Page 26 of Alpha & Omega (Alpha's Rejects #4)

Two days prior

I nearly crumbled when the doctor told us Kingston had lost his leg. His boys sobbed and held each other with the news. Fuck, my poor skaterboy. God, at least he was still alive. I understood about amputation enough that he could lead a relatively normal life with prosthetics, but losing a part of your body wasn’t for the faint of heart. And his road wasn’t going to be easy… and it would be expensive.

Each of us spent time with him while he stayed in the ICU, leaving them more devastated. I understood why, looking at him. They’d shaved Kingston’s head to treat multiple lacerations and give him stitches. Bruises and swelling covered his body and face. He had a breathing tube in his mouth and a tube up his nose. When I sat with him, I lifted the blanket covering his legs and saw the cast. Reality set in that he had no more leg below the knee.

My eyes watered as I rested my hand on his remaining left leg. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered. “We’ll get you through this… together.”

I sat there and held his hand for a while, talking to him about the time we’d spent together and some of our more fun moments, hoping he heard me.

Kingston had wanted to pursue skating again, but that was out of the question, at least for the next year or so, if he even wanted to skate again. And while he lay there in an induced coma, I worried about his business for him. It would be a massive setback for him and Alpha’s Rejects.

By the time I finally came back out to the waiting room, the rest of the Rejects were there, all crying and holding each other. I could only imagine their devastation. A couple of them hid their pain and didn’t shed tears, but you could see it, anyway. The only one missing was Pippin.

I approached them, feeling intrusive. “If anyone wants to see Kingston now, they can. Just tell the nurses.”

All red-rimmed eyes pinged on me with desperation and answers that I didn’t have.

“What are we going to do? We don’t know what to do?” Nacho asked me, who was wrapped in Stix’s spindly arms. He looked at me with large, dark eyes, as if I knew what to do. “Alpha can’t work, not for a long time, and… we don’t have a manager or… what do we do?”

“I’m honestly not sure yet. I don’t want to overstep my bounds, especially since I’ve already done that once, which caused the initial rift between Kingston and me. For now, if you’re capable, keep the bar running. Do any of you have access to the business’ bank?”

“Pippin, Stix, and I do,” Ajax said, who sat with Aiden curled on his lap. “But we can only make deposits.”

“Good. What about orders? How well is the bar stocked?”

“We’re fully stocked for now. Alpha likes to always have enough on hand. ”

I nodded. “When Kingston wakes up, he’s going to have to give you all access to the business credit card and keep up with the supply because he’s not going to be working for a while. I can help with that, too, dealing with suppliers for my restaurant. So, do you all think you can keep the bar open?”

They all nodded.

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” Stix said.

“That’s a start. Let me see if I can come up with a plan, because this will be more than just keeping the bar running. This is going to be a massive financial burden for Kingston, and for you, too. Let me sleep on it, since I’m exhausted right now. I’ll do what I can to come up with some ideas. You all do the same thing, too.”

To my surprise, half of them came at me and pulled me into a hug, thanking me.

I had money set aside for a rainy day, and while Harley’s is doing really well, it would take time before I started to see a significant profit. So, I was reluctant to contribute financially, but I would as a last resort, not just for my sake, but because Kingston was proud. He wouldn’t like it at all.

When we pulled away, I coughed back my emotions. “Okay, let me head home and get some sleep. I’ll be back later today with some food for you all. Try not to live off the vending machines. And let me give you my number in case anything changes with Kingston or if you need to reach me.”

Stix plugged it into his phone. “I’ve added you to our group chat.”

“Thank you.”

I left the hospital with a worried mind and a heavy heart, but now I felt useful because I had a purpose. That was so much better than my previous freak out when I learned about his accident.

“Wait!” someone yelled after me.

I turned to find Nacho running toward me as I made my way down to the parking garage.

“Can you drop me off at home? I need to check on Sam. He’s freaking out.”

“Yeah, of course. Do you need help?”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but we’ll be okay. I know what to do.”

We drove in silence for a while before I asked, “How are you holding up? ”

“Oh, not so good, but I need to be strong for Sam now. We made such good progress with therapy and his fear of doctors, but this really sets him back. We’ve been trying to get him into the therapist’s office so she can test him for shit properly, but…” He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Now we need to start all over again. If Alpha dies… we’ll never be the same again. None of us. Sorry…”

“It’s okay. He’s in really good hands. His doctor seems very capable.”

“But his leg…”

“He’ll walk again. That’s a promise. It’ll take time, but he’ll be back on his proverbial feet. You’ll see.”

I pulled in front of Nacho’s apartment, which was a run-down building, reminding me of how closely connected they were to Kingston. If he failed, they would all fail. It made me even more determined than ever to come up with some sort of plan to keep Alpha’s open and help cover the financial burden of Kingston’s medical expenses.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“You’re welcome. Call me if you need me to come get you. It’s no problem.”

He hopped out and looked at me. “What about your work?”

“I’m covered for now. Let’s worry about you all and Kingston.”

He nodded and closed the door before running into his apartment.

When I got home, Hudson was in the living room, watching TV. Oliver must have gone home.

“Hey,” I said.

He turned off the TV and came over to me, giving me a much-needed hug. “How is he?”

That was when the emotions hit me again, and why I needed to stay focused and busy, for Kingston’s sake. “Uhm… not so good,” I said, my voice trembling.

“Is he… going to make it?”

“Ah, we don’t know yet. He’s still in the ICU, and he’s… lost his leg.”

Hudson held me tighter, and I held him back, grateful I had him in my life. “I’m so sorry, Dad. Is there anything I can do? I want to help.”

