39. Beckett
Chapter 39
Beckett
“ C an you tell me what your omega has taken?” The nurse who had taken all our information when we came in asked, standing in front of me with a disapproving look.
“W-what?” I stammered.
“What drug did she take to cause this?”
“She doesn’t take drugs. She’s got a doula who does all her prenatal stuff, but that’s it.”
We were still standing in the waiting room at the hospital. When we had arrived, hot on the heels of the ambulance, they had refused to allow us in the room with Meadow, leaving us, Clover, and Hendrix pacing the waiting room, desperately waiting for any news.
We were still in our concert clothes, and the people milling around the room kept glancing our way. At one point, I heard Hard Knot Life muttered under someone’s breath.
Wonderful.
There were times, like now, I really disliked fame. Couldn’t even have a crisis in peace.
We paced the waiting room for twenty-seven agonizing minutes, desperately anticipating even the smallest fragment of information on the state of our omega, before a nurse finally stormed toward us from the triage bay.
What if something was wrong with the baby? That was something I couldn’t allow my mind to linger on.
The others jumped out of their chairs, rushing over to hear the news.
Only, she wasn’t giving me news.
“You’re not being honest with me,” the nurse growled, her hands on her hips. “We’ve ruled out any pregnancy complications and several other potential issues. All her symptoms are pointing to drug-related issues.”
“Meadow doesn’t do drugs,” I insisted.
The nurse glowered at us. “I know who you are. Rock stars aren’t exactly known for their healthy lifestyle. She could get access to anything.”
“Meadow’s clean. She’s pregnant,” I snapped icily. I didn’t like what she was implying. Not one bit.
“Was she in close proximity to someone who was using drugs?” she asked.
Hendrix spoke up behind me. “I’m her bond mate. I…uh…I used to take a lot before Meadow got pregnant, but I’ve been sober ever since we figured out it affected her. I didn’t want her to feel any of that shit through the bond.”
The nurse looked him up and down, clearly not believing a word. “In that case, I suppose you would be willing to take a drug test?”
“Just give me a cup and I’ll pee in it.” He nodded confidently.
The nurse jerked her head, turning to get the attention of another nurse, waving her over. “Can you take this gentleman for a comprehensive urine test?”
“Of course.” She smiled, gesturing toward the doors while talking to Hendrix. “If you want to follow me through these doors, one of our male nurses will take you through the test.”
He followed without hesitation, not at all concerned that some random guy was about to watch him pee in a cup.
Once his back disappeared through the door, quickly followed by the nurse, I turned to Phin. “You don’t think…”
Phin blinked at me. “Don’t think what?”
“That’s he’s been taking something. He’s been awfully perky lately.” I didn’t want to believe that. My stomach ached with the possibility.
“He would never do that to Meadow, surely?” He frowned. “I refuse to believe it.”
Our worst fears were confirmed only minutes later when the doctor came out, stern-faced. He ushered me into a quiet corner before speaking.
“My nurses said you have no idea what Miss Reed took?”
I shook my head, repeating exactly what I’d told the nurse.
“There’s no easy way to say this. We did a full blood panel on her and rushed the results. There were narcotics in her system. Strong ones.”
My body turned to ice as I tried to comprehend what he had just said. There was no way Meadow would willingly take narcotics, especially while pregnant. She felt guilty if she drank so much as a cup of coffee while pregnant.
“There’s no way…” I trailed off, unable to formulate words. My head buzzed.
“Unfortunately, the test results don’t lie. It was a significant dose, which is why she became sick so fast.”
“But she’ll be okay, right? And the baby?”
I could have sworn an eternity passed before the doctor nodded, even though it was probably less than a second. “They’re lucky there are no signs of long-term drug use, so this may be a one-off. We are giving her fluids and keeping a very close eye on her and the baby for the next day or two before she can go home.” He looked me up and down. “And I do mean home . A tour bus is not a suitable living situation for someone who is recovering and pregnant. I don’t think you need me to tell you this situation could have been a lot worse.”
He didn’t. “We’ll take her home to California the moment she is discharged. No touring.”
“Good. We also need to discuss your pack mate’s urine tests.” As he spoke, I glanced over in the direction of the waiting room, where the rest of the pack and Clover were staring at me, sitting in those uncomfortable plastic chairs, and anyone who recognized the band staring at them in turn.
