Alpha and Omega (Division One Book 1) by Osborn Stephanie

Author:Osborn, Stephanie [Osborn, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chromosphere Press
Published: 2018-04-24T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

“No, absolutely not,” India decreed once she and Romeo had gotten Omega back to her quarters and seated on her own couch. The pair had quickly stripped her of jacket, tie, shoes and several layers of socks, and India fairly gasped once she saw the condition of Omega’s feet. They were almost dead white—except for her toes: three of those were bright red, one was deep blue, and one was nearly black. Her hands and ears were better, but not by a lot. “You are not going anywhere until you get warm, and I treat all this! No wonder you couldn’t feel them! You’re just before losing digits, girl! Romeo, run back to our quarters and fetch my medikit, would you, honey? The big one, not the little one. And hurry.”

“On it, babe.”

He was gone and back by the time India could finish her examination of Omega’s extremities, and the former physician promptly got out an electronic thermometer and stuck it in Omega’s mouth before Meg could protest. Seconds later it beeped, and India grabbed it and looked at the readout.

“Damn, damn, damn,” she muttered. “Romeo, run into Meg’s bedroom and grab all the blankets you can find, and start wrapping her up. Oh, and crank up the thermostat in here. Set it...set it for 80 degrees Fahrenheit, heat. I’ve got to get moving, glopping meds on this.”

“Right.”

“What I’d like to know,” India grumbled, selecting several items from her kit and kneeling to better reach Omega’s feet, “is why Echo let you get in this state.”

“H-he, um...” Omega tucked her head, as Romeo commenced wrapping her in blankets. “Oh, th-that-t f-feels b-b-better.”

“Answer the question,” India insisted.

“He d-didn’t-t know,” Omega admitted, barely able to speak through chattering teeth. “Th-things w-were m-mov-ving f-fast, and w-we didn’t-t have t-time...I, I t-tried to t-tell him I was-was c-c-cold, but...”

“He toldja to suck it up, didn’t he?” Romeo finished for her, with a knowing nod.

“Y-y-yeah. How’d y-you...?”

“It was a damn serious mission, wasn’t it?”

Omega gave up trying to talk through her teeth chattering, and just nodded.

“Earth in danger an’ all?”

She nodded again.

“Anybody die?”

Her face crumpled, but she didn’t cry.

“Uh-huh. He gets really focused when things ‘re like that,” Romeo explained. “Doesn’t like a lotta distractions, and he’ll take you at your word. He assumes ‘is partner is competent enough to handle things, and will TELL him if he—or she—is in a bad way. Which you shoulda done,” Romeo chastised, but gently.

“I...w-was af-fraid to,” Omega admitted.

“Why?” India wondered, as she treated the other woman’s feet. “Was he mean, or hateful, or something?”

“No! N-not that,” Omega protested. “S-stern, yeah, but...L-look, guys, b-blonde hair not-notwithstanding, I’m not s-s-stupid. An’ I got more c-common sense th-than most f-folks credit t-t-to people with lo-lotsa deg-grees. S-s-so I kn-know h-how it w-works. He n-needed backup, or he’d h-have gone al-lone. He a-and F-Fox figured I c-c-could h-handle it, or they’d-d have t-tapped R-rom-meo. So wh-when I r-realized how b-b-bad the c-cold really w-was, it was k-kinda t-too late to d-d-do much.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.