Jace blinked, and blinked again as dried crud nearly glued his eyelids together. The blinking served a secondary purpose, in that his vision cleared and the eclipse revealed itself to be his advisor leaning over him with a bright hospital light directly behind his head.
“Hey, Don,” he said. His breath fogged up the oxygen mask that he hadn’t been aware he was wearing until right at this moment. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
His advisor drew back slightly, face no longer silhouetted by a light directly behind him. His lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes narrowed. “I don’t particularly find that funny. If you weren’t the prince, I would punch you.”
Jace focused on breathing for a moment. Saying even that much had taken far more effort than he was capable of giving. And now that he had become aware of himself, he felt pain, but it was distant and not really bothersome, like those thoughts lingering in the back of his mind. “I think someone already did that for you. A bunch of someones. Did we get them?”
“Yes,” Don murmured. “Well, we captured a few. The others managed to escape and there wasn’t enough manpower at the time to pursue them. I’m sorry for that, Jace.”
He lifted one hand to wave his advisor’s concerns away, but the tug of an IV needle in the back of his hand put a stop to that. Dropping his hand back down, he said, “It’s okay. I know everyone did their best. How’s my dad? How’s Keiran?”
Just like that, Don’s expression became his default grimace of disapproval but for an entirely different reason this time. “Really? You’re lying in a hospital bed and you know that you’re very hurt, but you don’t care about yourself even now? You’ve always been that way, but you would think that just this once you might ask about yourself first.”
Jace let out an impatient growl, but it turned into a cough as the effort made his chest ache. No more growling. Fine.
“Let’s do it your way, then. How am I doing, Don?” Jace asked, sarcastically.
“I’m not sure I should tell you,” the advisor said. “As I am not a doctor.”
“So... get the damn doctor for me!”
“Sanjay will pass here as part of his rounds. We will both wait for him here because I am fully aware that the moment I leave this room, you will try to get up.”
Jace scowled down at the blankets pulled up over his chest and tucked in at the corners of the bed. “I hate that you know me so well. I can’t get away with anything anymore.”
“Yes, well, as your advisor, it’s my responsibility to remind you that you are a very stupid person and are not immune to half the things you would try to do.” Don moved away from the bed and perched in a chair near Jace’s bedside. “So, we will wait. Don’t worry. There’s plenty of time.”
“The prey shifters have declared civil war and you think there’s plenty of time?” Jace glared over at the dark man, who stuck out like a thumb in this overly-bright hospital room. “Who’s the stupid one now?”
“Who’s the fool who went for an unguarded walk with a boyfriend that he isn’t supposed to have?” Don snapped.
Jace’s heart did two very strange things all at the same time: it warmed happily at the mention of his lover, and it sank deep in his chest at the word Don used. “What do you mean?”
The advisor sighed, anger suddenly fading as quickly as it had come. “He really had no choice but to say it, from what I’ve heard of the story. Marvin wasn’t going to let him near you when you were downed after the fight. It was Keiran’s insistence that he be allowed to help ‘his boyfriend’ that finally convinced him. Had he not said that, I don’t think you would be alive right now.”
That was a problem. A huge problem. “I guess everyone in the castle knows by now.”
“Everyone in the Capital knows,” Don said wryly. “We have so many reporters pressed against the gates that they can almost climb over each other to get inside.”
Jace sighed. “Damn. How’s the council taking it?”
“Let me put it this way... if you weren’t in and out of consciousness for these past three days, the council already would have nailed you to a cross by now.”
Alarm shot through the alpha. He grabbed at the railing on either side of his bed and tried to push himself up into a sitting position. “Three days?” he said, aghast. “Three days?”
“Lie down,” Don snapped.
Jace obeyed mostly because he didn’t have the strength to do otherwise. Unfortunately, all that moving around had really awoken his self-awareness and pain rose up from the depths, waving cruel tentacles. Soon it would be unbearable.
“Yes, three days. I’ll let Sanjay explain it all when he arrives, but you weren’t in a coma. Just, when you were awake, it still seemed as if you dreamed. You fought. You needed to be restrained several times.”
Jace closed his eyes. Don went silent so that the only sounds filling the small room was that of their breathing, and of course the various whirring and beeping tones of the many machines connected to Jace. Three days... how could that be? It seemed as though he might remember some of it if he thought very hard, but the images made no sense and had no sound. Everything seemed out of proportion or hazy in all the wrong places, like trying to remember a dream. He gave up on it, figuring perhaps it was for the best.
Nothing to do but wait for Sanjay.
He took stock of the room he was in to pass the time, since he hadn’t yet. Really, it looked no different from the room his father stayed in. White walls, white door, white curtains on the window. Everything was white, even the frame of the decrepit old television mounted up high on the wall. The only things that weren’t white were the bedsheets and the gown he wore beneath them, both of which were incredibly pale blue, and the machines to which he was hooked up.
