Chapter Eleven Gideon
Gideon
Gideon usually loves Sundays. They’re reserved for family now that the restaurant is thriving, and he has a great staff to carry some of the load. They had been curious when he’d called to say he wasn’t going to be available for the foreseeable future, but his house manager and assistant chef stepped up without question. It’s a relief that he isn’t as indispensable as he’d once thought. Perhaps it’s time to see if he can reduce his hours further if things continue to go well. He’s been feeling antsy of late; like he needs to be doing something new. Like change is coming.
Sliding his phone into his pocket, he lets his mind drift while waiting for the others to wake. The faint hum of activity from the staff’s morning shift change filters through the quiet, unsettling enough to stir most of them from sleep.
As groggy murmurs fill the room, he hands out a change of clothes to those already awake. Leo slips away quietly, phone in hand, to make a few calls, his expression focused and unreadable. LRH’s Ripley Records manager had been blowing up Jay’s phone. No doubt, Leo will be thinking about putting a stop to that this morning.
Meanwhile, Finn and Luca declare themselves in charge of coffee and breakfast, their shared mission sparking a brief smile. The two disappear into the hall with the sound of Luca’s cheerful chatter trailing behind them.
Jay is still asleep on the couch while Grayson and Rowan occupy an annoyingly large spot right in the middle of the floor, in the makeshift nest they’d made to settle Luca last night. Leo had spent precious minutes thinking ahead yesterday and packed two large bags with every scented blanket from their pack nest. Gideon is grateful, and it’s one more way they work so well together to take care of their mates.
Nurse Hannah pops her head in, and like he’s got a sixth sense where Nix is concerned, Jay is vertical in seconds, with bedhead and pillow marks on his face to show for a few hours’ rest. “Jay? Could I see you? You may want to bring someone. I find a second set of ears is usually helpful.”
There is no question among their mates that Gideon will join Jay, but Gideon stops their leader from leaving without, at minimum, a washed face and a change of shirt.
Nix’s room is full of sunshine, curtains wide open, and the small slivers of Nix’s skin that Gideon can see around the bandages are glowing. His new mate will be even more beautiful when he’s well and safely home with them. But Hannah’s face is serious, and Gideon can tell something is wrong. He hates that this is the first he’s seen of his mate. The smell of sickness is strong, and Gideon’s wolf starts pacing and whining. The heat from the fever burns his nose; while over it, there’s a subtler scent of decay, and Gideon futilely hopes Jay can’t smell it.
Because their mate is dangerously ill.
The nurse addresses her patient instead of them, and Gideon finds he likes her more because of it, “Morning, Nix. Your temperature is sitting around 104°F, and I’m sure you’ll agree that’s too high. So, we’re going to add a second antibiotic post-op as per Dr. Kennedy’s instructions. Your alphas are here, and I am sure they’ve missed you.”
She beckons them farther away from Nix, toward her little corner of the room. Jay introduces him to the nurse, and Gideon masks his impatience with polite niceties he doesn’t feel. Maybe she’s more observant than Gideon gave her credit for as she adds her perfunctory smile.
“Nix has an infection, as expected. Dr. Kennedy will be here during rounds this morning. Most concerning is that his waste output is not as we might expect, given the fluid input. We’ve ordered some further urinalysis and kidney function blood work immediately. Hopefully, we will have those results soon. For now, I’ll just be outside the door if you would like a bit of privacy. Just for a few minutes.” With every word the nurse speaks, Gideon grows more certain that their mate is dying.
Actively. He hasn’t even met him yet, and he already has to say goodbye. There’s a familiar pang in his chest where he feels his connections to all his mates.
Jay makes his way to Nix’s right side, avoiding all of the tubes, wires, and respirator hoses. He leans over their mate and presses his nose to his head, whispering so softly that it’s hard for Gideon to hear him. Then he climbs into the small space on the edge of the bed so he can lie beside him. “Help me, Gideon. Please.” Together, they move Nix as gently as they can so Jay can hold him, one strong arm under his shoulders and the other gently over the top of Nix’s chest before he comes to rest with his nose in Nix’s neck.
