Chapter 4
Zak’s home, Wednesday evening
As it turned out, Zak’s third and last interview was delayed for several hours.
Jessica McKnight had been busy delivering a baby at the appointed time, and sent Zak a hurried text that she would call him later.
She did, and they met around seven p.m. in the clinic for a tour, followed by discussion.
Jessica, a tallish, elfin-faced human, was a divorced mother of twin girls in her late forties who had her own midwife practice in Bear Creek.
She possessed a sharp mind and wit, and clearly cared deeply for her patients.
In their first phone call, she’d told Zak that the space she was renting would no longer be available in the spring, and he suggested renting from him instead.
They both believed sharing space was an elegant and mutually beneficial proposition, and after looking over the clinic building, they nailed down the details in a rough draft contract.
When the clinic was busy, and Jessica wasn’t seeing her own patients, she would fill in as needed for pregnancy exams and consults, family planning, birth control, immunizations, routine blood tests, menopause care, and sonography imaging.
Of course, Zak was licensed to treat pregnant patients (and even perform a C-section if necessary) if Jessica wasn’t available.
Between the two of them, they had all of their patients covered under one roof unless an emergency or specialized need arose.
In that case, Wilkes-Barre General hospital was only eleven miles away by ambulance.
Before parting, Zak informed Jessica of his two new hires, when they would be starting, and the three-day soft opening of the clinic.
She would be given the largest of the three standard treatment rooms, and Zak asked for a list of unique supplies that she might need.
Her lease was up at the end of February, which meant she had plenty of time to switch over to the clinic and inform her patients.
“Crew will be starting next Wednesday, and I’d like you to meet with him and go over your patient charts and scheduling needs so he’s up to speed before we get busy.
Dixy will join us on Thursday of the following week, so you’ll get a chance to become acquainted then.
We’ll also be making cold calls to all of Dr. Brewster’s former patients, and a mass mailing will go out soon to everyone with a Bear Creek zip code.
If you can provide a photograph and a bit about your practice, I’ll make sure it gets included. ”
Jessica covered a laugh and shook her head.
“Goodness! You don’t waste any time, do you? I think we’re all going to be very busy for a while.”
Zak simply shrugged.
“Yes, we are, but hopefully by early summer, things will have settled down a bit. I believe you’re going to be an awesome part of the team.”
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Cub House, later that week
While Tasha was outside playing with the boys, Orrin took the opportunity to check his email.
He was expecting an update from the BSA on the new group of cubs that were set to arrive on Monday.
The background profiles on each child were extremely helpful, particularly if there were issues that required special treatment.
As hoped, his inbox contained the awaited message, and he began scanning through the details.
Four more cubs this time, including a brother/sister pair, and two more unrelated girls.
The profiles included a photograph and everything the main office knew about them, including name, where they came from, how they were found, approximate age, behavioral problems, odd quirks, and suitability for adoption.
He scanned through the document and found nothing unusual until reaching the final entry—a quasi-shifter named Rayn.
What were the chances of her being placed at the Cub House, given his encounter at the grocery store not long ago?
Orrin tucked that thought away and examined the included photo before continuing to read her profile.
Long, soft looking brown hair framed a round face, with stormy blue eyes and a sad expression that tugged at Orrin’s heart.
She could easily pass for a shifter, which probably made her situation more difficult.
Now three and a half, Rayn had only been a few days old when she was left on a doorstep in Reading during a thunderstorm.
Until recently, she’d been living happily with her foster family.
The authorities had assumed she was fully human, but when a chance encounter with a shifter social worker confirmed Rayn’s mixed heritage, the foster parents rejected her as a ‘mongrel’ and gave her back to the state.
At that point, the BSA was contacted, and Rayn had been in limbo until they could decide what was best for the child.
Unsurprisingly, the poor girl was confused, hurt, lonely, and reluctant to trust—though she found comfort in shifter scents around her that were similar to her own.
The counselors had done their best to explain how she came to be and why her scent was mixed, but Rayn had convinced herself that her bear would come out to play when she grew up.
No one could dissuade her from the idea, and to make things worse, some of the cubs in her temporary home began avoiding her because they thought she was just a human with a funny scent.
Orrin stopped reading, closed his eyes, and took a deep, cleansing breath.
It wasn’t fair to blame little ones who didn’t understand, but it made him heartsick that Rayn had not only lost her foster family, but was experiencing rejection from both the human and shifter world.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. And he couldn’t do a damn thing to help her until she arrived.
The remainder of her profile revealed that the girl liked chocolate, being read to, stuffed animals, bubble baths, and helping in the kitchen.
On the flip side, she did not like to sleep or play alone.
Okay… not much to work with, but he was determined to use that information to make her feel welcome.
A few other ideas popped into his head by the time the cubs came back inside, and Orrin was eager to share his thoughts with Tasha.
He’d have to do some shopping before Monday, but it shouldn’t take long to gather what he needed.
############
Sunday, January 19 th
At snack time, Kip, Griffin, and Fort followed Orrin and Tasha to the sun room. Tasha placed a tray full of specially prepared treats on the narrow coffee table while the boys climbed up on the cushioned rattan sofa. The adults each took a chair facing them, before Orrin began to speak.
“Tomorrow, we have four new cubs coming to live with us. Tasha and I will need your help today so everything will be ready when they get here. Scout and Birdy are brother and sister and a little older than you. Then we have two more girls—Zuzu, who is four, and Rayn who is the same age as Kip.”
