Chapter Twenty

Dale paced the waiting room, unable to sit on the uncomfortable fiberglass chairs that lined the wall too perfectly. Every time he looked at them he cringed.

Paige stepped into the room holding two cups of coffee. “Here.” She handed one to Dale. “Any news?”

“No.” He took a sip. “It’s been seven hours. I’m pulling my hair out.”

“They said it might take as long as twelve hours.”

“I know, but it’s so frustrating. Not knowing. Not being there to hold his hand.” Dale met Paige’s gaze, noticing her pained expression. “I’m sorry. I’m so insensitive. You’ve known him for your entire life. I’ve known him a week. You have way more of a claim on him than I ever will. And yet, I’m monopolizing the situation as if the world revolved around me.”

She shook her head. “It’s true that I love him. He’s my best friend. He’s been by me my entire life. But he’s not my mate. Now that I’ve bound myself to Wyatt, I understand the connection. It was there before we finished the binding. And I’ve seen that same connection on both of your faces. You have every right to be here and claim him as your responsibility. I’m so glad he has you. He’s a lucky man.”

Dale fought the lump in his throat, unable to speak. He pulled Paige against his chest and hugged her tight.

“He’s going to be okay,” she whispered.

“You still think it’s for the best that we haven’t contacted his parents? I feel nervous about that choice.”

Paige stepped out of his embrace and held his biceps. “Trust me. If they didn’t have the courage to keep him from walking out the door when he told them he was gay, then they haven’t earned the right to be with him now. Plus, this is no place for humans who have no knowledge of shifters. The entire clinic would be on pins and needles if they were hanging around. And your stress level would go through the roof if Percy and Joan Wright arrived and took over. I’m confident they would ignore you entirely and cut you out of the decision making. Probably not even let you see him. Or worse—insist that he be moved to a hospital in Calgary—a human hospital.”

Dale took a long breath. “That would be a disaster. I’d like to see anyone try.” He forced a half a smile.

“So let’s not test the theory. Besides, he’ll be completely healed in no time, and they will never be the wiser. You’ll see.”

He hoped she was right. Her confidence calmed him. Wyatt was a lucky man.

Dale sensed another presence approaching from far enough away that he had a few moments to take deep breaths before Eleanor walked into the room. George was with her. She smiled warmly at Paige. “Would you mind giving us a moment, dear?”

“Of course.” Paige scrambled from the room, shutting the door behind her.

“How’s he doing?” Eleanor asked politely.

“He’s in surgery now.” Dale’s heart rate picked up a notch. He sensed the council had made a decision regarding his fate.

Eleanor nodded. “That’s promising.”

“Yes.”

“I’m actually here to speak to you about your actions and their consequences.”

Dale nodded.

“The council has met with a majority of twenty-three members present.”

Wow, that number made Gavin nervous. There were only forty members total. Nearly every one of the twenty-three present would have had to agree on his fate for the vote to pass.

“After a lengthy discussion, the council came to a unanimous decision to review our current policies with regard to human conversions.”

Dale withheld a sigh, hoping his elation wasn’t premature.

“We did not take this matter lightly. We were bombarded with pleas from Carla and her parents as well as your parents, Paige Osborn, and even the attending physician. I don’t mean to imply that anyone has the ability to alter the laws of our land, but we did take their testimonies into consideration. You have powerful allies, Dale.”

Dale didn’t move. That many people pleaded his case to the council? He was humbled.

“It has been determined that from now on, we will hear individual cases on a case by case basis. No one will have permission to arbitrarily decide to convert a human without consulting the council. And though we agreed there is a gray area that may cause problems down the line in situations like yours where the human is in imminent danger of death, we don’t feel at this time that we can permit the choice be left up to any one individual shifter. It’s not feasible.”

“I see.” He didn’t see at all. In fact, he had no idea where she was going with this conversation except for the fact that she had insinuated that no regular citizen would have the right to shift a human without consulting with the council first, even in dire situations. Where did that leave Dale?

