Page 92 of The Omega's Alpha
Chapter Seventy-Four
Iwasn’t allowedto eat after midnight the night before my surgery. Laine made sure to feed me well beforehand, then withdrew into his paperwork while I browsed the television stations the hotel offered. I couldn’t face the journals tonight, but there’d be plenty of time while I was recovering to delve into that tragedy so I refused to feel guilty about it.
Quin called to say goodnight and tell me that Las Padros had called him and I let him know in no uncertain terms that I was having none of that helpless omega crap, which made him laugh. He said he’d told Las Padros essentially the same thing, which had made me feel good enough to fall asleep easily when the time came.
And now, here I was, practically naked in a human hospital, waiting for someone to cut a hole in my belly and—hopefully—make me a whole omega.
I was feeling incredibly relaxed, though. A pretty young nurse, obviously new because of the older one who came with her to supervise, had put an IV in my arm and given me a shot in the muscle of my shoulder, then left me to contemplate the ceiling with a pleasantly increasing muzziness.
An uncertain time later, my doctor came in. Not my doctor from Mercy Hills, but this new one who I’d never met before this morning, when he came in to introduce himself and prod at my belly. “Hello, Holland,” he said. “We’ll get you fixed right up. The nurses are going to bring you down to another section of the hospital and I’ll meet you in the operating room.”
“Sure,” I mumbled and he laughed.
“They gave you the good stuff already. All right, I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He disappeared out the door, and then the nurses were there to wheel me out of my room and down a series of hallways to a sterile white room. I was introduced to another doctor, the anesthetist, and hooked up to a couple of beeping machines.
The anesthetist did a couple more things that I lost track of, and then he moved up beside my head. “I’m going to get you to count backward from ten.”
“Sure,” I told him. “Ten, nine, eight, seven—” Suddenly, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I saw my surgeon come through the door at the far end of the room. “Six, five—”
I woke up confused. My eyes wouldn’t focus and I was so tired and there was something in my mouth. I gagged and tried to spit it out, and someone touched my face and murmured words that made no sense, but then the thing choking me was gone and I fell asleep again.
The next time I woke, I was aware. I opened my eyes and recognized the wall and the steel rails on the side of the bed, and in the distance a nurse seated at a desk. I must have made some sound, because she looked up, then put down her pen and came over to my bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“Tired.” I licked my lips. “Dry.”
“I’ll get you some water.” She stepped out sight, but was back in a moment with a small paper cup and a crooked straw that she held to my lips.
I drank gratefully, in small sips. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Are you up for a visitor? You’re allowed one while you’re in Recovery.”
“A visitor?” Had Laine stayed for my surgery?
“Yes, he’s been waiting since shortly after you went into surgery. Very tall, dark.”
“Quin?” I exclaimed, shocked.
“Yes, that was the name. Should I get him?”
Quin had come! “Please,” I said, then raised a hand to my hair. “I probably look terrible.”
“You’re fine. He’ll be here in a moment.” She disappeared and I heard her talking to someone else while I tried to fingercomb my hair and wake up a little more. I felt heavy still, and not exactly tired, but I wasn’t going to go running around after puppies, that was for sure.
And then Quin came into view, dark circles under his eyes but those eyes themselves shining. “How are you feeling?”
“What are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t come until tomorrow?” I took his hand and laced our fingers together.
“I strong-armed Abel into taking over in the office and Cale and Seosamh are looking after any mating stuff that comes up. The surgeon says everything went well.”
“Did it?” I looked down at my belly, where I could feel the pull of bandages against my skin. “I don’t feel anything.”
“He said you’re on painkillers for the next while. There was some bleeding, so you’ll be sore and he told me you aren’t allowed to do any heavy lifting until you’ve been checked again.”
“The pups are going to love that,” I groused, but I couldn’t help the smile on my face.
The nurse came over. “How do you feel?”
