Chapter 6: Jericho
To both of our relief, Mason’s illness seemed to fade. He was able to go back to work for a couple of weeks. Seeing him come back every day, tired but with a beaming smile on his face made me so happy. I was glad he finally seemed to be at peace here at Indigo Mountain. He came with nothing, and managed to carve a place for himself here all on his own.
But then one day I received a call.
“Hello?” I asked, not recognizing the number.
“Hello? Is this Jericho?” came the panicked voice. I recognized it as Beth, Mason’s coworker. Instantly my heart rate sped up.
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“Mason suddenly collapsed,” she said, breathless and scared. “We don’t know what happened.”
“Don’t move,” I growled. “I’m coming.”
I bolted out the door. As I ran towards the community kitchen, I whipped my phone back out and punched a certain contact’s name.
“Come on, come on,” I muttered as the dial tone rang.
Finally he picked up. A confused voice asked, “Jericho?”
“Ken, it’s me. I need your help.”
“What’s going on?” Ken asked, startled.
“Just meet me at the community kitchen,” I told him.
“Okay,” he said, a serious tone in his voice. “I’ll be right there.”
I exhaled in relief and pocketed my phone, running faster. I had never been so happy to have a doctor as a close friend.
When I got there, there was already a crowd. I pushed my way past them, following Mason’s scent. It was full of fear and hung thickly in the air.
I found him in Ken’s arms as my friend lifted him to sit upright in a chair. I noticed Ken was naked except for the white apron - he must have shifted to wolf form to get here faster. Although nudity in shifter culture wasn’t taboo like for humans, he still must’ve wanted to retain some form of professionalism by wearing the apron and covering himself.
“Jericho,” Ken said as he saw me run in. “Don’t worry. Mason is okay.”
Immediately I saw that although Mason looked weary and weak, his eyes were open. He blinked when he saw me.
“Jericho,” he croaked. “You came.”
“Of course I came,” I growled. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I just fainted,” Mason mumbled. “It’s not a big deal.”
“One second he was standing, and then the other he just collapsed,” Beth said. Her face was scrunched up in concern, similar to the other employees who had gathered around. To my relief, they all seemed actually worried about Mason and not just rubbernecking.
“Itisa big deal,” I growled. “You could have been seriously hurt. Ken, is he really okay?”
“He’s a bit weak and has a slight a fever,” Ken said. “He’s not badly injured but he should go home and rest. Usually this kind of fatigue doesn’t hit an omega until later in the pregnancy. How far along did you say you were?”
“About a month,” Mason said weakly.
“Strange,” Ken murmured. He turned to me. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to accompany the two of you home and do a more private exam, if that’s alright with you.”
I looked to Mason, who nodded. “Okay.”
“Can you carry him?” Ken asked me. “He’s too weak to walk.”
