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?

21. Chapter 21: When Fear Takes Hold

A/N: Hey all – I hope this chapter finds everyone well. Thanks again to everyone for the continuing gifts of favorites, follows and reviews. A quick shout out to those who have just joined me through this and older stories. I'm happy that my work has provided some entertainment for you as we all continue press on during these unusual times. Best wishes to those of you who are out there working in direct contact with this disease. Your courage and service continue to inspire so many. You are never far from my thoughts.

Take care everyone and be safe out there!

To Lilmac45 – still working on fulfilling your request. That work thing went sideways this week, so did a lot of OT trying to deal with the aftermath – not much time to write until now.

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Chapter 21: When Fear Takes Hold

Snow-covered road to Talkeetna

"Okay, Rudy. Watch Mom's sled and notice where she starts her turn up ahead. Our team has more dogs, so we're longer – a lot longer – so do we start our turn sooner or later than Mom?"

"Just a little more sooner and we don't turn as sharp, right?"

Bo smiled, "That's right. You're good, kiddo."

"You holding me, right Bo? You won't let me fall? You'll hold me on the rails?" Rudy asked nervously.

Bo had rigged a dog harness for Rudy and attached a short center line from each hip hook that led to two leashes in Bo's hands so that she could hold her in place as rider controls a horse. Falling off of a moving dog sled was very dangerous, so Bo was taking no chances. She gave a tug on the center leash so Rudy could feel the resistance on both hips,

"I've got you, Roo. I promise. You feel me?"

"Yes. But… I'm a little… scared."

Bo could hear the fear in her little sisters' voice, but she was sure she could handle this downhill with her help. It was time for Rudy to overcome her doubts and gain a little confidence.

"Whoa, Diana! Whoa, Nike!" Bo yelled, waiting for the sled to come to a full stop. Rudy turned back to Bo adjusting her feet on the rails,

"Why'd we stop? Are you gonna drive?"

Bo shook her head, "No. I'm going to tell you a story about something that happened when I was your age. Have a seat next to me," Bo said, before calling out to the dogs to relax. She anchored the sled and then allowed one of the recent memories she'd recalled with Doctor Gray to replay in her mind…

Flashback…

"But Momma, what if I steer where the ice is too thin? I'm afraid, Momma?"

"Whoa, Yuji." Mary said, pulling her dogs to a stop and turning to face her young daughter. She sighed, dropping the hook and planting it firmly into the ice before walking back towards her daughter,

"Good girl Poppy. You're going to be a champion leader one of these days if you can beat your sister Yuji." She laughed when the young canine protested the comment with a strong bark. Mary moved on to the rest of the team, greeting each with a rub on the head, "Good girl Jasmine, Daisy, Dandy and way to go, Rosie! You're doing really well for your first official day with the team!"

Mary sat on the bench behind her young daughter, "Drop your anchor and sit with me, Ysabeau."

She watched to be sure the youngster drove her hook in deep. The team was young and prone to disobedience, so Mary lay gripped the rail and lay a finger on the center line just to be sure the dogs felt some resistance. Young Ysabeau turned and sat on her Mother's lap,

"Are you mad at me, Momma?"

Mary smiled, "Of course not, child. But that fear of yours is something we must talk to."

"Talk to my fear?" Ysabeau asked.

Mary nodded, "Yes. Now, close your eyes."

Ysabeau did as she was told. Mary smiled at how attentive she was. Her daughter always did as she was told when it came to the dogs and mushing. She loved this world. There was nowhere she would rather be. Countless nights she would hear the door to the house close when Ysabeau would go outside to sleep with Yuji and Tessa, always pulling her Poppy in like a teddy bear. No, Poppy was too big, but it didn't stop the young runner from snuggling in between the two elder dogs to be near her young master.

"Smell and feel the air… is it cold enough for ice?"

She waited and watched as the youngster pulled down her respirator and took a deep breath, coughing almost immediately.

"Yes."

"Now, feel the wind on your face. Is the pace of the breeze strong enough to add layers to the water atop the full expanse of the lake?"

Again, Mary watched as her daughter tilted her face into the breeze and lifted her goggles. Feeling the sting in her eyes was enough to tell her all she needed to know,

"Ow. Yes."

Mary chuckled, "Now, the most important part." She lifted Ysabeau off of the sled and onto the edge of the snow-covered ice, "Feel for the life beneath your feet and listen for the sounds of the flow of natures' water below the ice. What do your feelings teach you, child?"

"The less you hear water, the thicker the ice. The firmer the ground beneath your feet, the colder the permafrost surrounding the lake."

"So, can you make it across the lake?" Mary asked.

Bo smiled, "Yes."

"And what must your eyes see?"

"Cracks in the ice that have darkness between them."

"Why?"

"They're the spots where the ice is married to the water. They dance together and so they move together. I'm not welcome in their dance."

Mary nodded, "And what will happen if you interfere in their dance?"

Ysabeau frowned, "They do their dance in the deep where no one can see. They dance in the deepest cracks of the ice that may not hold my dogs and my sled."

"Don't forget about you too. If your dogs and sled join the dancers, so do you."

She looked back at Mary, "If I pick a bad route, it's my fault. The dogs are just doing as they're told. They don't deserve to die for my mistake. I would rather they live and I die."

