by C.M. Owens
His eyes fluttered shut, and I gasped. “He passed out,” I said. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing, no matter what he said,” I said. “He’s really sick and fading fast. If we’re going to save him, we’ve gotta take a chance. You stay here. I’m gonna get us help.”
“How are you going to get past the wolves?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t just stand here and let him die.”
She took a deep breath. “I know.”
I felt his forehead and was glad that his skin was cool and not as sweaty; the fever had subsided. “He feels better,” I said.
“He’s breathing better too,” Julie added. “Maybe we should wait a little longer.”
I nodded and peeked out the bedroom window, only to shudder when I saw the wolves still prowling around. “It’s not like we have much choice.” Feeling defeated, I sat down on the vinyl chair and propped my feet on the stool. I watched vigilantly out the window, waiting for the scraggly dogs to leave.
* * *
A couple of hazy, sleepy, silent hours later, when the first rays of light shone on my face, I looked out the window again. “Julie, they’re gone!” I said.
“I’ll go look out the front,” she said.
I rushed over to Jesse. “Let me have a look at your wound,” I said.
He pushed me away. “I said I’m fine. We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure you feel all right? Can you walk?”
“Yeah, I’ll live to tell the tale,” he said.
I looked at him doubtfully, then helped him up so we could make our way down the stairs.
“It’s all clear,” Julie happily reported, opening the blockade.
Outside, I stared skeptically at the deceivingly calm forest around us. As if mocking our trepidation, the sun was shining brightly, and the birds were chirping happily. When I looked down, though, I saw pawprints everywhere. It was still hard to fathom that we’d been shot at, chased, and practically held prisoner in the cabin by a bunch of wolves.
Pushing some vegetation aside, I stepped into the woods. “C’mon, guys!”
As we hiked through the woods, continuously trying our cell phones, Jesse actually got a signal for about two minutes and managed to get in touch with one of his buddies, who offered to pick us up. Just as we reached the road, a blue car stopped and Jesse introduced us to his friend, Billy.
“We’ve gotta get Jesse to the hospital,” I said. “He’s been shot.”
“What!? They’re joking, right?” Billy said to Jesse.
“No. He really was shot,” Julie said.
“Oh,” Billy said.
I looked at him as if he was one Prozac away from a straightjacket. “Uh…that’s the best place for gunshot victims,” I said. “Now please just drive us there.”
Jesse shot Billy a strange look, and he nodded. “Okay,” he said, “but I’m dropping you two off first.”
“Fine. Then take us to the police station,” I said.
Julie grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy? I don’t wanna get involved with the police. We’re alive and breathing, so why bother?”
“If that guy is out there and survived the wolf attack, he needs to be stopped.”
Billy arched an eyebrow at me as if I was the crazy one. “He’s dangerous and probably whacked outta his mind on drugs and still armed. I wouldn’t suggest you ratting him out. They’ll let him go with a slap on the wrist, and then he’ll come after you with a vengeance.”
“I don’t want to involve the police,” Julie stated again, more sternly this time.
“And neither do I,” Jesse intervened. “I gotta be honest with you, Taylor. Billy’s not takin’ me to the hospital.”
“But you’ve been shot, and—”
“No need for hospitals. My mom is a doctor.”
“But—” Julie tried to argue.
“It’s just a flesh wound,” Jesse said. “I’ll be fine.”
“Jesse,” I said, “please don’t risk your life like this, especially not just to be a tough guy and show off.”
“I’m not showing off. My mom won’t let anything happen to me. I just need you to do me a big favor.”
“I know, I know. Leave the police out of it,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“It’s the best thing, Taylor,” Jesse said.
“I’m great at keeping secrets,” Julie said. “If my mom finds out I sneaked out of the house to go to a college party and almost got myself killed, she’ll freak, and I’ll be the one needing a doctor—especially if the police are involved.”
“I won’t say anything either,” I said reluctantly.
