Page 100 of Ruin Me Knot
The door swings open and a Beta nurse slips inside, her expression apologetic.
"Sorry to interrupt. Dr. Maverick sent me," she begins, hesitating when all three Alphas turn to look at her. "He’s given strict instructions that after surgery, Leah needs the whole night to herself. No pack visits. No Alpha scents. Her body needs true rest if she’s going to make a full recovery and right now your, Alpha pheromones might be disruptive to her system and affect her recovery."
Ronan bristles. "No visitors? Not even one of us?"
She offers a sympathetic smile. "Not tonight. He wants to make sure healing isn't interrupted by pack-bond hormones. Don’t worry. I’ll help Leah get settled, make sure she eats and showers. Then she’ll rest. You can all see her first-thing in the morning. I promise. I assure you, this is protocol."
Gabriel scowls, clearly not liking the idea. "Can’t we just—"
She holds up a hand, kind but firm. "You wouldn’t want to risk her healing, right?"
Jax sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don’t like this."
My heart clenches, but I try to send them a reassuring smile. "You all should rest too. You look wrecked. Besides, the faster I recover, the sooner I can get back to you."
I really mean it. They look worn down. Ronan’s brow is carved with exhaustion, stubble along his jaw and eyes bruised. Jax’s shoulders sag, and even Gabriel’s brightness is dulled, his smile a pale echo of what it could be. They’ve been running themselves ragged fighting for me. Worry prickles through my ownfatigue, stronger even than loneliness. They need to rest too, no matter how much I want them near.
Jax brushes hair away from my face, voice soft with certainty. "I guess there’s nothing we can do. Rest. Heal. That’s your only job."
Gabriel winks, pressing half a croissant into my palm. "And eat, or I’ll sneak back in and tell the nurses to give you a protein shake. And believe me, no one wants that."
Ronan kisses my knuckles. "We’ll be back before you know it, Kitten. Nothing could keep us from you."
I nod, even as longing stitches itself through every breath. "I’ll be fine. Just hurry up and get some sleep yourselves."
The nurse puts a calming hand on Ronan’s arm. "And don’t worry. There will be guards outside her door all night. Dr. Maverick’s orders. No one in or out. She’ll be safe until you’re back."
Ronan’s shoulders shift, some of the tension leaving his frame. He nods, eyes on me. "I’ll be back first thing in the morning, Kitten. Nothing will keep me away."
I watch the backs of my Alphas as they file out one by one, each pausing to look back with the same reluctant worry. Their absence stings as soon as the door closes behind them. Not long after, a nurse pokes her head in. "Would you like to take a shower, Leah?"
I nearly cry with relief. I want to wash the surgery out of my hair and off my body. "Gods, yes. Please."
The nurse is gentle as she helps me into the shower. I’m still shaky and exhausted, but I’m so grateful to be getting clean. The water is bliss and when I’m finished, she helps me dress. I’m happy to feel halfway human again.
"How about I grab a dryer so we can dry off your hair? Did I hear your Alphas are taking you out for dinner tomorrow? I’ll do something special. How does that sound?" The nurse, whose name is Claire, says.
"I’d love that." I’ll ask if Mira and Emma can come for a visit before my date, and they can tell me what it was like when they bonded with their Alphas. I waiton the bed for Claire to return but minutes pass. I start to wonder where she’s gone when the door opens and the male Beta from before steps inside.
His eyes find mine and every muscle in my body goes tight when he pulls in a wheelchair and quickly shuts the door. I try not to let my anxiety show.
"Dr. Maverick has requested a checkup. He wants me to take you to his rooms now," he says.
I shift, uneasy. It’s not exactly unreasonable. Still, when he wheels the chair closer, my heart starts to thud.
"Why can’t he come here?" I ask.
The Beta frowns at me. "Dr. Maverick is a busy doctor. He doesn’t have time for personalized visits, Omega."
"Oh. Okay." Embarrassment washes through me because I know he’s right. There are a lot of Omegas here who also need Dr. Maverick’s help, probably more than I do.
"I…I can walk." It can’t be that far to the doctor’s rooms. I’m shaky but a little exercise could do me good.
But the Beta wheels the chair to me. "We don’t have all day to wait for you to walk. He has a spare ten minutes, and he asked me to come and get you now."
I take a breath. This is normal. Protocol. The sooner I can be in Dr. Maverick’s rooms the sooner the Beta will leave me alone. I sit in the chair and he pushes me out of the room and into an elevator. The doors close and then it’s just him and me and his oatmeal stench. My skin prickles because I don’t like having him at my back. "I thought Dr. Maverick’s rooms were on the same level. Why are we going down?"
The Beta says nothing and dread scours through me. His hands tighten on the handles.
