Page 43 of Saber's Surrender

Weston sighs, knowing I was in la-la land.

I’ve done this since we were kids anytime I didn’t want to face something. And hearing what these men and women can do, it floors me and doesn’t make scientific sense.

I need things to make sense.

I need everything to have a medical reason and explanation, and spiritualism can’t be quantified or theorized. It’s one of the reasons I like being a doctor so much. While things are constantly changing as far as newer or better techniques, the basic core of science never changes.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

Saber

I keepthe chuckle at bay that wants to escape when I realize that Foxy has buried herself deep in the recesses of her mind. It’s always been her coping mechanism from as far back as I can remember. That, and she hates redundant conversations. She’s heard me explain about Wrecker and myself one too many times in her estimation.

“So, what does that mean for me?” Canyon asks, his entire body sitting still as if he’s been frozen in time.

“You took after me, I’m afraid. This gene is very dominant. Every man and woman I know who was born with a specialty has passed that down to their children, and you aren’t an exception to that rule.”

“Iama freak,” Canyon mumbles, finally moving from his statuesque position and slouching into the chair, lifting his hand and chewing on his cuticle. “I did hurt them, didn’t I? The accident was my fault, this just confirms that.”

I can tell from Roxy’s face that his words are breaking her heart right now. Not gonna lie, they’re killing me too. I know I felt the same way as he did when mine manifested itself, but thankfully, like Dragon told me, we’re surrounded by men and women who can help him navigate the changes and learn to harness his ability.

“Not necessarily, Canyon. You could’ve astroprojected when you felt the car either veer off the road or felt the impact with the tree. We don’t know the exact moment your powers showed up, just that it was around the same time as the accident.”

“Accident.” My boy snorts. “It’s murder, Saber. Call it what it is.”

“It is not,” Foxy snaps. “Did you purposefully set out to cause that accident, Canyon?”

“No,” he whispers, unshed tears clogging his throat. “I would never do that.”

“The first time I lost a patient, I blamed myself. I misdiagnosed something and it ended up costing my patient her life. I hated myself until one of my mentors sat me down and explained to me that I’m human, and as such, I can make mistakes. The problem being, some symptoms have various ailments, and sometimes, we have to make an estimated guess when someone is coding. There are times that the guess is right, and there are times when it’s wrong.” Roxy’s relating to how he’s feeling in the only way she knows how, by comparing how she reacted the first time a patient coded and was unable to be revived. Knowing how that feels myself, it’s a damn good comparison.

“What’s that got to do with this?” Canyon asks, his volume louder and more strained than I’d like it to be when he’s speaking to his mother.

Foxy reaches out for me, knowing that I’m fixing to give our boy a tongue lashing for speaking to her as if she’s no better than the dirt he walks on. I’m protective of my woman, and nobody, not even her own flesh and blood will speak to her with anything other than respect. I may not have been there for his first words, his first steps, or the first day of school, but I can damn well teach our son how to properly treat a woman. Not just one he’s in love with either—he needs to be respectful to every female who crosses his path as far as I’m concerned. I know he’s still grieving, which is understandable that he’d be a bit sullen and cross, but I need to start the way I intend to finish when it concerns teaching my boy those important things.

I grab her hand and take the seat beside her, but my eyes stay laser focused on Canyon. He begins to fidget which means I made my point without having to utter a single syllable. “I want you to think about why she made that comparison, son. Once you’ve thought it out and decided you can speak to her with a tone that is more respectable, then we’ll continue this conversation.”

“It’s okay, Weston. Put yourself in his shoes for a minute. He’s not only discovered he has an aptitude for supernatural tendencies, but he’s also dealing with the aftereffects of grief. He’s having to relive that moment to try and comprehend whether or not his ‘awakening’ and manifestation caused such a tragic chain of events.”

I vehemently shake my head, but before I get a chance at a rebuttal, Canyon opens his mouth and cuts me off before I get a single thought out of my mouth.

“No, he’s right.” Canyon emphatically shakes his head in denial. “I took it out on you and that wasn’t right. I do get what you were trying to say to me. I just felt like it was different for you because you didn’t know that person and I loved my parents. They were everything to me. And if I did cause their death, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.”

“You didn’t cause their death,” Wrecker says, materializing out of thin air causing all three of us to jump. I swear to God he seems to have the instinct to know when he’s needed, even though I never felt him in my head. Granted, he can rifle through memories and thoughts without us knowing, but he usually lets us know. Thank fuck for that too, because I don’t want him sorting through my life all willy-nilly.

“How the fuck did you do that, brother? That’s new,” I grumble, giving him the side eye as I stand up and check the door. Sure enough, it’s still locked.

“I was in the bathroom, asshole,” Wrecker chuckles. “The women took the kids for a potty break before y’all came this way. Out of respect, I tried to stay out of the way and let you work this out amongst you. But like everything that comes with you, you suck at explanations.”

Roxy covers her mouth with her hand, however with her shoulders shaking, I know she’s laughing at the way Wrecker just scared about twenty years off of my life. Wench.

“Go fuck yourself,” I rumble, retaking my seat. As I’ve heard some of the younger patients state to their family when they’ve been scared, at least I know my heart’s in working order. Now if it could get back to a normal rate, I’ll be just fine.

“Could y’all not do this please?” Foxy asks, giving us the stink eye. “It’s neither the time nor the place for you to squabble.”

“I don’t squabble,” I mumble. “I still have my man card, Foxy. If I squabbled, I’d have to turn that motherfucker in.” And… there’s my Foxy Roxy, who’s now rolling her eyes at me as if I’ve just spouted off the most ridiculous shit in the world.

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