Chapter 29 Sterling
STERLING
I’m ready to get the fuck out of here, but the place is so backed up I haven’t been seen by a physician yet. If I want to get back on duty, I need a doctor to sign off that I’m okay.
It was just exhaustion. Hailey’s heat was taxing, and I didn’t get enough rest between then and going back to work. Plus, the amount of calls during our long shift was absolute chaos. We had two massive structure fires in the Nevada heat and my body just couldn’t take it.
The back of my head is tender from my fall, and I’m tired, but beyond that I’m completely fine. I just need some rest.
When Nate comes back into my room, his cheeks pink as he scratches his face; I give him a glare.
“What did you do?”
He grimaces and scrunches his nose. “I maybe didn’t realize that I was on speakerphone and Hailey and Hayes are on their way.”
I groan, closing my eyes.
Fuck.
I thought we would be in and out of the hospital. Maybe they would give me some fluids, that once they cleared me of a concussion and signed off on the paperwork, I’d be good to go. Hailey and Hayes wouldn’t have to know, they wouldn’t have to worry.
“How bad is it going to be?” I ask.
We haven’t dealt with a situation like this with Hailey before.
Hayes is usually pretty calm, but if the way Hailey acted before we left for our shift is any indicator, I don’t think this is going to be good.
I watched my mom fuss over my dads over the smallest scrapes and bruises, which I wouldn’t mind.
But I’ve also seen my mom absolutely lose her shit one year when my dad fell off the roof putting Christmas lights up.
She still holds it against him to this day.
“Where the fuck is the doctor?” I question, mostly to myself and Nate. But also, not really giving a shit if they can hear me through the flimsy cloth wall separating me from other patients.
“Maybe she’ll be calm about it,” Nate says, and I can tell he doesn’t believe that’s a possibility either. “Okay, well, maybe she won’t be mad.”
I rest my head against the scratchy pillow and sigh. Time passes and when no doctor comes to see me, I know I’m fucked.
Extra fucked when the curtain flings back to a worried Hayes and a pissed off looking Hailey.
She says nothing at first, just looking me over. Nate goes to approach her, and she holds out her hand as she approaches my bed.
“Baby—”
“No. Are you really okay?” she snaps.
“Exhaustion. I passed out on a scene. It’s protocol that I need to get checked out, nothing more.”
Hailey bites her lip. “So, you were just going to get a doctor’s note and just not tell us what happened?”
Nate shrinks away in the corner, acting like some invisible ghost so that he doesn’t have to take any of the heat.
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Mmhmm. I see,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest and standing there.
I swallow thickly, suddenly feeling chastised by this tiny woman. I’m not sure what to say, and the doctor chooses that moment to enter the room. If looks could kill, Hailey’s might kill me and mine might kill this doctor. He couldn’t have come in here twenty minutes ago?
“Right, Mr. Thomas. Let’s take a look and get you out of here,” he says.
Hailey gives him space, but watches cautiously as the man looks me over. He flashes a light in my eyes and checks the bump on my head. The nurses already took my vitals.
The doctor looks down at the tablet. “Ah, a five-day heat, a few hours of sleep, and a forty-eight-hour shift will do it. You don’t have a concussion, but if you start to feel more tenderness on your head or any nausea, we’d ask for you to come back in.
Just take it easy for the next few days and you should be right as rain. I’ll sign off on your incident report.”
“Thanks,” I say simply.
“How much rest should he be getting?” Hailey interrupts.
“I’d say a true full night’s rest and lots of hydration will make all the difference,” the doctor tells her and Hailey hums. “A nurse will be in to discharge you shortly.”
He leaves and I take a deep breath.
“See. Everything is fine. I just didn’t want you to worry,” I say, reaching for her hand.
“What if I fell and hit my head and Hayes didn’t call the two of you?” Hailey says and I clear my throat.
“That’s different.”
“Why? Because I’m an Omega?” she asks, arms crossed over her chest. It’s the scariest I’ve ever seen her and it’s a major turn on that she cares this much. One part of me hates being chastised, but the other sees this as claiming me as her Alpha is purring with pleasure.
Literally, my chest purrs.
“Are you fucking purring while I’m pissed at you?” she exclaims, her eyes wide.
I rub a hand across my chest, willing it to stop. It doesn’t, and she flings her hands in the air. My eyes catch on something dark on her wrist and I tilt my head to get a better look.
“What’s on your wrist?” I ask.
“My name,” Hayes says immediately, grabbing her arm and waving it around at me.
I arch a brow at them and go to open my mouth.
“Oh, don’t even try to compare this to being anywhere near the same thing. The petty side of me wants to make you wait to bond me because I’m so mad you were going to hide this from me.”
“The other side?” I ask, glancing at Nate, who’s clearly trying to not get yelled at by our Omega.
“I couldn’t stand being away from you both these past two days. I don’t just want to bond so that I know how you’re feeling and that you’re safe,” she says, coming to sit on the side of the bed.
She glances over at Nate, who comes closer and she holds out her wrist with Hayes’ name.
“I’m ready to commit. I’m all in, but that works both ways.
No holding things back because you don’t think I want to hear it, or because you’re worried about how I’ll react.
” She toys with her hair, her finger spinning the burgundy strand.
“I don’t know much about being a pack Omega, what that will look like for us, but I know I need honesty. ”
She peeks over at me and I reach out and grab her hand.
“It won’t happen again,” I promise her.
“You’re not just saying that because I said I wanted to bond with you?” she asks with an arch of a brow and I grin back at her.
