Chapter One #2
“I do. They already have it. I stopped at the hospital for the records of the assaults and then sent Officer McNally. I have photos and a statement, and I have provided them with video copies of the attacks. I also have photo records as well.”
Her mother looked like she was going to be sick.
Jim, a member of Vin’s new pack, brought her an ice pack. She put the pack on her face, and her parents were removed. Vin sobbed and ran to her. Dex felt the impact on her bruises, but Vin needed comfort.
“You got him, Dex. And you didn’t give him anything to claim as his engaging in self-defense.” Vincent smiled at her. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Well, slight problem, but I will heal. He must have been excited for the event tonight to have hit my face with a closed fist.”
“Now, go to the hospital with your pack. Get the photos taken of the damage, and then go home and get naked with as many of them as you can reach.” She grinned and ruffled his hair.
Vincent blushed. “I know what they were looking for. Our parents, I mean. But this pack is everything I want.”
“Then go, and let them be everything you want, become everything you need. You know where to find me.”
“Down the stairs and past the tutus.”
“Yeah. Now, go. And tell the police the truth. No more hiding. They don’t deserve it. You saw how fast Mom turned off the water works. It’s an act.”
“Right. And I remember her standing over you, telling you that defiance wasn’t attractive.”
“Oh, I thought I looked pretty good.”
They both smiled and laughed softly.
Kurt walked up to them. “I am going to take him for the imaging and the statement. Thanks for coming, Dex.”
She inclined her head. “Thanks for the invitation. Now, I am going to go home and get drunk.” She pressed a hand to her abdomen. “Actually, I might stop at the hospital again.”
Vin frowned. “Why?”
“Because I think the hit blew my appendix. Just when I was getting ready for bikini season.”
Kurt looked over his shoulder. “Emery. Can you take a look at Dex? She thinks she ruptured her appendix.”
She was feeling clammy and hot at the same time.
Emery walked over and prodded her abdomen. “How bad is the pain?”
“Pretty bad. This is turning into an eventful evening. I am just going to drive to the hospital.”
“No, you aren’t. The ambulance is on its way. It will be here in three minutes.”
“Oh. I don’t need an ambulance.”
“You do. If your appendix is intact, something else is ruptured in there. Internal bleeding is occurring.”
“How do you know?”
“I am an EMT. I know.” Emery smiled. He checked his phone. “One minute away. Let’s walk to the front.”
The rest of the pack left the party. Everyone inside seemed to have some idea what was going on.
The chills were starting, and Emery directed her toward the road. She pulled away and grabbed her purse from the car. “I need my insurance.”
“Of course. Do you have it?”
“Yup.”
“Here they are.” He smiled. The quiet ambulance pulled up, opened the doors, and Dex was assessed.
She sat and waited while her temperature was taken. Things were getting fuzzy, and she heard the order to start a line, was buckled onto a gurney, and then they were moving. She passed out twice, and the EMT next to her asked about the dress.
She mumbled, “Cut it off. My dad bought it and hung it up on the door before he started punching me.”
“Right. I am still going to try to take it off.” He sat her up slightly as they swayed through the streets. His hand slid under her and unzipped her gown before prying it off over her chest and down to her waist. “Holy shit.”
“Nice. Professional assessment? Or did I wear the cartoon underwear again?”
“Your abdomen is one giant bruise.”
“Not unexpected. It is a favourite target.”
She was covered with a blanket, and they continued on their silent trek to the hospital.
Surgery was laparoscopic, and she woke up just after midnight. A nurse was taking her vitals, and she smiled. “So, you work with pointe shoes?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Chatty under anesthetic.” Her voice was harsh.
“No worries. Just glad that you are up and around. You have a few incision points, but your amazing musculature is still intact. How do you workout?”
“With care and attention. Lots of crunches.” She smiled. “So, when can I leave?”
“The doctor will speak with you in a moment.”
She snorted and found the bed control to lift herself upright. “Can I get my phone?”
The nurse smiled and looked a little wary. “Are you comfortable?”
“Sure. I have been hit worse. At least no bones were broken this time.” She smiled and paused. “Painkillers?”
The nurse nodded. “Yes.”
“Ah. I normally don’t get this casual about it.”
The woman smiled and said, “It’s okay. I hear it all. Your stitches feel okay?”
“I don’t know where they are, so yes.”
The nurse smiled and continued to take vitals and check the small red marks held with neat stitches. All were holding.
A few minutes and a sip of water later, there was a knock at the door, a moment before it pushed open. The doctor was older, and he had a calm face. She looked at his name badge and smiled. “Good evening, Dr. Aquilar.”
“Good evening, Dex. I hadn’t thought to meet you again under these circumstances.”
