The Porch Wolf Ch. 51-Conclusion

"Passed out before or after hitting the ground?"

"Before."

"Any history of heart trouble, seizures, or fainting? Medications?"

"Not that I know of," I said.

He pulled on gloves and prepared some large gauze pads; removing the handkerchief, the EMT took a quick look before he put the pads over it. "Hold pressure here," he said. He put on a blood pressure cuff and took her pulse. I heard a siren as the ambulance pulled into the lot; the security people moved others back so it could park near us. "Female, early twenties, sudden onset unconsciousness followed by head trauma. BP one hundred over sixty-four, pulse seventy-two, no known conditions or medications," he turned over to the ambulance crew.

They brought over the gurney, and we carefully transferred her into it. "Where are you taking her," I asked.

"Christus Spohn," he replied as they wheeled her away. "Follow us close."

"Let's go," I said. I buckled Vicki into her car seat as Anita got the car started. The ambulance hit the lights and siren, and we stayed behind them. We drove across the bridge, past our hotel, and south to the hospital.

"I have to tell Brent," I said. Taking out my phone, I called the number. "It's Leo. Get to the airport and get a flight to Corpus Christi as soon as you can. If you can't get here, fly to Houston or San Antonio and drive down."

"What's going on? Is Vicki all right?"

"It's Olivia. She passed out and hit her head; we're following the ambulance to the hospital. She hasn't woken yet."

"SHIT! I'm on my way," he said.

"I'll call you when I know more."

I had just hung up when the ambulance pulled into the emergency bay. Anita dropped the three of us at the Emergency Room entrance before going to park the car. I didn't see Liv as they rolled her in, and she didn't answer the mental call either.

I did get to spend fifteen minutes giving insurance information and registration, while Anita comforted a rather upset little girl in the waiting room. We all smiled a few minutes later when her mental send reached us. "I'm going to be fine," she told us. "Leo, can you and Vicki come back?"

"Ask your nurse if we can," I said.

"Doc says not until he's done stitching me up," she said.

"Mommy is all right?"

"I just hit my head, baby. Don't worry about me."

"I was scared, Mommy. You didn't wake up!"

"I know," she said. "Stay with Unky, Mike, or Anita."

It was another thirty minutes before the nurse called us back. She had a bandage over the cut and looked exhausted in the bed. The Doctor asked if it was all right if he spoke about her status in front of us, and she agreed. "The loss of consciousness was a concern, but she explained she had an emotional shock. Her blood pressure was a little low, so we'll be monitoring that, and she should follow up with her doctor at home," he said.

"And her head," I asked.

"Eight stitches to the scalp, and a concussion. We'd like to admit Olivia for observation overnight; given her condition, it would be best to have her monitored until we are sure everything is all right."

"Condition?" I looked at her, wondering what she hadn't told me.

"Temporary condition," Liv said. "I'm pregnant."

Now it was my turn to be shocked. I sat down before I ended up in the next hospital bed. "You're having a baby?"

She nodded as Vicki started jumping up and down next to her. "Baby sister! Baby sister!"

"It could be a baby brother. It's too early to tell."

"Brothers are yucky. I want a SISTER."

I got up, walked over, and kissed her forehead. "Congratulations," I told her. "Does Brent know?"

"No, and don't tell him. I want to do that."

"No one can reveal to anyone else that Olivia is pregnant," I said with an Alpha order.

The doctor left, and a few minutes later, they came in to bring Olivia up to her room. "Say goodbye, we'll come in the morning to see her," I told Vicki. We said our goodbyes. "Brent is on his way, he'll drive here from Vegas if he has to," I said to Liv. "We'll take good care of Vicki for you."

"I know you will, Leo," she said. "I'm so happy you're still with us."

"Me too," I said. "It's been a stressful weekend. I need a vacation from my vacation."

"I need a honeymoon," she said. "Goodnight."

We drove away, stopping to pick up some barbecue to take up to our rooms. I talked to Brent, who was at the airport waiting for a flight. He couldn't make it before nine in the morning, no matter how he tried. It was too late on a Sunday to get a good flight.

Vicki ate through a rack of ribs and two pieces of Texas toast before she started to nod off. Anita got her cleaned up and in bed while we cleaned the table. When Anita came back out, she just sank into her chair. "Part of me wants to know everything that happened, while the rest of me wants to sleep," she said.

