“It’s okay, sweetheart. No one is angry with you.” He held me tight to his body as he gently rocked me back and forth.
I shuddered against his chest, my breathing starting to slow. I lifted my head and locked eyes with Mandy over Liam’s shoulder. I stiffened, waiting for her look of judgement, but her eyes were wide withconcern. I looked away, burying my face in Liam’s neck again to cover my embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry, Westin,” she said. “You should have pressed the button. I’m here to help you.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed silent. Luckily, Liam took over.
“Can we take a break and come back this afternoon?” he asked.
“Of course,” the tech said. “We have a two o’clock appointment available if you want to try again. There are several things we can try to make it easier for you.”
I wanted to scream that I was never going back into that tube again, but I kept quiet, clinging to my alpha.
“Alright, kitten,” Liam murmured. “Let’s get the others and get some lunch. You’ll be alright. No one is going to force you into anything.”
I loosened my hold on him, dropping my feet back to the ground. Part of me wanted to demand he pick me back up, but I needed to toughen up. Mandy handed me some tissues, which I took gratefully, mopping up my face.
“I’m sure I look like a mess,” I muttered.
“Beautiful as always,” Liam said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I shot him an incredulous look before I curled back into his side. He held me tight as we left the room and headed back through the maze of hallways toward the lobby.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, looking up at my alpha.
The rare times I’d spoken up or said I was uncomfortable in medical settings in the past, I’d been punished. I knew that wouldn’t happen with Liam at my side, knew none of my guyswould judge me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being in trouble.
Liam came to a stop and cupped my face with both hands. “Westin, sweetheart, you have a voice here. Iwantyou to have a voice here. You’re allowed to tell us and tell the doctors if something doesn’t feel right, okay?”
I said nothing as I desperately tried to let his words sink in.
He sighed, a sad smile teasing at his lips. “You don’t believe me, but I’ll keep reminding you, alright? We will figure out a way to do this without making you panic and suffer. Now, let’s get the others so they can obsess over you all lunch.”
He kissed each of my eyelids, which I was sure were red and puffy, before taking my hand and striding into the lobby.
Gray caught sight of me first and a look of pure rage came over his face as he stormed over.
“Oh good, we’re not going to overreact at all,” Liam muttered.
An unexpected giggle burst from my chest as Gray gathered me up in his arms and asked, “Who the fuck do I need to kill?”
Moments later, Bear and Henry surrounded me. Bear curled his fingers in my hair and Henry took my hand. Having all my guys pressed against me eased the anxiety crawling through my chest. I breathed deeply, soaking up their scents.
“Unless you plan on killing the MRI machine, and that sounds rather expensive, there’s no one you need to attack.” I tilted my face up to kiss Gray. He gripped my chin and met my lips with a hot, possessive kiss.
When he pulled back, he kept my chin in his grasp. “What happened?”
“I couldn’t do it,” I whispered. “I got scared.”
“We should have all been there with you,” Bear said.
“There have to be other options out there,” Henry said, pulling up his phone. “You shouldn’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
“Maybe we should go to a different hospital,” Gray said, encircling my throat in a comforting hold.
“Everyone calm down for a minute,” Liam said, his chest pressing against my back. “Let’s get out of here and get some lunch. I have some ideas for how to make the MRI more tolerable.”
When no one moved, Liam spoke again. “Westin needs food.”
