Chapter Text
7:00 A.M.
"Baby, it's alright
Maybe, you'll stay here tonight
Baby, it's alright
Maybe, you can stay here tonight"
Looking both ways, the ED Attending Doctor crossed the street, as he listened to the song that shuffled from his playlist. It was an old song that came out while he was a resident, bringing up memories of a distant time, when he had less stuff to blame himself for.
"Out on the street
Love, music, and my guitar
Drove up a woman
In one of those old fancy cars"
The Alpha walked into the hospital lot where he works, listening to "Baby" by Robert Bradley. He finds the man's voice soothing as he tells him the song of sudden love that came from just one night. He opened the hospital doors and nodded to the security guard, who let him through without screening.
"She said hey boy
Why don't you get on in
For tonight
I'll be your lover and your friend"
The steps down the stairs were quicker than waiting for the elevator, which had been there for more than a decade; he could recall its installation after the previous one finally gave out.
"And she said baby, if it's alright-"
He walked into the ER waiting room, where the sound overpowered the noise-cancelling from his earbuds. The sound of a baby wailing caused the mood that the music was providing him to stop. Walking through the ER waiting room, he quickly placed his earbuds into their case as he scanned his card to get out of the waiting room.
Stepping into the ED, he was quickly noticed by Alpha nurse Perlah Alawi, who asked him a question about the hospital. The Beta nurse, Princess Dela Cruz, promptly joined her before they talked in another language in front of him, most likely because of how he responded to their questions. All he understood was 'Doctor' as they looked at him before stepping away. At times, he wished he had learned Tagalog during his schooling; then again, he hadn't anticipated how useful it would have been.
Before he could delve deeply into the history of Filipinos and their significant roles in medical history, his attention was drawn to Beta Dana Evans. He received the unfortunate news that Gloria was looking for him, and he knew nothing good could come of Omega Gloria Underwood, especially when she was on the hunt for someone. So, he quickly decided to escape and find Alpha Jack Abbott, knowing that Jack liked to get his fresh air on the hospital rooftop. They both understood that they could get scolded for going up there, but their access cards hadn't been denied yet, for the locked door leading to the roof. Surely, that counted as a form of permission, right?
"Good morning, Jack." He stopped behind the safety railing, shoving his hands into his front pants pockets. He fidgeted slightly, looking at the sun rising to their left.
"What are you doing here?" Abbot turned his head slightly, pretending to be surprised to see the other attending, but he didn't move from his position in front of the safety railing. Three long steps forward, and all the thoughts haunting him would disappear. He would never do such a thing in front of Robby, but Jack decided not to think further about what he would do if Michael weren't present.
"I'm working. And you?"
"Oh, I don't know. Had a guy come in. Hit by a drunk driver in a crosswalk. 39-year-old vet. Survived three tours without a scratch. I spent the last two hours coding him." Jack had so much more he wanted to say, but even in therapy, he struggled to express himself. This was true even with Robby, even with all the history they shared.
"That's always a rough way to end the night." Michael placed his hands on the railing, leaning against it, knowing the situation would be hard to deal with, especially given Abbott's history.
"I must have had a reason at one time to keep coming back, but I can't think of it right now." Abbot leaned forward, looking down at the alley below, wondering if he would hit the alley or the supply truck if he fell.
"Because this is the job that keeps on giving. Nightmares. Ulcers. Suicidal tendencies." When he heard Jack's soft huff, he decided to add a bit of humor to his pep talk. "Besides, if you jump on my shift, that's just rude, man."
Abbott exhaled, composing himself as they were silent for a couple of seconds. The faint sound of an ambulance and the distant toll of a church bell ringing for the hour, turning 7:00 A.M., filling in the silence.
Abbott finally turned around and said, "I hope I'm never one of your patients." He leaned downward to get back behind the safety railing.
"That makes two of us, my friend."
They walked back down to the ED together. Abbot briefed him on the patients he would have to check on or who would need a follow-up. The slightly younger Alpha handed Robby a letter in case the Veterans' family showed up. As they walked out of the elevator into the ED, Abbot delivered the news he was actually excited to share.
"Oh, you got the new med students and interns starting today, so good luck with that."
"Lucky, lucky me," Robby gripped the stethoscope around his neck as he wore a pained smile, already dreading the shift that was about to happen.
Both Alphas turned to the sound of a commotion before they saw a Beta man run away naked, screaming about needles with Princess and Perlah hot on his heels.
"You sure you want to work today, huh?"
History Note:
Secondary Genders developed during the 100s AD. Initially considered a bad omen, the world population was estimated at 92% Betas, 6% Alphas, and 2% Omegas. By the 200s, the world population was estimated at 85% Beta, 9% Alpha, 6% Omega.
It was later discovered, after death, that Lucius Verus was an Omega. The only known recorded Omega Roman Emperor. Historians believe there was a potential chance he had children sired by Marcus Aurelius, and Alpha, with whom he was co-emperor.
"As you can see, we have some new faces with us this morning. Good morning, good morning, come on over." There was a scent in the air that Robby wasn't sure where it was coming from. He has grown accustomed to the potential unpleasant smells from the ED, but this scent. This scent was heavenly.
"Starting with the second-year resident, Dr. Melissa King, fresh from the VA." The attending gestured to the resident behind him, who was struggling to contain her excitement.
