Chapter 34
Owen took a deep breath before he stepped into Alec's office. It was difficult to see the hollowness in his green eyes. Owen wasn't sure he would ever get used to it. It had been two weeks since Eden's funeral and everyday Alec slipped farther and farther into darkness.
"Hey," Owen said as he entered.
Alec looked up and gave a nod, his face as expressionless as a statue.
"I just came from the hospital," Owen said quietly, careful with his word. "Rye wanted to discuss a treatment option for the baby."
Alec capped the pen he had been writing with and set it down in front of him. He laced his fingers together and looked up.
"He's doing better, but his weight is still down. His body temperature keeps dropping." Owen informed his brother.
"He's breathing on his, right?" Alec asked. His voice was void of any and all emotion.
"Yes," Owen nodded. "He's breathing."
Alec waited a second for his brother to continue. But when he didn't, Alec went back to his work.
"I'm going to go see Grace," Owen hesitated. "To inform her about the treatment options..... And see which one she picks."
Alec's hands froze as he listened to his brother's words. His eyes stayed low as the muscles in his jaw tensed. Owen watched his brother take a deep breath.
"I'll come with you," Alec said as he rose from his seat.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Owen worried.
"I really don't care what you think, Owen," Alec said under his breath. He walked out of his office without bothering to wait for his brother.
Owen followed his brother to the dungeon as he alerted the guards on the way down. Alec's mind was a fickle matter. Owen didn't want to be caught off guard if things got out of hand.
As soon as the guards were informed of their arrival, Grace was moved into the interrogation room. She sat handcuffed by silver as Alec and Owen entered the room. Her face was unreadable as her blue eyes watched the brothers take a seat like a snake.
Alec's wolf didn't growl, didn't huff, didn't whine. He was completely silent. His dark eyes stayed locked on the woman in front of him, ready to tear her head off in one bite. He didn't need to make a show of his rage. It was inevitable and ever present in his heart like the ache that kept him up at night.
"Here are some possible treatment options," Owen's voice pulled Alec out of his head.
Owen slid a piece of paper across the table to Grace. She stopped it with her finger carefully so as to not move her hand too much. The angry red burns around her wrist satisfied Alec.
The Radacovicks watched as Grace ran her eyes over the writings on the paper slowly. She nodded and then looked up.
"And they're sure these will work?" she asked.
"Not 100%, but they are worth a shot," Owen sighed.
Grace leaned back on the chair and tapped her fingers on the cold metal table, "I don't think he will make it."
Alec's green eyes slowly climbed up to Grace's. He wanted to know what it was like to look evil into the eye.
"We still have to try," Owen said baffled.
"His chances of survival are slim to none," Grace shrugged. "No matter what I pick, I don't see it making much of a difference."
Owen felt his own rage flare up. As a father of three, he could not understand how Grace could be speaking about her child in such a way.
"You can make the call," Grace slid the paper back to Owen. "You have more experience with kids."
"Are you giving up your rights to the child?" Alec spoke for the first time since entering the room.
Grace's eyes found his, "Yes."
"My lawyer will be in contact with you with the adoption papers," Alec said quickly as he got up and walked out of the room.
Owen, caught off guard even after preparing himself, looked from Grace to the door banging shut. The woman in front of him stared after Alec with an unreadable expression on her face as Owen slowly got up and walked out as well.
Alec was already halfway up the stairs by the time Owen caught up with him.
"Are you serious about what you said there?" Owen sped up to catch up with his brother.
"Yes," Alec said without bothering to slow down or stop. He kept his eyes straight and his face blank.
"That's a really big responsibility," Owen said with concern. "Are you sure you want to take that on?"
"You didn't ask me that when two weeks ago you thought the baby was mine," Alec kept moving.
"No, I didn't," Owen said. "Because I thought you would have help. A newborn on your own isn't an easy task."
"What would you rather have me do?" Alec suddenly stopped and turned to look at his brother. He wasn't angry or hurt or even upset. He simply felt nothing.
