I’D BEEN off for a week when I decided to go back to work. I had learned to control my new strength. After quite a bit of practice and a couple dozen broken eggs, I almost never broke a glass, or crushed a doorknob. 

I woke early Monday morning and was sitting at my desk when my boss arrived. 

“Nickie! How are things?” he asked. 

“Good, I got everything taken care of. Ready to have me back, Mr. Willowby?” 

“I am. I’ve missed you, and while I survived, it wasn’t easy. I appreciate you more after having done without. Don’t think it didn’t occur to me that as hard as it was without you, it would be much worse while school is in session.” 

“I’ll have to take some time during the school year and then you can really appreciate me,” I teased.

“No, please. I’m not sure I would survive it.” His tone was pleading before he broke into a laugh. 

“Maybe now is the time to approach you about that raise…” I grinned. 

“Hmm… I’ll see what I can do; you deserve one,” he said.

“Sir, I was teasing.”

“You may have been, but I think you deserve it. I’ll see what I can do,” he said with a smile. “I would hate for someone to steal you away because I failed to recognize your value.”

“If you insist. I’m sure there’s a back log here. I’ll be busy getting caught up and earning that raise.”

“I’ll let you get to it. I’m certain I couldn’t live without you long term.” 

I just smiled and waited for my computer to finish booting as he walked into his office and closed the door. It took me most of the day to catch up on everything, but I soon had things in order and was back to my normal routine.

* * *

When I arrived at the clinic Friday morning, I was far more comfortable than the week before. I had an idea of what to expect, and what was expected of me. I parked my car on the street in front of the house again, but this time I bypassed the front door and went directly to the gate at the side of the house. I walked in the unlocked front door and headed into the kitchen to put my purse away, noticing Alexis’ wasn’t there. I was closing the cabinet door and started to leave when the door on the other side of the room opened. Turning, I saw Caden entering the room, there was a small parking area I hadn’t known about through the door behind him.

“Oh! You startled me.” I held one hand against my chest and felt my heart beating fast. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He stepped inside and closed the door. “Is Alexis here yet?” 

“I don’t think so. I just got here, but her purse isn’t in the cabinet.”

“That means she’s not in yet. She’ll be out soon, I’m sure.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “Do we have anyone here this morning?”

“You mean overnighters?” When I nodded, he continued, “Not that I know of, there was no one when I left last night and the Lysandros probably would have called if someone had come in.”

“Alright, I think I’ll make a quick walk through, just to be sure.”

“Knock yourself out,” he said. “I’m gonna start a pot of coffee. Do you want some?”

“Don’t make it on my account, but if you’re gonna make it anyway, I’ll probably have a cup.”

“I’m making it anyway. I make it every morning. It’s good to have around, for me or anyone who might come in.”

I nodded again, stepping out of the room. “Makes sense,” I walked down the hall and checked the bedroom at the end of the hall. The bed was neatly made and nothing appeared to have been moved since I had been here, everything was clean, not a spot of dust in sight.  

I made my way through the rest of the building, looking into each room as I passed it, but I didn’t see anything obvious to be done. I was walking into the front room, where the small reception desk sat, when the door opened and Alexis came in. 

“Hey! You beat me.” She smiled. 

“I’ve been here maybe five minutes.”

“The smell of coffee brewing tells me Caden’s here.” 

“He came in just after I did. I was putting away my purse when he opened the door and startled me.”

“I forgot to tell you. We have a small parking area in the back if you want to use that, then you can either use the back door or the rear gate and this one, your choice.”

“Thanks,” I said. Together we went into the kitchen. We sat and visited over coffee.

Just before noon, something finally happened. A teenage boy brought in his younger brother, another teenager, with a compound fracture. The younger boy was obviously in pain, but he was surprisingly silent. 

“Nickie, I’m going to need your help,” Alexis said, guiding the boys into the nearest exam room. I followed her with Caden close behind but he stayed outside the room. “We need to set his arm first,” she said.

“I don’t know how, so tell me what you need and I’ll do it.” I moved closer. 

“The humerus is broken, it’s not as bad as it could be. Only one bone to set rather than two,” she said. “I need you to get behind Jason, wrap your arms around him, and pin his upper arm against his body. I’ll pull and set the break. Got it?” 

“I can do that.” I turned to Jason. “I’m going to hold you and your arm still so we can get it back in place, okay?” I waited until he nodded, then I stepped behind him and carefully wrapped my arms around him. 

The tug of Alexis pulling made me want to close my eyes. Instead, I watched Jason’s brother. He stood calmly on the far side the room, watching me. Caden remained outside the room, not interfering, but making sure no harm came to Alexis. I felt the pop and heard a snap as the bone popped into alignment.

