Chapter 57

Claire POV

I visited the clinic the next day, excited to see where I’d be spending so much of my time.

And excited to spend more time with Dr. Baldwin. Our first meeting the day before had been wonderful, despite the fact that it started with him kicking an imposter out of my office.

We’d had so much to talk about. The clinic, our work as doctors and, of course, our shared healing abilities.

“I’m nowhere near as talented as I hear you are,” he said with a laugh. “I mostly specialize in psychological and emotional issues.”

This fascinated me, and I was sure his expertise could help me in treating - possible curing - my father’s frenzy condition.

Beyond that, I had simply enjoyed Dr. Baldwin’s company. I was looking forward to working with him, and getting to know him.

So I greeted him with a smile and genuine excitement as my driver pulled up to the entrance of the clinic.

But as Dr. Baldwin led me around on a tour of the clinic, that excitement slowly turned to confusion, and concern.

It was clear the building had fallen into disrepair. The paint in many areas was chipped and cracked, and the flooring was worn thin in some places.

The windows were old and drafty, letting in hot puffs of summer air and making the rooms uncomfortably warm. Fans droned, trying to cool the space. I wondered how cold it would be in the winter.

Patients were expected to come here for care and healing>

Even worse was the organizational side of things. The clinic was clearly understaffed - many wings were like ghost towns. And I was shocked to learn there was no real system for tracking medication into or out of the pharmacy, and so no way to ensure its safety.

When Dr. Baldwin noted that not many people came to the clinic any more, I wasn’t surprised.

My surprise and concern was directed at how the clinic could have fallen into such a state.

Then I remembered that the clinic had been founded by the late Luna - my mother. And I supposed anything associated with her memory had been too painful for Dad to deal with.

I clearly had my work cut out for me.

But before I could jump into making my rounds and actually start seeing patients, I had to face a task I was quickly starting to realize was going to be a big part of my life here in the Royal pack:

Dealing with the press.

“It’s just a quick press conference,” Dr. Baldwin assured me. “People want to see you being officially welcomed to the clinic.”

We walked out to the front entrance of the clinic, where a small crowd of reporters waited behind a rope that kept them at the base of the steps.

I was immediately uneasy, thinking about the overwhelm I’d faced as soon as I landed here, and yesterday’s events with the reporter from The Star.

It was clear that dealing with the media was an inevitable part of my life now. But it was going to take a while to get used to it.

As the questions began to ring out, I took a deep breath and tried to focus through the nerves and anxiety fluttering in my stomach.

Then I felt Dr. Baldwin’s hand as it touched my back briefly, the gesture comforting. Maybe it was his healing abilities, or maybe just the friendliness and kindness of the gesture, but I immediately felt better.

I gave him a small, grateful smile. And then we faced the press, together.

I came home at the end of that first day at the clinic feeling tired but satisfied. As much as I was really beginning to enjoy the life of a princess, I’d missed seeing patients, and actually getting to help people.

Once we dealt with the media, I’d been able to spend the entire afternoon shadowing Dr. Baldwin on his appointments, and even seeing a few patients on my own.

Which I’d taken with no small amount of nervousness.

After spending so much time away from clinical work, part of me had been afraid that maybe my healing abilities would have diminished somehow. Like, if I didn’t use them maybe they’d go away?

But they were still there.

If anything, they were even stronger than before.

Now I came home feeling tired but more confident, and less worried about going back to work the next day.

And at dinner, I had the true pleasure of finally meeting Cousin Catherine.

And she did not disappoint.

Bright-eyed and lively, with a quick pleasant laugh, Catherine was the star of our meal, chatting easily with everyone. Including me.

Though she was obviously curious about me, she didn’t pepper me with too many questions about my past. Instead, she made it clear she wanted to get to know me as a person.

But even better than meeting someone I thought could be a friend, I enjoyed watching Catherine banter with Sabrina.

“I see your taste in fashion is still as…interesting as ever,” Sabrina said with a fake smile.

Catherine looked down at her outfit, which was a swirling mix of vibrant colors, then she looked at Sabrina’s tailored blue dress.

She grinned. “Thank you, Cousin. I know how much you admire my sense of taste. It’s too bad it hasn’t rubbed off on you at all.”

Apparently Catherine was simply too cheerful for any of Sabrina’s attempts at insulting her to get through.

It took everything I had not to laugh out loud each time one of Sabrina’s jabs failed to hit its mark. Especially as Sabrina clearly grew more and more irritated, until by desert she was downright fuming.

By the end of the meal I had decided Catherine was one of my new favorite people. I couldn’t believe she was a part of my family now.

Luckily, she seemed to like me as well.

After dinner, once Sabrina had stomped off to her rooms and Dad had also retired for the evening, we sat together in the parlor getting to know each other.

Though it was still summer, the Royal pack territory sat higher in the mountains, and nights could be chilly. A fire crackled in the hearth, and Catherine and I each held mugs of steaming hot tea, sharing a lap blanket as sat on the couch facing the fire.

And we talked for hours.

Until we were interrupted by one of the butlers, telling me that I had a phone call.

And just like that, my mood changed.

I’d been having such a good time. Being around Catherine reminded me of hanging out with Amelia. I felt truly safe and happy around her.

Now I had to deal with this. Just like I did every night.

With a sad sigh, I said goodnight to Catherine and excused myself. I returned to my room to take the call in private.

I already knew who was calling. Who was going to be on the other end of the line.

The same person it had been nearly every evening since I arrived at the palace well over a week ago now.

Nathan.