“Really, you wouldn’t mind?” Lizzi asked.
“Not at all. I’ve been slacking off and need to get back to work. I’m sure Piccolo would appreciate the company.”
Piccolo heard her name and looked up.
“Fletch, are you sure she’s not a shifter?” Frank asked. “I think she understands everything we say.”
Fletch shook his head. Everyone had noticed how smart the wolf cub was.
“You say you’re unemployed. What did you do?” Gary asked Lizzi.
“I managed the office at a local hotel in Bend. They sold out and the new owners brought in their own people.”
“Ever consider relocating?”
“Why, what did you have in mind?”
“I’m not sure. Idaho Air Rescue could use someone in the office.
“Really?”
“Would you be interested?”
She looked at Fletch.
“Give it some thought and talk it over with Fletch,” Gary told her. “I would have to check with HQ before I do anything. Think about it.”
“I will, thank you.” Lizzi couldn’t wait to talk to Fletch and get his take on the offer.
Lunch was done and they walked back to the hangar. As Gary unlocked the door, the alarm sounded.
“Time to go to work,” Gary announced.
“I'd be happy to come with you,” Fletch volunteered, “you are shorthanded.”
“You are more than welcome, I haven’t processed your transfer yet, so you’re still on the payroll.”
“Frank, would you mind keeping Lizzi and Piccolo company?”
“Not at all. They are better company than you anyway and much nicer to look at.”
“Thanks.” Fletch waved them off and went to work.
Chapter 37
Shannon arrived in New York city after a long flight. Her friend Michelle met her at the airport.
“You look fabulous,” her friend told her, “the country has done wonders. Maybe I should move to Idaho.”
“You should, there’s plenty of space for one more,” Shannon said with a laugh.
As they drove from the airport, Shannon noticed they were going a different way.
“Where are we going?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I moved. After what happened, I couldn’t stay there anymore. Every time I got off the elevator, I faced your apartment and couldn’t get what happened out of my head. The new apartment isn’t as posh, but I feel safer, and I can sleep at night.”
“Well, it’s over now. We can both sleep better at night.”
“So, what’s going on. Why the sudden rush to come back to the city?”
“I guess I needed a culture shock.”
They both laughed. Shannon was surrounded by buildings and concrete. She suddenly felt homesick for the openness of Idaho.
“To be honest, I needed closure. I want to visit the ER that took care of me, and Dr. Myers. And I wanted to spend time with my best friend. I never thanked you for saving my life.”
“Eh, it was nothing, just another day in the life of an ER nurse,” Michelle laughed.
“Thank you.”
“How long are you staying?”
“Oooh, tired of me already? Just kidding.” Shannon sighed. “I don’t know. My boss said to take as much time as I needed but with Fletch gone, and me taking time off, he’s shorthanded.”
“Who’s Fletch?”
“Who?”
“You said ‘with Fletch gone,’ who is Fletch?”
“He came to us for training, he’s gone to run a rescue center in Montana.”
“But what is he to you?”
They finally arrived at her apartment and parked. Shannon sat there. Tears started to flow unchecked.
“Oh, honey. Come on, let’s get you inside. It looks like you could use a stiff drink.”
Michelle grabbed her bag and guided Shannon to her apartment. Once inside, she kicked off her shoes and fixed them both a drink.
“Alright,” she handed Shannon a box of tissue and a drink, “start at the beginning. I want to know everything.”
“I love him,” Shannon sobbed.
“Honey, that was a given. Tell me something I don’t already know.”
“He hates me.”
“I doubt that.” Michelle sipped her drink.
“There is so much I want to tell you,” she sniffled, “but I can’t. You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“No, seriously, you would have me committed before sunrise tomorrow.” She blew her nose and took a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control. Then she took a long sip of her drink, drinking almost the entire contents before coming up for air.
“Whoa, I was going to suggest we go out for dinner; I think I’ll order-in instead. Hey girl, what would you like.”
“Pizza. No, Chinese. No,” she paused, “you decide.”
“I’ll take care of it. I’ll order both.”
That got Shannon laughing.
“There she is, I knew she was in there somewhere.”
Michelle picked up the phone and ordered a super large pizza with everything, including anchovies, and enough Chinese food for an entire family.
“Since we’re not going out, we need to get comfortable. Come on, take a shower and get into your jammies. I’ll fix us another drink. By the time you’re done, our food should be here.”
Michelle steered her to the spare room, it had its own bath. Shannon felt better after she shed her traveling clothes and took a shower. She went to find her friend. She found her in the kitchen with a ton of take-out.
“Oh my God, how much did you order?” Shannon giggled.
“I can order some BBQ if this isn’t enough.”
“Enough? We’ll never eat all this; besides I’ve been spoiled on the best BBQ ribs in Idaho. When you come to visit, I’ll get you some. Darn, I should have brought some with me.”
Michelle handed her a fresh drink.
“Grab some food and get comfortable. You are going to tell me everything.”
