THE OMEGA'S VOW

LYRA

I should have been walking into a honeymoon suite, not being dragged through hospital doors.

My wedding dress brushed against the white floor; the hem was already becoming very dirty, as the smell of antiseptic filled my nose.

I tried holding the dress up a bit, and while doing that, my veil slipped off my shoulders. This night could not be more frustrating. And the more forward we moved, the faster my heart beat so fast it felt like it wanted to escape my chest.

Darius held my hand in a tight grip, but I did not pull away. His voice was filled with desperation as he spoke to the doctor in the hallway.

"Doctor, please, hurry. Do not let her die. Please do not let my sister die." He begged.

Sister.

The word felt surreal in my head. His sister. On our wedding night, my husband was begging for another woman's life.

I swallowed slowly. "Darius-uhm, what exactly is wrong with her?"

He turned around and moved closer to me; from this view, his eyes were red, and his face was soaked with tears.

"Lyra, just stay calm. The doctor will explain."

The doctor slowed down and looked at me. He looked tired. "Mrs. Venn, your husband's sister is in critical condition. Her kidneys are failing. We have been searching for a compatible donor for months-you." He glanced at the file, then at me.

"You are a perfect match."

The words began to dance around my head.

Perfect match.

Donor.

Surgery.

Tonight.

Nothing made sense to me anymore. How? I shook my head slowly. "Me? But I just got married-we were supposed to-how is this even?"

Darius squeezed my hand harder. "Lyra, listen to me. She will not survive the night without this. Please. She is my sister."

He knelt down in front of me. Crying! "I cannot lose her. Not after everything."

I looked at him for what seemed like a few minutes. The man I married today. The man who promised me forever. He now looked like he was about to fall apart.

I thought about my vows. I thought about standing beside him in sickness and in health. Better or for worse.

"What kind of wife would I be if I turned away now?" I whispered more to myself than to him.

"But Darius," I said aloud in a rather shaky voice, "A kidney transplant is not small."

"I know," he said, standing up to his feet and pressing his forehead against mine.

"But I swear, I will make this up to you for the rest of my life. You are saving her. You are saving me. Please, Lyra."

I looked at him again, looking for a reason to back out of this. But I could not find any, I would just be betraying him if I did not. But this was insane. I was scared. How did I go from wedding bells to hospital bed?

My heart began to race again as I thought