Chapter 8
Orrin watched as Dr. Hall gently sat Rayn down on the X-ray table, removed her winter coat, and handed it to him. Next he helped her lie down and tucked a pillow under her head before carefully positioning her left leg. Using a soft voice, he explained what he was going to do.
“Rayn, this big machine will take a picture of your leg so I can see what happened, but you need to lie very still for me. Can you do that?”
Sniffling, she nodded her head.
“Good girl! You might hear some funny noises, but that just means the machine is working. Now, Orrin and I will go over there to turn it on, and then we’ll come right back, okay?”
She nodded again and Zak took Orrin by the elbow to lead him to the control booth.
The simple push of a button captured the X-ray, and the image popped up on the nearby monitor.
Zak studied it closely, brows beetled in concentration before his expression changed to a small, grateful smile. He spoke quickly and quietly.
“Just a simple contusion with no break. I’ll explain more later.”
Orrin sagged with relief, feeling light-headed as the adrenaline rush began to fade.
Zak reached out to grip his bicep as they returned to Rayn’s side—both men secretly enjoying the simple, warm connection.
Though Orrin meant to pick her up, Rayn held out her arms to Zak, snuggling close to his chest for another draught of his scent.
“You smell like me. Do you have a bear?”
Caught off-guard, Zak answered honestly as they moved to a regular treatment room.
“No, honey, I don’t have a bear either. People like us are called quasi-shifters. It means we’re part shifter, but not enough to have our own bear. We’re very special, and perfect just the way we are.”
Rayn looked disappointed.
“That’s what Orrin said. I don’t want to be special!”
The tears started again, though for a different reason this time.
Rayn clutched Zak as Orrin carded the hair back from her face to kiss her forehead.
This close together, the men reacted to one another’s scents, and quickly drew apart before something inappropriate happened.
Zak lay Rayn down on the exam table and pulled the anatomy skeleton model closer to explain her injury.
“Underneath your skin and muscles are hard bones. When you hurt your leg, you got a bruise on the bone that you can’t see, and another one on your skin you can see.
I’m going to clean the wound, put on a bandage, and send you home with a brace to protect your leg while it heals.
I know it hurts, Rayn, but Orrin will give you some medicine to help with the pain.
You can walk, but no running and jumping for a while. ”
Orrin hung on every word Dr. Hall said—not only for Rayn’s sake, but because the man was irresistible, sexy, and smelled like a potential mate.
He knew the good doctor was affected by his scent as well, but it had to have taken every ounce of self-discipline to keep this exchange professional. If only they had a chance to talk!
When Zak was finished tending to Rayn, he typed out some after-care instructions for Orrin to take home—icing the wound, bandaging the bruise, bathing, activity limits, pain medication dosage, and a two-week follow-up appointment.
“If she’s having issues, please call, and we’ll fit her in whenever it’s convenient for you. The pain meds are over-the-counter, so you won’t need a prescription, but try not to miss a dose. Except for bathing, the brace stays on, and make sure she gets plenty of rest.”
When it was time to go, Rayn clung to Zak and made a request of Orrin before they even left the treatment room.
“Can the doctor come and see us? I want to show him my hippo.”
Orrin was certainly on board with the idea, though for more than one reason. He pinned the man in place with a look so endearing, he couldn’t possibly refuse.
“Oh, I wish you would, Dr. Hall. I know Rayn would love it, and all the cubs enjoy getting visitors. We’ll even feed you.”
On the one hand, Zak needed to keep his distance from Orrin, but how could he say no when Rayn wanted to see him so badly?
“Well, who can resist an invitation like that? Weekends work best for me.”
Though Orrin wanted to dance a jig, he managed to remain calm.
“Great! We’ll see you Saturday afternoon at five o’clock.”
With Zak still holding Rayn, they made their way to the waiting area where Crew was reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears to Kip and Zuzu amid lots of giggling.
They ran over to scent Rayn and ask questions while Orrin filled out some paperwork and paid for the visit.
At last they were ready to go, and Zak carried Rayn out to the parking lot, oddly reluctant to part from her, or her caregiver.
Orrin started the van to warm it up, and once the little ones were secured in their seats, he surprised Zak with a farewell hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“ Thank you . I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t been here, and… Rayn isn’t the only one who’s eager to see you again.”
Zak wasn’t sure how to respond to such a bold declaration, despite the man’s obvious sincerity.
“How can you say that? What about your mate?”
Orrin frowned.
“Why do you think I have a mate?”
Zak’s scent and expression revealed his confusion.
“I saw you at the grocery store with her and the cubs. I thought you were a mated pair with a family.”
Oh! Now Orrin understood.
“Tasha is my co-worker at the Cub House, and while I’m not mated yet , I may have found the one for me.”
Zak felt all kinds of stupid for making assumptions, but his sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as a full shifters’—unable to discern the complex scent of a mating bond.
He had no trouble, however, picking up Orrin’s arousal and focused interest in him, which only made resistance that much more difficult.
“My apologies. Uhhh… see you Saturday.”
Orrin was bothered by their abrupt parting but picking up Rayn’s medicine and getting the little ones home took precedence.
Something weird was going on with Bear Creek’s new doctor that he didn’t understand, making both him and his bear unhappy.
Why did the man give him the cold shoulder?
His scent had revealed an obvious attraction, and he now knew that Orrin was unmated, so there was no barrier to pursuing him.
Orrin knew one thing—he wouldn’t give up easily, and Doctor Zachary Hall was about to find out how determined he could be.
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While it wasn’t Crew’s place to speculate, something curious had happened between Orrin and his boss.
