Page 154 of The Lost Melody

“Aye,” the boys chorus as I roll my eyes. These men have synced, I swear.

They continue teasing me on the drive, and I practically climb over them to get out of the car. Mav watches me, snickering as I escape.

“Bit off more than ya could chew there, darlin’?” he laughs.

“Yes! Save me!” I giggle, running into his open arms for a hug.

“I don’t know if you can be saved, but I’ll protect you for now, tiny Valkyrie,” Mav promises.

Layla looks between us, confused, until she sees the guys get out of the car doing that stupid hot dark chuckle they can only get away with.

Blushing red, she shakes her head, amused.

Uncle Jordan simply ignores it all, though I do notice his lips twitching in amusement. I’m sure he’d find it wildly funny if I wasn’t his niece.

As a group, we walk into the hospital, and I check in at the front desk. She directs us to wait in the lobby, but Uncle Jordan frowns at me.

“Don’t you have to fill out paperwork or something? Allergies?” he asks in earshot of the receptionist.

She smiles tightly at him and shakes her head. “Lennon released her medical records to us already, and there’s no other paperwork for her to fill out,” she explains apologetically.

Funny enough, I didn’t sign anything, but I’m sure that Greg did a little creative work on his end. Tugging my uncle away with a smile at the receptionist, I take a seat where I was asked.

“Uncle Jordan, usually they’d ask for insurance and all of that, but I’m in a really weird situation. I can’t run any of that, because no one can know yet that I’m pregnant. It wouldn’t take much for Xav to hack into my records to look for updates,” I sigh. “I may be paranoid, but I have a really good reason for it. Then there’s the fact that I can’t pay for anything.”

Uncle Jordan presses his lips together. “I want to pay for your medical—”

“Gah, I love you, but I already have enough guilt with how much I’m leaning on Greg right now. I have never wanted to kill somebody as much as I do right now,” I hiss.

“Stabby Lennon,” Mav mutters. “From what I understand, this’ll all be over soon, yeah? Deep breaths, little Valkyrie. You can do this.”

Blowing out a breath, I nod. Orion picks me up and switches spots with me, offering me comfort. I’m worked up and angry at how much my life has been upended by a mad scientist with a god complex.

“Miss Lennon?” a nurse asks and I close my eyes, swallowing hard.

I fuckinghatebeing called that.

“I got you,” Orion growls in my ear as tears prick in my eyes. “You’re completely safe, and we’re going in with you, okay baby?”

PTSD will sneak up on a girl, damn.

“Yeah,” I whisper, nodding quickly. “Will someone tell her to never call me that again? Cause that would be amazing.”

As I open my eyes, Turner is already walking towards her with a smile. I love this man so much.

Standing, I wipe the tears from my eyes quickly.

“Lennon?” Layla asks, and I smile sadly at her.

“Just someone walking over my grave,” I tell her, looping my arm through hers.

The nurse blinks at me, swallowing hard, and I wonder what Turner said to her.

“Lennon, we’re going to go right this way,” she says and I nod, beginning to relax. “We’re putting you in a larger exam room as well. Are all of these people coming with us?”

“Four of them are the father, so yes, I’m afraid I come with an entourage,” I joke.

The nurse shrugs and motions for me to follow her. “I’m going to weigh you, take your vitals, and ask you a few questions,” she explains as she walks into an exam room. “Is that alright?”

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