“Dr. Lorenzo is waiting for us.”
“He can examine Nathan first.”
Okay, maybe she was going a bit too slow. Maybe the BOW couldn’t go any slower and still be in motion. But she hadn’t known it would be so upsetting to see a friend hurt. And he was hurt, even if he wanted to shrug it off. Which he couldn’t do because his shoulders were still too bruised and sore from the beating he’d received during the fight. He couldn’t raise his arms to hold the steering wheel, which was the reason she was driving them to the Market Square.
“Nathan needs to stay in human form for a full day to let that shape heal, so Skippy will be watch Wolf today,” Simon said. “But Nathan will be nearby. And Henry will be working in his studio. He’ll hear you if you need help. And Jake Crowgard will keep watch. So will Marie Hawkgard. And Nyx.”
As she tried to decipher the message, she pressed on the BOW’s power pedal, bringing it up to a typical speed.
“Why all the guards?” she finally asked. Simon hadn’t indicated that anything unusual was happening today, and she hadn’t had any pins-and-needles feelings either.
Simon looked out the passenger window. “Not guards, exactly. Just more terra indigene keeping watch.”
“Why?” Crows were always keeping watch. And a Hawk or two always soared over the business area of the Courtyard. And Nyx had been spending more time at Howling Good Reads lately, so that wasn’t unusual either. So why make a point of telling her who would be around when they were often around, especially when Skippy was the watch Wolf?
“The humans started that fight in the stall market, but now the monkeys on the radio and TV are yelling about how the surviving humans who were involved in the fight are in jail and we aren’t. So we can’t trust anyone who comes into the Liaison’s Office. Not for a while.”
Maybe never again? Meg wondered. Having a few humans spoil things for everyone could make an exciting story, but she didn’t like it much when her friends suffered for it. “Those people have no right to be angry with you. You just defended yourself.” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. She stomped on the power pedal, and the BOW shot forward.
“Meg? Could you slow down?”
“You were the one in a hurry.”
“Not that much of a hurry.” Simon braced a hand against the door.
She lifted her foot—and heard him breathe.
“Is it . . . ?” He stopped. Sniffed delicately.
“Is it what?” she growled, knowing exactly why he’d sniffed.
“Nothing.”
They were running out of road, so she slowed down a little more. “You were going to ask if it was that time of the month, weren’t you?”
“I did not say those words.” Then he added in a mutter, “Already learned that lesson.”
She pulled into one of the wide parking spaces that were used by the earth native delivery trucks that brought in supplies from the terra indigene settlements and took back human-made products.
Meg turned off the BOW but made no move to get out, even when Simon opened his door. He looked at her, then settled back in his seat and closed the door.
“Do you think people will stop coming after Lizzy? Stop looking for whatever they think she has?”
“Yes, they will, because we found it.”
She felt light-headed. It took a moment for her to identify the feeling of happiness mixed with relief. “You found it?”
“Something you told Tess helped her find the book that had secrets about the HFL movement. That’s why humans were chasing the Lizzy. They wanted to get the book back before someone read the secrets.”
Just because the Others found the book didn’t mean Lizzy would be safe. “But no one knows you found it.”
“The terra indigene already knew the secrets, Meg. We found out a few days ago. Now some humans will know too.”
“Will they believe you?”
A long pause. “It doesn’t matter if they believe the words or not.”
“No, I guess it doesn’t matter. People will stop coming after Lizzy, and that will be enough.” She opened her door. “Come on. I need to get to work. Let’s get our doctor visits over and done.”
They walked the short distance to the medical office. Theral was at the reception desk. She looked pale, and her eyes were puffy, but she gave them a small smile. “Thanks for sending the flowers. My aunt and uncle . . . It meant a lot to them that you sent flowers picked in the Courtyard. And it means a lot that you’re going to let them have Lawrence’s share of the produce from the garden this year.”
The examination room door opened. Nathan stepped out, looked at them, and said, “You’re next.”
But Meg stopped at the examination room door, despite seeing Dr. Lorenzo waiting for them. She studied Simon. “Sharing food is important. You did that for Lawrence’s family?”
“We wanted them to know Officer MacDonald was . . . valued.”
Friends were valued. Family—pack—was valued. And the loss of a member wasn’t forgotten.
Meg walked into the examination room and let Dr. Lorenzo check her knee and make his notes. Happy that she no longer needed a bandage of any kind, she waited while Lorenzo poked and prodded Simon, wincing in sympathy when the Wolf tried to stifle a whine.
Simon was hurting plenty, but Dr. Lorenzo didn’t think there was any permanent damage. Simon just needed time to heal. They all needed time to heal.
Feeling the prickling along one side of her back, she hoped they would have that time.
“Arooeeooeeoo! Arooeeooeeoo!”
Tess hurried out of the back door of A Little Bite with the coffee and bag of food she’d put together for Meg and Sam. And Skippy, who was the designated watch Wolf today.
“Meg isn’t there yet, Skippy,” Tess said as she walked toward the juvenile Wolf sitting by the back door of the Liaison’s Office.
He turned his head, stared at Tess for a full count of five, then continued his yodeling arroo.
Sometimes his antics amused her. But there was nothing amusing about today, not with what Simon had to tell Lieutenant Montgomery. And now Vlad was holding the phone because someone wanted to talk to Simon—and she’d been asked to deliver the message and distract Meg and the youngsters.
Come on, Simon. How long does it take for a human doctor to figure out you’re sore and bruised and you won’t be chasing down a deer anytime soon?
Her hair started coiling and turned green. They had known a decision would be made in response to the trouble humans had caused with their lies, but receiving a decision through a phone call? That could not be good.
“Arooee—”
“I get to stay with Meg for the whole day.”
Sam’s excited voice, coming from the direction of the Market Square, interrupted the yodel. Skippy turned his head, focused, and rushed toward Sam, Meg, and Simon as they came abreast of the garages.
Simon said, “Not the whole . . . Skippy, no!” He stepped in front of Meg to prevent the youngster from knocking her down in his haste to greet her and get a cookie and get brushed and get whatever else Skippy got when he was supposed to be guarding Meg.
True to his skippy brain, the youngster tried to go between Simon’s legs and ended up trapped when Simon tightened his knees.
“Skippy!” Sam grabbed the Wolf by the scruff. “Don’t pester Meg!”
What’s that human saying about a pot calling the kettle black? Tess thought.
Sam might be younger than Skippy, but he was more dominant. Maybe because, mentally, they were more on a par than the other Wolves, Skippy responded better to Sam than he did to the adults.
“Figured you wouldn’t get much breakfast this morning, so I brought some,” Tess said to Meg. Then she looked at Simon. <Someone wants to talk to you. Vlad is holding the phone.>