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?

11. Chapter 11: Bears and Betrayers

A/N: FYI – This update is three chapters beginning with Chapter 9. If you haven't read chapters 9 and 10, you should go back to get the full scoop before reading Chapter 11.

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CHAPTER 11: Bears and Betrayers

Thirty Minutes Later, Bo's Home…

They pulled into the barn and got the dogs settled in their crates. Harper and the pups would have to sleep inside tonight because there weren't enough indoor crates for all the dogs. They fed and watered the group before taking them out back for some evening play time.

As Bo expected, the stars were amazing tonight against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains and the moonlit river that was flowing high and fast thanks to start of the spring melt. Fishing would be good tomorrow morning, so she would at least have something to offer her guests for breakfast. The two outsiders played with the dogs in the yard for quite some time while Bo showed Lauren how to start a fire in the pit. Once it was burning bright, they pulled the two Adirondack chairs and two old folding chairs out of the shed and set them up by the fire. Lauren revealed a bottle of wine Kenzi has snuck into her bag when no one was looking.

Bo checked the label, "Wow. I guess you're growing on her for sure. She gave you the good stuff."

Laughing, the blonde replied, "We're bartering. Free medical checkups for free food and wine."

"Perfect arrangement." Bo smiled.

Lauren took a seat in one of the folding chairs, "I'm thinking I'll let one of the girls have my chair."

"Oh, your chair is it? I thought these were my chairs."

"Well, wasn't I the first guest to sit in that chair?"

Bo smiled, "Well, yes you were."

"Then it's my chair."

"Do you want me to carve your name on it, my Queen?" Bo asked.

Lauren laughed, "What a grand gesture that would be."

"Then it shall be done, m'lady, for I am definitely grand, and I've got a lot of gestures."

In that moment, Bo decided that there was no sound quite as incredible as the sound of Lauren Lewis' laugh. She watched as the blonde threw her hair back off her shoulders and smiled out into the night. The light of the fire caressed the edges of her profile when she turned to look at the mountain. She stood and moved to Bo's Adirondack chair, making herself comfortable in the brunette's lap. She laid her head in the crook of her neck and wrapped her arm around her waist. Bo felt her relax into her body with a heavy sigh.

"Comfortable?" Bo asked.

Lauren nodded, "Very much so, thank you."

They sat together enjoying the view, the sound of high-pitched puppy barks and laughter from the two women playing with the dogs in the backyard as the music of the evening. It wasn't long until Bo could hear the soft snores of Lauren's breathing. The doctor had been at working hard all day, so she wasn't surprised that she had fallen asleep so quickly. The truth was, Bo could stay awake watching Lauren sleep for what felt like forever. She turned her head into the blonde strands upon the doctor's head and enjoyed the coconut scent of her new shampoo. Molly told Bo that Lauren had come into the store to buy a shampoo that would make her feel like it was summer at the beach. Bo now wondered if this is what the beach truly smelled like. If it was, she was possibly just curious enough to chance a trip to one of Lauren's favorite destinations one of these days.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Bo saw one of the pups heading for the river. While she didn't want to wake the sleeping blonde, the pup would drown if it made it to the water with the river current as strong as it was tonight. She planted her feet and went to move but stopped when she saw Shannon come sprinting after the pup. She laughed as the woman dove, catching the fluffball by her hind quarters just as she made her final strides to the water's edge.

She rolled over, pulling the puppy to her chest and sat up. Shannon looked up to see the sleeping Lauren and smiled,

"Well, that is just adorable."

Bo blushed as the woman walked towards her and smiled, "I've never seen Lauren that comfortable on a woman's lap in my life. I've never seen Lauren on any woman's lap. She never cuddled with Nadia... well, I wasn't around them at home, but never in public."

She held the pup up, scratching beneath her jaw, "Sorry about the mad dash for the river. Apparently, I didn't latch the gate properly behind Lauren."

Bo smiled, "As long as you caught her and she's not drowning down river, it's all good."

"I'd never forgive myself."

"Me either." Bo said, her face deadly serious as she spoke.

Shannon shuffled her weight and Bo immediately sensed the tension in her. Still, the nurse continued, "These dogs really are your world, aren't they?" Shannon more stated than asked.

Bo looked down at Lauren, "Them and this sleeping beauty here. They're everything."

Shannon smiled, looking back at Carolyn playing with the dogs in the yard, "I know the feeling."

Bo watched the look on the woman's face as she gazed back at the yard, "I'm sure you do."

"Hey, would you mind if Carolyn and I went in and crashed?"

Bo smiled, "I think we're ready to do the same."

"Need any help with anything?" Shannon snuck over towards Bo, holding the puppy out to Lauren's face. The two women smiled as the pup began to lick Lauren's face, "Wow… she's out."

Bo whispered, "Try again."

The pup extended its front pads and softly pawed at Lauren's cheek before leaning in to lick her face again. This time, it did the trick. As Lauren opened her eyes, she laughed,

"Hey there. What are you doing?"

Bo chuckled, "I'm waking you up to go to bed. You look really tired."

Lauren looked up to see Shannon holding the puppy and smiled, "How did I now you would have something to do with this."

Shannon stood, holding the pup close to her cheeks, "Because we're two peas in a pod."

"That you are."

She smiled, sitting up at Shannon moved to the back yard. Looking down at Bo, she stretched, pulling her hair back out of her face. Bo's eyes roamed the length of her body. Even fully clothed, Bo was completely drawn to the strong, slender frame of her doctor,

"Sorry I fell asleep."

Bo smiled, "You're exhausted. It's been a very long day for you, Doctor."

Yea, but we found the cure."

"You found the cure. Congratulations, by the way. No one has to die of this anymore."

Lauren smiled, "I certainly hope not."

"You ready for bed?"

Holding out her hand, she replied, "With you? Of course. Shall we get the pups settled?"

Bo nodded, "Can you put together some sort of crate for the puppies and pull Harper's bed out while I get the rest of the dogs settled in for the night?"

"Of course. Where is Harper's bed?"

"Under our bed." Bo said, climbing out of the chair and looking up at the sky, "I think I'm going to leave the chair out tonight. It's going to be clear and it's starting to warm up just a bit."

She walked to the fence and picked up at large steel barrel. She flipped it upside down over the fire, limiting its access to oxygen. She pressed the edges down hard into the sand to be sure her property would be safe, then stood and brushed off her hands,

"That'll do it."

"So, no more snow?" Lauren asked, walking with Bo towards the gate.

"We'll probably have one or two more good ones, but they won't last. It'll heat up eventually."

Lauren smiled, "I'm looking forward to experiencing my first spring here."

Bo grinned, "I'll see you upstairs?"

Lauren nodded, "I'll get everything settled."

"Tell Shannon and Carolyn I'll be in shortly. I hope they don't mind the small bedroom."

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

Bo headed to the garage with the doors, Harper again bringing up the rear while the pups followed closely behind her. She got the dogs settled in about fifteen minutes, locked everything up and then headed inside. There, she found the two visitors examining the wood frame of every wall in the house,

"Can I help you, Ladies?"

Carolyn turned, her hand still moving up and down along the center beam, "Lauren said you built this house beam to beam… ever nail?"

"Ninety-nine percent. I had to have help with the roof, but the rest was done by hand."

Shannon smiled, looking up at the ceiling, "Wow. This is… amazing."

Carolyn nodded, "If we end up staying, would you build us one of these?"

Bo laughed, "For a price, yes."

"Of course, of course! We would never dream of getting all of this for free."

"That's the second time you two have mentioned staying. Are you seriously considering staying here?" Bo asked.

Shannon smiled, looking at Carolyn who replied, "We are, Bo. It's amazing here and the work is perfect. There's no big hospital craziness. It's just us and our patients… our patients are the priority, not the egos and recognition that most of our doctors have become so concerned with."

Shannon shrugged, "In all honesty, it's the hospital board that's changed things. They believe that prestigious doctors bring in prestigious patients who are willing to donate money to the hospital in exchange for a life-saving procedure. That's why Evony is so obsessed with Doctor Lewis, but it doesn't seem she is as happy as Evony is. When we first started, Doc would show up at the Nurses' station with a big old smile on her face. She's saying good morning to everyone and bring us coffee and donuts. She would sit with patients who she had cared for just to keep them company. Now, it's all hurry, scurry. How many surgeries can she finish in a day and what's success to failure ratio."

Carolyn nodded, "She may be at her professional peak, but I think she's at an all-time low on the happiness factor… back home, anyway. I hope she will come to see that this place is perfect for her. She can have a career, friends, hobbies and a family."

"Family? She wants kids?"

Shannon laughed, "Lauren doesn't need a blood connection to be family, Bo. You're her family whether she wants to admit it or not. It's pretty obvious to us even after spending only a few hours with the two of you."

Bo nodded, more concerned right now that Lauren might be hearing their entire conversation. She smiled politely,

"Well, right now, I just want to take one day at a time and let Lauren figure out what she wants from her life. I would never try to take her career from her and… well, to be honest… I don't know Boston Lauren so it's hard for me to agree or disagree with you. I just know that she is a strong, independent, intelligent and beautiful woman who is quite capable of making her own decisions about her life. She certainly doesn't need us second guessing her choices. So, with all due respect and appreciation for your support of me and my relationship with Lauren, I think it's important for the two of you to support Lauren through this journey."

Bo turned to the fireplace and began building a fire to keep the pair warm through the night as she continued,

"Lauren was with Nadia for a long time. Jumping right back into another relationship isn't what she wants to do right now, and I support that train of thought. I love her and I will wait for her until she tells me to move on."

"Wow, that's real… mature of you."

Bo chuckled, "Well, it's not about maturity now, is it? When you love someone… truly love someone… they're not a possession or a slave to your needs and desires. They're a person who you want to be happy… you want the best for them, no matter what it may do to you."

"Sounds like martyrdom to me." Carolyn said as she stared into the fire.

Bo shrugged, "I'm no martyr. I just… I just love her and want her to be happy. If that's here with me, so be it. If not, then I want her life to be full of whatever it is that will give her joy and love daily. Life is too short to spend it miserable."

"Well, in that case, she'd better get to finding the happy because she's been miserable for far too long." Carolyn replied, "That girl is one bad-ass doctor who will fight like hell for what she believes in whether she's got to take on a patients' family or the entire pharmaceutical industry, but when it comes to her personal life, she's like a door mat. At least when it came to Nadia."

Bo scowled as she leaned against the stone hearth, looking down into the fire, "Well, you'll forgive me if I don't see it your way. Out here, we live and let live and that means my perspective is that Lauren's life isn't some sort of game or movie to be messed with. It's her life which means it's also her path and her choices that will ultimately create her journey. Besides, it's easy to judge a person until you've walked a mile in their mukluks."

"Their what?" Shannon asked.

Bo laughed,

"Eskimo boots." She said, pointing to the woman's feet that still held the footwear they'd given her to wear, "And you really should take off your shoes before you come into someone's house."

Bo walked away from the pair and headed to the small storage closet beneath the stairway. She pulled out two pillows, sheets and a blanket, then returned to the living room and tossed them on the couch.

"I think that's enough discussion about Lauren's life for one evening. Frankly, it's a disappointing end to what was an otherwise lovely night. Try to keep in mind that – well, at least while you're in my presence – your undying support of Lauren's choices in her life and hope for a happy future would be greatly appreciated. This sort of conversation is not only not wanted, but unwarranted. You've told me that you call her friend and that she's the best boss evert. Given those two things, I can't fathom why you would begin to talk to me, of all people, about Lauren in the way you did just now."

She pointed towards the short hallway, "There's a bathroom there and the small guest room is there. If you pee, please put a scoop of the gray stuff in the bucket next to the composting toilet in the bowl. If you drop a log, please make sure you pull the bucket out from under the bowl, open the poop chute door in the wall and dump it outside."

"You mean… your toilet doesn't flush?" Shannon asked, horrified.

Bo didn't turn, but instead chuckled as she took the stairs, "You wanted to experience off-the-grid-living… this is it."

When she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped when she saw Lauren sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed near the railing. Her head was down as she stroked Harper's neck. Bo could see her cheeks glistening in the lamplight, so knew she had been crying.

Bo walked to her and sat down beside her. One of the pups pawed at her head from above her. She reached up and pulled her down from the bed, allowing her to cuddle up in her lap. The other one followed shortly and made herself at home between Harper and the first pup. She still had no conclusive name ideas but hoped that something would come to her soon. Of course, Elise's ideas were numerous. Maybe she really would just leave it up to her to name the entire litter. The kid deserved at least that much after her entire life had been uprooted.

"Want to talk about it?" Bo asked.

Lauren shrugged, shifting to lean on Bo's shoulder, "What difference would it make?"

She wiped her nose, "But thanks for sticking up for me."

It was Bo's turn to shrug, "I wasn't sticking up for you, Lauren. I was speaking my truth. It just happens to be that my truth… well, I guess it's sort of your truth too. To tell you the truth, I was surprised that they spoke of you the way they did. I was really starting to like them, too."

Lauren smiled, "They're fine, Bo. I guess they're just sick of watching me screw up my love life."

"They sort of have you up on a pedestal, medically speaking." She fluffed the fur on the pup's neck, "It's hard when our idols don't live up to our expectations."

"I'm hardly an idol, Bo. I'm human. I make mistakes." She dried her cheeks, "I guess the problem is, that I didn't know anyone else noticed until now."

Bo overhead the pair talking about the size of the size of the bed and the toilet below and chuckled, "It seems they're not satisfied with the accommodations either. I guess we've both let them down."

"They're young and until now, I think they thought they were on vacation. It's too bad they weren't here for the first clinic. It was smaller and had much less equipment."

"Well, Evony played her hand perfectly. She's now more popular than ever with all you can do in that clinic. Even though the hospital opening will be delayed, she's pouring even more money into the project. My foreman hired another dozen men yesterday and apparently Evony absorbed the extra payroll costs without complaint."

Lauren shrugged, "The sooner we're in business, the more money she makes back over time."

Bo nodded, "It's all about the dollar."

"Yup."

They were silent for a long moment before Lauren asked, "Bo? Will you go away with me?"

"Wh-what? Where?"

Lauren could feel the brunette stiffen at the request, but she did her best to keep her voice calm, "I have to run down to Seattle next week to pick up the water test results and any equipment we need installed to kill the legionella. I thought maybe we could get away… just the two of us… good food, good company. I'd just like to get away from… well, the clinic, people…"

She lifted her head to look at Bo, "There's this little island that a doctor friend owns. He owes me one and said I could use the house anytime between now and summer. What do you think?"

Bo hesitated, but then decided that life with Lauren was going to require courage that could match that of the doctor's. It was clear that Lauren liked the beach – hell, she owned a home at one. Maybe it was time that Bo came out from under a blanket of snow, ice, water and trees. It was a big country… hell, it was a big planet… might as well see some of it before she ran out of time.

"I've never been on an island."

Lauren smiled, "I know. I also know going anywhere outside of this state other than the Canadian Rockies will probably be a bit scary…"

"Scared? I'm not scared." Bo responded stiffly… and quickly.

Lauren lay her head down on Bo's shoulder again, "I know you're not. I'll make the plans."

Bo leaned her head against Lauren's, relaxing at the feeling she always got when her doctor was close, "Lauren?"

"Yes, Bo?"

"Maybe I'm just a little… nervous."

Lauren smiled, "Bo?"

"Yes, Lauren?"

"Will you fly us to Seattle, so we don't have to fly commercial?"

Bo smiled, "Of course, Lauren."

"Bo?"

"Yes, Lauren?"

"Can we get into bed?"

Bo grinned, "I thought you'd never ask."

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Bo opened one eye to the sun peeking in through the window. It was growing brighter each morning, the days longer and longer. She smiled seeing Lauren cocooned in the blanket, her head and face in Bo's chest. She was warm and being with her like this was an absolute dream.

Bo had meant what she'd said to the nurses last night. Something in her had shifted. She loved this woman with all of her being and she wasn't about to do anything that would upset Lauren's happiness. If she had to, she would let her go and retreat from her world. Until then, she would be at her side, giving her whatever she needed while simultaneously working on herself to become an actual human being rather than a mere fixture in nature.

For now, however, she could feel a pair of tumbling pups at the foot of her bed and didn't want them to wake Lauren. She carefully lifted her head, using her pillow to replace the warmth of her body against Lauren and sat up slowly. She smiled when she saw Harper, lying obediently still at the foot of her bed, ears perked up as the pups wrestled with each other beneath her chest.

She gave the spot between her ears a scratch and quietly slipped out of bed. Harper jumped from the mattress, stretching out her paws when she hit the floor. The two pups stood at the edge of the blanket, staring down at the long jump to the floor.

