Would she even go to prison?
Chloe gagged and felt bile rising in her stomach. She couldn’t hang around here waiting for the authorities to find her. Sophie had looked fine. She was feeling stronger than she had yesterday. She opened up her purse. Yeah, like money was magically going to appear. She’d have to find a way to contact her parents and get them to send her money, but doing so in such a way that no one would find the trail. She’d come too far for things to go wrong. Not that she didn’t trust Ash, Bear, and Charlotte, but if the authorities came looking for her, they’d probably have to tell them everything. They might even get in some trouble for taking her and hiding her here overnight. She’d hate to put them in that sort of position.
When the coast was clear, she’d sneak down to the nursery, get Sophie, and be out of here before Ash or any of the others realized they’d gone.
Chapter Five
Ash sat at his desk making some notes about his last patient—a cougar shifter with a cold that seemed to be hanging around forever. He pulled down his notes from last week and remembered he’d had two wolf shifters and a bear shifter complaining of the same thing. He made a note to keep his eye on any further developments just in case there was something going around that they were suddenly vulnerable to. He looked at his watch. He’d promised Chloe he’d go visit with her.
The emergency alarm suddenly went off, signaling something was wrong in the building. Ash ran out of his office at the same time as Bear headed out of the OB/GYN clinic.
Mia ran toward them. “Sophie’s missing from her incubator,” she said, running down the corridor.
“She’s probably with Chloe,” said Ash. “I’ll go check.” He headed down to her room, turned the corner, and then went inside. Her bed was empty. The purse was gone, and also her clothes that had been on the chair.
“Shit,” said Ash, slapping his palm against the door.
“Is she in here?” asked Bear.
“Nope, and Chloe’s gone, too.”
Bear walked over to the bed. There was a bloodstain where Chloe had been sitting. “We’d better find both of them because Sophie needs to be in that incubator and have constant oxygen, and by the looks of things, Chloe might be bleeding after the delivery.”
Charlotte headed into the room. “I just heard about Sophie.”
“Chloe’s gone, too,” said Ash.
“Okay, we’ll go look for her. She couldn’t have gone too far.”
“I don’t think she’d get too far on foot. She said she was tired and wanted to sleep.”
“Did she say anything to you?” asked Bear. “I mean, if she knew people in the area?”
“I don’t think she knows one person. She asked me to stop by and visit with her. I was just on my way here. I’m going to round up some people. I mean, if shifters can’t find a woman and a baby no one can.”
Mia entered the room. “Ava Pearson’s just come back into the clinic. She said she went out to get in her car and someone’s stolen it.”
“You thinking what I am?” asked Ash.
“You think Chloe can hot wire a car?” asked Bear.
“I guess we’ll find out.”
****
“It’s okay, sweetie. We’re going to find someplace to stay once I can find a phone to call your grandparents.”
Chloe tried to keep her eye on the road ahead while glancing into the back of the car. Luckily, whoever’s car she’d stolen had a box sitting on the back seat and she’d cradled Sophie inside it. However, for the last twenty minutes, she’d cried non-stop. Chloe had already fed her, changed her diaper, but still she persisted.
Chloe didn’t even know where she was driving to. She was being extra cautious so she didn’t get picked up by the police and didn’t get in an accident.
God, how stupider could she be? She’d stolen a car on top of all the other crimes. They’d lock her up and throw away the key. She began crying, as if joining Sophie in her misery.
There was a park up ahead. She’d pull in there and rest until she could think about her next move.
She made sure she indicated all her maneuvers and was soon pulling into one of the spots by a bench. She wouldn’t get out of the car. Hopefully, she was far enough outside of downtown Kalispell that even if the car theft had been reported, which it probably had by now, it would take them a while to locate her.
Grand theft auto. She’d committed grand theft auto. Her parents would be shocked, heartbroken, and she’d never let them know that the next door neighbor’s, son who they considered a saint, was the one who’d shown her how to start a car’s engine by twisting a couple of wires together.
She got out of the car and into the back with Sophie, who was still wailing.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Mommy’s here.” She held her and rocked her. She had to find somewhere for them to stay. Maybe a motel way out. Glacier National Park was around here somewhere, most likely closing up for the season so no one would think of looking for her there.
Sophie screamed on and Chloe danced the car keys over her face, hoping she’d focus on them and the cute little wolf pup that they were attached to. However, her daughter’s eyes seemed unfocused, and she wondered if that was normal for a baby with Down syndrome. She’d tried to read as much as she could about it, but nothing could prepare you for the real thing.
“Please stop crying because I don’t know what to do and it’s making me feel like I’ve already made a huge mistake.”
No, that wasn’t true. She didn’t feel like it. She knew it as a fact.
****
“Pity your car doesn’t have a tracking device on it,” Ash told Ava as they drove around in circles, hoping to see Ava’s car somewhere close by.
“We have to try and figure out why she left so quickly,” said Ava.
“She’s been scared since we found her on the plane. I think she’s hiding something.” “Um, that sounds familiar,” said Ava.
“Something must have spooked her.”
