Chapter 16 Camden #2
I nodded. “We all seemed to realize early on that Ma was too involved. Charles was almost out of the house by the time I was born. I’m not sure what happened that they stopped having kids after me, but I’m the last of their brood.”
Garin smiled. “And your parents. Do you talk to them often? What are they like?”
I sighed. “Growing up, I didn’t realize that Ma being so involved in everything I did was an issue.
My younger self thought that it was great that I had a mom that was so attentive.
In reality, I think she was having some sort of issue with the fact that she wasn’t going to have more children, and she was struggling to let go. I wasn’t allowed to grow up.”
Garin nodded. “I believe there might be more truth to that statement than you think.”
That surprised me. “Really?”
“Yes. We’ve all seen it more often than anyone realizes. Do your brothers have a good relationship with your mother?”
I shook my head. “No. If they’re not completely no contact, they’re very low. I was the last to live near them and the last to leave the area. No matter what I would say or ask, Ma would always just ignore any boundary I set.”
“Are you all right to go no contact? Or do you not feel comfortable with that?”
I thought about it for a moment. I knew what I needed to say, but I also felt so guilty for thinking it.
“What are you thinking right now?” Garin asked. “Your face looks as if you’re quite indecisive.”
“Yeah. I know I need to say that I can go no contact. But I feel guilty about it.”
“Your brothers. Do any of them have children? Are they also omegas?”
I shook my head. “Three are mated with children. Charles and Caleb are completely no contact. Even with our father. All of the others are very low contact, but the last I’d heard, Carson and his mate were cutting off our parents.
Cameron said he blocked their numbers a few weeks ago because when Ma didn’t get an answer, she just started using Dad’s phone or email.
” I sighed. “I’m the only omega. Does that make any difference? ”
“It most likely contributes. It seems as if your mother simply has an issue with boundaries, but there also appears to be some sort of underlying issue. She can’t separate her babies from grown men who have lives of their own.
Have any of you ever asked your father if she’s seen a doctor?
It isn’t common in shifters, but there are times when an omega has severe enmeshment in their children’s lives.
They can’t separate being a mother from a person. ”
I blinked several times. “She can’t let go because she can’t stop being a parent?”
Garin nodded. “In essence, yes,” he said. “I’ve not seen your mother, and I’m only going on what you’ve said so far. How is she around your brothers’ mates? Their children?”
I cringed. “She lost her mind when Anne tried to take their oldest back from her to feed her,” I said.
“I only remember it so vividly because I happened to be there because Charles and Anne were visiting with the baby for the first time. Their son was exclusively breastfed, and Ma absolutely would not accept that. She insisted on feeding the baby.” I thought back to that weekend and remembered just how horrible the entire weekend was.
“Charles and Anne ended up packing up and leaving in the middle of the night that night. They went completely no contact and have been since. Our parents don’t even know that they’ve had two other children since. ”
“Does she accept your boundaries? Does she know you’re pregnant?”
“No and yes. Well, I have to assume she knows I’m pregnant. She knows I’ve met my mate. That usually happens when you meet your mate.”
“It does. I’m told it can be put off for a bit now. I’ve not really seen that personally, but most of the people that I know that are finding their mates are super excited about having a family right because they are older.”
I took several deep breaths, wondering about how I was going to deal with everything. “I feel guilty about cutting them off.”
“Why? I can understand if they were amazing parents, but it sounds as if there was certainly room for improvement. I can’t say what is wrong with your mother,” Garin said, continuing on.
“But I do recommend you talking to your brothers who are no contact and asking why they completely cut off your parents. There’s most likely a reason, and it probably has a lot to do with their mates and possibly the children. I’m leaning more toward the latter.”
I nodded. “All right. I’ll message Charles and Caleb later and see what they have to say.”
“I know it’s easy for me to say because it doesn’t involve me.
But there is no reason to feel guilty for how you feel.
There is no guilt in cutting out relationships, even familial ones, when they do not work for your own mental health.
” Garin nodded slowly. “It is my professional opinion that if you do contact your parents, you do not do so while you are still pregnant. If you should happen to, I think you should make certain Maxwell is there with you.”
“What about the guilt? How do I fix that?”
“It takes time. You have to work through your emotions, and while pregnant, it might not be the best time for that. Even if you aren’t experiencing other issues, your emotions are not going to be what they usually are.
It’s part of it. You have to come to terms and accept that your mother is not necessarily a healthy relationship for you right now. ”
That was difficult to hear, but deep down, I knew she was right.
It was what Cameron had been saying for a while.
I hadn’t really talked to Charles or Caleb recently because I didn’t want to intrude on their families.
They were busy making lives for themselves with their mates.
I gave Garin a fake smile. “It’s a lot,” I said.
“I know what you’re saying is true. I mean, I had to mute and then block my parents’ numbers when I left.
