28. Sam
Chapter 28
I f I could get my hands around that motherfucker’s neck, I would fucking kill him. Rage and vengeance shouldn’t be taking priority in my mind right now, but all I can think about is how much these two have had to suffer at his hands for it to be this bad.
If the kid needs an MRI, we’ll get one. I mean, that should only take a couple of hours, right? It shouldn’t throw us too far off schedule. I can still go get the truck, pick up Teddy, and then come back here to get Garret. No problem.
Garret’s loud squawk of, “Two weeks?” drags me out of my planning. “I can’t come back in two weeks. I live in Mississippi now. That’s not…that’s not even an option. Can you get the re ferral sent to a hospital near Oak Flats, or…Fuck, I don’t know?” He’s shaking and stressed. This has all been a whirlwind.
Squeezing the back of his neck, I try to offer reassurance where I can. “If they can’t send in a referral, we’ll get you a flight back or somethin’, Kid. Don’t sweat it, you’re gonna make yourself sick. We’ll take care of this shit, aright? Just take some deep breaths. You’re not doing anybody any good if you lose your shit.”
The doctor looks a bit scandalized at that, but I have neither the time nor inclination to soften my language when my pack needs me. “So, Doc, can we get that referral or schedule done and get the hell outta here? I still need to get the truck loaded, pick up our omega, and then we got a long-damned trip back to Oak Flats.”
He looks shocked, and then angry. “Mr. Carpenter, while I may agree, against my better judgement, to discharge Garret today, under no circumstances should he be operating a vehicle. What he needs is bed rest. As for the MRI, I can send a referral to…Oak Flats, you say? But he may need to return here afterwards, depending on the facilities available.”
“No sir, that’s why I’ll be driving. Garret and Teddy will be relaxing as much as possible. But I just wanna get home and get my family back together.”
Doc nods, looking somewhat more placated, which isn’t a major endorsement, but I’ll take what I can get. “Well, there’s not much I can do to keep you here if you insist on being discharged, even if I do think you would do well to remain under observation for another day or two.”
He turns to Garret, asking silently for him to stay for longer, but the kid just shakes his head before grumbling out, “Sorry, Dr. Baxter, I really want to get home. I’m worried about Kelly and Steve. Moreso about Kelly stabbing Steve because, let’s face it, he’s kind of a jackass. But he’s still my brother, and I prefer him alive and relatively unharmed.”
Doc blinks slowly at Garret, like he’s trying to figure out whether or not my pack mate’s joking. Finally, he throws up his hands. “Fine. Fine. I’ll get you discharged!” Then he swings to me. “You, make sure he gets as much rest as possible, plenty of fluids, he is not allowed to drive, and if you can get your omega to purr for him, it should help speed up some of his healing.”
He stalks towards the door, but Garret raises his hand to try to get his attention. Dr. Baxter refuses to look over at him, waving his hand in return. “Yes, fine, I’ll get that damned referral in, but I’m not happy about this.” Then he stomps out the door—it closes slowly on its hydraulic arm.
Garret stares at me, waiting for…I don’t know what. This is the reason I don’t like talking. Well, that and for the longest time, it was just me and Jake. As long as he wasn’t replying back, then it seemed like life was doing what it was supposed to. Garret’s voice is still raspy when he finally croaks out, “Have you seen my pants? I don’t even know where the hell my underwear is. ”
That, at least, is something I can help with, as I pull out his duffel with a fresh change of clothes. His dirty ones are already packed away in a bag to take care of when we get home. It took forever to get the blood out of his shirt in the damned tiny sink in here.
Teddy
T his bed is too fucking cold…and empty. Sure, it would have been better had I not already stripped it, but even last night in the car curled up between Sam and Garret was better than sleeping alone on a soft mattress.
The sun is barely starting to break over the horizon when I give up and finish stripping the bed. Loading the last of my nest into a bag, I text Kimberly to see if there is anyone who can help me load and carry all my stuff up to the main building.
Then I text Sam, telling him I hope he was able to get some rest, and asking how Garret’s doing. I want to ask him to come get me, but he already has enough on his plate, and I can wait for however long he needs today.
Kimberly messages me back that she’ll send someone down with one of the little Mule trucks to help me get everything up to admissions. They’ll have a code to get into a storage room that’s used specifically for departing omegas. It’s not always easy to clear out a full nest with one omega, and not everyone has betas in their pack to help.
While I wait, I stack boxes and bags next to the entry door so that as soon as the truck gets here, I can load everything quickly. I need to say goodbye to Sarah again. I’m going to really miss her. We already stayed up way too late talking last night, so I’ll probably need to knock on her door before I take off.
My phone chimes and I pull it out, expecting it to be someone here to help me get moving. Instead, Sam’s picture pops up. He has Garret, and they’re about to pick up the truck from the apartment. Hopefully, they’ll be here in a couple of hours. Just enough time to move my shit, grab Sarah, and get breakfast together before we head out.
I pace back and forth, waiting for a message about transport, but instead of a message notification, a soft knock sounds on my door. Is Sarah already up? Opening the door, a big beta guard stands outside. He’s about as tall as me, but wider, with broad shoulders that fill the doorframe. He looks up from the phone he’s holding and checks the door number before turning his eyes to me. “Teddy, right?”
His scent is stronger than Kelly’s, an earthy rain smell, not enough like Garret’s to throw me for a loop. It lacks that salty ocean flavor. But more like a landlocked storm. Something that comes out of nowhere while you’re hiking and blows you away. Kinda like his smile. Damn . He introduces himself as Gregory and picks up a couple of boxes.
