Chapter 50 Wilder
Wilder
“You really have no idea who that guy was who pulled you and Hailey out of the house?” Nolan asked as he paced the hospital room.
I was sitting on a plastic armchair, my skull throbbing. Everything had happened so fast. Edward had hit me over the back of the head, knocking me out cold before I could blink. The fucker had snuck in through the back door, and I hadn’t even know he was there.
The next thing I knew, I was groggily waking up in a hospital room, my omega by my side after she had been brought to the hospital in a different ambulance.
She had been in a wheelchair herself, the doctors concerned about the baby after the amount of smoke she had inhaled.
It took a bit of convincing, but eventually she agreed to accept a bed in the same room as me.
She was adamant she didn't want to leave my side, and I could tell that separating us would only increase her stress, so I had implored the doctors.
I had been giving a clean-ish bill of health. With strict rest and monitoring instructions, I could go home, but there was no way I was doing that without Hailey.
Our omega was currently curled up on the hospital bed, clutching a large pillow to her chest as she slept.
Several wires were attached to her, monitoring her and the baby.
She had inhaled a significant amount of smoke, and the doctors wanted to keep a close eye on her for a few days to ensure the stress hadn’t put her at risk of premature labor.
We hadn’t left her room for a moment. Even when the nurses had tried to convince me to go home and sleep, I refused.
So, we were all piled into Hailey’s room, sitting on those crappy little chairs, watching over her.
“No, like I said, the last thing I remember was meal prepping the pasta, and the next it was lights out,” I growled, running a hand through my hair, wincing when it touched the considerable bump at the back of my skull.
The fucker had been too cowardly to face me from the front.
“We should have gotten his name—maybe the police could tell us?” Nolan said. “I was so distracted getting Hailey to the hospital, I didn’t even think to question his presence.”
“That’s understandable. We were both distracted making sure Wilder and Hailey were okay. Has she said anything about who pulled them out?” Merrick asked, nodding toward the sleeping Hailey.
I shook my head. “She’s been too busy fussing over me.”
Now it was our turn to fuss over her while the doctors monitored her for a few days.
“We will figure this out,” Preston grumbled in frustration from where he was against the far wall, watching Hailey intently. He had dark circles under his eyes. “I can’t fucking believe we weren’t there for her when she really needed us.”
“She’s safe now. That’s what matters,” Nolan reassured him.
Preston was beating himself up, that much was obvious.
“I should have known Haskins wouldn’t go quietly,” he muttered as he paced the room.
“Dude, you had no way of knowing,” Nolan insisted.
He shook his head. “No, I should have known my work put our omega at risk. How are you being so calm about this?” he thundered.
“Because she's not an idiot. She knows that there are risks associated with our jobs,” Merrick said. “She won't be angry at anyone other than Edward for being a degenerate piece of trash.”
“You should be mad at me. The house that you freaking restored is gone!”
Merrick shrugged. “It's just a house, we can build another. Also, I have amazing insurance. Everything that's important is in this room.” As he spoke, he looked down at Hailey, who was snoring lightly.
“If anything had happened to her….”
“She's fine. The doctors gave her a clean bill of health. They just want to monitor for a while,” Nolan insisted.
I hated watching Preston do this to himself. I got the impression that it would be a while before he forgave himself.
Walker wasn't much better, either. He felt like it was his fault for not getting Edward arrested sooner. He had been visiting regularly. Sunny had wanted to visit as well, but because she had a young baby, they had been avoiding coming to the hospital, as it was a cesspool of germs and sickness.
“How is she doing?” a deep, eerily calm voice said from the doorway.
We all turned to look at the hulking alpha in the doorway. I didn't recognize him, and judging by the confused looks on Merrick’s and Nolan's faces, they didn't either.
Preston, on the other hand launched, himself at the alpha. “Hudson! What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, embracing him with enthusiasm.
“You’ve been so unavailable, after not hearing from you in so long, I made some inquiries and decided to check on you—fucking good thing I did!
When I heard you had been in a convict firefighter camp, I thought it best I come here just to see what was up.
Went to your house, and well…you know the rest.”
Preston rubbed a hand over his face before turning to us. “Guys, this is Hudson. He was part of my smoke-jumping crew a few years back.”
One of Preston’s old work buddies? What were the fucking chances?
