Chapter 137

Aria’s POV

The next day, I reached a point in my research where I needed to run a few tests on Cathy, so I had her come to the hospital. Julia and Harold offered to babysit, but they had spent most of the day before with the kids, so I knew they’d be tired. Instead, I had Cathy bring the kids with her.

Now, they colored in coloring books, sitting against the wall of a corner of the office while I took some bloodwork from Cathy near the desk.

“I do appreciate this,” Cathy said. “Truly. I’m so happy the war ended and you and Piper were able to get here.”

“I would have found a way to come back anyway,” I told her. “You are my best friend, Cathy. I never would have left you on your own to face this.”

Cathy nodded, and looked down. “I didn’t want to tell you how scared I was. How scared I am. My mind is perfectly fine, but my body isn’t cooperating anymore. I try to tell it to do something – something as simple as reaching for the television remote – and it just won’t cooperate.”

“We’ll have to get you into physical therapy,” I said. “We’ll try to keep your strength up as best we can until the cure is ready.”

“You truly believe that,” she said.

I didn’t reply with words. Instead, I gave her a firm, steady look that said everything I needed to. Yes, I believed that.

I was a woman with many flaws, and my confidence could wane depending on the situation. But here? In medicine? This was my element. Here, I was 100% confident. I would find a cure for Cathy and I would save her life. I would not settle for anything less.

“Thank the gods for you, Aria.” She exhaled a breath of relief and started to smile a little. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Well, you won’t have to find out,” I told her. “Your health is my main priority here.”

“I know, Aria.” Cathy nodded. “Though I hope you find time for other things too.” She glanced over to the children. “Jean told me that she met her grandparents Julia and Harold.”

“Yeah. With Harold’s health, I thought it best not to put that off…”

I hated how, when I left, there was a touch of sadness in both Julia and Harold’s eyes, like they would never see Jean and Luke again. The reality was, maybe they wouldn’t, not if I cured Cathy fast enough and took the kids back to Moonglow.

The guilt cut into me.

“Does that mean you are thinking about telling… Lucian…?” Her voice trailed as something at the door caught her eye. “He’s here.”

“What?” I asked, half-turning to look at the door.

True to Cathy’s word, Lucian was approaching the door to the office. He pulled it open without stopping or knocking and stepped inside.

Looking around, he spotted me at once, and Cathy quickly after.

“Oh,” he said. “Forgive the intrusion, but I was hoping to speak with Dr. A…”

“Uncle Lucian?” Luke asked, perking up from the corner.

“Uncle Lucian!” Jean said. Hoping to his feet, he rushed toward him.

I froze, unsure what to do.

Lucian’s face crinkled with clear confusion.

Lucian’s POV

I came to the hospital to speak with Dr. A, mostly about my father’s health and perhaps implementing the medicine that extends a werewolf’s life. It wasn’t totally surprising to find her with Cathy, as I understood Cathy was the reason she had returned to Nightfall pack in the first place.

However, what did surprise me was the presence of Aria’s children, Jean and Luke, who had been sitting in the corner of the room, with coloring books and crayons strewn around them. They’d been here for a time, it seemed, and looked as if they’d be here for some time more.

I glanced around for Aria, but did not see her.

Jean rushed to me for a hug, which I was happy to deliver. Luke came over just behind his sister, so I opened my arms to hug them both. It filled me with such a grand satisfaction, knowing Aria’s children had taken such a liking to me. I liked them as well.

I didn’t want to presume or move too quickly, but it would be so easy to see these children as my own. I was certain that I could be the world’s best stepfather if given the chance.

“Maybe you’d like to show Lucian some of the art you’ve been working on?” Dr. A said to the kids.

Jean brightened at that idea. “Can I give him a picture?”

“That’s entirely up to you,” Dr. A said. “If you want to, go ahead.”

I stilled, freezing to the spot. The way the kids asked Dr. A for permission, like she was the authority here… Like she was their mother. And Dr. A had replied in an equal fashion.

For years, I had suspected Aria and Dr. A might be the same person. It had haunted me during both my waking and sleeping hours. I had recurring dreams of Dr. A removing her mask and showing Aria underneath.

But Dr. A was pregnant, and Aria wasn’t. Though… I glance at the children. Luke, especially, had features similar to mine. Same color hair, same eyes…

No, I couldn’t allow myself to think it. Because if I allowed myself to believe, I would be filled with hope and joy. If it turned out not to be true, it wouldn’t just hurt, it would rip my heart out.

It was safer to not assume anything until I was outright told.

Meanwhile, Cathy watched me with a steady gaze. She was studying me, my reaction perhaps, which only made everything much more suspicious.

Jean tore out one of the pages of her coloring book and brought it over to me. It was a princess with a pink dress and a golden crown. Only some of the crayon marks extended beyond the outlines, though much of the dress was only squiggled in rather than colored in fully, as if she had gotten bored halfway.

It was still very nice, and she had even signed it on the bottom.

“Thank you,” I told her, and she smiled so brightly it made me feel lighter too.

I would do anything for this child. And for her brother, who next presented me with a picture of a dragon. He had purple scales and red eyes. Luke had drawn some orange flames coming out of the dragon’s mouth.

“Thank you,” I told him as well. Unlike his sister, he tried to hide his smile, but it still broke through.

I felt blessed.

Yet, in the quiet that followed, as the kids returned to the coloring, and I looked up to Dr. A and Cathy, my suspicions returned to me.

There could be other explanations. Probably. I hated to think it, but perhaps Dr. A had lost her children and had taken to looking after Aria’s like a well-meaning Aunt.

Or…

I tired of speculating, and decided I just needed to ask the truth.

Opening my mouth, I prepared my question.

“Aria! There you are!”

Three men walked into the room. I’d never seen them before.

“We’ve been looking all over for you!”