“That being said, I’m forced to take into consideration the testimony from George. He is a wise and trusted member of our society at large and the council. Because he made a split-second decision to spare the life of your mate, it would be unfair of the council to punish you for the decision made by one of our members.”

Dale wanted to let out a long exhale of relief, but he could see by her expression, she was not done. And what fate was George to endure?

She stood taller, if that was possible, her shoulders back, her expression serious—more serious than usual. “Am I understanding correctly that you will indeed be returning to work for us as soon as your mate is out of the woods?”

Ah. There it was. The unspoken trade. Dale would not be taken into custody in exchange for agreeing to serve his people. He glanced at George whose eyes were slightly wider than normal, his pupils dilated. He didn’t communicate directly into Dale’s head in coercion, but his expression spoke for itself. He had gone to bat for Dale, and the price had been set.

“Of course,” Dale responded. “As soon as possible.” What the hell would this return to his previous job look like? Would he need to move? He was afraid to ask. His life was in Silvertip. He’d built his home with his own hands. It was his soft place to fall. A haven when the world didn’t spin the right direction. He wanted to grow old there with Gavin by his side.

“Excellent,” she declared. “I’ll have my people contact you in a few weeks to set up a time to ensure your house is properly wired and that you have all the equipment you need. The fastest internet. The latest computers. Whatever you need. You let my men know, and they will have it delivered.”

Dale was speechless. They were going to let him work from home. The perfect setup.

Now all he needed was for his mate to live through the surgery and get himself mended so the two of them could build a life together.”

After a few more pleasantries, Eleanor left. George followed her. He set a hand on Dale’s shoulder and squeezed on his way by. Into his head, he said, “He’s going to make it. I can feel it in my soul.”

“Thank you.” Those two words encompassed so many things, but nothing else was necessary. George knew how Dale felt, and Dale would forever be indebted to the older council member. Dale watched George walk out of the room, wondering what it had cost him to lie to Eleanor. He may never have the answer to that question, but it would haunt Dale.

A few minutes after the Arcadians left, Paige returned. “Everything okay?” she asked.

Dale smiled. “It will be.”

She had a white paper bag in her hand, and she lifted it. “Burgers. From the diner. I heard they’re your favorite.”

“Bless you.” Dale didn’t know Paige well yet, but what he did know warmed his insides. She was a kind and generous person. Thoughtful. She had gone to bat for him. They would be good friends.

While they were eating, Dale’s parents and his sister, Jackie, showed up. They had come and gone every day in support. They sat with him and Paige. Waiting. The clock moved so slowly.

Two hours after the food was gone and the remnants cleaned up, Doctor Towers finally came into the room. He was smiling. Thank God. “The surgery went well. And by that I mean, he lived through it. We had to address many things, but I’m confident we have taken care of the majority if not all.”

Dale and Paige both stepped closer as she grabbed his arm and held on, providing moral support for both of them. He could feel his family at his back. Each of them had a hand on him.

“He had twelve broken bones, including several in all four limbs, some ribs, three vertebrae, and the back of his skull. We aligned every bone, using pins in about five of them, and then went to work on his neck. The majority of our time was spent in the tedious process of ensuring his vertebrae were properly aligned and no fragments remained to injure him further.

“He’ll need to remain in traction for the foreseeable future until we’re positive his neck will heal properly. Absolutely no movement. Even the slightest jostling could undo all our efforts. The induced coma will help tremendously, and frequent X-rays will let us know if he’s healing and at what rate. Based on what we saw, I can safely surmise the drugs we’re using to keep him sedated are slowing down the healing process. They also appear to be keeping him from shifting. Both are blessings. He needs rest. His body will do what it’s supposed to do on its own.”

“Did you end up calling in a human physician?” Dale asked, knowing there had been discussion along those lines.

