by Aiden Bates
Elias didn't know what do. He froze. "It can't be—I can't be pregnant."
"Maybe not. I'm not an expert." Except he was, sort of. He'd said he volunteered in the community, and he knew this doctor who dealt with omegas somehow. Elias' heart sped up. "And whatever the result is, my first priority is you. So, either way, we don't lose anything by visiting Dr. Pereira on Monday morning and making sure that you're doing okay."
Elias slumped back against Pat. "What if I am?"
"We'll deal with it when we get there." Pat kissed him and tightened his hold. "We'll deal with it together, like a mated pair should. Okay?"
Pat called Ryan and Lt. Devlin on Sunday morning. He explained that Elias wasn't feeling well and needed to visit the doctor, and that their family would be in later on in the afternoon. They couldn't leave Merab unsupervised, of course, even though she was perfectly capable of handling herself in the apartment. She came along with them, toying with her skirt and looking around nervously.
The doctor's office was in an old brick building. The bottom floor was the office, while the top floors consisted of apartments. It didn't offer much in terms of ambiance. The waiting room had a few old magazines, mostly in Portuguese, and pamphlets about birth control and raising healthy babies. Merab's eyes bulged as she took in all of the frank imagery, in a language she couldn't understand.
They'd arrived a little bit before regular office hours. Dr. Pereira was an older omega with iron-gray hair and a broad, flat nose. He smiled broadly and shook Pat's hand. "You finally claimed someone!" He laughed. "I'm so happy for you, Pat. You deserve every happiness. But what happened to your arm?"
"I might have met the wrong end of an arrow. Police stuff, no big deal." Pat wrapped his arm around Elias, who blushed. "This is my omega, Elias, and he is every happiness. He's the reason we're here."
Elias couldn't pretend that he didn't preen a little after hearing that description, even with his hands sweating and his heart beating a mile a minute.
"I'm happy to take a look at him and we can talk, and once we're done with that I want to take a look at that arm." Dr. Pereira wagged a finger at him. "Let me guess. The boys at the hospital told you to follow up with your doctor, and you nodded and smiled and went about your day."
Elias relaxed. He liked this doctor.
Merab agreed to stay in the waiting room while they went into the treatment area. She even offered to help the receptionist with filing, which seemed like it would keep her busy for a while. Elias followed the doctor into the back hallway, where he dropped Elias off at the bathroom. "Have you ever taken a pregnancy test before?"
"Yes." Elias blushed. "I miscarried."
"Ah." The doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone, you know. Just fill the cup, and put it behind that little door there. When you're done, head into that room over there. I'll come in as soon as I have a result." He gave Elias a bright smile and closed the door behind him.
Elias filled the cup. He washed his hands and walked over to the exam room, where Pat waited for him. "Did he mean what he said?"
"I've known a few omegas who've miscarried." Pat hopped up onto the table beside Elias and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Elias hadn't had to tell him that he needed that right now. "It's not something that should be stigmatized the way that it is, but here we are. You shouldn't have to suffer in silence. It's not something to be ashamed of."
Elias fell silent for a minute. "I'm scared."
"I know." Pat rested his head against Elias'.
"I mean I'm scared of either outcome." He took a deep breath. "I mean if I am… you know… then what if it happens again? What if I'm too messed up to keep it? And if I'm not, what if I've gotten myself all worked up for nothing?"
"Honey…" Pat paused. "You won't have gotten yourself worked up for nothing. It's something that affects you and how you feel. It's important. It's our fight. Okay?"
Dr. Pereira returned. "Well. You most certainly are expecting."
Elias turned his face into Pat's arm. He couldn't face this.
Pat kissed the top of his head. "Thank you, Doctor. This is a little difficult for Elias. When he miscarried, the doctors at the hospital told him that he would have too much scar tissue to be able to carry another child. Is this… is this a concern?"
Dr. Pereira hummed for a moment. "You aren't far enough along yet for an ultrasound to see anything, in terms of the baby. But we can do an ultrasound to see about scar tissue, I suppose. Scar tissue is a risk. It's definitely something to consider. I would recommend delivering via caesarian, for example. I'd classify your pregnancy as higher risk. But Elias, if you want to proceed with this pregnancy, we'll do everything we can to help it to happen safely for you and your child."
Elias gaped. "You think there's a chance this could work? I mean that I could go… That the baby might…"
Dr. Pereira gave him a little, warm smile. "There are procedures that we could use to clear up the scar tissue, but right now I'd be concerned about how they affected the baby. Scar tissue makes it difficult to conceive. It doesn't necessarily make it impossible. Obviously, you did conceive. The embryo did implant. You are going to be a father. My recommendation would be that you reduce your travel, get lots of rest. Try to minimize your stress levels. Eat right, do a little bit of light exercise—like going for walks—every day. After this little one is born, we can try to do some work to clear up the scar tissue, so that you don't have to worry so much if you decide to try again."
"But I can have a baby now." Elias couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea. He splayed his hand out across his abdomen.
"There's a risk, obviously. I can't promise you that you won't miscarry again. But I do think that you have a good chance of being able to carry this baby to term, sure."
