“Yeah.” My chest still heaves as I get used to this, but it can still suck monkey nuggets.
“You’re going to have your appointment with the therapist a half hour after this. Please feel free to curse me out with Michael,” Dr. Walsh says. “Nice and easy, keep breathing. Your body is going to freak out, but it’s a liar. This is child’s play compared to what your father put you through.”
“Not helping,” I mumble.
“I didn’t know she was going to see a male therapist,” Verona says, sitting on the ground as she checks the timer. “You have six more minutes, baby. You’re doing great.”
“He came highly recommended. If you hate him, Rosalia, you can fire him,” Dr. Walsh shrugs.
“You’re not going to make me tough it out?” I ask, trying to tease him.
“Absolutely not. Go with your gut. Just because he’s considered excellent in his field, doesn’t mean he’s the right person for your recovery,” he grumbles. “If he does things to make you uncomfortable that don’t align with helping you, then he’s out. Don’t white knuckle therapy. People who tell you to are out of their goddamned mind.”
“Good to know.”
“After your appointment, I want you to try sitting up again, and then you’re done for the day,” he adds. “It isn’t going to be comfortable, but it’ll help blood flow and strengthen your muscles. The downside is the dizziness.”
“I don’t like it,” I mutter.
“Two minutes, baby. That’s all you need to do,” Verona urges.
“Ugh. Someone distract me,” I mumble.
“Silas wants to talk to you about some of the charity details, but it may have to wait until after the surgery since you’re going in tomorrow,” Dario says, his thumbs moving up and down mylegs. I nod to show I’m listening as my head drops down as I focus on breathing.
The head rush and dizziness is intensely uncomfortable, almost to the point of pain as things shift. I swear I’m not being a baby, but it is triggering panic inside of me due to my heart rate increasing.
“They’ve found a building for the shelter, and are considering buying the one next to it as well to create an outreach center,” he continued. I focus on the sound of his voice, and make a sound to show that I’m following him. “Silas says they need to make some decisions about renovations so it can better serve the community, but there is no one to staff it yet.”
“We’ve all been busy,” I admit.
“Almost dying gets you a free pass out of altruism,” Dr. Walsh grunts as the alarm goes off. “Dario, please help her lay back down and then flip over into her stomach.”
Dario stands as he helps me, his eyes filled with pride as he kisses my cheek. When the small things are harder than they should be, everything feels like it needs to be celebrated.
I’m so glad I no longer need an IV. I’m past the point of infection, and I only use pain medication if I absolutely need it. I try not to take it because I dislike how they make me feel, and I want to be able to speak to the therapist without feeling groggy.
“I love you,” he murmurs.
“I love you too. I’m missing something…”
Dr. Walsh and Verona leave the room, and it sounds like they’re arguing about something. I’m sure I’ll find out later if it’s important, but I’m focused elsewhere at the moment.
“What?” Dario asks, sitting carefully beside me as he brushes my hair back. My pack has helped me wash my hair, clean up, and generally take care of myself while trying to not fuck up my back.
I feel like my skin itches as it knits itself back together, and no one tells you how fucking maddening that is.
“I want to finish our bond before I have to do this therapy appointment,” I confess. “I’ve been a really good little omega and I deserve something good.”
“Oh.” His eyes widen so much, I realize he’s trying to hold back tears. “Of course you do, Rosalia. It’s always been yours.”
Dario holds out his wrist to me, and I bring it to my lips. The beginning bond we have feels so different than the ones I have with my alphas, but I hold it in a special place in my heart because of that. Biting down on his wrist, the tension in my body from the physical therapy exercise releases as our bond snaps into place.
Dario closes his eyes, crying harder as he sucks in a breath.
“Fuck, I didn’t know how much I needed that,” he whispers. “Thank you for being you, Little Queen. Thank you for fighting for us.”
Laying my head back on the pillow, I proudly gaze at the bite marks on my beta.
