nodded.

“Okay.”

Haley reached up to touch his face.

“Now, you’re gonna have to let me look at that bite and get some of this blood off you.”

Nathan nodded.

“Okay.”

“I’m gonna need the light for that. Think you can handle it for a few minutes?”

Nathan took a deep breath.

“I guess I’ll suck it up if I can’t,” he said.

Haley made her way over to the back door and Nathan closed his eyes as she flipped on the overhead light. Even through his eyelids it was fucking bright.

“You okay?” she asked.

“As long as I don’t have to open my eyes, yeah. I’ll be fine,” he muttered.

“It’s that bad?” Haley asked.

Nathan shrugged.

“I think it’s getting worse.”

“We’ll make this quick, then,” she said.

He felt her put an arm around his waist.

“Let’s get you over to a chair,” she said.

He put one arm around her shoulders and let her guide him across the floor. He stopped walking when she did and she let go of him. He heard the chair slide across the floor as she pulled it out from the table and maneuvered it.

“Okay, the chair’s right behind you, so just sit down.”

She put a hand on his shoulder and he sat down slowly until he felt the chair under him.

“You good?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Take your shirt off. I’m gonna get some soapy water and a towel. We’ll probably need peroxide or something too. We’ll see how bad it is.”

Nathan already knew they weren’t going to need any peroxide. He was pretty sure there probably wouldn’t even be a bite by the time Haley washed all the blood away. But, she had seen it, so at least she knew he hadn’t imagined it.

Nathan stripped off his shirt while Haley ran some water at the sink. Not knowing what else to do with the shirt, he kept it in his lap. He could hear that drumming noise even over the running water and his own heartbeat. Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump. At least it wasn’t beating as fast as it was a few minutes ago. He guessed Haley felt a little calmer now that she had something to do.

Haley walked over and set a bowl of soapy water on the table. She’d just put a few drops of hand soap in. She hoped it would be enough. She’d tossed a dish towel in and she picked it up and wrung it out a little.

“Okay, Nurse Haley Scott, reporting for duty,” she said.

He smiled. There was a brightness to her voice, but it was strained. Still, he loved her for making the attempt.

“Let me know if I’m hurting you,” she said.

“Okay.”

Haley dabbed the cloth gently around Nathan’s neck and shoulder, rinsing it out when she needed to. He thought about telling her to just scrub it all in one quick session, but he knew she wouldn’t. Besides, it was kind of calming.

“This doesn’t hurt?” Haley asked.

Nathan shook his head.

“Nope.”

“Hmm.”

Haley started scrubbing gently where the wound had been and then stopped.

“Oh my God.”

Nathan wrinkled his brows, resisting the urge to open his eyes.

“What?”

“I could have sworn this was a lot worse a little while ago.”

“It was,” Nathan agreed. “I think it’s been healing.”

“That fast?”

“You tell me,” Nathan said. “What does it look like compared to before?”

“Gross,” Haley said. “Scabby. A lot smaller than it was.”

“See? I told you we didn’t need to call an ambulance.”

Nathan felt the wet towel smack his shoulder.

“Hey! Nurses can’t hit their patients,” he said.

“Nathan, this is serious,” she said. “Something is really wrong, here.”

“I know that,” he said. “I’m just not sure what to do about it.”

“Me neither,” she admitted.

Nathan sighed.

“Okay, well I’m tired and kind of hungry, so I guess I should eat something and try to get some sleep. See if I feel better in the morning.”

“I’ll heat you up some mac ‘n’ cheese.”

Nathan cracked one eye open.

“Mac ‘n’ Cheese? You gotta be kidding me.”

“It’s home made mac ‘n’ cheese,” she said. “With real cheese and everything.”

Nathan nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Oh, and I told Jamie you’d go tuck him in if you were up for it,” Haley said. “He’s probably already asleep, but could you poke your head in and check on him?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” he said. “I’ll go bandage this up and find another shirt.”

