6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Bennett

"Bennett?" Meg's voice shook me out of the trance I had fallen into, staring down at the sleeping face of…my fated mate?

Nope, no question about it , my wolf supplied oh-so-helpfully. Mate. Ours. Yum.

Ignoring my wolf, because I did not need him adding his two cents into my world that had literally just shaken on its axis, I blinked and glanced across the hospital bed at Meg.

"Hmm?" Words, Bennett, use your words.

Meg gave me a concerned look, "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Mumbling, I took a step away from the large alpha filling the bed. Stop touching him, Bennett.

Letting my hand fall from where I was still caressing–touching–the alpha…Shay, I tried to act like nothing was amiss. No need to act weird or anything, just touched my fated mate. Nothing to see here. It's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine.

I could be wrong. It could have just been static electricity. Really, really, really bad static electricity. What did I know about fated mates anyway? Just what I had learned reading fairy tales, romance novels, and watching a truly disturbing amount of alpha/omega rom-coms. I knew practically next to nothing.

Are you listening to yourself, Benny? My wolf huffed. Mate. Ours. Yum. Wanna lick him.

There will be no licking going on! Now shush. I need to think.

Blah. Boring. Licking more fun.

Shush!

"Bennett, did you hear me?" Meg touched my arm, looking super concerned now.

Shaking my head, I nodded in the affirmative, and said, "No, I'm sorry, what?"

Fuckity fuck, get your shit together, Bennett!

Meg grasped me by the elbow and steered me out of the cubicle and into the hallway, which was thankfully pretty quiet. You never knew what nights were going to bring in the E.R. department. Things could be super quiet or all hands on deck with emergencies of various sorts.

"What just happened in there?" Meg demanded, but her tone was all soft concern.

Shaking my head again, I insisted, "I'm fine."

"Mmm," her face said she absolutely did not believe me, but she didn't push. "I said Mike is in the waiting room. He's calling Becks at home, since he doesn't feel he has enough knowledge of Alpha Law. He doesn't want to mess anything up on a technicality. "

Mike Randall was a deputy in the Sheriff's department and had the most seniority on the force. I had worked with him many times on patient cases, and I liked the middle-aged human.

"That's good," I agreed, "Becks has a law degree. He'll know the best way to handle this."

Sheriff Grayson Beckett, or Becks to most everyone who knew him, had only been in office a little over a year, but the man had a ton of experience in law enforcement. He had worked for one of the alphabets in the government–I couldn't remember which one–but he had a mysterious air about him, like "If I told you, Bennett, then I would have to kill you."

He also had a law degree from Harvard and would have more knowledge of Alpha Law than any of us. At least I hoped he would. I knew the very rough basic idea of it, but it was such an old law–and hardly anyone used it–I wasn't sure what it really meant. Or what our proper course of action should be.

All I knew was that I had promised the alpha lying in that hospital bed– Shay, Bennet, his name is Shay –that I would take care of his child. Well, not exactly, but in a roundabout, implied way.

Benny, you're a mess , my ever so helpful wolf told me.

He wasn't wrong. Touching the alpha… Shay , fuck!...touching Shay had me completely off kilter. My skin felt tight and hot and tingly, all at the same time, and my limbs felt jittery. Like I'd had one too many mocha lattes from The Sweet Spot. And, oh my fucking Goddess, was that slick dampening my underwear and making my backside feel sticky?

"I'm going to talk to his son and then try to get ahold of Asher." Rushing my words, my hands fluttered in front of me. When what I really wanted to do was reach behind me and see if there was a wet spot on my jeans. Goddess, could Meg smell me? Because I could smell my slick, the sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar donuts wafted over me and filled my nostrils.

How fucking embarrassing!

Meg stared at me like she was truly worried I was finally losing my shit. Nodding, she quietly told me, "That's a good idea, Bennett. Are you sure you're alright? Your face is flushed."