"Everyone calls me Mel. I'm so happy to be here." From the short conversation with her, Robby knew she was an Alpha even when her scent was quelled from the scent-damper patches she wore. The undertone of a wood scent, cedarwood mixed with lavender, gave her away.
Scent-damper patches could only remove 80% of the scent of an Alpha/Omega, allowing everyday life to happen without the overpowering scent of emotions coming from the neck scent glands. Scent-damper creams/sticks were used on the wrist glands, though the scent from the wrists was less potent than from the neck, which causes several people on a budget to skip those types of dampers.
"Trinity Santos, intern." The soft scent that floated off her gave Robby her Omega scent. Neroli and cedarwood, if he had to take a guess.
"Victoria Javadi, MS3." He couldn't detect any scent from her, suggesting she was a Perceived Beta. Recent research indicates that the development of secondary gender traits can occur between the ages of 16 and 25, and studies have linked this to the completion of brain development.
"Dennis Whitaker, MS4." The scent that came from the student was breathtaking. The attending had to snap his mouth shut to prevent his fangs from poking out as he made eye contact with the slightly nervous Omega. Eucalyptus and sandalwood, a second matching scent that clicked a part in the back of his brain that he lost hope of ever feeling—the sensation of meeting his Fated Mate.
Robby couldn't believe it, a med student? He screamed internally as he focused on the fourth-year medical student who was nervously smiling at everyone. He could feel all four of them staring at him expectantly, and his mind shifted into gear, relying on instincts from previous teaching days.
"Welcome to the Pitt. I'm-" He suddenly felt like his palms were sweaty as he gripped the travel mug in his hand to prevent himself from fixing up his hair or removing his jacket to show off his arms to his Omega. His body was practically screaming to show off and impress the younger man. His Alpha wanted to posture and say, 'Look at me, I'm still in top shape and can take care of you.'
"We got two trauma from the T. Five minutes out."
Dana's interruption helped him look away from the young man and turn his body toward the nurse to introduce her properly. She glanced at him when he said her name, but quickly looked back to the screen and continued talking to the person over the phone. From there, he explained the situation they would find in the ED and the problem the hospital put itself in by not having enough beds for its patients, especially given how the waiting room was always full. He paused, making eye contact with Dennis before quickly looking away. Don't get distracted. Don't get distracted. He chanted in his mind.
"Your senior residents are Dr. Collins-" The group turned to the dark-skinned Alpha in a red jacket, whose gaze was questioning when she turned at hearing her name, while she continued typing at her workstation. "-and Dr. Langdon." The ruddy Beta man slouched against his workstation, fidgeted, anxious to get an interesting patient, but glanced up momentarily when he heard Dr. Robby call his name. "You report to them, and they report to me." Michael refrained from looking in the direction of the young male Omega, knowing it would be best to avoid favoritism until he could get a form signed.
Meeting a Fated Mate was thankfully one of the few exceptions to fraternization, no matter the power dynamics between the relationships. He'll have to get two people he can trust, without a doubt, one would be Dana, and someone who worked in a different department, to sign off on him providing notice.
Before thinking it over more, he called for his two Senior Residents, who guided him to their sign-outs. The first patient they saw was Virigl Straker, a Beta. From there, they spoke about Murphy Rottenstein, a Beta, then they shortly talked to Louie Cloverfield, an Omega, whose alcohol level was at .420, then a patient who was at a bar fight named Charlie, an Alpha. They could only discharge two of the four patients from the sign-offs.
Robby quickly got into motion as the attendant he was meant to be, ignoring his Fated Mate, who was trailing behind him. The two traumas rapidly came in: a Male Alpha and a Beta Female, keeping Robby busy between them and successfully ignoring Gloria for at least a couple of moments.
Though, for once, her annoying conversation helped him get a breather and be away from his Omega heavenly scent. He knew that Fated Mates were in tune with each other's scent, which was a longer process for an Omega, but he felt the younger man may have skipped on the wrist scent cream because of how overpowering it was for the older Alpha. It made sense, especially when it came to the fact that he was still a med student, most likely on a budget. By stepping away from the Omega's proximity, he was able to focus on his work as a doctor without his Alpha instincts threatening to emerge.
After a quick round around the ED, glancing into rooms and ticking them off on the tablet, he headed to his workstation. Only half listening to Gloria's rant about patient satisfaction, this wasn't the first time she had threatened to replace him. He knew she still couldn't find anyone capable of handling the workload she dumped into the ED. No matter how many temporary day shift attendings she tried to bring in, they always quit when she wanted to give them more days, in a poor attempt to remove him as the main day shift attending. After Gloria left in frustration, Robby had a short conversation with Dana, and he was right about the bar fight patient missing a tooth, before he heard his name called by the one he hoped to avoid. "Dr. Robby?" The male Omega called out, walking up to him nervously, though perhaps that's just how his face looked. Either way, he looked adorable.
He held back a pleased rumble at the thought of the Omega knowing his name, having been interrupted from introducing himself. I wish I could hear him call me Michael. The Alpha stopped that thought as he looked at the Omega to continue.
Dennis pointed behind him, "She took a fall." The Perceived Beta tried to reassure the attending, but he knew better. He sent her to the staff lounge before turning his attention to his computer until the scent of eucalyptus and sandalwood faded away.
"Dana," He waited until she looked up from her tablet, "We need to speak." He glanced around, and she quickly understood his meaning.