The doctor nodded. “I did. Doctor Cynthia Normand came from Calgary. She’s a trusted friend who’s aware of our existence. We have consulted each other in the past. It turned out we didn’t need her, and her presence proved to be more educational for her than any of us.”

“How so?”

“No human could have survived the surgery. There are no documented cases of any doctor attempting to repair vertebrae that have suffered that much damage. We still can’t know for certain if he’ll suffer any paralysis, but I’m hopeful. The spinal cord looked perfect.”

“Humans don’t repair vertebrae?” That sounded odd, but what did Dale know?

“Not in situations like this. They can replace them with synthetic versions in rare cases, but only shifter genes allow us to line up bones and have them essentially adhere to each other as if magnetized or Superglued. They inherently realign and start to bind fast enough that we can get away with repairing them instead of replacement.”

Paige squeezed Dale’s arm. “I bet that was fascinating for Doctor Normand.”

“Quite.”

“So now we wait. Again,” Dale stated.

“Yes. I feel comfortable saying that you can go home. Get a good night’s sleep. Shower. Change. He’s stable for now. If we need you for anything, the nurses’ station has your number.”

Dale nodded. There was no chance in hell he would leave this building until Gavin looked him in the eye, held his hand, and smiled in recognition. Even then, Dale wasn’t sure he would let his mate out of his sight.

»»•««

Something was poking Gavin in the arm. It was so annoying, and yet he couldn’t seem to lift his other hand to swipe at it. He squeezed his eyes tighter and strained to lift his left hand. It was stuck. He flexed his fingers several times, sending a new pain traveling up that arm. Jesus, what the hell was wrong with him? He let out a low moan.

“Gavin?” The one word came from a few feet away, but footsteps followed, and then someone gripped his hand. “Gavin, baby, open your eyes. Please.”

Dale? Oh yeah. He knew that voice. He would know it anywhere. It featured in every single dream. Thousands of them. How the hell long had he been asleep? His eyelids were too heavy. They wouldn’t move. He fought to blink and failed several times.

Dale cupped his face. “Baby, look at me. I know you can hear me.”

Finally, he managed to open his eyes at least enough to get blinded by bright lights.

“Shit. Hang on. I’ll turn off the lights.” Dale released his hand and rushed back across the room. The slight snick of the light switch told Gavin it was safe to open his eyes now. Wait… Why was he hearing light switches and the speed of footsteps so distinctly?

He ignored that strange development and opened his eyes wider. Instantly he smiled.

“Oh, baby.” Dale leaned closer, brushing his lips against Gavin’s briefly. He looked so relieved. “If you ever scare me like that again, I’ll spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a month.” His words were shocking, but his tone and expression were playful.

Gavin licked his lips. They were cracked and dry.

“Hold on.” Dale released him again and leaned over to grab something beside him. He returned with a cup. “Ice chips. They’ll help.” He filled a small spoon with slivers of ice and held it to Gavin’s lips.

The cold felt wonderful. The wetness soothed his mouth and then his throat. “Where am I?”

“The hospital. Clinic really. Do you remember what happened?”

Gavin tried to shake his head, but renewed pain stabbed him in so many places he couldn’t begin to identify them all. He cringed.

“Shit. Don’t try to move. Especially not your head. You need to remain very still.”

“What happened?”

“You were in an accident. Might need to get you a new bike.” He smiled again. So full of jokes today.

Gavin licked his lips. “I can’t move.”

Dale flinched, his gaze darting down to Gavin’s torso. He grabbed Gavin’s hand and squeezed.

Gavin returned the grip as much as he could. He was weak.

Dale let out a breath. “What can’t you move, baby? Your fingers are responding.”

Gavin wiggled his toes and his other hand. “No. I mean I’m weak. It feels like something is holding me down.”

Dale’s face relaxed. “Yes. Your neck was broken in several places. You’re in traction. The doctor thinks he can probably remove it soon. We were waiting for you to wake up.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Two weeks.”

