Subject V.2.3A | "OMEGA" (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cerhadivision) wrote2017-05-14 09:57 pm
cerhadivision) wrote2017-05-14 09:57 pm
Isla Sorna
2
Forbluebetabitch
When you spend a long time building something with your own two hands, it becomes difficult to wrap your mind around the idea of the work being done. Owen grew up around that kind of mindset, and knows very well how it feels to be in the same grip. But he doesn't mind. That's the thing about having a family: it expands, and the world around it needs to expand with it. Little by little, the house came up around them, and they settled into it, and he's never really stopped working this little world of his over like an ever-evolving project that he loves with his whole heart.
They're settled here. Officially. No one can deny it, and even though Owen still has dreams sometimes about InGen -- or anyone -- hunting them down to rip the girls, or even the boys, out of his hands, those fears evaporate every morning. The girls get along as well as any sisters do, and even the squabbling has died down in recent months; the boys have adapted beautifully, and although Chi and Psi still exhibit behavior that looks odd alongside the girls from time to time, they no longer struggle to meet expectations that were completely alien to them for most of their lives.
And then there's Blue and Omega.
The difference in Blue between her youth on Isla Nublar, and the young womanhood that quite clearly blossomed in the Santa Lucia Mountains of central California, is not only noticeable, but striking. Always the one he could rely on over the others, Blue has managed to develop into a creature that is both an extension of his right arm and yet still a highly independent person who no longer looks to him quite so often for cues; she still values her space and her privacy, but those withdrawals from the pack just to brood and sulk have all but disappeared. And while Blue's temper will always strike fear into the hearts of her siblings -- adopted or otherwise -- she's learned to balance it with patience, a trait that would always thwart her more than any other. Until now. Owen always wanted Blue to learn that balance between animal instinct and human rationality, and he knew she'd get there in her own way sooner or later. Now, it seems she has, and it's a beautiful thing to see.
Then, as if her own transformation wasn't enough, she'd somehow managed to turn her mate into an entirely different person.
If Blue's maturation is impressive, Omega's has been nothing short of miraculous. All right... Owen is a professional behaviorist; he knows there's no such thing as miracles, only hard work and dedication. Only this time it wasn't his. It was Blue's time, effort, and uncharacteristic affection that turned a furious, hateful killing machine into something that could be now what he might have been then, before InGen had their way. Omega lives in the house now. He eats when they do. He joins the family in their gatherings, as long as Blue is with him, and although his temper is still zero to 60 when roused, these days it's much harder to set him off than it used to be, even if that wouldn't be saying much. He prefers his mate and solitude over anything else, but his violently aggressive tendencies have been all but curbed for the sake of keeping Blue happy.
For obvious reasons, Owen has kept a close eye on them both from day one, and even from the very beginning Omega has treated Blue like the center of the universe. Owen himself has salvaged his share of abused, wild animals -- it's literally part of the job -- but he knows without question that no one could have done this but her. And her success is absolutely indisputable.
Case in point: today, Omega's dislike for interacting with unfamiliar people had outweighed his desire to be with Blue as often as possible, and instead of throwing a tantrum he simply hadn't gone with her down the mountain.
For Barry, it was supplies; Echo wanted clothes; Blue was only interested in procuring necessary parts for her nearly-restored 1979 Pontiac Phoenix Firebird, a task built upon very specific requirements and one which she would never entrust to any of her siblings. The day is very nice for a sojourn into the city, considering the length of the drive: blue skies and a mild breeze, not quite so far into spring that the air is anything more than comfortably warm. Psi is helping Delta collect chili peppers and the new experimental plums. Chi fell asleep in the grass up the hill. Charlie is giving Owen a hand with replacing some worn poles along the stone steps leading down to the boys' den, when they hear the familiar sound of the Jeep rolling up the long hill that serves as their driveway.
Only, it sounds like it's coming up fast.
Owen and Charlie look at each other, and immediately drop what they're doing to meet the car just as Barry rolls up, screeching to a stop and diving out of the driver's side to rush around to the passenger door. He looks frantic. And he's helping Echo out of the car. She looks like she's about to pitch right off her feet.
"Owen!" Barry calls out urgently, eyes widening immediately as Owen rushes to them. "Owen!" He has to wrap an arm around Echo's back to keep her standing. And then, to Owen's surprise and dread, Barry yells again. "Omega!"
Owen doesn't actually know where Omega has been this whole time. But suddenly he's there next to him, clearly as alarmed at being summoned as Owen was to hear it, and Owen can practically feel the tension in the male raptor's body triple because they both realized the same thing: that Blue is not with them.
"They took her," Barry says, breathless, and the bottom falls out of Owen's stomach.
