Chapter 10
DADDY
Make sure you use the restroom before your meeting, that’s the last time you’ll be going until I allow it.
And don’t even think about not staying hydrated. I will be *very* disappointed if you don’t take care of yourself, Ash.
Iwince at the second text, because…I had considered it.
I had water and coffee with my late lunch, that could have sustained me!
But…Daddy had to use my name to show how serious he is.
It’s a compromise we made after the few slip ups from our early days.
Nobody else except James can get away with it, but Daddy didn’t want to continuously hurt me when he needed to make a point.
So…Ash it is when he’s laying down a law that neither Doc nor Baby can ignore.
Leaving Javi’s office with his fucking impossible wishlist, I try not to sigh. I wanted him, pushed for him, and know he is right.
“You don't need to babysit me,” I tell James when I see him leaning against the wall outside the office.
“Your Daddy was very clear in his expectations.”
I roll my eyes. “He's not your Daddy.”
“Don't be snippy. You know I don't play favorites, but…”
“But you help Daddy keep me in line. Yeah, whatever. I need a new best friend,” I mutter under my breath.
James snorts, but I ignore him as we head down to the other side of the house, where Jude’s office is.
Before knocking on the door, I hold my hand out and James passes over the water bottle he's carrying. He laughs as I take a few sips before handing it back.
I give a brisk knock on the door, and hear a crisp, “Enter”. I look to James before walking in. “Wish me luck.”
“Stop stalling, Ash.”
Sighing, I push open the door to find Jude and Hollis sitting behind the desk.
“Voice off,” Jude signs.
I nod in understanding. “Okay. Everything alright?”
“Fine…if you discount the fact Roman tried to scare us all to death—again—today. No thanks to you.”
I cringe. “I'm sorry.” Pressing my fist to my chest, I let out a shaky breath before signing sorry again. “I…this was the last fucking thing I wanted to happen.”
“So what did you want to happen?” Hollis asks. “Because Lio and Roman both got hurt due to your actions, and if it wasn't for the trust between us, you'd be fucking dead right now.”
Hollis’s signs are sharp, his face stoney. I'm pretty sure, if he could, he would have murdered me with his hard, dark brown gaze by now.
“I know. But…please, believe me when I say I never meant for this to happen.
I…fuck, yes, I knew Stanely wasn't the right fit.
But, on average, a person can see three therapists before finding the right one.
So this isn't discouraging. Just…it escalated to a point I didn't expect, and I'm sorry.
I'll apologize to Roman and Emilio as well.”
Neither man looks happy, but they don't kill me, so I hope that's a good sign.
Jude waves to the chair across from the desk, and I sit before they change their mind.
“Now…I've spoken to Dr. Ranlen and Javi—I'll check in on Roman and Lio after this meeting, but I'll reassure you again, they're okay. Neither of the other doctors did anything I wouldn't have.”
Hollis lets out a shaky breath. “Thank you. I still want you to check them over. Roman…dissociating, as Javi called it, was fucking terrifying.”
“I know. But his brain was just trying to protect him. Roman has gone through a lot, not just now, but since the very beginning of all this. We all have, but you know Roman, he takes on more than most.” Part of what makes him such a good Boss and Council member is how much he cares, but it means that when he hurts, he hurts deeply.
I'm honestly surprised he's never dissociated before.
Though, while he's not been formally diagnosed with PTSD or depression—yet—I can also say it's never been this bad before…
but I'll leave the diagnosis and all that to Javi and his future army.
I didn't follow him when our paths and specialties diverged in school for a reason.
Even if having a friend would have been nice.
Instead, I got stuck with fucking Murry—who probably would run away if he ever met Javi.
Now there's a thought…it's been a while since I've spoken to my old “friend”.
“Javi wants to bring in his own therapists, and I agree with him. I…should have consulted with him first, but I let my own ideals get in the way.”
“We know. I've been combing through the two therapists he gave me: Connor Thorne and Anderson Hale. They're both on the up and up, though.” The unlike Stanley goes unsaid.
“They were both on my original list.” I don't explain why I chose not to use them; we'll be getting to that in a moment.
“Any ideas how to bring them on?” Jude asks. “From what Hollis has shown me…they have stellar reputations, waiting lists a mile long, and don't seem to be short of money…”
“No,” I agree. “Though, thanks to Leandro paying for Antonio’s surgery, that frees up some funds in our budget, so we can offer competitive compensation.
