Lay Me Down to Sleep

Chapter 26

The fact that Macau cries over being separated from a woman he just met is incredibly telling. 

"Sh-She's really nice!" Macau wails as soon as they're back in the suite, "Why can't she stay here?" 

Vegas doesn't even know how to answer that, but only because it is an incredibly weird request. Macau doesn't even know Yok. He just met her a couple of hours ago, but she apparently made a positive impression. It isn't the first time he has gotten upset over leaving certain people for the night. He has done it a few times after leaving Namphueng, but Vegas thought that might deal with leaving Aree too. Although, Vegas has theorized that seeing Namphueng with her kids has Macau missing their mother. 

That is something Vegas understands extremely well. He misses their mother too. He never stopped. 

Regardless, he does have an urge to call his brother out about latching onto a childless woman he just met, all because she was nice and played with him. 

Luckily, Pete is more tactful before Vegas can start doing that.

"Hey," Pete says quietly as he crouches down in front of Macau, "Yok agreed to meet us for breakfast with everyone else. We'll see her tomorrow, I promise. She moved in to help out! You're right, she is really nice. I can understand why you want to spend more time with her. But it's bed time-" 

"I'm NOT a baby," Macau says, crossing his arms.

"I know," Pete tells him, "But your brother and I are going to bed too."

"Ew!" 

Vegas snorts at that, but Pete pushes through it.

"He's tired from the physical therapy," Pete says, "While I have been doing as much as I can with him here, getting back into the routine of it is an adjustment. Both of us are ready to sleep." 

"I'm not!" Macau says, then stomps his foot, "Because I'm not a baby! I'm not-" 

"The sooner you go to bed and fall asleep, the faster morning will come," Vegas tells him, "And the faster you will get to see Aree, Chay, Kim, Auntie Dao, Kinn, Namphueng, and Yok." 

Macau goes to bed in record time. It's relieving, but it also makes Vegas feel more concerned, even after Pete finishes riding him and collapses next to him in bed. 

"Seven out of ten," Pete says, causing Vegas to give him a sharp look, "What? You weren't fully engaged! It was still good. You were just distracted. What's up?" 

Vegas stares at the ceiling, then turns his head and meets Pete's eyes, "I'm worried about Macau. He…I don't know, he got attached to Namphueng within hours of meeting her. He's doing the same to Yok. It's weird. I think he misses Ma." 

Pete nods and props himself up, gently tracing Vegas's chest with his finger, "He's probably thinking about her a lot. Almost everyone around him has gotten their mother back in some way, except for Dao and us. But she has her babies and already is a mother. Macau may feel…left out, especially seeing how much Namphueng dotes on Aree and Chay."