Chapter 34
My office was too small for this meeting, but at least Doc was able to transform the break room into an acceptable space, as I not only need room for everyone to take notes, but visual aids too. Fucking hell do I need visual aids with these fuckers…
“Alright, let’s get down to business,” I say, after introducing everyone. Dr. Ranlen, I can tell, is itching to leave, but for now, she’s part of the team. Alongside Doc, and all four shiny new therapists, may they still be alive later today.
It was a little too optimistic for Anderson, Reid, and Ian to start immediately, but this lets us onboard all four of them together.
“Where do you want to start?” Anderson asks, his adorable energy either the result of me laying down their largest challenge yet or unknown amounts of coffee. From the grouchiness on Ian’s face, I’m going to assume that Anderson found out just how seriously this place takes their coffee.
“I’ve put together some briefs on each patient for you.
My preference is also listed on each patient’s folder, but I’ll leave it to your expertise to make the final decision on that.
” Ely would be proud that I didn’t stumble over the word patient, but I still feel test subjects fits better.
“I’ll give a brief overview of each patient, the dynamics of the Council and this Organization, and then it’ll be time for a break.
We can, after that, meet individually to discuss options. ”
“That sounds good,” Reid says, as he folds his hands, staring at me intently.
“Then let’s start with Emilio, who prefers to be called Lio.
He is a Council member, former Second to Allesandro ‘Il Padrone’ Martelli.
He…is a very complicated case. As you will see in your brief, I’ve broken his story into smaller segments.
I do have permission to share this with you, as he agreed it was best that everyone was up to date. ”
“Wait. I’m seeing three kidnappings? That can’t be right,” Ian mutters as he scans through the pages.
Sarah clears her throat and responds stiffly. “That is correct. He has undergone significant trauma, and he’s an active suicide risk, especially given his recent attempt.”
For a while, there’s silence as they read through everything, and I take a sip of my coffee. I’m waiting for the shit to hit the fan, and when Ian’s chair flies back, making a horrible squealing noise, I have to resist sighing. It’s too bad I didn’t put a bet down. I figured this would happen.
He slams the paperwork down, stalking over to me. His looming does nothing to intimidate me, as I merely blink and cock my head.
“Yes?” I ask calmly.
Ian’s hands clench into tight fists, the knuckles turning white. “You have to be kidding. I know I saw a folder for Allesandro. You expect me to work with him after what I just read? Hell, you expect me to put my Boy anywhere near him?”
I wait it out for a moment, and take another sip of my coffee, wishing it was something stronger.
I can already feel the tension headache creeping in.
Fuck. Raising my chin, I stare directly into his eyes and gesture for him to sit back down.
Not that he listens… I mentally applaud his attempt to be intimidating, but there’s no way in hell it’ll work against me.
With a flash, I’m standing, my knife at his throat. Nobody makes a move, and frozen silence coats the room. When I’m sure I have everyone’s attention, I speak.
“Let me make this clear. If I thought he was a danger to anyone, he wouldn’t be alive. Now, I brought you in because you’re the best. I need the best to work with him, and the others. However, what I won’t allow is for anyone to judge him by normal society expectations.
“You haven’t even glanced at his folder yet. You don’t know what he’s been through. Until then, shut up, sit down, and wait. After all that, if you’re still not comfortable, we’ll discuss our options, but I. Will. Not. Have. Anyone. Judging. Sandro. Do you understand me?”
I let the monster swim to the surface, showing Ian exactly what lurks behind my different colored eyes, and I wait. I’m in no hurry, but fuck if I’ll let anyone harm one of my test subjects.
With a grunt, Ian steps back, inclining his head. “You’re right. I know better.”
“Instinctual, I understand.” I wave off his unspoken apology, because I do understand, but fuck if I’m able to let that shit stand. Not on my watch.
Tucking my knife away, I sit back down, pulling the folder in front of me again.
Once Ian retakes his seat, I continue, “We’ll discuss interpersonal relationships after the individual case histories—trust me, those are going to be even more fun for you.
