The Bite Takes Shape of the Person

Dr. Reuben Camacho took a sip of hot chocolate as he walked up his clinic's steps. It was a calm, dry evening out here in bustling, growing city of Elks Grove, Nevada. He looked to his right and saw the tall Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. His smile went away as he went looking through his pocket for the keys. Giving up, he turned the doorknob as he remembered that Maddy already opened up the clinic.

As he walked in, a strand of his long lusciously brown hair flipped in front of him. A quick puff of air blew it back over his head. Inside, he saw three patients waiting for him. A woman wearing a black miniskirt and stockings looked at her smartphone. She rubbed her jaw slightly. After another quick glance he realized that he never saw her before. To the left of her sat a man in a dingy brown suit. He looked sweaty and uncomfortable. Reuben noticed that he was more than a bit overweight as well. He smiled as the doctor walked in and Reuben smiled back. The smile had given him the best clue as what was ailing him. For Reuben's clinic was not an ordinary clinic. It mainly served a dynamic clientele.

"Documents are already at your desk, " said Maddy as she pointed to his office.

"Thanks Maddy, " he said to his secretary and assistant, a friendly woman from Nebraska who's been with the clinic even before he took it over.

Reuben took another sip of his drink after he sat down and booted up his computer. He opened the first folder and read through what Maddy had gotten on the patient. {It's Gregg again. Damnit Gregg!} thought Reuben. {Thought we'd been over this already! Now look at you!}

Reuben pressed the intercom button and said, "Mr. Eggerston, please come in."

Gregg Eggerston entered the clinic as Reuben put on his gloves. The rash on his neck was a giveaway that Maddy had noted in her files. "I ain't feeling well, doc, " said Gregg.

"I noticed, " Reuben said as he stood up and Gregg sat down on the observation table. "Still need to be sure, though." He looked at Gregg's hair and noticed some hair fall off his hair. {Strike one}. A closer look at the rashes on Gregg's neck revealed some brown sores. {Strike two}. "Say 'Ahh!'" said Reuben as he looked at the man's mouth.

"Ahh…" Reuben immediately noticed some red patches in the man's mouth. Two at both sides of the lips and two on the gums above the fangs. Strike three.

"OK, close." Reuben took off his gloves. "Mr. Eggerston, you have Syph."

"Syphilis?" Mr. Eggerston responded. "Damn that sucks."

"Look, sir, " Reuben said as he went into lecture mode. "We've been over this before. Just because you're immortal doesn't mean you can't get sick nor does being infertile mean you don't need condoms."

"But I like it raw…" moaned Mr. Eggerston.

"You really shouldn't do it unprotected with new partners, Mr. Eggerston."

"Well it's hard to carry protection when flying."

"You can keep it in your wallet. You don't lose that when flying."

"OK, fine. Should I take antibiotics?"

Reuben opened the window. "While your immortality is the cause of this problem, it is also the cure. I want you to fly around the city for an hour."

"That's it?" Gregg asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Bats don't get syphilis. Not human syphilis, anyway. Your bat mode will kill off the bacteria."

"Thanks doc!" Gregg said as he stood up and faced the window. scrrupt! He quickly transformed, his body sucked into his bellybutton and inverted out, forming a larger than average bat. It quickly flapped its wings and flew away into the night.

"I'll text you the fee!" shouted Reuben as the patient flew away.

Reuben walked to the desk and pressed the intercom button. "Next patient."

In walked a man in his late 40s. He wiped sweat from his brow as he quickly sat down. "Doc, my wife's been bugging me all week to come see you."

"I'll bet." He looked at the file on the man. "You've been complaining of chest pains and exhaustion."

"Yeah. It's been a tough month at the job. Lotta nutty calls. I thought it was anxiety at first."

"How long have you been a-"

"Vampire? Six years now."

"I knew that already. What I meant was at your job."

"Also six years. It was a lucky year for me."

"I wasn't living here at the time, but didn't half of Tan Town burn down in the Thomas fire? I vaguely saw it on CNN."

"I remember that. I got hired after the fire."

Reuben steered the conversation back, "Then what do you eat most days?"

"Lasagna- my wife's an excellent cook. Chicken burgers from Mom's Touch. And a salad."