The Shifter's Secret Baby Girl

by T. S. Ryder

  “And the military?” Everett pressed. “If they were the ones responsible for us—”

  “That doctor disappeared. And Dad set up accounts all across the country and told them if they came anywhere near us again he’d tell the whole country what they were doing. They backed off and have left us alone since.” Melissa shivered. “But now that he’s dying . . . We need someone strong to take care us.”

  The way she looked at him told Everett exactly who she thought that person was. His jaw dropped and his mind whirled. For a long moment, all he could do was stare. The thought crossed his mind that he wished that Marguerite was with him. Somehow if she was there, he wouldn’t feel this sudden weight on his shoulders, crushing him.

  “I don’t remember you,” he said, but even as he did so, he knew that he wasn’t going to turn away. He glanced at Kristen, but she didn’t look at him.

  “Is there a way to reverse what happened?” she asked, leaning forward.

  Melissa shook her head.

  Kristen closed her eyes.

  “There are a dozen of us that live in the neighborhood here,” Melissa continued. “We’ve looked for you, but we never could find you. But now that you’ve returned, you can help us. You’ve lived out there, and you’ve clearly done well for yourselves. You can help us learn how to be part of society, how to control the change. You were the only one who could shift into your werewolf form at will. Have you learned how to stop it at night?”

  “No.”

  Melissa slumped back, disappointment in her eyes.

  “I have a daughter,” Everett continued hesitantly. “She inherited the change. Are there any children here?”

  “No . . . no, we decided we couldn’t risk it. But if you have a child and the change didn’t kill her . . . maybe . . . ” Melissa squeezed her father’s hand and stood. “Come with me. The others will want to see you. We thought that the worst had happened.”

  Kristen slumped into her chair and shook her head. “I remember a few names and faces. But I don’t want to see anybody. I came here to kill him. But if what you’re saying is true . . . My boy . . . he died a monster . . . You took him apart.”

  “No. Kristen, the change never took with your son. He wasn’t shifted when he died. You held him in your arms and . . . Your neural pathways must be healing, but it seems it’s put it together all wrong.” Melissa slowly took her hand. “We’re here for you. You don’t have to be alone.”

  “I want to be alone.”

  Everett hesitated at that. His sister looked the epitome of defeat, and a well of pity rose in him. He didn’t know what to say, though, so he only embraced her before following Melissa out. Maybe Marguerite would be able to help her. Maybe he could convince her to try. He didn’t know. One thing was certain, though. He wasn’t going to give up on her.

  He pushed those thoughts aside when Melissa took him to see the others. They all gathered in the backyard. As he looked over them, the tingles of recognition filled his mind. A wave of protectiveness washed over him, and he wanted to go to each of them and reassure them that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to them again.

  A few of them rushed forward to embrace him like Melissa had. A boy who couldn’t be older than fifteen gripped his sleeve.

  “You came back for us. You came back.”

  All of them looked . . . thin. And considering how long he could go without food before dropping even one pound, they must have all been consistently starved. His hands clenched together as he looked over them, the desire to take care of each and every one of them more powerful than he could imagine.

  So was this the kind of person he used to be? The kind that took care of others? The kind that people trusted?

  If not, it was the type of person he was going to be from here on out.

  “I didn’t come back for you,” he started awkwardly. “Because I didn’t remember. I still don’t. I came back looking for answers. But I’m not leaving again. I look at you and I see how frightened you are, and I won’t let you stay in this fear. I promise. I will do everything I can to prove that I am good enough for this trust that you have clearly put in me. We can live and thrive. I’ve lived a normal life for the past six years. I promise I’ll help all of you figure out how to live your lives as well.”

  They looked at him with so much trust and confidence that he was reminded of Elena. The tightness in his chest eased. It didn’t matter if he didn’t remember them. He had answers now. And he was going to ensure that his daughter could grow up in a community of people like her, a community where they didn’t have to be afraid.

  He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and called Marguerite. He could hear the relief in her voice when she answered.

  “I’ve found him. And I have some answers. A lot more questions, but I do have answers . . . And I think I’ve found a home.”

  Chapter Fifteen – Marguerite

  Marguerite finished typing up her notes from that day’s session with one of the ‘werewolves’ and saved the file before encrypting it. Though the computers that she kept her notes on weren’t connected to any sort of internet source, she couldn’t be too careful when dealing with the highly confidential information.

