Chapter Text
8:00 A.M.
"Robby."
The Alpha felt as though he were drowning, the sudden sensation hitting him like a truck. He blinked, bewildered, as memories from the past flooded back to him. There... There was just so much noise coming from the waiting room when he passed it, noise he had ignored while running through. But now, without his headphones, it overwhelmed him.
"Robby?" Someone called out again, pulling the Attending out of his thoughts as he shook his head to turn to look at Dana.
Her worried expression stared back at him as she stated, "College kid in respiratory distress is here.... Are you okay?" She couldn't help but ask, seeing the faded look in his eyes from this morning. The nurse had hoped that meeting the Omega would improve his mood, but even then, it seemed only temporary when he wasn't in his sights.
"Yeah... I just tried to talk to the patient's kid in room 12. He ran off on me." He felt the sudden weight of responsibility for the kid resting on his shoulders. Who knows what David ran off to do? Would he really go to school?
"Anything to worry about?" Dana asked as Robby turned around to walk towards the incoming patient. She walked with him as he coughed, deciding how to word it.
"According to the Beta mom, she found a list of high school Omegas he'd like to eliminate." There was also the fact that the younger Alpha felt off, something he scented when he was chasing him. Because his mom was a Beta, it seemed the mother didn't see the importance of scent-dampening patches, as the older man could smell the boy's pain and anger. With a list like that, the outcome didn't bode well.
"Jesus, what's wrong with kids these days?" Dana shook her head in disbelief, but was not surprised that such a case was happening. Robby responded with the reality that the younger generation was facing: social media, worldwide pandemic, environmental crisis, and gun violence. The sideways glance Dana gave him would have brought a grin to his face if the situation weren't so dire. The charge nurse left him to follow the incoming patient, who distracted him, and he ended up watching Collins and Mohan work on the patient. He provided input while watching their choices and guided them as the teacher he was meant to be for them.
There's something wrong. I'm surprised no one has called her out on it. Robby thought to himself as he stared at Dr. Collins. She's practically yelling that she's uncomfortable. Why does it feel like her discomfort is coming from me? Robby thought to himself as she answered the questions, but was giving him several awkward glances, as if she wanted to say something but was refraining from doing so. All thought of Collins fled when he saw the Whitaker through the double door windows before using the other door to enter quietly, unaware of the older Alpha's gaze as the Omega stared at a different Alpha.
That didn't sit well with Robby. He felt an urgent need to keep those blue eyes focused on him, not on anyone else. His gloved hands clenched against his elbows as he crossed his arms while watching. "Due to?" Robby suddenly blurted out, having been distractedly splitting his attention between the examination and the younger man who entered the room.
"Hypoxic injury, massive hemorrhage," Collins stated, her tone sounding unusual to Robby. He sensed something was off as she addressed Mohan, saying, "Samira, please escort him to CT. Take the drug box with you." She delivered the instructions without altering her tone or smiling. Usually, Collins softened her tone around Mohan, who had a way of bringing out her compassion.
"Are you okay?" Robby couldn't help but ask, turning around to look at Collins attempting to make a speedy escape.
Collin's "Yep" didn't ease his worries, so he tried again.
"Are you sure?" He knew something was there, and it was itching at the back of his head, demanding to find out the issue. Robby quickly removed his gloves and bundled them before tossing them into the nearby trash. He had a plan to touch the Omega again sneakily.
"Have you ever had to worry about me?" Her response indicated to him that he wasn't making any progress in this conversation, so he decided to back off. Robby could practically sense the Omega behind him, impatiently waiting to talk to the female Alpha. He wasn't willing to let that happen... to help ease his residents' mood. Completely to help the senior resident with whatever was going on with her. It absolutely wasn't because he didn't like the idea of his Omega seeking assistance from another Alpha when he was right there. After all, at the beginning of the shift, that was precisely what he had suggested. Contradicting bastard, Robby thought to himself.
When the Female Alpha turned to leave, the younger man quickly attempted to follow her, turning slightly to avoid the older man. Still, his attempt at dodging him failed miserably, as the gentle guiding hand on his shoulder caused him to turn and move around the taller man to stare up at him in confusion.
The playful 'Ah' sounds that escaped Robby's lips were designed to draw the younger man in, capturing his full attention as he positioned himself right in front of him. Was he standing guard to thwart any attempts to chase after another Alpha? Not at all! He was ensuring that the med student understood he had his Attending's undivided focus. "Got something?" The older man asked, finding the strength to let go of one of the younger man's shoulders and gesture down at the chart. He couldn't resist leaving his left hand on the Omega's shoulder, knowing he shouldn't, but finding himself with no self-control around the Omega.
Looking down at him, Robby refrained from dwelling on their height difference and kept eye contact with the younger man. Now that I'm looking closer, his eyes have a shade of amber in them. Before he could think further on the eye colors of his Omega, the med student finally spoke.
"Oh, I have a case for Dr. Collins," Dennis responded, hoping this would be enough to convince the Attending to let him leave and avoid further embarrassment. The thought of making a fool of himself in front of the Attending, who was definitely 'not his type', sent a shiver down his spine. He tried to suppress the memory of how he almost blurted out the word "Alpha" twice during the first hour of this shift, and even worse, that it was his boss. Why does he still have a hand on my shoulder? Is he actually rubbing his thumb against my scent patch? Dennis looked down, following the arm that led to the hand still resting on his shoulder, feeling the older man's thumb gently rubbing against the patch on his shoulder.
