Page 64 of Packed in the Fire house

“You need to see a doctor, immediately,” I said in a stern voice. There was no way in hell I was going to let her go back to feeding Luka without receiving a thorough checkup.

“I don’t need a doctor!” Sunny insisted, her eyes shooting open to gape at me. “It was just a little dizziness.”

“You straight-up passed out,” I said through gritted teeth.

Internally, I was at war with myself. Anger unlike anything I had ever felt was simmering in my chest—but I wasn’t mad at her, not at all. It was myself I was mad at. How long had she been sick and we hadn’t noticed? It was one thing for my pack mates not to notice, but I was bonded with her. I should have felt it. Had I been so absorbed in my own life that I had neglected her?

Even though it was a logistical impossibility, I really wanted to punch myself.

“Help me up,” Sunny said, her voice quiet.

“I’m not sure…” I said, but she ignored me.

The moment she was on her feet again, that hazy look returned, and she started to sway.

Nope.

I was putting my foot down. Scooping her up into my arms, I ignored her weak protests as I strode downstairs, toward the bunk room that I shared with the other two members of our pack. My old room had a workman in it, so there was no way I was taking her there.

She seemed smaller than I remembered, or was that my panic talking? Had she lost weight?

I glanced away from her to look Blaze in the eye. “Call Hailey.”

He nodded, pulling out his phone.

While, technically, we were all EMT certified, Hailey was a nurse and EMT we had worked with many times, and she was an omega, so I knew Sunny would feel comfortable with her.

I strode through the firehouse, ignoring the concerned and curious look from Merrick as I passed. I didn’t have the time or energy to explain this to him. Gil had been in the kitchen, and I was sure he would catch him up.

Sunny didn’t complain as I carried her to the bunk room, placing her gently on my bed. Even in my quiet panic, I worried that there weren’t enough blankets on my bed. Omegas needed nesting materials, and Sunny was sick. She needed all the comfort she could get.

I ran into fire for a living, but nothing terrified me more than the prospect of my omega being hurt. It was a terror I had never experienced before and never wanted to experience again.

Hailey had rushed over to the firehouse as soon as Blaze called her, hardly bothering to greet us as she had hurried straight to her patient. By that time, Sunny had already been sitting up andinsisting she was fine, but while Blaze had looked after Luka, I had stood at Sunny’s bedside, refusing to let her get up.

She may have called me a few mean names, but they bounced off me. Frankly, I didn’t care if she hated me for it. I had been neglecting my job as her alpha, and that shit was going to end immediately.

Rune had rushed into the room not long after I placed Sunny in the bed, having heard what happened, probably from Gil. The look of terror on his face was haunting as I assured him that Hailey was already on her way.

Hailey had done all the tests—blood pressure, temperature, listened to Sunny’s lungs—everything she could possibly do without leaving the fire station. Sunny had protested until the warm and bubbly omega turned up. Hailey Hana was a hard omega to ignore. No-nonsense and sweet as pie, it was a lethal combination. Over the years, I had personally witnessed her talking down a drunk alpha who was a foot taller than her and double her weight, despite them being in a complete rage.

The first thing she had done after bustling into the room was promptly kick us out, so it was only her and Sunny. Luckily, they kept the door open so I could hear the two omegas chatting.

“I really don’t need all this,” Sunny insisted as Hailey wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her arm.

“Indulge me,” Hailey said in that smooth southern accent. “As much as I like your guys, they’re pacing a hole in the floor and they’re irritating me. If they don’t get peace of mind soon, I’ll have to sedate them, and that’s far too much paperwork for a Tuesday.”

“Fine,” Sunny huffed, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

Hailey proceeded to ask a few questions about her sleep habits, diet, and general health. Sunny’s answers were quiet, so even though I strained to eavesdrop, I couldn’t hear them.

“How didn’t we notice this?” Rune asked as he paced the hallway.

“We’ve been slammed this week,” I muttered. Blaze was harassing us for updates via text while he fed the tiny terror.

“Still, we should have noticed,” Rune said.

I nodded. “As soon as Hailey kicked me out of the room, I emailed our upper management, insisting we need an extra man or two at this station temporarily, due to my bonding. I’ve assured them I’m not taking full bonding leave—I’ll still be at the station—but I need more men. That way, I can stay here during calls and I’m not sending the team out short-staffed.”

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