  She stretched out her back and rolled her shoulders. Since Everett had found all of Bell’s experiments, things had been . . . odd. Even now, three months later, she found it hard be believed sometimes that it had happened this way. That she went from looking for help for herself, thinking she was having hallucinations, to being the sole psychiatrist for a dozen people who had lived a large portion of their lives fearing what people would do if they found out about them.

  And given the notes she’d read that detailed what happened to them while Bell was working for the military, she couldn’t blame them.

  She shut down the computer before locking up and heading out. Elena and Everett were on the playground near her new office and her mood brightened when she saw them chasing each other around the equipment. Their bond had cemented quickly, and Marguerite honestly didn’t know how she had done it on her own.

  “Mommy!” Elena waved her hands over her head. “The ground is lava! You have to get up!”

  “Oh!” Marguerite dropped her purse and coat where Elena’s backpack was and hurried to climb a brightly-colored ladder.

  “Here, let me help you.” Everett reached his hand to her.

  Elena shrieked. “No, Mommy! Daddy’s the lava monster!”

  Marguerite dropped her hand and climbed into a tunnel under where Everett stood. When she emerged from the other side, she was cornered as Everett stood on top. He laughed as he jumped down and swung her into his arms, kissing her firmly. “Now you’re a lava monster, too.”

  The game continued for some time until darkness began to fall and they decided to go get something to eat. Marguerite relaxed into the car seat as they drove. Her mind turned back to their group of Bell’s experiments. A few of them had taken to calling themselves a ‘pack’ and several, Melissa among them, referred to Everett as the alpha.

  In a way, she understood why. They were all essentially werewolves, after all. There wasn’t much to say about why the change happened or why it was between three and five in the morning for every single one of them. Bell had apparently theorized that it was because that was the time of day when the human body was at its weakest, so their bodies were countering it by changing form. The theory was all they had, though.

  Everett was stepping up to his place as ‘alpha’ with strength and confidence, though. He was currently working with them to control their changing outside of the ‘wolf hour,’ and most of the pack was making great progress. He had even gotten several of them jobs, so they no longer had to rely on the dwindling reserves that Bell had built up during his practice. They had all agreed that it was the best idea to stick together, at least until they were more comfortable with living normal lives, but they were no longer living in the dilapidated neighborhood far away from city center.

  They went o
ut for visits regularly, though, so that they could have the space to run in the morning. And they all lavished attention on Elena, who soaked it in like the little ham she was.

  “How did your sessions go today?” Everett asked her after they’d gotten home.

  “Patient confidentiality,” she reminded him. “But good. I think that this adjustment period is working. Certainly, there are a few of them who are still warming up to me, but it’s getting to be more relaxed.”

  “Good.” Everett nodded as he pulled some vegetables from the fridge to make a salad. “Good. I talked to Kristen today. She looked like she’s doing better. Those medications you prescribed seem to be really helping.”

  Marguerite nodded, though she wasn’t going to add anything. Patient confidentiality. Unless Kristen told her that she could discuss her case with Everett, she wasn’t going to. She was relieved that Kristen was having such a positive reaction to the meds, though. They were very powerful and she had to take twice the recommended dose given the way the werewolf body cycled drugs and alcohol so quickly through it, but they were having an effect. Kristen was severely depressed, and it wasn’t just emotional. Her brain chemistry was all messed up, and without the help of the medication, Marguerite didn’t think she was capable of recovery. Not in a case so extreme.

  “And I got a call from Melissa this morning,” Everett continued as Marguerite skirted him to start cooking the steaks they had taken from the freezer that morning. “Simon Bell passed away last night.”

  “Oh . . . ” Marguerite sighed and shook her head. “I’ll have to pass on my condolences. Even though his experiments were unethical, he was still her father. It’s got to be hard for her. Did you let the rest of the pack know?”

  Everett nodded. “They don’t see what he did as unethical, you know. They all wanted a chance to live and he gave that to them. It’s only Kristen and me that . . . had the worst effects.”

  He fell still for a moment and Marguerite embraced him gently, careful to keep from smearing steak juice on him. He leaned into her for a moment before kissing her temple and returning to his work. They hadn’t been able to find out exactly what had happened to the two of them while they were being held but the military, but it was clear enough that they had been tortured to test their resistance levels. Everett was starting to remember, the neural pathways in his brain healing, and he often woke at night in cold sweats.

