Chapter Four #2
I shook my head. “I think it had to do with the Office of Designation Management questioning her. The nurse called her a variant.”
“Can they even do that?” Wes asked.
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head.
Wes pulled a chair over to the bed and stroked her hair, murmuring to Grace. Evan kept purring.
I sat down on the couch, Jett next to me, and emailed our lawyer everything.
A security guard came into the room. He stared at me. “You.” He looked at Wes and sighed. “And you.”
“Ban me if you’d like. But keeping her locked in a room and disabling her monitors while she spiraled is malpractice.” I should probably email people at the hospital, too.
Hmmm. Did I know anyone on the hospital’s board?
“Excuse me.” A female doctor brushed past the guard, with the nurse behind her.
“This is my mate, it’s okay. Liz already went home, or I’d have her come, too,” the nurse assured us.
“What happened?” The doctor started checking her the best she could with Grace wedged between Spencer and Evan.
I repeated what I’d found.
“Is she on any medications?” the doctor asked.
“No.” Wes shook his head.
The nurse hooked her up to a small, portable monitor.
“This is the right place for her to be, but I’m going to give her a shot to help things along.” The doctor held a syringe.
The security guard stood there. He sighed and looked at me. “You punched a nurse.”
I looked at Jett. “Should I call the police? What that nurse did has to be some sort of assault.”
“I feel like the police not letting Evan and Grace have someone in there with them when they were being questioned is illegal?” Wes added.
Jett shook his head. “They just wanted information, so it’s technically not illegal, just not general protocol. At least in Rockland, it could be different here.”
“Do you need me to leave?” I eyed the security guard.
“Doc says not to kick you out, but you’re banned from the Omega Ward. It’s protocol.” The security guard looked like it had been a long day.
“Okay. It looks as if they can treat her here just fine.” I went back to my emails.
He sighed again and left.
The doctor and nurse finished up with Grace. The doctor who’d been tending to Spencer came in and talked to them.
“Grace should stabilize soon, just snuggle her. Purr for her if she needs it. We’ll check on her again soon.” That doctor left, but the nurse stayed.
Spencer’s doctor checked him over.
“He’s doing okay, though his heart rate is up. He’s probably feeling her distress. We’ll monitor him. Try reassuring him that she’s okay. Once she’s stabilized, we’ll probably take him off sedation. Then he’ll wake up after a few hours,” the doctor told us.
I thanked him, and then he left. Wes and Evan talked to Spencer and Grace.
“Want me to take you back to the hotel, Ri?” Jett asked.
“Not yet.” Riley shook her head. “But I’d like to go to the cafeteria. I need something sweet.”
Evan nodded. “They have ice cream.”
“Let’s go see what they have,” I told them. And maybe track down a hospital administrator.
Someone would answer for what had happened to Grace.
The hospital room was dark, though light crept in through the blinds leading to the hospital hall. Evan and Grace slept next to Spencer. The doctor hadn’t roused Spencer yet, though Grace seemed to be doing better and sleeping normally.
Jett, Wes, and Riley had gone back to the hotel. Wes was going to return with things for Grace and Spencer. I’d take Evan back in the morning for a bit.
Well, if he’d leave them.
The couch turned into a small bed, and it wasn’t uncomfortable. There were extra blankets and pillows, too. I just couldn’t sleep. Normally I’d either work, workout, or fuck one of my mates.
None of those were options right now.
“No, no. Please, don’t leave me,” Grace screamed as her monitor beeped.
“It’s okay, Grace. It’s okay,” Evan mumbled, draping an arm around her.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to put everyone in danger,” she cried.
Evan sat up and shook her gently. “Peaches, wake up, you’re having a bad dream.”
“I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I… I’m sorry. Please don’t make me go.” Grace thrashed against Evan.
Spencer’s monitor went off. Shit.
I hopped off the couch and strode over to the bed. “Hey, Little Butterfly, come here. Evan, comfort Spencer?”
Bundling her into my arms, I pulled her out of the bed and brought her over to the couch.
Evan draped himself on Spencer’s good side. “She’s okay, Bren’s got her. It’s just a nightmare.”
A sleepy purr filled the room.
“I’ve got you.” I lay on the couch bed, with her on my bare chest. Evan had on my shirt–she had on Evan’s.
“Don’t leave me, Bren. I didn’t know my mom was illegal,” she sobbed.
“What? No. Never.” Pulling the blankets over her, I held her tight, kissing the top of her head, and stroking the back of her neck. Her peach scent was a little panicked but not rotten anymore.
Was this why she’d spiraled back in the Omega Ward? She thought that we didn’t want her? Or perhaps they made her think that?
“He got hurt because of me. Bad things happened because of me,” she wailed.
Spencer’s monitor went off again.
“She’ll be okay. She’s a little upset, but she’ll be okay.” Evan gave him a pat.
“It’s not your fault, Grace. Not the stabbing, not anything else. None of this is your fault,” I assured her, giving her another kiss on the top of her head as I tried to put out calming pheromones to help settle her before she or Spencer got too distressed.
