Once Debbie Adams had been moved into her room, and a second bed brought in at Susan’s request, Tom and James just looked at the battered and bruised body laying before them, then at each other, and shared a final cry. Both father and son were very close to losing their best friend. She was Tom’s whole universe, and James’ external conscience, support, and sage. But now, all they could do was hope and pray that she would recover and that the baby would survive.

It was approaching 2:30am, and James asked his father if he needed anything from home. Tom told him that he would stop by the house at some point and get clothes and other things, then told his son that he should go and get settled at the Daniels house. 

James was on his way back to the waiting room when he saw Leo Daniels on the phone. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but he knew that he was talking to Meg’s mother. He also noticed that his voice was extremely calm, which surprised him. If Mr Daniels had informed his wife that a Beta would be staying with them for a bit, and his voice was calm, maybe her mom wouldn’t have as big an issue as he feared.

James entered the room, followed by Tom. Becky and Susan asked him if he needed them to do anything for him, and he said no. He hugged both giantesses, and they told him that they would come after work. Tom nodded, and both the girls left. It was James’ turn to hug his father. Once that was done, Tom went up to Leo and thanked him again for his offer to look after his son. Leo told him that he didn’t need to thank him, and that it wouldn’t be a problem. The men shook hands, and Tom hugged Meg, and watched as the three of them left. 

Once he was sure that everyone was gone, he sighed, and went back to Debbie’s room. Looking at his wife, he bent over the bed rails and gave her a kiss, whispering in her ear that she needed to be strong, because he and James wouldn’t know what to do if she wasn’t there. He moved the spare bed closer to hers, and laid in it, putting his hand on top of hers. He closed his eyes, but could only experience shallow sleep.

Because the Daniels car was designed for an Alpha, and without anything available to help him sit comfortably, James had to sit in the back seat, on top of Meg’s lap. He was grateful that the police car at least had a car seat that he could sit in while he went to the hospital. He would normally feel awkward by the arrangement, but his mind was still focused on his mom. Meg just ran two fingers through his hair, hoping to soothe his frayed emotional state. 

Leo pulled his car up the driveway. James didn’t want to stop by his house to get anything at the time. He associated his home with his mom, and with his emotions still raw, he thought that it would be best if he could calm his mind before he went there. Out of the car and into the Daniels house they went. Meg’s mom was sitting on the sofa, and James paused briefly, unsure of how the Alpha woman would react. 

But Michelle remained calm, and asked the Beta boy standing in front of her how his mother was. James explained that it was touch and go with his mom. The next 48 hours would be the toughest, but she had suffered a tremendous amount of injuries, which forced the Drs to place her in a medically induced coma. Michelle told him that she was sorry about what happened, and James thanked her.

With Leo in the bedroom changing clothes, and Meg in Amanda’s room looking for a pair of pajamas for him to wear just for the night, it left James and Michelle alone in the living room. She kept her eyes on the boy, which made him feel a little uncomfortable. But he decided to make the first move. He asked Mrs Daniels if he could say something to her, and the giant lady sitting on the sofa said he could. James apologized for his behavior the day he had visited. He realized that he may have come across as standoffish, which wasn’t his intention. He realized that he was a guest in her house, and that anything he did to show her disrespect was purely unintentional. And he apologized for not being honest with her with regards to his feelings towards Meg. She was the parent, and deserved to know the truth.

Michelle just looked at him in silence, processing the words James had just spoken. She had to give this little Beta boy credit. He wasn’t afraid to speak to her. And he was doing it out of respect, and not fear. She remembered what Dr Rose had discussed with her, about Betas dealing with the same issues that Alphas had to face. And that she should try to keep that in mind when dealing with people who weren’t physically gifted like she was. So Michelle continued to look at James, but without the malice during their first meeting. She deemed the boy to be acceptable to be in her house. She just didn’t know if she could get used to the fact he was the boyfriend of her daughter. He wasn’t scared off the first time, so maybe he could be worthy of her, but Momma Daniels was going to reserve judgement. She also remembered that Dr Rose wanted her to do something nice for a Beta, and this was her opportunity.