Mary shuddered at the thought of Ysabeau sacrificing herself for her dogs, but she knew her daughter's heart. For that reason, she knew that she needed to pick a strong route for both her and her daughter, then keep her own pace slow enough to be sure she could get to her if need be. Better yet…

She nodded, "I understand your heart, Ysabeau. Are you ready?"

The youngster took a deep breath, "Ready."

Mary nodded, moving to the basket on her daughter's sled. She pulled out her spare center line and carried it to Poppy, attaching it to her collar. She then walked to her sled and attached the other end of the line to the rail of her own sled before straddling the line to stand on her rails. She looked back at Ysabeau who was settled in on her rails, her dogs barking and ready to go.

"Hike! Hike!" Yuji and Tess pulled out hard, anxious to get across the lake and back to the trail.

Mary looked over her shoulder to be sure that Ysabeau was keeping pace so that the center line running between her own legs didn't flip her off the sled if it became too taut. She watched the ice ahead, knowing that it was definitely thick enough for the trip home, but the sun had been out all day, so her youngster had good reason to be nervous. She could see the ice darken up ahead and took that route for herself. She pointed for Ysabeau to move left of her and listened for her daughter to call out the command. Once she did, she could hear her gaining speed.

Her sled was lighter and faster on ice since Mary was carrying all of their supplies for home. She could hear the ice cracking up ahead and moved to the left, pointing again to Bo to give her space to maneuver closer. Again, she was on top of the commands as they approached the opposite side of the lake. Her eyes set on her daughter, she saw her yank her respirator down and call out loud,

"POPPY! HAW! HAW!" Ysabeau's dogs kept their line left of Mary's sled, but the elder Dennis didn't realize that Yuji had picked up on the young musher's command and took a sharp left as well.

Mary barely got her eyes back on the lake when the front of her team lurched left, the rest of the dogs waiting on the sound of Mary's voice, thus staying right. Mary had no time to speak when her sled lurched to the left. Mary gripped the handle, the sled tipping up on its' left rails, narrowly avoiding an obstacle sticking up out of the ice. Leaning hard right, her elbow glancing off the cold hard surface, she managed to pull the sled back down onto the ice, the blow cracking the surface and crafting a break in the ice that pulled the back end of the sled's right rail into the water.

"HIKE! HIKE! PULL LADIES! PULL!" Mary yelled, feeling the ice-cold water on her foot.

"MOMMA!" Ysabeau jumped off of her sled and rushed to grab Yuji's collar as the lead dog was pulled backwards.

Mary leaned left with all of her might, grabbing the centerline that was attached to Bo's sled and called out,

"POPPY! HIKE! HIKE!"

Bo turned, only now noticing the line attached to her lead dog and stretched out to reach it, "HIKE, YUJI! HIKE TESSA! HIKE POPPY! HIKE! PULL GIRLS! PULL! PLEASE PULL!

Mary watched as her daughter's arms were stretched out between the two sleds, one hand holding firm to Yuji, the other to Poppy as the two teams pulled together to free her and her sled from the water.

"LET GO, YSABEAU! LET GO!"

"NO! NO! NEVER! I'LL NEVER LET GO! YUJI, HIKE! POPPY HIKE! PULL GIRLS! PULL MY SISTERS! PULL!"

With one last effort, Mary reached up, grabbing the handle of her sled to lift her body out of the water. She fumbled for the anchor rope, pulling it up and tossing it in front of her. As she was pulled forward, she gripped the anchor and pressed down, dragging herself towards it while pulling the sled with her until she was fully back on the ice. She covered her head as the sled tipped, falling on top of her and dragging her with it along the ice as the dogs began to gain speed once again.

Ysabeau called out to the teams, "Whoa! Whoa! Stay, Poppy! Stay Yuji! Stay Tessa! Hold!"

The young musher released the lines and slid to her sled, quickly driving her hook into the ice, then crawled over to her Mom, standing carefully on the ice,

"MOM! MOM!" She tried to lift the sled, but she couldn't budge it, "Mom!"

She backed up, walking around the other side, "What do I do? What do I do? Mom! What do I do?"

Tears flooded her eyes as she lay down next to her Mom, "Momma? Momma? Momma! Momma! Oh no! No! No! NO!"

She lay on the ice, listening to the sound of the dance below. She lifted her head, staring down at the dark waters moving below the ice,

"You can't have my Momma. You can't have her!" She shouted, sitting up.

She looked around for any signs of life. Seeing no one, she knew she was on her own. There was a rock sticking up out of the ice. She thought she might be able to tie off a rope and pull the sled that way, but the ice was thin there, so she looked in the other direction.

"Five feet to shore. It's only about five feet! Get off the ice. Get the dogs off the ice so they have something their feet can grip. Then they can pull the sled."

She ran to the center line attached to the handle of her sled and took it to Poppy, attaching it to her collar. She pulled the line, bringing both inside lead dogs with her,

Yuji Hike! Poppy Hike!" The two dogs ran towards her, forcing the rest of the two teams to follow. She watched the sled, noticing her Mom's arm flopping on the ice,

"Mom! Mom! Oh, please Spirits, bless me with the knowledge to save my Mother, your favored Athabascan child."

Once all nineteen dogs were on land, she released Yuji and Tessa from their center line and walked them around to the left side of the sled. She attached their leads to the base of the handle and rail on the right side of the sled,

"Hike! Hike!" She called, pulling them towards her as the sled flipped upside down, "Stay. Stay."

