Winter Comes Early
Chapter Three
The dream was the same it had been when she was a child. She was at the creek that ran through the back of her father's cabin in the woods. Cody was sitting on the rocks trying to convince her to cross the water on the stepping stones that were too far apart for her small legs. He kept pushing her but she wouldn't go. He called her names and taunted her. Getting more and angrier she jumped to the first rock that was covered in green moss and slipped. A long arm reached for her just before her head hit the sharp bolder sticking out the cold river bed.
"Matt!" She sat up shaking.
"Jess?" Matt was in her room. "What's wrong?"
"It was you."
"What was me?" She pulled her knees up to her chest and took a deep breath.
"I was six. Cody wanted me to go across the creek. I was scared. He kept goading me so I jumped. You caught me before my head hit a sharp rock."
"I was sixteen. Cody was being such a toad." He sat on the end of her bed. "All you wanted was to make him think you weren't a baby anymore..."
"I didn't even know you were there."
"I was always there Jess. You and Cody would have killed yourselves if I hadn't been."
"Why am I just now seeing it?"
"Maybe because you're letting someone get close to you, your finally realizing you weren't really as alone as you thought." Matt smiled. "Maybe you're just seeing that Cody was always a brat and I was the one who saved your ass." He stood up. "I think Cutler might be heating up the lasagna. You coming down?"
"Yeah. I'll get dressed and meet you down there." She watched Matt walk out of her room and she closed her eyes. Matt was always a stranger to her. He was ten years older then her and now they seem to be the friends she always wanted to be. Maybe it was the fact she was letting her guard down with Derek... She picked up her phone and dialed.
"Hey."
"I'm I getting too desperate?"
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I can't get out of bed without hearing your voice." She smiled.
"No, nuts maybe but never desperate." He laughed. "It just tells me you miss me as much as I miss you."
"Are you at work?"
"No. I just got home."
"I don't even know what time it is."
"It's five here so you still have an hour before you have to go to work."
"It's still Tuesday?"
"Last time I checked. You really need this week end. Maybe we should just lock ourselves away in the lodge and forget about the snowmobiling."
"Now what fun would that be?"
"Oh I can think of a thing or two to do." Derek sat in his leather chair. "Jess, are you okay?"
"I've just been having strange dreams lately. Matt thinks it's because I'm letting myself open up to more then just Cody and Cutler."
"Well they are your best friends. Who else would you talk to?"
"I guess my parents and Matt. Now I have you." Derek knew it was hard for her to admit she needed anyone even Cody.
"I'm glad I rate right up there with your family and you're ex boyfriend." He laughed.
"You rate right after my family and way ahead of Cutler, I promise." She looked at the clock. "I better get downstairs and eat before there's nothing left. Call me if you need anything." He laughed.
"Just you talking to me. Have a good night at work sweetheart."
"Aren't they all? Night Derek." She hung up and got out of bed and slipped on a clean pair of work pants over her long johns and slipped on her boots. Grabbing a sweater to go over her shirt and a clean jacket she headed downstairs. Matt and Cutler were in the kitchen waiting for her.
"Can you cut your phone sex to a minimum? My foods getting cold." Cutler looked at her. She hit him in the back of the head on her way to get a soda.
"You need to learn some manners cowboy."
"You used to like my manners." She sat down and stuck her tongue out at him. Matt shook his head.
"Will you two stop it? I swear you two and Cody act like your twelve most of the time." He started eating his dinner. "Hopefully things will be quiet tonight so the three of us can head up to Coral Ridge tomorrow morning. Heart and Kelly can watch things here. Tucker and Avila can stand by too. I just don't like that many ex cons in one place. Cutler found six more felons on parole." Matt told his sister. "Let's keep this between us because dad doesn't need to go half cocked up there and tell him for the hundredth time to stop harboring these guys fifteen miles from town. Cody doesn't need the stress either. He called Jess. Sarah is in the hospital. She dilated six centimeters but she hasn't started labor yet. The doctor said when it does its going to come fast."
