Darkest Hour Before Dawn (THIRDS 9)

"It doesn't mean things can't change," Nina suggested softly. "But you need to decide, Hudson. This can't go on. He gets close, and you let him, only to push him away when you get scared." She leaned in to cup his face. "Honey, you're living half a life. You deserve more."

Hudson nodded. What else could he say? More importantly, what could he do?

"Come on, I know something that will cheer you up." She grabbed his hand, pulled him to his feet, and led him to the door.

"It's all right, love. I--"

"Dex has leftover cookies from last night's party."

"Oh." Hudson smiled. "Well, in that case, he really should share." They strolled down the corridor arm in arm, and for the first time in months, he could breathe again. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

THE REST of the day had gone better than expected and was a vast improvement on his morning. After confiscating several of Dex's biscuits--a result of Hudson and Nina making big puppy eyes at him--they returned to the lab with their tasty treats. They'd been rushed off their feet the rest of the day, but having Nina chatting and laughing with him again made all the difference.

Hudson was in high spirits, and it was still light out when he left work. He dropped by the market on his way home and picked up some vegetables and beef. The rest of the ingredients he needed, he had at home. He hadn't made Cornish pasties in a while.

Thomas and his boys loved Hudson's homemade pasties. Of course, when he used to make them, it was usually over at the Hobbs house, because the number of ingredients and pasties required to feed four tiger Therians was staggering and certainly not something he could do without help. Julia and Seb always pitched in, though Hudson spent a good portion of his time threatening the brothers with imminent bodily harm if they continued to eat his ingredients.

For now, he made enough for Thomas and a few extras in case one of the boys dropped by. His pasties were secured in a large insulated container he'd slipped into a sturdy rectangular carrier bag that he held on his lap as the cab headed for the Hobbs residence. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered wildly, and he took a deep breath when they arrived. Hudson paid the driver and thanked him before getting out with the large bag. It had been so long since he'd been here.

Fortifying his nerves, he walked up the pavement to the front steps. The door opened before he reached it, and Julia stood with her hand to her mouth and tears in her big hazel-green eyes. He reached the top step and smiled.

"Hello, Julia." His voice cracked, but he managed to keep from bubbling like a baby. She took the bag he handed her, placed it on the table next to the door, then flung herself at Hudson. He caught her with a chuckle and held her as she squeezed him tight. When she pulled back, her wobbly smile made his chest hurt.

"Oh, sweetie, it's so good to see you." She cupped his face. "Just as handsome as the last time I saw you."

Hudson swallowed hard. "I wanted to see you and Thomas. I brought him some pasties."

"Julia, is that a crazy new air freshener, or do I smell Cornish pasties?"

Julia laughed. She stepped aside, and Hudson walked in, his heart squeezing at the way Thomas's smile lit up his handsome face when he saw Hudson. It was hard not to get teary-eyed. His own father had never looked at him the way Thomas Hobbs did. As if nothing made him happier than seeing his son home, because to Thomas, Hudson had been another son. He liked to remind Hudson often, as if knowing Hudson needed to be reassured he was wanted.

Thomas drove his electric wheelchair forward and stopped in front of Hudson. He looked up at him, the same emerald-green eyes he'd gifted his sons bright with unshed tears.

"It's good to see you, son."

Hudson pressed his lips into a thin line to keep himself together, but that was made difficult when Thomas lifted the armrests of his electric wheelchair and held his arms out. Hudson didn't hesitate. He crouched next to Thomas and threw his arms around him, burying his face against Thomas's broad chest. Thomas's arms were strong, and being hugged by him was like being enveloped in a protective bubble, like nothing could touch Hudson because Thomas was there to chase away the monsters lying in wait under his bed.

Thomas petted Hudson's hair before releasing him, his smile wide when Hudson stood. He took Hudson's hand and gave it a squeeze. His smile fell away.

"We wanted to come see you when you were in the hospital, but Seb.... He thought it would be best if we didn't."

Hudson nodded. He shoved his hands into his pockets, regret filling him. "He was right. It would have been too difficult. It was hard enough having him there." Hudson cleared his throat. "He wouldn't leave my side."

Thomas nodded his understanding. "I expected no less of him. Thank you for saving his life. I don't know what we would have done without either of you."

Unable to stand the heartache in Thomas's face, Hudson pointed to the bag behind him. "I made you my Cornish pasties."

Thomas's eyes sparkled, and he grinned like a little boy. He put the armrest with the controller down and moved to the table to take the bag and place it on his lap. With a deadpan expression, he met his wife's gaze.

"If the boys ask, these were never here."

Hudson laughed, watching as Thomas headed for the kitchen, calling out over his shoulder, "Especially Ethan. That boy eats more than the other two combined. I swear he has a black hole where his stomach should be."

"He's a growing boy," Julia cooed, following Thomas into the expansive country-style kitchen. She took the bag from him and placed it on the island counter.

Thomas let out a snort. "Growing boy my butt. Darling, he's thirty-six and almost as big as Seb." He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged, lifting his face for a kiss, which his wife happily gave. Hudson all but melted, leaning against the counter and wondering how Julia and Thomas did it. They'd been through so much--losing everything, watching their boys have to work before they were of age, working through Ethan's selective mutism and social anxiety, through Thomas's condition. How had Julia and Thomas Hobbs survived all that and still looked at each other as if they were falling in love for the first time?

At the first crisis that hit them, Hudson and Seb had crumbled under the weight. Hudson cleared his throat, fidgeting from one foot to the other.