She rushed to the sled while the dogs held the load and pulled her Mom free. She lay on the ice, lifeless. She turned to the dogs,

"Come!"

The girls ran towards her, the sled slamming back down onto the ice, a new crack forming.

"Uh…oh…" Bo said, reaching out carefully to grab the shared lead between the two dogs, "Hike! Hike!"

She held onto her Mom while the dogs pulled the two of them to safety. She laid back, catching her breath while she held tight to her Mom who was now on top of her lower body. Poppy and Yuji licked at her face, barking down at her when she closed her eyes for just a minute.

"I know, I know. Don't fall asleep. I'll die." She sat up, working hard to get her legs out from under her Mom before crawling down to her, "Mom? Mom? Please wake up, Mom. I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!"

Yuji let out a commanding bark, nudging at her Mom. It took Bo a moment to calm down, but when she did, she knew what she had to do. She stood, grabbing the center line running it under her Mom's arms and giving command to the two lead dogs to pull.

They did their job well, dragging Bo's Mom to the team of young dogs now laying with Ysabeau's sled. Mary lay in the snow until the youngster used the dogs to tow the bigger sled onto land. She moved all of their supplies into the basket at the front of her sled, then used the dogs to help her tow her Mom's limp form onto the flatbed at the back of her sled. She pulled a blanket from the basket and tucked it over and around her injured passenger and used spare straps to secure her to the sled. The rest of the trip was mostly smooth, so she would be fine. Cold, but fine.

Bo saw blood on the snow and traced it to Sam, her Mom's wheel dog who must have been injured when the sled flipped. He was unable to walk without a limp and whined when she touched the leg. Thinking it might be broken, the youngster put him in front of the basket wrapped tightly in a tarp so that he wouldn't attempt to jump off the sled and join the teams. She then checked the other dogs for injuries from the crash. Luckily, the rest were fine. She attached her Mom's empty and slightly busted sled to the rear of her own and rearranged the dogs. When she was finished, she looked down the massive line of eighteen dogs. Deciding that a few might misbehave where she had them, she rearranged the dogs again until she was satisfied there would be no bickering.

She had arranged the four leads from the two teams at the front, her dogs behind her Mom's in each pairing. There was no way to know if this was going to work. They may be fighting within the first one hundred yards or they could end up a tangled mess. Of course, they could also land them all in a ditch somewhere. Despite the risks, the youngster knew she had to try, or they would both die out here – the dogs too.

She walked to the front where Yuji and Tessa were sitting, "Okay, Sisters. I've never handled a team this big, so hear me, okay? Please? We've got to get Momma home. The Elders will know what to do to help her. Okay?"

Yuji barked twice. Young Ysabeau smiled, walking the long line back, checking to be sure each lead was secured properly to the centerline as her Mom had taught her. She stepped onto the sled, gave her Mom one last glance and lifted the anchor. The team pulled out, picking up speed quickly. Bo had to tip her head as the snow came down harder. It was very difficult to see. She hooked her safety clip to the handle and pulled her goggles from her pocket, pulling them over her head before raising her hood.

"Hike! Hike!" She pushed the dogs hard, knowing that the load was easier on each one with the number of dogs that were pulling across the now flatland portion of the trail. Another mile and she would be back in the village. She thought about where she should go and settled on Seline, the Medicine Woman of their clan. She was said to be moving south to live with a tribe outside of Anchorage. Her kin lived there, and her sister was sick. She could only hope that Seline hadn't left the North Slope town just yet.

She drove past their home, not bothering to stop. The men hadn't been home for months and there was no reason to believe they would be there now. She rounded the bend to pick up the trail that ran along the ocean to the Meeting House of the Elders. She sighed with relief when she saw dogs in the kennels, two sleds and two tin dogs parked outside. She drove up, driving the anchor of her sled into the ground before the sled came to a stop. Hopping off, she checked to be sure her Mom was still breathing before driving the anchor of her Mom's sled into the ground as well. They'd made it this far, she didn't need a runaway sled now.

She rushed inside, "Help! Help! Please! It's my Mom! Please help!"

As Seline rushed towards the young child, the room spun and everything went black.

Present Day…

"So I guess you passed out?" Rudy giggled.

Bo laughed, "Yup. Got a nice bump on my head, too. I guess I was just so exhausted and hyped up from everything that had happened, that it hit me all at once."

"So you kinda saved Mom's life?"

Bo shrugged, "I never thought of it that way, but what I did think about was all the things that I did that day that I never thought I'd be able to do."

"But you did them anyway."

Bo nodded, "Just like I know that you can handle this sled right now, Roo. You're a natural and you seem to love speed."

Rudy smiled, "Yea, I kinda do."

Bo chuckled, "So why are you hesitating?"

"I'm afraid I'll mess up." Rudy shrugged, "Mom says that if I mess up on a sled, people or dogs could die. I don't want your dogs to die… especially Harper, so… I'm afraid."

"No need to be, kiddo. We're doing this together… the dogs too. They live to run, and they love to run together. I've also learned that this team will protect me with their lives just like I will for them. They know you're special to me. I know that because of how they treat you. More importantly, they'll take care of you because they've come to love and respect you."

