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Spencer curses behind me. "You're going in hot, Reid. I need you to fucking chill and let me handle this."
He's probably right. Alphas get a little protective when their mates are hurt. That's why we're not supposed to treat them. But right now, I don't care about any of that. My only thought is to get to Cammie.
A small crowd has gathered inside the diner around a woman who has passed out on the floor. Spilled sandwiches and fries are littered around her, a flipped tray off to the side. It's Cammie, though her color is too pale except for the red splotches on her cheeks. She's got a nasty-looking goose egg on her forehead.
Everything about the sight is wrong.
"Mate. Mine." A growl rumbles from low in my chest, and diner guests back away quickly.
My mate is hurt, and too many people are around her. I want to pick her up, carry her home, and ensure she's safe. Every instinct in my body tells me to flee with her, that I need to get her to my omega's nest.
"Stop acting feral," Spencer growls, his alpha bark rolling through me. The force of it isn't enough to hurt, but it brings back some of my sanity.
I'm ordinarily calm in a crisis. That's my literal job. Right now, I feel as if I’ll burst out of my skin. Even Finn is stressed; I can feel him panicking at my emotions yo-yoing in the bond.
I carefully join her on the floor. Even in my alpha haze, I remember my training and assess her gently.
"She's burning up with fever," Cutter says. He ignores my rumbled warning to back up.
"Easy. She's all right. Look, she's waking up." Spencer places a hand on my back. I want to punch him for getting so close to her.
Shit, man. Calm the fuck down.
Spencer turns to Cutter. "What happened?"
Cutter backs up finally. The urge to pick her up and hold her is strong. As strong as the urge to take her home. I force myself to refrain.
She opens her eyes, trying to sit up. "Reid? How?" She finds my eyes. Hers are glassy and red, her gaze unfocused with fever.
"I've got you, sweetheart. You fainted at work."
"Need to pick up Em," she says, ignoring me as she tries to roll over and get up.
"Not so fast," I say, steadying her. "You had a nasty fall. Let Spencer check you out, and I promise I'll get the rest sorted."
"Hi, Cammie. I'm Spencer. I'm with Knotty Pines Fire Department." Spencer starts in on his whole spiel, leaning in to take her vitals.
The words don't register. All I can do is make sure I don't go full-tilt-alpha with him being so close to my hurt mate. My purr rumbles in my chest, and I can't keep myself from rubbing soothing circles on her back and leaning in to brush my cheek against her hair.
An older beta in the same diner uniform as Cammie grumbles, "Show is over, folks. Head to the register, and let's get you checked out."
Cutter speaks low to Spencer as he works, and I try my best to actually listen over the pounding in my chest. "She came in from her other job, running late. She didn't look great, and I ain't her pop, so I didn't check. I shoulda. She worked through the rush. She was taking an order out to a table when she fainted. Dropped her tray, and her head hit over there on her way down." He points at the countertop at the bar.
Spencer nods to me. A possible concussion means a visit over to County General to get checked.
"I'm riding,” I say.
He laughs. "Like I thought it was going another way." He radios dispatch with an update. Cammie leans against me, her words making little sense. I can't tell if it's confusion from the head trauma or the delusions of a high fever, but either way, I don't like it.
It's another couple of minutes before we get her loaded on the stretcher as she protests again that she needs to get her kids.
Cutter brings her bags to Spencer, passing him her phone. "She's got a sister over in Crawley. Give her a call."
I hold her hand, squeezing into the tight space in the back of the engine and brushing back the sweat-damp hair on her brow. "I promise I'll take care of them and you."
Completely uncaring about protocol, I lean in and kiss her cheek. Her thick lashes feather, and her eyes close.
I blow out a breath and call Finn first. He answers before it even seems to ring. "What is it? Are you hurt? Where are you?—"