The idea of new playmates got them smiling and all wiggly. Shifter cubs were hard-wired to be social up to a certain age, and while they liked Orrin and Tasha, playing with them wasn’t quite the same. Orrin continued.
“Settle down, boys. I want to tell you about some people who are a little different than we are. Now, humans only have one form and can’t change, right?
Shifters like us have both a bear and a human form.
But sometimes people are born mostly human, with just a little bit of shifter in them—only not enough to change.
Their scent is also different. It’s kind of like the brownies Tasha made for us. ”
Taking her cue, Tasha pointed out four different stacks of brownies on the tray.
“It’s easy to tell them apart isn’t it? We can see the dark ones are regular brownies. The light tan ones are called blondies. And the last one is a blondie with chocolate chips mixed in. Would all of them taste good?”
The boys nodded vigorously, hoping to eat their strange lesson before long.
“Yes, they would. Each one is different, but all of them are brownies and they all taste good.”
“Now, the last pile of bars are covered all over with chocolate and look exactly the same, don’t they? Only what’s inside is different.”
Tasha handed each of the boys a chocolate-covered brownie from the pile and gave them permission to eat it. They compared notes, of course, and found that each of them was given a different variety. Orrin jumped back in at this point.
“Rayn is kind of like one of those covered brownies. Outside she looks just like us in our human form, even though she smells something like a shifter. On the inside, she’s different because she was born without a bear.”
The boys weren’t quite sure what to do with the information, and Orrin continued.
“Some people say things that make Rayn feel bad because she doesn’t shift. She can’t change what she’s like on the inside, and neither can you. I want you to be very kind to her, and not tease her because her scent is different or because she has no bear. Do you understand?”
All three nodded in agreement, though Orrin wasn’t sure if the message actually got through. It certainly wasn’t an issue he’d dealt with at this age!
“Good. I want you to include her in your games and share your things. She just wants to be loved like everybody else, and there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
Dutifully, the cubs all shook their heads. Griffin waited half a second and then asked a burning question.
“Can we eat the brownies now?”
Tasha saw that one coming a mile away, and struggled to maintain her composure.
“All right, boys, back to the dining room. I’ll get the milk.”
The little stinkers cleared out in a flash while their caregivers laughed softly. Orrin sighed as they headed out to join them.
“I don’t know if it did any good, but it was worth a try. Thanks for your help, Tasha.”
“You’re welcome. Rayn didn’t ask for all the crap she’s getting, and I hope she finds some happiness here. You’re a good man, Orrin.”
############
Monday, before noon
A white passenger van pulled into the Cub House driveway, each side emblazoned with a giant bear paw print and the letters BSA.
As the driver got out, Orrin stood near the front door while Tasha and the boys waited by the hall closet where they could see without getting in the way.
The arrival and departure of cubs was always an emotional experience, and mixing newbies with current residents sometimes caused friction.
That’s why Orrin’s policy was to spoil all of them rotten for a few days to help them integrate and settle in.
As the new group approached the main entrance, Orrin opened the door to welcome everyone inside. The driver and his companion smiled and waved—old friends by now, as they had been picking up and delivering orphans to the Cub House from the start.
“Come in everyone! How were the roads, Virgil?”
“No problem today, Orrin. Hi Tasha—good to see you again.”
The four newcomers stood gaping at the beautiful old house, waiting to be told what to do.
Orrin quickly motioned Tasha and the boys forward for introductions, all while sampling the orphans’ scents.
While Rayn’s was weaker, it was the most intriguing—just as the grocery store stranger’s had been.
Orrin went to one knee before the cubs so he wasn’t towering over them.
“I’m so glad you’re here! My name is Orrin, and my helper is Tasha. The boys are Kip, Griffin, and Fort. Now, I believe you two must be Scout and Birdy, next is Zuzu, and then Rayn.”
Upon hearing her name, Rayn zipped across the floor and threw her arms around Orrin’s neck in a death grip. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, “please keep me” over and over in his ear.
Orrin choked up, stroking the trembling girl’s back.
As he breathed in more of her scent, Orrin’s bear made an unexpected declaration of his own: ‘ ours’ .
What? He’d thought claims of that nature were only for mates, but the stubborn ursine repeated the sentiment several more times before Orrin pulled back and kissed the top of Rayn’s head.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll be staying here with us until we find you a forever home, all right?”
According to her profile, the girl knew almost nothing about shifters or bears, and he wondered precisely what gifts her ursine genes had given her.
He and Tasha would have to educate the poor child without overwhelming her, but there were things she must know to live comfortably among them.
Without missing a beat or letting go of Rayn, Orrin turned back to Zuzu, Scout, and Birdy, who were waiting expectantly.
“I’ll bet you’re hungry. Let’s go to the dining room, and afterward we’ll show you the house.”
The boys rushed forward to scent the strangers and say hello while Tasha somehow got the milling crowd headed in the right direction.
Virgil and his helper promised to bring in the cubs’ luggage before grabbing lunch downtown and then heading home.
Orrin thanked them and carried the still-clingy Rayn to her first meal at the Cub House.
She smelled anxious, fearful, and totally alone, but Orrin offered comfort and reassurance.
“I think you’ll like it here, Rayn, and I have some surprises for you after we eat.”
She managed to nod her head, but didn’t say a word, breaking Orrin’s heart even more.