Page 51 of Primal Bonds 1
“Then hire more,” Adam said. “It’s not like you’re short on cash.”
Chase eagerly took the mug of coffee and then brought it to his lips. He drank to his heart’s content, sighing pleasantly after. “Ah, that’s better.” To Adam, he said, “Of course I’m not short on cash flow. It’s finding good, experienced, fully qualified staff, ones that don’t mind treating beastkin; that’s the problem. Heck, I don’t mind hiring beastkin, but as you know, the qualified ones are few and far.”
“That’s because colleges and universities won’t accept them,” Adam said. “Of course you’ll be short on qualified beastkin doctors and nurses. You’ll be lucky if you find one or two.”
“And I am lucky,” Chase said. “My current staff are a godsend.”
Adam turned on his heel. “I’m going to check on Shiro.”
“Mm-hmm,” Chase responded and then took anothersip of his coffee.
Before heading out the door, Adam picked up Chase’s tablet from the desk and handed it to the man. “I sent you something.”
Chase narrowed his eyes as he took it, suspecting something was up. Adam turned on his heel and then walked out the door. He came down to the third floor of the building a few moments later, and as he neared Ward 3B, Janet strolled past him.
“Sir,” she said.
Adam nodded at her and then walked into Ward 3B. The room was dimly lit with only one small light switched on in a corner, casting a golden glow across the place. Standing beside the bed, he rested his hand on Shiro’s head while gazing down at the boy’s pale complexion. Shiro fluttered his eyes open then and said softly, “Adam.”
The man smiled and said, “Chase said the surgery went great.”
Shiro licked his lip and he reached out to touch Adam’s hand. Adam noticed that the boy’s hand was slightly shaky.
Shiro said, “Yeah. Are you going home now?”
Adam nodded.
“So… tomorrow?” the boy asked tentatively.
“I’ll come and pick you up tomorrow,” Adam said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. He knew the boy was afraid he’d abandon him. As if he’d do anything like that. He knew for certain not having Shiro around would feel almost empty, not that his life had ever been empty before, but the boy brought a new sense ofwarmth and light into his life that he hadn’t felt before. A sense of contentment and happiness. He supposed that was love, huh?
Ah, love. Adam admitted he had fallen in love with Shiro, which was most unexpected. Of course, the boy was beautiful and made his heart beat faster, but to fall completely in love with the boy, and only within a couple of days of them knowing each other, too, that was certainly unexpected.
“Okay,” Shiro said. “Thanks.”
He ruffled the boy’s hair, and because he felt the urge to, he leaned down and planted a kiss on the boy’s forehead. He heard a slight sucking in of a shaky breath. He wondered if his action affected Shiro that much. In a good way, he supposed. Was he acting too loving and paternal toward the boy? he wondered.
“Good night, and rest well,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”
Shiro nodded.
He turned on his heel then, and he was about to leave when he felt eyes on him. Adam glanced over to the other side of the room and noticed the two boys watching him. There was no doubt in their awe and shocked expressions that they recognized him. He put a finger to his lips, to indicate that they should not tell others of who he was. The two mutely nodded at him, which Adam nodded back in return. Then he walked out the door.
He returned to the fifth floor to find Chase with a dark scowl on his face. Adam had no doubt the report of Aka’s history affected him.
“I see I’ve ruined your mood,” he said, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Chase.
Chase sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He said, “Fuck!” He looked at Adam and asked, “What are you going to do about it?”
His face a hard mask, Adam said, “You know damn well what I’m going to do.”
Chase snorted. “Then count me in. I’m going to fuck those bastards up so bad, they’ll never see where it comes from.” He sighed. “Ah, poor Aka, and I can’t believe he’s Shiro’s adopted brother.”
“Looks like we’ll have to instigate a meeting between them,” Adam said.
“Aka comes here often enough,” Chase said. “He works night shift five days a week.”
“Speaking of work,” Adam said, “Shiro wants to work here.”
