Page 105 of Omega's Refuge

“Of course.” Her dark gaze sharpened. “Is there any pain? Cramping? Dizziness?”

“I have had a little cramping.” When Rex shifted uneasily beside me, I added, “Nothing too serious.”

She asked me a few more questions about whether or not I’d ever been pregnant before and if I’d had complications, and what medications I was on. Once her questions were finished, she took us to the back area of the ER.

We passed rows of patients in beds, half hidden behind gray curtains. Some patients were moaning and others were unconscious. None of them looked happy, and who could blame them?

The nurse took me to a small, chilly room. There was an examination table and a chair, but not much else. “I’m sorry, we don’t have any empty beds at the moment.” She grimaced. “But I think it’s best if you lie down.”

“Okay.” I climbed up on the paper covered table, buzzing with anxiety. “Maybe nothing’s wrong and I won’t need an actual bed.”

She avoided my gaze. “That certainly would be the best case scenario.”

I swallowed hard. “Do you think the mild cramping I had earlier is a bad sign?”

“Let’s wait and see what the doctor says.”

Rex gave me an encouraging smile. “I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

The nurse didn’t respond, she simply stuck a thermometer in my mouth. “Lie down and I’ll take your pressure and draw some blood. The doctor will probably want to perform a transabdominal ultrasound to check the baby's heartbeat, location of the pregnancy, and placenta position.He’ll want to rule out any signs of miscarriage or placental abruption—though abruption is rare at two months.”

“M'kay,” I mumbled around the thermometer.

“Why would you take blood?” Rex asked.

“We need to do a complete CBC, which stands for complete blood count, to check for signs of internal bleeding,” she responded.

I grunted with fear at the idea of internal bleeding, and Rex gave me an uneasy glance. I suspected he wanted to comfort me, but didn’t know how.

“Wouldn’t I be in a lot of pain if I were bleeding internally?” I asked softly.

“Not necessarily,” she said, but then seemed to catch herself. “Don’t worry.” Her stiff smile suggested that reassuring patients didn’t come naturally to her. “We always check vital signs—blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels—anytime someone comes to the ER.”She removed the thermometer from my mouth. “Temperature is fine.”

“Okay, good.” She wasn’t the warmest of people, so I was thankful she’d thrown me that bone.

She wrapped the blood pressure cuff around my arm, and then she turned on the machine mounted on the wall. I felt the cuff squeeze my arm for a few moments then it released. She took two readings and then met my gaze. “Your BP is good.”

I sighed. “I’m, so stressed out, I expected it to be sky high.”

“Nope, it’s just fine.” She examined my scraped hands. “Do you have any other scrapes or cuts?”

“My legs feel bruised, but I don’t seem to have broken the skin.”

“Falling down the stairs is very dangerous. You were lucky.” She moved to open a cabinet over the sink. She stood on her tip-toes, and grabbed some antibiotic ointment and bandages.

“I hope you’re right about my luck,” I murmured, gingerly touching my stomach.

Once she’d applied the ointment and bandages to my palms, she pushed my shirt up and palpitated my abdomen gently. “Any pain or tenderness?” she asked, watching me closely.

“Not really. I think my hands took the brunt of my fall.” I’d instinctively tried to shield my belly as I’d tumbled down the stairs.

She gave me an approving nod. “It’s natural for an omega to protect their baby, even before themselves. Shows you’ve already bonded with the fetus.”

My eyes stung. “Yeah, I have. Even though it’s so early.” Once Rex had claimed me, I’d allowed myself to bond to the unborn child. There had been no reason not to.

Rex smiled at me. “It’s a good thing that you’ve bonded with the baby.”

I met his gaze. “Is it? What if I lose the baby? Then it will be a very bad thing.”

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