"They love me?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, tightening Rudy's hood, "Of course. You feed them, you play with them, you rub their bellies."

The younger sister giggled, "They love that."

Bo smiled, "They do. They'll work hard for you, Roo. They'll protect you because they know that you're going to make good decisions and if you don't, they're experienced enough to do the right thing."

Double checking the leads at her sister's waist, Bo continued,

"I've got you if you fall, but what do you say you focus on keeping your feet, holding tight, giving the right commands at the right time and enjoying the ride. You're gonna love this, Roo… I promise. You drive the sled and I'll drive you. Okay?"

"Okay!" Rudy smiled.

Bo nodded, "Now, quick review… if your timing is off, I'll signal by tugging on the harness. Pay attention to what you feel. When I tug towards your right, you yell…"

"Gee!"

"And when I pull on your left hip you yell…"

"Haw!"

"Not so loud!" Bo said quickly, checking to be sure the dogs didn't think that was a command, "The dogs will take off for the river, kiddo!"

"Sorry."

Bo looked up to see her Mom's sled heading back towards them. She turned to Rudy,

"Now, recheck your lines since we're stopped, check the dogs and their booties and if everything is good to go, let's hit this hill. Okay?"

"Okay." Rudy smiled.

"Roo?"

"Yes, Sister?"

Bo searched for the words that would help her little sister, "You have Athabascan blood running in those veins. Our spirits live among all living things on this planet. Listen to your blood, Rudy… it will speak to you through every sight, sound and sensation. Feel the sled, the wind, the ground beneath your feet… not the sled, but the ground. I'll speak to you through the leads at your hips, but the world around you will speak to your soul. Follow your instincts. Mushing is in your blood."

"And your blood?" Rudy asked.

"And in my blood… and Mom's blood and everyone back through our family line since the beginning of time. Trust your instincts – that's our blood talking."

"Okay." Rudy smiled as Bo pulled up her own hood, giving a tug on the drawstrings.

Bo stood, walking up to her Mom as she pulled up beside her, "Everything okay?"

"Just taking your advice, Mom."

"Oh?" Mary asked.

Bo nodded, "She's a little nervous. I reminded her to listen to our blood."

Mary smiled, "You told her the story… the one you just remembered with you doctor?"

Bo smiled, "I told her the story."

"The most humiliating day of my life… and the proudest day of my life." Mary smiled, "Let's get going then. You're late for work, young lady."

Bo laughed, "I'm not so young anymore!"

"Too bad for you! I feel twenty years old again out here!" Mary shouted as she pulled away from the pair and headed for the hill, "Hike! Hike! Show me what you've got little ladies!"

Bo laughed, her heart full that her Mom felt well enough to enjoy a ride this morning. She looked strong… much, much stronger than she did last night. She headed for the bench, taking a seat just as Rudy stepped onto the rails,

"Okay… there goes Mom." Bo said, firmly gripping the ends of the straps attached to her sister while she lifted the anchor, "Let's get at it!"

"Hike! Hike! Let's go Sisters!" Rudy said, looking over her shoulder at Bo, "That's what you called your dogs in the story."

Bo laughed, "That's because they were my sisters… well, the closet thing I had to sisters. I only had brothers. You lucked out – you got me!"

Rudy laughed, calling out to the dogs once again, "Hike! Hike!"

Bo shook her head, noting the speed they were picking up. She wasn't even sure her little sister realized how fast they were going. She was just enjoying the feel of the ride. She really was a natural.

A little concerned about the drop coming up, Bo applied a bit of pressure to the brake to slow down the sled just a bit, giving a coded whistle to Harper. Her canine friend obeyed, nudging her partner Aphrodite. The two dogs lifted their heads, effectively pulling on the line to slow the lead dogs, Nike and Diana.

Bo grinned at her well-oiled machine. The day these ladies were no longer pulling her sled would be the day she would consider stepping back from the Iditarod. She wondered how much longer Harper could go. Now that Big Jim was out of the picture, she hoped for one more race. Sure, Harper would probably have to spend a good bit of it in the basket, possibly getting pulled out, but she would rather run the race one dog short and lose than deprive Harper of one last shot at victory.

"She gave a nudge on Rudy's right hip and watched while the little girl shifted her weight and called out a commanding "GEE!" to the team. Diana and Nike obeyed without question – likely knowing that Bo was sitting in the sled with the young musher. Still, they picked up speed, so Bo jumped in,

"Easy, Diana! Easy Nike! Gee, Gaea! Gee, Athena!" Bo called out.

"Why do you have to tell the wheel dogs where to go? Don't they just follow the rest?"

"The bigger concern is if they don't."

"We'd flip?" Rudy asked.

"Yup! Now keep your eyes on the trail. Mom's turning left."

Bo could see Rudy's little hands tighten their grip, "You'll hold me?"

"I'll never let you go, kiddo. We're in this together."

"I love you, Bo."

The brunette grinned, "I love you too, Rudy. You having fun?"

She could hear the smile in her little sister's voice, "This is the best day ever! I wish Mom could see me."

"She will. She'll speed up once we're on the straight away. She'll want pictures of you coming into town."

"You think?"

Bo smiled, knowing that Mary had already told her the plan, "Mom is fast, Rudy. According to the people in my village, Mom was fast even when she was pregnant with me. She was every bit the musher I am, that's for sure. I'd be willing to bet she would have beaten me if we raced when she was my age. She's going to leave us in her snow dust, even with Lauren's rookie team."

