I didn’t unpack my lunch until I was back in my office. The food smelled amazing, I was salivating before I even got it unwrapped.
There was a knock on the door and Dani stuck her head in, my burger paused halfway to my mouth.
“God, that smells good,” she groaned before giving me a look, “I just wanted to remind you about your appointment.”
“I didn’t forget. There are just a few things that I need to tie up before I go, lunch being the first,” I told her as I gestured with my burger before taking a big bite and sighing in happiness. No one cooks a burger like the diner. And that was coming from someone who worked in a diner for years.
“You’re a workaholic. Grab your phone and watch a short reel series or something. That should help keep you occupied until it’s time to go,” she told me with a little smile.
“That’s a great idea,” I said, mulling it over in my head. Those series were getting really popular as of late but I hadn’t looked into any of that with everything that had happened lately.
I opened my phone and downloaded one of the apps and clicked on a photo of a cowboy and city girl. It was really entertaining until I got to the ‘watch an ad’ part to move on to the next video section.
Before I could fall into that trap, I checked the time and winced. It was time to leave already. And just like that my nerves kicked into overdrive.
The office wasn’t too far from the bookstore, so I decided to walk and get some fresh air. There was so much going on in mybrain that I needed a moment to ground myself before I walked in.
Thankfully, I was in a much better headspace by the time I arrived. It would be nice to empty some of this out of my head.
What was I even going to unload on this poor therapist? Everything? My past? My sister and family? Or my pack? There wasn’t enough time in one session to cover all of this.
I was staring at the receptionist before I realized I was in the office and she was talking to me.
“Sorry, can you repeat that?” I asked, shaking myself out of it.
She gave me a sweet smile and said, “Bea, right?”
“Yes, that’s me,” I answered weakly. She probably thought I’d lost my mind. Though, I guess I was in the right place for that.
“Don’t be scared, we don’t bite or judge here,” she promised. “Doc is the best and doesn’t spill any secrets, not even to me.”
“It’s just my first time doing this, I’m a little nervous,” I admitted with a hard swallow.
“No need to worry. Doc is actually ready for you, and since you submitted your info over the phone, no long wait.”
That was nice. I quickly gave her a small nod before she stood and led me down the warm-toned hallway to the wooden door at the end. We stopped and she opened it for me and a sweet, middle-aged woman was smiling at me from a high-backed, leather chair.
“Welcome Bea, I’m Doctor Bailey, but my patients just call me doc. Please have a seat, let’s get to know each other a bit,” she said as she pointed towards a couch opposite of her.
“Thank you,” I said as I settled onto the plush, blue couch. It made my omega settle even more. We were a sucker for cozy, soft things.
She went into her quick ramble about privacy and that this was a safe space.
Then those warm, green eyes were on me, gentle and curious. “So, what brought you in here today?”
“You want the cliff notes? I don’t think that we have enough time to go through all of my baggage,” I replied with a nervous laugh.
“How about cliff notes for now, and then we can start with the issue that has plagued you the longest,” she suggested, settling back into her chair to write down notes.
Once I opened my mouth, it was like every word just burst out of me. I didn’t go into details, just outlining my family, then my relationship with Cameron, and finally to my pack and recent heat. It was word vomit that I worried she’d struggle to keep up with, but her pen simply flew over the paper as her eyes mostly stayed on me.
“You said that you’re denying your pack? Maybe we start with what led you to this decision,” she said, concern in her tone and face. “Is it the ex you mentioned?”
“It stemmed from my ex, yes. He was psycho and tortured me, both mentally and physically,” I told her. A shiver ran down my spine like it always did when I had to think about him.
“Okay, tell me about him. How did you meet?” she prompted.
She sat quietly as I talked about seeing him for the first time. Describing him like the ray of hope he was in that moment. He was so charismatic and sweet back then. It was just what my heart needed, especially when I needed an escape from my family.
