Three car pileup on highway 183 yesterday in the Anderson Mill area. Lots of bad injuries, but everybody made it, even the little girl. Kid had gotten out of her car seat somehow. Mom was hysterical, freaking out, saying that her baby was dead, and it was her fault for not getting her back into the seat before the crash.
Jack gave me a look, and got the mom turned the other way while I crawled in the smashed up back seat. Cut my knee a little on the crunchy squares of broken glass. A part of me will be glad when the scales spread to my knees. I checked the kid, about five, and busted up bad, but still breathing. I bit her gently in the crook of her arm, careful not to give her too much of the venom. Not entirely sure how my venom works, but I figure if a full bite is enough to heal a big man, it would be something akin to an overdose for such a little kid. Not sure if that might be bad for her.
I tucked her under one arm and backed out. By the time I turned around to the mom, the kid was stirring and opening her eyes. She started bawling and held her arms out, and her mom took her from me so gently I was afraid she would drop the kid, trying not to hurt her.
Just seeing the two of them there made me get a little teary-eyed, and I smiled at Jack. He grinned back at me, before we went to help some of the others. The kid was going to be fine, and we both knew it.
“That’s why,” I said, and he chuckled.
He asked me twice why I wanted to date him that first time, so ever since, when he does something particularly wonderful, I tell him, “That’s why.”
And like I said, lots of bad injuries, but everybody’s going to be fine. I’ve got a feeling, now that Jack’s in on my secret, our survival rate will be a lot more than 70% higher than the other teams. It was an awesome shift. We easily saved five more lives that night. We were both feeling like rockstars by the end of it.
Jack and I had dinner after at my place. Ma cooked her once famous pot roast, and told Jack a bunch of really embarrassing stories about my childhood. Like the time she caught Dad and me jumping off the roof of the barn into the hay. And the time I tried to use a fang to open a can of sardines and got the metal stuck. I had one fang stuck hanging out, and couldn’t talk properly to tell her what the problem was.
Jack laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks, and I wished I could hide under the table without looking like an idiot. Nothing like a mother who changed your diapers to keep your head from getting too big.
I took Jack up the fire escape, past the yappy Pekingese on his little balcony, and up to the roof to show him the view. It was gorgeous. The fickle Texas weather was feeling friendly this morning, and spring was just starting to show in the blooming plum trees down in the parks. Fluffy clouds drifted in a perfect, soft blue sky.
We kissed again. It was a lot better this time. Softer and longer, and no teeth bumping. Jack likes to stroke my left arm with the scales.
It feels oddly a lot more intimate than just having someone touch my arm should. I told him no one else but my parents ever touched me there, and he told me he was honored to be the first.
Jack’s really an amazing
Weird. I’d swear I saw red eyes at my window, but I’m on the fifth floor. Back in a second.
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