“Only if you promise you won’t have me committed in the morning.”
“Honey, if we eat all this food, we won’t be able to move in the morning.”
“Well, we better save the pizza for last. You know what they say about Chinese food, you’ll be hungry again in an hour.” Shannon filled a plate and got comfortable.
“Well?” Michelle asked expectantly, waiting for her to start.
“You have to promise,” Shannon replied.
“You’re serious?”
Shannon nodded.
“Fine, I promise. I won’t have you committed tomorrow or ever, no matter how crazy I think you are.”
“Okay.” Shannon took a bite of egg roll. “Mmmm, they don’t have any decent Chinese in Idaho, not like New York. This is sooo good.”
*****
Shannon took a sip of her drink, then a deep breath and exhaled. Since she hadn’t seen Michelle since she was released from the hospital, she started from when she first woke up in intensive care.
She recounted everything that happened in the order of events. She didn’t skip or leave anything out. She took a break after telling her friend about her hospital stay and rehab.
“Wow, so you were missing six months. You couldn’t remember that guy at all? I saw him, at least the back of him. You seemed really happy. What I couldn’t understand was, you never introduced him to anyone.”
“I know, I never realized until later how controlling he was. He said he didn’t want to share his time with me, with anyone else.”
“No kidding. It was weird.” Michelle helped herself to some pizza and fixed them another drink.
“This is the last one,” Shannon told her, “or I’ll have to tell you everything over again tomorrow because you won’t remember a thing.”
“I just started a pot of coffee. This is it for booze tonight.”
Shannon continued. She told he
r about her training in a helicopter and how much she loved it. She told her all about her boss and teammates.
“You really hang from a helicopter.”
“Yup, it’s a blast. I tease Stan and Kenney about it all the time.”
“What about Fletch?” Michelle asked.
“He hadn’t joined us yet.”
“Oh. When did he join you?"
Shannon gave her a look.
“Fine, continue.”
“Anyway, the weirdness started just before Halloween. I saw a strange man. I thought he was wearing a wolf mask, but he wasn’t.”
“What was he wearing?”
“Nothing, he was a wolf.”
“What do you mean, he was a wolf?”
“He was a man that could turn into a wolf, like the wolf man.”
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
“I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. I may as well stop now, because if you don’t believe that, you won’t believe the rest.”
“There’s more?”
“Yup. Break time. I need to pee and get some coffee.” She ran to the bathroom and fixed her coffee when she returned. “Okay, do you want to hear more or are you convinced I’m nuts.”
“I'm listening and I already knew you were nuts.”
Shannon continued to tell her about the pallet rack that almost killed her and how her boss turned into a bear to run after the wolf.
“You are crazy. Is that it?”
“I haven’t even started.” Shannon stayed completely serious.
Her friend looked at her long and hard.
“You’re serious, aren’t you.”
“As serious as a heart attack. Believe me, I thought I was losing my mind.”
Shannon continued to tell her about Fletch and the wolf attack. How she got kidnapped by Weston and how Fletch and Kenney came to rescue her.
“Wow. So, what happened?”
“After I was brought home, only Kenney returned. Fletched stayed out in the forest and went after Weston. Even after Weston was gone, Fletch still didn’t come back. He was gone for over a month. I was worried sick about him. That’s when my boss told me Fletch was a bear. They had kept it a secret. I was so pissed at Fletch, I wanted to scream.”
“Why?”
“Because he didn’t tell me. When he returned, I wanted to kiss him because I was glad he was alright. Instead, I slapped him as hard as I could.”
“What did he do?”
“He walked away and never looked back.” Shannon started to cry again.
“Well, that was some story, you ought to write a book.”
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
“Men turning into wolves and bears, not really.” Michelle gave her a sympathetic look.
“Fine, turn on your computer and I’ll prove it.”
Shannon went to her room and got the USB drive out of her bag. When she returned, she plugged it into Michelle’s computer and let her see for herself.
“Oh. My. God.” Michelle watched as the wolf and bear fought. She watched one man change into a wolf and the other a bear.
“You can’t tell anyone I showed you that.”
“They wouldn’t believe me anyway. Your boss and teammates are these, what did you call them, shifters? And that was Weston and Fletch in the video.”
Shannon nodded her head.
“Holy smokes, I’d have thought I was losing my mind too. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“That’s okay, it’s not an easy thing to believe.”
“So, what are you going to do about Fletch? He’s gorgeous by the way.”
“I don’t know. I love him and I want to be with him. What am I going to do?”
“Right now, we’re going to bed.”
Michelle pulled the USB drive out and handed it to Shannon.
“You better put that somewhere safe, you wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands. Go to bed, I’ll see you in the morning.
“Good night.”
*****
Shannon and Michelle were both up early the next morning.
“How’s the head?” Michelle asked as she poured Shannon some coffee.
“I’m fine, how’s yours?”
