A Love that Lasts Forever Ch. 13

The next couple of weeks passed pretty much without incident though Caleb had the oddest feeling that Quinton was trying to avoid him as much as possible. He might have just been over reacting but ever since the incident with Shelby things seemed...strained. Quinton always seemed to have somewhere to be, more work to do, and would often come home late. More than once Caleb had gone to bed after eating alone and leaving a covered dish in the refrigerator for Quinton to heat up when he did finally return.

Caleb understood that as the pack Alpha, Quinton was pulled in many directions and had more responsibilities than what the average shifter had but his avoidance seemed more than just his busy work schedule. Caleb may have just been imagining things. He'd always had an over active imagination and with his own insecurities in play it seemed logical that he was just making more out of it than it was but still, it worried him. Was Quinton already sick of him? Did he finally see his mating as a mistake and now wanted to take it back?

"Oh, for wolf Gods sake knock it off!" Caleb told himself. "Get yourself together." He'd just finished cleaning and drying the dishes and had started putting them away, his mind lost in his own anxiety, when he suddenly heard the front door open and Rusty came rushing into the house in a complete panic.

"Caleb!" He called out. "Caleb, where are you?"

Caleb stepped out of the kitchen, immediately running to his friend when he saw the look of horror on the young omega's face.

"Rusty, what's wrong?"

"Oh, thank wolf God!" Rusty shouted as he ran towards Caleb full force. It was then that Caleb realized Rusty was clutching a bundled up pup against his chest and tears were streaming down his face.

Caleb felt Rusty's panic as the two collided and Caleb wrapped his arms around Rusty, leading him to the couch in the living room.

"It started with just a sniffle." Rusty explained through exasperated gasps and tears. "Then the fever hit. He was fussy last night, still fighting the fever, but it was low grade and I thought he was getting better but this morning it got worse. Caleb, he won't wake up and I can't get a hold of Malcolm, there's no one at the clinic and I don't know what to do so I came here."

"Malcolm and one of the nurses, Naomi I think, went to the Cabot's place early this morning. Sarah went into labor last night. Do you want me to go get him?"

"I don't know." Rusty was shaking as he held the pup to his chest. "I don't know how serious it is. I thought maybe...I'm sorry Caleb, but I have to ask. Is there any truth to what they were saying about you in Silver Moon? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, I hope you know that."

"It's fine, Rusty, really. And, honestly, I don't know. I don't know what happened to me in Silver Moon. I should have been dead but then I wasn't. But none of that is important right now. Even if I do have some kind of healing ability I don't know how to access it. It just kind of happened."

"Please, Caleb. You have to try. I'm so scared." Before Caleb could protest, Rusty was pushing the pup into his arms. Caleb unwrapped the blanket and looked down at Shay's tiny face. He was nearly a year old but still so small and at the moment he looked so frail and helpless. His color was off and he was sleeping but his breathing was raspy. Caleb placed his hand on the child's head and frowned. He was hot. Way too hot, even for a shifter.

Logically, Caleb knew that the child needed medical attention, and quickly. His instincts and experiences telling him that the condition was serious but he wasn't sure what to do. If there was no one else at the clinic then that meant that the only other nurse available, Alice, was probably on rounds checking on her elderly patients. There was no way to know whose house she was at now. He could go to the Cabot's but would Malcolm leave a woman in labor for a sick child? Probably not.

They seriously needed more medical staff in Black River but that, unfortunately, was one profession that was hard to get into. It wasn't for a lack of interested people but more an issue with money and then finding a school that would allow shifters to enroll. That's why most packs had healers that were grandfathered in, many using old homeopathic remedies as well as shamanic medicine. Neither of which Caleb had a lot of faith in. He was both surprised and relieved to see that Black River had actual medical staff. The issue was, they just didn't have enough.

"Go and get some ice out of the freezer." He instructed. "Wrap it in a clean towel and bring it back." Rusty didn't waste time. He jumped up and ran to the kitchen to do as he was told. Caleb's plan was to try and get the fever down to minimize the risk of more serious complications. That would buy him enough time to get Malcolm or try and find Alice.

Caleb lay the pup on his across his knees then opened the blanket the rest of the way. His breathing was heavy and Caleb could still hear the raspy sound of his breath as he lay there. His tiny chest heaved up and down with each labored breath and his eyes were tightly closed as though breathing itself were painful. Caleb gently pushed around the pup's belly, watching for signs of discomfort but the pup made no indication that the pressure caused any pain.