Gavin’s eyes darted open wider. “Seriously?”

“You’re going to be fine. They expect a full recovery. And I can’t begin to tell you what a miracle that is.” He lowered his face, setting his forehead against Gavin’s. “I was sure you wouldn’t make it. I’ve never seen anyone as banged up as you were.”

Gavin tried to assess his injuries by moving his limbs again. “My arms are…”

“Strapped down. Shit. Hang on.” Dale’s face got that slightly glazed look that indicated he was communicating with someone else.

“You haven’t shaved,” Gavin commented. His face had the growth that indicated he wasn’t kidding about the two weeks.

Dale smiled broader. “You like it?”

“No.” Gavin tried to smile also, but it hurt. “Damn. My head is pounding.”

Dale’s long hair was down and tucked behind his ears, messy. “That’s a good thing. Means the drugs are wearing off.”

Suddenly, the door opened, and two more people entered the room. Gavin didn’t know either of them, and he realized that was a ridiculous assessment since he had yet to see them. Had he developed some sort of sixth sense while he was asleep?

A man leaned over him, larger than Dale and probably several years older too. He was tall and broad. He wore a doctor’s lab coat. “Welcome back. I’m Doctor Towers.” He took Gavin’s pulse, glancing at his watch, and then released his wrist. “You gave us quite a scare, young man. And I’ve never met anyone with friends as dedicated as yours. You must be very special.”

Huh. Friends? Then he remembered he was in Silvertip for the summer. Paige was here. Other voices had penetrated his mind. His memory was coming back. He and Dale had fought… Dale needed to find some missing girls… Gavin took off on his motorcycle… There was a bear… Then there was a young girl… The rest was fuzzy.

Doctor Towers fiddled with Gavin’s wrists again, and soon he was able to lift his hands. “We didn’t want to risk you thrashing around in your sleep. How much do you remember?”

“I think I have the gist of it.”

“Good. Now I need you to take things slow. You suffered twelve broken bones, and that doesn’t count the number of fractures in your vertebrae. Stay as still as possible until we can be certain you aren’t in danger of reinjuring yourself.”

A nurse stepped forward, handing the doctor a thermometer. “We’re going to pay close attention to your temperature and watch you like a hawk today until…” He glanced at Dale who gave a subtle shake of his head.

What weren’t they telling him?

The doctor pursed his lips and slid the thermometer under Gavin’s tongue. The strong scent of antiseptic was followed by the sharp, tangy taste of the same substance. Gavin winced. Gross. What the hell did they disinfect the thermometer with?

So many questions. Dale looked chagrinned, not meeting Gavin’s gaze. He was keeping something from him. Had he lost a leg or something? A quick wiggle of his toes told him it was doubtful. What then? Maybe a scar ran down his face? He had both his eyes. Nothing on his face hurt.

He couldn’t even ask because of the damn thing under his tongue.

Finally, the doctor lifted it and read it quickly. “Good. Slightly elevated. To be expected.” He spoke in a rush. “I’m just going to go order a few X-rays. I’ll be right back.” He bustled from the room with the nurse on his tail like there was a fire.

Gavin narrowed his gaze at Dale.

“By the time you leave here, you’re going to glow from all the X-rays.” Dale busied himself tucking the sheet around Gavin’s torso as if it were dislodged.

Gavin grabbed Dale’s hand. “Tell me.”

Dale swallowed. He bit his lower lip which was fascinating since he had so thoroughly chastised Gavin for doing the same thing.

Possibilities ran through Gavin’s mind. If he wasn’t severely disfigured and he wasn’t missing a limb…

A slight beeping somewhere made it hard to concentrate. It was annoying. It was also far away.

The light switch. The pungent taste of rubbing alcohol. The brightness in the room. The way he knew two strangers had entered. It all clicked into place. “You changed me.”

