Spring Feve

by Emerald Wright

  Behind her, a gravelly voice spoke, “I got this Mack.”

  A spark of recognition shimmied through her. She slowly turned to find Brady standing on the porch. He’d changed into worn jeans and tan chaps. A Stetson cowboy hat covered his eyes. His rugged good looks awakened every inch of her femininity. God, he could be so distractingly handsome.

  Mack grumbled. “You’d better not hurt him or there will be hell to pay.”

  Brady strode down the steps. “I can handle this, Mack.”

  His brother glared at her before trudging off through the snow.

  Her heart skittered in her chest. She struggled with the right words to use to explain why she needed him, but simply settled on, “Your son’s dying and you’re the only one who can save him.”

  ***

  Brady’s jaw dropped. Had he heard her right? “What did you say?”

  “Your son’s dying of leukemia and he needs a bone marrow transplant.”

  He took a step back and searched her face for any indication of a lie. Nothing. But could he really believe her after all this time? She’d been lying by omission about having a son, so she could easily be lying about this too.

  She wrapped her arms across her chest. “Don’t you have anything to say to that?”

  He lifted his hat off of his head and brushed his hand across his hair. “Honestly, I’m not sure I can believe anything you say anymore. How could you keep such a huge secret from me?”

  “I was scared. I didn’t think you’d want him. You didn’t want me.”

  “What are you talking about? I did want you. I wanted you to wait for me to come back from the war. I wanted to…” He stopped. He couldn’t confess that he’d wanted to ask her to marry him that night. But she’d been so angry that he’d been too afraid that she’d say no.

  “I know you’re mad.”

  “Furious.”

  “Okay, furious. I get that and you have every right to be. I should have told you. But I’m asking you…” her voice cracked. “I’m asking you to help him. Not me, him. He’ll die without a bone marrow transplant and I’m not a match.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t have shifter DNA.”

  He drew back. “You told the doctor that your son… our son… is a shifter? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to reveal that kind of information?”

  “I was careful. I talked to some of the park ranger shifters in Yellowstone and one of them recommended Dr. Landry. She’s working on creating cures specifically for shifters. We tried traditional chemotherapy but it didn’t work. We tried other methods, but they also failed. Trust me, if you weren’t my last hope, I wouldn’t even be here right now.”

  A rumble of anger rippled through his gut. “If your son hadn’t gotten sick, you never would have told me about him, right?”

  She looked away. “I don’t know.”

  He sighed. “How do I know he’s my son? He looked like me, sure, but how do I know he’s mine?”

  She turned back with a look of shock on her face as if he’d insulted her. “Are you kidding me?”

  “What? Don’t you think it’s a valid question considering you’d given me absolutely no indication that you were pregnant when I left?”

  She opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it. A few seconds later she said, “I can have the doctor do a paternity test if that’s what you want. But he’s yours.”

  Brady kicked a chunk of snow. “I want to talk to the doctor, alone.”

  She perked up. A glimmer of hope shimmered in her eyes. Did she really think he’d turn his back on his own son? Although he’d told her that he wanted a paternity test, he didn’t really need one. The second he’d met Jimmy, he’d known the child was his. But dammit. Not now, he wasn’t ready to be a dad.

  She eyed him warily. “So will you come with me to see Dr. Landry?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  Her shoulders sagged with relief. She sounded close to tears when she said, “We can leave first thing tomorrow. I just need to set up the appointment, but I’m sure she’ll be able to see us.”

  He steeled his heart. Even though he wanted to gather her in his arms and console her, he couldn’t. Emotions warred in his heart. He passed from angry, to happy, to scared in the matter of seconds. He had a son… good God.

  She’d basically dropped him into a new war, one he wasn’t convinced he could win. He wasn’t sure what would happen in the future. Would he be allowed to spend time with his son? Would they work out a shared custody arrangement?

  He almost laughed out loud when he realized how ridiculous his line of thought was. He’d assumed his son would stay alive long enough that he’d have to fight with Rachel over custody. He hadn’t even asked her the most important question yet.

  “You said he’ll die without the transplant. How long has he been sick?”

  “Two years.”

  He blew a breath of air through his teeth. “You could have called me. You could have called one of my brothers.”

  Sadness moved across her face. “I’m sorry. I thought I could handle it on my own.”

  He clenched his fists at his sides to keep from reaching to comfort her. “You wouldn’t have been on your own if you’d called me.”

  She looked directly at him. “How can you say that? You were thousands of miles away. How exactly could you have helped me?”

  “I would have found a way.”

  She shook her head. “We can’t change the past. All we can do is move forward.”

  He pressed his lips together. “That’s easy for you to say. You didn’t just find out that you have a son and that he’s dying.”

  In a contrite tone she said, “You’re right. I should have told you. I’m sorry for that.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not letting you off that easy.”

  “How can I make things right?”

  “You can’t. Let’s get one thing straight. I’m helping my son, not you.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”

  “Good.”

  They glared at each other in silence. The tension stretched into a thin thread, both of them ready to snap.

