Shifters in the Snow

by Jacqueline Sweet

  The bear answered with another powerful roar.

  “I need you to stay calm.” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more, him or herself.

  As she inched closer, he pawed at the ground, leaving a trail of deep scratches in the tiled floor. The scraping sound of nails on a chalkboard accompanied each swipe of his paw.

  “Brady, I know you’re in there. You need to control your bear. The procedure is done. The doctors are gone and they won’t hurt you anymore. But you need to return to your human form.”

  The bear rose up on his back paws and sniffed the air. She hoped he’d recognize her scent. She hadn’t been in the presence of his bear in years and the animalistic side of himself might not remember her.

  He turned in a circle, revealing a long gash in his back. A thick patch of gauze covered most of the surgical site, but a corner had ripped lose. A viscous mat of blood saturated his fur. Thick drops of fresh blood landed on the tile near his paws.

  She had no idea how to reach him, so she just said anything that came to mind. “Remember the time we went out to Old Faithful to watch the full moon rise? We saw that moon rainbow in the geyser’s mist and thought it was the most magical moment of our lives. That night, you kissed me for the first time. Bright stars twinkled in the sky. The ground was covered in shimmering snow. It was so silent. We felt like we were the only two people left in the world. Do you remember that night?”

  The bear cocked his head to one side, as if trying to remember.

  Encouraged by his changing demeanor, she continued, “I wanted to make love under the stars, but I was too afraid to tell you. I was a virgin and so incredibly shy that I thought I was going to faint when you kissed me.”

  The bear dropped to all fours and sat back on his haunches.

  “It took me another two weeks to summon enough courage to kiss you again. But when I did, I wanted to kiss you forever.”

  Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Brady, come back to me. I need you. Your son, no…our son needs you.”

  The bear’s fur slowly receded. His paws transformed into hands and feet. His body cracked and twisted as bones retracted and reformed.

  Rachel stood in awe as the powerful beast morphed into the man she couldn’t help but love. She raced forward as he collapsed onto his side.

  “I need help in here,” she screamed.

  One of the guards ran in, took one look at the situation and yelled, “Nurse!”

  Rachel slipped in a small puddle of blood as she ran to hold Brady. She landed with a thud on her butt. A sharp pain stabbed up through her spine, but she couldn’t worry about that right now.

  “Brady, can you hear me?”

  She stared into his pale, sweat-drenched face. As she smoothed his hair away from his eyes, he drew in a sharp breath then stilled. She froze and held her breath until he drew another one.

  Two male nurses ran into the room. One said, “Ma’am, we need you to move. We have to get him back on a gurney and get an IV in him.”

  She nodded and pushed back, sliding along the floor until her back hit a steel tray. She watched as the nurses lifted Brady onto the gurney. They immediately started a new IV.

  A doctor she didn’t recognize stepped into the room. “Stats?”

  “BP seventy-five over forty-five, heart rate fifty.”

  “That’s dangerously low. Push point five cc epi.”

  As one nurse scurried to grab a small glass bottle, the other nurse wrapped two straps across Brady’s chest and hips.

  “Is that really necessary?” Rachel asked.

  They looked at her like she’d lost her mind. She used the wall to climb to her feet. As she carefully stepped over scalpels and surgical scissors, she watched Brady’s chest rise and fall.

  The doctor leaned over and used two fingers to pry his eyelids open. Glassy and unfocused, Brady stared at the ceiling.

  “Is he… is he, dead?”

  “No. He still has a pulse, but I’m afraid he’s fallen into a coma.”

  A sharp pain sliced through Rachel’s heart. “I can’t lose him.”

  “Ma’am, we’ll do everything in our power to save him, but right now, we just have to wait.”

  She nodded and didn’t resist as one of the nurses led her into the hall. She stared down at the blood drops on her tennis shoes and started to cry.

  Dr. Landry approached from down the hall. “Your son’s doing fine. The procedure couldn’t have gone any better in his case. How’s Brady?”

  “The other doctor said he’s in a coma. Can you check?”

  Dr. Landry pushed open the door to OR one. “Update.”

  The other doctor said, “He slipped into a coma after he shifted. We pushed epi and have an IV going. At this point, all we can do is wait to see if he’ll wake up.”

  Rachel pressed her palm to her belly to keep from throwing up.

  Dr. Landry turned and studied her. “Take a deep breath. He’s stable now.”

  “What if he doesn’t wake up?”

  She frowned. “You can’t think like that. We need to stay positive. I firmly believe that people in a coma can hear us, so let’s stay positive.”

  “Okay,” Rachel murmured.

  “Would you like to see your son? He’s in recovery right now. He should be waking up soon.”

  She took one last look at Brady. She clasped his hand in hers. “Please wake up, honey.”

  Dr. Landry put her hand on Rachel’s back and guided her out of the room and down the hall. After passing through a door marked Recovery they continued past a row of beds, some with curtains open, some closed.

  The second she spotted her son, she gave a little cry of relief. His face was still pale, but he looked peaceful.

  “How long before he wakes up?”

  “It shouldn’t be very long.”

  A nurse walked over from the nurses’ station. “There’s a woman out in the waiting room. She says she’s your mother.”