“Anyone visit her?”
Ash shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“I’d get Nick to help us out. You know how great he is with tracking people, but I don’t want him to know I was at the clinic.”
Ash smiled. “Are you pregnant by any chance?”
“I am, and it’s going to be a surprise for his birthday next week.”
Ash squeezed her hand. “I’m excited for you. First wolf/human hybrid we’ll have.”
“I know, and it scares me. I know the human/bear hybrids are doing just fine, but I keep thinking what if this is different?”
“You are going to be just fine and so is that baby inside you.”
She patted her stomach. “Yeah, I guess so, but we if don’t find my car, my little surprise will be out of the bag.”
“You could always say you gave someone a ride here,” said Ash as his cell phone rang. “Hi, Dr. McWilliams.”
“Ash, I put out a call to everyone, and Dane and Melanie said they were just taking the baby in his stroller by the park north of town. They think it’s Ava’s car parked over by the playground,” said Mia.
“I’m on my way and keep your fingers crossed. Give Dane a huge thank you and tell him I owe him a drink.”
“Will do.”
“Dane thinks he’s seen your car in the park over on the north side.”
Ava crossed her fingers as Ash put his foot down on the accelerator. He was lucky enough to hit all green lights, and soon he was pulling into the park, he slowed up and glanced over. Sure enough, there was a car exactly like Ava’s parked close to a bench. “You think that’s yours.”
“Yep, Nick and I bought a pass for Glacier National Park this past summer and that’s the sticker in the back window.”
“If Chloe’s in there with the baby, I don’t want to spook her so I’m just going to walk over there slowly,” said Ash.
“I’m here if you need me.”
Ash got out of the car and pretended he was going to just walk by Av
a’s car. As he got closer, he glanced in to see Chloe in the back seat cradling the baby. Chloe was crying.
He put his face to the glass. “Chloe, it’s Ash. I’m here to help you.”
She glanced at him. “Sophie’s dead.”
Dear God, no. He opened back the door and slid in beside her, taking Sophie into his arms. She was breathing, but barely.
“This is all my fault. I’m so stupid with the decisions I make.”
“No, you’re not, but we need to get Sophie back to the hospital. I have Ava with me. This is her car. She’ll drive you back and I’ll take Sophie in my car and her there as fast as I can. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Chapter Six
Ava was sweet. She wasn’t even angry that Chloe had stolen her car.
“Are you going to report me?” she asked as she drove back through town.
“I wouldn’t think of it. You’re clearly upset about something and the only thing you need to worry about is your baby.” Ava squeezed her hand.
“I panicked and I just ran, then I knew it was stupid.”
“We all do things like that. Every single one of us.” Ava pulled into the parking lot. She helped Chloe out of the car and they headed back inside.
She saw Mia at the front desk.
“Chloe, honey, let’s get you back to bed.”
“I have to see Sophie.”
“Bear and Ash are seeing to her right now. They’ll come talk to you, but you look like you need to rest.”
“I’ll come visit with you tomorrow if you want?” asked Ava.
“Thank you, and thanks for not reporting me.”
Chloe let Mia walk her back to her room.
“Let’s get you back into a gown and into the bed.”
“I feel sort of lightheaded all of a sudden,” said Chloe.
“You sit on the bed here. We don’t want you fainting and hitting your head.”
Chloe sat and then swung her legs up on the bed. She rested back on the pillow. The room was being to spin. “Can I just lay here in my clothes for now?” she asked.
“Sure, that’s fine, but let me take off your shoes. You close your eyes and try to go to sleep.”
“I’ll do that.”
Chloe’s eyelids fluttered and before she knew it, she’d drifted off to sleep.
****
Ash whisked away a strand of Chloe’s hair from her face. Bear had started an IV with some antibiotics and she’d fallen back to sleep. It had been touch-and-go with Sophie. The next twenty-four hours would be crucial and he hoped the baby pulled through.
Chloe woke and looked up at him. She had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. He brushed his hand down the side of her face. Such soft skin, too.
“Sophie?” she asked
“She’s hanging in there. I think she’s a fighter.”
She grabbed his hand and kissed the palm. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if she died because I was so stupid.”
He sat on the side of the bed, sandwiching her hand between his.
“You have huge hands, anyone ever told you that?” she asked him.
“Yeah, good thing I never wanted to be a surgeon.”
“They’re cold right now. My grandmother always said that was a sign of a warm heart.”
Ash smiled. “I know you probably don’t want me asking you this, but what made you run from here?”
Chloe squeezed his hand and bit her lip. “If I tell you then you might get into trouble and I don’t want you or anyone else to be put in that sort of situation. You’ve been kind to me.”
“So why run from kind people?”
“I got scared. I panicked.”
“If you tell me what it’s about, I can help.”
“Ash, I’ve told you, you don’t need to get involved in my mess.”
“Are you running away from Sophie’s father?” For some reason, the thought of her with another man, a man she might be or was in a relationship with, made him envious. When a bear experienced envy over a woman, it meant one thing. Ash put that thought out of his head. He was too young to think about finding his mate. He’d just started his medical career and the thought of settling down scared him. Always had.
