SWNOVELS Chapter 146 –
Robert's
POV Five days later
I have stayed by Saoirse's bedside this entire time. I had her upgraded to a room with a shower because I would not leave her side. Alexei went home yesterday, the day after Cara woke up. He was lucky; his mate had woken up, but I was still afraid. The only thing that had been racing through my mind were her last words to me. She loved me and wanted me to be happy. She told me to find my second chance mate and live a good life. The guilt was killing me. I don't want my second chance mate. I only wanted Saoirse.She loved me so much, and I hurt her. She didn't yell at me or bring up the Adra incident. She had truly put it in the past. I was the one who couldn't let it go. I had been thoughtless. I should have sat Adra down and made her realize that it would never happen. No matter how often I told her we were just friends, it never sank in to her. That, or she didn't care what I wanted.
I honestly never suspected that she was the way she was. I thought that she was innocent and sweet. She only showed me the positive sides of herself. She was always supportive and kind. She stayed to herself, so no one had any interactions with her. She never let anyone else into her cottage. If I wasn't the one to deliver it, she just got it at the door. I found that out after the incident occurred. We were discussing the situation with Jaxon. They all looked at me weirdly when I mentioned eating dinner with her once a week.
I had trusted her, but I never should have in the first place. I didn't know she would risk everything to be with me until it was too late. After the fact, I remembered several occasions when she pushed things too far. I had been trained better than this. "Looks like you're on a site that's taken this content from B. Don't settle for less-get the real deal straight from the source. Head over to now for exclusive content and updates." Yet, because I fell for her sob story, she was able to pull me in. I never saw the trap close on me. Even when Adra
was calling me to come over to help her out. I never saw her true nature until the day she drugged me. Saoirse had been right all along, which meant all our arguments about Adra were my fault. I just learned the lesson too late. Adra always seemed to have an excuse for her behavior. Like she was scared or that she knew I was upset and was trying to comfort me. I should have realized what she was doing, but I was so flattered by the attention she gave me. It slowly made me connect with her more. I lowered my guard because, in my mind, she knew I wanted my mate. She didn't want me. We were just friends. I scoffed at how ignorant I had been. I should have stopped her. I have had a long time to sit and think about my actions. Saoirse was perfect for me. I would never be able to replace her, not in my lifetime. I will make sure that every memory she has with me from now on is a positive one. I can't lose her or our babies. I wouldn't want to go on without them. I already love our pups without having ever met them.
Saoirse is still hooked to several machines, including one that monitors the babies. Dr. Gurin was taking no chances with her pregnancy. Alexei paid for the hospital to get a second EFM (electronic fetal monitoring) machine, as Cara needed one, too. Cara had been out for three days after Clay and his men entered the pack. Alexei had stayed by her side, just like I was for Saoirse. They went home on the fourth day after Cara got the all-clear from Dr. Gurin.
Alexei and Kira had been coming here every day to help. They had been healing them both. They did it once daily for each of them, with time to rest between healings, as it took a lot out of them, but it was working. Dr. Gurin had noted improvement in them both after each attempt. Alexei was so excited when Cara woke up that everyone on this floor knew she had woken up.
I remember what I saw on the monitor every time I closed my eyes. I wanted to go down and save her, but they had tackled me. My mouth was covered as I watched helplessly as those bastards fired on my mate. She wasn't going to be able to keep her barrier up. I watched helplessly as Saoirse continued to sink to the floor. My heart was in my throat, but there was nothing that I could do. I would never be able to thank Cara enough for saving her like she did. I wanted to get to her, but I couldn't.
Jaxon had Alpha commanded me, and Echo, to stay silent. Jaxon told me we needed a plan before we just raced down the stairs. He had been right to remind me that I could have been killed before I could even make it to my mate. But I was still angry and frustrated. My mate was the one who was drawing their attention to her. She was protecting her daughter and everyone else down there. Their mates were completely safe at the moment. Of course, they were calm and rational. It was my mate in danger. Of course, I was panicking.
Saoirse had cut our link, and I knew she was almost out of time. I am sure that Jaxon wouldn't have been so calm if his mate had been in danger. I know that if something had happened to Brenna, and she had been the only one under fire, his attitude about it would have been different.