"May I see?" Robby asked, his thumb resting against the Omega's skin, feeling against the scent patch on the Omega's neck. I don't know when I'll see him the next time, but I should try sneaking in a quick touch of his wrists if I can. He stretched out his other hand to take the chart. He had made up his mind to minimize any interactions between Collins and Whitaker as much as possible. To make Collins' shift easier for whatever was going on with her, not to keep Whitaker's attention to himself as much as possible.
Favoritism?
Where?
"Yeah." Damn it, Dennis thought, knowing he wouldn't be able to escape. "A 68-year-old male, with a history of hypertension, experienced one hour of right upper quadrant pain after eating a fatty meal, which has now resolved. Afebrile, non-tender. A gallstone was present on POCUS. EKG shows no acute ischemic changes, but I'm still waiting on LFTs and lipase." He provided the case quickly, hoping to flee the room before Robby could continue touching him. He's a handsy Alpha. Is he like that with everyone? Does he even know he's moving his thumb against my skin? He squished the feeling of jealousy away before it could fester. Now is not the time to be crushing on your boss, Dennis!
"Why did you order the EKG?" The Attending's questions pulled Dennis out of his spiraling thoughts into another one. Did I do the wrong thing? Med School said to always listen to second opinions, especially when it comes to nurses with more experience than you.
"The nurse suggested it to rule out any cardiac issues," Whitaker admitted, hoping he didn't do an unnecessary test that would cause the nurse and him to be in trouble.
"Well, good call on both your parts. Nurses know what they're doing. Never hesitate to listen to them." He smiled at the younger man, smelling the slight anxiety seeping through him. He must be using a cheaper scent-damper patch, which works in my favor. Robby wanted to ensure the Omega came to him before anyone else, so he added, "Find me when those labs are back." He uses this moment to move his hand from Whitaker's shoulder to grab his hand, his back turned to block the view of it from any noisy people. "How's the finger?" His thumb slowly rubs the Omega's wrist, a move he could dismiss as accidental, as he brings the hand up to view the little finger, the bandage looking normal and holding steady.
From the corner of Robby's peripheral vision, he could see the Omega's cheeks redden as his mouth opened and closed, before stuttering out. "Oh-oh, I-it's nothing."
Robby hated letting go of his hand, but did so at the perfect time. A few seconds later, Perlah poked her head in to say, " Dr. Robby?" The Omega looked behind the Attending, the reddness in his cheeks disappearing as he paled before he turned around to leave through the room's other exit. Did Robby's eyes glance down to see the curve of the younger man's behind? No comment.
Michael. You have a job to do. Robby had to remind himself as he tilted his head towards the nurse, who was waiting for his attention, before explaining why she was looking for him: "The son and daughter of Mr. Spencer from assisted living, they're here."
Robby nodded, scratching his head as he sighed. 1 hour into a 12-hour shift. I still have 11 hours to get close to my Omega.
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- Asia:
For Alphas raised in Asia and/or with Asian ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Leopards, Bengal Tigers, or Dholes.
For Omegas raised in Asia and/or with Asian ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Red Pandas, Caracals, or Borneo Elephants.
When Dennis fled the room, he stopped briefly outside, leaned against the wall, and pressed his hands to his chest. Glancing around, he noticed no one was paying him any attention as he panicked in his mind. Why is Dr. Robby so touchy?! It can't be normal for him to do that to someone else, right? He was spiraling in his mind while using the wall as support, so he didn't fall and curl into himself in embarrassment.
His stare is intense. Does he know what he does to people when he gives them their full attention, or is he just doing it to me? I wonder if he gave that look while in b- A slap resounded through the nearly empty hall as Dennis' cheeks redden from the impact of both his hands onto his cheeks to snap him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see one of the nurses giving him a look before pausing, gesturing a thumbs up to him, which he mimicked. The male nurse stared at him with a slight squint, then nodded and walked off.
Oh God, he saw thattt! Dennis screamed inside as he got off the wall and walked towards his patient. It was easy to find Mr. Milton scrolling through his phone and glancing down at the screen. He noticed the patient was reading news headlines. "Mr. Milton?" He called out, hoping not to spook the older man by suddenly appearing beside him.
Glancing up to the young student, the older man smiled at him, allowing Dennis to continue, "I just wanted to inform you that I provided the details of your examination to the Attending. We're just waiting on your test results. Are you sure you don't want ice chips? Crackers?"
"The attending?" Mr. Milton questioned, wondering why his case had to be brought to an attending. He had hoped that being moved from a room wasn't something serious.
"Well, I did mention I was a Student Doctor, right?" Whitaker asked, nervous that he had forgotten to do that. When he received a nod from the patient the Omega continued, "Since I'm a Student Doctor, I'm in my 4th year of med school and every case I have I need to bring it up to a resident or the attending on duty. I was going to bring it up to a resident." he blushed thinking about how Robby manhandled him, "But the attending had time so I brought it up to him. He said we have to wait for the tests."
Bennet tilted his head, wondering why the young man was blushing at the mention of the Attending. Could it be a workplace crush? I remember my wife having a crush on me while I was pursuing her in our workplace, before she even felt the connection. He was curious about what the Attending looked like and asked, "Would I see him when my test results are completed?"
