Bear With Me

by Vanessa Devereaux

  “Barney had lots of fun too,” said Lilly. “He spent all night sleeping in bed with Sam.”

  “I want a dog. I want a dog,” said Sam.

  “Plenty of dogs looking for a good home,” said Christopher.

  “We’ll think about it,” she told Sam. “So you ready to come home?”

  He shook his head. “I think Lilly and Christopher have probably seen enough of you,” said Hannah.

  “Nope, he’s been fun to have around and it’s kept Christopher busy,” said Lilly, winking at her husband.

  “Can he come back soon?” asked Kaitlin.

  “Sure,” said Hannah.

  “Are you guys going to Nick and Ava’s party at the lodge next weekend?” asked Christopher.

  Bear looked at her. “You want to be my date?”

  “I’d love to. They’ve both eaten at the café. In fact, I think they had their first date there.”

  “Really,” said Lilly, taking the dirty dishes to the sink.

  “Hopefully Liam won’t be there causing any trouble. Word is he plans to do just that. That guy’s a complete dickhead.”

  “Christopher,” said Lilly, turning around to give him a dirty look.

  “Sorry, forget young ones are present,” said Christopher.

  “What’s a dickhead?” asked Kaitlin.

  “Someone who’s an as…idiot,” said Christopher.

  “How are Charlotte and Aiden doing with Bridget?” asked Bear.

  “They’re tired as every new parent is,” said Lilly.

  Christopher laughed.

  “I don’t know what’s so funny. Wait until it’s your turn, buddy,” said Lilly.

  Bear winked at him.

  “Well, I have to get back to the café, so Sam you thank everyone for letting you stay over,” said Hannah.

  “Thank you, everyone,” he said. He leaned over and hugged Kaitlin.

  “He’s my bear friend.”

  “Kaitlin, what have I told you about that,” said Lilly.

  Kaitlin shrugged her shoulders and then burst into a fit of the giggles.

  Hannah and Sam went ahead and got into Bear’s car. Hannah watched as Bear and Christopher stood on the foot door step. They’d occasionally glance over at the car. Something wasn’t right. She sensed it.

  ****

  Bear couldn’t make it too obvious, but he did his best to get Sam on his own.

  Sam, can you understand me?

  Sam blinked.

  Sure, why wouldn’t I?

  What are you feeling?

  What do you mean?

  Do you ever feel the need to… He couldn’t use the word shift. Be someone, something different?

  Kinda, my skin tingles sometimes is that what you mean?

  “What are you guys doing?”

  It was Hannah. Bear jumped, not realizing she was around.

  “We were playing a game. Seeing which one of us looked away first,” said Bear.

  “Oh Sam will beat you at that one.”

  Sam rubbed his eyes and pulled a face.

  “You tired, honey? You want to go take a nap?”

  He nodded.

  “Okay, let me pull the drapes for you and you can sleep until supper.”

  ****

  How lucky for her that Dane and his wife Melanie had decided to skip Nick and Ava’s party because Melanie was feeling overly big, clumsy, and too tired to stand on her feet. They’d also wanted some practice being around children and had taken an instant liking to Sam and vice versa. Once again Dane and Bear had done lots of conversing and whispering before they’d left. Maybe she was paranoid, maybe that’s how Bear and his buddies were and there was nothing to worry about after all.

  They pulled into the Lodge parking lot and the place was already packed.

  “You have your dancing shoes on?” asked Bear, holding the door to the main area open for her.

  She heard music and lots of voices and immediately saw Charlotte and Aiden carrying the baby carrier with Bridget tucked safely inside it.

  “Hey there, little girl,” said Bear. “I think you’ve grown already.”

  “We weren’t quite ready to hand her over to a babysitter so thought she could come along and meet everyone,” said Aiden.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” said Bear.

  “Nick and Ava are through there if you want to say hi,” said Charlotte.

