“You look so tired,” Ben said softly.
In answer, David’s eyes welled with tears again and he rested his head on his friend’s shoulder.
“Sleep if you can, David. I’ll wake you if I need to,” Ben said.
David blinked heavily and then his eyes slid shut.
Beside me, Angus quietly cleared his throat, visibly upset. I was having trouble keeping it together myself. I was worried about the baby, too, and the sweetness of David and Ben’s bond tugged at my heart.
In Ben’s arms, Ollie had quieted, and my eyes went to his chest to make sure he was still breathing. When I saw the regular movements, I swallowed a sigh of relief. If the baby passed, we would all be crushed with grief. But it would kill David and Maddox.
David’s head still resting on his shoulder, Ben cooed and sang to the baby, holding him close to his chest.
If I were to believe in voices from the afterlife—and I wasn’t sure that I did—I had to wonder why Angus’ late wife would tellhim to call Ben to see the sick baby. Ben wasn’t a doctor, or even a spiritual healer, so what could he do?
A thought immediately formed in my head:Angus was a wilting cripple before Ben came to the ranch, and he’s transformed. He doesn’t use the wheelchair or even the cane anymore. He looks ten years younger.
We’d all seen it, although the change in his appearance was more obvious to people who weren’t around him every day. Angus said his friends joked that having an omega had made him young again.
Butwasthat a joke?
What are you talking about?I chided myself.David didn’t make Maddox look younger. Trey didn’t make Bertram look younger, either. And the same for Jackson and Carter.
But maybe there was something about Ben?
The notion was crazy, but it had taken hold in my mind.
We sat there for twenty minutes or more. Maddox poked his head in during that time, and seeing David sleeping quietly beside Ben, left the room again.
Another ten minutes went by, and then something happened. Oliver began to squirm in Ben’s arms. Ben stroked the baby’s downy blond hair, talking quietly to him, but Ollie began to cry, louder and louder until David jerked awake. Ben passed Ollie to him. When the baby began rooting at David’s shirt, David lifted it so he could latch on to his nipple. Ollie was obviously weak and only nursed for a few moments before falling asleep, but it was something.
David looked at us with hope.
“That’s good, right? It’s got to be a good sign that he’s eaten a little.”
Angus smiled. “I’m sure it is.”
Maddox walked back in. “Did I hear Oliver crying?”
“He ate a little and he’s fallen asleep,” David said. “That has to be good.”
Sitting beside David on the bed, Maddox looked down at his son.
“Is it my imagination, or does he have a little more color?” He touched Ollie’s cheek. “He feels cooler.”
David nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure he does.”
“Why don’t you lie down on the bed with him?” Maddox suggested. He helped David get situated and covered them with a blanket. David was asleep before he finished.
Stepping out of the room, Maddox led us into the living room, where Jackson and Carter were playing with the girls.
Maddox ran his hand through his hair. “I spoke to Dr. Humbard at the hospital. He’s overrun with sick kids. It’s some kind of virus. He told me he lost two this morning.” Maddox held up his hand when Ben opened his mouth to ask a question. “Not Jeremiah, thank the gods, but siblings from a ranch one county over whose hospital is maxed out on beds.”
“That’s awful,” Angus said gruffly.
“I don’t know how much hope there is,” Maddox said, voice breaking. He turned toward the window.
I met Angus’s gaze.