"There's nothing you need to know tonight," I said. "Tomorrow, we'll pick up Brent and take him to the hospital. We can figure out the next steps from there."

"You get the other bed in this room," she said as she got up. "If anyone wakes me before seven, I will hurt them," she said as they went through the connecting door between our rooms.

I took a shower and went to bed. Tomorrow would be a new day.

Ch. 59

Ivan Volkov's POV

I spent another day and night in the cells before they came back for me. This time, I was allowed to shower and put on sweatpants and a shirt before I was shackled again. "Where are we going?"

"Your hearing," one of the guards said. He tossed flipflops on the ground, and I put them on. I was taken upstairs and escorted back across the lawn to the Pack House. The barrage of smells from earlier was gone; now Sunday night, almost all the guests were gone. Cleanup crews were everywhere as we walked into the house.

The trial room was no longer since there wasn't the audience. Instead, the guards brought me to the hallway outside the Alpha's conference room. I smiled at Beta Lawrence Fenwick, my lawyer, as he stood by the door. "Ah, Ivan, good news," he said. "The Council has dropped charges against you for the kidnapping attempt on Vicki and Olivia."

"Already?" I thought we were in for a fight on this one.

"They didn't have much of a choice after I raised the issues, and they spoke on the phone with Mediator McInnis. To say they weren't happy would be an understatement. They chewed her out pretty bad, at least until she hung up the phone on them."

My eyes got wide. "Luna Adrienne HUNG UP on the Council?"

He just shook his head. "Yes, right after she told them off for challenging how she did her job, told them where they could shove said job, and told them to kiss her furry red butt. Not on the left side, not on the right side, but right down the middle." Now this made me laugh, and the guards couldn't keep a straight face either. "Suffice it to say they will need a new Mediator."

"She's a Luna now; she doesn't need the job. It's too bad; she was good at it." Her reputation was excellent, and I'd seen first-hand how she could find or force an agreement as needed.

"If I'm in the clear on the kidnapping, why am I here?" I hadn't done anything else wrong, and I hadn't violated the blood oath I'd made.

"I don't think they know what to do with you." My eyes got wide at that, but there wasn't more time. The door opened, and the guards escorted me into the room.

The Council sat around three sides of the table; Lawrence took his seat, and guards placed me next to him. "What the hell should we do with you," Chairman Sanders said.

"You can start by letting me out of these shackles," I responded. "I've done nothing to justify this treatment, and I am an Alpha."

"That is yet to be determined. Guards, remove his bindings and leave us. I think we can handle this without your help." No one said anything until they were gone. "Your Betas were cleared of any charges. They arrived at Marengo Lake this afternoon with Steve and Carla Ingalls; those two are taking over the Pack."

"You're taking MY Pack from me," I said with a low growl. My hands gripped the side of my chair as I pushed my wolf back.

"Yes," Chairman Sanders said. "We're taking actions to stabilize the leadership of both Packs involved. Stillwater is a lost cause; we're cleaning house there. We're here to figure out whether you can go back to Marengo or we get someone else."

"Marengo isn't my home Pack, but it is MINE," I said. "It is my children's birthright."

"Your birthright went elsewhere when you fucked a college kid," Chairman Platt said. "It went to Miesville. You only have a mantle because you got it from your mate."

"And I would do anything, hell, I HAVE done everything, to protect that daughter as well as my other children. Brenda couldn't handle how it went down, and she paid the price. I wasn't involved; I would have stopped her if I had known."

Chairman Wolfe leaned forward. "That is the problem we've found up in Marengo. The Pack is irrevocably split; some side with you, others would never accept your leadership after what you did to your mate and the Pack. It is Alpha Ingalls' opinion that allowing you to run Marengo would be a failure."

I sat back; since the blood oath, I had been around the Pack, but I never integrated back into the Pack. Brenda kept me away and poisoned the well against my leadership. "I could take it; no one there could defeat me for the position," I said softly. "What do you propose?"

"We believe you were once a good Alpha and could be again," Chairman Sanders said. "We'd like you to take your son and daughter with you, and take over Stillwater instead. The Council will find a new Alpha for Marengo."

