“I’ll try not to stay up, but I worry with you being gone.It’s different when you’re in the hospital around here.You’re still an hour from home.”He said that she’d been taken to the local hospital when he requested it.“I take it it’s not all that far from where the other place is then.”
“No, it’s the same distance from where we were.The alpha approved her going to the hospital where I work so that I could take care of her.”She said she was happy with that.“I’m going to get off here now.I can see Conri and the others now, and it won’t be long.I’ll see about seeing Margo’s mother while I’m here.”
He didn’t have any trouble seeing her mom, but there was no hope for her in getting out of the hospital soon.She had stage four cancer throughout her body, and her organs were beginning to shut down.He told Margo what was going on, and she seemed to understand.She said that her mother had been sick for a while now, and the doctor told her that there wouldn’t be much more they could do for her but to keep her comfortable.
At dawn, he was headed home.Sharon was up, but she’d only just gotten out of bed when he arrived.After kissing her on the mouth, he told her that he only wanted to lie down for a little while, as he didn’t want to sleep all day.Almost as soon as the lights were off in their room, he was sleeping.He’d not been this tired from working in a long while.
Waking at noon when his alarm went off, he had a message from Margo.She was released to go home today and wondered if he’d come and pick her up.She would have asked Yanick to take her home, but he was stressed out enough.
“My home isn’t really a home so much as a shed that has a car in it.I’ve been staying in it for about a year now, and that’s why I hang out at the restaurant.The food is better, and sometimes I can stay in the apartment above the place if the owner isn’t around.If you could pick me up and take methere, I’d appreciate that.”
He was going to bring her to his house, and she could stay there.He’d even make sure that she got back and forth to the hospital when she wanted to see her mom.Kendrick did wonder what his brother would say if he knew where she lived.He’d more than likely bundle her up and take her to his house for sure.But he was in a better situation than his brother was in, in that he had a home with bedrooms, whereas Yanick lived in a house, it was only two bedrooms, and one of them was a makeshift office for him.
Making his way back to the hospital, he told his family what his plan was.To keep the kid safe was a high priority for him, and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.She needed help, and he was in a position to help her as much as she’d allow him to.He really didn’t expect her to allow him to do too much for her, but he was going to be there for her if she needed him.All he had to do was convince her that he was her safest bet right now.
The hospital was busy when he arrived.There was no talk about the dead man from last night, and he was surprised to see that the alpha was still there.When he spoke to him, he told him that he was taking care of Margo and then told him about her living situation and her mom.He wasn’t happy that he couldn’t take her into his home as well as Kendrick had it all covered.
Kendrick took Margo down to see her mother before they left.She held her hand while he was in the room, so he stepped out to give her some privacy.Standing at the door, he wanted to make sure that she had as much time as she needed and was willing to guard the door for her so that she could.When she met him in the hallway, he could tell that she’d been crying, but didn’t say anything.She was entitled to her own privacy from him as well.
The drive home didn’t take very long.The two of them talked all the way, and he was glad to know that she’d graduated from high school the year before.There were little bits of information he was learning about her, and he was glad that he’d been able to help her out with this.As soon as they pulled into his driveway, Sharon met them on the porch and welcomed Margo with open arms.As soon as they were in the house, he decided to sit on the bench outside on the porch and rest.He’d not gotten enough sleep today, but he knew he’d be all right.Being home helped, and he was never so happy to be there as he was in that moment.
Margo was given a room, and as he’d gone with her to pick up some of her things, he knew she’d not be going back there so long as he was alive.It was just as she said, a shed with a car hanging out of the opening of it.He wondered what she did in the winter months and was happy that he’d found her before something else might have happened to her.He liked the kid and was glad that he’d been able to keep her safe at least for now.Kendrick didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but he was going to be here for her today and all the todays that she’d allow him to be.
Chapter 10
Sharon liked having the kid around.She’d gotten in the habit of calling her kid because the rest of the family had.Her name was Margo Pennington, as they all knew her to be, and she was going to stop calling her kid as soon as she could.It wasn’t until Ethel, Kendrick’s mother, came over that Margo began to open up to her.
“I was taking some college courses when my mom got sick.She was up and around one day, then the next, she was down with the flu.The doctor told me that she had been weakened by the flu, and the cancer took over her body.He told me that she was lucky to have lived as long as she had, as much as it was in her system.Now all I can do is wait for her to die so that I can go back to living in the shed.”She didn’t tell her that she wasn’t going to be living in the shed anymore.Kendrick had described it to her, and there was no way that she was going to be doing that again.It was Ethel who told her she was going to be just fine staying here.“But I have a place to stay that won’t put you out.”
“Nonsense.You’ll stay here with Kendrick and Sharon, and that’s all I want to hear about that.You’re just lucky that I didn’t find out you were living there all alone.I wouldn’t have stopped until I found you.Then you’d be right where you belong.Here, as my granddaughter.”She didn’t say anything, and Sharon wondered if some morning she’d wake up and Margo would be gone.“I don’t want to hear about you running off either.I won’t take too kindly to having to get the pack involved in your safety.You’ll live here and have a wonderful life.Trust me when I tell you that I’m not going to allow you to go anywhere else from now on.”
