#my jugular vein is too small and the blood flow sounds are simply Too Loud. its not effecting anything long term

[batz]

neurologist says my optic nerves are fine/same as last few appointments but still tells me to start taking 12 diamox a day and tells me to get out before i can ask why . also diamox like. cannot fix an issue involving my veins. but idk im not doctor so whatever

im 100% not taking 12 pills a day tho thatd hurt me. past few appointments hes just been rlly wanting me to have more diamox even tho he keeps saying im in remission but he wont answer when i ask why i need the meds then

[sad-sweet-cowboah]

My Little Secret part 10

Summary: You find yourself into trouble really quickly, and thankfully Arthur shows up in the nick of time. You’re learning more about vampires every day, and the more you learn, the freakier things become.

Warnings: Blood, bodily injury, violence

Your heart leapt to your throat. Without a moment’s hesitation you spun around and ran. Boots hitting the concrete hard as you willed your legs to sprint as fast as they could. Everything around you became a blur. Your first thought was to get out where people could see you. The exit of the alley was just fifty feet ahead.

Your ankle rolled, sending a jolt of pain up your leg. You yelped and fell to the ground, the solid rock beneath ripping the wind from your lungs. The sharp throbbing radiating in your ankle was almost dizzying as you attempted to pull yourself up.

However, you couldn’t even get that far. A powerful force slammed into you, pinning you against the wall to knock the breath out of you once again. The back of your head collided with the brick, and an explosion of stars erupted in your vision as even more pain overtook you. You blinked rapidly to clear your vision, focusing on the being in front of you. The vampire glowered coldly at you, his mouth splattered with darkened blood. The coppery scent hit your nose and twisted your insides uncomfortably.

“You smell good…” he growled, his voice rough like sandpaper. “Full of fear… my favorite.”

His hand, quick as a bullet, covered your mouth as soon as you parted your lips. Before you could even say or do anything to stop him, his face immediately went for your throat. You closed your eyes and flinched as the needle points of his fangs grazed your skin. Your screams drowned behind his ice cold skin.

A split second passed and a loud THUD echoed against the close walls, and his presence disappeared immediately. You opened your eyes and turned your head to see a new figure had tackled your assaulter.

Except it wasn’t new. You’d recognized that dark red shirt. It was Arthur.

Relief flooded over you. Though soon replaced with confusion as their entangled bodies became a blur, unable to tell what was going on. In the blink of an eye, a silhouette pelted midair through the alley as if it were a football. It achieved quite a distance before slamming into the ground and sliding to a stop. Arthur’s figure came into focus for you, standing protectively in front of you. His opponent stood back up as well. Though too far for you to clearly see him, you heard an inhuman hiss.

Arthur repeated the sound, sending a shiver up your spine. “Back off fledgling, she’s mine.” He growled deeply.

“I don’t play by the rules, asshole!” the other responded, his voice a mere echo. In an instant you lost sight of his silhouette, but Arthur moved. Moved so quickly that it could have been a trick of your mind. The two of them became a blur again as their bodies collided.

You couldn’t follow their movements; simply too fast for human eyes to decipher. Darting back and forth and bouncing against the walls of the alley. Growls and hisses similar to cats fighting, if those cats were ten times their normal size. You could only wait with held breath, hoping Arthur would be the victor in this fight.

More seconds passed, and finally they separated. Arthur’s figure landed gracefully just a few feet away from you after flinging the other vampire further from you. He quickly yanked something from his belt and threw it so swiftly you could have missed it if you blinked. A fraction of a second later, the sound of liquid splattering the ground filled your head.

You blinked, letting your eyes adjust. The darkened alley was colored even darker with what looked like blood and… whatever else. Your eyes widened.

The aggressiveness vanished from Arthur as he turned around to face you. “Y/N, you okay?”

“Did…did he…explode?” you whimpered, turning your eyes to him.

A touch of contempt shadowed Arthur’s face. “Yes. Vampires don’t die too gracefully.”

You swallowed the bile that rose in your throat. Your stomach did constant backflips in reminder of what you just witnessed. “How did you…?”

He sighed, kneeling down to you. “Wooden dagger to the heart. One o’ the things that ring true from the legends…” he stared directly into your eyes. “The hell you doin’ back here anyway?”

