Thicker Than Ink

Sixty Nine

...

Adrian

...

"You are just intending to hold it and keep it safe, correct? Not wear it yourself?" Even though Liam, and then Casper himself assured Silas and me that holding Cassie's leash won't be harmful to my special little belly nugget... It still seemed like maybe I should call in and check with at least one of the nurses down at the clinic... Most of the staff there are enriched with the history of Casper and his family line from having them so close for so long... And not just because they performed the amputation that left Casper a much happier man than he apparently had been before Liam convinced him to take the plunge and get his cursed leg removed... But also because Dr.Paxton himself has a great grandmother that was mated to a witch.

"Um... Yeah. I would just be holding it. Like... In my pocket I guess? Or close by?" I know I sound unsure and maybe a little unsteady... But I don't think anyone could blame me after the past 24 hours with everything that's happened... Mason getting shot... Me ending up dehydrated and scared needing an IV... Hearing my mother-in-law suffer from the injuries granted to Mason... And then watching my sweet, loving, impossibly strong, and beautiful alpha of a soulmate crumble and allow himself multiple displays of tears and overwhelming emotion over the fate of his parents and the thought that someone might be hunting Timberwolves...

"You should be fine, Luna Adrian. Just don't put it on." With everything else going on... Calling the clinic to ask Nurse Mel if it's safe to carry around a cursed object in my pocket while pregnant seems a bit unreal... But no more unreal as the rest of what's happened so far, "Is there anything else I can help you with today?  Any questions for Dr.Paxton? Or would you like to come in and visit Mr.Ashwood to check on him? I can set up a time for you specifically as Luna to visit him even though he's still unconscious."

It genuinely takes me a moment to blink and figure out who exactly Nurse Mel is referring to when I have Silas right here by my side holding my free hand while he stares into space listening along... His whole body having gone tense at the nurse's suggestion...

And then it hits me... "No. I will not be visiting my father-in-law today. I-... He..."  I have no idea how to give a good reason as to why I won't be sitting vigil at Mason's bedside...

I'm glad that he's stable and that he's hopefully begun to heal... But getting hurt like this still doesn't automatically turn him into a good person... It doesn't undo all of the pain and emotional damage he caused to my mate... Getting hurt doesn't mean that everyone automatically forgives you for a lifetime of systematic neglect and abuse.

Heck... Not even helping us like he did at the conference when Alic tried to grab me can wash away his sins... Not in Silas's eyes... Which... Honestly... Is who I'm currently deferring to when it comes to making my decision not to sit vigil today.

"I might show up when he's awake. With Alpha Silas. But for now, he'll probably heal faster if he's alone. He prefers it that way." I bite my lip after adding in that very last comment... But with the emotions I'm feeling stumbling through my mate bond with my sweet Daddy, I know that I'm not being considered sassy or wrong when mentioning it... Because it's true.

Mason does prefer to be alone.

...

Silas

...

It's hard...

The mix of emotions I'm tasked with unfurling and coping with at the moment...

It's hard.