  Brady finally broke the silence. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Be ready at nine.”

  Chapter Six

  Rachel stared out of the truck’s window as Brady drove down the Gallatin Highway from West Yellowstone to Bozeman. They hadn’t said more than a few words to each other since he’d picked her up. It was the most uncomfortable two hours she’d ever spent stuck in a car with someone. At least they were almost at the hospital.

  Icicle-crusted trees whizzed by as if marking the passage of time. She hated having to leave Jimmy with her mom again, but she didn’t want to drag him all the way to Bozeman. Brady was only slightly less than hostile and she didn’t want her son to think of his father as a “bad man.” When Jimmy had asked her about Brady last night, she’d struggled to explain to the four-year-old how sometimes people could get mad at each other but still be friends. Jimmy had finally shrugged and had returned to playing with his toy cars.

  Brady’s voice broke into her thoughts. “How was Jimmy today?”

  “Weak and in pain.”

  “I wish I could do something for him right now. Something that would take away his pain.”

  “You are. Getting tested to see if you’re a bone marrow match is the first step in the process. I’m glad you’re letting me come with you.”

  “I won’t trust a doctor I haven’t met. But since you seem to trust her with Jimmy, I’m going along with this. If I don’t like her, we’re leaving and getting a second opinion.”

  “Don’t you think I’ve already done that? I’ve had a second and a third opinion but they are all the same. He’s going to die without the transplant.” She hated the shrill pitch of her voice, but she couldn’t stand his insinuation that she hadn’t done everything in her power to make sure Jimmy had rece
ived the correct diagnosis.

  Brady’s knuckles turned white. “I’m sorry. I just want to make sure we’re doing this the right way.”

  She turned to watch Brady. The anger was gone from his voice. He sounded as sad as she felt.

  He glanced at her. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  She turned back to the side window and watched the winding Gallatin River slide by. Warmer water flowed through the center of the river but the sides had frozen solid. It was a lot like her current relationship with Brady, cold on the edges with just enough warmth to keep it flowing. Their mutual desire to save Jimmy was the only thing holding them together. Not that they were together, but they probably wouldn’t even be speaking to each other right now if it hadn’t been for their son’s cancer.

  “What are you thinking?” Brady asked.

  “I just hope this works.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “It will. It has to.”

  She squeezed back and didn’t release his hand until they pulled into the hospital’s parking lot. They jumped out and quickly walked through the long white corridors to the doctor’s office.

  Dr. Landry stood as they entered. “Hello, I’m assuming you’re Brady, Jimmy’s father?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Please, take a seat.”

  Rachel sat in the same chair she always chose. Brady sat next to her.

  Dr. Landry leaned forward. “Has Rachel already brought you up to speed?”

  “Yes. She told me that Jimmy’s only hope of survival is to get a bone marrow transplant.”

  “That’s correct.”

  Brady leaned forward and softly asked, “Have you worked with shifters before?”

  She nodded. “All the time.”

  “But you’re not a shifter?”

  “No. I met a shifter my first year in med school.” She pointed to a photo on her desk. “I ended up marrying him. So I know quite a bit about shifters and their unusual DNA.”

  Rachel chimed in. “That’s why she knows I’m not a suitable match.”

  “She’s right. I ran her blood but it’s not close enough. Jimmy’s body will reject her bone marrow. I’d like to test yours to see if it would be a good match.”

  Brady asked, “What do I have to do?”

  “I’ll draw some blood and test it to make sure you’ll be a good match. We don’t want Jimmy’s body to reject the transplant. That would be a disaster in his current state.”

  “Disaster? Is that a medical term?” Brady asked with a hint of sarcasm.

  Rachel inwardly cringed. “I’m sorry. He’s just—”

  “—I just want to make sure she knows what she’s doing. I don’t know her at all and I’m trusting her to take my blood and possibly operate on me. I’ll be dammed if I don’t get to ask her a few questions.”

  The doctor held up her hands. “Hang on. He has a perfectly reasonable question.”

  Brady huffed. “So, do you normally try to scare the shit out of your patients, or is that honor reserved for me?”

  “Brady!”

  Dr. Landry smiled. “It’s okay. I’ve encountered all kinds of reactions from patients over the years. There isn’t much that you could do, say, or ask that I haven’t already heard. It’s perfectly understandable to be nervous.”

  “I’m not nervous,” Brady snapped.

  Rachel rolled her eyes but kept her comments to herself. She couldn’t risk having him back out now.

  Dr. Landry said, “Let’s go to an exam room and we’ll draw some blood. I can tell you more about the procedure while we do that.”

  Brady shoved out of his chair and stood impatiently by the door. Rachel glanced at Dr. Landry, who flashed her a subtle look that said, Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.

  Dr. Landry led them to the exam room. “Would you like her to wait outside?”

  Rachel opened her mouth to protest but before she could say anything, Brady shook his head no.

  “She can come in.”

