Page 30 of Wolf Bane
“Not juice,” she muttered, letting him help her up.“It’s that sports ickiness.”
“Electrolytes,” I murmured, moving a bit closer.“It’s good for you, when you’ve lost a lot of fluids.And you, Miss Thing, are a sweaty mess.So, drink up.”
She giggled weakly at that and let Mal help her take a few sips of the pale purple drink.He fussed over her blankets, rearranged pillows and stuffies, changed the channel so she could watch a nature documentary about seahorses, then finally ran out of things to do and had to face me again.I had pity on him—either he’d tell me what the deal was with him and Waltrip, why he was suddenly so twitchy, or he wouldn’t.
“Call this Tomas kid’s adults and ask about his symptoms.Maybe some of the other families with kids in her class, too.Find out if they’re having the same thing.This might just be a really wicked virus going around the school.”
“Have you had any kids with this come through the clinic this week?”
I started to deny it but paused mid-word.“More than I realized.”I sighed.“I’m not a pediatrician but Iamthe only doctor for… well, a hundred miles or more that wouldn’t flip out about a were or shifter in my clinic.”
“Mariska’s the only shifter in her class.I’m pretty sure.I mean, she’d have said something if there were others like her.She’d want to invite them over and… and…” He squeezed his eyes shut tight, but not before a few tears leaked out.“I just want her to have a normal life.Not… not be human.That isn’t what I mean.Just… one fucking year without something life-threatening happening.Or without being treated like a pariah because of her dad.”He opened his eyes to pin me with a pleading and angry glare.“I get why they don’t like you and me, you know?But she’s akid.”
“Has something happened?With the local group, I mean?Did they say something to her or…”
“Just a lot of nothing,” he admitted, glancing back at where Mariska lay, eyes half-open and no doubt listening with her sharp shifter hearing.“A lot of nothing.And now she’s sick and it might be something to do with being a shifter or, God, with my genetics specifically.What if whatever they did to us is making her sick?”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but the idea caught hold and started to kindle into a small flame.What if Mr.Robards had were in his family history?What if there’s something even he didn’t know?
“Mal, you might be on to something.”
His heartbroken, panicked groan was a slap upside my head.“Sorry!Shit!No, I mean… I think you might’ve found a new thread for me to pull.Will you two be okay if I run back to my place to make calls?”
He nodded glumly.“If she gets worse…”
“Then I’ll be here in a heartbeat.”
ChapterSeven
Ithought about texting Ethan so he would know what was going on, but the memory of our argument the night before was still fresh and, damn it, I was kind of seeing his point about not being able to step in like he had before.
Still, it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt though.But dwelling on it wouldn’t make the day any shorter, so I forced myself to step to my next task: calling Mr.Robards’ family.
Mr.Robards had two numbers listed, home and cell, and his emergency contact was his daughter who had an additional third number listed.When everything had fallen apart, Reba had left a message with Eliza Robards-Samuels that her father was being taken to a hospital in Fort Worth after anincident, but I had no idea if the message had been received or if the Lobo Medical people had contacted her, or even Mr.Robards himself.And of course, the only number for Lobo Medical Research went straight to a voicemail pleasantly informing me they were closed for the weekend but would reopen on Monday at eight and, if I knew the party’s extension I was trying to reach, enter it now to leave a message.
Me
I need to find contact info for someone if you have a minute.It’s not gonna be on Google.Lobo Medical Research.I’m tracking down a patient.
Tyler
Ethan’s making a face.It’s not a nice one.Oooooooh you’re in trouble!
He followed that with a line of laughing emojis and tongue-sticking-out emojis, then a meme about being a bad boy that was at once funny and pretty uncomfy coming from my boyfriend’s brother.
When Ethan called a few seconds later, I was tempted to ignore it.But discretion, valor, et cetera.“Hey, babe.Coming home soon?”
“Don’t get yourself into something you can’t get out of,” he said quietly, the sound of Tyler and Justin talking in the background letting me know he wasn’t alone.“I’m hamstrung here, Lan.And I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I don’t want to see me hurt either,” I sassed, staring at my laptop screen and Eliza Robards-Samuels’ name.Reba had reached out to her the day before and, according to the notes she’d left, Ms.Robards-Samuels ‘already knew’ where her father was and ‘didn’t need to hear from useless sacks of shit’ like us.She sounded absolutely lovely, and I made a mental note to buy Reba a case of that IPA mess she liked to make up for having to deal with that woman.“My only plans for today are to follow up on Mr.Robards.His family deserves to know what’s going on and, as his doctor,Ideserve to know what’s going on.ICW may think they’re holding me on a short leash, but if they want me—or anyone, for that matter—to play happy families in this set up they’re making, they need to let us do our jobs.”
Ethan sighed.“I know.Look, I’ll be back in a few hours.We’re sorting out some of the shit with this clan issue now, then I’ll be back.”
“How’s Justin?”
“Honestly…” The background noise grew more muffled, and Ethan’s breath bounced as he jogged down some steps.He was outside when he spoke again.“Honestly, depressed.He’s sick, don’t get me wrong—Tyler swears he’s doing a little better—but he’s spiraling something awful, Lan.And I don’t know what to do with that.He’s important to all of us but especially Tyler.Don’t tell either of them I said that.I want to help him, but I don’t begin to know how to do that with our resources.”
“Cullen, you son of a bitch.”I sighed, closing my eyes.“I do.And Cullen does, too.Because he’s more helpful than I want to admit.Look, I know someone who might be able to help him.Gina Perrin.The other doctor at the clinic.”