"Y-Yes, Dr. Robby asked to be brought in when the test results are sent in. I'll find him when I get notified." He pulled out the small pager from his breast pocket. "The system will page me when the test results are sent, so I'll get Dr. Robby to come see you when that happens. It might take a while. Are you sure you don't want something?"
Mr. Milton smiled, finding the student doctor's attention admirable. But, he wasn't about to waste the young man's time on something he didn't need, "I'm fine, thank you for asking and keeping me informed. I'll see you when my test results come back."
With a nod, Dennis left the patient and headed to the central station to see if he could add another patient. I hope I don't see Robby there, I'll get too distracted.
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- Africa:
For Alphas raised in Africa and/or with African ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Lions, Hyenas, or Rhinos.
For Omegas raised in Africa and/or with African ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Cheetahs, Impalas, or Hippopotamus.
Robby understood that everyone grieves in their own way; he had experienced different forms of grief himself. However, he sensed that Joseph Spencer's children likely struggled with denial. When he mentioned their father's advance directive, the look on Alpha Helen Spencer's face made it clear she was prepared to put him through unnecessary suffering to ensure his survival. Headstrong in her belief that he would improve, while the Beta, Jereme Spencer, had the sad expression of defeat and was prepared to abide by their father's wishes.
"Okay. Well, this decision does not need to be made right now. Why don't you think about it? Talk about it. If things get worse, sometimes allowing for a comfortable natural death can be the most humane path." He tried to steer them to the correct decision as he stepped away to go and check on the trauma patient who was just wheeled in. Something about the Alpha woman told him she wasn't about to let her father go without a fight. He decided not to think about it too much as he observed the trauma.
Robby walked in just as the patient was being wheeled in, helping transport them to a bed. He also handed the IV bag to the nurse, Alpha Jesse, who quickly set it up. He listened to what the residents and interns were saying, seeing them work as he added his input here and there.
When he saw Langdon pull the patient's face up with his finger, Robby couldn't help but be disappointed. I wish Dennis were here. This would be a cool case to show him. That thought was quickly shoved aside as he provided his assessment before leaving the trauma room, trusting both Betas, Langdon, and Garcia to handle the patient from there.
Quickly removing his gloves and tossing them into a trash can, Robby used the hand sanitizer before walking to his station. Shit, what if Dennis thinks my hands are dry? Too rough for him to hold? Robby pondered, rubbing his hands together, feeling their roughness from constant sanitizer use.
Spotting his work station free, as it usually was, the unmarked work station for the Attendings, he scanned his badge before pulling out his glasses. Damn it, I hope Dennis doesn't see me in these glasses and think I'm old. Before Robby could spiral further at the thought of his Omega not thinking he's enough, he heard the voice of a patient he would rather not have seen.
"Hey, Fruitcake." The patient, Alpha Myrna, wheeled herself close to the younger Alpha doctor
Myrna is here again? We should give her a patient bed at this point. Robby had hoped he could ignore Myrna, but the other Alpha would not let herself be forgotten. "Hey, I'm talking to you, Fruitcake."
Robby typed on the computer, getting to the chart he needed to get before he tilted his head, refraining from a sigh as he answered the other Alpha. "Myrna, I told you a hundred times my name is Dr. Robby."
"You want to see my cock?" Myrna asked, smirking up at the other Alpha. Robby refrained from looking at her, already feeling one of his eyebrows quirk up.
"I've already seen it." And her vagina, but he wasn't about to entertain this inappropriate conversation. "And once was enough, thank you." He was always thankful for Dana, but when she called his name, he couldn't help but add this moment to the top of the list of things to be grateful for the charge nurse.
"Parents of Nick Bradley, the OD teen, are here," Dana informed him, causing Robby to quickly pocket his glasses before he glanced at Dana, then at Myrna.
My escape is here. Robby thought as he recommended, "park them in Trauma 1. He's not back from CT yet. I'll be right there in a minute." With that, he nodded at Dana before fleeing, deciding Myrna wasn't someone he was going to deal with today. Hopefully.
He walked back to the trauma room he just left, ignoring the small ping in the back of his mind at the fact that he wasn't able to find the Omega to drag him along. Stepping into the room, he quickly gloved up and pulled a robe over himself as he asked, "How are we doing?"
Langdon responded as he was placing a head support behind the patient's neck, "Ketamine and sux on board."
The Alpha nurse, Kim, quickly added, "Pulse ox holding at 94."
"Prepping the neck just in case," Garcia said beside Langdon, getting the tools ready to Crike.
From there, both Betas quickly fought over what to do next. Robby knew it was a way for them to show a weird form of friendship-rivalry, both being senior residents in their departments. After looking at the screen to see what the camera was showing, the Attending shook his head when Jesse informed them it was going down to 85. Robby saw no other choice but to agree with Garcia's suggestion as he ordered, "All right, pull out. I-gel, bag, and crike."
He saw Langdon look behind him with betrayal, but Robby shrugged his shoulders, knowing the Beta can't always be right. Robby quickly moved to the other side of the patient, watching the two senior residents snap back at each other. Maybe it was a good idea not to bring Dennis in here for this. Wouldn't want these two to influence them. "Okay, teamwork, please. Let's focus on the patient." Robby ordered, getting the residents to stop acting like children and be the doctors they were supposed to be.
Though he did allow Langdon to win the fight over who does the Crike, wanting to see what the new Alpha doctor can do, Mel's response of only doing a crake in a cadaver lab made Robby worry, but he helped teach her the proper steps.
