Chapter 36 #2
Too many questions and not enough answers, Jackson thought, as he swiveled his chair and stared out the window at the morning sky, letting its beauty wash away his doubts. He would concentrate on what he knew and find the answers to the rest—there was too much at risk to do otherwise.
~/~/~/~/~
Sorting through his files, Mac selected the ones pertaining to Theo, Norm, and Smokey before shoving them into a satchel. Then, moving over to the bookcase in his office, he pulled out several others and handed them to his mate, “Here, put these in there too.”
“What about your laptop?” asked Ollie. “Won’t you need it?”
“Go ahead and add it,” Mac mumbled while studying the titles of the rest of his books.
Not many of them dealt with Ghost Bear pregnancies, but he picked some that dealt with premature births since that was the closest thing to what Theo might experience.
Handing them to Ollie, Mac paused and looked around the room to see what else should go with them to the Silver Point Pack.
But before he could decide, someone knocked on his office door. Looking up, he called out, “Come in.”
Slate pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Mac, Steel told me you’re in charge of the medical facilities at Tristan’s.”
“Yeah,” Mac murmured, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Though I’m not sure what’s needed there yet, since I haven’t seen their clinic. From what Jackson said, it’s not in good condition.”
“It’s not, but my crew is already at work over there, making sure the building, electrical, and plumbing are all up to code,” Slate said. “Luckily, it’s actually better than some of the other clinics we’ve redone, so we’ll be ready to get to work by the end of tomorrow.”
“Hey, that’s great news!” Mac exclaimed.
“Here,” Slate said, handing a file folder to Mac.
“My foreman took some pictures of the interior for you, and I’ve included, for your approval, a list of equipment and supplies proposed for the current clinic.
There’s also the list Colton did for the hospital in Mexico that Dire Enterprises built, and I thought they’d be helpful for you to review for the new clinic and hospital at Silver Point. ”
“Thanks,” Mac said. “I haven’t thought about any of that yet with everything going on with Theo and his parents.
” Opening the file, he flipped through the documents, pausing to examine each photograph before handing them to Ollie.
Slate was right; the current clinic would work for the foreseeable future since it was bigger than he’d first thought.
Then, carefully examining the next document, he nodded to himself in agreement with most of it.
Looking up at Slate, he said, “That’s good, but I may want to add some other items once I get a handle on the medical needs of the pack members. ”
“Sure…that list is only a starting point.”
Then Mac looked at the lists Colton had made and was immediately impressed at how complete they were, but once again, there were a few omissions.
Making a mental note to speak to his cousin about it once he and Ollie got settled over at the Silver Point Pack, Mac glanced up at Slate.
“Again, it’s good, but I’d like to see the floor plans for the new hospital and clinic before giving final approval. ”
“You’ll have them shortly,” Slate replied.
“Thanks,” Mac said, passing the lists to Ollie for his input. Then, turning back to Slate, he asked, “How’s young Max?”
Chuckling, Slate said, “Growing like a weed.”
“And how’s fatherhood? Figured it out yet?” asked Mac.
“With a little help from my mother,” Slate said, laughing. “Kota and I have reached an agreement on my role in raising our son…starting with me throwing away all the books I bought on childcare.”
“And?”
Shrugging, Slate said sheepishly, “It appeared I already knew the most important thing my son needed.”
“Which is?”
“My love. And Max will have it for the rest of his life.”
“There isn’t a better thing a parent can give a child than love,” Ollie said softly.
“You sound just like my mother,” Slate grinned.
“Wise woman,” Mac quipped.
“Yeah, she is,” Slate murmured, pausing for a moment before pointing to the file folder in Ollie’s hand.
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll order the list of equipment and supplies for the current clinic today.
Some can be delivered in a few days so there’ll be there for you to work with after you arrive.
And I can always place another order for anything else you need afterward. ”
Nodding, Mac said, “Sure…that’ll work.”
“Good,” Slate said. “See you later.”
When there were just the two of them in the room once again, Ollie looked at his mate and grinned. “Holy smokes! When I joined Frontline Doctors, I never thought I would find my mate and that we would end up practicing medicine together. It’s a dream come true!”
Grinning, Mac took the folder from Ollie and set it down on his desk before hugging him tight to his chest. Brushing his lips lightly over Ollie’s ear, Mac murmured, “It’s the best kind of dream, my love.”