Jesse’s friend pulled into Julie’s driveway at eight a.m., and we knew Julie’s mom would be coming home any minute.
“Don’t worry about your truck,” Jesse said. “One of my friends is a mechanic. He can have it fixed in hours.”
“My mom will ask about it,” Julie said. “Do you promise I’ll get it back today?”
“I promise.”
“Okay, Jesse. I’ll trust you on that, but if you don’t get it back before my mom wakes up, I’ll be grounded for the rest of the summer or, worse, she’ll sequester my truck keys indefinitely.”
“I got this,” he said.
“Jesse,” I said, “I really need to know that you’re okay. I won’t stop worrying until I know your mom has given you the all-clear.”
“Gimme your number,” he said. “I’ll call you with the official report.”
We exchanged numbers, putting them in each other’s phones. As I gazed into his eyes, just about to say something, his friend cut in.
“No time for mushy goodbyes,” Billy said. “I gotta get Jesse home. He’s got an appointment with Dr. Mom.”
Before I could say another word or wave goodbye, the blue car backed up and sped down the street.
As we walked in, I flung my shoes off. My hands were shaky from my ordeal, and nausea flooded my stomach.
When I sat down at the kitchen table, Julie handed me a glass of water. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just a little freaked.”
“Better freaked than dead,” she said. “My head is pounding, but I think we learned a valuable lesson here.”
“Oh?”
“No more parties with crazy, unstoppable party animals—or wild, furry animals either.”
“Yeah. Tell me about it. And we might want to avoid Barney-colored drinks and Long Island iced teas too,” I said, looking at her.
She ran a hand through her blonde hair. “Do you really think they’ll get my truck back in time?”
“Jesse promised he would, and up to now, he’s been a man of his word.”
“Maybe, but we don’t’ even really know him.”
“He said his friend’s a mechanic. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“I hope so. If not, I’m dead meat.”
“Why was that guy chasing us anyway?” I asked. “What did you say to him?”
She sipped her water. “Nothing out of the ordinary…and he seemed nice at the party. He just went all psycho. Maybe Jesse’s right. Maybe he was high.”
“If he was high on drugs, how the heck was he able to find us in the dark woods?” I asked.
“I dunno. How’d Jesse find us, especially when he was shot and bleeding all over the place?” she retorted.
“Yeah, you’re right. That was weird.”
“I think there’s something Jesse’s not telling us,” Julie said.
“Why were you invited to that party?” I asked.
“I met Jed in town, and he was inviting all the pretty girls. He said I could bring anyone I wanted to bring. But there is something else I’ve been wondering.”
“What?”
“If Jesse’s such a great guy, why would he hang out with guys like them in the first place?”
“I don’t know. And why won’t he go to the hospital like a normal person?” I asked, trying to put two and two together. “Anyone else would
insist on going to the ER.”
“He’s either scared to death of needles or he’s hiding something,” Julie said, then ripped the bandage off her neck. “Speaking of hospitals, how does my battle wound look?”
“Not bad at all. There are just a couple deeper spots where the glass must have nailed you.”
“I can’t believe my taste in men,” Julie said. “Out of everyone in the party, I pick the one that oughtta be locked up.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
“At least one of us lucked out.” She smiled. “You got Jesse’s number, right?”
I smiled and held up my phone proudly. “Yep. Mission accomplished.”
The door creaked open, and Julie’s mom walked in. “Julie, where’s your truck?” she asked.
“I parked it in the garage after Taylor and I washed it.”
“Honey, it’s gonna get dirty again around here, no matter what you do. No sense in trying to keep it spotless,” she said, smiling.
“I know, but I want it to look nice for as long as possible.”
“You girls are up awfully early,” she said.
“We pulled an all-nighter,” I said.
“Sounds like fun. I remember having girls’ nights like that. Did you paint your nails and—”
Julie grinned and nudged her mom playfully. “Mom, I’m not twelve.”
She laughed. “Right. Pardon me for forgetting that my little girl isn’t so little anymore. Anyway, I’m making breakfast. How do pancakes sound?”
