Bear With Me (12 page)

“Okay,
Sam, just
take
a deep breath and try and relax all
your muscles.”

“Scared,”
said Sam.

“It’s
okay, we’re all scared when we do this,” said Christopher.

Liam
grabbed Sam’s hand. “Imagine yourself as a big strong bear running through
those trees.”

Sam
shook his head.

“You
can do it, really you can,” said Bear.

“Close
your eyes, Sammy,” said Liam.

Sam
closed his eyes as Liam got on the ground and spoke with him.

“Your
father was a great bear and you will be too. Relax, and just think of running,
freeing what’s inside you.”

Sam
began to shake. Bear bit his lip. Sam’s journey was about to begin.

Chapter Sixteen

Hannah
hugged a tree, putting her forehead on its trunk at hearing her little boy
scream and cry. Bear had warned her he’d be in some discomfort when he shifted
because his bones and muscles had to get use to the new form. He assured her after
that it would be painless and become second nature to him.

Sam
cried out again. “Momma, Momma.”

He
had to get through this. She trusted Bear enough to know he was right, that
maybe because Sam wasn’t all human that had caused his problem. There was a
rustle in the bushes and as she glanced over to the left she saw four bears
with a little one in tow.

She
hadn’t quite expected to see it. Her lower lip dropped and quivered. The little
bear was Sam. He’d done it. She burst into tears. That was her son. How could
she have ever guessed that’s what he was? The bears began running and Sam was
just about keeping up with them.

Aiden
and Christopher had to be the black bears, Bear the Kodiak, and Liam and Sam grizzlies.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, suddenly feeling sick. If she wasn’t
seeing it with her own eyes she’d never have believed it.

****

Bear
carried Sam up to his bed. Both the shifting and the running had worn him out.

Hannah
removed his shoes as Bear placed him on the bed.

“Are
you sure he’s okay?”

“He’s
perfect, blood pressure was good, and his heartrate too. Let him sleep this off
for a few hours.”

“Did
he appear any different to you?”

“It
was hard to say because I think he was confused, but he did so well shifting
back. He’s a pro already.”

Hannah
nodded. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “It was brave of you
too. It couldn’t have been easy.”

She
sat down, Bear slide up beside her. “I’m worn out. I came here thinking I’d
find his father and…”

He
could only imagine what was going through her mind.
 
She began crying and he held her, feeling her
heartbeat, absorbing her sobs into his own body.

“Momma.”

Bear
turned around and Hannah looked up.

“Why
are you crying?”

Sam
had spoken a normal, complete sentence.

“Hi, Sam, how you doing?”

“I’m
feeling fine. The running made me tired. Do I have to do that every day now?”

Bear
reached out and got hold of his hand. “Not if you don’t want to. It’s entirely
up to you. And if you want someone to go running with you know I’m only a phone
call away.”

“I
still don’t know why Momma’s crying.” He sat next to Hannah.

“I’m
crying because I’m so happy. Sam, it’s so good to hear you talk like…”

“I’ve
always spoken like this, but you didn’t hear me. Bear and the others heard me.
Bear, can we teach Mom how to talk with her head?”

“Sam,
your mom’s not like you, you understand that, don’t you? You get that from your
dad.”

“And Uncle Liam.”

“Yeah,
your
Uncle Liam.”

Bear
smiled. He had this feeling everything was going to be okay for Sam.

****

Hannah
woke up to the sound of someone walking outside on the gravel at the back of the
café. She pulled back the covers, put her legs over the side of the bed, and
walked over to the window to see a small grizzly bear kicking a soccer ball
against one of the garbage cans. She’d only seen her son as a bear once but had
gotten a good look at him and knew this bear wasn’t a wild animal but Sam. In
the distance she could hear the garbage truck making its way toward the café on
its Thursday morning pick up. Sam was either going to get himself killed or
someone was going to call animal control. He’d either be put in a wildlife
holding center or rehomed someplace. She had to get to him before anyone saw
him.