They walked outside right after Dana quickly informed Perlah of where to find them. Once outside, she took out a cigarette, lit it, and placed it on her lips in just seconds. Although both of them were in the medical field and fully aware of the consequences of smoking, the nicotine was too addictive as a stress reliever. "I need your help," Robby began, but he was quickly interrupted by her snarky response.
"When don't you?" She took a drag with a smile on her lips.
He ignored it as he continued. "I don't have time to print out the form, but can you help me fill out the first part of the FMCR, and is Kiara in?" (Fated Mate Consensual Relationship) That made her inhale sharply, then lean forward to cough. Robby gently patted her back for a few moments before he moved his hand away due to her glare.
"Couldn't warn me after I exhaled? Who is it? The only new people in the workplace are the Resident, Intern, and the med students." Due to being a Beta, she couldn't easily determine someone's second gender based on scent, and since all the new employees were still wet behind their ears, they looked like Omegas to her. Or well, Betas, but from the situation, at least one of them was an Omega.
"The Resident Dr. King is an Alpha, the intern Santos is an Omega, but not the one I'm talking about. Pretty sure the MS3 Javadi is either a Beta or still unpresented. I'm talking about the male Omega MS4 Dennis Whitaker." He could see her thinking back to the meeting as her eyes drifted upward.
"Pouty-looking boy who looks like he's about to shake in his boots? A bit young for you, ain't he?" She smirked as she took a drag of her cigarette, nodding to his previous question, "Also, I'm certain Kiara is working today. She mentioned the other social worker took the day off to go to PittFest, something you were supposed to do." She gave him a look before shrugging her shoulder, "But it seems like it worked out for you if it allowed you to meet your Fated Mate. Though a bit on the older stage of your life."
"Would you help me?" Robby asked, already knowing she would.
"Eh, why not? I'll print out the first part of the paperwork for that. And if I'm around for the second part of the paperwork to fill out, I'll do that too." Dana took another drag of her cigarette before laughing. "Now that I recall the usual age for Med students, I think the kid is around 24-28. You're really robbing the cradle with this one."
"He's 26." The 46-year-old Alpha felt his bones ache at the thought of keeping up with a 26-year-old once they became Mates. Having confirmed the young Omega's age in the short time he had at his computer before he had pulled Dana aside. "There must be a reason our biology made us Fated," Robby replied, choosing not to delve into his religious beliefs or his thoughts on what Fated Mates truly meant. What mattered now was that he felt the alteration in his brain, right under the optic nerve, if he wanted to get scientifically accurate. This was why eyesight was most common in identifying a Fated Mate, linking to the "love at first sight" saying.
Dana took another pull of her cigarette, this one more sharp as she knew they were on a time crunch. Exhaling and letting the ash fall in front of them, she looked him up and down. "It would have been best to toss the jacket. Omegas love it when Alphas show their muscles." Hell, even Betas. In general, showing off one's physique without exaggeration was always a superb display.
Her remark caused the Alpha to reach for his jacket zipper, pulling it down before pausing and pulling it up to where it was. "I... I'll leave the jacket off for another day." One look at the symbol on the jacket, Beers of the Burghs, made Dana nod. She knew what today was and what that jacket meant to Robby: a gift from the Alpha, Montgomery Adamson.
"Well," She took another pull, this time reaching the filter, causing her to toss it to the cigarette bin behind them. "The circus won't run itself." Dana grimaced, watching as an ambulance pulled off with its lights on, possibly to pick up another patient.
Medical Note:
Along with the secondary gender, a secondary personality comes along. Many Alphas and Omegas describe it as an animalistic part of themselves. Depending on the culture of the Alpha/Omegas, the type of animal changes.
Medical studies link this secondary personality to being the reason why schizophrenia has never been documented on an Alpha/Omega Patient.
It was second nature for Dennis, an Omega, to lend a hand as he leaned down to check on his fellow med student, who lay on the ground. The senior resident, Dr. Collins, had looked down at the MS3 student and sighed, "Take her to the attending, Dr. Robby." She had glanced at the MS4 Omega, who quickly helped his fellow med student up from the ground. He could practically feel her embarrassment as she trailed behind him outside the room.
It wasn't difficult for the Omega to spot the older Alpha, his eyes somehow finding the other presence with ease. He walked towards the other man and said, "Dr. Robby?" The younger man noticed that the Attending straightened up when he heard his name, as if he was surprised by the sound of his name. "She, uh, took a fall." The older man's brown eyes stared intently at Dennis before he turned his attention to Javadi when she spoke.
"No, I... I tripped on the gurney. I'm fine." She had taken steps in front of Dennis, who was staring at the attending, shaking his head behind her, when the Alpha glanced at him for the truth. Did he feel bad when she was sent to the staff lounge? A little bit, but he felt a fluttering feeling in his chest, pleased that the older man trusted him enough to take his opinion on something. He's barely met him for less than an hour and was already growing attached to him.
Damn it, why did he have to be my type? Dennis chastised himself as he stood near the work station, watching Javadi walk towards the location of the staff lounge from the vague directions the attending provided. He stood there for a couple of seconds, looking at the older man who seemed to be focusing on his computer; something inside him wanted to bring the attention of the Alpha back to him. Before he could make an embarrassment of himself, he walked towards the room where he saw the train foot lady being wheeled into.
