SNOWSWEPT

by CuddleFae

Dr. Lauren Lewis has been assigned to oversee the opening of a new hospital. Overwhelmed by all there is to know and learn in an unfamiliar land, she crosses paths with a mysterious woman with a dark past - a past that has caused her to live by one rule. Trust no one. Thrown into a desperate struggle, can they overcome the barriers between them in their fight to survive?

10. Chapter 10: The Outsiders

A/N: FYI – This update is three chapters beginning with Chapter 9. If you haven't read chapter 9, you should go back to get the full scoop before moving on to read this chapter and then Chapter 11. Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 10: The Outsiders

Talkeetna, Outside the Clinic and Barn Kennels

Bo pulled up to the clinic, driving her snow hook into the slush beneath her feet. She stomped on it several times to be sure it was firmly in the soil before lifting Harper from the basket. She stood for a long moment, deciding whether or not her plan was well-timed. She had never seen anything like this… a line of twenty people snaked from the porch along the side of the building. Considering the sizable waiting area inside the clinic, her concern grew for what Lauren was dealing with inside. Where were her nurses?

She picked up her phone and called Evony who answered with an agitated tone,

"What!"

"Uh, hello to you too, Evony. Are you aware of what's going on at the clinic?"

"Aware? I'm INSIDE the clinic right now! She has me giving people shots! Me! Giving shots!"

"Well, don't hurt anyone."

"Where are you! Why aren't you in here helping! I know you know how to give shots. I've seen you give your dog's shots!"

"I'm outside, Evony. I'll be in as soon as I kennel the dogs."

"Well, get that brat of a business partner of yours to do it. Your lady love needs your ass in here now! Stat! Good God! Now she even has me using her medical terms!"

She could almost hear Evony's phone being thrown across the clinic as the call went dead. She sighed, going back to the sled to drive it around back to the Kennel entrance. She called to Harper,

"Come on, girl. Plans have changed."

The canine followed obediently, though at a significantly slower speed than Bo who was now lamenting her afternoon plans with the blonde. She had picked up a bow and card at the General Store, ignoring Molly's prodding for more information about this romantic gesture she had planned. Of course, she did kneel down and provide the details with a whisper into Elise's ear causing the little girl to giggle as she swore an oath not to tell Molly.

To Bo, Elise looked… happy… today. As much as a child could, given the circumstances. She was playing with her new puppy on the back floor of the store where Molly had set up a small play area. Molly had clearly taken to the little girl and it appeared, Elise felt the same way. Bo smiled as she gathered what she needed and stood at the counter to write out the card while Elise read a story to Molly in the back. The new foster mom had explained when she arrived that Elise had been over to see Lauren twice today. Once for a physical in the morning and once just because she wanted to talk to her. Molly expressed her appreciation of Lauren taking time to see her during the unannounced visit because she was so busy.

Bo pulled the sled onto the drop off ramp, LJ running to her side, "Hey, Bo! How'd they do out there?"

She grinned, "Just like old times, LJ. It's great to have my A-team back together again." She heard Harper groan and leaned down to scratch between her ears, "Minus my number one girl, here."

Harper barked, causing the pair to laugh, but LJ was quick to speak, "I stopped by the clinic to get my shot. Lauren asked me when you would be back. She's a little overwhelmed over there, Bo. I would have gone to help her, but…"

"It's okay, LJ. Evony just gave me an earful. I'm on my way over there now. Although, I've never given a shot to a human before. This could be a little dicey."

LJ laughed, "Better you than me!"

Bo smiled, "Still working on sticking oranges then?"

He scowled, "The vet said I'm sticking the needle in too deep."

Bo stepped off the sled, watching as the dogs went running free to the water trough, "It's important, LJ. You just have to remember that they use oranges to teach us how to give injections because the skin is about the same as ours. Once you puncture the outside, the needle slides easily past the flesh. Prick, gentle press, plunger."

"Yea, yea. So, everyone keeps telling me. Don't be surprised if we have to hire a Vet Tech for a while. It might be a decade until I'm certified."

She slapped his back as she moved to hang her gear, "Hang in there, Champ. One of these times, it will just click, and you'll get it."

"I hope you're right. I fear the supply of citrus could run low at the time of year we're used to having plenty."

"All because of your practice sessions?"

"Exactly."

Bo laughed, "Just make sure you eat what you're practicing on. Use every bit of skin before you eat."

He saluted, "Aye, Aye, Captain."

"So, what are your plans for your day off tomorrow?" Bo asked, knowing she was on the schedule to work the kennel tomorrow."

He shrugged, "I was thinking of flying out to Nome."

Bo offered a wicked grin, "Gonna go see that girl who caught your eye at the Iditarod, huh?"

He shrugged, "Maybe. There's a guy out there who built an experimental sled. He's offered two of them to our team for free if we're willing to try them out."

"Be careful, LJ. Usually these guys are trying to get us to put their brand on our chest and if they're a competitor of someone who is already sponsoring us… like Kyle's Sleds and Things… we could lose a longtime, dedicated sponsor."

"Uh… right. Sorry, Bo. I hadn't thought…"

"The deal you have to make is the one that has him selling his sleds to Kyle so she can decide pricing. That way, we don't lose a sponsor and he still gets to sell his sleds – if that's all he really wants. I want to make sure we're clear about the line in our business, LJ..."

He waved her off, wanting to set the record straight himself, "I'm not the owner of the kennel, only a one-third owner of the business itself. I don't have any say in the purchases and cannot make deals on your behalf without you seeing the contracts first. I'm getting experience and will have the option of buying into the business as a full partner down the road when you feel you can trust my knowledge and instincts as both a musher, trainer, handler and knowledgeable buyer of gear and equipment."

Bo nodded, "And this sled might be a good way for you to learn about equipment. I'd be interested to see if you can tell the difference between the sled this guy wants to sell us and the sleds that I've built."

"I don't really think I have a good feel for sled just yet. I mean, the difference between the old sled you gave me and your back up sleds for the Iditarod are definitely obvious, but I'm not sure why."

"Well, you're in luck. Spring is when I build and rebuild sleds. I have some ideas for a new rail and… well, look… we'll talk about this later. I really have to go help Lauren out at the clinic."

She paused, feeling bad that she and LJ had been running in opposite directions for the last two weeks. She really needed to set aside some time for them to run together before the snow melted completely. She looked up at him as she headed for the door,

"This spring, you and me… sled building 101."

"Really?" He asked his facial expression matching the excitement in his voice.

"Absolutely. If you're ever going to be a full partner, I need you to know everything I know."

"Except your top-secret secrets, of course."

She smiled, "Even those will be yours, LJ. You're the closest thing I'll ever have to a son. I have to pass on my knowledge and skills to someone. I can't think of a better candidate."

LJ smiled, his eyes tearing up, "I think… wow… that's the most amazing thing you've ever said to me, Bo."

She was short on time, but this moment… well, she owed this kid this moment. She doubled back, wrapping her arms around the young man. She should have done this long ago rather than holding him at arm's length, thinking she was protecting him,

"I love you, Little Jon. You have always and will always hold a very special place in my heart. I know you're becoming a man and all, but to me, you'll always be that spirited kid who wanted to be my shadow. I know I haven't been around much, but I promise you that I will make time for us to hang out and plan a few times a week."

She pulled back, seeing the tears streaming down his face. He wiped them away as she wiped away a few unexpected tears of her own,

"You've earned this, LJ and I'm sorry it took me so long to open up and tell you what you've meant to me. I was so mean to you…"

He shook his head, "If you'd have been anything but, you would have put another target on your back with my great grandfather. I understand, Bo. It hurt a little, but as I got older, I understood. Really. I'm okay."

She took his hands and looked at him, "We're okay?"

He nodded, "We're okay." He took a deep breath, "But you won't be if you don't get over to the clinic."

"Right." She smiled, "See you soon."

She turned and rushed for the door, LJ calling out, "Harper's following!"

"I've got her. Come on, girl. Let's see if you can put a little pep in that step!" She leaned down slapping her legs as she called to her, "Hike! Hike!"

She stood, eyes wide as Harper ran to her, "LJ! She's…"

"Ohmagawd! She's running, Bo!"

The brunette knelt down, taking the dog into her arms, "Good girl! Good girl, Harper!"

She pulled back, gripping the fur on either side of her neck, "You're back!"

Harper let out a howl and a bark, confirming Bo's greatest hope, "You're back." She said, burying her face in her neck, "You're really back."

"Harper! Harper! Come, girl!" LJ called.

Bo released her, watching her turn and run to her favorite human boy. He praised her when she arrived in his embrace, causing Bo's heart to fill with joy. She stood, wiping more tears from her face. She laughed,

"I haven't cried as much in my entire life as I've cried in the past twenty-four hours."

"You're turning into quite a sap, Bo!"

She nodded, "I started therapy today. Maybe that's why I'm getting sappy."

Shock ran through her body as she realized what she'd just said, "I guess that was a bit of an over-share. Can we keep that between you and me?"

LJ smiled, "I think it's great, Bo and yes, absolutely between you and me. You had mentioned it to me before… thinking you needed counseling. I used to talk to my guidance counselor at school. He helped me out a lot with a lot of the anger I felt as a kid."

"You were angry?" Bo asked.

He nodded, "Big Jim was my blood and he had the woman I admired the most in the world next to my Mom thrown in jail after killing almost her entire team of dogs."

Bo nodded, "I'm so sorry, Jon. I never thought of how all of that might have affected you."

He offered a sad smile, "You pushed me away to try to protect me. Of course you didn't notice how upset I was at all he took from you."

A tight smile spread across her face, "You were smart even as a kid."

He shrugged, "You really need to go, Bo. I was there when Lauren got the call that she was right and that they were shipping the medicine by bush plane right away. She was ecstatic, but when word spread, she quickly became overwhelmed. Having Evony as an assistant isn't helping matters any."

Bo sighed, "Are her nurses there?"

He nodded, "Yes and three additional nurses volunteered and flew in last night. They woke Kenzi up to check in at the hotel. She put them in your apartment because she didn't have any rooms left."

"The cruise ship workers showed up?"

LJ nodded again, "They're getting ready for the season and…"

"I know, I know. They need somewhere to stay until the ships arrive and they have somewhere to sleep."

"Even her train cars are booked. Vex said the food is on its way, but she's going to be shorthanded and lacking supplies for a few days. I'd stay out of her way if I were you."

She shook her head, "I've got to try to help her whenever I can."

She looked around the kennel. There was a lot to do.

"I can stay if you'd like, Bo. There will be other days off."

"No, LJ. You've been working nonstop…"

"Bo, you've been working nonstop all of your life and now that you have a season off, you're still working even harder than ever… not to mention that it's spring and you deserve some time with Lauren before… well… you know."

"Before she leaves in the winter. You can say it, LJ. I'm well aware she's leaving. I think she keeps saying it to remind me not to get to settled with the way things are."

"I'm sorry, Bo."

"Yea, me too."

"If you're going to stay, close up here for the day and go down to help Kenzi."

He smiled, "Will do, Boss! Just needed permission to close the shop. The vets have passwords to get in and out via the electronic locks now."

"We can track who comes and goes and what time, right?" Bo asked.

"No one gets in or out without the eye in the sky or the little keypad knowing." He pointed up at the security cameras that were now up and running, "Oh, and I had doggie cams installed to! They're mounted into the front of every crate. I'll show you how to access them later."

"Great. More technology to learn." She said, waving him off as she headed for the door once more, "Hike, Harper!"

He watched with a smile as the pair jogged through the exit before turning to see thirty-five dogs running, jumping and playing in the straw between the rows of crates. He was looking forward to building the outdoor area adjacent to the barn for them to be able to run and play in the snow in time for fall. But, for now, he would go see the head Vet and let them know he was locking up to go help Kenzi at the hotel.

Talkeetna Medical Clinic

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!" Evony yelled at Bo as she entered through the cold room door to find Evony at the refrigerator pulling out a tray of small glass bottles.

"Evony, I have responsibilities at the kennel and Lauren understands that. I'm here now, so either continue to yell at me or put me to work."

"Fine." She said with a huff, "Follow me."

Bo followed behind Evony, laughing as she tapped her foot when Bo stopped to wash her hands and pull on some gloves. When Bo finished, she pointed to the examination table behind Lauren's. Bo leaned over and whispered in the blonde's ear,

"Sorry I'm late."

Lauren turned, her eyes wide, "Bo! When did you…"

"If I'd have known, I would have skipped my appointment with Tamsin."

She shook her head, "I didn't want you to miss that, Bo. She called earlier to see if I had any idea what time you'd be in and gave me just a hint that it was about your mom."

Bo nodded, "It was and we're a step closer, we think. Anyway, she's leaving to go back to her search, but still, she didn't need me to do that. I should have been here."

She looked up, her eyes scanning the room. Some people looked horrible, others looked fine, "So… this is insane."

Lauren nodded, "I'm just afraid we're going to run out of the antibiotic for the sick… or the vaccine for the healthy… or both."

"What is this, Lauren?"

The blonde sighed, "Have you ever heard of Legionnaire's Disease?"

"I vaguely recall hearing something on the news when I was a kid. It's in vents in hotels?"

"Well, that's one way it can be spread. It's an airborne illness which is why I'm wearing a mask…"

"…and why you'll be wearing one as well." Said Evony, handing Bo a mask which she put on without protest.

Lauren thanked Evony and continued, "Elise isn't sick because her mom kept her away from their water. Her dad must have figured it out but was too sick to pass on the information. I think all he was able to do was warn his wife not to drink the water. It was too late for her, but by telling Elise to eat only canned soup and stay away from her body fluids, she saved her daughter's life and gave me the missing pieces I needed to figure this out. The tests came back on the water, confirming the presence of what they're calling "The Alaskan Strain of the Legionella Bacterium".

"The Alaskan Strain?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded, "These bacteria shouldn't be able to survive in this climate, but apparently its managed to mutate its little self into something that survives in our water."

Bo smiled hearing Lauren use the term 'our' as if she was now a resident of Alaska despite the fact that she was talking about a terrifying bacterium that could kill.

