Page 82 of Alpha & Omega

When I got home, Hudson was in the living room, watching TV. Oliver must have gone home.

“Hey,” I said.

He turned off the TV and came over to me, giving me a much-needed hug. “How is he?”

That was when the emotions hit me again, and why I needed to stay focused and busy, for Kingston’s sake. “Uhm… not so good,” I said, my voice trembling.

“Is he… going to make it?”

“Ah, we don’t know yet. He’s still in the ICU, and he’s… lost his leg.”

Hudson held me tighter, and I held him back, grateful I had him in my life. “I’m so sorry, Dad. Is there anything I can do? I want to help.”

I pulled away from him, gripping his shoulders, trying not to lose it. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

He smiled. “Yeah, all the time.”

“Actually, if you want, I need help to make meals for those young men and young woman, waiting for their Alpha. I’m going to feed them before they have to go back to work at the bar. It has to stay open at any cost, for all their sakes.”

“I can do that. I was supposed to work at Harley’s, but I can help out at Alpha’s instead, if you want. No charge.”

“Thank you. Just helping with the meals is a start. You’re a little young to work in a bar. Let me nap for a couple of hours and shower, and then I could use your help.”

“I’ll be here.”

I kissed his head and rushed up the stairs to sleep for a bit.

I tossed and turned for about an hour, unable to really get a deep sleep. All I could think about was poor Kingston and making plans to take care of him once he got out of the hospital.

I climbed out of bed, feeling completely unrested and a little dizzy from the lack of sleep, and got up to take a shower, which helped a little bit.

I came downstairs to freshly brewed coffee. My son was a fucking godsend.

“You’re a lifesaver, Hud.”

“I heard you showering.”

I made a cup of coffee, and said, “Ready to make some food? I figured I would just throw together a sandwich kit since I don’t know how picky they are with food. We’ll put together some meats and cheeses and put some condiments into small containers with the whole-grain bread I have on hand. We can toss in some lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and cherry peppers, along with some other snacks, like pickles, olives, crackers, and nuts. We can also dice up some fruit.”

“We should make more coffee and bring a couple of thermoses for them,” he suggested.

“Great idea.”

It took Hudson and me about an hour to gather the food and put it in picnic baskets. He helped me carry the baskets, plates, cups, utensils, and napkins to my car.

“Do you think this is too much?” I asked Hudson. “I went a little overboard, didn’t I?”

I chuckled. “Maybe a little, but it’s what you do. You love taking care of others, and you love to cook. I also know this helps you de-stress. They’re going to love it and appreciate it.”

When Hudson and I arrived with our goods, everyone was still in the waiting room. Some were sleeping, and others were on their phones, waiting.

“Hey, I come bearing food,” I said, setting the baskets down on a table.

They all scrambled toward the food, digging in like starving animals. They thanked me, bringing a sad smile to my face. I just let them go at it.

“Any news?”

Stix looked at me and shook his head as he piled turkey and cheese onto bread with lettuce and mayo. “They came out just to let us know there’s no news, other than they’re going to try to pull him out of the coma tomorrow.”

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