“That’s nice of you, Mom, but we’re kinda beat. If you don’t mind, we’d kinda like to sleep for a few hours.”
“Sure, but don’t sleep all day. I’ve got some plans for us. I figured we can go to—”
“Mom,” Julie said, “we’re tired, and you worked all night. Can we talk about the plans later?”
She smiled again. “You’re right. We could all use a little shut-eye. Sweet dreams, you two.”
* * *
A while later, after a nice, long nap, I peeked out the window, only to see Julie’s truck sitting in the driveway, good as new. Even the back window had been replaced. That was so nice of Jesse, I thought.
A few minutes later, a horn beeped, indicating that my mom was there to pick me up.
“Thanks, Julie,” I said. “I gotta go, but it’s been…interesting,” I said, smiling knowingly at her as I grabbed my overnight bag and rushed out the door.
“Right,” she said. “It was a howling good time. We’ll have to give it another shot sometime.”
We both laughed at her punny-ness as I walked out the door.
Chapter 8
A few days passed, and I hadn’t heard from or about Jesse. I was so worried about him that I couldn’t eat or sleep. Not knowing whether he was alive or dead, the anxiety overwhelmed me. I tried calling him a few times, only to get no answer.
When my phone finally rang with a call from his number, I was ecstatic. “I’m recovering nicely,” he assured me. “Don’t worry.”
I thanked him countless times for fixing Julie’s truck, silently thanked God that he was okay, then hung up the phone.
After that, we talked sporadically but texted each other every day. I thought it was best to let him recover at his own speed. I would have paid him a visit, but his mother didn’t want anyone stopping by until he was fully recuperated. “Doctor’s orders,” he joked, though it was technically true.
* * *
Before I knew it, a month had passed by.
Jesse had a job at the zoo, and when he told me they were hiring, I filled out an application, interviewed well, and managed to land a part-time position. If nothing else, I had all my dad’s lectures and all that Discovery Channel and Animal Planet documentary knowledge to go on when it came to dealing with animals—not to mention I’d survived a mountain lion attack and a run-in with a huge pack of human-harassing wolves.
My first day of work at the zoo was also Jesse’s first day to return after his injuries. He’d told everyone that he had a “family emergency” to deal with, and nobody was the wiser.
I smoothed out my brown, short-sleeved, button-down shirt. It was part of my uniform and had the logo name of the zoo and my name embroidered on it, and it looked kind of cute for safari wear.
As I stood there trying to get a grip on my new job responsibilities, Jesse walked into the room with an adorable baby raccoon in his arms and a bottle of milk specially made for the little creature. His shoulder-length hair was tied back, and while I tried not to stare, I couldn’t help it; he was so absolutely gorgeous that I was sure I’d never want to take a sick day off of work. His uniform was the same as mine, but it looked so much sexier on him. The material stretched across his broad chest and across his muscles, not too tight but just perfect, revealing a tribal tattoo around his bicep. I hadn’t seen it at the party under his jacket, but I wanted to know what it meant, if anything. I decided it best to leave that conversation for somewhere outside the workplace.
“This is Herman,” Jesse said.
The little raccoon was furry and had a bushy, ringed tail, as well as the blackest band of fur around his eyes, just like a mask.
“He’s so cute!” I squealed.
“Yeah. We’re trying to rehabilitate the little guy. The zoo receives hundreds of orphaned and injured wild animals every year. We do our best to fix them all up and release them back out into the wild as soon as we can so they don’t become too dependent on humans or lose their natural survival instincts. If you kneel down on the floor, you can feed him,” he invited.
“I don’t know, Jesse. I mean, I’ve never fed a raccoon before. I’ve only fed Max.”
“It’s easy. I’ll start, and then you can jump in.” He set the baby on the floor and held the bottle at a downward angle.
The little raccoon stood on his legs and gripped the bottle with its little paws, perhaps the most adorable thing I’d ever seen—well, besides Jesse’s eyes and Max when he was a puppy.
