Chapter - 20 I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

Ferdinand's Point Of View

"Cole, don't you fuckin die on me bro!" Meyhymn yelled, as he sprinted through the halls at breakneck speed.

All the doors that gave us problems before were wide open now, courtesy of Meyhymn. I had no clue how to get back from where we came from. My mind was in complete disarray, my body was moving on instinct alone.

We finally made it back to a familiar hallway and found the hidden door in the wall. Everyone rushed in, taking care not to smack Cole and Tristan against the pipes.

"Lady Josephine! Lady Josephine! Please help us!" Meyhymn yelled.

She came running in an instant and gasped in horror at the sight of us all. We surely looked like hell incarnate.

"My Gods what happened to you boys!?" She exclaimed.

"Lady Josephine, please help Cole. He won't survive the ride home... what should we do?" Bellamy asked.

"Soona may be able to help. She studied under Constantine, Sable's mother." Josephine said, beckoning the woman over.

She seemed young in comparison to Josephine but after knowing what I knew now, Josephine must have been abducted and Soona must have been born in this facility.

"I-I can do what I can, but I'm going to need things from our infirmary." She said, hesitantly.

"If you give me a list, I can go with Meyhymn and get everything you need." Bellamy replied.

She quickly gave them a list of items and told them, if they see anything that looks helpful bring it as well.

"Luckily for us Luhnah has universal blood. So if we can get an IV going we can replenish his lost blood. The downside is, we will have to move fast. Obviously Luhnah's blood is not unlimited." Soona said, as she prepared a space to work on Cole.

Meyhymn and Bellamy nodded, then took off to locate the infirmary. Josephine handed me and Sylvester two large buckets, "There is a communal shower room, three doors down on the left. Please fill these up with the hottest water you can get."

We immediately complied and went to the shower room to collect the water. Once our buckets were full we returned to the room, where the ladies had made a pallet for Tristan and bundled him up. While Cole was stripped to his boxers, laid out on the linoleum floor. They began wiping his body clean with the hot water.

Josephine handed us two more buckets and bundles of clothes with a bar of soap on top.

"Take your time, we will look after these two. So be a dear and clean yourselves properly before the babies wake up. The clothes are uniforms for the guards, so hopefully they fit you well enough." She said with a gentle smile.

"I'll stay here with them boss. I'll protect them with my life." Payhne said, determined.

We took the stacks of offered clothes. She really was a resourceful woman. We headed back for the showers, and scrubbed ourselves clean. I felt a pain in my side when raising my right arm too high, but it was insignificant to what Cole was currently going threw.

"Ferdinand, I'm scared..." Sylvester sighed.

"Yeah... I feel so useless... and I kept hearing Delcain's words replay in my head over and over again. I was scared I was going to let them down." I replied.

"You too? It was like a curse. I just kept hearing, 'Would you live for him?' I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it out of that hallway, if too many of them survived those grenades." Sylvester said.

"Yeah... I'm now aware of why he asked us that. We have to do better from now on Syl. No more half measures... today was too much of a close call, and we aren't out of the woods yet." I said.

"Yeah I'm thinking of moving in completely, and letting Meyhymn have my house. He could put it to good use if any Omegas seek him out..." Sylvester replied.

"Oho? And what about your men? They surely will have some choice words about your decision, no?" I asked.

"We need more people to protect the property. The psycho twins look after the kids just fine, but they can't always. I imagine things would have gone a bit differently, if they weren't in that playroom. Plus now that Meyhymn made the facility public, we don't have to be secretive about it to our men. If they don't want to protect our mate, then they are free to go." He said stepping out of his stall.

I couldn't deny it made sense. The twins were extremely capable, and would have no doubt killed Jehriko and Wyhett just for putting the girls at risk. We needed bodies inside and outside of the house, so things like this didn't happen again. I was also contemplating getting an on-site doctor. We would clearly need one by the end of the year.

