54. Garret
Chapter 54
One Week Later
W aiting sucks. Teddy and I both went in last week for our appointments, and while his results from the genetic matching only took a couple of days, I’m about to lose my fucking mind.
Which is fine…my mind I mean, not the waiting.
There is absolutely no damage to my brain.
Sure, Dad was a horrible person, and there may have been some fractures, but the tissue should be fine.
I’ve never had any problems before.
Kelly wraps her arms around my neck, snuggling against me in the flimsy plastic chair. We’re sitting in the college common area between classes. Steve needed to come up to turn in paperwork registering for next semester, and I wanted to check out the gym area that Sam mentioned, so I tagged along.
“You’re spiraling. Gimme a hug. Tell me what’s on your mind.” She looks up at me and my chest eases. It’s not that I forget about the bond, I just don’t think about it. She knows what’s wrong, but she’s right that maybe getting it out instead of bottling it all up might make it easier.
She has all kinds of cute and sometimes really strange southern sayings that I’ve never heard before. They don’t always make sense.
Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs.
Rainin’ like a cow pissin’ on a flat rock.
Can’t carry a tune in a bucket.
Dumber than a sack of hammers.
That last one was used to describe our mom and dads when they called last week to tell us that Steve and I had been written out of Grandpa’s will. Mom said she was worried about us being “out there in the country with all those hillbillies.” She’d asked if we’d ever watched Deliverance, and said that those types of people can’t be trusted. Apparently, it’s an old movie from the 70s, which Sam assured us was supposed to take place in Georgia, not Mississippi. Also, something about banjo music, but by then Kelly was giggling so hard that I couldn’t focus on anything but her.
I let my forehead lower to rest against hers. “Sorry, Sweetness. My mind’s just all wrapped up, worried about…well, my mind. I’ ve never noticed any problems. But if there is some kind of damage, what effect could that have for finding work? I mean, I got my degree. I just need to find another place to do my residency before I can use it.”
Her arms tighten around my shoulders. “Garret, you are one of the smartest guys I know. If something happened to your big sexy brain, we’ll see what options there are. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, y’know?”
I pull back. “So, wait, you do know how that saying goes?”
Her big brown eyes meet mine, and her smile is mischievous. “Of course I know, I’m not stupid…but let’s be honest, crossing the bridge isn’t always the best option. Sometimes I’d rather jump over the side than cross. Or set fire to it and watch the flames dance merrily in the dark.”
Fuck, I love this woman.
She’s such an adorable fucking weirdo.
My adorable fucking weirdo.
That I happen to share with my brother’s mates.
I can think of worse things.
Like not having her at all.
My phone rings, and I tense until I see the photo of Teddy and Kelly pop up on my screen. So what if all my contact photos include my mate? I’d rather look at her than anyone else. I slide my finger over the button to answer, and Teddy’s nervous voice breaks over the line before I can speak.
“Hey, Garret. Sorry. Um…Apparently there was some confusion at the hospital about me being your omega. They called me to schedule my bone marrow harvesting for the end of May so that Brice has time to finish chemo and get ready…Shit. So, anyway, since they thought I was your omega they were trying to give me all your MRI results, and I told them that they needed to talk to you, so…you’re supposed to go to the hospital in an hour and a half to get the results, sorry. I just thought you’d want the earliest appointment so you could finally get answers.”
All the air seeps from my lungs as my mind processes what he just said. Hour and a half, appointment, thank fuck it’s in the same town as the college and I don’t have to head over to Springfield. I can do this. My mouth feels numb as I reply, “Thanks, Teddy. I really appreciate it. I’ll probably send Steve home with the truck if Kelly feels up to taking me to the appointment.”
My beta nods against my chest where she’s hugging me. “Ok, I’ll let Sam know you two’ll be late. Can you remind Steve to go by the store and pick up some milk and a couple boxes of cereal? He finished the last of Kelly’s s’mores and I don’t want her to kill him.” Kelly’s head pops up off my chest, glaring at the phone, but she doesn’t say anything to alert him that she heard.
“Sure thing, man. Call if you need anything else.” We say our goodbyes and I hang up, looking at the time on my watch. “Looks like you need to get to class, Sweetness. I’ll hang out here till you’re done, then we can head over?” She nods, biting her lip before kissing me softly and sliding out of my lap, to hurry away. I spend the next hour searching online forums about treatment and therapy for long-term damage and brain injury.
