Jacob

I am nervous.

Ever since Skylar was brought into the infirmary, I have been vigilantly waiting to see him once the doctors finished treating him and the other students who were rescued from under the snow.

It took a long while, but finally the nurse practitioner allowed me to visit my prospect. Skylar was lying on a hospital bed, unconscious, and there was a drip administering medicine intravenously. He seemed calm, at peace, perfectly lying still while the medical professionals worried about his state.

I asked her about his condition, and though she couldn't give me specifics because I wasn't his family, she told me he hadn't woken up yet. She also told me they were waiting for his parents to arrive before moving him to the county hospital for additional examination.

I can not hide how worried I was feeling at hearing this. This is deadly serious. Hypoxia is not a joke, it can lead to serious issues for the brain, even a werewolf's. She allowed me to stay with him until his parents arrived, then I would have to clear space for them.

When the Strongholds arrived with their small entourage, orders were issued, Roberts was fired and Mr. Kirchner had the ungrateful task of preparing a report on who was at fault for what happened. I am guessing there'll be more people being dismissed later on.

Once they were told that Skylar needed to be moved to the county hospital, an ambulance was already on standby to take him there. In the meantime, Seth was nowhere to be found. Considering I knew he would want to be present for all this, I walked all the way to the Alpha House and knocked at Jayden's dorm room.

Seth was sleeping heavily, but he woke up once I knocked at the door. Minutes later, we both climbed down the stairs to talk to their parents.

"We've been here for half an hour already! Where were you?" Frederick reprimanded him, looking dead worried for his other son.

"I fell asleep, I'm sorry. How is he?" Seth looked mortified but also worried about his brother.

"They are moving him to the County Hospital, so we're going to take a ride there in one of the academy vans." He informed him in a somber tone. I had already greeted the Alpha couple when I saw them in passing earlier, so I just stood there next to my roommate, waiting for the next step.

As we waited for Skylar to be transported to the ambulance, one person was allowed with him, so naturally Dahlia went ahead. Mothers take priority always and I am good with that.

Things were moving fast and before I knew it, we were walking to the parking garage. Jayden said goodbye to Seth prior to this and told him to keep him posted. As we walked from the third tower to the parking garage, Seth introduced me to the famous...

"Jake, this is Jorge Santos, our family's assistant. Santos, this is my brother's prospect, Jacob Anderson Broderick." He was cordial enough to introduce us, despite all the nervousness and apprehension.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Santos. I always thought you'd be older." I greeted him, politely. Somehow, I pictured a man in his forties, but he cannot be older than 30, at the most. He looked Stoic, mimicking his Alpha employer, but he was nice enough to smile at me.

"I get that a lot." He smiled uncomfortably.

The six of us — Seth, Frederick, Santos, me, and the two warriors escorting their Alpha — got into one of the vans that were already waiting for us to embark and left towards the hospital. I've seen the Alpha irritated before, but this is a new level of rage. He looked like he was about to murder someone, but mostly he looked troubled.

I can only empathize with him, not that I know what it is to have a father looking out for me, but I love Skylar, so I relate to the apprehension he is feeling right now. We are all apprehensive.

"Did you have a nice nap while your brother lay unconscious in the infirmary?" Frederick asked his son in a snarky tone as the van was already on the road.

"I asked them to let me in, but they told me it would take a while. There was no point in me waiting hours at the door and not being able to enter to see him." Seth explained, peeved at the accusation.

"I see. My guess is you stayed at the door for an hour while he was being treated until the nurse allowed you inside to see my son." He looked at me as he said that, as if trying to compare my attitude to his son's.

I stared at him in disbelief that he even knew I was there with Skylar before he arrived. He caught that — my confusion — and scoffed.

"Did you really think I wouldn't catch your scent inside the infirmary, kid? I am a werewolf. I can scent what you had for lunch today." He smirked, boastfully.

