Chapter 30
Grace
M y sister’s scream was loud enough that people walking nearby could hear. I gave them an eye roll to reassure them that everything was fine before focusing on Hailey’s excitement.
“Are you kidding me? You’re pregnant, Grace?!”
“I am! I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you, but we’ve been so busy looking over pictures, and it just… it never felt like the right time. So, I made it a point to call you this time,” I reassured her.
“Good, because if I had found out from anyone else, I would have kicked your cute, little ass.”
“No ass-kicking. I’m a pregnant woman, remember?”
“Does it matter if I’m pregnant, too?” Her voice was a worried whisper. I hated that we always tiptoed around each other.
“Are you kidding me?” I gasped, genuinely excited to share this with her. “How far along are you?!”
“Well, it was a bit of a surprise,” she hedged. “I thought I just had a little virus, wasn’t feeling good. We brushed it off because my symptoms were really minimal. It wasn’t until I started getting a baby bump that I went in,” she admitted.
“Holy shit, Haley! Does that mean you’re—?” I tried to do the math but failed.
“Just over twenty weeks. I know, I know. I should have been better about listening to my body. I was just so wrapped up in our vacation, then coming back to his place, that it slipped through.”
“Holy shit, me, too! Are you kidding?”
“You realize this means we both got pregnant during my honeymoon week?” she asked before we both burst into laughter. I was laughing so hard I had to squeeze my legs together.
“Stop! I’m too pregnant to laugh this hard,” she groaned at the same time, only making it worse.
“I’m actually on my way to the baby boutique here. Did you find out the gender yet?”
“No, actually. We wanted to wait and let it be a surprise, and there’s no one to ruin it this time,” she said. I could practically see my sister rolling her eyes.
“I’ve decided the same thing,” I admitted. It was eerie how similar we were. “I don’t want to know. It feels like I won’t be able to appreciate my pregnancy because everyone will be so focused on it. I just want it to be this moment that’s just between me and my pack, you know?”
“Totally get that,” she agreed. “Well, we’ll find out together, won’t we?”
“Speaking of big news… have you talked to Mom at all?”
Hailey’s sigh was answer enough.
“No. I really think she’s waiting for us to call and apologize to her. I talked to the staff a little bit when we checked back in, and they said she was fairly awful. Just demanding and complaining like she had any right to.”
“I shouldn’t even be surprised,” I huffed as I stepped inside the shop, pitching my voice a bit lower this time. “Honestly, my life has been a lot less stressful since I left all of that behind. You’re honestly the only family I need. Along with my people here in Rockwood Valley.”
“Amen, sister,” she agreed. “I miss it there.”
“Mama Whitaker is already planning another cookout. I’m meeting Drew’s mom again and everyone is dying for another gathering. If you guys aren’t busy, you should totally come down. It’s going to be next weekend.”
“I’ll definitely clear our schedules. Just send me the information.”
She started talking again, but I was having trouble listening to her all the sudden. My pulse started thundering in my ears, and my eyes went fuzzy. I wavered on my feet, actually knocking into something. One of the sales ladies rushed closer, her hands on my elbows, trying to keep me upright.
“Are you okay?”
I tried to say something, but nothing came out. I could still hear my sister screaming over the phone, before the saleslady picked it up, asking her a few questions. Then she was shouting for someone to call 911.
I tried my best to tune back into the woman, to my sister, to anything , trying desperately to grasp onto reality, but I literally couldn’t focus my eyes or calm my racing heart.
My muscles were locking up in my panic, and I felt so faint that eventually she helped ease me to the floor.
There were sirens, then EMTs talking to me, a light shining into my eyes that were getting heavier by the second.
Every time I tried to answer, it sounded like my words were slurring. I wasn’t sure what was wrong—but I was terrified. I kept trying to tell them that I was pregnant, but I couldn’t get the words out.
Then it went dark.
SPENCER
Even after everything we went through to get this new location open, the board was still being a pain in Beck’s ass, so while he handled them, I was handling the details here.
