“Single car versus embankment. Caucasian female approximately twenty-six years old, BP 138 over 84, pulse ox 98, unconscious, but showing signs of pain on the right flank. Appears to be pregnant. ETA three minutes.”

Quinn inhaled deeply as a rush of adrenaline filled his veins. This was what he’d missed about working in the ER. The vitality and constant motion of people in, people out. The daily—or in this case nightly—life or death decisions and curious cases. He thrived on the pressure.

He didn’t miss the sleepless nights and days, the aching muscles in his back and neck when he finished a long shift, or the crowds of people vying for his attention. Nurses, patients, family members—everyone wanted one-hundred percent of him, and because of his own social anxiety, he could barely give them seventy-five percent. That was the reason he’d left the ER behind in favor of the hospital research department. His dual specialties in obstetrics and oncology made him uniquely capable of working to find answers to scary diseases, and he’d made a name for himself doing it.

He’d also made a shitload of money. Not that it mattered much. The only thing he’d spent money on was his land and home in an effort to escape the chaos of city life and give him space to be free in any form.

I should visit the clan.

The thought flitted through his mind for barely a moment before he pushed it aside. Visiting his family was permanently at the bottom of his ‘to do’ list. He’d grown tired of hearing his mother talk about his sister’s cub like he was the second coming of the messiah. Nope, until he had a mate, he preferred to keep his distance. Not that it looked like that was going to be happening anytime soon. He spent so little time interacting with people in person, it would take a miracle for his mate to find him. Hell, at this point, she’d likely given up the search for her one true mate and settled.

“Dr. Jameson, bus in the bank.” Nurse Kasey Summers was a long-time coworker, and yet, the only thing he knew about her was she was extremely efficient at her job, and her clothes were too big for her slender frame. How sad was it that they’d known each other for almost two decades and barely knew each other? If it weren’t for the fact that they were both shifters, he probably wouldn’t even know her name.

As the doors to the ambulance bay opened to reveal a pair of EMT’s pushing a patient on a gurney, Quinn let all thoughts of his lonely existence flee his mind and got down to business. He had lives to save.

Pulling a gown over his scrubs, he stepped through the automatic doors into the icy cold Colorado air. One deep breath told him he was facing a much bigger problem than just a woman in a car accident. This woman was a shifter, and she was very pregnant.

* * *

A million tiny gremlins had invaded Aubrey’s head and were drilling for oil like it was going out of style. She barely heard her own moan of pain as she fought to open her eyes. The world spun, and she felt her stomach flip-flop. Oh, God, the last thing she needed was to throw up. She’d just managed to get a handle on the pregnancy nausea in the last few weeks.

“Ma’am? Can you hear me?”

The woman’s voice made her eyes burn with unshed tears, and it wasn’t even that loud. Somehow, she forced her head to move in an up-and-down fashion, reigniting the tilt-a-whirl feeling in her belly.

“Ma’am, you were in an accident. You’re at the hospital now. Do you remember what happened?”

Accident? She didn’t remember an accident. She remembered a traumatic escape from Alex’s padlocked basement and the scariest sixty seconds of her life when she tried to find an unlocked car to steal while battling the fucking Colorado cold. The rest was a blur. She could vaguely remember driving north out of town, but she’d had no destination in mind. All she knew was that she had to get away, fast.

A tugging on her belly reminded her of the reason for everything, and she cried out, “My baby!”

“The baby seems to be okay. Heart rate is a little fast, but that’s to be expected after this kind of trauma. Can you tell us how far along you are?”

Squinting through the pain, Aubrey focused on the woman’s face. She had worry lines etched into her forehead, but the laugh lines around her mouth were deeper, and somehow, that reassured Aubrey.

“Thirty-four weeks,” she murmured, reaching to cup her distended abdomen only to find she couldn’t move her arms as far as she wanted.

“Easy, we have an IV in one arm and a blood pressure cuff on the other. Just relax and let us check you out. What’s your name, honey?”

“Aubrey, Aubrey Celine.”

“What a pretty name,” the woman said, giving her a smile and patting her arm. “I’m Kasey, and we’re working on getting you something for the pain. Where do you hurt?”

“No pain meds! They might affect the baby,” Aubrey groaned when someone pressed on her right side.

