Victor felt as though something were binding him. He started to struggle. His arms flew and someone grabbed his arms, pressing them against his chest, calling his name.

That scent. Victor recognized that scent. [Eric scent]. He relaxed immediately.

"Victor, it's okay, you're okay. We're safe now. The baby is safe now."

Victor melted into the bed, Eric's words a calming balm to his soul. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but his mouth was dry. 

"Do you want a sip of water?" Eric asked?

Victor's stomach rebelled at trying to swallow anything. He shook his head.

"How about just a wet cloth to suck on?"

Victor wasn't sure he could handle even that, but he needed something to wet his mouth, so he nodded.

Eric left him momentarily, and Victor nearly called out for him to come back, afraid that he'd lost the man entirely when he lost his touch. But he opened his eyes just a sliver and watched as Eric went about wetting a cloth. He settled at Victor's side again and pressed the cloth to Victor's lips. Victor sucked gently, doing his best to keep the moisture on his tongue and not trickling back to his throat.

"I'm sore," he finally croaked at Eric.

Eric smiled in relief. "I wouldn't expect much different. Half a building nearly fell on top of us."

"Your pack?" Victor asked. He didn't have the energy for extra words.

Eric nodded. "The cavalry to the rescue. Not the attack on our portion of the building, thankfully. I already chewed them out about that, but it turned out that Gecko Labs tried to destroy the evidence rather than let us escape."

"The others?"

Eric looked down at his hands and picked up one of Victor's caressing the back of his thumbs. "Almost everyone escaped. Bob is safe. We lost five shifters, total."

He was avoiding something... a name... someone was conspicuously absent from his report. "Will?"

Eric shook his head. I waited to feel... something. Grief. Anger. I felt nothing. Why did I feel so empty? Had the Letters broken me at last?

"I'm sorry," Eric whispered. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't Victor's fault. It wasn't Will's fault. That lay on the Letters, but Victor couldn't find it in himself to care much at the moment.

"Where?"

"Where are we? Alpha Williams's house. After what happened with Dr. Delaney, they moved his office to a couple of the spare rooms, and that's where you are. He says you and the baby will do fine now, but you'll have to stay here the rest of the pregnancy."

Victor nodded. 

"Are you tired?" Eric stood and smoothed the bed sheets. "I'll let you get some rest."

Victor shook his head and raised his arms. 

"Are you sure? You're not too sore."

"Come, alpha," Victor grumbled, his exhaustion making him sound more demanding than he intended. 

Eric slid in next to Victor with a chuckle and a kiss. He wrapped his arms around Victor and his warmth enveloped the omega, ensuring Victor it was safe to let go for a little while.

"I love you," Eric whispered, his words carrying Victor off to sleep.

* * *

The next time Victor woke, he felt strong enough to sit up, and he had a visitor.

"How's our soon-to-be father?" Brand said. Eric looked up to his omega and came to his side, taking his hand.

Victor scarcely recognized Brand. The last time they'd seen each other, Brand had been extremely pregnant and in regular clothes, not this doctor's coat.

"How's your baby?" Victor blurted. He had to know that someone else who had been pregnant under the Letters' care had survived, even if Brand had only been there for a short time.

"Growing like a weed," Brand said, and Victor felt as if someone had just turned on the heater in his soul. "How are you feeling? You were looking pretty rough when you came in."

"The morning sickness," Victor said. "It was wearing me out."

"Well," Brand said, "from what your mate has said, it is very possible that you've been suffering from hyperemisis gravidarum. Which is a fancy way of saying extreme morning sickness that is endangering your health."

"What does that mean?" Victor asked, squeezing Eric's hand.

"In the long term health of you and your child? Not much. But for the pregnancy, we'll have to keep you connected to a PICC line. That will keep you hydrated and provide all the nutrients you need. The PICC line is safe enough you'd be able to go home if outside circumstances weren't so unstable."

"So... the baby is okay?" Victor asked hesitantly.

"The baby is doing fine," Brand said with a smile. "The baby will always take what they need, even to the detriment of your own. Right now, the baby is so small, they don't need much."

"You keep saying they," Eric interrupted. "Is Victor having twins?"

Brand laughed at the other men's shocked faces. "No, my apologies. I just have an aversion to referring to a child as it before the sex is known. We can run some blood tests soon if you want to know the sex as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can wait to find out at your twenty-week scan or even until birth. Have you decided if you intend to find out?"

Victor and Eric exchanged glances. There were so many things they hadn't had the time or energy to discuss yet. The few weeks they'd been locked in the cell together, Victor had been too exhausted to even consider anything beyond the next few hours, and thinking of a free future had been painful for Eric.

"We have a lot to talk about," Eric finally answered, his eyes not leaving Victor's.

Where would they live? Victor hadn't spoken to his pack since his capture. He'd had no time to consider what he thought about Eric's pack--he knew nothing about them other than that they had saved him. But he supposed that would have to wait until after the baby arrived. 

Eric squeezed his hand and leaned down to kiss his forehead. Victor blinked his eyes closed, realizing how tired he still was. They had a lot to discuss. But perhaps that could wait a while. Eric snuggled in next to him again as Brand left. If he could spend the rest of his pregnancy in Eric's arms, that was really all that mattered.