  “June?”

  “Yes. Should I send her in?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  The nurse returned with her mom. Rachel collapsed in her arms. “Thank God you’re here.”

  Her mom hugged her. “How’s Jimmy?”

  “He should be waking up soon.”

  “And Brady?”

  Rachel lowered her voice. “He shifted mid-procedure. I had to talk him back into his human form. But he’s in a coma now.”

  Her mom stroked her head. “He’s in good hands. He’s going to be okay.”

  “You don’t know that for sure.” Rachel whimpered.

  “All we can do is wait and pray.”

  “Why did I ever let him go? What if it’s too late now?”

  June said, “You can’t think like that. If he’s breathing, there’s hope.”

  A commotion just outside the door to the recovery room drew her attention.

  A loud male voice yelled, “I don’t care if he can’t give permission. I want to see my brother right now.”

  Mack stormed into the recovery area looking mad enough to kill. He rushed over to where Rachel stood. “What the hell is going on? I get a call that my brother’s in a coma and I didn’t even know he was having surgery today.”

  Rachel stared, dumbfounded. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “I was in Bozeman picking up a new air compressor. What the hell is going on?”

  As she relayed the story of her son’s illness and everything that had led up to Brady falling into a coma, Mack’s expression darkened.

  When she finished he said, “You’d better hope to God he’s not dead. If he dies, it’s your fault.”

  June stepped forward. “He’s not going to die. I can’t have you scaring my grandson when he wakes up, so we’re going to the lobby to wait.”

  With that, she grabbed his upper arm and half-dragged him down the hall. Gratitude for her mother’s strength warmed her heart. At least she had her mom on her side.

  A tiny voice came from
behind her. “Mommy?”

  Chapter 9

  Rachel perched on the edge of her son’s bed. “How are you doing, sweetie?”

  “Dr. Jennifer said I can have a lollipop.”

  She smiled. “I’m sure you can have one as soon as she comes to check on you.”

  “My hand hurts,” he said as he pointed at the IV.

  “We’ll be able to take it out soon, but right now we have to leave it in.”

  “I don’t like it,” he said with a pout.

  Her throat swelled. “I know you don’t. I promise, once this is all over, I’ll take you to the ice cream store and you can get any flavor you want.”

  His eyes drooped as if he was struggling to keep them open. “Even bubblegum?”

  She flashed back to the last time she’d let him have bubblegum. It had taken two weeks to get the gum out of the upholstery in her car. She didn’t care. She’d give him anything he wanted. He’d been so brave.

  “Even bubblegum,” she said.

  He smiled slightly and with great effort. “Where’s my friend?”

  “Which one?”

  “The bad man who came with me.”

  Confused, she said, “Do you mean my friend Brady?”

  He nodded slightly. “He’s not a bad man. He’s really nice.”

  Relief washed over her. “He’s recovering in another room.”

  “He should get bubblegum too.” His eyes closed.

  “Yes, he should.”

  She checked to make sure he was sleeping. The slow rise and fall of his chest accompanied by his soft breaths helped calm her. He’d survived.

  June walked in from the hall. “How’s he doing?”

  “Better. He’s sleeping.”

  “If you want me to watch him while you go check on Brady, I can. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  June smiled. “I’ll watch over him while you’re gone. There’s a group of nurses a shout away. If anything happens, we’ll find you immediately.”

  “I hate to leave him, but I need to know how Brady’s doing.”

  “I understand.”

  She whispered in Jimmy’s ear. “I’ll be back soon, honey.”

  It killed her to have to leave his side, but she needed to check on Brady. Dr. Landry hadn’t been back yet with an update.

  Rachel walked to the nurses’ station. “Do you know what room Brady Grant is in?”

  The nurse checked the computer. “ICU two forty-five.”

  “Thank you.”

  Rachel picked up the pace as she strode down the long, white hall and into the main lobby. She spotted Mack bent over with his head in his hands. She didn’t want to have to deal with him right now, so she hurried through the room. She was just two steps from the elevator when she heard Mack’s voice.

  “How is he?”

  She turned to find a very worried look on his face. “I don’t know yet. I’m going to check on him now.”

  “I don’t mean Brady, I mean your son. Technically, I guess I’m his uncle.”

  She nodded. “He was awake for a few minutes. He looks like he’s doing okay so far. We won’t know if the operation worked or not for a few months. But so far, it looks good.”

  “Are you headed up to see Brady?”

  She braced herself. “Yes.”

  Mack sighed. “I’m sorry that I came at you earlier. I wasn’t mad at you… well, okay, I was. I was pissed off. I just don’t want to see my brother get hurt.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” she said defensively.

  “You walked away from him and took his son with you. You never even told him that he had a son. How can you say you weren’t trying to hurt him?”

  “It’s complicated. I was young and I didn’t make the best choice. But you don’t know everything about our relationship, so you have no right to judge me.”

  He held up his hands. “I’m not trying to pick a fight. If Brady’s putting the past aside, I can too. But I can’t believe no one called to tell me he was having surgery today. I’m listed as his emergency contact, so I got a call from a nurse telling me to come right away. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Everything happened so fast. We didn’t have time.”

