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At twenty years old, Alpha Michael had assumed he was one of the unlucky few Alphas who had a dead Omega Soulmate. He knew it wasn’t the end of the world, even though it felt like it, and so he put his full focus into his studies. It wasn’t until a late-night study session with his Beta girlfriend that he noticed the slow appearance of the red string on his right pinky. No… This means.
He was fucked.
His Omega Soulmate had just been born, and here he was, twenty years old, with a newborn Soulmate. The words he had been saying to his girlfriend stopped, leaving a couple of seconds of silence as Michael stared at his right hand holding a pencil, the daunting red string having his full attention.
"Michael?" Veronica, his girlfriend of six months, leaned forward across the table, reaching for Michael's right hand before the Alpha flinched it away, bringing his right hand to his chest. His eyes focused on the slight movement of the red string, approximately 15 inches of floating string, until it faded into oblivion in a mindless direction, signaling to him that his Omega Soulmate was born in a faraway place, too far for his string to link to.
"What's wrong?" The Beta asked, getting up from her chair to walk across the table, placing her hand on Robby's shoulder to shake him slightly. Her brows furrowed when the eyes that looked up at her were blue, no longer the brown eyes she knew her boyfriend had. It immediately clicked to her when she saw the sudden color change, her shoulders slumping as her mind filled with the textbook information of Alpha/Omega Soulmates.
"Get up, we can learn about the working of the intestines another day," Veronica said, slipping a paper into the textbook to mark the page they stopped at, closing Michael's book as he stared back mindlessly at his right hand, where she assumed the red string was captivating him. She gathered up her stuff, placing her textbooks into her backpack as Michael slowly worked to do the same, his blue eyes blinking slowly, in a haze. "Blue eyes look good on you, but we need to go. I have a camera in my dorm room that we can use to capture the color for you to submit to the Soulmate Catalog."
From what Veronica knows, thanks to the core required Soulmate class, the change in eye color can last anywhere from a day to a year before returning to its original color. Sliding her backpack onto her shoulder, she reached over to snap her fingers near Michael's face. When she noticed his blue eyes snap to attention and be directed at her, she gestured to his stuff and watched him clumsily shove his textbooks and notebook into his backpack.
"Y-You said you have a camera?" Michael asked dumbly, blinking his eyes to focus on the present, not on the future. He can't very well go and try to find his Soulmate; that'll be absurd.
"Yeah, remember I mentioned my mom got me a Polaroid for Christmas last year? I used it on my trip to Rome, but I do have spare film I could use to capture your eye color." Veronica wasn't about to use it against Michael for forgetting her gushing over her Rome trip during the summer, as she knew his mind was filled with other stuff. This usually happens to the older Soulmate. Once they notice the string, they get stuck in a haze. From what the textbook mentioned, it was as if they were drunk on the feeling of the connection, the string connecting them to the person they were meant to spend the rest of their life with. That is, if they were to meet in time for that.
A few Alpha/Omegas never received the string, or never noticed they had received it. The textbook mentions it may be due to the Soulmate dying during childhood or dying in a later part of their lives. With Michael's age being twenty, she knew he had assumed the worst, that he had lost his Soulmate before he was able to recognize he had one. There was also the fact that babies' eye colors could change within 6-9 months, making it hard to determine if it's due to a Soulmate Bond or melanin developing after birth.
"Right... It's a Polaroid camera from the Spice Girls... You like the Spice Girls." Michael nodded, reciting what he could remember. He got up from the chair and placed his backpack onto both his shoulders, nodding again for her to lead the way. The blue eyes on Michael's face were jarring, in a beautiful way. Veronica thought, turning her attention away to walk out of the library.
"Correction, I love the Spice Girls." The Beta huffed out, her eyes flickering back to check on Michael, ensuring he was following her. The blue eyes shifted from the right hand to where he was walking, blinking rapidly at moments as if he was trying to bring himself back to the present. "Your Omega has pretty eyes," Veronica said once they stepped out of the library and headed towards her dorm.
