I was so focused on holding my new shields I didn't sense Karen enter the room, and her attack on my shields surprised me. It hit like a sharp jab, but the new shields bowed inward toward me before an instant before bouncing back to its original shape, pushing the force of the attack back at her. I opened my eyes to look for Karen, expecting to find her sitting on the sofa near me. But the sofa was empty. I looked around the room, wondering where she was, only to find that I was alone in the room. As I started to stand up out of the chair she walked in the door, carrying two large glasses of iced tea.
"Very well done!" She said, handing me one of the glasses.
"You weren't in here?” I asked before taking a deep drink of the tea.
"Nope, I thought my coming back in might distract you, so I decided to try from the other room. It also makes the point that you don’t have to see someone for them to attack you. But you did wonderfully. You've build strong but flexible shields. With more practice on building and holding them, I think you will have a good, strong set of shields that can withstand almost any attack."
"That's good to know."
"Why don't you continue to focus for a bit, and I'll put together something to eat," she suggested.
"I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm getting pretty hungry too." I admitted.
"You want to be careful not to starve yourself; your appetite is going to be larger than you're used to because your metabolism runs a lot faster now. Don't be surprised if you lose some weight too, that's pretty common with new shifters; at least until they figure out how often they need to eat. If you don't eat enough long term, you'll find yourself weaker than you should be."
"I'll try to remember that, thanks,"
"Alright, I'll go fix us some sandwiches while you practice a while longer, sound good?"
"Sounds great," I said, and she left me alone in the room.
I while later I felt her pushing at my shields again and realized she was trying to tell me from the other room that lunch was ready. I stood up and slipped my sandals on before joining her in the kitchen. After we ate Karen made sure I had the address for the clinic, as I was supposed to start spending time there the next day. I left Karen after we ate; I had a few errands to run before getting ready for Gabriel to pick me up that evening.
I had showered, dressed, and was ready when Gabriel knocked on my door at seven. Not being familiar enough with him to recognize his scent yet, I checked the peep-hole before I opened the door.
"Hey, Come on in. I'm already, I just need to grab my purse." I picked up my purse and making sure my PCD was inside. "Are you ready?"
"Any time you are," He replied, still standing at the door.
"Then let's go," I stepped out onto landing beside him, locked the door before I closed it and started down the stairs.
Gabriel took me to a small local steakhouse for dinner. It was a popular place as the food was both good and reasonably priced. We waited our turn to be seated and were soon sitting at a quiet table in the corner with no close neighbors. We exchanged only a few words before placing our orders, discussing the options before deciding what to eat. But once the waitress had brought us our drinks and taken our dinner orders we began to talk more.
"I don't remember having seen you around growing up. Are you from around here?" I asked.
"I'm a few years older than you are; it's possible that you just wouldn't remember me." He said, a teasing smile playing at his full lips.
"Nah, I have older siblings about your age, and while you might not have remembered a girl as much younger as I am, I definitely would have remembered you." I flashed him a grin.
"Ok, you got me," he laughed, "I'm not from here, I grew up in Bisbee."
"And yet you tried to convince me I just didn't remember you…For shame." I shook my head, laughing softly.
"It was more that I was fishing for information." He said, "And it worked, I found out you have older siblings."
"Older and younger," I said happily, "How about you?"
"An older brother and two older sisters, I'm the baby of the family."
"Oh, the baby of four, I bet you got away with all but murder growing up."
"Pretty much, how did you know?"
"I would. I'm one of six. I was the fourth to join the family but I'm the fifth oldest."
"So you got away with a lot too?"
"Some, but not as much as you would think, girls just don't seem to get away with as much as guys do."
Gabriel nodded, "That's true."
"So, why'd you leave home?" I asked, "If that's not too personal."
"No, I don't mind." He smiled again, "I wanted to be known for me, to not be tied to or judged by the reputation of my family. Not that my family has a bad reputation, just the opposite. They've got a great reputation, but because of it I couldn't do anything without having the family reputation thrown in my face. Sometimes it felt like the family reputation was the most important thing. And you know how small towns are, I couldn't sneeze without word getting back to my family before I did."
"I've had that happen a few times myself." I sympathized.
"I wanted to get away, to have a chance to be known for me and not for the rest of my family."
"Is that uncommon? Among the Kindred, I mean,"
"Well, not really. A lot of people leave, especially to go to school, the males may or may not return, but the females generally do."
"Why is that, do you think?"
"I think females are more likely to return because they realize the importance of the support of the pack when they start their families. The males are less likely to return because they often marry, take positions in other packs or live as lone wolves. It is also very common to become part of the female's pack when you marry outside your own pack, though not required."
"Do the women have to marry people from outside their pack or home towns?
"No, it's not required, but it's common. It's a practice that was started long ago. We have always intermarried with humans, and it was easier to keep our secret if the humans were moved away from their families.