Bo smiled, walking back to the bed to pick each of them up by the scruff of their neck to help them down and then moved to pull on some clothing. First stop was the window that held the indoor clock and the outdoor barometer and thermometer. She smiled when she saw that it was five-thirty in the morning and a comfortable thirty-five degrees.

She looked down at Harper and whispered, "Above freezing, Harper. The fish are waking up. Wanna catch a fish?"

The dog's tongue hung from her mouth as her tail wagged. She ran to the top of the stairway, followed by the pups. Bo pulled on a pair of jeans and crew socks with a thermal shirt and hoodie before heading down the stairway. She turned and watched the pups staring at the series of steps. This was new to them, so she waited patiently to see if they would take the first leap or not. Finally, one of them took the first step, then the next and next. It was slow, but she made it about halfway before the other started down from the top. Moving a bit too quickly, she lost her footing and balance and began to tumble, taking out the other pup who had made it a third of the way down. The two landed at Bo's feet in a twisted lump,

"Graceful, girls. Very graceful."

She waited to make sure they were both able to stand and walk. Their bones were still very flexible at this stage of life, so it wasn't likely they would break anything, but still, tendons and ligaments could be strained or torn and that could make or break their career as a racing sled dog.

They followed Harper into the kitchen and threw the doggie door into the garage. Bo made a stop in the kitchen to brush her teeth and then headed into the bathroom, shaking her head when she saw a bucket of poo barely covered in the sawdust peat moss mixture Bo used for composting and a note that read 'sorry'.

"Right. This is taking hospitality to a whole new level."

She put the bucket back beneath the toilet seat and closed the lid. She picked up the hook and turned the crank, mixing the sawdust and excrement thoroughly before opening the lid and pouring the liquid waste bucket into the solid waste. She then closed the lid once more and gave the crank a few more spins before lifting the bucket from its receptacle, opening the slip door to dump the bucket into the compost bin outside.

She opened the lid and replaced the bucket, checking to make sure both it and the liquid waste receptacle were aligned properly before spooning in six hefty scoops of sawdust for the next use before closing the lid. Now that everything was fresh, it would last another day with guests, possibly two before she would have to empty it again.

She sat down on the toilet to relieve herself, shaking her head at her guests. She supposed she would have to give them a tutorial. Lauren figured it out, she thought they would as well, but alas, modern society only required the dump and flush method. She supposed she should be more patient with the pair, but their judgement of Lauren last night had left a bad taste in her mouth.

She finished up, giving the crank a turn to mix her waste into the sawdust and then moved to the sink. She used the foot pump to get the water flowing from the faucet to wash her hands and then headed out to go through her morning dog routine.

She quickly hitched up a sled, deciding she'd give Harper a go this morning. If she started to struggle in any way, she would pull her into the basket. She picked up the pups and tossed them into the basket before opening the garage door and heading out with a full complement of dogs. This would be fun.

She headed down the snowy road along the river, deciding to head all the way down to Crooked Bridge. She wouldn't take a chance on crossing the river shallows again until January. The ice wasn't going to be thick enough with the strong current and rising water beneath.

The snow was still plenty deep in these parts, but it wouldn't be long until she would have to head deep into the mountains by truck to give her girls a run. After that, it would be spring, and snow would be impossible to find unless she flew the dogs to the north slope for a run. Even there, from what she'd heard, there was nothing but tundra.

The ice was retreating as the temperature of the land increased dramatically with each year. She was again reminded of the negative forty-five to sixty-five climate she was raised in that now saw ninety degrees on some days of summer. The ice was vanishing and with it, the animals native to the lands. When she was in Nome, she'd overheard stories of entire homes dropping right through the permafrost into the ocean as entire chunks of land reached temperatures too high to sustain the ice beneath.

She looked around, breathing deeply as she tried to capture the beauty of the land where she grew up before it changed completely into something she would no longer recognize. While the governments of the world argued over whether climate change was real, she was watching the change right before her very eyes every single day.

Some say a culture was being lost, but Bo thought it was more their way of life. Without the ice, the people from the North Slope would have to find new ways to eat, start fires and survive. Wildlife was moving south, leaving them with fewer sources of food and clothing. They were relying more and more on the outside world to provide what they needed, and the outside world was not providing it cheap.

Word has it that the online companies were a big source of products now, but the cost of getting them up to the North Slope was still incredibly high. While it was warmer to Bo and the other natives, to the big companies, flying a cargo plane into their high winds and low temperatures was still expensive and those costs were passed on to the natives. The last time Bo had purchased a loaf of bread and a gallon of fuel oil up north, it had set her back ten bucks a piece. Supposedly prices had dropped a bit, but they were still probably at least half of that.

"Wow. How did I get to thinking about all that bullshit, Harper, huh? I guess those nurses are bringing more from the lower forty-eight than just themselves and their judgmental crap. Why am I so angry?" She thought about what Doctor Gray had said about when she recognized her own anger.

"Ysabeau, I know you are concerned about your anger, so I will tell you this. When you feel the anger rise, recognize it… greet it as you would a child. Ask it why it exists and if it can't answer, be patient with it as you would a child. Talk to it, ask it the hard questions about why it must present itself in the way that it does… why it can't speak more calmly. Ask questions that make it truly consider its existence and listen for the answers. In time, you'll come to understand one another."

"Fine wine." Bo smiled.

The doctor took Bo's hand, cupping it in her own, "Life is not meant to be rushed, Ysabeau. It's meant to be savored. We each have our own paths to walk. Choose to walk yours in the same manner you love your dogs, care for your dogs, plant your seeds and grow your plants. Transfer the way you live your life to the way you approach those humans you despise so much. In that way, you may find a kind of peace you may never have known otherwise."

Bo closed her eyes, allowing the sensation of riding on the sled to fill her being. She could feel every stride of her dogs, something most mushers never took the time to connect to… her mother had taught her to try to feel every heartbeat and every step her dogs took so that she could understand when they could be pushed and when they needed to rest, when they were too cold or too warm, when their breath was strained with effort that was within their comfort zone or when they were strained beyond comfort.

She smiled at the feeling of joy she received. They were having fun and so was she… until she had started to think of things that were not within her control. That was when the voice of her anger had reared its ugly head. It was the same voice that came around when Lauren was making decisions that might cause her pain and feelings of abandonment.

"Those nurses connect Lauren to Boston which connects to me losing the love of my life. It's how I was so calm about Lauren leaving. I've just moved the anger from Lauren to them." Bo chuckled, "So not as altruistic as I'd thought in my 'let Lauren love as she chooses' speech."

She searched through her feelings, slowly recognizing her true intentions and smiled, "But yet, I do want her to be happy – even if it's without me. It would suck, but… it's what I want for her. I love her that much. It's not martyrdom, it's just a simple fact. The thought of Lauren being happy… the image of her with a smile on her face, that look of deep concentration when she's in doctor mode, the picture of her dancing when she thinks no one is watching… it's all perfect. It fills my soul to know she's happy because somehow, I know I'll still be connected to her."

She laughed, looking at Harper to be sure her stride was still easy and not strained, "We'll always have Alaska, girl. No one can take that away from Lauren and I, can they. We'll always have Alaska."

They'd reached the bridge, so she slowed their stride and called out to her lead, Diana on the right, "Gee! Gee!"

She watched as Nike pushed into her partner, making the turn with her, rather than resisting. Gawd she loved this team. She often wondered what she would do when she had to retire this generation. Would she keep racing? She looked down at the two eager pups who were hanging out of the top of the baskets. They were sniffing the air and looking around at all the sites at times, but mostly their focus was on the role models before them. Their tails wagged relentlessly as they barked at the team with each command Bo offered. Would she continue to race? If it was with these two, damn right she would. They were as eager as their grandmother had been when she was a pup.

They crossed the bridge and headed up the trail into the mountains, the steep gorge not much of a challenge for the full team with an empty sled. They rounded the corner and headed back down the ridge to come along the opposite side of the river from her house. It was a quick three-mile loop, but it would be enough of a workout in the snow before they would make the trek back to town. At the other end of the loop, she could stop and check her wheel for fish. If there were none, she would fish with Harper when they got back home and set the cast iron dutch oven to coals before the others ever opened their eyes.

She smiled as her house came into view across the river, parts of the roof now visible as the sun heated the tin causing the snow to slide off into the drifts below. It was a fine-looking house, that was for certain. Her remaining dogs were in the yard which meant Lauren must have gotten up. Bo laughed, thinking of how Lauren would likely want those cooking lessons when she finally got to cooking their breakfast. Yes indeed, it was looking to be a great morning.

She felt a lurch in her sled before she looked up to see Diana and Nike arguing about something. There was usually only one thing that would cause these two to disagree,

"Whoa! Whoa!" She watched as the two followed command and slowed to a stop. Unable to turn the sled on its side because of the pups inside, she dropped the ice hook and planted it firmly in the ice. She slowly reached beneath the seat of her sled and pulled out the two axes she kept strapped beneath the bench.

She remained crouched as she crossed to the basket. She forced the pups into the cargo hold and pulled the cord taut to keep them locked inside. She didn't need them attracting attention right now. She dropped to her knees and slid past each pair, whispering calming words as she moved and commanding each to sit or lay down. Once Harper laid down, it made it difficult for the others to remain standing because of the tension she forced on the center line.

When she reached Diana and Nike, she watched their noses, looking first to the tracks on the ground before following them off in the right direction,

"Good girls, good girls." She watched the brush for movement and finally saw the target of concern, "Really? It had to be a grizzly bear? Couldn't be your cousin the brown or even a black, huh?"

She looked down at the axes in her hand, kissing each, "Whatever you do, if this big guy wants anything other than to go to the salmon run, don't miss." She looked at her dogs, "If there is a God, please keep them quiet or they will become the main course after he chews me up as an appetizer."

She watched as the bear sniffed the air, before its eyes came to rest on the sled. She could feel Nike's paw cover her wrist as she gave a low growl,

"Easy girl. Easy." She tugged her wrist from beneath the paw, "I'm gonna need that if I need to throw this axe. Shhh… it's okay. I've got this, right?"

She slowly turned to face the bear, moving to her knees before getting her feet beneath her in a tight crouch. She thought of everything she would do, step by step. She pivoted her right foot, sliding it slightly back behind her, making sure her weight was centered. She would need balance and a good push off when she went to stand. She would throw her left-hand axe underhand, striking the groin where the skin was thin and the blood vessels shallow. The bear would lower its head, exposing the weakest point of the skull where she would strike with her right-hand axe.

That would leave her defenseless… wait… flare gun. She slid back towards the basket, keeping her eyes trained on the bear. She pressed her right-hand axe into the snow before reaching behind her to unzip the side pouch, pulling out the flare gun. She forced her other blade into the snow, looking down to load the flare into the gun.

Now, the ultimate question… try to scare him off with a flare first or use axes, then flare. It was times like these that Bo questioned her decision not to carry a shot gun or rifle, but ultimately, it was not the way she was raised.

She reached into the pouch once more, pulling out the belt with the two blades she normally carried on her hips when trapping. Wrapping it around her waist, she tied it fast just in time to hear the bear release its first sounds.

She'd brought down plenty of bears, but usually with a trap and rarely hand to claw. The bear growled again, this time showing its teeth. It moved closer, but not yet in range for an axe to sink deep enough to cause any real damage.

She smiled, "There's lots of salmon down river. Aren't you in the mood for some really, really tasty salmon? There's so many of them waking up for spawning season and they're much tastier than me or my dogs. What do you say, huh? Hang a left and head down river so I don't have to kill you and you don't have to kill us?"

The bear stood up on its hind legs in response and Bo had her answer,

"Kill or be killed it is."

She put the flare gun in her waistband, and retrieved her axes from the ice, gripping them with purpose. Now fully armed, it was time. She pushed off hard with her back foot, launching herself towards the grizzly, making herself as big as she possibly could,

"AARRGGGH! HA! HA! HA BEAR! GO AWAY!" She thrust her axes upward with each shout, doing her best to scare off the massive beast, but he continued forward, not the least bit intimidated by her actions.

She maintained her stance, holding her ground, watching him close the distance on his hind legs and just before he dropped to charge, she took dead aim at his groin and released the axe with all of the power she could muster. It sunk in deep, causing him to drop to all fours and expose his massive skull. The fired her second axe, causing it to sink into the left side of his skull, but still he charged.

She ran from the dogs, hoping to draw him towards her and as she hoped, he followed. She could hear the dogs barking as she hit the waters' edge. The current was strong and would move her away from the bear more quickly should he get the better of her. She felt the claws hit the back of her calf first, grazing the flesh like a dull knife through warm butter. She fell, earning an Emmy for her dead fish act before thrusting one of her knives into the bear's left eye and the other up and threw the flesh beneath his jaw.

She felt the claws slash across the back of her ribs as she curled into a ball. She reached into her belt and gathered all her courage. With one last ditch effort, she lifted the flare gun, turned to the bear and as he roared in her face, she fired the single flare into his mouth, closing her eyes and turning her head so as not to blind herself.

He collapsed onto her, the full weight of his dead body now atop her own. She struggled to breath as the mammoth carcass bore down on her ribs. She could see a pool of blood forming beneath her but was unsure if it was her own or the bears'.

She heard a ruckus behind her… what sounded like human voices intermingled with the dogs barking and as she looked up, she could have sworn she saw a curtain of blonde hair hanging over her face before everything went dark.

"Jaysus, Lauren. How the hell is she still alive?" Shannon asked as the three women worked together to pull Bo from beneath the large bear.

"Are you sure it's dead?" Carolyn asked.

Lauren looked at the dogs, then at Bo before making a decision, "We won't be able to get her back across the river. The current is too strong."

"So, what do we do?" Shannon asked, turning her back to Lauren so that she could get to the supplies in the backpack they had brought across the river with them.

"We load her onto the sled. I'll drive it around to the house. If she was headed this way, there had to be a way back home. The dogs will know. She's run these trails plenty of times, I'm sure of it."

Lauren looked up to see the team clearly agitated by what had just happened, but she was grateful that Bo had brought a full team of dogs with her. She rolled her over onto her side and cringed at the sight of the three claw marks on her left rib cage,

"This is deep."

Shannon knelt down beside her while Carolyn spotted the damage to her calf, "Her calf too. Although this looks much more superficial."

"There's a puncture wound on her shoulder as well, Doc." Shannon observed, using some river water to wash away the blood, "Wow. It's… there's a tooth in there."

"Probably a projectile when she fired the flare into its mouth." Lauren said, spotting a portion of the bear's jaw in the sandy shore.

"I can't believe she's alive."

"Okay, okay! I know! Please stop saying that!" Lauren replied, trying to keep her emotions under control so she could think, "The mud from the shores seems to be keeping parts of the wound from bleeding. One of the native medicine books I've read said it's a common method of stings and wounds. I can't remember details, but I think it will work. Pull out the three ace bandages we found, then start making mud pies."

Carolyn started right away, pulling soil together and mixing it with river water, "A whole new course for nursing students. Emergency care for bear wounds in the arctic."

"Yea, well I'll sign you up for a class with Seline first, then you can teach it at the new hospital… if you still have the guts to stay after your first twelve hours off-grid."

The pair were silent as they thought about the argument, they'd had with Bo last night and the note Lauren had shared with them from Bo this morning about teaching them how to use a composting toilet. The blonde rolled Bo face down, pressing the mud pies against her wounds before working the ace bandages around her torso to add pressure to the wounds to slow the bleeding. Hopefully by the time she made it around to the house, there would be some clotting.

"Okay, that's about all we can do for now. You two take the puppies in your backpack and go carefully back across the river. Remember…"

"We know, Doc. The current is strong, but we drove the metal stake in deep enough to hold our weight on the rope if we lose our footing."

"Right. Just…"

"Don't let go of the rope. We know. We'll hook the carabiners to the loopy thing that's holds the two of us together on opposite sides of the rope. We're good. Honest."

"Call…"

"Seline. We know. We'll call her as soon as we get to the phone and do exactly as she says since Bo doesn't have a normal first aid kit in the house."

Lauren nodded as the three dragged Bo by the shoulders and hood of her jacket onto the sled's fully open basket. Lauren wrapped the enclosure around Bo, zipping it shut to be sure she wouldn't fall out. She pulled up her hood, knowing that blood loss was going to cause her body temperature to drop even further. She was partially in the water by the time they'd reached her, so she was already going to be battling hypothermia.

"Doc?" Shannon called to Lauren.

The blonde looked up to see her holding up the rifle they'd brought. Lauren nodded, walking back to her and taking the weapon in her hands.

"You sure you know how to use that?" Carolyn asked.