The med student stood beside the room, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Don't have a crush on your boss. Don't have a crush on your boss. He chanted in his head, banishing the thoughts of those eyes on him. I want to know his first name, so I can imagine scre- His thoughts stopped abruptly as he pinched the skin on his wrist over his scent gland. He would rather die than have the scent of arousal seep out of him on his first shift. Damn it, why do wrist creams have to be so damn expensive? I was lucky to get assistance with the scent patches from the hospital, or I'd be reeking all over. He felt his nerves calm down after his conversation with the Alpha Attending. He noticed the surgery employees step out of the room, deciding it was time to get back in, he opened the door.
"Did we figure out what language she's speaking?" The Omega asked the room as he stepped inside, hoping they could get more information to build a profile for the Beta female. All they knew about her was that she was over 40, a Beta due to her scentless aroma, and that she didn't speak English.
"The last interpreter thought she might be from Pakistan." The Beta senior resident, Langdon, responded, glancing at the shorter man whose name he didn't know. All he knew about the younger man was that he was a med student; seeing the scent patch peaking out of the scrubs meant the med student was either an Alpha or Omega. Everything about the younger man's demeanor screamed an Omega to Langdon, though he wasn't about to defer to his stereotypes yet.
"There are 77 languages in Pakistan." Langdon's eyebrows rose at the information that was provided by the intern, whose name he also didn't know. Sensing he was the superior personnel in the room, he quickly found a way of escaping.
"Okay, well, I will buy lunch for whoever figures it out. Good luck. If you need me, I'll be saving lives." The Beta man quickly walked away.
"That was wicked." The intern spoke, noticing it was just her and the other Omega from orientation.
"That was gross," Dennis responded, looking up from his notepad, which he had just opened to think of possible languages the patient might speak.
"Yeah. Too much for Little Miss Crash and Burn. What'd you do with her?" She asked, half paying attention to the conversation as she added information on the unidentified patient's chart of the procedures/tests that had been completed for her.
"Nothing. I think she'll be fine." Dennis recalled she had mentioned she was young during their orientation, but Javadi didn't provide her age; perhaps she was too young to have seen the scene they saw. All he knew was she had to be younger than his age and maybe barely just allowed to drink alcohol.
"Are you kidding? If that took her out, she'll be lucky to make it through this rotation. I got 50 bucks says she doesn't last through this shift." That caused Dennis to scoff, not because he thought he would win the bet but because of how the other Omega was already betting against someone. She heard him scoff, causing her to turn and add, "Come on. Put your money where your mouth is."
The suggestion of betting his non-existent money caused him to raise his hands in surrender, "Uh, no. I didn't say anything, okay? And I sure as hell don't have 50 bucks. I'll be this lady's age by the time I pay off my student loans." The woman on the hospital bed stared at him with a confused expression, not understanding a word spoken, but still making Dennis feel guilty. "Not that you're..."
Before Dennis could apologize, he heard Santos ask him, "Hey, you're an Omega, right?"
The question raised an eyebrow as he recalled the brief orientation the three of them had before Dr. McKlay picked them up for a walk-through. "Yes, you're an Omega as well, right?"
"Yeah, trust me, I can help you get some extra cash without much risk. An Omega farm boy like you looks all innocent. I know some Alphas who are salivating for a type like you. Even just pictures. That's just between you and me." The intern finished adding the information to the chart and turned to look at the beet-red male Omega. Santos held back a grin as she locked the computer and added, "Think about it."
"I-I'm waiting for....." Before Dennis could explain that he was waiting for his Fated Mate, the other Omega walked out of the room, leaving him with the patient looking at him.
What pictures was she talking about? Dennis couldn't help but wonder.
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- Europe:
For Alphas raised in Europe and/or with European ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with a Wolf, Fox, or Brown Bear.
For Omegas raised in Europe and/or with European ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Lynx, Badger, or Golden Jackal.
When Robby went back inside, he continued his work as the attending, following behind Beta Cassie McKay, who wheeled Otis Williams into a 'room'. From there, his conversation with Dr. Collins made him worry about her, especially her sharp attitude. Once they got the young Alpha back with a shock to the heart and an injection of calcium gluconate through the IV, he stepped away from the curtained room to speak with Collins.
"You okay?" Robby asked bluntly, knowing Collins wasn't the type to beat around the bush. The look she gave him confirmed that she wasn't okay; she seemed frustrated about something, though he wasn't sure what it was. Sure, he had pushed the calcium gluconate when she had recommended against it, but in other situations where he had ignored her advice, she hadn't reacted this way. After all, he was the attending physician, and all responsibility would fall on him if something went wrong.
It had to be something else entirely, and he needed to find out what it was. He couldn't afford to have his senior resident in a bad mood, especially since it could affect the new coworkers. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't worried about Collins potentially being upset with Whitaker if he sought her help. He was genuinely concerned for all the new coworkers; he didn't want to show favoritism towards Whitaker. Right?
"Why wouldn't I be? Are you okay?" Collin countered, unwilling to divulge what she was going through to Robby. Especially with the history she had with her situation.
"Why wouldn't I be? You seem annoyed with me already, and I just got here." He glanced around, seeing eyes on them and nurses whispering. The gossip mill in the ER was constantly spitting out new rumors to start. He was surprised they had never noticed the few hookups he had with Collins.
"It's not always about you, Robby." The female Alpha huffed and walked away from him and the patient to deal with a different one, far from his meddling.