"Wow. She can beat these guys? We were going so fast!"

"Mom's just pacing the dogs out because it's their first run and remember that Lauren's dogs haven't spent an awful lot of time hauling a sled in the snow. Add that to having the summer off and you'll understand why Mom's taking it easy on them." Bo gave a tug on the left strap and her little sister responded immediately, steering the team with near perfection into the turn.

"Haw! Haw!" Rudy called out.

"Okay, Rudy! This is the part I warned you about. What do you want to do?"

"Can you stand up with me?"

Bo nodded, standing up behind Rudy, putting her hands on the rail, "There's still time to get in the basket."

"Will you be mad at me if I do? I'm a little scared of falling off."

Bo smiled, "Of course not. Climb in there. Be careful. I'm going to leave the harness attached to you so you can still feel me move."

Bo watched, holding tight to the central lead of the harness wrapped around her sisters' torso as the sled started to turn. If she fell, the sled would run right over her and there would be no way Bo could prevent it. On the other hand, if she fell on the steep downhill, there would be no surviving. In the basket was the best place for her and Bo had to admit, she felt a sense of relief once her little sister was settled.

She could see her Mom looking over her shoulder ahead just before she hit the final turn to the downhill. She gave her a thumbs up and Bo waved in reply. She knew her Mom was checking to see if Rudy had moved to the safety of the basket as well.

Of course, the basket was only safe if Bo kept the sled upright and it was early in the season for Bo as well. The new runners were performing every bit as expected and then some – they were moving fast which meant the load was easier on the dogs. They still had to be mileage tested, but the sled wasn't skidding near as much as it had with the old ones, so she was very happy. Still, she had been going light on her workouts and was not as fit as she would like to be for this load. It was time to suck it up and check her gut. Her muscles were about to be tested, but she would protect her little sister at all costs.

She watched her Mom disappear over the ridge, so checked on Rudy one last time, "Zip up that basket so you don't come out of there, kiddo. Make sure your goggles are secured. You're about to get blasted with freezing cold powder!"

"Waaahooooo!"

Bo laughed. Her little sister, it turned out, was a little daredevil. The best part was that she had a healthy dose of fear in her as well. That would keep her from doing something stupid one day… hopefully. She thought of LJ and the lake and prayed she never did anything like that. Of course, she had learned her lesson as well and there were people in her life to make sure Rudy stayed put when told to do so… for now. She was going to be a handful when she got older.

"Gee! Gee!" Bo called out, before warning her sister, "Head down, kiddo! The trail is tight up ahead. Cover your face."

She looked down and watched as the youngster slid down deeper into the basket, pulling the zipper up from beneath so that only her goggles and the top of her head were visible. Bo turned into the final bend before the downhill stretch to town. The woods were overgrown and thick. She braced herself for getting whacked in the face with branches. She would come out and groom the trail in a few weeks. Until then, she'd suffer. She saw the ridge ahead and knew the snow had drifted high enough to create a sharp peak before the downhill. Her Mom had cut a bit of a trail, but her sled was much heavier, so she leaned down and shouted to her little sister,

"Hold on, kiddo. Here we go!"

They hit the ridge and were airborne for a moment before the sled landed in the deep drift. She dropped a foot and nudged the brake, so the sleds' momentum wouldn't surpass the speed of the dogs. Once they regained their balance and footing, she entered a freefall, Rudy's screams of delight causing the dogs to bark and howl with joy. Bo couldn't help but smile. If she had any doubts that this child was family, they were erased by screams of excitement that came from Rudy as they gained speed on the downhill slope.

Bo had to put her leg out to create drag. Eventually, her quad was screaming at the effort, so she switched legs until they finally reached the end of the momentum-building slope.

While there could be only one Musher at the helm of a sled team and Bo should be angry, she couldn't help but laugh out loud when Rudy yelled,

"Mush! Mush! Faster girls!"

Bo held tight, knowing a mistake at this speed could be very dangerous for everyone attached to the sled. She ducked a branch, then hit a hard right with championship precision. As her path leveled out, she could feel the dogs pushing harder through the deeper snow. It was too early in the season to push them this hard, so she pulled them back,

"Easy Nike! Easy Diana!"

Her lead dogs did not obey, so she shouted the command again, "Whoa Nike! Whoa Diana!"

Still they did not cease, maintaining their speed. With no other choice, she applied the brake again, this time calling out to Harper and Aphrodite,

"Whoa Harper! Whoa Aphrodite! Whoa girls!" She pulled the team to a full and complete stop, stomped the brake hard into the ground and turned the drag sled on its side. Her dogs were disobeying her and she was angry… not angry at them, but angry at herself for neglecting her duty to her team. She'd been absent from their training and they were pissed. They had every right to be and Bo knew it.

She approached each dog on the left side of the sled, taking a moment with each,

"Good girl, Gaea. Good girl." She knelt down rubbing her chest and neck before moving on, "Good girl, Hera." Again showing her respect and affection before moving on to Demeter, then Nemesis. Finally, she moved to Harper,

"Thanks, girl. I can always count on you. I know you're probably pissed too, but I promise… I'm back and I won't neglect you and the team again."