He knew it was successful, but received confirmation from the intern Santos, who informed the room, "End tidal CO2 is yellow."
"Yellow is yes. Nicely done. Sew it in. Okay, I will be next door." Robby said, removing his gloves as he heard the quick, snarky combacks between Langdon and Garcia behind him.
He informed Nick's parents of the current status, and he saw relief on their faces. That was short-lived as Mohan walked in with the patient, checked Nick's eyes, then walked towards Robby, leaning in to whisper, "Blown."
He managed to get the parents to step away from their son, knowing it was best to handle the information outside the room as the staff worked on Nick. Robby could feel a heavy weight on his shoulders, the knowledge that he was informing the parents of their child's death. It got worse when Princess showed him the drug test result, confirming the use of fentanyl, which quickly caused the mother to go into denial and walk back into the room. Seeing the pained expression on the father's face was heartbreaking, imagining himself in the other man's situation if it were Jake, or hell, a future child he might have with Dennis. Maybe even Dennis himself, who was only slightly older than the patient in the room. He opened the door for the father and said, "We'll come find you as soon as we know more, okay?"
Once John stepped back inside, Robby left, walking towards Dana's station as he rubbed his neck, feeling the scent patches on his scent glands. The highest-end scent patches for Alphas barely allowed anyone to smell any emotion coming off of him. Stopping in front of Dana, he sighed as he asked, "Can we move Nick Bradley to a private room?" When the charge nurse asked if the kid would survive, Robby couldn't answer with words; he shook his head. Old enough to be a classmate of Dennis... Just a little bit older than Jake. Oh god, the age difference between me and my Omega. Do I have to worry he might be like Nick, accidentally drinking the wrong pill? Before he could spiral further, Dana asked about the Narcan, which caused Robby to explain quietly, wishing it wasn't true. "I think his pinpoint pupils just grew into blown pupils from brainstem death." He trusted Mohan's assessment, knowing he didn't need to check for himself, especially with the drug test coming back positive for fentanyl.
He could hear Dana curse, causing Robby to cross his arms in front of his chest as he added. "Dennis isn't that much older than him.... Nick isn't that much older than Jake..." Two people he knew, whom he cared deeply about, could be in the same situation as Nick. Even if Dennis was on the verge of becoming a doctor, he was still young. He could have trusted the wrong person with a drug off the street, just like how he assumed Nick did.
"Don't go there." Dana tilted her head to the side, looking up at the stressed-out Attending. She added, "You know Jake wouldn't do that. And I have no doubt you'll keep your eye on the other one." She scanned their surroundings, noticing that everyone was busy with their tasks, but knowing better than to mention the Omega, as Robby had done carelessly. It showed how stressed Robby was, even after finding his Fated Mate. Fated parings only have a genuine effect on one another once they're bonded, Dana's mind supplied, her trail of thought pausing at the sound of the computer alarm going off behind her. She turned to look at the screen, "Mr. Spencer's room."
Robby walked away, shaking his head to get the negative thoughts away. When he entered Mr. Spencer's room, he knew the suspicion he had was about to be proven true. He could smell the sadness seeping from Helen, an emotion strong enough to overcome the scent patches she was wearing, and he saw her rub her hand against them before she looked at him with teary eyes, pleading with him not to mention it. He knew better than to do so, with Mr. Spencer too out of it to detect his stressed daughter's scent, while her brother was a Beta long with the nurse in the room with them.
Stepping away from the children of Mr. Spencer, his sights set on Collins, an itch in the back of his head, scratching at finding out what is causing her mood. Before he could get closer, he was stopped by the Princess to sign orders on a tablet. Looking around nervously, he thankfully didn't spot his Omega as he placed his reading glasses on to look through the forms.
I hope Dennis doesn't think I look old with these, Robby thought, his eyes glancing over the form before rising at the sound of Collin's laughter. He noticed it was the officer for the train accident, an Omega if he recalled correctly, and he refrained from smiling at himself. Maybe he put her in a good mood, and I could share my suggestion with her.
Passing the tablet back to the Princess, he offered her a couple of suggestions and feedback on the patients she had, glancing at Collins and the officer until the Omega walked away. Nodding to the nurse, he walked towards Collins. Once he reached her station, he quickly asked, "Any luck getting our psych boarders upstairs?" Deciding he should first get business out of the way before he gave her a subtle order.
She laughed, her face changing to an exhausted expression, "Yeah, right, at least the Kraken's still sleeping."
Nodding at her optimistic comment, he pointed in the direction the officer had come from. "Is it me, or was that officer—"
"No," Collins quickly cut off.
"What? You don't even know what I—" Robby stared at her, confused, his thumb still pointing behind him.
"What you were going to say?" The resident cut him off once again, proving him wrong.
"I guess you did." He leaned against the station, speaking in a lower volume, "He seemed nice?"
Collins immediately shook her head, "Absolutely not." Her lips pressed together as she hmmed in disapproval. "There is no possible scenario in which you and I have this conversation. You of all people should know better."
"I was—" Robby started, trying to explain the actual reason he searched for her.
Collins interrupted him again, "No. Just walk away. Best possible scenario." Her eyes narrowed at him, still leaning against the station as he glanced around before directing his attention back to her.
"I was actually going to tell you that you don't have to worry about any cases involving Dennis. I'll keep my eye on him."
