Moonlightaholics

This was a challenge to write a turning of a minor character, first person POV and under 1000 words.
This is from the POV of Dr. Jeffrey Pollock.
Disclaimer: Moonlight doesn’t belong to me. I know. But I don't make any money with it.


Driving at night is a calming experience for me. I like my night shifts just for the part of getting there. There is fewer traffic around, which is a blessing in itself if you live in LA. I don’t turn on the radio, I just enjoy the cool night and the quiet. Today was no exception.

I was a bit concerned because of the pain medication I had been given. I came from an appointment at the dentist to get a molar extracted. Tomorrow, after the bleeding stops, I will get a new one inserted into the bone. And I was advised not to drive, and not to go to work, but I had to take a shift for a friend. Well, it wasn’t brain surgery, was it? Just on call at Internal.

Suddenly I startled out of my thoughts, as the car before me, which was a bit too fast, swerved and then ran a person over before I could even blink. Instead of stopping, the car drove on. It was a silver car, but I did get neither number nor model.

Instantly I stopped my car, actuated the warning lights and ran over to the man lying in the middle of first and main.
„Sir, sir can you hear me? Sir? Are you allright?“

He was probably 50 years old, sparse hair, thin. He was lying on his back, unmoving. Probably internal bleeding, surely a concussion. I kneeled down and searched for the pulse.

„Everything’s gonna be allright. I’m a doctor.
I’m just gonna feel your neck a little bit, okay?“

He coughs up. His blood gets into my mouth, but I am too busy searching for his pulse and too confused about not finding any when he clearly is alive to care. I am not squeamish with bodily fluids, else I wouldn’t be a doctor.

„Stay with me, come on!“ I frantically search for his heartbeat, there is none. I am at a loss what to do? CPR only works when the person is clearly unconscious, you know. Which happens normally when you don’t have a heartbeat. But this man is lying there and is clearly conscious, just has his eyes closed.

If I thought this was odd when he had his eyes closed, I wasn’t prepared for what happened when he opened them.

I have only time to notice his eyes are silverblue and gleaming, when he lunges up at me, takes my head and shoulders into a dead grip that defies a dying man and bites me hard into my neck.

Hell, that hurts. What happens here? Why does he do that? Does he have a mental problem? Is he confused because of the accident? But he seems to know exactly what he does. There is some kind of snarl, then a growl, and then an almost content purr against my acromioclavicular.
The blood loss is enormous. When did we switch places here? I am the doctor, he should be bleeding to death. Or shouldn’t. As I was about to help him.

My thoughts become muffled. I have cardiac arrhythmia. A man can only loose 40% of his blood before he faints. How much did he take? And why doesn’t he throw up? Noone can tolerate to drink even their own blood.

Everything fades away. Blackness envelops me.

It must be later. I am lying on the concrete, a mirror image of the accident victim I tried to help. I get up, my limbs feel different. I need to run.

I am running through the city, restless, not knowing what to do. It is dark. It is too hot. The city is too loud. Something is wrong. Why didn’t I get back into the car?

I am so hungry.

I think I read this a long while back. That was one of the saddest episodes. There could be no saving the poor doctor or his wife. You did a great job putting the reader in his place. I hope when the doc and his wife are reunited, she'll forgive him. Penina

Just had to do a re-read on this one. Your perspective on Dr. Pollock is excellent! I feel so bad for him!! Excellent POV!!!!

mitzie

Thank you, Penina and mitzie. It's such a nice surprise when something old pops up in the Active Topics again. Thanks for reading and commenting.

Francis, I don't think I ever read this before. It's really good. I love the way you take these minor characters and give them voices. Jeffrey Pollack was really a tragic character. A person with everything to live for, a man who loved his wife, had a good life, cared for people as his job and his avocation. And then he stopped to help a victim of a hit and run... and life was over.

I wonder if the flames of that incinerator were welcome oblivion to him...or if he was too far gone to even know what he'd lost by that point.

Thank you, allegrita. You will get your answer to that question in part 3.

Wow, francis... how did I miss this?

You have developed quite the knack for taking characters I DON"T CARE about, and wrapping them in stories about themselves that I do!

Thank you so much, grace. So you didn't care for Pollock before?

If only.

I have often thought that Doctor Polluck would have been a real asset to the community if there was a way to reach back to the person he was before the turning. The few details we got about him painted him as a responsible, caring person and a good person.

Thanks for fleshing out the details. You do that so wonderfully!