Elias burst into tears, and buried his face once again in his alpha's shoulder. Pat rubbed circles into his back, assuring him that it would all be okay.
***
Pat wasn't used to victim advocacy, except in the sense of advocating for people whose voice had been taken away. He couldn't stop, though. These kids needed him. They didn't need him alone. They had the staff from the Department of Children and Families. They had their counselors. They had their doctors. They had Elias, and they had their birth families, and they had each other, but they still needed Pat. Pat, specifically, had a unique role to fill for these children, and he wasn't sure how to process that.
To be honest, Pat was the only one who could truly say that he was fully and solely on their side. Now that his job was done, and he didn't have to do any more investigating, he could focus on helping them. He didn't have to keep the needs of the parents in mind. He was sympathetic to them, of course, but he didn't have to pretend to be caught up in what was right for the adults.
Some of those kids were still very small. They would be the easiest to return to their families. They would adapt and fairly quickly. The older children had more problems integrating back into their original families, for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest issues was with Eliezer, previously known as Alex. He was ready to be released from the hospital, although no one knew exactly when he would recover from the nerve damage in his foot and leg. The issue was that he had no place to go.
His birth parents wanted him to come home, but their statements raised a lot of red flags with Pat. Janine, the caseworker from DCF, and Reggie, the boy's counselor, shared his concern. Pat called on Doug Morrison to take on another case, this time as Eliezer/Alex's lawyer.
The Ratakers were surprised, to say the least, to find the cop that their wayward son had shot taking such a vehement position against them. Nevertheless, they were unwilling to wait. The boy needed discipline and routine. He needed a firm hand, not coddling.
Janine tried to reason with them. Reggie tried to show them all of the facts about child development and trauma. None of it worked, and ultimately they had to file an emergency restraining order against the Ratakers. Janine didn't like the idea of Eliezer sleeping on P
at and Alex' couch, but it seemed like the most appropriate "family" situation given that Merab was also there.
Not all of the children could go anywhere, and most of them went temporarily into group homes as they adjusted to the modern world and to their birth families. Pat brought Merab, who was trying to get used to her birth name of Asra, and Eliezer, around to all of the group homes to ease the transition and set the older kids' minds at rest.
Advocating for the children wasn't his only job. He had a mate, and that mate needed to be cared for. Pat had promised himself that he would spoil his omega rotten from the moment that they decided to pursue a claim. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he'd never thought much about having kids either.
His ability to help was limited, but Elias had money. He already had a cleaning service come by to take care of the place. All that Pat had to do was make sure that Elias didn't overexert himself, and he could do that. Keeping him away from stress was another matter entirely.
They were having dinner one night, the four of them, when the doorman called up to the condo. "Your mother is here, sir," he told Elias. "She's on her way up."
Elias looked like he was going to pass out.
Pat fought down his rage. "Is that normal?" he asked, before he could go down and rip the doorman a new one.
Elias nodded slowly. "I told him a long time ago to just let her come up. Oh, God. I didn't want to have this fight now." He clutched at his belly.
Pat decided not to be offended by that. He knew that Elias probably hadn't meant that the way that it sounded. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "This is going to be okay." He gave the kids a big smile. "This could get a little tense, guys, but it's all going to work out fine."
Isabel Salazar arrived at the apartment two minutes later. She didn't look much different than Pat remembered, from the dark hair that never grayed to the stylish clothes, or to the curl of her lip when she saw Pat standing beside her son. "Elias, darling, you didn't tell me you were having company." She sniffed.
"You didn't ask." Elias gestured toward the living area. "Please, have a seat. What brings you by?"
"Family business, of course. We can talk about it later, when your guests have left." She waved a dismissive hand. "And I wanted to see you, naturally. You promised me that you'd come down to Newport to visit, but you haven't. I was worried." She smiled her viper's smile.
Elias managed a little smile. Then he straightened his back. His smile became more assured. "Mom, they aren't guests. They live here."
Isabel's face went ashen. "What, all of them?" She glared at Pat and switched to Portuguese. "Even that Brazilian ape?"
The hateful words rolled off of Pat, but Elias flushed bright red in anger. "He speaks Portuguese, Mother!" He stood up. "He speaks Portuguese, but Asra and Eliezer don't. Maybe we can stick to a language that everyone understands." He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, re-seating himself beside Pat.
Pat met Isabel's eyes. He could see the impotent fury there. He didn't lower himself by gloating or snarling. Instead, he just took Elias' hand. This was Elias' fight.
"Very well." Isabel forced another grim rictus of a smile. "Do you think, Elias, that this is an appropriate conversation for strangers?"
Elias straightened his back. "Pat is my alpha, and the father of my child. Asra and Eliezer are our foster children, for however long that lasts. They're not strangers. They're family."
Isabel hissed. "You didn't consult with your family about any of this!"
