Gwen woke almost exactly six hours later. The late afternoon sun was streaming around the thick drapes, leaving her bedroom swathed in cool dimness. She yawned lazily, still burrowed quite contentedly in a familiar pair of strong arms and nestled comfortably against a familiar broad chest.
She automatically discerned that all was well with her patient; Owen was still asleep, next to her, and the bedroom door hadn't bounced back off its hinges again to admit a nerve-twanging Omega. And although it would be so good to snuggle back down and drift right back to sleep, there were still things which needed tending to.
Gwen lightly stretched where she was, then gently eased out of Owen's possessive hold, but not before placing a soft lingering kiss to his lips, then sat up and fetched her own bathrobe, this one a plain white cotton. She padded barefoot a few feet down the hallway, peering into her brother's old bedroom to find both of the hybrids still asleep, Omega now curled protectively over his slumbering mate.
Well and good.
Leaving the rest of her little family to rest as long as they would, Gwen went downstairs, finding her mother returned and old Fussie waiting at the bottom of the stairs, wagging her stub tail erratically. After giving the old Rottie hugs and kisses, Gwen went into the kitchen, where Marie had coffee waiting.
"Good afternoon, dear. Did you all get some sleep, at last?"
Gwen fell on the coffee gratefully, gulping down about half of the mug before easing on the island's barstool. "Mmmhmm, not nearly enough, but some." She rested her cup on the counter, elbows propped up as well. "I feel like I could sleep for a week, and might just, once we get back home."
Marie chuckled in amusement. "And how's your patient, then? Has she come around yet?"
Gwen nodded, thankful to be able to share at least some good news. "She has. Right after you went out, actually. Which doesn't surprise me, given her condition. But she's much more coherent, now that we've flushed those disgusting drugs out of her system. She's still not really ready to eat, but I give that about a day, maybe less. I'm going to keep her off of the IV, just to see if she'll get hungry enough to eat on her own." She rattled off, realizing that her mother had drifted off into that blissfully vague expression again, and Gwen just finished with, "...but she's coming around."
"Well, that's wonderful, love," Marie smiled, nodding as if she understood every word. "I'm so delighted to hear it. Not that I want you kids to run back off up north or anything, but you know what I mean." Yes, Gwen knew what she meant.
Then the subject about clothing during their stay came up, and Marie offered some of Ben's old workout clothes for Omega, if he would deign to wear another man's clothing and surprisingly, she offered for Owen clothes which had belonged to Gwen's late father.
"They're not doing much except sitting in the dresser, waiting to be used again," Marie told her, but Gwen didn't miss the obscure pain still clouding her mother's eyes whenever either of them mentioned Thomas Carruthers. "And I don't think your dad would mind that your Owen's a Squid," she teased gently, holding her coffee cup in both hands. "Well," she amended with a little laugh, "not too much, anyway."
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She automatically discerned that all was well with her patient; Owen was still asleep, next to her, and the bedroom door hadn't bounced back off its hinges again to admit a nerve-twanging Omega. And although it would be so good to snuggle back down and drift right back to sleep, there were still things which needed tending to.
Gwen lightly stretched where she was, then gently eased out of Owen's possessive hold, but not before placing a soft lingering kiss to his lips, then sat up and fetched her own bathrobe, this one a plain white cotton. She padded barefoot a few feet down the hallway, peering into her brother's old bedroom to find both of the hybrids still asleep, Omega now curled protectively over his slumbering mate.
Well and good.
Leaving the rest of her little family to rest as long as they would, Gwen went downstairs, finding her mother returned and old Fussie waiting at the bottom of the stairs, wagging her stub tail erratically. After giving the old Rottie hugs and kisses, Gwen went into the kitchen, where Marie had coffee waiting.
"Good afternoon, dear. Did you all get some sleep, at last?"
Gwen fell on the coffee gratefully, gulping down about half of the mug before easing on the island's barstool. "Mmmhmm, not nearly enough, but some." She rested her cup on the counter, elbows propped up as well. "I feel like I could sleep for a week, and might just, once we get back home."
Marie chuckled in amusement. "And how's your patient, then? Has she come around yet?"
Gwen nodded, thankful to be able to share at least some good news. "She has. Right after you went out, actually. Which doesn't surprise me, given her condition. But she's much more coherent, now that we've flushed those disgusting drugs out of her system. She's still not really ready to eat, but I give that about a day, maybe less. I'm going to keep her off of the IV, just to see if she'll get hungry enough to eat on her own." She rattled off, realizing that her mother had drifted off into that blissfully vague expression again, and Gwen just finished with, "...but she's coming around."
"Well, that's wonderful, love," Marie smiled, nodding as if she understood every word. "I'm so delighted to hear it. Not that I want you kids to run back off up north or anything, but you know what I mean." Yes, Gwen knew what she meant.
Then the subject about clothing during their stay came up, and Marie offered some of Ben's old workout clothes for Omega, if he would deign to wear another man's clothing and surprisingly, she offered for Owen clothes which had belonged to Gwen's late father.
"They're not doing much except sitting in the dresser, waiting to be used again," Marie told her, but Gwen didn't miss the obscure pain still clouding her mother's eyes whenever either of them mentioned Thomas Carruthers. "And I don't think your dad would mind that your Owen's a Squid," she teased gently, holding her coffee cup in both hands. "Well," she amended with a little laugh, "not too much, anyway."