Echo tries to rouse herself, flopping a little, mumbling in groggy frustration as she tries to shake off whatever is wrong with her and help explain. But Barry keeps his hold on her and barrels right through it.
"It was InGen. They had an entire strike force, Owen, the streets are chaos now. They used non-lethals. Tranquilizers. Echo took a direct hit, but they left her behind. All of them were focused on Blue." He looks at both of them, Owen and then Omega, panicked and desperate. "They came for her."
The weather was gorgeous a minute ago. Now the entire world is ice. Owen's heart has stopped, his breath is gone. Delta and the boys come running up, but he barely notices them. Beside him is Omega, frozen; then suddenly the raptor whirls to him, eyes wide, and the fury -- the fear -- in them is apocalyptic.
Omega doesn't say a word, but Owen immediately finds his voice. "Go get her."
The male raptor is gone like a bolt of lightning. Owen turns and strides quickly to a hidden cache beneath the porch. He pulls out two assault rifles and a hell of a lot of ammo as Charlie shrieks behind him, "Why aren't we going with him?!"
"Because we're going to follow him." Owen tosses a rifle to Barry, and gestures sharply for everyone to get into the car, including the still-dizzy Echo. "After Isla Nublar, Omega found us in less than a week on nothing but Blue's scent and pure instinct. This time he knows where he's going. We'd only slow him down." The motor is still running. Almost before every door is shut, Owen jerks the Jeep into gear. His last words are almost a growl to himself. "With any luck, all we'll have to do is clean up."
The Jeep screeches in reverse, turns, and roars off down the mountain.
For
bluebetabitchWhen you spend a long time building something with your own two hands, it becomes difficult to wrap your mind around the idea of the work being done. Owen grew up around that kind of mindset, and knows very well how it feels to be in the same grip. But he doesn't mind. That's the thing about having a family: it expands, and the world around it needs to expand with it. Little by little, the house came up around them, and they settled into it, and he's never really stopped working this little world of his over like an ever-evolving project that he loves with his whole heart.
They're settled here. Officially. No one can deny it, and even though Owen still has dreams sometimes about InGen -- or anyone -- hunting them down to rip the girls, or even the boys, out of his hands, those fears evaporate every morning. The girls get along as well as any sisters do, and even the squabbling has died down in recent months; the boys have adapted beautifully, and although Chi and Psi still exhibit behavior that looks odd alongside the girls from time to time, they no longer struggle to meet expectations that were completely alien to them for most of their lives.
And then there's Blue and Omega.
The difference in Blue between her youth on Isla Nublar, and the young womanhood that quite clearly blossomed in the Santa Lucia Mountains of central California, is not only noticeable, but striking. Always the one he could rely on over the others, Blue has managed to develop into a creature that is both an extension of his right arm and yet still a highly independent person who no longer looks to him quite so often for cues; she still values her space and her privacy, but those withdrawals from the pack just to brood and sulk have all but disappeared. And while Blue's temper will always strike fear into the hearts of her siblings -- adopted or otherwise -- she's learned to balance it with patience, a trait that would always thwart her more than any other. Until now. Owen always wanted Blue to learn that balance between animal instinct and human rationality, and he knew she'd get there in her own way sooner or later. Now, it seems she has, and it's a beautiful thing to see.
Then, as if her own transformation wasn't enough, she'd somehow managed to turn her mate into an entirely different person.
If Blue's maturation is impressive, Omega's has been nothing short of miraculous. All right... Owen is a professional behaviorist; he knows there's no such thing as miracles, only hard work and dedication. Only this time it wasn't his. It was Blue's time, effort, and uncharacteristic affection that turned a furious, hateful killing machine into something that could be now what he might have been then, before InGen had their way. Omega lives in the house now. He eats when they do. He joins the family in their gatherings, as long as Blue is with him, and although his temper is still zero to 60 when roused, these days it's much harder to set him off than it used to be, even if that wouldn't be saying much. He prefers his mate and solitude over anything else, but his violently aggressive tendencies have been all but curbed for the sake of keeping Blue happy.
For obvious reasons, Owen has kept a close eye on them both from day one, and even from the very beginning Omega has treated Blue like the center of the universe. Owen himself has salvaged his share of abused, wild animals -- it's literally part of the job -- but he knows without question that no one could have done this but her. And her success is absolutely indisputable.
Case in point: today, Omega's dislike for interacting with unfamiliar people had outweighed his desire to be with Blue as often as possible, and instead of throwing a tantrum he simply hadn't gone with her down the mountain.