Dale cleared his throat. “It was the only way. Do you hate me?”

Gavin nearly choked on emotion. “How? I mean how did you get permission?”

“I didn’t.” His face turned red.

Gavin widened his gaze. “What?” His voice was higher in pitch. “Please tell me you’re kidding. Why aren’t you under arrest or something?”

“It’s complicated. There’s so much to tell you. But no one’s going to arrest me.”

Gavin forced himself to calm down. This was what he wanted after all. He’d simply never expected it to be possible. “What happens now?”

“No one’s sure. There are so few cases like yours. The doctor kept you sedated for two weeks to prevent you from shifting until your body was healed enough to survive the first shift.”

Gavin tried to nod. His head was spinning. “When will it happen?”

“Anytime. Not sure. But I’m going to be right here with you.”

“I hurt so bad in so many places that I can’t imagine leaping off this bed and switching form to a grizzly bear.”

Dale smiled. “I’m sure, but you can do it. You’re strong enough. And as soon as you shift, your grizzly form will heal you so much faster. It was a constant game of chess, keeping you in an induced coma long enough that you could survive the change but also pulling you out of it so that you could properly heal.”

“How fast? You mean days? Hours?”

“Not sure. Probably days.”

“Shit. That’s crazy.”

Dale’s face grew serious. “You sure you aren’t mad?”

“Did you have another choice?”

“Yes.”

Gavin’s eyes widened again.

“I could have watched you die in my arms. It wasn’t really a choice. I never considered it.”

Gavin glanced around. “This isn’t a human hospital, is it?”

“No. You’re the only human in the building. Well, you were. Technically you aren’t fully human anymore.”

Gavin felt hot. His face flushed for no reason.

Dale set his hand on his forehead and then his cheek. “Shit.”

“What?”

“The fever. It’s a sign. I had hoped you would have more time.”

The doctor rushed back into the room. Of course. Dale was reaching out to the staff telepathically. When would Gavin be able to do the same?

“I can’t read your mind,” he stated, ignoring the quick movements of everyone around him. He decided to focus on Dale instead and let the doctor and nurse do their thing. Every movement hurt, but the pain was lessening.

“Not yet. After you shift,” Dale responded.

“I see.” Did he?

The doctor spoke. “I’m going to remove this brace around your head and neck. I don’t want to risk it getting in your way.”

Gavin hadn’t realized something was holding his head and neck stable until it was lifted away. And then he turned his head from side to side, slowly.

“Easy now. I need you to move, but I also want you to be careful.”

Gavin gritted his teeth against too many different pains to count.

“I’m going to hold both your arms and pull you to sitting. Don’t try to help me. Dale, can you support his head?”

Dale came around to the far side and tucked his fingers under Gavin’s neck. They want me to sit up? He’d been awake like five minutes, and he’d suffered a broken neck and numerous other injuries two weeks ago. Was he that healed?

The doctor pulled him upright slowly while Dale supported his head and neck with one huge hand. Seconds later, he found himself swiveled around totally upright. Tears stung the backs of his eyes, partly out of relief that he was alive and partly out of pain. He reached back with one hand to gingerly touch his neck and the back of his head.

“Fourteen stitches,” Dale announced. They shaved your hair up pretty high. The scar is impressive. All possibility of making it as a bald man later in life went right out the door I’m afraid. Unless you want to draw sympathy from people,” he joked.

Gavin could feel the tender flesh under the already significant hair growth. He supposed at least as much would be on his head as Dale’s beard.

More heat. The room was sweltering. He wiped sweat off his brow. It was amazing he had enough energy to sit up like this.

A welcoming cool breeze hit his backside from his neck to his ass. He glanced down at the attractive hospital gown and realized it was open in the back. For a second, he was embarrassed. He didn’t have the strength to cover his butt. The nurse and anyone who stepped behind him would be getting an eyeful.

