Chapter 20
The past several days were spent getting my mate and her family acclimated to Needles and their belongings unpacked at the house.
With that taken care of, I took Fiona to the satellite lab today.
It wasn’t staffed at the moment. It made no sense to have people come all the way from Phoenix or LA to work if we had nothing for them to do.
However, Fiona already had an idea for that.
She told me about it the other evening. Rather than focusing only on shifters, why not make it the lab for nearby doctors’ offices, clinics, and even the hospital? And when it came to urgent needs, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department could use it for stat or overflow needs.
The question that came to mind was how to staff it with only shifters and supernaturals without upsetting the humans who might otherwise want to work there.
Fiona had an idea for that. It would become common knowledge that the lab processed top-secret work for the government, and, as such, only those with very specific backgrounds and clearance were authorized to work in the lab, even though they might not directly handle the top-secret work.
Brax loved the idea and said he’d speak to his department about it.
The lab sat on the outskirts of town. I let her wander the building, taking her time to see what it contained and making notes. She was very thorough, and it was three hours before she called it quits.
“I’m sorry,” were the first words out of her mouth.
“Sorry? For what?” I asked.
“That I took so long. You must be bored to tears. I’m ready. We can leave.”
“You can take all the time you need, Fiona. I found it fascinating to watch you. You’re so thorough, and the way you kept writing things down, I’m wondering if we’re that lacking in equipment or what.”
“No, oh no, only a small portion is equipment and supplies. The rest were thoughts on setup, staffing needs, processes, and those sorts of things. You have more than an adequate start here. It’s really impressive. Too bad it sits here relatively empty and unused.”
“Can’t agree with you more. The last time we had anyone work out of here was a month ago, I think. Your ideas on how else to maximize its usefulness are great. If you need more time, take it.”
“I think that’s it for now. I have lots of notes and work off those to keep me busy. It’s your turn. What would you like to do?”
It was early afternoon. We arrived at the lab by nine this morning. A thought occurred to me.
“What would you think of us all heading out for a drink and some relaxation tonight? You’ve been given the tour of town, but haven’t met very many people. And next week, I’ll be back to work. We’ll invite the rest. It’s been a while since we’ve all done it. And I know the place to go.”
“I’d love to do that. Where?”
“The best bar in town, Pour Decisions. It’s owned and operated by the Bhaer family I told you about.”
Fiona clapped her hands. “I’ve been wanting to meet them. The things you told me about them have piqued my interest. I’m all for it. However, I’m not sure if Granddad will go. And Gal is too young to drink.”
“As long as Gal is with his guardian and not drinking, he’ll be fine. And we’ll see. Galen might surprise you. It would give him a chance to meet the Bhaers and possibly some of the other shifters in and around town.”
And just like that, we had a plan. All we had to do was let the others know and see who would join us. I locked up and hurried her out to my SUV.
?
Pour Decisions was busy, but that was no surprise.
They were always busy, but more so Thursday through Saturday nights, and it was Friday.
We just arrived and found the parking lot full, and it was only eight o’clock, which was early by bar standards.
Still, we would’ve had to hunt for seats if it hadn’t been for Royal.
When we entered, one of the waitresses told us to find a seat.
Royal mentioned we had a spot reserved and that she should ask her boss.
“Oh, yes, sorry, right this way. Your table is back here,” she said, all smiles.
We were led to the bar’s back wall. There, two tables were pushed together. It was enough to seat a dozen. There were reserved signs on both. As the woman promised to be right back, we pulled out chairs for the ladies.
“How the hell did you do this?” Banner asked.
“After Keir asked if we’d all like to go out, I thought it was smart to see if Coop would hold a spot for us.
You know how crazy it can get. He said it would be no problem and to mention it to the staff when we got here.
This way, we don’t have to stalk for a table or stand up all night.
Cerys for damn sure doesn’t need that,” Royal replied.
“Damn, I’ll have to remember that the next time we come out,” Gunnar said.
Galen had begged off this time. He said he wanted to stay in, and Gal remained with him.
I thought I knew the real reason. Galen wanted to stick around and keep an eye on Nico.
It had been a week since he was hurt, and he wasn’t healing.
There had been very little change in his two major wounds.
