Page 27 of Threads of Fate

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 hissoul 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?—andreallyprays.

***

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 hecansolve: 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.”

---