Gideon leans over his alpha so he can scent their dying mate, too. Jay alternates between singing lullabies and old country songs as they stay there, Gideon supporting his alpha so he doesn’t fall off the bed—until his back hurts and he’s sure Jay’s arm is asleep, yet they still don’t budge. Hannah comes and goes, and there’s no reminder about the time limits.
Jay’s songs are full of hope and love, prayers of a sort, in their own way. So Gideon turns his mind inwards to that place in his soul or spirit where he feels The Goddess. He’s reminded that since this began yesterday, he has prayed but hasn’t taken the time to find the peace he needs to call on Them. Closing his eyes, he breathes in pine and—is that vanilla?—and really prays.
***
When Riordan arrives, it’s almost 11:00 AM, and they have not moved an inch. Gideon kisses Jay’s cheek to let him know they’re no longer alone and helps him stand, massaging his arm.
He smooths his love’s curls, not giving a fuck if Riordan is watching from the door. Henry Kline is shifting uncomfortably in the hall behind him, which is odd. Gideon and Henry are similar in that they don’t like most people and tolerate those outside their pack only under duress. It would be unlike him to be at the bedside of a friend’s mate.
Their friend enters, exchanges a few quiet words with Hannah, and she leaves, pulling the door closed behind her.
“Morning, Nix. I bring news. Henry?” Riordan moves the extra chair Hannah had found somewhere away from Nix’s bedside and ushers Henry into it. Gideon’s wolf paces at the proximity of his unclaimed mate. Quiet down, dummy.
Jay is tense, and that never bodes well. “Henry, thanks for coming. Is it good news or bad news, Dan?”
“What the fuck is going on?” Gideon hates feeling out of the loop, and the creeping dread that Jay has done something serious without him—or them—knowing makes him confrontational where he might have been at least civil before.
Jay shakes his head. “You can yell at me later. Just let him get it over with.”
Henry opens his bag and pulls out a stack of papers. “The judge approved all our requests. We lucked out, as Judge Cormier has a turned-human mate. He agreed that precedent existed…”
But Gideon had stopped listening. Turned . They wanted to turn Nix without his consent.
“But he can’t consent.” Gideon interrupts the legalese, mind racing with all the ways this can go wrong. “You can’t do this if Nix can’t consent. They’ll put you to death, Jay.”
“We’ve covered all the legal bases.” Jay smells simultaneously anxious and excited despite his impassive expression. Henry covers the court’s decision in detail as Jay begins to shake. This is one problem he can solve: he urges his alpha’s perfect butt into the other chair.
Gideon is still not quite satisfied that they’ve done enough to protect his mates, neither Jay nor Nix. But Riordan’s next words mean none of that matters; there’s no choice at all.
“So, we have the court’s go-ahead. I can’t tell you how glad I am because Nix’s labs are dire. You’ll have to do this soon if you have hope that he’ll come through it. Let’s gather in the waiting room, and I’ll walk your pack through how we’re going to maximize his chances.”
He pats his patient’s right foot and ushers the others out the door. “Back soon, Nix.”
When they arrive in the waiting room, Grayson has a zoned-out Luca in a koala hold, and Leo has his key fob out and their bags in hand. They look like they’re on their way out.
Gideon doesn’t apologize for how their pack supports Luca’s mental health, but forcing him to come around won’t help. “Sorry, honey, you can’t go home right now.”
Stepping closer to Grayson, Gideon rubs a soothing hand down Luca’s back, trying to coax him to focus over Grayson’s shoulder. Luca only clings tighter, letting out soft noises of protest.
“It’s about Nix,” Gideon says gently. “Luca, come on now. Be good for me. Please.”
