“Thank you,” I said, relieved. “I just want to get them home and safe.”
She smiled knowingly. “I know. It’s an Alpha thing, I get it.”
About an hour later, the doctor walked in, but instead of launching into discharge instructions, he looked at me. “Mr. Rose? Can I speak with you for a moment, out in the hall?”
Fletcher and I exchanged a glance. My mate looked a little worried, but nodded quickly.
“Of course,” I said, standing to follow him out of the room. We walked down the hall, out of earshot of Fletcher. Sensitive shifter hearing and all. When I came to a stop, I frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not particularly.” Still, he pulled out a manila folder, flipping through a page or two before closing it again. He leveled me with a serious look and cleared his throat. “YouareSky DuPree’s Alpha, correct?”
On instinct—because Iwas, and my wolf growled his agreement—I nodded. “Yes.”
No need to explain the situation between me and my mates; I didn’t really think the doctor cared one way or the other anyway.
He pursed his lips. “We have a test result here that you might want to see,” he said, and my stomach did a somersault. Before my mind could launch into the worst of what-ifs, Dr. Braxton cut me off with, “Mr. Rose, did you know your partner is pregnant?”
It was a punch to the gut that stole the oxygen straight from my lungs. I gaped at him, my jaw going slack. “What?”
“Yes, it’s common practice to run a pregnancy test when doing the other panels, just to make sure everything comes back normal and to rule out any issues. His came back positive.”
I stood there in a state of shock, unable to wrap my mind around it. How could Sky be pregnant? Were we not careful enough during his heat? More so, how could I not have noticed? Didn’t Omegas typically smell sweeter when they were pregnant? But Sky always smelled sweet. His scent was like cotton candy, fluffy and indulgent.
“I didn’t know,” I finally said. “But please don’t tell him. I need to be the one to break the news to him. He’s had a very traumatic past, and I’m afraid this might trigger him, especially with how he’s already reacted to being in the hospital.”
The doctor nodded. “I’ll get your discharge papers ready, then.”
When I went back into the room, Fletcher looked at me expectantly. I glanced over at Sky, worried he might overhear if I told Fletcher about the bomb the doctor had just dropped in my lap, so I shook my head.
“We’ll talk when we get home,” I said.
Forty-five minutes later, we were officially ready to go. I helped Fletcher dress in sweatpants and one of my oversized hoodies. We tucked his broken arm inside, letting the sleeve dangle free. He had a limp, favoring his left leg, but he brushed me off when I suggested a wheelchair.
“I’m fine. Just worry about Sky,” he insisted.
Sky was still under the effects of the sedatives. The nurses said it would wear off in an hour or two, depending on his metabolism, and I wanted to get him out of here before then, preferably cozied up in bed so that he’d be protected when the meltdown inevitably started.
Once the nurses had unhooked the IV line and taped a cotton ball to the inside of his inner-elbow, I dressed him in his favorite pair of PJs and wrapped a zip-up hoodie around his shoulders, since it was nippy outside. I picked him up and set him down in a wheelchair, then Fletcher and I wheeled him down to the lobby.
“Do you need any help?” a nurse called out, but I waved her off.
“Wait here with him,” I told Fletcher, pecking him on the cheek before darting outside to pull the rental SUV around to the entrance. I refused to make Fletcher limp all the way through the parking lot.
“My knight in shining armor,” he joked as I opened the door and helped him into the backseat.
“Only the best for you, my love,” I teased back, then carefully maneuvered a floppy Sky into the passenger seat.
As I buckled him in, he stirred, reaching out blindly for me. “Adam?”
“I’m right here, baby.” I squeezed his hand. “We’re going home, don’t worry. Relax.”
I jogged around the front of the vehicle and hopped in, and then we were off. Finally homeward bound—with a pit-stop atthe drive-thru pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions the doctor had ordered for my boys.
When I pulled into the drive, I heard Fletcher’s sigh of relief from the backseat and smiled. “I hear you, baby. Home sweet home. Let me take Sky inside, and then I’ll come back out for you, alright?”
“Adam, I’m?—”
“Fletcher.” I looked at him. “Please. Let me do this, as your Alpha.”