Meg returned from Amanda’s room with a pair of light pink pajamas. She apologized to James for the color, telling him that was all her sister had. James took the pair from her, and asked Mrs Daniels if it would be ok to change in the bathroom. The Alpha lady told him that it would be fine, and James disappeared into the room. While he was gone, Meg turned to her mom and apologized for the inconvenience of having James there. If the circumstances were better, she would never have brought him into the house, but he needed to be looked after while his mom was in a coma and his dad was with her in the room. 

Michelle told her daughter that it was ok that James was there. They would make sure that he felt at home for however long he was a guest. Meg was stunned by what she heard. It was so unlike her mom to even think that way. She didn’t know what was happening, nor did she want to push the issue even further, so she gave her mom a kiss and said thank you.

By then James had returned from the bathroom. Even with his 6’5” frame, the pajamas were too big for him, his hands almost lost in the sleeves, while the pant legs were rolled up about 6 inches so he wouldn’t trip. He thanked Meg and her mom for allowing him to stay there, and promised not to get in the way. Leo had come out of the bedroom in sweat pants and a t-shirt, and went into the laundry room and got a step stool, and took it into the bathroom. He told James that the house wasn’t set up for someone his size, so he set up the stool for him to use. And that he wouldn’t be the only one using it, as Amanda wasn’t tall enough to use a lot of things in the house without help. That relaxed him enough that he felt exhausted from the emotional roller coaster that he had been on. He thank Mr Daniels for bringing Meg to the hospital. 

Meg could see that James was having trouble keeping his eyes open, even while he was talking. She said good night to her parents, took James by the hand, and led him into her bedroom. She picked him up and laid him on the one side. She heard Ja cm mes tell her that he loved her, and by the time she got her pajamas on and laid next to him, he was snoring slightly. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, turned out the lights, and soon joined him in slumberland.

James may have been in a deep sleep, but his mind was active with dreams. Each one centered on his mom. Some took place when he was a child and fell off his bike, only for her to be there to wipe away his tears. Others were from a more recent time, where he would come home from school, only for his parents to be locked in their bedroom doing what he could only describe as ‘the act’. And the last thing to come into his mind was his mom telling him and his dad that she was pregnant. The look of joy on her face was priceless. 

That was when he woke up with Meg’s large arm draped over him. He thought about trying to move it, but he knew that it would be impossible, so he just turned over as best he could and buried his head in her chest and fell asleep again, though not as deep as before. But being next to the girl he loved was more comforting than anything that he could imagine, and silently thanked God that she was in his life. 

James woke up with the sun shining on his face. He turned and opened his eyes, and noticed that Meg wasn’t in bed. He sat up and looked around, seeing Meg sitting at the edge of the very large bed just looking at him. She said good morning and asked him how he was feeling. James told her good morning also, and said that he was doing ok. She bent forward and down and gave him a kiss, which he returned with his own. 

He asked Meg what the time was. She told him that it was 9:00am. James grabbed his phone. He dialed his dad’s number. After a couple of rings, Tom answered. He immediately asked his dad how his mom was doing. His father said that he thought she was the same, but when the nurses came in to check her vitals, they were stronger than the night before. The doctor said that was a very positive sign. 

James agreed that was a very positive sign. They just needed for her vitals to get stronger and stronger. And hearing his father sound more upbeat than when he left him made James feel really good. He told his father that he had gotten settled at the Daniels house, and he asked his dad again if he needed anything from the house. Tom said no. Becky was going to leave work at lunch and pick him up to take him home for a quick shower and a change of clothes. He was going to grab a few things from the house for James, and drop them off on the way back to the hospital. 

James interrupted and told his dad that he wanted to come to the hospital with him. Tom told him that it wasn’t necessary. There was nothing that he could do there, and it was just as important that he spend time with Meg. He told his son that he was lucky to have someone like her in his life. He should never lose sight of that fact. 

James started to object, but his father cut him off, telling him that a girl like Meg doesn’t come along very often, but when they do, he should make every effort to let her know how special she is. He could come to the hospital after school the following day. He was to concentrate on making Meg feel like the Queen of the World. James was disappointed that he couldn’t go see his mom, but what his dad said stuck with him. He did feel awfully lucky to have met Meg, and totally blessed to be her boyfriend. She and her family were doing so much for him that he could never repay them. He smiled at Meg. He would do what his father advised and treat Meg like the queen that she was….to him.