Same with their email address, but she just kept making new ones. ”
Garin’s brow furrowed. “Tell me about those?”
I winced. “I wouldn’t even know where to start. Just guilt trips, mostly. How I left and abandoned her just like my brothers. How now I, her only omega child, will end up having my children away from her. She’ll never get to be a parent again, never know the love of a grandchild. Stuff like that.”
Garin’s furrowed brow turned downright irritated. “Has she always been manipulative?”
I sighed. “I guess. She doesn’t accept boundaries.
She never knocked, just walked right into the room, even if it was the bathroom and we were teenagers and taking a shower.
There were no locks on the doors, not that they stop a shifter anyway.
She wouldn’t accept us having friends and spending time with them outside of the house.
It’s just one thing after another. She’s just… a lot.”
“Can I ask, where was your father? Did he ever step in?”
I shook my head. “Not really. He was there, but he tried to be away as much as he could. He worked. Ma didn’t.
He was really involved in pack things, which left us with Ma for a good part of the day.
There were times when we actually wouldn’t see Dad for a few days at a time because he was gone before we got up and didn’t come home until we were already in bed.
That changed some when we were teenagers and could become more involved with the pack, but it’s difficult when some of you are fox shifters in a wolf pack. ”
Garin smiled. “That I can completely understand. My omega dad is a dragon. My sire is a vampire. I grew up in a vampire coven in the middle of a city. It was incredibly difficult to shift and fly once puberty hit. I do understand the ‘fish out of water’ situation.”
“I almost think being in a coven might have been better. We wouldn’t have been excluded from ‘pack runs.’”
“I want to see you again. Next week, if at all possible, but I know your due date is getting close.”
“Not for another almost three weeks. I have time.”
“Good. I’d like to have Maxwell with you if you don’t mind.
” I shook my head. “I want you to think about specific instances where your mother overstepped. What did she do specifically? How that made you feel. How would you feel if you were in her shoes and you were doing it to your child? Please bring a few specific moments with you. Jot them down and your feelings about them, and we’ll discuss them.
I’m going to say that your guilt comes from her because she’s trained you to feel that way.
It’ll take time to break the cycle, but it can be done. ”
“All right. Just any moments? Mine? My brothers?”
“At least one that specifically impacted you. But if there is something involving your brothers that stands out, then yes, jot that down. We’ll discuss it.”
“I can do that.”
“Good,” Garin said. “I’m not trying to rush you, but Castiel has let me know that my next appointment is here.”
I chuckled. “I get that. We spent some time with Otto. He’s adorable, by the way,” I said as we stood and started toward the door.
“Thank you. I’m completely in love with the little man. He’s so independent, and we love it, but when he’s teething, he wants one of us, usually me.”
“You’re Daddy. That’s understandable. Even at his young age, he’s going to recognize that you are the one that gave birth to him. He already knows your heartbeat; that’s why it’s soothing to him.”
Garin smiled. “It’s incredibly different having a patient who is a doctor that is experienced in taking care of children.”
I shrugged. “I enjoy spending time with the little ones. I think being an omega has something to do with that, honestly.”
We were at the front desk, and Garin smiled at Henry. “Henry, could you schedule Camden for next week if at all possible? He and Maxwell will be coming in together.”
“Sure thing, Dr. Braun.”
I smiled at Garin when he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for all of your help with Otto. It’s a huge relief,” he said.
“It truly was no problem.”
Garin nodded at me, then looked out into the waiting room. An omega stood and walked closer, then went down the hallway with Garin.
“I’m finished, so whenever you have time, I’m ready,” I told Maxwell through our bond.
“I’ll be right there.”
“All right, Dr. Braun doesn’t have anything open next week. But the week after, he has the seventeenth, the nineteenth, and the twentieth open.” I winced. “No good?” Henry asked. I felt Maxwell suddenly beside me. Henry glanced up at my mate and smiled.
“I’m due the eighteenth, so let’s say the seventeenth and see how things go.”
“Oh,” Henry said. “How about we wait, and when Dr. Braun comes out of his current appointment, I’ll ask him about shuffling something? They have things scheduled that aren’t in clinic, so maybe he’ll have something open that I’m not aware of. Does that sound good?”
“It does. Can we do that?”
Henry smiled. “We absolutely can. I’ll reach out in about an hour. Does that work?”
I glanced up at Maxwell. “It does. We have nothing for the next two hours, but then we have an appointment.”
I shrugged. “Thanks, Henry. Have a good rest of your day.”
“You too.”
I turned to Maxwell, and as soon as I placed my hands on his chest, my stomach flipped, and we were standing back in the clinic in our shared office.
“How did things go? Do you want to talk about it?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not sure we have enough time, but I can start?”
“Starting is always good,” Maxwell said as he led me over to the sofa.