She
grabbed her dressing gown and went outside, hoping she could deal with him in
his bear form. She opened the door. “Sam, Bear told you, you are not to do this
just anywhere, not indoors and not where people can see you and even hurt you.”

He
looked at her and then got back to kicking the ball.

“Sam,
do I have to call Bear and tell him you’ve disobeyed him?”

Hannah
knew what Bear thought about him mattered a lot to Sam. The two had grown close,
so this would be like letting down his best friend. Well, at least she hoped
that’s how Sam would look at it.

She
tried not to look, still tried not to believe what her son was and what he
could now do as he gradually transformed from bear back to young boy. He stood
naked, so she quickly went inside and got her raincoat and wrapped it around
him. She pulled him inside just as the garbage truck pulled up.

“You
are never to do that, do you hear what I’m telling you?”

“It’s
fun. I’m a bear and none of the other kids are. I’m the son of a grizzly bear
and I can do what I want when I want. I can hurt them if they make fun of me.”

Hannah
tugged on his arm, almost shaking him. She’d never done that before, never lost
her temper with him. Never spanked him, although she’d wanted to on many
occasions, but right now she didn’t like the boy he’d turned into.

The
whole bear thing wasn’t going to work. He was either going to get himself
killed or he’d hurt some other kid and she’d never live with herself.

There
was only one thing to do. Leave town and never look back.

Chapter
Seventeen

Bear
pulled up to the Starlight Café, not seeing the sign in the front window until
he was at the door.

For Sale.

What
the fuck was going on here?

He
burst through the door like he would do if he’d been called in to a medical
emergency.

Several
people looked up at him, including the waitress Hannah had recently hired.

“Where’s
Hannah?” he asked her.

“Out in the kitchen.”

Bear
marched back there, so angry he felt like he was going to shift, stand up on
his hind legs, and roar. Why hadn’t she told him she was selling the business?
In the pit of his stomach, he guessed that she was leaving town and that his
world would be torn apart.

She
was checking on a delivery of fish when he arrived in the kitchen.

“Just
what the hell’s going on?” he asked.

The
chef looked at him and then at Hannah.

“Bear,
let’s go someplace so we can talk,” said Hannah, getting hold of his arm.

He
followed her outside. He grabbed her arm and spun her around, feeling hurt and
pain that she’d chosen not to tell him about her decision.

“I
hope this is just a career change and that you’re not thinking of leaving town
too.”

She
looked at the ground. A gesture that told him his worst fears were true.

 
“I can’t stay here because of Sam.”

“Because of Sam?”

“I
accept what he is. I accept what you are. Your secret’s safe with me, but I
can’t live this life. I’m buying a cabin in Idaho. I’m going to work at home
and Sam can shift and change without anyone seeing him. Are you aware he did
that right out here in public the other day? It’s for
his own
good. I have to keep my son safe.”

She
should have called him, should have told him and he would have handled the
situation. Hurt washed over him again. Maybe what they had was just about the
sex after all. She hadn’t trusted him enough to confide in him and ask for his
advice and help.

“I’ll
have a word with him,” he said.

She
shook her head. “He won’t listen even to you. I’m scared he’ll hurt the other
kids who bully him. This is for the best, Bear. We don’t belong here and we
can’t be part of your group. I guess Liam’s right.”

“He
talks out of his ass. You
are
part of
our group. You’re the mother of one of our shifters, so that makes you family.
And what about us, Hannah?
I thought we had something
special going on?"

“We
do,
Bear
, we do, but it couldn’t possibly work. You
can come see us as often as you want, but I have to do this. This is my mistake
from eight years ago. Sam’s getting better, but I still have to keep a watchful
eye on him.”

“And
we can do it together.”

“Bear,
you’ll regret it. We’re fundamentally different and one day you’ll want to
marry and have babies with a shifter, not someone who’ll produce someone like
Sam.”

A
tear ran down her cheek. He knew in his heart that she was wrong. That she knew
she was wrong. She turned and walked away.

Hannah
was his perfect mate. He wasn’t giving up without a fight. Bear never gave up
without a fight.