I stepped out of the shower as well, dried off and slipped on the clothes Josephine had given us. The pants fit, but the shirt couldn't be buttoned. That was fine with me, it gave me more freedom to move. We filled up the buckets and headed back to the room.

When we arrived, Bellamy and Meyhymn had already returned and were assisting Soona in saving Cole. We gave them the fresh water and retrieved the now empty buckets. They were dividing the water into smaller bowls to sterilize the equipment and the wounds. Sylvester and I kept replenishing the water until Soona had finished stitching up Cole's abdomen. It took her significantly less time to remove the bullet in his thigh and stitch him up.

"Haah... he's out of the woods for now. He needs antibiotics but I'm not sure what to prescribe. Constantine handled that. At best I can say, he needs an all inclusive antibiotic to stave off bacteria and infection." Soona said with a sigh, as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"I can handle that, I work in Pharmaceuticals after all. I retrieved this from the infirmary just in case, we can add it to his IV." Bellamy said.

I let out a sigh of relief, we had made it in time, and saved my friend. All the tension left my body at once, and my vision swam.

My body felt increasingly heavy, and my fingertips felt cold. I tried to steady myself against the wall, but in the next moment the ground was coming up to me fast....

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Payhne's Point Of View

"Boss!" I yelled.

Ferdinand had crash landed, face first. Most surprising of all is that he didn't attempt to break his fall at all. I rushed over to him and rolled him to his back. I quickly noticed the blood on my hand and his shirt.

"Shit! Boss, why didn't you say anything!?" I yelled.

He was out cold, and his complexion was white as a sheet. I removed the shirt he had on and looked over the wound, thankfully it was a through and through wound. Unfortunately, he had lost too much blood.

"Shit... sorry guys. I knew he was bleeding earlier, but I assumed it was a superficial wound. Especially after he showered and didn't say anything." Sylvester said.

"Let me... take a look..." Soona said, as she lumbered towards Ferdinand. She had just spent so much time working on Cole now she wanted to help Ferdinand too.

I moved over so she could assess his condition, and she let out a relieved sigh. That was a reassuring sign.

"Thankfully it went straight through and didn't puncture anything vital. I just have to stitch him up, and he'll be right as rain. Josephine, could you connect an IV line to me? He's going to need blood as well, and I'm the only universal donor left." Soona said.

Everyone looked at her in shock. It was too much to ask of her in a situation like this.

"Soona that's–"

"It's fine. If I stitch him up first we can give him the blood afterwards. I will do all I can for these men. Tristan would never forgive me if I didn't. I owe that boy so much, this is the least I can do." She said firmly.

No one tried to persuade her a second time. True to her word she patched Ferdinand up and gave her blood. Afterwards she slumped over against a wall to catch her breath.

"We need to move... have you ladies made up your minds yet?" Bellamy asked.

"Yes... we will all go with you..." Josephine replied.

"Excellent. How many adults and how many underage?" He asked.

"There are 4 adults and 3 underage Omegas." Josephine said.

"Do any of the adults need suppressants? I'm leaving what we don't need here to make room for everyone." Bellamy asked.

A few women raised their hands and he walked to the hall and grabbed the box and brought it into the room.

"Take as many as you need. Pack what is essential to you, leave anything that has no personal value to you. I will buy you what you need once we are away from this place." Bellamy said, addressing the room.

The women got to work packing a few bags. They packed things for the babies and some cleaning essentials.

"Should we take our money?" A woman asked.

"Sure, why not. You can never have enough money. Tristan still has a duffel bag full of money, even though he doesn't need it." Sylvester said.

"Maybe we could pool it all together and get you a home built next to his, or build an orphanage or home for Omegas. Maybe even a school. The possibilities are endless." Meyhymn added.

The women's eyes lit up at the prospects of having their own sanctuary. It was amusing and heartwarming to see. They finished packing and stood by the entrance waiting for us to approach.

"Alright ladies before we set out, introductions are in order." Sylvester said.

"Indeed. I'm Bellamy, this is Sylvester, Ferdinand, and Cole. We are all mated to Tristan... Then there is Payhne, Ferdinand's right hand man. And Meyhymn our oldest most reliable friend." Bellamy said pointing us all out in turn.