As she walked away from him, he noticed Dr. McKay talking to the patient and decided to move on, knowing she was responsible for the patient's well-being. When he returned to the workstation, he relayed the information to Dana, who quickly responded with updates. It was then that she warned him about the living dead approaching. Within two minutes, one of the patients arrived, and he hurried into the room, assisting her onto a bed. During the transfer, Whitaker accidentally injured himself. He struggled to maintain his composure, fighting the urge to fully focus on the younger man to comfort him, especially after hearing the sharp yelp of pain he let out.
His Alpha was practically scratching at the walls inside his mind, and he quickly left the room before he started soothing the young Omega's hand. He could hear the Beta senior resident relay information to the Whitaker, teaching him when he couldn't. He worked with Dr. King and Dr. Collins, who still seemed frustrated about something, on Mr. Spencer before he found himself back in the 89-year-old patient's room.
When he entered, he found himself beside the Omega, who looked towards the bed with a pained expression. He placed his hands in his jacket pockets and refrained from reaching out to check on the Omega's right hand.
"Stop. Call it. The nursing home just faxed us a DNR." Dana stood beside the door to the room, looking up as Langdon frustrately exclaimed, "Are you kidding me?"
Alpha Samira Mohan's reaction was more composed as she confirmed to the room that she was turning off the LUCAS device. As she leaned forward to do so, her empathy was evident on her face. She looked down sadly at the patient, respecting their wishes but mourning the life lost and the person she would never have the chance to know fully.
"Complete waste of time and money. Who the hell works at that place?" Langdon complained, turning around to turn off the heart monitor, then turning off the defibrillator on his side before taking off his gloves in frustration.
The Alpha quickly corrected Dr. Langdon's attitude with the help of Dana, who had previously worked in a nursing home on weekends to earn extra money. She understood firsthand how outnumbered nurses were in these facilities and how little support they received from the institution and families who believed they were paying for top-notch care.
Robby turned to inform Dana about the next steps, which involved moving the woman to a viewing room and notifying her family. Dana nodded in agreement, quickly responding with a "yep" as she typed on the tablet in her hand. While she worked, Dr. Langdon attempted to leave the room, but Robby stopped him by gripping the Beta's arm.
"One of the things we do here is to take a moment of silence when we lose a patient, to respect their humanity, and also to remember that this was somebody's child, sibling, parent, friend." They all fell silent at his words, the room quiet for a couple of moments as Langdon fidgeted to Robby's right, ready to move on to the next patient.
The sudden sound of a ringtone at full volume saying, ~I like the sound of funky music~ filled the room, causing everyone to turn to look at the Omega in the room, who quickly reached into his right pocket, hissing at the pain in his hand, to turn off his alarm that he forgot to remove. "Oh. Ow, ow! I am so sorry."
"Maybe leave it on vibrate while you're working." The Alpha reached out to grip the right hand of the Omega, checking it to see the redness of the little finger. Due to his focus being on the hand, he failed to notice the flushed expression on the Omega or the eyebrow raise of the Alpha woman who looked at the amused expression on the charge nurse's face, who watched the scene before stepping away. Langdon was already across the hall to another patient who could prove more entertaining for him.
"Would you like me to help you... um?" Mohan hadn't caught the Omega's name, but noticed the grip tighten on the younger man's wrist, the Alpha holding it, glaring up momentarily. The expression on the Alpha's face went unnoticed by the Omega, who turned his attention to the resident and smiled at the offer.
"Dennis Whitaker, MS4. Um, if you ca-" The Omega was already stepping towards the Alpha woman before his attending tugged him back.
"I'll help him. Dr. Mohan, go and get to your next patient." The older Alpha ordered, tugging the Omega with him out of the room to one of the work stations. He noticed the med student Javadi, who had gotten up from the workstation, glancing between the wrist held by the Alpha and the Omega, who looked flustered, then back to the wrist, to the redness on the little finger. She went to the closest cart to grab the materials needed and placed them on the table, where Robby guided Whitaker to sit down. He looked around, pulled another rolling stool from another work station, and sat down beside the Omega, their knees touching, which he did his best to ignore.
"Thanks, Javadi. Both of you, watch closely, this would be useful to learn." He unraveled the blue disposable underpad on the table, gently placing the younger man's hand. He grabbed the pair of gloves the med student had grabbed for him and tugged them over his hands. She got the wrong size. A large one would have felt more comfortable. Robby thought as he glanced up at her, but didn't comment. She seemed nervous as she glanced between the attending and her fellow med student. He grabbed the alcohol wipes, cleaned the little finger, and unclipped the needle from its sealed case before pausing to speak, "From the looks of it, there is just blood under the pressure." He moved the hand holding the needle to bring it to their attention and to let them know what type of needle it was. "With this needle, I'll release the blood that's building up, and it'll calm down the swelling and pain. The only areas you must be careful about around the finger are the nail bed and the distal phalanx. Watch closely how far I go; there's no need to go further than what I would do."
Both med students listened attentively, watching as he pressed the needle down and slowly moved it in a circular motion downward before stopping and pulling it out, a small dot of blood following behind the needle, which he disposed of in the red box before reaching to grab the gauze pad and bandage. "It.. Thank you, Al- Dr. Robby, it stopped hurting, sir." The young Omega stumbled over his words, wishing to pull his hand away in embarrassment as Javadi stared at him, confused, before she turned her attention to the attending.
