Chapter 179: He Will Bench You

​I turned my head, staring out the passenger window as the glass facade of the St. Jude Medical Pavilion came into view in the distance.

​"You know..." I said softly, my voice barely carrying over the quiet hum of the engine. "...it’s actually our first time visiting the hospital together."

​Reid went completely still for a second, his grip tightening on the wheel. "Kain..."

​"It feels weird," I added, a small, quiet exhale slipping past my lips. "For ten years, any time I had to step foot near a medical facility, I went alone. Disguised, paranoid, checking over my shoulder every three seconds to make sure no one saw Captain Evans entering an Omega specialized hospital. Now I’m riding shotgun with a rookie."

​"Well..." Reid swallowed hard, his grey eyes fixed strictly on the road ahead as a dark, painful shadow crossed his face. "...weird doesn’t even begin to cut what shit we’re about to get to."

​I looked over at him, watching the heavy strain along his jawline. He knew what Vance’s pills were about to do to me. He knew that within an hour of swallowing those high-dose synthetic hormones, my body was going to turn into a violent, agonizing war zone—cramps, cold sweats, vomiting, and a crushing drop in stamina that would leave me helpless in a hospital bed.

And the knowledge that his own unhinged rut had forced me into this corner was clearly eating him alive from the inside out.

​"Speaking of shit we’re in," I said, deliberately shifting the subject to pull him out of his downward spiral, "If you plan to stay with me the whole time, how do you plan to get out of practice without Coach Devin losing his mind?"

​Reid let out a rough, short breath, flicking his gaze toward the digital console on the dashboard. "I’ll handle it. I might even put the phone on Do Not Disturb just to get him off my back."

​"Reid..." I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Devin is going to bench you just on principle if you go AWOL during the semifinals."

​"He won’t," Reid said firmly, though his tone held a quiet, underlying tension. "Marina’s heading to the arena later to deliver the official cover story in person. Once she explains that I was with you when you ’collapsed from a sudden viral infection’ and helped get you to the clinic, Devin will understand why I won’t be answering my phone. I’ll explain the rest of the details to him after Marina lays the groundwork."

​"You better hope Marina’s story is bulletproof," I muttered, leaning my head back against the leather headrest as Reid turned the car into the private, subterranean parking structure beneath the pavilion.

​"It will be," Reid murmured softly, killing the engine. He unbuckled his seatbelt and immediately turned in his seat, reaching over to gently pull the zipper of my heavy coat down just an inch so I wouldn’t overheat as we stepped out into the humid garage air. "Right now, your only job is getting through the next few hours and few days. I’ll handle Devin. I’ll handle the team. I’ve got you, Cap."

​The top three floors of the St. Jude Medical Pavilion belonged to an exclusive, off-the-books clinic catered strictly to high-society Omegas—a sanctuary designed for total privacy, far away from media cameras and public records.

Omegas didn’t play grueling, body-to-body collision sports like hockey, so the idea of an Omega taking hits on the ice was biologically unthinkable to the general public. Thus, no one in the sports world would ever think to look for Captain Evans—the Beta Captain—here.

​Reid kept his arm wrapped tight around my waist, practically carrying my sore, exhausted frame through the sterile, marble-lined corridor.

Marina was already waiting for us at the entrance and had made all the bookings. She walked ahead of us, her heels clicking sharp against the polished floor, her eyes glued to her tablet as she finalized the intake paperwork under a fictitious name.

​"I secured Suite 402," Marina murmured, her voice hushed as she swiped a keycard against the door lock. "It’s completely isolated. Once we get Kain settled, I’m stepping out to meet Coach Devin at the arena’s training facility. I’ll deliver the medical leave forms in person and make sure he thinks Kain is quarantined in a general infectious disease ward across town. He won’t even think to set foot near this building."

​"That sounds like a plan," Reid grunted, his jaw tight as he carefully maneuvered me inside the room.

​The suite looked more like a five-star hotel room than a medical bay, save for the sleek monitor mounts and a heavy, stainless-steel biohazard and chemical disposal unit built directly into the wall near the bedside table.

The container’s yellow warning light blinked rhythmically—a cold, sterile reminder of the high-grade medical waste this private ward frequently processed.

​As Reid guided me toward the plush bed, my eyes lingered on that disposal unit. A sudden, cold knot tightened in the pit of my stomach. An uneasy bad feeling washed over me, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

​"Kain?" Reid asked softly, noticing the sudden hitch in my breath as he helped me sit down. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick already?"

​"No," I rasped, rubbing a hand over my chest, trying to shake the dark instinct while staring at the yellow light. "Just... an uneasy feeling."

​"Sit back. It’s all going to be fine." Reid gently assured, lifting my legs onto the mattress and pulling a warm duvet over my hips.

​Marina placed the black vacuum-sealed medical pouch containing Vance’s commercial emergency pills on the nightstand, right next to the glass vials for the electrolyte IV. "I’m going down to the administrative office to sign the non-disclosure agreements with the chief physician. Do not leave this room. I’ll be back in twenty minutes, and then I’m heading to Devin."

​"We won’t move," Reid promised.

The door clicked shut as Marina left, leaving just the two of us in the quiet suite.