“They were getting better.” Luke sniffed from the gurney, wiping at the snot dripping from his nose. “It’s cos I’m crying.”
“I know.” Melissa nodded, “Your body’s defense against those germ attractive tears. I was the one who taught you that. I can’t speak to their current state but the baby is stable. He need’s those first gen hybrid updates from someone and since his parents are gone and you’re listed as their next of kin.” She trailed off as she held the little bundle up before Luke took him.
“He’s cute.” Luke nodded, watching as his bugs crawled out and mixed with the bugs from the baby. “They were doing better. They were in a program, they were clean. I just, we set a lunch for next week. They weren’t, they promised.”
Melissa nodded as she listened, what he was saying did not match up at all with the bodies she saw down in the morgue. The idea that his best friends were just playing him was at the forefront of her mind but she wasn’t going to tell him. They passed, a robbery gone wrong and left a brand new baby behind. The kid was a fighter, his mom had been cold when Agency EMS brought the bodies in and they saw him kicking. As much as everyone hated it when she used the kid gloves with Luke, this was the perfect time for them. He wasn’t fully able to deal with the raw emotions running through him.
“It’s my fault you know. If I hadn’t crashed that car when we were younger they wouldn’t have gotten hurt, wouldn’t have been dosed. They’d still be human; they wouldn’t need pain killers to make it stop.” Luke mumbled and she let him place all the guilt at his feet before she spoke again.
“There are procedures, there’s a process. So things like this don’t happen. We learned from the mistakes of others early on after you were all born or dosed. They didn’t follow them and now they’re gone. That isn’t your fault. You couldn’t put your life on hold because your friends decided not to follow a simple medication regimen, instead of turning to drugs. That isn’t on you. You tried to get them help, you got them in a program, away from her mother. I know you paid dealers to stay away from them. Connor told me.” She shrugged when he looked at her surprised that she knew that piece of information.
“It was their choice to not follow directions, to fight all the help you gave them. There was nothing you could do. Sure, you could turn back time and stop yourself from driving that night but then one of them would have driven and they’d still be in the same position. Dead.”
“He’s the last in their lines.” He frowned, brushing his thumb gently against the small baby cheek. “What do I do?”
“Well, you’re listed as their next of kin. If you were all human that would mean zilch but, you’re hybrids, it’s different. Hybrid kin stays with hybrid kin and he’s an orphan otherwise. So, unless you want to sign the papers to give him up, I guess he’ll call you dad.” It sucked, he was young, fresh out of uni and while the company was taking off there were still things and long nights in his future. No one would blame him if he signed custody over.
It wasn’t going to happen though, he’d do it, he’d take the baby, raise it, for no other reason than his best friends trusted him enough to make him the next of kin. The fact that he was falling for the innocent baby during this security upgrade had little to do with it, if any at all. “I’ll call him Orion, Orion Scott.”
“A hunter’s blessing.” Melissa smiled softly, “Fitting, I’ll make sure it’s spelled right on the certificate. I’m going to go grab you a bottle for him alright.”
Luke nodded, he was starting to zone through the upgrade, world fading around them. The conversation was over for now.
“You can’t be serious.” Cassie sighed, shaking her head. As Luke’s assistant she knew his schedule before he did, and it was not single parent conducive. “He’s really? Alright, Gavin, Griffin I need your muscles. We have to put together a nursery. Melissa anything we can steal from here or any recommendations?”
“Oh yeah, we have a lot of gear. You know we have a nursery here. Every set of parents leaves with a car seat, stroller and fully stocked diaper bag. We are all about encouraging healthy family relationships and all that. You should know that you signed off on it.”
“Right, right. Same day delivery on furniture. Alright, let’s do this. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.” Cassie said dismissively as she dragged the two heads of the field unit outside to Luke’s flat with her.
If Luke was going to do this he’d need help. Thankfully, he built a family around him through the company he made.