“No. Because you’re right, if the tables were turned and you didn’t tell me you were in the hospital no matter how minor, I would be furious.”
Hailey sits up straighter giving me a stern nod before standing up.
“Now, let’s get the hell out of here and make this official,” I say, slinging my legs over the side.
“As soon as I decide you’re recovered, of course,” she says, glancing over at Nate. “Same goes for you.”
Nate holds out his hands like he’s questioning what he did wrong.
“Hayes and I will meet you back home,” she says, grabbing our Beta’s hand, who looks absolutely pleased with himself that he’s not in trouble and he’s all but bonded with her first.
None of that matters, though. She wants to bond. She called our place home. Everything else I can deal with.
“You better get a good night’s sleep.” Nate points at me and I smack his finger away.
“Let’s just get the hell out of here,” I grumble, and Nate sighs happily.
“She’s really going to bond with us,” he whispers under his breath.
“Yeah, she really is.”
If only she would have told me this about three hours ago. It would have given me more energy than anything else they gave me at the hospital.
I’m going to have a pack, an Omega to call my own. I’m truly about to have everything I’ve ever wanted.
I should have suspected that Hailey wouldn’t make this easy. She’s a little more petty than I initially thought, as she struts around the house in the smallest clothes, smelling delicious, yet not giving me the green light to bond.
I’ve completely recovered from my little exhaustion stint and feel better than ever.
“Are you trying to teach me a lesson, baby girl?” I ask, as she bends over right in front of me, picking up some invisible object.
“Is it working?” she replies, and I laugh with a nod.
“I’ve very much learned not to piss my Omega off,” I tell her.
Nate and I go back to work tomorrow and the idea of doing another shift without bonding her feels suffocating.
“Very good. My nest, six o’clock sharp. Tell Nate and Hayes,” she says, leaving me dumbfounded.
I pull out my phone, because Nate and Hayes ran out to the pet store for a special litter box.
Hailey said she wants us all in the nest at 6. She’s ready.
Nate
Like ready, ready?
I mean, she didn’t say it directly, but I’m assuming that’s what she meant.
Hayes
Because assuming what Hailey wants has been great for you lately.
I can’t even argue with his logic, because all she said was that it was good I learned my lesson and to be in her nest at a certain time.
Has to be.
Nate
Let’s hope so.
I pace back and forth as I wait for Nate and Hayes to get back. Hailey hasn’t left the nest. There have been a few bangs from upstairs, but nothing concerning.
It’s ten till when Nate and Hayes walk through the door.
“It took you fucking long enough,” I say, and Hayes grins.
“Yes, well, we grabbed some things to make it special,” he says, holding up a few bags. “Luckily for you, there isn’t a taser this time.”
I scrub a hand down my face. My nerves feel like a live wire.
We all sit down on the stools in the kitchen. Has time ever moved slower?
Hayes clears his throat. “Once you both have bonded her, you still want to do the same to me, right?”
I’m taken aback by his question and I’m immediately grabbing his chin.
“I thought this is what you wanted?” I ask him. He was always very adamant that we shouldn’t bond him until we found an Omega, that we were a pack, bonds or not.
“It is. I just, I wanted to make sure it’s still what you wanted.”
My grip on his chin is tighter as I look into his eyes. It’s rare to see insecurity from Hayes. He’s always so sure of himself.
“It’s always been what I wanted. There’s no doubt that Hailey wants the same,” I assure him.
“Who knows, maybe she wants us to bond you first,” Nate says with a smirk. “Either way, neither of you are leaving this house without a bond mark tonight.”
Hayes laughs, shaking his head. “Whatever she wants, I’ll do. But I do like the idea of feeling all of you at once.”
“It’s 5:59,” Nate says and we head upstairs, Nate with their bag of goodies in hand, as I knock on the door.
“Come in,” her soft voice says.
When I open the door, all three of us stand there, dumbfounded, as we take everything in. She’s made her nest a romantic oasis. Candles are lit, soft instrumental music plays, and she’s draped some sheer fabric over the bed, making it more nest-like.
But what really steals our breath away is how she’s dressed. The lingerie is red, a stark contrast to her pale skin. The material crosses over her chest, showing off her perfect tits. The bottoms are nearly see through; I swear I can see the crease of her pussy.
I haven’t touched her sexually since her heat and I’m salivating over it.
Hailey licks her lips, looking at all of us like she knows the insurmountable power she has over us.
“I didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted when I bonded with my pack, but I think this is pretty good, right?”
I’m speechless, and Hayes is the one to break through the silence, pushing through me and Nate.
“It’s perfect, baby,” he says, grabbing her hip and kissing the top of her head. He leans down to whisper in her ear. She listens intently, her gaze shifting between me and Nate.
Hayes pulls away, and she gives him a quick smile and heads in my direction. Her hand lands on my chest and I cover it with my own. She bites her lip and looks over at Nate.
“It appears Hayes and I are both rather greedy. I was thinking I could bond with one of you while the other bonds with Hayes and then switch.”
Nate clears his throat, looking at Hayes and then back to me.
Hailey, however, doesn’t wait for an answer as she grabs both of our hands and drags us to the nest bed.
Nate and I both sit on the bed like idiots. How do we decide who bonds who first? When I turn to the bed and watch as Hayes grabs the back of Hailey’s neck, kissing her senseless, all I know is they’re both about to be mine.
It doesn’t matter who bonds with who first. All that matters is that we’re together.