Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lucas
My girl is a badass, don’t get it twisted, but I still walk into the damn hospital with her hand firmly in mine. You don’t have to be strong all the time, and I know she’s only going through with this for us.
Isolde would be perfectly happy with not knowing what Ophelia’s done to her body, but as her alphas, we’ll worry. I fucking want to know so that I can be ready to face whatever it is head on. These drugs can affect fertility, her heat schedule, and more.
The last thing she needs is a spontaneous heat when she’s working and away from her mates. Yes, those are the kinds of things that are currently racing through my mind. If we can’t have more kids, that’s fine, but I don’t want to put Isolde through trying.
Leila is the sweetest baby girl, and she’ll be spoiled forever either way.
Oliver, Grant, and Alesso protectively surround us as we walk through the lobby of the hospital. A doctor is standing at the desk, looking annoyed until he sees us all.
I knew there was a high probability that Isolde would be a mess of gore after killing Ophelia, so I brought a change of clothing for her.
She took a quick shower in the bathroom of the warehouse while I stood guard, and now she’s dressed in a pair of brown leggings, a slouchy sweater, and a coat thrown over it all.
Grant easily cleaned off her boots and leather pants, but everything else we asked Cian to burn.
None of this changes that Isolde is still a mess of cuts and bruises, which may attribute to the doctor’s reaction.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Royal,” he says, taking us all in. “You’re running much later than I thought you’d be.”
“Do you want to know why and shit your pants, or would you prefer to live in the dark?” Isolde sasses.
Yeah, she really doesn’t fucking want to be here.
“It takes a lot for me to shit my pants,” he chuckles, his hand out, signaling us to follow him. “Try me.”
Isolde waits until we’re out of people’s ear shot to do exactly that.
“I cracked open a woman’s chest for no other reason than to hear her scream, and then used a grenade to turn her into the human version of abstract art on the walls,” she says mildly.
“That’s all, huh?”
“There was a lot more,” Grant smirks. “I would count yourself lucky to have the cliff notes version.”
“Fuck,” Dr. Royal sighs. “I’m just doing Cian Sullivan a favor. Cut me some slack.”
“There’s no chance I can have a female doctor?” Isolde asks hopefully.
It’s almost nine at night now, and the halls are quiet as he leads us to a room.
“None. Not one who won’t be scared of you at least,” Dr. Royal says.
“Is there any female staff that will be able to do any examinations that require her to be undressed?” I ask as I walk into the room with her.
“That’s her request, not mine. Regardless of how ‘not scared’ you think you are, she has been through enough, Dr. Royal.
If you trigger her PTSD, I don’t think you’ll be walking out of here alive. ”
Grant shuts the door behind us at the right time so that it sounds exactly like the threat I mean it to be.
“I have an issue with men touching me,” Isolde says. “If you need any more context, the woman I killed today attempted to sell me to a very large audience of males yesterday so they could watch me be fucked to death. No touching.”
Dr. Royal sits down slowly as he watches us.
“We started off badly,” he says, shaking his head. “Do I need to get psych in here? I mean, do you need to talk to someone? How are you so calm?”
“I’m not calm,” Isolde says honestly. “You scare me more than the three alphas who raped me last night. I need blood tests done because I’ve been repeatedly drugged for the past several years by a well known sex trafficker.
My alphas are concerned I may be suffering from sexual trauma due to yesterday’s events, and I’m here to help set their minds to rest. I really don’t fucking want to be here. Any other questions?”
“None for now,” he says. “Who do you want in the room with you during your exams? The room isn’t large enough for everyone.”
“Lucas,” Oliver, Alesso, and Grant say together.
Eyes wide, I glance at them.
“I don’t like him,” Oliver says honestly. “I may punch the asshole.”
“Same, but I have a gun,” Grant shrugs. “I’m sure you’re a great doctor, Dr. Royal, but your bedside manner fucking sucks.”
“I’m off my game,” Dr. Royal sighs. “I’ve been working too much, and my empathy is in the toilet. Let’s try this again.”
“Ugh, can’t we just do this when we get back?” Isolde asks. “I can do one last hit, and we can be on the road right after.”
“What hit?” I ask, ignoring the doctor. If he works for Cian, then he’s gagged harder than any nondisclosure clause.
“The building commissioner,” she says. “I’ve been meaning to come out here to have a discussion with him, remember?”
“Omega’s Haven’s permits,” I nod.
