“Is he okay?”
“He will be, Natty.”
“He saved-ed sissy.”
“I know.”
“Sorry I changed.”
“Oh, baby, you did the right thing. You helped save your sister too. You found Quincy and got him to help.”
“I want him to wake up.”
“Me too.”
Quincy heard the voices but couldn’t quite fight through the darkness surrounding him. The comforting sounds brightened the blackness around him and he decided he could sleep for a little longer, knowing the solid presence was near, watching over him.
The immobility spell cast on him broke sometime later, when the sky was dark. His lungs expanded in a deep breath then convulsed in a heavy cough. Pain racked his body. Strong hands held him down as he twisted to escape the needles piercing his chest.
“It’s okay, Quincy.” The familiar voice sent a rush of peace into his core, even as the burning continued to find his muscles. “You’re okay. Lie back.”
“Wha—?”
He forced his eyes open. The soft light glowed too bright.
“Hey there.” Caleb brushed the hair from Quincy’s eyes, the gentle touch beyond soothing.
“Hey.” The scratchy sound of his voice warned him he’d either been asleep a really long time or he’d swallowed glass shards.
“Don’t try to talk. You’ve been sick and coughing.”
“So I haven’t been swallowing broken glass. That’s good.” The words meant only for his brain slipped out into the world. Caleb smiled.
“Want some water?”
The cool liquid scraped his throat as it went down. He sagged onto the mattress, his muscles trembling from the exhausting task of sitting up.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Pneumonia. The doctor gave you a shot and we’ve got some antibiotics for you to keep taking but you’re on the mend.”
“How did...?” He scanned the room. Minimally decorated, it clearly was not Deacon’s cabin. “Where am I?” The question barely escaped before a coughing fit overwhelmed him. Caleb’s large hand rubbed his back until the convulsions settled. Quincy took a shallow breath and fell back against the pillows.
“You’re in my home. We brought you here after the river.”
“River?” His sick-fuzzed brain took a moment to catch up. He’d fallen in the water. No, he’d gone after Natalie. A little girl, not a wolf.
A little girl and a wolf.
“What—?”
Caleb put his hand on Quincy’s arm, stopping the words. “Let’s talk about that later. After you’re healed.” He slipped off the side of the mattress and dragged the blankets to Quincy’s chest. “Why don’t you get some sleep? Every time you wake up, you’re a little better.”
“I’ve woken up before? How long have I been here?”
“About three days. You sort of woke up. You opened your eyes, drank some water, babbled a bit and then crashed.”
“Babbled?”
“Nothing embarrassing.” Caleb winked. “I think this time you’re finally back with us.”
Despite his desire to stare at the beautiful man standing beside the bed, Quincy couldn’t keep his eyes open.
“I’ve got some soup going. Next time you wake up, we’ll try some of that. How’s that sound?”
It sounded amazing but Quincy didn’t have the energy to open his eyes or speak. He smiled instead.
“Good, so good.” Once again, the strong hand rubbed his shoulder and arm. He might ache all over, but safety infused his bones and allowed him to drift off to sleep.
Quincy awoke sporadically over the next twenty-four hours. Caleb was there, plying him with water or chicken soup.
Early in the morning, Quincy came awake again and realized how badly he needed the bathroom. He managed to sit up but couldn’t guarantee his legs would hold him. Each time he surfaced, he was stronger but he had been in bed for four days by this point.
“What are you doing?” Caleb rushed in, putting a hand on Quincy’s shoulder.
“Bathroom.” His voice still sounded scratchy but it didn’t scream at him when he spoke.
Between Caleb and Quincy’s weak legs, they limped down the hall. Caleb left him alone to take care of business and hurried back when Quincy called out, ready to shuffle to the bedroom.
Clean sheets seemingly magically showed up on the bed.
“How many people live here?” Quincy asked as he dropped onto the mattress.
“Four adults, two kids.” Caleb got him situated under the covers.
Movement caught the corner of his vision and Quincy glanced toward the door. Speaking of kids... Dark curls appeared at the edge of the doorframe, followed by one bright green, and very wide, eye. Natalie.
Caleb noticed Quincy’s distraction and turned. A heartbeat before he made it around, Natalie jumped back, hiding behind the door.
