Chapter Fourteen
Locus
My question about what to do with my life was answered the first day I accompanied my alpha to work. His receptionist/billing clerk, Leah, had a family emergency in Hawaii where she came from and had to catch a midnight plane that night. She wasn’t sure when or if she’d return. Grasping the opportunity, I got her to give me a crash course in her job as well as her cell phone number so I could call her for help or advice.
And just like that, I was the face of Your Best Friend’s Doctor veterinary practice. I made a ton of mistakes the first week or so, but my boss was understanding, and luckily so were his clients and their pet parents, and soon things ran smooth again.
Most of those who visited our office were shifters of one kind or another, or at least were friends with some, so I was in for a lot of teasing as my belly swelled and my cravings for more and odder food combos grew, and everyone who came in for booster shots for their pup or a checkup for their hamster was interested in my progress.
And every omega or woman who’d given birth was happy to share advice. Mostly terrifying stories of anything that ever went wrong. That morning, the owner of a trio of Pomeranians had told me about his induced labor and huge baby. Then, just before lunch, an omega with a new kitten who needed vaccinations regaled me with details of his brother’s post-birth infection that almost killed him.
At the very end of the day, after Mrs. Holly and her parrot headed home, reassured that every bird molted sometimes, Felix emerged from the exam room to the waiting area where I huddled over my desk, stuffing french fries dunked in Russian dressing into my mouth and sighing.
“That’s the last patient.” He strode over and flipped the sign to closed, watching me out of the corner of his eye the whole time. “Oh no. What’s going on?” Tugging the blind down on the door, he shook his head. “And what are you eating?”
“N-nothing.” I lifted my face, which was probably smeared with food. “I’m hungry.” All that time near starvation in the woods, I’d never felt anything like the hunger since this baby took up residency. “The parrot lady described her son-in-law’s cousin’s brother’s five-and-a-half-day labor that wound up in a C-section and left him so stretched out, his alpha left him for a raccoon shifter and took the baby. He’s been living in a creek nearby so he can get visitations on alternate weekends.”
Felix blinked, face scrunched as he no doubt attempted to process the horror I’d described. “He lives in a creek?”
“Otter shifter.” I sniffed. “And there aren’t even any fish there. He has to buy them in town.” Two big tears dripped off my nose onto my fries. “From Walmart.”
Felix let the blind go and started toward me. “I’m gonna kill that woman.” But his lips quirked and his late afternoon scruff couldn’t hide the smile. “How many days in labor?”
“F-five and a half.” I drew a shuddering breath. “I’m gonna die, aren’t I?”
The smile disappeared and he was around the counter and at my side, gathering me into his arms so fast he was a blur. “Oh, omega mine, maybe it’s time you stopped coming into the office. Every day some helpful person tells you things that makes you afraid of a perfectly natural process. It’s too upsetting to you, Locus.”
“And you never even call me Rogue anymore?” Fresh tears poured out and I stood and flung myself into his arms. “I’m such a mess, I don’t even know why you want me around at all. Of course I’ll stay home if you want me to. I’ll be fine all by myself. All day. Alone.”
“Oh my gods,” he muttered, stroking my hair and letting me scrub his cartoon-puppy-covered scrub shirt. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I don’t know.” I’d gone from sobs to wails and I had no idea why. I had the best life ever, and here I was making sure to ruin it.
He turned us around and sat in my chair, drawing me onto his lap. I continued to cry, he continued to stroke and pet me, and after a long time, I ran out of tears and just lay limp against him. He waited a bit longer before saying, “Done? Can we talk now?”
I sat up, no longer hysterical, just sad. “Sure. Want me to start staying home tomorrow? I will be fine.” I also felt brave to make that offer and a little scared he’d accept.
“No, omega. I only suggested it because I didn’t want people like Mrs. Holly and the others you’ve told me about to get you freaked out. I don’t know what makes them behave that way, but I guess it’s just human nature.” He cupped my chin. “Maybe if I made them come in here in animal form, they’d be better behaved.”
“So am I doing an okay job here, then?”
He brushed my lips with his and looked into my eyes. “Okay? You’re the best front office person I’ve ever had. I don’t know how I ever got by without you.”
My spirits lifted at his words. I wouldn’t say I was happy, but at least I wasn’t scraping emotional bottom anymore. “I don’t want to stay home by myself, you know. If I promise not to let everyone make me cry, can I still come to work?”
“Omega mine”—he cuddled me close, stroking my back in long caresses that relaxed all my tense muscles —“if you stay home, I’ll have to move my practice there because I’d just miss you too much.”
Okay, happy stood within reach. “Really? I’m not driving you crazy with all this crying? I’ve never behaved like this before, you know. It’s driving me crazy!”
“Pregnancy hormones affect everyone a little differently. And all I care about is your well-being. Maybe we need to take off this weekend and go somewhere fun. Somewhere we can shift and play. Would you like that?”
Big happy bubbles inside me. “I’d love that. I haven’t wanted to ask, but it would be so much fun to have you to myself.” Because even at home, we got a lot of emergency calls that interrupted meals and movies...and other things. “But what about your patients?”
“I have an agreement with Dr. Bob at Animals Animals Everywhere to switch off when one of us needs a break. He’ll pick up the slack for us.”
“Where shall we go?” I didn’t even care, as long as I had my alpha uninterrupted for a couple of days. “A hotel?”
“I know just the place. Have you ever heard of the Panther Lodge?”
“No, but I’m intrigued.”
Felix stood, setting me on my feet. “You’re in for a treat, omega mine. It’s on thousands of acres of pristine wilderness. Streams and waterfalls, big trees, and it’s protected. It’s not only the best shifter vacation spot in the country, but the most fun. What do you say?”
“I say, come on Friday!”