Chapter 32
ADAM
When they moved Fletcher into Sky’s room, things became a little smoother. At least then I wasn’t running back and forth like a chicken with its head cut off.
I was exhausted. Between splitting my time sitting vigilant by Sky’s bedside and visiting Fletcher, then going home to shower, eat and try to sleep, my battery was running on empty.
But my mates needed me, and I needed to be here for them. That was the most important thing. Their needs were more important than mine, and besides, the doctor said they’d be released soon.
Soon couldn’t come soon enough.
I sat in the chair beside Sky, holding his hand. The sedatives they had him on kept him too doped up to do much of anything—including fight the nurses or try to escape, which was a good thing, I suppose, but damn.
I hated seeing him like this. Laid up in bed, staring at the wall with slitted eyes, barely responding to me when I spoke to him. I wondered if he’d remember this at all.
I hoped he wouldn’t, for his sake.
On the plus side, the nurses said he was healing faster than expected.
Fletcher, on the other hand, was struggling a bit with the pain. I could see it in his eyes, even when he tried to smile through it.
Being the driver, he’d taken the brunt of the damage.
Along with some bad bruising, his arm and shoulder had been broken from the wreck, as well as several ribs.
He had internal bleeding, which was why he’d been in the OR for so long.
He’d also suffered a concussion with his head wound, although the doctor assured me he was out of the woods with that.
Fletcher got lucky. They both did, to walk away from a crash like that. I saw the wreckage of the car. I was just thankful that my partners were okay.
Nearly a week after being admitted to the hospital, they were finally talking about discharging them.
“They’ll be more comfortable in the convenience of their own home, and that will aid healing,” the nurse told me that morning. “I will talk to Dr. Braxton and see about getting things going for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, relieved. “I just want to get them home and safe.”
She smiled knowingly. “I know. It’s an Alpha thing, I get it.”
About an hour later, the doctor walked in, but instead of launching into discharge instructions, he looked at me. “Mr. Rose? Can I speak with you for a moment, out in the hall?”
Fletcher and I exchanged a glance. My mate looked a little worried, but nodded quickly.
“Of course,” I said, standing to follow him out of the room. We walked down the hall, out of earshot of Fletcher. Sensitive shifter hearing and all. When I came to a stop, I frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not particularly.” Still, he pulled out a manila folder, flipping through a page or two before closing it again. He leveled me with a serious look and cleared his throat. “You are Sky DuPree’s Alpha, correct?”
On instinct—because I was, and my wolf growled his agreement—I nodded. “Yes.”
No need to explain the situation between me and my mates; I didn’t really think the doctor cared one way or the other anyway.
He pursed his lips. “We have a test result here that you might want to see,” he said, and my stomach did a somersault. Before my mind could launch into the worst of what-ifs, Dr. Braxton cut me off with, “Mr. Rose, did you know your partner is pregnant?”
It was a punch to the gut that stole the oxygen straight from my lungs. I gaped at him, my jaw going slack. “What?”
“Yes, it’s common practice to run a pregnancy test when doing the other panels, just to make sure everything comes back normal and to rule out any issues. His came back positive.”
I stood there in a state of shock, unable to wrap my mind around it.
How could Sky be pregnant? Were we not careful enough during his heat?
More so, how could I not have noticed? Didn’t Omegas typically smell sweeter when they were pregnant?
But Sky always smelled sweet. His scent was like cotton candy, fluffy and indulgent.
“I didn’t know,” I finally said. “But please don’t tell him. I need to be the one to break the news to him. He’s had a very traumatic past, and I’m afraid this might trigger him, especially with how he’s already reacted to being in the hospital.”
The doctor nodded. “I’ll get your discharge papers ready, then.”
When I went back into the room, Fletcher looked at me expectantly. I glanced over at Sky, worried he might overhear if I told Fletcher about the bomb the doctor had just dropped in my lap, so I shook my head.
“We’ll talk when we get home,” I said.
Forty-five minutes later, we were officially ready to go. I helped Fletcher dress in sweatpants and one of my oversized hoodies. We tucked his broken arm inside, letting the sleeve dangle free. He had a limp, favoring his left leg, but he brushed me off when I suggested a wheelchair.
“I’m fine. Just worry about Sky,” he insisted.
Sky was still under the effects of the sedatives. The nurses said it would wear off in an hour or two, depending on his metabolism, and I wanted to get him out of here before then, preferably cozied up in bed so that he’d be protected when the meltdown inevitably started.
