“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She swayed a little from side to side. Martha didn’t want to step away from him, she didn’t want him to go. But she needed to check on her mom and get her to bed.
“I’ll make it easier for you.” He kissed her once more on the cheek before he winked and took a step backward and then another.
Martha watched him until he reached the sidewalk then she opened the front door and went inside. Pushing the door closed, she leaned her back on to it, telling herself she could not open it and run down the street after Hex. He’d gone home, and she needed sleep so that she would be fresh in the morning for the hospital visit. Her mom needed her to help and support her through the tests.
With a groan, she pushed the flat of her hands against the door and propelled herself forward. Going to the living room, she found her mom asleep on the sofa, the fire had died down to red glowing embers and the room felt cool. Crossing to the sofa, Martha knelt down by her mom’s side and touched the back of her hand to Hilda’s forehead. Her skin felt cool, the fever seemed to have broken for good. Hopefully, her mom was on the mend and the tests at the hospital would come back with nothing to worry about. At dinner, Hilda seemed almost back to her normal self, even if she was a little tired. Which was understandable since she was battling an infection.
“Martha?” Hilda jerked awake as Martha removed her hand from her mom’s forehead.
“Hi, Mom.” She smiled gently as Hilda opened her eyes and blinked as she rested her weight on one elbow.
“When did you get here?” Hilda asked, looking around the room.
“I just got back. Hex walked me to the door.” Martha sat back on her haunches and watched her mom. Panic filled her as Hilda looked confused and disoriented once more.
“Who is Hex?” Hilda asked. “And why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Her hand went to her temples and she closed her eyes as she winced in pain.
“You have a headache again.” Martha shivered as cold fear gripped her. Whatever had left Hilda dazed and confused this morning was back.
“I do have a headache.” Hilda opened her eyes. “Did I talk to you on the phone earlier?”
“No, Mom. I was here. I arrived this morning and we had dinner together with Hex.” Martha rubbed her mom’s hand as if she could wake her up and make her remember. But her mom was awake. “Shawn visited and gave you some antibiotics. He’s arranged for us to visit the hospital tomorrow. So let’s get you to bed.”
“I might stay here on the sofa,” Hilda replied.
“No, let’s get you to the bathroom and then I’ll help you to bed. The sofa is no place to sleep.” Martha encouraged Hilda to get up.
With some reluctance, Hilda pushed the blanket off her legs and swung her feet down to the floor. Martha hooked her hand under her mom’s arm and helped her to stand up. Hilda swayed, her hand fluttering to her temples as she looked around the room. It was as if she were in a faraway place and couldn’t get back. Perhaps she’d been having her own dreams of her husband and the days they shared together when they were young. How much hurt and pain it must have cost Hilda to lose her husband. The man she’d been destined to live with forever.
Forever is not always eternity, her cougar said sagely.
Hex’s dream. He believes in it. He’s scared for us. He’s scared we might lose him. Martha stroked her mom’s face and kissed her cheek. She could not bear the thought of losing Hex. Sympathy for her mom swelled inside her and a stray tear rolled down her cheek. Was this how Hilda had chosen to cope with being alone?
“Are you sure we didn’t speak on the phone earlier?” Hilda asked as Martha helped her out of the room.
“No, I was here. We spoke in person. You drank coffee with me at the kitchen table while I cooked dinner.” Martha led her mom to the bottom of the stairs and the elderly lady looked up at them with some trepidation.
“I could sleep on the sofa.” She turned to Martha. “It’s warm downstairs, I can feed the fire.”
“I’ll help you upstairs.” Martha encouraged her mom to take the first step and then the second. Hilda had no problem with the stairs once she started to climb them yet still, she held back as if she didn’t want to go upstairs. “It’s okay.”
“Sometimes I think I hear his voice you know,” Hilda spoke in a hushed whisper, her eyes wide as she looked around the hallway, searching for a man who was no longer part of this world.
