When Rica received a phone call from a future client, she didn't think that the trouble was this much. The lunatic mother-in-law would even send dangerous people to chase Daryl Sprint and his kids into the streets. Dylan, the middle child, was even pushed to the street and got run over. It was even to a point that Daryl was forced to abandon Dylan because the people still dared to take the other two.
Serious violations were on the table, but gathering evidence would be one hell of a job. After all, people like the mother-in-law were akin to a cartel or the mafia. Rica had no idea how far they would go just to get what they wanted—they might even try to kill Daryl.
She glanced at the two dear children. They looked like they were trying to be strong for themselves and their daddy as well. Rica only balled her fist and agreed: "Okay, but you need to call me if you find him. That would be easier for us to file restraining orders if the doctors ruled that the mother-in-law has a tendency to cause physical abuse to the children."
"I will. Thanks a lot. I'm leaving after drying these. Tell Adrian that I will return before the sun rises." Darius only smiled a little bigger.
When Darius walked out of the house, he looked up at the single-detached home. The woman in it knew how to appease children and give them space when they were hurting. A home like this would have been good enough, but it wouldn't do for werewolves. He could only imagine how horrified she would be if Adrian transformed in front of her.
That was why he needed to cross back to that port city again. Darius could only move while Adrian and Megan were sleeping soundly, so they wouldn't have the chance to demonstrate whatever the humans would call bizarre. He also needed to get to Dylan… that middle child was the one who would get scared in foreign places without his daddy.
As for leaving the two children with Rica, it was a little much of a safe gamble. The house was free of any werewolf scent, and it was located in the part of the city that the werewolves didn't frequent. There was a very small chance that someone would sniff them out.
He just hoped that no one followed them there.
…
When Darius reached the place nearby the street where Dylan was run over by that sportscar, he could still sniff the blood scent that seeped through the pores of the worn asphalt. His lips pursed, his red eyes flashing in loathing. Those werewolves indeed tried to kill the three children, and Darius wouldn't spare them anymore when he found them again.
He allegedly killed half of his pack when he fell under a hunger spell. It was no question that he could run wild and kill more than a dozen werewolves.
The night had fallen, and the breeze was helping Darius detect a lot of scents in the place. The moment he picked up Dylan's scent, he made a move to rush to wherever the boy was. If he was lucky, Dylan would still be alive and was just waiting for his daddy to fetch him.
Darius really wanted to have all the luck in the world by then.
"…h-hello, can I ask about a patient here?" Darius found the hospital where the blood scent had led him. When he got to the reception desk, he had to ask to make sure. "He was sent here earlier around sunset. He got run over by a car near the arcade. Can I see him? Please, let me see my son."
"Son?" The receptionist then mumbled before double-checking her records. She then nodded as she saw the record. "Sure, I'll show you where he is. He's still in ICU and unconscious, so I don't think you can talk to him."
Even if visiting hours were already over, the receptionist still showed Darius to the ward, where they had Dylan on the bed. The poor boy was hooked up to multiple machines and drips, and he also had a lot of braces on his short arms and legs. At the sight, Darius couldn't help but have his blood run cold. His poor baby didn't seem like he would make it until tomorrow.
The receptionist brought the child's blank record with her. "Sir, I can get you clearance to step inside for a few seconds, but please help me with the basic information for his record."
"All right…" Darius didn't have any documents for the three, which he should have by then. However, he had no idea what to do if he chose to take Dylan away from the hospital. What if the boy died because he lost his life support? The father had no choice but to fill in the paper and wait for someone to let him in.
When the receptionist left, Darius sat down on the bench opposite the room. He took out his phone and called Rica to tell her about the situation. Dylan was still alive, but he was yet to know the real state of the little boy. Until he knew that Dylan was a bit safe to stay here, he didn't want to leave.
…
"We're still monitoring him, but there's a big chance that he's going into comatose." The doctor was speaking to Darius outside the ward as the nurses checked up on the boy again. "Several bones in his body were broken from the accident, but we're lucky that none of his organs were punctured at all. However, his body seemed to have shut down to heal. I don't think he'll wake up in the next few days."
"I see…" Darius then turned to the kid, hoping that Dylan would make it. By then, he was already showing that he would be a powerful werewolf in the future. Something like this might be a mountain that he could climb.
"Mr. Sprint…" the doctor called his attention again. "I'm sorry, but you might have to speak with CPS for this. I have already reported about it, and you might be cited for negligence. After all, a five-year-old child was run over near the arcade area."
Darius only nodded before looking at the doctor. "I understand. Thanks for letting me know. I'm actually speaking to a child advocate attorney regarding a restraining order against my mom-in-law. She sent people to kidnap her own grandchildren when it happened. I hope you can help us with that…"
The doctor was shocked. He then turned to the child and nodded. "I'll prepare whatever's necessary to help you if that's true. If it isn't, then I will still help the CPS with this incident. Would you like to speak to him for a while? He might be asleep, but his brain can still process your presence."
"Thank you…" Darius walked in and kneeled down next to the child. "Hey, Dylan. Daddy's here, okay? You were so brave. You saved them both, do you know that? Daddy's going to be around again in a bit, okay? Just take your time to rest. When you're better, we're going to our new house. Adrian and Megan will be waiting for you, okay?"
The father kissed Dylan's head. "We'll be waiting for you."