“Hush now, Dr. Jameson is the best of the best. You’re very lucky to have him here tonight. I promise you, he won’t take any risks with your little one.” The nurse seemed pleasant enough, and after a moment, Aubrey felt a coldness spread up her arm and into her head. The pain medication slowed her thought process, and she fought to regain all of her senses.

Around her, Aubrey could feel movement in the rush of a cold breeze over her, but the air was so thick with the scents of the hospital, she was struggling to get her bearings. She knew her body would heal perfectly, she just needed to give her shifter blood time to do so.

“Aubrey, Dr. Jameson is going to do an ultrasound on you to check on the baby, do you understand?”

She nodded again, letting her eyes drift closed as someone squirted warm jelly on her skin.

“Clear the room for the patient’s privacy, please. Everyone but Nurse Summers.”

This voice was deep and rumbly. It reminded Aubrey of her grandfather’s when he was telling her bedtime stories late at night during her childhood. Who was it again? Dr. Jameson the nurse had called him. The best of the best.

Turning her head, she registered a flash of white blonde hair and then the overwhelming scent of shifters filled her nose.

“You!” she gasped, “You’re—”

Ice-blue eyes turned on her with a hard look, and the man frowned. “Dr. Quinn Jameson, and I’m going to make sure you and your baby are just fine, Ms. Celine. Now, just relax, this will be over before you know it.”

The sound of a curtain being pulled was followed by the lights dimming and the hum of a machine. She could feel the ultrasound roll across her baby belly, and she moaned when it drew close to her bruised side.

“Did that hurt?” Kasey was back at Aubrey’s side, brushing her hair away from her forehead. “I’m surprised you’re feeling anything with those pain meds in you.”

“The joys of shifter metabolism,” Aubrey groaned, tossing her head side to side. “Look, I just need to know my baby is okay, and then I need to leave. I’m fine. You’re both aware I’ll heal on my own—”

Dr. Jameson cut her off, “Your baby looks perfect.”

“Oh, thank God.”

“How far along did you say you were?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers again.

Aubrey’s heart skipped a beat, “Thirty-four weeks, I think.”

“You think?” The look he gave her was almost accusatory, and she felt her face heat up.

“I’m… uh… not exactly like normal women.”

“I would think not,” Dr. Jameson snorted, and the corner of his mouth lifted, “with tiger blood in your veins.”

“Besides that,” Aubrey rolled her eyes, “I don’t exactly run true to my nature, and could you speak more quietly? Someone might hear you and have questions.”

“More likely someone will have questions when they realize you’ve already metabolized the pain medication and your injuries heal on their own in a couple of hours. Nurse Summers, will you please start the cleansing process?”

“What’s the cleansing process?” Aubrey demanded. The nurse just smiled and disappeared through the swinging curtains. Turning her attention back to the blonde doctor, Aubrey narrowed her eyes and a small growl slipped from her throat. “Where is she going?”

Dr. Jameson reached for her chin, tipping her face up and flashing a light in her eyes. “She went to cleanse our computer system of your name. It will save us a lot of questions when you disappear from the hospital. When was your last heat?”

“It started in February and ended in May.”

His eyes widened, “So long?”

“I told you I wasn’t normal. I’m not even normal for a… tiger.” Aubrey responded, feeling the familiar shame fill her chest. She hated being different in any way.

“Is it possible you conceived earlier than you thought?” he asked. “The fetus appears to be around thirty-eight weeks.”

“But…” How was that possible? She hadn’t started experiencing any symptoms until the early fall. You could just be a late bloomer.” He paused, “Would you like to know the sex?”

Nodding anxiously, Aubrey held her breath.

“You’re having a boy.”

Instantly her heart broke. This was worst case scenario. Alex had been trying to reproduce a son for decades and wasn’t it just her bad luck that he’d managed to do it with her?

“I’m sorry, but you don’t seem very excited about your son.” Dr. Jameson put the equipment away and began wiping the jelly from her stomach. She watched as he set about removing her IV. The needle pinched when it pulled free of her already healing skin.

“I can’t be excited. His father will steal him from me the moment he finds out he’s a boy. I’ve got to leave, now. I have to get as far away from here as possible.”