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Dr. Wilson looked out his window from his office in the Regional Psychiatric Hospital. He was watching the sun slowly sink beneath the trees when Nurse Jones entered the room.
“Are you ready to interview Mr. Smith?” she asked as she laid his file on the doctor’s desk.
“Oh, yeah,” replied the doctor as his thoughts returned to the present task that awaited him.
“How is he doing?” inquired the nurse as she headed for the door.
“He has made wonderful progress,” declared the doctor. “Now we have to see if he’s ready for the next step in his road to recovery.”
“That’s great to hear,” offered the nurse. “He’s such a nice guy. May I show him in?”
“Yes, please do.”
It was not long before Nurse Jones had ushered Fredrick Smith into Dr. Wilson’s office. The doctor motioned for him to take a seat near his desk.
“So, Mr. Smith, how are you feeling today?” asked the doctor as he took his seat.
“I’m feeling very well, thank you,” replied the patient.
“I take it you know why we’re here, don’t you?” inquired the doctor.
“Yes, I understand,” smiled Mr. Smith.
“So, tell me, Mr. Smith, how do you feel about being a vampire?” asked the doctor as he returned the smile.
“I’m over that, doctor,” replied Mr. Smith. “I haven’t had those feelings in several months.”
“Good, very good,” offered the doctor. “Let’s take a moment and review your progress over the past year.”
“OK.”
“Hmm, let’s see,” pondered the doctor as he studied the patient’s file. “There was the time when you scared the elderly patients on the fourth floor.”
“That’s when I thought I was a vampire,” offered Mr. Smith. “I’m much better now.”
“OK. Then there was the time you attack your dentist, Dr. Most,” reflected the doctor.
“That also was when I was under the delusion that I was a vampire,” declared Mr. Smith as he squirmed in his chair.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Smith,” offered the doctor. “Is reviewing all this making you uncomfortable?”
“I must admit, it does a little,” reflected Mr. Smith. “I have worked very hard to put all that in the past.”
“I see,” pondered the doctor as he adjusted his glasses. “The fact that it bothers you is a very good sign, Mr. Smith. I’d be more worried if it didn’t have an effect on you.”
“Well, it does get to me sometimes,” offered Mr. Smith. “Especially when I think about some of the things I’ve done.”
“Like when you thought you were a cat?” inquired the doctor.
“Yes, especially that,” replied Mr. Smith. “Later I was so embarrassed when I realized how security had found me, asleep on the kitchen floor, sucking a milk jug.”
“I must admit that was very bizarre,” smiled the doctor. “Let’s see what was it that you called yourself?”
“I thought I was a vamcat, sir,” replied an obviously uncomfortable Mr. Smith. “That’s a vampire cat.”
“So, Mr. Smith, how do you feel about the prospect of going home for a week?” asked the doctor.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting for a long time,” replied Mr. Smith. “I mean, I don’t want to go if I’m not ready, but I believe I am.”
“So, then, tell me about Omar Oloff,” offered the doctor as he toyed with his metal letter opener. “I think he is known as Count Oloff.”
“Doctor Wilson, you and I both know he was a figment of my imagination,” reflected Mr. Smith as he bowed his head. “That’s the name I went by when I was under the delusion of being a vampire.”
“When was the last time you acted as the Count?” inquired the doctor.
“It’s been some time, now,” offered Mr. Smith. “Doctor Wilson, I think I’m well on the way to being cured of any fantasy life.”
“Well, let’s not take it that far,” declared the doctor. “You have made marvelous progress, but we’re not ready to say you’re cured.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that,” reflected Mr. Smith. “It’s just that those feelings are so far behind me now that I feel like a brand-new man. I feel like I did years ago before the, uh, well, you know.”
“Before your nervous breakdown?” asked the doctor.
“Yes, before my breakdown,” agreed Mr. Smith.
“Do you remember anything about that, Mr. Smith?” inquired the doctor.
“I recall thinking I was bit by a vampire bat,” replied Mr. Smith. “I really don’t remember the details.”
“It wasn’t a bat,” declared the doctor. “It was rats.”
“I hate rats,” reflected Mr. Smith.
“Yes, I know,” offered the doctor. “But don’t you remember working for the city and one day having to go down into a dark and wet tunnel?”
“I have some memory of that day,” replied Mr. Smith. “Though I think much of it has been erased.”
“Do you remember being alone and getting your foot stuck in a hole?” continued the doctor.