"I knew that some people were dying, and some people were not. That's when I first suspected it might be bacterial and not viral as I was previously led to believe."

Lauren turned to a healthy little girl sitting next to her mother on the exam table, "You'll just feel a little pinch and a sting, okay? It'll all be over in a second and then, you get your choice of those lollipops if it's okay with mom, alright?"

The little girl nodded, but her bottom lip was quivering. Lauren smiled as she pulled up the youngsters' sleeve about to talk when another young girl came bopping into the room with a lollipop in her mouth. She climbed up onto the table and sat on the other side of the little girl, smiling up at Lauren,

"Sorry I'm late for work. I had to finish reading Molly a story. She likes when I read to her." Elise smiled, her lips and tongue red from the lolly.

Lauren laughed, "I may have to dock your pay."

Elise frowned, "You said two lollies a day…"

"Uh… we don't discuss employee contracts in front of the patients."

Elise frowned as the mother of Lauren's current patient smiled, "Sorry, La… Doctor Lewis."

Lauren nodded, "Work now, pay later."

Elise turned to the little girl on the table and showed her the Powerpuff Girls bandage on her shoulder where she had gotten her vaccine,

"Do you know the Powerpuff Girls?"

The little girl nodded, her eyes on the needle that Lauren was loading from the vial of vaccine. Bo watched the scene unfold, learning how Lauren was administering the drug to the healthy patients. After a few moments of looking around, she had determined that the nurses were handling the sick.

Elise smiled, "My favorite is Blossom because she's so brave. Who's your favorite?"

"Blossom because she's brave." The little girl replied, sharing a smile with Elise.

"I got this because I was brave when Doctor Lewis gave me my shot."

"Will I get one?" The little girl asked, touching Elise's adhesive strip with her finger and then pulling her hand back, folding it into the other one on her lap.

Elise smiled, "Yup. If you want, you can choose other ones." Elise grabbed the plastic container with the strips in it, holding her patients' attention while the doctor lifted her sleeve up to reveal her shoulder, "There's SpongeBob and Bugs Bunny…"

"He's funny." The little girl giggled.

Elise nodded, "There's Winnie the Pooh and Scooby Doo…"

"Hey! You rhymed!"

Elise giggled, "I did." She looked back in the container, "There's Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. I almost got a Mickey Mouse, but then I saw the Powerpuffs."

The little girl scratched her arm, then looked up at Lauren, "It itches."

Lauren smiled, "All done."

The little girl looked at her arm, seeing a small bit of blood which Lauren covered with an alcohol swab, pressing firmly,

"It didn't hurt. It just felt like an itch."

"That's because Doctor Valaria was distracting you."

The little girl turned to Elise, "You're a doctor?"

Elise giggled, "No, silly. Doctor Lewis was just joking. I'm the distructer…" She looked up at Lauren, "What am I called again?"

"You're the distractor. You make sure that my patients don't notice when I give the injection, so it doesn't hurt."

"Can I have my bandage now?" The little girl asked.

"Absolutely. Elise handles the bandages."

"Which one do you want?" Elise asked.

"Can I have the one you have?"

Elise smiled and nodded, "We can match! Like twins!"

She handed Lauren the adhesive strip and watched as the doctor applied it, "And now…" Lauren looked at the mom who nodded, "… you get your choice of lolly. Elise?"

"I like red, but there's all different colors."

"I'll have red too… or pink… or blue."

Elise laughed, "Well, you have to pick one."

The little girl looked at the red on Elise's lips, then looked at the lollies in the jar and finally said, "I'll have blue."

Her mom asked, "What do you say, Janie?"

"Please?" She smiled up at Lauren, her teeth showing as she spoke.

"Well, how can I possibly say no to such a polite little girl?" Lauren smiled, taking a blue lolly from the glass container, handing it to the child.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, my brave little Janie." Lauren smiled, tweaking the little girls nose, causing her to giggle.

Bo watched, falling just a little more in love with the doctor in that moment. She had such a big heart and it was like there was room for everyone inside of it. Bo turned her attention to the interaction between the mother and daughter, the little girl watching intently as her mom took off the wrapper and handed it to her.

She smiled, saying, "Thank you, mommy."

"You're welcome, Sweetie."

Bo smiled at the sight. She remembered fondly the days when her mom would take her to the general store to get a bag of penny candy for special occasions. Lollipops were one of her favorites, but never too many or too often. There was definitely no shortage of sugary candy in the villages because of how cheap it was, but that caused many dental problems among the population. Bo's mom, however, had been adamant about the health of her daughter's teeth, so the brunette had grown up brushing, visiting the dental clinic and eating sugary treats only on special occasions.

She looked back to find Lauren gone, Elise as well. She smiled at the mother and daughter, "I think that's it for today."

Evony stepped up, "This is your discharge form. Please be sure to read the instructions carefully and call the number on the form if any of the potential side effects appear in the next forty-eight hours. Do you have access to a phone?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, we have a cell phone."

"Great. Doctor Lewis will want to see you both back here in two weeks just to do a little blood work to be sure that you're clear of the bacteria since we're unsure if you've been exposed."

Again, the mother nodded, "I was exposed at work and was sick for two weeks." She smoothed back her daughters hair, "I guess I was one of the lucky ones. Janie was exposed to me and several students at school. We'll stop back. I won't take any chances with her."

"I hate to ask, but we're required…" Evony smiled politely, "Is her father in your life or any other family members who may have contacted you?"

The mother shook her head, "No father, but both of my parents live with us. They were here earlier today with me. I waited until she was finished school to bring her over. I didn't want her to miss any more class time."

Evony smiled down at the little girl, "Do you like school, Janie?"

The youngster smiled, "I do. I like math."

Evony grinned, "Good girl. You work hard and maybe someday you'll be able to own your own hospital too."

"You own the hospital?"

Evony smiled, "I do."

"You're pretty."

"Well, thank you, little lady. That's quite the compliment coming from a little beauty like yourself."

"You think I'm pretty too?"

Evony smiled, "Of course. Beauty comes from all of that confidence and bravery you have inside of you. When you show people what a strong woman you are, they see the beauty before they're even close enough to see you."

"Huh?"

"You just remember what I said. You'll get it one day. Okay, off you go, urchin. We have other patients that need shots who aren't nearly as brave as you."

The little girl giggled with Evony and allowed her mom to pick her up from the table. When her feet hit the floor, she looked around the room before looking up at Evony,

"Where's Elise? I want to say goodbye to her and ask her if we can play together."

Evony turned to look at Bo, who smiled down at the little one, "She had to go help Doctor Lewis, but I'm sure she would love to play with you." Bo looked at her mom, "Elise is staying with Molly and Mark Morton."

She glanced at Evony who knelt down to ask Janie about her shoes to distract her while Bo and the mom stepped away,

"You're Greta Tyson, yes?"

"Uh… yes. I…"

Bo extended her hand, "I'm Bo Dennis. I know a lot of people in town, but between training my dogs for sled racing, my construction company and my work trapping game and fur for the local stores to keep our people fed and clothed, I've never had much time for socializing."

"Oh. I… well… you're… if you don't mind my saying, you're nothing like the way people have described you."

Bo shrugged, expecting much worse than that, "Thank you, I guess?"

"Oh, I didn't mean… I just…"

Bo laughed, "I'm not the crazed murderer you were told I was?"

The woman shook her head, "Well, when you put it that way, I feel like a real shit."

Bo smiled, placing a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder as she hung her head, "It's okay. I suppose keeping my distance and allowing… certain members of the community… to tell everyone who I was rather than speaking for myself didn't help my reputation any."

"Still, I've been teaching my daughter to be accepting and not to judge a book by its cover. I should take my own mothering advice."

Bo smiled, "Really, it's okay. Look, what I wanted you to know before you decide to bring Janie for a play date with Elise – which, by the way, would be incredible if you were on board – is that her Mom died just last night."

She finally spied the pair over in the corner by the cold room door and nodded that direction, "I think seeing you and Janie together reminded her that…"

"Oh, my. I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be. You should never be sorry that Janie still has her mom. What you should know is that Molly and Mark are fostering her. She's from up in Chase and has no other family. We're all going to be working to help her adjust to her new life here and… well, since we're all adults and the Morton's all have boys, a little girl playmate would be incredible."

Greta nodded, "I'd be happy to help. I live just a few blocks from the Molly and work up at the…"

"…Post Office, I know. I hate to rush off, but with Lauren handling Elise, I need to jump in here and administer some vaccines. Can you talk to Molly about setting up some time for them to be together during the summer?"

Greta nodded, "Of course! School's almost out, so we'll get them together. Is she going to register for school?"

Bo shrugged, "I'm not sure. You'll have to talk to Molly or Lauren about that."

"Thank you for explaining, Bo. It was really nice to meet you. Congratulations on the Iditarod win, by the way. I don't think Janie recognized you without a parka on. She had a poster of you in her room from the race this year. Her Uncle took pictures and had one blown up at the Kodak store. They had to hang it right away."

Bo smiled, "Well, maybe next time when I don't have gloves on, we'll have a proper meeting."

"Thank you. I'll get out of your hair now." She turned to Janie, "Come on, Janie. Let's go see Molly at the General Store."

Elise appeared, hesitating as she walked towards the little girl she'd just met. Greta knelt down, "Hi Elise. Did you want to see your patient before she goes?"

She looked up at Lauren who bent down and whispered in her ear, "If you want a new friend, now's the time."

She grinned at Lauren and walked to the woman, "I'm Elise Valaria. I live with Mark and Molly Morton. Do you know them? They're my…" she looked at Lauren who nodded. Elise turned back to the woman, "… they're my foster parents."

"Well, we happen to be going to Mark and Molly's General Store right now." She looked up at Lauren, "If you want, she can walk over with us if she's finished working for today."

Lauren smiled, looking at Elise, "We're just about finished here for today, so it's fine with me if you go with them, sweetie."

Elise turned back around, "My mommy taught me I shouldn't talk to strangers. I'll have to know your names so you're not strangers anymore."

Bo, Lauren and Greta had to purse their lips together to hold back the laughter as the youngest of them held out her hand and exclaimed,

"I'm Janie! I'm gonna be your bestest friend!"

Lauren's eyes welled with tears as Elise took the offered hand, "I'm Elise. I'd love to be your best friend."

Greta smiled, "Elise, I'm Ms. Tyson, but you can call me Greta if you'd like. I'm friends with Molly."

"So, you'll be like my Aunt?"

Greta smiled, "If you'd like to call me Aunt Greta, that would be fine."

Elise smiled up at Lauren, "I've never had an Aunt before."

"Well, you do now!" Lauren said, "Okay then, you scoot off with your Aunt Greta and best friend Janie while Bo and I get finished helping people get well."

"Bo?" Janie asked.

Bo smiled, "Yup. I'm Bo."

"Bo Dennis?"

Elise smiled, "She's an Iditarod Champion!"

"O.M.G.! I have your poster on my bedroom wall! You're awesome!" she looked at Elise, "She's awesome!"

Elise nodded, "I know! I have her poster too! I have a book about the Iditarod back at the store that talks all about all of the greatest woman mushers ever! Bo's in the book, too! Wanna go read it together?"

"Totally!"

The two joined hands and ran off together, Greta yelling, "Wait at the end of the line!"

She turned back to Bo and Lauren, "Thank you two so much. Janie's best friend moved to the lower forty-eight right after Christmas and her other friends live in Anchorage, so we don't get down there often with my work schedule. Daily train runs are too expensive for my wallet."

"I'm sure the two of them are going to be fast friends. It's win-win all around." Lauren smiled, "We really need to get back to these patients."

"Of course, I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you again."

"Be sure to read the discharge instructions."

Greta waved as she walked to the exit. Lauren turned to Bo, "Okay, so let's get you started. You already know how to fill a syringe. I've seen you do it with your dogs. Just remember to expel any air before injecting…"

"So I don't kill someone with a pulmonary embolism. Got it. I watched you with Janie. Intramuscular shoulder injection. I just need the dosage and a look at the discharge instructions. I take it I'm handling the healthy?"

Lauren nodded, "You and I are handling the healthy since we know everyone. The nurses are handling the sick. My intake nurses from Boston flew in as volunteers last night. I trust them to handle the sick."

She pulled out the dosage sheet and handed it to Bo, "The dosage corresponds to body weight just like it does for your dogs. Their body weight will be on the intake form they'll be holding."

She turned back towards her table, but stopped and turned around, "Just so you're aware, my nursing staff volunteered to help. They flew in last night and surprised me this morning."

"That was nice of them. I'm glad you have such a great support group, Lauren." Bo replied.

"Yup. They're great, however, what I want you to know specifically is that as soon as they walked in the door, I was bombarded with questions. Apparently, Nadia has a bigger mouth than I knew. They want to know who you are and are demanding to have drinks with us tonight."

"Do you always hang out with your nurses?" Bo asked, immediately deciding that what she had planned could wait if Lauren wanted to go out with her nurses. Besides, it would give Bo a chance to meet more people from Lauren's world.

"No, but they don't understand boundaries very well. They've decided since they've volunteered to help me, the least I can do is be their personal tour guide."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll do. If you want to hide out and avoid them, I can help you with that as well. Just let me know what you want to do." Bo cringed, realizing that she just made the assumption that Lauren would want her around, "And if you want me to make myself scarce…" she chuckled, "…I can be the mysterious love interest that Nadia spoke of and you can deny the whole thing."

Lauren chuckled, "That could be fun too. But there's only one problem with that."

"What's that?"

The doctor shrugged, finishing up organizing Bo's tray before waving the next patients forward, "I'd miss you too much. They're here for five weeks."

"Five weeks?"

Lauren nodded, "Don't worry. I plan to give them drinks tonight – if I don't keel over first, then weekend tourist stuff. I haven't seen half of the stuff yet either."

Bo nodded, "They can't complain about weekends with Doctor Lewis. That should fit the bill."

It was Lauren's turn to cringe, "Bo, I don't mean I won't be seeing you on weekends. I'm just saying a few hours here and there, not every weekend."