"I... I can't wait to see it." Michael muttered behind her.
The rest of the walk was silent, with their footsteps and breathing the only sounds around them. Thoughts of their future filled both their minds, the potential of a romantic relationship slowly fading in light of the knowledge that Michael's Soulmate existed somewhere. When two Soulmates meet, it is rare for it not to turn into a romantic relationship; the percentage is lower than 10%.
Opening the door to her dorm room, she quickly peeked inside, nodding to Michael to follow her in as she confirmed her roommate wasn't there. Placing her backpack on her bed, she gestured for Michael to sit in her desk chair as she checked her drawers for her camera.
Pulling out her Polaroid, she turned to see Michael using her makeup mirror to look into his eyes. "Alright, look at me," Veronica said. Pulling the camera closer to his face, angling it near his eyes as he opened them wide. The sudden flash from her camera made her curse, and she saw Michael blink rapidly, tears slowly trailing down his cheeks. "My bad! I forgot to turn the flash off." She apologized, pulling the camera away to check on the photo it was spitting out.
"It... It's fine." Michael mumbled, rubbing his eyes before blinking them rapidly to regain his vision. Once he stopped blinking, he noticed Veronica was handing him a photo. Looking at the photo, he smiled softly, pleased at the clear picture of the blue eyes that would belong to his Omega, once his eye color returns, his Soulmate somewhere in the world with his brown eyes.
"So you have a long time to wait for them," Veronica said, sitting down on her bed after she placed her camera away. Rubbing her hands over her legs, feeling her hands suddenly sweating, she nervously added, "I don't want kids right now, but I do in the future... And I don't want my kids to be raised in separate houses." She already had to go through that with her own parents, her mom meeting her Soulmate, and her father shortly after.
"I understand." Michael smiled at her as he added, " I do hope we can still be friends?"
"Of course," Veronica nodded, a soft smile on her face.
His submission to the Soulmate Catalog went through after he sent a photo of his eyes, along with the form he filled out at the post office. He received a letter a month later, informing him of what he had filled out, his address, name, date, and the time when the signs of the Soulmate bonding had occurred, along with his case number, which he stored with his other important documentation. The Soulmate Catalog was shared amongst all countries in the United Nations. The hospitals submit the general description forms for an Alpha/Omega baby, which require the parents to bring the child in for a follow-up a year later to finalize the form. Any change in eye color is reported to the Soulmate Catalog. According to the Soulmate Catalog guidelines, Michael would have to wait until his Soulmate is twenty-one to be told the names of the Omegas they found to be his potential Soulmate.
Every day since the birth of his Soulmate, Michael woke up to look at himself in the mirror, smiling like a fool when he saw his Soulmate's blue eyes. It took eight months for his eye color to change back to brown. He would refuse to admit the pout he had when his friend told him his eye color had changed back; he would also refuse to admit that he ran to the nearest restroom to confirm those words.
The years passed. Michael graduated and became a doctor; his new name quickly became Robby because Robinavitch was a mouthful. Every time he moved to a new place, he ensured he sent an address change to the Soulmate Catalog, mindful of the date he would be informed of the names of his potential Soulmates so he could reach out to them. Once he finished paying off his student debt, he started saving up for the probable trip to reach his Soulmate, having noticed the string never moved, which meant they were farther than 100 miles away. He was willing to travel the world to find his Soulmate, something he had always wished for since living with his grandparents, whom he will forever be thankful for. They were the reason he barely had any student debt after graduation, due to the trust his grandparents set up for him from the life insurance of his parents' deaths.
