20. Suffering
Suffering
Dakota
G rady was waiting for me in the kitchen when I returned after dropping Jasper off. “We can manage, you know.”
I rolled my eyes because the man was visibly shivering, sweating and looked as pale as snow, a color I’d never seen on a healthy shifter. “Now you don’t have to. You and Trey can get better, and I can focus on Angelica. Make sure you all get the care that you need.”
“But why?”
Restraining another eye roll was getting painful.
“Because despite what you two think of me, I love my mate and our family. He cares about you both and while you’ve put him in a difficult position, he showed me earlier where he stands.
That’s with me. I think you both being here gave him the push to admit his feelings and complete the bond, so really, I should be thanking you. ”
Grady looked down at the cup in his hands. “I’m sorry.”
I looked at him, confused. “What for?”
“For how we’ve been acting. You have to understand, Jas and Angel were ours to protect for years. The bond we have now, they’re like family. Angel especially, since we can’t have our own.”
“You’d want that?” Honestly, it surprised me he would admit that.
I had this image of them in my mind that didn’t fit with a family.
Betas, in my experience, were like that.
They fought hard to protect omegas and keep all of us safe.
It was why so many betas ended up as enforcers or working for the shifter council somehow.
Alphas, though in demand, were needed with their omegas to keep a steady birth rate.
Not that it was working since year after year, fewer shifters were born.
He met my eyes. “I’ve wanted nothing more.”
His pain and longing were clear. “I wish there was a way that you could have that, really I do. It must hurt seeing it come so easily for us. This baby… while it was unexpected, he’s wanted.”
“He, huh?”
“So Angel says.”
His smile was genuine at the mention of my daughter, though it fell at his next words.
“Babies just aren’t in the cards for us.
We could adopt and we might in a few years.
” He looked back down at the near empty cup.
“I’m sorry for bringing the sickness here.
The council is aware it’s here and is initiating quarantines for betas.
We aren’t to travel out of our packs for the time being. It means you’re stuck with us for now.”
Everything was moving too fast. I’d just gotten Jasper, and now we were separated. “I don’t mind.” Not any more. “There’s no proof it was you. Rumors of the sickness have been going around for weeks. It’s just our turn to have it. With luck, it passes quickly and no actual harm is done.”
“Yeah, I hope so.” He got up, putting the now empty cup next to the sink. “I’m going to go check on Trey.”
The younger man shuffled over to the stairs and began to climb.
My feet were moving before my brain could catch up, grabbing him as his body went limp halfway up.
I struggled to shift him into my arms properly.
While the stairs weren’t narrow, they weren’t wide enough to adjust my hold on him properly.
Thankful for my bear’s strength, I hoisted him up the stairs and along the hallway to the room he shared with his mate.
“Grady?” Trey couldn’t speak above a whisper.
“Passed out. I think he’s been overdoing it looking after you both today.” I carefully laid Grady down on the bed next to Trey. The blond moved closer to his passed out mate, trying to rouse him.
“He’s sick too, isn’t he?” He gently traced the lines of Grady’s face. The two men had been difficult guests at the best of times, but their love for each other, Jasper and Angelica too, was perfectly clear.
“You all are.” I didn’t want him to hold the guilt that Grady did over the illness. “At least two, maybe three betas at the house too, before you start about bringing it here.”
“But we could have.”
I shrugged. It was possible they had. Or it could have already been here. “Maybe, but it was coming for us.”
Trey, with great effort on his part, helped me strip Grady down to his underwear and get him under the covers. I made sure they both had some water and went to check on Angel.
“Daddy, I don’t feel well.” My Angel complained as I approached the bed.
“I know, sweetheart. Your fox should help you feel better soon, then you can get back to playing with your friends.”
“Daddy, where’s Papa?”
Repeating the conversation she had with Jasper, I worried she was worse than I’d thought. She shouldn’t be so confused after only being ill for a couple of hours. Jasper and I hadn’t been in Northarbor all that long when we’d gotten the call that she was ill.
“I’m just going to call your grandad, okay, sweetheart?”
Angelica had drifted off to sleep again. My gut told me this wasn’t right. Sleep was healing, but this sickness was working too fast. I slipped into my room and made the call.