If her eyes could narrow any further, they would have closed, but her brows furrowed in confusion. Her mind quickly worked around who he could be talking to as her memory brought back an introduction she was half paying attention to. 'Dennis Whitaker, MS4.' She had glanced at each person who introduced themselves. Blue naive eyes, young, and most importantly, an Omega. Her eyebrows shot up, eyes widening in surprise before her expression shifted to annoyance. "Why just Dennis?" She emphasized the use of his first name, something that causes the ears of the older Alpha to turn red. Her lips pursed together again, refraining from shouting at the Alpha for the sudden interest in a younger Omega, someone over whom he had a position of power.
"J-Just I can help him with his case load, that'll leave Javadi and Santos to both of you." Robby took her suggestion and walked away quickly.
He could hear the huff of annoyance from behind him, which he wisely ignored.
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- Australia:
For Alphas raised in Australia and/or with Australian ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Kangaroos, Dingos, or Saltwater crocodiles.
For Omegas raised in Australia and/or with Australian ancestry, they commonly associate their secondary personality with Koalas, Tasmanian devils, or Platypus.
Dennis was walking towards the main nursing station, hoping to pick up a new patient or get quick access to the hospital computers to study. He was unfortunately stopped by an older patient on a gurney in the hallway. "Hey, you! Pasty white! How about a sandwich?"
He paused, glancing around in confusion, once he noticed he was the pasty white in question. "Uh, what brings you here today, sir?" He quickly got a snarky response to his question. Thankfully, a nurse he noticed previously was walking by, and he spoke to grab her attention, "Okay. Okay, uh, excuse me..." She turned to look at him as he drew a blank on her name.
"Perlah." The Alpha nurse introduced herself with a nod.
"Perlah." Dennis parrots before asking his question, "Can this patient get a sandwich?"
"I already gave you a sandwich, Earl." The Alpha nurse said with confusion.
"I ain't ate this whole week." The Beta patient, Earl, said with confidence as his arms moved in a gesture of 'what gives'.
Perlah laughed, turning her attention to the med student as she said, "Sure. Give him another sandwich. They're on the food cart. Just make sure it's not egg salad, or he'll throw it on the floor." The instructions were provided as she walked away.
"Okay. Good to know. Thanks." The Omega responded, walked towards the food cart, and quickly grabbed a sandwich for the patient before looking around and pocketing one for himself. Walking back towards the patient, he offered the sandwich to Earl, who smiled in appreciation.
With that task complete, he found himself back at the nurse station, spotting Mohan at the board, talking to someone he recalled was the charge nurse. "Dr. Mohan?"
She turned around with a soft smile on her face as she said, "Samira, please." She took in the Omega's appearance, thinking back to the moment Robby glared at her for suddenly offering to take care of the Omega's injured hand.
"I just wanted to apologize. When my phone went off earlier, that was really unprofessional." Dennis spoke quickly, nervous at the memory, as it also brought back the moment the Atending all but dragged him out of the room in front of the resident.
"Don't sweat it. Trust me. We need to laugh. Otherwise, we'd never stop crying." Samira said her smile strained as she thought back to the past couple of days, to the patients she failed. Hearing the Omega say thank you, she continued, leaning in closer as she lowered her voice, "Besides, with all the craziness that comes through here every hour, nobody cares or notices." She tried to reassure him, glancing around them again as she asked, "Also... Do you perhaps know Robby outside of work?" She was trying to piece together the scene she had seen; perhaps the med student was a son of one of Robby's friends.
"N-No, actually, this is my first time meeting him. Why do you ask?" Dennis tilted his head slightly, confused by the sudden question.
"Well... He seems—" Before Samira can explain further, Collins walked up and spoke to them.
"Got an unresponsive unhoused man coming in. Might be a good teaching case, Funky Music. Let's go." Collins snapped her gloves on, glancing at the med student Robby, whom she had all but ordered to stay away from. Doesn't he already know that telling me not to do something will make me want to do it even more? Collins thought, gesturing for the med student to follow her as the patient was being wheeled in.
Dennis followed the senior resident, who quickly turned her attention to the patient and had the others help transfer the patient to the hospital bed. While attempting to perform an observation, Donnie cut the unhoused man's clothing, revealing three rats that quickly scrambled once released from the shirt's confines.
When the Omega noticed the rats, he quickly raised his hands and glanced at the Senior resident and the nurse, who were shouting in surprise. Guess they're not used to rats. Having lived on a farm for most of his life, rats were the norm. He glanced around the ground, trying to trace the rats to confirm there were only three.
"What's wrong? What's going on?" Hearing the Attending, the Omega couldn't help but answer his question, wanting to impress him because he was a superior. Not because he was an attractive older Alpha.
"Patient tested positive for rats," Dennis said, gesturing with his still raised hands with a shrug. He glanced at the senior resident who placed him on this case, who quickly fled. Does that mean he's my patient now? Dennis thought, deciding that wasn't the best thing to ask, as he added, "Also, if it helps. I only counted three." Sensing movement below, he glanced down and spotted one of the rats and quickly pointed. "Oh, there goes one." It caused the nurse next to him to flinch, knocking some equipment off the wall from the sudden movement. Dennis sent the nurse an apologetic look, recalling that it was the nurse who had seen his little meltdown in the hallway.