Lauren pulled back the bolt and checked to be sure the compartment was loaded before slamming it shut and checking the sight through the scope. She then pulled the sling over her chest, leaving the weapon behind her,

"One of the benefits of being raised in wealth is archery and marksmanship lessons." Lauren explained.

Shannon's jaw dropped, "You shot Bambie?"

She frowned, shaking her head, "I shot clay pigeons, Shannon. I'd never kill a living thing." She looked down at Bo, "Unless I was protecting someone I loved."

They watched as she pulled the ice hook from the ice and called out to the dogs, "Nike! Diana! Line out!"

Carolyn and Shannon grinned as the dogs obeyed and Lauren lifted her hood over her head and pulled on her gloves,

"I should be there in about fifteen minutes. I'm guessing the way across is somewhere near the bend. I know her fishing wheel is there as well. If not, I might be longer. Hopefully not. Be sure there's a warm fire and find anything you can that might help me close these wounds. She must have something because she treats the dogs all the time. There must be a suture hook somewhere. Try the garage kennel or the barn out back. Just be careful around the construction equipment. I don't need more patients."

They both nodded, "What about this?" Shannon asked, pointing to the bear.

Lauren shrugged, "Bo's going to be pissed as hell at me for leaving it behind. It's good meat for winter and it's a fur that would bring her a lot of money in trade, but I have no way of bringing it with me. See you soon."

The pair waved as the blonde set off along the river, now more than ever keeping her senses heightened as she now realized what the spring awakening truly meant in these lands. Bo had kept the dangers of her life off grid from her, for the most part, but watching the bear emerge from the woods had been her worst nightmare to date.

Shannon and Carolyn had emerged from the house and froze at the sight, but had quickly followed Lauren's instructions to get waders, line, ground stakes, first aid items and the rifle from Bo's kitchen wall. They worked quickly to pull on the waders, set the line and work their way across the fast-moving river. It was incredibly cold and despite the insulated rubber boots, their legs quickly grew numb making it difficult to walk. Lauren had been taught the dangers of waders filling up in a river adding too much weight to resurface should you fall in or go too deep, so she was careful to warn her nurses of the dangers as well.

They had stopped mid-river, Lauren shouldering her weapon and ready to fire when Bo took the shot with the flare gun. It had taken them all by surprise, causing them to lose their balance and grasp at each other to stay on their feet. They moved the rest of the way across the river, seeing spots from the blinding light of the flash.

As she moved closer to the bend, Lauren could see a bridge suspended over the river. She released a sigh of relief, the dogs slowing their pace as if they knew what was coming.

"Take us home, Diana! Show us the way, Nike! I'm trusting you, girls!"

She looked down, only now noticing that Harper was among the dogs hitched to the sled. She watched her carefully, knowing that Bo must have been doing the same. They slowly crossed the bridge that swayed as the dogs moved across. It was a tense moment, Lauren hyperaware of the basic physics of one sled rail or the other slipping too far right or left spelling disaster for all of them, especially Bo who lay unconscious in the safety of the basket… as long as they stayed out of the river.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the first five pairs of dogs had hit solid ground once more. They made a wide turn, taking care to get the sled off the bridge before it attempted to turn and continued back up towards the river bend. The dogs slowed when they came upon a large wooden wheel that spun through a trough in the water, a net on either side full of fish.

The team stopped, despite the lack of command, Harper looking over her shoulder at Lauren expecting… something. Deciding the dogs were not going to continue unless she did whatever it was they wanted done, she dropped the hook and walked to the front of the sled, planting her hands on her hips,

"You do know that your Master needs to get back home quickly, right? So why the strike, huh?"

She looked at the wheel. There were two empty baskets with straps attached. Lauren walked carefully to the bank, aware she still had waders on. Falling in was not an option. She stepped onto the trough and reached down to the net to grab a large salmon by its tail. It was heavy.

"Geez, how many of these does she carry at a time?"

She picked them up, one after another until she had about five in each basket. She went to lift the first basket and cringed under the strain,

"Ugh. That's not going to work."

She tried slipping the sling over her shoulder and lifting, but that didn't work either, not to mention the rifle that dug into her back under the added weight. She decided the drag method would work best, so dragged one, then the other basket to the sled. With some extra effort, she hauled one basket onto the bench, tying it fast with the bungee cords Bo kept attached to the handle. The other, she attached beneath the bench before heading the rest of the stretch back to the house.

The trail was easy for the most part, but it was clear to Lauren that here along the river, the snow was melting much faster than on the north side where the snow was protected by the mountain. Once home, she pulled up to the fire pit, deciding she could release the dogs into the backyard and open the doggie door to the garage since the weather seemed relatively mild today by comparison. The forecast had temperatures rising to the low fifties in the afternoon, so the dogs would be comfortable. If they got to warm, they could go into the shelter of the garage as the door allowed them to move freely between the two spaces.

She moved back to the sled, just as Shannon and Carolyn came outside to greet her,

"We've got everything set up in there, Lauren."

The blonde nodded, "Sorry it took longer than I expected. The bridge crossing was further away than I'd thought, and I had to make a stop. The dogs wouldn't let me miss the fish pick up."

Shannon smiled, moving to the baskets of fish, "Wow. Those are… massive. What are they?"

"Salmon, mostly." Lauren replied, "Once we get her inside, they have to be put on ice, or they'll go bad."

"Same with the bear." Carolyn replied.

"The bear?" Lauren asked.

The pair smiled proudly, pointing at the bear head that was barely visible beneath the snow pile against the fence,

"We used Bo's knives and axes to create a sort of spikey collar that allowed us to attach it to the line and tow it across the river." Carolyn explained.

Shannon added, "With the current so strong, we just dragged him upstream, then pushed him in the water and the current just moved him right down and across to shore while we pulled him towards us from the other side."

"Well done. I have no idea what to do with it, but hopefully putting it on ice will give us time for Bo to explain." Lauren said, "Can you help me get her inside?"

The pair agreed, but added, "We'll help you get her in then come out here and ice the fish for Bo. We've got a fire going in the living room and we made one in the little fireplace thing by her bed. Shannon will help you care for Bo since she talked to that smarty pants, Seline."

"She is wise." Lauren nodded, unzipping the basket. She looked at Bo who was now quite pale, but also still breathing. She reached up to find a slow, steady pulse, "Well, at least her vitals seem stable, but her color isn't good at all. I've got to get under those bandages and see what's going on."

"Let's just lift the whole basket off the sled. Can we do that? Detach this big canvas bag?"

Lauren shook her head, "It's attached to the rails."

She walked to the shed and brought out a blanket, "The old blanket carry?" The all nodded their agreement, setting to the task of moving Bo inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lauren sat by Bo's bedside, waiting for her to awaken. LJ had been here and gone, taking Shannon and Carolyn back to the clinic to handle the patients for the day. He was bringing back more medical supplies to help her care for Bo and would also tend to the fish and bear that were left on ice. Apparently, there was more to it than just freezing them. The bear had to be field dressed and while Lauren had no idea what that meant, it seemed important to LJ.

Apparently, the family was upset that they had no idea where Bo lived. It was situations just like this that had been the reason they had wanted to know, and LJ had made it clear that Molly, especially, was quite upset with her at the moment. They were family now and that made all the difference.

She looked at the clock and realized it was time for another bandage change. She started on the calf first. The bear's claw had luckily only grazed the belly of the muscle, but it was still a long, angry, jagged cut that was deep enough to expose the muscle below. It had taken sixty-four stitches both inside and out for Lauren to pull the fibers back together. The good part was that the reflexes in her foot all seemed intact. She would know for sure when Bo awakened, but everything looked good.

Her back was another story. The bear's claws had done their worst to two of her ribs, not only slicing through the flesh, but breaking them as well. Because they were exposed, Lauren applied some surgical glue, but that was about all she could do. Ribs just had to heal on their own which also meant no lifting, pushing or pulling of any kind for four to six weeks. Bo would not be happy.

The puncture wound in her shoulder would most definitely be a badge of honor. Lauren had sent the tooth off as an errand for LJ. He had loved the story of how it had come to make itself part of Bo's shoulder.

"Aarghh."

Lauren's attention shifted from the bandage to Bo as her eyes opened and she moaned in pain.

"Bo?"

The brunette opened her eyes, turning her head towards the blonde's voice, "Lauren?"

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm alive."

"You're alive."

"I thought I saw you."

Lauren smiled, "You did. We crossed the river to get to you. Nice shot with the flare gun, by the way. You saved me a bullet."

"You had a gun?"

Lauren nodded, "Took it off of your kitchen wall. We were almost to shore when you fired the shot." The blonde teared up, "I thought…"

"Hey. I'm here. I'm alive."

She smiled through her tears, "You are and I'm incredibly grateful. I must admit…" she wiped her face, "…I've never seen a woman enter hand-to-hand combat with a grizzly."

Bo smiled, "It's my specialty."

"Well, I think maybe you should take up a new specialty. This one is hazardous to your health."

Bo nodded, starting a roll onto her back, but Lauren stopped her, "You can't Bo."

"What's the damage?"

Lauren sighed, returning to her work on the bandage on Bo's left side ribcage, "Your calf has a relatively superficial cut by comparison to the one I'm tending to right now. He sliced through the muscle well enough, but spared the nerves as far as I can tell. Can you flex and point your left foot for me?"

She looked down to see the foot moving as directed and smiled, "That's good, Bo."

"I can definitely feel the strain in the muscle."

Lauren nodded, "You will for a while. It'll take about three weeks, but the cut should heal up. The internal stitches will dissolve, but the outside sutures will need removing."

"Got it. Remove the stitches in three weeks."

"No, I'll remove the stitches when that angry bear claw cut has healed properly. You cannot see the back of your calf so don't go trying to cut sutures that you can't see."

"Got it. Don't piss off the doctor."

"Exactly." Lauren smiled.

"So, what are you doing now?" Bo asked, trying to look over her shoulder without success.

"The worst of the attack was to your ribs back here. Almost seventy stitches. I had to work overtime on those. You owe me a nice bottle of wine."

"A nice bottle of wine, eh? It sounds like I owe you more than that." Bo replied, "How in the world did you find me, Lauren?"

"Well, unfortunately, I had a front row seat to the entire thing."

"Right. I was in front of the house when it happened."

Lauren nodded, "As soon as I saw it, I called for Shannon and Carolyn. They gathered everything I asked for and we made the crossing with your rifle in hand. I was just about to shoot when you fired that flare into its mouth. Blinded us for a second, but we got to you right after he fell on top of you. It took all three of us to get you out from under him. I thought I was going to have to hitch it to the sled to get you out."

Bo smiled, "The girls would have done the job for sure. He was a big boy, that's for sure. I thought I was a goner for sure."

Lauren couldn't muster a reply, but she had the bear in her sights. She would have shot it before she would have allowed it to take another speck of flesh from Bo. She hadn't fired a weapon since high school, but she would have fired to save the woman she loved.

"Lauren?"

She looked up, seeing Bo trying to reach back for her, "Stop it. You'll hurt yourself."

"Talk to me, then."

"He broke two ribs. If you stay still for the next two days, it'll give my glue a chance to do its work. You start moving around and it will take you much longer to heal."

"Glue?"

"Our friend Gary the Grizzly was kind enough to make incisions over both ribs, exposing the broken ends. I put them back together with surgical glue and a surgical patch wrap that we developed for use around arteries. Shannon just happened to have a small sample patch in a first aid kit she carries. She was supposed to give it to Evony but had forgotten to give it to her. Anyway, all of that amounts to the equivalent of a patch to a flat tire if it's permitted to cure for a while. If you can manage to keep yourself still, you won't have to worry about a long healing period. Think you can do that for me?"

"Lay here in bed for two days?"

"Yup." She said, covering up her patient.

"Will you lay here with me?"

"I'll be here as often as I can be, Bo. I have…"

"Patients, I know."

Lauren sighed, "Bo…"

"It's okay, Lauren. Really. I'll be still. Just stack up some bags of jerky and bottles of water next to me. I'll be fine. Uh… what do I do if I have to… you know… relieve myself?"

"Bo, you can sit up. I'm just going to immobilize your entire upper body for a few days."

"You said two."

"I meant three."

"You sure three is the last surprise?"

"Promise." Lauren replied, "Unless it doesn't seem to be healing."

Bo sighed, knowing this was one of those times the doctor was giving her an answer to get her to stop asking, but what she really meant was she'd have to wait and see how it healed. She watched Lauren move to the stove,

"Where's Harper and the pups?"

"They're out in the yard playing. LJ will be back in a few hours. He's going to take the pups tonight. We decided it's best to leave Harper here with you."

"Thanks." She replied, "Wait… LJ was here?"

"Don't be mad, Bo. We needed help. I had to get Shannon and Carolyn to the clinic to cover the patients for the day and I couldn't leave you alone. They don't know how to drive a sled and I wasn't about to leave you alone with them since they pissed you off royally last night."

Bo nodded, "What did he think of the house?"

"He was very impressed. He loved the kennel you created in the garage. He's bringing back some supplies from the clinic." She paused, "I had the girls call Seline."

"Lauren…"

"No, Bo. You have no first aid kit out here and I don't know how to treat wounds without my east coast medicine, as you would call it. She's taught me some basics and the books I've read about wilderness medicine all seem to contradict each other. Although I will admit that the mud I used to staunch the bleeding until I got you here did work."

"Got me here? How did you get me here?"

"I drove you in the basket of the sled down river to the suspension bridge. Of course, the dogs went on a fish strike when we got to your wheel, so I loaded up two baskets of fish and brought them back."

"You hauled two baskets of fish and me on the sled? You ran a full sled team?"

Lauren shrugged, "I wasn't going to let my lack of confidence on a sled stop me from saving your life."

"Where are the fish?"

"They're buried in ice… with the bear."

"You saved the bear?"

Lauren chuckled, "You'll find this hard to believe, but my nurses hauled that bear across the river and buried it in snow pile, then surrounded it with fencing so nothing could get in."

"That can't wait. The meat will go bad and that will make the fur useless to me."

"I'll take care of it, Bo. I promise. For now, you just relax and think of what you want LJ to do when he gets here. He'll be running the business for a few days."

"I think a nap is just what I need. I don't suppose there's anything you can do about that constant aching I feel, is there?"

Lauren smiled, "I know you don't like any type of drugs, so I didn't…"

"Thanks. I appreciate that. I know you hate to see your patients in pain."

"We can try ice?"

Bo nodded, "That would be great."

"I'll be right back." She leaned down and kissed Bo's cheek before heading outside.

When she exited the house, she waved to LJ who was just turning on to the property. There was someone in the basket. Behind him came two more sleds. As LJ dropped his ice hook, Lauren approached, arms crossed over her chest since she hadn't bothered to waste time grabbing a jacket.

"Hi Doc. Look… I tried to stop them, but…"

Lauren saw Seline as soon as LJ opened the basket, "God, you put her in the basket?"

"She insisted. She didn't trust me not to flip her off the bench."

Lauren helped her up, steadying her as she stood after the long ride, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, dear. How's our Bo?"

"I've handled the suturing, but she's having pain. I don't suppose you brought anything she'd be willing to take for that, have you? I was going for ice."

"Ice will work nicely with the herbs I've brought. Come. Let's make my special tea." She smiled, hooking her arm through Lauren's elbow before she looked over her shoulder, "Jon, be a good boy and get Lauren some ice, will you?"

"Yes, Miss Seline."

Lauren understood Molly and Tosh were in the sleds that came behind LJ. She also noticed that Molly had brought Elise and the three puppies. Lauren understood that Mark was probably running the store in her absence and handling Elise and the pups on top of the store and kennel in LJ's absence would be just about impossible. But regardless, Bo was probably not going to be very happy that they'd all come before she'd had a chance to put all the finishing touches on the house. Still, they weren't here to see the house. They were here to see Bo and Lauren would do her best to make that clear if the brunette protested.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

12 Hours Later…

"Seline? Are you sure that tea is supposed to put Bo out for this long?"

Seline smiled from her chair by the window, her eyes never leaving the beadwork she was doing on the small corner table LJ had moved in from the barn for her,

"I told you it would make her sleep. Sleep is best for her injuries. I suspect you know our Ysabeau quite well by now, Lauren. Do you really believe she will lay still for you if she is awake?"

"She did promise under the threat of a six-week healing period instead of three to four." Lauren replied, coming to sit at the table with the village elder and healer, "This is absolutely beautiful."

She smiled, "This is for the coming of age ceremony for a young boy in our village. His great grandfather is our chieftain. He has big shoes to follow someday."

"Is that a falcon?"

She nodded, "This design represents his tribe and the falcon, his spirit animal. I believe that Ysabeau will struggle to keep her promise to you, child. She is not one to stay still. She is a restless one who is always seeking answers."

