I loosen my grip on Rhys's hand.
He doesn't let go first.
I close my eyes.
Let myself be held by all of it. The warmth and the weight and the sound of four different people breathing in the sameroom because they decided, without being asked, that this was where they needed to be.
I fall asleep like that.
And they stay.
Chapter 17
Eli
The omega comes into the ER at 2:47 p.m.
I note the time automatically and chart everything. Bed three. Female omega, mid-twenties, presenting with a fractured wrist and contusions along her ribs.
Her scent is suppressed. Heavy blockers. The kind that cost money.
The kind that gets used to cover up the scent of omega distress.
She flinches when I approach.
"Hi," I say, keeping my voice soft, my movements slow. "I'm Dr. Elijah, but you can call me Eli. I'm going to examine you, okay?"
She nods but doesn't speak.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I fell.” She speaks quietly, practiced. "Down the stairs."
I look at the bruising pattern on her ribs. Distinctly finger-shaped.
"Down the stairs," I repeat neutrally, brushing away a short curl that tickles my forehead.
"Yes."
I don't challenge her. Not yet. I follow protocol. I examine the wrist first. She winces but doesn't pull away.
She arrived with her pack of four alphas hovering around her. Though her injuries weren't critical, I watched NurseMarjorie make eye contact with me over their heads when the omega flinched away from an alpha's outstretched hand. Within minutes, she'd whisked her past triage and directly into my exam room.
"We'll need an X-ray," I tell her. "The wrist is definitely fractured."
She nods again.
"And I need to check your ribs. Is that okay?"
"Okay."
I lift her shirt. The bruising is worse than I thought. Dark purple blooming across her left side. Four distinct marks. Thumb. Three fingers.
Someone grabbed her. Hard.
"Does this hurt?" I press along her ribs.
She gasps. "Yes."
