Chapter 27
For the first time in its history, the Cub House lacked a single orphan.
Two weeks ago, the McCoys adoption of Scout and Birdy had been approved and the cubs were now settled in their new place north of town.
That left only Griffin and Fort, whose paperwork came through over the weekend, and they went to their forever home with Dash and Aiden.
Even Tasha was temporarily absent, having been sent to the BSA headquarters for two weeks of specialized training.
Only Orrin remained, tasked with a thorough organization and scrub-down of the house before the next batch of orphans arrived.
Normally, more cubs would have been immediately sent to replace those who’d found homes, but Orrin had convinced the Bureau of Shifter Affairs to wait.
He’d argued that it would be too disruptive, and possibly traumatic, for new arrivals to witness a mass exodus of cubs from the house.
Coupled with requested time off for mating week, which they were legally required to grant, the bureaucrats agreed to hold off sending any new cubs until the second week of May.
Thus, Kip and Rayn found themselves rattling around in an unnaturally quiet and peaceful house while their papa did his work.
Naturally, they missed having playmates around them all the time, but Orrin and Zak kept them busy.
Rayn found it easier to adjust than Kip, since she’d already lived with a family and followed a similar routine.
Now, she got to shine as papa’s little helper whenever her brother asked what was next.
At present, they were busy coloring at the dining room table while Orrin reorganized the kitchen cupboards.
They could hear him banging around in there, humming happily to himself as they finished their masterpieces.
They would become the latest addition to the art gallery at home—also referred to as the refrigerator door.
All done, Kip held up his picture for Rayn to see and made an inquiry.
“You like?”
Rayn clapped her hands.
“Yes. It’s pretty!”
“What do now?”
Rayn thought for a moment, unsure what her daddy had in mind.
“Let’s go see.”
They scurried into the kitchen, only to find Orrin dancing as he worked. They joined him, Kip jumping and Rayn swaying to an unknown beat. Soon, the giggles started, and Orrin swept them up for hugs and kisses. Rayn finally voiced the question they’d come to the kitchen to ask in the first place.
“What next, Papa?”
“Have you finished coloring your pictures?”
They both nodded, and Orrin looked up at the clock.
“Put away the crayons and we’ll go home for lunch. You’ll never guess what we’re having for dessert.”
They tried to wheedle the surprise out of him, but to no avail, and minutes later, they were all back at home.
Orrin sent them to wash hands while he got lunch started—tuna on toast. It was a cheap but tasty meal that his parents had served frequently when he was a child, trying to stretch the grocery budget as far as it could go.
First came the roux, made with whole wheat flour, butter, and spices, then the milk to make a delicious white sauce, and finally the tuna (or chicken if he had it).
Vegetables added extra nutrition, but Orrin decided to skip them this time.
Meanwhile, the toaster had been popping up browned slices of multigrain bread until he had enough for all of them.
Orrin ripped the toast into bite-sized pieces, poured the hot, meaty sauce on top, and served it up like a waiter at a fine restaurant.
The kids had given it the side-eye the first time he made it, but now it was a favorite, both here and at the Cub House.
Like they’d been taught, both children cleaned their plates before asking for dessert.
When Orrin pulled a Delicious box from the cupboard, both kids cheered—knowing that anything in it simply had to be good.
He’d discovered the brand new item the other day while picking up Bear Brownies and Snax for him and Kip.
These were human treats called Chewsies—two layered bars with a dark chocolate brownie layer on the bottom and a nut butter ganache on top.
They came in six flavors: peanut, almond, pistachio, cashew, pecan, and black walnut.
Orrin’s bear went crazy over the scent, growling while he plated them up for the kids.
He gave them a bit of each flavor, though Rayn’s pieces were smaller to keep her calorie intake at the right level.
Shifters could overeat with no noticeable difference, but Rayn was limited to standard human portions—something he’d had to figure out when she’d arrived at the Cub House.
He’d explained it to her and the other cubs to prevent questions or teasing about the different sized meals she received.
The sweet girl didn’t need to be reminded every time she ate that she wasn’t like everyone else.
Having a quasi-shifter parent at the table enabled her to relax and enjoy her meals, as it should be, and Orrin was extra careful when Zak wasn’t present.
He handed them each a sampler plate and topped off their drinks.
“These are called Chewsies. Each one has a different nut flavor, and I got to try them at the shop.”
Orrin and Kip shoved them in one after another, unable to savor the flavor when they smelled and tasted so good. Rayn was more restrained, though she seemed to enjoy them all just as much as they had. A thought came to Orrin, and he shared it with Kip.
“Wouldn’t these be good with acorns? My bear sure likes the idea.”
Kip’s wide-eyed nod and growls answered for him as he continued chewing. When there wasn’t a crumb left on anyone’s plate, Orrin asked Rayn which one was her favorite.
