Page 45 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“I always have my staff block out two hours in the afternoon for lunch. Come by at one, and I’ll see what I can do to help them feel more confident in looking after you,” Dr. Arbour said.

I smiled brightly at the guys. “Sounds good. We’ll see you tomorrow at one.”

As we drove to the hospital, I gazed out the window, watching the city go by. The city of Windermere had one of the country’s best heart hospitals, which was quite fortunate for my family. From the moment I was born, we had the best of the best keeping me alive, and Dr. Arbour became like a grandparent to me over the years. I saw him more often than I did any of my other extended family, but it made sense since they lived in other states.

The sensation as my phone buzzed in my pocket had me sighing. I pulled it out to see four more texts and two missed calls from Randall. With everything that happened yesterday, I couldn’t deal with this too, so I shut the damn thing off shortly after talking to Dr Arbour. When I turned it back on this morning, I was flooded with progressively intensifying text messages and a few ranting voicemails.

Randall:

Bailey-Rose don’t you dare ignore me. I know you turned your phone off and I expect a call when it turns back on.

Randall:

Why haven’t you called me back? I called yet again and you hung up on me so I know your phone is working.

Randall:

It’s them isn’t it? They are telling you not to talk to me. Trying to keep me from my goddamn girlfriend. Those so-called Alphas don’t want you, they don’t love you. Not like I do.

Randall:

Bumblebee I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be yelling at you, it’s them I’m mad at. Please, please call me back Bumblebee, it’s all a huge misunderstanding. They are lying to you, the person you’re meant to be with is me.

Reading these made me sick to my stomach, so I deleted the voicemails and the texts, ensuring I didn’t have to ever look at them again. Fingers combed through my hair, drawing me to meet Yun-Sun’s gaze and settling my nerves.

I’d done as he requested and left him to wander the main level of the house while I hung out upstairs. The guys rotated spending time with him so he didn’t feel lonely, per my demands. If he wanted to keep some distance to be safe, that was fine, but I didn’t want it to feel like a punishment, so I had the guys all sleep in their own rooms. That led me to getting practically no sleep, but I wasn’t going to say a damn word about it, adding more guilt onto Yun’s shoulders.

Unsurprisingly, Ulysses snuck into my room somewhere around four in the morning with Vili right behind him. The moment I was sandwiched between them, I finally got some real sleep. It wasn’t enough, but it was better than the fitful catnaps I’d been able to manage. The others lasted until seven before making their way up to my room—even Yun-Sun. It would seem he felt the medication was working, and he was no longer worried about falling into rut.

“You look tired,” he murmured.

I gave him a tired smile and let my head rest on his shoulder. “Other than the apartment on campus, where I stayed for three months, I’ve never lived anywhere else. It will take me a little time to adjust to new sounds and a different bed. Although I think that bed might be more comfortable than the one I’ve been sleeping on.”

“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart. When I saw how many times you went back to view it, I figured it was the right call. It was important to me that we got you settled in our home in an efficient manner.” He pressed a kiss to my head before whispering in my ear, “Call me selfish, but I wanted you to be all ours and in our home. Maybe when we’re done with this, we can head back and take a nap together.”

That had me purring in approval, snuggling against him as he stroked his fingers through my hair. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, we were parked at the hospital, and everyone was getting out of the car. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to wake myself up so I didn’t worry Dr. Arbour or the guys. With a quick, sharp slap to my cheeks, I took a deep breath and hopped out of the car.

Vili snatched up my hand and intertwined our fingers as he swung our arms in time with our steps. His lighthearted actions made me smile as we entered the hospital’s lobby I knew all too well. We took the elevator up to the sixth floor, where Dr. Arbour’s office was located. Nurse Harlow, Dr. Arbour’s right-hand woman, sat at her desk typing notes from a chart she was looking at. Her head snapped up when she heard us entering, and a smile bloomed on her face when she stood to greet us.

“Bailey-Rose, you little gem, how are you?” Nurse Harlow asked, stepping up to give me a quick hug. “I hear congratulations are in order. The doctor told me you found your pack.”

My cheeks hurt with how big I was smiling as I nodded, too excited to even speak. Turning to the side, I gave my best magician’s assistant impression as I showed them off, waving my arms. Thankfully, the guys had their shit together and were able to introduce themselves as I remained a grinning idiot.

“Hello, I’m Warrick Shaw,” he greeted, offering his hand to Nurse Harlow. “These are my pack brothers Ulysses, Vili, Gareth, and Yun-Sun. It’s an honor to meet someone who’s been looking after our girl until we could find her.”

Nurse Harlow blushed at the compliment and charming smile Warrick was gracing her with. I wasn’t worried about Warrick’s flirtatious nature. Not only because I knew Nurse Harlow was a bonded Beta, but I had zero doubts about his feelings for me. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he gave me a cheeky wink, letting me know he was simply being sweet for my sake.

“Ulysses, I thought that was you,” Nurse Harlow exclaimed, giving him a hug before moving on to the rest. It was sweet of her to be so excited on my behalf, but Dr. Arbour’s staff has been there through it all with me over the years.

“I can’t tell you boys how grateful I am that you found each other. There isn’t a more deserving soul alive than Bailey-Rose,” she gushed, quickly wiping at her eyes. “When the Scent Matchers refused her, I was about to march down to their headquarters and give them a piece of my mind. People can’t choose how they were born, and they shouldn’t be punished for it.”

“Well, none of that matters now, does it?” Dr. Arbour said, his deep, even voice cutting right through the bullshit.

Shifting to face him, I smiled as he gave me a side hug, patting my shoulder affectionately as he towered over me. “Hey, kiddo.”

Dr. Arbour was in his fifties with super short salt and pepper hair and kind brown eyes hidden behind the same pair of small square glasses he always wore. He didn’t have his normal white coat on, making him seem more relaxed with his dress shirt sleeves rolled up.

“Come on back, and we’ll have a chat,” he said, nodding to the others as he guided me down the short hall to his office.