My head was pounding as I checked the contractor’s work, making sure nothing else needed to be fixed before we started bringing in furniture.
It was wild how quickly it came together. We were part office, part small storefront because Grace had been right. This was exactly the kind of town where a smaller branch would thrive.
And if it went well, I had a feeling this wouldn’t be the only branch. The board was insane to ignore change like this.
My phone rang, giving me the perfect distraction. I waved to the contractors, giving them a thumbs up before walking away.
“Hey, Nolan. How’s it going?”
“Spencer.” It was Hailey’s voice, and she was frantic. “I was on the phone with Grace, and I don’t know what happened, but she, I think she passed out. She was in the baby boutique, and then they had to call 911.”
“Oh my god. Hailey, slow down,” I said, my heart pounding as I looked around frantically for my pack, eventually yelling out when I couldn’t see them.
Cade and Beckett came running to the front, something in my voice catching their attention.
“How did we miss this through the bond?”
Honestly, we’d all been so distracted by work that we hadn’t paid attention. But now that I tried to tune into it… nothing. It was silent.
And that fucking scared me.
“We’re on our way, Hailey. I’ll give you an update as soon as I get there. Do you know where they took her?”
“There’s only one hospital in Rockwood Valley. It’s a small one. If it was anything more serious, they’ll take her on to the nearest city, but start there.”
Cade was already on the phone with Drew, and I knew he’d be arriving at about the same time we would. We all ran to our SUV, flying through town at speeds that definitely earned us a ticket, or three.
We stormed into the emergency department to find Drew talking frantically to a nurse. He turned as if he could feel us coming, looking relieved as he waved us over.
“We’re her pack. We’re bonded.”
We all flashed our bite marks, and the woman nodded slowly.
“I understand, sir, but she hasn’t even woken up enough to tell me her name. How do I know I’m not sending you to some defenseless Omega?”
“We have pictures with her,” I said, pulling out a photo on my phone, the one Avery had taken of us all in town a few months ago.
“That’s my baby in her stomach, and I need to get to my omega,” Beckett half-growled.
Between the photo and our determination, the nurse swallowed hard and nodded, disappearing behind the double doors before finally returning and waving us in.
It was like an out-of-body experience to see my sweet, small omega in that hospital bed. An IV was in one arm, blood pressure cuff on the other. They had a band around her stomach, and I could hear the steady woosh woosh woosh of our baby’s heartbeat.
A loud knock startled us out of our trance as Dr. Clark walked in. Her face was calm, but sober.
“The good news is she’s stable. The bad is that I’m genuinely not sure yet what happened. Grace is apparently exhausted. She’s not on sedation, she’s just resting. We’ve got her on some IV fluids because she was dehydrated.”
I opened my mouth to protest, we’d been making sure Grace had plenty of fluids, but she gave me a placating smile.
“You’d be surprised how much a baby feeds off of its mother. They’ll leech the calcium from your teeth and make them brittle. I guarantee you could’ve given her as much water as possible and this still could happen from time to time.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. The thought of our omega and baby in danger had me ready to do anything to fix it.
“Has anything stressful been going on? Sometimes stress, when exacerbated by pregnancy, can create a not-so-fun combination.”
My mind immediately flared to the package we received and the comments Grace had been getting online. But nothing that seemed like it would lead to this level of stress—and I told her as much.
“We’ve had a few things pop up here and there, but she’s handled it all well.
She was literally just talking to her sister and walking into a shop for baby clothes.
We were all working, and she’d just texted that she was going to do a little shopping in town.
She never mentioned feeling bad, either. ”
“We’re going to have to have one of us with her at all times from now on,” Cade said.
“As much as I want to argue about hovering and how stressful that can be for your omega, I honestly think it might be a good idea. At least until we can get to the bottom of this. We’re running some blood work now to see if she’s deficient in any vitamins.
But as far as I know, she’s been taking her prenatals every day, drinking fluids, eating well, no major morning sickness, correct? We just had an appointment last week.”