For Barry, it was supplies; Echo wanted clothes; Blue was only interested in procuring necessary parts for her nearly-restored 1979 Pontiac Phoenix Firebird, a task built upon very specific requirements and one which she would never entrust to any of her siblings. The day is very nice for a sojourn into the city, considering the length of the drive: blue skies and a mild breeze, not quite so far into spring that the air is anything more than comfortably warm. Psi is helping Delta collect chili peppers and the new experimental plums. Chi fell asleep in the grass up the hill. Charlie is giving Owen a hand with replacing some worn poles along the stone steps leading down to the boys' den, when they hear the familiar sound of the Jeep rolling up the long hill that serves as their driveway.
Only, it sounds like it's coming up fast.
Owen and Charlie look at each other, and immediately drop what they're doing to meet the car just as Barry rolls up, screeching to a stop and diving out of the driver's side to rush around to the passenger door. He looks frantic. And he's helping Echo out of the car. She looks like she's about to pitch right off her feet.
"Owen!" Barry calls out urgently, eyes widening immediately as Owen rushes to them. "Owen!" He has to wrap an arm around Echo's back to keep her standing. And then, to Owen's surprise and dread, Barry yells again. "Omega!"
Owen doesn't actually know where Omega has been this whole time. But suddenly he's there next to him, clearly as alarmed at being summoned as Owen was to hear it, and Owen can practically feel the tension in the male raptor's body triple because they both realized the same thing: that Blue is not with them.
"They took her," Barry says, breathless, and the bottom falls out of Owen's stomach.
Echo tries to rouse herself, flopping a little, mumbling in groggy frustration as she tries to shake off whatever is wrong with her and help explain. But Barry keeps his hold on her and barrels right through it.
"It was InGen. They had an entire strike force, Owen, the streets are chaos now. They used non-lethals. Tranquilizers. Echo took a direct hit, but they left her behind. All of them were focused on Blue." He looks at both of them, Owen and then Omega, panicked and desperate. "They came for her."
The weather was gorgeous a minute ago. Now the entire world is ice. Owen's heart has stopped, his breath is gone. Delta and the boys come running up, but he barely notices them. Beside him is Omega, frozen; then suddenly the raptor whirls to him, eyes wide, and the fury -- the fear -- in them is apocalyptic.
Omega doesn't say a word, but Owen immediately finds his voice. "Go get her."
The male raptor is gone like a bolt of lightning. Owen turns and strides quickly to a hidden cache beneath the porch. He pulls out two assault rifles and a hell of a lot of ammo as Charlie shrieks behind him, "Why aren't we going with him?!"
"Because we're going to follow him." Owen tosses a rifle to Barry, and gestures sharply for everyone to get into the car, including the still-dizzy Echo. "After Isla Nublar, Omega found us in less than a week on nothing but Blue's scent and pure instinct. This time he knows where he's going. We'd only slow him down." The motor is still running. Almost before every door is shut, Owen jerks the Jeep into gear. His last words are almost a growl to himself. "With any luck, all we'll have to do is clean up."
The Jeep screeches in reverse, turns, and roars off down the mountain.
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Even a hot second after she tilts the slightest bit, Owen catches her by the arm with that concern clear on his face.
"Gwen. Hey." He makes sure that her eyes are focused on him, "What part of that can I do? Let me handle Omega, let me get you that coffee, and if I need to start aggressively hitting the delete button or something, I can do that too. You need to take a break now. Better than coffee, you need to get some sleep."
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Leaning back to look up at him, a touch less bleary than before, she plotted out a brief plan of action. "Let me go check on Blue and Omega, then you and I will take another nap in my office--I have a couch--and I'll text Debra and ask her to start covering our tracks."
Then she frowned a little. "But before all of that, we need to destroy the fetus and all of its remaining tissue. If you will do that while I check on the kids, that'd be wonderful. There's an incinerator unit not far from the Operating Room--just follow the arrows that lead to the morgue. It's an automated assembly, my pass key will get you in." She plucked it off her blouse, under her surgical smock.
"The chamber is right inside the door, you can't miss it. Open the hatch, put the entire tube inside, pressurize it closed, and press the red button. You'll hear a loud whoosh and see a flash of fire through the glass, and that's it." Gwen squinted up at him. "Think ya can handle that?"
She knew he could, of course, but a little teasing sometimes helped to stave off absolute exhaustion.
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"Yeah, I can handle it." He grins fondly, and leans in to kiss her, slow and careful not to take too much of the breath she needs to stay on her feet.
Mitch, Debra, and now Gwen's mother... Owen didn't need to give up these kinds of details when he was calling in his favors to get them off the island, but that wasn't the same kind of situation. Doesn't stop him from being extremely anxious about the difference here. The more factors involved, the more potential there is for something to go wrong, and not just with Blue anymore.
"I'll be back. And then we're taking that nap. No excuses." He kisses her one more time, on the side of her head, and then leaves with the pass key in his hand.
