Aster blinked.
Suddenly, the voices that seemed so far away erupted all at once and crashed him back to reality. Even in his delirious state he noticed there was an ongoing chaos.
"Aster!"
A group of omegas surrounded him, communicating frantically to each other. They moved quickly and with purpose. The voice from before spoke again, strong and clear, in order to be heard above the rest.
"You're going to be okay. So don't you dare die on me Aster--can't you see--Have you stopped the blee--out of the--did you send word to Fiona!"
The voices meshed together answering back. Then a sweet woman's voice asked clear enough for Aster to come back to his senses, "Where's the baby?"
A strong voice answered her, "Jaylin, go grab more towels. I saw some in the other room."
Several footsteps echoed out without question leaving the room in silence. Everyone knew what it meant to have a child under Madam Rose's brothel. Aster looked around and noticed the person whose strong voice belonged to. Jonah, his omega-brother, was sweating as the summer heat bared down. His usually tidy hair was up in a completely hazardous curly bun. He had blood on his hands as he cleaned away between Aster's legs. He was talking to Timothy, who had been trying to staunch the bleeding as well.
Aster willed himself to speak, "Jonah…"
It was an inaudible whisper; faint and completely weak but it was enough for Jonah's head to whip up and turn to him in a heartbeat. Jonah's face washed over with relief. In a matter of seconds he was by his bedside, "Shh shh it's okay…"
Aster mustered what little he could answer in that moment. His voice cracked, "Don't let her take--take him awa-y."
Jonah's brown hand suddenly took his pale one and firmly squeezed. His omega-brother gently whispered, "Everything is going to be okay. We'll take care of everything. I promise"
As if reassured, it didn't take long for Aster to fall into a deep sleep. Jonah turned to Timothy who gently nodded. Timothy's dark skin reflected the light as he stood up with a bloody towel in his arms and firmly spoke, "I've managed to staunch the bleeding. However, we still need to remove the pla--,"
"Aster!"
The omegas turned their heads and watched Fiona enter the room flustered. She was in a semi-transparent robe and completely naked underneath evidence that she had been with a client prior to this. Beads of sweat dripped down her chest and in between her breasts. She had run as soon as she had gotten word. Fiona stood there momentarily fixed on Aster's complexion, her mind processing the horror before her, and immediately snapped out of her trance. The other omegas made room for her as she began to ask them questions. They answered back as she moved closer to inspect him and then turned to Jonah and Timothy.
"Is he okay?" she asked with a slight quiver in her voice. Her deep dark beautiful hands gripped Aster's.
Timothy nodded, "He's not out of the woods just yet, but I'll try my best."
Timothy turned quickly to the others standing nearby and gave out swift orders to bring more towels and cool water. They left following his orders, while others quickly cleaned up the dirty rags and took out the dirty water in order to be replaced with the new. Timothy was efficient in his practice and didn't take long to finish what the midwife had started. However, all of it got lost to Fiona's ears. Her emerald eyes could only focus on Aster who had fallen asleep.
Eventually, after everything had settled, the omegas trickled out one by one. Timothy made sure to inspect Aster's pulse before he took his leave and whispered in Jonah's ear before he left the room. The sun was setting before everything was done, and Fiona and Jonah were the only ones left watching over their beloved Aster. Fiona sat beside him and tried to calm herself down. The stuffy room wasn't helping, but it didn't stop her from looking at her omega-brother who she hadn't seen for nearly eight months.
Aster looked so thin and pale it nearly made her cry. She grabbed a rag and dunked it into the cool water and then cleaned away the sweat that dripped down his sleeping face. She gingerly removed the strands of hair away from his sleeping eyes and gently placed them behind his ear. Jonah waited for her to speak. After all, Fiona always knew what to say. She had all the answers. But this time, she couldn't think of anything. She sat on the side of the bed and finally stuttered, "Jonah… is there anything we could do?"
Jonah only remained silent.
She shook her head at their predicament, "Have we ever had any power to even take care of ourselves? What makes you think we could take care of a baby? Shit, we weren't even able to see Aster for eight months while he was pregnant, not knowing whether he was dead or alive, and it drove us crazy. A baby Jonah! We'll end up loving this child and you know it, so imagine if we didn't see that same child for eight months? Do you honestly believe we'll even remain sane if that happens! I mean do you ev--"
"Fiona," Jonah let out a trembling sigh.
He walked over to her and held her by the shoulders, "Get it together. We have to stay strong. That's what Aster has always told us."
Fiona held his amber green eyes and blinked the tears away. He continued, "If Aster pleaded to me to make sure that his baby was safe, it means he didn't take the deal that Madam Rose always proposes when someone gives birth. Which means no matter what happens to us, that baby, our nephew, will not leave these walls in the arms of a stranger. Do you understand?"
She nodded, calming herself down and smiled through the emerging tears, "A boy?"
Jonah lightly chuckled, "A boy."