"It's fine, Lauren. Like I said, whatever you need." Bo turned to see Kurt coming to her table, "Hey, Kurt. How's the plane flying after last night."

"All good, Bo. Did three trips with the vaccines today, so decided after being around all of those sick people, I'd better come in and get the vaccine myself."

"Good idea." She checked his chart for his weight, then checked the dosage sheet before drawing the correct amount of the drug into the syringe. She raised his shirt sleeve, swabbing the area with an alcohol swab before administering a perfect injection."

"Wow. I barely felt a thing. You're good, Bo." He smiled as she recorded the vaccine on his chart and handed it back to him.

"Head over to the nurse and she'll handle your check out. Make sure you get the post-vaccine instructions. It's really important that you read them so you know what to look for should you have an adverse reaction. There's a phone number on there to call if you have any issues."

Kurt hopped off the table, pulling down his sleeve and picking up his coat, "Thanks, Bo." He waved to Lauren, "See you soon, Doc. I'm in town at the hotel if you need anything else."

Lauren shook her head, "Get some rest, Kurt. You've been flying for eight straight hours. You need to rest."

"For sure." He smiled, walking to the nurses' station where Bo noticed a cute little blonde who was smiling at her friend.

Bo nodded to Lauren's patient as he stood from the table and gave her a smile. She leaned over and whispered to the doctor,

"Did you hear? I give great needle."

Lauren laughed, "I heard."

"Who's the cute little blonde at the nurses' station?"

Lauren looked up and smiled, "Why? You interested?"

Bo crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the nurse for a while, "Hmmm… well, she's blonde and I seem to like blondes. She works in medicine, so she could probably do well with the dogs. I guess I'd have to try her out with sledding, bedding and…"

She stopped when she felt the hard slap on her shoulder, "What?"

"You may just find yourself sleeping alone tonight if you're not careful."

Bo smirked, "You mean I'm not sleeping alone tonight?"

"It sounded like you were planning to sleep with my nurse."

Bo tilted her head, looking around the counter, "Nah. Her ass isn't near good enough for me and her tits are too big."

"Too big?" Lauren asked, "I think they're pretty perky."

Bo shrugged, "More than a mouthful's a waste, darlin'."

Lauren slapped her again, "You're gross."

Bo laughed, "You don't seem to mind my mouth on yours and they do fit perfectly in my mouth."

"Shhh. Someone will hear you."

"We're completely alone. Call for the next patients. I want to get out of here sometime before midnight."

"Okay, let's make a wager here. We'll each call our own patients. No one bleeds, gets embolized or otherwise maimed. The one who administers more vaccines before the line is gone wins."

"And what do they win?"

"Anything they want."

"Anything?"

"Anything." Lauren winked, "I mean, within reason." She lowered her head, "You can't ask for things like me not going back to Boston."

Bo shook her head, "Did you have to mention it?"

Lauren's shoulders dropped, "I just wanted to be sure you knew I didn't mean…"

"I know, Lauren. I know."

The doctor nodded in response, regretting bringing up the topic. Last night, Bo had mentioned that she brought it up all the time. Now, she realized the brunette was right. She really did bring it up all the time. Bo didn't need a reminder of what was sure to be a heartbreaking time in her life. It was going to be hard for her to leave as well. Maybe she was just bringing it up because she was trying to remind herself she was leaving. Was that so that she didn't allow herself to get in too deep with Bo? Truly, it wasn't just Bo. It was LJ, the dogs, Molly, Mark, Tosh, Kenzi, Kurt and now there was Elise to consider. She sighed, looking back up at Bo who had quietly resumed giving injections.

She waved to her nurse and prepped the next vaccine. Maybe she was the one who should be meeting with Doctor Gray. No, that was Bo's person now. She would work it through and if she needed someone to talk to, she would call Dr. Archer. He would set her straight.

For now, she had vaccines to administer. She looked up to see Kelly looking her way. She turned her attention to the patient, inviting them to sit atop the examination table. The younger nurse had often made her feel a bit uncomfortable with her forward nature. Shannon and Carolyn were both more level-headed and professional when on duty, but while on a break in the hospital cafeteria, they had made it clear that Lauren have a straightforward conversation with Kelly if she was bothering her. They were looking out for their friend, not wanting her to have a sexual harassment suit brought against her, but Lauren never did. She would rather put up with the comments than have to confront her about that discomfort. She would never file a suit because that would bring even more unwanted attention to her.

After giving the injection and post-visit care instructions, Lauren sent the patient on the way and waved another over. She glimpsed Kelly's way again, only to see her eyes were still set on her despite patients waiting to check out. She pointed to the line, watching as the woman became flustered, her cheeks turning pink at being caught administering sub-par care to patients. It was well-known that Lauren did not tolerate breech of her 'patient first' rule.

She sighed, satisfied that Kelly would not allow it to happen again. They were all well aware that Evony had sent Nadia home for distracting Lauren. They were forewarned by Evony when they volunteered that Lauren had established a rhythm here that she wanted to maintain, so they would either go with the flow or be sent back on the first available flight.

She looked over her shoulder to see Bo quietly working to administer vaccines as quickly as possible, though she now feared it was more to escape the clinic and Lauren as quickly as she could and not to win the fun bet that she had proposed before she'd ruined the atmosphere. She silently cursed herself once more for being such a hard ass with Bo before plastering a fake smile on her face and turning to her next patient.

Ninety Minutes Later, The Clinic…

"Okay, Doctor Lewis. Everything is cleaned up, the remaining vaccines are in the fridge, the med cabinets are all locked, the alarms are set on the interior and the outside doors are all locked except for the cold room door. Of course, you'll have to explain to us what the cold room is."

Lauren nodded, finishing up her paperwork and filing it in a folder in her desk drawer. She stood and locked her filing cabinet before moving to her safe where she worked through the combination, locking the key and a few other files inside. She turned back to Carolyn, offering a smile. She was grateful for her presence here. Back home, she was her top staff nurse. Everything ran like clockwork when Carolyn was on shift. Shannon was also here who was the best intensive coronary care nurse she'd ever worked with both in and out of the operating room. Kelly was general patient care of the coronary care unit and she was excellent, but she was young and had a lot to learn – personally as well as professionally. Under Carolyn and Shannon, Lauren was sure she would one day be a top nurse, but for now, she allowed Carolyn to handle Kelly.

"I've also taken the liberty of ordering another one hundred doses, due to arrive tomorrow by noon if the weather holds – whatever that means."

Lauren smiled, "The weather is a bit unpredictable this time of year, so planes can fly as long as there are no major weather anomalies. No worries. I think we have enough of the vaccine." She walked to her desk, "I just can't tell you how much it means that you and Shannon came here. I know how much you love your jobs back in Boston and…"

Carolyn waved her off as Shannon approached, "Doctor Lewis, we wanted to come, really." The pair looked at each other, "And we mean we really, really, really wanted to come."

Shannon added, "And by that we mean we wanted to get as far away from work in Boston as possible."

Lauren shook her head, "Nadia?"

"Doctor Anastas has decided to stay in Boston since she believes you will be staying in Alaska because of this Bo woman."

Before Lauren had a chance to interject, Carolyn was on top of it,

"Doctor Lewis, I assure you, we are not making any assumptions about what we realize must be a very new relationship… if you're even calling it a relationship."

Shannon spoke again, "Just know that there really is no reason to thank us. We wanted to come because we want to work for you."

Lauren was confused, "But don't you want to stay in Boston where you have friends and family?"

Shannon laughed, "Our friends and family are all over the map, Doctor Lewis. We came to Boston as a halfway point so that we could spend time together… you know… to be sure."

"To be sure you wanted to be in a big city? In Boston?"

The pair looked at each other and laughed before joining hands and holding them up, "To be sure we wanted a life together."

Lauren's eyes went wide, "Oh my… I'm such an ass! I never even… I'm so sorry I never… wow." Lauren sat back in her chair, the two women now concerned.

Shannon spoke first, "Doctor Lewis? Are you okay?"

She chuckled, "I'm learning a great deal about how spending your life trying to fit the mold of strong woman and top doctor can turn you into a self-centered, inconsiderate asshole if you're not careful."

The pair looked at each other, taking a seat in the patient chairs opposite her desk. Carolyn asked, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

She looked up at the pair and shrugged, "Oh, what the hell." She laughed, "I've worked very hard to keep the two of you at arm's length because I thought it meant I was being professional."

Shannon laughed, "We did try to get you out for happy hour many times."

Lauren smiled, nodding, "You did and I'm starting to question the wisdom of my choices." She leaned forward in her chair, placing her elbows on the desktop, "I've been so worried about being professional, that I never once asked either of you about how your personal lives were despite mine being on display for you every day. As a matter of fact, you were sometimes the intermediaries that kept my marriage together. You made sure I made it to dinner on time, made it home on time, remembered birthdays and anniversaries."

She shook her head, "All this time, I had no idea the two of you were even dating let alone in a relationship."

They smiled, Carolyn holding up her hand, "Well, we're engaged now."

Lauren's face lit up, "Oh that's fabulous! Two of my favorite people in the world are in love and getting married! Congratulations!"

The doctor made her way around the desk to give the two of them a group hug. She pulled back, tears filling her eyes,

"I'm so very happy for you."

They smiled, Carolyn replying, "We decided together that wherever you work, we will work. We adore you and adore working for you, Doctor Lewis."

"More importantly, you provide an excellent work environment, you run a tight ship which we both like, you care passionately about your patients, you're always looking for new ways to treat them and… well, you're absolutely amazing at finding ways to save people when most doctors would give up. You have integrity, compassion and… well, let's face it… you're scary smart."

The couple laughed, before turning back to Lauren, "In our profession, we work fourteen to sixteen-hour days. That leaves only the ten to eight hours we're supposed to have fun and sleep…"

"…Usually sleep…"

Carolyn nodded, "Usually sleep. Anyway, we figure if we have to spend most of our lives at a hospital, we'd better be doing something we love while working with someone we love and for someone we love to work with and for. After working these last months with… she who shall not be named…" they giggled, "We've decided that here is where we want to be until you decide we're going elsewhere."

Lauren's eyes brimmed with tears as she replied, "I'm… honored."

Shannon smiled, placing a hand on Lauren's shoulder, "And we're honored to work with you. You've taught us so much."

Carolyn laughed, "Hell, we couldn't believe you took us on when we were rookies right out of our doctoral programs."

Lauren nodded, "Yea, I really wish they would fix that system. They have nurses' doing practical experiences when they're still in undergrad but there's not really a teaching program through the new masters and doctoral programs. I'd love to do something about that down the road."

Shannon agreed, "We're on board with that. I can't tell you how many times we told each other we should have practiced something in school before having to work with you. You were like our personal tutor half the time in our first year."

"Sadly, that is the case with most nurses who come onto my staff. Just look at Kelly."

Carolyn shook her head, "We can't! She's already got a date. That girl is a piece of work!"

Lauren shuddered at the thought, "Oh? Who did she go on a date with?"

"Somebody who works with dogs and planes and… well, it sounds like a lot of stuff." Carolyn replied.

Shannon laughed, "Sounds like a jack of all trades, master of none?"

Wow. And here she thought Bo was just pretending about being attracted to Kelly. She could feel her cheeks flush as the anger rose within her… no, not anger… jealousy. Did she even have a right to be jealous? She's hurt the brunette again. Why did she have to keep twisting the knife on the Boston topic? Oddly enough, knowing that Carolyn and Shannon were willing to come here to work for her made her feel like maybe… just maybe… she could make Alaska her home.

Carolyn shrugged, "Still can't believe she went out with a dong."

Shannon laughed, "I still can't believe she's not sitting here trying to look sexy for Doctor Lewis."

That caught Lauren's attention, "What?"

"Oh, come on. You have to know she has a crush on you." Carolyn chuckled.

"No, I meant about the dong."

"Dong as in penis?" Carolyn replied as Shannon explained further to the confused doctor,

"We're saying that we can't believe that Kelly went out with a guy since she's always talking about you. I mean, we know she goes both ways, but… well, here you are and… she's actually gone off to fly the friendly skies with some guy. I mean, he's cute and all, but…"

"He was hanging around the nurses' station telling her about how he was flying the vaccine to all of the various towns along the river from Chase to the Aleutian Islands. Of course, we have no idea where all of that is, but it sounded impressive enough."

Lauren nodded, "It's very impressive. He delivered that vaccine to over twenty different clinics in just a few hours and a couple of flights doing refuels along the way. He did the whole thing on a cooler full of peanut butter and jelly, lemonade and water."

Lauren smiled, thinking of how he had just offered himself up to be her personal delivery boy, desperate to make sure that no other child suffered the fate that Elise had. He's been playing with the young girl early in the morning before Lauren had arrived at the clinic,

"His name is Kurt. He's a really good man. If Kelly wants to date a guy, she couldn't do much better around here. There's something to be said for giving a fair shake to the people who appear to be what we would call 'blue collar workers' back home. Alaska is a very different way of life, one the two of you need to experience for more than five weeks if you want to truly make the choice to stay here. I've been here for almost half of my contracted stay and I'm still not ready to make a decision about staying or going."

Shannon frowned, "So you may be going back?"

Lauren nodded, "I'm definitely going back after the year is up."

"But what about this Bo woman?" Carolyn asked.

"Bo knows and understands that I need to go back home to be sure this is what I really want."

Shannon's brow knit together, "I don't understand, Doctor Lewis…"

"Please, can you just call me Lauren when we're off duty? It will be really weird to have the two of you calling me doctor every minute we're together."

The couple nodded, as Shannon continued, "Okay then, Lauren. How is it that you can't just compare the life you've lived for a decade with the one you're living here and now? I don't understand what going back to Boston will tell you that you don't already know."

Lauren shrugged, "I don't know. That's why I have to go back."

She wasn't lying. She really didn't know why she felt like she had to go back. She just did. She could only hope that when she landed in Boston that she would figure it out. For now, she was here, and she'd hurt the woman she loved. She had made a promise to be better with her and she wasn't. She wanted to call her.

"So, what are your plans for this evening?" Lauren asked, changing the subject.

"How about that drink with Bo?"

