72. Chapter Seventy-One

Chapter Seventy-One

Ezra

I get Lana’s text message, and I finish my check up on one of the other patients. This patient’s wounds have almost healed up completely, but she doesn’t have a home to go to. Lana already offered her a place in the academy and explained that things are different than they used to be, but the girl’s not ready to make any decisions.

We have the flexibility here to allow our patients more time and that makes a big difference for people who’ve been through trauma.

The patient in room nine has undoubtedly been through a lot.

She’d been starved to the point where her organs could have started to shut down.

It’s nothing short of miraculous that she survived.

Now that she’s getting fed more, she’s stronger, but I hope to God this psychologist is able to get through to her so she can realize this is where she needs to be right now, and the place she came from was not her real home.

Lana is with Pete and our guests outside the room when I get there.

“Hi, Dr. Clarke,” Lana starts, giving me a wry smile. “This is Dr. Morgan, and his Alpha Damian.”

The doctor isn’t the Alpha. Huh. I look the Beta over and I can’t help but frown.

There’s something odd about him, and I don’t just mean how nervous he looks.

The Alpha clears his throat. “Before we go in to see the patient, Rob has a certain technique that some people might find jarring, but it does actually work to get the information he needs. Once he has that information, he uses it to help the patient heal. That can take some time, or it can be instant. It’s impossible to tell.”

“What’s the technique?” I ask, finding it strange that he has honest energy yet he’s saying something that sounds incredibly sketchy.

“There isn’t a name for it,” he answers. “That’s all I can say.”

I glance at Lana.

She shrugs helplessly.

It’s my call.

She trusts the alliance and they sent these guys.

I get a good vibe from the Alpha.

It’s the other guy I’m not sure about.

“I need to be in there with you. She’s my patient, and you’re my consultant.”

Damian nods slowly. “Of course. We ask that you don’t interfere with our process, but you’re welcome to witness it.”

I nod, and then I unlock the door and open it, gesturing to our guests to enter first.

I look at Lana. “You two might want to stick around out here.”

Lana nods. “I expected to. I hope they can help her.”

“I hope the doctor isn’t a psycho,” Pete adds.

I don’t say anything to that, but he knows I’m thinking it.

We both felt something odd about him, then.

It makes me nervous, but not enough to stop this before it starts.

I’ve learned when to listen to my instincts, and when to put them to the side.

I don’t have the experience to help this patient, but they do.

If they might be able to help her, I need to let them.

I step into the room and close the door behind me.

Damian and Rob are standing at the right side of the bed as I approach.

The patient is lying in the bed, awake, and staring at the ceiling.

“How are we feeling today?” I ask as I approach at her left side.

She turns her head slowly and looks at me. “Am I going home, yet?”

“I’m afraid not,” I tell her. “This is Dr. Morgan, and his friend Damian. They’re here to help you.”

Sighing, she stares at me. “The only help I need is a ride home.”

I look across at Rob as he puts his hand over hers.

She frowns as she turns her head toward him.

“No one said you could …” she trails off as his gaze meets hers.

He takes her hand in both of his, and she lets him.

“What …” I start.

“No interruptions,” Damian reminds in a soft tone.

“You don’t remember your mother,” Dr. Morgan whispers. “But she named you Robin, like the little bird, because she wanted you to fly.”

A chill comes over me as I listen to his words.

Jane Doe lets out a sob. “I remember. I do. She used to sing to me …”

“Free Bird. She never lost hope, Robin. It’s not her fault that she couldn’t be there to raise you.”

“I … I was told she died, but I didn’t understand.”

“That place where you were born, it wasn’t your home.”

She sniffles, and I pass her a tissue, reacting without thinking.

I’m starting to realize what’s going on here, and I can’t quite make myself believe it.

I’ve heard about Omegas with special abilities like this, but those stories always read like urban legends. They’re too good to be true, and they can never be traced back to a single source.

Jane Doe wipes her nose with the tissue, one handed.

“It’s my home!” she protests, as tears stream down her cheeks. “It’s where I live!”

Despite her emotional response, she doesn’t try to pull her hand away from him.

He shakes his head slowly. “It was never your home. It’s where you were kept. Those people who let your mother die, they were her captors. They hurt her, like they hurt you, and worse. I’m sorry, Robin, but she’s not hurting anymore. She just wants to make sure you’re safe now. You weren’t safe in that place.”

