Chapter XIX #2
She sets the packet down and reaches for the blood pressure cuff.
I should offer her my arm, but…I feel weird right now being around another Alpha.
I must be getting my heat back soon and maybe that’s what’s causing this.
I don’t think I have low iron; I think I’m having Knox-withdrawal.
And going into heat while he’s gone will certainly elevate all the annoying symptoms. My body is adamant that I need him even though I already visited him today.
Before we can figure it out, both of us glance at the door as someone comes bolting down the hallway. A Beta in a lab coat bursts through with urgency.
“Doctor, you’re needed!” he breathes harshly, saying nothing more as he retreats back down the hall he came from.
“Stay here,” Dr. Ritza nods at me before following the Beta in a hurry.
They’re both gone in a flash, leaving me stunned in the room by myself. I really hope that was about something else and not Knox’s condition. Otherwise, they would’ve told me to come, too. Wouldn’t they?
Alone, I approach Ritza’s folder with my blood results and take a peek. It’s extensive as promised, showing a long list of acronyms I’m unsure of, though I recognize the ones for oxygen blood count. The ranges are all normal. Negative, negative, negative.
I skim down the list until my eyes hit one highlighted result. My heart stutters at the word pregnancy, but I read the segment carefully to ensure I'm not misinterpreting this before I freak out.
Pregnancy. Positive.
There’s no mistaking it. I don’t have low iron, and I’m certainly not going into heat…
I’m pregnant. Trembling in shock, I lift my eyes from the paper.
Before I can even react, a deep and agonized shout travels down the corridor right into my soul.
A wave of bumps travels up my arms, and my spine tingles hard enough to make me squirm where I stand.
The Omega in me did not like the sound of that. I begin to panic as more shouts follow the first one until there’s a full meltdown happening somewhere down the corridor. I’ve never heard Knox yell like that. Something must be seriously wrong.
Ditching the folder, I jog out of the room, unable to move much faster due to my queasy stomach. I follow his cries, calling out his name as if he could respond from so far away.
“Knox?!” my voice shakes as I rush down the hall.
A scientist exits a locked sliding door which allows me to slip through without a badge.
They pause and scold me, but I ignore it.
My heart aches and my breaths come out quick and short in my ears.
Every fiber of my being tells me that if Knox is in trouble, then I am, too.
He’s my protector. My Alpha. I need him to be okay.
Shouldering my way through the last sliding door, I join the flurry of scientists rushing around the quantum transfer bed. I cover my ears, wincing under the blaring alarms and flashing lights coming from the bed Knox is thrashing against.
Shuffling along in distress, I look every which way for Dr. Ritza but there are so many white lab coats running around that it becomes a twisted game.
“Arius!”
I snap my chin up, finding Gomez on a higher platform where he can overlook the chaos.
He waves me up as a scientist rudely bumps my shoulder.
Getting out of the way, I hustle up the ramp.
I’m about to bombard him with questions until I look over the yellow railing and really get a look at Knox’s condition.
His beautiful macchiato skin has gone sickly pale, drenched in a sheen of sweat.
His eyes are open but unseeing as his pupils battle with the harsh lights in the room.
His muscles contract and spasm in a way that looks painful.
The doctors and scientists try to work around him and calm him down while they figure out what went wrong.
Hands clutched over my mouth and nose; I watch with a heavy heart. I knew something was going to go wrong, dammit! Why didn’t I listen to my gut? I should’ve stuck up for myself and I should’ve trusted my intuition over Alpha Ritza’s word.
Angry and distraught, my feet carry me downward. Gomez calls after me but I ignore him.
“Knox!” I call out his name through the bustle.
Scientists try to hold me back, but I push through their arms until I’m by my Alpha’s side.
“Knox! Can you hear me?!” I clutch his clammy hand, but he doesn’t seem to register that I’m here.
“What's wrong with him?! Help him!” I yell at the Beta closest to me.
She’s fumbling with one of the heart monitor devices, moving quickly to stop the urgent beeping coming from the machine.
“Vitals stabilizing,” she promises, paying me no mind.
I squeeze Knox’s hand, sobbing hard enough to make my head hurt. He’s in so much pain. I feel him growing weaker by the second, yelling in agony. A life without him being there for our baby is not one I can imagine. I can’t do it alone. I need him to be okay.
I glance around us as a few doctors leave and some of the alarms are silenced. Knox’s shouting has dimmed but he’s still writhing with discomfort and pain.
“Where are they going?” I ask out loud, but everyone ignores me, focusing more on the transfer bed than on Knox. Dr. Ritza finally shows up, keeping a cool expression as she assesses the state of things.
“No ejection. Initiate electrode neutralization. Reset control panel B,” she commands with authority.
“Pull him out! Doctor, please! Fix him and bring him back!”
Once again, my pleas are dismissed. I don’t understand why I’m the only one crying as they sacrifice his well-being for their stupid science project. Knox is an important member of this organization. He’s kind, he’s empathetic, he’s smart. They don’t realize what a good thing they’ve got with him.
They’ll never find another Alpha who can do what he does. He needs to be okay!
“Knox! Can you hear me?! Gomez, do something! Somebody! Please!” I try again before Knox passes out.
My only consolidation is that I can feel his pulse through my shaking hands.
I glance up at Gomez, wishing he’d at least help me convince the doctors to get him out of this damn machine.
But he’s crying too, gnawing on his lips to hold them back from quivering.
I’m sure he feels guilty for suggesting we do this. It’s not his fault. We needed a distraction and this certainly did the trick. Maybe too well.
But now that I’m also pregnant with his baby before we’ve mated, maybe a monumental distraction is in order after all.