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"If she wakes up before I get back," Gwen told Omega with a gentle smile, "make sure to give her as much water as she'll want to drink. That'll help flush the rest of the toxins out and keep her hydrated." She gently lifted Blue's medical gown, not missing the male raptor's low, purring growl--almost a warning--but she cut her own eyes to him in return: there was no need for that here.
Gwen examined the surgical incision, made a note on her memo pad, then straightened the gown and the covers. "Everything looks good," she assured him, gently stroking Blue's hair back. "But try to make sure you don't wear yourself out, watching over her." One of Gwen's eyebrows lifted. "You're no good to hear if you fall over from hunger or exhaustion. Tell me when you need to eat, Omega. For Blue's sake, all right?"
She pocketed her memo book and stethoscope, moving over to the door. "Owen and I will be in my office, catching some sleep; it's right down the hall. Dr. Whittington will be back in a few hours, just so you're aware. If you need us, come get us." She gave the raptor another small nod, then slipped out again.
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Owen takes a little longer to return. He meets Gwen in her office, saying nothing about the task of destroying what was left of his Beta's first (and perhaps only) offspring. They all made the right call here, but... well, it was a shame.
So much of this is just a god damn, horrible, hideous shame.
No coffee for Gwen. He meant it about the nap, and once he said it out loud, he immediately felt the weariness weighing in on him as well. He'll make sure she's comfortable, absolutely, but after that Owen will be lucky if he wakes up when he's supposed to.
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Her internal clock pinged about an hour before sunrise, waking her automatically. If reluctantly. Gwen yawned without opening her eyes, still snuggled into the broad chest and strong arms which had enveloped her before collapsing into sleep. Owen's breathing was still deep and regular, and Gwen had no desire to wake him; he was just as tired as she.
She felt her cell phone vibrate slightly, tucked away in her shirt pocket; Debra was on her way with coffee and pastries. Gwen thought about rising and going down the hall to check on Blue, but Omega hadn't barged in demanding assistance, so the Beta hybrid was probably all right. At least her mate was good for something, anyway.
Pressing a soft kiss to Owen's lips, Gwen eased out of his grasp, sitting up on the side of the couch and stretching, feeling a thousand kinks and knots protest. A few minutes later, a soft knock on the door signaled Debra outside, and the scent of coffee--heavenly!--wafted to Gwen's nose as she quietly opened it for the other doctor, a telltale finger pressed to her lips.
"Oh, gotcha," Debra whispered with a slight smile. "Didn't mean to wake you guys, if I did." She eased into Gwen's office, door closing behind her with a quiet click.
Gwen suppressed the urge to pounce on the woman for possession of the coffee, but refrained, barely, answering instead with a return whisper and small smile, "You didn't. I'd just woken up myself, but wanted to let Owen sleep--it's been a rough week."
Debra thankfully handed her a steaming cup, Gwen taking a sip despite its temperature, trying to ignore the small blonde woman's speculative glance at the man still prone on the couch behind her desk. "You didn't tell me you guys were a thing, Gwen," she whispered with a suggestive giggle.
Gwen tried not to glower at her. "I don't tell people a lot of things," was the clipped whisper in reply, really not wanting to indulge in any blasted 'girl-talk'.
"Still, he's definitely cute, though." Debra grinned, taking a sip of her own coffee. "If you like that rough and rugged Crocodile Hunter type."
"Yes. Well." Gwen pulled out her stethoscope and draped it around her neck, praying Debra would get the point. "I do. Thank you. For the coffee and breakfast. Give me twenty minutes or so and I'll check in with you." She shooed Debra towards the door. "Make sure the O.R. is sterile again, and I'll come help you get rid of the test files."
Once the door closed behind Dr. Whittington, Gwen locked it--for good measure--and paused to lean back against it, closing her eyes with a still-tired sigh. She needed to get on the phone to her mother, as well as work on the rest of the laundry list necessary before they could decamp the medical center. But for the moment, there was coffee and food, and that came first.
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Still, it says a hell of a lot about how exhausted he is that he doesn't wake up when she rises from the couch.
Eventually the absence wakes him, however, and although he experiences a moment of instinctive alarm -- did something happen, is she with Blue, why didn't she wake him -- he groans and rubs his eyes and snaps himself out of it. God. Okay. Today, maybe, they can get Blue out of the hospital, if only to relocate her into Gwen's mother's house. (And what a hell of a way to meet the girlfriend's parent for the first time.)
Blinking around the room finds Gwen over by the door, with a cup of coffee in her hand and a look on her face that suggests she doesn't feel particularly well-rested, either. Owen pushes himself up and joins her, working a stiff muscle out of his shoulder.
"Did you get any sleep?"