A moment later and Rusty returned with the ice wrapped in a towel. He handed it to Caleb and Caleb began to gently dab the towel against the child's skin. First around his head and face and then slowly making his way down the pup's body. He squirmed and shivered some then make a few whimpering sounds of disapproval which Caleb took as a good sign. He wasn't totally unconscious, probably just way too exhausted to stay awake.

In Silver Moon, Caleb had seen many adults with bad fevers sleep for days without waking. They did eventually wake though, once the fever broke. Children didn't fare as well though. Weaker immune systems meant they had less chance of recovery without medical care and that was something Bowden wouldn't allow. If they were too frail and weak to survive on their own, Bowden felt it was a waste to use pack resources on them. Unfortunately, many of them fell into a deep sleep from which they'd never wake.

Luckily, Quinton wasn't the heartless monster that Seth Bowden was. Malcolm would do what he could but it if the pup needed more medical care than what Malcolm was capable of, Quinton would have the child sent to a human hospital in a heart beat. Thankfully, human laws prohibited any hospital from turning shifters away so long as they were able to pay for the treatment so there was no concern that the hospital would refuse to treat Shay. They were bound by law to do whatever was necessary to save the pups life. If it came to that. Caleb just prayed to the wolf God that it would not come to that.

While Caleb was tending to Shay, he watched as Rusty nervously fumbled with his cell phone. "Finally!" He practically screamed into the phone. "I've been trying to reach you all morning. Where the hell have you been? Don't you dare tell me to calm down Zev! Shay is sick and I'm freaking out!"

He went on to explain what had happened and where he was. Apparently Zev and a few others had gone into town to pick up supplies for a new house they were building and his cell phone had been out of range. Now that he was back though he'd promised to drop whatever construction project he was working on and leave to find Malcolm. Rusty didn't seem any calmer though and continued to yell into the phone. He was crying and shaking but Caleb didn't hold it against him. He'd likely be in the same state had it been Rhylan who was ill.

The screaming and near hysterics though seemed to upset Shay because he began to whimper and fuss more, coughing and wincing each time he let out a pathetic little wail that seemed to hurt his throat terribly. Without even thinking, Caleb drew the child up to his chest and cradled his small head against his shoulder. He gently bounced him some while cooing softly at the pup to calm him. Caleb made circles on the pups back with his hand and soon the baby seemed to relax back into a calm sleep.

"It's alright." Caleb whispered. "You're going to be fine sweet boy. Everything's going to be fine. Your daddy's just having a slight mental break down."

Rusty shot him an angry glare but Caleb only shrugged. "Go put on a pot of coffee." Caleb whispered to his friend. "It's going to be a long day."

***

It didn't take long before Zev came rushing through the front door followed by Quinton. Both had stopped at the Cabot's home and spoken to Malcolm who was still very much busy with the delivery. He did promise to call Alice on her cell and ask her to stop by the pack Alpha's home to check on Shay. Hearing that, Zev thanked the gamma then he and Quinton went straight to Quinton's house to deliver the news to the two worried omega's.

Upon arriving at the house, they found Rusty sitting in a rocking chair with Rhylan on his shoulder while Caleb had Shay in a cool bath, dabbing a wet cloth over his skin and hair, talking softly to him. To Zev's surprise-and relief-Shay had his eyes open and was looking around the room with a weak gaze. Even in his weakened state it was obvious to everyone that he did not like sitting in a tub of lukewarm water and desperately wanted out. He kept pushing the rag away, whimpering "Na, na, na" over and over which seemed to be his way of saying no.

"Is he alright?" Zev asked as he looked over his son. "Rusty said he was non-responsive."

"He had a high fever." Caleb explained. "I think it made him too weak and confused to really respond normally but we've been working on bringing it down. I think he'll be fine in a day or two but I'd still like Malcolm to look him over."

"Malcolm has a stubborn pup on his hands that refuses to leave it's nice, comfy, home." Quinton offered. "But he's sending Alice over to have a look at him."

"She should be here soon." Zev added. "Her last stop before coming here was at Cheryl May's place. Alice wanted to check on her ankle and change her bandage."

