Bear Necessities (6 page)

“Shit.”
The blond doctor was suddenly there, concern in every line of his body. “I was
afraid of this.”

“What’s
this? He’s exhausted, isn’t he?” Both men turned and stared at Tabby. “I mean,
I felt him…pulling on me, but it was weak. Like he was already tiring.”

Dr.
Howard nodded. “Exactly.” He bent over Chloe, leaving Julian to Tabby and
Bunny. Bunny checked Julian’s vitals with his own healing power and smiled.
He’d settled into a deep sleep and would probably be starving when he woke up,
but he was going to be fine. He smiled at Tabby when she arranged Julian’s legs
more comfortably on her lap. “Damn, Bear. Not bad. She’ll make it to the
hospital.” Bunny turned from Tabby to find Doc Howard smiling. “I need to have
a long talk with him when he wakes up. We could use someone like him.” Dr.
Howard stood and motioned to the paramedics. Out of the corner of his eye, he
saw the horror that flashed across Tabby’s face and wondered at it. Could it
have anything to do with the way Julian had collapsed after saving Chloe? How
close was his mate to Julian anyway? “I want both Ms. Williams and Mr. Ducharme
loaded into the ambulances. I’ll want vitals on both of them when I arrive.”

“But,
Doc, the girl.” The paramedic still had that horrible look on his face. It made
Bunny want to smash something.

“She’s
going to make it. Just do what I say and load her up.”

“Yes,
sir.” The paramedics didn’t look convinced, but they put Chloe on the gurney
anyway. She moaned as they moved her, startling the paramedics who quickly
loaded her into the ambulance.

Bunny
watched his cousin being maneuvered onto the gurney. Her face was white where
it wasn’t black and blue, her breathing shallow. She wasn’t out of the woods
yet. “We have to follow them.”

“Of
course.” He shuddered and a small hand touched his arm. “I’m here, Bunny.”

He
turned and watched those amazing legs of hers stride toward his Harley. She
straddled the seat, pulled on a helmet and waited for him.

The
ambulance, lights flashing, started down the street. Bunny didn’t watch it go.
He had a horrifying thought to deal with.

God,
if they crashed, nothing was between her sweet flesh and the harshness of the
road. He studied her for a moment, mentally measuring her, knowing the next
time she rode with him she’d need to be in denim or leathers.

Not
even the amazing Julian could heal a case of dead.

He
shuddered at the thought of the body on the ground being hers, of being forced
to watch as her blood poured onto the road. She was his, quirky green hair and
all. The fear he’d felt seeing Chloe broken on the road suddenly centered on
Tabby. He couldn’t watch that again.

He
strode over to his bike and tugged the helmet off her head.

If
anything happened to her on the way to the hospital, she would die his. It
wasn’t logical, he knew that, but right then, he didn’t give a rat’s ass. Someone
he loved was on her way to the hospital. He needed something to reaffirm life,
and marking his little Wolf would do nicely.

“Hey!”

He
swallowed her protest, drinking deep of her sweetness. Her soft, full mouth
opened in shock and he took complete advantage, thrusting between her lips
hungrily. The urge to mate her, mark her as his, was overwhelming.

Thank
God for sleeveless dresses.
He pushed the leather jacket aside and, without a second thought, bit down into
her shoulder. His mark formed under his tongue on her silky smooth skin. He
felt her shudder, her head thrown back, her thighs clamping convulsively on the
bike as she came. The mating enzyme raced through her system, the first hint of
his scent mingled with hers. His Bear settled down, content now that she’d been
marked.

She
was his.

Tabby
sat in the hospital chair and glowered at Bunny. Her hand reached up to touch
her shoulder. The mark he’d placed on her burned against her skin. She kept the
leather jacket on so no one would see the bite he’d left behind and ask if
she’d gotten bitten by a fucking Bear. The only reason she wasn’t more pissed
off was because of Chloe. She’d seen how his cousin’s accident had affected
Bunny. She wasn’t quite certain why he’d felt the need to mark her right then
and there, but the way he’d gone from staring at the ambulance to the way he’d
turned to stare at her gave her a clue.

