Page 16 of Bear Creek Father's Day
“I tay. You go!”
Crew began helping the cubs remove their winter gear, quietly asking about their trip to the library. Orrin turned to find the handsome doctor staring at him, mouth slightly open and pupils blown. A lusty growl escaped his throat, despite this being the least appropriate time for such thoughts, but the moment of shared awareness fizzled when poor Rayn moaned.
“It hurts, Orrin.”
Ashamed by his distraction, Zak refocused attention on his patient.
“I’m sure it does, sweetheart. Let’s go take a picture of your leg and get you all fixed up.”
As they headed towards the back of the clinic, Zak turned his head to catch Orrin’s eye, mouthing the word‘later.’Orrin nodded in agreement, but held his tongue. Right now, there was nothing more important than taking care of his little girl.
Chapter 8
Orrin watched as Dr. Hall gently sat Rayn down on the X-ray table, removed her winter coat, and handed it to him. Next he helped her lie down and tucked a pillow under her head before carefully positioning her left leg. Using a soft voice, he explained what he was going to do.
“Rayn, this big machine will take a picture of your leg so I can see what happened, but you need to lie very still for me. Can you do that?”
Sniffling, she nodded her head.
“Good girl! You might hear some funny noises, but that just means the machine is working. Now, Orrin and I will go over there to turn it on, and then we’ll come right back, okay?”
She nodded again and Zak took Orrin by the elbow to lead him to the control booth. The simple push of a button captured the X-ray, and the image popped up on the nearby monitor. Zak studied it closely, brows beetled in concentration before his expression changed to a small, grateful smile. He spoke quickly and quietly.
“Just a simple contusion with no break. I’ll explain more later.”
Orrin sagged with relief, feeling light-headed as the adrenaline rush began to fade. Zak reached out to grip his bicep as they returned to Rayn’s side—both men secretly enjoying the simple, warm connection. Though Orrin meant to pick her up, Rayn held out her arms to Zak, snuggling close to his chest for another draught of his scent.
“You smell like me. Do you have a bear?”
Caught off-guard, Zak answered honestly as they moved to a regular treatment room.
“No, honey, I don’t have a bear either. People like us are called quasi-shifters. It means we’re part shifter, but not enough to have our own bear. We’re very special, and perfect just the way we are.”
Rayn looked disappointed.
“That’s what Orrin said. I don’t want to be special!”
The tears started again, though for a different reason this time. Rayn clutched Zak as Orrin carded the hair back from her face to kiss her forehead. This close together, the men reacted to one another’s scents, and quickly drew apart before something inappropriate happened. Zak lay Rayn down on the exam table and pulled the anatomy skeleton model closer to explain her injury.
“Underneath your skin and muscles are hard bones. When you hurt your leg, you got a bruise on the bone that you can’t see, and another one on your skin youcansee. I’m going to clean the wound, put on a bandage, and send you home with a brace to protect your leg while it heals. I know it hurts, Rayn, but Orrin will give you some medicine to help with the pain. You can walk, but no running and jumping for a while.”
Orrin hung on every word Dr. Hall said—not only for Rayn’s sake, but because the man was irresistible, sexy, and smelled like a potential mate. He knew the good doctor was affected by his scent as well, but it had to have taken every ounce of self-discipline to keep this exchange professional. If only they had a chance to talk!
When Zak was finished tending to Rayn, he typed out some after-care instructions for Orrin to take home—icing the wound, bandaging the bruise, bathing, activity limits, pain medication dosage, and a two-week follow-up appointment.
“If she’s having issues, please call, and we’ll fit her in whenever it’s convenient for you. The pain meds are over-the-counter, so you won’t need a prescription, but try not to miss a dose. Except for bathing, the brace stays on, and make sure she gets plenty of rest.”
When it was time to go, Rayn clung to Zak and made a request of Orrin before they even left the treatment room.
“Can the doctor come and see us? I want to show him my hippo.”
Orrin was certainly on board with the idea, though for more than one reason. He pinned the man in place with a look so endearing, he couldn’t possibly refuse.
“Oh, I wish you would, Dr. Hall. I know Rayn would love it, and all the cubs enjoy getting visitors. We’ll even feed you.”
On the one hand, Zak needed to keep his distance from Orrin, but how could he say no when Rayn wanted to see him so badly?
“Well, who can resist an invitation like that? Weekends work best for me.”