Cheryl May was an elderly shifter who lived alone. She'd fallen and sprained her ankle when bringing the laundry in from the line. Quinton offered to have an omega come over and help her a couple times a week but she wasn't ready to give up her independence just yet. After falling, Quinton had insisted upon it but even he couldn't keep the woman from wandering around her small cottage, cleaning up, and blatantly disregarding Malcolm's order to stay off the ankle. Alice checked up on her several times a week just to make sure she hadn't re-injured herself.

Rusty sulked into his rocking chair some. "I was going to check on her but with Shay being sick..."

"Your first duty is to your child." Caleb spoke up. He gave Rusty a stern look that surprised everyone in the room. Everyone that is except Quinton, who smiled proudly at his outspoken little omega. "Don't apologize for taking care of your son. There are other omegas here capable of helping out too."

"He's right of course." Zev told his mate as he walked to him and knelt down in front of him. "No one expects you run yourself ragged trying to take care of everyone. You'll only make yourself sick too."

"I'm fine." Rusty smiled a weary smile. "I like taking care of others but I guess asking for help now and then wouldn't hurt."

"No, it wouldn't." Quinton agreed. "Maybe I should look into assigning duties more evenly. It's unreasonable to expect one person to take on more than their fair share. Pack responsibilities should be more equal than what they have been. That's my fault."

"I can help you with that...if you want." Caleb was quick to volunteer his time. Everyone else had so much to do already and Caleb really wanted to help but so far Quinton had been reluctant to assign him anything, thinking his time was best spent caring for his newborn. Caleb understood that and was grateful, but Rhylan was getting older now so a few hours a day wasn't going to hurt anyone and Caleb really wanted to contribute to his new pack. Sitting around all day doing housework wasn't helping him acclimate to pack life any faster.

"I'll think about it." Quinton said and Caleb sulked. He was getting the impression that Quinton didn't want Caleb to fit in because he didn't expect him to be around that long. Were things going bad with Hollister? Caleb wondered. Did Quinton know something that he did not? Was that why he'd been so distant lately? These thoughts were troubling but Caleb had to set them aside for now. Shay's health was what was important at the moment, not Caleb's status in the pack.

"Do you want me to take him now?" Rusty asked as Caleb wrapped Shay in a clean towel and started to dry him off.

"Sure." Caleb smiled warmly. "We can trade." He handed Shay off to Rusty then took Rhylan and placed him gently on a blanket. Rhylan kicked his feet some then grabbed at the small, bluish, pacifier that Caleb placed in his mouth. Wrapping his tiny fingers around it he began to suck happily as his eyes became droopy and eventually closed.

Rusty quickly put a fresh diaper on Shay and then dressed him in a light, short sleeved, onesie. "He seems a bit more alert now." Rusty remarked. "At least there's some color to his cheeks again."

"Do you think he'll drink anything?" Caleb asked.

"Maybe. There's a bottle with some grape pedialyte in the diaper bag. We can try that."

Caleb found the small, five ounce, bottle right away and handed it to Rusty as he settle back into the chair with Shay. It took a few tries but eventually Shay accepted the bottle and began to drink. He'd drank maybe half the bottle before pushing it away and beginning to fuss again. Rusty propped him on his shoulder and started to rub his back while Zev watched on in concern.

Zev was about to ask if he was going to be alright when he was startled by a knock at the front door. Quinton moved to open the door, allowing Alice in and everyone in the room seemed to sigh a breath of relief.

"Okay, where's my patient?" Alice asked, clapping her hands together.

"In here." Quinton answered, then led her into the living room.

Alice went to the pup at once and everyone moved to the side as to not get in the way. Caleb laid out a second blanket and Alice laid the pup down so she could examine him. Caleb watched in awe as Alice opened a navy blue bag and took out the tools she would need, placing them on the blanket beside the baby. She had a stethoscope, a digital thermometer, a blood pressure cuff with an infant cup, and various other small tools that Caleb had never even seen before.

"Alright." She said softly and calmly, "Let's get this pup fixed up." Alice went right to work checking Shay over, checking his temperature, listening to his heart and lungs and overall making sure everything was working the way it should. When she was done she wrapped him in the blanket he was laying on and handed him back to Rusty then gathered her tools back up and stood, facing the room.