“Hendrix is clean, right?” I asked, even though my gut was telling me that wasn’t likely.
The doctor grimaced, running a hand over his beard. “Yes and no. He’s taken something in the last seventy-two hours. The same compounds showed up in the results for your omega, as well.”
I cocked my head, trying to understand what he was saying.
“Is there a chance that your omega may have consumed something of his without realizing?”
It was a distinct possibility. If I was certain of one thing, it was that Hendrix never would have given Meadow anything willingly. He would have chopped off his left nut before hurting his child.
“I need to talk to my pack mate. Where is he?” I asked. “And when can we see our omega?”
“The nurses are just getting Miss Reed situated in a room for her stay. As soon as they’re done, they’ll let you know. In the meantime, your pack mate is in room eight down the hall. The nurses thought it best we keep him back there while we wait for further blood test results.”
Rage simmered under my skin, and my blood boiled.
I nodded in thanks, and without bothering to check in with my pack mates, I strode off to find room eight.
Hendrix was sitting on the hospital bed, head in his hands. He looked utterly dejected, but I didn’t give a shit.
At the sound of me entering, he looked up.
“Hey, what did?—”
He didn’t manage to get another word out before my fist collided with his cheek, making a cracking noise as it landed.
“What the fuck ?” He reared back, lifting his hand to cradle his face.
“What have you been taking?” I snarled.
“Nothing! That’s why I peed in the fucking cup!”
The door opened behind us, and Phin and Arlo dashed in, Clover hot on their heels.
“What the hell is going on?” Phin shoved himself between us, staring me down.
“Beck is accusing me of taking shit!” Hendrix growled. “You know I stopped taking that stuff for Meadow!”
“Both you and Meadow have drugs in your system!” I shouted, while everyone else in the room let out sounds of disbelief.
“What do you mean?” Arlo asked.
I took a deep breath, my glare never leaving Hendrix as I explained the test results the doctor laid out for me.
“I’m not taking anything!”
“But is Meadow okay?” Arlo asked.
“As far as they can tell, yes,” I confirmed. “She’ll only have to stay here for a day or two.”
“How the fuck did she get drugs in her system?” Phin asked. “Meadow would never willingly take anything.”
“Our only guess is that she took something of Hendrix’s without knowing,” I growled.
“That’s impossible,” Hendrix insisted. “The only drugs I’ve taken in months are the ones Gary was shooting into my IV bags, and I stopped letting him do that the second I realized they could harm Meadow!”
“Wait, what ?” Phin spun to stare at Hendrix. “You weren’t taking anything yourself? Gary was dosing your fluids?! What the fuck, Hendrix? Why didn’t you ever tell us?”
That was one problem too many right now. “We’ll deal with that later. Meadow’s the one in the fucking hospital. How did she get the drugs if Gary was your supplier?”
“Oh. Oh, fuck !” Clover’s voice silenced the room, and we all turned to look at her. “The smoothies! That stuck-up doula looked like she was about to faint the moment Hendrix admitted they had been swapping smoothies.”
I turned sharply to Hendrix. “When did you start swapping shakes?”
“A few days ago…”
“Fuck. Call Gary. Now,” I demanded.
Hendrix shook his head. “There’s no way he would have done something to hurt the baby.”
“Fine. If you won’t do it, I will. Now shut the fuck up.” I gave him a harsh glare and pulled out my phone. I was not in the mood to be fucked with.
“It’s about time one of you called me!” Gary’s angry voice crackled over the speakerphone. “Do you have any idea how much of a mess you’ve left me with here?”
“I don’t particularly care. You’re going to tell me what the hell you were dosing Hendrix with.”
“I don’t like what you’re implying,” Gary said.
“I’m not implying anything. I’m asking because we know that’s what you’ve been doing.” Anger simmered in my voice. “I have two members of my pack with positive drug tests. If you don’t tell me what you gave them right this instant, I promise you that I will never step foot on stage again, and you know full well that Arlo and Phin will follow. Hendrix may try to stick around, but we are a pack, after all. Now, tell me. I am not in the mood to be tested today.”
The phone was silent for a moment, and I glanced over at Hendrix, who was looking positively green.
