I sat beside my uncle as we waited for the doc to come out. "Why is it taking so long?" He asked.
"Uncle, he had two bullets in his chest. It's a surprise that he lived long enough for you to start turning him." I said.
"She is correct on that." A doctor came up to us and both of us stood up.
"How is the little one?" Uncle asked.
"We have removed the shards and bullets after we got those out he started healing at rates I have never seen." He said.
"It's the venom," Uncle said. "It heals while turning them." He said.
He scratched the back of his head as the others came back. "Isaac." The doc said. "Who is his guardian?" He asked me.
"At the moment, me." He said to him, "The boy had 3 weeks from being 18." He said.
"The hospital can't release him legally." He said and my uncle growled at him.
"Uncle," I said. "Just like we could not let those who hurt him go, they can not let him go until they are sure he is well. If it is alright with the staff we will get a nest here so we can keep to your instincts and our ways and they can watch the process."
"Nest are private." He hissed at me.
"I know but it's the best compromise I can think of and if you just take him it would be kidnapping."
"May I ask why he is acting like this?" The doctor asked.
"Turned vampires like myself and young James we considered the children of the vampires who turned us. It is called a venomline." I explained as my Father pulled him away to speak to.
His eyes widened and then he nodded. "This is going to sound stupid but what is a nest?"
"A nest is what a turned vampire is put into during the turning for their protection," I said. "It's like a cradle for a newborn, only baby only big enough for the turned vampire and at least their parents."
He nods his head. "Okay I will speak to the head of the hospital with this being a cultural thing I will likely be able to get them to agree to a nest but they will likely want one of the nurses and doctors to be able to check up on him."
I twitched at that. To have a non-family member in the next was not something my Uncle would allow. "I will see what we can talk my uncle into but I will say that if anything it will only be one maybe two people aloud in the nest but we can agree to the medical monitoring equipment."
"That would be a good compromise." He said with a nod.
"Can we see him?" I asked my uncle to look up and over to us.
"Yes." He agreed.
"Lead the way please," Uncle said he, father, and Lucas followed him and I stopped Mother.
"What is it?"
"Where can I get wood and a lot of soft stuff?" I asked her.
"If you can shadow us it would be a lot faster than taking a taxi." She said.
"Where am I shadowing to?" I asked as she pulled out her phone and showed me a map.
"Here." She said and I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows with me and I took us there and when I came out of the shadows in front of the shop. "I know you guys don't have any money that would be used out here so I will pay for everything."
"I will pay you back in some way, I said as we went into the store.
"You do not need to, my dear." She said softly. "Besides, he will be my nephew." She said.
I can not help but smile at the fact that she was as family-oriented as us. "I know that you and I will be here for a while." She said softly as we looked at the wood.
"No, we need either red or white wood," I said as I started sniffing the air.
"What are you doing?" Mother asked me and I tapped my nose.
"The nose knows," I told her as I walked.
"Hi…" Someone said as I walked past them. "Can I help you, folks?" They asked my mother as I walked.
"I think she knows what she is looking for." Mother said as I turned down a lane and there were so many kinds of wood, but only just the right wood would work for a nest.
"Hey, Diana!" Mother said as I came to a stop as I guess I sprinted over here.
"This smells right but it's not the right strength," I said when she caught up with me.
"You have a good nose." Mother said looking at it.
"Can I ask what you need this for?" The guy asked where I just looked at him.
"We are making a bed for a new family member." Mother said.
"We have more of this wood in the back." He said.
"If you could lead us to it?" Mother asked as I looked at her than at him then realized he must be a shopkeep.
"Sorry for being rude, shopkeeper," I said sheepishly.
The guy blinked then smiled. "No worries, you know what you were looking for and that helps me out!" He said with a smile. "Also my name's Erik."
"Hello, Shopkeeper Erik." He sputtered.
"Vampire culture Erik she will keep calling you that. Lead the way." Mother said.
He looked shocked then shook his head. "Right this way." He said and we followed him to the back of the store and I started sniffing. I stayed behind the shopkeep even though I really wanted to run ahead and find what I need. I pulled out my drawing pad and pencil and started creating the skeleton of the nest.
"Oh damn you have it all planned out." Shopkeeper Erik said and I looked up as we were surrounded but the wood I would need.
"Yes." I agreed with him and he looked at the drawing with the sizes and then at a guy.
"If you give that to Orian he can cut the wood into the length you need." He tells him. I wanted to twitch but I did not want to make it worse for mother money wise and I am sure tools are expansive.
"Very well." I agreed.
"I would have thought you would want to do that." Mother said.
"I do but I do not have the tools to do so," I tell her.
"I see." She said nodding.
"Orion this ladies need lumber cut." He tells him and I pass him my drawing pad.
He takes the drawing pad from me and hums. "Okay, what would are we using."
"Red oak." Shopkeeper Erik said.
"Good pick." He said as he set to work an hour later we had the wood we needed and the tools that we would need to build it. After mother's paid for it I sent a shadow to Father telling him where the wood and tools were. Mother and I went to another store close by for all of the fabric and cushioning we would need and Mother went to the hotel to get Xavier from Madga and Loren and said she would need us at the hospital.
"You got a good set of wood," Father said as I came into the shadows just next to him.
"Thanks. I see you have already started." I said as I set the bags of fabric down.
"Your design is beautiful and a lot of work let's get to it." He said. "You start on the carvings I will get the base set together."
"Yes, Father," I said as I pulled out the woodworking tools and started working as quickly and efficiently as I can. I had just finished carving the Rhododendron when Father needs the one I was working on. "Your work is beautiful as ever." He said as I set to work on the tiger lily.
"I do my best," I tell him.
"Your best is gorgeous." He said as he kept working and I set the wood down when it was done. I move over to the built frame and started carving in the Torent clan crest.
"You got a lot of stuff," Father said.
"I wanted to make sure it would be soft enough since we can't get pelts from him," I tell him as I kept working through it. I stopped once I was done with the Torent clan.
"What are you thinking?" He asked me.
"Should I put the turtle crest also on here?" I asked him.
"If I knew you were a dragon witch I would have added it to yours." He answered me.
I smiled and turned back and worked on that. Then on the next post, I did a Linx carrying a small turtle. I kept working until I was done designing the nest some of it was harder said than done with it being put together but we made it work. The runes of Protection Family and Love I covered into the resting place. Then father and I set to covering it with some padding I found and we nailed everything into place and then we covered it with fur-like fabric and other soft materials. Father smiled as we stepped back from the Nest and then ruffled my hair as we headed back to the hospital and found Uncle fuming with Xavier in his lap and Mother standing between them and a Doctor and Lucas looked ready to behead someone.
"And they can not just shadow in here!" He yelled.
"Will you stop yelling." Mother hissed at him.
"Uncle to you want to take Xavier to see the nest we build its in my shadow," I said when he started growling.
"No I know my brother and I have seen your art it will be beautiful I want to put my son in his nest," Uncle said.
"He is not your son." The doctor snapped as the Turtlehead came in.
"Actually." He said holding up papers. "If he signs these he will have guardianship over young James."
"What?" The doctor spat. "You would give the child to this beast?" Every Vampire hissed at him.
"I am giving it to him because he willingly chose to save a young man who he knew nothing of knowing that would mean it would put the young man under his care," Isaac said his low baritone voice went cold. "And if I have to I will have you removed from being his doctor if you do not get over yourself I have never seen you be a racist before now I will be damned if I see it now." He spat at him as he walked over to my uncle and gave him the folder and a pen.