Summer’s POV
I’d been sitting at Felix’s bedside for nearly three days–during the limited hours I was allowed in–barely eating, refusing to sleep for more than brief snatches. Alexander had tried repeatedly to convince me to rest properly, but how could I close my eyes when each moment with my son felt so precious, so fleeting?
The soft, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor had become the soundtrack to my vigil. I’d memorized every pattern, every fluctuation, tensing whenever the rhythm changed even slightly. Dr. Miller and his team came and went, their faces increasingly grim as they checked Felix’s vitals and adjusted his
medications.
I was clutching Felix’s small hand, tracing the delicate veins visible beneath his too–pale skin, when I felt
his fingers twitch. My gaze shot to his face just as his remaining eye fluttered open.
“Felix?” I breathed, hardly daring to believe it. “Sweetie, can you hear me?”
His eye focused on me slowly, confusion giving way to recognition. “Mom,” he whispered, his voice so
faint I had to lean closer to hear it. “You’re here.”
“Of course I’m here, baby. I’m right here.” I gently stroked his hair back from his forehead, noting how damp it was with fever sweat. “How do you feel?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze drifted around the unfamiliar room, taking in the medical equipment and the large window overlooking the forest beyond.
“We’re at the Blackwood Pack,” I explained softly. “Alexander brought us here. You’re safe now.”
Felix’s eye returned to my face, studying me with an intensity that broke my heart. Even at such a young age, my son had learned to read people far too well–a survival skill no child should need to develop.
“Am I dying, Mom?” he asked suddenly, his voice steady despite its weakness.
The question hit me like a physical blow. I opened my mouth to deny it immediately, but the words stuck in my throat. Felix deserved better than platitudes and false hope.
“No, baby,” I finally managed, trying to keep my voice from trembling. “You’re very sick, but the doctors here are going to make you better. They’re working on special medicine just for you.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his expression far too knowing for a child his age. “I can feel it, you know. Inside. Something’s wrong. More wrong than before.”
“Felix-”
“It’s okay, Mom,” he interrupted, his small fingers tightening around mine with surprising strength. “I’m not scared. Not really.”
1/3
I felt tears spilling down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever known,” I told him, meaning every word. “But you don’t have to be brave all the time. It’s okay to be
scared sometimes.”
“I’m tired of this place,” he said after a moment, his eye moving around the sterile hospital room. “I don’t want to stay here anymore. Can we go somewhere else?”
My heart constricted painfully. Just yesterday, Dr. Miller had pulled Alexander and me aside, his expression grim as he told us that–if we were lucky–our son might have a month left.
“The doctors need to keep an eye on you, sweetie,” I said gently. “They’re working very hard to help you get better.”
Felix shook his head slightly, his expression growing more determined. “Please, Mom. I don’t want to die
in a hospital.”
The word ‘die‘ on his lips shattered something inside me. I bent over, pressing my forehead to our clasped hands, trying desperately to muffle my sobs. I couldn’t break down, not now when he needed me
to be strong.
“You’re not going to die,” I whispered fiercely, raising my head to look at him. “I won’t let that happen. I promise you.”
But Felix just looked at me with that too–old expression. “Can we please go home? Wherever home is
now. I want to see trees and sky, not just through a window.”
I stared at my son–my beautiful, brave, dying son–and knew I couldn’t deny him this. If his time was
truly limited, didn’t he deserve to spend it somewhere that made him happy?
“Okay,” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “I’ll talk to Alexander and the doctors. If they say it’s safe to move you, we’ll go.”
The smile that lit up his face was worth any battle I might have to fight with the medical staff. “Really?”
“Really,” I promised, wiping away my tears. “Just rest now, and I’ll see what I can arrange.”
As if the conversation had drained what little energy he had, Felix’s eye drifted closed again. I sat with him until his breathing evened out into sleep, then reluctantly slipped out of the room to find Alexander.
I didn’t have to search far. He was standing just outside the door, his broad shoulders leaning against the wall, his face lined with concern.
“You heard?” I asked, knowing his enhanced wolf hearing would have picked up our conversation.
He nodded, reaching out to pull me against his chest. I went willingly into his embrace, drawing strength from his steady presence.
2/3
“I’ll make the arrangements,” he said quietly, his hand stroking soothingly along my back. “Dr. Miller can set up home medical care at the pack house. Felix will have everything he needs.”
I pressed my face against his shirt, inhaling his comforting scent. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Alexander tilted my chin up, his eyes fierce with emotion. “You’re not alone anymore, Summer. Whatever happens, we face it together.”