“Fuck,” Dr. Royal groans, standing. “I’ll get the nurse now. She does a lot of work with the Haven. I promise I’m not usually this much of a dick. Excuse me.”
Isolde gives me puppy dog eyes as he leaves the room, making me sigh.
“Baby, you know just as well as I do that we’ll get wrapped up in something and completely forget about following up on doctor appointments,” I remind her. “I’m so sorry to be a bastard and push this.”
Sighing, she trudges over to the medical table and pulls herself up onto it, ignoring the stairs.
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Alesso mutters. “I’m going to go check on the baby and hunt down some coffee.”
“I’ll go with you,” Oliver murmurs.
Grant follows them out, and I walk toward Isolde.
“What if I’m broken?” she whispers, swallowing hard. “What if I can’t have kids or she fucked with my body chemistry and I can’t fix my bonds with all of you?”
Deciding to face her ire, I pick Isolde up and move up a chair so I can cuddle her in my lap.
“None of that would make you broken,” I say.
“No. I mean it. We have already touched on the topic of kids and Leila is ours. No one can take her from us. Biological children aren't necessary for any of us. Until recently, the four of us were lost bachelors, trying to figure out what was missing in our lives. The answer to that is you and Leila, because you’re all we need to feel complete. My concern is your health, and ensuring that we don’t lose you.
Ophelia injected you with several drugs, right? ”
“She injected me with a lot of things, forced me to swallow pills, but I have no idea what any of it was,” Isolde says, laying her head on my shoulder. “Ophelia was frantic, and I doubt she’d remember what she was pumping into my body. That's why I didn’t bother to ask.”
“I have her notebook,” I remember. “It’s on the nightstand.
I almost forgot I took it with everything that happened.
The medication that Ophelia gave you is different from the one my company developed, because it irrevocably breaks the bonds.
Grant is already well on his way to reestablishing your bond with him. ”
Shuddering, she nods. “That’s such a scary thing to have in existence,” she whispers. “We know what it’s like to have them destroyed.”
“We do, but if I got sick and I knew I was going to die, I would take it without a second thought. My death could kill you if we were bonded, because with time, the bonds get stronger,” I say. “That’s true of those who are sick with cancer or illnesses that don’t have a cure.”
“You created it for instances where the person is going to die either way,” she realizes.
“Yes, and I will add even more failsafes so that it’s very difficult to misuse it. You’re right, this is a dangerous drug—”
“But it does have its place,” Isolde sighs. A knock on the door brings a nurse and Dr. Royal, and she stands to resume her place on the medical table.
“We’re going to start with the blood draw so I can rush them to the lab for the results,” he says. “This is Marie, and she’s your nurse today.”
“Do you have to be here?” Isolde asks bluntly. Marie’s eyes widen and my girl shakes her head. “Dr. Royal, do you have anything you need from me for this assessment?”
“I should ask you about why you’re here, and get an overview on the trauma. Except, you don’t trust me,” Dr. Royal sighs. “I have a survey I want you to fill out to give to Marie, and this way she knows what to check for. I’ll be back to read you the results and explain what they mean, Isolde.”
She nods as he leaves a clipboard beside her before he walks out, and Marie pulls over a cart to do the blood draw. Isolde takes off her coat and pushes up her sleeve so the nurse will have easier access to her arm.
“There are a good number of tests to run, which means you may feel a little shaky afterward,” the nurse explains.
“Would orange juice help?” I ask. “I can have one of my pack members hunt some down.”
“That would be helpful,” she nods with a smile.
I seem heavy handed because of my insistence that we ride out this appointment, but I’m not a complete asshole.
Grant, do you think you could grab some orange juice if the cafeteria is open? I ask through the bond. The nurse said that Isolde may feel dizzy after.
I’m on it, he promises.
Leaning back, I watch as Marie explains each step to her. The tourniquet is tight as Marie looks for a vein, her brow furrowed as she presses gently to find one.
“This will work,” she says with a nod. “You’re going to feel a little prick.”
Isolde doesn’t flinch as the needle slides in and Marie attaches the first vial to the tubing.
“The day flew right by us,” I sigh. “None of us have had much time to eat.”
“I don’t think I could have,” Isolde says, glancing meaningfully at me.
Snorting, I shrug. She has a point there. Blood and a sandwich don’t really mix.
Soon, Marie finishes up and Isolde has a bandaid and compression band around her arm.