“You can let go now,” Alexis said. “I need a basin of water and some gauze out of that cabinet there.” She pointed her bloody gloved hand at a cabinet. 

Working together, we cleaned up the wound making sure there were no bone chips left and that no blood vessels had been cut or nicked, but we didn’t bandage it. 

“Put your hands on mine, close your eyes, and try to feel the energy, see if you can get a sense of what I’m doing. I’m going to call his wolf. It’ll help stop the bleeding, and at least, mostly close the wound as well as start the bone healing,” Alexis instructed me. 

I silently did as she had said. Standing close so I could reach and covered her hands with mine where she had them hovering above Jason’s shoulders. I closed my eyes and opened a small window in my shield. I felt her power reach deep inside the boy and softly pet the wolf inside. She used the energy to coax the wolf to the surface. I opened my eyes again, and for a moment it seemed like the air around the boy shimmered, blurring him from our view for just a moment. When the shimmering blur faded, a gray wolf lay on the exam table in his place. 

“There,” Alexis said, peeling off her bloody gloves before rubbing the top of his head. “We’ll let you rest for a few minutes and then we’ll see if you can shift back on your own or if I need to help you.” Alexis turned and motioned for me to follow, leaving the wolf and his brother alone. In the hallway, she pulled the door closed before asking, “Did you feel it?”

“Yeah, it was surreal. Like you reached inside and petted the wolf and then convinced it to come to the surface.” 

“Exactly. If the wolf resists for some reason, you can grab hold and drag it out. That’s usually either reserved for punishment or emergencies as it can be shocking and very painful.”

“All right,” I said, paying attention.

“Calling the human form is similar, the main difference is you’re coaxing or pushing the wolf back inside, instead of pulling it forward.”

“So, it all revolves around the wolf. You don’t call a human form; you either call, or push back the wolf.”

“Yes. That’s why we call it restricting someone’s wolf. Only it’s not just the wolf, it’s the same with any animal form. Once you learn to call one, you should be able to call any animal form you sense, be it wolf, bear, cougar, or whatever.” 

“All right,” I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m gonna go make a sandwich for once he shifts again. Why don’t you two keep an ear out in case they need anything?”

I turned back to Caden, who was still standing next to the door.

“You have anything to add?” I asked.

“Not really. I don’t have any of the talents for healing. I’m here partly because I sense violence before it starts, as a talent, it’s a good one for protecting our Harmonia.”

“I can see how it would be,” I said. “Do you mind if I go back in?”

“Go for it. I’ll be able to hear if there’s trouble.”

“Thanks,” I said. 

I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A voice called out and I opened the door and stepped inside. Sitting on the rolling stool, I watched the wolf lying relaxed on the exam table as I thought about what we had just done. He seemed content to lay still, as though exhausted. There was far less pain in his eyes than before.

“How you feeling?” I asked. The older boy looked back and forth from me to his brother, still in wolf form, as though I’d lost my mind.

Jason opened his eyes and looked at me. I opened a small window in my shields so I could hear if he tried to respond. 

I can’t talk. How does she expect me to answer? I heard him think. 

“I can hear you just fine. You just have to think your answer at me and I’ll hear it.”

That’s handy for a doctor.

“I’m sure it would be useful, but I’m not a doctor. I’m just here to learn to call animal forms. I’m helping out where I can while I’m here. You didn’t answer me, how are you feeling?” 

Much better, but tired.

“I’m glad you’re not hurting, not as much at least.”

Thank you for helping.

“You’re welcome. I hate seeing people in pain, especially if something can be done.” I fell silent, watching the two boys until Alexis returned.

A soft knock sounded on the door and I got up and opened it. Alexis came in carrying a sandwich on a plate. My nose said it was ham and cheese. Setting the plate on the counter, she turned to the wolf. 

“Well then,” she said. “Are you feeling better?” He lifted his head and nodded once. “Good, do you think you can shift on your own?” Again, he nodded. We waited while the shimmering blur returned, fading again after just a moment to reveal the blond teenager he had started out as. He was still sitting on the exam table where he had begun, only now his clothes were shredded bits of cloth on the exam table under him. 

Alexis pulled a set of gray sweats out of the cabinet next to the sink and gave them to Jason. 

“Here, we’ll step out so you can get dressed.” Once the door closed and we were in the hall, she turned to me, “You’re getting better. You didn’t look away or blush when you realized he had shifted out of his clothes.” 

“I’m trying, sometimes are easier than others.”

“It’s only been two weeks since you learned all this. You’ve made a lot of progress.” 

“Thanks, sometimes I feel so lost. I can’t tell my family or friends and I feel like I’m drifting away from my closest friends.” 

“I’m sorry. If it means anything, I think you are doing exceptionally well.”

“You are doing well for someone who has only known of us for two weeks,” Caden put in.

“Thanks, it helps to know that.”