  Bear grabbed Hannah’s hand and saw Nick and Ava, arms around one another, standing by a table with drinks and glasses.

  “Hi, Hannah,” said Ava. “So nice to see you again.”

  “You too.”

  “Hi, great to see you and we’ll be by soon for another great meal,” said Nick. “So Bear how are you enjoying Kalispell?”

  “It’s great. Lots of places to run and fish.”

  “You’ll have to come up to the cabin one weekend,” said Nick.

  “I’d love too.”

  The DJ made an announcement that the dancing would start in five minutes in the next room.

  “I think that’s our cue to get in there and mingle,” said Ava. “See you later.”

  “You want something to drink?” Bear asked Hannah.

  “Sure, white wine would be great.”

  “Coming right up,” said Bear, reaching for the bottle and pouring them both a full glass.

  Hannah suddenly heard shouting and raised voices coming from the next room, and Bear turned his head to look.

  “Wait there and I’ll go and check that out,” said Bear.

  She didn’t know what was going on but whoever was shouting didn’t sound too happy.

  Bear had told her to stay where she was, but curiosity got the better of her. She walked to the door to see a man with his back toward her. He was the one doing all the shouting.

  “I’m entitled to come here the same as everyone else.”

  “Liam, let’s not have any trouble. This is a happy event. A social event for the group,” said Aiden, trying to grab him.

  “Aiden Renner, get your fucking paws off me. You’re the one you started all this by marrying her.” He pointed to Charlotte, who now held onto the baby carrier like her life depended upon it.

  “Hey, let’s go outside and talk,” said Bear, stepping forward.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Dr. McDreamy himself. I hear you’re dappling with humans too.”

  What the hell was this guy mumbling about?

  “And as for that freak baby of yours,” he said, pointing to Bridget. “The best of both worlds you say. Her birth’s signaled the beginning of the end for us.”

  “Okay, that’s enough,” said Bear, getting a firm grip on his arm. Aiden got the other one and before they could drag him the man had hit both of them, but Bear threw what looked like one mean punch and the man went flying backward landing close to Hannah’s feet. He was out cold. Everyone looked toward her. She looked down at the man they’d called Liam. His face was bloodied, but she recognized him immediately. The man lying close to her feet was Sam’s father.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bear had no idea that Hannah had been standing there and for how long he didn’t know. What had she heard? What had she understood? She looked at him and then down at the man. She looked like she’d lost every bit of color in her cheeks.

  “It’s okay, Hannah. This guy is trouble and a jerk,” said Bear.

  “He might be, but he’s also Sam’s father,” she said.

  He had to be imagining he’d just heard her tell him that Liam had fathered Sam?

  “What?” he asked.

  “That’s the guy I had the one night stand with. I’d know him anywhere.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded.

  Bear got down on his hands and knees. He pulled Liam up, but the guy was still dazed from the punch.

  “Aiden, you want to help me get him somewhere?” asked Bear.

  “Outside would be the best spot,” said Aiden.

  “He’s Sam’s father,
” said Bear.

  “What?”

  “Come on let’s take him to chair or couch,” said Bear.

  They carried him to the reception area and placed him on the couch just as he was starting to come around. Hannah was close behind. She looked at him again. No, she hadn’t been mistaken. This was Sam’s father.

  “What the hell?” he asked, rubbing his jaw.

  “Seems we are not the only ones dabbling in humans,” said Aiden. “Guess you conveniently forgot to mention that you fathered this young lady’s son.”

  Liam looked up at her and sniffed in the air. “What the hell are you talking about? I certainly do not and will not put my dick into human pussy.”

  Bear turned to Hannah. “Are you sure this is the guy?”

  “Don’t you remember me? We met at the Lookout Bar about two miles outside of Whitefish?”

  “You ever been there?” Aiden asked him.

  “Do I look like the sort of guy who would go to a bar in the middle of fucking nowhere?”

