Chapter Seven – Elise

Elise’s morning started unexpectedly. There was a man in her bed. It took a moment or two for her memory to catch up with reality.

She had a mate. Her heart beat rapidly. He was in her bed. She cast her mind back to last night. Nothing had happened. Not sex at least. By the time they fell into bed, they were tired, both physically and emotionally.

Elise stroked Hank’s face as he slept. She wished she was brave enough to bare her soul to him and take the plunge and move in with him. It was too soon, too fast for her.

Coward, her bear said sleepily.

Maybe she was.

What would Delia tell us to do? Her bear’s voice hitched as she spoke the name of their sister. Elise often forgot her bear had lost her twin, too. When they first learned to shift, Elise and Delia had spent endless hours in their four-legged forms running over the hills where they lived, taking every opportunity to be together, playing, climbing, being bears with no worries in the world.

“Morning, beautiful.” Hank reached out and brushed her hair back from her face. His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“I am.” She leaned down and kissed his lips. “I’m a little nervous. About my new job.” It was the truth, but she left out that their relationship made her nervous, too. She would learn to embrace it.

“What you need is a good breakfast.” Hank swung his legs out of the bed and placed them on the floor. “Why don’t you go shower and I’ll see what I can rustle up?”

“Do you mind?” Elise asked. “You’ve just woken up.”

“I can go from asleep to awake in five seconds. I lived for a few months in Mexico. We were helping rebuild after the earthquake. Some of those tremors would send me running from bed at all times of day or night.” Hank pulled on his jeans and buckled the belt.

Elise slipped on her robe and went around to him. “You are quite a man, Hank Rivera.” She kissed his naked chest. “I’m beginning to see that the man I thought you were, my hero pop star, was nothing compared to the hero you are today.”

“You’ll make me blush.” He bent his head and kissed her lips, pulling her close. His arousal, evident in his hard length, pressed against her thigh, but he didn’t act on it. Instead, he let her down gently and gazed into her face. “Do you like pancakes?”

Her brain swirled in a mass of overcharged hormones, and it took a moment to register he was back to talking breakfast when she was thinking about sex. “Pancakes. Pancakes are good.”

“Then that’s what the lady will have.” He gave her an enigmatic smile and turned on his heel, which really should be shod in cowboy boots, and left the room.

Elise sighed, her fingers pressed against her lips, feeling the heat from their kiss. Then she hastily headed for the shower. The quicker she got ready for work, the longer she could spend with Hank. No matter how much she looked forward to starting work, the pull of spending hours in Hank’s company was stronger.

She was smitten. Songs of love fill our hearts, nothing will ever tear us apart. You are the one for me, underneath the wishing tree. Elise sang “Wishing Tree” while the water cascaded over her body. She could be fourteen once again. Except that the real Hank Rivera was waiting downstairs. With pancakes.

Drying herself, she dragged a comb through her damp hair and then sat down in front of the mirror. Forcing herself to follow her usual routine, she applied her barely-there makeup and then plaited her hair, before coiling it on top of her head. Satisfied with her reflection, she went to the closet and took out a smart business suit. She was a professional, she reminded herself as she dressed.

Not a love-struck girl. But damn, she liked the sensations her man invoked in her.

Grabbing a pair of black shoes, she swung them in her hand as she raced down the stairs in stockinged feet. Skidding as she entered the kitchen, her mouth instantly watered at the smell of fresh pancakes.

“You are a legend.” Elise sat down as Hank slipped a plateful of pancakes in front of her.

“I hope you don’t mind, I had to rummage through a couple of boxes to find the syrup.” He grabbed the bottle of honey-colored syrup off the counter and sat down across from her.

“I don’t have any secrets.” She squirted the syrup onto her pancakes and took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee. “This is amazing. I can face anything now.”

“Glad to help.” He watched as she took the first bite of her pancakes. They were soft and light, perfect.

“Where did you learn to cook?”

“All over the place really. I tried to immerse myself in whatever culture I found myself in.” He dug into his own stack.

“You’ve seen so much of the world.” Elise glanced at her watch.

“Take your time, you’ll have indigestion.” He placed his hand over hers. “What’s on your agenda for the day?”

“I’m not sure until I get there. The department is new. As far as I’m aware, we have the offices set up. But no equipment. The computers are due today.” She talked as she ate and then swilled her food down with coffee. “I really have to go.”

“I’ll clean up before I leave,” Hank offered.

Elise stood up and walked around to kiss him on the cheek. “There’s a spare key by the door. Why don’t you keep hold of it?”

“Are you sure?” Hank asked, getting up and following her into the hallway as she hopped on the spot, trying to put her shoes on. “Wrong feet.”

