Chapter 29: Chapter 28: The Hospital Visit

They’d barely made it back to the estate when Eve’s phone rang.

She looked at the screen and her stomach dropped. Memorial General Hospital.

"It’s the hospital," she said, her voice tight with immediate panic. All three brothers went on alert.

Eve answered with trembling hands. "Hello?"

"Miss Chen? This is Dr. Williams. I’m calling about your mother."

Eve’s world narrowed to those words. "Is she okay? What’s wrong?"

"She’s stable," Dr. Williams said quickly. "But we’ve had some concerning developments with her bloodwork. Nothing immediately life-threatening, but we need to adjust her treatment protocol. I’d like you to come in so we can discuss the changes and... well, I think your mother would benefit from seeing you. She’s been asking for you."

"I’ll be there as soon as possible," Eve said immediately. "Within the hour."

"That would be good. We’ll see you soon."

Eve hung up and looked at the brothers, her face pale. "I need to go to the hospital. My mom.....something’s wrong with her treatment. They need to adjust it."

The brothers exchanged heavy looks. The weight of Elder Markov’s warning hung between them.

You cannot be separated. Not for more than an hour or two. The closer to the breaking point, the more critical your proximity becomes.

"We’ll take you," Damian said finally.

"All of you?" Eve asked.

"All of us," Damon confirmed. "We’re not letting you out of our sight."

"But at a hospital? All three of you hovering around me? It’ll look...."

"We don’t care how it looks," Silas interrupted. "Elder Markov was clear. We can’t be separated from you. Not now. Not this close to the transformation."

"It’s just a hospital visit," Eve protested, though even as she said it, anxiety twisted in her stomach at the thought of being away from them. "A few hours at most."

"A few hours could be too long," Damian said grimly. "We’re coming with you. All of us. Non-negotiable."

Eve wanted to argue, but the truth was, she didn’t want to be apart from them either. The bond had grown so strong that even thinking about walking into that hospital alone made her chest constrict with panic.

"Okay," she said quietly. "All of us."

*******

The drive to the hospital took thirty minutes, and Eve spent the entire time trying not to panic about what "concerning developments" meant. Her mother had been doing so well. The treatment had been working. What could have changed?

When they walked into the hospital together....Eve flanked by three massive, intimidating men in expensive clothes....they drew stares from everyone they passed. Nurses did double-takes. Patients whispered. Security guards tracked their movement through the lobby.

"We’re causing a scene," Eve muttered.

"Let them stare," Damon said. "We’re not leaving you."

Dr. Williams met them outside Margaret’s room, his eyebrows rising when he saw Eve’s entourage. "Miss Chen. And... friends?"

"Family," Damian corrected, his hand possessive on Eve’s lower back.

Dr. Williams blinked but didn’t comment. "Right. Well, let’s discuss your mother’s condition. The experimental treatment has been remarkably successful.....her primary markers have improved beyond our expectations. However, we’re seeing some secondary effects that concern us. Her liver enzymes are elevated, and there’s been some inflammation that suggests the treatment might be too aggressive for her system."

"So what does that mean?" Eve asked, her heart pounding.

"We need to adjust the dosage. Lower it slightly, add some supportive medications to protect her organs. It’s not a setback, exactly, but it does mean we need to be more careful going forward."

"Is she in danger?"

"Not immediate danger," Dr. Williams assured her. "But we need to monitor her closely. Which is why I wanted you here.....to discuss the changes and to let you see her. She’s been anxious, asking for you repeatedly. Your presence would be therapeutic."

"Can I see her now?" Eve asked.

"Of course. But....." Dr. Williams glanced at the three brothers. "Hospital policy limits visitors to two at a time. I can bend that slightly given the circumstances, but having four people in her room might be overwhelming."

Eve looked at the brothers helplessly. She needed to see her mother. But the thought of being separated from all three of them, even with just a door between them...

"One of us will go in with her," Damian decided. "The other two will wait right outside the door. Close enough."

Dr. Williams looked confused but didn’t argue. "That’s... acceptable. Room 3847, same as always."

***********

Eve entered her mother’s room with Silas at her side.....he’d volunteered, his quiet presence less likely to overwhelm Margaret than his brothers’ more intense energy.

Damian and Damon positioned themselves just outside the door, close enough that Eve could sense them through the wall.

Margaret was awake, propped up in bed, and her face lit up when she saw Eve. "There’s my girl."

"Hi, Mom." Eve crossed to the bed and took her mother’s hand. It was warm and strong.....so much better than the papery, weak grip from weeks ago.

"Who’s your friend?" Margaret asked, her eyes sharp as they studied Silas.

"This is Silas," Eve said. "He’s... one of the men I work for."

"Ah." Margaret’s smile was knowing. "One of the three brothers. I’ve heard about you."

Silas inclined his head respectfully. "Mrs. Chen. It’s an honor to finally meet the woman who raised such an extraordinary daughter."

"Charming," Margaret said, but she was smiling. Then her expression turned serious as she looked at Eve. "Dr. Williams told you about the treatment adjustment?"

"Yes. He said it’s not a setback, just a precaution."

"That’s what he tells me too." Margaret squeezed Eve’s hand. "But I’m not stupid. I know what elevated liver enzymes mean. I know what happens when treatments become too aggressive for the body to handle."

"Mom..."

"Let me finish," Margaret interrupted gently. "I need to tell you something, and I don’t know how much time I have left to say it."

"You have plenty of time," Eve said desperately. "The treatment is working....."