“You can’t just tell me where I’m going to be living, you know.I mean, I’m not an adult yet, but I’ve been taking care of myself for a while now.”Ethel said that she’d done a good job so far, but it was time for the adults to help her out.“I don’t know how to do that.When I called your son, it was the first time I’d asked for help since my mom had gotten sick.I wouldn’t even begin to know how to repay you for what you’ve done for me so far.”
“You pay it forward.That’s something that everyone can do.Just pass a bit of wisdom on to someone else.Pay for someone’s dinner or something.Just little things to know that you’ve helped one person that day.I’ve taught that to my boys all their lives, and that’s why I can say for sure that you’ll be all right living here with them.They’ll never treat you like anything but their daughter, you can count on that.”Margo didn’t seem convinced, but that was all right, too.Once she was there for a while, she’d be just fine with staying with them forever.“Also, you might want to think about getting yourself a job.It will go a long way in your getting up on your feet after your mom passes.It’ll keep you busy.”
“I don’t want her to die, but I know that she’s suffering.”Ethel said that any fool could see that, and she should be grateful that she was getting the medication that she needed.“Kendrick said that she was getting the best meds there were to keep her comfortable.I was afraid they’d let her suffer because we don’t have insurance.But they’ve been taking care of her really well every time I get to see her.”She told her that Kendrick wouldn’t allow that to happen to anyone.“No, I can see that.You love him very much, don’t you, Sharon?”
“With all that I am.”She felt her heart swell with the knowledge that she loved her mate that much and wondered why other people didn’t have the same kind of love for their mates as she did Kendrick.“He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’m proud to say that I love him out loud too.”
“Now we need to go shopping.You should have some other clothing than what you brought with you.”Margo said that she was fine.“No, you’re not.You don’t even have any kind of deodorant in the house.We’ll go and get you some supplies so that you can feel at home with yourself.Also, a fewextra items of clothing won’t hurt either.”
“I just need a few supplies.I can get the rest later.”But Ethel was moving them out the door, and she couldn’t have been happier.She’d never realized how pushy the older woman was until right then and was glad they were on the same side.She’d hate to think what she’d do to her if she disagreed with her about something.They were in the car when they decided to invite Cass along with them to make a girls’ day of it.“This is getting too big.I just need some personal things.”
They were headed to her favorite place to eat when Cass joined them.The Flower Shop had a nice luncheon menu, and the place doubled as a florist, too.Almost before she sat down with the others, she knew what she was going to get.A nice juicy hamburger with fries sounded the best, and she wanted a malted milkshake to go with it.Sharon was going to test the theory about not being able to gain weight being with a wolf as a mate.
After lunch, they headed to Walmart to grab some personal items for Margo.It never occurred to her how much she would need living with them, and she was glad that Cass had suggested they hit a few of the pretty little boutiques on their way around town.All Margo had with her were two shirts, another pair of jeans, and some shoes that looked like she’d been wearing them for a few years.They could do a lot better than that.
They had so many bags by dinner time, she was sure they weren’t going to be able to fit in the car.Luckily for them, they’d all ridden in the same truck, and that left them plenty of room in the back to stuff with bags and boxes.Margo not only had a lot more pants and shirts, but she also had some pretty dresses as well as shoes to go with each one.Sharon had even brought her some clothing too, as she didn’t have much to wear towards the end of summer and into fall.She loved the warm colors, too, that were there for her to choose from.
Cass had purchased some clothing to wear as she got bigger with the baby.It had been fun going through the baby department of each store they’d hit up.She couldn’t wait until she was ready to have Kendrick’s child.She was going to watch Cass to see how she’d done things, as she didn’t have any idea how to be pregnant with a wolf child.A cub it was called.
Going home, they decided to have a grill out tonight with all the family.Their cook was going to be ready for them all, and all that had to be done was cooking the burgers and steaks.The men were going to join them at their house, and it was going to be a good night.The weather had turned cooler, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.It was a beautiful night to have a cookout, and she was excited about it.
Dropping Margo off at the hospital, Kendrick was going to bring her home.She wanted to tell her mom about her day, and none of the others could blame her.It was nice to have gotten her out and about, and not worrying about where her next meal was going to come from.She couldn’t imagine being Margo’s age and being on her own.She didn’t like it now and was a full-grown adult.Some days, she wished she were still a child so that she could be better prepared for life.
But she’d done all right, she figured.She was in love with someone who loved her back, and she had a roof over her head as well as food that she could eat at any time.She didn’t know how much more prepared for life she could have been, but in dealing with her father.But he was gone now, off to prison, and she was working on a relationship with her mom to see where that went.All in all, she thought her life was perfect the way it was.
It was nice having the family over for dinner.They made every time they were together seem so special.They were loving and loud, and she wouldn’t trade having them with her for all the money in the world.They were the best set of brothers a girl could ask for.She got a hug from Ethel when she sat down next to her.
