The Terms of an Alpha ✔️

t w e n t y

[dedicated to JaneShaw6]

"Hey Gloria" Saint greeted the front desk worker.

"Hey Saint! Dr. Reed asked for you to start the history assessment for the client." She handed Saint a chart. He read the name, and he thought it sounded familiar. When he got to the room, he realized why it seemed familiar. It was the same Monica as in Ender's biological mother. He wondered if Ender knew she was here. He thought that was something Ender would have told Saint. Maybe, Ender hadn't been opening up to Saint as much as he thought.

As he got to her room, a nurse was leaving.

"Hey, Saint. I just finished my physical assessment, but I didn't get to give her a tour. Do you mind doing that too?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, no problem."

"You're the best." Taylor winked at him. Was he flirting with him? Taylor was openly gay, but did he know Saint was too. Saint shook the thought. He was overthinking it. He had been overthinking a lot today since he made the decision to come out to Perez tonight. But he couldn't think about that right now, he needed to focus on his job.

He peered inside the room and saw Monica lying on the bed. When he opened the door, she began to sit up.

"Hey." He looked down at the chart. "Ms. Andersson."

"Monica is fine." Her eyes looked sunken in. Her skin was pale, and her hands were trembling in her lap.

"Okay, Monica. My name is Saint, and I'm a Medical Assistant here. We have a few things to do today, but I understand if you feel a little overwhelmed." First days of Rehab were always rough for clients.

"It's just all so different." Her voice was weak.

"Yeah, it takes some time, but our clients get used to it and end up loving it here."

"I hope you're right," she sighed.

"We have to do a bio-psych assessment. You already had your physical assessment, so I'll be handling the history assessment. It'll just be a few questions, so Dr. Reed creates the best treatment plan for you." She nodded.

Saint began his assessment. Monica didn't seem too keen on answering his questions in more than one-word answers, so he often had to ask follow-up questions to have a thorough enough assessment. She was stubborn, but that was a quality he noticed in a lot of clients. When he finally finished, he could tell she was tired.

"If you want I can give you a tour of the facility, or you can take a nap, and I'll return in an hour or so?" he offered.

"I'll take you up on your offer for that nap. Thanks." He nodded.

"If you need anything, a nurse will always be around right outside." He moved to open the door.

"You know Ender?" She asked. So, Ender didn't know she was here.

"Yeah, I know him" Saint admitted.

"How is he?" She asked.

"He's doing well— He's great." Saint wasn't sure what Ender would've wanted him to say.

"That's- that's good." She turned over on the bed, letting Saint know the conversation was over.

+++

Saint sat at the diner, waiting for Ender. They made a habit of meeting for lunch at least once a week. So far, this was their fourth week of keeping this tradition. This diner was in between Saint and Ender's job. From what Saint gathered, Ender worked at his parent's unconventional private prison that focused on rehabilitation. Ender rarely talked about his work though, only when Saint really pried.