Lauren smiled, nodding her head, "Well, I'm not sure if you noticed the woman who came in to volunteer? She was giving injections behind me."

The couple looked at each other, each shaking their heads, "We had our hands pretty full with the patients in the clinic rooms. So, where is she?"

Lauren shrugged, "Well, me being me, I sort of… well, I screwed up… again. I'm finding this relationship thing difficult."

Carolyn smiled, "Let me guess. You feel like you're repeating how things went with Nadia all over again. You're worried that your relationship with Bo will meet an untimely death just like your relationship with Nadia did. Getting warm?"

Lauren slumped back in her chair, throwing up her arms before allowing them to land on the armrests, "I just don't know how to do relationships. I had a few flings in college, met Nadia, settled down, got married and that's it. I had planned to be single for a very long while… you know, do some experiments to learn a little more about relationships…"

"Gawd, Lauren. Listen to yourself. Relationships aren't lab work. Bo isn't some experiment!"

Carolyn snapped, "Shannon! Go easy. She's still our boss."

Lauren shook her head, "No, Carolyn. It's okay. She's right. I'm just…"

"Confused?" Carolyn asked.

Lauren nodded, "Like I said, I was with Nadia for a long time and everything I did with her was wrong."

"No, Nadia was wrong. You were very accommodating… all the fucking time." Shannon said, before adding, "Sorry. But, dammit, Lauren… she treated you like her servant from our perspective. Lauren, don't forget dinner with my parents at six. Don't be late, you know how Dad hates it when you're late. Lauren, don't forget we're going out with Leslie and Samantha tonight. Make sure you get a couple of hours sleep so you're not moping in a booth over your beer leaving me on the dance floor by myself."

Carolyn added, "Then there were the numerous threats such as, Lauren, I swear if you're not home for dinner tonight, I'll leave you and take everything we own."

Shannon added, "And my personal favorite, Lauren, if you don't start focusing as much time on me as you do on your patients, I'm going to tell Evony we're leaving Boston for some backwoods place where you won't have as many patients to deal with."

Lauren shook her head, "I'd forgot about that."

"No, you'd grown accustomed to being treated like that, Lauren."

Shannon laughed, "Actually, you were quite skilled at tuning her out. We got more pissed than you did. It was almost like you had headphones in while she yapped away in your ear. I could never understand why she went into medicine. She doesn't seem to even care about her patients."

Lauren smiled, nodding her head, "She sure likes the money and all of the things that go with it."

The doctor chuckled, thinking of Bo and how she has always lived. Nadia was focused on having things and Bo was focused on having as little as possible. It was truly ironic.

"Lauren?" Carolyn asked, concern on her face once again.

The doctor looked up, "I was just thinking about why I'm so attracted to Bo. She doesn't want or need anything from me. She just wants me... time with me or, more specifically, whatever time we each have to give to each other outside of our jobs, friends and loved ones. More importantly, she doesn't want money to buy stuff unless that stuff benefits her dogs or the business she's trying to build for LJ. She has a litter of puppies that are probably worth close to ten thousand dollars apiece and she's given one to each member of her family as well as a little girl who was a total stranger to her until last night."

The two women stood, smiling at each other before Carolyn spoke, "Sounds just like someone else we know."

Lauren looked up at the two, "What?"

"Compassionate, quality time oriented, generous with time and money, caring, loves life albeit of the canine variety but we consider that a plus, and she's accepting of your job."

Lauren nodded, "All true."

Shannon shrugged, "So our work is done here. Let's go drink."

Lauren stood, "Okay if I call Bo? I'm not sure she'll come, but we can try."

Carolyn nodded, "We'd love to have her."

"Here, give me your phone."

"What? No." Lauren replied.

Shannon shook her head, "Trust me, Lauren."

Carolyn laughed, "Yea, trust her, Lauren. She's been in this situation before because like you, she was once an…"

"Idiot." Shannon interrupted.

Carolyn, "I wasn't going to be that harsh."

"It's okay. It's true." She turned to Lauren, "I was an idiot and I was afraid."

"What changed it for you?"

Carolyn laughed again, "Believe it or not, my ex."

"Your ex helped Shannon?"

Carolyn nodded, "She did."

"I had brought up a bad subject at the wrong time… I had really, really bad timing and serious foot in mouth disease back then."

"We affectionately refer it to her 'young and dumb' phase." Carolyn laughed.

"Anyway, Carolyn was pissed and I was pretty sure she was done with me. Her ex had called to chat. They had actually become friends after their breakup which was always a source of jealousy for me… but that wasn't what this was about. Anyway, her ex, Janet, called me and I didn't answer, so she drove over to my house."

"She was determined to make you see my side."

Shannon nodded, "And she only became more determined when she came into my house. Anyway, we talked for a while, then she called Carolyn and asked her to meet me at this bar where we used to hang out. Carolyn agreed and the two of us met, my ex bringing her new girlfriend. They were a good buffer to get us talking. Sure it was tense at first, but eventually we made it on to the dance floor where we basically kissed and made up."

The pair joined hands, remembering the night after the bar. It was quite the make-up session, but Lauren didn't need to hear that. They just wanted to give her hope.

"Phone?" Shannon asked, extending her hand to Lauren.

The doctor relented, "It feels so fifth grade."

"Perfect. Evony told us Bo didn't go to school past fifth grade."

Lauren's eyes went wide, "That is not true! She went to high school and from there, went to the school of trial and error… a school none of us would have survived."

Carolyn laughed, "Defensive of her girlfriend's honor."

Shannon smiled, holding the phone up to her ear, "A very good sign."

"Lauren, I don't think I want to talk right now."

"Hi! Bo? This is Shannon, one of Lauren's nurses? We're looking for a bar to go to that is… well, let's say accepting of a same-sex engagement party. Lauren doesn't seem to know any bars that fit the bill, so we thought we'd call on the native Alaskan to help us out tonight. What do you say? Will you come out with a couple of strangers who just got engaged and help us celebrate?"

"Will Lauren be there?"

"Yup. You won't be a fifth wheel in the party."

There was silence on the line for a long moment before Shannon spoke again, "Bo? Don't mean to rush you, but we have to be back at the clinic tomorrow at eleven, so we want to get going. If you're not going to take us, we'll just have to go back to the hotel, eat more of Kenzi's food and then celebrate in your apartment. I hope you weren't planning to stay there tonight."

"As a matter of fact, I was just sitting her talking to Kenzi over a beer."

"I get it."

"You do?"

"Give me a second to step away from the crowd." Shannon replied, winking at her fiancé.

She walked across the clinic, leaving Lauren to fidget in her seat. She looked over her shoulder, making sure she was out of ear shot before she spoke to Bo again,

"She's upset with herself, Bo. She didn't give us the details of your argument, she just told us she screwed up again."

"That's fine… whoever you are…"

"Shannon."

"Okay, Shannon. But I think I just want some space tonight."

"So, she hurts you and now you don't give her a chance to apologize? You just spend time apart and then have hours of awkward silence tomorrow until one of you finally starts an apology that I'm sure from personal experience, will become a shouting match. Hopefully, you make up, but not until both of you say things that you'll regret and will plant just a small seed of doubt in each of your minds making it even more difficult for you to create the foundation for a relationship that will last."

She heard Bo sigh, "Are you a shrink?"

"What? No! I'm Lauren's number one O.R. nurse."

"And you're cheering for me to be with Lauren? You know that I'm a nothing, right? I don't even have a high school diploma. I've lived off grid most of my life and have nothing to my name."

"And all of that is what makes you perfect for Lauren. Look, I haven't met you yet, but I know you left work today to help Lauren administer vaccines. I know you can stand up to Evony. I know that Lauren just stood up for you when I took a cheap shot at your character."

"She stood up for me?"

"Knocked me right off my high horse. All I'm saying is that if you want Lauren, you should come out tonight and forgive her, Bo. My fiancé Carolyn and I watched her have a real breakthrough about the differences between you and Nadia. I think she not only knows she loves you, but I think she now knows why she loves you… why you're good for her."

"You're not just trying to get my hopes up?"

Shannon shrugged, "Hell, I hope all of our hopes are up. Look, Bo… Carolyn and I work for Lauren because we love working for her and everything she stands for. We've traveled to Alaska to work for her and are committed to following her wherever her career takes her because when you have to work as many hours a day as we do, you'd better do it with a great boss. We're staying here as long as she'll have us and Evony has agreed to it. Lauren will have five nurses on staff and an additional doctor… you have Carolyn to thank for that. She's Lauren's number one staff nurse. If you want something done with Evony, my girl can usually make it happen."

"Carolyn gets what she wants from Evony?"

"No, Carolyn gets what anyone wants from Evony. She knows numbers better than anyone in that hospital and that includes making sense of what's best for the hospital budget. Somehow, she's able to speak Evony's language."

"Wow. Does she give lessons?" Bo chuckled.

"Come out and meet us, Bo. We really want to meet you and Lauren really wants to see you. Take her out on the dance floor for a spin, let her apologize, kiss and make up, have a drink or two and have some fun with the three Bostonians."

Bo smiled into the phone, "Okay. Can you meet me down at the hotel?"

"That's perfect because Carolyn and I definitely need a shower to wash the day away."

"Actually, can you guys do me a favor and shower at Lauren's apartment? Tell Lauren the hot water heater is busted at Kenzi's or something?"

"What's wrong with the water?"

"Please don't tell Lauren. It will ruin her evening. She'll be on the phone with the Board of Health all night long. It's all under control. The other doctor and two of the other nurses are here. It's all fine."

"Bo? What's happening? I don't know if I can keep that from Lauren."

"Please? This guy came in and said that bacteria is in the water here at the hotel. They've set up some kind of blue light thing near the well and something about seventy-two hours or something as well as a treatment protocol?"

"Bo, I have to tell Lauren." Shannon replied, looking over her shoulder to make sure that Carolyn was keeping the doctor occupied so she wasn't listening.

"Please, Shannon, I'm begging you."

"Bo, please understand, she's my boss and my friend. Anything that has to do with you… well, I just can't keep it from her. I will try to assure her that everything is being handled, but you know she'll want to investigate herself."

"I know and that's the problem. It'll be midnight before we go out."

Shannon shook her head, "Not true. We have a secret weapon."

"We do?"

"Carolyn is just as good with Doctor Lewis as she is with Evony."

Bo grinned, "Okay then, I'm going to trust you on that."

"Prepare to learn, Bo. Carolyn is going to show you her method for difficult Lauren's."

"I may have to figure out how to work my phone camera so that I can videotape it and learn."

Shannon laughed, "We'll be down to the hotel as soon as we've showered and changed out of our scrubs."

"See you then."

"Thanks, Bo."

"No, Shannon. Thank you."

Shannon ended the call and then walked back to the two women who were anxiously awaiting news of her call. She sat down in the chair,

"We're on and she's looking forward to it. We're meeting her at the hotel and she's driving. Lauren, we have to shower here because of a water issue at the hotel. You go first because you're the fastest, Carolyn will go next because she's the next fastest and I'll go last because it will make me move faster since there will be hardly any hot water left."

"What's wrong with the water?" Lauren asked.

"I'll explain while Carolyn's in the shower. Go! Hurry! Your girl is waiting." Shannon smiled.

Lauren smiled in reply, running off excitedly to her loft apartment over the clinic. When she was out of sight, Shannon turned to her fiancé,

"Okay, so the bacteria got into the well at the hotel. The Board of Health has apparently been there a good part of the day harassing Kenzi about it. She's overbooked with no useable water source. Bo said they've set up some sort of blue light at the well…"

"U.V. system to kill the bacteria."

Shannon nodded, "I'm sure. They've shut down her water for seventy-two hours including another treatment protocol which Bo seems in the dark about."

"Water shut down also means hotel shut down. Where is she supposed to send all of her guests?"

Shannon shrugged, "I don't know, but what I do know is that I promised Bo that you would be able to convince Lauren to go out with us and not stay at the hotel all night fixing Kenzi's problem."

"Well, there's nothing Lauren could do there anyway."

Shannon shook her head, "You know how she gets, Carolyn. Bo's right about one thing. Lauren will be on the phone with the Board of Health all night long trying to figure out a way to keep Kenzi open for business."

Carolyn nodded, "Do you have the number for the hotel?"

"I stored it in my phone before we flew out. Why?"

Carolyn smiled, "You shower next so Lauren can't ask you questions. I'm calling the hotel to find out what's going on and get Kenzi's perspective. Then I'm going to call our buddy back in Boston and get him to call the Board of Health here."

Shannon leaned down and kissed her lips, "And that is why I love you. My brain just doesn't work like yours."

"Okay! Who's next?"

They turned to see Lauren coming down the steps, carrying a hair dryer and brush. She was wearing a white blouse and dark jeans with a pair of boots, "I'll dry my hair down here so you guys can have the apartment."

"Thanks!" Shannon replied, dragging Carolyn with her, explaining from the corner of her mouth, "You can make your calls in private."

Outside Talkeetna Hotel, 30 minutes later

Shannon and Carolyn were freezing, not to mention surprised that Lauren seemed almost unaffected by the temperature. They hurried to the hotel entrance, only to have the door blocked by Lauren. She turned to face the two,

"Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe Bo's changed her mind. I explicitly said something I promised never to say again until I went back to Bos… damn… I said it again!"

Shannon shook her head. She was freezing and Carolyn was shivering, "Lauren, you need to go in there. Apparently, there's a problem with the water. The Board of Health…"

That was all Shannon was able to say before the blonde was opening the door and entering the hotel.

Carolyn giggled, "There she goes, guns a blazing."

Shannon laughed, "I had to do something. She was ready to head for the hills."

Carolyn nodded, watching Lauren push through the crowd who were no doubt questioning why they couldn't use the water, "Damn she's hot when she's playing the doc in charge."

"Agreed." Shannon replied, "But you'll be just as hot when you talk her down to earth and get her out to the bar tonight before Bo kicks my ass for telling her."

"Right. Let's go save your ass." Carolyn smiled, slapping Shannon's butt, "Because it's a mighty fine ass."

Lauren marched right up to the bar, looking at Bo for a quick second before calling to the owner, "Kenzi? What's going on? What are they trying to do to you?"

