I meet Piper's bloodshot eyes and nod my head. She’s already bonded to him, and she knows more about his medical history than I do.
“I’ll meet you there,” I tell her, and she nods.
“I’ll take care of him.”
The doors shut loudly, and I stand there in shock for a few minutes. The last half hour of my life seems to have happened at the speed of light. Some of my teammates approach me to get an update, but I’m in the locker room getting changed and collecting my things along with Owen’s.
“Whatever you need, cap, just let us know,” Eli says, a soft expression on his face.
“Seriously, let us know when he’s okay,” Mikael says.
“Do you need a ride?” Nilsen asks, and I nod my head. I can’t think right now, let alone drive myself to the hospital.
I get other words of encouragement from the coaching staff and players. Noticeably, Johannson says nothing. If anything, he looks almost guilty.
I pocket that information for later. The only thing I’m worried about right now is getting to Owen. He has to be so scared and in pain, and I’m just here. I should have said fuck it all and bonded him regardless of the repercussions. I just wanted to make things easier for him during the season. But now I regret not marking him as mine. Maybe I would have noticed something was off?
Maybe not, Piper would have been in tune with him.
I feel so hopeless and worthless as an Alpha at this moment. All I want to do is make everything better. Nilsen is quiet as he drives me to the hospital. It’s a swirl of color and lights, and the only thing I can think about is what if he’s not okay. What if he had a fucking heart attack, what if this is the end.
Nilsen is the one to break me out of my panic.
“Your Omega is going to be fine, cap.”
I swirl my head over to him and blink. Piper told the medics, but no one else was around. He shrugs his shoulders at me and sighs.
“I’m pretty sure the whole team knows.”
“The whole team?”
“He hid his scent pretty well, but all the signs were there. I think we all agree that he’s a good fucking goalie, so we didn’t care.”
I scrub a hand down my face and tug on my beard. God, I’m ready to cut this shit. “He… he didn’t look okay.”
“He’s tough, and he’s in good hands. They will figure out what’s going on with your Omega.”
I break.
I can’t remember the last time I cried, maybe when my dad passed a decade ago. But I can’t hold it in. I haven’t even told Owen how much I love him, how much happiness he brings me, how I can’t picture a world without him. I’m completely rendered speechless by the fear of losing him.
“Fuck,” Nilsen mumbles next to me, but he doesn’t say or do anything else, and I’m grateful. I’m not afraid of showing emotion in front of someone, but of all people, Bram Nilsen isn’t the one I imagined.
He pulls around to the hospital entrance and hands me my stuff, which I take quickly and get out of the car.
“Let us know if you need anything, cap.”
I nod and head through the doors and go to reception. It’s all a blur as I give them his name and she takes me to a waiting room. I see Piper with her face in her hands as she cries, and my stomach drops.
“Is he?” I ask, but it's barely audible. Piper's red and watery eyes meet mine, and she shakes her head and motions for me to sit down next to her.
“He’s having a procedure done,” she says softly.
“Surgery?” She shakes her head and looks at me softly before she starts to explain.
“Opioids were in his system.”
“We would know if he took something besides his normal medication,” I say, interrupting her, and she nods her head.