“Umm… black walnut!”
Kip wasn’t able to choose just one.
“All dem!”
The little guy’s garbled words weren’t getting any clearer, and after discussing it with Zak, they’d decided to seek professional help.
With a bit of research, they had found a speech therapist in Wilkes-Barre with experience treating shifter children and made an appointment for mid-May.
There were, unfortunately, many little ones like Kip who spent their early years in bear form without exposure to human speech, leaving them far behind their peers.
The hope was to get the boy caught up before he entered kindergarten, thus avoiding any teasing or harassment issues from classmates.
After lunch, Orrin and the kids ran some errands around town—gas station, grocery store, and the library.
With no one to read to, Orrin had returned several books and stopped to chat with Jameson, the head librarian.
He was looking on the glum side; bowtie askew, hair mussed, and not his usual cheerful self. Orrin made a discreet inquiry.
“I’m missing your smile, my friend. Is everything all right?”
Jameson pushed his black glasses up with a forefinger and sighed.
“Thanks for asking, Orrin. Just a bit of man trouble—as in, I can’t find a good one. My last date was a disaster, and I’m considering becoming a monk.”
Orrin chuckled, understanding how difficult single life could be.
“I get it, but you can’t give up. If you’re free tomorrow night, why don’t you join us for supper? Afterwards, I’m sure the kids would enjoy hearing you read their bedtime story, and I can show you all the cool books we bought for their library. What do you say?”
Rayn and Kip chimed in, urging him to come, and Jameson realized he couldn’t disappoint them.
“Sure! It sounds like fun.”
Orrin gave him directions and a time before leaving the building. On the way home, Rayn asked when Grandma and Grandpa Hall were coming to pick them up for their week at the resort.
“They’ll be here on Friday, sweetheart. You’ll leave after Papa Zak gets home from work.”
She paused to think for a minute, and asked another question.
“Don’t you and Papa want to come too?”
Oh dear. Orrin hadn’t expected that one, though he should have.
“We will another time, Rayn. Your grandparents want to get to know you better, and they thought you would have fun at the resort. Besides, they’ve never been there before, but you and Kip know all about it and can show them around.”
Thankfully, the answer sounded reasonable, and Orrin had no intention of explaining the mating bond to his little ones—at least not until they were much older.
That stirred up Orrin’s bear, who became restless at the thought of finally mating with Zak—resulting in a boner and lusty musings for the rest of the day.
Whether he knew it or not, Zak would need to muster his strength tonight to scratch Orrin’s itch, and he couldn’t wait.
############
Wednesday morning
It had been a typical mid-week morning at the clinic, with a full schedule and everyone busy. About an hour before lunch, Crew picked up a call from the Luzerne County Sheriff’s office.
“Bear Creek Medical Clinic. How may I help you?”
“This is Sheriff Grishom. We have an injured shifter in bear form en route to the clinic. One bullet wound that we know of. The patient is awake but weak and losing blood. Please have Doc Hall standing by.”
Crew was surprised but didn’t miss a beat.
“Yes, Sir. ETA?”
“Approximately… seven minutes.”
“We’ll be ready. If possible, have them bring the patient around the back of the building.”
Crew ended the call, activated the voice mail system, and hurried to inform Zak. They’d never treated an ursine patient, and he didn’t know how this was going to play out. He knocked on the exam room door and waited a few seconds before Zak opened it just a crack. Crew spoke softly but quickly.
“Incoming shifter patient in ursine form with a bullet wound and blood loss. ETA seven minutes. I told the Sheriff to have him brought around the back.”
Caught off guard, Zak had to come up with a plan on the fly.
“Ask Jessica to take my patients for the time being and tell Dixy to prep the treatment room for surgery and wait for me there. I’ll need you to handle the front and escort patients to the back.
Make a general announcement to those in the waiting room that an emergency situation has arisen, and that there may be delays in the schedule. I’ll be right out.”
Heart pounding, Crew informed both of his coworkers of the situation and made his way to the waiting room. An older human male, a young couple, and a mother with her little one looked up as he started speaking.
“Folks, we have an emergency situation on our hands with an injured patient being brought in. Doctor Hall may not be available for some time, so you’ll be seen by Jessica McKnight instead.
Please accept our apologies for any delays and the last minute change.
I’ll be happy to reschedule your appointment if you prefer. ”
Minutes later, a battered red pickup truck pulled in with a bear laying in the back, followed by a Sheriff Deputy vehicle with the lights flashing.
Crew hurried outside to wave them in the right direction and went back in to man the phone and keep everyone calm.
What he actually wanted to do was observe the team in action, but he’d have to settle for a verbal account later. So much for a quiet Wednesday!