26. Charlie
Charlie
W hat the hell did I do?
One minute we were finally talking about it—why she left me when we were still teens—and the next, we're in the emergency room.
Scariest twenty minutes of my life, catching Hannah before she hit the tile floor of the salon and waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Now, she's in a hospital bed and hooked up to an IV.
I'm sitting at her bedside, her hand in mine while Austin paces behind me, Noah sits in the corner, and Enzo speaks to the doctor outside, which just so happens to be Simon De Lucca.
He was able to verify that we're her new pack, so Enzo has some leeway regarding her medical information. Will she be pissed? I'm not sure. But Simon called Cady—her actual emergency contact—to see if this is what Hannah would want, and Cady confirmed, so here we are.
The steady beep of the heart monitor is the only noise in the room besides the muffled voices of Simon and Enzo just outside the door.
"Scent sickness…" Austin trails off, shaking his head. "How did we miss that?"
Hannah didn't tell us about the scent sickness—it was in her file sent over by her doctor, Doctor Mejia. The date of her last visit coincides with the day I walked in on them in the kitchen together, feeling like an intruder in my own damn house.
I don't know whether to be pissed that she didn't think to at least tell the other members of her pack about this pretty serious, but easily fixable, medical issue, or to feel like shit that she didn't feel safe telling us about it.
"It doesn't make any sense." I swallow roughly. "She…she was with you guys last night, wasn't she?"
We were at home earlier, and Noah had just finished telling me about their dinner the night before and how they watched my game.
Hearing about how she cheered for me…it made me think maybe things were fixable.
So I called in and took an open appointment.
I had no idea she had just had a super stressful call with the lawyer.
Before he can answer, the door clicks open, and Enzo, Simon, and another doctor—a beta woman looking to be in her fifties—walk in.
Noah stands abruptly, and Austin freezes in place. The other doctor looks at us with mild amusement before her eyes settle on Hannah and soften.
"Gentleman," Simon says, clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses, "this is Doctor Mejia, Hannah's primary doctor. She's going to do an evaluation, since the passing out seems to be a symptom of a bigger issue, and not the actual problem."
"Hello, alphas." She nods at us before approaching Hannah. "I'm going to take a look at your omega for a moment." I do my best to stifle the growl that rattles in my chest. This is the doctor. She's here to help.
Enzo shoots me a look that looks a little murderous, and I clear my throat, taking a step back.
In the middle of Doctor Mejia pressing her abdomen, Hannah's eyes flutter open. "Doc…Doctor Mejia?" Her voice is scratchy as she blinks, looking around the room, her eyes widening as they land on all of us.
"Hello, Hannah," the doctor says kindly, moving her hands to feel her lymph nodes under her throat, "I hear you passed out at work."
Hannah flushes pink in realization, no doubt remembering our conversation just before she lost consciousness. When her head falls back into her pillows, she lets out a little groan. "Oh my gods, what happened?"
"You had a conversation with Brody Sheffield regarding your Nana's case," Enzo says gently, walking to the other side of her bed, "which Doctor De Lucca—"
Hannah's head shoots up and she finds Simon standing by the door. "Shit. Hi, Simon."
"Hi, Hannah." He gives a little wave.
Enzo continues. "Simon believes that put you in a rather stressful situation, and since you were already battling with scent sickness—"
I don't think anyone is ready for when tears well up in Hannah's eyes. She looks at Doctor Mejia accusingly. "You told them?"
Simon steps in. "Hannah, we called your emergency contact, which, as you know, is Cady. She confirmed these alphas as your new pack, and therefore they are privy to your medical information in a situation such as this."
"I didn't. But I would have," Doctor Mejia says a little harshly as she steps back. "This is serious, Hannah. If you continue on like this—"
"I was with them last night!" She argues, the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes start to fall.
"It's not enough then," Doctor Mejia's voice switches back to gentle as she sits on the stool I had been occupying before, "you need more, Hannah. I'd say constant exposure for at least forty-eight hours. This will stop you from having withdrawals, but it might push you into an early heat."
"Do we know what caused this when she was just with us all last night?" Noah asks, voice tight.