"Bo! I told you not to worry her!"

Lauren looked at Bo who looked at Shannon who looked at Carolyn for help. The level-headed one in the group spoke,

"Hi Kenzi. Shannon was talking to Bo earlier and suggested that we take showers at Lauren's. It was strange since we're staying here, so Bo sort of had to explain why we couldn't shower here. The doctor became suspicious, so we sort of gave her a little heads up about a water problem and we might have let slip about the Board of Health having been here, so…"

Kenzi waved them off, nodding, "I barely understood anything other than Lauren knows about the board of health." The young hotel owner couldn't worry about that right now. She didn't want to upset her guests who were already being displaced... into the center of the restaurant, apparently. There were already enough upset guests around here and if word spread outside of the hotel about her having bad water, her business was going under.

Lauren watched as Kenzi grew quiet, sliding a folder down the bar to Lauren. The blonde smiled,

"What's this?"

Kenzi shrugged, "Some report, the suspension of water use, and a bunch of other legal stuff that caused my brain to boil over about an hour ago." She planted her head on the bar, "Arrgghh! I cannot believe this is happening when I finally have a completely overbooked hotel this early in June!"

Lauren sighed, "Just give me a second to look at this."

Shannon looked at Carolyn who was nervously watching her phone while Lauren read the reports. Carolyn was hoping her contacts would come through before Lauren started working through her contacts. She hinted to her fiancé to look at Bo and when Shannon did, she gave a sympathetic look, whispering to Carolyn,

"Awww. She's like a little lost puppy. I can't believe Lauren didn't even say hello."

Carolyn nodded, whispering back, "Business mode."

"Are you going to say anything to her?" Shannon asked.

"Can you distract Bo?"

Shannon nodded, "I'm on it. There's a table in the corner over by the window. It looks like Kenzi's still serving alcohol, so we can at least have a beer."

"You get on that and I'll try to distract Lauren from calling while I try to find a delicate way to make her aware of how she treated Bo when she walked in."

The pair stacked both of their hands between them and whispered, "Go team!", before pulling their hands up and over their heads.

Shannon headed for Bo and Carolyn slid onto the stool next to Lauren at the end of the bar.

"Are you Bo?" Shannon asked.

She nodded, "Shannon?"

Shannon smiled, extending her hand, "It's very nice to connect a face with a voice. Wow. You're really beautiful."

"Uh… right… nice to meet you to." Bo replied, looking nervously towards the woman sitting next to Lauren, "Is that your…"

"Carolyn, my fiancé, yes."

"I don't want any trouble with her…"

Shannon laughed, "Relax, Bo. We point out attractive women to each other all the time. We may be in love and about to commit to a lifetime together, but we're very open about what we like whether it be furniture, the latest mixed drink we've tried, a man with a nice body or a hot woman."

"Wow, that's so… mature."

Shannon smiled, "I guess so. We just don't see the point in trying to hide attraction. This world plasters pictures of beautiful women everywhere. There's no sense in denying what we see. It's fun. We make a game out of it, sort of like hunting for state license plates on road trips."

"Huh?"

"State license plates? When you're driving down the highway, you try to find license plates from all fifty states… and Canada, of course."

Bo nodded, "Oh. I've never… well, I've only driven Alaskan roads and most of the plates are…"

"Alaskan?"

Bo shrugged, "Yup."

"There's a table over there in the corner with four chairs. Should we go over there while Lauren and her right hand get Kenzi's mess straightened out?"

Bo stood and followed Shannon, "I guess we might as well order dinner and drinks here. I doubt Lauren will be free tonight."

Shannon shook her head, "I promised you we were on it and we are. Carolyn has already made some calls to her contacts in Boston. She's just waiting for the call to come that they've spoken to Lauren's CDC contacts who would be calling the Board of Health officials here in Alaska. If worse comes to worse, this isn't such a bad place to hang out."

Shannon looked at the reserved sign on the table, "Crap. It's reserved."

Bo smiled, "Have a seat."

"But…"

"This is my table. It's always reserved for me or my designees. Currently, that will be you, Carolyn, Lauren or anyone in my family or friend circle."

"Wow. You've got clout, woman."

Bo waved Kenzi over to the table as she replied, "The owner is my bestie. She feeds me and I do all of the handy work around the hotel."

"You're a handyman?"

Bo shrugged, "Woman… I know, it sounds weird to say handywoman. Anyway, I own a construction company."

"You own…" Shannon shook her head, "Sorry, Nadia told everyone you were…"

Bo put up her hand, "I'd rather not know, honestly."

"This sucks, BoBo!" Bo's bestie exclaimed, her hands in the air. She threw a towel over her shoulder and planted her hands on her hips, "What am I going to do?"

"First, you're going to sit and calm down, Kenzi. Take a load off for a few minutes and just breathe."

"I hope Lauren can do something. I don't understand why they won't let me carry in water to fill our tanks! Hell, half the villages in Alaska do it. You did it your entire life! You still are!"

Bo looked quickly up at Shannon to see the look of shock on her face, but she ignored it, keeping her focus on her best friends' needs,

"Be patient, Kenzi. You know if anyone can do anything about it, Lauren will. Besides, we have a secret weapon tonight."

"A secret weapon? What, is Tamsin planning on holding Mr. Peabody over there at gunpoint?"

Shannon cut in, "Wait. The guy from the Board of Health is still here?"

Kenzi sighed, "His plane doesn't come until morning, so apparently he will be monitoring the activity at the hotel until then… closely. His words, not mine."

Shannon shook her head, laughing, "To make sure you don't use the water."

"Precisely. I jokingly put my hand on the faucet earlier and he pulled out his little pad of paper. I had to yell across the bar that I was just kidding. He decided to yell back that putting people's lives at risk isn't a joke. That's when all hell broke loose."

Bo looked at Shannon, "A few outsiders left the hotel, taking their reservations with them."

"All the way to Anchorage, thank you very much! That doesn't just take business away from me, but also from all the air tours, kayaking and river tours, the general stores, souvenir shops. I'm destroying everyone's businesses!"

"Kenzi, calm down." Bo said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"So how many open rooms do you have now?" Shannon asked.

Kenzi laughed, "I had a wait list for guests, so I did fill the rooms. Besides, the joke will be on the runners who cancelled on me because I own the hotel in Anchorage with my buddy Vex and he has the same problem."

Bo looked at Shannon, "Does Carolyn need to call them again to report the Anchorage problem?"

Shannon shook her head, "Nope. It's all happening in the same state, so what applies for one must apply for the other. When we get Kenzi up and running, Anchorage must be permitted to do the same. So, can we back up to a previous topic for a second?"

"Yea, like way back to this secret weapon you're talking about?" Kenzi asked.

Bo and Shannon smiled, Bo explaining, "Shannon's fiancé is apparently Lauren's right hand at work, and she has already made some calls to get the ball rolling."

Shannon explained, "Lauren is very well known and more importantly, very well respected and beloved back east."

"Of course." Kenzi said, rolling her eyes, "There had to be a reason Evony was so hooked on having her here. She's using her for her popularity. Bitch."

Shannon had to laugh, but quickly continued to explain, "So anyway, Carolyn makes calls for the Doc all of the time – it's just the nature of working for Lauren. People fly in from all over the world for Lauren to fix what ails their hearts. So, if it's possible to turn this around, she's got the clout it will take to do it quickly. My turn?"

Kenzi sat back in her chair, "Well, since I'm feeling a whole lot better about my chances of keeping my hotel open tonight, yes."

"Who are the outsiders?"

Bo smiled, "They're not specific people. It's just what we call people who aren't from Alaska."

"So, I'm an outsider?"

Bo nodded, with a smile, "You are."

Kenzi added, "And some a-holes might call you cheechako. Bo hates that word with a mad, wild passion, so if they do it around her, she's got all of the great one-liners you need to respond."

"I take it that word is not a compliment?"

"Hells no!" Kenzi replied.

"I've got another question. What does 'carry in' mean? You said carry in water. Does that mean what I think it means?"

Kenzi looked at Bo who explained, "Alaska is built on permafrost. That means that the ground beneath your feet – especially in the winter – is frozen solid. That's why we built Lauren's clinic on stilts during the summer. It's high enough to keep the doors above the snow line and the permafrost is soft enough for us to drive them into the ground. If we tried to do that now, we'd more likely break the machine than the ground."

"Uh… I guess that makes sense."

Bo smiled, "How would you build this hotel at home?"

"They bring in excavators, dig a hole, build a foundation and then keep building up."

"Right. Well, in Alaska the ground is frozen solid, only becoming pliable in late spring and summer… maybe early fall. That means if I brought in my excavator to build an addition onto this hotel right now, the bucket would scrape the surface and then stop as if it was hitting rock."

"Wow. The ground is that hard?"

Bo nodded, "It's that hard. Remember all those bodies that Lauren has on ice from the fire?"

Shannon's eyes went wide, "Ohmagosh! That's why they can't be buried!"

Kenzi shrugged leading Shannon to look at Bo, "No shit?"

"No shit." Bo replied, "So, when we built this place, we had to put in the water pipes in late spring. For Kenzi, that meant putting in the pipes before she ever opened. It was a huge cost without any income. Now, it's like a repeat of when she first got started. If the water source is the problem and she has to find a new place to get water, we'll have to run new pipes to that new water. That would mean shutting down the hotel during the peak tourist season unless they allow her to carry in."

"Because running pipes in winter when there are less tourists would be harder to do." Shannon concluded.

"Not harder. Literally, it would be impossible. There is no machine that can get through permafrost unless you're the U.S. Military." Bo replied.

Kenzi laughed, "And they just blow shit up without regard for the environmental consequences, but don't get me up on my high horse about all of that."

"Wow. I had no idea."

Bo nodded, "Most people don't know a lot about our land. That's why so many outsiders come in thinking they can live here and survive like they're living in Boston or any of the northern U.S. states."

"Doc made that mistake when she first got here. She took out her three-dog sled team to try to go three miles in a blizzard. She said she'd seen blizzards in Boston…"

"She has. We get ridiculous snow with temps in the low teens."

Bo and Kenzi chuckled, as the younger woman replied, "Well, where Bo was born and raised, their temps were in the negative forties to negative sixties. Wrap your head around that chill factor, East Coast."

"In every single one of those northern states east of us, there is plenty of planting that can be done during the other seasons. That's simply not the case here since our winter is almost twice as long as yours. Unless you're a commercial company or university with an agricultural budget to build a massive greenhouse complete with temperature control, you must know what you can plant, how to plant it and when to grow it. If not, you have to have the money to have food shipped in."

"Whoa. I had no idea."

Bo laughed, "You say that a lot. I hope you'll remember that you don't have any idea about a lot of things when Lauren takes you out for some sightseeing. If you come upon a bear or a moose. You need to listen to her when you're out. She knows what she's doing now in most situations, but in some of them, she's had to learn the hard way. She still gets caught up staring at wildlife sometimes instead of reacting to it the right way first. That's why I like to go with her when she's sightseeing."

Kenzi burst out laughing, "Remember the moose?"

Bo smiled, "I remember the moose."

"What happened?"

Kenzi jumped right in to tell the story, "She and Bo were out for a walk when we had a break in the snow back in… what was it, Bo… end of February or so?"

Bo nodded, "Just before I started my final three-day training runs for the Iditarod, so that's probably about right."

"There was a moose on the trail. Bo told Lauren to walk slowly behind a tree, but the moose saw her and followed her. Lauren tried to hide behind this skinny little tree trunk and the moose came right at her. Luckily she ducked and the moose plowed its head right into the wood while Bo yelled for Lauren to find a bigger tree."

Bo laughed, "She was running and screaming in knee-deep snow, waving her arms while I called the moose towards me. She wouldn't go out in the woods for a week after that."

"Yup. The Doc has definitely had some outsider moments since she arrived." Kenzi smiled.

Bo nodded, "That hypothermia after the dog sled incident was scary as hell though."

Kenzi looked at Shannon, "We almost lost her."

"Wh-what?" the nurse asked.

Kenzi clarified, "As in she almost died. There was no other doctor around. When she finally came to, she had to talk Bo through how to save her, doctor style, because our shaman wouldn't have made it here from Point Siku in time."

"Shaman?"

Bo nodded, "Seline. Her name is Seline. She's an elder from the village where I've lived since… well, I guess going on about eight years… well, until now."

"Bo's her mini-me." Kenzi laughed, "But Seline doesn't have her mad construction skills."

"Oh? Where do you live now?"

Bo smiled, "About two miles out there."

"Out there?" Shannon asked, looking where Bo was pointing across an icy lake and field of snow to the wilderness beyond.

"Bo's been working for almost two years on building her own home. Of course, she never told any of us and Lauren is the only one who has actually seen it." She nudged Bo, "The Doc stayed overnight last night. She blushed when I asked her if it was romantic, BoBo."

"Kenzi, I swear. If you embarrass her…"

Shannon smiled, "She can take it, Kenzi. Embarrass the hell out of her. You have my blessing."

"Hey!" Bo protested.

"What? I've known her longer, so I call dibs on deciding the embarrassment clause!"

"There's an embarrassment clause?" Bo asked.

"Yup! It says 'all ye who befriend one Doctor Lauren Lewis, shall embarrass the hell out of her every chance you get so she learns to lighten up and enjoy life outside of the insides of a patients' chest'… or something to that effect."

Kenzi held up a hand, earning a high five from Shannon while Bo shook her head and mumbled, "This is going to be a disaster."

Shannon smiled, "Hey! I thought you were going to trust us."

"Maybe that was a mistake."

"Not at all." Shannon smiled before looking at Kenzi, "So can we get a round of beers or is it watered down and therefore off limits?"

Kenzi slapped her shoulder, "How dare you accuse me of doing harm to the sacred beer! I'll drink with you. Bo doesn't…"

"I agreed to have a beer or two tonight, Kenz. It's okay."

Shannon looked at Bo, "If you don't want to drink, that's fine. I mean… I don't want to knock you off your wagon or anything."

