Morris was going to lose his damned mind if someone in the hospital didn’t give him news about Jaysan’s condition right the hell now.

He’d come home with Aeron in a great mood, happy to have his family back together, only to find the front door wide open. Concerned, he’d left Aeron in the idling car and approached the house. A stranger’s voice in his kitchen had shocked him into grabbing the nearest vase as a weapon, unsure what he was about to find.

He sure as shit hadn’t expected to find an unfamiliar alpha standing in front of his mate, who’d just been stabbed in the chest. The sight had chilled Morris to the bone, even as his inner alpha reared up and demand he murder the man who’d obviously hurt Jaysan. The only thing that stopped him was the man didn’t run, didn’t attack, didn’t defend himself from Morris’s punch; he seemed as shocked and terrified as Jaysan.

Mikel was under arrest now, the bastard, and Morris wasn’t able to throttle him for thinking he had any right to Jaysan. He’d babbled his story to Morris while they waited for the ambulance, and Morris realized this was the man Jaysan had gone to the day Aeron got sick and Jaysan freaked out.

It wasn’t Morris’s fault the guy got within punching range when Morris put that information together in his head, and his sore knuckles weren’t sorry, either. He’d never punched anyone in the face before, never mind twice in five minutes.

He stopped pacing the surgical waiting room to check on Aeron. Orrin and Alec were there watching the baby, because Morris needed Aeron close by, but Morris was in no shape to care for him. And he’d needed to call them, needed the support. Needed someone there in case the worst happened.

No, don’t think that. He’ll be fine. He has to be fine.

“Morris?”

He spun toward the waiting room door, hope dying when he spotted Tarek and a patrolman, both in uniform. Morris didn’t want to talk to anyone except a doctor, damn it.

“I’m so sorry, man,” Tarek said as he approached. “Has there been news?”

“No.”

“Jaysan is strong. He’ll get through this.”

“It’s not fair. We just mated.” Morris’s throat tightened.

“I know, and I don’t want to stress you out. I just need a quick recitation of what you saw and heard, okay?”

“Since when do you work weekends?” Stupid thing to focus on right now, but whatever.

“I’m filling in for some folks who are sick.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Morris did his best to describe his afternoon. A lot of what was said between punching Mikel the second time and arriving at the hospital was a blur. All he could think about was Jaysan. His mate was in surgery to save his life from that fucking knife, and Morris couldn’t do anything.

“I haven’t told Braun or anyone else about this,” Tarek said once he’d taken Morris’s statement. “Do you want me to?”

“I don’t know.” He was terrified and losing his mind, and he didn’t know if having others there would help or hinder. “You decide.”

“Then I think I’ll make some calls. Can I get you anything? Water?”

“No, I just…I need to know Jaysan is okay.”

“I hear you.” Tarek squeezed his shoulder briefly, before leaving with the patrolman.

Maybe twenty minutes passed before a passel of omegas, plus Ronin, stormed the waiting room. Morris allowed a round of supportive hugs. Braun, Kell, Liam, Brogan, and Jax were all there, and something struck him as off.

“Where are your kids?” Morris asked dumbly.

“My house with a beta friend and Karter Jenks,” Kell replied. “They were over for brunch, and they agreed to watch the pack while we came to support you.”

“And I left Peyton with my guardians,” Brogan added. “Layne, too, because he and Liam were visiting when we got the call.”

“Oh.”

Jax signaled something.

“He asked if you’d heard anything about Jaysan,” Kell translated.

“No.” Morris looked at the doors again, willing a doctor to walk through with good news. “I’m going a little crazy here.”

“I can sympathize, man,” Ronin said. “Remember when Kell had a bad reaction to the heat block? I lost my mind not knowing what was wrong, or if he’d be okay.”

Morris remembered that. They’d had to induce heat and recessed the trial so Kell could go through it with help from Ronin and several of his friends. But Kell hadn’t been stabbed in the chest with a six-inch chef’s knife by a suicidal alpha. Morris didn’t know what Tarek had explained, but he wasn’t being peppered with questions about what happened, and he appreciated that.

“I’m going to get us all some waters,” Brogan said. “You’re stressed and you need to stay hydrated.”

“Okay.” Brogan could do what he wanted; Morris didn’t care.

