Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 61: Chapter 61
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Leo's face was a mask of fear. He hadn't looked even a little nervous with a half dozen Rogues after his blood, but he trembled as he handed the tiny bundle of sleeping pup over to the nurses. My heart caught in my throat as I watched from the door of my office.
“Where is Dr. Angel?” Leo asked.
I almost ran over, but Ethan stopped me and motioned to my face. My mask! I had forgotten I wasn't wearing it.
Ethan went over to ask Leo what was wrong while I ducked into the office to make sure my disguise was in place. I wasn't ready for Leo to learn that Tessa and Dr. Angel were one and the same. It still wasn't safe.
Once I had my mask on, I stepped outside. Ethan and Leo were standing by one of the triage stations. A nurse stood over a hospital bassinet with a tiny, silent bundle.
I was afraid to approach. I could tell even from across the room that something was drastically wrong with the baby. They were too silent, and too still. A healthy baby in a strange environment being prodded by a strange person should be wailing.
“Dr. Angel!” Leo noticed me and rushed over.
I shrank back from the open desperation in his face. He was terrified for his baby.
“Alpha,” I said respectfully. It was strange talking to him after the last time I'd seen him.
“You have to save my baby,” Leo begged. “Please. I can't lose her.”
Her. I had a daughter. I hadn't even been able to learn that before Eva took her.
“Tell me what's wrong,” I said, holding tight to the persona of Dr. Angel, “Please list any symptoms you've noticed.”
Leo nodded. “She's stopped eating. She barely started, really. She wouldn't latch, and my mate's milk never came in so we've been using formula.”
I nodded. Of course Eva's milk never came in; she wasn't the mother. There were methods to trigger lactation, but they didn't always work.
“Has she tried shifting?” I asked, because it was the expected question. “Sometimes pups feed better in wolf form.”
For the first year or so of life, a wolf's shifts were tied to their mother's. That's why half-bloods like myself never shifted early.
Leo nodded. “We tried, both of us. The baby didn't shift. I don't understand; I thought they always shifted with the mother.”
“They should,” I said, noting the symptom down in my little notepad although I mentally discarded it. The baby hadn't shifted with Eva because she wasn't the mother. “But some wolves don't shift until adolescence.”
Really only wolves with human blood showed that kind of delay, or wolves who lost their mothers in infancy. But Leo was so visibly afraid that I wanted to say something comforting.
“Did the baby take formula well?” I asked.
“At first, yes,” Leo said. “I'd say the first two, three feedings went well. But then she started fighting us, and refused more than a mouthful. This morning she woke up and wouldn't take a drop, no matter what we tried.”
That wasn't good. A baby that young couldn't afford to miss many feedings.
“What was her recorded weight at birth?” the nurse asked, looking up from where she'd been taking the baby's vital signs.
I had no idea. She'd felt pretty huge in my belly, and seemed so impossibly tiny for that one moment I'd held her. There hadn't been a scale down in that hidden room.
Leo, though, had an answer. “Six pounds, seven ounces.”
The nurse frowned. “This infant is five pounds even.”
I paled, and so did Leo and Ethan. Ethan put his hand on Leo's shoulder in comfort. Weight loss that significant was a sign that something was very wrong with the baby.
“Admit her right away,” I ordered. “I'll take the case personally.”
“Thank you,” Leo whispered, slumping forward and closing his eyes.
Did he think I'd reject him? Why? As far as he knew, Dr. Angel was just a healer working at Ethan's hospital. She should have no grudge against him or his pack.
I walked over to the baby. “What is her name?” I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew.
Leo had told me he wanted to name his heir Sable if it was a girl. Had the real Eva agreed?
“Sable,” Leo said, “Her name is Sable.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” I said.
I checked the vitals the nurse had taken. It didn’t look good. The baby was failing to thrive, and failing quickly.
I nodded at the nurse and picked up the baby.
“Do your healers have any theories about Sable’s condition?” I asked.
“They think her premature birth caused the problems,” Leo said. “But that doesn’t feel right. I’ve seen preemies before. They struggle, but not like this.”