“Hello, son.” My dad rarely answered the phone himself. “Your Papa is setting an I.V.”
“For who?” The question slipped out unbidden.
“You know I can’t answer that. Patient confidentiality and all. We are treating some of the sick betas up at the main house.”
“Everyone is sick here.”
“I heard. Your Papa promised your mate that we would check in on you all in a few days.” Jasper.
My heart warmed that even while he wasn’t here, he was still trying to take care of us.
“Dad, I’m worried. Grady passed out trying to go upstairs.
Trey hasn’t left the bed since he became ill.
The worst is that Angel doesn’t remember video chatting with Jasper. She asked me where he was.”
Dad let out a curse. The action was so shocking to me I nearly dropped my phone.
“Son, this is moving faster than I thought possible. Give them as much fluid as you can. The fever burns hotter than any I’ve known.
If they were human, I think we would have lost some already.
” There were sounds on the other side of the line.
“Your papa says that we will be there to give I.V. lines tomorrow. If they worsen through the night, call us and we will come straight over.”
My parents would run themselves ragged, caring for all the sick betas. I knew that with certainty. I wouldn’t call them unless circumstances were dire. Angel was young and healthy before this. There were remedies I could try if need be.
Ending the call to my dad with promises to call back if things got much worse, I then called Poppy’s shop and asked for a care package to be delivered with remedies and poultices that I could use on my daughter. Since Grady liked tea, I ordered some healing ones for him and Trey.
Poppy’s assistant delivered them quickly, with careful instructions for their use.
I was grateful to the witch for that as I used tonics and tinctures.
I roamed the house, unable to stay still as the hours passed.
The remedies showed signs of working and allowed me a chance to get a couple of hours’ rest, but by morning I was bone tired.
Wary of being out of earshot, I stayed in bed, my bedroom door open so that I could hear our guests or Angel.
Regular texts to Jasper weren’t cutting it.
I missed my mate. His scent. His laugh. Everything about him.
This house hadn’t been a home until he and Angel had moved in.
It wasn’t just bothering me, I knew the distance was hard on him, too.
He had the added problem of being away from Angelica.
His omega instincts were likely pulling at him to come home and protect his child.
The front door opened, my bear on alert at the sound.
“Just us, son.” Dad called. He sounded as weary as I felt.
Shoving on some sleep pants, I went downstairs and breathed a sigh of relief at both of my parents bustling around the kitchen, a bakery box on the counter, and the smell of coffee permeating the room.
Papa scanned me quickly and pulled me into a tight hug. “You’re doing your best,” he reassured me.
“I checked on them all a couple of hours ago. They all took the remedies that Poppy’s shop sent. They seem to have helped some.”
“What’s in them?” Dad inquired.
I passed him the sachets of tea for him to read the ingredients. He took a couple of sniffs of the poultice and made a thoughtful sound. “Not bad. James,” he called to Papa, “we need to get The Spell Shop to send us more of this. It’ll help.”
“How bad is it at the house?” I asked.
“Let’s just say that I’m relieved we’ve evacuated all pregnant omegas from the area. We can’t afford to lose babies or birthing parents. The betas… they’re dropping like flies. Every hour there seems to be a fresh case.”
Papa looked pale. “Are you okay?” I asked, wrapping him in another hug. He didn’t speak, just sent a look at my dad.
“Your Papa is exhausted, we both are, but his omega instinct to protect and care for the pack has really done a number on him. Once this is all done, I’m taking him for a holiday somewhere. Isn’t that right, my love?” Papa nodded against my chest. I’d thought he’d fallen asleep standing up.
“Why don’t you have breakfast, check the patients and then have a nap? I’ll change the sheets on my bed for you.”
“Would you mind? I fear it isn’t safe for us to drive home and this heat is too much for us to walk.
” While Dad sipped at his coffee, I went and turned the air conditioning up and cleared my bedroom for my parents.
Making up a pallet for myself on Angelica’s floor sounded like a better idea than trying to sleep another night alone, and they appeared as I was finishing up.
Papa’s eyes looked to be filled with approval and it warmed something in my chest to see it.
There would never come a time when I didn’t want that man’s respect.