Aeron started fussing, so Morris went to him. Held his little man close and watched that unhappy face smooth out. “’ant Omi,” Aeron said. “Omi.”

“I know, I want Omi, too.”

Please, goddess, don’t take another parent from this boy. Please.

He played a bit with Aeron and drank the water offered, anything to pass the time. He didn’t know if taking a long time was good or bad, only that waiting was driving him nuts. The omegas kept to themselves, chatting quietly in their seats, occasionally answering texts. Morris let Ronin hold Aeron for a while, when his arms started getting weak. No one offered empty condolences; they came together to create silent support.

Morris was ready to storm the operating room and demand answers when a tall, burly man in blood-stained scrubs walked into the waiting room. “For Jaysan Rowe?” he asked.

“I’m his mate,” Morris said as he stalked over, his insides going squirrely.

“I’m Dr. Francis, and I operated on Mr. Jaysan.”

“Is he alive?”

“Yes, Mr. Rowe, he’s alive.”

Morris didn’t give a crap about the wrong surname. Relief punched him in the gut. “He’s going to be okay?”

“I am cautiously optimistic. The tip of the blade did nick his lung, but other than that, there was no major organ damage. I’m keeping him in ICU overnight so we can monitor his condition, but if all goes well, he can be transferred to a regular room tomorrow.”

The weight of relief that hit him all at once had Morris stumbling sideways. Jax and Kell were there, and they kept him upright.

“Thank you,” Morris rasped. “When can I see him?”

“He’s being settled in Recovery,” Dr. Francis replied. “I’ll have a nurse come get you when you can see him.”

“Thanks.”

Morris barely felt the hugs or back pats from Jaysan’s friends. He kissed Aeron’s forehead, who squealed at him from Ronin’s arms and cried out for Omi. It felt like an eternity before several people greeted a newcomer.

A slim, blond nurse approached Morris, and he seemed familiar. Kell, Braun and Ronin called him Serge. Right, Tarek’s beta friend from brunch. “Ready to see Jaysan?” Serge asked with a gentle smile. “I’ll be with him when he goes up to ICU in a little while, but it’s okay if you want to sit with him until then.”

“Please,” Morris said. “I need to see him.”

“I understand. Follow me.”

Morris did, uncaring of their exact route, focused solely on seeing Jaysan soon. Eventually, they were in a curtained cubicle, and Morris wanted to weep at the sight of his mate. Jaysan lay slightly inclined on a bed too big for him, his skin as pale as the sheets. Wires and tubes, leads and monitors, so many things crowded around him.

“Oh, angel.” He blinked back hot tears as he placed his hand over Jaysan’s cool forehead.

“He’s breathing on his own, and his heart rate is strong,” Serge said. “Jaysan is tough.”

“Yes, he is. Jaysan is amazing.” He leaned down to softly kiss Jaysan’s lips. “Come back to me, my heart.”

“He’ll be in Recovery for a little while, so sit with him. Talk to him. Let him know you’re here, okay?”

“Thank you.” Morris couldn’t look away from his mate’s sleeping face. So many questions about Mikel and what had happened burbled up, but Jaysan had no answers for him yet. And probably not for a while. Morris needed to know both sides of the story, not simply the tearful confessions Mikel had wailed as he was being arrested.

His nose told him Jaysan hadn’t been hurt by Mikel, but he needed to hear it from Jaysan’s own lips. Needed his mate to open his eyes and smile. To show Morris he would be all right.

“You have the best friends,” Morris said. “They’re out there, and they’re waiting for you to wake up. We all need you to be okay. Aeron needs his Omi to tuck him in and tell him stories. He’s asking for you.”

Jaysan slept on.

They moved him to ICU thirty minutes later. Orrin wanted to stay, so Alec took Aeron home so the baby could get some sleep and not be around all the stress. Morris hating losing Aeron, but it was for the best. The other omegas stayed in the ICU waiting room out of solidarity, and they rotated who got to sit with Morris and Jaysan.

ICU gave the illusion of privacy, with the single rooms, but they only had three walls, with the fourth open to a wide nurse’s station. Curtains could be pulled for procedures and stuff, but anyone walking by could look in, and Morris hated that. Enough people had stared at his mate, photographed his mate, taken advantage of his mate. Forty-eight hours in, and Morris had already failed to protect him.