Harper nodded her head several times before letting out several barks. Bo smiled and moved on to the leads of the sled, kneeling down before both dogs who were sitting and panting. Both Nike and Diana turned away when she rubbed their necks, but Bo spoke anyway,

"So… this is how it's going to be, huh? You're mad at me so you put Rudy and the rest of the team in danger by running like a bat out of hell? The trail isn't cut and it's too early in the season for the pace you set. One of your sisters – or my sister – will get hurt. I know you don't want to be responsible for that, so I need you to obey my commands, you hear? If you don't obey, you'll have to go in the basket with Rudy. We clear?"

They let out a collective groan, nudging Bo's hands, "I know I've been away too much, but I'm back and I promise you will have my full attention from now on."

Bo stood, looking over her team, "You are my champions and we have another challenge ahead! Let's get to it, ladies!"

She headed down the right side of the sled, stopping to give some love to Aphrodite, Iris, Hestia, Artemis and finally Athena before checking on Rudy,

"You good, little Sis?"

"Are you mad at them?"

Bo shrugged, "No need to be. I haven't been doing my job as the team captain, so they're not listening to me."

Rudy looked at the team, then back up to Bo, "I shouldn't call out to them, huh?"

Bo smiled, "No one should call out to a team unless they're the Musher or the Musher is disabled. It tends to confuse the dogs." She knelt down as she continued, "In this case, however, when they listened to you and not me, it was a good reminder for me that I've been neglecting them and that is unacceptable."

"So what are you going to do?" Rudy asked.

Bo shrugged, "My job. Remember that just like every adult, I have to go to work every day. For most adults, driving a sled seems like recreation, but for me, it's how I earn a good chunk of my income."

"But what about the kennel and your construction business? What about the traps we set yesterday and the fishing wheel?"

Bo smiled, "I own the construction business so that I can use it to fund my sledding aspirations. My sledding aspirations help me to get jobs and patrons for both of my businesses. I have LJ as the manager for the kennel and a foreman for my construction company so that so that I can spend more time training. I can clear the traps while on my training runs and Mom wants to show you how to run the wheel."

"Really?" Rudy asked.

Bo nodded, "She said you love fishing."

"I really do!" Rudy smiled, "And I love making them… uh… bakes in the big pots we bury?"

Bo smiled, "Me too. You're a great little outdoor kitchen Chef!"

"Maybe I'll open an outdoor kitchen hotel like Kenzi!"

"And outdoor kitchen hotel? Where will people sleep?" Bo asked.

"Under the stars! It's beautiful by the river."

Bo grinned, "Not a bad idea, Roo."

"Don't they wonder why you're not there?" Rudy asked.

"Who?"

Rudy shrugged, "The people who work at your businesses."

Bo shook her head, "I pay them very well for the job they do and am always just a phone call away. They know this sled is the reason they have a job. I talk to my foreman and check in on my construction sites several times a day – more if they call me. Once the hospital is built, I'll be there more often because the woodworking stuff is really what I love to do. Until then, I always take the first meeting with prospective new clients and then work with the architect and engineers to design the project."

She checked the leads on the team as she spoke, "As for the kennel, LJ is well aware that because I'm a champion, people come to our kennel. He also knows that when I retire from racing, I'll run the kennel so he can take over driving the sled."

Rudy frowned, "He'll get this sled?"

Bo smiled, "Only if you don't want it."

Her face perked up, "Really?"

"Absolutely! This sled and this team stay in the family. Of course, by the time you're old enough to run, this team will be retired or with the sled dog spirits. You will have bred and trained your own team, each dog slowly taking over for each of these ladies as they retire."

Rudy looked at the team, then back to Bo, "Do I have to have all girl dogs, too?"

Bo shrugged, "That's up to you."

"Did our Mom have boy dogs?"

Bo nodded, "She had a few, but she used them for hauling heavy loads, mostly. She preferred the ladies when it came to racing."

"Why?" Rudy asked, wrapping her arms around her as she shivered.

Bo reached into the basket and pulled out a gear bag, "She thought they listened to commands better than males. She also thought they got along better as a team. And… well, everyone knows that girl dogs are smarter than boy dogs, right? I mean, have you seen how often Hercules chases his tail? It's embarrassing."

The two girls laughed together until Bo lifted her little sister out of the basket, "Now, take off the hat, gloves and coat."

"But I'm freezing!" Rudy said, her face covered with worry until Bo pulled out a thick hand-made fur jacket with a hood. She then pulled out a facemask and gloves before dropping the bag into the snow at her feet.

"Now you'll be warm and dry." Bo smiled, "It might be just a bit big for you, but it won't let any of the cold in."

She pulled the full hat with facemask over Rudy's head, adjusting the eye and mouth holes so she could see and breathe. Finally, she replaced the wet gloves with dry ones and then put all of the wet gear into the bag. Zipping it shut, she looked at her little sister,

"Now you look like a native Musher." Bo smiled, pulling up the hood.

"It fits perfect!" She grinned, "It's so soft! Did you make all of this?" Rudy asked.

"Just the jacket and gloves. I was going to wait until Christmas, but I'd better not drive into town with an ice pop for a sister. Mom would be mad."

Rudy giggled, "I'd be a frozen Rudy!"

Bo chuckled, "Yes you would!"

Rudy wrapped her arms around Bo's hips, "I love my early Christmas present."