Robby couldn't help but laugh, looking down at the fleeing rat before taking a step closer to the patient in curiosity. Glancing towards his Omega, he noticed there was no hint of panic on the younger man, and even with the overwhelming scent of alcohol, there was no scent of a secondary gender from the patient.
A passed-out, drunk Beta man in his mid to late 40s. Robby assessed in his mind as he spoke to the remaining staff, "Whitaker, this man is now your patient, I doubt Collins will fight you for it..." Glancing at Donnie, he suggested, "Grab another nurse and assistant to help you in removing the clothing and getting him cleaned up. I suggest gowning up just in case? Get Whitaker when you're done, okay?" When Donnie nodded, he gestured to the Omega to follow him.
He led the Omega to a quieter hall right beside the room, glancing around before he spoke, "I'll be the primary person you report to for today." Robby wanted to say 'every day,' but he didn't want it to be too obvious.
"W-Why?" Dennis stuttered out, blinking up at the Alpha with confusion as he added, "I thought you said we report to the senior residents first?" The med student could feel his cheeks heat up at the thought of having to go to the Attending for all his cases. I'm going to make a fool of myself today, oh God. Before Dennis' mind could spin in a spiral of negativity, the Attending explained.
"I like to take a couple of days between med students and interns to get a closer look at how they work. Don't worry, I'll do the same with Javadi and Dr. Santos." Robby lied, hoping the younger man wouldn't look into it further to learn that his teaching method was never like that. He had heard it from other Chief Attendings in different departments doing that, but he never thought it would fit in the ED.
"Oh, so I'll just go to you first if I can find you? If I can't find you, can I still report to the residents?" Dennis asked.
"If it can't wait until you find me or if I'm in a case that needs my full attention, then yes." It irked the older man to think of the Omega still having to interact with Mohan or Collins, but he knew he would have to bear with it. Seeing the Omega nod, Robby smiled as his hands landed on the Omega's shoulder, thumb pressing against the Omega exposed skin on 'accident'.
Dennis couldn't help but stare at the Alpha and glance down at the hand on his shoulder. He could feel his cheeks redden, causing him to step away quickly. "See you later, Captain."
Secondary Personality Animal Characteristics- Antarctica:
Due to the nature of Antarctica, not many people were raised in or have ancestry from this continent. For this reason, there is little chance for anyone to link their secondary personality to an animal from this continent.
The moment of peace he had with Whitaker quickly faded away with the Omega's presence. Robby sighed as he could overhear a woman shouting. pressing his hands to his face, he inhaled deeply before walking towards the noise coming from the room where the child was in a deep sleep. He could smell the stressed-out scent of the Omega mother, her back leaning against the wall as she glared at everyone.
Glancing at Kiara and noticing the security following him, he quickly pieced it together, getting the mother to calm down enough to agree to let them talk it through. He couldn't fault the mother for being stressed out in the situation, recalling that the son wasn't waking up. Before stepping away, he confirmed with Langdon that everything was sorted with them.
That's when he spotted Theresa's room. Shit... I need to tell her that he son left. Deciding he can't avoid her any longer, he walked towards her room. "Everything all right out there?" Theresa asked.
"Yeah, just another day in paradise." Though it sounded sarcastic, Robby knew today was the closest the ED would feel to paradise, thanks to Dennis. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Where's David?" Theresa asked, causing Robby to look around before stepping into the room and sitting down on a chair beside the bed. He paused, deciding his words as he carefully explained the situation to her.
He watched as she attempted to reach her son, but her phone and texts didn't go through. Refraining from grimacing, he asked her questions about the potential danger her son could pose. While talking to her, Princess came in to inform him of an upcoming trauma, "Flight is ten minutes out with an electrocution."
"Okay, grab Collins. I'll be right there." Robby informed Princess, who nodded and closed the door. turning his attention to Theresa, he suggested, "Keep trying to reach him. If you do, have someone find me. Okay?"
Getting up from the seat, he stepped outside the room, smiling at Esme, the Omega custodian, and asked, "You got some good news for me?"
"I sure do. There are two rooms in the ICU being cleaned. They'll be ready by now." She was the supervisor of the custodians. Just like Robby, she helped out with her fellow employees.
"Great work as always." Robby nodded, knowing he could use this knowledge to his advantage for patients who need to be admitted to the ICU.
"And I got bagels in the lounge." She added with a smile, clapping her hands and stepping away, ready to help her custodians clean another room.
"Nice job. Thank you." He called out to her, his smile quickly disappearing as he turned to see Gloria walking up to him.
"Is it true?" Gloria asked, prompting him to pause and go through the scenarios she might be asking about.
She wouldn't know about my form. Kiara and Dana will never tell her. It'll be too soon to file a complaint about my attention to Dennis. Robby ran through the possible issues as he asked, "You have to be more specific."
"Are there rats in the ED?" Gloria asked, her tone stressed but her scent muted, her scent patches working overtime.
Robby refrained from laughing in front of Gloria as he reported, "Apparently, if somebody already snitched."
"Do you know how bad this looks? One more reason to shutter this place. Only the emergency department admits rats." Gloria looked around, scanning the floor to see if she could spot one of the rumored rats.
"The emergency department would never admit rats, unless they had the right insurance." Robby quickly quipped, ensuring to keep his expression in check in mock seriousness.
"Did you catch any of them?" Gloria asked with a slight hope, wishing to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
"One, and I charged him for a full visit." Robby could smell the bit of annoyance from her scent, leaking out from the expensive scent patch. Oh, she must want to kill me if that's trickling out.