  After breathing a sigh of relief, she followed them into the room. Brady rolled up his sleeve while the doctor prepared a tray of wicked-looking needles and test tubes.

  Dr. Landry said, “You’ll feel a pinch but that’s about it. While I’m drawing your blood, I need to tell you about the risks associated with the surgery.”

  Brady said, “I already looked them up online. I could have bleeding complications or even die. I’m well aware of what can happen, but I’m willing to take the risk.”

  Rachel looked up to find Brady staring directly at her. The expression on his face wasn’t friendly. He was still clearly pissed that she’d kept Jimmy a secret and that he had to go through a dangerous medical procedure to try to save him. Or maybe he was just pissed at her for being in his life. She dropped her gaze to the floor. How would she ever get him to forgive her?

  Dr. Landry said, “Because you’re a shifter, I’m going to have to administer a drug to keep you from shifting during the operation. Provided you’re a match, of course.”

  “Of course,” he parroted.

  She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “If you shift mid-procedure, you’ll put yourself and all of the staff at risk. You could die. We could die. So to prevent that from happening, I’d like your permission to give you the drug today. Wait until tomorrow morning, then try to shift. If you can shift, then we’ll have a problem.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Rachel said.

  Brady grunted.

  The doctor unlocked a refrigerated cabinet and retrieved a syringe filled with milky liquid. “This one might hurt a bit. Rachel, come over and hold his hand.”

  Both Rachel and Brady whipped their gazes toward the doctor then at each other.

  “NO!” they said simultaneously.

  Dr. Landry chuckled. “Okay. I guess it’s enough that you’re both able to be civil to each other and that you’re working together to help Jimmy.”

  Rachel groaned. Brady was going to kill her for revealing their estranged relationship to the doctor. Oh well, she’d deal with that during the two-hour drive home, a drive she already dreaded.

  The second the needle penetrated Brady’s arm, and he growled. The hair on his body started to grow and a few telltale pops sounded along his back.

  Rachel jumped up and took his hand. “Hang on, she’s almost done. You can’t shift now.”

  His eyes morphed from chocolate brown to dark mahogany. “You owe me, big time.”

  “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

  He snarled and for a moment, Rachel wasn’t convinced he’d be able to stop the momentum of the shift. But when the doctor pulled the needle from his arm, he stilled. The fire in his eyes died and the gentle warmth returned.

  Rachel dropped his hand and stepped back. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

  He rolled his sleeve down over the Band-Aid and jumped off the table. “Are we done?”

  Dr. Landry said, “We are for now. I’ll test your blood and call you with the results. If it’s a match, we can start the pre-procedure medication immediately.”

  “Let me know the minute you have the results,” Brady said.

  “I will.”

  “He’d better be a match,” Rachel said under her breath.

  Apparently Brady had heard it because he responded. “For your sake, my DNA had better match Jimmy’s.”

  ***

  Brady slowed the truck as he drove up a small grade on the way back to West Yellowstone. He hated doctors’ offices and couldn’t imagine what life had been like for Rachel during the past two years. He was still pissed that she hadn’t told him about Jimmy, but he couldn’t help but be a little sympathetic to the hell she must have gone through with him.

  He grappled with how to tell her that he was sorry he hadn’t been there for her. Then he realized that she was the reason he hadn’t been there. Still, the part of him that had loved her all those years ago wa
nted to do something to comfort her.

  “When we get back, do you think I could see my son?” he asked.

  She rubbed her hands together in front of the heater vent. “He was afraid of you the other night.”

  “Because I was yelling?”

  “Yes. He’s just a kid and he’s fragile right now. I can’t have you upsetting him.”

  “I’m sorry. I was shocked and mad. Really mad.”

  “I know. I don’t know what I can do to make things better right now.”

  As he navigated around a curve in the snow-covered mountain pass, he wrestled with the decision to forgive her. He wasn’t ready yet. If he did it now, it wouldn’t be the truth. But he also didn’t want his son to feel the tension between them, so he’d have to at least compromise for now.

  “Let’s just get through the next few days and see where things are. I can’t think about anything but Jimmy’s health.”

  “I get it,” she said.

  “Have you told Jimmy about me?”

  “I just told him that his daddy was away on a long trip.”

  “How long were you going to continue telling him that lie?”

  “Until he was old enough to understand that two people can love each other a lot and then one day all that love just…disappears.”

  His heart skipped a beat. “It didn’t disappear.”

  “It didn’t?”

  The hopefulness in her tone struck him like an arrow. After all this time, did she still love him? Even with everything that had happened? And even more importantly, did he still love her?

  “You can be really mad at someone and still care about them,” he admitted.

  She turned to face him. “After Jimmy’s operation, I think we should talk.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know if I can trust you again.”

  “I know I’ll have to earn it back.”

  He nodded but couldn’t get the lump out of his throat. Fortunately, the town came into view and saved him from having to further discuss the tenuous nature of their relationship. He drove through the quiet streets and pulled into the parking lot behind the bakery.

  He spotted her car parked near the back of the lot. “Looks like you got your car fixed.”