"His temp is 102.01 which is a little high. For a shifter his age it should be between 99 and 101. I wouldn't worry though unless it goes above 103. His lungs sound good and his heart sounds normal. His pulse is a little fast but I suspect that's because of everyone around him being so nervous. Pups pick up on that easily. I'd give him something for the fever but it seems he's fighting it on his own. I'd say just make sure he's drinking and urinating and let him rest."

"What about his raspy breathing?" Rusty asked. "Is that any cause for concern?"

"I didn't hear anything like that." Alice told him. "His breathing seems normal."

"It wasn't earlier." Caleb told her. "When Rusty first brought him here he was lethargic and his breathing was raspy and labored."

"Then you're lucky." Alice turned to look at Rusty. "He's alert, just exhausted. I'd say the worst of it is over."

"That fast?" Rusty narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Not that I'm complaining but this morning I could have sworn..."

Alice smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on Rusty's shoulder. "Pups are very resilient." She told him. "They bounce back quickly. I'm sure you were worried to death but let me ease your mind sweety, Shay is going to be just fine. Just give him plenty of fluids, rest, and love and he'll be crawling around getting into everything in sight in no time."

Rusty let out a deep breath and smiled. Caleb saw the tension drain from his face as he looked down at his yawning pup. "Thank you so much." He told Alice. "You have no idea how scared I was."

"Oh, believe me Hun. I do. I have two of my own, remember?" She gave Rusty a quick wink and nodded. "I haven't met an omega yet that doesn't freak out when his or her pup is sick. Even over a tiny sniffle. It's in our nature."

The two alpha's looked lost as the omega's laughed at what was apparently an inside joke that they just didn't get.

"But, like I said, I think he'll be fine. Just give him time and lots of hugs and kisses."

"Oh, you can count of that." Rusty grinned. "I can't kiss this little guy enough."

"Good. He's in good hands then." She slung her bag over her shoulder then looked at Caleb. "And how are you doing? Rhylan sleeping better?"

"Much." Caleb assured her. "I think he's finally starting to sleep through the night now. Most of the time anyway. He did wake up at three am the other night but he was wet so I'm thinking that was the reason. He went right back to sleep after I changed him."

"Excellent. You're looking better too. Not so fatigued anymore."

"I feel better." Caleb blushed.

Alice nodded then gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Well, if that's all, I have two more families to visit then I thought I'd head over to the Cabot's and see if I'm needed there."

"I think we're all good here." Quinton told her and Zev agreed.

"Thank you." Zev told her. "You've taken a load off my mind. Russ's too."

"Just doing my job." Alice smiled, said good-bye to everyone, then followed Quinton to the door as he saw her out.

Zev turned to Caleb and Caleb looked up, curiously. Zev shuffled around a bit, ran a hand through his hair and fidgeted as he tried to find the right words he wished to convey. "I'm really sorry I wasn't available when Russ called me. I know he wouldn't have bothered you otherwise. I honestly didn't know that you have been having that hard a time getting Rhylan to sleep through the night."

"Rusty didn't bother me at all." Caleb said, smiling reassuringly up at the larger wolf. "Honestly, I'm fine and anytime he, or anyone, needs me, I want them to feel free to come to me. I'm glad I was here for him."

"I am too." Zev forced a smile. "I just know that you've been through so much yourself..."

"Really, it's fine. If it wasn't for Russ, Quinton, you, this entire pack, I wouldn't even be here right now. Trust me, I want to help. I want to be a part of this pack in all ways."

"You are." Rusty stood up and walked over to Caleb then drew him into a tight hug. "You are part of this pack, in so many ways. Caleb, it was all you."

When Rusty released Caleb, Caleb looked up to see tears streaming down Rusty's face but that wasn't all, he also something that he'd never seen from anyone before. At least not directed at him. What he saw in Rusty's eyes was a look of admiration and awe.

"What was me?" Caleb asked, rubbing his hands down the back of his jeans, not sure what Rusty was talking about.

"Caleb, don't you even see what you did?" Rusty snorted a laugh. "When I brought Shay here this morning I thought..." He shook his head as if trying to shake the very thought away. "Anyway, you know how sick he was. I know what Annie said but if I hadn't brought him here, to you..."

"No." Caleb shook his head. "The ice bath brought his fever down, Rusty. I didn't do anything that anyone else couldn't have done. I'm glad I was here for you, as a friend and support, but that's all it was."