“It was just a few uppers,” Gary admitted. “He wasn’t as energetic on stage. He needed them! That piece of ass was ruining the entire tour, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Don’t fucking call her that, and don’t you think for a damn minute that you had any right to drug him,” I growled.
I hadn’t expected much from Gary, but drugging one of my pack mates so they had a bit more pep in their step on stage was disgusting.
A small part of me felt bad about punching Hendrix.
Only a small part.
“Look, I did what I had to. You guys are selling out huge venues! You’re almost at the peak of your career. I can’t let a one-night stand gone wrong fuck that up! Surely you understand, Beckett. You’re a logical guy.”
Fuck that, and fuck him.
“I’ve heard enough,” I snapped. Every one of the pack looked horrified, and Clover looked downright murderous.
How I would love to be a fly on the wall when she found Ellie.
“Just discharge yourselves and come back. There are still VIPs waiting.”
I took a deep breath. What I was about to say was probably something that should have been discussed as a pack, but my hindbrain was in control, and all I wanted to do was take my pack far, far away from the threat.
“The tour is over,” I said simply. “We’re going home to California, to make sure our pack members are healthy.”
“You can’t do that!” Gary thundered.
“Watch me,” I snarled. Thankfully, no one seemed upset at my words. It was like the horror of the situation had finally sunk in and we all wanted out.
“Beckett! Don’t be fucking stupid. Think of the money you’ll be throwing away. Look, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll buy that woman a nicer tour bus and get a different doula, but don’t fuck this up.”
Before I could respond, Hendrix moved off the hospital bed and took the phone out of my hand with an eerie calmness. Instead of shouting at me, like I thought he would, he quietly said, “You’re fired, Gary.”
For a few moments, all that came through the phone was a confused spluttering sound. “Hendrix! You’re not thinking clearly. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Firing me will ruin your career!”
“You know what? I feel like shit, but I’m thinking clearer than I have in a long time. You’d better fucking hope to god you’re never near me again, because I will fucking murder you for hurting my omega. I’ve stood by you my whole damn career, but the second you put her in danger, we were done. I never want to see you again.”
He hung up the phone before Gary could respond, his entire body shaking.
“Well…It looks like we just got some free time on our hands.” Phin laughed.
We only had a few more minutes to discuss our plans before the doctor returned. His scrubs were creased, and he looked tired. People who worked in the emergency room were a different breed.
His brow furrowed when he saw the black eye Hendrix was quickly developing. “What’s going on here?” he asked, clearly confused.
“We figured out how Meadow got dosed,” Arlo said.
The doctor turned to glare at Hendrix, immediately assuming he was the culprit.
Hendrix sat down hard on the bed. “Meadow’s doula was dosing our smoothies without us knowing. Meadow had been complaining about the taste and insisted on trying mine, and when she liked mine better, we started swapping them. Mine had uppers in it, according to our manager.”
The doctor’s eyes widened. “Are you positive?”
“We are,” I replied. “I recorded the confession, and I’m about to file a police report, just as soon as we figure out our next steps, medically.”
The doctor breathed a sigh. “That’s a relief we won’t have to get child protective services involved, now that we know the drugs weren’t intentionally consumed. Miss Reed should be okay to go home after observation.”
“What should we do for her?”
The doctor turned to Hendrix first. “I would recommend you check into a rehab facility for a medically supervised detox, if your manager has been drugging you for some time.”
“I’ll do anything I need to,” Hendrix replied.
“Good.” The doctor nodded and turned back to me. “Miss Reed will likely struggle with him in there, though. She’s only bonded to one of your pack right now, correct?”
“Yeah, just Hendrix.”
“Is your pack open to an additional bond?”
Phin, Arlo, and I shared a look, and I nodded. “Absolutely.”
The doctor nodded, considering. “At this time, I would suggest only a single bond. She’s quite fragile, and bonds can be a lot, even when completely healthy. See how she responds to one new bond before you consider the others. Otherwise, I would just make sure she’s comfortable and make an appointment with her primary care practitioner when you get home for a follow-up.”
We’d have to find her a PCP first, but that shouldn’t be too difficult with enough money greasing the wheels. Meadow deserved the best care possible.
Fuck, there was a lot to do. I needed to get started. First things first: reporting Gary and Ellie to the police for all the damage those fuckers had caused.