"How's Cody?"
"A wreck... He wants you to call him before you start work." Jess nodded. "I called Chelsea. She's exceeded about Friday."
"Excited?"
"We'll she said she'd love to. I think I kind of scared her into it."
"Well that can't be good." Cutler laughed.
"I told her you didn't want to be alone with Derek on your first real date. I didn't tell her you've already shared a bed."
"Joy. If I don't like her we can call it an early night right."
"I work Friday night Matt please don't let her bring her date back here." Cutler smiled.
"Thought maybe you'd like to know how a real man did things."
"Oh you are such a b…brat." He looked at Matt and smiled.
"Well there's always mom and dad's couch. It's real comfortable." Matt knew his sister was in a really good mood so he could be as bad as Cutler and get away with it.
"I'm never sitting on that couch again after seeing the look on their faces this morning. Just remember they watched a movie last night." The front door opened and Jesse and Ava came in. "On that note I'm going to call Cody." She put her plate in the sink and lifted Ava up for a hug. "Hey sunshine."
"Mama's having the baby soon."
"I heard. What are you and gramps up too?"
"He needs to yell at you." Jess looked at her father.
"Not yell Ava. I have to have a discussion with her. She's not in trouble. Yet." Jess put the little girl down. "Go help Uncle Matt with the dishes and I'll come get you when I'm done." He guided his youngest child though the kitchen and into Matt's office. "Sit." Jess looked at him.
"What did I do now?"
"Is there anything you want to confess?"
"Not that I can think of."
"I got a call this morning from Ricky Bryant."
"He's okay?"
"More then okay. He's alive because of you and your brother."
"Matt should here this."
"He already has. Ricky has been a friend of mine for a lot of years. He's landed on that pad a hundred times. This is the first time he called me and thanked me for everything we do for this community and this mountain. He said you both did everything by the book and Cutler wasn't half bad either. I know this job is tougher then anyone will ever know. You do it without a second thought. I thought you would like to know that someone appreciated what you did. The three of you are also going to hear form the woman's family. She's getting her new liver as we speak." He looked at the women he had called his daughter for most of her life. "If sometimes I forget to say it…I'm proud of you and I love you." Jess stood up and hugged her dad.
"Thank you for telling me. I know this is supposed to be a selfless job but it helps to hear someone appreciates you sometimes."
"Well me and your mom and your brothers appreciate you every day." He pushed her away. "I better get Ava to the hospital to see Sarah and Cody. Have you called him?"
"No, I was just about to."
"Okay, I'll let you get to it." He kissed her cheek. "Be careful tonight. I hear you have someone else who appreciates you just as much as your family. Don't give up on that Jess." Jesse took the hand of the little girl and headed out the door. Did everyone know she was spending the week end with a man for the first time in….well a very long time? Picking up the phone she dialed Cody's cell phone.
"It's about time. I thought you were going to sleep the day away."
"You want to stay up all night cleaning helicopter parts out of the snow be my guest."
"At least if I was doing that I might feel useful."
"You being there is useful. Cody your wife needs you now more then ever."
"I know that. But I've never felt so helpless in all my life. I always have a plan, you know. A way to make it right. I don't have that power in this situation. I don't know what to do Jess." She heard the stress in her brother's voice and knew how he felt. He didn't function well when he wasn't in control.
"You want me to come up there after work?"
"Could you Jess?"
"You know I can. I should be done by midnight. Earlier if Matt's in a good mood. You want anything?"
:"No." He was quiet for a few seconds. "Jess?"
"Yeah Cody."
"I'm glad dad and mom picked you." He hung up the phone as tears welled up in Jess's eyes. Damn him for making her cry. What was happening to them? They've all become a bunch of saps at their old ages. Matt came in.
"Something wrong?" She shook her head and went and hugged her oldest brother. He hugged her back. "Jess your scaring me."