Kenzi laughed, "Bo's never been drunk a day in her life. As a matter of fact, if you lined up all of the beers she's ever had in her life and had her drink them all, she would barely have a hangover the next day."

"Is that a… religious thing?" Shannon asked.

Bo shrugged, "I've lived off the grid all of my life except for when I stay here in my hotel apartment."

"Which isn't nearly enough for her bestie." Kenzi smiled, "I'll go get three beers and hopefully those two party poopers as well."

"So, off the grid means no water or electricity?"

Bo nodded, "I get the feeling you heard something from Nadia that makes you believe I'm either a little shady or poor."

"No, I mean… well… what she said wasn't flattering, but it honestly doesn't matter, Bo. If Lauren loves you, we're completely on board."

"Well, let's just get this out of the way. The short truth is that you've arrived just after the week when my entire world blew up. While it answered a lot of questions about my life, it has also raised a whole bunch of new ones."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Bo."

She shrugged, "Honestly, it's sort of refreshing. It's like I have a chance for a whole new life. A month ago, I never would have agreed to meet you, let alone sit her talking to you about my life. Actually, twenty-four hours ago I wouldn't have done this."

"What changed?"

"I'm not really sure. Lauren gave me the name of a therapist. I had my first appointment yesterday. We talked about her property – which is amazing and I'm jealous – and we talked about me even less. But somehow, when I left, I felt… new… like I wanted my life to be different because I was suddenly different."

"Good therapists have that effect. So, what led you to seek counseling?" Shannon asked, her tone sincere and not judgmental as Bo might have suspected.

"My emotions have been all over the place since… well… when I said I lived off the grid, it in no way describes how I was living. I was a loner… completely isolated from other humans unless I was forced to come in to sell my furs or manage the workers on a construction site. My foreman is the only person I would speak to. He handled the crews. I spoke to five people… that was it. There was a man in town… he owned everything and everyone. For some reason, he had a grudge against me and made my life hell. He told everyone I was a murderer, thief, half breed and he called me cheechako."

"Ah, I see. So that's why you hate that word."

Bo shook her head, "I hate that word because humans have no claim to this land. The way I was raised, the land belongs to the earth. If he calls me cheechako, then he's cheechako as well."

"Can I ask what that word actually means?" Shannon was cautious and ready to hear the word no, but surprisingly, Bo answered,

"The more polite definition is anyone new to Alaska. In a more native term, it's dumb white man."

She nodded, "I see. But… well, I don't mean to be rude or seem racist… but you seem… you look pretty native. I mean, the dark hair and eyes… although your eyes are… well, they're big and round and…"

Bo smiled, nodding "My mother was an Athabascan native. I have her hair and, well mostly everything else except her eyes. Her eyes were almost light red in color… more orange, I guess. It's hard to remember because I was so young. I was raised in a native village on the North Slope. My dad was abusive and thankfully, ran off with my three older brothers when I was about ten. I missed my brother terribly, but eventually my past became very confusing. I didn't remember having a brother and couldn't remember what any of them looked like."

"I'm sorry, Bo."

She shook her head, "Losing my brother Jacob was the worst… I ran into the three of them at the Iditarod. They… well, they were bad men like our father. The sheriffs and the feds caught up to my siblings just as they caught up to me and were trying to kill me. Instead, they were all killed."

"Um… I don't know what to say." Shannon replied, horrified that this was the life of this kind woman.

Bo shrugged, "You don't have to say anything and it's not your fault. I just wanted you to know… Nadia doesn't know me at all."

Bo lowered her head as Shannon simply nodded and asked, "So what about your mom? Do you still see her?"

"Bo raised her eyebrows and shrugged, "Nah, that's just more bad news. My mom disappeared when I was about fourteen. I've been on my own ever since… well… until now. It turns out my dad was the same guy who called me cheechako when I came here. He called me half-breed when he was likely the half-breed who tainted my blood." Bo scowled, "I still hate looking at him because I really do have his eyes."

"Nah, you have new eyes… eyes that see the good in this world. You have kind eyes. Honest eyes. Sincere eyes. I doubt your dad had any of that in his eyes."

Bo nodded, "I've never thought of it that way. Thanks."

"I'm just telling you what I see what I look in your eyes… and in Lauren's when she looks at you. She's an excellent judge of character."

Bo smiled, "That's… nice." She paused, "My dad's eyes were just angry and dangerous. Anyway, in the end, I found out that he had a whole other family down here. He'd been cheating on my mom the entire time… well, I guess he actually cheated with my mom on his wife that lived here. We were his dirty little secret which is why he and his sons…"

"Tried to kill you?"

Bo nodded.

"So, your brothers were using the race to try to catch you alone so they could kill you." Shannon connected the dots.

Bo nodded again.

"And your father?"

"He's in prison serving consecutive life sentences. They're still tracking down all of his victims. In the spring, they're exhuming some bodies to do some new testing that can say for sure how they died."

"There's a lot of new technology in forensic medicine. If he killed people, they'll likely figure it out. He'd save the state and federal government a lot of money if he just fessed up to his crimes. Asshole." Shannon said, before catching herself and adding, "Sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Sure you did, because that's exactly what he is. My brother was the kindest person on the planet. He called him a momma's boy. If he'd have left him behind, I'm pretty sure he'd still be alive today living right here with me. It's a shame. He did so much damage to so many in so many ways."

"Okay, so let's focus on the good that came from it."

"Well, he poisoned all of my dogs, but Lauren caught the tumors so they're all alive."

"Dang, Bo. This guy is really a first call creep!"

Bo nodded, "I now have a half-brother, two half-nephews, a half-niece-in-law and two half great nephews who I just love to bits."

"Oh, right! That guy that came in to apologize to Lauren that he couldn't stay longer… LJ was his name? What does that stand for?"

"Little Jon. He just wants to detach from his father a bit so he's not 'little' all of his life."

"His Dad is Jon then?"

Bo nodded, "Jon is my nephew. His Dad is Pops or Tosh… my brother. It's funny because Jon is about my age."

"The curse of the second family." Shannon smiled.

"And you said you have two great nephews?"

Bo nodded again, "The other one was actually named after my dad… Big Jim."

"So, he's Little Jim?"

Smiling, Bo replied, "He's changed his name to Michael. It's what his parents were going to name him if Mark's grandfather hadn't insisted someone be named after him."

The pair shook their head as the said in unison, "Asshole."

"Well, that's my life story in a nutshell."

Shannon shook her head, as a waitress arrived with the beers. Bo looked over her shoulder to see why Kenzi didn't bring them herself and saw her in conversation with Mr. Peabody, Lauren and Carolyn,

"Looks like your girl came through." Bo said, nodding towards the bar.

"I told you she would." She took a sip, "Wow. That's a good beer."

"Kenzi's friend Vex brews it himself at his brewing company in Seattle. The climate is a bit more friendly there and he has better access to ingredients. He drives down and fills his RV with kegs, then brings them up if his guys can't run the deliveries."

Shannon read the words on the glass, "Gold Mesmer?"

Bo smiled, "Vex claims his beer has a mesmerizing taste, so he had the brand plastered on all of the hotel mugs. At first, Kenzi was pissed because she had to make sure she served the gold ale in the mugs labeled gold, the pale ale in the mugs labeled Pale Mesmer and the Dark Mesmer… well, you get the picture."

"And now?"

"Now, when orders come in, she lines up the appropriate mugs on the waitress's trays, grabs the trays and fills them. There's no need for paper behind the bar… just glasses, ice and booze."

"Wow. That's actually a great system."

Bo laughed, "Yup, but don't tell Vex that. Kenzi loves to complain. He's promised that the next craft beer he makes will be called K-Star Pale Ale with some sort of star for a logo."

Shannon took another long swig of her beer, dropping the mug to the table and smiling as she licked her lips, "Damn, that is really good beer."

Bo nodded, taking a sip of hers leading Shannon to give her a sympathetic smile, "You don't like it?"

Bo shrugged, "I'm more of a wine girl believe it or not."

Shannon smiled, "It is sort of contrary to a construction worker stereotype, but I try to ignore stereotypes of any kind." She laughed, "So, you mentioned the Iditarod. That's pretty big here, huh? It sounds like you and Lauren went to the race? That must be cool to see. We actually watched a little movie about it on the plane last night. It looks… well… cold and ridiculously hard. And long. Like, really, really long. Those people riding on the sleds have balls of steel… or ice." She chuckled at her own joke.

Shannon turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She smiled seeing the doctor standing over her with a smile on her face,

"Well, the winner didn't have balls of any kind. As a matter of fact, she has a vajayjay and you're actually looking at the winner… actually, a bonified three-time Iditarod Champion."

Shannon and Carolyn looked at Lauren, then at Bo before Shannon stood with both hands on the table, "You freakin' won that… what is it… like a thousand-mile race hanging off the back of that sled? You're like the Abominable Iron Man, Bo!"

She held up her mug and Bo just stared at it, looking at Lauren. The blonde smiled and clinked her mug against Shannon's well Carolyn did the same. Bo caught on and clinked her mug against Shannon's who smiled with satisfaction,

"Dang." She said, sitting back down and Carolyn and Lauren each took a seat at the table, "What a life you've lived, woman. Can I spend a day with you? Like… follow you around like a puppy dog and see how you live? I think it's so cool."

"After everything I just told you, you want my life?" Bo laughed, taking a small sip of her beer.

"Okay, enough torturing our new friend." Shannon took the beer from Bo's hand and called to Kenzi, "My favorite barkeep! Can you bring your bestie whatever it is that she DOES like to drink?"

Kenzi nodded, "You bet, my favorite patron! As long as you help me haul water in the morning!"

"You've got it!" Shannon said, raising her glass in reply.

Bo laughed, "Oh boy. You have no idea what you just got yourself into, Shannon."

"What? Why?" She asked, looking at the faces around the table who seemed just as confused as her.

"Water is heavy. This is a hotel. There's a train out back that also needs water. I hope you're in good shape."

Carolyn smirked, "Oh, she's definitely in good shape. Real good shape."

Shannon smacked her fiancé, then gave her a playful nudge, "I do work out twice a day. Once to work out before work and once to work out to shake off the shit that Dr. Anastas gives during shift." She froze, remembering where she was before she looked at Lauren, "Sorry."

Lauren laughed, raising her glass, "She's a bitch from hell to live with and a bitch from hell to work with. You'll get no complaints from me if you want to complain about her. We don't live or work together anymore. I'm under no obligation nor do I have any desire to defend her actions anymore."

Carolyn smiled, "Well, in that case, can we just say THANK YOU for getting a divorce from that chick! We could care less whose idea it was. We watched you go from pleasant, peppy, energetic, loveable Doctor Lewis to this stoic, all business, strong silent type who looked like someone had literally sucked all of the fun out of her very soul."

Smiling, Lauren shrugged, "Well, let's find Doctor Peppy again, starting right now!"

Kenzi brought Bo's drink to the table, smiling at the group, "So, what am I missing stuck behind the bar all night?"

Bo smiled, "You're not missing anything now that you have your hotel back."

"That Carolyn is an ace in the hole, BoBo. Doc, you need to keep her around for good. That girl's got your back."

Lauren smiled, giving Carolyn's shoulder a squeeze, "She always has and her other half here is my wingman in the O.R., thank goodness. They're quite a team."

"We're quite a team." Shannon said, the three women raising their mugs together before Shannon turned to Bo, "Now, the question is, are we good enough to join your team? I've gotta get on one of those sleds."

"Oh Boy, BoBo. Here we go again. What's with these Boston girls and their need for speed?" Kenzi asked.

Lauren laughed, "We love trying new things, what can we say?"

"That you'll live this time!" Kenzi said, throwing up her arms and shouting something in Russian.

Bo shook her head, "Don't worry about her."

Carolyn sat staring at the younger woman, "She's shouting and waving her arms… in Russian."

Bo chuckled, "Well, to be honest, she's really only shouting in Russian. She's clearly waving her arms in English… maybe Alaskan English, but English."

The whole group laughed together, raising their respective glasses to toast once again.

"So, what's for dinner? I'm starving." Shannon replied.

"Well, now that Kenzi has the kitchen up and running again, we could just eat here if that's okay. Then we can drive down to Anchorage and hit the bars if you'd like… or we can just hang here and hit the bars on the weekend."

Lauren nodded, "I hate to disappoint, but it is a two-hour drive by truck."

"Whoa. I didn't realize it was that far." Carolyn offered.

Bo shrugged, "We could go Friday. If we hop the five o'clock train, we'd be in Anchorage by eight o'clock."

"Is there a train back?" Shannon asked.

Bo shook her head, "No, but I have… well, actually even Lauren hasn't seen where I lived in Point Siku."

Lauren smiled, "We could visit with Seline."

Bo nodded looking down at Lauren's hand on hers, "She would love to meet you."

"Would we be welcome, Bo?" Lauren asked.

Bo smiled, "I spoke with her today before I drove back to see Tamsin. Doctor Gray knows her. Apparently, they go way back. We got to talking about her and when I went to leave, she was on my mind. So, I pulled over and called her. She asked me to bring you by so she could visit with you… actually, she asked me when I was coming home."

Lauren nodded, "She doesn't know you finished the house?"

Bo shook her head, "I didn't have the heart to tell her. I mean, it doesn't mean I won't ever come to visit her, but… well, I certainly haven't been around much for her since the race."

Lauren smiled, "Okay then. It's settled. We go."

Bo looked up at the couple across the table, "You'll both be welcome in the village." She smiled, looking at Lauren, "Apparently there will be some welcoming ceremony for me that should have been done when I first arrived, but Big Jim wouldn't allow it."

Bo looked at Shannon who smiled as they both said, "Asshole."

Carolyn looked at Lauren who shrugged, "Did we miss something?"

Shannon laughed, "Bo's life story, deadbeat asshole of a dad, missing mom and brothers who fell victim to said asshole of a dad. But don't worry. It has a happy ending." She grinned, looking between Lauren and Bo.

"Anyway, Seline told me to bring my family and friends, but I told her I probably wouldn't bring the entire clan."

"Bo, why not? Tosh is part of the village and so are his sons. Elise might as well start to learn the culture now since it looks like she'll be staying."

