Doctor mate connor and s.., p.1
Doctor Mate: Connor & Shaun (Jameson Pack Book 1), page 1
Doctor Mate (Jameson Pack) by K.A. Bauer
Cover Artwork by K.A. Bauer
Copyright © 2024 K.A. Bauer
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, submitting to an artificial intelligence database, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Note: This is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, people, or places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
E-book ISBN 979-8-9892840-8-5
Paperback ISBN 979-8-9901259-0-2
Note from the Author:
I want to thank those of you who have taken the time to invest in the world I’ve created with the men of the Jameson Pack. Your love and support really mean a lot to me.
At this time, there is a lot of book piracy going on in the literary world and it is causing a lot of independent authors to suffer the consequences. I myself fell victim to this and have been fighting a legal battle to get the unauthorized distribution of my stories removed from sites that are not only sharing illegally, but also may include some type of malware on the files.
Never in a million years would I want a reader to suffer legal or technical consequences from my books, so please if you are accessing this e-book from anything other than a major retailer or official library app, please double check on my social media channels and/or website to make sure the site you got this from is authorized to carry my works before continuing. These books are the difference between a ramen or peanut butter month and a real food month for some of us.
If you are finding this book through a free share site, please report it as stolen work to the site so that myself and other independent authors can continue to publish our stories.
A complete listing of where my books are legally available can be found at:
https://mybook.to/KABauerWorks
Just a Heads Up:
The events of this book take place simultaneously with the events of the Alpha’s Little Psycho series and continue on after the end of the events of those books. If you have not read the series, you should still be able to enjoy this on its own, but please be aware that there may be some events and scenes that are only explained fully in the other series. There will definitely be crossovers from Ethan and Ric and Jack throughout the Jameson Pack series.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy how Fate works in the Jameson Pack.
PROLOGUE
CONNOR
Twenty One Years Ago
There’s a lot of noise downstairs. I’m supposed to be sleeping, but I’m curious. Daddy was talking to a vampire the other day and then I woke up the next morning to a baby brother.
I’m a big brother now!
Mommy and Daddy are being mean to each other again. I don’t understand why. Mommy keeps saying the nice vampire man needs to come take my baby brother away, but Daddy says we can’t give him away. I agree with Daddy.
Looking down at the baby in the bed with me, I can’t imagine ever giving him up. I’m his big brother. Big brothers protect their little brothers. I’ll always be there for him. I’ll be the bestest big brother ever.
I tuck him in tighter against my side and hope Mommy and Daddy stop fighting so they don’t wake him up. Babies need their sleep.
I’m not sure how long we’ve been asleep, but I hear my door opening. I don’t want to get us in trouble, so I keep my eyes closed tight. It’s important to be a good boy for Mommy and Daddy.
“He should be in a crib, Esther,” Daddy hisses in the dark. “You can’t keep pushing the care of an infant off onto our five year old! I’m sorry your sister is gone, but we were blessed with Ethan. It’s time to be a fucking mother!”
I feel Daddy’s hands brush across my arm as he picks up my baby brother. Daddy is always nice to us both, but he is being really mean to Mommy right now.
“Daddy?” I whisper as he turns to take Ethan out of the room. I don’t want my baby brother taken away from me.
He leans down to give me a smooch on my forehead and whispers back, “It’s alright, son. Your brother is just moving to his own special bed now in his own room. You can see him again in the morning.”
The teddy he places in my arms just doesn’t feel right. I should be protecting my baby brother from the nightmares and the yelling. Squeezing the teddy as tightly as I can, I let the tears squeak out of my eyes. It’s okay to cry in bed where no one can see. I’m a big boy, but even big boys can’t keep everything inside. I’ll give this teddy all the love I feel for my baby brother and someday I can give it to him, to protect him when I’m not around…
But I’m always going to be around. It is the job of a big brother, after all.
Fifteen Years Ago
“THREE! TWO! ONE!”
The buzzer goes off and we are officially the champions! This is so freaking awesome!
Looking into the stands, my parents are going crazy along with Alpha Richard and his mate, Miss Anna. Of course, they’re all excited… But I can’t see Ethan anywhere. Knowing my little brother, he’s probably hiding behind the bleachers with a comic book so Mom won’t see him. She thinks comics are pedantic or whatever. I’ll keep sneaking them to him as much as he wants.
I really want to find him, but Ric and the rest of the team pull me into more celebrations. Little do they know, I completely hate basketball. In fact, I hate almost all of the extra curriculars that my mother makes me do. But it’s easier to just go along with her plans for me. If I question her even a little bit, she starts a fight with Dad. I’d rather just pretend to like all of this stuff than deal with more arguments.
When we all pile into the diner for the celebratory ice cream and pizza, I still don’t see Ethan. Both of my parents are here, so he should be as well. Where is my brother? The only reason I try so hard at sports is because he always looks at me in my uniform like I hung the moon or something. This championship means nothing without my little sidekick cheering me on.