“I…I was helping some drunk guy,” you explained timidly, glancing back toward the slump in the direction you came from. The drunk was moaning quietly. “He stumbled back here, I just wanted to make sure he wouldn’t find himself into trouble.”

“Instead you found yourself into trouble,” Arthur grumbled. “I told ya to be careful, Y/N. You know it ain’t too safe here.” His tone was full of disapproval.

“I know,” you sighed, avoiding his gaze. “I just didn’t want the guy to get hurt…”

You felt his stare on you, and you couldn’t turn to look at him fully yet. It was stupid, you knew that now. But you didn’t regret it. Still, you knew he wasn’t happy with you.

A long moment passed before he sighed. “’Spose I can’t blame ya for wantin’ to help…”

You turned to meet his gaze again, noting the softness in his blue eyes. He reached out to gingerly rest his hands on your neck. You let him. “Did he hurt you?”

He tilted your head very carefully to the side as his thumb smoothed against your jugular vein. Checking for bites. “H-he slammed me against the wall,” You stammered. “My head hurts really bad…”

Arthur’s hand immediately went to the back of your hand, his touch feather light as his fingertips roamed against your scalp. Even the lightest graze was painful, and you flinched away from his touch. He moved his hand away.

“No blood.” He stated, though that was the least of your worries.

Your leg twitched, reminding you of the injury to your ankle. You bent your leg toward you, wincing as the rim of your boot cut against your swollen skin. A small moan slipped past your lips as you attempted to move it.

This caught Arthur’s attention. He rested his hand on your calf to halt your action. His palm slowly slid down your leg and lifted it just above your ankle to brace your foot against his thigh. With cautious movement, he slowly slid your boot off to get a better look. Even in the dim, your ankle was practically twice its size and significantly darker with bruising.

“Can you move it?” he asked.

You flexed your foot just a centimeter. It was incredibly painful and you cried out. “I think it’s broken, Arthur. Or very badly sprained.”

He swore under his breath, and glanced left and right before looking back to you. “I’m gonna try somethin’…”

Before you could ask what, he raised his hand to his face. His mouth opened and two fangs suddenly flicked out. Your eyes widened when he bit onto his wrist. “What’re you –”

He pulled his mouth away and turned the inside of his wrist toward you, two deep puncture wounds flowing dark with fresh blood. “Drink this.”

You stared at him. “What?” was all you could utter. “No –!”

“Jus’ trust me, Y/N,” he said softly. “’Fore it closes up.”

“Are you trying to turn me?” was the next question.

“No, ‘course not. Jus’ drink n’ you’ll see.” He continued, a slight urgency in his voice.

Every part of schooling in your mind screamed no. It was unsanitary and didn’t make a lick of sense. But Arthur has yet to give you a reason not to trust him. You took a deep breath and grabbed his arm, pulling it to your face. Your lips locked onto the fresh wound, blood spilling into your mouth. It was… different than human blood. While the initial taste was the same, there was a tangy hint underneath the sharp metallic, and it tasted…good.

You sucked on his wrist, allowing the blood to fill your mouth and slide down your throat. Within seconds the blood stopped flowing as the holes in his skin closed, however you selfishly licked it clean before he pulled away from your grasp.

The pounding ache in your head slowly began to vanish, so did the dull throb in your ankle. The residual nausea had also begun to dissipate. You glanced at your ankle that still rested on Arthur’s leg, and blinked in surprise to see it was no longer swollen. You experimentally flexed it, expecting pain and finding none.

“Holy shit…” you uttered, turning your attention back to Arthur. “What…did you do to me?”

“Vampire blood heals humans,” he explained, sliding your boot back onto your foot. “No matter what the affliction.”

“Are you serious?” you gasped. “So you have healing powers?”

“Yes, one o’ our lesser known abilities,” he responded. He shifted to take your hand and help you up. “Jus’ don’t go blabberin’ ‘bout it.”

You stood up easily, staring at him. “Arthur, that could change the world!” you exclaimed.

He gave you a rueful smile. “I know, sweetheart. But the world ain’t ready for vampires.”

“Do you know how many lives you could improve just with that?” you asked.

Arthur sighed heavily. “I know, Y/N. Problem is people will take advantage. Humans are a selfish species, I know that better n’ anyone.”