"You want the baby to end up in the system? Passed around from foster home to foster home?" Alec raised a brow.
"No," Owen said. "We.....we can ensure he gets adopted by a good family. A family that can take care of him."
"I can take care of him, I make more than enough."
"It's not about the money, Alec," Owen shook his head. "You're not..... You're not in the right state to take care of a child right now. Especially not this child."
"Why?"
Owen hesitated. He didn't know how to answer his brother's question.
"Because he might die like Eden?" Alec asked.
Owen flinched from Alec's blunt honesty.
"You're worried if this child dies then I'll completely lose my mind," Alec said. "First Eden, and then the baby."
"Yes," Owen sighed in defeat. "Alec, please think it through. Mavi and I are even open to adopting him."
"I've already thought it through," Alec began to walk away.
Owen's shoulders dropped as he stood watching his brother. He opened his mind-link to Manya and Mavi to inform them of what was about to happen. The woman both grew concerned and tried to reach out to Alec. But his mind-link was shut off.
Back in his office, Alec stayed on the line with his lawyer discussing the adoption steps. The man explained it would be a lengthy process. They would have to get Grace to sign the papers, get the council to approve of it, and Alec would have to go through a psych evaluation.
"Don't worry about all that," Alec told the lawyer. "Just get the papers ready and hand them to me. No need to put them through the official channels. I can get them signed quicker."
"As you wish, Mr. Radacovick," the lawyer said. "Just one more question. What should I say is the child's name in the paper work?"
The name?
Alec wasn't sure what Grace or Peter had named the baby. He had detached himself from them after finding out Grace lied.
"Hang on a moment," Alec said to his lawyer as he opened his mind- link to Rye.
What can I do for you? Rye asked.
What's the name of the child on the birth certificate? Alec asked.
There was a short pause before Rye answered.
They didn't name the child.
How can that be? Alec narrowed his eyes. They were with him for over two weeks.
Well, in the birth registry he's marked as the Welsh baby. Mother, Grace Welsh. Father, Peter Basham.
Can I provide a name now?
I'm sorry, Alec. Only parents or legal guardians can make the change on the official documents.
Alec pinched the bridge of his nose as he pushed down the pain that tried to resurface in his mind.
So, what have you been calling him all this time? He asked.
Rye hesitated as she answered, Patient A17.
Alec felt whatever was left of his heart blow away with the cruel wind.
That's his room number, he said.
I'm sorry.
Suddenly, Alec felt his heartbeat start to rise as his ears rang with a soft laugh.
You can't punish the rose for the crimes of the thorn, Eden's voice played in his mind.
Alec shut his eyes tight and shook his head. He heard her soft laugh again and could almost picture her in his mind, but he refused to go down that path.
Alec? Rye asked. Are you still there?
Yes, Alec cleared his throat. His name is Arden. Arden Radacovick.
_______________
Posey nudged Tobias with her leg under the table as they all sat around for dinner. Tobias looked up from his soup and found his wife's worried gaze upon Eden.
The girl sat quietly, her food untouched. The fork in her hand moved back and forth as she made it look as if she was eating. Her face was pale, her brown eyes hollow and red from crying. Her lips were chapped and her hair was a tangled mess.
"Do you want something else?" Posey asked with concern as she sat her spoon down.
"I want Alec," Eden said.
"Cannibalism is frowned upon in many cultures," Posey said.
Eden glared up at her through her lashes. Tobias reached across the table and placed a hand over his wife's.
"Persephone," he sighed.
Poesy turned to her husband and raised her shoulder as if to ask how else she was supposed to answer such demand.
Suddenly, Eden dropped her salad fork, making it clank against the china before dropping to the floor. Cerberus, who had been asleep under Posey's chair, lifted all of his heads in alert and rushed over to the fallen treasure.
"Cerberus, no!" Posey commanded. "Bad dog."
Cerberus stopped at once and lowered all three of his heads. He scurried back to his spot under Posey's chair and laid down. Tobias took pity on his old friend and threw him three slices of meat.