Josephine took a step forward before doing her own introduction.

"I'm Josephine I'm 34 years old, and Delcain's mother. That's Luhnah she's 27 years old, Soona she's 23 years old, and Jaihlah she's 25 years old. As for the children, there is Tahlia, Tristan's 2 & a 1/2 year old daughter. Kaihsie, Kaleb's 1 year old sister. And Joobehlee she's 4 years old."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Let's not waste another moment in this place." I said.

Everyone filed out and into the corridor leading to the exit we came in from. We opened the doors to the outside and stopped abruptly. There were cars with headlights shining brightly in the thick forested area. In front of them were men suited up for war. They had their weapons aimed at a staggering number of women and children.

"Hoaruhs? What are you all doing?" I called to a familiar face.

"Payhne! Sir, I'm glad to see you well. The boss wasn't answering his phone, we were trying to get information from these Omegas but they wouldn't say a word." He replied, walking up to me.

"The boss is sleeping. He was wounded but it's not fatal. These Omegas were prisoners here. Meyhymn set them free, they were probably scared." I replied.

As soon as I mentioned Meyhymn's name the Omegas turned my way with a startling speed.

"Do you know Mr. Meyhymn?"

"How do I get to Sayenrio?"

"Will he really provide me with a new identity?"

"Most of us are illiterate, how are we going to survive?"

I took a step back and looked at Meyhymn, he had a sheepish smile on all of a sudden. I however knew this would happen, I just assumed they could make it to Sayenrio on their own.

"Alright, alright. Ladies, I can answer your questions, because I am Meyhymn and I'm a man of my word. Lucky for you we have 20 vehicles here so if you trust me, I'd say pick a vehicle and follow us back to Sayenrio. If not find the train station and take a train there it's a 10 hour ride." Meyhymn said in a boisterous voice.

The women looked up at him in awe. He was a massive guy to begin with, but these women looked like they were about to start calling him Messiah any moment now. There were roughly 25-30 Omega women and children we could easily fit them in the 20 extra cars we now had at our disposal.

"Payhne, Jasper also brought the helicopter. Will some of them need to ride in it?" Hoaruhs asked.

I turned to look at Josephine and she gave a light shrug. The problem was that the helicopter would beat us all back to the estate, so it was best to have someone on board that could talk it over with Raihne. With 3 of the main guys unconscious, and needing 3 people to hold the children, I couldn't make that decision.

"Ugh... shit... did I pass out? Uhh... put me down Meyhymn." I heard Ferdinand groan.

Surely Lady Luck was on our side. Ferdinand looked over the current situation and groaned again. Then he shared a knowing look with Sylvester.

"Meyhymn, I'm going to give you my house, so you can do with it as you please. Everyone can come with us today, I'll have my men clear out all my personal effects. Then you can turn it into whatever you want, a school, orphanage, sanctuary, or a halfway house. Just take care of these people, and since its up the street from Ferdinand's house, they can visit anytime." Sylvester said.

He then headed towards the car with Tristan in his arms. Meyhymn beamed a handsome smile, and I could have sworn I heard a couple women sigh. It was seriously amusing. Meyhymn wouldn't mind because he wasn't the conceited type, but a lesser man would have become drunk on power immediately.

"Well it's been decided we will get our own sanctuary after all ladies. Pick a car and I'll take you to your new haven." Meyhymn said, ushering everyone to a vehicle.

"Josephine you can ride with us, Soona, Luhnah, and Jaihlah ride with Hoaruhs. The children can also ride with us. We'd take you all with us as the main group but it's only an 8 seater, we are already pushing it with the kids." I said remorsefully.

"It's alright Mr. Payhne. We will all get there together this way." Luhnah said.

"Right. See you all there." I replied.

"Jasper, this is Ferdinand, you can take off, watch the caravan of our 20 cars for as long as you can. We are bringing back precious cargo." Ferdinand said over his phone.

