53 Pregnant Omega

In Nysus City's average population of a hundred thousand, more than fifty percent are betas, about thirty to thirty-five percent are alphas, and the rest are omegas. Within that small percentage of omegas, less than five percent are male, and only a handful of those are currently pregnant. Among that handful, there is no one with a more dangerous pregnancy than the pink-haired, carmine-eyed twenty-year-old Omega residing in Unit 5403.

This high-risk pregnancy is the reason why instead of serving coffee at Unpoisoned Apple, like usual, Kaiden has been relegated to a house arrest. He protests every day, saying that he can handle working for no more than four hours a day, but it falls on deaf ears. It only took one word from Lucy for his bosses to dismiss him on medical leave. He won't ever say it, but he suspects that they let him go easily because Lucy and Mick are college friends.

At first, Lucy wanted to stay with Kaiden 24/7, but he quickly rejected that idea. It's not that Kaiden is ungrateful. He's happy that his friends come over almost every day to care for him, but there's a limited number of days he can stay inside without feeling tense.

He's bored to death. There's no new show to watch. He has cleaned every corner he can reach and roots will soon grow out of his feet if this keeps up.

He's not even allowed to do anything 'strenuous' around the apartment. Of course, according to his self-proclaimed caretaker's logic, that includes cooking. Even Primo doesn't pester him to cook anymore, which is a miracle in itself. So, here he is, pouting in his living room while Rosa wrestles her way inside the kitchen.

The smoke alarm blares.

Kaiden counts to ten in his head, willing himself to stay seated and not fuss over the mess Rosa is undoubtedly making in his kitchen. He tries to ignore the sparks of irritation itching on his fingers.

When he counts to a hundred, the alarm is still ringing loud. Rosa's voice is louder as she shouts various expletives.

Hearing that, his patience runs out. He stands, careful while wearing the non-slip slippers Primo brought for him, and heads into the kitchen.

He expected the mess, but no amount of preparation is enough for the sight Kaiden sees. Rosa, covered in flour, is trying to stop the gushing faucet with her hands. The sink is full, all his cookware piled on top of each other. Unpackaged slabs of meat are left to spoil on the counter. The rice cooker has not been turned on. There's a running egg on one side of the wall, next to streaks of ketchup. And is that … soggy vegetable and bacon grease on the floor?

Kaiden can't see, not with the black smoke coming out from the frying pan sizzling on the stove.

When Rosa shouts again, his fury boils to a max. There's no helping it. He's grumpy and hormonal, especially since morning sickness has been kicking his ass.

"OUT!" he yells.

Rosa, shocked at his sudden appearance, stops cursing. Her black hair, usually majestic, is limp with water and oil. She stares at him with wide golden eyes that are almost comical if not for Kaiden's already bad mood.

"Out, now!" he yells again.

She flinches but then softly says, "Kaiden… it's okay. I can handle this."

"No, you can not." He grits his teeth, the corner of his eyes threatening to spill tears. He is so, /so/ annoyed and although he knows it's not her fault, he can't stop his mood from swinging up and down.

She comes closer, dirty hands hesitating on how to comfort him. "Just sit in the living room. Lunch will be ready soon."

When he sees how careful she's being with him, the sobs come out. "I'm pregnant." His shoulders shake, one hand unconsciously holding on to his flat belly. "Not disabled. I want to go out."

"Okay, okay." Rosa is quick to agree. "Let's just order take out. I'll call someone to clean this up later, okay?"

Kaiden nods, but when he sees how dirty the kitchen is, he cries louder. His hiccups are loud; he can't stop them.

Rosa full-on panics. She shifts from left to right while saying, "No, don't cry. Don't cry, Kaiden. It's okay."

After about five minutes of restlessness, Kaiden stops. Rosa stays silent as she waits for him to speak again.

Then, without prompting, he says, "I'm sleepy."

"Okay, let's go to bed." Rosa is unsure of how they came to this, but she prefers a sleeping Kaiden over a crying Kaiden any day. 

Kaiden nods, eyes already coming to a close, as he lets Rosa guide him to his room. She tucks him in without a word, not forgetting to turn off the lights as she leaves. It doesn't take long for Kaiden to fall into a slumber, tired from doing nothing all day.

--

Kaiden wakes up to a text from Lucy saying that she left food for him on the dinner table. There's also an apology message from Rosa, and Kaiden replies with an apology for his earlier behavior.

He feels better now, so maybe all he needed was a nap. Next time, he'll take a nap first, in case he's in the mood to yell at his friends again. He says that every time, but there's no telling what little thing will tick him off.

He leaves his bed, heading over to the dining area. When he checks, the kitchen is clean as promised.

Thankfully, the fried chicken that Lucy bought is still warm. The doctor didn't put him on any dietary restriction, so he can chow down on the food as much as his stomach allows.

Kaiden moves with ease as he sets up in the living room, intending to watch whatever is on the TV as he eats. After surfing through multiple channels, he decides on a survival reality show starring celebrities and their siblings. He sits on the floor, meal on the coffee table, laughing at the funny scenes even with his mouth full.

As the show is interrupted with its third commercial, he quickly stands to grab a drink from the fridge. He goes barefoot, not wanting to be late in case the show comes back on.

However, his hasty movement causes the remote to fall from where it's placed. It falls, face first, switching the channel to a talk show.

Kaiden only notices when he's on the way back to the living room, an orange soda on hand. As he slowly comes closer, he hears what the two hosts are talking about. The female host on screen is talking about what to expect now that two elite families joined hands in marriage. The male host agrees with her speculations, saying that this wedding is bound to make waves in the corporate world.

It then proceeds to show a clip from the wedding, but Kaiden doesn't pay attention. He's busy thinking about how to recreate the fried chicken—if he needs to buy an air fryer to do so or not.

His musing only lasts for five seconds because he hears a familiar voice from the TV.

Snapping his head up, he is met with the last person he wants to see.

It's Keisha, his sister. She's beautiful, all dolled up with her delicate makeup and her white gown.

Kaiden can't move from where he's standing. He's stuck watching as she gives her wedding speech.

She thanks the guest for coming, her parents, Gabriel's parents, their friends, the sponsors. She mentions just about everyone who's anyone. When Kaiden thinks it's about to end, he hears a surprise.

She mentions him—by name.

"I wish my brother, Kaiden, could be here today," the Keisha on screen says, all fake sadness on that porcelain face. "But I'm glad that he's happy with his new life in Nysus City."

The soda in his hand falls to the floor. 

"I miss him so much." She smiles, blindingly charming, but all Kaiden can see are those fair hands around his neck. "Fortunately, we'll be meeting again soon."

/Gods/, she's coming.

She's coming for him.

Kaiden can't stop the shiver that runs through him, the cold sweat across his back.

He takes a step forward—to leave, to run, to escape before she gets here. He doesn't make it far. He feels something wet on his foot as the world turns upside down.

It's the last thing he remembers before the pain blinds him.