“Neither do I, but the fact is he did. Frankly, I’m impressed with Smokey’s reaction. If it were me…”
Smirking, Jackson said, “Babe, you don’t have to go further…I saw how you reacted when Josiah wanted to claim custody of Daniel.”
“Yeah…well…” Steel mumbled.
“Getting back to Smokey…I sense a very gentle soul inside him.”
“In a grizzly?”
“In a California Grizzly shifter,” Jackson corrected his mate.
“Another rare shifter,” Steel murmured. “What about his family? Should I alert Groose about the possible arrival of more bears?”
“I didn’t get into that with him, but somehow I got the feeling he’s alone.” Jackson swiveled and stared out the window into the woods, his heart hurting for the grizzly shifter. There was so much he didn’t know about Smokey, but one thing he knew for sure was that there was a lot more to him than met the eye. “Did you know he knows how to heal a gunshot wound?”
“Heal? You mean like Colton?” asked Steel.
“Something like that, I’m guessing,” Jackson replied. “From what I gathered; Harte was nearly fatally shot but Smokey healed the wound. How the fuck did he do that?”
“Did you ask him?”
“He told me his grandfather taught him,” Jackson said, his eyes still roaming over the trees outside his window. “The man has a lot of secrets.”
“Keeping them isn’t a good way to start a relationship,” Steel replied.
“Especially with Theo and Norm…that’s bound to breed distrust.”
“So you think Smokey will accept Norm as his mate along with Theo?” asked Steel.
“I think Smokey will do whatever is needed to make Theo happy…and if that means accepting Norm and the cub, then that’s what he’ll do,” Jackson replied, turning away from the window and looking at his mate. “Let’s hope Norm is just as accommodating.”
~/~/~/~/~
Sliding carefully from the hospital bed to avoid waking Theo, Norm covered him up before quietly leaving the room. He needed answers and since his fiancé wasn’t in any state to give them, Mac was the next person on his list. Padding silently down the hallway, Norm checked Dakota’s room, but left after giving a wave to Slate who was sitting next to his sleeping mate. Passing the nursery, he glanced at the three babies sleeping peacefully, smiling at the thought of soon seeing his cub there.
Moving on, Norm finally reached Mac’s office and knocked briefly before opening the door. Stepping inside, he found the room empty, raising his anxiety even more. Refusing to give up when Theo was in trouble, he spun around, crashing into a body. Losing his balance, he reached out, grabbing the man he came to see.
“Hey there,” Mac said softly, steadying Norm. “Are you all right?”
Taking a step back Norm regained his equilibrium, dropping his hands to his side. “I’m okay…but Theo isn’t.”
Mac’s body tensed up. “What do you mean? Is he experiencing pain somewhere?” Stepping around Norm, he hurried over to his desk. Grabbing his stethoscope, he hung it around his neck, saying, “I spoke to Ian, and he agreed I should do an ultrasound of the cub right away.”
Blocking Mac’s way, Norm folded his arms across his chest. “What are you talking about? As far as I can tell, it isn’t pain that’s causing the tears I see on my honey bunch’s face. Are you saying the cub’s life in danger?”
Blinking once, then again, Mac stared at Norm for a moment before his shoulders fell. “No, I’m not.”
“Then why does Ian want you to do an ultrasound right away? I thought there wasn’t any urgency.”
Glancing away, Mac mumbled, “It’s complicated.”
Frustrated at everything, Norm threw up his arms. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. Mac…what’s going on? Why did my Theo go from a very happy bear to one who is…who is refusing to talk to me? Answer me that!”
“I can’t…you need to talk to Jackson,” Mac said, softly.
“Jackson? What does…oh shit, he refused Theo’s request to return to the kitchen, didn’t he?”
Shaking his head, Mac kept silent, knowing that Jackson was the only person who could provide the information Norm sought. Seeing the despair in Norm’s face, he said, “Trust me, if I could I would tell you, but I’m under strict orders not to. The only person, other than Theo, is Jackson. Go…I’ll stay with Theo while you sort this all out.”