Lauren shrugged, "With all due respect, I believe that recently, she has slowed down and found some of her answers."

"I would hope to see this for myself."

"Of course." Lauren nodded, unsure of exactly what the woman meant by her comment, "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

She shook her head, "No, thank you, child. Must you go to your clinic today?"

"I took off to see to Bo. My nurses are handling the clinic today and tomorrow. We'll see what happens from there."

"I understand you have found a cure for the plague that has been ravaging our villages?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes. You should have received your doses of the cure. Did they not come?"

"They did, indeed. I was just surprised you did not come to administer them yourself."

"I was under the impression that you would be administering them. I did not believe your people would take too kindly to an outsider giving them medical treatment."

"It was we who sought out your Evony for an answer. It was she who provided you to us. Have you so little regard for our place in securing your future here?"

"Excuse me?" Lauren asked, taken aback by the older woman's suggestion that she was somehow taking them for granted… if that was what she was inferring.

"You've got a clinic, a hospital, members of our community at your beckoned call, you've gotten our Ysabeau and yet you have made no commitment in return. We are a bartering people."

"Are you saying that I am taking advantage of you and your people? That I'm taking advantage of your kindness and am not providing enough of an effort in return?"

Seline's silence was answer enough and it made Lauren's blood boil, "And were you here with me matching me hour for hour to find a cure for your people? And do you realize just how far outside the realm of your village this spread? Do you realize the part your village played in the spread of this condition? Do you know how many people have died because of the plague that you failed to cure? Do you understand that if you had not waited as long as you did to accept Evony's offer to help that hundreds of people would still be alive today?"

She looked out at the yard to where Elise was playing with the puppies, "That little girl out there… she lost both of her parents to a plague that came from your village waste getting into the town's water supply. I flew out to treat her mother, I flew back to the hospital in Anchorage with her and sat with her as she watched her last surviving relative die. I then helped to find a home for her where she will now live the rest of her life – if they choose to keep her – without either of her parents. There are countless stories like Elise's and it's no thanks to any effort on your part. How dare you judge the amount of effort I have put into your community?"

She stood, her legs nearly giving out from the emotions that were running through her body. She swayed for a moment, but felt two strong hands steady her before a voice filled the room,

"I believe it is our village custom that when a guest in the home of another, that you hold to the rules and manners of that dwelling. Lauren is an invited guest in this home… a permanent invited guest until she chooses to leave. You, however, were not invited. You came of your own accord and I am appalled that you would speak to her in the manner I just observed. Is it possible that they jailed my father's body, but his soul was passed on to you?"

Seline stood, gathering her belongings, "How dare you compare me to that man? When all others turned on you, I allowed you to stay in our community."

"You allowed me to stay, Seline, but you never allowed me to truly be a part of the village. You never allowed me to claim my birthright. You never spoke up for that birthright to the chieftain."

Bo gazed down at the garment, "You never held a birthright ceremony for me and never allowed me to take my rightful place as a native member of the village. I was and always will be an outsider, right? This ceremony on Friday… it's not truly to welcome me to the village, is it?" Silence. "Is it?"

She smoothed her hands over the fabric, "This young man… it is his wish that you have your full birthright restored."

"Kimba wants me to have my full rights?"

Seline nodded, "But he is three seats removed from Chieftain."

"So, you're saying maybe when I'm seventy I can get my identity back." Bo laughed, "You know what? You can keep it. I've found a new identity. I've got a new home and a new family."

Seline turned to Bo, "And yet, they are members of our village as well. You are setting yourself up for the cycle that your father began to continue."

Bo heard boots behind her. Turning too quickly, she gripped her side, falling against the edge of the sofa. Lauren quickly helped her to sit,

"You have to be more careful. You shouldn't be out of bed."

"Doc's right. Go to bed, Sis. I'll handle this."

Bo looked up to see her Tosh standing tall, his brow furrowed, "You heard?"

He nodded towards the window, "Everyone heard, Bo."

She looked outside and saw Elise sitting on the downed tree trunk that Bo had planned to start carving this week.

"I should go…"

"I'll go, Bo. I'm pretty sure it's what I said to Seline that has upset her."

"I heard what you said, Lauren. The problem is, that Elise will blame the village for her parent's death. Mark is a member of that village as is Tosh, LJ and Molly by association. I may not be considered a member of the village by the elders, but I am linked to them regardless."

"You had nothing to do with the water contamination… none of you did. I will make that clear to her, Bo."

The brunette shook her head, "I don't want anything to upset the progress Mark and Molly have made with her, Lauren… least of all that damn village." She looked up at Tosh, "They have a way of screwing up the lives of outsiders."

Tosh nodded, "Go on back to bed, Bo. Lauren will see to Elise and I will get Seline home if that is your wish."

Lauren helped Bo to stand, but the brunette had a few more words for her longtime mentor,

"Seline, we will not see each other for a long while. I am very upset by the words you have spoken while under my roof to one I care deeply for. Many things have come to light during my father's trial. My brother and his sons have done a great deal of research into who played what part in my life and it seems that you have not always been forthcoming with me. It also seems you were not as supportive as you portrayed yourself to be."

Tosh helped her to steady herself as her calf wound was now making itself known once again. Standing was becoming difficult and she could feel herself breaking out in a cold sweat. The last thing she wanted to do was to pass out in the middle of a magnificent speech. The words were coming much too easily, as if she had figured out all that had been done to her in her past,

"You revealed a side to yourself in the way you spoke to Lauren that I had not seen before. Now that I've seen that side, it would seem to me that you see her in the same way I believe you have always seen me… cheechako. Now I'm not sure what game you've been playing, but I am no longer certain that you were not party to Big Jim's plans. In hindsight, it would make sense that you were the one keeping tabs on me. All of the conversations I witnessed between the two of you from a distance that you blew off as your fighting for my rights…" Bo chuckled, "Shame on me for not considering that you may have been telling him details of my life… my feelings… as I had shared them with you."

Seline stood silent, gathering her remaining belongings into her bag. She picked up her shawl and pulled it over her shoulders, then walked to the door and stepped into her mukluks,

"Tosh, if you please."

Bo smiled, "So I'm right? You're just going to walk away without admitting it?"

Seline turned to Bo, "You will never have your birth right in our village in Point Siku. Find another village with which to cling to your so-called Athabascan roots. There are still many questions about that mother of yours and as such, your roots are muddied beyond repair. It's inside of you… the mixed blood... her mixed blood."

"And my father? He remains an honored member of the village despite marrying this muddied Athabascan of which you speak and giving birth to a mixed blood child?"

"He was forgiven by the tribe a decade ago when he admitted his error in judgement. His marriage to your mother was never sanctioned because he was married to another at the time. You, Ysabeau, are a bastard child born out of wedlock. You were cursed from birth."

She spat the words as venom from a snake's mouth. Tosh gripped the woman roughly by her shoulders and turned her towards the door,

"Make your way out to my sled, Seline. Say no more." Tosh demanded before turning back to Bo who had fallen back onto the sofa with Lauren at her side, holding tight to her hand. He knelt before her,

"Bo, we are your family. We are your tribe. You have never needed the village, your father or Seline. You have survived through your own efforts. You are a strong, proud, native woman who has followed in her strong, proud Athabascan mother's footsteps. I believe in your mother, Bo. She could not have taught you all you know if she had not been native. You belong to her, Bo. You belong to us, Bo. To all of us."

Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him, "How do I know that you're not party to all of this, Tosh? You're part of the village as is Mark and Big Jon."

"I don't know, Bo. You only have my word. But I assure you that Molly has heard every word spoken here. Her attention may be on Elise, but I know my daughter-in-law. She's hanging on every word. We will have a family meeting about this, and it is my intention to leave the village… our residence and our birthrights."

"Tosh, I'm not asking you to…"

"It's time this family did the right thing. The village is on the wrong side of this, Bo. Now, I can't speak for my sons or their kin, but I can speak for myself. I'm with you on this, Bo. You are my village. You, Lauren, LJ and my sons and Molly… even those pups of yours."

She smiled, "Thank you, Tosh."

"No need to thank me, Bo. You're my sister." He placed a gentle finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to his own, "I love you, Sis. I always will. In this short time we've shared together, I've grown to feel this… I don't know… connection… with you. I've got your back Bo and I plan to prove to you that you can trust my word."

He smiled, "Now normally, I would give you a big old bear hug right now, but seeing as that would cause you excruciating pain, we'll go with the brotherly kiss on the cheek." He did as promised before standing and righting his pants at the waist, "I'll be back as soon as I've had words with the council of elders and dropped off Seline. Until then, I'll leave you in the doc's very capable and adoring hands."

He gave Lauren a wink and she grinned in reply. He leaned down to the window, "Molly, can you come in here please? Lauren's coming out to keep an eye on Elise and the dogs."

Tosh headed for the door, calling to his dogs to head for the sled. He shared a whisper with Molly before she entered the home, stepping out of her boots,

"Well, that was quite a revelation."

She looked up at Lauren who kissed Bo on the cheek, "I'm going to go talk to Elise and keep an eye on your pups."

Bo nodded, wiping her tear-stained cheeks, "I think I'm going to need some ice."

Lauren smiled, "You just took the ice off when you got up. You'll have to wait about thirty minutes. Until then, why don't you lay down. Leaning against the back of the couch is not helping any. Would you rather be in the bed? I'm afraid the couch won't be very comfortable."

"Well, in my bed, I can only see the mountain and sky unless I'm standing. I might have to replace that window with a floor to ceiling number."

"Well, right now, you're not doing any heavy lifting, remember?"

"Right." Bo replied, getting to her feet, "Bed it is… if Molly doesn't mind."

"No problem for me, Bo. I can take a nap right next to you if you fall asleep. I forgot how much energy a pre-teen can have."

They all shared a laugh while Lauren excused herself to the yard and Molly helped Bo to the stairs, each preparing to have the tough discussions assigned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How are you, kiddo?" Lauren asked, coming to sit beside Elise on the stump near the end of the property by the bank of the river.

"Did the village really poison us all?"

"Right to it, huh?" Lauren smiled, "I don't think they did it intentionally, but I do intend to report the old woman's reaction to the CDC. She didn't seem to deny anything,"

"But why would they do that?"

Lauren didn't want to think that it was all done for the same reasons the fires were set, but she wasn't completely sure. Either way, both were a sick, sick plan to hurt Bo. Wiping out innocent lives to harm one individual was sinister at best,

"I don't know, Elise. I just don't know. What I do know is that your parent's bravery and knowledge is the prime reason we've found the cause and the cure. No one has to die anymore, Elise."

The child lowered her head, poking at the sand with the stick her tiny fingers held, "But mine did."

Lauren nodded, "Yes, they did. And we're all very sorry about that, Elise."

"Molly said she's not a part of the village."

"She's from the west. She left her village when she married Mark. I'm sure she'll take you there if you'd like to visit."

Elise shrugged, "But I'm white."

"Not all villages are the way the one in Point Siku is, Elise. As a matter of fact, Mark told me a while back that most villages are very accepting. They want the world to learn about their cultures and their way of life."

"That would be nice if that's how it is. I would like to know about where Molly grew up. She's pretty cool."

Lauren smiled, "And Mark?"

"He's cool too. He's building me a dog sled… me size."

Lauren chuckled, "That's very cool."

"He said when my dog gets big, with a little sled, she can probably pull me since she'll get big before I do. Is that true? Why does she have to grow so fast?"

Lauren smiled, "For every year we live, dogs age about seven years."

Elise shaded her eyes as she looked up at Lauren, "So she's almost as old as me now!"

"That's right! You're almost twins!"

"Snow! We're twins!"

The pair laughed as Snow came running over, jumping on Elise who screamed, "Eeeewww!"

"Down, Snow!" Lauren said, pulling the pup off the youngster. She was mud from toe to tail, so Lauren picked her up and cleaned her off in the river while Elise did her best to wipe off her clothing.

"Will Molly get mad at my clothes?" Elise asked as Lauren returned to shore.

"It wasn't your fault, sweetie and Snow is just a pup. She doesn't know any better."

"She won't get in trouble?"

"I doubt it. If she does, you can plead her case, right?"

"Right!"

"So, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Lauren asked.

"Elise shrugged, "Did that lady Seline really do bad things to Bo? I thought she was her friend."

"We all did, sweetie. We're not sure what happened yet, but don't you worry about Bo. She's strong and brave, right?"

"Right. But still, it's hard when your heart hurts."

Lauren smiled, "It is. But if our hearts never hurt, we would never know when they were happy."

"I guess." She sighed, "Is it true you're leaving?"

"Where did you hear that?" Lauren asked.

"I heard Molly and Mark talking to LJ. They said Bo was going to be really sad when you leave."

Lauren nodded, "Well, I'm from Boston and I have a job and a home there. I was only supposed to be here for a year, but now I'm not so sure. I've built a life here in just a few months, so it's hard to say what I'll do."

Elise smiled, "I think you should stay here with us."

"Well, I'll have to take that into consideration then."

"Take it where?"

Lauren smiled, picking up the pup, "Take this pup into the yard with the other dogs. Right?"

"Right!" Elise replied, running to catch up with Lauren.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four Weeks Later…

Lauren was waiting for Bo when she got out of the shower. She smiled, moving to the bed to lay down on her stomach. Today was the day and Bo couldn't be happier about it.

"You'll feel a bit of a tug with each stitch I remove, okay?"

"You do remember this isn't my first rodeo with stitches, right?"

"I know. It's just a habit."

Bo smiled, "Well, let's get this party started. I can finally go in the water to fish again!"

Lauren placed the sterile pan that held scissors, tweezers, alcohol, gauze and bandages on the bed. She sat down below Bo, crossed her legs and pulled her calf into her lap. She dabbed the area with alcohol, took a breath and began.

"So, are we taking your truck to Anchorage tonight since we're not going to the village?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "If that's okay with you."

"I'm not the one driving." Lauren replied.

"Well, it gives me an excuse not to drink. Less questions."

Lauren smiled, "They know the deal by now, Bo. Besides, Kelly is going with us, so they'll have a drinking buddy in her."

Bo groaned, "I can't believe she's going. Kurt sure did pick the perfect night to take on a weekend charter."

"The man has to make a living, Bo."

"Why didn't she go with him? That girl just rubs me the wrong way."

"I'm well aware. You work it into conversation on most days." Lauren said, snipping at the sutures on Bo's calf, "Here come the tugs."

"Can't wait." Bo replied sarcastically, cringing when Lauren tugged the first suture from beneath the skin, "Owa!"

"You big baby." Lauren laughed.

"You've also removed sutures from me before and they never hurt that badly! You did that on purpose!"

"I did not, Bo. These are much deeper than your last. That bear cut you deep. An inch lower and you would have lost the use of your foot."

"How?"

"He would have severed your achilles tendon."

"Whoa."

"Yea, whoa." Lauren nodded, "So what are we doing tonight? I'll have to tell the girls what time we're leaving."

Bo sighed, "Are we having dinner in Anchorage?"

Lauren nodded, "They want to go to that waterfront place."

"They have good food and the scenery isn't too bad."

"Well, nothing is as good as this view, but it's closer to the bar. Did you want to give them a curfew? It's a long drive back and I want to make sure you're okay to drive."

"I'll be fine, Lauren. I want them to have a good time." Bo replied.

"I know you do, and you've been a fantastic host."

"Until I ended up in grounded by my doctor for four weeks." Bo pouted.

Lauren laughed, "Well, I didn't hear you complaining for the past week."

"That's true. We certainly had ourselves some fun, haven't we?" Bo smiled, pointing her toe so that it grazed the seam of Lauren's jeans.

The blonde flinched, "Hey! Holding scissors here!"

Bo laughed, "I thought you had the steadiest hands in the business."

"Not where you're concerned." Lauren smiled, "Okay. All done with the calf. Now those ribs."

"I'm not looking forward to this." Bo said, as Lauren pulled her towel down, uncovering her upper torso.

"Are you cold?"

"Nope. It's got to be high forties in this house. It's warming up nicely."

Lauren nodded, "I was amazed at how quickly the snow melted."

"It's faster every year. The sun is hot even when there's a breeze. We're supposed to get into the high sixties, maybe low seventies today. July is bound to be eighties. Last year we even hit ninety a few times. Those days were brutal on those of us who live here year-round. We're just not used to heat."

"Well, then you should definitely not visit the east coast in summer unless we're at the beach."

Bo smiled, "Thanks for showing me pictures of your beach house the other day. It really does look beautiful, Lauren."

"Well, I hope you'll come with me for a little vacation there. Even if I move here, I'd like to keep that house for an occasional trip east in winter and summer."