"I'm an adult, mother. I'm in my thirties. I don't need my parents' permission to accept a claim. I don't need your permission to get pregnant." He squeezed Pat's hand, and Pat fought down the urge to kiss him senseless right then and there. "I'd rather raise our child as part of the larger family. I understand if you're not okay with that. But Pat is my alpha, and if you can't be happy for me after everything I went through before, then I guess that you can head back on down to Newport. Give my love to Dad and the others."
Isabel drew herself up to her full height. "I need to speak to your father and to your siblings. This is a serious matter. None of them went off and got married without their spouse getting the approval of the entire family. You know how much—you know he's not suitable."
Pat narrowed his eyes, but he forced a grin onto his face. "I guess that suitable means different things to different people. The baby's due sometime in June."
Isabel didn't deign to respond. She turned on her heel and walked away.
Both Asra and Eliezer gaped. "Wow. You just disobeyed your mother!" Eliezer covered his mouth with his hand. His pupils were tiny from shock.
Pat wrapped his good arm around Elias, who let out a little nervous giggle. "I did, didn't I? It felt good. So amazingly good. I mean I know that they think that they want what's best for me, or at least in the context of what's best for the family." Elias smiled. "But I needed to do what was right for me. I've been in love with this man for over a decade. And in all fairness, I can't really obey her at this point. What's done is done." He rested his head on Pat's chest. "And I don't want to change it."
"I wouldn't change any of it," Pat added, looking at both kids. "However long either of you stay with us, we're happy you're here."
The confrontation with Isabel lightened Pat's heart more than he thought that it would. He didn't know how things would go with the rest of the Salazar family. Maybe they'd get over it, maybe they wouldn't, but Elias loved him. They were starting a family together, and that was all that there was to it. The results of the confrontation gave him the steel to force himself to go through another confrontation, one that he'd been putting off for a while now.
He called Langer's omega, Doug, and they drove down to Longwood together. Pat still wasn't allowed to drive yet, which chafed, but he bore with it. He had other things on his mind right now, and as long as he was healed enough to help Elias and care for their baby, he could put up with anything. Doug was doing well. His son was thriving, and his father was adjusting well to life outside of prison. Life was good for him.
"I'm not sure that I understand the point of what you're trying to do here, Tessaro," Doug told him. "I mean her doctors seem a little confused too. You're a cop. You're on duty. You're supposed to be interrogating her. This… doesn't seem interrogatory."
Pat leaned his head against the door. "It isn't. Not really. It's just the only way that I could get away with going to see her. It's a weird thing. I don't know if it makes sense, but I promised the kids that I'd look out for her. This is part of that."
Doug nodded. "I guess I get that, sort of. Why would you do that, though? She's a kidnapper. She ruined dozens of lives. She caused the death of at least six children."
"She did. But that wasn't her intent. She thought she was saving them. I don't think she should be released, no, but I get that she's sick. I don't want her to suffer."
Doug tilted his head from side to side. "Okay. I guess I can buy that for a dollar. It still seems… I don't know. I guess oddly un-police like."
"Sure." Pat chuckled. "I guess I never quite fit in there either. I just made a promise to the kids, you know?"
They got to the hospital where Zavia was being held. Now that her bout of diphtheria had been cured, she was being held in the secure psychiatric wing. She didn't look like a monster. She looked like a frightened mother. Her hair hung behind her, stringy and graying and loose. Her hospital gown was untied in the back, which made Pat frown. "Can we get her a real nightgown, or is that against the rules?"
"I'll look into that." Doug frowned. "I keep colluding with the cops. Damn it."
Pat chuckled. "Does it make you feel cleaner if I put my badge away?"
"A little bit." Doug indicated a mirror on the wall of Zavia's room. "Just so you know, this is all being watched and recorded."
"Awesome. It protects me." An orderly opened the door, and Pat and Doug walked into Zavia's room.
Zavia looked up. "Mr. Morrison." She brightened when she sa
w Pat. "You're the one who stopped the bad men."
Pat tried to get a sense of Zavia's lucidity. "I stopped the other police, yeah. Eliezer did nothing wrong. And he's not going to be blamed, okay? The state is dropping the charges. He's going to be okay."
Zavia smiled. Her eyes weren't all that focused, but she knew what he was talking about. "They told me that, but I didn't believe them."
"You've heard a lot of promises, I know. I can't change the past." Pat looked around the room. It wasn't bad, nothing like what he expected a secure room on a psych ward to be. The walls were a cheerful color. She had a television, not that she would use it. She had a Bible, too. "How are you doing in here, ma'am?"
She twitched. "I'm scared. I miss my kids." She sniffed. "They tell me that I was… that I shouldn't have saved them. That their parents weren't really hurting them."
Pat took a deep breath. "We've done a pretty thorough investigation. We did those investigations because of what you did, when you took the kids. It's standard procedure. We can't find any evidence of any harm, and they mostly want their babies back. It's hard, you know?" He gave her a little smile. "They're such good kids. Such incredibly good kids. I mean I don't want to seem like I think that you should have taken them. I don't. But like I said, I can't change the past. And you should be proud of those kids, every one of them. They are so strong, Zavia. They are so… so supportive. They're supportive of one another. My omega, he's got brothers and sisters, and they're not half as supportive as these kids.