"Do you know how hard it is to get the stains off the floor," Posey sassed her husband as she reached down and scratched the back of the dog's head.
"Yet he still likes you more," Tobias laughed as Cerberus licked Posey's hand.
"Can we go back to my problem," Eden frowned.
"Oh, right!" Posey turned back to the girl. She took a deep breath and tucked her black hair behind her ears.
"Like we already explained," Posey began. "The gods do not want Gemma to be just pulling anyone out as she pleases. They will be monitoring her gift. As for you, You already escaped death once. They do not want others to think the underworld is some kind of a joke."
"So I am being used as an example for everyone else?" Eden's bottom lip trembled.
"Please don't cry," Tobias handed Eden an extra napkin.
"This is all your fault!" Eden jumped up from. "You are the one who let me go the first time and gave me a taste for the life I could have had. And when it was all so close, I was ripped apart from it. This is not fair!"
Posey blinked in surprise as Eden began to sob. She got up from her chai and rushed over.
"I am so sorry," Posey said with sincerity. "I did not intend for any of this to happen."
"Well, it did," Eden let Posey pull her into her arms. "And now I can't breath. I can't stand to be without him. Please, you have to do something. Please."
Posey patted the girl's tangled hair and urged her to calm down.
"We are so sorry, little dove," Tobias came to stand behind his wife. He looked down at Eden and patted her head.
"It hurts," Eden pulled back as her body shook from her cries. "I see him every time I close my eyes, I hear his voice everywhere I go..... I am going to go crazy. There will be nothing of me left here."
"No, honey," Posey shook her head. "We all heal with time."
"I don't want to heal!" Eden shook Posey's hands away from her. "I want Alec."
"Please, try to understand," Posey frowned. "You know I would let you go if it were possible."
"You are the queen, no, the goddess of the underworld. You can do anything!" Eden urged.
"Even gods have limits," Tobias said quietly.
"I hate it here!" Eden screamed. "I want to go to my mate!"
"I think you need to sleep," Posey took a deep breath. "I will have dinner sent to your room."
"I can't eat, or sleep."
"Cerberus?" Posey looked over her shoulder. "Show Eden to her room please."
The dog picked up his heads and walked over to Eden. He opened one of his mouths gently and took the corner of Eden's dress in between his teeth. Tobias and Posey stood still watching as their pet tugged Eden away from the dining room. When they were both gone, Posey let out the breath she was holding and turned to her husband.
"It's hard having children," she said.
"I think we're doing okay, given the circumstances."
"You think so?" Posey raised a brow. "I'm not so sure."
Tobias took one of Posey's long locks in between his fingers and let it coil around. Posey chewed on her bottom lip as her beautiful mind wandered.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Tobias took a seat at the edge of the dinner table and pulled his wife in between his legs.
"She's right," Posey frowned as she fixed his collar. "It is all my fault."
"Don't think that way,"
"How can I not?" Posey's shoulders dropped. "I shouldn't have let her go the first time. She would have learned to get used to being with us here. But I messed up and now she left behind so much....."
"You couldn't have possibly known Ezra and the faiths would interfere like this,"
"Maybe I can talk to the faiths," Posey said with hope. "They like me."
"My love," Tobias sighed. "They will not bend."
The little flame of hope that had ignited in Posey's heart died out. She fiddled with the button's on Tobias's shirt as the frown on her face got deeper and deeper.
"I love you endlessly, you know that right?" Tobias asked after a while.
"I know," Posey smiled. "I love you more than life itself."
"What is it?" Tobias asked as he watched the little glimmer of sadness in her eyes.
"Eden loves that boy," Posey looked up her husband's dark eyes. "And he loves her."
Tobias didn't respond.
"We can't give up....." Posey shook her head. "I can't bear to see her like this."
As Posey sighed once more, she lowered her head upon Tobias's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her body and inhaled her scent of jasmine. A long silence drew out between them as the candles on the table burned.
"Persephone," Tobias said quietly after a while.
"Yes?" Posey picked up her head to look at her husband.
"There might be a way....."
What will happen now? Hehehehe