He was mindful in every romantic relationship he had, informing them of his Soulmate, causing several Omegas and Betas to quickly back away from entering into a serious relationship with him, knowing there was no forever when his Soulmate came into the picture. His longest-lasting relationship was with Janey Malloy, an Omega whose Soulmate sadly passed away from breast cancer when their child was just three years old. She had known their relationship was temporary, having wanted to make it work for a short while so her son would have an Alpha figure in their lives. Even then, their relationship didn't last more than 6 years because of his constant need to pull through shifts, saving up to ensure he could provide for his Soulmate. They ended their relationship on good terms, Robby finding himself attached to the young Alpha boy Jake, whom he saw as a quasi-stepson.
There was also Heather Collins, an Alpha, who was waiting for her Soulmate, who appeared on her pinky when she was eighteen. Their relationship was far more casual than what he had with Janey, off and on for two years before they broke it off. It was never meant to last, especially when she changed career paths and was likely to be matched with PTMC for her residency.
Soon, the years passed, and there he was, grieving the death of his mentor, Dr. Adamson, who had passed away a couple of months ago (eight months, two weeks, and three days, Robby counted), when he received the notification that he could access the names and locations of his potential Soulmates. It was the worst time for him to go searching for his Soulmate, with the world shutting down most travel and restricting travel to other countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Still, he logged in to the laggy website after work and was shown six potential Soulmates based on the forms that matched them.
He clicked on the results, seeing the names listed out before him.
Location of Birth: Russia
Name: Alena Egorova
Primary Gender: Female
Location of Birth: Germany
Name: Ulfric Althaus
Primary Gender: Male
Location of Birth: United States of America
Name: Dennis Whitaker
Primary Gender: Male
Location of Birth: United States of America
Name: Violeta Paredes
Primary Gender: Female
Location of Birth: United Arab Emirates
Name: Rukan Hosseini
Primary Gender: Female
Location of Birth: United States of America
Name: Nia Lace
Primary Gender: Female
So these are the six Omega who were born with brown eyes that turned to a shade of blue similar to what I submitted. Robby thought, clicking on the three in the United States he had requested to meet with first, knowing he would have to wait for their approval. The Omegas were sent a request containing government-verified information: his Full name, age, profession, annual salary, and the state in which he resided. From there, it was up to them if they wished to meet up. The same held true in reverse if the Alpha was the younger of the Soulmate.
Within a week, he received notifications of approval for the three Omegas and was given more information on where to meet each one.
Location of Birth: United States of America
State: Nebraska
City: Omaha
Name: Dennis Whitaker
Primary Gender: Male
Meeting Place: Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library
Location of Birth: United States of America
State: Connecticut
City: New Haven
Name: Violeta Paredes
Primary Gender: Female
Meeting Place: Yale Sterling Memorial Library
Location of Birth: United States of America
State: Wisconsin
City: Madison
Name: Nia Lace
Primary Gender: Female
Meeting Place: University of Wisconsin–Madison Law School Library
Within the month, he set up a meeting with all the Omegas, starting with Violeta Paredes. Asking for several days off, he flew to New Haven and knew once he landed that they weren't Soulmates, the string unmoving from the mindless direction it had been drifting in for the past twenty-two years. Still, he met with her and shook her hand, both of them smiling awkwardly once they noticed their strings didn't react. The meeting was brief; he wished her luck with her undergraduate studies before stepping out of the library and heading to the hotel he had booked for the night.
The flight to the next meeting was the following day. The four-hour flight from Hartford to Madison was nerve-wracking, and Robby found himself texting Jack the updates of his trip. He was the one who pushed him into taking the journey, knowing how long he had patiently waited for his Soulmate, not once willing to search for them before his Soulmate was at least twenty-one, as Robby didn't want to have any form of influence on his younger half. It just so happened that when his Soulmate was supposed to turn twenty-one in April 2020, they were deep into the COVID lockdown. This caused a delay in releasing the potential Soulmates list to anyone until 2021, due to a backlog that forced them to release the lists by the month of the youngest births, to ensure the website didn't overload with requests.