He can be an insufferable Alpha sometimes, but he is right. Even a teenager after his consecration (first time shifting into a wolf) would have caught the smell of my scent inside the infirmary. Our brain recognizes scents much better and faster than any other thing. Especially to us, werewolves.

"It's unfair for you to compare my behavior with your son's. Seth has suffered all through his brother's rescue and resuscitation procedures. I don't blame him for being exhausted. I am too, but I wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing how Skylar was doing." I tried to defend my roommate from his father lashing out at him.

"I also did not mean to fall asleep. I was just resting for a bit until Jake texted me that Sky was cleared for visitation." Seth defended himself, peeved by the unfair accusation.

Frederick still glared at his son, demonstrating his judgmental fatherly disapproval. His phone alerted him of an incoming phone call, so he answered it as we were sitting comfortably inside the van. It will be an hour until we reach the hospital.

"Hello."

"Yes, we are transporting Skylar to the hospital right now."

"Don't worry, the avalanche did not hit your son."

"You're welcome. Talk later. Bye."

"Are you getting calls from parents of students hit by the avalanche, dad?" Seth was curious about that phone call. I was too, but I would never dare to ask him who called.

"No, the school already called the parents of those students. Shawn heard about the avalanche, so he called me to find out about how his son was doing." He replied, nonchalantly.

Seth immediately turned to me after he disclosed that.

"I am touched that he cared enough to ask, even after 18 years of parental abandonment." I commented in a snarky tone. By all means, 'person I had never met before until three months ago', do call your boss and play the part of the caring father. As if...

"Kid, regardless of his reasons for leaving you and your mother, he will always be your father. Whether you want it or not." Frederick turned to my side as he said that.

"No, Alpha. You are a father to your sons. You have been present all their lives and you have been there for them whenever they needed, no questions asked. That is what being a father is, not sending a check and thinking yourself 'father of the year' because you didn't let your offspring starve to death." I blurted, triggered by the topic of conversation.

Frederick and everyone else saw how revolted I was by this line of conversation, so no one pressed further into the issue. However, that does remind me that I should call my mom to tell her what is going on, especially in case she gets wind of this through the parents' chatter.

SOME TIME LATER.

Skylar was admitted for a comprehensive workup, including a brain scan. Frederick literally told the doctors to spare no expense, and that was music to the ears of the hospital administration. It would be a while before we heard anything from the team that was working on his diagnosis.

Meanwhile, he was still being treated for hypoxia. The goal was to get him to wake up as soon as possible.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold, we scanned your son's whole body, especially his brain, and we couldn't find anything wrong with him." A doctor was telling them inside Skylar's hospital room, that they kindly allowed me to enter as well. Seth was there by his brother's side.

"However, we believe that his brain was left for too long without oxygen and that is what is causing his symptoms. We have been treating him and will continue to monitor him until we see an improvement in his stats." She continued in a somber tone.

"However, I must warn you, we still don't know the extent of the damage the hypoxia did to his brain. We will have to wait and see if he has any sequel or side effects from the period his brain was left without oxygen. You can expect speech paralysis, difficulty walking, among other neurological issues. We will have to wait it out, but we'll monitor him overnight." She concluded, tentatively.

The couple was baffled to hear what could happen to their precious son. Seth and I are looking at each other in pain at the possible diagnosis. What will happen to Skylar?

Later that day, back at Ravenwood, an assembly of students was called in light of the events that happened today. At the front stage, giving the lecture, was a figure that most of us only saw in passing before.

"Good evening, students. I know that all of you have experienced something traumatic today and I deeply apologize for that. As a parent of a Ravenwood student, I could only pray that my son was okay." She started off, being accompanied by the teachers on stage.

"When something like this happens, naturally, we have to gather reports on what happened and who dropped the ball. This isn't a new facility and it wasn't the first time that Ravenwood was hit by an avalanche. It happened when I was a student here too." She continued, relating to the situation.