  Marguerite, for her part, was reaching out to the people she knew who dealt with such cases to try to see if they could take him on as a patient. As his memories returned, it was bound to get worse. On the other hand, he was resilient. He had an emotional strength that kept her assured that it was going to work out in the end. They were going to be fine, their little family. Their pack.

  “So . . . ” She finished seasoning the steak and put it in a skillet to start cooking. “A few of my patients have asked me to talk to you about procreation.”

  Everett snorted. “Um, why?”

  “They want to have a pack discussion on whether or not having children is an ethical choice. They’re looking to you for guidance.”

  “Ah. Okay. Well, I will bring it up at the next meeting. I don’t really see why they shouldn’t have children. Telling outsiders is going to be the biggest barrier there, but if they find someone like you, then why not?”

  Marguerite smiled. She washed and dried her hands and pulled her lover away from the salad and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, how far we’ve come. And you know what? Maybe it is still a little scary, but with Elena starting school soon . . . we’re going to be great. Aren’t we?”

  “Yeah. We are.”

  “Mommy, can I have a cookie?” Elena called as she trotted into the kitchen.

  Marguerite resisted the urge to sigh. “No, you may not. We’re going to have supper soon.”

  “But I’m starving to death!”

  “Then how about you set the table?”

  Elena glanced at the low plastic bins that they kept their plates and cups in so that she could set the table without them having to pull everything out for her. “Then can I have a cookie?”

  “Come here, squirt.” Everett dropped to one knee and held out his arms. Elena rushed to him and stole a piece of broccoli off the counter. “If you’re a really good girl and you set the table without having to be told again, then maybe we can make cookies tonight.”

  Elena’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Thanks, Daddy. I love you.”

  She rushed to the bins to gather up the plates and cutlery. Marguerite had to laugh at how eagerly she worked them. Baking with her dad was one of Elena’s favorite things to do. Everett got back to making the salad and Marguerite started mixing up some instant mashed potatoes.

  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” she asked him, batting her eyes.

  Everett pulled a thoughtful frown. “Not since this morning, I don’t think . . . You’re slipping up there.”

  “Well, I’ll have to do better then.”

  Marguerite gave him a sexy smile and leaned in for another kiss. She teased his mouth open and let her hands drift down to his buttocks, where she squeezed. Everett grinned and ground against her, earning himself a slight gasp.

  “Ew!” Elena ran past them and dramatically covered her eyes. “Mushy stuff!”

  Everett and Marguerite laughed. They quickly set about finishing supper and ate while Elena told them about her new business plans and what she was going to be in the future. After they were done and the dishwasher was on, Marguerite scrubbed down the pots and pans.

  “Enough of that.” Everett wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her away from the sink. “Let them soak. I’ll do them in the morning.”

  “You did last night’s dishes this morning,” Marguerite protested. “You’re as busy as I am.”

  Everett shrugged. “Elena and I have a present for you. Come on.”

  He didn’t let her continue to protest as he took her hand and pulled her from the kitchen. Elena bounced around on her toes as Marguerite took a seat in the family room and looked between the two of them. They were both so excited that she made herself forget about the greasy dishes in the sink, instead concentrating on the two of them.

  “Daddy and I picked it out together!” Elena gushed. “Daddy, Daddy, give Mommy the present!”

  “Hold on.” Everett chuckled. He got down to one knee and Elena crawled into Marguerite’s lap.

  They’d talked about getting married, so this wasn’t completely out of the blue, but a proposal was so far out of Marguerite’s mind that she gasped. Tears burned her eyes as Everett pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. Elena clapped her hands.

  “Marguerite Ward, I love you. I love our daughter and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He opened the box, but Marguerite couldn’t see the ring clearly for the tears in her eyes. Not that she needed to be able to see it. She already knew that she’d love it. “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes!” Marguerite had to laugh as her heart filled with warmth. “Yes, yes, a million times yes.”

  Elena wiped the tears from her mother’s face. “Why are you crying? I thought you’d be happy.”

  “I am. I’m so happy.”

  Everett slipped the ring onto her finger and she caught his face and pressed her mouth to his. Elena made gagging noise but she still smiled from ear to ear when they broke apart. Everett joined them on the couch and they all cuddled close together. Marguerite’s heart was so full of joy and love that she thought it might burst. She never thought that they’d get here, but here they were. Safe, happy, and secure in their little family, with nothing but hope for their future.

  *****

  THE END

  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading “The Shifter's Secret Baby Girl” as much as I liked writing it. Please consider leaving an honest review here; it means a lot to me to hear from you.

  T.S. Ryder

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