Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Robin
Itake Dr. Clarke’s arm when I leave the room. The hallway seems narrow, and my tight clothing feels weirdly restrictive. I try to clear my head as I let him lead me down the corridor.
“This is just a talk,” Dr. Clarke reminds me. “You don’t have to make any decisions today. That’s not what this is about. Lana just wants to get an idea of what you might want to do.”
I nod slowly.
Lana Cole is the woman in charge of Goldcrest Omega Academy.
She agreed to set up an emergency medical unit when the Alpha Alliance decided to go out and rescue a whole bunch of Omegas who were being held captive by the Alphas who bought them.
She explained why I was here when I tried to escape, and I learned the rest from nurses I pestered with questions.
Instinctively, I want to trust Lana, like I want to trust Dr. Clarke.
It feels like they care.
But it’s hard to know for sure after everything I’ve been through.
I blinded myself to what my life was so easily before.
I’m afraid to make the same mistake again.
Dr. Clarke opens a door and leads me into a big open area, with tiled flooring and brighter lighting. I squint a little as I take in the details. There are elevator doors across from us, and a desk to my left with a woman sitting behind it, smiling brightly as she types something into a computer.
I can’t help but feel extra self-conscious as I look at the woman behind the desk.
She’s beyond pretty, with nicely styled red hair several shades more vibrant than mine, and her posture makes it obvious she’s full of confidence. She turns our way as we get closer, and I see her smile is warm and genuine.
This woman is definitely an Omega.
“Hi, Dr. Clarke! Are you visiting Lana?”
“Actually, Erika, I’ve brought Robin to visit Lana,” Dr. Clarke admits.
“I’ll just let her know,” Erika says, picking up her phone.
Dr. Clarke nods.
We wait by the side of the desk while Erika tells Lana we’re here.
She puts the phone down and turns back to us.
“She’s ready for you.”
Dr. Clarke smiles. “Thanks.”
He leads me past the desk, toward a corridor with what looks like a garden bench pushed up against one wall.
The door across from the bench opens, and a man in a leather jacket steps out.
He’s tall and blond and he has the energy of an Alpha.
“Is this her?” he asks, in a gruff voice, nodding at Dr. Clarke.
“This is Robin. Robin, this is Owen. He’s head of security around here.”
I nod slowly. “Nice to meet you.”
He grunts in response, barely looking at me.
“Manners, Owen,” Dr. Clarke prompts.
The big blond rolls his eyes and looks at me. “Good to meet you, Robin.”
“Better,” Dr. Clarke mutters, shaking his head.
He leads me into the room, which is kind of an office, I guess.
Lana is sitting behind a desk at the back of the room.
She glances up from the computer and pulls on a smile.
“Robin, I’m glad you could come. Take a seat, I’ll be right over.”
Dr. Clarke gestures to one of the sofas. There are two across from each other with a coffee table in between. It’s a strange set up for an office, I think. I only know what I’ve seen in movies and TV shows, so it’s hard to tell.
I sit down on the sofa closest to the door.
Lana comes out from behind her desk, as Dr. Clarke moves over to where she is.
They talk quietly, and I get the impression they have a slightly closer relationship than I realized.
“I’ll be outside when you’re done talking,” he tells us, nodding at Lana as he leaves the room.
She watches him go with a soft smile on her lips.
Owen follows Dr. Clarke out of the room, after a second’s pause.
Then, the door closes and we’re alone.
When Lana sits down across from me, I notice something has changed since I last talked to her.
She has mating marks on her throat. It’s hard to tell how many, but there are at least two, one on either side.
“Are you mated to Dr. Clarke?” I blurt, unable to stop the question from leaving my lips.
She laughs. “Is it that obvious?”
“You two just have kind of a … vibe, or something,” I murmur.
She nods. “It’s new, but we’re together. We try to keep things professional at work.”
Of course she does. They didn’t do anything that wasn’t.
I wish I hadn’t mentioned it, but it’s too late to take it back now.
She clears her throat. “I was hoping we could talk about how you’re feeling now that you’re starting to get healthier."
Right. That.
I don’t know where this conversation is going, so I decide I might as well be honest.
"I’m feeling restless,” I admit, tugging at the sleeves of my shirt. “I’m used to being kept busy. I don’t like lying around doing nothing all day.”