  Bear squeezed his arm. He believed Hannah more than he believed Liam. It would explain Sam’s condition. Bridget wasn’t the first hybrid. Sam was.

  “The tattoo. You have a tattoo of a bear on your butt,” said Hannah.

  Bear looked at Liam and raised his eyebrows.

  “Okay, if this will prove I’m not who this crazy woman thinks I am.”

  Liam stood, unzipped his pants, wasn’t too ashamed to lower them and his boxers in front of Hannah, turned around, and showed everyone his butt.

  Not a tattoo in sight.

  Liam turned back, pulling up his pants and then zipping them.

  “Wait a minute,” said Aiden. “Didn’t your brother get a bear tattoo on his ass for his 21st birthday?” asked Aiden.

  “Yes, but…” Liam stopped. “Nope, he wouldn’t have done that. Not with a human.”

  “What’s this human nonsense?” asked Hannah.

  Bear hadn’t wanted her to find out about them, about him, this way.

  Liam burst out laughing. “She doesn’t know, does she?”

  “Know what?” asked Hannah.

  “That if it was my brother you were with, that you got fucked and knocked up by a guy that shifted into a bear. That’s what we all are. Shifters. The Kalispell Shifters. Isn’t that what you call us, Aiden?”

  “That’s enough,” said Aiden.

  Liam wouldn’t stop laughing now. Hannah burst into tears and took off running toward the exit.

  “You piece of shit,” said Bear. “Just so you know the child your brother fathered is a boy. He’s having some trouble and I think you might be the one to help him. Even if I have to beat you, you’re going to do it.”

  “In your dreams pretty boy.”

  ****

  Hannah ran outside but couldn’t figure out which way to run. She had to be dreaming. Bear shifters. The guy she’d slept with, reproduced with, was a freak. Sam had been fathered by a monster. What had she done? She fell to the ground, sobbing and certain her whole body was going to break into tiny pieces. Her son was a freak too. And she’d been recently sleeping with another monster. Shit, what if she’d gotten pregnant again? She couldn’t bring another boy like Sam into the world.

  “Hannah, there you are,” said Bear.

  “Get away from me. Don’t touch me or I’ll scream.”

  Not that it would do her any good. Everyone here was probably a shifter. Oh dear god, what if they killed her to silence her so she couldn’t tell anyone? What would happen to Sam? Would they spare him because he was like them?

  “Hannah, let me explain.” He went to grab her arm, but she pulled away, struggling to her feet.

  “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

  She started to run, but her legs felt heavy. Her stomach churned and bile rose in her throat. Sam. She just wanted to get to him, take him, and run before anyone else found out the truth about him and they took him away. Locked him up, experimented on him.

  “Hannah, please don’t do this,” shouted Bear.

  “Leave me alone. I don’t want to ever see you again.”

  She’d dug into her purse for her phone, but it wasn’t there. Damn, now she remembered she’d left it on the table by the door when she’d let Dane and Melanie inside.

  Fuck, were they bear shifters too? Her son was being looked after by wild animals.

  She’d make her way back to the main road, do what she always told herself she’d never do. She’d take her chances with a stranger and hitchhike back to town so she could save him.

  She ran, feeling the heel on one of her shoes snap. It was getting dark and where she was running to had no lights. The next thing she knew she’d fallen into water.

  A lake.

  She, like Sam, couldn’t swim.

  ****

  Bear dived into the water. He’d seen her heading that way and she wouldn’t listen. He went under the surface and saw her sinking downward. He grabbed her, swiftly put her in his arms, and rose to the top, pulling her quickly to the side of the shore where he climbed out and set her down on the grass. She spat out water and then saw him and screamed.

  “It’s okay. Do you really think I’d hurt you or let anyone hurt you for that matter?” asked Bear.

  She burst into tears.

  “You’ve had a bad shock tonight. Seeing Sam’s uncle and learning that we’re not exactly like you.”

  “My son’s a freak.”

