Page 129 of Vegas Baby!

“How did he find me?”

“I didn’t tell him where you were, I swear,” said Charlotte before she burst into tears right alongside me. “I did tell him I wanted a divorce, though. I didn’t think he would come here. We have trackers in the kids’ shoes for safety. He probably used that and saw that we had been at this hospital.”

Micah cradled me, kissing my hair.

Jesse stepped into the crowded hospital room, Charlotte’s youngest in his arms, and the elder holding his hand. He passed them both over to their mother and wedged his way in, wrapping me and our daughter in his arms. “Are you okay? We felt the bond going haywire and almost had to flatten some people to get out of the cafeteria line. What happened?”

“Andrew tried to force me to sign adoption papers.” I hiccuped, pressing my forehead to my daughters. “He wouldn’t let me breathe.”

“What the fuck? Sweetness, I’m so sorry. If we had any idea he was here, we’d have all been here guarding the door.”

“Okay, I need everyone to back up,” Janessa said as she swept into the room. “Ava, I’m going to give you a quick check-over. Are you hurt? Did anything happen we need to know about to treat?”

“My lips hurt. He pressed them really hard into my teeth. And my throat aches.” They weren’t going to be able to do anything for the little splits inside my lip, and he hadn’t choked me so my throat wasn’t hurt, just achy.

Janessa started going through my vitals.

“Fuck, angel.” Micah sighed. “I thought you and the baby would be fine if I stepped away for a couple minutes. I should have waited.”

“He was probably watching, waiting for you to leave,” said Charlotte. “I can’t believe he got here so quickly. He must have gone to the airport as soon as he read my message.”

“There’s a pretty hefty punishment for omega assault, especially when they’re in a vulnerable situation like you are,” said Janessa. “Security is detaining Andrew Lawson until the police arrive. They’ll want to take your statement. Is that all right?”

“I guess so.”

“He went down swinging, caught a half dozen staff in the crossfire, so the hospital will likely be pressing charges.”

The police arrived not too much later. They took a statement from me, and from Charlotte since she had been the only other person to partially witness what Andrew had done to me, and then talked to all of my pack and the nurses in the area. My alphas took turns sitting with me and distracting Charlotte’s children while the police were doing their tasks.

Every minute sucked away my energy, leaving me exhausted.

“Sweetness, did you want anything to eat? I abandoned my spot in line so I never got you the treat I’d been planning on.”

“Just something to drink, please.”

After all the commotion had come and gone, I sat quietly with them, the silence oppressive, like everyone was afraid to speak. I accepted the cranberry juice and ginger ale Jesse had located for me, staring at my daughter cradled in Bryce’s arms.

“How are you feeling about coming home?” Luke asked.

“I’m very ready for my own bed.”

“Do you want to register the name for the birth certificate before you leave?” asked Janessa. “Or are you still struggling to pick?”

“Nothing I think of feels right,” I replied. My baby still had no name. I’d hoped she’d make it easier on me and react to one more than another so I’d been testing names by calling her each one, but none of them fit her the way I wanted.

“You have time,” Janessa told me. “You’re free to head home as soon as the police are finished up. I signed off on yourdischarge. Just make sure you register the name within ten days.”

I stayed huddled up with my pack, Charlotte, and her two children, who stared at me curiously. I hadn’t officially met them yet. Maybe that would be a good distraction for all of us while the police completed their interviews. They both seemed relatively relaxed, so maybe they hadn’t seen their father in all the commotion.

“Charlotte,” I said quietly.

She startled, turning toward me. “Yes?”

“Would you like to introduce us?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” She moved stiffly, her small smile not reaching her eyes.

It was already absolutely surreal for me to experience Andrew this way. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for her to see what he would stoop to. They had checked her over as well, but luckily she only had some bruising from her fall that should heal quickly. She ushered both of her sons over to my hospital bed, my pack parting to let them get a view of the baby. “Boys, this is Ava and your little sister. Ava, these are my sons, Samson and Oliver. They usually go by Sammy and Ollie.”

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