He was lucky to be able to take domestic flights, given his constant testing at work and his decision not to take any international flights. Hopefully, I won't have to do international flights; the other places the Omegas are at have tight restrictions. Robby shook his head, clicking on the movies to watch for his four-hour flight. When the pilot reported they were landing in ten minutes, Robby forced himself not to look at the string on his finger, knowing there was no set point of when the string would react, his mind racing with the fact that it could respond within 10 miles to 400 miles from a Soulmate, at least that is the estimate from the studies conducted with Alpha/Omega's who went searching for their Soulmate.
Stepping out of the airport and into his Uber, he couldn't stop himself from glancing down at his hand, refraining from sighing when he noticed the mindless drift of the string. Unfortunately, Nia Lace was not his Soulmate, but he was able to talk to her about her questions about the medical field. Her career choice was to be a pediatrician. He ignored the memory flashes back to the Peds room, back to Adamson, as he did his best to answer her questions before they ended the meeting.
When he got back to his hotel, he couldn't stop himself from lying on the hotel bed, staring up at the ceiling, pondering about the mistakes he made, of the mistakes he made with Adamson. He had to take the sleep pills that night, the ones he requested Jack to prescribe to him, knowing the last Omega he'll meet would be the end of the trip, hoping beyond hope that the man named Dennis Whitaker was his Soulmate.
Robby could feel his heart racing, his eyes barely leaving his hand as the string moved as he walked, directing him to his Soulmate. He barely managed not to bump into anyone, clumsily opening his phone to check out a rental car, deciding against an Uber for this meeting, anxious to get to his hotel and quickly get to the library for his 5 pm meeting with Dennis Whitacker.
Once Robby got to his hotel, checked in, and found himself in his room, he couldn't help but pace, watching the string on his hand move toward his Soulmate. Pulling up a map on his phone, he followed the general direction his string was pointing, feeling a gleeful sensation in his chest that it was leading him to the University Dennis Whitaker was in. The Soulmate Catalog has helped over 400 million Alpha/Omega couples find their Soulmates since its creation in 1955. There was still an error, especially when determining the exact type of another's Soulmate's eye color. Robby hoped he wasn't part of the error rate; he hoped the male Omega he was about to meet would be his Soulmate. If Dennis wasn't his Soulmate, he now knew the general area to start searching, and he wouldn't stop until he found them.
The anxiety that the Soulmate Catalog might get his Soulmate wrong decreased with every turn; his navigation led him to the library. Parking the rental, he found himself inside the library, putting on a mask without question, and asked the librarian how to get to the meeting room Dennis had assigned for them.
Glancing down at his watch, Robby saw it was 4:33 pm; he was early. Seating himself in the meeting room, he glanced around, his feet bouncing with his nerves on high. He tried to refrain from looking at his pinky, but his eyes trailed to it every couple of minutes, the time between glances decreasing as he noticed the string rapidly switching directions. His Soulmate was walking somewhere, in a rush.
At 4:51 pm, Robby noticed the red string expand, its length increasing in ways it had never done before. My Soulmate is close by. The Alpha thought, pulling up his mask as he got up from the chair. He walked towards the door, reaching to open it, but was beaten to it by a younger man with beautiful blue eyes, who stared up at him, his eyes widening. The blue mask on the younger man didn't diminish his appearance; it highlights those blue eyes he has been missing. It's been so long since I've seen those eyes. Robby mindlessly thought, ignoring the string on his hand, unable to glance away from the blue eyes that were looking up at him.
"A-Are you Michael Robinavitch?" The Omega asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him, his eyes staring up at the brown ones his parents had pictures of when he was a newborn. It looks so different, actually seeing them in person, Dennis thought, smiling shyly up at the older Alpha who shook his head before quickly nodding it to his question.
