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He rubbed his thumb back and forth against Shae’s wrist since their breathing had quickened again and focused on their eyes, breathing deeply until the rhythm of Shae’s breaths matched his own.
“Close your eyes, Sunshine. Lean into Jade.”
Jade’s scent was the most soothing of all the Alphas and Shae followed his command without question. Before my eyes could track more than a slight flinch from Shae, Trevor was hooking them up to the banana bag and Shae was leaning back into Miles, eyes drooping. I rubbed my face against Theo’s palm one more time and set his hand back on the bed, keeping it between my own.
Trevor straightened up and announced that he would run out to get some food for us and a change of clothes for Jade. She’d shed her gear but was still in the dirty black shirt and leggings she’d worn under what I guessed was body armor. Trevor promised to bring back Shae’s favorite from Mac’s, then turned to me and asked what I would like. The small reminder of my status as still not quite part of the pack became obvious in the little things like that. It didn’t hurt anymore, though. I knew he wasn’t asking to point out that he knew what everyone else would want; he wasn’t trying to make me feel like the odd one out. He was asking so he could learn what I liked. I let him know I’d be happy with whatever he brought back, and he gave me a brief nod and a half-smile. Suddenly exhausted, I lay my head down on Theo’s bed, keeping hold of his hand but moving my arm to use as a pillow.
Sometime later, the sound of a harsh, unfamiliar voice pulled me from sleep. I sat up quickly, a little disoriented. I still had hold of Theo’s hand and I shot a glance at his face, then over at Shae to make sure they were still there, and still alright. A relieved breath rushed out of me when I saw they were both peacefully asleep. As I took in the rest of the room, I realized that I must have slept longer than I’d expected to, because Trevor was back, Jade was in different clothes, and the sun had gone down. Then I worked out what had woken me. An angry-looking Beta doctor was facing off with both Trevor and Jade. Trevor was scowling back at him, while Jade stood with her hands on her hips, staring down her nose at the Beta. Miles glared at the doctor from the bed where he still had his body wrapped around Shae. As I took in their expressions, I tuned in to what the doctor was hissing, apparently trying not to wake the patients.
“... over. He is not a bonded member of the pack and therefore must leave.”
Shit. The doctor wanted me to go. A sick feeling bloomed in the pit of my stomach. I drew in a shaky breath, ready to say it was fine, that someone could take me home or even to Drake House. But I didn’t get the chance, because not one, not two, but all three Alphas snarled at the doctor in unison, causing him to pale and stumble back a step. At the sound of the Alphas’ growls, Shae stirred which drew everyone’s attention to them briefly, and gave me the chance to recover from my shock at the Alphas’ reactions. Once she was confident that Shae hadn’t been woken, Jade took a step toward the doctor.
“Tell me, Dr. Thomas. Is it the policy of the hospital to separate pack members from one another during times of trauma?”
“No, but he’s…”
“Our Omega. Bite or no, if you try to remove him from this room after what he has been through and what our Betas have been through…you better be prepared to have every member of your security staff on hand and the hospital’s best lawyers ready, because that’s only happening over my dead body.”
Jade had advanced further on the man as she spoke, and the Beta’s scent of mild tobacco turned acrid with burnt notes of apprehension in response. I smiled a little to myself because I would never get tired of watching Jade knock an asshole down a peg or two. And when she did it because she was standing up for me? Well, that just made it unfairly hot. Being an Omega, I was used to ill-timed hard-ons, but the one I was sporting now seemed especially inappropriate. As the doctor shuffled out of the room, Jade turned to look at me, then walked over to nuzzle my cheek and murmur in my ear.
“Not the time, Omega, but I have missed you perfuming for me.”
Warmth bloomed in my face as I saw Trevor cover his mouth to hide a smile. As Jade straightened up, I ducked my head down, looking at Theo’s hand rather than any of the Alphas in the room. It was only the sound of wheels rolling into the room that had me looking up again. The same nurse who had been in and out since I’d arrived was bringing in an extra bed. She began to maneuver it, so it nestled between the other two, with just enough room either side to get in and out. On it were extra blankets and pillows.