“Dude, thanks—though, maybe next time, come before the concussion. They want me to take it easy for at least a week,” I whined.
“He had a concussion not long ago, courtesy of our omega,” Preston explained.
Hudson nodded. “She seemed like a spitfire, swinging that bat around.”
I snorted. “That bat also happens to be how I got the first concussion!”
His brows rose. “Well, that’s kind of impressive.”
“Are you staying in town long?” Preston asked. “Thank you. Seriously. Thank you so much.”
“A few days, but then I need to leave. I got offered a job up in Seattle. Actually, my whole pack got offered a job. There’s a firehouse that was decommissioned a few years back that they want to bring back to life. I’ll have the captain role, and the rest of my pack will be sergeants.”
“That’s a sweet gig.” Preston whistled. “And a hard one.”
“It’ll be worth it to work together. You probably know better than anyone how working away from each other can get hard.”
Nolan and I gave each other a long look. We knew, we certainly knew.
“I thought I may as well make myself useful here for a while. I’ll work with the LAFD to see if we can salvage anything from your place.”
“Really? You would do that for us?” Merrick asked.
Hudson shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do, and I owe Preston. He saved my ass more times than I can count when I was a smoke jumper.”
“It’s mutual.” Preston chuckled.
The doctors insisted on keeping Hailey in for another two nights, but we didn’t complain. We were all happy she was being closely watched by the professionals.
I stuck to her side like glue, because I wanted to, but also because I was fairly sure the rest of our pack wanted me somewhere there were medical professionals nearby as I recovered from my head injury.
Preston and Merrick had gone back to the house to salvage what they could with Hudson, and Nolan was off doing a bunch of paperwork and trying to procure us another house as soon as possible.
Hailey needed a home; she was going to have a baby in a matter of weeks.
I felt like a failure of an alpha, with my omega so close to giving birth and no nest.
She was so small in the hospital bed, and while I knew it was the safest place for her, that didn’t make me hate the sight of it any less. There were monitors on her belly and an oxygen tube that went to her nose.
I was dozing off in the armchair next to the sleeping Hailey as my phone buzzed.
Nolan
I found a place. Lots of land, bigger house than Merrick’s. They want a quick sale, and if you guys like it, I’ll make it happen.
Several photos came though a moment later, and I let out a low whistle. It was stunning.
Wilder
Fuck yeah. Look at that nest, all that natural light!
Preston
Also, so much garage space. The basement would make an awesome gym.
Merrick
Do it.
Nolan
I’ll have the papers signed tonight. If Hailey doesn’t like it, we can just stay there until the baby is a bit older and she’s recovered, then we can put our energy into finding a forever home.
Wilder
Sounds like a plan.
I scrolled through the pictures. There was no way in hell a house like that was cheap, but for Hailey, we would make it happen. Thanks to our income as a pack, and Nolan investing our money smartly, we could afford it.
Next to me, our omega stirred, eyes opening.
“Hey, cutie,” I said softly.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
She let out a delicate, sleepy snort. “I’m fine, the baby is fine. He’s wriggling around in there, having a party.” She grabbed my hand and placed it on her belly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a kick.
“Hello!” I beamed at her stomach.
“Your son is too energetic. He’s fine and not letting me sleep.” Hailey smiled softly.
Leaning down so my lips were just a few inches from her belly, I spoke. “Hey, little man, I know you’re excited to come meet us all, but you’ve got a little cooking time left. Let your mama rest, okay? We can have plenty of adventures in a few weeks.”
Hailey giggled. “I’m not sure how many adventures a newborn will be up to.”
I shrugged. “It’ll mainly be walking around the house when he refuses to sleep, I think. I’m used to little sleep, thanks to work.”
“Nolan is the only one of us who’s never done night shifts,” Hailey pointed out.
I winced. “Oh yeah, that’ll be a trial by fire for him, but he’s going to love every minute of it. We all are.”
Hailey sighed, leaning back on the hospital bed. Her hand reached out, gently brushing over the bump on the side of my head.
“You know I love you, right?” she whispered. “I’ve never really said it, but I do.”
A smile spread across my face. “Hailey, you ran through a burning house to save me. I know, but it is nice to hear it, I must admit.”
“I love you,” she repeated with a soft smile.
I took her hand in mine, kissing the back of it, unable to stop beaming at her. “And I love you more than I ever thought possible, mate.”