You opened your mouth to create a counterargument, except your mind completely blanked. It was a true statement after all, people could be ruthless selfish monsters when presented with power. You made a face and closed your mouth, shaking your head. “Well… I guess then I should say thank you, for saving me again, and healing me.”

“Jus’ don’t make it a habit o’ runnin’ into dangerous people, vampire or not,” He lightly joked, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. “You go back to the bar, I’ll catch up in a moment.”

You gave him a somewhat suspicious look.

“I promise, jus’ gotta make sure this mess is cleaned up. N’ make sure your drunken friend goes home without memory of what happened.” He told you before he turned his attention to the screen.

You nodded silently. It made sense after all, wouldn’t want to leave a bloody mess that anyone could come across. The drunken person began to stand and stumble around, though you wondered if he would have any memory of tonight once he sobered up. You began working your way back toward the original entrance you’d first found. Back onto the busy street surrounded by citizens unknowing of what just happened. Arthur’s blood had given you a boost of energy and shrouding your mind with a better mood. It was almost as if the ordeal had been hallucination. You glanced up at the streetlights, watching as the condensation that hung in the air shimmered beautifully like glitter.

You’d never seen such detail before.

You made it back after another moment, glad to be around people. Sam honed in on you like a tracker, a little concerned as you’d disappeared. You assured her you were fine, and Arthur came back a few moments later. It appeared as if he’d never gotten into that fight; not a hair out of place, no spots of blood, and not even any indicators of puncture wounds on his wrist.

You three didn’t stay much longer afterward. Your mind was too heavy with the events that unfolded earlier. Despite having your mood lifted, the memories remained. Even with another drink to somehow dampen your thoughts, it didn’t work. Whatever affect Arthur’s blood had on you seemed to override any additional alcohol to your system.

Arthur knew you were bothered, despite how much you tried to keep it hidden. He took the liberty of asking Sam to wrap it up for the night, and she complied without an argument.

---

Sam had dropped you and Arthur back at your apartment around midnight. After bidding one another a farewell, you hastily made your way back inside. Arthur was in your heels.

Once passing the threshold and flooding your living room with light, he asked, “You alright?”

You turned to look at him. Physically you were okay thanks to him, mentally your mind was muddled with thoughts. Arthur being a vampire was one thing, but meeting another tonight seemed to set the reality for you. You could have been seconds away from being another victim on the 6 o’clock news.

“Kinda, I guess,” You sighed. “All of that was just really surreal.”

He nodded in understanding. He stepped closer to wrap his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace. His cool skin was welcoming against you, and you leaned into him with gratuity. A few seconds of silence ticked by before he spoke again. “Glad I got to ya when I did. Wouldn’t know what to do if I was too late…”

You shuddered involuntarily at the thought of it. A vivid flash of memory struck through your mind as you replayed the scene for the hundredth time that night. His voice, so protective over you… “What did you call him? Fledgling?” you asked, peering up at him.

“Means baby vampire. New.” He explained while releasing his hold on you. “They’re reckless n’ dangerous, don’t know the flow o’ things. He’s one of them who keep killin’ n’ drainin’ folk, or was.”

You frowned slightly. “How do you know that?”

Arthur hesitated, a shameful look briefly crossing his face. “I…was trackin’ him. It’s part o’ my job.”

“Your job?” you repeated. “So what is it that you do exactly?”

“Guess you could say I’m a bounty hunter. I hunt lawless vampires n’ bring ‘em to justice, one way or another.” He spoke with a sigh.

“So you hunt other vampires…” you recapped, folding your arms. “But why tonight?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, briefly avoiding your eyes. “Truth is I needed to be in Saint Denis anyway. Was gonna go after our initial plans, but since Sam offered, thought I could try to take care o’ business real quick n’ enjoy the rest of the night. Obviously that didn’t work out in anyone’s favor.”

Annoyance sat like a rock in your stomach. You should have just declined Sam’s invite and stayed in watching movies all night. You sighed heavily and flopped onto the couch, leaning back and placing your palm on your forehead. “I just want one normal date…” you moaned quietly.

“’M sorry, I shoulda said no earlier,” Arthur apologized, mirroring your thoughts. “Then I wouldn’t have put you in harm’s way.”

“Guess it doesn’t matter now,” you mumbled, keeping your eyes fixed to the ceiling. “I guess your night’s freed up then?”