Bo nodded, "It would be a nice vacation spot, for sure. Of course, I do plan to show you some great spots here during the summer. This isn't the most scenic spot in Alaska for summer."

Lauren smiled, "Well, I look forward to seeing anything you want to show me, but right now I'm going to be pulling out the outer stitches. These are pretty deep, so it's bound to be very uncomfortable."

Bo gripped the pillow over her head and braced herself for the first tug. This was going to suck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the stitches out and the pair dressed, they headed outside to give the dogs some time to play in the yard. They sat by a warm morning fire while Lauren cooked eggs on the griddle. She'd been forced to learn to cook these past few weeks or starve, so had gotten quite good. She was more grateful for online videos now than ever.

When they finished eating, Lauren checked on Bo's wounds. As expected, the one on her ribs was weeping a bit, but it was healing quite nicely. Her calf, being much more superficial was now just a jagged scar. In time, both scars would fade, but the one on her ribcage wouldn't fade as much as the one on her calf.

When they finished eating, they put out the fire and headed into the house to get their day started. Bo checked on Harper and the puppies. Lauren had kept the puppies from Bo after one of them had pounced on her back and opened a suture. After that, she'd missed them so much, but in the past week, she'd been making up for missed time.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Lauren asked.

Bo smiled, "Well, I thought we could drive into town, check out our respective business places, then I'll leave the pups with LJ and take you for a drive to one of my favorite spots to have lunch."

"Sounds perfect."

"Okay then, let's hitch the dogs to the truck and head out."

"Hitch them to the truck?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "I'm not actually going to have them pull the truck, Lauren… although that would be an interesting challenge for all forty-six dogs. They're just going to run in front of us. The engine will do all the work. Think of it as my truck taking the dogs for a walk."

Lauren laughed, "You and LJ are really up to forty-six dogs?"

Bo smiled, "Not including the puppies, that's correct."

"So, you're really doing this, huh?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "I suppose so. Do you think it's a mistake?" Bo asked, pulling out an extra-long length of center line for the extra dogs that would be hitched to the team. It had been too late for LJ to take the team of six home last night, so Tosh drove him home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they arrived in town, they went their separate ways. Lauren assumed that Bo would be a while since she hadn't been to the kennel for weeks. For the first two weeks, LJ had decided his training runs would be to Bo's house and back so that she could see each of the dogs, check their general health and stay connected to them. When the weather changed, he switched to the wheeled carts, but continued to visit Bo since the snow had begun to melt on the trail to her house. LJ's visits also allowed her to review their budget and make any decisions that needed to be made. But most of all, it kept her busy and a busy Bo is what Lauren needed.

By the fifth day of rest, Bo was driving Lauren crazy. She loved the woman dearly, but stationary Bo was not an easy Bo to deal with. While Lauren sat making notes and writing orders in patient charts for her nurses to follow, Bo interrupted to discuss every article in every magazine that Lauren had brought her to pass the time. When Lauren introduced her to Netflix on her phone… specifically all the various Star Trek series… Bo would pause the episodes to ask questions about how various things were possible. When Lauren explained the concept of fiction, Bo had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that anyone would make a show that wasn't true. In fact, it was two a.m. when she woke Lauren to ask if she thought there was really a planet called Vulcan and if, in fact, the people who lived there had pointy ears.

The week ended with Bo barking instructions from the lounge chair Lauren had put in the back yard at Bo's insistence she be permitted to watch the installation of the solar panels on her roof. Lauren understood the brunette's need to do the work herself. She had taken great pride in the fact that she had asked for very little help on the property, but still, Lauren wanted to be able to cook on the stove and solar panels were the only way that would happen. The doctor had become quite proficient at most of the skills required to live off-grid, but electricity definitely made things easier. Let's face it, Lauren was ready for a lot of things to be easier. She had to ask herself… 'Had I been this antsy after her sledding incident? Had I been a pain in Bo's shapely ass?'… Lauren chuckled, thinking to herself, 'If so, Bo probably hid it better'.

Days later, Bo got antsy… very, very antsy. She started pushing the boundaries of what her stitches could handle. She would tell Lauren she was going for a walk in the yard, but minutes later, Lauren would hear wood being sawed as Bo decided that building her Adirondack chairs wouldn't hurt her broken ribs. Naturally, she had broken a stitch with just one pass of the saw's blade.

When Bo decided to do a 'low key' equipment inventory on the construction items in the barn, she ended up cleaning out the barn instead. It was when Lauren caught her trying to drive the heavy machinery out into the driveway that the doctor kicked in and led her to call Bo's foreman. He had a crew there in thirty minutes to clean, organize and inventory the entire space. Of course, Bo had to 'supervise' the entire operation, so an hour later, she was asking Lauren for ice for the pain. From that point on, Lauren told her if she didn't cooperate and follow doctor's orders for the next five days, she would withhold sex for two months. Bo behaved herself for the rest of the week.

The following week, Lauren finally agreed to allow Bo to work on planting seedlings in her small greenhouse. She left LJ in charge of her while she went off to check on things at the clinic. When she returned, Bo was groaning in pain in her bed with her torso packed in ice. LJ told her he was working on the budget at her living room corner table when he heard hammering. He went outside and found Bo had drawn up plans to add on to her greenhouse and was in the process of building the frame. Since he couldn't talk her out of doing it, he worked with her, trying to do the heavy lifting himself, but – according to LJ - she wasn't exactly in a listening mood.

Finally, her stitches had healed enough for her to start doing some light work around the property. LJ had helped her finish expanding her greenhouse, Tosh had come out to help her build twelve Adirondack chairs since both general stores had been selling out of them. Now that the weather was warm, people were sitting out on their porch swings when they weren't hunting, fishing, trapping and foraging to fill their winter food stores. At weeks' end, the Morton men had come over to put up a fence that even Bo had to admit looked very nice around the back yard. It didn't block her coveted river view yet protected the dogs from anyone who might wish them harm.

So, today was Bo's first day back in town. Lauren hoped to get at least two hours in the clinic and had told LJ to try to make conversation for at least that long. Still, she felt a bit guilty about trying to hire babysitters for Bo. The brunette was a grown woman who had been forced to rely on others for the first time in her life. Sure, that was probably a good social exercise for Bo, but Lauren knew that she wanted to be running wild with her dogs somewhere.

Lauren approached the clinic door and smiled when she looked inside and saw three women sitting at the nurses' station, hard at work. She stepped inside and smiled at Shannon, whose head popped up at the sound of the doorbell.

"Doctor Lewis! We weren't expecting you for at least another hour!"

Lauren grinned, "Well, it turns out, the patient was much more cooperative today."

Carolyn laughed, "You told her first thing this morning that she was allowed to start living again?"

Lauren smiled, "I took out her stitches and told her she could resume normal activities as long as she paid attention to how much stress was on the wounds."

Shannon laughed, "When did you suddenly become so trusting of this particular patient?"

"No one said anything about trusting this patient." Lauren giggled, "So how are the patients?"

"Everything is smooth, Doc." Kelly said, chewing a piece of gum as she spoke, "The little three-year-old girl who showed symptoms of the plague… are we still calling it a plague?... has recovered nicely according to mom. She'll be in for a check up on Thursday."

Lauren nodded, "Anything else?"

Shannon stood, "I have the images from Mr. Barkowski's PET Scan. You're not going to like it."

Lauren scowled, "Pull them up."

The nurse nodded, turning the computer screen towards doctor as she walked around the desk, stopping just over her left shoulder,

"Dammit. I was hoping I was wrong."

Kelly looked over at the screen, her eyes going wide, "What the… is that a friggin' tumor in his heart?"

Lauren nodded, "And a nasty one at that."

"Blood work still comes back negative."

"Well, let's hope that means the tumor is a single, solid mass that hasn't managed to shed any of itself at the cellular level. Did you by any chance contact the specialist in Seattle?"

Shannon nodded, "I hope I didn't overstep, but yes, I did. I just figured…"

Lauren waved her off, "I'm grateful you did. This saves me time. What did he say?"

"Because Mr. Barkowski is a diabetic, he believes it would be too high risk to attempt radiation to shrink the tumor. He is recommending you excise the tumor before he decides on a course of treatment… based on what you find, of course."

Lauren nodded, "The margins look clean from the image, but I really won't know until I get in there."

"That's what I assumed. Well, you should know that Mr. Barkowski and his wife are heading to Seattle to see their daughter graduate from college."

"By plane?" Lauren asked.

Shannon nodded.

"Call them. Now."

Carolyn pointed to the phone on Lauren's desk, "He's on line one."

Pausing for a moment, Lauren shook her head, "You two really need to stop reading my mind."

She walked to the phone, Shannon and Carolyn sharing a glance before Shannon smiled and whispered,

"I'll take the old couple on the plane to the college."

Carolyn shook her hand, "Fine. I'll take the old couple on a boat or train to the college. She'll scare the livin' daylights out of them with all of the bad things that could go wrong at thirty-thousand feet when you've got a tumor in your heart… like never seeing your daughter graduate or your daughter having to find out that her dad died flying to her graduation because he was too stubborn to listen to his doctor about the added pressure on the heart at that altitude."

Shannon shook her head, "Dammit. I didn't think of that. I was just thinking about how stubborn that old man was when they were in here last week."

Carolyn smiled, "Well, bright side, we finally know the cause of the arrythmias he's been having."

"True."

Kelly closed her laptop and stood from her desk, "Speaking of altitude, I'm taking an early lunch. Kurt is taking me flying for lunch."

Shannon smiled, "Ooohh, how romantic."

Kelly nodded, "You guys… um… never mind."

Carolyn shook her head, "Uh-uh. What's going on?"

She sighed, "I don't know what to do."

"About what?" Carolyn asked.

"I'm really into this guy… like… really, really into him. I don't understand how it happened. I just… dammit! I think about him all the time. I feel… oh forget it."

"You're in love with him?" Shannon asked.

"I don't know! I've never been in love."

"Never?"

"Never." Kelly replied emphatically.

Shannon shrugged, "I'd take a page out of the Doc's book if I were you. Take it one day at a time. There's no rush, Kelly. You've got all the time in the world. No need to make any earth-shattering decisions tonight. Go and have fun. Take the rest of the day off. You're on a fourteen-hour shift starting the morning after next. Have fun and don't overthink it."

"If only my brain understood that concept." Kelly replied, grabbing her sweater, "See you guys. Say goodbye to the doc for me."

Shannon nodded, "Will do. Have fun."

"Thanks." She said as she headed towards the front door, "Good luck with Mr. Barkowski."

The pair smiled and waved as they watched their young friend leave the clinic. Carolyn looked at Shannon and smiled,

"Well, it looks like she may be staying in Alaska."

Shannon smiled, "That makes three of us."

Carolyn laughed, "Are you sure? That off-grid living experience seemed to be a deal breaker for you."

Shannon shrugged, "I think I would get used to it. I don't know Lynnie, there's just something about this place. It's like a lost piece of the country that everyone forgot about. Everyone seems to just enjoy the important stuff in life. I just feel… I don't know… healthier." She laughed, "God, I sound like such a nurse!"

Carolyn smiled, "I know what you mean Shannie. I feel the same way. It's like I've lost something that I don't really care I've lost."

"You mean the pace, stress, worry, traffic, noise, crazy bosses and massive caseloads?" Shannon laughed.

Carolyn snickered, "Actually, I was talking about Bad Betty's cat that thinks she lives in our apartment. I think she just crawls down the fire escape into our window because she can't stand the music of the roaring twenties that she's always playing."

Shannon couldn't help but laugh along with her fiancé, but their laughter stopped when they saw Lauren leave her desk and walk over to where they were seated. Neither woman could help but notice the firm crease in the doctor's brow.

"I couldn't talk them out of traveling, but at least they're going to take public ground transportation." Lauren hopped up on an examination table and sighed.

Shannon rolled her eyes at Carolyn's extended hand but passed a five-dollar bill under the table. Carolyn kissed the cash and whispered,

"Winner winner, chicken dinner!"

Shannon turned away from her gloating fiancé to ask the doctor,

"So, are we calling for surgical privileges as Seattle General or are we going to go to Anchorage?"

Lauren smiled, "Well, Evony has to buy operating room equipment for the new hospital, right?"

Carolyn nodded, "Yes… and?"

"Well, we have the other half of this building that's just paint, wood scraps and scaffolding. I could see how long it would take Bo to get a crew in here to build us a single operating room and have Evony order equipment to complete the room. Thoughts?"

Shannon nodded, "I'm sure she would love to showcase the doctor that she's been bragging about to everyone and his brother. It might give the people a better idea of why she's building the hospital and why it's a better bet than going to Anchorage."

Carolyn agreed, "Okay, so that's settled. We're all in agreement and I think it's safe to say Kelly would be on board as well since she's dying to get some surgical experience. The question is, who's going to ask Evony?"

Lauren and Shannon looked at each other before smiling. Together, they turned back to Carolyn and pointed their fingers at her. Carolyn's eyes went wide,

"No. You guys, you have so much more surgical experience in your respective roles…"

"Come on, Lynnie. You have more Evony experience than both of us combined. She never says no to you."

Carolyn sat back in her chair, the force of her shoulders hitting the backrest propelling the wheels backward. She tossed her pencil onto her desk and sighed,

"Fine. But the two of you owe me SO big time."

Shannon smiled, "Just say the word and your wish is ours to command."

"Well, one of you needs to ask for the cost of living salary increase." Carolyn smirked.

The couple looked at Lauren who sighed, "I know, I know. That's my department. I'm just not sure if she'll be willing to raise salaries this early in your tenure here. I think if the two of you took a job at the hospital when it opens, you would definitely get a sizeable increase."

"Does that mean you're staying?" Carolyn asked, excited.

Lauren shrugged, "I'm not ready to commit to that, but… well, the truth is… I overheard the two of you talking. Listen, I know you said you wanted to work for me wherever that was, but if Alaska is what you want, you should stay. If I end up in Boston, you know that I'll always have a place for you there. Give this a try to see if it's what you want. If you go back east with me, you might regret it down the road."

The couple looked at each other and nodded, Shannon voicing their agreement, "You're probably right. We're going to talk about it some more. We've got until January to make a decision, right?"

Lauren nodded, "For now, yes, but Evony called me two days ago. She wants me on a plane to Boston next week and she wouldn't say for sure how long I would be there."

"For what?" Carolyn asked, "She didn't tell us."

Lauren shrugged, "She wants me to do a presentation on the Lewis Technique and then possibly do the procedure for surgical amphitheaters at ten different teaching hospitals. She says I've been out of the mainstream for too long and she doesn't want me to fade into the woodwork. She also expects me to publish a paper on the plague that we had here."

Shannon nodded, "Did she give you a deadline?"

Lauren chuckled asking sarcastically, "Have you met Evony?" She shrugged, "Of course she did. I have until the end of June to publish."

Shannon shook her head, "Just over a month? Is she kidding?"

Lauren shrugged, her eyes set on the floor in front of her as her palms dug into the exam table on either side of her legs.

Carolyn eyed Lauren suspiciously, "There's more. What else did she say?"

She sighed, "She told me she's going to hold me to my contract in Boston. Not having me there is hurting our bottom line in Cardiology."

"What about the new hospital here? You were supposed to be the chief!"

Lauren shrugged, "She wants Boston beefed up again and then, if I renew, we can renegotiate the location."

"So, she's trapping you?"

Lauren shook her head, "There's plenty of hospitals in the world. Of course she's scrambling because patients are leaving our beloved Boston hospital for… get this… Doctor Michael Snood."

"They're going to that cheat? Are you serious?" Shannon asked, appalled that patients were leaving the incredible team of doctors that Lauren had developed at their hospital to see Snood, "Wait… how do people even know who he is? Why would they go to him?"

Lauren shrugged, "Evony claims it's because I'm not around in addition to the fact that his hospital is apparently doing a heavy-duty marketing campaign and he's the focus."

Carolyn faked sticking her finger down her throat, "Oh, horrfff!"

"I know, right?" Lauren said, "Please don't say anything to Bo. I don't want to tell her yet. She can finally get back to normal and I just want her to relax for a while until I bring more drama into her world."

Carolyn sighed, shaking her head, "She's not going to take this well, Lauren. She's supposed to have until January with you."

Lauren nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, "You don't have to remind me of that, Carolyn.

"She won't hear it from us." Shannon nodded.

"Thank you." Lauren said, taking a deep breath. She stood, turning to walk towards the phone as she continued, "Well, let's see if we can get this operating room built. If we can't, we'll have to get surgical privileges in Anchorage."

"Not Seattle?" Carolyn asked.

Lauren put a finger over her lips, pausing for a moment to consider how she wanted to phrase what she was about to say before looking up at the pair to speak,

"What do you think would happen if Evony denied me the operating room here at the clinic?