Something changes in her eyes, and she lets out a soft gasp. “I … I remember being looked at when I was young. By men. In a fancy room. I didn’t know what was happening. I think someone asked if they could buy me. But then … I think they realized I was a Beta.”

“Yes,” Dr. Morgan says, nodding. “That’s what saved you that day. Your mother was an Omega, but you weren’t. I know you’re afraid of her, but Colleen is the one who kept you safe from bad people when your mother died. She rubbed nettles on your skin to make it ugly and she eventually decided that feeding you too little was the easiest way to make you unappealing. Those abuses were her way of protecting you. There was nothing else she could do to help.”

She lets out a sob. “She’ll be so mad at me! I’m not where I’m supposed to be. I’m not keeping the kitchen clean. I’m not feeding the cats. I shouldn’t be here!”

“It’s okay,” he murmurs. “You’re right where you should be. Colleen is happy that you were rescued. She pushed you out of that door where the Alphas could find you. She knew what she was doing.”

“I … I don’t know where home is if it’s not there.”

“I know. And that’s okay. You’re safe. This place is safe. You need to get healthy. That’s all that matters right now.”

She looks uncertain, but it’s clear to me that he’s using a healing touch on her.

All Omegas have the ability to calm people down with their touch.

It’s an energy-healing ability linked to their sensitive nature.

This guy is using that alongside his less usual abilities to help her understand what’s going on.

I can understand why Damian didn’t want to explain before we came into the room.

His pack brother is a Zeta.

It’s a classification of Omega that isn’t officially recognized, and it could make him a target for traffickers if it was discovered by the wrong people.

He’s taking a huge risk letting him do this.

“Dr. Clarke and his team have been helping you get stronger,” he goes on. “They only want you to get better. Do you understand?”

She looks at me, her gaze anxious.

“You’re safe here,” I tell her. “You can rest. It’s okay.”

“What happens when I’m better?” she asks, her voice trembling.

“You’ll be asked if you want to stay here.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

She just asked the million-dollar question.

This is where it gets tricky.

If she was an Omega, Lana would have guardianship because she’s in charge of the academy and any Omegas in the building. She’s a Beta, so there’s not much Lana can do if she insists on leaving.

All I can do is give her the truth.

“As long as you’re cleared as healthy you can do what you want to do.”

Her eyes brighten. She looks back at Dr. Morgan.

“I can leave when I’m healthy?”

“You’re an adult, so you can do what you like when you’re healthy,” he confirms.

She smiles. “I feel better, thank you.”

“However,” he adds, “You can’t go back to that house. Not ever. The man who took your mother has been arrested for what he did. He’ll be tried for her death, and for the deaths of others.”

“What about Colleen?” she asks.

“She’s free now. She was paying a family debt being his housekeeper, and now that he’s going to prison, that debt has ended. She left the house two weeks ago. She has family in another town.”

“I’m glad,” she murmurs. “Don’t I have family?”

“I’m sorry, Robin. You don’t.”

“What was my mother’s name?”

“Scarlett Yates,” he says, without hesitation.

She sighs softly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She closes her eyes as he lets go of her hand.

She’s asleep a few seconds later, the sound of her breathing steady and slow.

Damian looks at me. “We should let her rest now. We can come back later to check on her, but that might have been enough.”

“It was,” Dr. Morgan says. “She understands now.”

“I’ve never met … someone like you before,” I admit, steering clear of the name for it in case he takes offence to that. It was a derogatory term for a while, used to single out Omegas who were thought to be less desirable.

“Most people haven’t,” Damian says. “I trust you’ll keep this between us. Rob has a PhD in Psychology, but obviously his natural talents work a lot faster to help traumatised people. In cases like this one it might be the only way to achieve the breakthrough that’s needed.”

I nod. “Thank you for agreeing to help us.”

“You’re welcome,” Dr. Morgan says, looking at Damian. “We can leave now.”

“Almost,” Damian corrects him. “I have some decoding to do first.”

“Actually,” I start, hoping I’m not overstepping. “Dr. Morgan might be able to help with that, too.”

Damian raises an eyebrow at me. “How so?”

Dr. Morgan smiles wryly. “I think I know.”

He probably does. It really wouldn’t surprise me.

I take in a deep breath, and I detail out my request.

They look at each other for a long moment before Rob nods at Damian.

“We’ll help.”