40. Rob

40

ROB

R ob drifted back to consciousness gradually, awareness returning in fragments. The steady beep of monitoring equipment. The slight scratch of sheets. The warm pressure of Gertrude's hand in his.

He opened his eyes to find both Gertrude and Margo sitting by his bed and watching him anxiously.

"Welcome back," Gertrude said, squeezing his hand.

"How long was I out this time?" His voice came out raspy.

Margo checked her phone. "A little over an hour. How are you feeling?"

Rob took mental stock of his body. "Not too bad, actually. My transition seems pretty easy so far. I'm glad that I'm waking up from time to time and not staying under. "

"Any headache? Nausea?" Margo leaned forward in her chair.

He remembered her asking that before, but he wasn't sure whether it was a real memory or a memory of a dream.

"A little of both," he admitted. "But nothing too bad."

"Those were my main symptoms." Margo smiled. "My transition was super easy because my inducer was a god. Having Negal's venom helped smooth things along."

Rob squeezed Gertrude's hand, noting how she tensed at the mention of Negal. He knew she didn't harbor any romantic feelings for the god, but no one had fond memories of being dumped for another—especially not when that "another" eventually turned out to be your mate's sister.

He could hardly imagine having to be friendly with Lynda or her new/old boyfriend if the situations were reversed. The thought of watching them together, having to smile and make nice, made his stomach turn. Yet here was Gertrude, forced to be friendly with Margo and Negal because of him.

They were going to be a family, and they needed to learn not just to coexist but to actually enjoy each other's company.

The thought reminded him of his parents and their self-imposed isolation. They'd cut ties with most of their extended family over various slights, some real and some imagined. Looking back, it seemed so pointless—wasting precious years of their short human lives nursing petty grievances.

Human lives.

The thought sparked something in his mind. "Hey, Margo?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we should tell Mom she's a Dormant?"

Margo winced. "I've thought about it a lot, but it's complicated."

"I know. I've been too busy with my own problems to even think about it, but now I am." Rob shifted to face her better, still holding on to Gertrude's hand. "We should tell her."

"She's in her early sixties," Margo said. "It might already be too late. And even if it's not..." She grimaced. "What about Dad? She'd have to have sex with an immortal, and if it worked and she turned immortal, that would also be heartbreaking for both of them. With all their faults, the one thing that's always been evident is their love for each other."

Rob shuddered, thinking about his mother doing the deed with anyone, whether it was his father or someone else.

"I don't know about you, but I prefer to think that our parents have a purely platonic relationship," Margo echoed his thoughts.

Gertrude laughed. "Humans and their hang-ups about sex. Your parents have clearly done it at least twice—you're both here, aren't you?"

"That's different," Rob protested jokingly. "That was necessary procreation."

"Right." Gertrude rolled her eyes. "Because people only have sex to make babies."

"Can we please change the subject?" Margo pleaded.

"Actually, no." Gertrude sat up straighter. "This is important. I think you should meet with your parents and take Negal along. After you explain the situation, and they give you their answers, Negal can thrall them later to forget the conversation. It's not fair for you two to make the choice for them. You need to let them decide for themselves."

Margo winced. "But who would want to...you know...with Mom? She's not like Ronja—she's not some gorgeous older woman who looks twenty years younger than she is. She's just an average woman who looks her age, saggy boobs and all."

"There has to be another way," Rob said. "What about donated venom and the other necessary ingredient for transition?"

"Venom can't be harvested," Gertrude said. "But semen might be." A smile played on her lips. "I'm sure you two can figure out the mechanics of how the encounter can be arranged. I don't need to explain the birds and bees to you. "

Rob felt his face heat. "I don't want to think about it."

"You don't need to," Gertrude said. "Your mother deserves to know her options, and if she decides to pursue them, I'll gladly explain the birds and the bees. The thing is that it's not guaranteed to work when it's done that way. I would need to consult with Bridget."

Rob closed his eyes as another wave of dizziness washed over him. "Can we table this discussion until after I'm done transitioning? My brain feels like it's trying to escape through my ears."

"Of course." Gertrude's cool hand pressed against his forehead. "You're running a fever again. Try to rest."

He nodded, already feeling consciousness slipping away again. The last thing he heard was Margo and Gertrude's quiet voices discussing the venom bite and whether it was dangerous for an older human, but he was too far gone to follow the conversation.

His dreams were strange, filled with medical diagrams and ravens wearing lab coats. At one point, he thought he heard Bridget's voice discussing something about artificial insemination, but that had to be his fevered brain playing tricks on him.

When he surfaced again, Margo was gone, but Gertrude was still beside him, reading something on her phone .

"Hey," he said softly.

Gertrude looked up and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

He felt worse than before, but he didn't want to worry her. Then again, she was not only his mate but also his nurse, and she needed to hear the truth.

"Like I've been hit by a truck. Everything hurts. Is this normal?"

"It is." She set her phone aside. "Your body is going through major changes, and the fact that you're conscious at all is actually a good sign. I should probably measure you to see if you've grown."

He'd heard about Jasmine, who had grown taller during her transition, but that had happened over many days. His transition started yesterday. "Isn't it too early for that? You took my original measurements, and it's not likely that they have changed in less than twenty-four hours."

"You'd be surprised. Besides, it will give me something to do."

"Where is Margo?" he asked.

"I told her to go home." Gertrude smiled sheepishly. "I told her that she needed to rest and I will call her if anything changes, but the truth is that I wanted you to myself for a bit."

He turned on his side, dragging a bunch of wires and tubes with him. "Does it bother you that you have to be friends with Margo? I mean, she stole your guy, and even though I'm your guy now, it must still be a little uncomfortable for you. Talk about awkward family dynamics."

"Oh, Rob honey, I'm fine." She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed the back of it. "Margo didn't steal Negal from me. The Fates had other plans, and I'm glad that they intervened. I'm still somewhat uncomfortable around Negal, but not around Margo. I like your sister."

The simple sincerity in her voice made his heart swell. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too." She leaned over to kiss his forehead. "Now rest. The sooner you get through this transition, the sooner you will grow your fangs and venom. All that talk about venom bites has made me wistful."

Chuckling, he let his eyelids drift closed. "I'm working on it, sweetheart. I'm working on it."