"Well, you just said you would access surgical privileges in Anchorage."

Lauren nodded, "And do you think they would like my work? Maybe offer me a job? Maybe be happy to have someone with my global resume on their staff? Maybe like what I could do with their bottom line when they come into competition with Evony's new hospital?"

Jaws dropped and Lauren chuckled, turning to walk back to her desk.

"The more I think about it, the more I think that working for both hospitals, only a couple of hours apart in a land where most transport is by plane…" She lowered her eyes to the photo of Bo she now kept on her desk, "…the more I think about it, the more I think that I don't think these two hospitals being in competition with each other would be good for the people of these lands."

"You intend to play the middle and do what's best for the patients." Carolyn smiled, "Because you're Doctor Lauren Lewis and it's what you do."

Shannon nodded, "Doctor Lewis believes in patient before patents and dollars."

Carolyn laughed, "And that's why we'll follow her wherever she works."

Lauren smiled at the pair, laughing at their affectionate mocking. They did it often, but there were serious moments the three of them had over the years that allowed her to know that they truly respected her philosophy of medicine. Their support had become invaluable the longer she had worked for Fleurette-Marquis, Inc.

Her mind drifted to Bo and how she was going to react to her latest news from Evony. She dreaded the thought of telling her she was going to have to leave for an undisclosed amount of time, but she also knew that if she withheld the information too long, Bo would be angry with her for being dishonest. Still, she would at least wait until tonight. Until then, they would enjoy whatever Bo had planned for her today.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three Hours Later… The Kennels

Lauren entered the main barn and immediately moved to where Elsa, Anna and Belle had run to the gate to see her. She climbed over the fence and sat down in the straw, allowing them climb on top of her. They barked, jumped and kissed her face until they finally calmed down enough to lay across her legs so that she could pet them all.

"How are my girls today?" She smiled, "I've missed running with you ladies so much. My lovely, lovely, strong, brave little ladies." Lauren planted her face in the fur of her Elsa and released an uneven breath, "I'm going to miss you so much… so very, very much." She pulled back, lifting the pup's face so that she could look into the blue eyes, "I've grown so fond of you. You're… you're the best friends I've ever had. How will I ever survive without you?"

She released her tears, the idea of taking them with her passing through her mind for a fleeting moment before she remembered that the heat and humidity of Boston at this time of year would never suit their thick coats, even though Bo had told her they would lose a good bit of their hair soon. She ran her fingers back and forth between her ears before moving on to rub Belle and then Anna. Giving each of the trio equal affection.

"Hey, Lauren. I'm sorry it's taking me so long. I had to meet with the Vet about…" As Bo moved closer, she realized that her beloved doctor was crying, "Lauren? What's the matter?"

The blonde shrugged, turning away from Bo to wipe her eyes before releasing a chuckle, "Did you ever have one of those overwhelming moments where you realized you loved your dogs more than you'd ever known?"

Bo smiled, "Harper… about six years ago." She came to sit beside the blonde, leaning back against the rail. Anna immediately crawled between Bo's legs, the brunette scratching both sides of the happy canine's neck just beneath her ears, "She pulled up lame during a race. I had to withdraw. The vet said she's fractured one of the bones in her foot. I thought it was my fault for running them to hard. No matter how much the doc told me that wasn't the case, I just couldn't stand the thought that she was hurt."

Bo turned her attention to Lauren as Anna lay her head in her lap, "She cried in pain for the first two days. I stayed with her every minute… as a matter of fact, I slept with her and the other dogs for three straight weeks until I was sure she would be able to run normally again."

Lauren sniffed, smiling at the image of the brunette curled up in the hay like one of the dogs. She could see it as clear as day, "Now that's dedication."

"When you live on your own out in the Alaskan wilderness for as long as I have, you come to depend on your dogs, and they depend on you." She looked up across the kennel, her eyes instantly finding each of the members of her usual team, "I love all of these dogs, but that original team of twelve and the additional eleven that joined me after Big Jim did his worst… those dogs have been my only family… until now. Even though I have Tosh, LJ, Molly, Mark, Big Jon and Michael now, I still feel most relaxed and at home with them. I think I always will. I trust them with every fiber of my being. It's hard for me to say the same about humans."

Lauren lowered her eyes, looking down at a very relaxed Belle and Elsa, "How about this human?" She looked up at Bo, "Do you trust me?"

Bo smiled, her eyes bright, "You above all. I'm trusting you with my heart."

She leaned in and kissed Lauren softly, her lips warm as they covered the quivering lips of the blonde. She pulled back, her eyes filled with concern,

"You're quite emotional today. Are you sure you're okay?" Bo asked, "Anything you want to talk about?"

Lauren leaned into the hand, hesitating for a moment as her need to spill the news rushed through her. Instead, she sighed, really wanting to have a nice day with Bo. They needed it… Bo needed it,

"Maybe later. I just want to have a drama and trauma free day with you. Do you think we could do that?"

Bo smiled, "I think that can be arranged. Are you ready to go to my favorite spot?"

"Your favorite spot?" Lauren asked.

The brunette stood, giving Anna's head a ruffle before sending her on her way back to the rest of the pack. She smiled as she watched the puppies gather around the newcomer, jumping and playing. Bo turned to Lauren, extending her hand,

"Doctor Lewis, I would be so grateful for the honor of your company for the afternoon."

Lauren smiled, lifting her legs to alert the dogs to her departure. They sat up, taking a moment to get their bearings. The blonde gave them each a head scratch as a sendoff before she took Bo's hand and allowed her to help her to her feet,

"I would love to."

Bo wrapped Lauren's hand over her arm, locking their elbows as she led her from the kennel. It was a beautiful day. The temperature would approach a perfect seventy degrees today. She led Lauren to her truck, opening the door and helping her up and into the seat. She closed the door, smiling as she walked around the rear bed, looking inside to be sure the wheeled cooler she'd just purchased from Molly was secured to the side with the bungee cords. She made sure the blanket was tucked in so it wouldn't blow away and then headed around to the driver's side door.

Climbing into the truck, she smiled at Lauren, "Ready?"

"Very much so. I'm very curious. There's actually a favorite place that you haven't showed me?"

Bo smiled, "Yup." She started the truck, put it in gear and pulled out onto the road, "This place is the reason I decided to put down roots here."

Lauren laughed, "Awww, and here I thought that was because of me."

Bo chuckled, "I'm sorry to say that decision was made before you came, Doctor Lewis. Although, I'm absolutely certain that if you were to put down roots here, I would never wander far from this place ever again unless you were with me."

Lauren felt her throat tighten as tears again threatened to fall. She swallowed hard, gathering her emotions, before she asked,

"And if I were to stray from this place for a little while?" Lauren asked.

Bo grinned, "I might be convinced to follow for a time."

Her heart soared as Bo spoke those words, her heart filled with hope that the woman she loved might be willing to spend the coming months in Boston,

"The native follows the outsider to the outside?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "I can't say the thought doesn't unnerve me, but yes, I would follow."

"Bo, are you serious?"

They came to a stop sign. The brunette stopped the truck, checking the rear-view mirror to be sure no one was behind them before looking at the blonde,

"I'm serious about the way I feel about you, Lauren. I've never felt this way. I'll try anything if it means I get more time with you. I can't guarantee I could live elsewhere, but for you, I would try."

Lauren leaned across the seat and met Bo's lips with her own. She pulled back, her fingertips caressing the brunette's cheek,

"Thank you for being willing to try if it were to come to that."

Bo nodded, "You've made me realize that the world is a very big place. There's more to see than just the snow, ice, glaciers, oceans, lakes, mountains, forests and tundra of Alaska." She lowered her eyes to where their hands were now joined, "I love my home. I love it more than I can ever explain." She looked up into the beautiful big brown eyes she'd come to know so well, "But I love you so much, that I might be willing to leave her behind if it meant more time with you."

Lauren smiled, "You know, I've come to love this land almost as much as I love you."

Turning her attention back to the road, Bo made her turn and continued down the road, "What do you love about Alaska?"

Lauren smiled, "I never thought snow and ice could be beautiful… I mean, it's beautiful when it first falls in Boston. It falls softly there… well, most of the time. The city slows down and everything becomes quiet. Then, the plows come out and the snow is piled into roadside mountains. It's brown and then black from car exhaust, so it's just… ugly. Here, it's always white and with the mountains and rivers as a backdrop, it's just… majestic. Since the start of the spring melt, there's new beauty revealed every day. I've never seen such deep greens. It's like the trees were born and became fully grown overnight. It's simply amazing."

Bo smiled, "Speaking of rivers and trees…" she pointed to the horizon, "Here's our lunch spot."

She pulled into a parking spot, looking at Lauren's face as she scanned the horizon. The blonde turned to Bo,

"It's beautiful. What is this place?"

Bo pointed west, "Most importantly, this place is within jogging distance of where we're building your new hospital. You'll be able to go for a lunchtime jog, have lunch, jog back, take a shower and be ready for your next big surgery. You once told me that the more delicate and emergent the surgery, the longer you jog beforehand. I think this view will help to calm you just as much as a long run."

Lauren exited the truck, her hand moving her hair up and over her brow, her fingers securing it behind her ear as her eyes roamed the incredible scene before her. The sandy riverbed skirted the blue glacial waters that fed the soil to grow the thick green forest behind it. A cool wind sent down from the regal snow-capped mountain range in the distance, propelled ripples across the surface of the water.

The doctor stood, one hand on her hip, the other shielding her eyes as she continued to take in the breathtaking scenery before her. Warm hands wrapped around her torso from behind. She leaned back into Bo, nestling her head into the crook of her neck,

"It's magnificent, Bo."

The brunette kissed the blonde's cheek, "I'd hoped you would feel that way. Give me a second, I'll get everything set up. Why don't you go for a short walk along the water?"

Lauren smiled, leaning up to steal a kiss, then headed down towards the water. A stroll along the water would be perfect right now. She needed to clear her head from the earlier news and formulate a concrete plan for how to deal with Evony. One thing she knew for sure, when she arrived in Boston, she would be visiting her longtime mentor and friend to seek his advice.

Bo watched with a grin as Lauren headed off down the path to the sandy of the river. She had brought Lauren here today so that she could relax. She'd sensed tension in the blonde over the past week and today was no different. She hoped that this place would bring to the doctor what it had always brought to her… stillness. Not the paralyzing, unmotivated type, but the quiet, mindful sort. She always felt more focused and certain about her path after visiting this place. Perhaps that's why she had really come today. There was no doubt that her first appointment with Dr. Gray had changed her perspective. Maybe this place would help her to understand exactly how.

She pulled the blanket and cooler from the bed of the truck and headed down the path to the river. When she arrived there, she continued along the path to the place she had come to call her own. She could breathe here… she could relax here.

She found her spot, nestled among a small grove of trees. Here, a small stream flowed across the land and a flat rock served as a perfect table for the many picnics she'd had here. She would cast her rod into the river, pull out a salmon, make a fire to heat the rock and cook the fish. When her belly was full, she would lay back and stare at the mountain range, wondering if she would ever again see her mother.

Now, word had reached her today that Tamsin had a lead… one she told Bo gave her reason to hope again. She said she would be back day after tomorrow with news one way or another. Bo shook out her thoughts, turning to the things she'd brought along. She first holstered her bear spray, something she'd brought just in case. It was spring and her furry friends were hungry. They loved to frequent local rivers to fish, eat and then nap with their young. She hoped a family would come along so that Lauren could see them in their natural habitat rather than angry and violent as she'd seen them thus far.

She laid out a blanket, then opened the cooler, pulling out fish tacos and salmon spread with fresh bread she'd picked up from Kenzi while Lauren was at the clinic. Taking two flat wood cutting boards, she made two plates and covered each with a towel. She opened took out the two travel mugs filled with Kenzi's spring sweet tea and placed one next to each board before placing a cloth napkin next to each as well. Finally, she pulled out the single red rose she'd bought from the town florist and placed it atop the towel covering Lauren's plate. Satisfied with the arrangement, she stood and headed off down the path to find Lauren.

She only walked about a hundred yards before she spotted Lauren sitting by the river. She stopped short, not wanting to intrude on the blonde's personal time. She watched her from afar, just wanting to be sure there were no more tears. Satisfied that she was just enjoying the scenery, she took a seat on a nearby boulder and waited patiently, giving her some space to… just be. She smiled at the memory of Lauren when they'd first begun with just a physical relationship. Her doctor had been right… taking one day at a time was a new concept to Bo. She'd always lived in the past or fantasized about the future. It was strange to think of that now since she had come to realize that her lifestyle was better suited to the 'live in the moment' philosophy.

Now more than ever, she wanted to savor every single minute she had with Lauren until she left in just over six months. It wasn't a lot of time, but she had every intention of making the best of it as Lauren permitted. She pulled out her phone, opening the screen and looking at all the little picture thingies that were on the screen. She spotted one that sort of looked like the front of a camera and touched it. Seeing a picture of her feet, she smiled and whispered,

"Guess that's the camera. Now…" She held it up, taking a minute to find Lauren in the frame. Finally, she smiled, centering the image to include the background. She hit the smaller camera in the corner, only to see herself, "Shit. How do you take a picture?"

Bo hit the button once more and saw Lauren on the screen again. The brunette smiled, seeing the wind blow her golden hair off her shoulders. She was a vision, even sitting curled up in a ball to fight the chill in the air. Seeing the word 'photo' above a large round button, Bo pressed the circle and watched as a picture moved into the corner of the screen. She clicked on it and smiled when the image of Lauren she was watching in real time appeared.

"All those days of phone lessons while I was laid up and she never once showed me how to work the camera."

She laughed, snapping a few more pictures before figuring out how to slide the screen to make a video. She had no idea what she was doing, but Bo knew it was possible to make a movie from a bunch of videos. She knew because Lauren had showed her on the internet that a fan had clipped videos of Bo's Iditarod journey together and posted them to something called a social media platform.

She smiled thinking of the movie that Elise had showed her of her mom. The kid knows how to make a movie… the now nine-year old little girl. Bo could be embarrassed about her lack of knowledge of things such as phones, but she wasn't. While others had taken time to learn such things, she had been exploring the lands around her, providing for her community when they could not provide for themselves and taking care of the dogs that would be strong and fast enough to purchase a kennel that would become LJ's future. Still, Elise might be able to help her make a going away movie for Lauren so that she could take her memories of Alaska with her when the time came. Until them, Bo would have to start taking pictures and movies such as these.

She changed the camera to the various settings, taking short bursts of video with each to see what they did. When Lauren stood and continued to walk along the river, she followed, filming with time lapse. When she played it back, she had to laugh at the rapid wiggle in the blonde's bum. She used the last setting labeled 'pano' and struggled to figure out how to do it. When she finally did, she smiled at the playback of the 360 degree view she had captured of Lauren's first day in this park… she smiled until she realized there were bears up ahead of Lauren. She put her phone away and quickened her pace, catching up with the blonde,

"Pssst. Pssst. Lauren." The blonde turned to see Bo holding a finger over her lips. She watched as the brunette pointed two fingers towards her eyes, then turned those fingers and pointed them down river. Lauren turned, moving close to Bo as she pulled them into the trees, parting two branches so she could see what she had been pointing at,

"Mom and cubs. She won't bother us if we don't bother her or try to harm her cubs."

"They're so adorable." Lauren smiled, "How old are they?"

Bo grinned, "I'd say just a few weeks. They're just playing in the water. They don't really understand how to catch a fish yet. Mom on the other hand, she's heading towards that little waterfall. You'll see the fish jumping out of the water to try to avoid her massive paws, but she'll catch a few regardless. Bears are quite skilled fishermen."

Just as she said the words, the bear swiped a paw through the water and a fish jumped up stream over the waterfall,

"See? That little fishy got lucky."

Lauren smiled, "He's having a good day, huh?"

Bo chuckled, "In all likelihood, it was a female going upriver to spawn. It will take them a while to get there, but spawning season runs from July to August."

"So, there will be a lot of fish?"

"We don't take a lot of fish until August. A single Chinook can spawn up to seventeen thousand eggs, but if you kill them before they have a chance…"

Lauren nodded, "Zero population growth."

Bo corrected, "Actually, negative population growth since some will die of age or other environmental causes before they spawn."

"Of course." Lauren replied, leaning into Bo, "It's amazing to be able to watch this. I've only ever seen a bear family on National Geographic channel or in the Goldilocks book."

"Goldilocks?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled, "It's a story about three bears. You can look it up on the internet. It's a children's story I read as a child."