And that’s what he’s been for me since the day he was born. He’s my sidekick, my other half. He’s the only one who understands the pressures put on us to be perfect. I kind of envy him being the younger brother. Mom lets him do whatever he wants when it comes to school and activities. He’s so introverted that he gets to just hide in corners and read. I want to do that.
The friendly shoves as we pile into the booths pull me back to the celebrations. I’m sure Ethan is here somewhere hiding from the noise. He doesn’t like crowds. I’ll find him after we order our food.
“You cool, dude?” Ric asks from my left side. He looks almost as concerned as I am feeling. If there’s anyone here who would understand wanting Ethan around for the hero worship, it’s my best friend. We grew up together, practically as twins with how often our families spend time with each other. Ric sees Ethan as his little brother just as much as I do, so if anyone gets it, he would.
I lean in to whisper to him, “You seen Ethan tonight?”
He shakes his head, but can’t get any words out before my mother is there fawning over the both of us, praising our undeniable skills on the court. I swear she will never allow either of us to be viewed as anything less than spectacular. I love my mom, but she needs to take a serious chill pill.
“Mom, where’s Ethan?” I interrupt her before she can really embarrass me in front of the rest of the team. “I don’t see him anywhere.”
She gets that pinched look on her face. I recognize it as her annoyed face. She’s not happy that he’s not here. Well, join the club, Mom. I ain’t happy my little buddy isn’t here either.
“He stayed home tonight,” she says through clenched teeth. “He was starting to fall behind in his homework, so he had to stay and finish it all.”
I watch her walk away while the rest of the guys behind me are still laughing and cheering, replaying all of the awesome moments of the game. My mother goes up to my father and whispers in his ear. When she turns away to go to the other ladies in the pack, Dad looks around frantically before running to Alpha Jameson. Dad grabs him by the arm and drags him out of the diner by force…
“What’s that about?” I wonder out loud as I watch the Alpha’s face contort in fear while my dad is talking to him. Dad suddenly sucker punches our Alpha, who falls on his ass in the slush of the parking lot. Looking around inside the diner, everyone pretends to not have seen it… everyone except the guy next to me.
“What’s he done now?” Ric mutters before turning back to our teammates to continue the celebrations. I watch my dad shift into his copper wolf form and race off toward the pack house. About a minute later, the Alpha follows him.
I wish I had my wolf already. I would follow them. There’s no way Ethan is behind in school. The kid is smarter than probably the entire basketball team combined.
◆◆◆
As soon as Mom stops the car in the driveway, I’m out and racing up to Ethan’s room. There’s no way he missed my game for homework. Before I can go in, Dad is coming out of the room shaking his head. When he notices me, he sighs and pulls the door closed the rest of the way.
He puts his arm around my shoulders and turns me back toward my room before saying, “Let him sleep it off for a while. He got lost in the woods after school and got a bit scared. He’ll be fine by morning…”
I can tell there’s more that Dad wants to say, but he sounds like he’s on the verge of crying. Dad doesn’t cry. I look back over my shoulder at the closed door. What happened to my baby brother in the woods?
“He’s going to be fine, Connor,” Dad says as he gently pushes me into my room. “I’m going to make sure of it somehow. He’s okay for now.”
As the door closes behind me, I slide down it to the floor. I don’t think my dad meant me to hear that last part. What the hell was in the woods with Ethan tonight?
That settles it. I don’t care what my so-called friends think. My baby brother is always going to be allowed to tag along from here on out. I’ll never turn him away. There won’t be any more getting lost in the woods for him…
I really need to get my wolf soon. Why is thirteen so far away?
Ten Years Ago
As our group piles into the diner, we pretend not to notice the tag-a-long in our midst as usual. I mean, what group of sixteen year olds want to hang out with an eleven year old? Truth be told… I know both Ric and I would prefer hanging out with Ethan over most of the other people here. They’re all clinging to us because of our family names. Ric is the Alpha Heir to our pack and I’m next in line for Beta.
Honestly, Ethan and maybe Max are the only ones who don’t give a shit about status here. Actually, Max makes fun of our status more than the others suck up to us. It’s rather refreshing. I just wish he didn’t teach my baby brother to dip his fries in weird stuff. Fries go in ketchup, maybe ranch, but not ice cream… At least it appears that’s the only disgusting habit he’s passed onto little Blue.
I don’t even remember when we started calling him that. Just one day, Ric started calling Ethan little boy Blue and it stuck. He said it’s because of Ethan’s eyes. Looking at my little brother laughing with Max, I can see the sparkle in those summer sky eyes and have to admit that the nickname is warranted. Although, I kind of have to wonder where he got the eyes from. Neither Mom nor Dad have blue eyes. My eyes are brown. Both of them have shades of brown, although Mom’s eyes are closer to a hazel. Maybe our grandmother had blue eyes?
