Page 9 of His Gentle Omega
“Are we going to see Uncle Asher after dinner?” he asked, taking my advice and letting his shake sit for a few seconds.
Running a hand through my horribly mussed hair, I tried not to let my worry show on my face. If I couldn’t find Asher, I didn’t know what we would do the next few days. I didn’t like the idea of sleeping in the truck, not with Lucas. We’d done that a couple of times, for a few hours when I’d needed to rest my eyes. Buteven with the doors locked, I’d never really rested. Too aware of our surroundings, Lucas’s safety, and the fear that Edward had sent someone after us.
“Well, I’m not sure where he lives,” I told him honestly. “I was planning for us to be here earlier, and I could call his work. But they’re closed.”
Lucas stared out the window next to our booth, watching the cars driving up and down the main street. His little nose scrunched up, something he did when he was thinking hard.
“Why don’t we just ask at the hospital?”
Blinking hard at him, I was at a loss for words. Why the fuck hadn’t I thought of that? Because my brain was definitely not braining right now. It felt foggy and full of cotton. A shiver raced through me, and I tried to pull my hoodie closer around my body. Logically I knew I should not be cold, and it likely meant I was running a fever. Something I had suspected for days. My eyes had that weird gritty feeling they got when I was sick, my joints ached, and I was either freezing cold or way too hot.
The only thing that had kept me going, kept me upright, was the fear racing through me that Edward would find us. Making sure to drive the speed limit and mind every and all traffic laws, because I feared Edward’s father–or all his high-powered attorneys–would have a warrant out for me for kidnapping or some shit.
Even though I had claimed Alpha Law, I knew that would mean dick all to them. I almost hadn’t believed my luck that day in the library, stumbling upon the old law when I’d been searching for ways to get away from Edward and break our mate bond. Along with finding out the medical ways there were to sever a mate bond, I had found the law that stated an alpha could take their children and leave their omega, for any reason.Omegas could fight it, but most lost. It would take a lot of money and really good lawyers to get a judge to side with an omega once an alpha had claimed Alpha Law.
Both of which the Clarks had in spades. But fight them I would, if it took my last breath. Which it might, because I sure didn’t have any money. All I could do was hope that I had enough evidence against Edward that the law would remain on my side. Hopefully the fear of a scandal would be enough that they wouldn’t fight me. There was nothing Edward’s family hated more than even a whiff of a family scandal.
I couldn’t–wouldn’t–lose Lucas.
“He’s a doctor, right?” Lucas took another sip of his shake, staring at me over the rim of the tall glass container. “Doctors are at hospitals, so wouldn’t someone know him there?”
My son was a genius. Well, probably not, but he was working with more brain cells than I was at the moment. Another shiver raced across my too warm skin, and a wave of exhaustion pulled at me. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so fucking tired, or having my body hurt as bad as it did right then. It was more than the beating from Edward. Every muscle, joint, and bone ached. Breathing was becoming harder and harder, even when I wasn’t coughing. Each breath was now accompanied by a soft wheeze. I felt like absolute roadkill.
Nodding, I rasped, “Lucas, you are one smart boy.”
He grinned, pleased with himself, then gave me a serious look. “Maybe they can give you some medicine there, Daddy. Or look at your ouchies.”
Closing my eyes against my son’s watchful gaze, I tried to stop the way my body shook.
Damn you, Edward. And damn me for ever thinking I loved you.
“I’m fine, buddy, I promise. My eye will look better in a day or two.” At least I could see out of it again, even if it was still pretty swollen. The skin around it was a garish purple/black/green combo. More bruises had bloomed over the last several days. One on my right cheekbone, and along the underside of my jaw. The fingerprint bruises around my neck were now dark red, some black, in spots. Thankfully, my hoodie hid the worst of them. My left side was one large dark red and purple bruise over my ribcage. The knot on the side of my head had thankfully shrunk in size, but my head hadn’t stopped its insistent pounding since we had left.
I was saved from telling any more lies by the delivery of Lucas’s food, and busied myself getting ketchup on his plate and making sure his napkin was in his lap. What little I could smell of the food caused my stomach to flip, and I felt sweat break out across my skin beneath the warmth of my hoodie. It was a weird feeling being ice cold, but sweaty, at the same time, and I concentrated on trying not to heave.
Lucas ate with the gusto of a six-year-old, and I wished I had an appetite. The food, despite my iffy stomach, looked good and the diner was cute with its fifties-like atmosphere. We would need to come back when I was feeling better.
Sandy had given me a look when I had paid the bill and asked for directions to the hospital in town, but she hadn’t commented. Just gave me my change with a smile and simple directions.
The main doors to the hospital were locked, with a sign saying to use the Emergency Room entrance after eight p.m., so that’s where we found ourselves. There were only a few people sitting in the waiting room, a television playing softly from where it hung on the wall.
Approaching the check-in desk, I held Lucas’s small hand in mine, my feet stumbling over themselves when a wave of dizziness took me by surprise. The person at the desk gave me a concerned, assessing look, before asking, “Can I help you?”
Blinking at her, I tried to get my eyes to focus. All the colors around me seemed dulled, a bit gray around the edges, and shapes undulated with odd movement.
Finally, I got my tongue to work. “I was wondering if you had contact information for Dr. Asher Pierce?”
She stared at me hard, then gave Lucas the same assessing look she had given me. “Dr. Pierce isn’t on call tonight. If you need medical assistance, another doctor can look at you.”
“No, we don’t need medical help–”
The look she shot me told me loud and clear she thought I absolutely needed medical help. Ignoring her look, and the way my body suddenly felt the need to sit down, I tried to clarify, “I need to speak to Dr. Pierce.”
“That isn’t possible. As I said, Dr. Pierce is not on call tonight.”
“Please, I just need someone to call him.” Reaching out for something to steady me, I grabbed onto the desk, dropping Lucas’s hand. My legs felt weird, weak and wobbly, and sitting down seemed like something I was going to need to do very soon.
A coughing fit took me by surprise, and I couldn’t catch my breath. The force of it bent me double, my ribs screaming, and I felt myself falling forward. Losing my grip on the desk, my knees hit the hard linoleum, my hands slapping the cold floor painfully.
