Rejected My Alpha Mate novel Chapter 12

Rachel POV

Panic caused me to sit up as soon as I came back to consciousness. Everything was white and bright and confusing. I tossed the blankets off my body and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"What? Where am I? Hello?"

White curtains parted before me as a woman in a nurse's uniform came rushing to my side.

"Hey, there," she soothed, "No need to worry! You're here at Saint Mary's Hospital. A good Samaritan saw you on the ground in the park. He called 9-1-1. How do you feel?"

She rubbed my back as she comforted me. Her voice was friendly, calm, and so truly kind I never wanted her to go away. Kindness wasn't something I received often.

"I feel dizzy. What's wrong with me?"

I had been a lot of things in my life, but physically I had always been in good health. I was a strong wolf even if I was mostly long limbs and lean muscle. I was rarely sick even as a child.

"Well, Rachel, can I call you Rachel? We got your name off the ID you had with you in your bag. I'm Nurse Betty. Do you feel okay to talk?"

Nodding, I raised a hand to my face where I felt the fading bruise from my father's hand. I winced as I realized she probably thought I was an abused woman. What else should she think?

"Rachel is fine, Nurse Betty. Can you fill me in on---whatever I've missed?"

Nurse Betty sat beside me on the bed and patted my thigh before turning to face me. I started to feel nervous at how serious she looked. Was I really sick? Had something been building up inside me without my knowledge?

Cancer affected werewolves very rarely, but it did happen. What kind of irony would it be if I escaped my horrible mating only to die soon after?

"Don't look so grim! We initially treated you as a Jane Doe until your purse went through the nursing aides for cataloguing. You've been here since yesterday afternoon. Do you remember yesterday?"

"I had an altercation. With my father. I went to the park. I remember being in the park, but I don't remember an ambulance or being brought here."

Betty smiled apologetically, "You were very out of it when you came in. Your blood pressure and blood sugar levels were all over the place. I took over your care at 7 AM this morning. This is the first time you've been awake since your arrival."

That was somehow comforting. I didn't have gaps in my memory because I remembered everything until I'd lost consciousness, but why had I fainted?

"Why did I faint? Did my father hit me that hard?"

"No," the nurse shook her head, "We did a head CT to clear you of any brain damage. It was purely your blood levels. You're going to need to be much more careful in the future or you and your baby are not going to make it through this pregnancy. Do you understand?"

"Baby? What baby?"

"I was afraid of that. You're pregnant, Rachel. Probably not more than a few weeks. Honey, are you being abused? We can offer you help."

A cold chill washed over me from my scalp all the way down to my toes. I flexed my feet as I realized I was barefoot. I hoped they'd kept my shoes because I only had the one pair suitable for work.

"Rachel?"

Shock.

I was in shock.

"What?" I asked, my lips numb and tingling.

Tyler and I had last had sex a few weeks ago. We used protection every time. I had wanted children as soon as I realized I was with my fated mate. I'd wanted a big family.

"Is someone hurting you? The father of this baby maybe? You have options. You may not think you do, but there's help available if you need it."

Tyler had never wanted children because he believed children in Alpha households were only used as bartering chips. Starting a family was one of the only things he'd ever discussed with me in depth.

"No, I'm separated from the father. Wait! Wait! What time is it? I've been here overnight?"

Panic shocked me back into motion. I was supposed to meet Tyler at the Moon Goddess shrine in the garden of Our Blessed Goddess.

The tile was cold under my feet. I flung the curtains back from around the hospital bed and stared at the bright sun coming through the window with horror. There was no way I wasn't late.