“Natalie’s been really worried,” Caleb said in a voice that carried out of the small room and he winked at Quincy.
Quincy nodded to the open doorway. “I can see that.”
Caleb spun around a second time. His daughter disappeared again. Well, most of her had. The tips of her fingers curled around the wood frame.
“Nat, honey?”
The little girl dragged herself forward until one eye peeked in.
“Come here.” Caleb held out his hand. There was one breath of hesitation, like she was afraid she’d get in trouble, before Natalie lunged into the room.
“I didn’t wake him. I just wanted to watch him.”
Caleb scooped her up and hugged her. Quincy’s heart melted and he blinked, trying to clear the burning in his eyes. It had to be exhaustion and being sick. Except they made such a sweet picture.
Natalie pulled back and stared at her father. “‘M sorry, Daddy.”
“Sh, baby, we’ve been over this. Quincy’s going to be okay. He’s not mad.”
Caleb didn’t even glance at Quincy to confirm and Quincy couldn’t have been more grateful.
Natalie looked over her father’s shoulder. The little chin pushed forward in a mix of sadness and challenge, as if she dared Quincy to be angry.
“I’m not mad.” He shook his head to emphasize the truth. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
The tears she held back plunged from her eyes and she threw her little body out of her father’s arms and into Quincy’s. Weak though he was, he caught her and clutched her to his chest, squeezing tight.
“I’ll never do anything wrong again. Never.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I don’t think you can promise that. We all make mistakes. It’s a part of being people.” She shook her head, silently denying his words. She didn’t lift her head from his shoulder. “I swear. We all do silly things sometimes and sometimes they get us in trouble. Even your dad.”
Her head popped up. Eyes wide, she stared at Quincy then Caleb.
“It’s true, but this doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be extra careful. We all make mistakes but don’t go looking for them, huh?”
The edges of her eyes squinted down like she might be willing to challenge her father on his statement.
High-pitched barks followed by the scratching of claws across wood floors changed the subject.
The puppy Quincy now knew as Nathan raced into the room and leapt on the foot of the bed. His little legs didn’t launch him high enough. His hind feet pedaled to gain purchase on the blankets. Caleb lifted the puppy’s butt, giving him the boost he needed to scramble on the mattress. Nathan ran forward, crawling into Quincy’s lap.
“Hey there, buddy. How you doing?” He petted the squirming body and scratched behind the pup’s ears.
“I want scritches!” Natalie jumped to her feet. Quincy flinched as her foot narrowly missed his balls. He noticed Caleb winced along with him. The little girl tugged off the soft top she wore and pulled her pants down.
“Uh.” A weird panic surged through Quincy. Why was there a child stripping next to him? And within moments the question was answered. Natalie squeezed her eyes closed tight and squished her face in concentration. Before his eyes, the tiny human changed, getting furry and gray and a long snout.
Nathan had shifted in front of him, but this was different. That had been necessary. And sudden.
This time, he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t freaked out.
Scratch that. He refused to let himself show he was freaked out. Instead, he took a slow deep breath through his nose, keeping his lips firmly shut.
Caleb’s gaze remained on him, cataloguing his reaction. Quincy forced himself to focus on Natalie, calmly—ha!—observing her shift into a wolf puppy. As soon as she was full animal, she pounced on Quincy’s lap, standing on her hind legs and licking his face.
“Natalie, don’t be obnoxious,” Caleb commanded. The little girl plopped her backside on the mattress but the tail fluttered away. Too adorable to resist.
As if he sensed he was about to be displaced, Nathan crawled closer, whining a little and nudging Quincy’s hand.
Using both hands, Quincy petted the puppies, scratching behind their ears and their bellies. At first, they wanted to play, nipping at his fingers, wrestling. Eventually, they settled down, snuggling against his hips. He stroked the soft fur, allowing the quiet to invade his soul.
Quincy stared into Caleb’s eyes. The look of love made his chest ache. He knew the emotion was directed at the children, not him, but even being caught in the overflow caused his heart to miss a beat.
“They like you.”
“I like them.” He dipped his gaze toward the now sleeping puppies. “But we need to talk about this.”
Caleb nodded. “Once you’re fully recovered, we’ll talk about it.”
With that promise, Quincy continued to pet the puppies until he fell asleep.