The Alien Prince’s Omega by Lorelei M. Hart
Hanson
I never fell back asleepthat night and had slept horribly ever since, not dreaming. Or if I had dreamt, not of my baby.
He will be there soon and you will once again sleep in peace.
Those words were the only thing that kept me going. My babe would be here soon. Some person I couldn’t even see the face of told me so in a dream so it was true. Just thinking about it logically had my head spinning. Instead I opted to just accept it and go on with my day.
And it was a good day too. All of my patients were there to get vaccinations or to check their healing from something previously treated, and each and every one of them was doing great. I even had someone come in with their pet turtle to see if his shell was too small, which of course wasn’t a thing, but seeing his little face added a level of happiness to my work.
I began to close for the day when my phone started to ring at the front desk. I ran to it and answered, “Vet Hans—” and was cut off by a sob.
“He—I—help—” The person at the other end was distraught. That was about all I could suss out.
“Tell them corner of Willow and Maple by flea market field,” someone shouted from a distance. Or maybe nearby. It was difficult to tell with the sobbing.
“Do you need a vet?” I clarified, in case they needed an ambulance.
“Yes.” Another sob.
“I’ll be there, but this is my land line and I’ll need to hang up. If you need me, call back and it will forward.”
They reassured me they would with a snotty “okay.”
I gathered my emergency bag, unsure what I’d find there, and ran to my car.
The drive was short and it was pretty easy to see who needed me when I arrived. Two people stood over an animal, I couldn’t tell what kind. I stopped the car and ran over to see a dog lying on their side—a dog I recognized. Maggie.
“Was she hit?” I knelt down.
“No. Yes. We don’t know. She’s just lying there.” The man whose voice I recognized as the one who gave me directions spoke, the other man snuggled into his side, clearly distraught.
“Maggie dear, did you get out again without permission?” I held out my hand and she licked it. “I’m calling your papa.” I gave her a pet and stood up.
“That’s just Maggie. She’s older and has some mobility issues and sometimes forgets and acts like a puppy, only to wear herself out to the point she can’t stand,” I explained and then called her owners to come get her.
It was then that I realized, for the first time since I woke up from that dream, that I felt fine. No, fine wasn’t the word. I felt me, but better. Me in a hug? It didn’t make a lot of sense, but I was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
“So she’s just laying there?” the second man, who had since introduced himself as Gus, asked.
“Pretty much. Best we stay near her so she doesn’t get hit, but she’s fine.” It wasn’t the most ideal of situations, but she was a happy, happy dog, and at the end of the day that was what mattered most.
We waited until the owners arrived and loaded her in the truck with a great big thank you and an offer to pay her bill. Which was ridiculous. I hadn’t done a thing and I was heading out anyway.
I walked the couple who found Maggie to their car. I didn’t need to. They were adults and the dog in question was as fine as she ever was.
Dawdling. That’s what I was doing. Dawdling. For some reason I wanted to be here, at the side of the road, in front of a closed flea market. And really, wanted wasn’t the right word. More like belonged. I belonged here—leaving was wrong.
“See you, Doc,” Gus called from his window. “We’ll wait to make sure your car starts.” Which was a nice, but extremely unnecessary thing for them to do.
I forced myself to walk the short distance and got inside, starting it up.
They didn’t leave, flagging me ahead of them. I knew in their own way they were helping the single omega. Times had changed and omegas were no longer treated as less—weaker than… not really. Sure, some still felt we belonged in the home popping out babies, but for the most part, alphas and omegas could have and achieve the same dreams now.
Heck, I was a vet, something my grandfather longed to be, but faced too many stumbling blocks on his way there thanks to his designation. Things had really come a long way… so far from where they were only two generations ago that I often forgot they still weren’t perfect until moments like this. Moments when I drove out ahead, letting them see I was fine and not in harm's way—harm from the rampant serial killers, boogie men, and aliens who were out there waiting to strike once an omega let his guard down.
Leaving hurt. Literally hurt. I felt the pull to turn right back around. I needed to be at the flea market. She said I would sleep peacefully once my babe came, but I needed to be peaceful while awake too, and I wouldn’t be able to do that until I got back there. Not even a quarter of a mile down the road, the urge to go back became unbearable. I just couldn’t do it… couldn’t drive away.
I turned at the next crossroad and circled back around to where I began, so focused on getting back that I almost missed the man standing in the road right in front of me. I slammed on the brake and swerved the car, ending up off the road and partially in the field not far from where Maggie had been, my heart pounding in my chest, but the feeling of home and peace slamming back into me.
Maybe I died in the crash. It was the only explanation.