"Dr. Robinavitch, uh, thank you for this teaching lesson. I just wanted to apologize for any trouble my clumsiness might have caused. I feel ridiculous." Javadi's hands twiddled before her, nervous about asking to be let back into the ER.
"Oh, I can't tell how many times I've hit my head on an overhead lamp. Twice I needed to get staples." He pressed down on the little finger with one hand while the other held the hand from under it. Was it necessary to continue holding the Omega's hand? No, but he knew neither of the med students was about to question him.
"Why don't you go work with Dr. McKay in triage? That would help both of us." Unfortunately, he had to let go of the Omega hands as he removed the gauze, glancing down to see that the bleeding had stopped before discarding the gauze pad on the underpad, reaching to open the bandage, and covering the index finger with it.
"Oh, I... I don't need special treatment." Javadi frowned, looking at the attending, who was still paying full attention to the other medical student. He mentioned he was an Omega during the instructions before entering the waiting room. I'm sure Dr. Robby is an Alpha. Javadi thought, her mind running with ideas from the various TV dramas she had played in the background while studying. Could this be the case of a Fated Pair? The Alpha is the first to know, right? Javadi thought as the attending removed the gloves and tossed them on the underpad.
"Good, because I don't give it," Robby responded, and Javadi refrained from gesturing to the scene before her. Somehow, the attending found a way to hold the Omega's hand again, in the guise of checking the bandage.
"Look, I know I might look too young, but I studied my ass off to get here-" The young woman refrained from mentioning she might have worked harder than others due to Whitaker glancing up at her, then back at the attending, who was still holding his hand from the wrist, his thumb rubbing accidently on the area where the scent gland would be. "I earned this."
"Okay, look, I respect your dedication and your determination, but while you're here, you're my responsibility. And when one of my responsibilities takes a header..." Robby's attention was brought away from the younger woman, glancing to her right to the Alpha woman Doctor walking towards them. His hands released the wrist of the Omega, moving to dispose of the underpad before turning his attention to the Doctor who stood beside Javadi. The med student stiffened as she glanced to her right to see the doctor beside her.
"Dr. Shamsi, Abbot called for a surgical consult on the SBO three hours ago. You're very lucky they didn't perf." Robby spoke sarcastically, glancing at the Omega, who laughed suddenly before covering his mouth.
Dr. Shamsi glanced at the med student sitting down, then at the attending, who she saw was holding the younger man's hand moments ago. "I doubt he would have perf with your attentiveness to him." The doctor clipped back, having seen the strange display that was happening in front of her daughter. She knew the attending was an Alpha and suspected the male med student was an Omega, given the soft undertone to his scent. Rather than bother with workplace HR violations, she continued, "I'm here to see my daughter."
"I'm sorry, is that a patient?" Robby asked, thinking back to all the patients who might be related to the Doctor, but coming up empty.
"You're talking to her." She glanced at her daughter, then to the med student who was shifting on the stool nervously, then back at the attending whose expression showed his surprise, "Am I interrupting?"
"No. No, we're done. We're good." Robby got up, placing his hand on the Omega's shoulder, "Be careful with that finger; you should be fine to continue as you were." He gestured to both students, "Come find me when you're ready to present your next case." With that, both the attending and the male med student scurried away from the awkward scene that was about to happen.
His hands... They're surprisingly soft. Robby thought to himself. He couldn't stop himself from bringing his hands near his nose, smelling the lingering aroma it picked up from purposely rubbing against the scent gland on the wrist.
Damn it, His professionalism reared its head, knowing he would have to sanitize his hands to wash off the scent, as it would be unfair to his patients. Though now he knew Whitaker didn't use scent damper cream on his wrists, a place he could discreetly rub his scent on if he found the right moments to. No, wait until Kiara tells you she submitted the form. Patience.
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- North America:
For Alphas who were raised in North America and/or with North American ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Mountain Lion, Bison, or Black Bear.
For Omegas who were raised in North America and/or with North American ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Elk, Bobcat, or Puma.
"Yo, Huckleberry. I heard you were holding hands with the attending. Aiming high, huh?" Dennis heard a voice behind him, making him turn around to see Santos smirking at him while matching his steps, walking beside him to his next case.
"Huckleberry? Also, Dr. Robby was helping me with some bleeding on my little finger. My finger got stuck under a patient when we transferred her to a bed." Whitaker's failed attempt to excuse the hand-holding caused an evil grin to appear on the intern's face.
"Bet you liked his attention, didn't you? I can see why he'll be your type. Strong, dependable older Alpha. A dream type for you, Omega farm boys, right?" Santos had a keen eye for categorizing people, and she seemed to be on point with how flustered the other Omega got.
"I-I-I wouldn't say all of us like those types, but that doesn't mean I think Robby fits mine." He does. He fits his type to the T, but wasn't about to give Santso that win. "Also, Huckleberry?" He tried to steer the conversation away from the attending. The arm around his shoulder as Santos leaned onto him showed she wasn't about to let it go.
"Lots of touching, from what I've heard. Especially around the wrist, and now that I'm leaning on you, I can smell a bit of his scent. Held onto your wrist tightly, I bet." She wiggled her eyebrows at the other Omega in a suggestive manner, pleased to see the redness on the pale male's face as he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to him.
" I'm sure he was just making sure I didn't move on accident and caused him to mess up." He wasn't about to inform her of the scene in the room of the deceased patient, where he practically dragged him away from the female Alpha who was willing to help. Nor the fact that he felt slightly turned on by being manhandled by the older man. There was also the pat to his shoulder, the Alpha's thumb grazing the scent damper patch on his skin before he pulled away.