"I'm fine. I just have the best brothers anyone could ask for." He laughed.
"Your not so bad yourself little sister. Come on we have to deal with a friend of yours." He got his jacket and gave her hers. "Bialy's back and he thinks he can wonder around in town."
"I thought he went up to the timber line before the snow fell. I thought maybe Satin got to him."
"Nope. His tracking beacon just went off and then Cutler got the call. Hearts in so let's get your buddy back up the mountain where he belongs." Bailey was all alone now. There were not many wolves in this part of the mountains. He had hitched a ride on a train one day and gotten off in Tahoe. Jess had relocated him five times and he always found hi way back.
"I hope nobody shoots him before we get there."
"He's headed this way. He's going slow so he might be hurt but most people see his collar and will know he's being tracked. Jess he know when to run. Unlike some humans I know." They got into the jeep and Jess turned on the GPS and they followed it down the hill to the back of the diner.
"Think he smelled mom's cooking?"
"He always did like her meatloaf." Jess went behind the building and whistled. Bailey came out from behind the crates. "Hey handsome. What brings you to this part of town?" He bonded to her and if she had been a normal person she would have been knocked flat by the sixty pound wolf. "You're a good boy Bailey. You so good. But you need to go back up the mountain my friend." He wined and jumped off her and started back behind the crates. "Bailey Boo we need to go." He wined again and Jess and Matt followed him behind the boxes. There, they found two pups maybe a month old.
"Seems your boyfriend has picked up a family along the way."
"As much as I think he's the smartest wolf anywhere you need a female to have pups. Didn't dad's talk in the eight grade teach you anything Matt?"
"Smart ass. Maybe she was killed." Matt bent down and the pups went to smell his hand. Bailey took Jess's hand in his mouth.
"Bailey...stop…no…" He pulled a little and let her go.
"Jess, he wants you to go with him."
'Since when do wolfs know what they want? And since when do you know what they want?"
"You said he was the smartest wolf ever." Jess shook her head and followed the grey animal to the edge of the clearing behind their mother's diner.
"Matt, bring the pups and come here." Matt scooped up the pups and went to join his sister.
"Is she dead?" Jess took a step toward the female wolf. "Jess that's a wild animal, not your lap dog."
"She's hurt." Taking a few cautious steps she stopped when the wolf bared her teeth and growled. "It's okay girl. I just want to help." Bailey went and stood by her head as Jess took another step. The female snapped but Bailey stepped between them and barked at the female. "Tell her I won't hurt her boy." Jess took another step and the big wolf licked the smaller one.
"Jess…maybe we better just put her down." Jess looked at her brother. "Just a thought." He put the cubs down and they ran to their mother. Jess took the last steps toward the female and went to her knees.
"She's been shot. Go get the first aid kit from the jeep."
"Jess…" He knew better then to ague with her. Both her birth parents had been lawyers and stubborn as they cam. Spending the last twenty years with the Hawkes only made her more stubborn. He turned and ran to the jeep not wanting to be gone too long. When he got back Jess was leaning over the female talking softly. She held out her hand for the first aid kid. "I'm not going to call Morgan and tell him the week ends cancelled because you got bit by a wolf."
"You know what? It wouldn't even faze him." She got some gauze and pressed it against the wound. "It's a gun shot wound. Nine millimeter is my guess. It didn't happen too long ago. It's just starting to clot. We need to get her to Banning's." The vet was in Zephyr Cove.
"Jess she might not make it that far."
"Get the jeep Matt." He turned again doing what he thought wasn't going to turn out well. Getting the vehicle he drove around the diner and parked a few feet from his sister. He opened the back and put a blanket on the floor. Jess lifted the female into the back. Bailey jumped in and Matt put the pups next to there mother. "The second jacket I've gone through in three days. My uniform budget isn't going to be pretty this year." Climbing in the back with the wolves Matt shut the door and radioed that they would be in Zephyr Cove till further notice.