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"I don't think I'll get any real good sleep until we get home." And she didn't mean "home" as in Claremont. Having never shared sleeping space until recently, Gwen hadn't found it too onerous to do so, mostly because Owen made a great pillow. And lying snug in his arms, drowsily watching the sun come up while he still slept--well, there wasn't any better way to greet the day than that.
"But hopefully we can kick out of her soon and work on fixing that." She smiled around a bite of pastry, chasing it with a swallow of black coffee. "I'll call my mother in..." she checked her watch, "...about twenty minutes, just as soon as I check on Blue and get Debra going." She gave Owen a brief once-over, stepping close to straighten his collar a little. "You okay? Wanna sit in there with Blue while I do my chores?"
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He chews while she talks, nodding in absolute appreciation for what she's talking about. They can't get back there fast enough. Owen firmly believes that they'll all be better off in comfortable, familiar surroundings, especially Blue and Omega. At least they're moving in the right direction. And as he finishes off his cinnamon roll and Gwen steps closer to him, he settles a hand not holding coffee on her arm, catching her just for a minute.
"Yeah. I will." He's actually spent very little time with Blue already. Everything he's been doing is important, but suddenly he realizes what an absence he's displayed. Not ideal for an Alpha. "But whatever can be left for someone else, should. I know how tough that is, believe me, but I want her out of here."
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Thus saying, she picked up her coffee cup again and slipped out of her office, headed off to find a spot with decent cell reception to call her mother. Marie answered on the second ring, sounding surprised.
"Gwen! You're up early, dear." The Early Morning Show was playing in the background somewhere.
Gwen sighed, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "Yeah, it's been...a rough week." Her mother tsk'ed in sympathy, but Gwen didn't have time to get into everything just now. "Listen, Mom, I need a favor. A huge one..."
A little over an hour later, Gwen slipped back into Blue's room, automatically checking her vitals and reporting that she had slipped into normal REM sleep and would be waking very soon. "Possibly even before we get out of here," she added, making another note in her memo book.
"Which is going to be in about fifteen minutes, so let me get her detached and ready. There's a transport van coming around, Debra will drive us out to Claremont."
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He's resting in a chair at Blue's opposite side when Gwen returns. He'd joined the sleeping raptors quietly, although not without waking up Omega, whose eyes looked barely focused; Owen was then left with the difficult task of explaining what was going to happen next. Predictably, Omega was not pleased to hear that they were taking Blue somewhere unfamiliar, under the care of another complete stranger, no matter how much Owen tried to reassure him that Dr. Gwen's mother didn't really count as a stranger. Then again, he's not surprised that an underfed and exhausted Omega would have some difficulty appreciating that particular nuance.
Lucky for Owen, the male raptor was too unwilling to risk waking Blue to put up more of a fight. They'd eventually been able to reach a point of agreement, which was that Omega wouldn't resort to violence as long as Gwen's mother didn't try to approach him or Blue at all. It's a bit excessive, but Owen knows that he has to attribute a lot of all this to the circumstances. Omega has been better than this for a while. But none of them are at their best and brightest with Blue lying hurt and sick in a hospital bed.
So, he agreed, and hoped that Gwen would appreciate the rationale behind it.
Omega is still awake, but barely, when Gwen returns, and doesn't move much as the doctor makes her inspections. Owen gets to his feet, once again finding energy in another step forward, but before Gwen gets started, Owen gently catches her and tugs her aside to speak in whispers.
"Listen -- Omega's gonna come along quietly. But he won't let anyone else he doesn't recognize come near Blue. I don't want to tell your mom what she can or can't do in her own home, but... do you think she'd be able to deal with that?"
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Nevertheless, when Owen pulled her aside to warn her, Gwen blinked up at him, nonplussed. "Oh, absolutely. She knows what sorts of 'creatures' I worked with back at the park, and just how dangerous and unpredictable they are. You won't have any worries on that score, I promise. I've already advised her to let us put them both in Ben's old room--it's upstairs, at the back of the house, and quiet. It even has its own bathroom; well, it's shared between Ben's room and my old room, but there's no reason for either of them to ever come down the stairs, until we head back up north."
She tried for a reassuring smile, but it came out a little crooked, thanks to how tired they both were. "Mom's agreed not to even go upstairs while we're there. You and I can bunk down in my old room--it has a queen-sized bed, and it's right next door to the kids. So we'll be right there in case of any emergencies. Mom doesn't go upstairs much anymore anyway--although she did cancel the cleaning service this week, just as a precaution." Gwen dragged a hand through her tousled hair, sighing and thinking.
"But if Blue comes around soon--today, or this morning, more specifically--and an ultrasound exam--since I don't have a portable MRI machine in my pocket--reveals no further hemorrhaging or weakening of the vein wall, and she doesn't suffer any post-op complications and she manages to eat a little on her own, then we'll be in a van headed north just as soon as we can. Promise."
