This was hopeless, but he’d promised her, and he wouldn’t go back empty-handed. For some reason, she needed her identity concealed. He better than anyone knew how important that was. All the shifters had false birth certificates, passports, you name it. She’d found the right group if she never wanted anyone to find her.
Maybe if he shifted into his bear form and got the scent of where she’d been he’d find the purse somewhere in this mess. Ash walked over to the area where she’d given birth and sniffed around, letting the scent register in his brain. He quickly took off his coat and clothing and shifted in record time so he didn’t freeze.
He used his paws to push back some of the seats. Great thing was his bear half could do a lot more than his human half, like move seats with just a flick of one paw. He sniffed under the overhead bin he’d move from her and with another flick, tossed it like it was a mere feather. He sniffed again and found a seat that he knew she’d been sitting on during the flight. The scent coming from it was heavy and sweet. It was hers. Ash raked through some more of the seats, using his claws to get into areas human hands couldn’t. Sometimes being a bear was great. Humans didn’t know what they were missing not having an animal side to them.
He’d always loved being a shifter. Was especially proud of being a bear shifter. Not that he thought being a wolf or cougar or whatever animal half you were wasn’t as special, but there was something about bears that had a certain regal quality to it.
Ash slid his paw under another piece of fallen overhead bin and saw an open purse with a gold clasp on it. He put his nose down on it—definitely had the familiar scent. He flicked it out and it fell just a few feet away. He couldn’t risk being around here much longer and hoped that it did belong to Chloe.
He hurried back to where his clothes were, relaxed, and shifted back. He shivered and then dressed as quickly as he could. He took the purse and hurried back to the truck where the heater would be more than welcome. He’d dropped Bear off at home and used his truck to drive out here. He’d need to return it and, therefore, would probably stay with him and Hannah till morning. Maybe his cousin and Sam would enjoy an early morning run with him.
Ash turned on the ignition, fired up the heat, and turned on the cab light. He opened up the purse. Not much left in it but a boarding pass with the name Janet Thurston printed on it.
Was that Chloe’s real name?
Chapter Four
Ash could have slept for at least another couple of hours, but Sam, Bear’s stepson, woke him by tugging on his arm.
“What time is it?” asked Ash, shielding his eyes from the sun pouring into the living room. He’d slept on the couch since arriving back at Bear’s place.
“It’s going on seven and Momma says to tell you that breakfast is ready,” said Sam.
He knew that without being told. In fact, Ash was surprised the smell of bacon cooking hadn’t woken him. “Okay, tell her I’ll be right there.”
“Don’t take too long.”
Ash smiled. He was a cute kid and Bear was fortunate to have a ready-made family. He’d lucked out big time.
He stood and pulled on his sweats and t-shirt. He padded barefoot into the hallway and down into the kitchen where Bear was sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs. His wife Hannah sat opposite him, and Sam was tucking into a bowl of cereal.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” said Bear.
“Morning. Hi, Hannah. Hope I didn’t wake you last night.”
Hannah shook her head. “Since I married a bear, I’ve become a sound sleeper.” She winked at Bear. “I heard you were quite the hero and found a young woman at the back of the plane.”
“Yeah,” said Ash, sitting down and reaching for a slice of the toast. He slid the corner through the fried egg to disperse its yolk. “Don’t suppose she would have survived there all by herself, especially going into labor like that.”
“And the baby’s okay?” asked Hannah.
“She seemed comfortable, but I’ll check on her first thing when I go to the hospital,” said Bear.
“Chloe might not be her real name,” said Ash.
“Have you been snooping through her things?” asked Bear.
“I wanted to make sure I had the right purse,” said Ash, picking up a slice of bacon.
“Momma, are you going to take me to get my suit soon?” asked Sam.
“Thank you for reminding me that we need to buy you a suit, shirt, and tie. You think you should match Uncle Liam’s outfit?” asked Hannah.
“You know what, Sam?” asked Ash.
“What?”
“I think you should hire yourself out for weddings. First giving your mom away and now being a best man for your uncle. You could make yourself some serious money.”
“Don’t go giving him ideas,” said Hannah.
“I have to look after the ring. I have to give a speech about him and I have to arrange a party in his honor, but I can only invite men,” said Sam, counting off the duties on his fingers.
Ash smiled. Seemed only a short while ago he’d been doing that for Bear.
“If you want any tips on the party, you should ask this guy here,” said Bear, slapping him on the back.
Yeah, he’d really gone to town with the strippers and, yes, he’d had sex with all three of them. Something he wasn’t especially proud of once he’d sobered up. However, you were only young once and now those days—even if they were only four months ago—were a thing of the past.
“No, I’m done with that all that,” said Ash.
Bear put his hand up and placed it on Ash’s forehead. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Stop teasing him,” said Hannah, standing and taking her plate to the sink. “Okay, Sam, go and get ready and I’ll drop you at the bus stop before I head to the café.”
“I think we should get going, too,” said Bear before finishing off his coffee.
“I bet Chloe’s going to be happy to see her purse.”
“Just not that you peeked inside it,” said Bear.
