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"It's Cammie. She's got that bug that's going around town. She fainted at work and hit her head. We're taking her to County now."
"Oh, gods." His voice is high and panicked, his breathing picking up. Waffles barks in the background, then I hear a door slam and an engine turn on. "I'm on my way."
"No—"
"Like fucking hell. She's our mate?—"
"I know. I need you to figure out how to get the kids safe first. Emmaline is with your sister?"
"Shit. Yes. I'm freaking out. I'll call her now. And Ben?"
"Probably Pine Crest. Ask your sister and see if she has contact information on the forms. We need to contact Cammie's family. Cutter says she has a sister."
"Got it." He takes a deep breath. "Please tell me she's okay. She has to be okay. We just found her."
"I'll make sure of it." It's a promise I plan to deliver.
I hang up the call and purr, holding her hand and praying it's only the flu.
Finn bursts through the door, his eyes wide and frantic. "Cammie!"
He runs to the bed where our mate is asleep again. She tested positive for the flu, and she’s dehydrated. They're giving her fluids and meds for the fever. She's got an ugly purple-and-red bump on her forehead, but the doctor doesn't believe it's a concussion.
"Hey, it's okay. Take a breath." I cuddle his back, wrapping my arm around his waist as he traces his hand over her flushed cheeks.
"How bad is it? I was with her this morning and?—"
"I know. You texted me about it, repeatedly,” I tease him, trying for light. I may have been slightly jealous that Finn managed to charm his way into her house. But I would never begrudge the opportunity for them to connect.
“I’m serious, Reid! I can't believe?—"
I squeeze my arms tighter around him. “Hey. Hey. It’s going to be ok. She's got the flu, but she'll be all right. Where are the kids?"
"My sister is bringing Emmaline home after school. She didn't think we should drive her unless we have to. I would've had to borrow a car. We're getting an SUV with a booster seat. Tomorrow," he grumbles.
Yeah, we are.
"And she's coming home with us. She's worried about rent and needs someone to look out for her while she is sick. And the kids. She can't get better if she's running around all the time and she’s exhausted. What little I know about her tells me she'll probably try to go to work tomorrow. And if we get sick, we’ll figure it out, but she needs someone to care for her right now.”
"I agree," I say into his neck, watching our sleeping mate. My heart aches with my omega's sheer terror in the bond. He's not exactly calm in a crisis. It's not as if I've been faring much better. I use my purr to help ground us all. Cammie relaxes at the sound, the tightness between her brows smoothing out. Finn pulls away from me and climbs onto the bed.
"Careful of the IV, babe," I warn.
He nods and plasters himself to her free side.
She stirs, opening her eyes. "Finn."
She says his name as though it's the answer to a long-awaited question, and my heart lurches. She nuzzles into him before sighing and going back to sleep. I want to join them, but someone needs to keep their head. Instead, I settle for watching them together, Finn idly running his hands through her hair. Even like this, in these awful circumstances, my heart turns mushy at the sight of them together.
"Did you get ahold of her sister?" I ask after a while.
"Yeah. She's going to pick Ben up from school and bring him here. I tried, but they wouldn't let me sign him out since I'm not on the form. I want to pull bond paperwork because I had to argue with the nurse at the desk to get back in here too. Mom was on shift in the omega clinic downstairs, thank the gods. She had to save me before I went to jail."
"One step at a time, love." I chuckle, imagining the conversation he had at the desk. That nurse is probably having a day.
"I'm scared, Reid."
An honest-to-gods omega whine springs from his throat, and my body goes rigid, desperate to stop the sound. I've never heard him make it before, not once in twenty years. It fucking guts me.