"Y-yes, I'm Michael." Stop nodding your head like an idiot, Robby forced himself to remember to stop moving his head, his palms suddenly feeling sweaty at the proximity to the Omega. He smells nice, like eucalyptus. He had always liked that smell, reminding him of his grandmother's garden; it was her favorite plant. Wiping his hands against them, he extended his right hand, the string on his pinky floating towards the Omega.
"Dennis Whitaker, it's nice to finally meet you," Dennis said, extending his left hand, his eyes drifting away from the Alpha's face to stare down at it, watching as the strings connect. The younger man focused on the older man's hand, seeing the red string on Michael's pinky appear. Now, both of them would always have a string leading them to each other, no matter how far away the other may be.
Somehow, they found themselves sitting side by side at the table, their chairs scooted close together, their masks removed to get a good look at one another. Robby had to stop himself from pulling out his phone to take a picture of his Omega, itching to inform Jack that he had finally found him. "So..." Great start, Robby. You're doing perfectly. Robby chided himself, thinking about what he could talk about with his Soulmate, who happened to be twenty years younger than him. All the research on questions to ask vanished in his head. "You mentioned on the profile that you're going to Creighton for the school of medicine?"
Dennis nodded, laughing softly as he glanced down at their hands, the strings drawn tightly together by their fingers, unwilling to part just yet. "I actually came to Creighton on a scholarship for a Theology major to become a priest." Dennis sighed, thinking back to his hometown in Broken Bow. "The priest in the Catholic church was the only person who believed in an Omega getting an education, and suggested I should go to the University where he went for his Theology major. I wanted to follow him in his footsteps, but-" Dennis shrugged his shoulders, "I couldn't help but find my calling in medicine."
The younger man's blue eyes flickered away from their hands to stare at the older man, before feeling his cheeks redden at the intense stare the Alpha was directing at him. "I... I always felt a calling for medicine; going to the University just cemented it, even though it went beyond what my scholarship covered. I can't find it in me to care; I need to be in the medical field." Now, Dennis knew why his calling was in the medical field, recalling the profile of the older Alpha, listing him as a Chief ED Attending at a hospital in Pittsburgh.
Robby nodded, listening to his Omega talk, not once taking his eyes off the younger man's expressive face, his gaze trailing the redness from his intense stare. Time passed far too quickly for the couple; it quickly reached 8 pm, and they were guided to the doors, the library closing behind them. The couple found themselves exchanging phone numbers in Robby's rental when he drove the Omega to his dorm rooms. Once he got to his hotel, he quickly pulled out his laptop, getting onto the Soulmate Catalog website to mark Dennis as his Soulmate.
He also emailed the HR department, requesting an extension of his leave for another week.
Lastly, and more importantly, he sent Jack a text with a photo he had managed to sneakily take of his Omega.
Robby: I found him.
(Photo of Dennis waving at Robby from outside his dorm building.)
Jack: Did you have to take a photo of him in a stalkerish way?
Robby: I'm blocking you.
Robby had never been more thankful that Dennis' birthday was in April, as, shortly after meeting his Soulmate and spending the following week with him, he had to wait only a month for Dennis to finish his semester. It was a torturous month of waiting for the Spring semester to end, but during that time, he managed to convince his Omega to spend the summer with him rather than return to Broken Bow.
It was shortly within the week of Dennis staying with him that their relationship escalated to a more intimate one, to the point they quickly managed to fuck on top of almost all his furniture within the first month of Dennis' summer break. Dennis promptly moved out of the guest bedroom and into Robby's, much to Robby's enjoyment as he got to wake up to his face shoved against Dennis's scent gland. He had Dennis on birth control immediately when Dennis expressed interest in going further in their relationship, unwilling to cause the Omega to deter his career for children. Even with his dreams of seeing his Omega pupped, he wasn't about to deter Dennis in his dreams of being a doctor first before trying for kids.
Due to their bond and intense intimacy, their Heat/Rut quickly aligned in late July, prompting Robby to take a week off for his Rut leave. It really shouldn't have come as a surprise to Robby when he received a call from his Omega in late October, the younger man crying as he informed him of the pregnancy test.
