Born for Him: Far from Home

The pain had been unbearable. But as intense as it was, it had just as easily disappeared from my body. I was struck by the suddenness of the situation; the unmistakable softness of a bed, the close murmur of a group of people, and even a feeling far, far more alien than I was used to. Something akin to a warm knot in the centre of my belly, snaking its way up the length of my body until it swirled in my chest. A heartbeat on par with my own. All of this was strangely comforting. It felt like being home. Home. I wasn't at home. As soon as I assimilated the situation I had been involved in, and the touch of a hand rested on my arm, I opened my eyes and pushed my body forward. I ended up with a dizzy spell that forced me to fall onto the bed again, this time with a thud on the pillow that knocked the wind out of me. A woman's scream next to me made me turn toward her. A nurse—I was in a hospital. How had I made it to a hospital alive after being run through with an iron? I put my hands to my belly, trying to look under the hospital gown for any trace of a wound, but I found nothing, everything was smooth and healthy as always. I almost cried. ''I really made it all the way to the hospital,'' I said to the nurse, my voice broken. ''But I don't understand how, if I... This doesn't make any sense...'' ''Excuse me, miss,'' she stammered, ''but it was just a couple of scratches.'' ‘’A couple of scratches? I was on the ground, pierced by one of the construction iron bars. My stomach ended up split open like a flower!'' The nurse's face transformed from a grimace of shy friendliness, to a gesture of total displeasure. Nothing really personal; I could understand how loud the scenario I had just yelled at her was. The whole thing was making me nervous. ''Where am I?'' I asked suddenly, feeling agitated. ''Just outside the city, miss. Can't you remember? A personal ambulance brought you here,'' she explained. ''I'm so sorry for what you had to go through in that robbery. I can't imagine the fear—'' ''Robbery?'' I interrupted her. ''Impossible. No, that's impossible. There was no robbery—I mean, how can you hold up a moving bus? No, this is wrong.'' The mention of the personal ambulance came rushing into my head. I couldn't help the question slipping past my lips. ''Your father sent you, I believe,'' she said thoughtfully. ''After all, you were at one of the many family events when the incident occurred.'' ''A family event?'' I asked, taking a seat. This time I did so slowly, accepting the nurse's help. ''I don't have a family. Not that I know of, of course...'' ''I guess I'm going to have to call the doctor right away,'' she nodded nervously. ''Don't worry, miss, everything's going to be fine.'' . . . . . . . . If everything that had happened a moment ago had failed to bring a tear to my eye, what was happening now, when the doctor burst into the room, was certainly going to do it. He not only ended up being another source of confusion for all my questions; but he turned out to be a first-rate bastard as well. Not only with the nurse, but especially with me. ''Have you called the family yet?'' he asked. The same nurse as before nodded. “Very well. In that case, all we have to do is wait for the medication to take effect.'' ''May I remind you that something was put on me without my permission,'' I growled in his direction. ''And it hurt like hell.'' ''Perhaps if you hadn't put up resistance, the needle wouldn't have caused you so much discomfort,'' he frowned. ''You're a grown woman; behave like one.'' ''You are violating my rights!'' ‘’What rights can a common omega talk about? Well,'' he snorted with a smile, ''I don't know about a common one, considering whose daughter you are... Perhaps, rather, a misbehave.'' ''That damn word again,'' I covered my face for a moment, stifling a sigh. ''Why do you keep using that word! What the hell is it supposed to mean!'' ''Playing crazy is not going to save you, miss. Behave yourself and wait patiently for your father.'' The doctor walked around the room until he came to the table at my side. He placed a couple of sheets of paper on it. ‘’As soon as you can move again, please, fill out these papers. The nurse will bring them to me while I finish with your paperwork in my office.'' I hurried to catch one of his arms, the one closest to my bed, with both hands. I wanted to stop the tears, but it was impossible for me not to start sobbing as I spat out my prayers in front of him. I didn't get any kindness from him, considering the gesture of disinterest with which he jerked away from me; but I was certainly able to affect the heart of the nurse, who had bitten a lip to avoid crying with me. The doctor looked us both in the face, rolling his eyes as he walked away toward the door. ''The hysteria of the omegas is something that makes my hair stand on end,'' he said. ''Get yourselves pregnant once and for all, and see if you get something more important in life like a family. An honest problem, girls, please.'' With a whip of the door, the nurse and I were once again alone in the pristine white room. A sickly white that