CHAPTER TWENTY
Lero
Heartville
“If you’re here to tell me to stop babying him again…..” I started but my grandsire shook his head.
“No, keep babying him. Well, in most things, but you’ve got to let him do physical therapy. It’s hard and he’s going to get mad and you have to let him be mad sometimes.”
“Is this going to be another conversation about trauma?” I asked. “I grew up surrounded by the people and the literature.”
“No, I know you’re informed, Lero. I also know that it’s harder to put it into practice than to read about it in theory.
What I wanted to ask is, how do you feel about another ultrasound?
After Vallis finishes up physical therapy it might be a nice reward for him.
He knows you’re pregnant. He’s seen the blood work and the sonograms but sometimes when you’re stuck in survival mode things seem abstract.
Hell, for some non-traumatized alphas pregnancy seems abstract. ”
“You don’t have to convince me to do an ultrasound. Is it really for Vallis or are you worried about something?”
“I’m not worried about the baby,” my granddad shook his head.
“It’s time for a checkup, though, and I thought we’d take out a few birds with one stone.
I know this part of the true-mate response.
You’re more likely to do things if you think it directly benefits the other.
They’ve done studies on this and in alphas, single alphas with no mate – true or chosen – and no kids have slower recovery times.
Omegas with young kids have the quickest.”
“In the wild, no one comes to save us,” I said.
“Well, you’re not in the wild and you had four relatives go on a rescue mission.”
“How’s Mori doing?”
“He’s back home getting things ready for his trip to London.
He’s not leaving just yet, but he will in a few weeks.
They’re taking a ship because the egg has grown taller than I am and Nic doesn’t want to risk a plane or an ocean pass off because flying across the Atlantic without resting isn’t probable. ”
“What about the Other World gateways?” I asked, arching both my eyebrows up high onto my forehead.
“I asked the same thing but Nic’s afraid that the Other World will mess with the baby somehow. I don’t think it would but it’s not my call. That’s between Nic and Mori and they’re both grieving.”
“Yep. The day Sharon kidnapped her, she took a good ally from us all,” Grandad nodded.
“How are you holding up about it all?” I asked.
He grinned at me, “I’ll be alright. I’m not the pregnant bear.”
“You’re not a bear at all and you didn’t answer my question.”
“It reminded me of when Lotus died. They’re taking her back to London for a proper funeral too. She’s draconic. So she’ll hold and it’s disturbing to think of her…”
“In two places? Like she’s in her body, but you also saw her leave and go to somewhere she’s safe now?” I asked.
“You’re way too insightful for someone so young,” he chuckled.
“No, I’m not. I had to deal with that duality while Vallis was invisible only neither part of him was fully safe,” I whispered.
“He is now,” he nodded. “That’s the important thing.”
“Thanks for going ---” I started but Granddad shook his head.
“He’s family just as much as you are, Lero. We do what we can for family.”
“I know but I still think saying thank you is the right call,” I said.
“Maybe, but I’m not a hero. Neither are your dads. We’re doing what fathers should do for their children. For as long as I’m alive, I have your back, kiddo. That’s a promise.”
I hugged him, feeling like the big bad world was a little less big and a little less bad with him in it.
It was strange to think that in less than a year, I’d be a dad too.
I sort of always got it. The world was full of assholes and monsters.
Now, it went deeper than that. Now, I knew, I’d fight pit hounds wielding only dull butter knives with all my claws shaved off if it was the only way to protect my baby.