Bo's eyes went wide, "Really?"

Lauren nodded, "The state has no objections to my choice for her adoptive parents. Now it's just up to the three of them to decide if and when they want to follow through. For now, she'll remain a foster child, but the adoption process will be much easier thanks to her mom having taken care of all of the legal documents."

"Oh… I thought that maybe… never mind."

"Well, I'm going to ask if you won't." Shannon interjected, "Lauren, you are madly in love with that little girl. Have you considered adopting her?"

The blonde lowered her eyes, her beer suddenly the most interesting thing she'd ever seen. She brushed the frost from the sides of the mug, rotating it as she thought of how to answer the question without bringing up the real reason she didn't want to adopt the child. She looked up at the group,

"I just don't want to adopt a child without having a life partner or wife. I know that with my schedule, it would be too much. Just look at how things were today. I had to leave Bo alone with a patient… my patient to tend to her needs. If Bo hadn't been there, I would have had to turn her away or let a nurse handle the job a doctor is hired to do… no offense to any of you, but you have to consider how people might feel if the doctor that Evony has touted is suddenly never there for them."

Bo nodded, "I can see your point. But… are you sure, Lauren?"

The blonde nodded, "You never know what the future will bring, right? Besides, you saw Molly with her. It would break her heart not to have her. They've always wanted a daughter, but it wasn't in the cards for them to have another child."

"I had no idea they went through that. You're right, I suppose."

Lauren smiled, "Besides, we'll all just have to be the best Aunts ever to our little Elise. Aunts are much cooler than moms anyway. We get to spoil her rotten and we don't have to do any of the disciplining."

"Here! Here!" Shannon smiled, given another excuse to toast.

The group raised their glasses again before Bo turned to the pair, "What about you two? Are you going to have kids?"

"Nope." They both chimed together.

"That was quite decisive." Lauren laughed, "Any particular reason?"

"I have six siblings and so far, five nieces and nephews. Shannon has five siblings and so far, four nieces and nephews. We are surrounded by plenty of kids all of the time and love to spoil them rotten. But at the end of the day, it's nice to know that we can come home, shower and sleep naked, make each other scream without having to worry about a kid in the next room and best of all… well, in our opinion… no hassles about two moms raising a kid. I don't know how it is here, but back east, the current climate kind of sucks and we want to be able to move without dragging a kid through all of the shit that's going on in the world."

Bo was silent, knowing that she knew practically nothing about how the real world functioned. Lauren, however, spoke up,

"Well, I think everyone has to do what feels best for them. I wouldn't mind having a child by adoption someday, but I would sacrifice that for the one I love if they really didn't want a child. It's a big responsibility and I would never force that on someone. There are a lot of ways to have a child or children in one's life and I trust that life will offer me the option in some way, shape or form if it's meant to be."

Carolyn smiled, "Wow. It almost sounds like the scientist found religion while in Alaska."

Lauren shrugged, "I think I've just connected with something greater than myself… than my job. This place is inspirational and… well, spending time with Bo and how she lives has made me see that life isn't just about the stuff… it's about the adventure. It's about embracing all that the world has to offer more than what society has raised us to believe is what we're supposed to have… career, job, car, house, knick-knacks, furniture… it's all just stuff."

She looked down at her beer, "I think that's what went wrong with Nadia and I to being with. She was always about buying stuff – gifts, houses, cars. I gave a five-hundred-dollar donation to that GoFundMe campaign for Mrs. Greenwood's heart transplant and she went crazy on me for an hour."

"Don't worry. We all heard it." Carolyn replied.

"What?" Lauren asked.

Shannon shrugged, "She always confronted you when there was an audience. Kelly tried to tell you, Lauren."

"Tell me what?"

"Do you remember the time she walked up behind you while Nadia was… well, talking very loudly at you? She grabbed your shoulders and turned you towards the waiting area."

"Yes. I… oh gawd. The waiting room was filled with people."

Shannon nodded, "And you tried to tell Nadia to stop…"

"But she wouldn't." Lauren looked up at Shannon, "You came and told me it was time to scrub for surgery and gently nudged me towards the exit. I just remember Nadia saying, 'this isn't over', before I caught sight of the clock and realized we didn't need to scrub for another half hour."

Shannon smiled, "I took you to the physician's lounge, shoved you in the door…"

"… and told me to breathe and prepare my mind for surgery." She smiled, "You said you would run interference with Nadia to make sure she didn't come into the lounge."

Carolyn waved her hand, "Actually, she came out and told me to take care of Nadia while she ran and hid in patient rooms."

Shannon leaned over and kissed Carolyn on the cheek, "And I thanked you thoroughly for that." She winked.

Carolyn leaned over and whispered, "You thanked me all. Night. Long."

The pair chuckled as Bo and Lauren looked at each other and chuckled. Bo leaned over to Lauren and whispered,

"They are a frisky pair, aren't they?" She laughed.

Lauren offered a mischievous grin, "I'd say we're pretty frisky ourselves. Not just as public about it."

Bo smiled, giving Lauren's hand a squeeze, "Should we order something to eat?"

Shannon smiled, "Definitely! I'm starving!"

Bo stood, "I'll go get some menus. Kenzi's getting slammed at the bar."

"Nothing but liquor and beer to drink around here. She's going to have a great night." Carolyn offered.

Lauren smiled as she watched Bo walk away before turning to the two nurses, "Did Bo really tell you about her family?"

Shannon nodded, "Yup. I mean, it was a summary of her past, but the whole daddy dearest, brothers killed by the feds at the Iditarod, mom gone missing when she was just a kid. Geezus, Lauren. How the hell did she survived?"

Lauren shrugged, "She was raised off grid, Shannon. She learned from a very early age how to handle herself in the worst climate our country has to offer. Add to that learning to trap, make clothes from what she caught, fish, cook over fire… I mean, after she made the fire to begin with… and damn can she cook."

"Really?" Carolyn asked, "I mean… she seems so quiet and shy. I can't imagine her getting… I don't know… physical?"

"I've watched her throw axes from about thirty yards out for thirty solid minutes and never miss a target."

"Uh, why would someone throw axes for thirty minutes at a target?"

"So that when I'm hungry in the winter and there's a black bear in front of me, I can get off three throws and hit him in places where he won't be able to make a meal out of me." Bo said, sitting down and handing out menus.

"Shit. For real?" Shannon asked.

Bo smiled, "For real. What did you think I meant by living off the grid?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I sort of pictured camping or those tiny houses you see on TV."

"Tiny houses?" Bo asked, looking at Lauren but the doctor waved her off,

"Never mind, Bo." She turned to the two women, "Living off grid means no electricity, no running water, no bathroom and no shower."

"Whoa. I wouldn't last a week." Shannon replied.

Bo shrugged, "Well, you could experience off grid living tonight if you guys want to come back to my place for the night."

"Is that an invitation?" Carolyn asked, "Because I'd love to try it."

"If you want to. Of course, it will be up to Lauren." Bo turned to the blonde, "You'd have to drive a sled with one of them in your basket. I can't carry all of you."

Lauren looked outside, "As long as we leave right after we eat. Sunset's around ten tonight, right?"

Bo nodded.

"Wait. The sun doesn't go down until ten o'clock at night?" Shannon asked.

"Did you guys read any of the books I left lying around at the nurses' station?" Lauren asked.

Carolyn laughed, "You mean the ones Nadia took and put in a box with all of your other stuff."

"What other stuff?" Lauren asked, looking between the two women.

Carolyn was very animated in her reply, "Oh, she had the lock cut off of your locker in the lounge and cleaned out every trace of you. It's like you were never there."

"Wait. Is she the Chief of Cardiology?" Lauren asked, shocked by the prospect.

Shannon laughed, "Oh, hell no! Doctor Lambert got that position. She's just the senior staff member during her shift and she doesn't mind reminding people she's in charge during that time."

Lauren shook her head, "I'm sorry I left you with her and her baggage, guys. Well, at least Lambert's good, right?"

Shannon nodded, "He's a brilliant guy. He just tends to hit on all of the nurses. Evony has already written him up for fraternization."

Lauren laughed, "Yea, he is a bit of a player but Evony will keep him in line. During our residency, he told me he could make me change my mind about being with men. It was hysterical."

Carolyn nodded, "He went after Shannon too."

"He went after you first." Shannon countered, "Of course, Kelly already did him."

Lauren laughed, "You know, it never ceases to amaze me how promiscuous some health professionals can be despite all of their knowledge about STI's. They get all freaked out about an accidental needle stick, but have no problem jumping into bed with anything that moves. I just don't get it."

Lauren looked up at the three, "Sorry to get on my doctor soapbox. It just popped into my head. I worry about Kelly."

Bo chuckled, "Well, apparently we should be more worried about Kurt."

"True." Lauren laughed, "You must be bored with all of our shop talk."

Bo shrugged, "I totally understand. You ladies haven't seen each other in a long time and although I've never experienced office gossip, I'm sure even hospitals have their share."

Shannon put her hands out in front of Bo, "Wait. Have you never seen Grey's Anatomy?"

Bo shrugged, "The only Gray I know is the one I met today."

Carolyn looked at Lauren, "Have you not been teaching this woman anything about east coast life?"

Lauren laughed, "Teaching her? Are you kidding me? My first priority has been staying alive and the only reason I am, is because Bo has been teaching me about Alaskan life. If it weren't for her, I would quite literally be dead right now. But enough of that talk. Let's eat. I'm famished!"

Shannon looked to Bo, "So, what's good on this menu? I've never had any of these meats. Reindeer sausage? Sounds like the kids don't know about the special little guy with the shiny red nose."

"No, they didn't kill Rudolph." Lauren laughed, "They're domesticated Elk."

"So what? They're like the east coast equivalent of a cow?" Carolyn asked, searching the menu.

Lauren shrugged, bobbing her head, "I guess… well, yes. I suppose that's a pretty good comparison."

"If you like Salmon, I'd recommend that. I just caught and delivered it today so it's fresh." Bo replied.

Carolyn looked up, "Wait. You caught the fish that this restaurant is serving?"

Bo nodded, "It pays for my hotel room apartment."

"I'm pretty sure you're not staying in your room right now. We are. And I'm also pretty sure that Evony is paying for that room - for the next five weeks, at least." Carolyn offered.

Bo shrugged, "It's Kenzi. She'll always keep a room open for me until…" she looked at Lauren, quickly looking down at the table. She cleared her throat, "Well, anyway… she just wants to be sure I have a place to stay if I can't make it home at night. If I wanted to stay here tonight, she'd push two tables together and throw an air mattress on top."

"All the air mattresses are being used for extra beds in the rooms. I'd give you a tablecloth, though." Kenzi quipped, pulling out her pad of paper as she looked around the table.

"How generous of you." Bo replied, "You wouldn't let me share your king-sized bed? You barely take up ten inches of mattress."

Kenzi looked at Lauren, "You see? She knows I don't like the ladies, but she's still always trying to get into bed with me. I'm telling you, Hot Pants, you've gotta watch out for this one."

Lauren laughed, "I think I'm safe, but I really wish you wouldn't call me that."

Kenzi leaned sideways, looking at Lauren's ass, "Why? It's true even if I'm not interested in it. Have you not seen the way my bestie looks at it?"

Bo blushed, "Kenzi!"

"Awww… I'm embarrassing my BoBo. Sorry, sweet cheeks." Kenzi laughed, pulling a pencil from above her ear, "What'll it be, girls?"

Shannon and Carolyn spoke in unison, "Salmon."

Kenzi nodded, "And I suppose you two are having the usual?"

Bo and Lauren nodded, leading Kenzi to reply, "Four salmon dinners it is, courtesy of the Bo Dennis fishery."

"You own a fishery?" Shannon asked.

Bo wiggled ten fingers in front of the ladies, "Yea, it's called my hands and a rod. I do have a wheel as well, but it's not very easy to move. I have a small wheel around the bend down the river from my property, but Lauren and I ate all of those fish last night."

"She made the best dinner last night." Lauren grinned, "Hey? Can we do that with them one night this week?"

Bo nodded, "Why don't we do that on Saturday. They can spend the day learning how to live off grid through the hangover I'm sure they'll have from the bar."

Shannon laughed, "It takes a lot to get me hung over."

Bo smirked, "We'll see. Just know that off grid living starts with taking care of the transportation first thing in the morning, but you'll get three square meals and a bed to sleep in when it's time."

Shannon smiled, "Sounds perfect. You in, hon?"

Carolyn nodded, "Absolutely."

"Okay, so we're yours from Friday at five o'clock until Sunday… whenever." Shannon smiled.

Bo smiled, "Train to Anchorage, dinner and my ceremony in Point Siku, head back to Anchorage to dance the night away, then back to my… village home. When we wake up Saturday, we'll catch morning train at nine, take care of the dogs and then head to my off-grid home."

Carolyn clapped her hands together rapidly, "I'm so excited. This is going to be so much fun."

Bo and Lauren shared a glance, Bo whispering, "That's one way of looking at it." Bo looked up, "Food's here!"

The couple smiled brightly when Kenzi placed a plate of salmon in front of each of them. While they were distracted by Kenzi's explanation of what was on the plate, Lauren took the opportunity to lean over to Bo and ask,

"Will there be enough room in your village home for all of us?"

Bo smiled, "We'll figure it out."

"Okay." Lauren smiled, "So we're going to eat and run after this?"

Bo nodded, "Are you sure you're okay with staying at my place another night?"

Lauren smiled, "I don't care if we sleep at my place or yours as long as I'm with you when I lay down my head to sleep at night until… you're sick of me."

Bo smiled, "You mean until you go back to Boston."

"No, I mean until you're sick of me." Lauren said, her eyes holding all of the sincerity she could muster.

Bo grinned, "You don't seem to understand, Doctor Lewis. I will never get sick of you."

She kissed Lauren's cheek and the pair turned back to their meal.

"I'm so excited to see who cooks the salmon better." Lauren laughed.

Bo smiled, "Well, don't tell Kenzi if it's me. She'll fire the chef."

"And you'll have yet another job."