Reaching a hand towards me like she was going to test my temperature, I ducked under her arm. For once, I was thankful of my short stature, and emitted a weird, high-pitched sound that I had never heard myself make before. "Me? I'm fine! Absolutely fine! I think the A.C. isn't working right. It was so muggy outside when I came in." Fanning my face with my hands, I announced, "I need to use the restroom."

Ducking into the men's room that I had thankfully been near, I stared at myself in the mirror under the harsh, fluorescent lights. Curling my hands over the side of the white, porcelain sink, I took a steadying breath, sure I could still smell the lingering scent of earth and rain mixing in with the scent of my slick.

My light green eyes were wide, looking too big in my flushed face and slightly manic. Wiggling, I grimaced, feeling the slick that had soaked into the cotton fabric of my boxer briefs. Making use of a stall, I slammed the door shut with a loud bang, then tried to wipe up the mess my slick had made of me. Gah, maybe I should get an omega pad from the machine, but I hated those things. The ones the hospital vending machines carried were too long and too thick, and I hated how they felt when I walked.

Folding over some toilet paper, I shoved it between my ass cheeks and my underwear. Wasn't the first time I'd made do like this. My omega dad hadn't always been able to afford extra things like slick pads when I had hit my teen years, so I had learned to come up with alternate ways to handle situations.

That problem somewhat taken care of, I leaned my warm face against the cool stall door, and took a couple deep breaths.

"Get it together, get it together, get it together," I chanted between my teeth, talking to myself. "It was…it was…it was fucking amazing. Oh, my Goddess, the way he smellllleeedddd."

I made the word ten times longer than it was, but honestly, it was the only way to say the word to justify how fucking delicious Shay smelled. Yeah, he was ill, and a little sweaty, but under all that his essence was so potently masculine it had started my slick. Which never happened to me. At least not since I had been fucking thirteen and had discovered alphas.

"And now you're standing in a bathroom stall, talking to yourself, Bennett. There is work to be done. There is an alpha and a child who need your help. Get. It. Together."

Wobbling to the sink on unsteady legs, I turned the tap on. Splashing the cold water on my heated face, I ran a wet hand through my dark brown hair.

Straightening my shirt, I stared at myself. I looked a little more put together now. Nodding at my reflection, I made my way to the on-call room. Becks and Mike were speaking lowly in the hallway, and Becks caught my eye and motioned me over.

Holding up a finger to signal just a minute, I entered the room. Smiling brightly at Carrie–who looked relieved to see me–and the dark-haired little boy sitting beside her. His skinny arms held a much-loved stuffed toy rabbit tightly to his chest, his legs swinging in the too-tall chair. He looked up at me with big, frightened blue eyes–replicas of his father's–and my heart was lost .

This boy…this boy was the one I had seen for just a second, in the flash I had when Shay and I had touched.

Any doubt I had about what I had felt, about what Shay and I were to each other, vanished as this boy and I stared at one another.

We were fated mates, and this boy was meant to be a part of my life.

I knew it like I knew my own name.

Just like I knew I would keep the promise I had made to his father, and I would protect him.

Crouching down so we were eye level, I made sure to keep my smile plastered on my face. Hoping I looked non-threatening and not like some weird version of The Joker from Batman.

"Does your rabbit have a name?" I asked him softly.

He pulled the stuffie even closer to his chest, nodding. "Mr. Rabbit."

His voice was so soft I almost had to use my shifter hearing to catch his words. "That's a nice name. He looks like a very nice and soft rabbit."

He nodded once more, peeking at me through his inky lashes. He had been crying. There were dried tear tracks over his rounded cheeks, but he was trying to be brave. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Carrie cleared her throat, drawing my attention back to her. "His name is Lucas, but that's about all I've gotten out of him."

"Well, Lucas, it's nice to meet you," I told him, keeping my voice steady but still upbeat, "I'm Bennett. Now we aren't strangers."

