The first thing Miguel noticed when he woke up was that Alejandro was holding his hand.

The second was that while the pain in his venom glands had been replaced by a strange itchiness, his leg throbbed with such intensity it brought tears to his eyes.

Miguel's heart hammered as he took in his surroundings. Tubes and wires everywhere. In his wrist, in his nose, on his chest. He took a deep, shuddering breath, digging his claws into the stiff white sheets. Even breathing hurt, filling his throat with a dry scratchiness.

"Alejandro?" Miguel's voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

His partner squeezed his hand, lessening the pressure when Miguel winced. "I'm here."

Stars, he'd never heard him so tired. Darkness rimmed Alejandro's eyes, and his hair stuck out in a tangled tumbleweed of knots. But that beautiful moonbeam smile was still there, if only while Miguel spoke.

"What happened?" All he could remember were glimpses as small and fragile as eggshell fragments. Crashing to the ground. Hands pressing against his leg. Cigarette smoke burning his nostrils.

Nightmares. Phantom teeth tearing into his leg while Alejandro screamed his name.

"You've been here for three days," Alejandro said quietly. "You had a nasty infection in your venom glands, and it had gotten so bad you could have..." He squeezed his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Miguel's throat tightened. His tongue probed his fangs, feeling along the sharpness that would forever come between him and Alejandro. For the first time in days, venom moistened his mouth.

He wanted to kiss Alejandro. Badly. But all he could do was bring his hand to Alejandro's cheek and hold him close, nuzzling the fingers that had tried so hard to stop his bleeding. "Please don't cry, Moonbeam. I'll be alright."

"Moonbeam?"

"Since you have such a lovely smile." Miguel's tongue fumbled with the words, still heavy with the same exhaustion that clouded his thoughts.

That smile graced them for a moment, accompanied by a tired laugh. "You're too sweet for your own good, you know that?" Alejandro's gaze dropped to his hands, still holding Miguel's as his fingers caressed his scales. "We need to talk. Not now," he added quickly as Miguel's eyes widened, "but later, after you feel better. Okay?"

"Okay." Whenever that conversation happened, Miguel had a feeling it would be a long, painful one.

Heels clacking against linoleum announced the arrival of Dr. Wilkins. The tightness of her dark brown curls was rivaled only by that of her smile. "Glad to see you're awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"My leg hurts like hell, but my head's a lot better than it has been." Miguel attempted to pull his lips into a smile, only to wince. "Feels like I lost a challenge fight."

"Painkillers'll help with that, although things might be a bit rough until we take the stitches out in a few weeks. Now, would you mind telling me how you ended up with so much venom suppressant in your system?" She steepled her fingers. "Be honest. If somebody drugged you, I'll make sure they regret it."

"I haven't had any since last week," Miguel said. He gave Alejandro a sheepish smile. "I drank a whole bottle right before your folks came. Might have overdone it."

Alejandro mumbled a long string of Spanish under his breath, punctuated with more than a few swear words.

Dr. Wilkins pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whole bottle at once. That explains it. I swear nobody follows the instructions!"

"Is he going to be okay?" Alejandro asked quietly.

"Since he can't make much venom without medication now, he has a deficiency of several enzymes chupacabras need to break down their food efficiently, which is why he got so skinny. It's going to take a while for his venom production to go back to normal, if it ever happens. In the meantime, he's gotta be extra gentle with his stomach. Gelatin and anything liquid or shredded is fair game, but he won't be able to eat much else for a while, at least until we know his medication's working."

"Guess I'll need help taste testing stuff from now on," Miguel said, curling his lips into a shaky smile. What good was a chef who couldn't eat half of what he cooked?

Dr. Wilkins jotted something down on Miguel's charts. "I'll get y'all a list of recipes you might want to try and some exercises to help strengthen your leg. In the meantime, I've gotta go check on my other patients, and you are gonna calm your sister down before she gives herself a stroke."

Miguel's heart dropped to his toes. Isabella was bound to pin this whole mess on Alejandro. He couldn't protect him in this state, nor could anyone if she took him interfering with her pack half as badly as he expected.

The heart monitor's beeping picked up the pace, only easing slightly when Alejandro gave Miguel's hand a reassuring squeeze. However she reacted, they'd face her together.

Miguel expected Isabella to beat the door down, claw fresh scratch marks into the floor, and demand an explanation for why they had intruded on her territory.

Instead, she slunk into the room with her head bowed low. Her scales, once so lustrous and vibrant, had dulled to the color of lawn clippings. She moved to approach Miguel's bedside, only to pause as Alejandro got up to stand between them, his arms folded and his gaze burning with protectiveness. "You two really have become close," she said.

"Don't hurt him." Miguel's voice came out as little more than a squeak, but he forced himself to sit up and look her in the eye. His spines quivered as venom dripped onto his tongue. "Alejandro had nothing to do with this."

"I'll handle this." Alejandro pressed his hand against Miguel's chest, gentle but firm. "Rest."

"But—"

"I'm never going to let her hurt you again." Alejandro held up a hand to stop Miguel from protesting. "She may not have raised a claw against you, but she kicked you out and didn't exactly come running when Martha was mauling you. She absolutely hurt you."

"I was out hunting." There was no sharpness to Isabella's words. No strength. "By the time I returned to the barn, Mr. Miller had already driven you both here."

"You could have visited sooner," Alejandro hissed. "Do you have any idea how much he's missed you?"

"She has a pack to lead," Miguel said firmly. A pack that no longer included him, for better or worse.

"But I also have a brother to protect, and I have failed miserably." Isabella bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

The tension fled along with Alejandro's scowl. He stepped aside, motioning for Isabella to join him next to Miguel's hospital bed.

Miguel thrummed quietly. At last, his whole family was together.

Isabella ducked her head in embarrassment as her thrumming filled the room. "I've missed you so much. The barn feels empty without you even when everyone else is home." She nodded toward Alejandro. "Is he your partner?"

"Has been for a couple months now." Miguel took Alejandro's hand in his. "I couldn't ask for a better one."

Isabella hummed her agreement. "Not many would dare to raise a hand against Martha." Her attempt at a smile was all fangs and no lips. "She won't soon forget what happens to those who hurt my hermanito."

"She'd better not," Alejandro said darkly.

"Stars know I won't," Isabella said. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, refusing to look either of them in the eye. "It was a mistake to banish you, hermanito, but it is not safe for you to return to the pack. Not with everyone so stiff-spined." She drew herself up to her full height to fix Alejandro with a stare that was equal parts authoritative and pleading. "Can I trust you to look after him until things calm down?"

"Always."

"Good. Now, what was it you wished to speak to me about?" She gave Miguel a knowing look. "And do not tell me it was your illness. You and I both know you would not have made such a fuss over that alone."

"José told me the pack wasn't doing well, so I wanted to see if you would accept The Crimson Goat's aid. Not that you aren't a good leader," he added hastily, "but we make more food than we sell a-a-and I thought..."

"You thought we needed humans' charity." Isabella let out a noise halfway between a growl and a sigh. "You are not wrong. We do need help, but the pack will not accept it right now. Not all of them, at least. But I will let them know I am alright with them accepting your help if they so choose."

"Thank you." Miguel yawned. Despite the days he'd spent in bed, his body ached for more rest. Perhaps his mind would finally let him now that Isabella was back in his life.

"You'd better get some sleep, hermanito." Isabella pulled up the hospital bed's sheets to cover as much of him with their warmth as possible. "And Alejandro..." Her voice cracked as she dipped her head, failing to hide the tears running down her cheeks. "Thank you for looking out for my brother better than I did."