There were no signs of infection. The course of antibiotics was finished.
A wound culture was taken and processed by the hospital’s lab.
It showed no bacteria. All those with medical training were baffled.
Even Nico couldn’t deny it was troublesome.
Nico remained tired, and his coloring was pale.
And although he didn’t say it, I caught the grimaces and other signs that he was in pain.
Worry was rife, but we had no idea what to do.
Galen, with all his years of experience treating shifters and other supernaturals, had no clue why Nico wouldn’t heal.
We hadn’t had to argue for our friend to remain at home tonight.
He told us to have fun and that he was going to bed.
He tried to tell Fiona’s brother and granddad to go with us, but they insisted on hanging out at his place.
When they were ready to leave, they had Fiona's car.
I glanced over to find my mate taking in the ambiance of the bar.
It was typical of most bars, though this one was very clean and the decor was nicer.
That wasn’t to say fights didn’t happen.
They did. And it seemed to happen more among tourists who came to Needles for outdoor activities, especially those on the water from spring through fall.
Technically, it was still winter, so it wasn’t as crowded.
As we sat there talking about Pour Decisions, the crowds that frequented it, and the upcoming live band, we interspersed it with ordering our first round of drinks. No surprise, Cerys passed on anything alcoholic. The other ladies didn’t, and that included Twyla.
“Don’t worry, Cerys, I’ll drink for you,” Twyla told her granddaughter.
Cerys laughed. “Leave it to you to do that. How thoughtful, Grandma.” She smirked.
“Hey, caring and thoughtful are my middle names. I’m so happy you asked me to join you, young’uns,” Twyla said.
Royal leaned closer so no one could hear what he said. “You know, other than the other three ladies, you’re one of the young’uns at these tables, Twyla.”
She smiled and winked as she replied, “I know, and it makes me feel so good.”
There was laughter from around the table. As it died away, Twyla turned to my mate.
“Fiona, I wish Galen had joined us. He’s too young to be holed up at home. Gal is old enough to look out for himself.”
“I wish he had come too, but he’s doing us a favor,” Fiona replied.
“Oh, what favor?” Twyla asked.
“He’s keeping an eye on Nico. He’s not healing as he should. Galen is concerned. And he knew if Nico were left alone, he’d be pushing himself and doing more than he should,” I answered.
“The asshole tried to say he’s going back to work next week. We told him not to try it, or he’d be the one coming into the ER on a gurney. Sam would have to take care of him,” Royal added.
“Sam?” Fiona asked.
“Sam is Nico’s fellow paramedic. They’re a great team. I bet Sam is more than ready for Nico to come back. He detests working with anyone else,” Brax told her.
“It’s hard when you click and work well with someone to have others fill in. There were a few at the lab I felt that way about. Their days off couldn’t pass fast enough,” Fiona confessed.
There was more chatter about the week and how it went for everyone. The others had returned to work this week, except for Nico and me.
Gunnar told us about the bounty cases he’d picked up. Banner shared what he could about a new case he was working on. The same for Brax and the others. They never told enough to violate people’s privacy. Fiona shared her excitement over our trip to see the lab.
We were there about forty minutes before I caught sight of four large men making their way to us. I grinned. They came to a stop next to the table. They nodded. But I noted how they focused on Fiona.
“Good evening. Glad you came out. I see you’ve got drinks. Let us know if you need anything or if our staff is less than great,” Cooper said.
“Thanks for having us, Coop. And you know your people are always wonderful,” Brax stated.
The four guys flexed to give us a quick bow of appreciation. When they straightened, it was time to address the women.
“Ladies, you’re all looking beautiful as always. Cerys, it’s good to see you doing so well. How are the twins?” Calvin, Cooper’s cousin, asked. He and Chance were first cousins to Cooper, whose brother was Colter.
“I’m doing and feeling great, Cooper. I’m at the halfway mark. Twenty weeks to go,” she told him.
“Well, you look amazing. And Twyla, I hope you plan to stay out of trouble tonight,” Chance chimed in. He winked at Twyla.
“Now, why would I go do something like that? It’s boring. All I can promise is if I start a fight, I won’t bust up the bar,” she replied cheekily, earning herself chuckles from the Bhaers.