He opened his eyes and squinted against the light, standing up and making his way through the living room while Haley rummaged around in the fridge. Thankfully, it was dark upstairs and Nathan’s eyes stopped stinging as he climbed up. He walked into his bedroom and tossed the bloody shirt in the hamper. He didn’t know if they’d be able to clean it, but he didn’t know what else to do with it for the moment. He opened a drawer on his side of the dresser he shared with Haley and pulled out the first shirt he found before heading into the upstairs bathroom.

His reflection in the mirror startled him. He was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. But, the bite looked better than he’d expected. Nathan opened the cabinet under the sink to pull out the first aid kit, digging through it for one of those big square bandages. He found one and slapped it over the bite without much care. It was just to hide it, not to actually bandage it. He had a feeling it’d be gone in the morning.

Nathan ran the tap and splashed some cold water on his face before pulling his shirt on and heading down the hall to his son’s room.

He could hear a quiet drumming as he went, and it got louder as he approached.

[identitycrisis]

Jamie was lying in bed with his eyes closed, but he wasn’t sleeping. He was waiting for the door to open to see which of his parents was going to tuck him in. When he heard footsteps coming up the stairs his eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed. He was disappointed when they didn’t come straight to his room, so he lay back down and waited. After what seemed like forever to a sleepy six-year-old, the footsteps approached his door. He sat up as the door cracked open. He couldn’t see too good in the glow of his night light, but he could see the height of the person peeking in, and the spikey hair.

“Daddy!”

Nathan smiled as he walked in.

“Hey, little man,” he said.

He closed the door behind him and went over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it.

“Are you sick?” Jamie asked.

Nathan wrinkled his brows a little in confusion.

“What do you mean, buddy?”

“Mommy said you were sick,” Jamie said. “So you had to stay outside and she might have to tuck me in.”

Nathan nodded in understanding.

“Yeah. I’m not feeling too good,” he said. “It’s okay, though. I’m pretty sure you can’t catch it.”

Jamie smiled.

“Good.”

Nathan leaned forward to ruffle the little boy’s hair.

“Okay, let’s get you under the covers so you can get to sleep. It’s way past your bedtime already.”

Jamie settled into bed, wriggling his feet under the sheets and comforter. Nathan pulled the blankets over his son and tucked him in.

“How’s that. Warm and toasty?”

Jamie nodded.

“Good.”

Nathan leaned down to kiss his son on the forehead, all the while hearing Jamie’s heart pounding like a drum.

“You didn’t tell me about practice,” Jamie said.

Nathan looked down at him.

“You’re right. Sorry. I’m a little tired myself,” he said. “It was okay. I missed a few shots I shouldn’t have, but that’s why they call it practice, right? So you can get all the crappy shots out of the way.”

Jamie laughed.

“We can talk more about it in the morning, okay?” Nathan asked.

Jamie nodded.

“Okay, Dad.”

“I love you, Jamie. Get some sleep.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

Nathan stood up and walked out the door, closing it gently behind him.

[identitycrisis]

After the microwave dinged Haley pulled out the plate of mac ‘n’ cheese and green beans she’d made up and closed the microwave door. She set the plate on the table and opened the fridge to get an open stick of butter, then pulled open a drawer to grab a butter knife. She hummed quietly to herself as she put a thin square of butter on the green beans and got a fork from the silverware drawer. Everything seemed so normal, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious. She didn’t like not knowing what was happening with Nathan, or that she didn’t know what to do about it. But seeming scared or nervous would just upset him and make it worse, so she was trying her best to go about her business as normally as possible.

She took the plate and the fork and started to head for the kitchen table. Then she stopped. It was too bright for Nathan to eat in the kitchen, unless he ate in the dark, which wouldn’t be normal at all. Haley redirected her stride and took his plate into the living room, setting it down on the coffee table. She stood up straight and looked around, trying to figure out how to give the room some light without making it too bright. She turned on the standing lamp in the corner of the room before going over to the wall switch to turn off the overhead light. What about the TV? Should she leave it on or turn it off?

“That’s fine.”

Haley jumped as Nathan’s voice startled her. She looked over at him as he came into the living room.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She smiled.

“It’s okay. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Nathan walked over to the couch and sat down, looking at the plate in front of him. Haley had been trying to perfect her mac ‘n’ cheese recipe for a while. He didn’t think it needed perfecting, but Haley disagreed. She’d mentioned she was going to make it again. When was that, a week ago?

