Chapter Four

 

 

Bru was freaking out. Like, seriously freaking out. After he punched Mac in the head with his left hand (which had to be the right thing to do, because, statistically speaking, he probably hit Mac with about 13.8% less force than he would have if he hit him with his right hand and had obviously prevented Mac from the vegetative state he could have possibly rendered him into if he had actually hit him with his right hand, because science) Mac’s head whipped hard to the right and he slumped into the passenger seat. And then he went still. Deathly still. And he had been that way for the past four minutes and twenty-six seconds. And it scared the crap out of Bru.

As he drove, every few minutes or so he reached over and checked Mac’s pulse. It was beating strong and sure, but he was just so damn still. Bru felt a lump start to form in his throat.

“Oh, man,” he groaned, as he squeezed the steering wheel tight. If he had done anything to hurt his BWF, his best wolf friend, he didn’t know what —

He’s fine, sweet bear. He’s just asleep. You didn’t hurt him. His head is a lot harder than you think. But it’s very sweet that you care about him so much. He is very lucky to have such a good friend like you.

There was that voice again. And, just like before, it made him feel better. Bru let out a breath that he hadn’t even realized he was holding. “Mac said you were talking to him, too? What’s your name?” he asked. He glanced over at his sleeping best friend and then focused back on the road.

He’s actually talking to someone else. But we’re essentially telling you both the same things. Have you ever heard of guardian angels? My name is Rhyann, by the way.

Bru’s eyes grew wide. “What? You’re my guardian angel? And you’re talking to me right now!? This is so cool! I have so many questions. What’s the meaning of life? Why are we all here? Why doesn’t healthy food taste good? I mean, if we’re supposed to be all healthy and stuff, why can’t carrot sticks taste like cheese puffs? Why can’t spaghetti squash taste like actual spaghetti? But, wait! Oh my gosh, you’re an ANGEL! That’s gotta be awesome. What’s that like? Can you fly? Do you sleep? What’s your favorite food? Mine is—"

Whoa, whoa, whoa! The voice laughed. It was a sweet and breezy sound that was unlike anything Bru had ever heard before, but it reminded him of wind chimes. I’m your guardian angel, not a Google Heaven app. There are lots of things I don’t have the answers to. But what I can tell you is that I have been your heavenly protector your whole life, even before you had an actual body. I’ve known you since you were an itty bitty, fuzzy little cub that was hanging out up here with me.

Bru’s eyes grew even wider. “I was in the Haven?? When?”

To some, it’s called the Haven, others know it as Heaven, but they are both one and the same. And yes, you were here. All babies start their life’s journey from this place many years - even what you would call decades - before they are born, in a huge nursery we call the Mitera. You were here until you were ready to be born into the realm where you currently reside. Then, once you live your life there, if you’re lucky, once you die, you’ll come back here and the process starts all over again.

“You mean like with past lives? Really??” Bru asked in surprise. He reached over to check Mac’s pulse again. Still strong as ever. Good. “Ok, so who was I before? Have I always been a firefighter? Or was I somebody cool like a rock star, or a Sherpa, or a guy who ran a hot dog cart. Now that would have been awesome. I like hot dogs.”

Laughter rang out in his head again.

You’ve always been one of my favorites, silly bear. But you’ve got to stay focused. Maybe one of these days we’ll work on getting your questions answered, but, right now, we’ve got some important stuff we need to do and I need you to help me out, okay?

Bru instantly sat up straighter in the driver’s seat and shifted his hands to the ten and two o’clock positions on the steering wheel. All business bear. It was go-time.

“Okay, what do you need me to do?”

For now, just keep driving as you have been. We have a few things we need to do up here and your buddy Mac has a…well, a bit of discovery ahead of him. When he wakes up, he’s going to need your support. Even if he doesn’t think he does.

Bru’s brow furrowed as his eyes darted from the road to Mac and back again. “Is he going to be okay? He’s not—”

He’ll be fine. Bru heard a smile in the voice. It’s just something Mac has to do right now. He needs to do this not just for himself, but to find the babies, too.

Bru blinked hard and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Are the babies okay? I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to them.” He really didn’t. They were Ella and Trevor’s kids, but he loved them as if they were his own. He smiled at the thought of one day having babies with his precious love, Willow. They would be gorgeous kids, he just knew it. And, he swore to Rhen, he would not lose them or let anything happen to them. Ever.

Oh, Bru, sweet bear. They are fine. They are perfectly safe and sound. In fact, they are here.

Bru’s eyes flew open in horror and the car swerved a bit. “What? Why?? Are they dead?!? Oh my god!!”

No! NO! Calm down, now, they aren’t dead. I told you they are fine. Why and how they got here is… well, it’s complicated. But they are perfectly safe. But it’s up to Mac to help bring them back. The voice sighed. This is way more complicated than I thought. I swear, I’m going to choke Selina the next time I…

“Wait, who’s Selina? What did she do?” Bru asked. Then a second later, his stomach growled. Loudly. Bru blushed. He was so embarrassed.

Are you hungry?

Bru shook his head. “No, I’m good. Gotta stay focused, right?”

The voice laughed again.

I know you didn’t eat. You were in such a rush when you discovered that the babies were missing, you both ran out and missed lunch. Isn’t that right, sweet bear?

Bru shook his head. Then he thought better of it and sheepishly nodded. She was his guardian angel, for Rhen’s sake, so she’d totally know if he was lying, anyway.

That was absolutely the right thing to do. You always do the right thing. Mac will be out for a bit, so you can stop and get some food. I know you can keep him safe and eat at the same time, right?

Bru nodded.

And I just happen to know of a guy with an awesome hot dog cart not too far from where we are right now. Just keep heading this way. Don’t worry, sweet bear. Everything will be just fine.

Bru sighed and kept driving. He’d keep Mac safe as he always would and he was happy that the babies were okay, but this whole thing seemed like such a big mess. But, for some reason, a reason he didn’t even understand, he just knew everything would be fine. His guardian angel said so, so it had to be true, right? His stomach rumbled in reply.

“Okay, a quick chili dog and we’ll be on our way,” he said to Mac’s sleeping form as he took the next exit off the interstate.