“You better. That’s my only grandbaby you’re holding, and she hasn’t been well for days now.”
“I know, Mom,” I say as I look up when someone else’s name is called. “You have my word that I’ll keep you and Dad updated. But I have to go, I need to call?—”
“We’ll call Tracy’s parents and let them know what’s going on,” Mom says.
Sometimes, just the mention of my late Omega makes my heart sink. “No, I’ll call them. We’ve got a few people in line ahead of us at the clinic still.”
“Well, you demand that Dr. Quinn see you now. You have an early-emerging Omega on your hands. That takes priority.”
I draw in a deep breath so that I don’t lose my cool. “I will, Mom, but that still requires me to get off the phone.”
“Okay. Call back soon.”
“I will as soon as I know something.”
I hang up the phone with my parents and dial my daughter’s other set of grandparents. If there was one thing that losing my Omega in childbirth didn’t prepare me for, it was how much it would ache to talk with her parents.
Of course, I’m thrilled that both sets of Amber’s grandparents are active and in her life. It’s just…
It’s just the nature of things, I suppose.
“Come on, pick up,” I murmur before the voicemail kicks on.
“Hiiii! This is the cell of Mary Beth Lancaster. We can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a brief message, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Talk soon!”
The voice mailbox beeps, and I clear my throat. “Hey, Mary Beth. It’s me. I wanted to let you know that I’m in Dr. Quinn’s office with Amber. It’s nothing bad, she’s just been feeling under the weather the last few days, so we’re here to run some tests and get some answers. I’ll call back when I have more to tell.”
Just as I hang up the phone, the door to the clinic bursts open. Walker Boone, of all people, strides into the office like he owns it, and he’s got someone cradled in his arms. Knox Rylan, one of the handymen in town, is right on his heels carrying… a light pink purse with a bow on it.
What?
My brow furrows as I watch them storm up to the front desk. Walker’s voice is a rumble as he speaks. I don’t know why I’m so interested, but when the woman in his arms whimpers, I see the woman behind the front desk stand.
Before taking them right back.
Oh, absolutely not.
“Hey,” I say as I stand with my daughter in my arms. “My daughter and I have been waiting?—”
“It’ll be just a few more minutes, Mr. Black,” the woman says as the entry door is buzzed open.
I watch Walker and Knox disappear with that woman as I storm up to the front desk. “I’ve been waiting to see Dr. Quinn for almost half an hour. My daughter is?—”
She cuts me off again. “You’ve got one more person in line at the clinic in front of you, and then?—”
My voice lowers. “I’ve been waiting long enough. If they can storm in and go right back, then you can take me. My daughter is presenting early with her Omega status. She needs a doctor, and now. Buzz me back.”
The woman blinks at me.
“Now,” I demand.
She sighs heavily, but when I hear the door buzz open, I urge my daughter to lie against my shoulder. I band my arm around her back as she clings to me, her little fists balled up in my shirt.
“I’m tired, Daddy,” she whimpers.
“I know, princess,” I whisper, nodding my thanks to the woman behind the counter. I reach out with my other arm and yank the door open just in time to see Knox disappear around a corner. “We’re almost to the doctor, okay? We’ll get you something to help you feel better.”
As I turn the corner, I see Dr. Quinn ushering the three of them into a room. He looks down the hallway at me, his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose, and I start my walk toward him.
