They took Huxley away in an ambulance.

I was checked over by the EMTs and wrapped in a thick blanket, but the police had questions. Of course they did. There were two dead shifters on my property and I’d held the gun that killed them. They pulled me into the study and spoke to me in calm, quiet tones.

Numbness set in as I explained what had happened. It cloaked me with a chill that bled through my veins, until my body was filled head to toe with the gentle hum-buzz of deadened emotions. I didn’t want to feel. I didn’t want to think. It hurt too badly. I couldn’t stop trembling.

Soren’s wounds had been tended to and he was giving his account in the other room. They’d found Dresden in the bathtub, gagged and bound by duct tape. By some miracle, there wasn’t a scratch on him. For as much of a monster as he was, Bones hadn’t harmed the toddler. I could hear him sobbing in the living room, repeatedly asking where his daddies were. It broke my heart.

By the time the police left, I was utterly exhausted. Soren looked like he was going to start bawling at any given moment, his face red and puffy, and Dresden clung to me as if his life depended on it. “Where’s Daddy? I want Daddy!”

“I know, honey. Me too,” I whispered hoarsely.

I drove us to the hospital, where we waited in the ER lobby for what seemed like an eternity. The nightshift nurse informed us that Huxley was in surgery and that she’d let us know when the doctors had updates. Unease gnawed at me like termites in rotting wood. I twisted the slender golden ring around my finger. I couldn’t lose him.

Dresden was fussy, but Soren was finally able to lull him to sleep with some chocolate milk from a vending machine. The little boy curled up in my lap, his head resting on the swell of my stomach, and my tired arms were the only thing keeping him from falling off. Despite the ache, I held on tightly. Soren’s cheek bumped against my shoulder when the other Omega sagged against me too. I brushed a gentle kiss to his temple.

“It’s gonna be all right,” I whispered, praying to every god out there that those words didn’t make me a liar. I couldn’t do this by myself. I couldn’t raise a family by myself. I needed Huxley to be okay. The idea of giving birth alone made my stomach clench with waves of nausea.

It wasn’t until the doctor called us back that reality set in. Huxley had made it through surgery, but he’d suffered intensive internal injuries and a fractured skull. “There’s no sign of brain trauma, which is a good thing. We’ve moved him to the ICU, so he’s in good hands. As of now, he’s still recovering from the anesthetic, so why don’t you go home and get some sleep and come back in the morning. You both look like you could use it. I’ll call you if anything changes.”

I nodded numbly, too tired to argue. The drive home was dead silent.

When I went to put Dresden to bed, he began to wail. Clinging to my arm, he turned watery green eyes on me. “I’m scared, Daddy. I wanna sleep with you in the big bed.” I fought back tears and kissed his forehead, holding him close. I stopped outside the bedroom door when I saw the shattered doorframe and splintered wood. My stomach lurched.

I didn’t want to go in there. I backed away, down the hall, and hesitated outside Soren’s door. I knocked gently. “Mind if we sleep with you tonight? I can’t…” I swallowed hard and gestured limply. “And Dresden’s bed isn’t big enough.”

“Of course. I…kind of don’t wanna be alone, anyway,” Soren admitted.

“I’m so sorry. We never should’ve went out. If Huxley had been here—”

The pads of his fingertips against my lips made me pause. The other Omega shook his head. “No, Chance. This is not your fault, so don’t even take that on. It would’ve happened eventually. Right now, we need to be strong. For Dresden and for Hux. He needs us to be strong, okay?” The muscles in his throat worked as he fought to keep his composure. Then he patted the mattress. “So let’s just try and sleep.”

I climbed into bed beside him, Dresden tucked between us. I closed my eyes and held my family close and just as I thought Dresden was asleep, there was a faint tugging on my fingers. In the darkness of the bedroom, I could only see the slight shine of his eyes. “Is Daddy going away too?” His voice was a hush in the quiet.

I choked on a cry. Going away… Just like Charlie. “I hope not, Drezzy. He’s sick, but your Daddy is very strong. He loves us.” I swallowed hard and tucked him against my chest. “Close your eyes. It’ll be okay.”

Please, god, let it be okay.

Seeing Huxley lying motionless in the hospital bed, with wires and tubes sprouting from his skin and machines beeping and humming… It shook me. With a soft hiss of the ventilator, his chest rose and fell in steady breaths, but he looked so broken. I sat next to him and held his hand, stroking my thumb across his calloused knuckles. I wondered if he knew I was here, wondered if he could feel me.