“Oh, Mom. Is that why you don’t like sleeping upstairs?” Martha asked.
“When the wind blows down from the mountain, it carries his voice, he’s calling to me.” Hilda grabbed hold of Martha’s hand so tightly her knuckles showed white.
Biting her lip to stop herself from crying out, Martha gently uncurled Hilda’s fingers and they climbed to the top of the stairs where they paused. Hilda was almost rigid in Martha’s arms. “Can you hear him?”
“No, Mom. I can’t.” Martha’s voice caught in her throat as she turned them toward the bathroom. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”
“You’re a good girl, Martha.” Hilda looked at her daughter through tears that glittered in her eyes like the stars that shone down from the mountain.
“You raised me well.” Martha swung the bathroom door open and Hilda went inside. “Do you need me to help you?”
“No, I can manage.” Hilda closed the door behind her, and Martha stared at the closed door, her senses fixed on her mom as she moved around the bathroom.
Turning around, Martha pressed her back to the wall and slid down to the floor, her head in her hands. As she fought back tears, she wished Hex was here. Not because there was anything he could do, but because his warmth and strength made her feel stronger, as if she could cope with anything.
Not this, her cougar said sadly. Nothing can help us cope with this.
She was right. There was nothing anyone could do or say that would help Martha cope with losing her mom one memory at a time.
Chapter Eleven – Hex
“And you are sure you don’t mind me bringing Martha and her mom over later?” Hex asked his mom.
“No,” his mom said eagerly. “I can’t wait to meet them both.” His mom beamed as bright as the sun that had risen over the mountains this morning. “I’ll cook lunch.”
“You don’t have to go to too much trouble,” he replied. “We can always grab something to eat in town. Only I don’t know how long the tests will take.”
“I’ll cook lunch. If the appointments run on over lunchtime and you have to get yourselves something to eat at the hospital or in town, that’s okay.” She nodded toward Mac who was eating his breakfast while going over the daily work schedules. “I can assure you between Mac and the other boys, the food will not go to waste.”
“No food ever goes to waste around here.” Joey sauntered into the kitchen and helped himself to a steaming mug of coffee. “Especially when your cooking is the best, Sue.”
“Not with you boys around,” Sue smiled as she offered Joey a plateful of bacon and eggs. “You eat enough for five people all on your own.”
“He needs all of his energy to keep up with all of the women who fall at his feet,” Mac replied as he punched the work schedule away and leaned back in his chair.
“How did last night go?” Hex asked, recalling Polly slipping her phone number into Joey’s pocket before he got back to work in Cougar Ridge.
“She’s a firecracker,” Joey admitted. “Nothing like the women I usually date.”
“So you’re going to see her again?” Mac asked in surprise.
Joey nodded, a somber expression flickering over his face before he quickly smothered it with his lighthearted exterior. “We decided since neither of us has a mate, we would spend some time together. You know, do things like normal couples do. Go to the movies, have dinner...”
“That’s a great idea,” Hex said. “There’s nothing as lonely as a solitary shifter on a Friday night.”
“Exactly,” Joey pointed at Hex as he seated hi
mself at the table and picked up his knife and fork. “I like her, she’s fun. And it’s freeing to be with someone who knows the score.”
“Until one of you finds your mate and the other gets dumped,” Sue warned.
“That might never happen. Or we might scratch the other’s itch and break up after a couple of months.” Joey grinned and flexed his muscles. “But how could she not want to stay with me?”
“Yeah, I bet she’s never dated anyone with such a big head,” Hex joked.
“I think she was more interested in the size of another part of my anatomy.” His cheeks colored as he glanced up at Sue. “Sorry.”
“You know I don’t like that kind of talk around the kitchen table,” Sue wagged her finger at Joey.
“Does that mean we don’t get to ask how Hex’s date went last night?” Mac looked up at his younger brother. “His date with his mate. I do like the sound of that.”