Michael shouldn't have felt gleeful at the news, knowing the younger man was freaking out because he was pregnant while in College, taking most of his classes online, but those that required in-person lessons. He couldn't help the gleeful feeling, having ended the call with Dennis, calmed down, and a plan in motion.
Robby: I'm getting married in Nebraska in a couple of weeks. Want to go there as my best man?
Jack: You couldn't wait until he graduated, at least?
Robby: I don't know why I even asked you. I'm asking Dana.
Jack: As if. I'm your best man, you were mine, that's how it works.
Robby: Also, he's transferring to Pitt Med after he finishes his fall semester.
Jack: I know you were too clingy to let him stay in Nebraska.
Robby rightfully got an earful from Dennis Alpha mother, Susan, his Omega dad, William, standing beside his Soulmate, while they stared the older man down outside the courtroom they were about to be wedded in. "I expect an older man such as yourself to know the importance of a marriage. Dennis mentioned you're Jewish?" Susan asked, raising her eyebrows as she glanced the Alpha up and down. When Robby nodded, she hummed, the older female Alpha face unreadable as she added, "So will you get his mind out of the mindless idea of receiving a second education?"
"No ma'am. Dennis' dream is to be a doctor. I will ensure his dream comes true." Robby quickly cut in, unwilling to allow the other Alpha to deter his Omega from pursuing his education, even with the slight delay due to the pregnancy. He could see the Omega dad's shoulder slump in relief behind the Alpha woman, a small smile on Williams' face before it disappeared from the intense scent of annoyance radiating from the female Alpha.
"Didn't expect you to have a shotgun wedding." Robby could hear one of Dennis' brothers mention, uncertain which, as he looked towards his Omega, who was being heavily scented by his brothers, who were smothering him in hugs. "It sucks you're not going to be a Whitaker anymore. But you'll still be our brother even without the last name." Another brother mentioned.
Dennis huffed, "I already talked to Michael about it. I'm keeping Whitaker, it'll just be Whitaker-Robinavitch now."
The wedding happened quickly, and the signatures on the paper were completed and authorized by the court. Outside the courtroom, Jack shook his head, "Young-looking kid, Lily asked me if you were stealing the cradle, and I had to explain to her how soulmates work." Robby patted his best friend's back, knowing Jack had to see his string fade from his hand at seventeen, never getting the chance to meet his Soulmate. After searching for his Soulmate through the catalogue for recently deceased Soulmates, he found his Soulmate listed as one of the victims from the terrorist attack. It was the main reason he signed up to become a military medical doctor: his youth, strung along with the rage the rest of the country felt. He was fortunate enough to find Lily, a Beta whom he fell in love with during his military service, a fellow soldier he helped bandage up.
"You did tell her I didn't plan any of this, right?" Robby asked, looking at how happy his Omega was with his brothers, who were congratulating him before they left.
"I'm not too certain it wasn't on purpose," Jack muttered, which caused Robby to turn with his mouth agape.
"I can wait. I waited twenty-two years for Dennis." Robby couldn't help but defend himself.
"Say's the man who bought a four-bedroom house earlier this year before meeting his Soulmate." Jack retorted, effectively shutting Robby up.
Robby was anxious to get Dennis to move in with him once the fall semester ended, helping with the process of getting Dennis transferred to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine with ease, pulling the strings that needed to be pulled as the Chief ED Attending for the teaching hospital school that the University primarily sends the students to.
December couldn't come any sooner. Robby took additional days off to help Dennis settle in, getting him set up with his own PCP and the suggested Gynecologist his PCP suggested. Getting to see his soon-to-be son on the ultrasound, for once, it was his own rather than that of others.