I nodded. “Premature birth can cause a number of surprising complications,” I said.
So could a traumatic birth induced by unknown medication and then being torn out of her mother’s arms. But I couldn’t say that.
“Can you help her?” Leo asked.
“I will do everything in my power to make your baby healthy,” I promised. “She’s my first priority.”
And she always would be.
“Thank you,” Leo whispered.
“Nurse Maple,” I addressed the nurse, “please enter Sable into our system as my patient.” I paused. “I’m going to have to admit her for long term care.”
Leo nodded. “Anything you need to do, do it. Anything you need from me, just ask. I’ll do anything.”
That was a dangerous promise for anyone to make, especially an alpha. But I understood his desperation. I felt it myself.
“We’ll take good care of her,” Ethan promised. “You know this is the best hospital in a dozen territories.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah.”
“Come on,” Ethan said, “Let’s go chat in my office while Dr. Angel works.”
I helped Nurse Maple move Sable from the triage area to the neonatal unit. We tucked her into a bassinet with a warming pad under her tiny, chilled body.. We placed monitors to keep track of her heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.
“I’ll need to start an IV for fluids,” Maple told me gently. “She’s lost too much weight too quickly, and she’s dangerously close to dehydration.”
I agreed, and Maple called for the hospital’s best phlebotomist, a technician who specialized in blood draws and placing IVs. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the procedure. The worst part was that Sable never made a single sound. She just watched us all with sober, dull eyes.
“She perked up when you held her,” Maple informed me once everything was done. “Probably because you’re a healer.”
“Probably,” I agreed.
“If you’re willing, skin to skin contact is crucial for a pup’s health. I can help you arrange the monitors and IV,” Maple offered.
I nodded and stripped off my shirt while Maple arranged the tubes and wires and helped me tuck the baby against my chest.
Sable gave a soft little coo and nuzzled into my shoulder.
“There we go, I knew that would help,” Maple said, studying the monitor. “I’ll give you a little privacy, Healer, I know you’ll need to concentrate.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Maple left, and I was alone with my daughter. For the first time, I held her close and inhaled her sweet baby scent.
I never wanted to put her down.
“Where is Dr. Angel?” Leo asked.
I almost ran over, but Ethan stopped me and motioned to my face. My mask! I had forgotten I wasn't wearing it.
Ethan went over to ask Leo what was wrong while I ducked into the office to make sure my disguise was in place. I wasn't ready for Leo to learn that Tessa and Dr. Angel were one and the same. It still wasn't safe.
Once I had my mask on, I stepped outside. Ethan and Leo were standing by one of the triage stations. A nurse stood over a hospital bassinet with a tiny, silent bundle.
I was afraid to approach. I could tell even from across the room that something was drastically wrong with the baby. They were too silent, and too still. A healthy baby in a strange environment being prodded by a strange person should be wailing.
“Dr. Angel!” Leo noticed me and rushed over.
I shrank back from the open desperation in his face. He was terrified for his baby.
“Alpha,” I said respectfully. It was strange talking to him after the last time I'd seen him.
“You have to save my baby,” Leo begged. “Please. I can't lose her.”
Her. I had a daughter. I hadn't even been able to learn that before Eva took her.
“Tell me what's wrong,” I said, holding tight to the persona of Dr. Angel, “Please list any symptoms you've noticed.”
Leo nodded. “She's stopped eating. She barely started, really. She wouldn't latch, and my mate's milk never came in so we've been using formula.”
I nodded. Of course Eva's milk never came in; she wasn't the mother. There were methods to trigger lactation, but they didn't always work.
“Has she tried shifting?” I asked, because it was the expected question. “Sometimes pups feed better in wolf form.”
For the first year or so of life, a wolf's shifts were tied to their mother's. That's why half-bloods like myself never shifted early.
Leo nodded. “We tried, both of us. The baby didn't shift. I don't understand; I thought they always shifted with the mother.”
“They should,” I said, noting the symptom down in my little notepad although I mentally discarded it. The baby hadn't shifted with Eva because she wasn't the mother. “But some wolves don't shift until adolescence.”
