Page 10 of Free Me

“I hate seeing him so still,” Liam said, as much to Isa as to himself. “Linus was always such a hyperactive kid. Always on the move. Even asleep, you could tell he was dreaming about doingsomething.”

“I hate it too, but we’re giving his body a chance to heal. He needs his rest right now, because when he wakes up, he’s going to need every ounce of energy he has to recover.”

“You don’t recover a lost limb, Isa.”

The bitterness in Liam’s voice didn’t cow him. “No, but you do learn to live without it. You learn to adapt to your new mobility devices. He will walk again, little one. Believe in that with me.”

“What if he hates us for the choice we made?”

“He probably will. For a little while. But we will love him regardless of the vitriol or blame he hurls at us, because he’s our son. He knows he can be furious at us and we’ll still love him. We can be his punching bags if he needs us to be.”

“I’ll be his punching bag. You don’t?—”

“No.” Isa knelt in front of Liam, his knees protesting with sharp pangs, but he didn’t care. He clasped his beloved’s hands and held them tight on Liam’s lap. Gazed into Liam’s dark, soulful eyes. “We are his parents. We made the decision together. I will take the full brunt of my responsibility for this. I am not a decrepit old man, so please do not shield me from this.”

Liam’s eyes went liquid. “I know you aren’t. Your health has been incredible this past year, and I don’t want to jeopardize that with extra stress. Not if I can take it off your shoulders.”

“I’m his sire. When my kid is hurting, I’m going to feel it, whether I’m in the same room or a thousand miles away. Rightnow, I’d rather be in the same room, especially if you’re there hurting too.”

A long, tense moment passed before Liam smiled. A single tear spilled down his cheek, but Isa couldn’t release his mate’s hands long enough to wipe it away. “This is why I love you so much. I’m sorry. We are absolutely in this together. A team.”

“A great team with five great kids.”

“And four amazing grandsons.”

“And some pretty spectacular friends. Friends we both need to let help us through this. You need to lean on Jaysan and Oliver. Kell and Jax, too.”

“Do you promise to lean on Tarek, Karter and Brandt?”

“As much as I can, considering I was all of their boss at one point.”

Liam chuckled then kissed Isa’s knuckles. “Once a constable, always a constable. But the only person I need right now is Isa the alpha and father to our kids. Be that man for me?”

“Always, little one. No matter what.”

THREE

“The doctors are goingto taper off the sedatives today,” Tarius Higgs said. “Hopefully, Linus will wake up in the next few hours.”

Miko’s heart swelled with gratitude, and he clutched Dad’s hand tight. They’d been on waiting duty outside ICU, along with Tarius, while Liam and Isa met with Linus’s specialists about the induced coma. Tarius had just finished reading a text and announced it to them. “Goddess, I hope he wakes up,” Miko said. “It’s been so long.”

Ever since his heat ended two days ago, Miko had spent as much time as possible at the hospital. Even though he was legally related through Peyton and Layne’s mating, the medical team still wanted to keep visitors to immediate family—basically, his parents and siblings. Miko had been irrationally furious about being kept away from his friend, but he’d tried to keep it to himself. He had no way of explaining the feelings beyond a deep-seated need to make Linus feel better any way he could.

He still hadn’t lost that strange sense of Linus being his, and he didn’t understand it. He’d never been this possessive over Linus before, or over any of his alpha friends. Unfortunately, hestill didn’t remember much beyond leaving the party and waking up in the hospital, his heat over. His parents had only filled in a few blanks that he didn’t remember, such as Linus calling them to promise they were in a taxi and that he’d get Miko home safely.

The details of the party were a little fuzzy, thanks to both the alcohol he’d consumed, and the trauma of both the accident and his heat. He did recall being alone with Linus, that they’d gotten really close to each other, but not what they’d talked about that had led them to such a thing. Miko absolutely appreciated how adorable Linus was with his lean, athletic body, but he’d never been romantically interested in Linus.

And yet, he’d spent the better part of the last two days knowing Linus was too far away, that he was hurting and needed Miko by his side. The obvious reason was staring him in the face whenever he saw any of his mated friends, and it terrified him, so he kept quiet. Omi suspected something was bothering him beyond Linus’s condition, but he didn’t press. He just made sure Miko got notes for the classes he was missing and did his assignments, so he didn’t fall behind when he returned to university next week, all while making sure the café ran smoothly.

Omi had to be at Perks this morning, so Dad had come to sit with Miko for a little while. He’s also brought over a dozen freshly-baked sugar cookies for everyone to share. Miko had eaten one cookie to please Dad, who’d been on him to eat more ever since his heat ended. He’d lost three pounds during his heat, which had worried his obstetrician, but Miko had also been sedated and sustained mostly on IV fluids and supplemental shakes. He’d put the weight back on when he wasn’t such an anxiety ball.

All that mattered right now was Linus waking up, remembering who everyone was, and not having any bad long-term effects from the concussion. Miko had already gone through his big brother Peyton having temporary memory loss thanks to a coma. He wasn’t sure how to manage a repeat of that heartache.

I’ll get Linus through this.

“I just want to hear my baby brother laugh,” Tarius said. “Linus has the best laugh, right? Just…you can’t be in a bad mood when he’s laughing.”

“That’s true,” Miko replied. His mind filled with thousands of peals of laughter, all of them infectious and joyful. “He does have the best laugh.” The kindest smile, the warmest hugs, the most unique sense of humor…This is not me. Is it?

---