I sat back; it was brilliant. I'd still be a mantled Alpha with a Pack, but I'd be back in Minnesota, less than an hour from my brother. My problems in Marengo would go away. In their place would be far different problems in Stillwater. There, I'd have to guide an entire Pack where criminal activity was accepted. "What about Vicki?"

Chairman Wolfe spoke next. "If your daughter does not take over Miesville? Vicki is a mantled Alpha; she could take over Stillwater instead. She's young, and a lot could happen in the next decade."

He was right; with Leo mating again, if Adrienne got pregnant, his mantle would pass to his child. "It would be good to be around my brother again," I said. "I agree in principle. What is next?"

"You return to Minnesota and meet Alpha Larry and Luna Donna at Stillwater Pack," Sanders said. "You would take over as their Beta, learning the Pack and helping to put it on the right path. When they believe you are ready to take over, they will inform the Council."

"And my children?"

"Their nanny will bring them to you when you are ready," Wolfe said.

"I'd want to bring the nanny into the Stillwater Pack if she agrees. I need help with them, and my children will need the comfort of a familiar face."

"I'm sure we can work something out for them," Wolfe replied.

I thought about what a move to Stillwater would represent. "Is Leo Volkov in agreement with this plan? I don't know how he feels about me since the kidnapping."

"Leo has not been in contact with us; he is trying to track down four members of his Pack who left here under unfortunate circumstances," Sanders said. I raised my eye; there was something more. "They believed Vicki was in danger when Leo's death announcement came out, and they ran."

"I'll talk to him when I can. I don't want things to be awkward between us." I looked around the room. "Anything else? If not, I need to book a flight."

Lawrence reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "You'll forgive me for using your credit card? The flight leaves at five-thirty in the morning. Your ride will depart at two AM."

I looked at the clock; it was almost ten. "I better eat and pack, then." Lawrence and I stood. "Thank you, gentlemen. I am grateful for your wisdom in this situation."

"Do not make us regret our faith in you, Alpha Volkov," Chairman Sanders said. "Good luck."

Brent Lawrence's POV

Never in my life had I gone from elation to a gut punch so quickly.

Leo called and told me he'd found them. Then he called back to say they were on the way to the hospital. I ran back to my room, packing and calling the desk to check out and get a ride to the airport. The whole way there, I searched in vain for a flight that could get me there tonight. I'd already missed the last flights to Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, and the connections to Corpus Christi were on puddle-jumpers. It was a fourteen-hour drive there, so that wasn't happening either. I tried my best at the airport, finally settling for a pair of flights that would get into Corpus at nine in the morning.

I tried calling Leo back, but it went straight to voice mail. I called Adrienne instead. "Luna? It's Brent."

"Oh, hello, Brent! Isn't it great news?"

"What do you mean?"

"That Leo found them," she said. "He called me a while ago. He was supposed to call me back, but he must be busy. He isn't answering his phone."

He didn't call his mate back? He was going to pay for that. "Luna, there's been an accident. Olivia fainted and hit her head on the pavement outside the aquarium. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital."

I heard the phone drop, then more noise as she picked it up again. "Brent?"

"I'm here. Leo told me to get there as soon as possible, but I can't get there until nine in the morning. They were at the hospital when I last talked to him."

There was a pause. "It's a six-hour drive from Dallas. I'll be down there as soon as I can," she said. "Olivia is in good hands, Brent. They'll keep your family safe."

"I know that," I said. "Have a safe drive." I ended the call, walking towards the departure gate for my 0515 flight. I may as well get some sleep.

Ch. 60

Alpha Leo Volkov's POV

I took a shower and went to bed as soon as Vicki was down for the night. I was exhausted, but I couldn't settle. My mind was going a mile a minute, trying to catch up on what happened over the past few days. My wolf was anxious about Olivia's injuries and had spent a lot of time keeping Vicki calm. It didn't help that we were in Corpus Christi, Brent was in Las Vegas, and Adrienne was in Dallas.

Dallas. OH CRAP! I sat upright, suddenly realizing that I'd never called my mate back. The last time we talked, I was waiting for the group to come back to their car. I looked over at the clock; it was just past eleven. Hopefully, she got a hotel room and slept through everything. I pulled out my cellphone and gave her a call. "Hello?"

"Hi, honey. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Of course not. I didn't want to sleep until I'd talked to you again."

