Chapter 25 (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.)

***Aiden’s POV***

I stood perfectly still, holding my breath, as I heard little Robin let out a hiss of pain. I watched my mate’s face go from happy joy to an almost stoic expression. What just happened?
She looked at me briefly and then gently kissed Robin on the forehead; she left the room as I watched her go down the hallway to the nurse’s station. I am not a medical doctor, so I am unsure what is happening here.
I decided to visit with Robin and wait for my Mate to return to tell me what was happening with the little guy. He looked pale despite his smile; It breaks my heart when we have patients his age.
I need to chat with our pack doctor; I wouldn’t say I like the boy’s scent; if I am right, the treatments are not doing as well as the doctors hope. It will kill my mate if she has to lose him.
There might be a way to save him, but I have to talk to the Doc first; even if it works, little Robin will have to die in the human world and push those thoughts out of my mind for now. After all, the kid could pull through; he is just going through a rough patch.
*“How are you doing, little man?”
“I am doing ok, Sir; I am worried about Laura, though; she looks like she has not gotten any sleep since she has been off. I know she worries about me, but she doesn’t have to; plenty of nice people here take good care of me.”
“The treatments are not very nice, but I knew that it wouldn’t be easy; I hope that Laura isn’t upset when she hugged me; for some reason, I feel like my skin is on fire whenever I am touched.”*
*“I know she isn’t upset with you, Robin, so don’t worry. You are right, though. She worries about you night and day; no one will stop her. So you will have her for a mom whether you like it or not.”*
Robin giggled and gave me a huge smile, and I could feel Ares inside my mind; he wasn’t interested in what was happening. Ares likes Robin; something about him fascinates him, though he won’t explain what it is.
Laura came back into the room, the look on her face was hard to read, but I could tell she wasn’t happy about whatever she found out. However, the smile on her face when she looked at Robin made my heart skip a beat; I wanted to see that smile every day for the rest of my life.
*“Laura, I missed you the last couple of days. I have not been able to do any drawings, though. These treatments make me sleepy, and I don’t feel like doing much of anything, either. But I love this blanket you brought me; it is so soft that it is the only thing I can stand to touch me right now.”
“I am glad you have that blanket; I will bring you another so you have a spare. Is there anything you would like me to get for you? Do you need anything?”
“I don’t need anything; other than some popsicles; the red and the blue are my favorites. You don’t have to worry about getting them, though, because the nurses here bring them to me whenever I want one.”*
I watched as the two of them conversed; I could tell Robin was getting tired just from this little discussion. Looking at Laura, I could see that she had already noticed Robin’s exhaustion; she was such a caring and intuitive person. I am lucky to have found her.
They talked for a little longer; mostly, it was Laura doing the talking. She ensured that Robin was comfortable; Robin laid down and slept as soon as his head hit the pillows. We left the room in silence; as we made our way to her car, a loud shriek was heard from the parking lot.
Laura abruptly stiffened her demeanor as the woman approached; I came up behind her silently in case she might need me. The woman walked right up to Laura and got in her face; instantly, I became enraged and moved to stand before my mate. Laura raised her hand for me to stop and calm down.
I heard her in my mind; it was just a whisper but strong.
***“It is all right; I will take care of this.”***
*“You naughty child, how dare you continue doing this to us. Devin told me everything you have been doing and where you are working; you will forget whatever you think you are doing here and with whomever this nobody is, and start acting like a grateful daughter!!”
“Hello, Mrs. Roberts. Very nice of you to pay me this unwanted visit. Please pray and tell me whom you had to sleep with to find my location. Devin told you, well, he certainly likes to keep it in the family, doesn’t he, tell me, do the fish stop swimming when he is around the fish tank?”*
The woman stared at my Mate in disbelief; I was very proud then. The woman raised her hand in her anger and made a move to strike Laura; before I could do anything, Laura grabbed her mother’s wrist tightly and held it poised in the air.
Mrs. Roberts let out a hiss, and I could see the signs of crazy in her eyes. I moved as close as possible without Laura knowing what I was doing. I will let my mate fight her battles, but I will back her up if needed.
*“Listen to me right now, Mrs. Roberts. You are not my mother; after what you have done to me, you will never be my mother again. But, furthermore, if you so much as twitch in my direction again, I can assure you that you will wish you were never born.”
“I am no longer living in the dark, and I know all about you and what you want. So go home, back under your rock, snake!”*
My Mate dropped her mother’s hand like an infected piece of rotten meat, pushed past her, and continued to walk away. I quickly followed her, letting her take the lead as to what would happen next.
Mrs. Roberts’s screeches could be heard, I think, miles away; I heard the woman start to run towards us. I slowed down but let Laura get ahead of me just as Mrs. Roberts was about to pass me to get to Laura when I turned and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.
She started to thrash about like I was going to kill her, and I leaned forward so only she could hear what I was about to say.
*“Listen, you crazy bitch; you will do as Laura says. If you don’t, I will show you exactly what kind of nobody I can be. Although I am not nearly as nice or generous as Laura is, trust me, you don’t want to mess with me.”
“Believe me when I tell you; that to mess with Laura is to mess with me. So now get your money-grubbing skanky ass out of my site. Don’t ever try to get near her again, ever.”*
I raised her off the ground six inches and then dropped her. She landed on her ass, and her face paled with fear. I turned and walked away back to Laura, who was watching it all in her car. I was worried for a second that she wouldn’t like me interfering.
Instead, she gave me a broad smile, and I sighed in relief; we got into the car, and Laura drove off down the street, not so much as a hint of looking back. We rode in silence for a little bit until I felt her exhale.
*“I could never understand that woman, even when I thought she was my real mother. I lived with the trustfulness of youth, without questions, because I trusted what I was shown and told was true, that those that loved me would not lie.”
“I see it all now, I was a fool, but it isn’t all my fault. They refuse to take any blame for what they have done; not only that, but they don’t even act like they might be sorry. It is all just a game to play, so they can get what they want.”*
“I am done hurting over that anymore; I guess, in a way, I should thank them for opening my eyes finally. After that, I will live my life as I wish to, not as someone dictates so they can quench their greed.”
I reached out to her and put my hand on hers…
*“Sweetheart, please pull over and let me take the wheel for a little bit; so you can calm down. Then, we will pick up some snacks and take a little drive to nowhere to relax.”*
She didn’t say anything, but she nodded and pulled over to the side of the street so that we could change places. Once we got back on the road, I headed for a small convivence store gas station that I knew.
Today will be just about getting my Mate to relax and release some of that anger and pain she has been holding on to. Just as I was pulling into the store, my phone went off…
*“This better be good.”
“I am sorry, Alpha, but we have some trouble brewing at the forest pack house; we need you as soon as you arrive.”*