was driving me crazy. This whole situation in general was driving me into a state of sick delirium. What was going on? I was supposed to have died in the bus accident. Not a robbery, in any family event, much less—I had no family at all. My God, if anything I had grown up my whole life in an orphanage. I tried with all my might to make full use of my mental faculties; but I couldn't make sense of what was going on around me. How had I survived an ambulance ride after being smashed by an iron? The nurse came over to the bed to rest a hand on my shoulder. I tried not to move away from her, not wanting to hurt her good intentions. ''Sorry, I know he can be a bit rough sometimes,'' she muttered, ''but it must be a bad day for him. A lot of accidents lately, because of all this protesting at the congress and the squares...'' I nodded weakly, swallowing the rest of my tears. ''Do you mind if I help you fill out these papers?'' she asked with a smile, pointing to the table next to my bed. I nodded again. ''It's best to get everything done before your father arrives.'' ''Is he good or bad?'' There was another silence, this time a more bitter and dense one than the previous one. ‘'I don't think it's proper for me to answer that,'’ she whispered. . . . . . . . . The wait for my father had been eternal. The son of a b***h didn't seem to want to stick up for his own daughter after she had to deal with such a traumatic event. I was supposed to be the daughter, of course, but it was still hard to take it in. The best thing to do was to stay calm. The question that now devoured my conscience was the idea of the real daughter. The real woman who was supposed to inhabit this body. Where was she? Could there be a possibility that she was with my body? And if so, was she dead? I hadn't stopped feeling nervous, but I wasn't entirely focused either. Anyone who saw me could tell that at any moment I was going to fall apart in another nervous breakdown. This whole situation was intense. The nurse had already left to take care of other patients; the warm knot that had taken over my belly and my heart had long since disappeared; and as if that wasn't enough, no one else had attended my room, no matter how many times I pressed the emergency button at my side. The entire world was ignoring me. I was about to fall asleep, when a couple of intricate voices woke me up immediately. I thought about getting to my feet, going out to walk the halls of the hospital, looking for help; but the door to my room burst open, and a man, followed by a couple of nurses, burst in with a mixture of nervous, angry and uncomfortable shrieks. The man, with just a sharp movement, silenced them. He pointed one of his fingers at me. He pointed at me in front of everyone. ''You should be ashamed of yourself!'' he shouted. His voice went through my entire body like a shot of pure adrenaline. It felt horrible. ''Do you think it's acceptable to commit such a despicable act to get my attention? To have me called out in the middle of a meeting!'' ''Sir, please, the patient needs to rest...'' ''Silence!'' the man turned to her. “Get out right now! The scream not only made the women run out of the room in terror, but it also made my body feel small and helpless again. That same feeling, akin to an unpleasant adrenaline rush. I had to fold my hands in my lap, swallowing dryly as I searched for a fixed point to stop my eyes from roaming over the angry figure of the man in front of me. ‘’What were you thinking?'' he asked again, once we were alone. ''Is this all because your mother mentioned Johan?'' I wanted to answer him right away, but I couldn't find the strength within myself to give him the right words. Rather, what was I supposed to answer him? Who was Johan to begin with? My silence was driving him crazy. I noticed it in the way his breathing hitched. A growl made my skin crawl. ''Listen,'' he continued slowly, ''I don't like you having that vampire in your soup either, but that's the way it's going to be. I need this contract, and your mother with her pregnancy is unbearable.'' ''A what?'' I couldn't help but turn to him, recovering my voice from surprise. I had to stifle a laugh to keep from making him angry. ''Did you just say a vampire?'' ''I wish I could tell you that your future husband is an Alfa,'' he growled, ''but things won't be like that, clearly... Anyway, get your damn clothes on and get down to the reception. Do something right once and for all.'' ‘’Wait—’’ ''And if I hear you make another scandal, I swear by all the Gods that the beating I will give you will bring back your memory!'' His body stopped under the doorway; his sidelong glance, black eyes laden with warning, rested on me one last time. ''You're going to get a lot of those. Beatings, I mean. The Valtory clan is known for their willingness to have females. Good ones,'' he added. ''Remember that when you want to behave like an ill-mannered omega. Remember how gentle my fist is, and what another man's might be. Be good, Anna.'' The door closed again, this time without being slammed. “Anna,” I whispered. I couldn't hide a smile. “That's your name.’’