  Mack started at her as if trying to assess whether or not she was lying. He finally gave her a curt nod. “I believe you.”

  “You could start giving me the benefit of the doubt.”

  “I could. But you could also look at things from my perspective. Our parents are both dead. I’m the oldest, so it’s my job to protect Brady and our brothers. I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s going on.”

  She could see his point. “Okay. I doubt we’re going to have to do emergency surgery again any time soon. But if we do, I’ll call you as soon as we get to the hospital.”

  He visibly relaxed. “Good. That’s all I ask.”

  “Do you want to come with me to see him?”

  “Yeah.”

  After taking the elevator to the second floor, they stepped into the room. Various machines beeped every few seconds. A heart rate monitor ran a continuous line of peaks and valleys. An IV dripped clear liquid into his hand.

  She stood by the side of the bed and peered down. “Honey, I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but Mack’s here with me.”

  “Hey, buddy,” Mack said.

  “We’ll be here until you wake up.” Her voice cracked. “Your son’s doing well. Please… come back to us.”

  Mack stood on the opposite side of the bed. “I know you’re in there somewhere. Your son needs you, and I need you.”

  “I need you too,” Rachel whispered.

  Mack stretched his arms overhead. “Will you be okay if I head over to the cafeteria for a few minutes? I need a snack.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Want anything?”

  “Some coffee would be great.”

  Mack gave her a crooked smile. “Watch over him while I’m gone.”

  “I will.”

  After Mack left, she grabbed a chair and dragged it over to the side of the bed. She sat and watched his eyes for any sign of movement. She didn’t know how long he’d be stuck in a coma. It was all her fault. If she hadn’t kept Jimmy from his father, then maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe this was punishment for keeping Jimmy a secret all these years.

  She sniffed back tears. She couldn’t fall apart now. She had to stay positive.

  She whispered, “If you can hear me, I need you. I don’t think I can live without you. Jimmy deserves to have a father. Even if… even if we can’t be together… at least you’ll have a son.”

  She paused to listen to the heartbeat monitor. Nothing changed. A wave of despair overcame her. What if he never woke up? What if the price of saving her son was killing his father?

  * * *

  Brady struggled to open his eyes. A heavy weight held them closed. Even after summoning every ounce of strength, he still couldn’t bring himself out of the deep sleep which seemed to drag him under.

  A soft, feminine voice spoke to him. At first he didn’t recognize it. But a slow realization brought on by his bear senses hit him hard in the chest. The woman, whoever she was, was his mate. His bear felt it, and he also felt it in his heart. His soul sang with recognition. He’d been searching for her his entire life but hadn’t recognized it until now.

  An annoying beep picked up tempo as he was finally able to force his eyes open for a second. His lids fell closed but not before he’d been able to sneak a peek at his mate. He instantly recognized her soft brown hair and bright green eyes.

  “Rachel.” His voice came out so softly that he could hardly hear it.

  “I’m right here, honey.”

  “What… what happened?”

  “You came in for a bone marrow transplant. Do you remember?”

  “So thirsty.”

  The grip on his hand released. Footsteps retreated then returned. Something fre
ezing cold and moist pressed between his lips. He gratefully licked what he finally realized was an ice cube. He tried to sit up but couldn’t move. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this weak.

  Once the ice cube had melted, he opened his eyes. Rachel leaned over him, giving him a great view down the front of her sweater. He was operating at a corporeal level. Nothing mattered beyond food, water, and a glimpse of his sexy mate.

  She must have noticed the direction of his gaze because she grinned. “It looks like you’re already on the road to recovery.”

  He tried to laugh, but it took too much effort. “Hello, beautiful.”

  Her smile dissolved as her bottom lip quivered. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  “You’ll never lose me.”

  “The last few days have been so crazy.”

  He crawled his fingers across the blanket until he could reach her hand. Just seeing her had given him enough strength that he was able to squeeze her hand. “How’s our son?”

  “He’s in recovery. He’s doing well so far. We won’t know if the transplant took for a few months, but for now, everything looks good.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad he’s okay.”

  “I know I did a terrible thing by keeping him from you. But I hope that maybe in time….”

  “We need to get to know each other again. We’ve both been through so much in the last four years.”

  “But there’s a chance?”

  He nodded slightly. “Come here and kiss me.”

  She leaned over and pressed her soft, warm lips against his. The gentle caress of her mouth slid to his cheek as she spread kisses across his face.

  From across the room, someone cleared their throat. Rachel pulled away quickly. A bright flush rose up from her neck to color her cheeks.

  Mack stepped into the room. “I hate to interrupt, but I heard you’d woken up. How are you?”

  Brady looked at Rachel and smiled. “Getting better by the second.”

  Mack chuckled. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to have to cook for a few more people day after tomorrow?”

  “What’s happening then?” Rachel asked.

  Mack said, “It’s the first night of the twelve days of Christmas. Every night for twelve days, we get together as a family and celebrate everything we’re grateful for. If Jimmy’s up for it, you’re welcome to join the family. Bring your mom too. We have a lot to celebrate this year.”