Serge came by to record Jaysan’s vitals.

“How long before he wakes up?” Morris asked.

“It’s difficult to say,” Serge replied. “He isn’t being sedated any longer, but the body knows how long it needs to rest in order to repair. Hopefully, he’ll come back to us soon. Just keep talking to him, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jax was the omega currently sitting with him, which made conversation difficult. Morris only knew a handful of signal language words, and they were pretty basic. After Serge left, Jax passed him a note.

“Would you rather someone who can talk to him be here? I can swap out.”

Morris looked up, surprised by the words. “You don’t have to leave. You’re his friend, too, Jax.

Another note. “Jaysan and I aren’t as close as we could be, and that’s partly my fault. I don’t want to talk about the fight ring, or what happened when one of us beat the other.”

“I don’t blame you, and Jaysan doesn’t like talking about the fight ring either. He tries to live in the present as much as possible, and I don’t blame him. Or any of you guys for not wanting to talk about that.”

“We do in group sometimes. But I regret not being closer to Jaysan. I want that chance going forward.”

“I don’t want to speak for my mate, but I think he’d like that, too.”

At the top of the hour, Jax swapped out for Liam, who hugged Morris before taking the other chair. “Goddess, I remember last summer when Isa was shot,” Liam said in a familiar, ragged voice. “I was so scared, even though I knew it wasn’t fatal. I can’t imagine how you feel waiting for Jaysan to wake up.”

“It’s not a feeling I’d wish on anyone.” Except maybe that Mikel asshat, but whatever. The law could deal with him. All Morris had to do was show up and testify at the trial. “After losing Brody and Morgan last month, I just…I can’t lose Jaysan, too.”

“You won’t. I believe that. All we’re doing is waiting for him to wake up, Morris. That’s all.” Liam told a story involving Layne, Peyton, and a toy with flashing lights neither boy wanted to give up to the other. Little Peyton was an alpha, but omega Layne would not back down, and he’d eventually won control of the toy.

Even Morris was smiling by the end of the story. He truly hoped the newest generation of kids—their offspring—grew up in a freer, more equal society. Respectful alphas, strong omegas, and equally empowered betas.

At some point in the evening, Morris’s stomach gave a mighty growl. Leaving Orrin and Braun with Jaysan, he accompanied Ronin and Kell to the closest cafeteria to eat. Jax and Brogan had gone home to help with the various children, but they promised to come back tomorrow. The hospital had a nursery for the kids to play in during daytime hours.

Morris ate the plate of watery pasta and tomato sauce, not really tasting it, but aware he needed to keep his own strength up. He’d be no use to Jaysan if he passed out from hunger, and he appreciated his boss being so kind and attentive. Helping Morris be a good alpha to his suffering omega.

“You guys don’t have to stay,” Morris said when the pair followed him back up to ICU.

“We know,” Kell replied. “But you’re family, and you need family around right now. I’m going to send Braun home for a while, and then he’ll swap me out in a few hours.”

“Same with me,” Ronin added. “Tarek, Karter and Isa are all adjusting their schedules tomorrow so they can be here as needed. You aren’t alone, I promise.”

Morris almost fled for the nearest bathroom so he could sob privately over how kind his friends—nay, family—were being to him and Jaysan. But he kept control of his emotions and shook both men’s hands, instead. “You have no idea how much that means to me,” Morris said. “I don’t have any blood family left. I thought all I had were Aeron and Jaysan, but after tonight, I realize we do have other people who care about us. Other family, and I’m so grateful.”

“Sometimes you have to create your family,” Ronin said. “I have blood family back in Buckman Province, but I also have family here, thanks to Kell, Braun, and the others. We’re all one big, extended family now, Morris, and you guys are part of it. Accept it.”

Morris smiled. “I do.”

“Good.”

He took over sitting with Jaysan from Braun. Orrin had fallen asleep, so Morris didn’t disturb him. He sat on the edge of Jaysan’s bed and held his mate’s hand, needing that physical connection again, despite having only been gone for thirty minutes.

“Wake up and smile for me, angel,” he whispered. “I need to see your eyes.”

Jaysan slept.

He fought, clawed against the overwhelming darkness, desperate for light. A distant voice called to him, drew him toward it, but something held him in the dark. He never stopped fighting, never stopped clambering toward that thing he wanted. Needed. Craved.

