The Strength of the Pack (Suncoast Society #30)(81)



It was Wednesday before Nate was able to leave St. Pete. He arose before dawn and stopped by the hospital to see Kenny before heading south.

It was a little after seven when he found Eva’s room. Cris was asleep in a recliner over on the far side of the room, and Eva looked exhausted, even in sleep.

He sat in the chair next to her bed and stared at her, afraid to wake her up. He hated to disturb her.

Apparently, Cris was a much lighter sleeper. He sat up. “Hey,” he mumbled before yawning.

Nate raised a hand in greeting, trying not to awaken Eva, but her eyes fluttered open.

He immediately caught her hand and brought it to his lips. “Good morning, love.”

She squeezed his hand tightly, desperately, as her eyes closed again. “Good morning, Sir.”

He managed to get the bed rail down and climbed in with her, holding her as she softly cried against him.

“I love you, Sir,” she said.

“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He closed his eyes, relieved to have her in his arms again. Yes, she still had healing of her own to go through, but she was healing. It would only be a matter of days before she was released. She’d be out now had it not been for the complications.

“Is he really okay?”

“He’s beautiful, and he can’t wait to see his mommy.”

He only stayed an hour before heading to the house. Leo and Jesse both had left already. Even empty, without the sounds of his pack there, it felt better being home.

He quickly grabbed what he’d need to take back with him to St. Pete after he finished work, then stopped in the living room.

Their family picture from their wedding day sat there on the mantel. All of them, the group shot. Him and Eva, with Laurel in front of them, with Jesse and Leo and Cherise and Wade flanking them.

He pulled his phone out and carefully snapped a picture of it. It wasn’t the same as having them all with him, but it was something he could look at.

And that was almost as good.

Good enough until they were all together again.





They were able to change rooms at the Ronald McDonald House to get one with two beds. At any given time, there were two or three of them staying in the room at night, including the night Nate ended up sharing a bed with Jesse because Tilly had claimed the other one.

And neither man felt brave enough to wake her up to make her share the bed.

It was eight days before Eva was discharged from the hospital. When Leo and Jesse brought Eva up to All Children’s that Monday evening, Nate still worried about her but they all assured him she was cleared to be there.

“I can’t lift anything heavier than a pillow,” she said. “But at least I can hold our son.”

Nate kept a steadying arm around her in the NICU after she got scrubbed in and he helped her to Kenny’s bed. When she saw the baby lying there, she started crying again. He could sympathize.

“He’s so tiny,” she said as he helped her into the glider and they started getting her ready with pillows and warm blankets.

“He’s already gained half a pound since he’s been here,” Nate said.

A breast feeding nurse had worked with Eva down at the other hospital, setting her up with a pump. They wouldn’t be able to keep that milk, since she’d been on medications that passed through into the milk, but they had hoped she’d be able to start breast feeding once Kenny was able to.

Unfortunately, despite having breast fed Laurel without trouble, between the trauma of the C-section and the hysterectomy, she wasn’t producing nearly enough, even with regular pumping, to be able to feed him without supplementing with formula.

Not enough to make it worth the massive hit to her psyche every time she got frustrated at herself for the small quantities, which didn’t help things. The more trouble she had, the more it upset her, meaning less production, until Tilly quietly coordinated with Nate, Leo, Jesse, and the nurse down there to call off the attempts for Eva’s peace of mind. The baby was thriving on formula, and while it wasn’t the preferred option, everyone agreed that Eva had already been through enough. They needed her focused on her recovery, and taking care of the baby, not what was quickly blowing up in Eva’s mind into one more perceived failure on her part.

Nate, Leo, and Jesse crowded around Eva, comforting her, wiping her tears as she slowly rocked back and forth, clutching the baby to her. Tilly stood to the side, silently filming and photographing the moment for them. She would leave for England in a couple of days, unable to delay her departure any longer. Now that Eva was out of danger, and the baby was stable and thriving, they really didn’t need her even though they wished they could keep her there as a security blanket.

The night before Kenny was scheduled to be discharged, eighteen days after he was admitted, Nate and Eva were alone in the room. They’d gotten everything packed and all they’d have to do in the morning was their chore, wash the sheets and towels, and make sure everything was clean and ready for the next resident to check in.

As Nate held her in bed, she tried to relax. This was such a different experience from having Laurel. Kenny would be sent home with a heart monitor for a couple of weeks to make sure he didn’t have sleep apnea. But he was being bottle fed and gaining weight. Leo and Jesse and even Laurel had all taken turns feeding him already, and both Jesse and Leo were eager to have “their” son home with them.

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