Page 50 of Glitterati Omega

“I thought you said they didn’t do the procedure.”

“They didn’t. They did cut me open,” he grumbled. He looked at his fingers. “I’m bleeding.”

“Probably because you popped the stitches,” Charli huffed. “Give me a minute.”

She wandered off as Rupert sat down on one of the benches that lined the entryway.

He glanced up when a shadow fell over him. Winston was practically hidden behind the large paper package. “For you,” he said.

Rupert hesitated, then took the proffered package. He peeked inside, then glanced up. “Flowers? For me?”

“Yes,” Winston said with a nod. “I thought they might cheer you up.”

Rupert peered in at the blooms again—a bouquet of yellow tulips, roses, and irises. “They’re lovely,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

“And,” Winston said, and Rupert blinked as a teddy bear was thrust into his face. He stared at it for a second, then looked up at Winston. The alpha tilted his head, glancing away bashfully. “I thought you might need someone to cuddle.”

Rupert looked back down at the toy, gently lifting it out of Winston’s grasp. “Thank you,” he said. “I am a little sore, so perhaps it’s best to …”

He trailed off, noticing that Charli had returned. She glanced between the two of them, then proceeded to wedge herself between them. “Now, we need to get that dressing changed and make sure you didn’t pop your stitches, pet.”

“Yes,” Rupert agreed, then blinked. “Oh.” He handed the bear back to Winston. “I don’t want to get blood on him.”

“Is it a him?” Winston asked, amusement in his tone.

Rupert stumbled up to his feet, clutching his side. Winston gathered up the flowers. “Well, I think it’s a him.”

“All right then,” the alpha agreed. “Does he have a name?”

“Bernard,” Rupert replied in an instant. “A very good name for a teddy bear, don’t you think?” He glanced over his shoulder.

“Well,” Winston said, “I might think it’s a very good name, and it might even be a good name for a bear, but it is also my brother’s name and I don’t much like the thought of you in bed with him.”

“Oh!” Rupert cried and stumbled against Charli, nearly knocking her over.

Winston grinned broadly. Rupert stared at him, even as the alpha began to laugh. “I don’t have a brother named Bernard,” he said finally, laying a hand on Rupert’s shoulder. “It is a joke.”

“Hmph. Well, in that case, I’m going to bed with Bernard andnotwith you.”

“You’d better not go to bed with anyone,” Charli rumbled as they entered the bedroom, “or you’ll have more than popped stitches to worry about. Now here, lay down.”

He did as instructed, then waited until she’d drawn the curtains around the bed to wriggle into his nightgown, wincing with every twist and pull and shimmy. He was pretty sure he was bleeding more by the end of it.

Charli clucked at him as she patched him back up. Meanwhile, Winston had gone with Moose to find a vase for the flowers. They returned just before Charli started giving Rupert the third degree about why the procedure hadn’t been completed. Instead, she gave him one of the fentanyl patches before he realized what she was doing, and then it was too late to protest; he was falling asleep before he remembered that he wanted to complain.