  “He’s not and we’re not. Please, Hannah. We can help him. Christopher thought that maybe Sam was a shifter like us. He can talk to us with his mind. He’s a perfect little boy inside his head.”

  “No, please don’t hurt him.”

  “We’re not going to. Please have faith in me.”

  She shivered. “Let’s get you to the car and home so you can get warm and we’ll talk there.”

  He picked her up and carried her to the car without any protest on her part. He wrapped his jacket around her and then pulled the seatbelt across as his cellphone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but he needed to take it.

  “Hi, Dr. McWilliams speaking.”

  “Hi, Bear. It’s Dane. Hope we’re not spoiling your evening.”

  Oh god this was about Sam. Something was wrong with him.

  “It’s Melanie. Her water broke and her contractions are strong and pretty close together.”

  “Okay, can you take her to the hospital?”

  “Sure, but I’m going to need to take Sam with us. That okay with Hannah?”

  “It’s fine and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  He pressed the end call button. “Melanie’s in labor so we’ll need to go straight to the hospital and don’t worry because they have Sam.”

  He turned on the ignition and backed out as soon as he could.

  “Is Melanie a bear too?” she asked.

  “Nope, she’s human. Charlotte is. Ava, Emily, and Lilly, Kaitlin too.”

  “How can you be bears?”

  He was going to tell her there were other animals too not just bears, but one thing at time.

  “It’s a long story. We came here about twenty-six years ago.”

  “From where exactly?”

  He’d started this and now he had to finish it.

  “Another planet.”

  “My son is the result of me mating with an alien?”

  “That sounded horrible, Hannah, and that’s not the case.”

  “How else would you explain it?”

  “Where we’re from it was perfectly normal to be an animal shifter.”

  “Was?”

  “We crashed here when the planet was destroyed.”

  She shook her head. “And no one knows about you?”

  He shook his head. “I guess a few people who we’ve felt could keep our secret, but no, mostly we’ve kept to ourselves.”

  “Until Aiden met Charlotte.”

  “Yeah, Sam’s uncle isn’t very pro-human.”

  “Sam’s unc
le is a terrible man,” said Hannah, resting her head on the side of the car.

  ****

  Hannah had never been so glad to see Sam. She hugged him and kept hold of him, almost afraid they’d take him from her.

  “Mel having baby,” said Sam.

  “Yes she is honey.”

  “Dane’s funny. I like Dane.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “He fixed the computer.”

  Hannah smiled. It hadn’t been working properly for ages. She’d been meaning to take it into town to get it fixed because Sam liked playing games on it.

  “He’s clever. Mel made me hot chocolate with little pillows.”

  Hannah touched his head. In his head he’s just like a normal kid. She wanted to believe everything Bear had told her that evening.

  She thought about calling a cab to take them home, but Sam had settled down on the chair next to her, put his head on her lap, and before she knew it he was asleep. She stroked his hair and bit her lip. If they could help him, then maybe this would be a blessing in disguise. She’d have the normal son she’d always dreamed about.

  ****

  “Okay, Melanie, one good push,” said Bear.

  By the time they’d reached the hospital Melanie had been almost ready to give birth. Dane held her hand as she cried out and made a blowing sound with her mouth.

  He could see the head and knew unlike Charlotte’s labor that this was going to a fairly easy delivery for Melanie.

  “And again,” said Bear.

  She grabbed Dane’s hand and cried out as she pushed again.

  “You are doing great,” said Bear. Take a rest and then do the same again.”

  Melanie drew in her breath, pushed, and this time Bear was able to help ease the baby’s head and shoulder out. Without being asked, Melanie pushed again, allowing the baby to fall into his hands.

  “It’s a boy,” said Bear.

  “You hear that, honey? We have a son. Dane Reynolds has a son.”

  He kissed her head as Bear checked out the baby. He like Bridget had the shorter nose, long fingers and toes, and Bear was guessing he weighed in at just under ten pounds. Melanie had done great.