Bo nodded, "My favorite story was called Julie of the Wolves. Well, her real name is Miyax. She's thirteen years old and she is lost in the Alaskan wilderness because she ran away from her home in Utqiaġvik to meet her pen pal in California. It was all about the cultural changes the outsiders were forcing on our people and… well… I guess it stuck."

"Sounds a bit like an autobiography of Bo Dennis." Lauren commented, her eyes trained on the bears, now fully immersed in the water while their mom dragged fish from the river, tossing them onto the shore. One little bear cub finally caught on that lunch was being served. Lauren laughed watching the cub stumbled across the beach, it's feet too clumsy to keep up with its desire for food. The other two cubs followed suit before the momma bear crawled from the water to enjoy the fish with her babies.

"I guess Miyax has been a big influence on my life and the way that I live. Of course, the story might also have something to do with my judgement of the outside world as well. Do you want to head back and have some lunch?"

Lauren smiled, "That sounds good."

She had one last long look at the family, watching as Bo pulled out her phone to snap a few pictures, the last being of Lauren in the foreground of the family's picnic, her face full of excitement. She took Lauren's hand and led her off through the woods, not wanting the bear to catch their scent if they went back out onto the beach where the wind would surely blow their scent towards the anxious mother.

"So, can I ask… if you do come to Boston, what are you expecting to see?"

Bo shrugged, "Lots of traffic and even more people, I guess. Lots of tall buildings."

Lauren nodded, "And how are you expecting to feel?"

Just imagining it, Bo could tell exactly how she would feel, "Like I can't breathe."

Lauren stopped, gently turning Bo to face her, "Then why on earth would you want to come to Boston?"

"Because the love of my life would be there. Because when I'm with her, I can breathe."

Lauren's eyes teared up as she thought of her truth. She had to tell her. She had to tell her now.

"Bo…"

"Come on, lunch is just over here. Let's eat before some animal decides to take full advantage of my hard work… well, honestly, Kenzi's chef's hard work, so more my hard-earned money." Bo chuckled.

Lauren sighed, following the brunette as she reminded herself to give Bo a good day before dropping the early departure news on her. She stepped into the grove of cottonwood trees to find a small sheltered nook that held a beautiful lunch spread on a large flat rock with a blanket beside it. Atop one of the plates was a red rose."

She smiled, taking Bo's hand for support as she came to sit beside her, leaning against a large fallen tree. Offering a nervous chuckle, she leaned into Bo, "This is very romantic."

Bo smiled, "It's my favorite place to eat lunch in the spring and summer. This flat rock is the perfect table and when you throw a blanket into the soft bed of needles, it's super comfortable. This big fallen cottonwood tree makes the perfect backrest." She pointed through the gap in the trees, "It's semi-private so you can watch the river without folks on the river watching you."

"Are there a lot of people on the river?"

"This time of year, there's pretty many… I mean, for Alaska. Mainly tourists… river rafting groups and adventure seeking types. There's also the jet boat drivers fulfilling their 'need for speed' dreams." Bo chuckled, "I hate the damn noise they make, but they'll be gone in a few months. We can come back then. You'll like this place when the snow first starts to fall. All of these trees dusted with the white stuff… well, it's really pretty."

"So, what's this place called? I wasn't really paying attention to where we were going."

Bo pointed back towards town, "Main Street is right back there."

"Main Street in Talkeetna?" Lauren asked, "The same one that leads to my clinic and the hospital?"

Bo nodded, "One and the same. This is Talkeetna Riverfront Park and those are the Denali and Alaska mountain ranges." Bo pointed across the river to the twenty-thousand-foot peaks, "It's the best view from a town in the country, if you ask me… which you didn't. You'd have to go to the park at the base of Denali to get a view this good. Most towns have been spoiled by 'progress' and buildings that block the view, but not this spot."

"It is beautiful. I had no idea I had this view this close to my clinic. I mean, I see the mountains in the background at spots in town where there are breaks in the buildings, but this… this is amazing."

Bo nodded, "You see? You don't have to go all the way to my place to feel like you're in the wild."

"I'll definitely have to come here more often."

Bo nodded, "Just be sure to bring your bear spray."

Lauren raised a finger, "Noted. So… tell me about this place. The river looks so… blue."

Bo smiled, "Three wild rivers come together here which is why the water is so fast – the Talkeetna, Susitna and Chulitna. They're all glacial rivers which is why it's so blue, but if you look really close – which I tend to do – you can see the three different shades of turquoise, sky and a sort of azure blue blend into this part here which is called the Big Susitna River." She smiled, "I come here because it's one of the last untouched beauties in this town. I love the noise… the sound of the wild… somehow, it drowns out everything in my mind and makes it seem the quietest place in the world. Does that make any sense?"

Lauren smiled, "It does, actually. While I was sitting there, I was thinking about a recent argument I'd had with Evony over how she was… delegating staff. My mind was filled with anger and then, I don't know – there was just… nothing. I was lost in the view and the sound of the river."

Bo grinned, "Quiet."

Lauren nodded, "Very quiet despite knowing the roar of those rivers was right at my feet."

The two sat staring out at the river, lost in their own thoughts before Bo finally emerged from her daze,

"So, shall we eat?"

"Yes, definitely!" Lauren smiled, lifting the rose from her plate, "Thank you for this. I haven't seen fresh flowers outside of the little buds in your greenhouse."

Bo smiled, "Well, the florist in town will now have flowers through October and sometimes a bit beyond. The variety will decrease as the weather gets colder, but there are some fairly hearty buds that will bloom in her greenhouses through winter. If you ever really need flowers, you can get something most of the time."

"I'll keep that in mind." Lauren smiled, taking a bite of the spread on her plate, "Mmmm… this is… amazing."

"Salmon spread. It's actually Kenzi's recipe."

"With all of the meals we've eaten in that hotel, how have I never had this?" Lauren asked, partially covering her mouth to avoid any food coming out while she spoke.

Bo chuckled, "Because you're always getting the crab soup or crab legs."

Lauren laughed, nudging Bo, "You really have to force me to expand my palate when it comes to that menu."

"Honestly, I'm no better. I tend to stick with my usual too."

Lauren held out her pinky finger to Bo who looked confused, "Hook your pinky around mine. We're going to pinky swear."

"Pinky swear?"

"Trust me. It's a thing." Lauren chuckled.

"Okay then." Bo replied, hooking her finger into Lauren's.

"I swear to force you to sample everything on the menu at the Talkeetna Hotel restaurant until you've tried every item on the menu."

"And I swear the same, except the sauerkraut… I hate that stinky weedy stuff." Bo cringed.

"Okay. Except the stinky weedy stuff." Lauren smiled, releasing Bo's pinky.

They sat, leaning against one another as they cleaned their plates. When finished, Bo packed everything back into the cooler,

"So, are you ready to go?"

Lauren shook her head, "Can we just stay here for a while? A long while?"

Bo nodded, "Don't you have to be back at the clinic?"

Lauren smiled, "I took the rest of the day off."

"Really?" Bo asked, "But you've been taking so many days off to take care of me…"

Lauren smiled, "I'm the boss. I can do what I want. Besides, I was running back and forth. I didn't take off anywhere near as much time as you may think." She leaned into Bo, "Now, with the plague under control and the EPA in here to handle the water supply, we're all good. The CDC is following up with the residents, so my work is done. Now, it's just the day to day care of patients. Most of those will be handled by the nurses. They'll call me if they have something more serious. If we stay within a fifteen-minute drive or so, I'm good."

Bo smiled, "Well, we're a ten-minute drive, tops."

"And we're not visible to the people on the river?"

Bo shook her head, "We're in our own little world here. The river people are more concerned with what's on the river and there's plenty of wildlife on the shores to keep their eyes busy."

Lauren gave Bo a devilish grin, a hint of danger in her eyes as she rolled onto the brunette, straddling her lap, "Well, then let's live in our own little world and make our lives a little wild in our own way."

She captured Bo's mouth in a fierce kiss, her hands gripping both sides of her face before they moved to open the zipper on the brunette's jacket. She wasted no time slipping her hands beneath Bo's layered shirts, but quickly became frustrated when she couldn't feel her skin,

"I want… I want…" Lauren said between kisses, pawing at the clothing. Bo stilled her hands,

"Lauren…" Her eyes calmed the blonde whose eyes remained trained on every movement the brunette made. She pulled off her jacket, then lifted her shirts and sports bra all in one movement, leaving her upper body completely naked before the blonde.

"Bo, it's cold."

The brunette chuckled, "Lauren, it's summer."

"I'll never understand how your body temperature works." Lauren grinned, capturing her lips once more as her hands enjoyed the feel of the ample breasts now at her disposal, "Do you want to lay down?"

Lauren watched as the brunette lay down on her back, her hands immediately going to the blonde's hips as she straddled her again, but the doctor was in control right now. Grasping Bo's hands at the wrists, she pulled them above her head, pressing them into the blanket as she lowered her mouth to the erect nipples of Bo's chest,

"Lauren…" Bo spoke, the blonde's name a mere whisper on the wind that blew gently through the trees, giving rise to small bumps over the surface of her bare skin. Bo's torso twisted with want, the involuntary rise of her hips didn't go unnoticed by Lauren,

"Just how naked are you willing to get in our own little world?"

Bo smirked, "Don't take off my socks."

"Bold." Lauren smiled, lowering the zipper on Bo's jeans, "I like it."

Bo kicked off her shoes as Lauren yanked down her pants, pulling them off and tossing them onto the downed tree. She placed her hands on Bo's lower legs, gently running them up behind her knees where she gripped and pulled until her thighs were draped over her own. She slid her hands up her torso to cup both breasts before returning one hand down between her thighs.

Her hands skimmed the neatly trimmed hairs the covered her most sensitive skin before dipping her fingertips between the folds, gliding easily through to the slick opening. She teased slowly, watching Bo bite her bottom lip, her eyes watching Lauren's hand intently. The blonde's thumb stroked her hardened clit, causing Bo's hips to buck with need.

Bo covered the hand on her breast, moving it to the other as her eyes met Lauren's, "Please. It's been too long."

Lauren smiled down at her lover, knowing all too well what Bo meant. With the gash in her calf and the broken ribs, making love had been out of the question for the last few weeks. It was clear to Lauren in this moment that the brunette had missed her too. She entered her, watching the dark brown eyes close, her mouth opening as pleasure rushed through her body. She loved seeing Bo like this and when her eyes opened again, she saw the love she always saw with just a touch of lust.

Her thrusts were slow and gentle as her thumb continued to rub Bo's clit, "Your body is so beautiful." Lauren said, her hand explored the skin of Bo's body before returning to her breasts again, "I don't think I will ever tire of this, Bo."

"Even when I'm old and flabby?" Bo chuckled.

Lauren smiled, "I highly doubt you'll ever get flabby, but yes, even then." He leaned down, capturing Bo's lips with her own, the tip of her tongue teasing before plunging into her mouth where it was welcomed with a deep moan. Bo flipped her over suddenly, two hands pressing down on her shoulder as she thrust herself down on Lauren's fingers. Lauren's gaze moved from dark eyes to her hips, watching the powerful movements of the brunette. The blonde's strong forearm and fingers strained with effort gaining relief when Bo finally came hard, her pleasure saturating her skin.

The doctor expected the brunette to collapse with exhaustion, but instead, she found herself being stripped naked beneath her. Lauren giggled as Bo joked about being a little kid in a candy store,

"I need my favorite sweet treats." She joked as covered Lauren's body with her own, "I'll keep you warm. I promise."

Lauren laughed as Bo's tongue teased at her neck, collarbone and neck, "I can't believe I'm naked in a public place with you."

Bo laughed, "You're not merely naked. You're actually having sex in a public place."

"Scandalous." Lauren chuckled.

"Not if no one catches us." Bo smirked, working her way down to the blonde's breasts, capturing a hardened nipple in her mouth.

Lauren arched her chest up, her eyes staring up at the blue skies overhead. She felt like she was floating in the clouds as Bo pleasured her. The sensation of Bo's hands and mouth combined with the cool mountain breeze on her skin made her feel free. She was pulled back to reality by Bo's fingers finding their way inside of her. The brunette was slow at first, her movements sensual and erotic before Lauren's soft moans brought a sense of urgency to her pace. Bo lifted her head, her eyes roaming every inch of her doctor's form before coming to rest on Lauren's, sharing the moment of ecstasy that she brought through her touch.

As the wave of pleasure passed, it was replaced with a shared silence with the background noise of the rushing river current in the background. They laid there in each other's arms, savoring the moment they'd just shared and the quiet time together.

"There's something about you, Bo. There's something about this place."

Bo laughed, "Is that a good something or a bad something?"

Lauren smiled, "Oh, it's definitely a good something." She wrapped her arms around Bo as the brunette settled into the crook of her neck, "I feel like something has awakened in me that was always there, but never allowed to come out… or maybe it's just that I never let it out. I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I feel… free."

Tracing featherlight circles on the blonde's chest, Bo smiled, "I'm glad you feel free with me, but there are many types of freedom, Doctor Lewis. What sort of free is this?"

Lauren shrugged, "The uninhibited sort, I suppose? I spoke my mind to Evony today. I also set some things in motion that could anger her today… and honestly, I don't really care. For the first time, I've realized that she can't hurt me. Even if I broke my contract with her, she can't hurt me. She could take a lot of money from me, but you've taught me that money isn't really necessary for me to live a healthy and happy life."

Bo didn't lift her head, but the worry was evident in her eyes, "Lauren, I want you to be happy, but one of the things you mentioned to me not so long ago was that you were worried you couldn't be happy if you weren't being challenged… medically speaking. Along those lines, you also said that one of the reasons you've put up with Evony for so long is because she can afford the surgical toys that allow you to do the complex surgeries that you do. Are you sure you want to piss her off?"

Lauren smiled, "One of the calls I made today was to the University of Alaska. I have a video conference call with the head of the department of biomedical engineering tomorrow."

"Oh?" Bo asked, curious as to what the doctor was up to.

Lauren nodded, "They specialize in arctic engineering at the Fairbanks campus and the Anchorage campus has a pretty good program in biomedical. I'm thinking that it might be cool to build my own instruments for performing the procedures I need to perform with my own techniques. I'd like to do that directly with a university rather than rely on Evony to buy my equipment. The university would benefit from having my approval on the tools and make money on the sale of those tools or the patents. I would in turn, get the instruments for free in exchange for providing my expertise."

Bo smiled, "Kind of like me and Kyle working together to produce a line of sleds."

"I guess so, yes. Speaking of Kyle, she's coming home next week."

"How's her condition?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled, "She's getting around in her wheelchair. Kurt has installed ramps at all of her entrances and modified her truck so she can drive. She'll pick up her therapy sessions at the physical therapy place in Anchorage."

Bo nodded, "I'm glad to hear she's coming home. She must hate that hospital."

"She's hoping to see you soon."

"I guess she's a bit upset about me not coming to see her in Seattle."

Lauren shook her head, "She knows you don't venture out of Alaska unless you have an air delivery to make. She's the reason I suspected you may not be too crazy about cities."

"She told you that, huh?" Bo asked.

"She did." Lauren nodded, "So what do you think of my plan?"

"I think it's brilliant. My question is, will it satisfy your need as a doctor?"

Lauren smiled, "I think it will, yes."

"Good to know." Bo replied with a smile, her heart filled with hope that Lauren might be seeking a way to stick around Alaska on a more permanent basis, "We should get dressed."

"I am a bit chilly." Lauren admitted.

Bo leaned in and kissed the blonde softly, "I love you, Lauren."

"I love you, Bo. Thank you for a fantastic lunch."

"You're welcome." Bo grinned, sitting up and gathering their clothing into a pile between them so they could dress.

When they were finished, Bo offered Lauren a hand up and they walked back to the truck. Once inside, Bo started the vehicle and turned to Lauren,

"So, do you want to run by the clinic and check on things?"

Lauren shrugged, "I can give them a call and check in to make sure everything is okay. I'd really like to see something else that you love around here."

Bo smiled, "Within ten to fifteen minutes? You've pretty much seen it all."

"Okay, so what about within an hour of here?" Lauren asked.

Bo grinned, "It's not like you to take chances like this… I mean, away from your clinic. What if someone has a cardiac emergency while you're gone?"

Lauren shrugged, "There's always a pilot with a bush plane who can get them to Anchorage, right? Besides, there is going to come a time when I won't be available, right?"

Bo couldn't believe her ears, "Where is this coming from, Lauren?"

"I never get time off and I told Evony so."

"What was her reply?" Bo asked.

"She said she's paying me enough to make it worth my while. What she doesn't realize is that she's isolated me by keeping me tied to that clinic. I have a life outside of work and she's preventing me living it. All I do is work, work, work. I've been here for the better part of six months and how much of this state have I actually seen? I want to go to the North Slope where you grew up. This is the best time of year for me to do it and the one chance I've got to go I lose, because she has yet to provide the second full time doctor she promised."