The doctor shakes her head and sighs, turning back to Hannah. "I believe that when you got that call, your omega went into fight or flight mode, but without a bond or scents to ensure that your alphas were nearby or available to take care of you…"
"It just…quit?" Hannah's voice is tiny. "Shit, I really am broken, aren't I?"
Enzo, Austin, Noah, and I all make sounds of protest, but the doctor ignores us. "Why are you digging your heels in on this? I know you've always wanted a pack, and from what I can tell, these true scent matches of yours are good alphas, and they want to take care of you. Why can't you let them?"
My brows shoot up at the doctor's words, thinking she sounds like a therapist and a doctor all rolled into one.
Hannah looks down, her eyes trained on where her hands are fiddling with the hospital blanket in her lap.
"Doctors, could we please get a moment with our omega?
" Enzo is as polite as ever, and both doctors exchange a look before nodding and leaving the room.
The door clicks shut behind them, and to my surprise, Enzo gets on his knees.
Hannah won't meet his eyes as he takes her hands.
" Preciosa , didn't I tell you last night that you being in danger is something that I will not stand for? "
Lower lip wobbling, she nods slightly.
"Will you please tell us why…why you won't let us all the way in? Why you won't allow us to take care of you?"
The room is silent. The heart rate monitor picks up slightly, betraying our omega's nerves.
"Twenty-three." The words are so quiet, I almost don't catch them.
"What's that, darlin'?" Austin asks from behind me.
" Twenty-three ," her voice is clearer as she looks up at us. "That's how many packs I've met with since I first went to the OMS."
My heart drops in my chest, my blood turning to ice.
Twenty…three?
"That's how many packs didn't want me when they hardly knew anything about me," she continues, voice wavering slightly.
"How many packs went on one date with me and said 'no thanks, not interested'.
There's obviously something wrong with me, so why…
" She chokes on her words, and I hate how broken she looks.
"What's going to stop you from seeing the same thing those other packs saw and decide that I'm not worth it?
That you don't really want me? It seemed too good to be true, and then this whole scent sickness bullshit happened, and I thought, 'okay, this is what makes them run'.
How can you bear to be tied to an omega so…
so broken that she gets sick if she doesn't have your scents? "
Her words echo in the room, the sounds of them turning over in my mind. I can't imagine the pain and loneliness she's had to endure the last twelve years.
"Fuck that." Noah's words have us all turning towards him. "Seriously, princess. Fuck. That." He walks over, dropping onto her other side. "I told you last night I almost bonded you, and I just met you. If that's not a sign that my alpha and I fucking want you, I don't know what is."
"You would have regretted it—" Her half hearted words are cut off by him.
"Bullshit. I would have bonded you, and I would have been happy about it. Then you would be stuck with me. That's because I'm a fucking selfish bastard, and I'm not afraid to admit it."
Her mouth opens and shuts twice, before she shakes her head. "But…"
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Noah, reinita, " Enzo rumbles. "Fuck that. We want you. I don't think I'm overstepping when I say that we're all falling for you. Fast and hard."
"Move in with us," Austin blurts out, coming next to Enzo.
"Permanently. That will take care of this scent sickness.
It's our fault you have it to begin with, we never should have given you space.
There was never a moment where all of us weren't all in.
Hell, Charlie traded his team on the off chance you lived in Starbrook City 'cause he saw a picture of you online. "
I glare at Austin, annoyed he just blurted that out, but he ignores me as Noah and Enzo nod in agreement.
When Hannah's eyes meet mine I realize that I'm the only one who hasn't said anything yet.
Hannah regards me, her hesitancy clear, a look of disbelief on her face.
I guess we have a conversation to finish.
"Is that true?" she asks, her voice a broken whisper.
"Guys, can…can Hannah and I have a minute?" My voice comes out shakier than I'd like, and my three packmates look for Hannah's confirmation before shuffling out the door. Enzo shoots me a look over his shoulder that's clearly telling me not to fuck this up.
The door shuts behind them, and I take a seat at the stool I was on before. "Mags…please don't hate me for this, but I need you to tell me exactly what you think happened."