Chapter 8
8
brIAR
The days pass quickly once I’ve gotten myself back together enough to live like normal.
Busy with back-to-back baby deliveries and then home visits, it’s been hard to find the time to wallow in self-pity.
I save that for once I’ve gotten home and start drinking fruity wine from the bottle in a hot bubble bath.
My stock of bath bombs and fancy lotion bars is quickly depleting at the rate I’m going, and I’m still not over what happened.
The initial burn has died a bit.
Now, I’m left with that biting sensation in my gut that has me constantly second-guessing myself.
It’s like something’s wrong, but I’m unable to pinpoint what.
All I know is that I’m just .
. . off.
“Okay, she should be here any minute,” Clover announces, peeking through the small gap left in the office doorway.
“She’s not going to appear any quicker with you spying.”
“Hush. I don’t want her to hear us gossiping.”
I hide a laugh in my hand.
“Alright.”
“We have everything ready, right?” She whips around, abandoning the door in her panic.
“The pamphlets and information packets? I emailed you the forms, right? Are they printed?”
“Slow down. We’ve done this a million times by now. I printed the forms and went through the folder this morning to check if we missed anything. Which we didn’t. This meeting isn’t any different than any of the others we’ve done.”
She nods, hands falling to grip her hips as she sucks in a deep breath.
“I know. It’s just that she’s in trouble, and that makes it feel different.”
“I know. But we handled it last time we were in this sort of situation.”
It just hasn’t been for a few months.
We haven’t needed to hire security to hang around outside of the building since the last runaway omega sought us out.
Asking for another few bodies to help was a bit nerve-racking, but it didn’t change our willingness to help Sadie.
If anything, it only made us more serious about what we were about to do.
“I’m being dramatic,” Clover relents, shoulders slumping.
“No, you’re being cautious. That’s not a bad thing. Especially not today. We’ll listen to Sadie’s story and go from there, okay?”
Her eyes meet mine as her lips tug into a soft smile.
“Yeah, okay.”
“Come sit beside me and try to relax so you don’t scare her away when she gets here,” I urge, patting the empty chair beside me.
“You don’t think she’ll have trouble where to go without one of us waiting at the door?”
“No. Alicia knows to bring the patients to this room herself when they arrive.”
Clover swallows and rushes toward me before plunking down on the chair.
She smooths the top of her pencil skirt and wiggles her shoulders in her white coat, drawing my attention to the Dr. Clover stitched in hot pink thread on the left breast.
“Maybe my heat is coming soon,” she grumbles, fanning herself.
“Are you serious? You shouldn’t be here, then?—”
“I’m fine right now. I’m just blaming my anxiety on hormones. Ignore me.”
I lean close, my brow twitching.
“Are you sure?”
That does remind me that mine should be coming in a couple of weeks.
I’ll have to phone the heat clinic as soon as I can to reserve yet another room.
“I’m sure. Not that I’d have let a heat affect this meeting, anyway. This is too important to postpone.”
“For an OB, you’re the worst when it comes to your own health,” I scold.
“Don’t you even start. Have you already forgotten how I found you Saturday?”
“As if you’d let me.”
“Exactly.”
I shake my head, leaning back in the plush leather chair.
We didn’t spare any expenses when it came to the furniture in this clinic, including the elaborate glass table in front of us and the comfortable chairs we’re sitting on.
It’s not like we spend a lot of time in meetings, but for the few hours a week we are here, comfort wasn’t something we were willing to compromise on.
Omegas are the most sensitive and picky of all designations, and I say that with pride instead of judgment.
I love being comfortable and can get irritable quickly if I’m not.
Clover and I go into every meeting with a new patient knowing that they’re most likely in the same boat as us.
“How are you doing, Bri? Feeling any better yet?” Clover asks.
I force myself to smile wider than I could naturally.
“I’m getting there. Work helps.”
“And you haven’t seen that guy again?”
“No, and I’m not about to go back to that restaurant to see if he’ll show up. He’s gone, Clo.”
She rests a hand over the one I have palm down on the table, leaving fingerprints on the glass.
“What about Greg? Have you heard from him since?”
“I blocked his number the other night.”
“Atta girl. He wasn’t worth a second thought.”
He hadn’t reached out to me since I left the restaurant that night.
I took that more of an answer than I would have an outright it’s over text.
Keeping his number open was only encouraging a tiny spring of hope I needed to crush.
I don’t want Greg, and once I saw the huge, yummy-smelling alpha, it became clear that I was only with him for the pack I’d dreamed of having.
It’s pathetic that I even entertained the idea and, honestly, makes me feel like a terrible person.
A user.
“I know,” I say on an exhale.
“I’m back at the starting line now.”
“Maybe not. You could be taking a break halfway through the race instead.”
“No false hope, Clover. I’m too tired for it.”