It was
touching, in a caveman sort of way. Still, she’d have liked a
little
more time before getting bit. There was so much he still didn’t know about her,
and even more she didn’t know about him.

“Tell
me the truth, Bunny. How bad is she?” The large man had come to the hospital in
response to a phone call from Bunny. He’d introduced himself as Bunny’s cousin,
Ryan Williams, Chloe’s older brother. He looked even more wild-eyed and pale
than Bunny did. He hadn’t stopped pacing since he arrived. His reddish-brown
hair was mussed, his blue eyes rimmed with red.

“Mr.
Bunsun? Mr. Williams?”

Ryan
practically jumped the doctor. “Yes, Doc?” Poor guy. He really was worried
sick. Bunny rose more slowly, but with just as much urgency.

Dr.
Howard stood there and ran his hands through his blond hair. “Follow me.” Bunny
took hold of Tabby’s hand and followed Dr. Howard. He led them to a private
room and shut the door. “All right. Who do you want to hear about first?”

Bunny
didn’t even hesitate. “Chloe.”

No
surprise there. She was the only one of the trio who knew Julian. From the sick
way Ryan swallowed, Bunny had made the right choice.

“She’s
going to have some scars from this. Chloe is incredibly lucky. To put it
bluntly, if Julian hadn’t arrived when he did, she’d be dead.” Ryan moaned.
Bunny shuddered. Tabby hugged his arm, offering comfort. Julian would never
have allowed Chloe to die. She knew that like she knew the color of her own
eyes. “Her recovery will take time. There will be some brain damage. We won’t
know until she wakes up exactly what we’ll be dealing with.”

“Fuck.”
Bunny began to pace. “She’s working on her doctorate in veterinary medicine.
I’ll have to call her boss, let him know what’s going on.”

“I’ll
do it.” She’d call the diner and the veterinary office where Chloe volunteered.
She already had the diner’s phone number, since she and the girls ordered lunch
from there regularly, and it wouldn’t be difficult to get the veterinary
office’s phone number. Bunny and Ryan needed to concentrate on Chloe.

“Our
family is on the way.” Ryan sounded like he was in shock. “Mom and Dad should
be here by morning.”

“Is
she awake?” Tabby looked to Dr. Howard in time to catch his wince.

“No,
and that’s one of the reasons we’re worried. I couldn’t talk to Mr. Ducharme
before he collapsed.” Dr. Howard stared at the closed door for a moment before
turning to Bunny. “Your friend is a Kermode Bear, isn’t he?”

A
what?

“He
is?” Bunny frowned. “That explains a lot. How did you know?”

Dr.
Howard smiled. “I dated one briefly before I met my mate. I lived in Canada for
about two years before coming back to Halle. She taught me a lot about Bears.”
He shook his head. “Only a Spirit Bear could have done what Julian did.”

Ryan
took a deep, audible breath and blew it out. “I owe him.”

Jamie
shot him a look. “You owe him more than you think. The paramedics tell me her
injuries were extensive and Julian confirmed it. Quite frankly, I’m surprised
he lived through the healing.”

Tabby
froze. Julian could have
died
? Her best friend, the man who’d laughingly
declared that she could be the sister he’d never had, could be…gone? Now it was
her turn to swallow. He was one of the few people who gave her the sense of
family she’d lost eight years ago. She couldn’t bear it if she lost him.

“My
girlfriend told me there were limits to how far a Bear could heal someone, even
a Kermode. So unless Julian is Super Bear, something had to have helped him.”

Bunny
nodded, but didn’t elaborate. Tabby knew who’d helped Julian, and he was
exhausted because of it. “He’s still out?” Bunny’s jaw looked to be clenched
shut. She could see some serious dental bills in their future.

“We’re
not sure when he’ll wake up, but knowing the healing capabilities of your kind,
it shouldn’t take too much longer, despite whatever it was he did to save your
cousin.”

“Was
it an accident?” Tabby looked over at Ryan. The man was practically vibrating
in place. “What happened to my sister? Did someone do this deliberately or was
it an accident?”

“I
haven’t spoken to Sheriff Anderson yet, so I don’t know. I do know he’s been
informed. Last I heard, he was at the scene, trying to figure it out.”