He picked up his fork and shoveled a mouthful of macaroni into his mouth. Haley watched him chew for a few seconds.

“How is it?” she asked.

Nathan swallowed.

“Good,” he said. “Really good, actually.”

He didn’t know if it was whatever new recipe she’d tried, but it seemed like his food was bursting with flavor. Maybe it was something like his hearing, where he could taste things he couldn’t really account for.

“Oh, good,” Haley said. “I tried this new kind of cheese and added some seasonings to it. Jamie said it was good, but he’ll eat anything so I wanted a second opinion.”

Nathan smiled.

“Well, your mac ‘n’ cheese is great,” he said. “I think you can stop messing with the recipe now.”

She laughed and gave his good shoulder a squeeze.

“Okay, hint taken,” she said. “Do you want something to drink? I think we still have some Coke in the fridge.”

Nathan nodded.

“Yeah. Whatever you grab’s fine,” he said.

“Okay.”

Haley walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Nathan took a few more bites of mac ‘n’ cheese and set his fork down. The food tasted good, but it was like he’d lost his appetite all the sudden. Haley returned a few minutes later with a glass of Coke and set it down on the table beside Nathan’s plate.

“Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

Haley sat down beside him on the couch while he took a sip of his drink. He wrinkled his nose and looked down at the glass.

“What is it?” Haley asked.

Nathan thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to describe how it tasted. It was nasty. It tasted like fresh hot tar smelled after they paved the streets in the summer.

“Does this taste funny to you?” Nathan asked.

He handed her the glass and she frowned at him, giving him a questioning look before she took the glass and took a small, tentative sip. Nathan watched for a reaction and she swallowed and shook her head.

“No. It just tastes like Coke,” she said. “Why?”

Nathan wrinkled his brows and looked from her to the glass in her hand.

“Give me that,” he said.

He took the glass and took another sip. Maybe it had just tasted funny after the mac ‘n’ cheese. He swallowed and grimace.

“That’s nasty,” he said. “You can’t taste that?”

Haley stared at him and shook her head.

“No... What does it taste like?” she asked.

Nathan shook his head.

“You know when they pave the streets sometimes, and when it’s hot out it kind of gets that smell?”

Haley wrinkled her nose.

“Ew. That’s what it tastes like?”

Nathan shrugged.

“Yeah.”

Haley leaned forward and felt his forehead with the back of her hand.

“Hales, what are you doing?”

“Checking for a fever because you are all kinds of messed up tonight.”

Nathan rolled his eyes and put the glass down on the table.

“Haley, I’m not sick,” he said. “Maybe I’m just, like, hyper alert or something. You know, the whole fight or flight thing.”

Haley gave him a thoughtful look then stifled a laugh. Nathan frowned.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just, I read once that part of the human fight or flight response is to pull a man’s testicles back up into his body, so when you said that…”

“There’s nothing wrong with my testicles, Haley,” Nathan said. “They’re right where they should be. I’ll drop my pants right now if you want to see.”

“No, I believe you,” she said. “I’m sorry. It was just a stupid thought.”

Nathan sighed and sat back on the couch. His stomach felt kind of weird. His gaze settled on the TV and he tried to figure out what they were watching.

“Is this Ghost Hunters?” he asked.

He gave Haley a questioning look, but she was still looking at him.

“What?”

She looked at the TV as two guys skulked around a dark building with cameras.

“I thought you hated this show,” Nathan said.

“I do.”

Haley grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

“Ghosts creep me out.”

Nathan watched the channels change as she clicked through them.

“Then why’d you put it on?”

“I didn’t. It must’ve been Jamie. I told him not to watch anything scary. He’s probably gonna have nightmares now.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Nathan said.

He sat up and grimaced. He felt a little nauseated all the sudden and he had some pain in his stomach.

“Are you okay?” Haley asked.

Nathan shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said. “My stomach’s a little weird.”

Haley frowned, setting down the remote.

“Are you sure you’re not sick?”

