three
Milton's eyes flutter open, his mind foggy with sleep and his body cozy and warm beneath the blankets. He felt so warm, so safe wrapped up with his face tucked into a pillow.
Sniffing quietly, Milton lifts his head a little, attempting to wriggle only to receive a twinge of pain down his arm and leg. He lets out an involuntary whimper, only for something, or rather someone, to gently shush him, a hand coming down to brush against his hair.
"Hey, you're okay. The pain meds must be wearing off a little." Cal sits on the bed, much like he had before, a small bottle of medicine in one hand.
The bedside table has another bottle, one filled with warm water with a dash of brown sugar, carefully heated and stirred by Aldric himself.
He was out at the moment, collecting things from the store that they didn't have at the pack house.
Things like step stools and seat cushions they could stack up to act like a booster seat for the poor thing.
It wasn't until they'd finished putting together the spare room that both Aldric and Callum realised that since Milton was human, well, he was quite a bit smaller than the rest of the pack house.
Sure, they had stools and highchairs he could use, but they were for babies and toddlers. Aldric doubted Milton would be very happy about being strapped into a highchair just so that he could sit at the dinner table.
"Here, let's get you seated and then we can give you some more pain medicine." Callum leans over, gently taking Milton and setting him upright against the pillows and tucking the blankets back up against him.
"You feeling okay? You're comfortable?"
Milton blinks at him, nodding slowly. To him the small man had a kind face, pretty blue eyes and soft fluffy hair, but that wasn't what had him staring. It was the look of pure adoration, the concern across his brow. No one had ever looked at him like that.
"Here." Cal takes a spoon he brought with him, and gently tips some of the liquid from the medicine bottle onto it, careful not to spill any on the sheets. "This will help with the sore spots."
Milton doesn't even think twice when Callum holds it up to his lips, still focused on the deep concern across this stranger's face. Here he was, lying in a comfortable bed, surrounded by blankets and pillows, and this man was doting on him, caring for him.
"I also brought you something warm to drink. I know it's in a bottle, but we weren't sure how strong you'd be feeling. You've been through a lot."
Cal reaches for the bottle next, bringing it to Milton's lips as he groggily swallows the offered medicine and lets Callum guide the bottle into his mouth. The sweet taste soothing his throat and settling warmly into his stomach.
He hums in delight, and Callum smiles sweetly, lifting his other hand to run it once again through Milton's hair.
"I know you don't know me, and- and things might be a bit strange, but I want you to know that I'll always take care of you, okay?"
Milton was too focused on the sweet drink and the warm fuzzy feeling that was overlapping his body, the medicine soothing all his aches and pains as his mind falls slowly back into that comfy sleepiness he was in once before.
Once Milton falls back to sleep, Callum carefully moves him back to his previous position, taking care not to jostle the boy. He was so light, all skin and bones. His scent still smelt sickly, but with all the blankets around him, he was beginning to smell more like pack; more like him and Aldric.
"He's still asleep?"
Cal turns to see his husband at the door, arms crossed over as usual, a soft smile on his face.
"He just fell asleep actually. He woke up in pain, so I gave him a bit more medicine."
Aldric steps over, picking up the medicine bottle to read it. "Isn't this for wolf pups?"
"Yeah, it is. The doctor prescribed it. It's stronger than the human stuff but it's still made for... well, babies, so it should help him."
There's a pause as they both watch the boy sleep. The gentle rise and fall of his chest soothing to the two wolves.
"My love," Aldric begins, his voice low and soothing. "I know that we've been wanting this for a long time, but are you sure... you're ready for it?"
Callum frowns. "How can I not be? He's- he's all alone and he needed someone to care for him."
Aldric pulls Callum from the bed, guiding him to face himself, hands on his arms. "There are plenty of other families in our pack that can take care of him—"
"You want me to give him up?"
Aldric purses his lips, hands running up and down his small mate's arms. They'd been through so much already.
They'd lost who they were for months. Aldric watched for days on end as his mate fell into pieces before him, and there had been nothing he could do.
Both of their hearts had been broken, was he really prepared to watch his mate go through it all over again?
What Callum didn't know was that there was still a chance Milton might not make it. His meeting with Alpha Henry was to go through some of the things in his medical file that the doctor had neglected to share with them before.
There was more to his injuries than a concussion and a dislocated shoulder.
The boy had several breaks in his arms and legs.
All of which healed incorrectly and needed to be reset if he ever wanted to move correctly.
The damage to his brain was severe, and the doctor was worried that it would affect Milton's motor function, speech, muscle control, everything.
He had damage to his organs too, his heart being the most worrying.
It's why he had been absolutely livid with their Alpha.
He'd given them a chance to be parents again, yet there was such a high chance that he wouldn't even make it and their hearts would be crushed once again.
How could he do that to them? How could he give them something and take it away?
He was their Alpha, their leader and friend.
He was supposed to be their family, yet here he was jeopardising their wellbeing. And what for?
Aldric sighs. "I just worry. He's a human, Cal, he might not make it."
"What do you mean?"
He gently squeezes Callum's arms, holding him tightly. "I was talking to Alpha, and he... he didn't tell us everything."
"What?"
He could see the panic building in his mate's eyes, the worry seeping into the shape of his lips. Henry didn't want him to tell Cal, but how could he not? He was his mate, his love, his husband. He couldn't keep the truth from him.
"He won't ever be able to function normally, not with how damaged his body is. The trauma he went through is- it may be too much for him to handle."
Tears well up in Callum's eyes, but he bites his lip and swallows the lump in his throat. He would not cry. He would not.
"No, he's going to be fine—"
"Cal—"
"No! No, we're keeping him. I don't care if he's sick or if he- he doesn't make it. I'm not giving up on him just because..." he chokes on his words and pulls away from Aldric, but his mate is quick to pull him into a hug.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you, but it would kill me if I had to watch your heart break all over again."
Callum sniffs, grabbing onto Aldric, fingers digging into his love's back as they embrace.
"This is different." His voice is muffled in Aldric's shirt, but he doesn't dare pull his face away. "My heart isn't going to break this time."