K elly places her palm on my leg, stopping it from tapping up and down. We’re sitting in the waiting room at the hospital and her hands haven’t stopped touching me since she joined me after class. Each little pat or caress helping to fortify my mental armor against the chaos whirling through my brain. I didn’t expect to show up to my appointment and just walk in, but come on. We’ve been here for almost an hour.
Finally, a nurse opens the door. She’s staring at a clipboard as she asks, “Mr. Carpenter?”
Kelly nods, and I stand up and walk over to the door the nurse emerged from so she can confirm, “Mr. Carpenter? Garret?”
Kelly nods again and I say, “Yes.”
She looks at Kelly. “And this is your…?”
I say, “Mate,” and at the same time Kelly says, “Beta,” then starts giggling. I think my girl laughs when nervous. The nurse just nods and leads us to the back, explaining what the MRI was looking for, and a quick and dirty rundown of what it does. All of this is information I already know, so I try to take in as much detail from my surroundings as possible. If I ever want to do my residency, I’ll need to find a hospital, and this one might work. If they’ll have me, considering the drama Dad caused.
She puts us in an exam room and asks several questions before telling us that the doctor will be with us soon. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long before an older beta in a white coat arrives carrying a laptop. She looks at me and verifies, “Mr. Carpenter?” before sitting down.
I nod again, and she smiles and opens her laptop, her eyes moving over the screen. “I’m Doctor Hanby. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve been talking to Dr. Baxter because he sent over the referral and wanted to confer. He sent me a copy of your x-rays so I’d know what I was looking for.”
She pauses for a moment to look between Kelly and me. “Now, first off, the MRI didn’t show anything unusual. That doesn’t mean everything’s fine. Some things can take longer to show up. Though based on the appearance of the fractures, they all seem to be older.”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am, at least a decade.”
Her breathing sounds in a sharp intake. “Well then, young man, I’m glad you’re still with us. This sort of thing…well. I’m assuming you didn’t get them playing football in school?” She looks at me hopefully.
“No, ma’am, sorry.” She nods once more, her lips tight.
“Well, regardless. I’m glad you’re in a better situation.” Her eyes flick from me to Kelly. “You know, if you ever feel unsafe at home, either of you, we’re here to help.” She closes her laptop with a snap and nods at us both .
Kelly gives a little, mumbled, “Thank you.” I just nod.
“As I said, I’d like to monitor this for a while. If you can talk to reception, they can get you scheduled for a follow up in about six months.” I nod again, my mind too relieved to form many sentences.
Neither of us really talk on the way home. After being tense for the last week, all my muscles are exhausted. Kelly keeps her hand on my thigh unless she needs to take a corner. I finally get a taste of what Steve mentioned when we were gone, but we’re late for dinner, and I know better than to get between Kelly and food.
Strangely, Sam isn’t in the kitchen when we walk inside. Jake comes bouncing over to greet us while we go looking for our pack. Teddy stands in front of the stove, flipping chicken breasts and stirring a pot. He smiles when Kelly steps up behind him, kissing him between the shoulder blades.
Turning around, Teddy says, “Thank you for not trying to hug me. I don’t want you getting burned.” Then he leans down and kisses her on the forehead before straightening and nodding at me. “Sam and Vee are out back taking measurements for the new shop. Insurance finally came through and he wanted to get started on figuring out if he’d be able to do the rebuild, or if it made more sense to hire a crew. Apparently, he hates dealing with concrete, but he said it’s as good a time to upgrade as any, and having a slab floor would help.”
I step towards the stove, intent on asking if he needs anything, but he just glares at me and says, “You do remember the soup, yeah? I don’t want to piss Sam off. He’s in a good mood. Speaking of which, sit the fuck down and tell me what the doctor said.” He smiles before turning back to the stove and nods along while Kelly and I pass the story back and forth, occasionally filling in parts the other missed.
A short time later Vee and Sam come in the back door, heading straight for the shower to rinse off the soot and dirt. When they get back and we sit down to dinner, Steve talks excitedly about the classes he’s signing up to take in the fall semester.
Kelly and I again recount my visit to the hospital. Sam smiles at each of us, looking content with life. Or as Kelly would say, “Happier than a pig in poop.” Somehow, I don’t think the original saying uses the term poop. Still, I can certainly get behind being happy again.