“A little bit.”
“Do you remember crying for help when a pack of rats ran all over you?” asked the doctor.
“I think I recall some of it.”
“And do you remember one of them biting you?” inquired the doctor.
“I thought it was a bat.”
“You thought it was a vampire bat, didn’t you, Mr. Smith?” the doctor continued.
“Yes, I did,” admitted Mr. Smith. “It’s painful to think about it.”
“That’s when you became a vampire,” declared the doctor. “Isn’t that so, Mr. Smith?”
“Yes, it was, doctor, yes it was,” agreed Mr. Smith. “But with your help, and the medication, I haven’t thought that way for some time.”
“Good,” declared the doctor. “So you no longer feel like you’re a vampire?”
“No.”
“You have no uncontrollable hunger to eat human blood?” asked the doctor.
“No.”
“When was the last time you drank blood, Mr. Smith?” inquired the doctor.
“I never have,” answered Mr. Smith. “It was all a delusion. It was never true.”
“Are you absolutely sure of that?” asked the doctor as the letter opener slipped and cut a small wound in his finger. The two men stared as a drop of blood oozed from the gash. Mr. Smith’s eyes widened as the doctor held his finger toward him.
“Would you be kind enough and get me a bandage from the cabinet over there?” inquired the doctor.
Mr. Smith looked at the doctor for a moment. Slowly he rose from his chair and walked to the metal cabinet. He brought the bandage back and handed it to the doctor.
“Will you put it on my finger, please?” asked the doctor as he smiled at the patient.
Mr. Smith slowly rubbed the tip of his tongue on his upper lip and then opened the package. He applied the bandage and then smiled, “Are you testing me, doctor?”
“In life there are always tests,” replied the doctor. “It’s how we react to them that matters.”
“And how am I doing?” asked Mr. Smith as he returned to his seat.
“I think you’re doing quite well,” revealed the doctor. “In fact, well enough to go home for awhile.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“Now, you must take your medicine on time,” ordered the doctor. “And you must come back to see me in one week. Agreed?”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right, then, I’ll sign the release papers,” offered the doctor. “Do you have anyone coming to pick you up?”
“My daughter is waiting in the lobby,” replied Mr. Smith. “We were hoping you would allow me to go with her.”
“I don’t see any problem with that,” declared the doctor. “Do you have any questions?”
“No, sir,” answered Mr. Smith. “I just want to thank you doctor. I’m not gonna let you down.”
“I’m counting on that, Mr. Smith,” offered the doctor. “Now, give this paper to Nurse Jones and she’ll escort you to the lobby.”
“OK. Thank you again, doctor.”
“Good luck, Mr. Smith.”
Mr. Smith took a deep breath to control his excitement as he handed the paper to the nurse. She smiled at him and took him to meet his daughter. They hugged each other, smiled and laughed at the prospect of finally leaving the hospital.
On the front steps the two stopped as Mr. Smith soaked in the fresh night air. He glanced at the full moon and told his daughter, “Freedom is a precious thing, sweetheart.”
“Daddy, it’s so good to see you making so much progress,” she declared. “I love you.”
He hugged her again and whispered, “I love you, too.”
They walked down the steps toward the parking lot. “Oh, I about forgot,” his daughter said. “I parked in the back lot.”
“That’s OK, honey,” offered Mr. Smith. “We can cut through that patch of trees. It’s not very far.”
The two held hands as they made their way around the shrubbery. When they were out of sight of the hospital his daughter came to a stop.
“What’s wrong, dear?” asked Mr. Smith as he turned to her.
“Oh, I’m just so happy you’re here with me,” she replied. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
“I’m as glad as you are,” smiled Mr. Smith. “We’d better get going though. It’s getting late.”
“But first, I have a surprise for you,” his daughter said.
“A surprise? Here?”
“Yes, here.”
Mr. Smith’s smile quickly turned to horror as he watched his daughter’s face twist into one of grotesque demonic features. She opened her mouth to reveal a pair of long, sharp fangs.
“What?!?...” is all he could mutter.
“I told you I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” she moaned as her eyes became blood red in anticipation.
“Oh, no, you’re a vampire!!” he yelled as he turned to run.
In an instant she pounced and attached herself to his jugular vein. He gurgled as he felt his life force flow from him as she continued sucking his vibrant blood.