“Less haste, more speed.” Elise stood still and swapped her shoes around. “There.” She placed her hand on the door latch. “I’m sure. I thought over what you said about us sharing a place, and while I’m going to need a little more time to get used to the idea, I am ready to take baby steps.”

She kissed him again, clinging to his arms as she teetered on her heels. He took hold of her, his arms encircling her waist as he kissed her properly, a long, lingering kiss that would stay on her lips and in her memory until she saw him again.

“I’ll speak to you later.” He opened the door for her and stood leaning against it as she walked to her car and got in. “Bye.”

She waved back at him. “See you later.”

Elise stared at Hank for a few moments, and he stared back. They were so caught up in each other, the world drifted away.

Her phone beeped, she had a text. Tearing her eyes away from Hank, she took her phone out of her purse and unlocked it, scrolling through until she got to the new text.

How was last night? xox It was from Frankie.

Good, thank you. On my way to work. How are the girls? xox

They are beautiful and full of mischief. Good luck with your new job. I’ll call you later xox

Elise looked up, Hank was no longer standing in the doorway. The spell was broken, and now she really did have to get to work. She’d rushed out of the house, behind schedule, but her schedule had allowed for a stop in Bear Creek for groceries and something for her lunch. Instead, she could visit the store after work, and eat in the cafeteria.

The drive to the hospital took her along quiet, narrow lanes, meandering through beautiful scenery, and through ancient woodland. With the window rolled down, Elise breathed in the fresh morning air, but already the sun was warming the ground. It would be hot later today, luckily the hospital had good air conditioning.

Excitement bubbled up inside her, her nerves replaced by the plans she had for the new department. With the support of the specialist doctors in Bear Bluff, Elise was certain they could transform the lives of many shifter patients. And non-shifters. This was not about being exclusive, more about drawing on the unique abilities of the doctors here who were experienced in dealing with shifters and their particular needs.

Arriving at the hospital twenty minutes later, Elise parked her car and got out. She stood admiring Bear Bluff Hospital, it was a good modern building and the doctors and nurses were committed to providing the best possible care for their patients.

Straightening her skirt, she reached into her car and took out her briefcase, which contained copious handwritten notes and diagrams. She always thought better with a pen in her hand. Later, when the system was set up, she would scan them and add to them.

“Elise?” Dr. Ben Hansom met her in the reception area. He was one of the more senior doctors and had been an advocate for the transplant department from the outset.

“Hello, Ben. Are you waiting for me?” Elise shook his hand.

“I thought you might like to see a familiar face on your first day. I’ll walk you upstairs.” He guided her to the stairwell. “You don’t mind the walk?”

“No, not at all.” She shouldered her purse and fell into step with the doctor.

“The tech guys are arriving at nine. Tell them where you want the computers.” He opened the door on the second floor and she entered the corridor leading to the new department. “The signs are being installed on Friday. We hope by then to have most of the department up and running.”

They turned right off the corridor and entered a small waiting area. Off to the side were two private consultation rooms, and to the left was the main hub of the department. “It all looks great.”

Ben frowned. “We’re waiting for funding for some of the equipment. Specialist means expensive.”

“Have you thought about a fundraiser?” Elise asked. “We could organize something. It’ll help get the word out about what we’re doing here.” She smiled and placed her hand on Ben’s arm. “I can take care of it. That’s what I’m here for. Until we have patients, I have little else to coordinate.”

“A fundraiser is a great idea. Why not a Midsummer Ball?” Ben suggested.

“Or, a Midsummer Music Festival. That would appeal to all age groups.” She nodded. “I’ll see what I can arrange at such short notice.”

“Whatever you need, the hospital is here to support you.” Ben looked down as his pager beeped. “I have to go.” He walked backward away from her. “Are you okay? Any questions, call down to reception and they’ll find either me or Kit.”

“I’ll be fine. Go save lives.” Elise lifted her hand and waved.

When he’d disappeared around the corner, she stood admiring the fresh paint and newness of the department. She could not wait for it to be a thriving hub of activity.

“Hi, there.” A young man walked toward her, pushing a cart loaded with boxes. “I’m from Bear Bluff Tech.” He showed her his ID. “I’m here to install your computers.”

“Good to meet you, Thor.” She resisted any number of jokes that came to mind, since he’d probably heard them all before. “You’re early. I like that. This way.”

She took the young man through to the large room that served as office space and spent the morning organizing where everything needed to be. Thor worked tirelessly and patiently. As the offices slowly came together, so did her idea for the Midsummer Music Festival. It was going to be an extravaganza and would put the transplant coordination department on the map.