Page 70 of Omega's Fever

She’s in a patient’s room, adjusting pillows. Her hair’s different. It’s darker, shorter, pulled back in a neat bun. The scrubs make her look smaller than I remember, or maybe she’s just lost weight. Stress will do that.

I wait in the hallway until she’s done. When she emerges, clipboard in hand, she glances my way and freezes.

For a second, I think she might run. Her whole body goes rigid, fight or flight response in full effect. Then recognition floods her face, followed quickly by something I can’t quite read.

“Supply closet,” she whispers, barely moving her lips. “Third door on the left.”

The closet’s cramped and smells like industrial cleaner. Shelves of bedpans and adult diapers line the walls.

The door barely clicks shut before she throws her arms around me.

“My God, Kellen.” Her voice cracks against my chest. “I thought you were locked up forever. How are you—” She pulls back suddenly, hands gripping my arms. “How are you out? Are you safe? What’s happening?”

The concern in her voice catches me off guard. Here she is, someone who has been genuinely worried about me. It’s an odd feeling.

I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. “I prime matched with my defense attorney.”

Her eyes go wide. “You what?”

“And he’s pregnant.”

The laugh that bursts out of her is bright and unexpected in this dim space. “Only you, Hayes. Only you would get arrested for trafficking and end up mated to your lawyer.” She shakes her head, still smiling. “Is he... is he good to you?”

The question hits somewhere soft. “Yeah,” I say, and feel the truth of it settle in my bones. “He is. He’s amazing.”

“Good.” She smooths down her scrubs, a nervous gesture. “That’s... that’s really good, Kellen. You deserve something good.”

“What about you? You okay here?” I gesture at the closet, the hospital, all of it. “This isn’t exactly...”

“What I dreamed of?” She finishes with a wry smile. “No. But it’s honest work. Safe work. And I’m married now.”

I’d seen it noted in the case file but I pretend I don’t know. “Yeah?”

“To Damon.” The smile goes soft, private.

“Really?” I can’t help but grin. I’d known they were close. I hadn’t known it was that close. I couldn’t think of a bettercouple.

“Really.” She gives me a wide smile and touches her stomach in a gesture I’ve been seeing a lot lately. “He works security now. Private firm. We have a little place in Forest Hills. Nothing fancy, but...”

“It’s yours.”

“Yeah.” Her hand stays on her stomach. “It’s ours.”

I know that gesture. Seen it on Milo when he thinks I’m not looking.

“You’re pregnant.”

“Four months.” Her voice drops to almost nothing. “Damon wants me to quit, stay home, but we need the money. Need to save everything we can before...”

Before the baby comes. Before everything changes.

“That’s great, Pen. Really.”

“Is it?” The fear bleeds through now. “I want the baby, I really do but I didn’t want to bring a child into this. Not until we were out of here and safe.”

I think about Milo, about our baby growing inside him, about all the ways this could go wrong.

“Yeah,” I tell her.