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“Two minutes, Shortcake,” Cole said with a curse, urging someone to drive faster. “We’re almost there, and then we’ll take you to your appointment and figure everything out, okay?”
“Dad come!” Theo cheered. If I could have managed it I might have cheered with him this time.
“Yes, buddy, I’m just around the corner,” Cole assured him.
Not wanting Theo to worry, I mustered a smile, keeping my eyes closed behind my sunglasses and turning back to him. “Are you excited?”
“Yes! Yes!” Theo said. “We play.”
Turning to rest my head against the seat, I continued to breathe through the wave of pain as Cole continued to talk to Theo, only chiming in when he checked in to confirm I was still there.
The sound of tires and doors greeted my ears and then suddenly my door was being opened, my seat belt unbuckled, and then I was hoisted into the air and wrapped up in the familiar smells of basil and lime.
“Cole,” I sighed, burying myself closer to him and taking greedy, centering inhales of his scent.
Each drag seemed to take the edge off and I didn't stop myself from planting my nose at the gland in his neck. His scent settled something inside of me, helping ease the pain with each breath.
“That’s it,” he said reassuringly. “We’ve got you, Shortcake.”
“Theo?” I questioned.
“Miles has him,” Cole said, and I finally managed to pull back and look into his worried blue eyes. “There’s those baby blues.”
His scent and his eyes seemed to center me, the additional scents of the pack swirling around us and settling deep in my soul. I just wanted to roll around in them.
“I think it’s passing,” I told him, not bothering to move from his arms. “Thank you for coming.”
“Always,” he said as Miller stepped up to us and gently started wiping away my tears.
“We need to get you seen, now more than ever,” Miller said roughly.
I know he’s right, and that’s why I called them over in the first place.
“Will you stay with Theo?” I asked Cole. “And one of the others can take me?”
Cole hesitated for only a moment before answering.
"Of course," Cole promised me gently. I could hear the reluctance in his voice, but that was the crux of parenting, figuring out how to juggle what you wanted versus what your kid needed. He didn't hesitate to do just that and I knew he was going to be a fantastic dad.
Some of the tension might have left, but the pain still radiated in my skull.
"I can stand," I said, but he was already passing me over to Miller. The alpha wouldn’t let me go now, that much I knew.
“Hey there,” he said gently. Mint and orange blossom coaxed me to nuzzle in closer. “Stay with me, we’re getting there now. I have half a mind to take you to the emergency room at this rate.”
“No,” I mumbled, wanting to see my doctor instead. They’d just slap some migraine meds in my hand and tell me to follow up anyway.
Another set of tires on gravel pulled up, and soon I heard Dean and Bashs’ worried voices joining the mix. I refused to open my eyes to look, knowing me and my son were in good hands.
A sigh from me had the guys rushing to separate, leaving Miles with Cole while Miller, Dean, and Bash took me to the doctor.
“Drive,” Miller ordered Dean as he slid with me still in his arms in the back seat. “Almost there, Sunshine.”
12
Dean
My dad’s eyes burned into mine through the rear view mirror, reflecting the trepidation I was feeling as well.