“Okay. If Ez … I mean, if Dr. Clarke thinks you’re up to it …”
“He mentioned letting me go for a walk in the gardens. I think that would be a good start.”
And if we could leave it at that, I’d be ecstatic.
Unfortunately, Lana looks like she has more to say.
“That does sound like a great first step,” she starts, clearly hesitant before she adds, “But I’d like to get some idea of what’s next for you, so we can start making preparations. Is there something you’d like to study? Do you have any skills you might want to develop, or begin to learn?”
“Study?” I squeak out, starting to panic.
She runs a school, and she’s asking questions as if I’m a potential student.
It’s the last thing I expect, and it’s the worst thing she could ask.
I can’t imagine the disaster that would follow if I attempted to pass myself off as a college student. Colleen did a lot for me, but she wasn’t a teacher, and she didn’t try to be. A girl with no formal education to speak of has no business enrolling in college.
“Are you okay?” Lana asks, concern in her dark eyes.
I nod quickly. “I um … I wouldn’t know where to begin with studying. I don’t have the smarts for classes. I thought this was a school for Omegas?”
“It is,” she admits, “but I’m in charge, so if you wanted to learn something I could set something up for you.
As a student, you’d be entitled to a suite in the academy.
If you’re not sure about studying, we might be able to offer you work on campus, and that would also entitle you to a room here, if you wanted to stay. ”
I straighten in my seat. “Work? What kind of work?”
She smiles. “Well, I need more administrative staff to deal with paperwork, but we could also use a new kitchen hand and I’m willing to consider other roles if you have any specific skills you’d like to utilise.”
“Kitchen hand sounds perfect!”
My face flushes with heat. I know I sound desperate, but I’m just so relieved that I won’t have to fake my way through some sort of academic course in order to keep a roof over my head.
As much as I’ve been desperate to be released from my hospital room, I know I would struggle out in the real world.
It’s a place I’ve never experienced. I wouldn’t know where to start, or who to trust. It wouldn’t be easy, not in the slightest. Staying here where the people have been nice to me feels like the smarter option, for now. I feel safe here.
“I’d be grateful if you could consider me for that job,” I add.
“It’s all yours if you want it,” Lana says. “But we can talk more about it once you’ve been given the all-clear from Dr. Clarke. And I’m guessing you don’t have a birth certificate, or social security details?”
I shake my head. “I’ve never been told about any of that so I would guess not.”
It probably makes me a nonentity in the eyes of the government.
It’s just another confirmation that no one in the real world knew about me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll speak to our lawyer about all of that. We’ll get it sorted out,” Lana assures me.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
A stab of guilt hits me.
She’s doing so much to help without even being asked.
I don’t know how I can ever repay her for this kindness.
“It’s all going to be okay, Robin,” she tells me. “You’ll be back on your feet in no time.”
She gives me a smile, and I try to move my lips to mirror that gesture, but I just can’t do it.
I spent my whole life thinking I was someone I wasn’t.
I didn’t have a real home, a real job, a real anything.
Will staying here mean the same thing, or will it be different?
I’m not going to know until I see the results of staying for myself.
“Is it okay …” I start, hesitating when a lump rises in my throat. I swallow it down quickly and force the rest of the words to come out of my mouth. “Can I ask about my mother?”
She blinks at me. “Your mother? What did you want to know?”
“She died when I was young,” I explain. “I don’t know what happened, exactly, but I’m assuming there wasn’t a funeral considering the circumstances.
You probably remember, the police spoke to me a while back.
I’m sure they left a card, but I think someone must have mistaken it for trash while I was sleeping.
I wanted to know if they found her body, or if …
If Ivan Hamilton told them anything about her. ”
“I can find out the name of the detective who’s handling the case,” Lana says. “I’ll get you a phone number.”
“Thanks.”
I know Ivan was arrested after I was rescued, but according to the police he was protesting his innocence. According to him, Colleen took me in when I was a toddler.
He probably thinks he’s done enough to save himself.
I doubt he knows I remember my mother.
Though that may have changed by now.
The police were armed with that knowledge after they spoke with me.
It might be enough to keep him behind bars, but it would be easier to keep him there if they could conclusively prove my mother is dead, rather than missing.
He deserves to rot in hell, but prison will do for now.