Light. Sound. Love.

Morris.

Pressure in his chest tried to keep him down, too, but it wasn’t enough. No, he was stronger than any pain, any force, because his mate and son needed him. Needed him back in the light.

Morris. Aeron. Need you both.

Sweet basil flooded his senses. He was close now, so close. The pressure increased and that was okay. It meant light was coming. He charged toward the light, toward that delightful scent. Toward being whole again.

“Jaysan? I think he’s waking up.”

“I’ll get a nurse.”

“Angel? Stay with me. Open those pretty eyes of yours.”

Morris. Yes.

He pushed again, and his fingers twitched. Yes, fingers! Hands. Wrists. Arms. Chest. Mouth. He moved his lips, which were dry, parched. Ugh. Almost there, though. Eyes. Eyelids, yes, get those open.

No! Too bright, ugh.

“Come on, Jaysan, open your eyes,” Morris said.

Something deep down in Jaysan responded his mate’s order, and he blinked again, peeling back sticky eyelids. Morris’s flaming red hair outlined his head like a halo, until Jaysan blinked the man into focus. Tears littered his freckled cheeks, but a huge smile brightened his face.

“Hey, you,” Morris said. “Oh goddess, you’re finally awake.”

Jaysan tried to ask, “What happened?” but he was pretty sure it came out a jumbled mess.

“It’s okay, relax, angel.”

“Here, give him an ice chip,” a slightly familiar voice said.

Morris reached to the side and came back with a piece of ice, which he blessedly rubbed over Jaysan’s chapped lips. He lapped at the bit of liquid, desperate for more, so Morris let him suck on it. Yes, that was nice. So nice.

“His doctor will be down in a few,” that familiar voice said. “But give me a bit of space to get his vitals, okay?”

Morris shifted a few feet to the side, but he never let go of Jaysan’s hand. He didn’t look away, either, as if he expected Jaysan to disappear in a puff of smoke. Jaysan was pretty sure he couldn’t crawl anywhere, let alone puff. He felt achy and strange, and he wasn’t entirely sure why he was in the hospital.

A nurse moved into his line of sight and shined a penlight in his eyes. “Hi, Jaysan, do you remember me? I’m Serge. I’m a friend of Braun and Tarek’s. Do you know where you are?”

Oh yeah, he’d met Serge at a brunch once. “Hospital,” Jaysan replied.

“Good. And do you recognize him?” Serge pointed at Morris.

Duh. “Mate. Morris.”

“Excellent. And do you know why you’re in the hospital?”

Jaysan frowned while Serge listened to his heart. He should know this. The pressure on his chest hadn’t changed, and he spotted a bandage there, on the right side. Something had happened, but what?

“Is it normal that he can’t remember?” Morris asked.

“He’s been unconscious for eighteen hours,” Serge replied. “It isn’t unusual for temporary memory impairment. Give him time to get his bearings.”

“Aeron,” Jaysan said. “Where’s he?”

“He’s with Orrin and Alec, at their place,” Morris replied, “but I’m sure they’ll bring him right over once I tell them you’re awake.”

“Need him.”

“I’ll give them a call.” New voice. Jaysan cast around the cubicle until he spotted Jax’s mate, Karter, on the other side of the bed from Morris. What was he doing here? He wasn’t in uniform so it wasn’t official or anything.

Something about constables seemed important, though.

“I appreciate it, thank you,” Morris said. “You might as well start the phone chain so everyone knows he’s awake.”

“Will do,” Karter said on his way out of the room.

Weird.

With more spit in his mouth, Jaysan properly managed to ask, “What happened?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Morris asked.

Jaysan thought back. His heat had just ended. They’d eaten, and Jaysan had wanted to take a nap. “The doorbell woke me up,” he replied. “Saw your note. Mikel was there.”

Mikel. Oh shit.

The knife. Blood.

“Is Mikel okay?” Jaysan asked, frantic now that he remembered the knife. “Did he hurt himself more?”

Morris glared, but not at Jaysan. “He’s being held for attempted murder, Jaysan, don’t worry about that asshole.”

“But he’s not okay.” Jaysan was exhausted and addle-brained, but he remembered Mikel’s devastation. His desperation. The fear of his sire’s response to not taking Jaysan on as his mate. “He was going to kill himself.”

