Page 13 of Knot Your Sugar Rush (Starling Grove #2)
Chapter thirteen
Cam
T he ambulance ride is a blur of red lights and hushed voices.
I sit stiffly, holding Gram’s hand like it’s the only anchor I’ve got.
The medic across from me speaks softly, asking questions, taking vitals, but I barely register any of it.
My entire world has shrunk down to the slow, shallow rhythm of Gram’s breathing and the cold dread coiling tighter and tighter in my chest.
Please don’t leave me. Not yet.
The sirens cut through the night air as we speed toward the hospital. When we finally pull up, the doors open and everything happens at once—blurred movement, fast voices, wheels squeaking on linoleum. I try to follow, but someone stops me at the ER doors.
“Family can wait here. We’ll come get you when we know more.”
I nod dumbly and let them guide me to a plastic chair in a too-bright waiting room that smells like antiseptic and tired hopes. My hands are shaking, so I tuck them under my thighs and try to remember how to breathe.
I feel small. Lost. Like I’m nineteen years old again, watching everything I love fall apart without a clue how to stop it.
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?”
“Yes, Gram.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go let those handsome men take care of you. I won’t tell your mother if you don’t.”
I groan and kiss her forehead. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Like you didn’t get it from me.”
I linger, and my voice drops to something quieter. “Gram... I don’t think I’m ready. For love, I mean. After Eric... I just... I can’t.”
Her expression softens, and she reaches up to brush a strand of hair behind my ear like she used to when I was little.
“I know, sweetheart. You’ve been hurt. You don’t have to be ready. Just be honest with yourself. And trust your heart to know when it’s time.”
A knot loosens in my chest. “Thanks, Gram.”
“Anytime. Now go home. I’ll be right here tomorrow, laughing with nurses and flirting with doctors.”
I smile and leave the room with my chest just a little lighter.
When I step back into the waiting area, the three of them stand to meet me without a word.
“Would you mind... taking me home?” I ask.
Dane steps forward. “Let’s get you there.”
No hesitation. No expectations.
Just quiet, steady presence.
And maybe, just maybe, something like safety.