He frowned at me, his forehead wrinkling, like he was working through my logic. "Just ‘cause I know your name doesn't mean you're not a stranger," he wisely pointed out, and I couldn't argue with his logic. "Can I see my daddy? I really want to see my daddy?"

"We can go see him in just a few minutes, I promise." Reaching into my pocket, where I always kept cash for the vending machines, I pulled out some bills and handed them to Carrie. "I'm thirsty, Lucas. Would you like some juice, too?"

Carrie took the money from me, relieved to have something to do that didn't involve trying to get a scared child to talk to her.

He hesitated, but there was interest in his eyes. "We have orange, apple, grape…there might be some fruit punch."

Licking his pink lips, he shyly asked, "Can I have apple?"

"You bet. I'll take an apple juice too, please." Carrie nodded, tucking the money in her pocket. "Would you like anything to eat? The nurses station usually has some Jell-O or applesauce."

He shook his head, "Daddy got me chicken nuggies and fries. And I had a shake. It was yummy."

"A shake, huh? Did you eat at the Main Street Diner?" Standing up, I slid into the vacant seat next to him. I was getting way too old to be crouching down on my knees like that, or at least my thigh muscles thought I was. "That's one of my friend Seth's and my favorite places to eat. They have really good pancakes."

"I like pancakes," he whispered, rubbing his cheek against the fur of his rabbit.

"Me too." Pancakes were life and I'd fight anyone who said otherwise. "Do you think you can answer some questions for me? I promise I will take you to see your Daddy when we are done. He might be sleeping, but we can peek in. I know you're scared, but I promise you he's going to be alright. We have great doctors here."

His chest expanded with the deep breath he took, "Okay."

"Can you tell me your full name? Your last name? "

"Lucas Edward Pierce."

"Do you know your address?"

He nodded, giving me side-eye, but not turning to look at me fully. He kept his gaze on his rabbit and the floor. "Dallas, Texas."

"Wow, that is a long way away. I've always wanted to go to Texas." Someone had made sure this little boy knew his basic information, and I was glad of it. "I like cowboys."

He giggled at my declaration, his shoulders relaxing just a smidgeon from where they were practically touching his ears. He sighed, "We were in the truck forever. Daddy had to stop one night, and we stayed in a…a place with beds in a room."

"A motel?"

He nodded, "I think so. Daddy was coughing really bad, and he was very sleepy."

"I bet he was. Your daddy is pretty sick, but the doctors are giving him some medicine to make him feel better." That seemed to put him more at ease, because he turned to look at me then. Likely trying to judge if I was telling the truth or not. If he could trust me.

"Can you tell me your omega daddy's name?"

"Edward Clark." A shadow fell over his blue eyes, and he nibbled his bottom lip uncertainly.

"It's okay for you to tell me. Your daddy isn't in any trouble." Not sure if I was being truthful or not, it was always better to assure children that their parents weren't in trouble, even if they were.

"Papa Edward is mean sometimes," Lucas whispered, back to rubbing his face against his rabbit, but not before I saw the tell-tale glint of tears fill his eyes. The door opened quietly, and Sheriff Beckett filled the doorway with his extra-tall and wide bulk. He had bottles of apple juice in his hands, and Lucas looked over at him.

Becks held a bottle out to the boy, and Lucas took it, staring up and up and up at the man. Becks was an imposing figure, with a stern face, but he smiled softly down at the little boy. Stopping to twist the cap off the juice for him before he handed it over. He was out of uniform, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but his badge was clipped to his front pocket and his gun was holstered at his hip in plain sight.

"Thank you," Lucas whispered.

"You're welcome," Becks told him quietly. "My little girl has a rabbit almost like yours."

Lucas sipped his drink, his eyes big, "You have a little girl?"

Becks smiled brightly, his almost black eyes filled with joy. "I do. She's just a baby, but she loves her rabbit."

Lucas said nothing to that information, just quietly thinking about it.

