Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Ch 44: The offer for cure
Even before Rika opened her eyes, she could sense the sterile environment of the hospital, a place she had become all too familiar with.

The way these people moved around her and the memory of what happened before caused Rika’s brain to conclude where she had ended up.

Rika had no doubt that Emily orchestrated her arrival here, but the question of why and how remained a mystery.

‘Looks like I owe Emily one now. I did not want her to be troubled and have to look after me.’

Rika tried to wake up, but it felt as if there was something over her senses that was preventing her from being able to wake up.

It was difficult to force through that fog, but Rika wanted to be aware and lucid when talking to the doctor.

The first thing Rika smelled was the unmistakable scent of the hospital room. It helped her relax, and Rika’s body sank against the bed.

“Hey, can you relax your arm a little bit? I need to take a sample from your arm and-”

Rika’s body jerked away as that sweet-faced female leaned toward her.

There was a professional and disarming smile on the omega’s face, but the air was ever-so-slightly filled with the scent of irritation.

Rika had no idea why she knew this or how she could tell the difference, but she knew that this sweet-faced lady was not happy to see her.

“Madam, step away from the patient right now. The patient is reacting to your pheromones. Get out right now.”

The doctor quickly ordered the omega nurse to walk out of the room.

It stunned the sweet-looking omega female nurse who had been trying to get Rika’s blood sample.

Red covered the omega’s face as she quickly walked out. But not before she gave Rika one last look of anger and irritation.

“It’s okay! You can calm down. You are safe with us in this hospital room. I will warn all omega doctors not to enter this room until it is an emergency. Your body is going through a pheromone-rejection process. It will stabilise itself quickly.”

Those words reached Rika’s ears but never once registered in her mind.

‘Pheromone rejection? Is that the same condition Suzie has? Do I have it as well? But isn’t that dangerous for me? I cannot feel any pheromone anyway. What should I do now?’

Rika bit her lip, but even that required tremendous effort.

The doctor looked at Rika with a pity-filled expression. But he quickly masked it with a professional smile.

“Would you like me to ask your friend to come and talk to you? You need to know some things, and I think hearing about them from your friends would be a good idea.”

The doctor advised, and Rika nodded.

She did not want Emily or Damian to be the bearer of bad news. But she was sure it would still feel better to hear it from them than a stranger like this doctor.

…

“The patient has regained consciousness, and she is ready for guests. Please remember to be patient with her and not make her feel overwhelmed. She also slightly rejected omega pheromones, but none for the alpha ones.”

The doctor warned the alpha pair in front of him.

Both Emily and Damian listened to the doctor’s words with avid fascination.

It made the doctor feel odd to have someone paying this much attention to what he was saying. But he maintained his professionalism and gave the pair a knowing look.

“Be gentle and careful in there. And call me if anything happens.”

The doctor warned before he opened the door for the pair to enter.

Emily ignored everything around her and walked toward the bed in the centre of the room.

Rika was small, to begin with, but she looked tinier in that giant bed with the soft pillows. Although her expression was closed off, her eyes were the same sharp ones that Emily was used to seeing.

“The doctor said you had some news for me. I am ready to hear what you have to say.”

Rika asked with a straight face, not beating around the bush for a second.

Emily wanted to lighten the situation but could not do anything about it. She could not even count on Damian to lighten the mood because he did not know how.

“Well, the doctor did tell me a few things about your condition. Did you know that you have stunted growth? According to the doctor, the lack of pheromone exposure in your early days caused your body to become stunned and act like a beta.”

“What do you want to do now that you know about it? You can cure it since you still have time. We both will help you out if you want us to.”

Emily asked worriedly, and Rika blinked at her a few times in stunned silence.’

“I see! That explains much about my condition and lack of response to pheromones. I always felt as if I was more insensitive to pheromones compared to other betas. This must be the reason why that is so.”

Rika’s expression was one of acceptance. But nothing else showed up on her face.

Not many things made Emily feel nervous, but this was undoubtedly one of them.

She could not help but check Rika’s expression to know what she was thinking.

“Emily, when did you say I will be discharged? I want to return to my dorms soon.”

Rika’s expression did not change, but Emily could feel a mouth-watering scent lightly coming off her body.

It distracted her from the question Rika had asked her, and she did not realise that Rika was talking until she repeated it.

“Huh? What did you ask me? About your discharge? It should be as soon as your IV drip finishes. But I would feel better if you get the other treatment started as well. We can use mine and Dami’s pheromones to help you out and-”

“There is no need for that. I do not want my condition cured.”