Page 15 of Bear Creek Father's Day
At the checkout desk, Jameson praised all three for their excellent choices and wished them a wonderful day. After getting the children’s winter gear back in place, they left the building and paused at the top of the stairs.
“There’s some ice on the steps, so everyone holds a hand until we get to the van. Ready?”
Heads nodded in agreement, and they began their careful descent. Three steps down, Rayn’s foot hit a slick spot, tearing her from Orrin’s gloved hand. Her little bottom took most of the impact, and momentum sent her rolling down cold concrete steps until her legs crashed into the handrail support poles with a sickening SMACK. Rayn cried out as the pain registered, tears streaming down her contorted face by the time Orrin and the cubs reached her.
“Rayn! Are you all right, sweetie? Where does it hurt?”
She managed to point at her left leg as Kip and Zuzu looked on helplessly. Orrin gently pulled up Rayn’s pant leg and wincedwhen saw a large, bloodied bruise on her shin. He could smell the pain radiating from the girl, along with the shock of her injury, and he wondered if the bone was broken. She needed a doctor, now, and there was only one place he could think of.
Trying to remain calm, Orrin gave the distraught cubs some instructions as he fished the van’s keys from his pocket and gently scooped Rayn into his arms.
“Kip, Zuzu… make sure we have all the books and follow me to the van. Watch your step, now—we don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Rayn sobbed—tears leaving wet spots on Orrin’s coat as he tried to hurry without jarring her. When they reached the van, he unlocked it and managed to open the sliding door without having to put the girl down. While Kip and Zuzu waited patiently, Orrin lay Rayn down on the first bench seat and crisscrossed the seatbelts to hold her in place for the journey.
“Hang on, sweetheart, and try not to move. I’m going to take you to the doctor so he can look at your leg. You’re going to be just fine, all right?”
She gave him a jerky nod, and he wiped her face and nose with his handkerchief. Once Kip and Zuzu were fastened in their seats, Orrin headed for Dr. Brewster’s old clinic. It wasn’t far, but his mind was torn between caring for Rayn and possibly meeting the man who could change his life.
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At the clinic
Crew continued fielding calls while Zak searched through the old patient files nearby. Many of them were missing or out of order, either through negligence or sloppy file-keeping. If theycouldn’t be found by the time the patient arrived, the staff would have to start from scratch and reconstruct the person’s medical history, enter the data, and hope they didn’t miss anything important. Older patients with longer histories were the ones that concerned him the most, but they’d just have to do their best.
Zak’s ear picked up the arrival of a vehicle in the parking lot seconds before Crew alerted him.
"Were we expecting someone today? It looks like the Cub House van.”
The orphanage? What business would they have here when the clinic wasn’t even open? Shifters rarely needed routine medical care, which meant someone was injured badly enough to warrant an emergency visit. Zak strode over to the main doors and looked out to find a man carrying a child in his arms, followed by two more little ones—all dressed in hooded coats.
“Crew! Put the phones on hold again. I may need your help.”
Zak held the door open for the man, and a familiar wave of scent washed over him as he and his burden passed by. Wait…there weretwodistinct scents, and one was almost a copy of his own—something he hadn’t expected at all. Zak shoved his curiosity to the side, allowing his training to take over.
“I’m Dr. Hall. What’s happened here?”
Orrin nearly choked on the amazing scent he nowknewbelonged to the mysterious blond—Bear Creek’s new doctor!Not now, he reminded his bear. The precious little one in his arms came first.
“I’m Orrin, and this is Rayn. She fell down the library steps, and bashed her leg pretty hard. I know you aren’t open yet, but will you help us?”
Crew got up and headed to the X-ray suite to fire up the machine, leaving the doctor to get more information. Zak steered them away from the entrance and into the waiting area.
“Relax, Orrin. You did the right thing by coming here. Rayn? I need to look at your leg, all right? I promise it won’t hurt.”
Bottom lip trembling, she gave him a watery-eyed nod and held still while he gently lifted the pant leg to get a good look. The girl’s scent revealed that she was, like him, a quasi-shifter, though how she ended up in a BSA orphanage he didn’t know. Orrin was definitely a full-blooded shifter, and the same person he’d spotted at the grocery store—despite his face being hidden by the coat’s hood. Crew returned to say that the equipment was ready to go, and Zak addressed the gorgeous man.
“Why don’t you come with me, and we’ll get Rayn’s leg X-rayed? Crew would be happy to stay here with the cubs while she’s being cared for.”
Orrin gently passed Rayn over to Dr. Hall, removing his coat as he spoke quietly to the cubs.
“I need you to stay here with Crew for a while so Dr. Hall can take care of Rayn. Be extra good while I’m gone, all right?”
Zuzu hugged one of Orrin’s legs while Kip begged to go along with them. Orrin went to one knee and embraced the distraught boy.
“It’s better if you stay here, little one. You wouldn’t want Zuzu to be out here by herself, would you?”
Kip shook his head and reached for one of Zuzu’s hands.