Becks took a position in front of Lucas, much like I had earlier. "I heard you tell Bennett that your other papa was mean. Was he mean to your daddy?"

Lucas didn't say anything for about thirty seconds, then he slowly nodded his head.

"Was he mean to you?" Becks questioned quietly, our eyes locked together in silent communication.

Lucas scraped his bottom lip with his little front teeth, then mumbled under his breath. "Sometimes. He hurt my arm the night we left. He pulled it really hard, and he yelled. He was loud and he scared me."

Becks gave me a look, and I could tell he was doing his best to keep his emotions under control .

Softly, I asked, "Can you show me where on your arm? We just want to make sure your arm is okay and doesn't need to be looked at by one of our doctors."

Lucas looked unsure, a look on his face I recognized from my own childhood. That uncertain feeling of not knowing who to trust, not wanting to get your parents in trouble, and wanting to tell someone your truths in the hope that they might be able to help you. After seconds of hesitation, he turned towards me in his seat, thrusting his right arm in my direction.

"He grabbed me here." His little fingers pointed to a spot on his arm.

Gently I examined his skin under the lights. There were fading fingerprint marks on Lucas's upper arm, and without speaking I showed them to Becks. He pulled his phone out and snapped a quick picture.

"Does your arm hurt?" Letting go of him, I searched him for any other visible marks, but didn't see any.

He shook his dark head, telling me no and I hoped I could believe him.

"Can I see my daddy now?" Pulling his rabbit back to his chest, his small shoulders curled inward.

Becks and I exchanged another silent look, and I fought the urge to stroke a hand over Lucas's messy mop of hair. "Let me go talk to the doctor and I'll see if we can make that happen."

His blue eyes implored me. "You promised."

Nodding, I stood up. "I did. But hospitals have rules, so I need to ask."

Lucas wrinkled his nose. "Sometimes rules need to be broken."

Becks barked out a laugh. "Sometimes they do. Did your daddy tell you that? "

Lucas nodded, keeping his eyes on his swinging feet. He was shrinking back into himself, and it made my heart hurt.

"I'll be just outside the door, okay?" Lucas nodded that he heard, but he didn't look at me.

He shouldn't be alone. He should be sleeping, tucked safely into his bed, not dealing with any of whatever this was. I should ask Carrie to come sit with him, but some protective instinct rose up in me and I didn't want to get too far away from him.

It was crazy and made absolutely no sense, but it was there, and I wasn't going to question it too hard.

Meg and Mike met us outside the on-call room. "Lucas wants to see his dad. Will it be okay if we just take a quick look? He needs to see with his own eyes that he's okay."

Meg snorted, "He's far from okay, but I get it. A few minutes won't hurt, but what's the plan here, guys?" She stared around our collective group, waiting for one of us to figure out the next step we should take. Her eyes fell on me, and she raised a brow.

Normally, I would be the first one to offer solutions for an abuse case. I had connections and knew all the services available to people. But my mind was blank. Well, not blank. It swirled with thoughts of a blond alpha and his dark-haired son, while my body seemed to have gone completely haywire.

Slick still dripped out of me, and if I didn't know better I would say I was close to my heat. My skin was too hot and tight, my heart pounded too fast. My blood raced through my veins, and I was overcome with the strongest need to shield Shay and Lucas from…what exactly, I didn't know. Just to protect them.

Ours , my wolf whispered.

"I'm going to defer to Becks before we decide anything." Turning to look at the sheriff, I asked, "What exactly does Alpha Law mean? "

"It means the alpha can take his child away from the omega, no questions asked. To get their child back, the omega has to fight the alpha in court. In the past, omegas seldom won these cases, but it's an old law. Times have changed and omegas have more rights than when the law was made. It's antiquated, but no one has bothered to nullify it. Probably because most people don't even realize it exists."