After Meyhymn made sure everyone could fit into the cars he sent them on their way first. We would ultimately beat them all back anyway, so it was best they got a move on now.

We filed back into the car, Sylvester was already inside holding Tristan. Bellamy climbed in holding Tahlia. We sat Cole against the other door and window. Josephine climbed in holding Kaihsie, Ferdinand helped Joobehlee in before he squeezed in as well. Meyhymn and I took the front seats again in reverse order this time. I would be driving the first leg of trip.

After everyone climbed in I looked back one final time at the facility. We couldn't be too sure if Ferdinand's men had made it before or after the Omegas tried to escape, if it was before however that would mean only about 30 out of over 400 Omegas had the courage to run. It was a sobering thought indeed, but the outside world was just as cruel so I could understand. I just hoped they didn't suffer much for their decision.

As I drove off terrain, my mind was filled with nothing but the kids back at home. I couldn't wait to see their faces again. I couldn't wait to have a family movie night again with Tristan and Delcain. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the days spent in that penthouse were some of the most blissful and happiest days of my life. Tristan just made everything feel like a family, and that we mattered.

Ferdinand needed us as his right hand and lieutenant, but we never had anything more than a boss and subordinate relationship.

In my dazed thoughts, I sped up even faster. I missed home, I missed the girls, I missed the feeling of completeness that we had all shared, and most of all, I missed my brother...

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Sylvester's Point Of View

Tristan was finally back in my arms. I felt so much relief I was glad he wasn't awake, it'd be so embarrassing. I had been scared I was going to lose my mate and dearest friend, and then terrified that I was going to lose Ferdinand after saving said mate and friend. It had been an emotional day, and it wasn't even noon yet.

We had to stop for gas on the way back, the Vortank wasn't a gas guzzler and could run on solare if we charged it, but it sat in a large overgrown forest so it barely received any sun. Payhne and Meyhymn got out and got snacks and formula for the kids.

Meyhymn switched with Payhne for the last stint of the journey and he absolutely floored it. It didn't bother me, I was ready for Tristan to wake up comfortable and at home.

Ferdinand had been right, we needed to do better from here on out. We always show up too late and Tristan suffers way too much for it.

I couldn't walk in to something like that a third time, I was liable to loose my mind forever. If Cole hadn't been dying I likely would have carved both men up slowly, kept them alert with adrenaline and dismembered their bodies.

Any grievance against Tristan was punishable by death, and I aimed to keep it that way. My mate deserved the moon and the stars, and I intended to bring them down for him.

"Aaah.... Gaaah.... Goooh!"

I looked up and saw Tahlia talking and reaching for me. I leaned my face closer to her so she could reach me.

"Sorry peanut, I'm holding your daddy right now. I promise to hold you later. Papa Syl will cherish you just as much as I do your daddy. Papa Bellamy has that look in his eyes so you better be careful. He's planning to spoil you rotten. He's just like Papa Ferdi." I said.

She grabbed my face and put her forehead to mine, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You are certainly your father's daughter. I'm not sad baby girl just full of regrets. I didn't protect your daddy enough. I promise to work on it for all our sakes." I said, rubbing her cheek.

Bellamy picked her up high in the air and smiled at her, "Yeah, you tell him cutie pie. Say no more sad faces, we won. And we'll take down anyone who gets in the way of his happiness, consequences be damned!" He chuckled while making silly faces.

"I'd wike to be part of your famawy... You guys seem to weawy wike each other... my mommy's not here anymore... it makes me sad sometimes." Joobehlee said, looking down at her tightly clenched fists.

Ferdinand picked her up slowly and placed her on his lap, "Who says you can't be a part of our family? You are most welcome. Arrisa and Sable are there, you might have been too young when they left that facility, but they would love to have you too, I'm sure of it. You can have tea parties with them, bake cookies, watch movies, draw and color, and even watch the twins put on hilarious puppet shows." He said, smiling at her.

"Weawy?! You mean it!?" She asked, her bright pink eyes sparkling.