"If delusion helps you sleep at night, let's call it that." Santo retorted before adding, "Huckleberry is a term of endearment. Don't worry about it." She looked around, "Also, did you know that Javadi's mom is a doctor here?"
"Where are you getting all your information?" Whitaker couldn't help but blurt out, thinking a career in journalism would have been better for Santos, given how easily she gathers information. "Yeah, it's Dr. Shamsi, and I believe she works in the Surgery department."
"Oh, I just know people, but how did you know that?"
"I... She met with Javadi in front of me while Dr. Robby helped with my finger."
"Oh, so she saw the blooming romance that was happening between the two of you?" Santo teased, tempted to touch the ears of the other Omega due to how red they became, to embarrass Huckleberry more.
"N-No!" He suddenly denied it, saying the word loudly, which caused a couple of people to turn to look at them. "It's not like that. Alph- I mean, Dr. Robby was just being attentive. He mentioned he saw us as his responsibility."
"ohhhh~!" The glee on Santo's face made the other Omega run off before she could tease him on the slip-up. "Oh, come on, Huckleberry, don't run off when it's about to get good." She was grinning as she stared at the back of the fleeing male Omega, ignoring the looks she was given.
Whitaker fled from the other Omega, grabbing an Ultrasound cart where he placed the chart of his next station. Looking behind him, he was thankful to see that Santos didn't follow him to tease him on the slip-up, something he knew she wouldn't let go of. Now I have to try to avoid her, too. Damn it, I need to avoid a lot of people. He mentally counted in his head a checklist of people to avoid: Robby and now Santos. The young man quickly entered the cubicle of his first patient of the day, saying, "Mr. Milton, my name is Dennis Whitaker. I'm one of the student doctors here. I'll be seeing you first."
He stopped the cart beside the patient's bed, smiling nervously at the older mated Alpha on the hospital bed. He could smell a second scent on him, vanilla, that mixed with his main scent of whiskey, notating his status as a Mated Alpha whose Omega was still alive. Due to his status as an Omega, he couldn't easily smell the third scents on others, or the second scent if they were unmated, only the main scent they gave out until he was Mated. It has something to do with the glands on his neck releasing pheromone nerves to his brain, unlocking a dormant part of his olfactory bulb to allow him to smell the same scents as Alpha. It was annoying that Alphas had it as a pre-setting while he had to depend on an Alpha's saliva to seep into his mating gland to activate it for him.
"Nice to meet you." Bennet had turned his attention away from the nurse who was setting up an IV, his hand loosely gripping his phone, after having sent a text to his Omega wife on the status of his visit.
"BP's 150 over 90," Princess noted after glancing at the heart monitor.
"Okay, that's just a touch high." Dennis notated, his lips pressed together to refrain from smiling nervously. He didn't want to make the older Alpha worry for possibly nothing, as even Dennis had had it as high as that when he was stressing over exams.
"I forgot to take my damn enalapril this morning," Milton said, as he suddenly remembered the pill he was actually supposed to take. He had mistakenly taken just his recommended vitamins and other recommended supplements, but not the one thing he was required to take. When the nurse informed him they would get that for him, he nodded in gratitude. His attention was quickly returned to the Omega student doctor who asked why he was visiting. " Uh, it started about here." He pressed right under his right chest area, where the doctor quickly started pressing down on as he continued, "Woke me up at, like, 2:00 A.M. Pretty intense. It lasted about an hour. Now it's gone."
While the patient was explaining his situation, Whitaker continued pressing around under the chest area, leading to the stomach to feel for any possible issue that could be indicated with pain. When the patient didn't react and didn't feel any abnormal bumps, he removed his gloved hands from the patient and asked, "Any fever or vomiting?"
"Nah, I never get sick. I've gone through my Repropause, so no more Ruts for me, nor does my wife go into Heat due to my Repropause," Milton said, explaining what he thought would be essential to add. It was, as it gave Whitaker a baseline with which to work since Alphas went through their Repropause (Reproductive Pause) in their 60s, also known as Rugitus, while Omegas go through Caloritus in their early 50s. Since his Repropause caused his wife to stop going through Heats, he was older than his wife, but that wasn't important for his evaluation. Glancing at the chart on the cart, he read that the patient's age is 68.
Based on the age range, Whitaker asked, "What did you eat last night?"
"Oh, it was my wife's birthday. I took her out to Sullivan's for a steak." Milton smiled at the memory of last night with his Omega; none of their children bothered them as they celebrated his wife's birthday earlier in the weekend.
The restaurant's name didn't ring a bell for him, but when he heard steak, he knew there was a possibility for a hardened piece of deposit to be irritated by fatty food. He reached for the Ultrasonography gel to hand to the nurse as he explained the exam, "Okay. Well, the exam is pretty benign. I'm gonna test for gallstones." When the nurse applied the correct amount of gel, Whitaker reached for the ultrasound transducer and pressed firmly into the patient's stomach on the gel. Glancing at the screen, he moved the transducer around, smearing gel as he checked the abdominal area and continued, "If there is a stone and you eat fatty food, there can be pain when the gallbladder contracts." He noticed something on the screen, which he couldn't help but say excitedly, "Oh! Uh, bingo. One stone." He captured the image and gestured to the screen for the patient to look."There it is."