****
Chloe had no idea where she was when she first opened her eyes the following morning. Her shoulder ached. In fact, one of her knees hurt, too. She patted her belly as she always had for the last seven and a half months, but panicked when she didn’t feel the bump there.
Had they found Chloe and aborted Sophie while she’d been asleep? Maybe they’d drugged her. She tried to sit up and quickly realized that she was indeed in a hospital bed.
Those bastards had taken Sophie from her and they’d pay big time. She tried to get out of the bed, but felt lightheaded and fell to the ground. She stayed there for a bit while hearing voices outside. How had they found her? She’d been so careful. A tear fell onto her chest. She tried to get herself up on the bed. She’d kill all of them when she felt stronger. Whatever they gave her must have knocked her out pretty good for her to not remember them taking the baby from her belly.
“Hi, Chloe.”
She turned, quickly recognizing the woman wearing the scrubs and standing in the doorway. She’d seen her before. Was she the one who’d taken Sophie?
“How your feeling this morning?” she asked.
“My baby, what have you done with my baby?” Chloe realized she was shouting.
The woman walked over to her. “It’s okay, Chloe, just stay calm and get back into bed.”
“My baby, I want to know what you’ve done with her.”
“She’s in the nursery in an incubator. Do you remember what happened last night?”
Sophie was alive. Last night. Geez, now she remembered the plane, the crash…this was one of the doctors who’d helped her during the delivery.
She bit her lip, almost embarrassed at her outburst and the fact she had been mere seconds away from striking Charlotte. She remembered that was her name and she’d been nothing but helpful and kind.
“I was disorientated,” said Chloe.
“That’s understandable,” said Charlotte. “You feel li
ke eating some breakfast?”
It had been hours since her last meal. She had to keep her strength up now that she had a baby to take care of. She’d thought she’d settle a bit into the area before she gave birth, but Sophie had obviously wanted to arrive early in the world.
“I do, but can I see Sophie first?”
“Sure you can. Let me get you a wheelchair and I’ll take you along to the nursery.”
Chloe rested on the side of the bed while Charlotte went away for a bit and then came back with the chair. She held Chloe’s arm as she helped her down onto it.
“Where’s the doctor from last night?” asked Chloe as Charlotte began wheeling her along the corridor.
“Bear?”
“No, the other doctor?”
“Ash.”
“Yes, Ash. He saved me and I really didn’t thank him properly.”
“He should be here any minute.”
Charlotte stopped wheeling her and Chloe saw the sign for the nursery. She couldn’t wait to see Sophie again. It had been dark and she really hadn’t gotten a good look at her.
“You able to walk in there without the chair?” asked Charlotte.
“I think so.”
Charlotte held her arm and pushed the door open. A nurse was seeing to one of the other babies and smiled at them.
“This is Chloe, Sophie’s mother.”
“She’s doing well. We upped her oxygen a tad and she’s breathing a little easier.”
“Okay, Chloe, let’s slowly walk over to the incubator and take a look.”
Tears slid down Chloe’s face as she saw the tiny baby. They’d placed a knitted cap on her and the tiniest diaper Chloe had ever seen. She put her hands on the Plexiglas surrounding her. Sophie’s little hands and feet were a miracle. “Can I hold her?”
“Sure. I’ll get her out for you.”
Chloe sat and waited for the baby girl to be placed in her arms. When Charlotte handed her to her, she fell instantly in love. She’d made the right decision to run and hide to keep this little one safe. “She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?”
“Sure she is. In fact, lots of children with Down syndrome live just like other children. They go to regular schools and—”
Chloe looked up at her. “No, I mean about her being premature.”
“Yes, she’s breathing well and her lungs and heart sound good. Would you like to try and feed her?”
“Can I do that?”
“Sure, if you feel up to it.”
Once she’d known Sophie would be her baby, she’d gone to the library and picked up books about breastfeeding and read essays by women documenting their experiences the first time they put their baby to their breast. Some of them had described it as magical. Her hand shook as she opened up her robe and exposed her breast.
The door to the nursery opened and there stood Ash, looking more handsome than the night before.
****
He was a doctor, for God’s sake. One—he shouldn’t be embarrassed about seeing a woman’s naked breast, and two—he shouldn’t be feeling a pulling in his groin. And he definitely shouldn’t be just standing there ogling her, thinking that it was the most beautiful breast he’d ever seen. So full and round with its nipple a dusty pink color that had just disappeared inside the baby’s tiny mouth. He had to look cool. He had to look and act more like a doctor.
He walked farther into the room and stood beside the chair, thinking how envious he was of Sophie and that she had her mouth on Chloe’s nipple. How crazy was that?
“Does she feel like she’s feeding okay?” asked Charlotte.
“Yes, I can feel her sucking at my nipple.”
Ash crossed one leg in front of the other. Charlotte gave him one of her looks. She’d been around Aiden too long. She was beginning to act like him more each day with her “I know what you’re up to” attitude.
“How are you feeling today?” Ash asked Chloe. He tried to focus on everything in the room but her breast. The two other babies in there, and then the clock on the wall. He pressed his leg harder against the other one, hoping that would get rid of the erection that just wouldn’t go away.