But you could offer Connor all the money in the world and he wouldn’t leave.
He is… Normal persuasions won’t work with him.
Even if we tried to approach him the same way I did Javi, it wouldn’t work.
Anderson…he could be persuaded; partly with money and partly for a good cause.
But, before we dive deeper into that, I have two more names for you. ”
Jude frowns, his pale green eyes going a shade darker at my news. “You really think we need not just one but four therapists?”
“Javi does, and given who he wants to bring in? I agree.”
“Give me their names.”
I pass the list over to Hollis, and he gives it a quick look before typing them into his computer. “Anything you need to impart before I run this? Also Reid Hale is…”
“Anderson’s husband, yes. Other than that, Reid and Ian have a practice together because their specialties can sometimes have a bit of an overlap.”
Hollis hums and starts doing…whatever it is hackers do when they’re checking up on someone.
After a few minutes of sitting in silence, where I try, and fail, to not squirm under Jude’s stare—a fucking Dom with sadist tendencies is not someone I want to have the undivided attention of—Hollis snorts and looks at me.
“Sex therapy?” he asks slowly.
I shrug. “All of you are…kinky fuckers, and Ian has an innate understanding of dynamics. I don’t know him well—he’s a bit younger than me, and his specialty was outside of the scope I needed—but Javi wants him for good reason.”
“Speak for yourself on the kink thing,” Hollis replies pointedly, raising a brow. “I can maybe understand that, to a point, but what about the fucking couples therapist?”
“Cristian and Allesandro, Lio and Allesandro—hell, just assume anyone Allesandro decides to be with from here on out is getting tossed into therapy with him. Tennant and Benjamin could benefit as well, seeing as how the fucking dumbass keeps trying to die.”
Hollis’s expression darkens at the mention of Benjamin. I give it fifty-fifty odds the dumbass is still alive by the time we get all of this settled and the therapists are ready to work.
“Tennant won’t agree to more therapy, not with Javi working on getting him released from his court order,” Jude says.
“He will if it’ll help his Topolino make better choices,” I argue. “After all, he’s all for Hollis, Lio, and Roman getting help.”
Hollis shakes his head. “Your funeral if you want to die, because guess who gets to tell Tennant he and his jealous Little Mouse need couples counseling?”
I cringe. Oh, Daddy is going to be so pissed if I end up getting stabbed.
“So, how do we get them on board?” Hollis asks, then turns back to his computer for a moment.
When he looks back to me, I say, “I’m going to have Javi convince Anderson…
maybe have Soren help, as Anderson is…a sensitive touch.
He cares, and well, I don’t want to use you or Lio to make our point, but he’ll want to help.
A little monetary persuasion, appeal to why he became a therapist in the first place, and promise that he’ll never want for anything.
If I know Javi, he’ll want to go straight for Ian, and that could backfire majorly. ”
“I don’t appreciate being cannon fodder.” Hollis narrows his eyes.
I wince. And this is why he better not ever find out how I got Javi on board.
“You’re not, but Anderson…he’s seen a lot of people come out of a lot of different situations.
He does his best to make sure everyone he sees gets what they need—from him or others.
It’s not manipulation when you’re reminding them why they do their job in the first place. ”
Neither of them looks like they believe me, but meh, it’s the truth. There’s a reason all of these men got into their line of work, and coming from Javi? They’ll expect some fuckery. “Getting him on board will help persuade Ian.”
“Not his husband?” Jude asks.
“Reid and Ian aren’t just business partners—the three of them are in a relationship. Reid trusts Ian’s opinion, so get the two of them, and he’ll follow along.”
“Okay,” Jude says. “I’m in charge, since Keegan and Carter are with Marcus…he’s not taking Cole being missing well—which is understandable, after everything he’s already been through—and Roman is awake, but…out of commission with Lio down.”
Jude takes a breath and sits up straighter. A mask falls over his face, blocking out whatever he might be feeling now.
“I am agreeing to therapy for Roman, because today showed just how badly he needs it. Hopefully, with the right person, Lio being unavailable won’t rock him so hard in the future.
I don’t begrudge him for his need, and I am happy Roman has someone he can lean on, but…
seeing him like this makes me want to kill someone. ”
“A sentiment we all share,” Hollis tells him, reaching over and caressing the younger man’s cheek briefly.