"For now," Margaret agreed. "But sweetheart, we both know this disease is aggressive. We both know that even with the treatment, I’m living on borrowed time. Months, maybe a year if we’re lucky. But not forever."

Tears burned Eve’s eyes. "Don’t say that."

"I have to say it. Because I need you to promise me something." Margaret’s grip tightened. "Promise me that when I’m gone, you won’t spend the rest of your life mourning me. That you’ll live. Really live. Find happiness. Build a life that’s yours."

"I promise," Eve whispered.

"And these men...." Margaret glanced at Silas, then at the door where she could probably sense the others waiting. "These three brothers you work for. Are they good to you?"

"Yes," Eve said honestly. "They’re... intense. Demanding. But they’re good to me. They protect me."

"Do you love them?"

The question hit Eve like a physical blow. Did she love them? She’d been so focused on surviving each day, on understanding what was happening to her body, on processing the bond, that she hadn’t stopped to examine her actual feelings.

But now, faced with her mother’s direct question, the answer rose up from somewhere deep inside.

"Yes," Eve admitted. "I think I do. All three of them. I don’t know how that’s possible, but I do."

"Then that’s all that matters," Margaret said. "Love them. Let them love you. Don’t waste time worrying about what’s conventional or proper or normal. Life is too short for that."

"Mom, you’re going to be fine," Eve said, though her voice broke. "You’re going to get better and come home and...."

"Maybe," Margaret said gently. "Or maybe not. But either way, I need to know you’re going to be okay. That you’re going to be happy. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise," Eve said through her tears.

Margaret pulled her into a hug, and Eve buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, crying quietly. Behind her, she sensed Silas step back, giving them privacy for this moment.

"I love you so much," Margaret whispered. "Everything I did....raising you, sacrificing for you, loving you....it was the greatest privilege of my life. You made everything worth it."

"I love you too," Eve sobbed. "So much."

They held each other for a long moment, both understanding without saying it that this might be one of their last truly lucid conversations. That the disease or the treatment adjustments or simple bad luck might mean that the next time Eve visited, her mother would be too weak, too medicated, too far gone for moments like this.

Finally, Margaret pulled back, wiping Eve’s tears with gentle hands. "Now go. Your men are waiting, and I can feel how anxious you are being away from them. That’s new, by the way. This pull you have toward them. I can see it in the way you keep glancing at the door."

"The bond," Eve explained. "It’s getting stronger."

"Good," Margaret said. "That’s exactly how it should be. Now kiss me goodbye and go be with them. I’m tired anyway. These medications make me sleepy."

Eve kissed her mother’s forehead, memorizing the feel of her skin, the smell of her perfume mixed with hospital antiseptic. "I’ll come back soon."

"I know you will," Margaret said, her eyes already drifting closed. "I know."

*********

Eve emerged from the room with tears still streaming down her face, and immediately both Damian and Damon were there, pulling her into their arms.

"She’s dying," Eve whispered. "The treatment is working but it’s also killing her. The adjustments might buy her more time, but she’s dying."

"I’m sorry," Damian said against her hair. "I’m so sorry."

They stood like that for a long moment, Eve crying silently between them while Silas kept watch, his expression troubled.

"We should go," Damon said finally. "Get you home. Get you somewhere safe."

They were halfway to the elevator when Eve felt it.

A sharp pain in her chest. Like something inside her was pulling, stretching, trying to break free.

She gasped, stumbling, and all three brothers immediately caught her.

"Eve?" Silas’s voice was sharp with concern. "What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know," Eve managed. "Something... something feels wrong. Inside. Like something’s tearing....."

Another sharp pain, this one radiating from her core outward. Her skin felt too hot, too tight. The golden glow that had been subtle before flared bright enough that people in the hallway could see it.

"The spell," Damian said grimly. "It’s degrading faster than Markov thought. We need to get her home. Now."

They practically carried her to the car, Eve’s body trembling with each wave of pain. By the time they reached the estate, the pain had subsided to a dull ache, but the message was clear.

The transformation was coming.

And it was coming soon.

Maybe sooner than any of them had anticipated.

********

Eve lay in the massive bed, surrounded by all three brothers, her body still trembling from the episode at the hospital.

"That was a warning," Damian said grimly. "The spell is close to breaking. Days, Markov said. But I think it might be less than that."

"How much less?" Damon asked.

"I don’t know. But we need to prepare. No more leaving the estate. No more separations, not even for an hour. From now until the spell breaks, we stay together. Always."

"What if there’s a pack emergency?" Silas asked.

"Then someone else handles it," Damian said firmly. "Markov was right. Nothing.....and I mean nothing...is more important than keeping Eve alive through this transformation. The pack will have to manage without us."

"And if we can’t?" Damon challenged. "If something happens that requires all three alphas to respond?"

Damian’s jaw tightened. "Then we make the impossible choice. And we choose her."

The weight of that declaration hung in the air. For alphas to choose their mate over their pack was unthinkable. But the alternative....losing Eve.....was impossible to even consider.

"Get some rest," Silas said to Eve, his hand stroking her hair. "We’ll watch over you. And when the spell breaks.....whenever that is....we’ll be right here."

Eve nodded, exhaustion pulling at her. Between the emotional toll of seeing her mother and the physical pain of the spell degrading, she was wrung out completely.

She fell asleep surrounded by their warmth, their scent, their protection.

Not knowing that in less than a week, everything would change.

Not knowing that the choice Damian had just made....pack or mate....would be tested far sooner than any of them anticipated.