"Absowutley!" Ferdinand replied, putting his forehead to hers.

"We'll be your uncles from this point onward. You can call me Uncle Bel, That's Uncle Ferdi, and this is Uncle Syl. Uncle Cole is over there sleeping." Bellamy said, with a smile.

"Uncki Ferdi? What's a movie?" She asked, looking thoughtfully confused.

"Wait until you see it. We will show you only the fun things in life, but there will be hard times too, okay? You will have to learn your letters and numbers along side your Auntie Sable and Auntie Arrisa, okay?" He replied.

"Okay! I don't mind. I want to be smart wike Uncki Bel and that handsome giant, uhh... the Wiborwaytor?" She said giggling.

"Ah, that is Uncle Meyhymn. You can call him Uncki M. The guy sitting beside him is your Uncle Payhne. Though once you meet his brother Raihne, you probably won't be able to tell them apart." Ferdinand said.

"Sooo many naames... What's I gonna do if I forget?" She said pondering.

"It's alright, we'll just have to remind you until you no longer forget." Bellamy said with a chuckle.

"Are you okay Lady Josephine?" Bellamy asked. She was sitting to his left so I couldn't see her, but it sounded like someone was crying.

"Joobehlee... she stopped speaking almost a year ago... I never thought I'd get to hear her sweet voice again. They were quite cruel to children like Joobehlee. Children who couldn't have their heats triggered but still presented as an Omega after the first 4 years. That's why Mr. Wyhett was going to have her.... taken away. I'm not sure what's in the injections they give them in the first 4 years of their lives but Tahlia and Kaihsie haven't received any of them except the one given at birth. Sometimes I wish Maybelline was still with us..." Josephine said.

"I'm weawy sorry Miss Jo... they told me not to speak anymore... so I didn't. I didn't mean to make you sad..." Joobehlee said, tearing up as well.

"It's okay Joobehlee, I'm not sad. This is the happiest I've ever been. I'll get to see my son again soon, I got to hear your voice again, and Tristan is still alive. I feel so full of joy I'm not quite sure what to do with it all." She said.

She really loved these kids and it showed. It was heartwarming to see, especially since my mother only ever drank wine and acted like I otherwise didn't exist.

"We're here." Meyhymn said, pushing an overhead button to open the gates.

"That's your house!?" Joobehlee exclaimed.

"That's our house now, Joobehlee." Ferdinand corrected her.

"My goodness I certainly understand why you all didn't seem so concerned about the extra people." Josephine said.

As we got closer however her and Joobehlee both had their mouths wide open. It was much larger up close.

"I WUV IT!" She exclaimed.

We pulled up to the doors and Meyhymn stopped us from getting out.

"Let me go check it out first with Payhne." He said.

We understood what he meant, he wanted to make sure all the bodies were dealt with. We waited patiently in the car. However, before Meyhymn could give the okay, Sable, Arrisa, Delcain, and Kaleb, came running out the door first.

We couldn't help but chuckle. The vehicles doors were flung open and Ferdinand had to snatch Cole back, before he plummeted out of the vehicle.

"Yay! Your back! Raihne was seriously worried! I missed you guys! I couldn't focus at all!" Sable said.

"You saved big brother again didn't you?" Arrisa said.

As everyone filed out of the car, and Meyhymn carried Cole, Arrisa and Sable gasped in unison.

"AUNTIE JOSEPHINE!?" They said at the exact same time, with the exact same shocked look on their faces. It was adorable.

"Hello sweethearts, I missed you terribly. Your mother's would be so proud of you right now. You made it out and your smiling so wide. Your faces comfort me to no end." She said, kneeling down to them.

"Is this your baby Auntie?" Arrisa asked.

"No... my baby didn't make it. I'm afraid I can't have anymore babies. This is Kaihsie, Kaleb's little sister." Josephine said, looking a bit sad.

The adults could easily tell that she had wanted to have kids again if she were to be free, but now she could no longer have them at all. It made even more sense now, why she loved these kids so much.

