"Uncle Linus?"

Julian appeared from behind one of the ER curtain beds. Linus turned around so quickly that Dr. Bennett thought he had lost his footing.

"Julian." Linus crossed to him immediately. He scanned Julian from head to toe. Pale, exhausted, but no visible injuries.

"Are you okay? Why are you out of bed? Come on, let’s get you back." Linus did not give him room to answer.

Julian scoffed faintly. He was using his IV stand as a walking stick, still in his regular clothes rather than a hospital gown, which told Dr. Bennett he had not been there long.

"Thank you, Uncle Linus. I’m more or less okay. Only minor injuries." Julian answered softly, as though he no longer had the energy to raise his voice above a murmur.

"Is Liam...?" He stopped himself.

"Is Liam what? Dr. Bennett told me he’s okay. Broken arm, but okay." Linus answered, glancing at Dr. Bennett for confirmation. She nodded immediately.

Julian exhaled. "Good. That’s good."

A beat of silence.

"What about Maeve and Thea? Can I see them? I haven’t seen either of them since we came in. Please, Doctor?" He turned to Dr. Bennett, and for the first time since she had laid eyes on him, there was something other than exhaustion in his face.

It was Linus who stepped in.

"Julian, both Maeve and Thea are safe and okay. Minor injuries. I will make sure you see them, but first, please let them look at that." Linus pointed to a wound on Julian’s leg. It looked considerably worse than his other injuries, and a nurse was standing behind Julian with a bandage in hand.

It was clear the nurse had been in the middle of treating it when Julian had decided he needed to find Maeve and Thea first.

"After that, I will personally make sure they take you to both of them. Julian." Linus paused and took a breath.

"You need to let them treat you before you can check on anyone else." His tone was gentle and soft, but there was a quiet finality underneath it that left no room for argument.

Julian settled slightly. With Linus here, he trusted that the rest of Rhaenas was being looked after.

The adrenaline that had been carrying him finally left his body all at once, and he staggered back a step. The nurse caught him quickly.

"Julian!" Linus moved on reflex and grabbed his other arm.

Together, he and the nurse guided Julian back onto the bed.

"Rest. You need it. I am here. I will make sure everyone is taken care of." Linus said quietly.

Julian nodded and exhaled, long and slow, before letting the nurse get back to work on his leg.

Linus watched him for a moment, then stepped back, drew the curtain closed, and turned to Dr. Bennett.

"I want all of them moved to a private area of the hospital. Rooms close to one another." It was not a request.

Dr. Bennett understood that immediately. And if this was the extent of what Linus Monfort ever demanded of her hospital, she thought, every member of staff should consider themselves fortunate.

"Do not hold back on their treatment. Use the latest equipment, the best personnel, the best medicines available. Do not trouble any of them with medical bills. I will be personally responsible for all of them. Including the unidentified bald man and Sonia Hart." Linus added.

Dr. Bennett could only nod. She had not even thought about the bills. She had been so focused on treating the patients and not doing anything to upset Linus Monfort that she had not yet given the administration any instructions regarding billing at all.

"Now. Take me to my son."

------------------------------

Liam was sitting in a wheelchair inside the X-ray room. His arm had just been X-rayed and he was waiting for the doctor to review it.

The door opened. Linus appeared in the doorway with Dr. Bennett behind him.

"Dad!" Liam stared at his father in gym clothes, wearing an expression he had never seen on him before.

"Liam." Linus crossed the room in two strides, bent down, and pulled him into a hug.

"Oof!" Liam was completely caught off guard.

Linus held on longer than Liam expected. Liam could only pat his father’s back.

"I’m okay, Dad. I’m okay." He kept saying it.

Linus exhaled loudly and finally let go.

"I am just relieved your mother won’t kill me when I tell her later." He smiled faintly.

Liam’s expression shifted immediately to one of pure terror.

"Mom knew I’m here?"

Linus chuckled and shook his head. "She was still asleep when I got the call and left. You’re safe."

A beat.