After looking around, Jace looked at himself. He felt Don watching him for this part, waiting for him to do something stupid, but he really just wanted to find out for himself what might be wrong with him. There was the IV in the back of his hand, the oxygen mask covering his face, and any number of electrodes stuck all over his body. He followed the path of the wires over to a boxy monitor that recorded his heartbeat, but the others led to an impossible tangle that not even he could decipher. He was covered in bandages, especially around his stomach and chest. In fact, he was wrapped in so many layers of the stuff that he wondered why they didn’t just stick him in a full-body cast and call it done for the day.
However, there was no way he could actually know the extent of his injuries, so he lay back again and nestled his head against the pillow. Closing his eyes, he counted the beats of his heart. They perfectly synced with the soft pulses of pain shooting through him, gathering at certain places before spreading outwards through the rest of him.
Clearly, I am no match for an elephant. Not even for a deer.
“Hey, Don? Do you think people will think it’s funny that I got my ass kicked by a deer?”
His advisor laughed, but very politely, clearly making an extreme effort to do so. “A kick from a full-grown stag could break a wolf’s neck. I would say you’re fine.”
“He’s not fine,” a new voice interrupted. At the same time, the door to the room opened and Sanjay walked inside. “Don, if you’ll step outside, I need to examine my patient.”
The advisor knew when not to argue. Bowing his head in respect, he stood up and scurried outside.
Jace looked up at the man standing over him and cracked a weary grin. “I bet you’re tired of seeing me.”
Sanjay didn’t smile. “I much preferred it when you were capable of storming out of my office. Now I have to stand here and deal with you.”
“Sanjay, are you joking with me?”
“I am.”
Wonders never cease.
Jace allowed himself to be examined, though the whole process made him feel like some sort of experiment. It also hurt. A lot. Gritting his teeth, he just tried to bear it and finally Sanjay pulled away, seeming as satisfied as he ever could be. “Well, my yo
ung prince, you are healing at a most remarkable rate. You’re ahead of schedule, in fact.”
“I’m sure that would be delightful news if I knew what was wrong with me,” Jace replied, slightly breathless despite the oxygen being pumped into his lungs. “Don didn’t tell me. I would think it’s important for me to know though.”
“And you are right,” Sanjay said. “Now, before I tell you anything, I must remind you that even if this news upsets you, you must accept it. It’s important for you to be as calm as possible during these coming days.”
“I am perfectly calm. Do you see how calm I am?”
“Hmm.” Sanjay raised one eyebrow. Jace waited as patiently as he could as the doctor gathered his thoughts. “You have seven bruised ribs, two of which are broken. One of those punctured your lung. It required surgery to repair and shouldn’t bother you in the future as long as you let it fully heal. That means abstaining from most, if not all, physical activity.”
Oh, great. I guess I’d better get a taste for TV because it sounds like I’m going to need a lazy distraction.
“You were shot in your shoulder.” Sanjay patted his own shoulder to demonstrate. “The bullet did not pass through, but it did not shatter apart or run into any bones, luckily. We removed the bullet quite easily out on the field and your shoulder will have no great loss of mobility if you give it time to heal.”
“No great loss?” Jace asked. “That still means some loss.”
“You must understand that these injuries are very grievous, Jace. While I have no doubt you will make a full recovery now that we’re past the first few days, scar tissues will form and your body will need time to adjust to all these changes forced upon it. Physical therapy will help and, in time, I don’t think you will see a difference.” Sanjay looked very stern. “That’s only if you do not worsen your injuries at any point in time. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Now, those were the most life-threatening injuries. You obtained numerous bruises, abrasions, and assorted gashes. You have several torn ligaments and a badly sprained ankle, as well as whiplash in your neck. We have stitched and braced you extensively. All of those minor injuries will heal without much in the way of interference on my part or yours.”
“And how long am I going to be bedridden?”
Sanjay hesitated.
“Doctor? I’m the prince. I need to know.”
“If you continue healing at this rate, you will be allowed to start taking small walks out of bed within a week. At two weeks, I might fully release you, but you will not be back to your normal self for several months, and that is with physical therapy and in optimum conditions. Any other questions before I allow your advisor back into the room?”
“How is my father? How’s he taking this?”
“His memory comes and goes. You know this. He is stable for the moment, but the condition in which he’s decided to stabilize is... not optimal.” Sanjay sighed. “We decided not to tell him of what happened. It wouldn’t help him.”
Jace nodded. That’s what he’d been hoping for. “And Keiran? Is he hurt? Did you treat him?”
“I haven’t treated him. He sits out in the waiting room. Hasn’t left since you got here.”
“Can he come in to see me?”
“No. Not for a few days yet. An excitable reunion isn’t what’s best for my patients, one of which is you right now.”
“What if I commanded you? As your prince?”
Sanjay shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, I am prince of this hospital. I put my word over yours. Now, I have to move on to my other patients. A nurse will be along shortly to change your dressings and to administer more pain medicine. It sounds as though you need it.”
And it felt like it too.
Sanjay headed toward the door but paused with his hand on the knob. “One last thing.”
Jace waited.