"As you have probably all heard by now, Acting Headmaster Roberts was dismissed by Alpha Stronghold earlier today. I am still gathering the reports from Mr. Kirchner and I will conduct inquiries of my own about what transpired at the time of the avalanche. The truth is, you shouldn't have been allowed to play outside in the snow. At least, not until much later on." She declared, rather peeved that anyone let them.

"Anyway, what you need to know now is that most of your classmates who were rescued from the avalanche are recuperating well in the infirmary. They should make a full recovery and the doctor expects them to be discharged tomorrow, if not the day after." She spoke with a relieved expression.

"Skylar's situation was a bit more serious, so he is being cared for by his parents. As soon as I hear something, I will update you on his condition." She said, feeling sorry for him.

"Now to the business at hand. Unfortunately, my father is still recuperating from his heart surgery in the hospital, so he is not an option for running this academy at the moment. That is precisely why Professor Roberts was left in charge of the school in the first place." She spoke with some regret for her father's decision to choose him as his successor.

Well, in Lockwood's defense, Roberts was the senior professor of the school. However, being a professor does not necessarily mean that one could be a good headmaster. It takes a different set of skills to be good in each profession.

"Starting from now until the Winter Break, the School Board asked me to temporarily run this institution. We will move forward with the 'Christmas Ball' next Friday and Parents' Day next Saturday. The board is committed to the program and making the best effort for you all to make a great match." She declared, trying to project strength.

"If you have any questions or doubts, I'll be happy to address them. You can count on me. My name is Angela Lockwood, at your service, or you can call me Alpha Lockwood." She introduced herself to the mass of students.

Jayden's mother looked poised in the public space, like she belonged there. I guess she was raised well. I am not surprised at all, since I have already met her when I was in contention to be Jayden's prospect. She is a remarkable woman.

Back at the hospital, only one person was allowed to stay with Skylar overnight, so his mother volunteered for the task. But Frederick asked her politely to let him do it. He wanted to be there for his son and hearing him say that brought tears to my eyes.

I guess this is what a real father does, he stays and makes sure that his son is not alone.

From the very first moment that I met him, I have been impressed by how much of a proper father Frederick is to his sons. Sure, he is hard on them, but is that a fault? I don't think so. Not in my book.

I cannot help but admire the man and how he behaves around his cherished sons. He does not coddle or pamper, but he is there for them. Always making sure that they are taken care of and that he is present for them.

Piece by piece, I am thoroughly impressed at seeing a father loving his sons as he should.

Piece by piece, I am amazed at how much he loves and cares for his sons. He didn't have to approve of me, but he did if it was in the best interest of his baby boy. He can be demanding, but he can also be a furious advocate for his children.

Furthermore, he does not relegate to his partner the role of parenting which a lot of men do, especially in a position of power. No, he stays and checks on them. He proved to me time and time again how nice it must be to have such a (male) loving figure.

Now he is moving Heaven and Earth to make sure that his son is well and the mess left in Ravenwood is dealt with. I am positive that there is not a thing on Earth that he wouldn't do for his sons. I am sure that this is normal as far as fathers are concerned.

It certainly was for my grandfather regarding my mother. Another fantastic father in my book.

Frederick impresses me yet again with his demonstration of fatherly love.

Please excuse me while I go to the bathroom and cry for a while.

https://youtu.be/qmMzv9Fen_s

A|N: The tears are real.

What kind of challenges await our dear Skylar?

Who knows if he will even wake up?

We are in uncharted territory here.

OFF: This song and presentation - I remember the first time I watched on the show - completely destroyed me. So relatable.

If I were you, I'd subscribe to my Patreon account right now to read the next 8 (EIGHT) chapters and find out what will happen to Skylar.

patreon.com/LeonardoMontero

PS: The 100th is coming with a bang. You are not going to believe the SHOCKER I have in store. My patrons are already mad at me since reading the chapter. True story.

Next is "God Only Knows".

Love,

Léo.