Tabby
frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why wasn’t he there with the ambulance?
Or hell, any one of the cops around here?” The men all turned to stare at her.
“Seriously. Why was the ambulance there without a cop present? Someone had to
have called it in, right? Was it Julian?”

Dr. Howard
blinked. “I…don’t know. Tell you what, let me find out who called 9-1-1 and
reported her. Maybe the dispatcher just didn’t think to alert the sheriff’s
office.”

“Here’s
my cell phone number so you can contact me once you know anything.” Ryan
rattled off his number while Dr. Howard programmed it into his phone. “Can I
see my sister?”

Dr.
Howard nodded. “And I’ve left instructions that all three of you be allowed to
see Mr. Ducharme as well as Ms. Williams.”

“Thank
you, Doctor.” Ryan shook the man’s hand.

“Thank
you.” Bunny followed his cousin, shaking Dr. Howard’s hand.

“Take
care, all of you.” Doctor Howard opened the door and left the room, leaving
behind three very tired, upset shifters.

“C’mon.
We’re not doing any good here.” Tabby tugged on the two men. “You two go see
Chloe. I’ll be in Julian’s room.” She poked and prodded until they both got
moving, knowing neither would rest until they knew Chloe was on the mend.

She
got Chloe’s room number from the nurse and pushed the men toward it, then
headed to Julian’s room. When he woke up, she had every intention of being
there and finding out what
Super Bear
had done to save Bunny’s cousin.

What
the hell was a Spirit Bear anyway?

Bunny
stared down at his sleeping mate. Tabby had curled up on a chair next to
Julian’s bed, her lime green hair glowing against the blue vinyl upholstery. He
wished he could join her, but the need to stand guard, to protect the ones he
cared about, was too strong. He’d almost lost Chloe tonight. Nothing was going
to happen to Tabby. Ryan, just as sleepless, was guarding his sister.

Tabby
snuffled in her sleep and he smiled. How had she come to mean so much to him so
quickly? His gaze drifted across her. The pride he felt in her was startling.
Of the three of them, she’d kept her head, dealing with each blow with a
practicality that allowed him to lean on her when he’d needed her most. She
didn’t even know Chloe, but she’d called Frank at the diner and told him what
had happened. She’d called the veterinary office and left a message about the
accident, complete with Chloe’s condition and her room number. After she was
done, she’d kept watch over Julian, running back and forth between his room and
Chloe’s to check in with Bunny and Ryan to see if they needed anything. She’d
done everything she could to take care of all of them, and the only one she
truly knew was still unconscious.

He
sighed and rubbed his hand across the top of his head, the soft stubble there
rasping against his palm. Tabby growled and twitched in her sleep, her fingers
tightening around the arms of the chair. He wondered what she was dreaming
about.

His
mate was an incredible person. He just hoped he was worthy of her.

“Alex?”

Bunny
turned toward the door, shocked to find his father standing there. He should
have known his parents would rush to their niece’s side. “Dad?”

Will
Bunsun walked into the room, his wife following behind him. “What the hell
happened?”

Barbra
Bunsun smacked her husband’s arm. “Will! Keep it down.” She rolled her hazel
eyes, but grabbed her only son, pulling him down for a hug. “Ryan’s parents
called us. Sweetie,
you
should have called.”

Bunny
sank into the comfort that was his mother. She always smelled of cinnamon and
home. “Hey, Mom. I wasn’t sure you were still up. I planned on calling in the
morning.”

“You
could have called to tell us about Chloe. And you should have called us the
minute you found your mate.” Only a mother could look at someone the way Barbra
Bunsun was looking at him. Her eyes narrowed and he flushed, wondering why he
felt guilty. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

“We
caught the first flight out.” Will hugged his son. “There’s no way we’d let you
go through this alone, Alex.”

“Thank
you.” Bunny blinked back tears. Of all his cousins, he was closest to Ryan and
Chloe, and seeing her battered body had hit him hard. God, he loved his
parents. William Bunsun might run an extremely busy company, but he always put
his family first. “Where’s Eric?” He was surprised that his brother wasn’t
right behind his parents.