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She was his.
Tabby sat in the hospital chair and glowered at Bu
She wasn’t quite certain why he’d felt the need to mark her right then and there, but the way he’d gone from staring at the ambulance to the way he’d turned to stare at her gave her a clue.
It was touching, in a caveman sort of way. Still, she’d have liked a little more time before getting bit. There was so much he still didn’t know about her, and even more she didn’t know about him.
“Tell me the truth, Bu
“Mr. Bunsun? Mr. Williams?”
Ryan practically jumped the doctor. “Yes, Doc?” Poor guy. He really was worried sick. Bu
Dr. Howard stood there and ran his hands through his blond hair. “Follow me.”
Bu
Bu
No surprise there. She was the only one of the trio who knew Julian. From the sick way Ryan swallowed, Bu
“She’s going to have some scars from this. Chloe is incredibly lucky. To put it bluntly, if Julian hadn’t arrived when he did, she’d be dead.” Ryan moaned.
Bu
“Her recovery will take time. There will be some brain damage. We won’t know until she wakes up exactly what we’ll be dealing with.”
“Fuck.” Bu
“I’ll do it.” She’d call the diner and the veterinary office where Chloe volunteered.
She already had the diner’s phone number, since she and the girls ordered lunch from there regularly, and it wouldn’t be difficult to get the veterinary office’s phone number. Bu
“Our family is on the way.” Ryan sounded like he was in shock. “Mom and Dad should be here by morning.”
“Is she awake?” Tabby looked to Dr. Howard in time to catch his wince.
“No, and that’s one of the reasons we’re worried. I couldn’t talk to Mr. Ducharme before he collapsed.” Dr. Howard stared at the closed door for a moment before turning to Bu
A what?
“He is?” Bu
Dr. Howard smiled. “I dated one briefly before I met my mate. I lived in Canada for about two years before coming back to Halle. She taught me a lot about Bears.” He shook his head. “Only a Spirit Bear could have done what Julian did.”
Ryan took a deep, audible breath and blew it out. “I owe him.”
Jamie shot him a look. “You owe him more than you think. The paramedics tell me her injuries were extensive and Julian confirmed it. Quite frankly, I’m surprised he lived through the healing.”
Tabby froze. Julian could have died? Her best friend, the man who’d laughingly declared that she could be the sister he’d never had, could be…gone? Now it was her turn to swallow. He was one of the few people who gave her the sense of family she’d lost eight years ago. She couldn’t bear it if she lost him.
“My girlfriend told me there were limits to how far a Bear could heal someone, even a Kermode. So unless Julian is Super Bear, something had to have helped him.”
Bu
“We’re not sure when he’ll wake up, but knowing the healing capabilities of your kind, it shouldn’t take too much longer, despite whatever it was he did to save your cousin.”
“Was it an accident?” Tabby looked over at Ryan. The man was practically vibrating in place. “What happened to my sister? Did someone do this deliberately or was it an accident?”
“I haven’t spoken to Sheriff Anderson yet, so I don’t know. I do know he’s been informed. Last I heard, he was at the scene, trying to figure it out.”
Tabby frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why wasn’t he there with the ambulance? Or hell, any one of the cops around here?” The men all turned to stare at her. “Seriously. Why was the ambulance there without a cop present?
Someone had to have called it in, right? Was it Julian?”
Dr. Howard blinked. “I…don’t know. Tell you what, let me find out who called 9-1-1 and reported her. Maybe the dispatcher just didn’t think to alert the sheriff’s office.”
“Here’s my cell phone number so you can contact me once you know anything.”
Ryan rattled off his number while Dr. Howard programmed it into his phone.
“Can I see my sister?”
Dr. Howard nodded. “And I’ve left instructions that all three of you be allowed to see Mr. Ducharme as well as Ms. Williams.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Ryan shook the man’s hand.
“Thank you.” Bu
“Take care, all of you.” Doctor Howard opened the door and left the room, leaving behind three very tired, upset shifters.
“C’mon. We’re not doing any good here.” Tabby tugged on the two men. “You two go see Chloe. I’ll be in Julian’s room.” She poked and prodded until they both got moving, knowing neither would rest until they knew Chloe was on the mend.
She got Chloe’s room number from the nurse and pushed the men toward it, then headed to Julian’s room. When he woke up, she had every intention of being there and finding out what Super Bear had done to save Bu
What the hell was a Spirit Bear anyway?
Bu
Tabby snuffled in her sleep and he smiled. How had she come to mean so much to him so quickly? His gaze drifted across her. The pride he felt in her was startling. Of the three of them, she’d kept her head, dealing with each blow with a practicality that allowed him to lean on her when he’d needed her most. She didn’t even know Chloe, but she’d called Frank at the diner and told him what had happened. She’d called the veterinary office and left a message about the accident, complete with Chloe’s condition and her room number. After she was done, she’d kept watch over Julian, ru
She’d done everything she could to take care of all of them, and the only one she truly knew was still unconscious.
He sighed and rubbed his hand across the top of his head, the soft stubble there rasping against his palm. Tabby growled and twitched in her sleep, her fingers tightening around the arms of the chair. He wondered what she was dreaming about.