Even a simple human like him could see their mutual attraction, and yes, he’d witnessed the hug and kiss in the parking lot—though it appeared to be one-sided.
As a gay man, he knew exactly what sexual tension looked like, besides the moony looks and heavy breathing.
According to rumor, Zak was part shifter, though he’d never shared such personal information, and Crew wasn’t about to ask.
In his opinion, it should have given the men even more in common.
If he wasn’t already in a serious relationship with Leo, Crew wouldn’t have had any qualms at all about pursuing Orrin Crosby.
The man was not only HOT, but kind, sweet, and intelligent—with a cuddly, growly, powerful bear lurking under that sexy exterior.
What gay man in his right mind wouldn’t be attracted to him?
And yet, Zak seemed to be keeping Orrin at arm’s length.
Why? Was his professional role as Rayn’s physician getting in the way?
The doctor appeared to have a connection to the sweet little girl, or she did with him at any rate.
When Zak came back inside, he’d thanked Crew for tending to the cubs and praised him for his quick thinking.
Then, except for being remarkably quiet, it was business as usual until their lunch break.
While Zak had retreated to his home, Crew relaxed in the break room—away from the ever-ringing phone and his moody boss.
He could only hope that whatever was going on wouldn’t negatively affect clinic operations or the easy rapport they had enjoyed thus far.
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Mumbling mild curses, Zak rounded up a healthy meal and ate while pondering the strange set of events that had occurred this morning.
Though Crew obviously suspected something odd, he’d kept the questions to himself and been nothing but a consummate professional before, during, and after the unscheduled patient encounter.
The man was apparently worth every penny of his salary, and this was his first day on the job!
Zak thought that perhaps he needed to share a little more about himself with the intelligent man, though not necessarily about his love life—or lack thereof.
Sweet little Rayn had been a wonderful and confusing surprise.
Zak hadn’t anticipated meeting another quasi-shifter, especially not one so young.
He’d met precious few others of his kind, but they had all been grown adults, and for the most part, bitter over their lot in life.
He was eager to hear Rayn’s story and how she’d come to live in a shifter orphanage, rather than a facility for humans.
She was such a sweetheart, and he’d been drawn to her immediately by some inner compulsion that defied explanation.
He enjoyed children in general, and welcomed them as his patients, but the sad little girl tugged at his heart and emotions.
Aside from their odd chemistry, he’d also been confronted with Orrin—an enigmatic shifter to whom he was viscerally attracted, yet felt compelled to avoid at all costs.
The opposing forces left him confused and aching in ways that affected both heart and libido, and he was manifestly unprepared for dealing with either.
The only way to spend time with Rayn, was by cooperating with Orrin, but he didn’t know how to manage any sort of relationship with the tempting shifter that wouldn’t ultimately result in disappointment.
It didn’t help that Orrin also seemed to have a bond with Rayn, though he suspected it would be complicated in a house full of orphans looking for love and a family of their own.
There was certainly nothing wrong with a single man adopting children, though how would he handle parenting responsibilities along with his job?
While none of that was really his concern, somehow the brief encounter this morning left him fretting over Rayn and Orrin’s welfare anyway.
While he was certain they could get along quite nicely without him, his heart didn’t want them to.
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The Cub House, after lunch
Orrin couldn’t recall a day as chaotic as this one.
A simple trip to the library had turned into an emotional, draining vortex of events found only in books like the ones they’d checked out this morning.
Though Rayn would be all right physically, she’d formed an attachment to the good doctor that bordered on a bond.
Orrin wasn’t sure if bonding was possible with quasi-shifters, but it would explain her actions and scent.
As it turned out, Zachary Hall proved to be a skilled physician who had not only provided compassionate treatment, but had responded to their girl on a personal level.
Whoa! Did his mind just say their girl? Yes, it did, and it wasn’t wrong.
Now all Orrin had to do was convince the hunky doctor to join him in taking care of her, and Kip, for the rest of their lives.
Not easy to be sure, and while he was up for the challenge, his bear wanted a more direct approach—claim the scrumptious man first and ask questions later!
At present, all three little ones were napping in the big room upstairs—Rayn in her own bed, with Kip and Zuzu in bear form curled up next to her.
The harrowing event had been a stressful learning experience for the cubs, unused to things like injuries and doctors.
They’d also refused to leave her side, even while she slept, and Orrin encouraged their protective instincts.
He was ensconced in a comfy rocking chair in the corner, watching them rest so he could respond if Rayn needed him.
The medication and ice-pack had helped reduce the girl’s pain, and she’d quickly nodded off despite the awkward brace on her leg.
It was sturdy and confining, thick rather than heavy, but it both protected the wound from further damage and forced Rayn to take things slow and easy.
It would also remind the cubs to be careful with and around her until the leg healed.
Truth be told, Orrin had only ever cared for shifters and was unprepared for a mostly human child.
It wasn’t just protecting her tender feelings, but her physical needs and limitations as compared to the cubs.
Balancing all of that without making her feel like a pariah was a constant challenge.
The other little ones also weren’t used to living and interacting with someone who was so different, physically limited by an injury, or who couldn’t join them in bear form.
Orrin was committed to giving her the best life he could, and she deserved no less.
If things worked out the way he hoped, Kip would provide the right balance as they grew up together.
They would both benefit from having a sibling; each complimenting the other as they learned to accept their true natures in an atmosphere filled with love and encouragement.
That ideal included Zak as their second parent, which was the tougher nut to crack.
Between him and the children, they’d have to convince the reluctant man to become part of their budding family.