She shrugged. “I like to keep things fresh.”
His bland face smiled. “You did that. Are you feeling any pain?”
“No, I got the good drugs.”
“How is your face?”
“Moves funny but no pain.”
“Good. Good.” He came closer. “I am going to check the incisions.”
She nodded, and he eased up her surgical gown and started to check the sites with freshly gloved hands.
“So, the EMT was right. You did have a ruptured appendix, but you also had a ruptured spleen.”
“Oh. Well, glad I managed both at once. Saved time.”
Dr. Aquilar snorted. “You did that. You also forced us to assemble quite the team as both surgeries were happening simultaneously. We repaired your spleen and removed your appendix. You are going to be on very light lifts for a few weeks. Good thing you work with shoes.”
She nodded as he tugged down her gown and made notes in her chart. He frowned. “Why does it say you are an omega?”
“Oh, because I am. Family had me on suppressors twice a year. Now I need to find out where to get the little buggers.”
He paused. “Your family had you on them?”
“Yup. The only proper omegas are male, apparently. So, I was given growth hormones and the suppressors. It’s in my file, isn’t it?”
He frowned. “I will have to check. This is unusual. Did the Omega Centre evaluate you?”
“Sure. They said everything was too small to function.”
“Interesting. There are treatments now.”
“Doc, I am twenty-seven and have never had a period or a heat. Why would I want to start now?”
He didn’t answer, just stared at her for a long moment. “So, you don’t socialize?”
“Sure. I go dancing with the troupe. I think I know where you are going, and no, I don’t engage in sexual relationships. I don’t really see the point. If I want to get horizontal and sweaty, I will try to beat my push-up record at the gym.”
The nurse snickered.
Dr. Aquilar said, “I saw Vincent today. He was with his new pack?”
“Yes. Today was his contract signing. Dad and Mom wanted the family to look like a united front. They thought I would use makeup to cover my face. It was the first time I wore the bruises out where everyone could see them. It’s amazing how folks just stop and stare.”
“Huh. I want you to speak to a colleague of mine.”
“Why? Do they stay up nights?”
He scowled. “You are being deliberately obtuse.”
“Yes. I am weak and just had surgery.” She sighed. “And I have to tell management that I won’t be in today. I won’t, right?”
“No. No, you won’t. You are remaining here until tomorrow at least.”
“Oh. Great.”
The nurse handed her phone over, and she started texting. She let management know that she wasn’t going to be in, and when they asked why, she took a selfie in her hospital bed with her banged-up face.
She got the response. Holy shit! What happened?
She sent a voice message. “Check the security cameras from my workshop between five thirty and seven. He’s been arrested, but I don’t know if he’s still in custody.”
She sent the message and waited.
Dr. Aquilar paused and nodded. He wrote a note on a hot pink piece of paper. “If you need a lawyer, call this number.”
She took the note and saw the number with an obvious legal name on it. “Thanks. I will put this in my phone.”
He nodded. “They have litigation and defense attorneys.”
She nodded. “Got it. Thank you.”
“When we do send you home, do you have someone to help you?”
“Oh. No. I will be fine. I have been hurt worse than this.”
The doctor’s lips tensed. “Be that as it may, I would prefer that you have someone to check on you.”
“I would prefer a perfectly cooked hamburger dispenser in my house. We can’t always have what we want.”
He frowned. “I am not going to discharge you without someone to watch you.”
“Tough. I am not trying to be mean, but you were the surgeon. I am going to be handed over to a regular physician.” She smiled brightly. “It will be out of your hands.”
He looked at her, and she thought she saw him snort smoke out of his nostrils. “Okay. Fine. You want to play it that way? We will see who has the say.”
He gave her a serious expression and said, “Put her in a room on five.”
The nurse nodded. “Yes, Doctor.”
He left the room, and Dex sighed. “I think I pissed him off.” She reached up to scratch the back of her neck.
The nurse snorted. “You think? I am going to arrange the move.”
“If there is room.”
“There is always room on five. It’s the omega floor.”
“Oh. Fuck.”
“Yeah. I will be right back.”
Dex nodded, slowly flipped the blanket off her legs, and eased them to dangle off the side.
She focused on keeping her core tight and slipped to the floor.
Standing was tricky, and she was looking for her clothing when the tether of the IV brought her up short.
She looked at the pain pump and the drip bag then down at the catheter tube and was debating what to do next when two orderlies and the nurse came back in.
She froze. “Um, hey. Just seeing if I could stand up.”
The orderly closest to her lifted her back into bed and settled her tubes in the right places. He smiled. “You wouldn’t have gotten far.”
She sighed as they lowered her flat. “Story of my life.”
The nurse chuckled, and Dex was on her way to the omega unit.