Chapter 45 - Carlos
Cat left Kayla, still hugging her mom, and told her she would come to see her before leaving the hospital. She wanted to see if any of the other children from last night needed help.
Valerie had made it to the hospital by that time, and she informed Cat and Trey that she was able to get a couple of the children to speak to her. Also, Marc had successfully found a few of their parents from missing persons.
"There is one small boy that still won't talk. He looks to be around five. Anytime anyone enters his room, he looks away as soon as they start talking. I don't see any bruises, but all I can see are his face and arms. Can you try speaking to him?" Valerie was pleased beyond words that Cat was willing to help these children. She believed it was therapeutic for her as well as the kids.
"Of course. What room is he in?" Valerie led Cat and Trey to a room down the hall.
"Trey, you may want to go in with her. Each time he saw a police officer, he didn't seem scared but rather hopeful. Maybe the two of you together can help him." Valerie smiled while thinking what a remarkable couple they were.
"Alright. I'll go in with her. Cat, if you think I should leave at any point, let me know. I don't want to frighten him." Trey was anxious to see his mate work with this boy, but he wouldn't want to scare him.
Cat smiled before knocking on the door. When they didn't hear anything, she and Trey walked in. She saw a small boy sitting on the bed with his arms crossed. He looked at Cat and Trey in anticipation. She thought about his reaction and decided to take a new approach with him.
She walked over and pulled a chair up next to his bed. The boy watched her curiously. He had a tan complexion, black hair, and dark brown eyes. Cat started speaking once she was at eye level with him.
"Hello, my name is Cat." She saw a look of disappointment come over his face, and then he looked away. Cat got an idea and realized why he may not be speaking to anyone. He doesn't understand them. She repeated what she said, only this time speaking in Spanish.
"Hola mi nombre es, Cat." She watched as the little boy looked at her in excitement, and she knew she was right. He didn't speak English. He started talking to her in rapid-fire Spanish. She nodded and smiled as he spoke.
"Gracias, Carlos. Encontraremos a tu mamá." Cat reassured him that they would find his mom.
"His name is Carlos. He was only taken yesterday, right before the police came, so no one had a chance to hurt him. He said he lives in Orangevale, and his mother is Mariana. Do you think you can see if you're able to find her?" Trey was staring at Cat with his mouth open. Carlos crawled off the bed and sat on Cat's lap playing with her long hair.
"When did you learn Spanish?" He was flabbergasted once again by his unbelievable mate.
"I took it in high school and college so I could be fluent. I thought it would come in handy as a nurse. That way, I wouldn't need to use a translator." Cat hugged Carlos as he rested against her sleepily.
"You amaze me more and more each day. Let me call Marc and see if we can find his mom. You hang tight; he looks pretty comfortable." Trey winked at Cat as he left the room. He saw Valerie sitting outside the door, and she stood up when she saw him.
"Has Cat been able to get anywhere with him?" She asked hopefully.
"You won't believe this, but I know his name, his mom's name, and where he lives. He also said he was taken yesterday right before the police got to the house, so he wasn't hurt." Valerie couldn't believe they had gotten all that out of him in such a short time.
"How did Cat get so much information from him? You haven't been in there for more than ten minutes."
"Carlos speaks Spanish. As soon as Cat realized he didn't understand her, she talked to him in Spanish, and he told her everything. He is now sitting on her lap." Trey felt pride for his mate coursing through his veins. She was exceptional.
"Wow, I'm impressed. No one thought about him not understanding English. That's really insensitive of everyone who came into contact with him. Are you going to try and find his mom?" Valerie felt a little embarrassed that she didn't think about talking to Carlos in Spanish.
"Yes, I'm calling Marc now. Hopefully, he can find her so she can come and pick him up." He walked down the hall while he explained everything to Marc. After he was done, Trey left Valerie in the hall and returned to Carlos' room.
He smiled when he saw Cat. Carlos was sound asleep on her lap. As he watched them, he thought about Cat comforting their future cubs. She would be an excellent mother, and he couldn't wait to have a house full of cubs. She tilted her head at his expression.
"What were you thinking about just then?" Cat held back her giggle so she wouldn't wake Carlos. Trey had a goofy grin on his face. He quietly pulled a chair next to hers so they could whisper.
"I was watching you with Carlos and thinking about us having cubs in the future." Trey watched Cat's expression because he knew she had said once before that she was worried about having children. He saw her face soften as she looked down at the sleeping boy in her arms.
"You know, while you were in the hallway, I was thinking about what it would be like to have a couple of kids. I'm still not used to saying cubs. Speaking of which, when are you going to mark me so I can start the transformation into a lioness? If anyone tries to take me or touch me, it would be nice to turn into a lion so I can kick their ass." Cat smiled up at him as she whispered.
Trey didn't know what to say at first. He had wanted to mark her since discovering she was his mate, but he hadn't realized that she was ready for it so soon. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"I'm ready to mark you right now. I think we should wait until we have time to talk about it and how it will affect you. Let's talk tonight, okay?" She nodded in agreement.
They sat in silence while Carlos slept. After about an hour, they heard a knock on the door, and Valerie stuck her head in.
"Mariana is here." Valerie smiled at the two of them.
A young woman walked into the room and began crying when she saw Carlos. Cat woke him up and pointed toward his mother. He jumped off her lap and ran to Mariana.
There wasn't a dry eye in the room as mother and son were reunited. Cat explained everything in Spanish to Mariana, and she waited with them for the nurse to come in. Cat explained that they would need a translator. The nurse, who she wasn't familiar with, thanked her and Trey as they left the room.
They returned to Kayla's room to tell her goodbye before leaving. She was sitting on the bed, holding both of her parent's hands. Cat hugged her, and Kayla agreed to call if she needed anything.
Trey lifted Cat up into the truck before getting in himself. She leaned over on his shoulder, feeling at peace with him by her side.
"How many kids, I mean cubs, do you want?" Cat was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she would be giving birth to werecubs when they had kids. Not to mention she would be a lioness herself.
"I don't know exactly, but I would like at least a couple of them. How about you?" Trey liked these questions; it meant she was thinking about their future.
"Well, I never thought I would have kids, let alone cubs, so I've never thought about how many I wanted. I guess let's start with one, and then we'll go from there. I know I tell you that I love you all the time, but I don't think you know how much you mean to me. You have changed so many things, making it possible for me to even have a life. I will forever be paying you back for all you've given me." Cat looked up into Trey's eyes while they were stopped at a light.
"You say I changed your life, but you've changed mine too. You don't have to pay me back for anything because I owe you my life. You were my light Cat. When you came into my life, the darkness for me ended the minute I saw your picture." Trey leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before driving forward.
Cat's phone rang as they smiled at each other. She didn't bother looking at the number calling before answering.
"Hello." She was feeling good and thought nothing could bring her down. She was wrong.
"Hello, Caterina. My name is Earl Tipton, and I'm the attorney for Leo Edwards. Leo is requesting that you come and see him."