Nathan didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure what he was. He didn’t have much time to think about it because a few seconds later he was running for the bathroom.

[identitycrisis]

* * *

Haley knocked on the bathroom door, trying to do it quietly but not too quietly.

“Nathan?”

“What?”

Nathan’s voice came out as more of a groan.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

She was about to say something else when she heard him vomit and winced. God, he was having such a bad night. She felt pang of guilt, wishing there was more she could do to help him.

“Do you need anything?” she asked.

“No.”

Haley bit her lip.

“Okay. I’ll be in the living room,” she said.

Nathan didn’t reply and she hesitated before walking away and sitting down on the couch.

[identitycrisis]

* * *

Nathan sat on the bathroom floor leaning against the tub and breathing. He hadn’t turned the light on, but he closed his eyes anyway. He’d broken out in a cold sweat and he ran a hand over his forehead. He wondered if Haley had been right to check for a fever. Of course she’d been right. Haley was right about everything.

After a few minutes Nathan felt a little better and he stood up and walked over to the sink. Even in the dark he could still see everything well enough to find his way around. He knew that was weird, but he tried not to think about it. He turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face for the second time that night. Then he stared at his reflection. He looked like crap.

Nathan ran his tongue along his teeth. His gums were hurting a little. He didn’t really know what was causing that. Jesus, when it rained it poured.

Once Nathan’s stomach was settled he opened the door and went back out into the living room. Haley was sitting on the couch. She looked up as he walked in.

“Okay, maybe you were right about me being sick,” he muttered.

Haley gave him a sympathetic frown and stood up.

“Aww. Well, just this once I’m sorry I was right,” she said.

She gave him a gentle hug and he wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair a little.

“What a shitty night,” he said.

“I know,” she agreed. “Do you want to try sleeping?”

“I don’t know if I can sleep,” he said.

Oddly enough, he felt alert and awake. He didn’t even feel all that nauseated anymore. Just hungry. Something smelled amazing and he wasn’t sure what it was, but it was making his mouth water. Haley pulled away to look up at him.

“Do you want to hang out down here on the couch tonight?” she asked. “You can watch TV and maybe something’ll be boring enough to put you to sleep.”

He glanced over at the TV and chuckled. Haley had settled on Laverne and Shirley.

“That’ll probably put me to sleep,” he said.

Haley gritted her teeth in determination and pointed at him. It wasn’t very convincing when she was also smiling a little.

“Hey, Laverne and Shirley is a classic, okay?”

Nathan pulled her into a hug again.

“Yeah, okay. If you say so,” he said.

He felt her laugh against his chest. He could still hear her heart beating. He was positive that was what it was now, but he didn’t mention it. He didn’t want to scare her. He was already scaring himself with this crap. Who the hell could hear a person’s heartbeat? And what was that smell?

Nathan leaned down to bury his face between Haley’s neck and shoulder. She laughed.

“Nathan, that tickles,” she said.

He took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose.

“You smell so good,” he said.

His voice was muffled against her skin. He couldn’t figure out what she smelled like. It wasn’t perfume or anything. It was something else. Something that made his stomach rumble.

“Okay, you’re probably delirious and I’m pretty sure you have the flu or something, so if you think this is an opportunity to get lucky…”

Nathan pulled away from her suddenly and cried out in pain, putting a hand over his mouth. It felt like his gums were being ripped apart and he could taste his own blood in his mouth. Haley gasped and stumbled backward.

“What? Nathan, what’s wrong?”

Nathan pulled his hand away from his mouth and saw a strip of blood on his fingers. He grimaced and looked at Haley. Then she screamed.

“Oh my god!”

Nathan’s eyes went wide.

“What?” he asked.

Haley looked like she’d just seen a clown – and for her that was a terrifying experience. Nathan took a step toward her.

“Haley…”

She backed away and there was a flicker of hurt in his expression. She was afraid of him? Why was she afraid of him?

“Nathan, your teeth…”

He blinked at her.

“What about ‘em?”

He put a hand to his mouth to feel his teeth… only they weren’t his teeth. Not really. They were long and sharp and he could still feel his regular teeth behind them.

