Vampire Blood by Kathryn Meyer Griffith Page A

man. Look at you. ” Jenny’s face was streaming with tears, and her eyes registered horror as she discovered every new injury: bruises and cuts down both his arms and a growing lump on the front of his head.
    “You’re bleeding. You’re hurt!”
    “Stop that caterwauling, girl.” He shoved her helping hands away.
    He got halfway to his feet, and with a screech of pain crumpled to the ground once more like a deflated balloon.
    “Darn. Must have bruised something,” he muttered, his eyes slightly glassy.
    “Ernest P. Lacey!” Maude fussed as she settled down next to Jenny and looked accusingly at her old friend. “What have you gone and done now?”
    “Well, Maude, what does it look like? I tried to fly and didn’t make it.” He pouted. “I slipped off the damn walk board.”
    “You think you’re some kind of monkey or something, climbing around like a teenager? When are you gonna learn that our old bones are brittle, easy to break. You should be more careful, you old fart.”
    “Nothing’s broken, I told you, both of you,” he reiterated through clenched teeth. “Women! Always making mountains out of molehills.”
    “Jenny, we better take him to the hospital. I think he’s broken something, no matter what he says.”
    “Don’t need no damn hospital, I tell ya. I’m not hurt that bad.” He yanked away from Maude and Jenny, glaring at them.
    “Fibber,” Maude mumbled, tsk-tsking.
    “Jenny,” His gaze swung towards his daughter, “can just take me home, where I can clean up some. Then it’ll be fine. Fallen before, like I said; never hurt bad once. Never had to go to no hospital, and I’m not starting now.”
    “Yeah,” Jenny replied sarcastically, getting irritated at his obstinate attitude. “And we don’t want to break the record now, do we?”
    Her dad continued to sulk, huddled on the ground, broken and bleeding.
    “Stubborn as a damn mule,” Maude interjected flatly under her breath to Jenny, shaking her head.
    “A weekend coming up to rest, and I’ll be good as new Monday. Take my word for it, Maude. Jenny, take me home.”
    “Go ahead, Jenny, take the old codger home, if that’s what he wants. Can’t talk no sense into old fools.”
    Jenny stood up and helped her dad to his feet. He moaned, and she felt his full weight shift onto her. He was in pain, and they both knew it, but she’d begun to suspect something else.
    “You two have done enough work for today.” Maude took his other arm. She helped walk the invalid to the car. “Looks like we might be getting some rain here soon anyway.”
    Thick, angry looking clouds were scudding in, and the wind had the taste of water in it. It had come in so sudden.
    “I’ll clean up things for you; put your scrapers, paint, and brushes on the porch when I’m through...ready for Monday.”
    Jenny slid grateful eyes to her old friend. “We’d appreciate that a lot, Maude. Thanks.”
    She helped her dad into the passenger’s seat, and she got into the driver’s side. Through the open window, she promised Maude, “We’ll be here extra early Monday morning. We’ll make up the lost time.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Maude said. “Take this.” She slipped a piece of folded paper out of her pocket into Jenny’s hand, whispering so her father wouldn’t hear.
    “In case he decides to go to the hospital anyway, or if you two need it.” She winked.
    By the feel of it, it was a check. “Thanks,” Jenny whispered back, warmly squeezing Maude’s wrinkled hand. It was all she could think of to say.
    Jenny started the car and pulled out onto the road before she popped the obvious question. “You don’t have medical coverage, do you?” It wasn’t accusatory, merely a statement of fact.
    A few moments of heavy silence. Jenny looked over at her father. He was leaning against the seat, his eyes clenched shut in pain. His face drained.
    “Nope.”
    The scratches, bites, whatever they were on his neck, were vivid red,