27. Garret
Chapter 27
W here the fuck did I fall asleep, and why is it so goddamned bright in here? A better question would probably be what the hell I did last night. My head is pounding like the worst hangover ever, and my mouth feels like I licked a fucking sidewalk.
The room smells stale and sterile, like a hospital, and I cringe at how fucking trashed I must have been to get here. It’s been at least a few years since things got that bad, and usually Steve’s right here with me, having followed me down the rabbit hole of misery.
Bright, honey-brown eyes swim through my mind, a girl with long dark hair and a laugh that lights up my soul—Kelly! Where the fuck is she? My body jerks hard in the bed, trying to sit up. Cords wrap around my arm, pinching and restricting my movement. My eyes don’t want to open. It’s too damned bright, but I need to figure out what the hell happened.
The loud, gruff voice of my pack leader cuts through the haze. “Fuckin’ hell, Kid. Stop flailing before you hurt yourself.” A big hand lands on my chest, not hard enough to pin me in place, but it helps bring reality back into focus. My eyes feel crusted over as I finally manage to pry them open. The room is all white sheets and bright overhead lights, the windows still dark.
Sam scrubs the hand not touching me down his face. “Shit fire, Kid, you had me worried. How’re you feeling?” He reaches over and pushes the nurse call button on the side of the bed while my mind spins and tries to make sense of everything. My face fucking hurts, and I strain to remember what happened.
Kelly’s not here. She’s back at home with Steve, so at least she’s safe. There was the coffee shop, the rest stop. Then we got back to the apartment, I talked to the moving company, and we were finishing cleaning the bedroom so they could…Oh…Fuck me sideways. Dad!
Jerking against Sam’s hold, my voice is weak and scratchy. “Teddy...Is Teddy ok? What happened?”
He raises his eyebrow. “You don’t remember anything? Even wakin’ up yesterday evenin’ here?”
I think…maybe; I remember Sam and someone else. Sam purred for me, and I made a joke about how hot he is. Fuck, I can’t think right now. “Sorry Sam, everything’s…fuzzy. I reme mber going to the apartment, and you guys cleaning, Dad showing up. But after that…nothing clear. Sorry.”
The way he gently pats my arm seems so at odds with his size. It’s never really been a question of how caring he is as a leader, and the tenderness he shows just screams how different lead alphas can be from how Steve and I grew up. Hell, he openly disliked us a week ago. So much has changed in a short time. I want to thank him for accepting us, because it seems like such a huge thing, but it feels like that would make it awkward.
“Well, after the shitshow with your dad, Teddy called 911. You’re in the hospital, and almost got your skull punctured…” He pauses like he’s trying to think of how to say the next part, but at least that would explain the horrible ache. He looks intense for a second, opening his mouth to continue, but the sharp knock on the door has him snapping it shut.
A nurse comes in with a clipboard and draws up short when he sees me awake. “Oh, Mr. Carpenter, is everything ok?” I try to nod, but it makes me want to scream, so I croak out a raspy, “Yes,” instead.
He nods in understanding. “Alright then, I’ll just go see if I can find the doctor for you. Just a moment.” He leaves quickly, but it doesn’t set any alarm bells off, so I can only assume my father isn’t at the hospital with us. He sends everyone scurrying when he’s nearby.
Sam watches the door close before turning back to me. “Anyway, after the ambulance brought you here, I took Teddy back to the center to get his stuff. All his paperwork is filled out. I set up a truck rental and the movers to come back to your place to finish picking everything up. Once you’re loose, we’ll drive over there in my pickup, load it on the trailer, and go get Teddy so we can get the fuck outta this batshit crazy city and go home.”
I go to nod again and groan. His hand comes up to stroke my hair, holding it back from my aching forehead and frowning. “Kid, you weren’t awake when the doctor came back in. They mentioned some damage, but wanted to wait until you were awake to go into it further. And, well, it’s a good thing you got a hard head. It sounds like you’re lucky your brain hadn’t been completely scrambled already. There anything else you feel like you need to tell me about growing up, anything that might not have come up last week?”
Cringing internally, I don’t want to lie to Sam, but there are also some things I’m not comfortable admitting to anyone…at least not yet. He stares at me before heaving a sigh. “Alright, Kid…but it’s not just you boys now. You got Teddy, Kelly, and me. We ain’t had a proper bonding yet, but it don’t matter. We’re here if you need us, understand?”
His hand comes down in a gentle pat on my arm before he sits down in the chair by the bed. It has a pillow laying across the seat, and a blanket draped over the back and I wonder how long he’s been here, and if I woke him up. Before I can ask, there are two loud raps on the door, and it opens without waiting for an answer.
