Troy's exhaustion had not been lost on her. She had seen the way his body seemed to tire, his pulse quickened and his blood pressure lowered. He was exhausted and he would need rest and recuperation to regain his strength. She would not feed from him tonight â€" not even out of pleasure for them both. He needed all his blood today and she would not rob him of it. However, she sorely wished that he was like her and could simply drink blood and regain his strength. Unfortunately, it was not that easy for him.

By the time she had gathered the medical supplies, she found him standing in the kitchen drinking some Gatorade. She offered him a soft smile, a way to reassure him that she understood what had been taken from him tonight. However, she needed his help now. While her bullet wound might not be fatal, if it was left to fester she would grow weaker overtime. It had to be removed.

When she asked him to remove the bullet, he didn't exactly seem thrilled, but he also didn't balk at her suggestion. He simply took the box of supplies and headed towards the table. She went into the kitchen, grabbing a wooden spoon, knowing that what was about to commence would hurt. She did not want to risk biting Troy out of pain and in a way that she could not control. She had to protect him too.

Slowly she eased back towards the table and slid into the seat. She took a deep breath before she looked back up to Troy. "I'm ready." The sting of the alcohol caused her to hiss, her fangs extending full force. The burn of the alcohol was uncomfortable, but it was something that had to be done. She didn't want infection to set in.

When he handed her the bottle, she quickly drank a heaping serving, probably equivalent to three or four shots. The alcohol burned on the way down, but surely it would help to ease the pain as well. Taking the wooden spoon, she placed it between her teeth, biting down hard on the wood.

The moment the tweezers entered the wound, she immediately felt as if the world had gone black. The pain was intense and she could not help the scream that emitted from between her lips. She tried hard to hold back the cries of pain, knowing that her daughter was asleep on the other side of the house, but there was only so much she could hold back. The noise attracted some of her staff, but one glare at them sent them away without asking any questions. They new better than to get in their employer's business.

As soon as the bullet was removed, she collapsed against the table, the pain completely overwhelming. It only took a moment for her to come to as she looked up at Troy and spit out the wooden spoon. "Thank you." While he asked about the bullet, she pressed some gauze to the wound until the bleeding began to slow. "I don't mind." Under normal circumstances she might have more to say on the matter, but her body was drained â€" just as his had been.

She placed two small steri-strips over the wound to keep it closed before covering it with a piece of clean gauze. Reaching into the medical box, she grabbed a tegaderm and pealed it off the paper and placed it over the gauze to adhere the gauze to the wound. She would change the dressing tomorrow and hope that it would begin healing.

Slowly, she pushed herself off the chair and slowly walked towards the blood warmer. Opening it, she browsed her selections, settling on a mild A- blood that had been infused with healing properties. Pouring some into a glass, she drank the liquid quickly before placing the glass on the counter. Her body was completely exhausted. She felt drained â€" she hadn't felt this drained in a long time.