“Her blood pressure is low. I need IV fluids. Lay her on her back with her legs in the air, I’m calling Bastien.”
Luc follows my instructions silently.
Bastien skids through the door less than a minute later with a drip and fluid bags in his hands. The color drains from his face when he sees Ava.
“What’s the matter with her?” he rasps.
“I don’t fucking know, but I’m trying to find out,” I snap back at him, and he recoils.I take a deep breath.
“Sorry. Hook up the fluids here.”
Luc looks up from where he’s holding her legs. “There’s a little more color in her face, Max.”
He’s right, but she’s still not responding. Bastien and Luc both look at me, and I try not to let the panic in my stomach overwhelm me.
“I don’t think this is physical,” I say quietly. I’m not sure if she can hear me, but I keep my voice down anyway.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s inside her head.” Bastien’s voice is bleak as he looks down at her.
I nod when Luc looks at me, his face disturbed. “I don’t know for certain, but this… she’s catatonic, Luc.”
He looks down at the broken omega in his arms. “Can she… can she hear us?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“What do we do?” Nikolai’s growl comes from the doorway. “How do we help her, Max?”
“Lorazepam, normally,” I swallow. “But her body is still recovering from the heat drugs. To dose her again so soon…”
It could kill her.
I drop my head into my hands, trying tothink.Everything I know about omega biology I learned from Emery, and she never experienced anything like this.
Bastien starts to rummage in his pocket, and we look at him as he holds out a crumpled card.
“Devlin Winter’s number,” he says, shaking it. “Call them. Ask the other doctor if he has any ideas.”
Luc stares at me, his eyes full of agony.
I can’t fix this.
Reaching out, I take the paper from Bastien and walk to the door, exiting the room before dialing.
“Devlin? This is Max Grey.”
* * *
The phone rings again less than three minutes later.
“Hello?” My voice comes out as a croak.
“Hello, son. This is Ezra. I understand your omega’s not well.”
“No,” I whisper. “She’s not. And I can’t – I don’t know—,”
My voice breaks, and I swallow. “I don’t know what to do,” I admit.