Just then some omegas began trickling in once again; some carrying cool water and others clean towels. Others had barely arrived after finishing their duties. News about Aster's delivery had spread down DeLaRose's famous rumor mill and with it brought a crowd of omegas who began to pool into the room. The heat was unbearable but they all wanted to see if Aster was okay. In a matter of minutes the room was crowded well into the hallway. Familiar faces like Timothy and Jaylin held each other, while others in their close-knit group arrived. Amary, Nick, and Lynn were still in their dancing dresses having just come back from entertaining guests. The younger ones that ran errands pushed themselves into the room and placed little flowers on Aster's bed and then began to silently pray. They all expectantly looked at Jonah and Fiona.
Fiona breathed to calm her beating heart and then held her head high while Jonah stood beside her holding her hand and giving her his full support.
Fiona spoke firmly, "Aster will not be giving up his baby. With that said, Madam Rose will probably try everything to get rid of him. However, we know she can't do anything with imperial law tying her hands behind her back."
The room nodded in agreement and some even made comments about this whole fiasco. The news of Aster's pregnancy had traveled like wildfire the week it had been revealed that he was with child. A most scandalous affair! Aster, who was Madam Rose's beloved and most precious possession, had done the unthinkable. He had lost his virginity to some stranger despite his chastity being protected for so long. Madam Rose had paraded him in front of noble men for years, festering their lust, waiting for the day she could finally get a hold on a prize well worth her status.
However, like many great things in life, not everything went according to plan. Aster's pregnancy had left everyone in complete and utter shock. However, no one was more shocked than Madam Rose herself, who went into a furious rage after learning about this. Her hatred could be felt by all the omegas working under the brothel, but no one had it worse than Aster, who had been punished for his defiance.
As soon as the pregnancy was revealed, the wicked woman had locked him away from prying eyes. No one knew of his whereabouts, nor had they seen him during his pregnancy. Some even assumed he had been killed. However, their wishes of touching his belly, singing songs to the baby, or feeling its kicks had been taken away from them. The grudges they felt from being stripped away of these beautiful memories would travel lifetimes, and Madam Rose was to blame for it all.
Jaylin hugged Timothy tightly and he kissed the top of her head to calm her down. Her eyes twinkled with tears, "Will Aster be okay? Who knows what she'll do once he wakes up."
Jonah spoke, "Madam Rose will surely pressure him until he agrees. Aster will have to bear this. The best we can do is ensure that nothing happens to the child in the meantime. After all, the child is part of our family now."
Nick nodded solemnly, "What else do we have to lose but family."
The omegas stirred as if something deep within them had awoken.
Lynn, most beautiful in her dancing attire, asked, "What can we do to help?"
Fiona nodded in understanding "Keep your ears sharp. If there is even a hint that Madam Rose will use her underhanded tricks we will do everything to stop it. One small detail at a time. She's broken the law several times in the past because of unreasonable loopholes that allowed it, so if it comes to that, and there's nothing we can do to stop it, then you guys know what to do."
The omegas all smiled knowingly, and others looked nervous. They knew exactly what she was speaking about. Fiona smirked and looked towards the kids who had placed flowers on Aster's bed. The children looked up at her expectantly.
Fiona continued, "The children are the only ones that move freely within the boundaries of DeLaRose. You'll be our eyes and ears, got it?"
The children nodded, and Hunter, who was the oldest of the bunch, smiled and answered politely, "Of course Miss Fiona."
Jonah interjected, "Helen can also help. She may be a coward but she has a heart. If we pressure her, she will cave in."
Some of the omegas in the crowd chuckled. Everyone knew old Helen, Madam Rose's loyal servant, tried to act tough but failed miserably.
Fiona continued, "We will use clients as a means of information. Those of you who have clients that are within Madam Rose's close circle need to be attentive. If you hear them talk about a purchase or anything related to it, act upon it accordingly, and get that information back to us."
Jonah spoke up adding to Fiona's fire, "And if any one of you ever comes in close proximity to the child report it back to the main group. We must know every detail that comes in and out of her personal chambers."
Then someone spoke out in curiosity, "Was it a boy or a girl?"
Immediately, everyone got excited, partly due to some of them placing bets, and others because they had been dying to know. Fiona smiled; this day had been on everyone's mind. Jonah stepped up and Fiona arched her eyebrow.
He smiled with giddiness, "It's a boy."
The crowd cheered and clapped, while others who had lost the bet grumbled for a minute and then met the news with joy. Like the wind, the children grabbed this wonderful news and ran off to tell everyone else that hadn't been able to make it due to their duties.
Jaylin spoke softly, "A little prince huh. I wonder how Aster will name him."
After everything that had happened Fiona realized that she wanted to know as well. Fiona looked towards the crowd which had already started listing out possible names. They playfully pushed and bashed on each other about what names were better and which ones sounded mighty and strong. She watched as Timothy got into a heated debate with Lynn about certain names. Jaylin placed a hand on Timothy's chest and calmed her lover down almost immediately; Timothy's eyes sparkled with love whilst looking at his beloved. Nick and Lynn came over to the bed and fixed the flowers the children had left behind. Last of all, Jonah stood beside Fiona as they shared a smile knowing that perhaps everything would be okay. As a family they had all agreed on ensuring the child's safety. Absolutely no questions asked.
At that moment, Fiona remembered a little rhyme Aster had once made so long ago when they were kids running around doing errands around the brothel. How did it go?
Oh, right.
Once your own, forever linked by heart and soul.