“Everything I knew is a lie.” It came out as a sob.
“We still love you. Promise.” Evan reached out to her.
I took one of her hands and extended it to his. “See, we love you. It’ll all be okay. I’m going after the license of that fucker who was mean to you. I might even sue the hospital. Think of all the ice cream you could get.”
Not only was our lawyer livid, but I’d told Katie what had happened in order to get some advice. Her pregnancy hormones were raging, and my twin was ready to inflict some wrath.
“Okay. Just don’t leave me,” Grace murmured, settling into my arms.
“We won’t.” I stroked her hair.
The door opened, and a nurse came in and ran over to the monitor. This was a different one, given the shift had changed.
“She had a nightmare.” Evan patted Spencer again. “It’s okay, Spence, she’s okay.”
“That’s working,” the nurse assured. “He’s feeling her, but he’s also responding to your reassurance.” He came over to Grace and me and checked her monitor. “She looks okay.”
“I’ve got her.” I gave Grace a squeeze and made sure we had enough blankets.
“Let me know if you need anything.” The nurse left.
The group chat went off.
Wes
Is Grace okay?
Me
She had a nightmare. I’ve got her.
I took a photo of us and sent it to him.
Wes
You look cozy.
Me
Jealous?
Wes
I’ll share her with you. Oh wait, already have.
Wes liked to think he was funny.
Wes
No, seriously, take care of her however she needs. I’ll be back soon. Still trying to sort things out with the hotel so we can stay longer.
Me
Thanks for doing that. Bring me a shirt? Evan took mine.
Wes
Sure.
We were supposed to check out of the hotel in the morning. But I didn’t think we would be leaving here anytime soon. At some point, I should let Terrance know what was going on.
Grace mumbled and snuggled into me. Okay, it was more like she ground into my dick and nuzzled against my chest. While part of me felt like I should stop it, I was the one who’d brought her onto the couch for cuddles.
I also liked it a lot.
She’s not yours.
But she could be. Maybe not now, but at some point. Jett was right; somewhere along the way I’d started to give a fuck about her.
Okay, I gave many fucks about her.
It’s okay to care about the people who live in your house.
I suppose I could enjoy those snuggles. Sometime down the line, I might start something with her. But I’d let it happen naturally.
Jett was in love with her. Evan kept telling me about that fantasy of his involving the three of us having her while she was in the swing. Which was a pretty nice one–and much more attainable than the ones Jett and I had about her.
My dick grew hard as she ground into me again.
Wes was right. I’d give her just about everything–including my dick. At some point, I should make sure Spencer was okay with that.
Spencer. Fuck. If Grace ever went into heat, what was that going to look like? I had a feeling Little Miss Needy Butterfly would want everyone there. I’d never even seen that man naked, let alone shared someone with him.
If she wanted us all there, we’d figure it out.
She’d want me there, right?
I wasn’t sure why the idea of her not wanting me there bothered me. After all, she wasn’t mine.
But she was ours. She’d been through so much. We’d all been through a lot recently.
“Love, are you doing okay?” I reached out to squeeze Evan’s hand. He was worried about Spencer, I could feel it through the bond.
His hand brushed mine. “When we go back to the hotel, I want dick.”
“My dick is yours.” I smiled at him through the darkness. Yeah, I’d give him all the comfort he wanted.
“Okay.” Grace mumbled, her hand sliding down my pants.
I froze.
“I’ve had a shitty day. Be a good boy and let me nap on that.” Her hand wrapped around my cock.
“Little Butterfly, I’m not your good boy. It’s Bren whose lap you’re on–not Wes, Spencer, or Evan,” I said softly. She was half asleep, and while I didn’t mind if she wanted my cock, I needed her to know that it was me.
Also, I wasn’t anyone’s good boy. Okay, sometimes I was Jett’s good boy. But that was different.
Evan was now wide awake and watching us curiously.
“You are so my good boy. Mmmm, I like the texture. It’s the best fidget toy.” She toyed with my piercings.
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” Evan chuckled.
“Get in there.” Moving her bikini bottoms aside, she just impaled herself on it.
I stilled, waiting for her to move–or realize that I wasn’t the alpha she wanted. Was I really going to do this? Yes. I cared about her, and it would calm her down. Evan’s cock wouldn’t hit the same pressure points as an alpha’s.
Grace just hummed and laid her head back on my chest.
“That’s what you needed?” I asked, this feeling far too comfortable.
“Much better.” She patted me on my head, sleepily. “Now, hold me. Such a good boy.”
“You’re going to nap on his cock?” Evan laughed.
“Shhh. I’m sleeping.” Grace made a contented noise.
I wrapped my arms around her. “I’ve got you. Go back to sleep, Grace.”
“Good boy.” Evan grinned.
I shot him a look. “That stays between us. She’s probably high on whatever drugs they gave her. So, I just lay here, and she naps with my dick inside her?”
“Full body cuddles make her feel better. She cares about you, too, Bren. You know that, right?” Evan said softly.
“Yes.” I planted a kiss on her head. “I care about her as well.”
Hopefully, she wouldn’t regret this in the morning.