"I'm glad you think this is funny," Gloria said, her eyes closed as she imagined strangling the insufferable Alpha.
"I'm sorry that you don't." Robby pressed his lips together, sensing his lips threatening to smile from his glee at messing with her.
"Did you call an exterminator?" She asked, hoping that at least he did that. If not, she'll have to get one of her staff to contact one.
"He's waiting on a second opinion," Robby responded, a subtle no.
"You're pushing your luck today." She said through clenched teeth, reminding herself not to lay her hands on the foolish Alpha before her. He's good at his job, unfortunately.
"Don't worry. Last I heard, they were headed for the cafeteria, so they should be dead within the hour." The defeated sound of Gloria's okay made him want to laugh, though he refrained from doing so. She might actually use that as a reason to fire him. She walked away from him, her frustration evident as he spun around to inform her, "I'll be here all week."
"Or maybe not," Gloria warned, not bothering to turn behind to look at the Alpha.
Secondary Personality Notes:
It is less common, but not rare, for animal characteristics to be a type of bird if the Alpha/Omega was raised in a childhood they wish to flee from. Studies show that this is due to the desire for freedom, as a bird can never fully be caged.
For those who live near the shoreline, it is likely to have a secondary personality that is a marine mammal if the Alpha/Omega has a strong tie to the sea.
Dennis smiled at himself, pleased as he caught up with writing out the charts for his patients. He could feel the sandwich in his pocket, tempting him to eat it, but he paused at the sudden screaming woman who was brought into the emergency room. He noticed that Samira was quickly taking the lead, so he walked toward them to stare from a short distance.
"My meds at home aren't working! Please, I have sickle cell!" The patient said, her voice pained. The scent that was seeping out was bitter, an Omega in pain.
"Okay, stop. Everybody stop." Samira sighed and said forcefully, "Stop!" The Alpha Command caused the Omega patient to pause in her struggling and the medics to stiffen. Dennis was also behind her, paused in his movement from the force of her voice. "What's your name?" Samira asked the patient.
"It's Joyce. It's Joyce St. Claire." The patient said calmly, her eyes momentarily glazing over from the Command.
"Joyce, is this your sickle cell pain?" Samira asked, her face grimacing, hating having to use a Command on her surroundings to get the situation sorted.
"Yes!" Joyce's eyes snapped back to focus, her movement restarting from the pain that was flowing through her.
From there, Samira started giving orders, and Dennis couldn't help but follow, curious about what would happen next. Robby said to report to him... but it's okay if I observe resident cases? I'm here to learn. Dennis reasoned to himself, feeling his Omega inside him whine as if he was disobeying his Alpha. As if the Attending was his Alpha. Shaking his head to get rid of that, he trailed behind Samira to follow her to a curtained room.
She turned around and noticed him following, unaware of his presence because of the overwhelming scent from Joyce. "Whitaker, can you stay with her and watch for any changes until I get back? I'll need to check on a couple of my patients while we wait for the morphine to kick in."
"O-Of course. Also, please call me Dennis." Dennis nodded, feeling nervous as he suggested that the resident call him by his first name. It's only right if she's allowing me to call her by her first name. Dennis thought, biting his inner cheek as he glanced down at her nametag, noticing the Alpha symbol beside her name.
"Thank you, Dennis." She smiled, giving him a quick pat on the back as she walked towards one of her patients, hoping to find the test result she'd been waiting for an hour.
Dennis stood at the end of the makeshift room, right beside the curtain, as he watched Joyce for any movement. His notepad was out, gripped in his hand as he glanced at her worriedly. How is she still alive after 20 milligrams of morphine? Dennis could help but think, glancing at the heart monitor, which showed she was alive.
"How's she doing?" Samira asked, having returned a couple of minutes faster than she expected, happy with the test result she found, and documenting the discharge paperwork. At least now, Robby can't be mad I'm holding up rooms.
"Still breathing after 20 of morphine," Dennis said, a worried expression still on his face as he glanced at the resident before turning his attention back to the patient. He missed the peeved look that was directed his way.
"How's the pain, Joyce?" Samira stepped forward, conducting a quick follow-up as Dennis watched.
When she handed the Dilaudid button, Dennis couldn't help but quickly add in, as a nervous joke, "That only works once an hour, though, so don't go crazy."
When the Alpha resident turned around to look at him, Dennis knew he was in trouble. "Could I confer with you?" She asked, though it didn't sound like a question, the Omega still said yes.
They walked away from the room, and Dennis listened closely as she explained the issue with his joke. " I never thought of it like that," Dennis admitted, feeling guilty over the lack of care he provided to Joyce, who was suffering a type of pain he hoped never to experience.
"Little empathy goes a long way with those suffering in real pain." She paused, smelling the scent of sadness coming off the Omega, whom she quickly reassured by adding, "Yeah. Don't worry. You'll get good at spotting the fakers, and half the time, all those people need is someone to really listen to them and hear their story."
Alpha Command:
An Alpha can use a command to order those around them to heed their words. It is difficult to contradict the Command, but not impossible. It is easier to break a command if the Command goes against the morals of the person being commanded. Misuse of this results in legal trouble for the Alpha.
Robby observed the situation with the burn patient, knowing Collins and Garcia had it handled. He heard someone enter from the door behind him, glancing to see the Omega Attending Surgeon, Dr. Miller, who asked, "Compartment pressure's 49?"