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"Fingers crossed," he answers with a small smile. Hell, if they could get Blue awake and eating, Owen would set up camp on the sidewalk if he had to. "I'm not rushing you or her back home." He glances around, eyebrow raised. "Just out of here. A little."
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But in less than two hours, the van was pulling into a cul-de-sac out in Claremont Valley and easing to a halt in front of a two-story house with a well-manicured lawn, a few surprisingly broad-leaved shade trees, and a white Impala parked in the drive. Gwen hopped out of the van first, hoping to intercept Marie before she appeared--she usually met guests at the door right away.
True to form, Gwen spied the front door open and her mother appear in it, all set to wave appropriate greetings, but Gwen hopped up the steps and cut her off before she could even get a word out. "Hey, Mom, we made it." She offered a quick squeeze and a smile, but rambled on before Marie could interject. "Blue's still not quite awake, but I'm expecting her to come around later on today, probably. She and Omega will stay up in Ben's room, it's quiet in there and at the back of the house so Fussie can't bother them and if you're in any way or fashion not okay with this, I can always check you into a hotel or a spa for a few days, but I just really need somewhere for all of us to stay that I can trust while Blue recovers..."
Gwen ran out of breath and sagged slightly; Marie caught her with a sympathetic little laugh and shook her head. "Oh, honey, of course it's all right for you to stay here with your dinosaur friends! I wouldn't have it any other way, you know that. Now, you look positively exhausted, why don't we get everyone settled and then you can get a hot shower and some sleep, hmm? And don't worry about Fussie, she'll be fine. I put her out in the back yard, just until everything calms down." Marie chuckled knowingly. "Don't want anyone to eat the poor old dear, do we?"
"Mother, please," Gwen grimaced.
"I'm just joking, dear." Marie patted her arm and smiled. "Now, what can I do to help you, mm? Oh, and you must introduce everyone," her voice fell to a conspiratorial whisper that was heard halfway down the block, "just so I know who I'm not supposed to pester."
Hiding under a bush wouldn't do much good here, Gwen reluctantly realized, and besides, she had to make sure that Omega didn't get the wrong idea about her mother's well-meaning presence and eat her. "Mom...just--please. Omega is the tall, black-haired--man, and Blue is our patient. They are the eldest of our hybrids, and are...married, for lack of a better term. He's insanely over-protective, it's sort of an issue with him. So while she's still recovering, it's best if we disturb them as little as possible, and you not at all. Just leave them to Owen and me--that's Owen, getting out of the van now. He's the girls', well, father, their legal guardian and all that. So what he says, goes. Understand me?"
Marie was listening with the same expression she wore whenever Gwen told her about a particular difficult case or surgery; that blank, incomprehensible look that signaled louder than words that her mother was listening out of politeness and not genuine interest; Gwen just mentally groaned. "Just...promise me you'll leave them to us. With everything, Mom, I'm not even close to kidding."
Her mother patted her arm again. "Of course, dear. I promise. Cross my heart and everything."
Omega was approaching the porch with Blue in his arms, the Beta still limp in the depths of her post-op coma. But her color was good and she was breathing on her own now, a good sign. Gwen resolutely and abruptly pulled her mother out of the way, instructing her to stay put, and gestured to the male hybrid to follow her, she'd show him where to go. With another warning glance at her mother, Gwen made the briefest of introductions, and led off into the house, gesturing for Owen to follow her once Omega had stepped over the threshold.
"Hello, there--Owen," Marie said, her smile warm and welcoming. If a little vapid. "I'm Marie, Gwen's mother, and it's lovely to meet you. Although perhaps not under these circumstances, a-ha." She made a little shooing motion with her hands. "But come in, come in, I've no doubt my daughter will be needing you upstairs--getting your kids all settled in, right?" She chuckled, still smiling. "You go on in, the stairs are right around the corner, and I'll fix some coffee, is that all right?"
no subject
There is equipment to be unloaded, and although he's going to have to follow Gwen's lead on a lot of it, Owen starts to unload just to get everything inside while she runs interference on her mother. However, by the time he comes out of the van with the portable ultrasound machine tucked under one arm and makes it to the house, Marie Carruthers is turning to him with a smile that is familiar enough to leave him charmed by it.
"Pleasure's mine," he answers, with a smile that hopefully doesn't look too much like he woke up on a couch. "Thank you for letting us use your home -- if we're lucky, it won't be for too long. Coffee sounds great."
no subject
"There's a bathroom through here," she told the male hybrid, opening the door to emphasize after he'd placed Blue carefully on the bed. "The windows open and have screens, so if you want to open them for some fresh air once in a while, feel free. Owen and I will sleep next door, it's through the bathroom there, so you won't even have to come out, if you don't want to."