"Do I need surgery?" The older man couldn't help but ask, worried at the fact that this could be something serious, as he feared.
The med student glanced at the screen, then back to the patient, not wanting to frighten the man. He said, "Uh, you should be able to manage with a low-fat diet. But we'll send off labs for liver and pancreas. Just let us know if you have any more pain."
When Milton thanked him, Whitaker had to pinch his wrist gland to prevent the scent of being pleased from seeping out; it was one of the tricks a fellow Alpha med student told him about when he kept smelling the emotions from the younger man. He walked off happy that his first patient evaluation was successful and was already thinking of getting another patient, until the nurse's question stopped him, "You want an EKG?"
"For?" He asked nervously, worried that he might have missed something. Since the Beta nurse had seniority, he knew to listen to her thoughts as a good form of second opinion. It was something his med school always reminded him of; nurses also knew what they were doing, at times more than doctors.
"Heart attacks can present as upper abdominal pain," Princess said quietly so the patient wouldn't hear. She glanced behind her and noticed he was already on his phone, texting his wife and updating.
I could be missing something else, too. I need to find a resident who can guide me on this. Dennis thought as he nodded along with the nurse's suggestion and said, "Um, yeah. No, yeah, that's a great idea. Thank you." He walked to a new workstation to order an EKG and blood tests and to print the patient's chart so he could show it to one of the senior residents.
I should go to Dr. Collins, I'll make a fool of myself with Dr. Robby, and Dr. Langdon would likely find this boring. The Omega picked up the paper from the printer and set off in search of Dr. Collins.
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- South America
For Alphas who were raised in South America and/or with South American Ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Jaguars, Cougars, or Maned Wolves.
For Omegas who were raised in South America and/or with South American Ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Otters, Ocelots, or Capybaras.
When he ran away from the med students, he found Dana beside room one. The grin she gave him would have annoyed him to no end if it wasn't for the fact that she pulled him aside to hand him the form he asked for quickly.
"Is all forgiven?" Dana teased, seeing the Alpha open the form to glance over it before smiling at her.
"Fine, you had your fun. Still would have been nice to know before Dr. Shamsi caught me holding Whitaker's hand."
"Already putting the moves on the kid? Hasn't even been an hour yet." Dana chided, though her smile showed she wasn't angry at him. She knew that Robby was one of the Alphas who waited for the one, and his wait finally flourished in meeting the Omega, with whom he would hopefully spend the rest of his life. "Anyways, I saw Kiara, and she said she'll sign it once she speaks with you to ensure you know the procedure."
He nodded, knowing that an Alpha could only submit the FMCR once, and the form followed them through jobs as one of the few things HR could warn another job about. A second attempt at submitting the form was met with heavy scrutiny, making sure the Alpha wouldn't submit it carelessly to mess around with an Omega, then leave them. "I'll talk to her when I see her. Anything else I need to know?"
Dana shrugged her shoulders, then grinned, "Remember to wrap it. Can't have you putting a pup in a med student so quickly."
The Alpha rolled his eyes as he folded the form to fit into his pocket and walked away with her to review the ER cases. She grinned when she noticed the redness on his ears slowly creeping down his neck. However, Robby's flustered expression quickly faded when he returned to work, not even realizing that time was passing without the Omega's reappearance. Although Robby appreciated the chance to focus on patients during the Omega's absence, it didn't diminish his urge to keep an eye on Whitaker, no matter what. Robby was thankful but annoyed that it took several cases before he saw the Omega again. The absence of the younger man allowed him to help the patients he encountered, but that didn't stop the need to have Whitaker in his sights. It was like an addiction he couldn’t find in him to get rid of, exactly like any other reporting from Alpha’s when they meet their Fated Mate.
It was during the case of Beta Theresa Saunders, who found disturbing writing from her Alpha son, David Saunders, that allowed him to catch Kiara Alfaro in the ER. Pulling her away from the grieving family of the 89-year-old nursing home patient, "I got a couple of situations." He reached into his pocket to pull out the form. He continued, "An 18-year-old kid brings in his dehydrated mom. Dad died during the pandemic. Mom's vomiting is self-induced for the sole purpose of getting him here after she finds his death list for classmates. Specifically noting that all of them seem to be Omega students."
Kiara's expression showed her shock as he placed her tablet down, turning to look at the Alpha, "What does she want our help with?" She reached out for the form, turning back to the work station to fill out her end of the paperwork.
"Help him, protect him, save him?" Robby suggested, not sure of what to do in the situation. McKay really did know how to sniff out bizarre situations.
They proceeded to walk towards the second-year resident. She asked him, "How are you holding up? A lot of things seem to be happening to you today." The Beta looked around, deciding how best to word it without pointing out the obvious as she folded the form back up and placed it inside her pocket. "Anything you want me to hold off on before submitting?"
He turned to smile at her. "One of the few positive things about today. Wouldn't want to delay anything." He informed her, knowing she would submit the form once she could go to her office. "Let me know once it's submitted." Now that that critical step was done, Robby had to refrain from searching for his Omega to continue his hopefully subtle flirting. Unfortunately, his attempts to look for his Omega after the meeting with David were thwarted by the young Alpha fleeing from the hospital. Then he was brought back inside to deal with a college kid who came in with respiratory arrest.
It was only one hour into his shift. He would find ways to flirt with Whitaker; he tried to reason with himself. The Alpha inside him whined in sadness.