Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

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Beep . Light blinds me as I try to open my eyes. Beep . White walls and wooden cabinets swim in my teary vision. Beep . Pain crashes through my body in harsh waves. I try to curl in on myself but a sharp pain in the back of my hand stops me. An IV line leads to a pole with several bags attached. The annoying beeping sound filling my ears is a heart monitor.

Watching the little green line tick up and fall back down, I fight through the film wrapped around my memories. Why am I in the hospital?

Turning to the other side of the room I nearly jump out of the bed when I find Donovan glaring from a seat beside me. The older alpha looks haggard. His clothes are rumpled and dark facial hair lines his jaw.

When he notices I’m awake he hits the call button on the side of my bed. His arms re-cross over his chest, a move relaying his disappointment in me, but I can’t remember what I would have done to upset him.

Several minutes of awkward silence pass before a nurse walks in. She perks up when she sees me awake. Quickly typing out a message on her phone before coming over to check my vitals. I answer her questions, but my eyes stay glued to Donovan, fighting to regain my missing memories. Despite only waking up five minutes ago, I feel as though I haven’t slept in weeks.

A doctor walks in before I can give in to the sleep threatening to drag me under. “Miss Powell! It’s wonderful to see you awake! I’m Doctor Russell.” She checks over the information the nurse gathered before pulling a rolling chair over to the side of the bed opposite Donovan. “Are you comfortable if your guardian stays in the room while we discuss your treatment?” I nod and she continues. “Excellent! How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted and in pain,” I admit.

She nods, a sympathetic smile aimed my way. “I imagine you are. That’s to be expected with everything you’ve been through. Any stiffness in your neck?”

I turn my head to the right and feel a sting on the left side. My hand lifts to trace over the bandage there and everything comes flooding back to me. The confrontation with my father and Doctor Harrison. The chemical rejection. The epic mess that is my life now.

I survived.

Why did I survive?

They must see the realization on my face because the young doctor rushes to speak. “When they brought you in, you had extensive damage to your body. The cut on your neck was deep enough to leave you with severe blood loss. There was minor damage to your scent gland, but with a few dissoluble stitches, we were able to save it. You also had several broken ribs and a brain bleed from the trauma to your skull.”

My mind reels learning the severity of the damage my father was able to create. I shouldn’t be surprised. I knew letting them drag me back to the church could be a death sentence. Maybe it’s the inner child in me who is still shocked by our father’s lack of humanity.

“There is something else I need to discuss with you. I must ask again if you would like Mr. Griffith to be present for this discussion?”

My brow furrows with her repeated concern about Donovan being here, but I don’t ask the alpha to leave. Anything this doctor has to say he can hear.

“When our team was removing your clothing to check the extent of your injuries, we found a partial bond mark.” I hear a sharp inhale to my left but I keep my eyes locked on Doctor Russell. “You were aware of its presence?”

Of course, I know it’s there. Though I’d prefer to pretend it doesn’t exist. It is just another reminder of how badly I’ve failed as an omega.

“When you were diagnosed with chemically induced Rejected Omega Syndrome, did you mention the mark to your doctor?”

“No, I didn’t think it was relevant.”

She nods several times. “I can see why you’d think that, but the opposite is true. It is likely the bond mark is what is causing your rejection. The bite was deep enough to break the skin but your partner's teeth weren’t in place long enough for the bond between you to solidify. So your body is reacting to the initial flood of bond-building endorphins by assuming the lack of completion is a rejection.”

“So, you’re saying without the partial bond mark, I wouldn’t have ROS?” My mind feels too sluggish for me to fully understand what this would mean for me. If it changes anything at all.

“Honestly, there is no way to know for certain. Depending on the situation, your instincts may still have taken your partner's actions as a rejection. What we do know for certain is that the bond mark is intensifying the symptoms of the ROS.”

I nod slowly. Working through everything in my head. If Nexus hadn’t helped me through that horrendous heat… Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Either route is a death sentence. I never would have survived the heat without him, and I won’t survive this rejection without them.

“There is some good news in all of this,” Doctor Russell says. “While it isn’t a cure or even a permanent fix, we do have medicine to counteract some of the side effects from the partial bond mark. They should slow your decline. Is that something you would like to try?”

“I-”

“Yes.” Donovan’s growled response cuts me off. I swallow thickly before agreeing.

I will try. For him. For my sister, and my friends. I know there are people in my life who will be devastated if I give up again, and I don’t want to hurt them.

