Against All Odds

Chapter Twenty-Three

"We thought we had a lead on the suppressants Aaron gave you, but our source refuses to talk to us anymore," Herri says, her voice somewhat tinny over the phone. "We think the hospital is starting to close ranks, not wanting to risk getting sued if evidence that implicates your husband is found."

"So what do we do now?" I ask, rubbing my temples as I try to fight off the headache I can feel coming on. This whole day has been terrible, from the twins being restless to my back aching. Add in the fact that my Oma has been calling me relentlessly, it is no surprise to me that my body is so tense. "Is there anything we even can do?"

"We aren't giving up this easily," Herri says. "We may have an opening here soon, but let's not hold our breath. As long as we find the evidence before the babies are born, we will be fine."

Sighing, I lean back on the couch. "Okay. Thanks for keeping me updated."

"Of course," she says. "I'll call back when I learn something new. Have a good rest of your day, Milo."

"Thank you, you too."

Ending the call, I drop my phone on the couch. The headache is starting to get stronger, and I know I need to head home. Taking a nap sounds wonderful right now, and the aching in my back is getting worse.

Pushing myself up off the couch takes a lot of effort, not too surprising since I am six months pregnant with twins. Nico laughed at me the first time he saw me struggling, but had quieted at the swat Maya gave him. Apparently, she knows my pain.

Something spasms in my back as soon as I straighten up, making me fall back on the couch. "What the hell?" I whisper, rubbing at the bottom of my back where the pain had come from. The longer I rub, the more it goes away, but the dull ache seems to echo in reminder as I push myself from the couch again.

Music from the coffee shop filters into my office, making my headache even more. Swearing under my breath, I try to quickly grab all of my stuff, shoving everything into my pack. The desire to be in my own bed bundled beneath my covers is only growing stronger.

It seems like every turn I take, something else has to go wrong. The whole divorce was supposed to be over months ago, but Aaron had to try and control the situation again. He had said he wanted to be done with me, but now he is dragging this out. I highly doubt he even wants to be the Apa to these children. This is just his way of trying to control me, using his status as an alpha to get what he wants.

Just as I am opening the door to my office, the pain from before comes back. It feels like a Charlie horse in the small of my back, a rolling pain before it disappears again.

"Fuck," I whimper, leaning against the door as I try to catch my breath. It isn't necessarily painful, but the clench of muscles keeps catching me off guard, making every move uncomfortable.

Blinking open my eyes, I open the door with a shaky hand, stepping out into the mostly empty shop. It is almost closing, so the only people who remain are those who are coming for one last coffee fix.

Xania is working the coffee bar, sliding me a mug of tea before nodding to someplace behind me. "There is someone here who wants to talk to you." Looking behind me, I notice a woman I have only seen a few times before sitting in a high-backed chair by the fireplace. "She's been here for a while. Didn't want me to disturb you, so she's just been waiting for you to come out."

Janette looks positively round from pregnancy. She must be nearly due, if not overdue by now. Seeing her just causes my body to tense up again, the headache getting stronger with every minute.

Grabbing the hot mug of tea, I slowly make myself over to the other omega. Might as well get this over as soon as possible, so that I can go home and finally get my nap.