An older gentleman in a white-coat steps through, his name tag proclaims him as Dr. Baxter. He’s obviously been slathered in de-scenter, but I catch the faintest familiar whiff of sandalwood and sage—it’s so rare to see another alpha in the medical field because our strong sense of smell and tendency towards aggression can cause problems in delicate settings. I sit up straighter, wanting to ask him a thousand questions.
Unfortunately, this causes another agonizing throb across my skull, and I double over, retching from the pain. Sam lets out a loud curse, reaching for the pan beside me and holding it under my bowed head—but nothing comes out except drool. There’s a scuffling of shoes on tile, and the white coat comes into my line of vision.
“Garret, are you ok? Can you sit up so I can take a look at you, please?” My eyes lift first, and my brain does another one of those little twirls. He could be familiar…I’m back to squinting now, not from the light but trying to figure out if I know this man, and how. Not everyone who knows my name is associated with good memories, and I suddenly feel too vulnerable.
“You need boost, Kid?” Sam’s solid hand on my shoulder helps me sit up slowly, and he eyes the doctor like he might start growling at any moment.
To his credit, Dr. Baxter’s gaze flicks between me and my open file in his hands, mostly ignoring my pack lead. Thinking hurts and I give up. It’ll just be easier to ask. “I’m sorry. Do I know you? You might look familiar, but honestly, everything’s kind of a blur right now.”
Dr. Baxter’s smile is tense as his eyes meet mine. “I’m sorry. We’ve met a few times, at guest lectures over at UCLA. It’s been a few years; you were still an undergraduate. But your teacher spoke fondly about you.” His eyes flick down to my chart and back to me. “That being said, is long term memory loss a problem that you’ve noticed?”
I must be hanging around Kelly too much, because before I can consider an actual answer, my mouth pops open. “Well, if it is, I can’t remember it.” The doctor looks stunned for a moment. Sam groans and I bury my aching face in my hands.
After a few minutes, I manage to make eye contact again. “I’m so sorry, Doctor, I’ve spent too much time with my beta recently and she tells the worst jokes. I don’t know where that came from.” Both of the other alphas smile, and Dr. Baxter nods.
“It’s ok, our pack rubs off on us, and not always in the best of ways.” He chuckles lightly, like he’s thinking of his own mates before suddenly getting serious. “Garret, are you aware of any events that might have resulted in blunt force trauma to your head? There’s nothing in your charts, but…” He tapers off, as if unsure how to finish that sentence.
‘Sir, do you know you’ve been hit in the head repeatedly and had multiple concussions?’
‘Why yes, Doctor, I am aware. Thank you for asking.’
Fuck my life.
“When we took your x-rays, we noticed several healed fractures—not areas along the growth plates—and we wanted to check for any underlying problems.”
His gaze swings from me to Sam and back, causing my alpha to let out a low growl. “Garret, do you feel safe at home? If you need help, we’re here for you.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he’s asking, and I nearly choke trying not to laugh. Which I’m sure would upset Sam more. Once I’ve gained the ability to speak without snickering, I try again. “I’m sorry, Doctor. I’ve known Sam for less than two weeks. He’s only recently become my alpha because Kelly, my beta I mentioned earlier, was already a part of his pack before we met. She’s in a relationship with Sam and my brother’s omega, Teddy.”
Dr. Baxter looks between us again, momentarily perplexed. “So, am I to understand you have no idea how your skull was fractured, Mr. Carpenter? I find that highly unusual.” So much for being on a first name basis, I guess.
Before I can even contemplate whether or not I want to share my father’s name, Sam’s loud snarl rips through the room. He looks viscous and his voice is rage-filled as he spits out, “Marcus Fucking Carson.” Dr. Baxter looks surprised for a moment, but recovers quickly.
“Garret, we’d like to get you in for an MRI to check for any brain trauma or other injuries before further problems occur. It may be nothing, but I’d rather be safe than sorry in this case.” I swallow convulsively. It feels like I’ve been hit by a truck. I just came to get my shit so I can move on to the next phase of my life with my pack.
“Do you think I need one? Ok, stupid question. But Dr. Baxter, it’s probably nothing, right?”
The good doctor looks me over for a moment. “Mr. Carpenter, I can only assume you’ve had one too many knocks to the head to be thinking clearly at this point. Yes, you need the MRI, you studied medicine, you know how this works. Get the damned scan.” All good humor is gone from his expression as he stares intently at me.
I look over at Sam, but he won’t be any help either, because I’m sure he’ll agree with the doctor.
I don’t have time for this shit.