Sometimes people marry within the pack or a local human but it's more complicated when they do. When marrying other Kindred, marrying outside the pack helps to prevent inbreeding."
I wondered briefly how I would know if I was related to someone, who I could or couldn’t marry without the risk of inbreeding.
"Tell me about your family, you said you’re the fifth of six in age, but the fourth to join the family? I know you're adopted, but I take it you're not the only one?" Gabriel asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Of the six of us, four of us are adopted. The oldest is Brittney, she's about your age, and the youngest is Shiloh, she's in her last year at NAU. I'll be glad when she's done and can come home. Hopefully she doesn't get a job elsewhere and not come home like Payson did. I miss having all my family close to me."
"What's your family like?"
"We're close. We always have been. And despite that, it doesn't stop us from picking on each other. It's really hard for me not being able to share this with them; we've always told each other everything. How about yours?"
"I get along with my family, but we aren't that tight. We talk and are friendly but we don't talk that often and there's a lot we don't share. I especially enjoyed the chance to get away when I went to college."
"Where did you go to school?"
"Denver. It was beautiful but I missed the desert." He smiled ruefully.
We fell silent while the waitress brought our meals, speaking only to thank her, and once she had left us to our meal I picked up where we’d left off.
"I wasn't willing to leave my family long enough to go to school." I said, "I couldn't stand the thought of living that far from them, or at least most of them. By the time I’d done my two years at EA, Brittney and Cam were back, Pace had graduated and taken a job in Tucson and Raine was already away at school. 'Low was still in High School and I just couldn't bear to be too far
away. So I got my degree from NAU through the satellite classes they offer at EAC.
"You've never left town?"
"Well, yeah, of course I’ve been out of town. I've gone on day trips for shopping to both Phoenix and Tucson, and we've vacations have even taken me out of state, but I've never wanted to live anywhere that my family wasn't close by."
"it must be great to have family that means that much to you."
"It is. So, what made you choose Safford as your new home?"
"I ended up here for several reasons. I like the geography; it's a lot like the Sierra Vista/Bisbee area where I grew up. After college I knew I didn't want to live in a city long term, so I was looking for a smallish community. Somewhere I could get to know people and have them get to know me, which was a big thing I missed when I left home, the community.
"I checked out all the Anikitos in rural areas who were looking to hire an enforcer in Arizona. Of all the packs I looked into, not just the ones with enforcer openings, Bill and Karen have the best reputation. Not just among the other pack leaders, but with the average Kindred. They are known for caring for their people, and not being overly domineering or violently aggressive.”
"I guess I just lucked into a good leader then."
"Not just a good leader, the best I've seen. Something about him and the way he treats people engenders devotion. I'm not talking about that creepy cult leader kind of devotion but the I'd lay my life down to protect him kind of devotion. I didn't come here straight out of college; I moved around some and go to know some other Anikitos before I settled here. Bill is the first I've ever seen to rule with caring instead of fear.
"Don't get me wrong, he doesn't hesitate to order punishments when they're called for. But he's not mean or cruel about it, and as often as not his punishments aren't corporal like most.
"Most Anikitos use physical violence to rule?" I asked, surprised.
"The ones I've encountered do, violence and fear. It's the way it's been done for hundreds of years and the only way that some know or understand."
"I'm glad not to be stuck with one of those. That kind of 'leadership' brings out the worst in me."
"You're also lucky to have such a close relationship with the Anikitos. I'll warn you though, there will be some who insist that you're getting special treatment because of that relationship, whether it's true or not. But overall, I still think a good relationship with the pack leaders is important."
"Bill's already warned me about people thinking I'm getting special treatment. He said if it gets too bad to let him know and he'll get involved, but unless it gets bad, it's best just to ignore it. It makes sense, if he gets involved it's just reinforcing the concept that I'm getting special treatment."
"Yeah, it does. But, if you want, you can come to be before you go to him, and I'll see what I can do. That won't go over quite so badly, especially if it's known we're friends."
"I'll keep that in mind, should it become a problem, and thanks for the offer."
"No problem, what are friends for if not for helping you out when you need it?"
We finished eating our dinner and Gabriel took me home. I invited him up for some dessert since he bought me dinner, but he declined, saying he had to be up and on duty early the next morning. I thanked him again for the dinner and the nice evening before I went up the stairs and into my apartment.
Chapter 9
Friday morning I drove to the address written on the piece of paper Alexis had given me, it was in a part of town I wasn't particularly familiar with, and it took me a few minutes to find it. I parked my car on the street, noticing that while the house was well cared for it didn't appear to be large, and it blended into the neighborhood well. I followed the front path up to the entrance and knocked on the front door.
Hank answered, "Nickie. Alexis is already in the clinic, it's around back." He stepped out the front door, pulling it closed behind himself; I heard the lock click as the door latched. "Here, let me show you."