“Okay, I’ll get things moving then! We are also going to be giving you a low-dose heat suppressant. With the damage to your body from both the ROS and your assault, a heat could be life-threatening.”

“Makes sense,” I murmur weakly. My eyes are so heavy I can barely keep them open.

“Rest. You’ll need your strength for these next steps in your journey.”

She adjusts the setting on the machine connected to my IV and waves to Donovan before she leaves. The door clicks shut behind her and I slowly turn to meet his eyes. His eyes are lit with concern as he watches me. I offer him a small smile, my mouth open to speak, but whatever drug she gave me is already starting to work and I quickly drift to sleep. Whatever words slur from my lips are probably undecipherable.

The lights are dimmed when I wake again. The sky outside of the hospital windows is dark, telling me I’ve been here for at least a day.

I turn my head, a sigh falling from my lips when I see Donovan slumped in the same chair he was in earlier. His eyes are closed, his clothes more rumpled. I doubt he’s left me alone for more than a few minutes.

Pulsing pain in my neck has me shifting uncomfortably. I must make too much noise, as Donovan’s eyes fly open. “Sorry,” I whisper quietly, urging him to go back to sleep.

“For which part, exactly?” He grunts as he stretches his shoulders and leans forward to rest his forearms across his knees. “Accepting a recklessly planned DAU mission without speaking to me first? Or for not telling me the chemical rejection had gotten so severe in the first place?”

I glance down at the bed, picking at the white hospital blanket laid across my legs. He is allowed to be upset with me, especially when I knew the mission Dromir asked me to undertake wasn’t one he would approve of. Even if I wouldn’t change my decision, it’s still difficult to face his disappointment in me.

“Both?”

“Listen, kid,” he sighs, the sound as exhausted as I feel. “Thank you for helping to bring your father down. It was really brave of you to face him. But from here on out, you leave dealing with his followers to us. No more vigilante missions.”

“Okay,” I quickly agree. “My father, is he–”

“In federal custody, and facing charges for domestic bioterrorism, human trafficking, aggravated assault of an unbonded omega, and bribery.”

“And his backers?” I won’t be able to feel relief about my father’s imprisonment until I know his political connections won’t get him out of it.

“Senator Pierson and his campaign are under investigation for corruption given his close relationship with your father. So far he is publicly claiming he had no knowledge of the Pastor’s actions. No one else is being vocal about their connection to the church. Many of his prominent followers are receiving heavy backlash, so we don’t foresee your father being bailed out by any of them. Not when the entire nation and most of the world witnessed his confession.”

My shoulders slump, the tension leaving my body. It’s really over. He’s no longer a threat to us. I can finally–my thoughts stall when they drift to my fated connection. Even with the threat of my family gone, I can’t have the happily ever after I once dreamed of. Not when my fated mates want nothing to do with me.

“And Doctor Harrison?”

“Unfortunately, at this time he has evaded capture and gone underground. We are assembling a joint task force between the DAU and FCDA to track him down.”

Knowing that monster is still out there somewhere leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but I doubt he will be reckless enough to go after me again. Not with his face plastered on news channels across the country.

“Like I said, leave the rest to us. Your only concern right now needs to be letting this new medicine work.” Donovan gives me a stern look, his sky blue eyes filled with concern and a hint of lingering fear.

“Alright,” I mumble, glancing away from him. When I can barely find the will to stay alive, it’s difficult to have someone so bothered by my declining health. It would be easier if no one cared.

“Get some more sleep. Your sister will be here first thing in the morning. If you think my scolding was rough,” he chuckles, “Just wait till you deal with an enraged pregnant woman.”

My groan makes him laugh. I’m so screwed when Hannah gets here. I promised her I wasn’t going anywhere, and yet she watched me try to welcome death on national TV. Her ire will be well deserved, I guess.

For the first time since I arrived, I am alone in my hospital room. Blowing out a sigh of relief, my shoulders relax. For a little while I don’t have to pretend. No one is here to see me fall apart.

With the help of the new medicine, my head doesn’t feel as foggy. It would be nice if my clear thoughts weren’t filled with memories of my would-be pack. It seems Doctor Russell’s suggestion is already helping to combat the side effects of my rejection. Too bad the drugs don’t seem to alleviate my mental distress.