I pulled away from him, gripping his shoulders, trying not to lose it. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

He smiled. “Yeah, all the time. ”

“Actually, if you want, I need help to make meals for those young men and young woman, waiting for their Alpha. I’m going to feed them before they have to go back to work at the bar. It has to stay open at any cost, for all their sakes.”

“I can do that. I was supposed to work at Harley’s, but I can help out at Alpha’s instead, if you want. No charge.”

“Thank you. Just helping with the meals is a start. You’re a little young to work in a bar. Let me nap for a couple of hours and shower, and then I could use your help.”

“I’ll be here.”

I kissed his head and rushed up the stairs to sleep for a bit.

I tossed and turned for about an hour, unable to really get a deep sleep. All I could think about was poor Kingston and making plans to take care of him once he got out of the hospital.

I climbed out of bed, feeling completely unrested and a little dizzy from the lack of sleep, and got up to take a shower, which helped a little bit.

I came downstairs to freshly brewed coffee. My son was a fucking godsend.

“You’re a lifesaver, Hud.”

“I heard you showering.”

I made a cup of coffee, and said, “Ready to make some food? I figured I would just throw together a sandwich kit since I don’t know how picky they are with food. We’ll put together some meats and cheeses and put some condiments into small containers with the whole-grain bread I have on hand. We can toss in some lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and cherry peppers, along with some other snacks, like pickles, olives, crackers, and nuts. We can also dice up some fruit.”

“We should make more coffee and bring a couple of thermoses for them,” he suggested.

“Great idea.”

It took Hudson and me about an hour to gather the food and put it in picnic baskets. He helped me carry the baskets, plates, cups, utensils, and napkins to my car .

“Do you think this is too much?” I asked Hudson. “I went a little overboard, didn’t I?”

I chuckled. “Maybe a little, but it’s what you do. You love taking care of others, and you love to cook. I also know this helps you de-stress. They’re going to love it and appreciate it.”

When Hudson and I arrived with our goods, everyone was still in the waiting room. Some were sleeping, and others were on their phones, waiting.

“Hey, I come bearing food,” I said, setting the baskets down on a table.

They all scrambled toward the food, digging in like starving animals. They thanked me, bringing a sad smile to my face. I just let them go at it.

“Any news?”

Stix looked at me and shook his head as he piled turkey and cheese onto bread with lettuce and mayo. “They came out just to let us know there’s no news, other than they’re going to try to pull him out of the coma tomorrow.”

“Oh, god. Great news, but Kingston is going to wake up to another sort of hell.”

“We know…”

Shortly after, Tony, Kingston’s foster brother, came by to wait with us since he’d been staying in the same hospital. He looked completely battered, and no doubt felt even worse with Kingston so injured. He sat down without eating.

After introducing himself, he burst into tears, blaming himself for this mess. No one could have predicted this. It wasn’t his fault. “I should’ve told Kingston earlier and not let it get so bad with my boyfriend. He wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“It’s not your fault. We cannot predict how life will play out.”

“Still… I’ll always feel guilty.”

I had nothing to add to that, not knowing the man.

Over the course of the day, I shuttled people back and forth, which gave me something to do and feel useful. In between, I would sit in Kingston’s room, holding his hand and talking to him.

Once I drove the last group who planned to work tonight and drove Hudson home, I headed back to the hospital to wait. I just couldn’t bring myself to sit at home in case something happened.

It was late morning when Dr. Torens approached us. My gut recoiled, worried she’d give us bad news. So far, Kingston had been stable.

“We’re going to be removing his breathing tube and waking him up from his coma in a little bit.”

Stix, Stone, and Nacho all sighed in relief and held each other while Tony looked like a fifth wheel, holding himself. “Thank god,” he muttered.

“What Kingston needs is to have a familiar face in the room with him.”

They all looked at Tony, who should’ve been the obvious choice, since he’d known Kingston the longest.

“No, I… can’t. I’ll just make him feel worse with all my fucking crying and guilt. It needs to be someone positive.”

Then they looked at me. “No way. I’d love nothing better than to be the first face he sees, but it should be family.”

The group finally voted on Nacho since he’d known Kingston the longest, next to Tony. And Nacho had a kind, sweet aura about him. It was a good choice.

“We’ll let you know how it goes. If all goes well, we’ll be able to move him out of the ICU,” the doctor said, guiding Nacho back to Kingston’s room.

I curled up on the chair as best as I could as I watched Kingston sleep in his new room, looking a little better with the tubes removed from his nose and mouth. Regardless, he appeared so broken. I tried to imagine what life would be like being in a relationship with him from here on out. It would be different, no doubt, but it didn’t scare me. Kingston was worth it, and I loved him. He was the one who needed us now. He needed people to take care of him for a change.

But I also didn’t know what he would be like. No doubt he’d be confused, angry, frustrated, and scared. According to Nacho, Kingston clearly hadn’t taken the news well, and withdrew from people, refusing to talk to anyone. That didn’t bode well, but I also didn’t blame him. I didn’t expect him to shrug it off, but I feared he would shove everyone away while he suffered alone. It was a feeling I often went through when Ava left .

He suddenly stirred awake, so I stood and sat on the edge of his bed.

“Hey, can I get you anything? Water? Need some pain meds?”

“It hurts… but the pain meds and nerve blockers help.”

Suddenly, he burst into tears, quietly heaving as he covered his face.

“Oh, god, baby…”

I gently lifted him to me as I bent forward to meet him halfway and held him as his body wracked with sobs, pulling the tears from me. I felt horrible for him, only able to imagine his pain and fear.

“I’ve got you, Skaterboy. I’ve got you.”

I would always hold him up if I could, no matter what life threw at him.