****

Liam
was the last person Hannah expected to see sitting at a table later that night.
He was the one and only customer, and she wondered if Bear had sent him along.
Although knowing the stubborn guy that he was she very much doubted he did
anything he didn’t want to.

She
passed him a menu, but he shook his head and wouldn’t take it.

“I
think we need to talk,” he said.

“Really what about?”

“I
think you know.”

“Sam?”

“That
and I hear you’re leaving Kalispell. Sort of selfish of you, don’t you think?”

“Like you care if a human sticks
around.”

“Whatever
I think about you has nothing to do with what I think about Sam. He’s my
brother’s son and the only relative I have left in this world, so yeah, I’d say
that’s fucking selfish to take him away from me when we’ve only just found one
another.”

She
had to admit he had a point.

“I’ll
give you a forwarding address and you’re welcome to come see him whenever you
want.”

“I
want him in this town where I can watch over him. I know Danny would want that.
I want to take him to our monthly star grazing get
togethers
.
I want to shift and run with him. Danny was all I had. Our parents were killed
when we crashed here and after I lost him all I felt was pain and emptiness.
Now I have Sam, and if you take him away you’ll be pushing a knife into my
heart.”

She
did know how he felt. She’d been lonely and on her own since she’d split from
home and never looked back. Her mom had passed away thinking that she still
hated her and that had never been the case. However, she had one priority and
that was her son. All decisions she made were based on whether it was good for
him. Leaving town was perfect for Sam’s welfare.

“I’m
sorry, but I’ve made up my mind,” she said.

“And what about Bear?
That guy’s
crazy about you. He loves Sam. He’ll make a damn fine father to him and a
husband to you. No human could take better care of you and that’s a fact.”

She
bit her lip. She couldn’t deny that. Bear would be a perfect protector. “He
needs one of his own
kind
. Isn’t that what you
preach?”

He
turned red and looked down at the table. “Guess you’ve made up that stubborn
human mind of yours, but there’s one thing I’d like you to have whatever you
decide.” He pulled out a sheet of paper. “Danny was a great artist. I found
this in his stuff after he died. I never knew who this person was, but now I
know who he sketched before his accident.”

Hannah
looked at it. It was her. No doubt about it. It was exactly how she’d looked
the night they’d met. The way she’d worn her hair tied back to the sweater and
jeans she’d worn.

She
tried to get rid of the lump in her throat.

“I
think it was more than a one night stand to Danny. I’m guessing had he not been
killed shortly after he met you, he would have coming looking for you.”

He
stood. Hannah was speechless.

“Uncle
Liam.”

Hannah
looked up to see Sam running over to his uncle.

“Hey,
buddy, what you been up to?”

“I
had homework and it was tough.”

Hannah’s
heart swelled with pride. The way he spoke, the normal conversation he held
with everyone now.

“I’m
not good at stuff like your dad was, but I’m more than willing to take a look
at it for you, you know see if I can help in any way.”

“Can
you
come
fishing with Bear and me?”

“Don’t
think so, Sam. Your mom says you’re moving.”

She
hadn’t told Sam yet. He looked at her.

“You’ll
like where we’re going,” she added quickly.

He
glared at her.

“I
hate you!” Before she could say anything, he’d run out of the front door of the
café.

“You
stay here. I’ll go get him,” said Liam.

****

Bear
had called everyone they knew and asked them to meet by the parking lot of the
café the following morning. He’d come straight over to the café as soon as Liam
called him the night before. Liam had chased after Sam, but the little guy was
quick. He’d almost caught up to him in the nearby words, but then he’d seen him
shift and take off at record speed. So far there’d been no further sightings of
him.

“Okay, everyone.
We’re looking
for Sam. Liam said he’d shifted, but he might have shifted back by now. If you
find him don’t scare him but call me on my phone, okay? Let’s find him quickly
because he’s new to shifting. He doesn’t know the danger that’s out there from
hunters and such.”