"We get a new sister!?" They exclaimed.

"You get three new sisters." Ferdinand said, setting Joobehlee on the ground.

She turned around slowly, clearly scared of their reaction.

"Ah! She's beautiful! What's your name? I'm Arrisa and I'm 7 and a half."

"M-My name is Joobehwee... I'm 4 years..."

"Joobehlee?" Sable asked. Joobehlee nodded.

"Well Joobehlee, I'm Sable. I'm 9 and a half years old. Wait until you see our fortress! You're going to loooove it! Uncle Ferdi is awesome, and total a sucker for cuteness."

"Hey, I heard that!" Ferdinand yelled.

"Uncle Ferdi... who is the third sister?" Arrisa asked, looking confused.

"That would be Tristan's daughter Tahlia." Bellamy said, kneeling down to the kids to show her off.

"OH MY GODS! SHE'S UUBER ADORABLE!" Arrisa exclaimed.

"She looks like what I imagine Uncle Syl and big brother Tristan's kid to look like. Ugh! I'm going to spoil you Rotten! Can I take her?" Sable asked.

"Only if you promise to be careful." Bellamy said, handing her off.

Tahlia fussed for a moment then Sable held her high up saying, "Trust me, you'll have all the time in the world to be with those guys. You're so adorable they'll never leave you alone. Let your big sis spoil you for a bit." While walking off.

"Can I hold my sister?" I heard Kaleb ask as we made our way inside.

"Of course Kaleb. You can take her with you. I'm not going anywhere, just holler if you need me." Josephine said, handing him Kaihsie.

He hugged the baby close while crying, as he walked to catch up with the girls and the twins.

"Mom..." Delcain breathed.

"Alright my little squirrel, my hands are free now, C'mon." She said with a lithe giggle.

He hugged her so fast we couldn't do anything but laugh. He had been patiently waiting the whole time.

"I've missed you so much... the director told me you were dead. I was so worried. You lost the baby? Was it a girl or boy?" He asked, tears streaming down his face.

"Yes, it was a stillborn and he was a boy. I named him Dehlance... and to the director I was dead. We hid in Tristan's hideout, after removing our trackers." She replied.

"I'm just so happy to see you. It was really hard. Tristan really is a handful, trouble follows him every-frikkin-where I could barely keep up." He groaned.

"But you stayed strong and you did well... and his mates aren't bad either, even if they go a little too berserk to save him... I'm extremely proud of you my son. I imagine it wasn't easy carrying his secrets around." Josephine said kissing his forehead.

"Delcain, there will be more joining us later, if it's alright with you, your mother can sleep in your room tonight until we sort things out." I said.

"My, you have your own room?" Josephine chuckled.

"All the kids do. They really spoil us rotten here." Delcain said walking into the house smiling.

"I'll put Cole in his room, and then head upstairs to make some space for the women and children." Meyhymn said.

"I'll go advise the kitchen staff to cook a buffet style dinner, and to use both kitchens." Bellamy said.

"I'm going to go lay down to be honest. I'm extremely tired at the moment. Do what you want, just don't burn the house down. Wake me at dinner time." Ferdinand said, heading to his room.

"I'm going to give Tristan a bath and tuck him in. I probably won't leave my room until he wakes up," I said walking up the stairs, "Meyhymn we'll set up my house for you and anyone wanting to go with you tomorrow. Do your best to brainwash– I mean convince them to go. And make sure everyone removes their tracking chips before going. Talk to Josephine and Delcain about it first."

"Understood." I heard him reply before entering Cole's room.

"Don't overdo it Sylvester." I heard Bellamy say.

"Fuck you Bel!" He had no right to say that shit to me of all people.

I sat Tristan in a chair in my room and then went to run the bath water. I dropped a peach scented bath bomb into it and then grabbed a wash cloth, two dry off towels, and a bathrobe.

I stripped Tristan and slowly lowered him into the warm bath. He immediately relaxed into my arms in the water. It was endearing as hell...