Trishanna awoke to the sounds of a machine beeping and a very familiar ceiling above her. She closed her eyes in gratitude. Seh was finally home. She reached for her wolf and found her safe and sound. The tears seeped out from behind closed lids. She slowly raised a hand to wipe at it, but a warm, familiar weight resting on her chest. She looked down and saw her son sleeping on her chest, the blanket tucked beneath her so that he wouldn't fall. Her smile was so large that she thought her mouth would split. She just admired his sleeping face, wondering if it was her imagination, but he seemed bigger, and she was glad it was back in his human form. She gently ran a finger down his cheek and he just snuggled deeper into her. She silently chuckled, so glad to be home, but then she frowned. Would they have left him here by himself? What if she turned in her sleep?
She raised her head intenting to look around when she met the eyes of her mate. James sat in the chair, watching them, a small smile on his lips. He was filled with relief that the potion worked, and now, Trishanna was awake. His wolf wanted to go to her, yet he just wanted to take these few quiet moments to brand the image of her alive and well and holding their son in his mind. He and Bradley were taking turns, watching her for some hours, but this was just a moment for them. He leaned forward, brushing away the tears he was sure that she didn't know were streaming down her face. Trishanna turned her head into his palm, her joy reaching new heights. Bradley came in, and when he saw that she was awake, he rushed to her bed, falling to his knees in relief. He began to cry, his shoulders silently shaking as all the worry, the burden and the possible grief left him. He was so scared that she would never have woken up, or something would have gone wrong. Trishanna placed one hand beneath her son and the other on his cheek, her fingers brushing back and forth along his scruff on his jaw. Both men looked haggard, tired, but right now she didn't want to think about anything other than the fact that she was here, with them.
James placed his hand on hers that was resting on Chip's back, before his finger brushed his son's hair from his sleeping face. "He missed you, you know. We all did". Trishanna looked at them both, then down at her son, his weight and warmth feeling good to her. "I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to come back to you guys." Her voice trembled with her concern. "I'm so glad to be back home".Bradley stood, leaning down to kiss her temple. "It's alright now. You have nothing to worry about." She looked at him, wondering what he could mean, but he nodded at her look. "Yes, we took care of it and got Chip back. The one behind it can't hurt you or anyone else again." Trishanna swallowed at the meaning of his words. She knew that this fight, this war, would have lead to casualties, serious ones, but it always seemed like a future thing. She blinked, afraid to ask but needing to know. "What about our packs?" James gently touched her cheek, getting her attention. "We had not one casualty. Everyone is back home safe and sound." He paused, wondering if they should tell her everything, but Lorenzo came in doing his routine check. When he saw she was up, he insisted on examining her. James took Chip, so the doctor could do this thing, but the child awoke, his eyes quickly filling with tears. Trishanna brushed off Lorenzo's hands and reached for her son, soothing him quickly. Charles buried his face in her neck, his little hands clutching her hospital gown with a force that would not be easy to dislodge.
James just shook his head, but he knew exactly how his son felt. Bradley reached for the baby bag that was on another chair, pulling out what he needed to make a bottle for their son. Trishanna raised an eyebrow at his fatherly effectiveness. He just shrugged, "After we got him back, Chip didn't want to leave either of us, so we had to do what we had to do." He gave Trishanna the bottle, and she settled Chip against her, where he latched on hungrily. Bradley made another one. "We think since he shifted and stayed in his beast's form for so long, his metabolism was increased, so he's been drinking more than usual. Lorenzo thinks it should level out in a few days and he'll return to his normal eating soon." Chip drank the first and eagerly reached for the second, drinking half before he was satisfied. Trishanna turned him so he could burp, while James got the things ready for a diaper change. He took his now sleepy son, and changed him with the efficiency of a professional. Who would have thought that the always pissed off Alpha that bullied her for years would be changing a soggy diaper with a look of utter peace and contentment? 'Life is truly strange and sometimes awfully wonderful'. Rosie's words came back to her, making her wonder if this is what she meant.
Bradley took the now clean baby in his hand and began rocking him, telling him a silly story about a little boy and his brave teddy bear having a wonderful adventure. Lorenzo who was updating her charts, resumed his exam and soon declared her in good health, just needing to spend the night. She would be discharged in the morning, but he strongly urged her to take it easy for a few days, slowly getting back into her routine. They all thanked him. She asked what time it was, so James told her it was around ten at night, and she had been asleep for eight days. Trishanna was shocked. Time in that space seemed to never move at all. To her, it felt like maybe two or three days.