Aiden,
who worked for wildlife control, was also out looking for him accompanied by
Christopher, Dane, and Trent. Nick Pearson had also rounded up a bunch of wolf
shifters and was scouring the area to the north.

Bear
walked over to where Hannah sat and put his arms around her. She looked up at
him. She hadn’t slept all night and bags hung under her eyes. The whites of her
eyes were red where she’d cried.

“This
is
all my
fault,” she said.

Bear
got on his knees and pulled her into close. “No, you were right. You were doing
what you thought best for your son. No one can blame you for that. Even I
shouldn’t have been so hard on you. This is new to you and it’s scary.”

“He
said he hated me.”

“He
didn’t mean it. All kids say things like that.”

“Sam
doesn’t. He’s always been a loving little boy.”

“And
he will be again. He’s been given a gift of something he doesn’t quite
understand and that’s why it’s more important than ever that he stays with us
so we can watch over him and take care of him. Take care of both of you. If he
gets out of line, out of hand, we have ways we know how to handle him.”

“It
doesn’t matter now because I know I’ve lost him. I’ve lost my little boy.”

“Nope,
you haven’t. We’re going to find him. I promise you one of the shifters will
find him. Tracking people down is what we do best.”

****

Hannah
had never known people pull together quite like this. Humans could be
unbelievable with their kindness and caring in times of crisis, but the
shifters were something more. They’d brought her hope, blankets, and friendly
conversation to take her mind off the situation. To them she was one of the
family and their differences didn’t matter.

It
was Nick Pearson and another wolf shifter who finally found Sam halfway between
Kalispell and Glacier National Park. He’d shifted back to his human form and
had huddled under some rocks because he’d been cold without his clothes. Bear
had insisted he go to the hospital and now Hannah sat holding Sam’s hand as he
slept snuggled under the blankets.

“Is
he going to be okay?” she asked Bear.

“He’s
just fine. He’ll probably sleep a long time but besides being tired, he’s
better than ever.”

“I
was wrong.”

There
she’d admitted it. Bear did know best. Liam was right. Sam belonged with
shifters.

“I
was wrong, okay? Running away isn’t the answer. I can’t handle my son on my
own. He has to be around the group to survive, doesn’t he?” she asked him.

“It’s
for
his own
good. And yes, I’m being selfish too,”
said Bear leaning over her. He kissed her. “I want you around forever.”

“Forever, really?”

“Oh yeah.
You got me
hooked pretty quickly.”

“And
what won you over?”

“That
you didn’t pursue me. I was able to chase you. You know Bears love to chase
things. The wiggling ass also helped.”

“So
playing hard to get does work?”

“Guess
it does when it’s a bear you’re trying to round up. So you think we might make
this human-bear shifter with half human-half shifter son work?”

“Are
you planning to live over the restaurant with us?”

“Nope,
I think we’ll find a cabin in the woods like Nick has. That way Sam will have
plenty of room to shift and run with me and I’ll be able to keep him under
control. I promise you he won’t hurt any kids, and he’s going to grow into the
best bear shifter around. He might even become leader one day. I see it in his
eyes.”

She
took a deep breath. She felt happier now knowing that Bear would oversee her
son’s welfare and coming of age. Finally it wouldn’t all be on her. She’d found
that person who would lift the weight off her shoulders.

“I’ll
be like Goldilocks, but I’ll only have two bears living with me.”

“Might not be for long.
Maybe Sam will
have a sibling?” He raised his eyebrows.

“I
said I’d never have another child. Way too painful.”

“You
said you’d never have sex again either, but I think I’ve shown you it’s pretty
damn good.”

She
smiled. What was twelve hours of pain if it produced a baby that would be part
her and part Bear.
Bear’s baby.
Yeah, she wanted
Bear’s baby growing inside her.

“Maybe
we can give it a try. How about living together for a while and if I haven’t
driven you crazy in a month, then yes I think we should think about making it
permanent. I know we humans aren’t perfect so
be
fully
prepared to bear with me,” said Hannah, hoping Bear caught onto her intentional
pun.