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I could lie to him.
I could tell him that I’m just busy thinking about Reece’s attack and the bakery and how long it’s going to take to clean up, but do I really want to lie again? The entire clan thinks that’s what I am: a liar. They think I’m dark and evil. They think I’m a terrible person. Do I really want to prove them right the first chance I get?
Or do I want to be brave?
Do I want to be different?
Do I want to take a stand for what’s right?
“I was thinking about the day you proposed,” I whisper.
Chapter Seven
Donald
I finish bandaging the foot of the little boy sitting on the exam room table.
“There you go, Edgar,” I say. I try not to judge his mom too much for giving him such a terrible name. Edgar, for me, has always been a name I associate with cartoon villains. This little child is no villain. Edgar is one of the sweetest, craziest, and wildest boys in the clan.
He’s also incredibly accident-prone, as evid
enced by today’s injury.
“What do you say?” His mother prods him gently.
“Thank you, Doctor Donald,” the boy responds carefully.
“No problem. Make sure you rest for a few days, okay?”
“What about running?” The boy squeaks out, looking up at me. I hate to dim the brightness in those eyes, but I shake my head. “No running,” I tell him. “Not today.” Then I turn to Mom. “He needs to stay off his feet as much as possible for a few days, at least. Being a shifter means he won’t have to stay off it for nearly as long as a human kid would, but he still needs to give his body time to recover.”
“Not a problem,” his mother says. Anna is tall and lean: a stereotypical dragon shifter female. She’s also one of the bravest, most caring women in the village. She can be strict with her son, though, and I know that when she says Edgar is going to be sitting on the couch recovering, she means business. “Thank you again.”
“Anytime.”
Although Edgar is nearly eight years old, and tall for his age, Anna wastes no time sweeping him effortlessly onto her back and carrying him out of the office. I start tidying up the little space and straightening things for my next patient.
It’s good to be back in Fablestone.
I was gone for many years, and each day that I’m back, I realize just how long I was really away. It’s nice to be around people who understand me and who are supportive of me. It’s not that living away was particularly difficult, at least not physically. I was fine when it came to food and survival. My basic needs were all met. I guess I just didn’t realize how very lonely living on my own was until I was actually back with my own kind, so to speak.
Now that I have my mate, and more importantly, now that we’re expecting a child, things seem very different than they seemed when I was holed up in my cave.
A knock sounds at the door of the exam room and I turn to see one of the nurses.
“Doctor?” She says carefully, peering in.
“It’s just me in here, Jodi. You can come in.”
She smiles and comes into the room. “The new doctor has arrived.”
“Send her to my office,” I say. “I’ll be right there.”
“Of course.”
When Wilson called in a favor, I expected it to be something selfish. That’s what a “favor” usually entails, but Wilson surprised me. Instead of asking me to help him with something that would make him feel better, he called begging me to get someone here right away who could help with Reece. I should have known he would do anything to help a dragon in need.
When Wilson asked for help, I didn’t hesitate to reach out to the best mental health professional I know. It’s been years since Sabrina and I worked together, but she’s fire and ice in all the right ways. We’ve never dated, and I don’t think of her in any sort of romantic way. I don’t need to. It’s just that she’s a very talented medical professional. She’s one of the best therapists I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and I know that she’s going to do some good in Fablestone. If anyone can reach Reece, it’s her.