New Year's came and went, and every morning, Robby found himself holding his Omega in his arm, his hand resting on the growing belly of the younger man. He had spent one of his days off building the desk Dennis ordered for his side of the office so the Omega could attend his classes online. The other days, he spent getting the nursery set up the way Dennis wanted, with mint-colored walls and animal decor Dennis laminated to the walls. He bought and built the crib and changers, ones Dennis searched for endlessly until he narrowed it down to his favorite picks.
Robby had known he should have expected his life to change once he met Dennis, but he couldn't help but be thankful every morning for the Omega's existence, which helped him ignore the pains of the past and present and gave him a future he could look forward to. The delivery date for his son, whose name they had narrowed to Adam in honor of his mentor, was quickly approaching.
It was during Dennis's spring break when Dana entered the Trauma room where he was currently showing a med student how to intubate. "Robby," Dana's voice called out. Robby's eyes glance up to see a panicked look from Dana, causing his brows to furrow in confusion.
"In a moment, Dana." Robby said, glancing towards intern Langdon, who was beside him, "You'll be taking over once I'm done here." He knew he could trust Langdon to complete the transfer of the patient to Surgery, having taught him while he was a med student and for the past couple of months as an intern. Finishing with the intubation, he stepped out of the trauma room and stared at the charge nurse with confusion. It's never good when something makes Dana panic.
"I already called Jack, he's heading this way," Dana said, pausing momentarily as she thought of the best way to phrase it. "There's an ambulance coming with Dennis, ETA is 13 minutes, we've already contacted OBYN about the upcoming pregnant patient."
"What?" Robby asked, walking out of the ER with Dana trailing behind him, ignoring the stares from his staff. He started pacing, trying to command the ambulance that was carrying his Omega into existence in front of him. "What happened?" He asked, turning to look at Dana, whose expression didn't offer much reassurance to Robby.
"Seems your Omega likes to take a walk in a park near your house." Robby nodded, having accompanied the Omega during those walks, anxious about being around the younger man in case he took a fall. I should have told him not to do that unless I'm there with him. Damn it. "Robby?" Robby was snapped out of his thoughts by Dana, who was staring at him with a stern expression. "Did you hear what I said?" The charge nurse sighed deeply, a hand coming up to rest on her forehead, as she continued, "He took a hit to the head from a stray baseball from some kids. He fell, but he's conscious and responding to the paramedics' questions."
"Fucking kids," Robby muttered, knowing exactly which part of the park Dennis likely fell at, a baseball field nearby with the fence far too low for Robby's liking.
"You know you can't help when he gets here, right?" Dana asked, seeing the Alpha pause in his pacing when she brought that up.
"How far out is Jack?"
"He said he can be here in eight."
"Let's hope he gets here in time, then; otherwise, he'll be my patient, fuck regulations," Robby said, pacing back and forth again as he waited for the ambulance. He could hear Dana huff behind him, muttering an 'Alpha's' before stepping back into the ED, knowing at least one of them should be inside to handle the shit show.
Thankfully, Jack arrived in the ED right when the ambulance pulled up, shooting Robby a look when he attempted to shout out commands, "Brother, you know you can't provide consultation on this one. Now, if you want to hold your Soulmate's hand, by all means."
Robby stood beside Dennis, who smiled up at him sweetly while the nurses wiped off the blood on his head.
Later on that night, Dennis went into early labor, welcoming their first son, Adam, at 4.6 pounds. Robby fussed over his husband and baby, who was in the NICU until Robby deemed it fit, almost fighting the Attending in the department to get additional testing to ensure it was safe to take his baby home with him.
Jack: Did you know they were making bets on who would punch who first?
Robby: About what?
Jack: You and Dr Gomez from NICU.
Robby: She wasn't taking the additional testing I suggested. Adam is a preemie. It's standard procedure to do a second set of testing.
Jack: Yeah, if there's no improvement in his health. There were also bets on you getting banned from the NICU after this. Let's see if that's the case after you return from your paternity leave.