Weakly he slipped to the ground as she finished her meal. Before being overtaken by unconsciousness, he heard her laugh as she transformed into a bat and took flight away from the scene. He knew he was dying and his last thoughts were of his wife. It was his wish to see her one last time. But now it was too late. All was lost.
###############
Dr. Wilson was putting on his coat in preparation of going home when Nurse Jones entered his office. He could tell by the look on her face that he might as well put his coat back up as it was going to be a long night.
“Doctor, I’m sorry, but Mr. Smith is at it again,” she declared as she came into the room.
“What has he done now?” asked a somewhat frustrated doctor.
“Evidently he slipped out the front door when no one was looking,” explained the nurse. “Security found him lying on the ground amid a patch of trees.”
“Is he OK?” inquired the concerned doctor.
“Oh, yeah,” replied the nurse. “They got him back to his room.”
“Why was he out there?”
“He said you had released him, and his daughter was taking him home,” declared the nurse.
“Hmm, I haven’t seen him in over a week,” offered the doctor.
“I know,” said the nurse. “And according to his file he doesn’t have a daughter either. It’s just him and his wife.”
“At his last visit I thought we had made some good progress,” observed the doctor. “I guess he’s slip back a little.”
“I agree, doctor,” offered the nurse. “He said this daughter he’s supposed to have turned into a vampire and attacked him.”
“Well, I guess it’s back to the drawing board with him,” declared the doctor. “Is he physically all right?”
“Yeah, not a mark on him,” replied the nurse. “Do you want me to administer a sedative?”
“You might as well,” smiled the doctor. “That way we all can get a good night sleep. If you do that then I’ll check on him first thing in the morning.”
“OK, doctor, you have a good night.”
“You, too.”
###############
My name is Fredrick Smith. My friends call me Freddy. I am a patient at Regional Psychiatric Hospital. For a long time I thought I was a vampire. One of the undead who lives off the vibrant blood of living humans. With the help of my good friend, Dr. Wilson, I came to realize this was untrue, and that indeed, I am a mortal man.
I was getting well and had progressed to the point where I was to be allowed to leave the hospital and spend a week with my family. It was the happiest I have been in a long time. Even though my wife occasionally comes to see me, I was thrilled with the prospect of actually sitting in my favorite chair again and sleeping with her in our bed. My daughter came to take me home. Everything was going well until she revealed that she was a vampire. I tried my best to flee from her but she overcame me and drained me of my blood. At first, I thought she had left me for dead. Fortunately, the security guards here at the hospital rescued me and brought me back to life.
Now, lying here in my bed in my room I have much to ponder. Am I truly alive? I have been bitten by a vampire. But I did not die. This can only mean that I have been transformed into one of the undead again. In fact, as I think about it, I can feel a hunger growing deep inside me. A hunger for the vibrant blood of living humans. Once again, my tiredness and frustration are being replaced with vim and vigor. I can feel super natural strength surging throughout my body. It is quite evident that once again, Fredrick Smith has been replaced by Omar Oloff. That is: Count Oloff!
This time I do not want to be a vampire. It was fun and exciting the first time, but now I have grown weary of always being in darkness and stalking innocent victims to feed off their blood. Instead of having an exhilarating existence, I have come to feel as though I was cursed. If there was a way to end this, I would do it.
My attention is drawn to the window and the curtains covering them. I know on the other side the sun is shining bright. A light that I could never see and continue to exist. As a vampire, if I was ever exposed to the light of the sun I would immediately burst into flames and burn to a crisp. My existence would end in a heap of charred dust.
I have a decision to make. Should I continue being one of the undead, or should I take the opportunity to end it once and for all. Arising from my bed I approach the window and the drapes. I take a hold of the curtains and contemplate my next move. If I open them quick enough I will not have time to try to escape. My end will come. I do not want to suffer for long, so I must open them wide enough to feel the full impact of the sun’s light. This is the only way I know to finally be cured of this eternal curse. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, with all my might I jerk the curtains open.
###############
The nurse was busy at her station updating a patient’s chart when the buzzer rang.
“Yes, Mr. Smith?”
“The name is Oloff.”
“OK, Mr. Oloff.”
“That’s Count Oloff.”
“OK, Count Oloff.”
“I need to know something.”
“OK, Count, what do you need?”
“Uh, what time does the sun come up?”
THE END
Copyright ©2006 by Jerry W. Crews
Going Home (3rd and final sequel to "The Vampire & The Dentist")
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