Page 130 of Slow Heat

“He’s still very sick. Urho thinks his womb is infected. Perilously so.”

Jason dropped the spoon, jerked his hand from Rosen’s, and stood up. “How long will Vale sleep? Could I go home and get back in time?”

“Your pater is resting, Jason, and your father is with him. Yosef said to pass on the message from Yule that he understood why you’d left and he was glad you were gone during the worst of it.”

Jason blinked at that. He’d missed theworst of it? How could anything have been worse than what he’d seen?

“He needs me, though, don’t you think?” Jason asked. “If pater is that sick and his womb is infected, then I should go be with him, at least until Vale wakes up.”

How had he let himself get lost in Vale when his father was suffering and his pater might be dying? He was selfish and stupid and—

“Whatever you’re thinking, dear heart, you must immediately stop.” Rosen tugged him back down into his seat and shoved the bowl of soup his way. “Eat.”

Zephyr leapt from Rosen’s lap, apparently inspired by the smell of the food, and headed over to the corner to pick at her kibble.

“This is the way life works. You’re young, so you don’t know that yet. But horrible things happen alongside wonderful things all the time. And if you let the horrible things detract from the wonder of the good things, you’ll never really feel true happiness. You’re allowed this time with Vale.”

Jason didn’t know what to say so he turned back to the soup. It was delicious now that he was paying attention. “Did you make this while we were…?”

“Not from scratch. I bought vegetable soup from Nix & Nots and then added beef from the butcher to make it heartier for you. You’ll both need the energy. When you go back up, you should take a bowl and try to get him to eat.”

Jason knew that, of course. He’d taken classes and his parents had given him the talks. But he just nodded, taking another bite, grateful Rosen cared.

“I made enough for a couple of meals. And I’ll come back tomorrow with a casserole and some sides to hold you over. In the meantime, I’m going to head on home.” His lips quirked up.

“But what if…”

Rosen shook his head. “You’re going to be all right, Jason. And hopefully so will Miner. Urho is staying at your house until the danger has passed.” Rosen rose from the table to refill Jason’s empty bowl. “It was smart of you to think of him. Not many know, but Urho has a lot of experience in the field of omega health. After Riki died, he couldn’t stand the lack of immediacy in his research at the university. He wanted to do something to help people in crisis. I think he saw it as penance for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“What sort of crime?”

“Failing to save Riki’s life.”

Jason thought of Vale and knew immediately if something had happened to him, something awful, he’d blame himself, too. Just like he knew Father would blame himself if Pater died. “Urho’s a good man.”

Rosen’s dark eyebrows lifted. “Yes, he is. Annoying, but good.” He smiled at Jason. “After Riki, Urho started volunteering his retired military medical skills to help the poor. Of course, one of the greatest dangers poor omegas face is childbirth. So he’s handled a lot of births, along with miscarriages.” He chose his next words carefully. “And rumor has it, maybe he’s done a bit more at times, too, when an omega really needed it.”

The oblique reference to Vale’s past sent a sad shiver through Jason. He’d do anything to be able to turn back time and take those events out of Vale’s history. Not because he wanted children, but because he hated that Vale had suffered so much, and that he’d blamed himself and felt so alone.

“I know about that,” Jason said. “Vale told me.”

“Good. I’m glad he isn’t hiding it from you anymore.” Rosen sighed. “Vale doesn’t know that Yosef and I know what Urho did for him. He believes we think it was a stranger. But I think the time for keeping things from each other is past. We all know the truth.”

Jason nodded. “I’m grateful Urho came when I called him. I didn’t know what else to do.” He flashed back to the panic he’d felt seeing his pater in agony.

“Urho is a sanctimonious jerk sometimes, but, like you said, he’s a good man and a good doctor.”

Jason finished eating, and Rosen showed him where Vale kept the silverware and plates. “So you can prepare things for yourself.” He pressed a fresh bowl of soup into Jason’s hands, a little less full than what he’d given Jason “Now take that up. He’ll be waking before long.”

Zephyr followed Jason from the room and he had to be careful not to stumble over her on the stairs. She hissed when he wouldn’t allow her into Vale’s room.

“We need privacy,” he whispered to her.

She stared at him and then turned, tail in the air, to show him her ass. He chuckled.

“Sorry. It’s just for a few days. After that…”

But the future was another scary thing he couldn’t control, so Jason pushed that thought aside, too, and opened the door.