“’Spose so, do ya want me to stay or leave?”

That was a good question. You weren’t annoyed with him, just the situation. Though that did nothing to mask the other unidentifiable whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. A terrifying experience that made the encounter with Tom seem like a skinned knee. You’d asked Arthur to stay with you then, even when you two were still just acquaintances. Something about his presence seemed to relax you.

Perhaps it was selfish to keep him around this time. However, the thought of sleeping alone tonight seemed unnerving. A silly and childish fear spurred by what you once thought were movie monsters. You knew other vampires couldn’t get into your house without an invite, yet the haunting thought loomed over you like a shadow.

You fixed your gaze to him again. “Please stay.”

He nodded. “’Course, darlin’.”

You weren’t tired by a longshot, but you changed into your pajamas anyway. You felt somewhat more comfortable and returned to the couch, opting to cuddle while turning on the TV. You didn’t feel like turning on a movie, but late night shows set a relaxing mood. Arthur had an arm wrapped loosely around you while you leaned on him, neither of you speaking for a while as your attention was turned to the TV. Despite having no body heat, it was nice to lean against him. His cool skin was somehow soothing even in your air conditioned home.

It was around 2 am when your eyes began to grow heavy. You hadn’t realized you dozed off until you suddenly felt his strong arms hoist you up like you were nothing. You opened them and peered up, making a small noise to catch his attention.

“I’m not tired yet…” you mumbled.

He chuckled in response. “Don’t gotta lie, sweetheart. ‘Sides, I think your bed’s more comfortable than the couch.”

You didn’t argue nor protest, allowing him to carry you down the hall and to your bedroom. He lay you gently atop the mattress before flicking the light on. Your body responded faster than your mind did, expelling a large yawn as soon as you hit the plush comforter beneath you. You met his gaze again as he stood next to you, an unsure look on his face.

You held your hand out, beckoning him to join. He however slightly frowned, and you spoke, “Not ready for you to leave yet, Arthur. Just stay until I actually fall asleep please.”

You had to remind yourself he originated from a different time. Sharing a bed with the opposite sex most likely meant something other than innocent conversation to him. Though you had to wonder as an outlaw how much of society did he actually conform to. He had no qualms about sitting on your bed the first time he was here, although it was when he caught you in a low moment. He was also a gentleman to you however, and most likely wanting to keep things clean for now.

After a long moment passed, he finally made up his mind and rounded over to the other side, carefully climbing on next to you and held his arm out again. You gratefully entered his embrace, resting your head against his shoulder.

Silence surrounded you for a few minutes. His thumb rubbed gently against your shoulder in a soothing motion. The movement from earlier had woken you up slightly, and you peered up at him again.

“Still can’t believe you healed me.” You said quietly.

He met your gaze, a half smile crossing his lips. “’Spose it’s better than takin’ you to the nearest ER and spendin’ the night there with a possible concussion n’ broken ankle.”

You hummed in agreement, reaching to rest your hand on his chest. “That would have been a fun situation to explain to Sam,” You giggled slightly, and then remembered a moment from earlier. “By the way, what was with that question you asked her?”

“Hm?”

“About her last name, or whatever. Do you really know her family?” you clarified.

“I knew her ancestors. John Marston n’ Abigail Roberts. They had a son named Jack. They was a part of our gang. John was my brother, did a lot for him n’ I helped him get out, provided a better life for his family. He had a ranch called Beecher’s Hope, not too far from Blackwater,” he sighed, his eyes drifting to stare at the wall. There was a distant look in his blue eyes. “Reason why I asked is cause your friend looks a lot like Abigail.”

You blinked at him. “Seriously?”

He nodded. “People say some genes can carry through generations. I’ve been ‘round long ‘nough to see kids grow up to look like their great-grandparents. Thought it was too much of a coincidence so I wanted to ask.”

“That’s amazing.” You commented, your thoughts wandering back. You remember learning about John Marston in that museum and in Shady Belle, how he left the gang in favor for a more conventional lifestyle. You also remember he was gunned down as his past demons caught up with him. You however never made the connection that Sam was a descendant of John. Did she herself know?

Arthur’s words however echoed in your head. “You helped him get out,” you repeated. “What exactly happened with your gang anyway? All this information I found out and nothing about how it ended.” you asked, though your voice was plagued with a loud yawn.