He started along the walkway in front of the house toward the driveway. Stopping at the gate on the side of house, he opened and stepped through. He held the gate open and waited for me before letting it swing closed. I saw that we were following a stone path, one that lead up to the front door of what appeared to be a guest house.
Hank opened the front door of the guest house and stepped inside.
"Alexis!" He shouted as I followed him inside and closed the door.
"In here!" I heard her answer just as the door clicked shut.
"She's down the hall in the lunch room. Come on, I'll show you." He lead me down a hallway. We were almost to the end of the hall when I spotted Alexis through an open doorway to one side. She was sitting at a small table sipping from a cup that, from the scent, was filled with an herbal tea.
"Look who came knocking on my door." Hank teased Alexis.
"Oh, good, I was wondering when you would get here." She said laying her hand on top of one of Hank's. He had stepped behind her and was now resting his hands on her shoulders. She rubbed her cheek against his hand as she spoke again, "Thanks for bringing her around, Dear. I was just sitting here contemplating what we should do today should we get lucky and no one come in. Can I interest you in some tea or coffee, Nickie?"
"I'm good, for now at least." I smiled at their obvious affection for each other.
"Where's Caden?" Hank asked worriedly.
"He called earlier; he's running a little late and should be here in the next few minutes."
"Good to know. Well, if the two of you ladies are good, I think I'll take off." Hank said. "But if Caden doesn't show in the next thirty minutes I want to know about it."
"I'm sure he'll be here, but if he isn't, I'll call." Alexis stood up and gave Hank a quick kiss, "Thanks for bringing Nickie out, Dear. I'll see you this evening."
"'Bye, Babe. Have a good day." Hank said, withdrawing from the room, a moment later I heard the quiet squeak of the front door as Hank left the building.
"Is there someplace safe I can put my purse?" I asked.
"Here, you can put your purse in this cabinet, next to mine. I've never had any problems leaving it in here."
I stuck my purse in the cabinet that she opened showing me her small purse sitting inside, and turned back to her, ready to start whatever our duties were for the day.
"Now what?"
"Now I give you the tour, it's a long one you might want to take notes," she grinned as she teased, "This is the break room / lunch room, the fridge in here is the one you'll use for food. Should you bring a lunch that needs to be chilled, this is where it goes. Just be sure to put your name on it so no one takes it, anything without a name is fair game."
"I'll try to remember that."
"Across the hall from the kitchen is the bathroom, not really optimal placement but it's what we have, so we make it work. The last room at the end of the hall is an old bedroom that we've mostly left alone; it's mainly used for the occasional patient who needs to stay through the night. That doesn't happen often but it does happen on occasion, especially with some of our slower healers. That room has a private bath, with a shower should you have occasion to need one while working here.
"We have two exam rooms, one on each side of the hall, they're pretty standard exam rooms, but with some additions. You'll find a lot of things in here that aren't in your standard doctor's office these days. Things more commonly found in emergency rooms, splints, sutures, bandages, that kind of thing.
"We keep basic records, but nothing in depth, just kind of a history in case someone comes in repeatedly with the same kind of injury we can go back over time and see if we can figure out what might be causing it. We have an in at the local lab if we need lab work, someone who will slip in samples and delete the results after we've seen them. We've never had blood work from one of the Kindred turn up anything abnormal, but it's better safe than sorry."
"I've had blood work done in the past, is that going to be a problem?"
&n
bsp; "I asked Bill about that after he told us about you. I didn't know about you, but he checked the results when they were done to be sure there were no irregularities, and when you shifted he determined that there was nothing in them to be damaging, the records are still in the system but only because it would be odd for them to disappear now."
"The whole pack's been watching me that long?"
"Not the whole pack, in fact as far as I know, only a few knew anything about you. I generally deal with our contact at the lab, but I knew nothing about it until I asked..."
"I guess that makes sense. Is there anything other than blood work you don't do here?"
"For what the average Kindred needs, very little. We have an x-ray machine and an ultrasound machine but for more advanced imaging, CAT scan, MRI and the sort, you'd have to go to the imaging center next to the hospital. Though, for a particularly fast healer it would be a waste of time, unless it's a very severe injury. And most Kindred don't need much more treatment than we have here. We don't get cancers or most diseases, so a lot of modern medical tests are unnecessary with us."
"Okay, so what is it you want me to do?"
"You just need to be here, just in case. Mostly we don't have anything specific that we need to be doing but someone needs to be here in case someone gets hurt and comes in. We occasionally do ultrasounds for pregnant pack members, but mainly we function as the Kindred Emergency Room. We deal with the more serious wounds, broken bones, that kind of thing. The kind of things that most Kindred aren't going to heal extremely quickly, or will heal wrong without attention. We get a few walk-ins a day, rarely anything serious, though the number of injuries tends to go up when school's out."
"I can see how that would happen, when school's out kids have more time to think up things to do, we always did. And I am sure that the Kindred kids do more dangerous things, knowing they heal faster and they can take more damage."
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