“How’s Jake? Do you know?” Joe asked, wringing his hands.
“Sorry, Joe,” Fran said, walking over and pulling him into a hug, before pulling back. He looked at those gathered. “The x-ray showed it didn’t penetrate his skull. I left Robbie and Emory getting ready to get the bullet out. They will do everything they can to help him and to keep him alive. He may have some new issues to deal with while he recovers, but we need to be positive that he will recover.” He paused. “His new ability sounds amazing but dangerous. If he gets hurt a third time, I’m going to punch him in the face.”
“That’s the spirit, Fran, think happy thoughts,” Finn said, grinning at him.
Ezzy snorted out a laugh.
“Fran, meet my parents, Annfield and Morty Buchann,” Joe introduced.
“Sorry, excuse my bad manners. It’s lovely to meet you both,” Fran said to them.
“Think nothing of it. Of course, you’ll be worried about Jacob, as we are. Thank you for telling us about his condition. Now this might not be the right time to say this, but you are simply stunning. I’m so happy for you and Jacob,” Annfield said.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Fran. Joe has told us all about you,” Morty added.
“Oh dear.”
“It was all good, I promise,” Joe told him.
Fran looked at Berni. “Sorry Uncle, I’m a bad nephew. How’s Aunt Aubrey?”
“Completely fine. She’s visiting Andrew’s parents, with the Cresswells and Christine, otherwise, she would be here,” Berni said.
“Let’s all sit down, we could be here for a while. Does anyone want a drink?” Fran asked.
“Franny, come and sit down,” Frank said. “We’re all fine.”
“I’m not sure I can sit down,” Fran said pacing. “There’s only Emory and Robbie in the OR, they were trying to prevent anyone else from seeing his silver wolf. I should go back in case they need another pair of hands.”
“If they need your help, I can guarantee they’ll contact you,” Frank said, taking Fran’s hand and leading him to a seat.
Joe sank onto a chair to the other side of Frank, leaning into his side.
Frank dropped a kiss on both of their heads, slipping an arm around Joe.
“Not the way you expected to spend your afternoon, Annfield, Morty,” Frank commented.
Morty shrugged. “We take things as they come. Jacob is like a second son to us. We would have been here when Jacob was poisoned but Joe didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“Jacob said you gave him a safe space and helped him as much as you could. Thank you for that,” Fran said.
“We did what we could. We offered him a place he could truly be himself,” Annfield said. “Jacob needs to finish college.”
“He will,” Berni said. “His, Joe’s, and Finn’s educational records are being sent to our college here so they can all finish their education.”
“Jacob wants to be a vet,” Fran said. “He’ll make a good vet.”
They continued chatting and by the time nearly two hours had passed, Fran was getting concerned. He was thinking about going and seeing what was happening when Robbie and Emory walked into the waiting room.
Fran jumped up. “How is he?”
“Jacob came through the surgery well. We removed the bullet. It took a while as the bullet shattered on impact. Thankfully, it caused no major problems. He’ll have a headache and a possible concussion, but that should be it. He shifted once we got the last bullet fragment out, and yes, you can go and see him. He’s not awake yet, and has a bandage around his head.”
“Thank you,” Fran said, hugging first Robbie, then Emory. He turned to Joe. “Want to come with me?”
Joe nodded. “Please.”
“Come on then.” And with that, Fran and Joe left the room.