Robby: Like they can afford to ban the Chief ED Department.
Jack: Who knows, they might make me the Chief ED permanently because of your lack of patience.
Jack: Actually, scratch that. I don't want to speak it into existence. I'll come after you if they try to give me your position.
Robby: I don't know, I like it here.
(Sends picture of Dennis leaning against Robby's chest, asleep with Adam in his arms.)
Jack: Cute. Still coming after you if you don't come back.
"You know you can take today off like you originally planned. It'll be nice for you to hang out with Jake, and I'm sure Jack will be down to do a double shift for today, of all days." Dennis said, buckling their child into the car seat, Adams giggling up at him. Once he ensured the harness was secured correctly, he turned to find the passenger door open for him, with Robby leaning down to kiss Dennis's forehead.
"What, don't want your husband to teach you in more than one way?" Robby said, wiggling his eyebrows as he laughed at the playful slap to his arm, closing the passenger seat before walking towards the driver's side. Getting into the car, he quickly turned it on.
"You know that's not what I meant. I always like it when you teach me new things." Dennis says, his left hand moving to trace Robby's inner thigh, fingers grazing up against Robby's crotch before pulling back. Dennis couldn't help but grin at how red his Alpha could turn from a little bit of teasing. "But, no diverting the suggestion. I'm sure they can get another Attending to teach for today."
Robby pressed the garage opener, looking at the rearview mirror at their child, who was giggling at the toy he was shaking. "I need to embrace this day... I can't let it keep haunting me." He smiled at his Soulmate, seeing the worry on his face as he added, "I also can't imagine anyone else teaching you my department but me."
"I can't very well be following the Attending all day as a med student, even if you're my husband." Dennis rolled his eyes, smiling back at Robby, "And you're not the one who I need to be buttering up. Dana is the one who'll be writing up my evaluation because you can't."
Robby laughed, put the car in reverse, and backed out of the garage.
"Whoa. Alpha?" Even in the middle of a breakdown, of succumbing to his failures, Robby will always be able to pinpoint his Soulmate's voice. Even then, he couldn't stop himself from reciting the Shema prayer he used to do every morning with his grandmother. Needing a form of stability, he grabbed onto the God he didn't know was there, fearing that if they were there, why were they ignoring his pleas?
"Michael?" He could hear footsteps getting closer to him, knowing it was his Soulmate by the calming sensation coursing through him, even as he fought the panic he was experiencing. Michael didn't know if the bond could save him; oh, he hoped it could. If his own Soulmate can't help him, who can?
He could sense Dennis sitting beside him, a comforting presence that didn't force itself to be known. Robby opened his eyes, staring down at his left hand that was gripping the Star of David like a lifeline before glancing at the string on his right hand that was reaching out to Dennis. "You have to go. You have to go. They need you out there." Michael pleaded, not wanting Dennis to see him in tears, and rarely allowed himself to breathe or cry, even in Dennis's presence. He'll instead hug Dennis tightly from behind, hiding his face against Dennis's scent gland that he marked on their wedding day.
"We need you out there...." He could hear Dennis shuffle about, getting up, and Robby blinked back the tears staring up at the hand that his Soulmate extended, Dennis's left hand, the string enticing him. "I need you out there. Please give me your hand."
"I.... I don't know if I can, Den." Robby gasped out, fighting with his emotions as his right hand raised to touch the Omega's hand before hesitating.
"You have to... Because if you don't, I'm fucked. We're all fucked." Dennis pleaded with his Alpha, his hand extended to help him up.
Robby grabbed Dennis's hand, their strings glowing from the contact, getting himself up with the help of his Soulmate. Once he was up. He couldn't help but hug the shorter man, breathing in his scent for a couple of seconds before pulling away.
"Okay... I can do this." Robby said, nodding to himself, uncertain in his words but willing to try for Dennis. For Dennis and everyone else who was depending on him.