“What the hell?” he muttered.

“Nathan, if this is a joke you have to tell me,” Haley said. “I won’t be mad, but you’re really scaring me, okay? So if this is some kind of lame ass joke…”

“It’s not!” Nathan almost shouted. “Haley… I just grew fucking FANGS, alright? I’m kind of freaking out here, and if you ask me one more time if this is a joke…”

Haley held her hands up.

“Okay, okay,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry.”

Nathan could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he could hear Haley’s beating fast. And that smell. It was driving him crazy. Haley sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Before she could say anything, Nathan turned around and walked down the hall.

“Nathan!”

Haley followed him into the bathroom where he flipped on the light and cried out, shielding his eyes. He left it on and squinted as he approached the bathroom mirror, lifting his upper lip to examine his teeth in the mirror. They looked even worse than they felt.

“Jesus Christ,” he said. “What the fuck is going on?”

Haley came up behind him, staring at his reflection in shock and disbelief.

“Okay,” she said softly. “Okay, we just need to calm down.”

Nathan whirled around and glared at her.

“Calm down? What the hell do you mean calm down? I have fangs, Haley!”

He was screaming at her now and she backed away until her back connected with the wall.

“I know, Nathan, but if we’re standing here freaking out it’s not going to help.”

“Well what the hell am I supposed to do? Just shrug and say ‘Oh, I have fangs. That’s cool?’”

Haley glared at him and gritted her teeth.

“Stop. Yelling at me, Nathan. You’re gonna scare Jamie.”

Nathan took a few deep breaths, his chest heaving up and down. His mind was racing. What the hell was happening to him? The drumming of Haley’s heartbeat seemed to be getting louder and the light was too bright. And that smell. That was drowning out just about everything else in his head. He covered his ears and shut his eyes in an effort to shut everything out.

“Nathan?”

He heard Haley’s footsteps as she came toward him.

“Get away from me,” he said.

Haley stopped where she was and stared at him.

“Haley, get the hell out of here!” he yelled.

He grabbed the closest thing he could get his hands on and threw it at her. It was a soap dish. Haley cried out and stumbled out the door, turning around to glare at him before she ran out into the living room.

Shit.

“Haley.”

Nathan ran out of the bathroom after her. She kept running until she got to the kitchen.

“Haley, I’m sorry.”

He reached out to grab her arm and she pulled away from him and turned around.

“Don’t touch me!” she said. “Get away from me!”

“Haley, I was trying to protect you,” he said.

“By throwing shit at me?”

“No! Well… Yeah, but I wasn’t trying to hit you. I was just trying to get you away from me.”

“Well, you did a damn good job because I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now.”

Nathan stared at her, not knowing what to do or say. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything was okay, but everything wasn’t okay. He was just as scared as she was. Haley walked over to the counter and picked up the phone.

“What are you doing?” Nathan asked.

“I’m calling nine-one-one,” she snapped. “Which was what I should have done the second I saw you.”

“No! Haley, you can’t do that.”

He was beside her before he even realized he’d moved and she screamed, dropping the phone. He grabbed onto her before she could run away and held her by both shoulders.

“Haley, listen to me,” he said. “I don’t know what this is, but whatever it is it’s obviously not something normal.”

Haley stared up at him with teary eyes and he could feel her shaking.

“You were right,” he said. “We just need to calm down and think about this. Then we’ll know who to call.”

Haley just stared at him and he didn’t know if she’d even heard him.

“Haley?”

She blinked and nodded.

“Yeah. Okay,” she said.

Nathan sighed.

“Okay.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she flinched. Christ, he’d scared the shit out of her.

“I’m sorry, Haley,” he said.

He pulled her close to him and hugged her. She didn’t hug him back, but that was okay. He didn’t deserve a hug from her.

“We’re gonna figure this out,” he said. “Everything’s gonna be fine. We just have to stick together and stay calm.”

He swallowed, hearing the quick pace of Haley’s heartbeat and feeling it against his chest. Somehow it was almost soothing. He closed his eyes and just listened to Haley’s heart and inhaled, letting that sweet smell fill him. For a few seconds he felt almost calm, just letting his senses consume him. It was like resisting them had been the real cause of all his discomfort.