“Without that Keiran of yours, you would be dead. He kept you alive until I arrived. I think it would serve you well to remember you’re in his debt.” And with that, the doctor left the room and Don reentered.
Jace didn’t speak, just closed his eyes and waited for the nurse to come and take his pain away.
Chapter 15
Three days later, Jace stood up for the first time. It took every ounce of his strength and pained him in ways he hadn’t imagined possible, but it was progress. The next day, he took a short walk across the room and back. And the day after that, they allowed Keiran in to see him.
While Don went to fetch the omega, Jace sat on the edge of his bed and took stock of the way he felt. He was reminded of the bone-deep tiredness he felt as a child when he just started training in self-defense, but this went even deeper than just his bones. It was in his soul, dragging at everything he did. Never before had he been so aware of his own body, of the way his muscles worked. Motions that were natural and instinctual, such as walking, now had to be done with careful deliberateness. But, he reasoned, it was a fair trade for actually being able to do those things.
He wriggled his ass on the bed, staring impatiently over at the door. How long did it take to walk down a few hallways and back? Were they deliberately stalling, trying to increase his anticipation? It was impossible. He already felt like he was about to explode out of his skin with pure frustration.
Then he heard it. Approaching footsteps, two different sets, both of which he knew intimately. His heart jumped up into his throat and the anticipation he felt earlier paled in comparison to this tension. Every second seemed to drag on for an eternity, driving him insane with each one that passed.
When the door knob turned, he heard every click of the internal mechanism. As the door opened, he thought that he could hear the individual air molecules being pushed.
And then Don appeared in the doorway, but Jace didn’t focus on him. He was focused on the small, pale shape that flung itself beneath Don and raced the short distance to Jace.
“Jace!” Keiran cried, and then he slammed into Jace’s body and they fell back on the bed, rolling over and over as they had done that day they had sex for the first time. They came to a rest against the railing on the other side of the bed. Jace tightened his arms around the squirming omega, who seemed to be trying to bury himself in the alpha’s chest. “You’re alive!”
Despite everything that had happened, and despite the fact that Jace knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t help but to start laughing as he held the sobbing Keiran in his arms. “Did they tell you I was dead this entire time?”
Keiran sobbed. “No, but it felt like death without you.”
Jace clutched him tighter, only vaguely aware of Don backing out of the room and shutting the door behind himself. “Keiran,” he whispered. “Keiran, I’m here. I promise. I wouldn’t ever leave you. I...”
I love you, he thought. He knew his omega would feel it, but he couldn’t make himself say the words out loud. It just wasn’t the right time for that.
“You’re dumb,” Keiran muttered against his chest. “So stupid.”
Jace slid one hand up into Keiran’s soft hair, then wrapped his fingers around the other man’s face and lifted his chin up for a kiss. Their lips lingered together and they breathed the same air, taking comfort from their nearness.
“I really hope no one’s been causing you any trouble?”
Keiran shook his head, looking up into Jace’s eyes. “No. But I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it out loud.”
“It’s okay.” Jace laughed. “It was going to come out anyway, right?”
The omega looked down and Jace just kept stroking him, pressing an occasional soft kiss to his cheeks and forehead. “I guess so. But what are we going to do about it?”
“You just leave that to me. Okay? I’ve got so much to do now that one more little thing isn’t going to be the end of the world.”
“But it’s not going to be just a little thing!”
Jace hugged Keiran even tighter. “I know.” They were in for some uncomfortabl
e discussions in the future, that was for sure. Jace was ready for them, but he didn’t know how willing Keiran would be.
“Um...”
“Yes?”
“Just to add to the difficulty,” Keiran said, shyly, “I think I might be pregnant.”
For a moment, Jace had no idea what those words meant and then it hit him like a truck full of bricks. “Who’ve you been sleeping with while I was half-dead? Was it Don? Ow!”
Keiran hit him on the shoulder, which he supposed he deserved. “Idiot!” his normally sweet omega spat out. “You know I would never be with anyone but you! Even if you won’t say it, I will! I love you, Jace!”
“I love you, Keiran,” came out of his mouth before he could stop it. And once he said it, he wondered why he hadn’t just said it before. It felt good. Better than good. It was right. “So... pregnant?”
The omega blushed and didn’t say anything for a moment. Jace looked him over in the meantime. Now that he was aware he should be looking for changes, he found quite a few. In the short time since they’d last seen each other, Keiran’s body had filled out some on his delicate frame and his skin glowed. Even his hair seemed somehow healthier. There could be no doubt that something was happening to him.
“I haven’t taken a test or talked to the doctor about it, but I’m pretty sure. It’s almost like I can feel it, just like how I can feel you. Like there’s something in here that loves me.” Keiran placed both hands over his stomach. “I thought that I’d been feeling kind of different lately, but I didn’t know exactly how until I... felt it. You know?”
Somehow, Jace knew exactly what he was talking about. He just sighed and held his boyfriend closer to himself, cuddling him. “When do you think it happened?”
Wild Ride: An M/M Shifter Mpreg Romance Bundle Page 90