“Okay,” Lana says. “I’ll give you that number when I have it. We should get you back to your room. It must be time for lunch by now.”
I nod, and when she stands up, I follow suit.
Time for my meds. Got to eat first so I guess it’s also time for lunch.
I’ll get used to these regular mealtimes at some point.
Right now, they seem kind of excessive.
Lana opens the door, and I see Owen and Dr. Clarke standing in the hallway.
This time, I catch Owen staring at Lana intensely.
He’s got to be her other mate.
At least this time, I don’t blurt it out.
“Everything good?” Owen asks, not taking his eyes off her.
“Yep. We have a new kitchen hand when Robin’s feeling better,” Lana tells him.
He grunts in response, while Dr. Clarke raises an eyebrow at me.
“Kitchen hand?” he asks, sounding vaguely shocked.
I shrug. “I’m used to that kind of work.”
“Ah,” he murmurs. “That’s nice, as long as it’s what you enjoy.”
Enjoy? I feel confused for a moment before it clicks.
He’s a doctor. He probably chose to be one because he enjoys helping people.
Working doesn’t have that element for me.
I never chose to grow up in a kitchen, it was chosen for me.
While I’m thankful Colleen made that possible, it’s not something I can say I enjoy.
Keeping busy is good, for sure, and the job covers that. It’s a good enough reason, beyond the bare minimum that the job covers which is to allow me to live in a place where I feel safe.
I nod in response, because I don’t want to say anything that might be perceived as negative, and I don’t trust myself not to blurt out something inappropriate.
“Are you ready for lunch?” Dr. Clarke asks.
I give another nod, and he does the same.
“Then I’ll walk with you back to your room.”
“I’d still like to see the gardens after lunch,” I admit as I step out of Lana’s office.
“Of course,” he tells me, glancing back at Owen and nodding his head. “We’ll make sure someone’s ready to take you outside when you’re done.”
Another grunt comes out of Owen.
“He’s on it,” Lana says. “See you later, Robin.”
I nod at Lana and then I follow the handsome doctor back to my room.
“Eat as much as you can,” he reminds me as he opens the door. “I’d rather not have to put you back on a drip.”
“I know. I will,” I promise, even if it feels weird to keep eating like I have been considering how tight my only set of clothes are. If I put on any more weight, my ass is going to jiggle like my boobs do now.
I step into the room, and he follows.
I feel like groaning.
Is he going to watch to make sure I eat?
The thought makes my stomach churn.
He stays near the door, handle still in hand. “Don’t forget your meds. You need the full course, or your infection might come back.”
“I remember,” I reply, as I get to the table and lift the lid on the tray of food.
“You’ll be doing well enough by the end of the week if you remember to take them over the next few days. You’re almost done with your course.”
I barely manage to hold back a sigh.
Another whole week in this windowless room?
I’m going to be driven absolutely crazy by then.
“Could you make sure I’m allowed to go for a walk after lunch every day?” I ask as I pick the green apple off the tray.
He nods. “Of course.”
“I’ll remember my meds, and I won’t forget to eat.”
He seems happy with that, and I’m happy to have a chance to get some fresh air every day.
I take a bite of the apple when he leaves. It tastes good, so I keep eating until I have nothing but the core left in my hand. I place that piece down and pick up one half of the ham sandwich.
I eat it slowly, fighting the urge to put it down.
My stomach will revolt if I take the meds without food.
Every bite I eat helps. I finish it, and then I take my meds with a glass of water.
I’m not sure how easy it’s going to be to keep eating like this once I don’t have the pressure of a doctor and the thought of meds making me sick, but I know it’s important.
Colleen underfed me for a reason.
She wanted to make me look sick, to make sure no man thought I was pretty enough to abuse.
The things those men would have done to me would have hurt me worse than she did.
I’m not sure I was ever strong enough to survive the torture my mother endured.
But I know I can undo what Colleen did.
I refuse to let anything ruin my chance at a normal life.
That’s what my goal is now that I’m free of that house.
To find some semblance of normal in this world.
So, if I need to eat to stay healthy, I’ll eat.
If I need to stay in this room for another week, I’ll stay.
I’ll do whatever it takes, because I won’t let the man who took my mother’s life steal mine as well. He’s the one who deserves to be held captive now, and for the rest of his miserable life.
If there’s any real justice in this world, that monster will never see the light of day again.