I’m half tempted to go bang on Sarah’s door and wake her up just to come meet this guy to see how flustered she’d get. Of course, I won’t be here long enough to enjoy making fun of her, and that thought in itself makes my shoulders slump.
I’m happy I get to go home with my pack, have cuddles with Kelly and Sam and Steve. Pet Jake and fall asleep in the basement watching TV and snuggling. Finish my nest and get ready for my heat. I’ll still miss the woman who’s been my best friend for the last nine plus years.
A hand waves in front of my face, drawing me out of my thoughts. The big beta smiles uncertainly. “So, these boxes and bags? It’ll probably take about four trips to get everything. You feel up to helping me carry?”
It’s a pleasant surprise that I don’t have to move everything by myself. I was planning on it, but this just makes it easier. It does, in fact, take five trips, because I want to be super careful about Jessie, and the bags of blankets don’t exactly stack well.
Gregory was intrigued by Jessie and said it’s too bad I wouldn’t be around. He sometimes plays and it would have been nice to have someone he could discuss music with. Another point in his favor with Sarah, and I’ll have to point him out to her if I get a chance. She took up drums a few years ago—much to Kimberly’s dismay—but she’s always looking for people to talk music .
By the time we get the last of the boxes into storage and he writes down the key code for me, the sun is well above the horizon. I pull out my phone to check for word from Sam, but so far nothing. I’ll take that as a sign that I have time to go grab Sarah for a goodbye meal.
Gregory drops me off at the dorm, and I go make a final sweep of my room, making sure I didn’t leave my shampoo or anything in the shower, cleared out the fridge, and the tiny washer and dryer are empty. Sarah’s standing outside of her door when I walk out, waiting for me. “So, Shorty, you ready to go grab some breakfast before I head out? One last meal of French toast sticks for the road.”
She nods and makes a loud wet sniffing sound before punching me in the arm. “You totally didn’t order pizza last night for my help with packing, so you have to buy me breakfast.” I don’t mention to her that she didn’t help pack, she sat on the couch while I packed and talked. It’s easier to just agree, especially since I know this is her attempt to lighten the mood.
We’re halfway across campus when we see Sam walking towards us. I look at my phone and see that he messaged me a few minutes after nine telling me they were pulling into the parking lot and apologizing for the delays.
Too late, I realize that he wrote ‘we’ and Sarah is pelting headlong across the grass, death and destruction in her gaze and focused completely on Garret. Her words rush out, a mixture of English and Spanish. I don’t know enough to translate, but if her expression is any indicator, then I’m probably glad I can’t understand.
Sam catches her mid leap before she can sink her nails into Garret, and she hangs from his arm, spitting and hissing like an enraged cat. I’d probably growl at another omega being so close to my alpha, if she didn’t look so much like an enraged kitten who wanted to rip their faces off.
That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it either. Lifting my best friend out of my alpha’s arms wasn’t on my bingo card for this trip, but here we are. Her angry glare turns to me, her voice a loud hiss. “It’s not fair, he looks fine. They shouldn’t get away with this. If his brother was here, I wouldn’t let you stop me, you know that.”
I’m once again grateful that she’s my friend, because I wouldn’t want to be on Sarah’s bad side for all the money in the world right now. I hold her back against my chest and take deep breaths until hers sync up. A few minutes later she’s calmed down enough that it’s probably safe to sit her down without risking Garret’s skin.
Sam watches the entire interaction with a thoughtful look before wrapping me in a hug. His purr is a low rumble against my own chest, soothing my frazzled nerves and making my body relax against his. He nuzzles into my hair, his mumbled, “Missed you,” making me melt against him further.
An annoyed huff draws my attention. Sarah is still glaring at Garret. “Ok, I’ll give you that Sam seems like a good one, but I also think he should know what happened before you let these fucks bond you. That shit’s permanent, T.” Sam pulls back and looks intently at me again, and Sarah takes her opening. “Sam, have you ever wondered why your omega always wears leather wristbands, even to sleep? Does that seem like normal sleep-wear back home? Doesn’t look comfortable to me.”
Now Sam’s staring intently at my wrist, and I need to escape that scrutinizing gaze. His voice is low when he finally responds to her. “Teddy is free to talk to me about anything he wants to, but I won’t force him to do it right now.” His gaze turns back to mine. “Not that this conversation is over, but everyone’s stressed enough. I don’t want you to have to deal with any extra shit right now.”
The threat that we’ll talk about this later, despite my feelings on the matter, is left unsaid, and I throw Sarah a dirty look. One she responds to with a smug smile.
“Not to completely change the subject.” Her voice is saccharine sweet, and I don’t trust it. “But Thicc and I were headed to the cafeteria to get some breakfast before you got here. Surely you don’t want your omega to be hungry? Why don’t you two join us before you head out? Better to have a late breakfast now, so you don’t have to stop for lunch in a couple of hours.”
She’s being entirely too cheerful, and it’s putting me on edge. Sam looks between us, not saying anything, but eventually he nods assent. Sam isn’t the most talkative guy to start with, but his silence right now is disconcerting. He's like a lion watching his pride, waiting to see what happens and if he needs to step in. Content to let us take care of things ourselves until we can’t .
Please, to any gods that are listening. Just let me get through breakfast, get my nest and motorcycle loaded up, and get out of here without any more drama. Is that really too much to ask?