“It went well. I had dinner with Martha and her mom and then we went for a walk in the mountains.” He kept his expression neutral, not wanting to give away the fact that they’d done more than walk in the mountains. If he hid his face, Mac would guess immediately, but it was a fight to keep the color from creeping across his cheeks. “I just hope everything goes well at the hospital today. From what Martha said, Hilda was pretty out of it yesterday morning.”
“But she was feeling better. So maybe she is over the worst,” Sue suggested.
“I have my fingers crossed.” He looked sideways at his mom. He had no idea how he would cope if anything happened to her. But at least he had Mac by his side, and they would face it together. Martha had no siblings, she was in it alone. At least she had been. Now he was there for her and Hilda had become part of his extended family. “Okay, I should get going. I’ll call you as soon as I have an idea of what time we’ll get here.” He kissed his mom on the cheek. “Thanks for the day off, Mac.”
“No problem. Joey here offered to work twice as hard to cover your shift.” Mac placed his hand over the work schedule he’d rejigged so that Hex could have the time off.
“Thanks, Joey,” Hex said as he headed out of the kitchen. “I owe you one.”
Joey raised his hand. “You’re welcome,” he said before he refocused on eating his breakfast.
With a smile on his face and a lightness in his heart he hadn’t felt for a long time, Hex strode toward his truck, whistling as the sun shone down on him. He inhaled the crisp morning air and turned to look at the mountains as he pulled open the truck door and climbed in.
Snow, his bear said. I can smell it on the air.
It’s still a day or so away according to the forecast, Hex replied.
Hmm, they might be wrong. His bear stood with his mouth a little open tasting the air. It’s close. Maybe it’ll just snow on the higher peaks for now.
Maybe. The tallest mountain peaks were already encrusted in snow and ice, and the occasional dusting of snow had fallen on the lower slopes, but the coming snowstorm would be the most snow they’d had so far this winter. He had to admit it was an inconvenience, but he certainly preferred it to the wind and rain that had caused the creek to flood. His heart hammered in his chest and his breath caught in his throat for one long moment, as his mind filled with images of the deep murky water of his dreams, before he breathed through it and started his engine. He was not going to let anything happen to his mate.
After he’d left her last night, Hex had driven into the mountains and sat for a while in his truck trying to figure out what to do about his dream. After some debate with his bear, he’d decided to tell his mate the whole truth. However, they’d also decided to wait until after the hospital visit today.
Sweeping his fears aside, Hex switched on the radio and whistled along even though he didn’t know the song. His good mood left him wanting to burst out at the seams, but he needed to contain it and focus on getting Hilda to the hospital for her tests.
The road leading into Cougar Ridge was slick with ice and the temperature dropped considerably as the truck slowly climbed the steep road into town. Unlike last night, the town was busy with people making preparations for the storm. The town was one of the poorest in the area, but the people here always pulled together and shared what they had. Perhaps, when they got back from the hospital, he could volunteer to lend a hand to anyone who might need it. Just because he had the day off from work didn’t mean he had to take it easy.
Not when you have a mate to impress, his bear chuckled.
Hex didn’t answer as he parked the truck and got out. The cold temperature hit him as soon as he took a breath. Maybe his bear was right, the snow was coming sooner than they expected.
Slamming the truck door, he went around the vehicle and checked that his snow chains were still in the back. He might need them to get Martha and her mom home tonight if the snow fell early. Satisfied he was prepared, Hex strode toward the front door, only for Martha to open it as he reached up to knock. “You’re here.” She reached out for him and pulled him inside.
“What’s wrong?” Hex could tell by Martha’s worried expression she hadn’t pulled him inside to rip his clothes off and make love to him.
“It’s my mom,” she hissed as she looked over her shoulder.
“I thought she was feeling better last night?” Hex asked as Martha pulled him toward the kitchen.
“When I got back home last night she was confused and disorientated.” Her jaw tightened as if she was trying to figure out how much to tell him.