"I am not spending my day in an indoor kitchen." Bo replied emphatically as she took her first bite, but Lauren was already moaning along with their two guests.

She smiled, watching the three women share their enthusiasm over something that Bo ate about three times a week. She looked down at her plate thinking about how many times she must have consumed this very same meal and it hit her… how she took for granted that every piece of fish she ate was very fresh. She looked up at the other women,

"Do you eat much fresh fish in Boston?"

Lauren shrugged, "We're mainly known for clams and lobster…"

Carolyn chimed in, "Especially clam chowder and lobster rolls…"

Shannon added, her mouth full, "Cod and haddock are huge."

Lauren nodded, "She's right. They usually turn those into fish and chips, another very popular dish in Boston."

"Chips?" Bo asked, "Like potato chips?"

Lauren smiled, shaking her head, "Chips as in steak fries or potato wedges – like what they call French fries here... well, sort of."

"Which aren't actually French." Shannon said, pointing her finger to emphasize her point.

"Really?" Bo asked, "Why are they called French fries then?"

Carolyn shook her head, "We just talked about this last month. Belgium and France both claim they invented them… lots of drama on that topic."

"Huh?" Bo asked.

Lauren shook her head, "Never mind, Bo. They like to argue over trivia. They do it all the time. They're part of a Friday night trivia team that plays at some bar."

Bo shrugged, "I've never heard of teammates arguing."

Lauren laughed, "That's the thing… they're on different teams."

Bo looked up, "You are?"

Carolyn smiled, "Yup. It's actually how we met. We started arguing over a question that we can't even remember anymore and… well, I thought she was such an ass."

Shannon smiled, "But you couldn't take your eyes off of my ass." She laughed, turning to Bo, "I thought she was so incredibly hot… all smart and sassy."

Bo smiled, looking at Lauren, "I know the feeling."

"I'm sure you do." Shannon grinned, fist bumping Bo. They shared a laugh before Bo turned to Lauren,

"So, fish and chips are a piece of cod or haddock with French fries?"

Lauren shrugged, "Forget about the French fries. They're called chips because they're chipped off of a potato, so they're more potato wedges. They can be served with a malt vinegar, ketchup or a variety of other sauces. The fish is breaded and fried until it's a golden brown. It's Boston's version of comfort food."

"So, if I ever get to Boston, I'm having fish and chips, lobster rolls and clam chowder?" Bo asked.

Shannon smiled, "Union Oyster House! Gotta have some oysters!"

Bo nodded, "And oysters."

Carolyn smiled, "Does Alaska have potatoes?"

Shannon dropped her fork, "Do you not see those little white things with skins on your plate?"

Carolyn laughed, taking another sip of her beer, "Right. So, why don't we make Bo some fish and chips this weekend?"

Shannon nodded, "I have the best ever recipe!"

"We can hit the General Store for anything we can't get fresh… which is likely most of the spices." Lauren added, looking at Bo, "I mean… if that's alright with you."

Bo shrugged, "I've never fried over an open fire before, but I suppose it's possible… possibly a bit dangerous if the oil spills into the fire."

"Right." Lauren replied, "You don't have a stove?"

Bo shook her head, "If the solar panels are installed, I'll have a cooktop. My oven is what you ate out of last night."

Lauren nodded, "That makes sense."

Bo thought for a moment, "You know, we could cook in the kitchen here when we get back on Saturday. Would that work?"

"Let's play it by ear until we figure out what happens with your solar panels." Lauren suggested.

Bo nodded, "Good idea. Of course, we won't be living off grid…"

Lauren smiled, "You're absolutely right. We'll do the fish and chips on Sunday after our off-grid experience."

"Perfect." Bo replied.

"Perfect." Shannon and Carolyn agreed.

Bo smiled, "Eat up, kids. We've got to get on the… road… so to speak."

"So to speak?" Shannon asked.

Lauren laughed, "This is Alaska, Shannon. Sometimes the roads lead to a dead end in which case, you must find an alternate means of transportation."

"Like that train?" Carolyn asked.

"Sometimes." Bo smiled.

"And sometimes not." Lauren smiled, putting down her fork and wiping her mouth. She downed the rest of her beer and tossed her napkin onto her plate, "I'm ready when you are."

Carolyn and Shannon shared a glance as they turned back to their plates to finish their meal, each wondering what they had gotten themselves into tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bo's Kennels…

"Uh, Lauren?" Carolyn asked, nudging the doctor.

"Yes?" she responded.

"What are we doing here?"

Lauren smiled, "Consider this… the train station."

Shannon scowled, "A train comes through here?"

Lauren chuckled, tossing the two several items of clothing, "Face, eyes, hands, neck and put these on your feet right over your shoes."

The pair looked at each other while Lauren walked up the ramp to where Bo was pulling a sled from its wall mount.

"What can I do?"

"Get the girls?"

Lauren nodded, "Mine or yours."

"Yours, of course. I'll get mine."

"I only have three on my team and one is still out of commission."

Bo nodded, "I'm aware."

"So, two dogs are going to pull me and one of them?" Lauren asked, thumbing over her shoulder towards her nurses.

Bo smiled, "No, you're going to choose any ten dogs you want."

"Can I choose your dogs?" Lauren asked, nudging Bo.

"You can." Bo smiled.

"Really?"

Bo nodded, "You're ready."

"Bo, I almost crashed your sled… well, I did crash your sled." Lauren said.

"No, you didn't, Lauren. You just went a bit crooked. You can handle it. I promise."

"But you won't be on the sled with me."

Bo sighed, turning to face the blonde, "Are you saying you don't want to do this?"

Lauren shrugged, "I'm responsible for their health and well-being, Bo… and I can't run the clinic without them. I'm too busy. I'm just… well, I hate to admit it, but…"

"You're nervous about driving the sled without me there to jump in if anything goes wrong."

Lauren nodded, "That's precisely my concern."

Bo smiled, "Okay then. How 'bout you take Harper and one of our guests who will hold a pup and I'll take the other guest with a pup. Harper will bark at the dogs when you give commands… no chance they won't listen to her. They're young and she's the alpha of the pack."

Lauren smiled, "Okay, but can two dogs handle the job?"

Bo shook her head, "You'll need six dogs. The snow is melting around here, but it's still pretty deep out my way. Use your kids as the leads and choose any of mine for the rest of the positions."

Nodding, the blonde agreed. Bo smiled, "And remember, never let on to your passengers that you're not confident in what you're doing. The dogs will sense their fear."

Lauren chuckled, "Right. Can we just review a few things?"

Bo nodded, "Whatever you need, Lauren."

The pair set to the task of prepping the sleds, chatting about some of the finer aspects of mushing for Lauren's review. When they were finished, they brought the dogs around on the ramp and hitched them to the sled. They packed up all of the gear they needed for the night, grabbing some extra clothes and outerwear for Shannon and Carolyn before inviting them to jump into the basket of each sled.

Carolyn was with Lauren, so when Harper jumped in on her lap, her tongue hanging from her mouth while her tail wagged with excitement, all anyone could do was laugh… including Carolyn, who was pinned beneath the beloved dog.

"Is this what you meant when you said I had to hold onto one of Bo's puppies? Does she even realize she's not a puppy?" Carolyn laughed.

Bo smiled, "Harper, off. Haw, girl. Carolyn doesn't need you climbing all over her."

She watched as the older dog slid off of Lauren's friend and into the space beside her. Carolyn just smiled,

"Yes, but she is not the puppy. Sorry about Harper. She's been cooped up in a hospital for a long time. Her recovery has been slow and she's only just now starting to resemble her old self. Unfortunately, that also means she misses running with the team. Riding in the basket is the next best thing, so she gets her happy face on."

"Well, she's adorable, so we don't really care, do we Harper? You may be a bit older, but you are a puppy at heart, right?" Harper licked Carolyn's face from chin to forehead, the woman laughing even harder, "She is just something else."

"Well, this is the actual puppy." Bo smiled, handing the furry white pup to Carolyn who's eyes lit up as she held out her arms to take the little one from her owner,

"Hello you." Harper licked the pup's head, "Isn't she beautiful Harper?"

Bo nodded, "This is Harper's granddaughter. They've got quite a bond."

"Congratulations, Grandma!" Carolyn smiled at Harper, before looking back to the pup, "Aren't you just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen?"

"Hey!" Shannon protested until Bo held the other pup in front of her, "Oh my… you are just five pounds of adorable fluff!"

The two women held up their puppies, looking at each other, "If we stay here with Lauren, we are definitely getting puppies!"

Lauren smiled, "Well, they're a lot more work. These are sled dogs in training. Take my word for it, they are definitely not lap dogs or your typical household pets!"

Bo smiled, naturally hoping they all stayed. It was truly the first time in her life that she had been surrounded by so many people who were so fond of her dogs. Molly was already attached to Elise's new pup, Lauren had her own team, LJ was talking almost daily about getting into breeding her line one day and now these two new women who had entered her life through Lauren, were clearly smitten as well.

She looked up at the doctor who had busied herself with winding some centerline. She hung it on the wall, before moving to double check the lines on her team. It took a few more moments before Bo remembered what Carolyn had just said,

"If we stay here with Lauren, we are definitely getting puppies."

Bo sighed, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before she closed the distance between them,

"She didn't mean anything by what she said, Lauren. No one is trying to pressure you into staying."

Lauren dropped the line she was holding, checking to see that the two nurses were paying close attention to the pups they were holding before she looked up at Bo, her eyes a mix of anger and sadness,

"It doesn't matter what anyone says, Bo. I'm feeling the pressure no matter what. It's inside me. The truth is, I've just realized that I mention going back all the time in an attempt to convince myself I need to revisit Boston to be fair to myself. The truth is, I've found something here I've never had in Boston. The truth is, I love you and the thought of leaving you is starting to make me physically ill. The truth is, now that I've solved the mysterious disease that was killing people, I'm afraid I'll never be challenged as a professional ever again. The truth is, I didn't go into epidemiology, I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon and a good one at that… one of the best. I don't want to bandage cuts and treat hypothermia. I'm not in general medicine or family medicine. I want to fix damaged hearts because too many people die from heart disease every year."

She pulled off her gloves and threw them onto the seat of her sled, "The truth is, I'm starting to realize many truths about myself and my life before I came here and… well, there are so many things here that I am just not willing to give up, but there are so many things in Boston that I love. My truth is that I don't know what to do. I love my life here, but I love my career and a few things about my city back home."

Bo nodded, "So there are two truths here if I'm interpreting your frustrated rant correctly… one, you've found your personal nirvana and two, you've found your professional hell."

Lauren laughed, "You said it better than I did."

Smiling, Bo replied, "Well, what do you say we just enjoy your friends for now, focus on your personal nirvana for the next few months and then send you on back to Boston so you can be challenged professionally again?"

"And give up my personal nirvana?"

Bo shrugged, "The answers will come, Lauren. One day at a time, live in the present and let's not worry so much about what's around the corner. Okay?"

Nodding, Lauren agreed with a chuckle, "Wow. Doctor Gray is really good, huh?"

Bo smiled, "I just have a different perspective. I'll tell you all about it later. For now, we're losing daylight. Aer you ready to go?"

Lauren nodded, "Let's get these ladies moving. They're definitely ready for a run."

"I'll be right behind you." Bo smiled.

"Just don't follow to closely so if I crash you don't run us over." Lauren smirked, stepping onto the rails of her sled. She looked down at Shannon, "Put those goggles on, Carolyn. You'll need them when we hit the trail. Make sure you're in the basket and comfortable and tuck the pup into the opening."

She did as she was told, while Lauren waited for her to finish. Once they were all settled, she unhitched the pick from the post,

"Line out Diana!" The veteran lead took a few steps forward, Belle matching her movements until the team was standing, lines extended, "Hike! Hike!"

Bo smiled as the blonde made an expert departure from the chute. She did a quiet happy dance before she, too, instructed her team to pull out. Lauren had taken most of her veteran dogs, so this would give Bo a chance to see how some of the others were doing in their training. They were all in positions unfamiliar to them, so it would be a challenging ride. Bo was pretty psyched to have a good run. She was hoping Lauren would just let the team run and go with the additional speed.

They crossed over the street to the trail head and the dogs immediately picked up the pace. It was a beautiful evening, the skies dark enough to see some stars, but not so dark that they needed the headlamps yet. Chances are, they would have to pull over halfway there to add some light as it would get darker once they were in the trees.

As Bo watched Lauren on the sled in front of her, she noticed her legs had a bit of bend in them. She was finally starting to relax with the sled, leaning with the turns in the proper direction to keep the sled centered on the trail. Driving a sled was nothing like driving a car and she was starting to get a feel for it. Bo was so proud of all she had accomplished, largely due to her own determination and hard work. It was hard to believe this was the same stubborn woman who had moved into town in mid-winter.

Bo smiled as they picked up the pace, her dogs pushing to keep up with the sled in front of them. She was pleased to see this mishmash of a team she'd thrown together running so well. She would have to jot down some notes about this group when they go to the house. Finally, she noticed Lauren looking over her shoulder at her. She held up her fist, signaling she'd like to stop, and Bo complied, calling her to a stop. She watched as Lauren drove her hook into the deep snow before walking back to her,

"I can't see a thing."

"You know what to do." Bo said, tossing her pick into the snow and pulling the lights from the pack on the front of the sled. She stopped to check on her passengers,

"You alright?"

Shannon grinned, wiping the ice from her goggles, "This is awesome!"

Bo smiled, "Glad you're enjoying yourself. I've got to light up the sled. It's getting a little dark for us to see. While I'd love to trust the dogs to keep us on the trail, this group might get a bit rebellious if they think I can't see them."

"Rebellious?" She asked, nervously.

"You know, run us into a snowbank or a tree…" Bo snickered, mounting the lights on the front of the sled before turning on her headlamp.

She looked up to see Lauren ready to step on her sled. Bo gave her a thumbs up and the blonde turned around, pulled her hook and set off down the trail once again. The night grew dark and the stars came out in full force. It was a beautiful night and the view at home was going to be magnificent. Bo could hardly wait to get there. It was time to show the outsiders just what Alaskan life had to offer.

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