And then his lips were brushing Haley’s neck. He hadn’t even realized he’d moved his head.

“Nathan, stop it,” she said.

She wriggled around a little, trying to pull away, but he held her close against his chest. He bared his fangs without even being aware of it and let his teeth brush Haley’s skin. He started letting his jaw close, nibbling her neck. He could feel her pulse under his lips.

“NATHAN!”

Nathan pulled away as he heard the fear in Haley’s voice and she shoved him. He stumbled against the counter and she ran for the living room, flipping on the light as she went. For a moment he was too stunned to do anything. What had just happened?

And then he processed it and felt sick.

He’d almost bitten her, just like that guy had bitten him on the side of the road.

[identitycrisis]

* * *

Jamie wasn’t exactly asleep, but he wasn’t fully awake either. He’d been tossing and turning so much his blankets were tangled around his little legs and half heaped on the floor. When Haley whipped the door open and turned the light on he groaned a little, burying his face in his pillow.

Haley grabbed his back pack off the floor and unzipped it, dumping all of its contents on the floor without carrying what they were or where they landed.

“Jamie,” she called. “Jamie, honey, wake up.”

Jamie murmured something incoherent and stirred as Haley ripped open his dresser drawers and shoved anything she grabbed into the bag. She didn’t know or care what she was packing, she just vaguely knew he’d need clothes.

“Jamie, WAKE UP!” she yelled.

Jamie sat up in bed, squinting his eyes against the light.

“Mommy, why are you yelling?”

Haley zipped the back pack and slung one strap over her shoulder as she hurried over to his bed.

“Jamie, we have to go, right now. Come on, get your shoes on.”

Jamie frowned at her.

“Why? Where are we going?”

Haley picked one of his shoes up off the floor and tried to slip one of his feet into it.

“Mom, I don’t have socks on,” he said.

“It’s okay. We’ll worry about your socks later.”

“Ow. Mom, that’s the wrong foot!”

Haley dropped Jamie’s sneaker on the floor and dropped to her knees beside his bed. What the hell was she worrying about his shoes for? She stifled a few sobs as she sat there.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

Haley wiped her eyes quickly and sniffed, looking up at Jamie.

“We’re going on a trip, okay?” she said. “Just you and me. But we have to go right now, okay? It’s very important.”

“Why isn’t Daddy coming?”

Haley inhaled deeply, fighting back another sob.

“Daddy’s not feeling well. He has to stay here.”

Jamie frowned.

“Why are we leaving Daddy home alone if he’s sick?”

Haley sighed.

“Jamie, please, honey, I can’t explain right now. We have to go.”

“Haley?”

Haley flinched and looked toward the door before standing up and gathering Jamie up in her arms.

“Mom?”

“Hold onto me, Jamie,” she said.

He wrapped his arms and legs around her and she hurried out of the room, looking around the hallway before walking down the stairs. She had to take them slowly holding Jamie, not wanting to fall. The entire house was lit up like a church. She’d turned on every light she could find on her way to Jamie’s room, hoping if Nathan came after her it would slow him down. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she felt nervous. He wasn’t in the living room, but there were plenty of other places he could have been.

Haley hoisted Jamie up to get a better grip on him and started walking across the room to get to the front door.

“Mama?”

“Shh. Jamie, be quiet,” Haley whispered.

“Mama, why are all the lights on?” Jamie whispered.

Haley ignored his question for the moment as she looked around for Nathan and kept making her way toward the door.

“Where you goin’, Hales?”

Haley stopped and felt her stomach drop.

“Daddy!”

Jamie wriggled in Haley’s arms and she kept a tight hold on him.

“Jamie, stop it. Hold onto me, honey.”

She turned around to face Nathan. He was standing in the kitchen and there was a mixture of pain and frustration in his expression.

“Mommy, put me down,” Jamie demanded, still struggling.

Haley gasped as she almost lost her hold on him.

“Jamie!”

She managed to set him down without dropping him, having no choice now that he’d wriggled out of her grasp. She crouched down to take him by the shoulders, but he was already running toward Nathan.