For days, I didn’t leave his side. I was afraid that if I did, he’d give up.

I was afraid that if I did, he’d die alone…just like Charlie.

The nurse came to check on me often. “Why don’t you lay down and rest for awhile,” she’d say, gently touching my shoulder. “Honey, you look like you’re about to pass out. When’s the last time you ate?”

“I’m not hungry,” I mumbled.

“You need to feed that baby, sweetheart. Your body needs nourishment, especially right now. If you won’t go down to the cafeteria, at least let me order you something off the menu. I say this as a nurse, and as a mother. Please eat.”

I managed to choke down some meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but I wasn’t hungry. I was nauseous, sick with grief and trying so hard to be strong when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sob myself to sleep. I squeezed Huxley’s hand tighter. He needed me.

I fell asleep slumped against the hospital bed. I woke with a start to the sound of sheets rustling, my pulse taking off like a bottle rocket. I sat up straight. “Huxley?” I whispered, grasping his hand. His fingers curled weakly around mine and heat sprang to my eyes. He went stiff and I could smell his unease, the sudden spike of anxiety like too-sweet fruit. “Hux, calm down. It’s okay.”

I pressed the call button on his bed when he began to thrash beneath the tubes and cords, choking out a garbled sound. One of the monitors began to beep loudly and a moment later, two nurses came rushing into the room, flipping lights on as they did. Huxley looked terrified, the whites of his eyes showing as he glanced around the room in a jerky motion.

“Relax, honey. Just breathe. You’re fine. Just fine.” One nurse smoothed back his sweaty hair. Hux collapsed against the pillows, grasping at the tubes erupting from his mouth. “Mr. Reed, I need you to relax. Look at me. Hold still.”

The second nurse ushered me out of the way. The sound that Huxley made was halfway to panicked and my skin grew tight and twitchy. The two women worked together to remove the tubes from his throat. Only then did he relax, one hand grasping at the front of his hospital gown and his chest heaving weakly. The nurses checked his vitals.

“Hey.” I took his hand in mine and brushed a kiss over his knuckles. He moaned, his voice hoarse, the muscles in his throat working. I grabbed the styrofoam cup of ice chips at his bedside and carefully helped him to sit up, guiding the cup to his mouth. “Slowly.” I could feel the way his heartbeat hammered against my palm, the slight tremble to his limbs. Was he in pain?

He sucked on each piece of ice as if it was the last liquid he’d ever taste. His lashes fell heavy against his bruised cheeks, like it took too much energy to keep his eyes open. Dampness glittered on his face and I realized, then, that he was crying. I wiped a tear from his cheek, my heart aching. “It’s okay, Hux. I’m right here. Don’t cry, baby.”

“I-I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I couldn’t… Couldn’t keep you safe. Wasn’t strong enough.”

“Shh.” I leaned forward to kiss his forehead, cradling his jaw in my hand. My fingers stroked over the rasp of stubble on his face. “I don’t care about that, Hux. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you’re alive and that everyone’s safe. Bones is gone. Look at me…”

I struggled to keep myself from losing it. I could feel it building up inside of me. Huxley’s dark eyes were filled with pain. I struggled to find the right words to say. “You saved me when I needed it the most. You gave me love when I didn’t feel that I deserved it. It was my turn to save you.”

“Chance,” he whispered, grasping my hand tightly.

I swallowed hard and squeezed back. “I was so scared. There was so much blood and you…” I cut myself off with a quick shake of my head. “Please. Please don’t leave me alone again. I can’t do it. I can’t raise our baby by myself, so you have to get better. I need you.”

I forced a smile. “I love you, Huxley Reed, and if you die on me before I get my big beach wedding, I’m gonna go postal. I’ll use a goddamn Ouiji board and harass your ass for the rest of your non-existence. Do you understand me?”

A tiny smile slipped over his face. “You wouldn’t need to. I’d stick around to haunt you all on my own.”

“So long as we’re on the same page.” I giggled then, a little hysterical but a laugh nonetheless.

“Not going down without a fight. I love you.” His face scrunched up. “Fuck, everything hurts…”

I guided his hand to the button that controlled the morphine drip. “Here, baby. Just rest, okay? I’ll be here with you. I’m not going anywhere,” I promised.

As the medication worked through his bloodstream, I could see the pain on his face dissolve little by little. With a shuddering sigh, he relaxed back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He was out like a light within minutes.

I smiled for the first time in days. It was all downhill from here.