“A long story, one that I’ll save for another time,” as you began to protest, he shook his head. “You’re tired, sweetheart.”

You sighed in frustration. You hated to admit it, but he was right. Fatigue was creeping back up on you, and you wanted to be fully awake for this. It seemed like every time you learned something about him, it would create a whole new myriad of questions for you to ask. “The more I find out, the less I know about you every day, Arthur Morgan. You’re an enigma.”

“I guess,” he said with a smile of faint amusement. “Though I still can’t imagine why you’d be so interested in an ol’ fool like me.”

“Interesting, handsome, mysterious, sweet…” you paused when another yawn overtook you. “My savior.”

He placed a kiss on your forehead. “You’re too kind, sweetheart.”

You smiled tiredly, snuggling closer to him.

“By the way, I should mention this now,” he began, prompting you to look up at him. “Since you’ve had my blood, you’ll feel much stronger for the next day or so. Your senses will be heightened too, and…” he trailed off, averting his gaze and clearing his throat. “You’ll have some, uh, interestin’ dreams later.”

You tilted your head in curiosity, piecing together the things he mentioned. “What do you mean?” you asked.

“Uh, sexual.” He clarified rather bluntly, hesitant to look at you again.

You stared at him. You hadn’t expected that answer. “Wait, really?”

He nodded, eliciting a soft sigh and laying his free hand upon yours. “Known effect of vampire blood…ain’t sure why, sorry.”

You weren’t exactly sure what to think of that. Though your mind began to wander, and a nearly vivid image of him nude unwrapped in your mind. It wasn’t a clear view, it however reminded you of something. A dream of the same type just recently. Your face flushed with that memory, partially in shame for your brain in even concocting such a scenario when you’d barely even begun to know him.

But wait…

It seemed familiar, too familiar. You traced back to when it occurred, over the same night that Tom assaulted you. That following morning those abrasions and bruises seemed to have disappeared, as if they’d been healed overnight.

“Wait, Arthur…did you heal me the night that Tom attacked me?” you inquired.

A swift look of guilt overtook his expression. “I did…I slipped some drops into your tea. I know it weren’t right, n’ I almost didn’t do it. But seein’ ya look so troubled, couldn’t help it,” he sighed deeply. “Was a split second decision.”

First he glamored you, then he healed you, without any knowledge to you. Your stomach churned at the thought and you released a shuddering sigh of your own. He’d glamored you so you wouldn’t remember seeing him drinking blood that first night, that of which you were grateful for. Healing you after Tom…you remembered feeling much more content than you thought afterward. There was no leftover mental trauma that would be expected after such a violent experience. No scars to remind you of the way you’d hit the asphalt. He’d protected you that night, and had done it once again in some strange way.

It was a weird turn to rationalize it, but you couldn’t think of any reason why he wouldn’t. He saw you suffering and brought help in a way he knew that would help.

And that following day was when you shared your first kiss.

“Arthur, you didn’t give me your blood as part of a rouse to make me fall for you, did you?” you quirked an eyebrow in suspicion. “Planting immoral dreams in my brain…”

He gave you an incredulous stare. “No Y/N. It ain’t a love potion, I promise you that. Wouldn’t even do that to ya if it were the case.”

“That’s good to hear,” you said, meeting his gaze. “Because I’m not afraid to say I have a crush on you, Arthur.”

His expression softened as a smile touched the corner of his lips. His hand left your shoulder to stroke your hair in a smooth, rhythmic motion. “Glad to hear that, sweetheart.” He murmured to you.

“Still, I’d like a heads up next time…” you mumbled, beginning to feel drowsy once again. “Any other surprises I need to know about?”

His chest vibrated with a light chuckle. “No, not at all. Ain’t gotta worry ‘bout nothin’ else.”

You nodded and closed your eyes, enjoying the gentle tugging of your hair. A soothing motion that only enhanced the heaviness on your eyelids. “Then I want a normal date, okay?” you managed to say despite how raspy your voice was becoming. “Just you and me, no restaurants, no last-minute Saint Denis trips…”

“Whatever you want, darlin’.” He answered you.

His sweet voice echoed in your mind before you’d succumbed to the fatigue weighing you down.

---

Thought I’d provide a treat for my followers. I finished two chapters at the same time so enjoy!