“Let’s just say sort of.”
“Sort of. What sort of an answer is sort of?” He realized that had sounded snappy, rude almost, and he didn’t mean it to come across like that, but he was fighting something that was probably inevitable here. She was mate material even if she was non-shifter.
“I can’t tell you,” said Chloe.
“So what you’re telling me is he’s looking for you because you just up and walked out on him?”
“It’s not like you think.”
“Is he going to come through that door at any time and demand you and Sophie go back home with him?”
She didn’t answer. “It’s for your own good that you don’t know. That none of you know. That way, if anyone comes asking, you can honestly say you didn’t know anything.”
Ash stood. “I’m going to let you get some sleep and think about all this, and by the time I come back, I want to know everything, Chloe—everything.”
****
Chloe punched the pillow under her cheek. This damn IV drip in her arm meant she couldn’t sleep on her favorite side of her body. Not that she could sleep. Ash had some nerve talking to her like that. Wanting to know everything. She’d told him it was in his own best interests. Talk about stubborn. Maybe that’s why she’d held off on getting a serious boyfriend. She was still independent.
No, no, she wasn’t. She had a baby to take care of now. That was tough for any woman to do all by herself, let alone one who had to continually look over her shoulder. One who’d be raising a special needs child.
She punched the pillow again, almost as if she wished it was her head and the jolt would knock some sense into her. She’d done the right thing. Her parents had even backed her up on her plan. It was the Langens who were in the wrong. Wanting not just a baby, but a perfect one. Sophie was a human being, not a piece of furniture with a scratch or dent on it that could be returned to the store.
Her breasts ached. She knew Sophie needed feeding. She was new at this, but she knew when the baby wanted food. Maybe they’d let her go feed her and hold her.
“Chloe.”
Shit, Ash was back. How long had it been since she’d tried to fall asleep? Seemed like minutes, but when she glanced at the clock on the wall, it had been two hours. She turned over and saw him standing in the doorway in his light green scrubs, his biceps standing out, the stubble on his face looking enticing. He walked in and pulled up a chair beside the bed.
“You feel better after your nap?” he asked.
If he only knew she’d hadn’t slept a wink. Too many thoughts turning over in her head. Her brain probably looked like the tumble dryer at the laundry she used near campus.
“Yeah, much better.”
She noticed he had a tattoo on each of his arms. Both bears. She reached over and outlined one with her finger. “That’s a nice tat,” she said. She’d never been brave enough to get one herself.
“Yeah, I got them when I passed my exams in medical school.”
“You like bears, or is there some significance about them?”
“Big fan of bears,” said Ash.
“I have a teddy bear from childhood. In fact, he was in my luggage. He was for Sophie, but I guess he’s lost forever now.”
“They might find him. I think they’re sifting through the wreckage now that the weather’s cleared.”
The horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach returned. Think, Chloe, think. Anything in there that could trace them to you? She hadn’t counted on anything like that happening and she should have. When the plane had taken off, she’d expected to pick up her stuff from the carousel, rent a car, and hide out someplace until the baby was born.
Why doesn’t anything in life turn out the way you plan it?
She hadn
’t realized she’d said that out loud until Ash responded.
“Because that’s what life’s about? So what is it that’s bothering you?” he asked.
What he did next took her by complete surprise. He kicked off his sneakers and climbed onto the bed beside her, butting himself up close to her thigh. Ash smelled so good. His body was so muscular yet soft and comforting. She almost put her head down on his shoulder.
“I’m a really good listener,” he said.
“I…”
Am saved by the bell. Bear headed into the room carrying two plates and what smelled like the most enticing food.
“Hi, Chloe. My wife, Hannah, sent you something to eat. She runs the Starlight Café and this is today’s special.” He put down a plate with two slices of meatloaf, a hearty serving of mashed potatoes, and greens beans that looked like her mom had made them. The second plate contained a more than generous slice of cake.
“That’s Charlotte’s favorite Black Forest cake so it’s a good thing she’s left for the day or she might arm wrestle you for it,” said Ash.
Chloe smiled. First time she’d done that in days.
“Please tell Hannah thank you. And is Sophie doing okay?”
“Her lungs have some fluid, but I have her on some medication. She’s going to need to be in here for a while, so I don’t want you running off again like that.”
“Chloe is going nowhere. Are you, Chloe?” asked Ash, nudging her with his arm.
“No, and I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused.”
“Well, as long as we’re both on the same page about that. I’ll leave you to enjoy your meal. I’m heading home, but Ash is on night duty if you need anything.”
Chloe’s stomach rumbled, but she wasn’t aware that it had been that loud until Ash commented on it.
“You better eat up because you are starving,” said Ash.
“You heard that?” she asked, grabbing the plate and fork.
“Sure. Sometimes, I don’t have to use a stethoscope.”
“You’re messing with me now.”
“It’s my party trick.”
Chloe took a bite of the meatloaf, and just as she’d suspected, it was downright delicious.
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