Chapter Sixteen

I cannot wipe the smile off my face as Araceli and I shut down the ship for the night. She takes my banded hand in hers and threads her fingers through mine as we step off the ramp. The ship fades into the scenery as I carefully lead her through the cactus back to her car, still parked in its usual spot on the side of the road. Araceli patiently allows me to perform my usual quick check of the car before she unlocks it and we head home.

Inside the car, she reclaims my hand and refuses to let go, but her smile fades as soon as she turns to face the road. The lines between her eyes tell me she has a lot on her mind. She reveals nothing. I will have to wait until she's ready to speak. As usual, our drive passes in silence.

She parks outside her home, then kisses me on the cheek as she pulls the key from the ignition. "Ready for more packing?"

"Don't we need to prepare your father's dinner first?" I ask her as we step out of her vehicle.

She shakes her head. "I told him it was date night. He said he'd probably be in bed by the time we got back." She comes around the car and takes my hand again as we walk up to the front door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go shopping tomorrow before we leave and gather up a few more things I might miss."

"Sure. What do you want to get?"

"Pickles and chocolate. Maybe some soda."

"That is very random," I chuckle as we step up to the porch. I stop in my tracks just outside the door as Chorizo's frantic grunts greet us from behind the door.

"Do you hear that?" I ask Araceli.

She tilts her head. "Hear what?" Chorizo must recognize our voices because his grunts seem to intensify. Araceli rushes to the door and shoves the key in the lock. She turns it, but the door doesn't budge.

"Dad?" she yells through the door, panic lacing her voice.

"Let me try," I tell her and attempt to push the door. It moves just a crack. "Abel?" I call out. There is no answer. Chorizo's grunts are the only sounds I can hear. "There's something blocking the door. I'm going to try again."

I back up and shove the door as hard as I can with my shoulder but only succeed in getting it open just a few more inches.

"Dad!" Araceli yells into the small space I've created. "Dad! DAD!"

I grab Araceli's hand and force her to look at me. "Do you have a key to the back door?"

"Yes, but there's no way through the fence from the front. You have to go all the way around to the alley."

"Stay here, I'll run back there and unlock it." I take her keys from her and run down the block until I come to a fence low enough for me to hop over. Hoping I'm not invading some random creature's territory, I cut through the yard and into the alley before any animal complains about my presence.

I find Abel's fence quickly and hurry through the back gate, into the yard, and past Araceli's shed. The back door opens easily. Chorizo is there at my feet before I can even get it open all the way, grunting and bumping me with his snout as he tries to herd me to the living room.

There on the floor, just in front of the door is Abel, his leg partially covered by a bookshelf. I pause next to the older man and place two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. It feels as if I can breathe again when I feel the weak thump thump of blood pumping through the artery in his neck.

"Not out of danger, yet," I mutter to myself, surveying the scene. The bookshelf trapping Abel is caught between other pieces of furniture, making it impossible for the door to open fully.

I move as close to the door as I can and call out to Araceli. "Araceli, call emergency services! Your father has been hurt."

"Kai, open the door!" she cries.

"A bookcase is in the way. I'm trying to move it." I toss books to the side as quickly as I can, trying to lighten the load of the incredibly heavy wooden bookcase. It feels like an eternity before I'm able to finally lift it off of Abel and set it to the side.

I open the door slowly. "Araceli, he has a pulse, but you cannot touch him. He was trapped by the bookcase. You have to allow the medical staff to tend to him first."

She rushes past me to his side and reaches out to touch him, but then suddenly stops. She pulls out her phone and holds it out to me, her hands shaking so violently, I take them in mine to steady them. "Kai? Can you call 911? My hands…"

I take the phone from her and make my first-ever phone call as I pull her shaking body close to mine.

At the medical facility, there is nothing we can do but wait. My people don't have "magic wands" as Araceli believes, but the treatment Abel would receive at home would require far less time and be performed by professionals far less stressed than the ones that treat him here. Doctors come to provide updates as the night wears on, but no one looks optimistic.

If I had access to an actual ship and not just a pod, we could bring him and Chorizo with us and seek medical care there. But two years is a long time for a man healing from a serious injury to be confined to a pod. If given the choice, would he even want to go? I can't be sure the answer is yes.

What will happen to Abel once we leave? Will Chorizo have to return to the pound? How will Abel get by without Araceli? My thoughts travel in circles the rest of the evening. Eventually, Araceli falls asleep against my shoulder, and I pull her tight to my body once again. The waiting room they've placed us in is empty. I wrap my arms around her waist to keep her steady and soon can feel the rhythm of her breathing.

It's there, in the tiny white room, that the truth of the matter dawns on me. This woman is my mate. One day, if she chooses, she may even carry our child. She is my family now. Wherever she is is home. I've been so focused on returning to my planet, that I failed to see the very obvious solution to our problem. I look down at her. As if she knows I'm thinking about her, her eyelids flutter and she stirs. "Shhhhh," I whisper, running a hand up and down her arm, coaxing her back to sleep

Hopefully, she will support my new plan for us.

I stand watch all night letting Araceli rest, but no word comes. In the morning, as our departure time grows near, she calls Anya to come and take our place in the waiting room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your day," Araceli apologizes when the older woman enters the room.

"Nonsense. Have you heard anything yet? Did they let you see him?"

Araceli shakes her head, her eyes flicking to her watch.

We are running out of time. Her eyes meet mine. "They haven't let us go back to see him yet. We–Kai and I–have to run by work, but I don't want Dad to wake up and have no one here for him. Do you mind? We won't be gone long."

"I brought my crochet and my phone charger. I can sit all day here if you need me to."

"We shouldn't be gone that long," Araceli lies.

"We appreciate your help," I tell her.

"Anything for those two," the woman smiles.

Araceli takes my hand and looks up at me with a sigh. "Are you ready?"

I squeeze her hand. "I am."