Page 24 of Knot Your Sugar Rush
I don’t know how long I sit there, staring at the tile floor.
Then a shift in the air brushes over me—like the sudden lift of a breeze before a summer storm. I look up.
All three of them are there.
Jamie’s eyes find mine first. Warm, open, a quiet promise I didn’t realize I needed. Dane stands beside him, tall and sharp-eyed, already scanning the nurses’ station like he’s going to fix this with sheer force of will. Theo lingers just behind, arms crossed, mouth set in a line—but his gaze softens when it lands on me.
They don’t speak right away. They don’t have to.
Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them back. I don’t fall apart. Not now.
“You didn’t have to come,” I say, my voice hoarse.
Jamie shrugs, easy and sure. “Yeah, we did.”
Before I can reply, a doctor appears around the corner. The alphas step back, instinctively giving me space. Dane starts to say, “We’ll wait outside—”
“Can you stay?” I ask. The words leave me before I can question them.
All three pause.
“Of course,” Theo says quietly.
The doctor offers a kind smile. “Rosie’s stable. She had a brief episode of low blood pressure. We’re starting her on medication, and she’ll stay overnight for observation. Maybe a bit longer, depending on how her pressure stabilizes. But she’s going to be okay.”
Relief hits me so hard my knees almost buckle. Jamie’s hand steadies me—not grabbing, just there.
“She’s asking for you,” the doctor adds.
I nod and follow him down the hall, past curtained bays and quiet murmurs, until I find her. Gram is tucked into a hospital bed that looks far too large for her, but her eyes are open and sharp.
“There’s my girl,” she says, her voice still strong despite everything.
I sit by her bed and take her hand gently.
“I love you, Gram.”
She squeezes my fingers. “I love you too, sweetheart. But you don’t have to look so worried. I’m not going anywhere yet.”
“You scared me.”
“I scare a lot of people. Keeps them on their toes.”
I laugh, choked and wet. She pats my hand like I’m the one who needs comforting.
“You get on home. No sense in hovering. I’m a tough old bird. You know that.”
“You sure?”
She gives me a look. “Camellia Vale, I may be lying flat in a hospital bed, but I can still boss you around.”
I snort and wipe my face. “Okay, okay. I’ll go.”
She narrows her eyes with mock suspicion. “How are you getting home?”
I hesitate, and then say softly, “The alphas are here.”
Her entire face lights up. “All three?”