"Yeah. I'm going to make the initial incision down here. Ortho can finish it up in the OR." Garcia said, setting up the incision site.
"Good plan. I'll let them know. Hey, Robby." Miller said, turning his attention to his fellow Attending.
"Always good to see you, Fred," Robby said, sighing as he already knew where this was going. The Omega liked to preen over his students, as if they were his own children. Robby was thankful Fred's children were still in school, or else Fred would be insufferable.
"How do you like my rock star?" Fred asked, staring the other Attending down.
"She's pretty good." Robby said, quickly mimicking Fred, "She has a great teacher." He could hear the door behind him shut, already knowing Fred had a smug expression.
"Sterile gloves for Dr. Santos," Garcia said. His attention was immediately brought back to the situation before him.
"Oh, we don't teach forearmfasciotomies to our residents," Collins informed the other resident, who was confused about the idea of doing so. They shared a glance, their confusion evident in their expressions.
"What if she's all alone somewhere someday with no backup?" Garcia teased, watching as Santos moved to her side as she marked the area to cut, explaining, "This is the path to avoid the median nerve and all major vessels."
"Maybe just watch the first time," Robby added, staring at Santos, who glanced between the two of them, unsure of what to do.
"She'll hold the blade, I'll cut." Garcia compromised, as she directed her attention to Princess to order, "10 blade to Dr. Santos." Princess turned to Robby with confusion. Robby couldn't help but shrug his shoulders while nodding, deciding to watch how this played out. "We'll start proximal."
He watched, feeling a slight anxiety in his chest, as the incision was performed. Robby nodded, a feeling of relief washed over him, thankful that nothing went wrong before a new thought came to his head.
I could guide Dennis on an incision. That'll give me a perfect reason to hold his hand like that. Now he had to find a way to ensure Dennis was on the case with him when an incision was needed.
Omega Plea:
A call for help from an Omega to their surroundings. Unlike an Alpa Command, this does not force those around them to heed their call. It makes those around them feel a desire to help, not a requirement to obey. It can be ignored, but doing so causes a sense of dread. If a person hears the Omega Plea and does not help, their mood drops for the next few hours, and the deepest sense of dread lasts three days.
"Mr. Milton, I'm sorry. We had to move you into the hall. I know it gets pretty chaotic and noisy out here." Dennis said, a smile on his face as he finally found the time to check on his first patient of the day. He was unfortunately still waiting for labs, but the Omega wanted to check up on his patient, "Mr. Milton?" Dennis asked, his smile quickly disappearing. "Hey, hey, Bennet, wake up for me." He pressed down on the older man's chest with his fingers, digging in to hopefully get a pained response back. Nothing. His other hand searched for a pulse, causing him to mutter. "Oh, shit, shit, shit." Deciding that it was far more than he could handle, he cried out, "Um, I need a little help here!" Not knowing any other alternative, he let out an Omega Plea, "Help!"
It quickly got the attention of those around him. The nurse who was with him, with the homeless guy, turned the corner and asked, "When did you check on him last?"
"I don't know, around half an hour ago at most. I was waiting on labs." He pulled the gurney down and started compressions as quickly as possible.
"What's going on?" Robby asked, having walked over briskly once he heard the Omega's Plea. He could already smell the stress coming from his Omega, clenching his teeth. He proceeded to give orders, deciding the patient came first before he could deal with his stressed-out Omega.
They moved the patient into a curtain room, and other staff arrived soon to help after hearing the plea. They all moved briskly, setting up to help bring the patient back while the Omega continued compressions.
"Pupils are fixed and dilated." The Alpha nurse, Jesse, said, glancing up at Robby for the next steps.
"He's been down a long time," Robby announced, seeing the Omega glance at him with worry. He knew the chance of getting the patient back was slim, but he believed the patient deserved a chance at a miracle. However unlikely it would be.
He watched as his Omega struggled in vain with the compressions, nothing bringing back the heartbeat the patient needed. Every minute that passed was a less likelyhood of being brought back. It pained him to see Dennis struggle in vain, so when Dana came to him and informed him, "Robby, Mr. Spencer's adult children are asking for you. And the parents of Nick Bradley, the fentanyl overdose, also want to speak with you."
He nodded, knowing he couldn't watch Dennis try in vain to bring back a dead person, but deciding to give him a chance by ordering, "Three rounds of epi and then call it." He saw Jesse, King, and Donnie nod, all of them looking at Dennis, who was focused on performing the compressions.
Dennis didn't even notice the Attending leave, only heard the order of three more rounds. I have three more shots to get Mr. Milton back. Dennis thought, focusing on chanting the song rhythm in his head to go with the heartbeats Milton needs.
The Omega wouldn't even be able to tell how long it's been if it weren't for the other people in the room keeping count. It was the next round of checking Milton's pulse, where the nurse with gray hair announced, "No change." He glanced up, worried, his eyes flickering to the name tag reading Jesse.
His attention turned to Mel, who also voiced out, "No pericardial effusion, no tension pneumothorax, no cardiac activity."
Dennis could sense the others already lost hope, but he couldn't. Not on Milton, whose wife was waiting for him. When Langdon asked if they should call it Dennis, he quickly voiced his objection, "Not yet. Dr. Robby said three rounds of epi. It's time. Let's push another amp. This one could do it."
He resumed compressions, hoping this one was the one.