“Jamie, NO!”

Jamie stopped short between both his parents, alarmed at Haley’s tone. He turned to look at her.

“Why are you yelling at me, Mommy?”

Haley looked from Jamie to Nathan. Both of them had equally hurt expressions on their faces. Haley stood up and sighed.

“I’m sorry, Jamie,” she said. “I told you, Daddy’s not feeling well.”

She settled her gaze on Nathan, who was staring at her with a strained expression. She wondered if that was because of all the light, or something else. Nathan walked over to Jamie and crouched down. Haley tensed.

“Hey, Jamie. Come here, buddy,” Nathan said.

Jamie glanced back at his mom before hesitantly approaching his father. Nathan pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. Haley noticed his teeth had returned to normal.

“I scared Mommy pretty good,” Nathan said. “So don’t be upset at her, okay?”

He pulled away to look down at Jamie.

“Why’d you scare her?” Jamie asked.

Nathan sighed.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said. “It was an accident.”

He gave Haley an apologetic look before he turned his attention back to Jamie.

“Why don’t you sit on the couch for a few minutes?” he asked. “I gotta talk to Mommy for a minute.”

Jamie frowned and looked from Haley to Nathan, then walked over to the couch and climbed up. Haley sighed and looked over at Nathan.

“Can I talk to you?” he asked.

Haley glanced back at Jamie, then nodded. Nathan headed down the hall and Haley looked back at Jamie.

“We’ll be right back, okay? Just watch some TV,” she said.

She continued down the hall, which was dark now that Nathan had shut off the light. That made her nervous, like she’d lost the small bit of leverage she had. He was leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway, waiting. Haley stopped a few feet in front of him, a little further than arm’s length away.

“You leaving?” he asked.

“Yes,” Haley said.

Nathan sighed.

“Look, Haley, I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. It was like I was in a daze or something. I didn’t even know what I was doing.”

Haley bit her lip.

“Haley, you have to believe me,” he said. “I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“This isn’t like you forgot to buy me a birthday present, Nathan. You almost bit me!”

Her voice was a harsh whisper, but Nathan heard it loud and clear. He shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the floor.

“I know and I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

“That’s the problem, Nathan. You didn’t mean to do it and you don’t know why you did it, but it happened.”

Haley sighed.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Nathan, but I can’t keep Jamie in this house if it’s not safe. If you can’t promise me without a doubt that you’re not going to hurt him, I have to get him out of here.”

Nathan stared at her and thought for a moment.

“You can’t, can you?” Haley asked.

Nathan looked up toward the ceiling for a moment, fighting back the tears stinging the backs of his eyes. She was right.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Hales.”

There was a quiver in his voice he couldn’t hide. Haley wanted to hold him, but she was afraid to.

“We’ll figure it out,” she said. “But I need to get Jamie somewhere safe first.”

Nathan nodded.

“Yeah, okay.”

Haley sighed, glancing down the hall toward the living room. She was anxious to get herself and Jamie out of the house before Nathan had some other episode.

“You’re coming back, right?” Nathan asked.

Haley looked at him and tried to smile, but she honestly wasn’t sure if or when she’d come back at the moment. She was terrified just standing there talking to him.

“Of course I am,” she said.

Nathan nodded.

“Okay. I guess I’ll see ya.”

Haley nodded and took a few steps backward, not wanting to turn her back on him. Finally she turned the corner to the living room, where Jamie was still sitting on the couch.

“Okay, Jamie. Come on,” she said.

“We’re still leaving?” Jamie asked.

Haley sighed.

“Just for a little while, okay? Until Daddy feels better.”

“Mommy?”

“Yeah, Jamie?”

“Are you and Daddy fighting?”

Haley crouched down in front of the couch and looked at him. She didn’t know how to answer that.

“No, honey. He’s just… he’s not himself right now.”

She stroked his hair and he frowned.

“We gotta get going, hon’,” she said. “Before Mommy gets too sleepy to drive.”

Jamie slid off the couch and Haley picked him up and headed for the door. She looked around one more time before she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

She rushed to the car as fast as she could.