Once the nurses had unhooked the IV line and taped a cotton ball to the inside of his inner-elbow, I dressed him in his favorite pair of PJs and wrapped a zip-up hoodie around his shoulders, since it was nippy outside.
I picked him up and set him down in a wheelchair, then Fletcher and I wheeled him down to the lobby.
“Do you need any help?” a nurse called out, but I waved her off.
“Wait here with him,” I told Fletcher, pecking him on the cheek before darting outside to pull the rental SUV around to the entrance. I refused to make Fletcher limp all the way through the parking lot.
“My knight in shining armor,” he joked as I opened the door and helped him into the backseat.
“Only the best for you, my love,” I teased back, then carefully maneuvered a floppy Sky into the passenger seat.
As I buckled him in, he stirred, reaching out blindly for me. “Adam?”
“I’m right here, baby.” I squeezed his hand. “We’re going home, don’t worry. Relax.”
I jogged around the front of the vehicle and hopped in, and then we were off. Finally homeward bound—with a pit-stop at the drive-thru pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions the doctor had ordered for my boys.
When I pulled into the drive, I heard Fletcher’s sigh of relief from the backseat and smiled. “I hear you, baby. Home sweet home. Let me take Sky inside, and then I’ll come back out for you, alright?”
“Adam, I’m—”
“Fletcher.” I looked at him. “Please. Let me do this, as your Alpha.”
He closed his eyes and nodded, sinking back into the padded seat. “Okay.”
I left the engine running so the car would stay warm, because I didn’t want my Omega to catch a chill when he was already so weak.
I carried Sky into the house, to our room, where I laid him down in the middle of the bed, cushioning him with pillows and covering him with the comforter.
I turned the TV on, playing that damn Australian kid’s cartoon Sky liked to zone out to sometimes, the one with the blue dogs, and once I was sure he was comfortable, I went back out for Fletcher.
I wasn’t sure how much time we had before the sedatives wore off, and I didn’t want Sky to wake up alone, but I knew I needed to tell Fletcher what the doctor had told me.
When I went back out to the car, I opened the door and looked at my mate. He looked so tired, so worn thin, but he smiled at me anyway.
“Hey, baby,” I murmured.
“Hi,” he said.
“So. I have some news, and I’m not sure yet if it’s good or bad.”
His smile fell. “Oh… Is this about what the doctor said?”
“Yeah.” Might as well rip the Band-Aid off. “Sky is pregnant.”
Fletcher’s green eyes widened. “What?”
I shook my head. “I fucked up, I guess. I don’t know. All I know is that he might not take the news well. Hell, I’m not sure I’m taking the news well, to be completely honest.” I laughed softly. “I wanted kids, but I wanted them with you.”
“Oh, Adam…” Fletcher’s smile was sad. “We’ll figure it out. If it’s true, though, Sky’s gonna need us both, now more than ever.”
“I know.” I reached my hand out to him. “We both need time to process this new information, so let’s give it a bit. I don’t want to tell Sky yet, not until he’s settled in and feels safe again. Come on, let me help you inside, kitten.”
Together, we went in. As much as I wanted to sweep Fletcher off his feet and carry him in, I resisted. One, because I didn’t want to hurt him further, and two, because my mate was stubborn and I knew he wanted to do this himself. To keep that sense of independence, and I respected that.
I did, however, tuck him into bed beside Sky. Then I stripped out of my day clothes and changed into pajamas as well, curling up on the other side of our sedated boyfriend, making a cocoon around him, so that when he came around, we would both be right there to keep him safe.
It took about an hour.
Sky came back to himself, his movements slow and sluggish, even as he clung to me.
“Adam?” He spoke with a slur, but he was aware and obviously frightened. “Where am I?”
I reached out and smoothed the hair back away from his face. “We’re home,” I assured him. “You’re safe now, I promise. You’re home. Just relax, baby.”
“Home…” Sky’s two-toned eyes welled up with tears, right before his chest heaved with a soft sob.
I gathered him in my arms and held him to my chest, knowing Sky needed comfort right now more than anything else.
He buried his face in the crook of my neck and cried brokenly, hiccuping every so often, until his sobs quieted and his body went lax in my grasp.
“He’s asleep,” I murmured, catching the sad expression on Fletcher’s face as he stared at us.
“I hate this,” Fletcher said.
“It’ll be okay, baby,” I assured him. “It just takes time.”