“I’ve had worse. Wow, I still can’t believe what you told me is true. This Fletch guy, what’s his story?”
“I don’t know, no one would ever tell me.”
“Did you try looking up his name on the internet?”
“No.”
Michelle got her laptop and set it on the counter. She entered his name.
“You said Oregon, right?”
“Yup.”
Michelle put in Bradley Fletcher, Oregon, and hit search. In the meantime, they started to fix breakfast together. Bagels and cream cheese, orange juice and coffee. Michelle sat in front of the laptop.
“Oh my God. Look at this.”
Shannon looked over her shoulder while they both read the news article about what happened to Fletch and thirteen others.
“Gary said to think about what I had been through and multiply it by a thousand, then I might understand what Fletch went through. I have to go back; I have to find him and apologize.”
“Nope, I can’t let you do that.”
“Why?”
“Because, it’s too soon, and besides, you need a plan. You can’t just go off half-cocked.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Shannon asked.
“It means being unprepared. Tell me, where he’s going and when.”
Shannon told her everything she knew.
Chapter 38
At the end of the day, Fletch returned to Frank’s. He had a long talk with him and Lizzi. They discussed the pros and cons of Lizzi staying in Idaho.
“It all depends on what you want to do,” Fletch told her. “Did you have any jobs lined up back home.”
“No. They don’t have much to offer out there.”
“What do you want to do?” Frank asked.
“I think I'd like to take the job. It would be a big move for me, I don’t know anyone here.”
“Sure, you do. You know Frank,” Fletch remarked.
That made her laugh.
“It’s too bad you won’t be here, and I’ll miss my friends.”
“They aren’t far away, you can always go and visit, or they can come here for a change of scenery.”
“And now that Ally and Misty have moved into the house, I don’t have to worry about that. Where would I live? Do you think I would have to live there at the hangar?”
“No, I don’t think so. It would probably be an eight to five type of job.”
“You’re welcome to stay here,” Frank offered, “until you figure out what you want to do.”
“Only if I can pay you rent.”
“Deal. I can always use the extra cash,” Frank told her.
“Now, all you have to do is wait until Gary talks to HQ.”
“Is this really happening,” Lizzi looked at both of them.
“I think so,” Fletch joked. “Welcome to Idaho.”
“So, how did you become aware of shifters?” Lizzi asked Frank.
Frank told her his story while Fletch took a shower.
“Can I ask you one more thing before Fletch comes back?”
“Sure.”
“Who is Shannon, and what’s her story?”
Frank asked her how much she knew. When she finished, he filled in the gaps.
“He loves her,” Lizzi told him.
“I know, and she’s crazy about him. They’re both a couple of stubborn mules.”
“Is she afraid of him.”
“She was, but I think her love is stronger than her fear.”
“Do you think they will ever work it out?”
“In time, I just hope they don’t wait too long.” Frank sighed.
Piccolo sat at his feet and let out a whimper. She looked up at him.
“I swear that pup understands everything we say.”
*****
They went to the BBQ later that evening for dinner. As it turned out, Gary, Stan, and Kenney, showed up about the same time.
Lizzi informed Gary that she’d take the job if it was available.
“That’s great. You might have to take a couple of EMT classes just to make you familiar with some of the terms and lingo. Would you still be interested?”
“Sure, that’s not a problem.”
“Good, now all we have to do is wait and see if HQ will agree. Keep your fingers crossed. I’ll call them first thing Monday morning.”
Stan crossed all his fingers under the table. Lizzi flashed him a brilliant smile and his heart skipped a beat. Stan said a silent prayer that HQ would approve the position.
“So, what is your plan?” Gary asked Fletch.
“Kenney and I will leave Monday morning. It will take roughly two hours to fly to Bend, and another hour to fuel the choppers and fly them to the ranch. I’ve booked us on an afternoon return flight.”
“That’s it?” Gary asked.
“You’ll only be shorthanded for a day.”
“That’s good. Hopefully, I’ll have an answer for Miss Houston by the time you get back.”
“Please, call me Lizzi.”
Both Stan and Kenney chuckled.
“He’ll probably call you Houston, he never uses first names, not until you’ve been here forever,” Stan told her.
“Why?”
Stan shrugged.
“It’s a personal thing with him,” Kenney added.
“Thanks for the heads up. At least I’ll know in advance not to get pissed off if I get the job.”
“We’re both rooting for you,” Stan told her.
“I have my fingers crossed,” Lizzi whispered.
It was getting late. Fletch decided to spend one more night at Frank’s and he’d stay at the hangar Sunday night, that way, he and Kenney can leave first thing Monday morning.
It looked like Lizzi was going to be Frank’s house guest for a while. He hoped the job came through for her.
Piccolo went to Fletch and placed her head in his lap.
“What’s the matter, little one?” He rubbed her ears. “I think you and I need to spend some quality time together.” He felt bad for abandoning her so much for the past week. She needed some time in the forest.
Haunted by the Wolf- Shannon Page 20
