Page 14 of Omega's Heart

But on the night of the fourth day, even he couldn’t pretend there was any hope.

“I’m sorry,” the doctor said from his seat beside Kaden’s bed. “It’s gone too far. If we wait any longer, we risk losing the hand.” The human’s own hands lay limply in his lap as if he was trying not to draw attention to them.

Kaden nodded agreement. “You tried.”

The doctor reached out to pat his knee—ironically, the one on the amputated leg. “So did you. It doesn’t make it any easier. We need more research on your people—the differences in physiology complicate our work far more than I like. Though, to be honest, after looking at the original damage I’m surprised you kept it this long.” He stood up and pushed the chair back out of the way. “We’ll transport you over for surgery in the morning. No food or water after midnight tonight and get as much sleep as you can. Do you want something for the pain?”

Kaden shook his head. “No, I’m dopey enough as it is.” In truth, he didn’t want to be any more helpless, his brain any more fogged than it already was. Yes, he was losing another finger. But he was alive, which was more than could be said for Honisloonz. He didn’t want to spend his last hours before he lost it in a drugged-out haze.

“Call the nurse if you find your pain gets any worse,” the doctor said on his way out the door.

Kaden waved him off with his good hand, then let his head fall back against the pillow. The ugly throbbing of his finger kept time with his heart—thump, thump, thump. Counting down the minutes. How many heartbeats until the end? What use would a hand be with only one finger?

He found himself reaching for his phone but once he had it in his good hand, he didn’t know what he planned to do. Call his mother? It would upset her for no reason. Call Quin?

Lysoon, to lay the burden on him. But Kaden was tired beyond endurance, feverish with his body’s own attempts to fight the infection that still stretched greedy claws out towards his heart.

The phone rang quietly in his ear and then his brother picked up his end.

“Kaden? Everything all right?”

He had to take a deep breath before he could say the word, “No,” without his voice shaking.

He’d forgotten how quick Quin was to pick up on what his brothers were really feeling. “I’ll leave as soon as curfew lifts.”

Kaden laughed, and this time it did shake. “No, I don’t need you to do that. I just…need some company tonight.”

“I can be that.”

Faintly in the background, Quin’s mate sang a soft lullaby. It was strangely peaceful, and just listening to that soft voice slowed the frantic beating of his heart by a hair. He’d been right to call his brother.

“So, tell me about the baby,” Kaden began.

The surgery went quickly, or so Kaden was later told, but he was a long time getting out of recovery —too many painkillers, too much anesthetic. They kept him there where they could watch him, made sure he woke up completely so that it was nearly curfew by the time he was allowed to leave.

When he got back to his room, Quin was there. “I hope you don’t mind the company,” his brother said as he helped the nurse transfer Kaden to his bed. “I’m here for the night, but I have to fly back early in the afternoon.”

“How did you even get a flight?” Kaden mumbled. His mouth felt full of cotton still, kind of like his head.

Quin nodded to the nurse and set himself to arranging the covers comfortably over Kaden’s body.

“Holland can work miracles at the airport, just like Bax can work miracles with the Bureau. But my papers are only for one day, just to come and check on you and talk to the doctors. I couldn’t get more time than that.”

“It’s enough. I wasn’t expecting even this.” His tongue stumbled over the words and he let his head loll sideways, looking for the jug that always sat on his bedside table. “The jug full?”

Quin checked it, then, without asking, poured some into the plastic cup beside it and stuck one of the ubiquitous bendy straws into the water and held it up to Kaden’s mouth. Gratefully, Kaden sipped the warm, plasticky liquid until his mouth felt less like the aftermath of a night out with the squad.

“Thank you,” he said, letting his head fall back against the pillow again. “You didn’t have to come.”

“I would have been sleeping on the couch if I hadn’t. Or more, likely, on Abel’s couch.” Quin smiled one of his rare smiles. “I can see now why the alphas always needed the omegas to balance them. I might have taken you at your word. Holland read beneath it.”

“You still didn’t need to come.”

“Shut up.”

Kaden let his eyes close, though he was determined to fight sleep as long as he could. “That any way to talk to what’s left of your brother?”

“Hmph. Don’t say that around any of your packbrothers, okay? They don’t have an alpha’s sense of humor about these things.”