After checking on Blue, taking her pulse and recording her vitals, Gwen promised she'd send up some food and water very soon before heading back downstairs to help Owen unload the rest of the equipment. Thankfully, her mother was comfortably ensconced in the kitchen, and Gwen left her there, hurrying back out to the van and wondering for the second time whether or not hiding under the bushes wasn't a good idea, after all.
It didn't take long to empty the van, and after Debra headed off, Gwen closed the front door with a tired, thankful sigh, contemplating sliding down to the floor, except for that it'd be damned impossible to get up if she did. What she really wanted to do was collapse on a horizontal surface somewhere with Owen behind her, the both of them simultaneously falling to REM 4 within a minute.
But instead, she shoved her way back upright and managed to make it into the kitchen, where her mother greeted her with a smile and a mug of steaming coffee, black with two heaping spoons of sugar and just a splash of cream.
"How does your Owen take his coffee?" Marie asked, pouring another mug. And giving her daughter a feminine "knowing" look back over her shoulder. "And Gwendolyn, you told me he was rugged, but you didn't tell me he was that rugged, my goodness." She chuckled, replacing the coffee pot on the warmer. "Reminds me of Harrison Ford, way back during his Indiana Jones days, I swear." She leaned over the island, trying to whisper but ostensibly failing. "...are you two sleeping together?"
"Mother--!" Gwen nearly thunked her head on the granite countertop. "I think we have more urgent concerns than my sex life!" she whispered back fiercely. "Such as the young girl who nearly died up there, don't you think?"
Marie straightened, nonplussed by her daughter's unusual heat. "All right, all right, yes, you're right. But, you know, honey--"
Gwen cut her off. Sharply. "Mom. Enough. Just drop it. Please."
She looked over and nearly wept with relief to see Owen emerging into the kitchen, and Marie hastened to get him coffee and a stool next to Gwen, and inquire as to what else they might need, and what she could do to assist, anything at all.
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Owen doubts they'll have to replace any windows this time, but he can only hope that Blue will still feel safe here when she wakes up.
Then he heads back down to find Gwen and her mother in the kitchen. Gwen's expression is a dialed-up version of the look she has on her face when she gets off the phone with her mother. Here's the real thing, and Gwen hasn't had a lot of sleep. Maybe Owen should quarantine her as well until they can get out of here.
But he just gratefully accepts the coffee, and thanks Marie before they move on to the greater issues still at hand. "Gwen is running the show here," he says, "but right now, we're just waiting for Blue to wake up. Our home is pretty isolated, so we need to be sure she's recovering properly before we take her so far from a hospital." He meets Gwen's gaze briefly, before smiling a little bit at her mother again. "But she's a tough girl. Shouldn't take long."
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"Oh, I know," she dimly heard her mother saying, "way up there in the mountains. Gwen won't give me your address, of course. For security reasons, I understand. But I imagine it's just lovely, all those trees and way up on the mountain and all that." Marie put down her coffee cup and rested a hand sincerely on Owen's arm.
"And I do hope your little girl pulls through, Owen, I really do. Gwen's told me so much about those kids, I can tell she loves them very, very much. And it's just horrible, what some people will do to kids these days, isn't it?"
Gwen had to speak up before she toppled off of the stool. "It really is, yeah. But that's why we're fighting for them, to keep them safe. Mom, would you mind running out for some stuff if I make you a list?" That way they'd have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, pray God. "Omega hasn't eaten anything in probably a week, Blue even longer, and Owen and I are running on fumes as it is." And they were all going to need a change of clothes, and soon. Not to mention a long hot shower. Eventually.
"Oh, of course, dear. I wouldn't mind at all. What sort of things do you need?"
While her mother bustled about getting ready for a shopping expedition, Gwen pulled Owen aside and said, "I'll send her out for fruit and meat; hopefully Omega will eat one or the other--I know he has to be starving. I'll go ahead and make a grocery list for her if you want to head upstairs for a shower. Towels are in the cabinet next to the tub."
She allowed herself a brief minute to just rest her forehead on his chest, then straightened and added, "Maybe we can all get another good nap, and hopefully our girl will be back with us by then."
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He doesn't exactly have high hopes about Omega eating before Blue wakes up, but it's worth a shot if they can wave some of his favorites under his nose and pray that instinct kicks in. Hell, maybe Blue would smell it and wake up just to take a bite. That's the basket they might as well put their eggs in, because the more time passes without Blue swimming up from that post-op coma, the more heavily the tension vibrates where it's clinging to his spine. Come to think of it, when was the last time they had a decent meal?