Grayson sits with Luca in his lap again, taking a juice box from Leo. Together, they coax Luca to drink and nibble on tiny pieces of chocolate donut. Across the room, Rowan is sprawled on the couch, dozing despite the commotion. Finn leans over, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him. The youngest enigma has a talent for sleeping through almost anything—handy on a tour bus, but not ideal in situations like this.
By the time everyone else has settled into their seats—except for Riordan and Henry—Gideon is already stationed by the door. His wolf refuses to rest with outsiders in their den, temporary as the situation may be.
“I’ll get started then. Jay has petitioned the courts to turn Nix without his express consent. How we arranged it is pure genius on my mate’s part, and I cannot tell you that this is the best news we could have had for your Nix today. His health is deteriorating quickly; the combination of injuries is too much for him to overcome without this.”
His mates’ scents sour, almost in sync. Grayson’s eyes are red when he buries his nose in Luca’s cheek. Leo and Finn are holding down a tensed-up Rowan in his seat.
Gideon can’t help but feel like this goes against everything Jay stands for. The alpha has always made consent his priority in every aspect of his life. From playing in their bedroom to letting them take part in the smallest and largest decisions a pack makes. If Jay is considering this, then there must be no other option. He worries that when the dust settles, his leader will be consumed with guilt.
“But the change might kill him too, right?” Rowan sounds unsure. No one wants to think about how this decision could turn into a lose/lose.
“Yes. But without this, he will die. Today or tomorrow, but definitely soon. His most recent labs show his damaged kidney has stopped working entirely, and the other isn’t far behind. There is evidence that fluid has started to collect in his perforated lung. The infection is systemic, and we expect the damaged bowel to be the cause. It’s just a matter of time.” Their friend is sympathetic, yet Gideon appreciates him not pulling his punches.
“Are you giving up? Are we saying goodbye? I’ve not even seen him yet!” Rowan is on his feet, but he lets Leo drag him back down onto the couch.
“Sit, Ro. We aren’t giving up. It’s okay.” Gideon’s tone brooks no argument, and he ignores Rowan’s quiet growl.
Finn stands up and goes to Jay. “I believe in this. If they think science backs this choice, then I do, too.” The others look scared. They’re all raised on the consequences of turning humans without consent, both legally and morally. This is no small decision, even with the risk of death without it. Even with the court’s blessing, it’s hard to rid themselves of the deeply ingrained anxiety.
Finn puts his hand on Jay’s shoulder in support, and despite his initial misgivings, Gideon does the same on the other side.
“If you have any concerns, speak now. We can’t wait any longer.” The serious tone in Gideon’s voice gets their attention, as he knew it would. Gone is the teasing, aloof tone he uses to cajole and motivate, the one he relies on to keep them safe and their pack life running smoothly. Now, he is dead serious, and they respond accordingly.
His mates hold their peace, so Gideon nods and looks at Riordan. “All right, doc. What’s next?”
Less than twenty minutes later, the seven members of the Rhodes pack gather in Nix’s room. Rowan catches his first glimpse of his mate’s bruised face and immediately buries his head against Gideon’s shoulder. Beside them, a subdued Luca and a stoic Finn hold hands, their chins resting on either side of Leo’s strong shoulders.
Grayson remains near the door, his eyes locked on Nix with an intensity Gideon struggles to decipher. At the center of it all, Jay sits by Nix’s side, cradling his wrist and pressing soft, reverent kisses to the unbroken skin.
The room is heavy with silence, each member somber. They are here to bear witness for their pack, knowing this is the moment Jay chooses to end Nix’s human existence, welcoming him into his new life as a Were.
But, Gideon asks himself, is there really any choice at all? Isn’t a chance at a life better than a certain death? Gideon hopes Nix will live to think so.
With one last look at each of his mates, Jay takes Nix’s wrist and bites.
Gideon feels the shift in that place in his mind where The Goddess lives. They had told him not to despair and so he will put his faith in Them because now all they can do is wait.
Please, Goddess, he prays silently. Let this be enough.