"For now." He added.

They shared a smile before Linus turned to Dr. Bennett.

"Where do we go for the results?"

Dr. Bennett smiled and gestured toward the door. "Right next door. Dr. Hugh is our best orthopedic surgeon. He is ready to go over everything with you."

-------------------------------

All of them stood looking at the PACS screen where Liam’s X-ray results were displayed. Dr. Hugh used a laser pointer to indicate specific points on the image.

"As we can see here, Mr. Liam sustained a complete fracture of the ulna and a greenstick fracture of the radius of his right forearm."

He moved the pointer. "In simpler terms, this bone is completely broken and this one is not. The good news is that he does not need surgery. A cast will do the job. The bad news is that it will be quite some time before he can use that arm for dungeon clearing again."

Everyone in the room knew who Liam was. A Sentinel. A member of Rhaenas. Which meant his job was clearing dungeons. With a broken arm, that would be impossible.

That was what all the doctors believed, anyway.

As a Sentinel, full use of both arms was critical. The fact that Dr. Hugh had already taken that into consideration told Linus that this hospital knew exactly who it was treating. He appreciated it more than he let on.

"Alright then. Cast me." Liam said to Dr. Hugh.

Linus said nothing. He was simply there for Liam, and he stayed while the cast was put on.

------------------------------

"Dad, you know the update with Thea and the others?" Liam asked Linus, when he returned to his room.

Linus closed the door and nodded.

"They are all in their respective rooms. Thea is still unconscious, but the doctors said nothing to worry about. Julian and Maeve are both resting too. Sonia Hart is going to be discharged soon. She doesn’t need to stay. The hospital had given her the choice to rest here or at home, she chose home. And the bald man is sleeping. He had broken ribs, but the doctors said, he got it a few days ago."

Linus gave the complete report and deliberately omit anything about Arthur, because he didn’t know what to say, and he felt it wasn’t his place to say. He already called Maurice and gave him the news.

The Montroses were on their way to Solarys as soon as possible.

"Liam." Linus started.

"Hmm?" Liam answered, his thoughts somewhere else entirely.

"What happened?" Linus asked.

The question hit Liam like a sharp breath he had not been ready for.

He had been about to ask about Arthur. Whether anyone had notified his parents yet. Whether funeral arrangements had been made. Whether he was still being held at the hospital morgue. All of it had been sitting right at the edge of his mouth.

And his father’s question had swept every single one of those thoughts away completely.

What happened?

How was Liam supposed to answer that without explaining magic? What could he possibly say that would not open a door to questions he had no way of closing?

Linus watched his son squirm, unable to answer. He took a quiet breath.

He had been right. His son had been involved in something unusual, to say the least.

"Liam." He started again. Very gently.

"I owe you an apology. I have been hard on you. I only wanted to prepare you for the day you take over from me. I know that training as a Sentinel and getting your license was your way of pushing back against that. An act of rebellion."

He sighed. "And then it surprised you when you found that you actually loved it. I want you to know that I am proud of you for that. You made a decision and you stood by it." He paused. "I am sorry it took me this long to say it."

He looked directly into his son’s eyes. "I am proud of you, Liam."

Liam blinked.

He knew his father’s love was tough love. Linus was not a man of flowery words. His encouragement had always come through action, never through saying it out loud.

Hearing him say he was proud, just like that, meant more than Liam knew how to hold.

His eyes began to glisten. He blinked rapidly, forcing it back.

Linus saw it, and he stopped. He was not an emotional man. He rarely let his true feelings show, and seeing his son almost brought to tears by his words was enough to make him pull back before either of them went somewhere they were not ready to go.

"Now. You know you can tell me anything, don’t you? Whatever you have been involved in, I am certain it is nothing illegal. If you have made a mistake somewhere, tell me now and I will help you fix it."

He straightened slightly. "Liam, I am Linus Monfort. Head of Monfort Industries. Patriarch of the Monfort family. I can handle anything."

Liam let out an awkward chuckle. "I doubt that."