Morris’s glare downshifted into a frown.

“Stabbing me was an accident,” Jaysan continued. “Please. He was upset, so upset that I’d mated you, but he wasn’t angry with me. He was scared of his sire, of another beating, he said. He was starting to cut his wrist when I tried to grab the knife from him. Please, Morris, it was an accident.”

“Mikel said something similar to the officers who questioned him,” Morris said after a long, tense moment. “The doctor who stitched his arm said the wounds were self-inflicted and fit his story.”

“So you believe me?”

“It doesn’t matter what I believe. You nearly died because of him, angel. We almost lost you, and he should pay for that.”

“No. He needs help, not prison.”

Morris leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Your compassion astounds me. Let’s discuss this in a little while. I just want to look at you, talk to you, remind myself you’re alive.”

“Okay.” Jaysan wasn’t letting this go, though. He absolutely believed him being stabbed was an accident. Mikel hadn’t tried to kill Jaysan, he’d wanted to kill himself, of that he had no doubt. And he’d find a way to get Mikel mental help, not a prison sentence.

A doctor came around to examine him, and after a few quick tests and some blood draws, announced Jaysan could be moved out of ICU to a private room. He’d probably only have to stay in the hospital another day or two, simply to monitor his wound and make sure he didn’t develop an infection. Jaysan was okay with that, because not long after the doctor and Serge left, Orrin arrived with Aeron.

Jaysan nearly cried at the sight of the beautiful boy he hadn’t seen in nearly four days. Aeron squealed out, “Omi!” as soon as he spotted Jaysan. Morris helped situate Aeron on Jaysan’s left side, so he didn’t accidentally hit Jaysan’s wound, and Jaysan breathed in his son.

“I missed you, little man,” Jaysan said. “So much. Couldn’t leave you guys behind.”

“Good,” Morris said softly, “because we need you here. I don’t think I would have survived losing you.”

“Good thing you didn’t.”

Morris kissed his mouth. “I love you so much.”

“Love you back. Both of you.” He kissed Morris again, then kissed Aeron’s cheek, too. The baby laughed at him, then blew bubbles. “Back at you, kid.”

Orrin leaned down and pressed his forehead to Jaysan’s. “You scared the hell out of us, brother,” he whispered. “So glad you’re okay.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve also got a passel of friends gathering to see you, so I’m going to head out. But I’ll see you again soon.”

“Count on it.”

ICU’s two visitors at a time rule was kind of dumb, and Jaysan was being moved soon anyway, so Brogan and Kell managed to get in and see him for a few minutes, before orderlies arrived to transport him. Once he was settled in a regular room, it flooded with guests bearing balloons and flowers.

Eventually, though, Tarek and a patrolman arrived in uniform, and his guests had to clear out while Jaysan gave his official statement about what happened. He recounted everything he could, emphasizing Mikel’s desperation and grief. “I don’t believe for a second he meant to hurt me,” he finished. “I’ll swear on any document you want me to. Stabbing me was an accident and it was partly my fault. I shouldn’t have grabbed the knife like that. It was dangerous and stupid, but I couldn’t stand there and watch him slice his arm open.”

“I believe you,” Tarek said.

“Then you’ll let him go?”

“Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. According to your own statement, he was trespassing in your home and you feared for your safety. It’s also possible that a judge will determine Mikel is a danger to himself or others, and he’ll be assigned mandatory in-patient therapy. It’ll give us an opportunity to look into Mikel’s allegations of physical abuse from his sire.”

“So Mikel could get help, not prison?”

“Yes.”

Hope sprang up in Jaysan’s heart. “Tell me what to say to make that happen.”

Tarek smiled. “Just tell the truth. That’s all you need to do. We’ll handle Mikel’s care, okay? You focus on recovering.”

“Okay.” He trusted Tarek’s word that he’d do what he could for Mikel. “Thank you.”

“Not at all. Take it easy, Jaysan.”

After they left, his friends returned. Jaysan soaked in the attention until his eyes got droopy. Lots of hugs followed him closer and closer to sleep, and then he shut his eyes.

“Rest now, angel,” Morris whispered. “I’ll be here when you wake up. Now and always.”

My hero. My alpha. My mate.