The first thing I noticed when I turned away from the door, was Peter sitting on his sofa, and tapping his foot frantically on the floor. He was livid too. But if he was here alone, it meant that Laura was with the three Lycan boys in the clinic. He left her alone?
“She had demanded we leave, when we…” Diana stuttered, having noticed my expression, and ruffled her hair, before looking at her father.
I greeted Peter then, and marched to a seat and sat down. “What is happening? How are they here? Why did Laura accept to treat him? Why are you not with her?”
Peter wasn’t forthcoming with answers. He was still stewing in so much anger that he couldn’t speak.
I looked to Diana for answers.
“Some minutes after we arrived home, mother received a call from the Queen…” Diana started, coming to sit beside me. “She had mentioned that the Lycan Prince had requested for mother’s services. She had insisted that since he was a special guest in the community, there was no choice but to obey his demands, not minding that his issue was a minor one that didn’t really deserve her attention. Mother didn’t negate the queen, but she had asked the queen to prepare a room in the palace so that she could have enough space for her tools. However it seemed Adam had budgeted for this too…”
Of course the shrewd Lycan had. I thought, throwing my head back to the apex of the sofa, anger simmering in my belly. Was he that desperate? If he was, what did he stand to gain from being at my house? For as it stands now, he just aggravated the family’s dislike for him.
‘Well, he doesn’t know why the family is angry. Maybe he just wants to find out…’
‘Still…was this stunt necessary?’
‘A man can do anything for a woman he thinks he loves.’
I scoffed mentally. Love my foot!
“…The Queen had told mother that they would be meeting her in the house, that the Prince had requested that specially. Before mother could say anything, could negate the notion, the Queen ended the call. So we had no choice but to wait. It didn’t take long before we heard a knock on the door. It was Adam and his brother, Noah. He looked a mess though, but enough to warrant Mom’s attention. Well, mom led them to the clinic without a word, apart from replying to their greeting.”
Good one, Laura. Make them so uncomfortable that they wouldn’t want to return.
“Dad hadn’t been around then-he had taken a stop at our neighbor’s place to get something. When he came back and saw the boys with mom, however, he had punched them both, thinking that they were about to harm mom. Mother wasn’t happy, so she sent him out. She sent me out too because I hadn’t bothered to explain the matter properly to Dad.”
Diana shrugged her shoulders.
“I wanted Dad to punch them. I was happy that he did.”
She looked at me then, after a resigned sigh, as if to say that was why they were here.
“What were you doing with Daniel by the way?”
Peter looked at me then-the question was enough to grab his attention.
Way to go, Diana. I mused, sitting up on the sofa, ready to tell my own story.
“He waylaid me in the store, wouldn’t move a bit, not minding Raul’s threats. Well, he mentioned that he would stop the trouble if I took a walk with him. I did, for the sake of my job. But when we returned, I realized that I had just one hour before my time was up. So, I had decided to take a leave-the magic I had expended today had made me ravenous. Daniel had proposed then to walk me home; I was too tired to make an argument. I wasn’t even aware that Adam was here until I had asked Daniel to leave when we got close to the house. That was the moment he mentioned that he had come to see Adam.” I explained, wincing the next second when my stomach grumbled.
Diana chuckled, diffusing the tension in the room to an extent. Not Peter though. He was keenly looking at me, like he wanted to ask a favor. When he sighed a minute later and opened his mouth to speak, I already knew what he was onto.
“Please, can you stay with Laura. I know that you are not on good terms with the boys, but I know she won’t send you away. Just sit by a corner of the room and watch. You don’t have to interact with them. I don’t trust the boys with my wife.”
I nodded, before asking Diana if Laura had kept the food for me. She nodded, and pointed to the covered plates on the dining table. Without much ado, I left my sofa, and walked to the dining, choosing to eat first before worrying about anything else.
**
“Just wear the overalls…” Diana advised. “Unless you are going for attention grabbing.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to grab anyone’s attention. I just want to sit in the clinic, and when Laura was done,
I wanted to sleep. My eyes were heavy.
After eating the dish that Laura prepared for me. I had gone to the bathhouse to freshen up, needing the coolness for the journey ahead. Diana had been waiting in the room when I had come in.
I will wear the ugliest clothes I have here.
I thought, picking the oversized top that Peter had given me on my first day here, with the trousers that Laura had handed to me before we had gone shopping.
I smiled, remembering how far I had come from the timid girl then, as I wore the clothes which still scented like Peter and his wife.
Diana gave me a thumbs up when I paraded before her. “Good choice.”
I chuckled, pocketed my phone, and strolled out of the room without a backward glance. This was it. Spending hours in the clinic with the triplets.
No display of nervousness. I mentally muttered as I approached the clinic where I had spent more than three months of my life, because of the triplets that were right there now.
Maya, self control.
I muttered to myself, inhaling deeply. ‘No talking out of turn. No barking, or even slapping, no matter how much they piss you off.’
As much as Laura was on our side, she was a doctor at heart, and if she noticed that I was making her patient uncomfortable, she might send me away. Peter wouldn’t be happy then.
‘Help me.’ I told my significant other.
Silence greeted me.
Well, I started ignoring her first.