I let my eyes slip closed, hoping sleep will drag me back to the dreamless state I’ve existed in for the past two days. Even with the room cast in shadows and the blinds drawn, my mind won’t rest. The past several weeks have been filled with fatigue that kept me bedridden most days, so it feels weird to have enough energy to stay awake for more than half an hour at a time.

The door to my room clicks open and soft footsteps enter, followed by the comforting scent of cherry and almond. Hannah’s arms cross over her chest as she stops at the foot of my bed. The glare she levels at me is strong enough to make plants wither. A mom glare she mastered when I was practically a toddler.

I have to bite my cheek to stop myself from smiling. The pain and anger swirling in her brown eyes isn’t amusing. It just feels so familiar to have her here, looking at me like that. It’s like we’re kids again, sneaking muddy shoes into the house so our parents don’t see.

“You are never allowed to make such careless, impulsive decisions ever again. The rejection may diminish your will to exist, but when it gets to the point you are willing to die, you call me.” Tears well in her eyes and spill down her cheeks in heavy streams. The sight of them feels like claws piercing my heart.

“I’m sorry, Hannah, I didn’t mean–”

“I know,” she sniffles. Standing straighter, she brushes the tears aside and rounds the bed to hold my hand.

Staring down at me, her expression is strained, matching the dark circles beneath her eyes. She’s clearly exhausted, though I imagine some of her fatigue is from the baby kicking around in her round stomach.

“This chemical rejection is kicking your ass, but you can beat it. You were strong enough to face our father and his vile scientist, so overcoming a chemical imbalance should be a breeze. Especially when you aren’t doing it alone.”

Squeezing her hand, I soak in her presence and tell her about the partial bondmark. Her anger returns, but I can tell it isn’t directed at me this time. If I’m not careful she may enlist Shepherd and Foster to visit my Fate matched mates for an old-fashioned ass-whooping.

“Where’s Kaitlin?” I ask, finally noticing my niece isn’t glued to her hip. The two of them have been inseparable since they left New Hampshire, so it’s surprising for the little ray of sunshine to be absent.

“She’s with Foster. The nurses were cooing over her and offering her treats so she wanted to stay with them.” A brittle longing enters her eyes as she stares at the door. She quickly shudders the look away and turns her attention back to me. “How are you feeling today?”

“Better, I guess.” I shrug. It isn’t technically a lie. I do feel better than yesterday, though there hasn’t been much improvement in the long run. I don’t point out my poor health to her though. She doesn’t need the added stress.

“Having Father locked away is relieving, isn’t it?” Hannah asks as she sinks into Donovan’s empty chair with a groan. Her hand rubs over her stomach, easing some aches away from the strain of growing a baby.

A small smile pulls at my lips seeing her like this. Tired, sure, but also glowing. A few weeks away from our family is enough to bring life back into her eyes.

“As long as he stays that way,” I comment tensely. I’m still nervous his followers will find some way to free him, even with his confession available to the public. Some technicality Dromir and the other DAU agents hadn’t considered.

“I’m worried too,” my sister admits. “More so since Mother, Ben, and Jacquelyn are also unaccounted for.”

Hearing the rest of my birth family aren’t behind bars for their role in the church’s actions burns, but my goal wasn’t to go after them, it was to confront my father. I’ve accomplished what I set out to do, now I have to trust the DAU and the government to take care of the rest.

“So what now?” My voice betrays my nervousness. I don’t want to be separated from her when we’re finally reunited and free, but she deserves the chance to build her dream life for herself.

“Now you keep fighting this rejection, while I file for divorce and full custody of my children.”

My mouth hangs open in shock. I knew from the day they married her husband wasn’t right for her. He’s ten years older than she is, and only ever seemed interested in chasing after our father like a lost puppy. Hearing she’s going to leave him makes me happy. Maybe now she can find someone who genuinely loves and cares for her.

Or someones, I correct when Foster and Shepherd walk into the room. Kaitlin swings between them, giggling like crazy each time her feet leave the ground.

My niece’s eyes light up when she sees her mother, and she tries to throw herself into Hannah’s arms but Shepherd catches her easily. He lifts her gently into her mother’s lap, reminding the small girl she has to be careful with her baby sibling inside of her mommy’s belly.

The tension between Hannah and Shepherd when their eyes meet is one spark away from a wildfire. Foster seems just as smitten when he hovers beside her chair.

A weight eases in my chest watching the three of them interact. No matter what happens to me, at least I know Hannah will have them to support her.