But who cared? They were all shifters. If he wasn’t mistaken, in a few minutes, he would be wearing fur instead of a gown. Maybe by the time he shifted back, he would have the strength to close the gown and even shower and put on clothes. He was definitely getting ahead of himself.

His skin crawled. The pain receded by the minute. He felt a kind of pressure building as if something wanted to get out of him from the inside.

Dale reached for his arm, steadying him.

The doctor stood back with the nurse at his side. Two more people leaned into the room.

He was now a circus animal. He set his hand on top of Dale’s and gripped his fingers hard. It would take too much energy for him to speak. His focus was on his body and the change it seemed on the verge of.

“You’re doing great, baby.” Dale’s voice was soothing. “Relax. I know you can do this. You’re so strong. So brave.”

Gavin couldn’t even meet Dale’s gaze. He found himself focused entirely on his body. Every nerve ending was alive. It felt like he was actually inside himself. What did that even mean? As if he could see from the inside out.

He scented two more people now. That made six. He didn’t care. Let them watch. None of them would have ever seen a human shift for the first time. Children maybe when they were old enough to first shift. But not a grown man. He closed his eyes.

“That’s it. Let it wash through you. Don’t fight it.”

He felt the need to slide off the bed, and he was grateful Dale had ahold of his arm as he lowered his feet to the floor.

“I’m so proud of you. Follow your instinct. Let it out.”

It was so close. Right on the surface. Like in that alien movie where the creature bursts from the bellies of its victims. Except this creature wasn’t going to kill Gavin. He wouldn’t let it.

A sort of pulsing feeling beat at his flesh from the inside. Could the others see it? And then he was leaning forward, instinct telling him to lower to his hands and knees. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter as his skin stretched, his bones elongating and shortening as necessary. Tiny pinpricks traveled all over his body. His entire frame. Was it the fur?

He didn’t open his eyes. His mouth felt tight. His head stopped pounding. All of his pain slid away as if it had been a dream. He inhaled through his nose, knowing it was a snout. Finally, he willed himself to open his eyes.

The room looked normal enough, but the expression on everyone’s face was impressive. Shock. Awe. Relief. Some sadness. Elation. Most of those were somehow present on every face.

He lowered his head slowly, nearly stumbling and falling onto his belly as he took in the shocking view of paws where his hands should be. He was a medium brown color. He was also not nearly as large as Dale. Would he get bigger now that he was one of them?

Dale was chuckling. What was so funny? He turned his head to face his lover.

Dale stopped laughing and pursed his lips which was insane since at the same time he spoke. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to laugh. But no, you won’t grow. Can you imagine what humans would think if a twenty-four-year-old man suddenly showed up significantly taller and broader?”

Right. That was true. Wait, Dale wasn’t speaking out loud. He was communicating in Gavin’s head. Though his voice was loud and clear in Gavin’s mind, there were no actual sounds. He decided to try responding. “Are you saying I’m not currently tall or broad?”

Dale laughed now, but so did nearly everyone in the room. He spoke out loud this time. “Baby, it will take you a while to block others from hearing your every thought, so keep it clean.” He winked.

If bears had the ability to flush, Gavin was sure he did underneath his fur.

Dale stepped closer, crouched down in front of Gavin, and buried a hand in his fur. It felt surreal having his human lover pet him. Literally. Some people practiced various forms of puppy play or other pet kinks, but this was almost too weird for words.

Dale smiled. “You’re gorgeous. You should stay like this for several hours this first time. The more time you spend in your Ursidae form, the faster your body will heal.”

Gavin legs felt wobbly, and he lowered to the floor, setting his head on his front paws as if it were something he did every day.

“Sleep, baby. I’ll be right here.” Dale plopped down on the floor next to him and buried his hand deeper into Gavin’s fur, stroking him soothingly.

This new world he’d woken up in was definitely surreal, but Gavin felt a weight lifted at the same time. He could do this.

He had no other choice.