Page 7 of Bear Creek Father's Day
Zac then went over all the information about hours, duties, pay, and benefits. Her pleased scent throughout gave him hope, and he finished by asking if she had any questions. There were only a few, and Zak answered them quickly before making an offer.
“Your credentials and experience are precisely what I need, and I think you’d be a wonderful asset to the practice. The position is yours if you want it.”
Dixy looked gobsmacked for a moment, and then gave him a dazzling smile.
“Really? That’s… I didn’t expect an offer today, but yes! When does the clinic open?”
Zak shared the soft opening dates, though she would miss them in order to give adequate notice at the hospital. He also spent a few minutes telling her about Crew Bishop as the new office manager, and she was delighted.
“Crew is agreatchoice. I got to work with him for a short time at Wilkes-Barre General before I left. He’s a sweet guy, fun, professional, and our patients will love him. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone more qualified.”
Dixy walked out with a wide smile, a packet of forms, and a request to call if she had questions. Zak was on a roll now, with two out of three in the bag, and things were looking up!
Chapter 4
Zak’s home, Wednesday evening
As it turned out, Zak’s third and last interview was delayed for several hours. Jessica McKnight had been busy delivering a baby at the appointed time, and sent Zak a hurried text that she would call him later. She did, and they met around seven p.m. in the clinic for a tour, followed by discussion. Jessica, a tallish, elfin-faced human, was a divorced mother of twin girls in her late forties who had her own midwife practice in Bear Creek. She possessed a sharp mind and wit, and clearly cared deeply for her patients.
In their first phone call, she’d told Zak that the space she was renting would no longer be available in the spring, and he suggested renting from him instead. They both believed sharing space was an elegant and mutually beneficial proposition, and after looking over the clinic building, they nailed down the details in a rough draft contract. When the clinic was busy, and Jessica wasn’t seeing her own patients, she would fill in as needed for pregnancy exams and consults, family planning, birth control, immunizations, routine blood tests, menopause care, and sonography imaging.
Of course, Zak was licensed to treat pregnant patients (and even perform a C-section if necessary) if Jessica wasn’t available. Between the two of them, they had all of their patients covered under one roof unless an emergency or specialized need arose. In that case, Wilkes-Barre General hospital was only eleven miles away by ambulance.
Before parting, Zak informed Jessica of his two new hires, when they would be starting, and the three-day soft opening of theclinic. She would be given the largest of the three standard treatment rooms, and Zak asked for a list of unique supplies that she might need. Her lease was up at the end of February, which meant she had plenty of time to switch over to the clinic and inform her patients.
“Crew will be starting next Wednesday, and I’d like you to meet with him and go over your patient charts and scheduling needs so he’s up to speed before we get busy. Dixy will join us on Thursday of the following week, so you’ll get a chance to become acquainted then. We’ll also be making cold calls to all of Dr. Brewster’s former patients, and a mass mailing will go out soon to everyone with a Bear Creek zip code. If you can provide a photograph and a bit about your practice, I’ll make sure it gets included.”
Jessica covered a laugh and shook her head.
“Goodness! You don’t waste any time, do you? I think we’re all going to be very busy for a while.”
Zak simply shrugged.
“Yes, we are, but hopefully by early summer, things will have settled down a bit. I believe you’re going to be an awesome part of the team.”
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Cub House, later that week
While Tasha was outside playing with the boys, Orrin took the opportunity to check his email. He was expecting an update from the BSA on the new group of cubs that were set to arrive on Monday. The background profiles on each child were extremely helpful, particularly if there were issues that required special treatment. As hoped, his inbox contained the awaited message,and he began scanning through the details. Four more cubs this time, including a brother/sister pair, and two more unrelated girls.
The profiles included a photograph and everything the main office knew about them, including name, where they came from, how they were found, approximate age, behavioral problems, odd quirks, and suitability for adoption. He scanned through the document and found nothing unusual until reaching the final entry—a quasi-shifter named Rayn. What were the chances of her being placed at the Cub House, given his encounter at the grocery store not long ago? Orrin tucked that thought away and examined the included photo before continuing to read her profile.
Long, soft looking brown hair framed a round face, with stormy blue eyes and a sad expression that tugged at Orrin’s heart. She could easily pass for a shifter, which probably made her situation more difficult. Now three and a half, Rayn had only been a few days old when she was left on a doorstep in Reading during a thunderstorm. Until recently, she’d been living happily with her foster family.
The authorities had assumed she was fully human, but when a chance encounter with a shifter social worker confirmed Rayn’s mixed heritage, the foster parents rejected her as a ‘mongrel’ and gave her back to the state. At that point, the BSA was contacted, and Rayn had been in limbo until they could decide what was best for the child.
Unsurprisingly, the poor girl was confused, hurt, lonely, and reluctant to trust—though she found comfort in shifter scents around her that were similar to her own. The counselors had done their best to explain how she came to be and why her scent was mixed, but Rayn had convinced herself that her bear wouldcome out to play when she grew up. No one could dissuade her from the idea, and to make things worse, some of the cubs in her temporary home began avoiding her because they thought she was just a human with a funny scent.
Orrin stopped reading, closed his eyes, and took a deep, cleansing breath. It wasn’t fair to blame little ones who didn’t understand, but it made him heartsick that Rayn had not only lost her foster family, but was experiencing rejection from both the human and shifter world. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. And he couldn’t do a damn thing to help her until she arrived.
The remainder of her profile revealed that the girl liked chocolate, being read to, stuffed animals, bubble baths, and helping in the kitchen. On the flip side, she didnotlike to sleep or play alone. Okay… not much to work with, but he was determined to use that information to make her feel welcome. A few other ideas popped into his head by the time the cubs came back inside, and Orrin was eager to share his thoughts with Tasha. He’d have to do some shopping before Monday, but it shouldn’t take long to gather what he needed.
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Sunday, January 19th
At snack time, Kip, Griffin, and Fort followed Orrin and Tasha to the sun room. Tasha placed a tray full of specially prepared treats on the narrow coffee table while the boys climbed up on the cushioned rattan sofa. The adults each took a chair facing them, before Orrin began to speak.