The doctor left, and James urged her to go back to sleep. She was curious of what had happened, but the two men just looked at each other, before James assured her that all would be told when she got back to their room. She watched as Bradley took another chair and sat, holding the now-sleeping child. "Are you guys going to stay here?" She asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. James stood and stroked a hand down her face, his eyes filled with love, relief and the remnants of fear and something else, something deep. "We thought we had lost you. Something happened to our son, so forgive our wolves' basic need to stay close to you both." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Go to sleep. I'm gonna grab a quick shower and something to eat before I come back." She wanted to protest, but the tone in his voice, something deep, haunting even, made her protest die in her throat. She glanced back at Bradley, who shared a similar pain deep in his eyes, and decided to indulge them. After all, they indulged her all the time. Seh just nodded, settling herself in bed. She was going to be so happy to get out of it tomorrow.
James left, pausing to look at his outer counterpart. Bradley nodded in silent promise to keep his eyes and ears on their two precious people. He left, and Bradley settled himself in the chair, repositioning Chip for maximum comfort without hindering his movements if needed. Trishanna looked at him holding their son, grateful to be back here, but what had happened while she was out? Shaking her head, she decided to do what they asked and closed her eyes, sure that she would not be able to sleep, but actually drifted off in a matter of minutes, but this time nothing haunted her.
When she woke in the morning, the sun was streaming through the windows, the partially opened blinds bathing the room in a soft glow. She looked and saw that the men switched their baby-bed duties during the night. Trishanna stretched, glad that the stiffness she felt yesterday was lessened. Now, the only challenge she had was to pee. She looked at her body, realising that the doctor had come in while she was asleep and removed almost everything from her. She just had the bag of IV, making her wonder if he's slipped a little something in it. She tossed off her covers, her bare feet hitting the cold ground. She wiggled her toes, ensuring circulation, before grabbing the pole and making her way to the bathroom. She sat down, and a long sigh of relief filled her as she emptied herself of what felt like enough to fill a small ocean. She looked longingly at the shower, but decided against it. She tidied herself and went back to her room. The sight before her made her pause.
Both men were pacing back and forth, James still holding Chip, but even the baby was beginning to fuss. The air had a tinge of panic, the men's eyes looking a bit wild. She stepped forward, wondering if something had happened in the pack. The noise from her IV stand bouncing against the wall made them turn, their hackles raising when their eyes landed on her. Their relief was palpable. James leaned against the wall while Bradley strode towards her, and the expression on his face was hard to put into words. He scooped her up in his arms, her feet dangling a few centimetres off the ground. His body was shaking, not in anger but relief. She was not sure why their reaction to her visiting the bathroom was so strong, but she allowed it, knowing that he needed it more than she could imagine at that moment.
He put her down, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. When it was about to turn into a physical exam, she batted his hands away, making her way back to her bed. She got in and sighed, her bladder feeling very thankful. James brought over Chip, who was now awake. He blinked up at her, his beautiful smile covering his face as he began telling her of his dreams and adventures in his baby speech. James asked if she was hungry, and with her nod, he strode off to order breakfast for the three of them. Bradley made Chip's, and soon he took a pause to refuel. Trishanna was just so glad to be back. Seh checked in on El and she was fine as well.
"Baby, there is so much to tell you that we don't know where to start." Trishanna looked at her Alpha. "Just start at the beginning, what happened after I fainted. He wanted to wait until they were back in their room; however, he did say that the nanny was injured a few days ago, but she was better now and she was ready to resume her duties. He left out the part about how he had a crew come in to totally clean the nursery, repainting the walls and changing the rug. The room had been aired out for days, ensuring that the smell of blood and fear was removed. James returned, the nursing assistant behind him. She removed her IV, giving Bradley her discharge papers and the message that her would check on the Luna after lunch. The men helped gather their things, and with Bradley holding Chip and all their bags, James scooped her up in his arms. A tiny squeak escaped her, but she laughed. It's been a while since she got the princess treatment. As she leaned into him, she could feel that his body was leaner, like either he was skipping meals, or the stress of her state really affected him. Her eyes went to Bradley marching through the house like a man on a mission, Chip's excited chatter floating around them. She wondered if his body suffered in a similar way. When she was stronger, she would be happy to discover that for herself. James stumbled a bit, his throat going dry. He whispered in her ear for her to be a good girl for now, and in a few day,s she will get her reward. Trishanna clenched her legs tight at his sexy tone, just for her. Looking up, she noticed that Bradley was giving her that look he reserved for 'their time'. Now, she swallowed hard, praying that the doctor would give her the all clear soon. In that time, she should regain her strength.
Moving through the halls, many of the staff of both packs bowed, expressing their joy at seeing their Luna awake. This made Trishanna feel grateful that despite their rocky, downright fustrating beginning, everything was slowly being integrated well. She looked at Chip, the next leader of both packs and wondered what that life would be like, but with two good men leading him, guiding him and giving him the best advice, not to mention his grandmother, the great Cynthia Seers, she was sure that he would become someone incredible in the future, but for now, she just wanted him to have the life she and her brother didn't have.