“Come on, sit down and I’ll make coffee. Then you can tell me everything.” Hex nodded in encouragement and Martha let him guide her toward a chair which he pulled out for her. “Sit.”
She plopped down in the chair and rubbed her forehead as she fought back tears. “I don’t know what to think.”
“How is she this morning?” Hex asked as he put on a fresh pot of coffee and plunked some bread in the toaster.
“That’s the thing, this morning she seems a lot better again. It’s like she went to sleep and woke up as a different person. Although she still has a headache.” Martha looked at him as if he might give some answers. He didn’t.
“Eat, have some coffee and we’ll get to the hospital.” He glanced down at his watch before he looked toward the window and the mountain peaks beyond. “The appointment isn’t for another hour, but we could get there early.”
“What’s wrong?” She caught hold of his hand and pulled him toward her.
“It smells like snow.” Hex hunkered down in front of her. “I just want to make sure I get you and your mom to the hospital and home safely.”
“The snow isn’t supposed to come until tomorrow.” Martha cupped his face in her hands. “What happens if Mom gets worse and we can’t get back from the hospital?”
“You could stay over at my house for a couple of days,” Hex suggested.
“It might do Mom some good.” She looked down at his lips before she raised her gaze once more. “My mom says she thinks she hears my dad’s voice. That the wind carries it down from the mountains.” She hiccupped. “I’m scared she’s going crazy.”
“Hey, let’s see what the doctors say before we jump to any conclusions. There might be a simple explanation.” His heart ached for her. Losing a parent was terrifying. He would do anything to make things right to make her mom healthy, but it was out of his control. All he could do was be there for her.
Martha nodded and sniffed loudly. “I could do with that coffee.”
Hex sprang to his feet and poured two cups of coffee and placed them down on the table before he grabbed the toast and put it on a plate. “Eat something. This is going to be a long day.”
“Thanks.” She buttered a piece of toast but before she took a bite, the sound of her mom’s footsteps on the stairs made her tense.
“I’ll go and see if she’s okay,” Hex placed a hand on her shoulder. “You need to eat.”
“Thanks.” She placed her hand over Hex’s.
“That
’s what I’m here for.” He squeezed her shoulder before he removed his hand and went to meet Hilda at the bottom of the stairs. “Morning.”
I hope she remembers who you are and doesn’t think you are a stranger in the house, his bear commented as Hilda hesitated, her foot hovering above the last stair.
“Morning, Hex.” She smiled fondly at him. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m doing well, thanks. How are you? You look a lot brighter.” Hex stood back and Hilda stepped off the bottom stair and walked along the hallway to the kitchen.
“I feel good. I still have a headache but nowhere near as bad as it was. Perhaps the antibiotics are working on whatever infection I have.” She went to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. “You have ruined me, Martha. I hadn’t drank coffee for weeks and now I can’t stop.”
“Morning, Mom. You looked a lot brighter again this morning.” Martha studied her mom as she added milk to her coffee and sat down across the table.
“Oh, I might have some toast, too.” Hilda was about to get up, but Hex stopped her.
“I’ll make some.” Hex jumped forward and put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster. Martha looked up at him and gave him a quizzical look as she inclined her head toward her mom. He shrugged. He had no idea why Hilda was doing good one minute and then poorly the next.
“Thanks, Hex.” Hilda smiled at Martha. “I think he’s a keeper.”
“So do I.” She finished her toast and then brushed the crumbs from her fingertips. “I’m going to go upstairs and get ready. I’ll be ten minutes and then we should go.”
“I’m ready when you are,” Hilda said happily. “I’ve even managed not to put on odd shoes.” She grinned up at Hex. “Martha thinks I’m getting forgetful in my old age.”
“I’ll be back down as soon as I’m ready. Don’t forget to take your antibiotics.” Martha pressed her lips together as she left the kitchen and headed toward the stairs. It was obvious Hilda had no recollection of what happened last night, which was telling in itself.
Hex Winter Shifter Seasons Page 8