"I'll do that," he concedes to the shower (without really knowing what to put on once he gets out of it. Problems for clean Owen). He wraps his arms around her and squeezes gently, kissing her head again before he lets her go. "Don't take too long. I'm starting to think that Blue is the only one around here who's getting enough rest."
Owen kisses her one more time against the side of her head, and then departs for the second floor; he might as well check in on Blue one more time before he takes that shower.
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She saw her mother out the door and down the street before trudging upstairs, hearing the shower running in the "kids'" bathroom, and had just enough foresight to grab a couple of bathrobes out of the hall closet before closing her old bedroom door on the rest of the world. She did pop in her brother's room for a quick visual check on Blue, but retreated back through the bathroom to the other bedroom, leaving the navy bathrobe for Owen as she passed.
Her old bedroom was still full of her old keepsakes, pictures here and there, both of family and Gwen herself: photos of her late father were more common, as were single pictures of Gwen--sitting atop a bright bay horse holding a blue ribbon, displaying her high school diploma with honor braids, standing with her mother and holding her veterinary credentials in graduates gown. As well as other snapshots of her and the family, some together, others not. The mirrored vanity held her father's dogtags, as well as a framed photo of him in his Marine dress blues, and no less than four Ribbons of Merit and several Silver and Gold stars, as well.
Her mother had opted for a rather colorful quilt for the bed; Gwen dimly remembered it being a gift from her grandmother, ages ago. But right now, it looked like the deepest-feather Italian comforter on the planet. She gave a deep sigh, then plopped down on the edge of the bed, kicking off her shoes and closing her eyes, waiting rigidly upright for Owen to come out of the shower.
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There's a bathrobe waiting for him, which is very thoughtful of Gwen. But Owen can't help thinking again about how surreal this whole situation is. He has two raptor hybrids -- one of whom is his Beta -- lying unconscious and semi-conscious respectively in a room next door, on the second floor of his girlfriend's mother's house, putting on a bathrobe that doesn't belong to him, while said girlfriend awaits him in her childhood bedroom. Did he ever actually wake up from the couch in her office? He has to assume so, because he wouldn't be so goddamn tired in a dream.
At least the bathrobe smothers down any steam that was still rising from his skin when he emerges, finding Gwen sitting on the edge of the bed, either unwilling or unable to relax. He takes a seat next to her, leaning forward to look her in the eyes. "You want to wash up?"
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...where...?
Olfactory senses kicked in then, and she scented Omega, close, and then Dr. Gwen's familiar fragrance, and finally, Owen, thank God. Her stiff muscles relaxed and she took a deep breath, feeling as weak as a day-old kitten. But she was here, she was awake, and there wasn't a nightmare waiting in the shadows, too ready to devour her whole once again.
Instructing her arm to move actually worked; Blue reached out, turning her eyes to see a fuzzy dark shape nearby. She licked her lips several times, but managed to speak somewhat coherently after the third try. "...O...mega...?"
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He barely knows where they are, except as another unfamiliar room and a bed that isn't theirs -- does it even matter? Owen and Dr. Gwen are handling things. It's his job to protect Blue, and nothing else. He lets himself sleep only as lightly as it takes to wake at the instant he feels her stirring; he won't eat until she does, because if she doesn't... what's the fucking point?
Now, whether he was asleep or delirious a second ago, hearing his name makes him jerk upright and immediately catch the hand that, god, reaches for him, and the air leaves him in a rush; he jumps up and leans over her to stroke her face, touching his forehead to hers with eyes shut and jaw going tight.
But... while he's not going anywhere unless she's going with him, he's not as much of a help to her as he'd like to be. And he wasn't the one she was so desperate to see the last time she opened her eyes. So, although it takes him an impossibly long moment to tear himself away, he finally kisses her cheek and squeezes her hand.
"I'll be right back."
Then he dashes out of the room to drag her humans out of bed.
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But before she could dwell on it too much, the far door opened and three familiar figures came into view, all of them beloved and familiar. Dr. Gwen approached immediately, her tired smile no less comforting. "Hey, Blue," she said, a cool hand coming to rest on her forehead. "Glad to have you back again, sweetheart. How do you feel?"
Ugh, what a question. Blue tried to laugh, but coughed instead, Gwen helping her lean up a bit to clear her lungs so she could breathe easier. "...rough," she managed to get out. "Stomach...hurts."
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Gwen gets there ahead of him, which makes it no less of a relief whatsoever to see his eldest girl blinking at them from her bed, exhausted but lucid, with no more tears this time. Omega appears behind them, with a glass of water in his hand. As the male raptor circles to one side of the bed, Owen approaches the other, staying out of Gwen's way but coming in close enough to rest a firm, comforting hand on Blue's knee.
"Welcome back, baby girl," he murmurs, with just a touch of a grin. "You ready to fight some mountain lions yet?"
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