Becks turned his attention to his deputy. "Run the name Edward Clark in the system, Dallas, Texas. And run Shay's driver's license and see what pops up." He started to hand the license to Mike, but I snatched it from his fingers, took a quick picture of it with my cell phone, then handed it over with a too bright smile. Completely ignoring Becks' scowling face and raised brow. Deciding he'd rather not deal with whatever nonsense I was up to, Becks turned his attention to Meg. "I assume you documented his injuries?"

"Of course. I'll forward everything to you with my report."

Becks nodded, "I'll need to take his statement when he's able. The little boy told us some interesting things. He's got some bruising on his upper arm. I'll need him to be looked at, everything documented. Alpha Law doesn't mean an automatic court win anymore, and I want everything documented for his lawyer."

Meg frowned at the news that we had found bruising on Lucas's arm. She hated any kind of abuse cases, but kids being abused were harder to deal with. "Bennett, have you gotten ahold of Asher?"

Shaking my head, I pulled out my phone. "Not yet. I wanted to have as many facts as I could before I called and–" glancing at the time on my phone, I winced, "probably wake him up with all this. "

"Let's see if we can get in touch with Asher." Meg shoved her hands into the pockets of her white lab coat. "I can keep Shay here a few more hours in the E.R., but then we need to figure out what to do with him. I could admit him, but that complicates things with Lucas. Social services would have to take him, and even a temporary foster hold could cause issues for Shay or Asher getting him back. That little boy–and his dad–have been through enough. If we can avoid bringing in Child Protective Services, it would be better for everyone."

We all silently agreed, knowing we were skirting protocol. But Asher was a friend and colleague, and this was his family. If we could come up with a better solution that didn't involve foster care for Lucas, we were all on the same page of doing just that.

My mind was quickly running through the lists of all the services I knew of, and possibilities for how to help these two…strangers. That word didn't sit well with me at all. They were Asher's family, and…and…

Fated mates , my wolf huffed, annoyed with me. Not a stranger. Mate. Belongs with us.

Fated mates or not, the man had a mate bond scar plain as day on his neck. He was off-limits no matter what the Goddess thought she was playing at. But I couldn't stop the pull I felt for Shay and his child. Couldn't stop the overwhelming need inside me to make sure I did everything in my power to keep them safe.

Just until Asher and Gabe can get home and sort them out. I told myself. It's what any friend would do. It has nothing else to do with anything. Just being a good neighbor.

The door creaked, breaking me out of my rambling thoughts once more and a small, determined voice broke up our group huddle .

"I want to see my daddy. Right now. You promised, and you shouldn't break your promises. It's not nice."

Lucas stood there, standing tall and holding his rabbit tightly, looking very much like someone who wasn't going to be put off any longer. Especially while all the adults tried to figure his life out for him.

Reaching out my hand in an invitation, he barely hesitated before tentatively placing his much smaller one in mine.

"You're right, I did promise. And I always try very hard to keep my promises. I know you'll feel better when you see your daddy. And then I'm going to try to get ahold of your uncle. How's that sound?"

Lucas gave one sharp nod of his head, and we slowly made our way back to the E.R. cubicles. Making sure to keep my stride short, so that Lucas could keep up with me, I need not have bothered. Lucas was already half my height. He was going to be tall like his alpha dad and his omega uncle. For an omega, Asher Pierce was tall, though his build was the exact opposite of his brother. Asher was long and lean, built like the cheetah shifter he was. Shay was long but definitely not lean. He was broad, with shoulders that barely fit across the hospital bed.

"I like your shoes." The bottoms of his shoes lit up with each step he took. "They're pretty cool."

Lucas looked down at the colorful lights on his shoes. "My daddy got them for me."

Standing outside the curtained cubicle, I moved the cloth aside enough to allow Lucas to poke his head through, so he could assure himself that his dad was still here and being cared for.

"Daddy, you're awake!" he cried, yanking out of my grasp and running towards Shay's hospital bed.