“My shift is ending soon, but you can expect the night nurse to be in every few hours to check on Mr. Owens’ vitals and change out the IV bags. Just buzz if there’s any change in his condition, or if there’s anything else that’s needed.”
Jade nodded her thanks and the nurse left, this time pulling the door behind her so that it was almost closed.
“Jade, you and Ethan take the bed. I need to step out to check in with everything at Drake. When I come back, I’ll sleep in that chair.” Trevor gestured at the chair I was sitting in. I made a noise of protest, but he waved it off before I could argue. “You all need your rest. And the chair reclines; it’s not a big deal.”
Trevor left the room without waiting for a response. After the door shut behind him, Jade looked down at me and put her hand out in invitation. When I didn’t move, she raised one eyebrow then tugged my hand until I was on my feet and pulled me over to the new bed. I just stood beside it, holding her hand, so she pressed on my shoulder until I sat. A soft smile crossed her face as she dropped to one knee and started to remove my shoes. Looking down at her, it took a moment or two for me to shake myself from the haze that had descended on me.
“I can do it. You don’t have to?—”
The grip she had on my calf tightened, cutting me off mid-sentence. Her beautiful dark eyes captured mine with an almost pleading look. My automatic response was a soft purr of comfort. I watched the tension bleed from Jade’s shoulders as her hand slid back down to my foot.
“Let me take care of you, Ethan. Please?”
I looked into her eyes and nodded, letting her remove my shoes and help me out of the hoodie I was wearing. After she draped the hoodie over the foot of the bed, she grabbed two pillows and threw them behind me. Then she took the other pillow and a blanket around to the other side of Theo’s bed, setting them on the chair for Trevor. When Jade looked back over at me, she tipped her chin toward the pillows behind me, indicating that I needed to lie down then she bent and pressed a kiss into Theo’s hair. She inhaled deeply, and her fists clenched, whether at his altered scent or at the situation, I didn’t know.
I watched as she moved around to the other side of the bed I was lying on and took off her shoes. Padding quietly over to where Shae was still sleeping, she gave them the same kiss she’d given Theo. She and Miles whispered softly to each other, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. When she turned back to me, I was still lying awkwardly in the same position. She laughed under her breath and picked up the blankets.
“Roll over, Ethan. Face Theo.”
Following her instructions, I drew my feet up and tucked my hands beneath the pillow, then just stared at Theo’s still form. I felt the mattress dip slightly then Jade draped the blankets over both of us. A contented sigh slipped out of me as she molded herself to my back then wrapped her arm around my waist and began to purr softly. I tried to keep my eyes open, to keep watch over Theo, but between Jade’s purr and the scent of the pack surrounding me, it was a lost battle.
“He’ll wake up soon, won’t he?”
Almost afraid to say the words out loud, I whispered them so softly that I wasn’t sure if she’d heard me until she replied in an equally soft voice.
“I hope so.”
I must have slept deeply, because I wasn’t aware of a thing until I felt the warmth of morning light on my face. I tried easing open one eye but had to slam it shut because the sun was streaming in through the hospital windows. As I lay there, contemplating whether to press my face into my pillow to try to sleep longer, I registered the sensation of a weight across my legs. I could feel Jade behind me, still, had the nurse dropped off some extra blankets during the night? The events of the previous day started to whirl through my mind, and I turned my head to the side to peek at Theo’s bed.
When I saw that his eyes were still closed, I tried not to let the disappointment get to me. Letting out a quiet sigh, I turned my gaze toward the bottom of my bed… and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. If I had been standing up, you would have been able to knock me over with a feather, because there, lying half across my legs, was Trevor.
He must’ve moved the chair when he came back, because it was no longer by Theo’s bed alone but at the at the end of the one Jade and I shared. He had one arm stretched out behind him on Theo’s bed, and his hand was just touching his brother’s ankle. Although his bottom half was in the chair, his top half was draped across our bed, with his other hand on Jade’s calf and his forearm cushioning his head. But his face… my eyes widened even further… his face pressed right up against my legs. Every time he breathed in, he was taking in my scent. My mind was racing. Had he positioned himself like that, on purpose, before he dozed off? Or had he just moved around in his sleep and ended up like that? That must’ve been it; he wouldn’t have chosen to sleep where he would be breathing my scent in all night. Would he?
