Page 103 of Bonding the Band

“Watch me,” I snarled. Thankfully, no one seemed upset at my words. It was like the horror of the situation had finally sunk in and we all wanted out.

“Beckett! Don’t be fucking stupid. Think of the money you’ll be throwing away. Look, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll buy that woman a nicer tour bus and get a different doula, but don’t fuck this up.”

Before I could respond, Hendrix moved off the hospital bed and took the phone out of my hand with an eerie calmness. Instead of shouting at me, like I thought he would, he quietly said, “You’re fired, Gary.”

For a few moments, all that came through the phone was a confused spluttering sound. “Hendrix! You’re not thinking clearly. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Firing me will ruin your career!”

“You know what? I feel like shit, but I’m thinking clearer than I have in a long time. You’d better fucking hope to god you’re never near me again, because I will fucking murder you for hurting my omega. I’ve stood by you my whole damn career, but thesecondyou put her in danger, we were done. I never want to see you again.”

He hung up the phone before Gary could respond, his entire body shaking.

“Well…It looks like we just got some free time on our hands.” Phin laughed.

We only had a few more minutes to discuss our plans before the doctor returned. His scrubs were creased, and he looked tired. People who worked in the emergency room were a different breed.

His brow furrowed when he saw the black eye Hendrix was quickly developing. “What’s going on here?” he asked, clearly confused.

“We figured out how Meadow got dosed,” Arlo said.

The doctor turned to glare at Hendrix, immediately assuming he was the culprit.

Hendrix sat down hard on the bed. “Meadow’s doula was dosing our smoothies without us knowing. Meadow had been complaining about the taste and insisted on trying mine, and when she liked mine better, we started swapping them. Mine had uppers in it, according to our manager.”

The doctor’s eyes widened. “Are you positive?”

“We are,” I replied. “I recorded the confession, and I’m about to file a police report, just as soon as we figure out our next steps, medically.”

The doctor breathed a sigh. “That’s a relief we won’t have to get child protective services involved, now that we know the drugs weren’t intentionally consumed. Miss Reed should be okay to go home after observation.”

“What should we do for her?”

The doctor turned to Hendrix first. “I would recommend you check into a rehab facility for a medically supervised detox, if your manager has been drugging you for some time.”

“I’ll do anything I need to,” Hendrix replied.

“Good.” The doctor nodded and turned back to me. “Miss Reed will likely struggle with him in there, though. She’s only bonded to one of your pack right now, correct?”

“Yeah, just Hendrix.”

“Is your pack open to an additional bond?”

Phin, Arlo, and I shared a look, and I nodded. “Absolutely.”

The doctor nodded, considering. “At this time, I would suggest only a single bond. She’s quite fragile, and bonds can be a lot, even when completely healthy. See how she responds to one new bond before you consider the others. Otherwise, I would just make sure she’s comfortable and make an appointment with her primary care practitioner when you get home for a follow-up.”

We’d have tofindher a PCP first, but that shouldn’t be too difficult with enough money greasing the wheels. Meadow deserved the best care possible.

Fuck, there was a lot to do. I needed to get started. First things first: reporting Gary and Ellie to the police for all the damage those fuckers had caused.

Chapter 40

Meadow

November, Los Angeles

Itried to focus on one emotion at a time.

At the moment, my primary emotion was relief. It didn’t look like anything was wrong with the baby, and the doctors had cleared me to go home. I wasn’t even sure what home would look like. For weeks, that had been the tour bus, but I had been strictly ordered to stay somewhere I could relax and attend regular medical care. The pack had been up in arms for the past two days, talking with the police about Gary and Ellie.

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