But since Sandro is an issue, let’s tackle him next. ”
The room stays quiet, but I don’t let it deter me. I’m ready for this shit to be over. I speed through Sandro’s individual information, and then I wait. This time, it’s Reid who speaks up, which doesn’t surprise me.
“There’s pieces missing from this.” His eyes flick up to me, compassion swimming in them, just based on the limited background I gave.
With a sigh, I gesture to Dr. Ranlen. She leans forward, grabbing their attention.
“Sandro is complicated. No, we did not include everything regarding him. It took something very unethical to essentially shock him out of the PTSD situation he was in after the kidnapping. It…broke him. He is no longer Il Padrone. Hell, he no longer even goes by Allesandro. What we have is someone who is very fractured, whether that’s good or not, I’m not sure at times.
“This is a man who has done unimaginable things. His father was an evil bastard; may he rot in Hell. What that young boy went through… And yet, he created a found family. One that from an outsider’s perspective looks abusive.
However, if you talk to the Boys, you’ll hear more about the good he did than anything else.
“You’re facing an uphill battle because Sandro shattered, and he is in the process of finding out who he is now. The only things that remain true, at this point, is his love for his Boys, and his complete devotion to Lio.”
“Then we work with him,” Anderson says with a firm nod, sending a challenging glance toward his Daddy. Ian doesn’t look thrilled, but faced with his stubborn Boy, and Reid, he folds.
Thank fuck, because I can’t have anyone here who won’t extend a chance to these fuckers. They’re all messed up, and I was serious about them getting help, however I need to do it.
I open the next folder and we continue slogging through the information. There’s a common theme. Shock at the varied traumas. Insistence on clarification. Quite honestly, at one point, I felt like screaming that the fuckers are not good guys, of course they have histories. But I pushed it back.
When we close the last file, I glance around the room and clasp my hands together.
“Not everyone was given a folder. There are a couple of people that we are still waiting to onboard that I want specifically for others.
I plan to put Brannigan with Marcus. Monroe, of course, will be with Cole.
And Atticus will focus on Cristian. Brannigan and Atticus can take on additional clients as well, so do not feel you need to overload your plate.
I would rather bring in more therapists than have any of you struggle.
“You’re here because you are the best. Each of you has something unique that you bring to the table that we need. That being said, while I’ve made suggestions, that’s all they are.
“Speak up if you’re not comfortable with your patient. As always, finding the right fit between patients and mental health professionals can be a challenge. I expect that. None of these patients are easy cases.
“You will be given a bodyguard to make sure you are safe. And while Doc runs the main clinic, and I’ll be running the mental health aspect, please know you can come to either of us.
Dr. Ranlen will, at some point, be leaving us for another position, but I believe there are plans to onboard more medical professionals as well. ”
“And please know, if you need something, just speak up to anyone. Staff, the Council, it doesn’t matter.
We want this to work,” Dr. Ranlen adds in perfectly.
“I think this is an excellent time to stop, get some lunch, and then break down interpersonal relationships…which basically boils down to almost everyone has fucked everyone.”
The therapists all laugh at that, lightening the serious mood, but us three doctors exchange a look. There’s a reason we brought in white boards. We know how close that comes to being the truth. Flow charts, hierarchies, and rules of fucking are all going to need to be covered.
Rules like how, supposedly, you don’t touch one of Hollis’s harem without his permission. Would have been nice to know ahead of time, but meh. No regrets. And if Jude keeps flirting with me, well… I guess Hollis and I will get to play a game of guess whose knife wins.
For now, it's time to refuel and recharge before getting into that whole ball of fun. At least, we already asked the kitchen to prepare us a meal. Although, I do hope there’s a basket of baked goods from Sandro.
The guy really can bake. Maybe fixing him isn’t worth it if he can keep cranking out treats like this.
Ugh, stupid ethics. It's not my decision now anyway, but good luck to Ian, and whichever individual therapist claims him. Fuckers have way too much to dig into. They’d better not discourage his baking though…