My head snapped up as the hospital door opened. Cara and Alexei walked in and I immediately got up to hug her. "Thank you, Cara. I would never have been able to help her the way you did. I will always be in your debt for saving her," my voice hoarse with emotion. I hoped she knew I meant every word.
"I was happy to do it, Robert. I didn't want to lose her either. I am sure she linked you, too. Fear for her is what gave me the power to be able to do what I did. I was running on adrenaline. I didn't want to lose her again, not if I could do anything about it." Cara replied. "Do you want me to grab you something to eat, Robert?" Alexei asked.
"No, Brenna has someone bringing all three of my meals here from the dining hall. I don't want to leave Saoirse. I need to be here for her when she opens her eyes," I told them as I watched my mate sleep.
"Robert, Cara was going to spend time with you and her mother. I am going to go catch up on my paperwork. Call me if you need me for any reason, Cara," Alexei said before kissing Cara. He then walked over to the bed and placed his hands on Saoirse's arm. He spent a few minutes healing her before giving us both a nod and leaving the room.
My heart clenched at their affectionate interaction. I have kissed Saoirse numerous times since she arrived in the hospital. I kissed her forehead and told her it would be OK, as she was being transported here. I growled at the doctors and nurses who tried to take her away from me. Jaxon had to order me to put her down. In my head, I knew they needed to check her out. But my heart was telling me to hold onto her. All she needed was rest and her mate by her side.
Technically, I was correct. She didn't need surgery or anything like that. The doctors said that she just needed time to rest and recharge. Once she was well-rested, she would come back to us. But here we are on day five, and there is no end in sight. As much as I appreciated Alexei healing my mate, I needed this to move much faster than it was. I needed her to wake up and let me hold her. To know that I will always be here for her. To tell her that I will never fail her again.
We sat there in silence for about twenty minutes. We were sitting there and just watching Saoirse, lost in our thoughts. I knew that Cara was hoping, just as much as I was, that her mother's eyes would fly open and she would smile back at us. But time pressed on, and lunch was brought to us in containers. I had told Brenna earlier that Cara was here with me, but she already knew. We ate in silence, still watching Saoirse. When it gets too much for me, I would focus on the sounds of the baby's heartbeats. She is still taking good care of our babies. I knew that it was a matter of time before she woke up. I knew the Goddess would save her.
"Mom had to use a lot of power to keep herself and my siblings safe. She did what she felt she had to do. She told me she pushed Clay and his men so hard to get them to run out of bullets. We didn't notice the bag they had until later. I wish I had seen it earlier. It was my fault she was shot in the arm," Cara quietly told me.
"That was not your fault. We saw the whole thing from Anton's office. You saved everyone, including your mother. She took on so much to draw their attention off of you and your group. You are both heroes. The blame lies with Clay; it was all on Clay, and even his family knew it. Jaxon offered to send Clay's body back to the Moon Harvest pack for his family to bury. He did that out of respect for Clay's family, even before Clay was killed. They didn't want his body back. He was out of control, and he needed to be ended. I knew it took a lot out of you to do what you did. You learned so much in a short amount of time. You are truly a force to be reckoned with," I told Cara.
It was the truth. Saoirse is here because of Cara. Cara did things that day I knew Saoirse had not taught her. Cara has become attuned to her powers. They help guide her now, and she does a great job of listening to what they tell her. I knew her mother was just as happy about it as I was. Saoirse is very proud of Cara and all that she has accomplished.
"I agree, Robert." I heard Saoirse speak, and Cara and I quickly turned to look at her. Saoirse still looked weak, but she was awake. My chair skidded back as I jumped out of it to kiss my mate. Cara gave us a moment together by going to the door and headed to the nurse's desk for them to call the doctors."You scared me so much, Saoirse. I was so worried about you and our babies. Don't ever do that to me again. I need you. The babies need you. I am so glad that you woke up. You have no idea how worried I was about you," I told her-wrapping my arms around her, carefully avoiding her IV. I am never going to let her get hurt again. Not if I have anything to say about it.