"I'm glad." Bo smiled, hugging her little sister back, "Now, how would you feel about driving us into town?"

Rudy hesitated, "Shouldn't you be driving so the dogs don't get mad at you?"

Bo shook her head, "I'm right here and they know it. That's all that matters."

"Okay. If you think they won't be mad."

Bo turned to her team, "Ladies? Anyone mind if we teach Rudy a bit more about running a sled?"

The dogs all stood, tails wagging as they voiced their approval.

"Does that mean I can drive?" Rudy asked.

Bo nodded, moving to the sled, "That's a big yes. Now, step back so I can ready the sled."

The sled was heavy and Bo felt every bit of her lack of conditioning as she righted the drag sled. She took her place on the seat behind Rudy, wrapping her arms around the youngster as she stepped up to the handle,

"Okay, everything is straight trail from here on out. No harness. Just remember to hold on tight. The snow is deep here and the branches are hanging very low."

"So I duck?"

Bo laughed, "Of course, silly! Otherwise, you'll get knocked off the sled!"

"Right."

"Okay, let's get them going, kiddo."

"HIKE! HIKE!" She called out, Bo smiling at the little Musher as they headed down the trail towards town. She had work to do and it started today. Hopefully, Lauren would understand about her need to start to make the dogs more of a priority in her day.

As Rudy guided them down the trail, Bo thought back over the last year. It was funny how busy she was now. Before she'd met Lauren, she'd lived a solitary life with her dogs when the highlight of her day was striking a campfire and laying out the hay for her and the dogs. Otherwise, they were running in the backcountry, checking traps and grooming trails for training.

For the last three years, she'd spent summers clearing and leveling the land for the homestead and barn she'd built. Now, she was holding down her businesses in trapping and fishing, construction and all things dog sledding while trying to squeeze in training for the Iditarod. She looked up at Rudy, thinking of her promise to teach her all she knew about sledding. She'd made the same promise to LJ and she knew that she would likely be enlisted to teach Elise and Janie as well.

She supposed she should be grateful for all that was happening in her life now. She had more family than she ever could have hoped for, a home of her own and a beautiful, caring, smart, independent fiancé to share it all with her.

The problem was, right now she wished for just one weekend alone with Lauren.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Talkeetna, the Kennel

"Well, look at this! Mini D is driving the sled!" LJ said, taking hold of Nike and Diana while Mary was still snapping pictures like a paparazzi.

"Nice run, Mom!" Bo called out from behind her little sister.

"Lauren's little team's got spunk! I'll drive those girls any day." Mary smiled, snapping one last picture of Bo leaning out from behind Rudy, "Great! Got you both!"

Bo nodded, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind you taking her girls out. Are you going into the kennel with LJ? I'll help Rudy with the team."

"Perfect! I want to send some of these pictures over to Lauren." Mary smiled.

Bo smiled, "Send some to your actual flesh and blood daughter too, okay?"

Mary shrugged, "You know Lauren's my favorite."

Bo shook her head, "I know. I'm the third favorite now."

Mary chuckled, "But you'll always be my precious first born."

"At least there's that." Bo smiled, "Okay, get in there and open us up for business. Thanks, Mom."

"Thank you, Ysabeau. I forgot how much fun it was to run in the snow."

Bo watched as her Mom walked away – a great deal more energy than she'd had last night and this morning. She turned back to the sled and watched as Rudy jumped off the rails of the sled to run after her Mom, but Bo reached out and grabbed her by the back of her coat,

"Whoa there, little Miss. The driver never leaves the sled without…"

"Oh. Whoops." She said, reaching for the anchor and dropping it into the snow.

"Is that it?"

"Uh… oh. It has to go…" She jumped with two feet onto the anchor several times, "… deep."

"Well done. Now what?"

"Now I go see Elise and tell her I drove the sled?"

Bo shook her head, "Try again, driver."

Rudy sighed, "I send the dogs into the cool down pen, make sure their water bowls are full, that they all have hay, that their outdoor houses are okay and… uh… they each get one… no… two scoops of food and a cup of that gross looking stuff?"

Bo smiled, "One scoop dry, one scoop wet each – level scoops – no more, no less. And that wet gross stuff that goes on top is a ton of protein that they need to stay strong. Next week, we'll teach you how to make it after we go fishing."

"Got it." Rudy smiled.

Bo nodded, kneeling down in front of her little sister, "And about telling Elise."

"I can't tell her?" Rudy pouted.

"You can. I just… well… remember how Elise lost her Mom?"

"Yes. But she has Molly now and she can share our Mom too, right?"

Bo smiled, "That's nice of you to share Mom with your friend, but no matter how close we all may be to Elise now, losing her Mom was a really big deal and she had a Dad she lost too."

Rudy nodded, "We sort of know how that feels too. I wish I would have known my Dad."

Bo nodded, "I wish you could have had a Dad too, but life sometimes takes some unexpected turns." The brunette shook out her thoughts and moved the conversation back to Elise, "You know, your friend is really interested in sledding…"

"We wanna sled together!"

"I know and she wants to take lessons with you too. So if she knows that you started without her…"

"Oh no! Do you think she'll be mad at me? Should I not have gone without her? She's my only friend!" The panic on her little sister's face surprised her, so she quickly moved to reassure her,

"No, Rudy. I don't think she'll be mad at all. But she might be a bit sad depending on how you approach her with the news."

