No this isn't the end by the way – I am just writing in some new material for some of the later chapters and this is putting a bit of a decrease in the speed that I can upload on here, for fear of plot holes etc, etc. Anyway, thanks for the reviews people. On with the story…
14. Yes baby, he is.
Early next morning Belle and Nick were both awaken by a quiet knock at the door. Pulling her dressing gown around her, she checked the alarm clock as it read Six forty-five. She walked over to the door, to see a very tired and drawn looking Antonio.
"I just thought you'd like to know, he's stirring a bit. Maybe you should see if he's okay." He said.
"Yes, of course. Thanks 'Tonio." She said and trotted down the hall to knock on her sons' door letting her self in.
She found Matthew struggling to sit up, but his injuries were keeping him from doing so un-aided. Assessing his injuries better once he was home, Clay confirmed he had at least one broken rib, and had pulled some of the tendons in his right wrist. White bandages supported his wrist, and a tougher dressing was stretched around his torso.
"Hey sweetie, let me do that." Belle fussed pulling a spare couple of pillows from his closet and fluffing them up behind him.
"No it's not that." He blushed trying to push the covers off of him. "I just need the toilet." He explained.
"Oh," She chortled. "Come on then, lean on me." She said wrapping his arm around her shoulders and helping him to his feet, escorting him to the toilet and back again.
"Thanks." He smiled weekly as he got settled into his bed again and reached around for the water.
"How are you feeling?" She asked stroking down his face.
"Better." He replied stifling a yawn. "Can we talk, Mom? About those people…"
Belle looked away and back again to her son, taking a breath. "Sure… what do you want to know?"
He thought on his question, plucking his courage up. "That younger guy…" He paused, staring at a spot on the wall for concentration. "Is… is he…?" He stuttered struggling to frame his question, wincing every so often from his constant twitching of restlessness.
Belle took hold of his hand, and gave it a squeeze. "Yes baby, he is." She replied, trying to read any emotion in his face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
He let on a hint of a smile. "I knew he would come." Matthew said sounding like he had just come to a decision. "When I was lying there, I just kept thinking; He'll come. My Dad will come… he'll find me. And it seemed strange, because I've never really thought about it before." He admitted. "But now, that's all I can think about."
"Are you not mad with me?" She asked inquisitively.
Matt shrugged. "I don't know how I should be feeling… so surreal." He whispered to himself and paused, his gaze meeting with his mothers. "What's his name?"
Belle smiled. Relieved he was taking this so well. "His name is Nick… Nicolas Sorrentino." She paused a moment thinking of the consequences of people he didn't know being on his territory. "Are you okay with them being here?" She asked. "I'll ask them to leave if you're not comfortable."
He didn't reply straight away, just gave a shrug. "I don't know… I need to think about it." He thought for a second, slowly extending his legs down the side of the bed. "I need to take a shower." He said, sniffing at his shoulder. "I stink." He smiled, flashing an all too 'Nick' like grin.
"Steady." Belle warned catching hold of Matthews arm as he swayed getting to his feet. "The drugs are still in your system, you just need to slow down a little." She explained opening the door into the hall. Taking a look up and down the hallway, it seemed Antonio had headed off to find sleep at last.
"I'll be fine from here." He stated cheeks flushing pink as Belle came into the bathroom with him, removing his bandages.
She nodded turning the taps on for the overhead shower. "Call me if you need help – and don't lock the door, okay hon?" She told him, and left the room.
She stayed outside, biting her thumb nail anxiously waiting for some sudden thud, or a bang. But all she could hear was the running water of the shower and a few gasps and winces. A door opened further up the hall, as she looked up to see Nick heading her way.
"Everything alright?" He asked looking at Matthew's open door.
Belle nodded. "Yeah he's just taking a shower." She replied as he placed his hand on the small of her back.
"Why don't you go and get dressed." He suggested.
"No, it's okay – I want to make sure he's alright." She mumbled.
"Mom, I'm fine!" Matthew called impatiently from the shower.
Belle smiled forgetting the sensitive hearing as Nick gave a chuckle. "Alright, I'm sorry!" She called back and made her way back to her room.
She came back not five minutes later, alarmed as she saw the door to the bathroom wide open, and Nick was nowhere to be seen.
"Matt?" She called alarmed as his head popped out from his door a split second later. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You got me worried." He gave a roll of his eyes. "How are you feeling?" She asked as he limped back into his room with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"I'm alright. Still a bit tired, but I don't want to sleep anymore." He examined a bruise in the mirror of his lower rib and winced. "Should we get these checked out by a doctor?" He asked.
Belle shook her head. "I'll get someone else to do it. Are you hungry, I could get you some food if you want?" She asked.
"I already got asked by Nick. He's making eggs, or something. I'll be down in a minute." Matthew answered, gingerly pulling on a light blue button up shirt, as some tan coloured beach shorts rested on his bed.
"It's okay, I can wait. We'll go down together and I'll introduce you to everyone properly." She smiled, walking forward and doing his buttons up for him, before leaving him to continue getting dressed.
**********
Supporting her Son down the stairs, they made their way over to the dining table past the living room, where Antonio was stretched out on the sofa asleep, his feet hanging over one of the arm rests. Elena and Clay sat at the table and Nick could be heard in the kitchen as Elena got up and pulled out an additional chair for the teen.
"Hey, I'm Elena – and this is my husband, Clayton." She introduced, as Clay gave him a wary look, and settled for a grunt. "Don't take any notice of him – he's not much of a morning person." She smiled being as friendly as possible. "And that over there -" She thumbed over at the sofa. "Is Antonio; Nicks dad."
Matthew gave a timid smile as Nick came out of the kitchen carrying two big dishes, one was full of scrambled eggs and bacon, and the other was stacked with a whole loaf of toasted bread.
Nick set the plates down in front of Matthew. As the smell wafted up their noses both of their stomachs growled at the same time.
Belle let go of a bit of an awkward laughter to ease the tension in the atmosphere, as Antonio stirred and dragged himself to the table.
"We were thinking of heading back later today." Elena said an hour later as they cleared the plates away.
"So soon?" Belle asked following her to the kitchen. Elena shrugged.
"You could always come with us. Jeremy could take a look at Matthew's wounds?" Clay suggested calling to her.
"Matt – I prefer Matt." Matthew smiled finishing his second plate of toast.
"Clay." The beta wolf smiled reaching out and shaking Matt's hand.
"Mom said you live in New York?" Matthew piped up in conversation as he relaxed some. "We used to live in upstate, when I was little, before we moved here. Isn't that right mom?" He asked as Belle came back into the room.
"Uh huh." Belle nodded exchanging a quick glance with Nick, unseen by anyone else.
"We live with my foster dad." Clay explained. Belle was quite surprised at Clay's openness towards her son, revaluating her thoughts that he wasn't such a stubborn arse as she once assumed.
"He's the leader of the Pack honey." Belle chirped in taking away his plate.
"Well, the technical term is Alpha – but we just call him Jeremy." Elena added with a small laugh. "Anyway, there's a flight at Four o'clock… we booked two extra seats if you want them..?" She stood waiting for an answer, as Matt looked up to his mother.
"Only if you're feeling up to it baby." She smiled and ruffled his hair gently, as he swatted her hand away and set about grooming it back into place.
Matt pulled a face uncannily alike to Nick's 'thinking' face, before giving a lop-sided grin. "I'll get some things together."