Page 40 of Once Upon A Bear

But there was no time for that.

She hurried over to Lord Kellan and dropped to her knees next to him, relaxing when he grinned up at her.

If he was grinning, it couldn’t be too serious.

“You’re the healer?” he asked. “My mother will be glad you’re here.”

Guinevere turned her attention to the lady kneeling next to her, holding the back of Lord Kellan’s head. So this was Gideon’s mother.

Lady Rendon smiled wanly at Guinevere. “Stop joking, Kellan,” she said, but she had a teasing lilt to her voice that filled Guinevere with warmth, even though the words weren’t directed at her.

If they were able to joke, then surely this was not a bad fall.

She liked Lady Rendon.

“Where are you hurt, my lord?” she asked, turning her attention to her patient once more.

“Well, I feel rather sore and battered,” he explained, “and there’s a cut on my head that has since stopped bleeding, but I don’t think there’s anything that’s too damaged. But since I hit my head, my mother and brother insisted that we send for a healer.”

He didn’t mention that, instead of sending for her, Gideon had raced into town to find her himself.

It was the first time she’d ever seen him near a horse.

Guinevere snuck a glance at Gideon, who was staring down at his brother with incredible concern. Had he worried that if something happened to Lord Kellan, he would become the next Lord Rendon?

Was that worth taking a horse to town, despite his bear nature?

“And you didn’t send for Dr. Stalling?” Guinevere asked, keeping her tone light, even as she desperately wished to know why they’d chosen her instead of the doctor who had presumably been taking care of them for years.

“Gideon said he’d trust you with his life,” Kellan said, his gaze searching her face, though for what she wasn’t sure. “I thought that was a good enough recommendation to let him fetch you instead of the old man.”

Guinevere’s breath caught in her throat as she turned to Gideon, who carefully avoided her eyes.

“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” she said, hoping her voice would remain steady and not betray the feelings coursing through her. He trusted her with his life? “If you’ll grant me permission, my lord, I’d like to examine you for broken bones or things that feel amiss.”

“You may,” Lord Kellan said as grandly as one can when lying prone on the ground. “And the sooner you can, the better—I’m starting to ache.”

Lady Rendon pulled her hand away as Guinevere reached under his head, a bloodstained handkerchief held in her grasp.

“I imagine you’ll ache quite a bit,” she said as she reached first for his head, feeling underneath it gingerly. “You have quite a bump,” she said when her fingers encountered the knot on the back of it. The hair was slightly sticky, but they were right, the bleeding had stopped. “Lady Rendon, would you—”

Before she could finish her sentence, his mother had immediately taken back the responsibility of holding her son’s head, tender worry filling her face.

Guinevere continued to feel her way down Lord Kellan’s neck, where, aside from a few slight winces, he showed no signs of any serious injury. She continued to feel under his body until she reached his lower back, watching his reactions carefully for any sign of extreme pain. None of the bones felt broken, and he showed feeling all the way down his spine.

“Can you follow my finger with your gaze?” she asked, moving her finger from side to side, assessing that his vision was normal.

She placed her fingers on either side of his temple, allowing her magic to flow through him for a brief moment, searching out anything she may have missed.

There was nothing that couldn’t be explained by landing hard on the ground.

“He is well enough to sit up,” she proclaimed, “and if he stands with no major injuries presenting, I think it’s safe to assume that he will be just fine. I would recommend no riding or physical activity while your body heals, but I think you’ll be glad to rest for a few days.”

“If you say so,” Lady Rendon said, eyeing her son dubiously. “He’s not usually one to sit and do nothing.”

“Please help him up,” Guinevere directed Gideon, careful to not call him by his given name in front of his family.

Gideon moved to stand over his brother’s legs and offered both hands. Kellan took Gideon’s hands, and slowly they brought him up to a seated position. Guinevere watched him carefully, searching for any signs of discomfort.