“Everything seemed fine,” Drew said. I might have been wrapped up in work during the day, but despite us working hard at the new location, we were all very good about leaving work at work and focusing on Grace and our pack at home.
I sat down heavily in the chair, scooting it closer so I could hold her small hand in mine. The one without the IV.
“At this point, her fluids are looking better. We’re going to wait a little bit more on some tests, but the baby is strong. That heartbeat? It’s telling you she’s doing everything right.”
Dr. Clark walked out, leaving us alone with our omega and our thoughts.
“Gracie… I need you to wake up and reassure us that you’re all right,” Drew begged. Now that we were all bonded, I could feel their worry rising like a wave in my chest.
“We’re going to need to be careful with the bond,” I said. “We don’t need to give her our stress by accident.” I tried my best to shield her from the horror of watching her on that hospital bed, breathing steadily, but looking so frail.
There was a strange noise before her blood pressure cuff began to inflate. That had Grace rousing, her eyelids fluttering open before she startled.
We all moved as one, reaching out, settling our hands on her. Drew and Beckett rumbled a low purr to calm her.
She settled back against the pillow, blinking rapidly as it likely all came back to her.
“I don’t even remember getting here. I was just shopping, and I got so light-headed. I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. I couldn’t even talk to them.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Your sister called us, and the shop called 911. You’re safe. The baby is all right. Listen to that heartbeat,” I said, my voice soft and soothing.
She gripped my hand and closed her eyes for a second. We all went quiet as the steady thump-thump-thump of the baby’s heartbeat echoed from the monitor.
With that, she opened her eyes. “Thank god. I was so scared.”
“I’m sorry we weren’t there with you, Gracie. But one of us will be with you all the time now, just in case,” Drew promised with tears glistening in his eyes. The thought of losing her was affecting us all.
She didn’t even fight us on it. “Do you think they’re going to put me on bed rest?”
“They might. At least we’ve got the old man here to stay home with you at home when we can’t,” I said, grinning at Drew.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he replied, not even rising to the teasing.
“You scared us, muse,” Cade said, his hand running up and down her leg, the only part of her he could reach.
“Scared me, too,” she admitted. “Hailey’s pregnant, too.
She’s just as far along as we are. They’re going to be cousins the same age.
” She chuckled, then sighed softly. I had a feeling she was really missing her sister.
Maybe it was time for us to step in and give Hailey a call to check in. At least a visit might help.
“Speaking of your sister, I really need to call them and let them know you’re awake and okay. They’re running blood tests, but the doctor said the baby’s fine,” Beckett muttered.
She nodded, watching as he pulled out my phone to call Hailey back.
“Tell me my sister’s okay!” she demanded the second she answered, her voice echoing in the room.
“She’s fine and she’s awake now. The doctors are giving her fluids. She was dehydrated. They’re worried she might be low on something, but the baby is safe and so is Grace.”
“Thank God,” she sobbed. I could hear Nolan offering her comfort, and I was glad she wasn’t alone.
“I should be there,” Hailey said. “Tell her I’m so sorry.”
“You have your own life. She understands, but misses you, too,” he said gently. “We’ll let you know what else the doctor says.”
We said a quick goodbye before I slid my phone away, giving Grace my full attention again.
Dr. Clark walked back in with her chart in hand.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” she said, visibly relieved.
“I just got your bloodwork back, and everything looks fine. You were a little low on a few vitamins, but with your prenatals and a balanced diet, I think that’ll even out.
I genuinely believe you just had a bad bout of dehydration and shifting hormones.
You need to keep up with those fluids, and I’m going to schedule your appointments a little closer together than we anticipated to keep a closer eye. ”
Grace nodded, eyes already drooping again.
“For now, I want you on bed rest for the rest of the week to recover. Then we’ll have an appointment at the end of the week to reassess, okay?”
“All right,” Grace agreed. “I just want the baby to be okay.”
“They’re a lot stronger than they seem,” Dr. Clark reassured her. “And I’m going to take good care of you both.”