“Okay. Ready to take over?” he asked.
I gazed up at him and smiled. “Sure.”
He knelt behind me and touched my shoulder as I fed the critter. “You’re doing good.”
The raccoon lapped away at the bottle with its little pink tongue, but it was difficult for me to concentrate on feeding Herman with Jesse’s hot breath raining down on the back of my neck. Still, I tried to tune out the gorgeous creature behind me and pay more attention to the cute one in front of me.
“Tilt it a little higher,” he said, touching my hand.
His hand lingered on mine, and I felt a jolt of electricity. I’d never felt such chemistry with anyone else before. No words could describe it. My heart was racing like a rabbit’s as his hand rested on top of mine.
Finally, he slowly lifted that scorching hand away. “You’re a real pro,” he said, “and Herman likes you.”
I smiled. “So…what else can you tell me about the zoo?”
“Hmm. Well, we have 190 animals representing 80 species here, and there are all kinds of exhibits, special events, and educational programs. If ya want, I’ll give you the grand tour later.”
After we fed the raccoon, Jesse took me to a different room, where five ducklings were frolicking in a shallow, heated pool, playing with a stuffed mama.
“What happened to their real mom?” I whispered, as if the fuzzy yellow things could understand me and might be offended.
“She was hit by a truck. Her four babies were lost and confused, following around humans because they didn’t know what else to do.” He paused to look down at the chirping quintuplets, then continued, “We’re gonna get them big and strong, then release them back into the wild.”
“Gee, Jesse, it’s amazing what you are all doing here.”
Jesse picked a little fluffy chick up. It was so touching to see that big, strong, muscular man holding a defenseless little bird, and it melted my heart all over again. “Shh. Don’t be afraid,” he told the baby. “I’m not go
nna hurt you.”
As he gently and sweetly patted the little animal’s head, I saw a softer side to him, a side that showed that he genuinely cared for the animals. I grinned from ear to ear as I watched him place the little one down with its paddling brothers and sisters.
As promised, Jesse did give me a grand tour. He seemed to know everything about the place, and I enjoyed our walk around the place.
At the aviary, an outdoor enclosure filled with birds, he pointed. “One turkey vulture and two bald eagles live here.”
“Ew! Sorry, but the turkey vulture isn’t as pretty as her bald eagle friends,” I said.
His gaze shot up to the repulsive-looking bird. “Maybe not in everyone’s eyes, but I named her Beauty Queen.”
I laughed at the irony as I gazed up at the large, dark brown bird with a red, bald head and neck like a turkey’s. “I’m sure she appreciates you flirting with her,” I joked.
“She came to the zoo as a juvenile with a broken wing,” Jesse said. “There were complications, and the vets here weren’t able to save her wing, so we can’t release her. She’ll be a permanent resident, and I’ve grown quite fond of her. You know what they say.”
“What?”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he said with a smile. “She’s a sweet bird.”
“I’m gonna love working here,” I said.
“Yeah, I never get tired of it. I love my job. It sure beats flipping burgers.”
“I can tell you’re passionate about it.”
He smiled sheepishly, obviously uncomfortable taking compliments, even though he deserved a million of them.
“These birds are so big,” I said, gazing up at his feathered friends.
“Beauty Queen has a wingspan of about five feet—at least the wing that’s still good.”
“She’s a vulture, right? I bet she’s got bad breath after eating all that dead meat.”
“Maybe, but she can’t help what she was born to eat. It’s just the way nature works. No one can help the card we’re dealt. Just like us, these birds and all the animals in this zoo and in those woods out there have to live and make do with what their bodies want as a food source. Maybe she despises eating carcasses, but she’s stuck with it. It’s eat or die.”
“Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t be so quick to judge,” I said. “She probably thinks we’re gross for eating pizza.”
He laughed. “I’m not that much older than you, but I’ve learned it’s best not to judge anyone until you’ve walked in their shoes—or flown in their feathers, as the case may be.”