I’m practically gagging watching Ethan drag his cajun dusted fries through his chocolate milkshake, so I turn back toward the conversations happening in the other booth while I wait for Ric to show up after practice. Once he’s here, we’re all going to go back to the house. At least there, I don’t have to suffer from the anxiety of worrying about my brother. He’s still such an introvert. I could ease up if he would just make some friends…
“I just don’t understand why we have to deal with a toddler freak hanging around,” Jessica sneers toward her band of twittering idiots. I’m pretty sure she didn’t realize I had turned around. “The little shit does nothing but prevent us from doing actual fun things. How am I supposed to seduce one of them with that thing hanging around?”
The giggles from the twits turn my stomach. The only reason I put up with their slutty asses is because the Alpha told Ric and I that we have to treat them nicely. Their families are close or something. I’m pretty sure that just means they’re rich. Money or not, my dick is going nowhere near any of them.
Finally, Ric walks in as I’m about to lose my shit over the conversations I’m hearing. I jump up and drag him right back outside so that we can escape the vagina squad. Their only goal lately seems to be to try and trap one of us with sex. Ric is more willing to flirt and play nice than I am. I just want to get as far as possible before they notice we’re gone.
As we turn out of the parking lot, I see the rest of the gang start filing out of the diner. Ethan is looking around in confusion… Oh, shit. I left without telling him…
Before I can tell Ric to turn around, I see another little boy run up to my brother and smiles light up both of their faces. I feel my heart do a little flip inside my chest. My baby brother does have a friend… but why am I suddenly feeling jealous?
Eight Years Ago
Connie! Help! Come get me, PLEASE!
The voice of my baby brother won’t stop. I’m sitting outside the morgue waiting to go in and identify the bodies of my parents and little brother and his voice is screaming in my head. Why the fuck did I let Ric talk me into going to a frat party? Why did I have to promise Ethan pancakes?
If I hadn’t promised pancakes, he wouldn’t have set an alarm. No alarm means Dad would have caught the gas leak in time. It means I wouldn’t be an orphan at the age of eighteen having to look at the charred remains of my entire family…
“You know I’m here for you,” Ric says gripping my hand. “You don’t have to face this alone.”
I can only nod my head. If I open my mouth, I’ll start screaming again.
Connie, Please! I’m scared! I wanna come home!
Why won’t the voice stop? I’d give anything to bring my little brother back from the dead. I’d give anything to have him play his pranks on me again. I’d even let him shave my head. Just, please don’t be my little brother dead on a slab in that room…
“Sinclair?”
I look up to see a guy in scrubs poking his head out of the doorway to the morgue. Ric stands and pulls me up from the bench. My knees feel like jello. I don’t want to go in there. The smell already has my wolf on edge. He can recognize the scents of Mom and Dad under the chemicals and smoke and ash. I keep my eyes closed as Ric leads us into the room.
I hear the attendant pull back the sheets covering my parents. I take a look for the benefit of the human in the room, but I know it’s them. Turning my head away, I nod. Breathing through my mouth isn’t helping and I know I’ve only got a few minutes before my wolf is going to demand to come out to grieve.
Opening my eyes, I see the smaller shape under another sheet. My wolf is useless after the confirmation that our parents are gone. That lump used to be my little brother…
Connie! Please! It hurts!
The attendant pulls back the sheet and I drop. I think Ric catches me before I hit the floor, but darkness takes over before I’m certain.
I failed him. Thirteen years and the one day I’m not home… I’m so sorry, little brother.
Five Years Ago
Sitting beside Ric, I can’t help it. I’m jealous of the fact that he still has his little brother. The well wishers of the pack and surrounding areas are all coming up and offering their condolences, but the two of us are more focused on the toddler sleeping in my best friend’s lap. Ric is Alpha now. His parents are dead…
“Such an unfortunate tragedy,” another suck-up is talking. “After all of the trouble of moving here to escape what happened with that Ethan boy…”
I can’t stop the growl that comes out of me as I jump to my feet. Max is suddenly restraining me and I’m barely holding onto my human form. Glancing at Ric, he’s not doing much better, but the commotion wakes Jack up. The screaming toddler catches our attention and we somehow manage to calm down enough to sit again.
It’s too soon. It’s still too soon. I got another letter last week. I don’t even read them anymore. The small flare of hope is just too much. Just because Shaun insists that Ethan is alive doesn’t mean he is. It’s my fault my little brother is dead. It’s my fault our pack had to move away from our ancestral lands.
Shaun is right to blame me. It’s my fault his family was expelled from the pack. I asked Alpha Richard to talk to him. I couldn’t take the pleading. My wolf wanted to listen to him, but my heart couldn’t take it. I don’t know what the Alpha said to him, but next thing I know, Shaun and his family were gone. But the letters never stopped. The letters begging for my assistance, begging me to find Ethan and save him…
“Let’s get this little guy to bed,” Ric mutters, handing a sleeping Jackie to me. “This day was a shit show and I’m ready for it to be over.”
I can’t help but agree. Looking around at the pack gathered for the wake, I see nothing but crocodile tears. No one is actually mourning the loss of Alpha Richard Jameson. The only person to shed tears for today is Anna, Ric’s mother. And her mourners said their pieces quickly and quietly and left us to our grief. These are the leeches… and of course, Jessica is sobbing the loudest of all.
