Page 63 of Bear Creek Father's Day
“Keep a close eye on him and take his blood pressure every fifteen minutes until he awakens. I’ll be in my office for a bit, but come get me if there are any major changes.”
Dixy handed him the cleaned bullet and then settled in to observe. This had been her first ursine patient, and knowing it was a shifter made it more intriguing. She had no idea how or why he’d been shot, but was grateful that he hadn’t been more severely wounded. Shooting a shifter was against the law, especially in the state-protected area around Bear Creek. Whoever did this was in for a world of hurt, assuming the authorities could figure out who did it.
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Meanwhile, in Zak’s office
“…nice to meet you, Doctor Hall, I’m Calvin Shaw. I live about ten miles northeast of Bear Creek near the Tobyhanna State Park. I’m an arborist and was heading home after a delivery of firewood when I noticed him limping along the side of the road. He wasn’t acting like a natural bear, but with the window rolled down, I knew right away he was a shifter. I pulled over, told him I’d get help, and called the Sheriff’s office. He had a hard time getting into the truck, but once he did, I took off for town, and well, you know the rest. His scent isn’t familiar, so I have no idea who he is.”
Sheriff Deputy Wilson had already taken Shaw’s statement in the waiting room and allowed the man to go about his business. Zak thanked him for his help before he left and noted the aggrieved look on Wilson’s face once it was just the two of them in the office.
“I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the applicable laws, Doctor Hall, but a serious crime has been committed, and we need tospeak to your patient as soon as possible. Whoever did this may be out there looking for other victims, and none of our shifter friends are safe until we can apprehend the shooter. Do you know when your patient can be questioned?”
Zak shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Officer Wilson, but I can only approximate. He’ll need a day or two to heal in bear form before I allow him to shift. I’m sure he’s eager to tell his story, and I certainly want to see justice done. If you’ll give me your contact information, I’ll call you as soon as the patient can be questioned. I don’t recommend that he be moved at this point, and I have comfortable accommodations for him out back.”
Deputy Wilson wasn’t happy about the delay, but he understood that the man’s health and welfare came first. Meanwhile, he offered funds to cover the patient’s care, and explained how the clinic could access them.
“I look forward to hearing from you, Doctor, and please call if there’s anything else we can do to assist you.”
Zak shook his hand and returned to the treatment room to see if his patient had awakened yet.
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Two days later, Friday May 2nd
Feeding and caring for an injured bear was a lot of work. Orrin had prepared nutritious meals and snacks for him while Zak regularly checked his condition. The outside enclosure wasn’t intended for long-time use, but the patient was encouraged to sleep and take it easy. When Zak arrived early Friday morning, the bear was walking without a limp and seemed happy to see him. As he’d done all along, Zak asked him to rate his pain levelby holding up fingers—one was mild and five was extreme. The bear nodded at one finger and Zak was encouraged.
“Lets’ go inside so I can look you over, all right?”
The bear followed him into the building and lay down on the exam tabletop. Zak raised it up and did all the normal checks before examining the wounded leg. Avoiding sharp claws, he gently extended and contracted the hip joint, palpated the area, and asked the bear to growl if there were any sharp pains. There weren’t, and Zak finished up with a wide smile.
“You’ve healed up very well, my friend. I think it’s safe for you to shift, but I’ll need to examine you in human form, so stay on the table, please.”
Zak covered him with a clean sheet and stepped back. The shift took place without a hitch, and a handsome young man smiled up at him sporting a tangled mane of dark brown hair and several days of beard stubble. He introduced himself before Zak could even ask.
“Hey there, Doc! I’m Malcom Nesbitt. I sure appreciate what you’ve done for me, but I have work to do and need to go home.”
Zak chuckled at the brash fellow.
“Not so fast, Malcom. I need to check you over first, and the Sheriff wants to talk to you. Afterward, we’ll find someone to take you home, all right?”
Malcom grumbled but turned on his side so Zak could check the lower left buttock. Some bruising remained around the thumbnail-sized entry wound scar, but most of the healing had already taken place. Zak asked him to extend and contract the leg, and was pleased that Malcom reported only a mild ache.
“Excellent. The bullet could have caused much more damage than it did, so consider yourself lucky. Feel free to shift at will, though I recommend less walking for the next three days. If you have any trouble at all, come back in so I can take a look.”
Zak handed Malcom a bag of clothing and left the room while he changed. The call to Deputy Wilson didn’t take long, and the man promised to be there shortly. When Zak knocked on the treatment room door, Malcom opened it, leaned in for a good scenting, and then hugged him. The clothes didn’t fit well and he was barefoot, but Zak could only imagine the relief of getting back into human form after several days as a bear. They ended up waiting for the deputy in the break room, where Zak offered him a cup of coffee and some leftover cookies. Between bites, Malcom answered Zak’s question about what he did for a living.
“Oh, I keep bees and package honey for lots of businesses around here—Delicious, Red Barn, the Bread Basket, and some restaurants. I’m also part of a co-op called Bees’ Knees that makes products with honey and fruit or honey and nuts. Maybe you’ve seen…”
The conversation ended when Deputy Wilson showed up and joined them around the table. Malcom looked nervous and asked Zak if he would stay. He agreed, and Wilson got things started by asking for Malcom’s name, address, and phone number, followed by his recollection of what had happened that day.
“Well, like I was just telling Doctor Hall, I’m a beekeeper and have hives all over the region. Some of them are easier to get to in bear form, and I was checking the ones at Joe Gruber’s place off of Highway 611. He’d been drinking again, and when I saw that he was carrying a gun, I took off. He fired and got me, the damn fool, but even on three legs, I ran faster than him. I madeit to the highway but couldn’t go any further, so I stayed by the side of the road hoping somebody would stop and help.”
Wilson had been taking notes as Malcom told the tale, and he paused to ask a few questions.
“So, you had permission to be on his property?”
