Page 133 of His Boys to Protect

The evening passed quietly. Ward could tell Skylar was still tense, but the boy did as he was told, eating every bite of his dinner, then joining him for a long, hot shower, where Ward took over washing both of them, making Skylar do nothing but focus on taking slow, deep breaths. They had a quick chat with Charlie, confirming their plans for the morning, then went to bed. Ward pulled Skylar hard up against him, holding the boy close, wanting him to feel safe.

The next morning, Ward woke up feeling just as nervous as Skylar seemed to be. He forced it all down. Ward needed to be strong for his boys. Skylar was worried about enough things as it was, and Charlie was sure to be an anxious mess while they waited for Skylar to wake up. So Ward put on a smile and did whatever he could to soothe Skylar as they drove to the surgical center.

Having to walk away and leave Skylar there was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. The boy looked almost haunted, staring after him. Ward tried to give him a reassuring smile, then tore himself away.

He walked straight out to his truck and got on the road, heading up to Charlie's house.

Ward found the boy anxiously awaiting him when he arrived. Charlie was already packed, standing by the front door, eager to leave. The boy fidgeted through agoodbyewith his parents before rushing out to Ward's truck. Without a word, they were back on the road, heading back to Skylar.

“He's gonna be fine,” Ward murmured once they were on the freeway. “And we're gonna take good care of him, aren't we?”

Charlie nodded emphatically.

They stopped by the hotel first to drop off Charlie's bag. Ward fully expected Charlie to inspect the room, to make sure it was acceptable. Maybe even to unpack right then and there. But Charlie barely set down his bag before turning back for the door.

“Charlie?”

The boy stopped, his eyebrows going up as he rolled his head in Ward's direction.

“Is the room okay? I want to make sure you're comfortable–”

Charlie flicked his hand like he didn't care, then signed,My Sky! My Sky!

Ward chuckled. “Okay, little mouse,” he murmured. “Let's go.”

They got back to the surgical center, and as soon as they reached the waiting room, Charlie came to a stop, rolling his head and looking around. Just as Ward was about to ask what the boy was thinking, Charlie suddenly charged towards the nearest door.

“Charlie?” Ward called, hurrying after him.

The boy stopped.

“Where are you going, little mouse?”

My Sky, Charlie signed.

“We have to wait out here.” When Charlie scowled, Ward said, “They'll let us know when he's ready.”

Charlie glanced around. Ward could almost see the gears turning in the boy's head. Finally, Charlie gave a concedingchirpand went to sit down.

Ward sat beside him, settling in for what might be a long wait. The surgery was supposed to take anywhere between two and four hours. Ward checked the time. It might still be a while, or it could be over already. Ward glanced at Charlie. When he suggested going to get some food, just in case, the boy replied with a dismissive wave, his gaze focused intently on the door.

Every time it opened, Charlie jumped up and rocked on his feet, only to sag with disappointment and slump back down into the chair.

Ward inwardly cursed. What if something went wrong? What if there were complications? And what if the worst happened? The doctor had assured them that the chances of that were slim, but it was still a possibility. He couldn't lose Skylar. And Charlie would be devastated.

He eyed the boy beside him, then took a slow, deep breath. Ward would have to be strong for Charlie, no matter the outcome. Even if Skylar came through the surgery just fine, there would be his recovery to think about. Charlie might have difficulty adjusting to that.

Finally, after another hour, the door opened, and someone approached them. “Mr. Freeman?”

Ward stood, and Charlie shot to his feet beside him. “Yes?”

“Everything went well. Skylar is being moved to a recovery room. You'll be able to see him shortly.”

Ward sighed heavily with relief. “Thank you,” he gasped. He reached out and rubbed Charlie's back, feeling the boy tremblewith tension. As soon as they were alone again, Ward urged Charlie back into the chair, keeping a hand on him. “Almost there, little mouse,” he murmured. “Sky's okay. And I'm so proud of you, being so good for Daddy.”

Charlie's eyebrows went up. He gave a quiet, smilingchirp, then glanced around the otherwise empty room before he closed his eyes, bounced in the chair, and let out a quick series ofsqueaks before going still and silent again.

“You can let it all out when we get back to the hotel,” Ward promised him. “As much as you want.”

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