Brand was just locking the office door behind him to head out to lunch when the voice he least wanted to hear said his name. Carter. Was it too late to disappear back into his office, pretend he hadn't heard him? Yeah, it was.

Brand turned around, avoiding Carter's gaze. That was the first key to getting out of unwanted social situations. Never look them in the eyes. Brand thought it might have been some wilderness survival advice, and it was probably for a very similar situation. Right now, he felt like prey, and all he wanted to do was get to his car and get away as fast as possible.

"I'm sorry," Carter said, his long legs keeping up with Brand's brisk pace easily. "About the other day. It was wrong of me to assume. But this isn't about that. It's about Jax."

Brand's step faltered. Dammit. Carter had said the one thing that could possibly entice him to listen to him. But Brand forced himself to keep walking. Carter probably knew that and was using it against him.

"Last week, Dr. Tyler pulled me aside to say that Jax has stalled. He isn't making progress anymore. And he suggested it might be a change in his life."

Brand slowed down a little.

"I talked to Jax and finally got it out of him. He misses you, Dr. Delaney."

Those words finally brought him to a halt, a slice of unexpected guilt stabbing him in the heart.

"What do you want from me?" Brand hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but this man was spinning him in circles. First, he thought Brand his mate, then he says his kid missed Brand. To tell the truth, Brand missed Jax too. It had felt strange missing his appointments. Brand hadn't realized what a cornerstone they'd become to his week.

"I was hoping you would think about stopping by Jax's appointment tomorrow. I promise it will be like before. I won't make it weird, I'll just wave when I come to pick him up."

Brand was torn. he desperately wanted to be there for Jax, but he still didn't know what to do about Carter. The fact that Carter approached him on Jax's behalf this time, if he wasn't making things up, was a point in his favor. But Brand didn't know if he trusted him even that far.

"You don't have to give me an answer," Carter said. "But I would appreciate it if you would just think about it. I think it would help him a lot."

And then Carter turned and walked away without any further entreaty. He seemed sincere, but Brand didn't really know anything about him. He did know Jax, though.

Brand ended up grabbing a slice of pizza at a gas station and eating it in his office. he wasn't in the mood to sit around a bunch of people with all the noise filling my already cluttered head. By the time his next appointment came in, He still didn't know what he was going to do when Jax's appointment rolled around.

* * *

All morning, Brand's eye was on the clock, watching as it crept closer and closer to Jax's appointment time. Or what had been his appointment time several weeks ago. Had they moved it? Brand was overthinking everything. Jax's appointment had been at the same time on the same day since he'd started visiting. And Carter hadn't mentioned anything about a change.

Almost without thinking about it, the moment the clock struck one-thirty, Brand was pulling off his coat, turning off his office lights and locking the door, his feet taking him to Ty's office. He slipped in quietly, somehow not sure if he was going to stay even though he was already there. It was good to see Jax's face again, but Brand observed silently for a few moments. Jax did seem less intent than normal. Ty was walking him through an exercise he'd had no problems with the last time Brand had seen him, but he flopped half-heartedly partway through. His face was somber, not the animated boy Brand was used to.

Brand stepped forward and cleared my throat, drawing Ty and Jax's eyes toward him. Immediately, Jax's face lit up, twisting the knife of guilt Carter had stabbed him with yesterday. He hadn't been lying. Jax struggled to his feet and limped his way to Brand, throwing his arms around Brand's waist.

"Hey, Jack Attack," Brand said, tears welling in his eyes and emotion constricting my throat. Carter hadn't been lying. Brand was the one who'd caused this little boy pain.

"I missed you, Dr. Delaney," he said into Brand's shirt.

"So I heard. I also heard you've been giving Dr. Tyler trouble. Is that true?"

He looked sheepishly up at Brand and gave a half nod.

"That's not very nice of you. Do you think you can make it up to him?"

Jax nodded excitedly.

"Let's work extra hard for Dr. Tyler today, then, okay?"

"Okay, Dr. Delaney!"

Ty gave Brand an appreciative smile before turning a fake sternness on Jax. "Okay, no more goofing around, right?"

"Right!" Jax yelled, the enthusiasm Brand remembered back in full force.

"Let's try that last exercise again, okay?"

The rest of his appointment went smoothly. Jax didn't master everything he tried, but he tried, and tried hard. He tried harder than Brand ever had after his accident.

And Carter was true to his word. When he arrived to pick up Jax, he gave Brand a grateful smile, mouthed, "Thank you," and simply waved from the door.

"I'm going to walk just as good as Dr. Delaney," Brand heard Jax tell him as they left. He didn't hear Carter's response, but it left him with a vague longing and regret. He wasn't as whole as Jax seemed to think. Sure, he could walk fine most of the time. Sometimes the weather would change and he'd have a limp, but the real injuries went deeper than that. He hadn't shifted in… oh, he couldn't even say how long now. Since sometime in college. He knew that wasn't good for him, but making the shift was painful, and he hadn't found reason enough to force himself to do it. Other wolves talked of the joy of shifting and he was envious of them. He'd never experienced that.

"Thanks for coming," Ty said after the door closed behind Carter and Jax. "That's the best session we've had in a while."

"Why didn't you tell me he was having issues with me gone?" Brand asked, anger creeping into his voice.

Ty shrugged. "It wasn't my place. And there's clearly something going on between you and Carter."

"What? Between—" Brand sputtered. "There's nothing going on between me and Jax's dad."

"Nothing that would make you come ask me about him or skip Jax's sessions for a few weeks, of course. Nothing."

"He's just—I'm just—" Brand wasn't sure what to say. "I'll see you next week."

Ty's laughter made him flush with embarrassment. "I'll see you in a couple days for our prenatal checkup."

Damnit. Would nothing in his life proceed as he expected it right now?