"Lauren, we've got all summer to go. Why the rush?"

The blonde sighed, biting her tongue as she offered a casual reply, "I'm in the mood to explore today. It's a day off, but it's not really, is it?"

Bo nodded, "I suppose not."

Lauren shrugged, "I noticed that Molly had ice cream in the store yesterday."

"So, you would like to explore ice cream flavors?" Bo asked.

Lauren offered a devilish grin, "After our little appetizer in the grove of trees, I'd love to explore ice cream flavors using your body as a table."

"Frisky doctor's in town today." Bo chuckled, "What happened to exploring the land?"

"Sorry, I'm sort of stuck on exploring your land." Lauren sighed, rubbing Bo's thigh before pulling her hand back, "Okay, we'll do that later tonight. For now, can we just have some ice cream?"

Bo smiled, "We can. What's gotten into you today? You seem… eager."

Lauren shrugged, "We've been talking about you showing me so many things in the spring. Well, spring is here, and I want to see them all."

Bo smiled, "Okay then. Maybe you'd better check in with your nurses while I go over to Molly's to check out the ice cream."

Lauren nodded, leaning into Bo as the brunette pulled her truck out of the parking lot. Bo could sense that something was up with Lauren, but if there was one thing she had learned about her lover, it was that she had her own clock. It was clear she was struggling with something difficult, but she trusted that the blonde would share what it was in her own time. Until then, she would continue to provide as many memorable moments with her as she could.

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Talkeetna General Store

"Can I get you ladies anything else?" Molly asked, smiling down at Bo and Lauren who were each enjoying an ice cream cone on the back patio of the store.

Lauren looked up, smiling, "Can you join us for a bit?"

Molly smiled, "Mark's inside, so… well, why not? These old dogs of mine are super tired."

She kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the open chair at the small café table, "So what brings you two by today? Just a craving for ice cream?"

"Lauren saw that you had ice cream in the freezer when she came by yesterday. I'd be willing to bet she's been thinking about it ever since."

The blonde smiled, "It is my weakness… the dairy version, that is. The Eskimo Ice Cream that Bo had me try when I'd first arrived was… well, no offense… nasty."

Bo and laughed, but Molly just glared at the musher, "You actually made her try that?"

Bo shrugged, "I didn't know her yet, so…"

"Being the prankster, huh?" Molly suggested.

"I have to admit, it was a bit more sinister than that." Bo replied, showing no remorse whatsoever, "I was trying to make it clear that life was different here."

"You thought I would go running home to mommy?" Lauren mocked.

Bo smiled, "Actually, I did. Honestly, I was surprised she survived the first week, but then she pulled that stunt with the dog sled and… well…"

"She fell madly in love with me." Lauren smirked, "She just couldn't help herself."

Bo laughed, "I wanted to. I really did."

"Yea, me too." Lauren agreed.

Molly smiled, "So, neither of you looking for love, but both of you finding it. Sometimes love just finds you even when you're not looking for it."

Elise came bounding out, a puppy running close behind. She jumped into Molly's lap and cupped her face, "Is that what happened with you and Mark?"

Molly pouted, "What did I tell you about eavesdropping on other people's conversations, little one?"

"Bo and Lauren aren't other people. They're my aunts!"

"Well, I'm fairly certain the conversation would have been different had you been sitting here from the start."

"Why? I'm nine now! I can know about love!" She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Molly looked down at the puppy who was clawing at her thigh, "Oh? And what about the love your dear puppy is seeking right now? Do you plan to offer her your love?"

"Oh, Snow! I'm so sorry!" She jumped off Molly's lap, scooping the pup into her arms, "You know I love you, ya big fluff ball!" She smiled before turning to her guardian, "Can me and Snow go fish?"

Molly nodded, "If you both wear lifejackets and you don't catch more than ten. The freezer is almost full."

"Ooh! Goodie! Lauren, wanna come?" Elise asked, looking up at Lauren with hopeful eyes.

The doctor looked at Bo who smiled and gave her a nod. Lauren's eyes remained on Bo for a moment longer before she turned to Elise,

"I've got thirty minutes, okay? Then Bo and I have to go."

"Cool! Bo? Wanna come? I mean… if you feel better enough?" Elise asked.

"Do I want to go fishing with my two best gals? Of course!" Bo stood, "Wanna go piggyback down to the shed?"

Elise hesitated, "Molly says I can't hurt you. Won't it hurt you?"

Bo smiled down at the youngster, "Doctor Lauren gave me a clean bill of health for piggyback rides. Right, Lauren?"

"You bet!" Lauren smiled.

"Awesome! Bo gives the best piggyback rides!" Elise smiled, crawling onto the chair before jumping onto Bo's back.

Lauren watched as Bo cringed just a big when Elise's knee banged into her ribs, but it was just a moment. The doctor was sure that her patient was still just a little bit sensitive to any impacts to her side, but her incision was fully healed. There was simply a small amount of residual bruising.

Lauren turned to Molly, "Well, we're off to the river. Is there a cooler in the shed?"

Molly nodded, "Bo said you're getting pretty good with a rod."

"I'm holding my own. We didn't starve while I was taking care of her if that says anything."

"It does. Didn't she have any fish in her cache?"

Lauren nodded, "She did, but I've never cooked fish from frozen, so wasn't sure what to do."

Molly smiled, "I'm sure she'll teach you in time."

Time was the issue though, wasn't it? She looked up at Molly and nodded, "I'm sure she will. See you in about thirty minutes then?"

"We'll be here." Molly replied.

Lauren headed off down the path to the river. Up ahead, she could see Bo spinning circles with Elise on her back. While Bo was injured, Elise came to see her almost every time Molly came out. She was so worried about her, but the musher assured her every trip that she would make a full recovery. Elise would sit and read to her to pass the time. She read magazine articles about her mushing career that Bo had never seen or heard. She never paid attention to that sort of thing. She read her all her favorite children's books – stories Bo had never heard growing up on the North Slope. Each time Elise left her bedside, Bo would tell Lauren how grateful she was that little girl came to see her.

They passed Mark's kennel on their way and stopped to say hello to all the dogs. When they left, the canines were barking up a storm. He was now leaving them out at night since the weather had warmed. Bo had given him free lodging when the kennel opened, something she traded for credit at the store.

When they got to the river behind the store, the current was high and fast-moving. Both were concerned, so they not only put Snow and Elise in lifejackets, but they also anchored both to the trees with spare pieces of centerline that were kept in the shed. Bo could tell that Lauren was still a bit nervous being as close to the water as she was, so she pulled out an extra piece of line and anchored Lauren to a nearby tree just to be safe. She wasn't as strong a swimmer as Bo, so the brunette also found solace in knowing the blond would be easily pulled to shore if a fish gave her fight enough to pull her in.

They fished for the thirty minutes they agreed to and Elise jumped and shouted with every fish she hooked. When she caught her last fish, it was a beauty. She was dangerously close to the edge, so Bo tossed her rod and ran over to the little girl. She pulled her into her lap, wrapping her legs over the smaller ones and took hold of the rod.

"Here we go, sweetie! This is a big one!"

Elise's eyes went wide, "Is it a King Salmon? Is it?"

Bo looked up at Lauren, "I'm pretty sure it is." She said to Elise but mouthed 'Mark' to Lauren. The blonde nodded, running towards the store to get Bo's nephew, dropping their rods by the shed on the way.

"I'm tired, Bo." The youngster said, her hands dropping from the rod unexpectedly.

"Okay sweetie, do you want to crawl out from under my arms so I can work your big catch onto the land?"

She nodded, ducking under Bo's arms, sitting next to her so she could watch. Bo was straining with the efforts, her heels dug into the ground while her ribs ached with every pull. She hoped Mark would get here soon because she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold onto the rod from a seated position.

She leaned back, almost lying down with each pull before rapidly turning the crank on the reel to take up the slack. She then allowed the fish to swim again, waiting for it to tire before again pulling back and tightening the line.

"Come on, Mark."

"Mark?" Elise asked.

"Bo? Bo!"

"Hey, Mark! Need a little help here! I think your little girl has caught a trophy, but I'm not in any condition to land it… not from a seated position, anyway."

"Are you sure?" Mark asked, not wanting to take a fight away from Bo.

Bo sighed, "Can you see him?"

Mark approached the water's edge, a long net in hand, "Yup. He's still about thirty yards out."

"Ugh. I dunno." Bo said, pulling back hard and reeling rapidly, "Maybe if you give me something to brace my feet or harness yourself to me from behind?"

Mark nodded, "I've got a harness. Hang in there a second." He turned to Lauren, "If you can sit behind her and wrap your arms around her waist, it'll help until I'm ready."

Lauren nodded, doing as asked and Bo explained, "Every time I pull back, you pull me back. Try to keep me as close to you as possible." She whispered over her shoulder so that Elise wouldn't hear, "My ribs are killing me, Lauren and my calf is straining every time I push off it, but I don't want lose this fish for her. It's a monster."

"I'm with you, Bo."

The pair worked together for the next several pulls until Mark came to replace Lauren, but the blonde waved him off,

"Where is it, Mark? We've got to be close."

Mark ran to the water's edge, "Wow. Nice work! He's getting tired. Damn! He must be fifty pounds or more. I've never seen a King that big before, Bo."

Bo gritted her teeth, "Me either. Get the net!"

He grabbed the pole and watched as they gave one, then two more pulls, landing the fish perfectly allowing Mark to pull it in with the net.

"Got it! Geezus, Molly and Jonathan! This thing is huge!"

"Can I see my fish? Huh? Can I see my fish?"

Bo and Lauren laughed as the brunette fell back against Lauren, exhausted, "Well, now you've experienced Alaskan King Salmon fishing."

"Yes, I have." Lauren smiled, pulling Bo's hair back out of her face.

Bo rolled over and watched as Mark showed Elise the fish. He helped her to carry it up onto the bank where she introduced him to Bo and Lauren.

"Look! It's Hank!"

"Hank, huh? He's a monster of a fish, huh?"

Elise smiled proudly, "Sorry I couldn't bring him the rest of the way in. I guess he belongs to all of us, huh?"

Bo shook her head, "You hooked him, so he's your catch. I think Mark is going to have to measure and weigh that one for sure!"

Mark nodded and headed to the shed, grabbing his scale and measuring tool. He came back out and laid the fish down on the sand, being sure to measure from lips to tail,

"Wow. He's thirty-two inches long and…" they all watched while he hung the fish from the hook on the scale, holding it aloft and carefully watching the numbers spin until still, "…eighty-two pounds. Damn, Bo! I can't believe you landed this thing!"

Bo laughed from the ground, "I can't believe you can hold that thing up with one hand!"

He smiled towards Elise, "Lots of piggyback and shoulder rides lately. She's getting me back in shape."

"You were never out of shape. You can lift, pull and push more than anyone I know… except maybe your wife." Bo laughed.

Bo stared up at the sky, calming her breathing. Everything hurt, "I'm so out of shape. I really have to get back into my workout routine."

"You guys coming? We're gonna go show Molly all our fish!" She grabbed the stringer that held the other smaller fish and tugged twice, trying to drag them across the ground, "Ugh… I can't… I can't…"

Lauren smiled, "Mark will carry your big one. I'll carry these."

Bo protested, "Lauren, that's over a hundred pounds of fish. Get the cart from the shed."

"I'll get it!" Elise yelled, running off to the shed with Snow right on her heels.

Bo rolled over, crawling to all fours before putting a hand on her thigh and pushing up to her feet, "Damn, I'm so done."

"Come on, old lady. Let's go get something nice and cold to drink." Lauren chuckled, giving Bo her arm.

"I need something cold to soak my body in." She smiled, leaning on the blonde as they all headed inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, Doc! Honeymoon over so soon?" Shannon asked as Lauren walked into the clinic.

"Hey, Burt. What happened?"

"Hey, Doc. I was taking down some rotted trees from winter and cut my hand with my saw blade. Nurse Shannon's fixing it up."

"I see that. I guess you have to be more careful with that saw of yours, huh?"

"Will do, Doc."

Carolyn waved her over from the desk, "Hope to not see you here anytime soon, Burt."

"Me too, Doc."

Lauren walked up to the desk and leaned over, "So, how's the day?"

Carolyn shrugged, "Nothing we can't handle. Why are you here?"

"We had ice cream at the General Store and then we went fishing. Bo's resting with ice on her ribs and calf. She pulled in a King Salmon that Elise hooked, and it was just massive."

"Is she okay?" Carolyn asked.

Lauren nodded, "Nothing is bleeding. She's just sore or, so she says, out of shape."

"Out of shape? That woman is ripped from head to toe."

Lauren laughed, thinking of the naked form she'd seen earlier, "Don't I know it. Anyway, I just wanted to check in to make sure…"

"They're on their way to Seattle, Lauren. You're not going to stop them from seeing their daughter. If something happens, it'll be the big city hospital's job to handle it."

Lauren nodded, "Any news from the boss?"

Carolyn raised her eyebrows, cocking her head, "Shannon talked to her earlier. She wasn't happy about you taking the day off when you've been off so much to take care of Bo."

Lauren went to speak, but Carolyn waved her off, "Shannon was not shy about reminding Evony that you've been working non-stop since you got here with no days off and that most of those days – especially over the last two months – were close to twenty hours a day because of the plague. She also didn't hesitate to ask her where the second physician was that you were supposed to be shift sharing with. She told her you were losing weight and exhausted – that you couldn't keep up this pace forever and she was responsible for making you physically, mentally and emotionally ill. She also said that if it came to it, we would be testifying in court on your behalf about the working conditions."

"Shit. Does Shannon still have a job?"

Carolyn smiled, "Well, after all you said this morning, she didn't really care. She's right. There are plenty of hospitals that would want someone with your resume."

"Any news from Anchorage?"

Carolyn handed Lauren an email, "That came about twenty minutes after you sent your email. It's from the president of the hospital and co-signed by the chief of staff. It turns out their chief of cardiothoracic surgery is hoping to retire in six months to a year. They would love to have you whenever you're interested in coming on board. And get this… they sent their budget."

"What?" Lauren asked, shocked.

Carolyn handed her a hard copy of the document, "We highlighted the… well… highlights. Lauren, they're facility is incredible. They're using the TAVR procedure with the Sapien aortic valve. I thought for sure they would still be cracking open a chest."

Lauren smiled, "I've got to at least visit, right?"

Carolyn shrugged, "I would. I mean… they're definitely going to be competing with us."

"It looks like they also use Seattle's facilities a great deal rather than do some procedures here. That probably cuts costs as well."

Carolyn nodded, watching Lauren rifle through the papers. The expression on the doctor's face was fluctuating between optimism, surprise, curiosity and excitement.

"You're really considering this, aren't you."

Lauren shrugged, "I'd be crazy not to if I'm staying. At the very least, it's leverage I can use against Evony."

"How would you handle the daily commute? I mean, I'd assume you would eventually be living with Bo here in Talkeetna, right? By train, that's a little over two hours each way."

Lauren shrugged, "Bo does a lot of business in Anchorage since her brother Tosh is there. I'd guess we'd have to cross that bridge when we come to it." Lauren thought for a moment, "Of course, if… well, I don't want to get ahead of myself."

Carolyn sat back in her chair, "We're just airing thoughts here, Lauren. I'm not holding you to anything."

"What if Anchorage and Talkeetna were sister hospitals? We could literally compete with Seattle."

"Thinking big, huh?"

"Well, like you said, I'm just airing thoughts."

Carolyn nodded, "Okay, so what are your thoughts about taking the day off for real?"

Lauren smiled, "Okay. Are you sure you can handle anything that comes up?"

Carolyn nodded, "I've got the number for our emergency helicopter services, Kurt is on call by plane and now we've secured Anchorage hospitals as our critical care facilities. You may be a cardiothoracic surgeon, but you've got nothing here to help you with anything beyond the basics. It's not like you could perform a catheterization, valve replacement or pacemaker surgery."

Lauren nodded, "That is true."

"We're basically a first aid center at this point and those cases, we can handle. Anything else, we'll send to Anchorage."

"Okay then. I'm off to whatever Bo has planned for the rest of the day."

"Good." Carolyn smiled, "So you're definitely telling her tonight?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes. I don't want to keep anything from her. I'm having enough trouble not telling her right now. I'll see you tomorrow."

Carolyn nodded, "Kelly is in tomorrow morning at nine with Sam."

"Okay. I'll have my phone with me if you need anything."

"Go, venture out into the wild and have fun." Carolyn smiled as Lauren headed for the door, waving to Shannon as she passed the treatment table.

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