“All you need is one moment, sweetie. One heated look or sniff of someone delicious.”
“Honestly, at this point, it feels like too much work than it’s worth. Scent matching is what fairy tales are made of, but I guess I just wasn’t expecting it to be so impossible to find mine,” I say, a bit embarrassed to admit that.
“My mom met her pack when she was young and didn’t struggle with any of this.”
Clover rubs my hand.
“They tell us it’s rare for a reason. Your mom’s situation was one in a million.”
“This is all her fault. If she hadn’t found my dad’s, I wouldn’t have grown up wanting to find what she had so badly,” I grumble.
“But if she hadn’t, you also wouldn’t have had the life you did growing up. You’ll find your pack, Briar. I know you will.”
There’s a soft knock on the door that steals our attention.
The wide, almost scared hazel eyes staring at me through the crack in the doorway have me lurching forward in my seat.
“Sadie?” Clover asks, jumping up to greet the omega.
“That’s me,” Sadie whispers timidly.
I shove my issues to the back of my mind at the first whiff of her charred scent.
My best friend slowly opens the door and welcomes Sadie into the meeting room.
It takes her a few moments to step inside.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sadie. I’m Briar,” I introduce myself, keeping my tone light.
“And I’m Dr. Clover Jones, but you can call me Clover or Dr. Clover, whichever you prefer.”
Sadie swaps her stare between both of us, nodding several times.
The arm that folds across her swollen belly has my heart tugging.
She’s small, shorter and far thinner than I am.
The round belly she’s sporting looks like it could tip her over at any moment.
Her clothes are baggy, at least two sizes too big, as they droop over her delicate frame.
That doesn’t stop her bump from making itself known.
“You can take a seat anywhere you’d like. I’ll go get you something to drink. Do you like tea?” I ask, already out of my seat.
She watches me move, only speaking once I’ve gone still.
“I like tea.”
“Great. Clover will get you situated while I’m grabbing that.”
My best friend smiles at Sadie and keeps a few inches away as she finds a seat at the table and sits.
I don’t think too much into her choice to sit on the furthest end from where Clover and I will be for the meeting.
Sadie’s scent isn’t as burnt as it was.
I know that’s all Clover’s doing before even picking up on the subtle spike of brown sugar.
She’s calming her without having to risk speaking too much or crowding her.
I slip past them and out of the room.
The staff room is across the hall and fitted with a full kitchen, including the fancy coffee machine Clover found on a massive discount a few months back.
There’s a tower of cute mugs beside it, and I snag one with red and pink hearts before selecting the hot water option on the machine.
A couple of minutes later, I have a steaming mug of hot water in my hand with a bobbing tea bag inside.
Joining the two women in the meeting room, I offer Sadie a gentle tilt of my lips and set the mug on the table.
“Thank you,” she says.
“Of course. I’ve never been one for tea, but Clover loves it. I hope ginger is okay. It’s usually a favourite among our soon-to-be moms.”
Her brown eyes warm.
“I love ginger.”
Satisfied with that, I take my seat and wait for Clover to take the lead with our usual introduction.
She doesn’t leave me waiting.
“I know you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, and we want you to know that if that’s the case, we completely understand. And if you feel like you need a break at any time during this meeting, please let us know. There isn’t anything too complicated to go over, but we’re not dealing with a simple topic or situation right now.”
“Okay,” Sadie whispers.
“Firstly, I want to ensure you that you’re well protected here. There will be constant security on the premises while you’re here. In addition, we work very closely with the authorities when it comes to these circumstances.”
“By circumstances, you mean my alphas?” She tucks a chunk of black hair behind her ear and huffs.
“They’re not my alphas anymore. I’m just . . . not used to saying otherwise yet.”
I want to go to her and wrap her in a hug.
Suddenly, my problems aren’t all that dire anymore.
“We know. Either way, while you’re here, you don’t have to worry about them. And for while you’re not at the clinic, I understand you have a restraining order?”
“I do,” she confirms, shifting uncomfortably.
“Perfect. We’ll move to the birth-related discussion now if that’s alright?” I ask.
Sadie takes a sip of the tea and keeps the mug held close to her chest as she meets my eyes.
“That’s alright.”
“Do you have any preferences? A birthing plan ready? If not, we’re more than happy to help you create one. They’re kind of my specialty,” I say.
Clover dives a hand beneath the table and reaches for the one I have on my thigh.
She squeezes my fingers in thanks and appreciation.
I grip hers just as tight.
We’ve been here together so many times, but somehow, every time gets better.
With every omega we help, our confidence grows.
The desire to strive for more is an overwhelming feeling, and I’ve grown addicted to it.
Giving Sadie the experience she deserves during such a beautiful, life-changing moment is what keeps me going.
And I know that even if all I had at the end of the day was the work we do here, I’d be happy.