Hmmm, maybe I'd escape with my fur intact. "I'm sorry I didn't get back to you earlier, we've had a little excitement here, and I forgot to call you back."

"I understand you've been busy, after all, a PACK MEMBER IS IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER PASSING OUT AND HITTING HER HEAD, AND MY MATE 'FORGOT' TO CALL ME BACK."

Oh. Crap. "I'm so sorry, honey."

"Thank Luna that Brent called me, or I'd be sitting in the parking lot waiting to find out what to do next," she said. "He called me on the way to the airport."

"I can get you a flight," I said.

"I already looked, nothing is rolling tonight. I'm south of Dallas already; I'll be there early in the morning. I'll call you when I'm close."

"All right."

"What's the update on Olivia?"

"Observation overnight for the concussion and some stitches. Liv will be fine. Vicki is handling it well, and Anita has been a big help."

"Good. I have to go. You wouldn't think there would be traffic at this time of night, but construction zones suck."

"I love you, Adrienne. Drive safe." Hanging up, I texted an update to Susan at the Pack, telling her I would talk to her tomorrow when we had a plan. I set my alarm for six-thirty since visiting hours started at eight. Closing my eyes, I went to sleep.

"Unky Leo, wake up," a voice said as someone tapped my shoulder. I opened my eyes, shaking my head to wake up. Vicki was standing by my bed in her Shark Tail pajamas, holding a phone. "Luna wants in."

"She does?"

"Yeah, she's coming up now." I took the phone from her and set it back on the table.

"Let's welcome her," I said. I held her hand as we walked to the door and peeked into the hallway. We only waited a minute before the elevator door opened, and she stepped into the hall.

"Luna!" She ran towards her while I made sure the door didn't close.

Adrienne picked her up and walked her back. "We have to be quiet; it's four in the morning," she said.

"Hi, my love," I said as I kissed her and pulled her into my side. "We missed you."

"I'm exhausted," she said. "I need a shower, I've been driving all night, and my back hurts."

"Come on." I put Vicki back to bed as she showered, then I gave her a massage when she came to bed. She fell asleep halfway through, so I turned the light off and laid next to her. She turned into my side, and we were soon asleep.

My alarm went off, and I quieted it and used the bathroom before coming back in and getting Vicki ready to see her Mom. I left a note for Adrienne, kissing her before we headed down to breakfast. After watching Sharkbait's breakfast disappearance act, Mike dropped us at the hospital before going to the airport to pick up Brent.

Olivia looked better, and Vicki climbed up in bed with her so her Mom could hold her tight. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts, but they'll be releasing me soon," she said. "There's one problem." I lifted a brow. "The doctor doesn't want me flying, and driving long distances will not help me."

"I have a solution for that," I said. "Brent will be here soon, and Adrienne arrived early this morning. Would you let us take Vicki home, and you and Brent can have a honeymoon on the beach?"

"Could we? Does he even want that?"

"I was going to send you to Vegas before you got hurt. I didn't have a chance to ask," I said. "Mike and Anita can fly home; they have work and other stuff to do. Adrienne and I can have our own adventure with Vicki while you're having fun. I think there are a half-dozen aquariums between here and home."

"You have no idea what you're in for," Liv said with amusement. "If Brent agrees, then yes."

"There are lots of fun things to do on the Islands before the spring break crowd arrives," I said.

"Unky Leo, what are you talking to Mom about?" Vicki was sitting up on the bed, her hands on her hips.

"You, of course," I teased.

The doctor came in, giving her the discharge instructions. Since Mike was at the airport and Adrienne was still sleeping, I had to call an Uber to take us back to the hotel. Anita took Liv to the deck overlooking the beach to eat breakfast while I went back to the room so Vicki and I could get in our swimsuits. "Liv is out of the hospital, and we'll be down at the beach," I told a sleepy mate. "Sleep as long as you need." She mumbled something and went to sleep again. I updated the note, just in case.

Vicki was swimming and looking for sharks when Brent arrived. He came straight to his mate, picking her up and setting her on his lap while he made sure she was all right. Vicki saw Brent and went running up the sand to hug him. While they caught up, Liv linked me again. "We've talked, and if Vicki is all right with going on an adventure with you, we'll stay here for a week or so."

"Why don't you ask her?"