“I’m feeling more comfortable than I did last night. It’s just my knee that’s aching today.”
“I think we should X-ray it,” said Ash. “Just to make sure everything’s okay. I mean, when you’ve finished…”
Shit, he was looking at her breast again.
“Well, I have to get to my first patient, Maisey, for her diabetes check-up,” said Charlotte. “I’ll see you later, but for now, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Dr. McWilliams.” She winked at him and was gone.
“She’s not sucking any more. Does that mean she’s full?” asked Chloe.
“Yeah, and she’s probably tired, too. Big experience for her as well as you,” said Ash.
“Could you lift her for me because my shoulder’s aching again?”
Ash hoped she didn’t see the bulge in his scrubs as he leaned forward and took Sophie from her. She quickly covered her breast like she found the situation as awkward as he did.
He placed Sophie back into the incubator and hooked up her oxygen and heart monitor again. “She’s probably going to have a nice long nap now,” he said, holding her tiny hand in his. So delicate with her little fingers and nails. “How about I take you to get that X-ray, and also I’ll take a photo of your shoulder just to be on the safe side.”
“How am I going to pay for all this?” asked Chloe as he wheeled her back into the hallway.
“I told you, we’re a free clinic. It’s on the house.”
“It doesn’t seem right.”
“You just worry about getting your strength back and taking care of Sophie, okay?” He wheeled her into the X-ray room. “You able to get up on the table?”
“Sure.”
He held her hand and she rested her butt on the edge. He lifted her legs to help her, but quickly decided that had been a stupid thing. She wasn’t wearing panties and he got a view he wasn’t counting on. His erection returned. Ash quickly put his protective lead apron on, but grimaced when the weight of it hit his cock.
“Did you say something?” asked Chloe.
“No, just stubbed my toe,” he said, putting the X-ray plates into place. He put the machine over her shoulder, went behind the shield, and pressed the button. Next, he put a plate under her knee and repeated the same procedure.
“Why are there photos of the skeletons of bears, cougars, and is that a wolf?” she asked, pointing to the wall.
“Um, um…one of our doctors is training to be a vet.”
“Wow, a medical doctor and a vet. Are you going to run a free animal clinic, too?”
Ash helped her sit up and then held her hand as she got back into the chair. “Not that I know of.”
“I want to be a vet,” said Chloe as he pushed her back out into the hallway. “You have any pets?”
“Not right now, but I might get a dog someday. I smell food, so they must be serving breakfast.”
“I can’t smell anything, and I thought I had a great sense of smell.”
Ash knew why. The food was in the kitchen, which was in the basement, but with this bear sense of smell, he’d detected it long before her. “I’ll take you back to your room and Bear will be by to examine you. I’ll get the X-rays developed. Oh, and before I forget, I found your purse, but the contents must have gotten spilled because all that’s in there was your boarding pass.” He pulled it from the shelf he’d set it on when he arrived at the hospital that morning.
She took it from him and set it on her lap. “Thank you for going to look for this,” she said. She fingered the clasp. He wasn’t going to ask about the name on the boarding pass being different. Maybe Janet was her real name and Chloe the fake one.
“You think you could come by and visit with me later? I mean, I won’t have any visitors like your other patients and I really enjoy chatting with you, Ash.”
“Sure, as so
on as I’ve finished with the patients in the clinic, I’ll stop by.”
****
Chloe usually didn’t like honey, but that’s all they’d given her to sweeten the oatmeal and spread on her toast. She was more of a sugar and strawberry jam sort of girl. Maybe they got a good deal on the stuff because her tray had seven sachets of it sitting there.
Once she’d eaten breakfast, she was going to take a nap. She’d never felt so tired in all her life. Up until she’d left Austin, she’d still been active, going for a long walk each morning, loving it when she returned home, sat down, and felt Sophie moving about inside her. Feeding her, as the women in the essays had said, was a one in a lifetime experience. Something, when she’d entered into all this, she hadn’t counted on doing. It was an added plus for the decision she’d made.
She’d been sort of embarrassed that Ash had walked in when he had. He was a doctor and probably saw breasts and nipples every day, but she’d seen him blush. Maybe he’d never seen a woman breastfeed before. Chloe ate the last of her toast and pushed the tray to one side, picking up the remote control and flicking on the TV on the wall opposite her bed.
Commercials and commercials and then the local news came on.
“A Federal Aviation team will be traveling to Kalispell today to look over the wreck of flight 56, which crash landed last night and careened onto the highway, hitting cars and taking down trees and overhead wiring. Ten people are reported dead and fifty-two injured with one in critical condition. A young woman who was on the flight is unaccounted for and her whereabouts unknown. Officials are asking if she’s watching this, or if you see a young woman with short dark hair, brown-rimmed glasses, about five feet, four inches and pregnant to contact the local police department.”
At least she was without the wig and glasses now. Also without the baby bump, but still, they’d be looking for her and it wouldn’t be too long before everyone fit the pieces together.
Would they take her back to Austin?
Would the Langens press charges?
Would she lose Sophie?
Protected by the Bear Page 3