“What does that mean?” he asked.
“Low blood pressure could be caused by dehydration, but there can be other causes as well,” I said, keeping my eyes on Westin.
She gave me a sweet smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said, shaking her water bottle. “I’ll make sure to drink more.”
We locked eyes, and at that moment, I was certain we both knew the problem wasn’t dehydration, and that she wouldn’t get any more help here.
“You can always try a different hospital or doctor,” I said quietly.
“It won’t matter,” she responded. “I’ve been to them all.”
My mind was racing, trying to puzzle together all her symptoms to figure out what was wrong. But the reality was I couldn’t do anything without the appropriate testing.
Westin swung her legs off the bed, moving slowly like she was in pain.
I wanted to ask her why she hadn’t called me. Hadn’t responded to my texts. Did I do something wrong? Or was she just not interested? But I didn’t want to ask in front of Gray.
I inhaled sharply when her hand squeezed mine.
“I’m glad it was you,” she murmured.
Did she mean that night or today in the hospital?
“Take care of yourself,” was all I managed to say before Gray was at her side, helping her out of the room and down the hallway.
33
GRAY
My knees had almost buckled beneath me in relief when the doctor said Westin was fine, followed by guilt that I hadn’t been checking to make sure she was eating and drinking enough. It wasn’t exactly part of my job, but I should have done more. She obviously needed someone to take care of her.
I ran my hand over my face, my exhaustion sinking in. My resolve to keep her at arm’s length was crumbling. Not that it mattered, anyway. Westin couldn’t be mine. She was too young and beautiful to be interested in a grumpy asshole like me, and it’s not like I wanted her, anyway.
Keep telling yourself that.
Westin’s stomach growled loudly.
Shit. She needed food. They hadn’t brought her any in the hospital and there was an annoying tightness in my chest that wouldn’t go away at the thought that she was hungry. The image of her crumpled up on the pavement kept playing in my mind. I had failed to protect her. I tried to tell myself I was upset because I hadn’t done my job well, but if I was honest with myself, Westin hadn’t felt like a job since the beginning.
I sighed as I turned into the parking lot of the same fast-food place we’d been at when she collapsed. Westin stiffened next to me, clearly catching onto my irritation. Of course, I wasn’t irritated with her. I was frustrated with how obsessed my alpha was with the gorgeous omega, how much he wanted me to hold her close to convince myself she was really okay.
“What do you want to eat?” I asked, my tone coming out harsher than I intended.
“Oh, I don’t need anything,” she said, her voice so soft I strained to hear her.
An involuntary growl started up in my chest before I shut it down.
“You’re obviously hungry.”
She twisted her hands together. I turned to look at her. She was sitting in the passenger seat at my urging. I wanted to keep her close in case anything else happened. Her face was still pale, and she seemed exhausted. I wanted to reach out, cup her face in my hands, and run my fingers down her soft skin.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“I’m guessing you don’t have my food from earlier?” she asked.
What the fuck?
“I was a little busy getting you to the hospital, princess. But you could always get out and see if it’s still lying in the parking lot,” I snarled.