Really only wolves with human blood showed that kind of delay, or wolves who lost their mothers in infancy. But Leo was so visibly afraid that I wanted to say something comforting.
“Did the baby take formula well?” I asked.
“At first, yes,” Leo said. “I'd say the first two, three feedings went well. But then she started fighting us, and refused more than a mouthful. This morning she woke up and wouldn't take a drop, no matter what we tried.”
That wasn't good. A baby that young couldn't afford to miss many feedings.
“What was her recorded weight at birth?” the nurse asked, looking up from where she'd been taking the baby's vital signs.
I had no idea. She'd felt pretty huge in my belly, and seemed so impossibly tiny for that one moment I'd held her. There hadn't been a scale down in that hidden room.
Leo, though, had an answer. “Six pounds, seven ounces.”
The nurse frowned. “This infant is five pounds even.”
I paled, and so did Leo and Ethan. Ethan put his hand on Leo's shoulder in comfort. Weight loss that significant was a sign that something was very wrong with the baby.
“Admit her right away,” I ordered. “I'll take the case personally.”
“Thank you,” Leo whispered, slumping forward and closing his eyes.
Did he think I'd reject him? Why? As far as he knew, Dr. Angel was just a healer working at Ethan's hospital. She should have no grudge against him or his pack.
I walked over to the baby. “What is her name?” I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew.
Leo had told me he wanted to name his heir Sable if it was a girl. Had the real Eva agreed?
“Sable,” Leo said, “Her name is Sable.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” I said.
I checked the vitals the nurse had taken. It didn’t look good. The baby was failing to thrive, and failing quickly.
I nodded at the nurse and picked up the baby.
“Do your healers have any theories about Sable’s condition?” I asked.
“They think her premature birth caused the problems,” Leo said. “But that doesn’t feel right. I’ve seen preemies before. They struggle, but not like this.”
I nodded. “Premature birth can cause a number of surprising complications,” I said.
So could a traumatic birth induced by unknown medication and then being torn out of her mother’s arms. But I couldn’t say that.
“Can you help her?” Leo asked.
“I will do everything in my power to make your baby healthy,” I promised. “She’s my first priority.”
And she always would be.
“Thank you,” Leo whispered.
“Nurse Maple,” I addressed the nurse, “please enter Sable into our system as my patient.” I paused. “I’m going to have to admit her for long term care.”
Leo nodded. “Anything you need to do, do it. Anything you need from me, just ask. I’ll do anything.”
That was a dangerous promise for anyone to make, especially an alpha. But I understood his desperation. I felt it myself.
“We’ll take good care of her,” Ethan promised. “You know this is the best hospital in a dozen territories.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah.”
“Come on,” Ethan said, “Let’s go chat in my office while Dr. Angel works.”
I helped Nurse Maple move Sable from the triage area to the neonatal unit. We tucked her into a bassinet with a warming pad under her tiny, chilled body.. We placed monitors to keep track of her heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.
“I’ll need to start an IV for fluids,” Maple told me gently. “She’s lost too much weight too quickly, and she’s dangerously close to dehydration.”
I agreed, and Maple called for the hospital’s best phlebotomist, a technician who specialized in blood draws and placing IVs. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the procedure. The worst part was that Sable never made a single sound. She just watched us all with sober, dull eyes.
“She perked up when you held her,” Maple informed me once everything was done. “Probably because you’re a healer.”
“Probably,” I agreed.
“If you’re willing, skin to skin contact is crucial for a pup’s health. I can help you arrange the monitors and IV,” Maple offered.
I nodded and stripped off my shirt while Maple arranged the tubes and wires and helped me tuck the baby against my chest.
Sable gave a soft little coo and nuzzled into my shoulder.
“There we go, I knew that would help,” Maple said, studying the monitor. “I’ll give you a little privacy, Healer, I know you’ll need to concentrate.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Maple left, and I was alone with my daughter. For the first time, I held her close and inhaled her sweet baby scent.
I never wanted to put her down.
End of Surrogate for My Brother-in-law Chapter 61. Continue reading Chapter 62 or return to Surrogate for My Brother-in-law book page.