Rudy nodded, "I know not to brag about it. Is that what you mean?"

Bo was surprised, "Actually, yes. How do you know about bragging?"

Rudy lowered her eyes, "Well, back at home I didn't have many friends. Honestly, there was only Teddy Mosley and my surfer friends, but… well… you already know they're older and more like guardians then friends. Anyway, everyone called Teddy a dork and when I stuck up for him, my old friends Bryn, Erin and Katie all stopped being friends with me. They told me I was a weirdo for being friends with Teddy. At first, I was really mean to Teddy so that they would stay friends with me, but then one day I was mean and my teacher saw me. She reported me to the Principal, and she called my Mom."

"Oh boy." Bo replied, knowing her Mom had zero tolerance for mean kids.

"Yea. She grounded me like forever. I wasn't allowed to surf or anything. When I saw Teddy the next day, he was sitting by himself at lunch and Bobby and Ray Young – they're twin brothers – they poured chocolate milk and apple juice all over his sandwich and carrots. He picked up his tray and took it to the trash, then came back to his seat and started wiping up the spill. I walked over and helped him, then shared my lunch with him. Bryn, Erin and Katie came over and started saying stuff to both of us and… well… I just sort of… snapped, I guess."

"Oh yea? What did you do?" Bo asked.

"Well, I was on the free lunch plan, so I always got the hot lunch. It was Thanksgiving time and the lunch ladies made us turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes with mixed vegetables. I sort of picked up my plate and threw it at them."

Bo burst into laughter, causing Rudy to do the same as she described the scene for her big sister, "Erin had gravy dripping from her hair, Bryn had a pea in her ear and Katie had mashed potatoes on top of her head. They just stood there and everyone in the cafeteria was laughing at them… until the Principal and teachers came over."

"Uh oh. What happened then?"

Rudy shrugged, "They took me and Teddy to the Principal's office. I told them what happened and how Teddy was being bullied, but she already knew that from the first time I got in trouble and she didn't do anything about it. I told her because she didn't do anything, I did so I shouldn't get in trouble because I was doing her job."

"Oh Rudy…"

"Yea, Mom didn't like me saying that either but when we got home, she said she was proud of me and that I was right to stand up for Teddy when the Principal and teachers wouldn't."

"Good for Mom." Bo replied, surprised.

Rudy nodded, "But I was still grounded and I got suspended from school. Teddy had to be all alone for three whole days until I was back. He said it wasn't too bad, but then this other girl, Missy, told me that the boys took Teddy's clothes while he was in gym class and he had to wear his gym uniform the rest of the day."

"Well that's not good."

"Nope. But the Principal found them by the end of the day and suspended the boys who took them. After that, there was this big parent meeting and all of the parents were complaining about me and how I assaulted the three girls and she didn't do anything. They wanted me kicked out of school, but Mom's friend from the FBI jumped in and told the Principal that the only way to save her job was to turn the tables on the parents and suspend their kids for bullying Teddy. They told Teddy's parents what had been happening and they threatened to sue the school and… well, that was about it."

"So what happened to Teddy?"

Rudy shrugged, "After the last year, he went to a new school. A private school that was for really smart math kids. My Mom let me text with him from her phone. He was happy there. He said everyone was really nice and smart like him – some were even smarter. I never knew kids could be smarter than Teddy. He's like A+++++ smart."

Bo could see the sad look in Rudy's eyes, "But you missed him."

Rudy nodded, "He was the only friend I had left. When he went to the other school, I was all alone. Mom spent more time with me but it was different from having a real friend my own age."

Bo smiled, "Well, that's all in the past now. You have Elise and you have Janie Tyson too."

"Yup. Elise is like a sister and Janie is like my cousin. I'm not the best friend though. Janie and Elise are best friends. But they're still nice to me when all three of us are together."

Bo nodded, "I'm just happy that you're meeting kids your age and having fun, kiddo."

Rudy smiled, "Me too."

"Okay then. Off to work with both of us."

Rudy nodded, "Right. The dogs."

"I'll go grab the hay bales for you."

Rudy frowned, "I can carry them."

"Rudy, the bales are bigger than you, sweetie."

"I wanna be a musher. A real musher. You said I have to be able to take care of my team. You told me that. So how can I be a real musher if you won't let me show you I can take care of my team?" She shrugged, "I can push the bales of hay! I can! I really can!"

Bo considered her sister's idea for a moment, deciding to let her move forward with her plan… with supervision, of course,

"Okay then. Show me." Bo replied, following Rudy as she ran off towards the barn.

Bo shook her head as she watched Rudy throw all of her weight into sliding open the barn door. She ran inside and got behind one of the hay bales on the end and began to push. It was a slow start, but once she got a little momentum behind her stride, the bale was outside in no time. Of course, once it hit the drifted snow, things slowed down a bit. She worked hard, getting the bale to the kennel gate before she stopped and ran around to pull it open. Unfortunately, she had pushed the hay too close to the fencing and the gate hit the bale before it could open fully. She gave a huff, exhaling hard as she planted her hands on her hips,

"Bo?"

"Yes, Rudy?"

"I guess I need some help."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Can you pull back the bale so I can open the gate?" Rudy asked.

With a nod Bo did as asked, then stopped, "Now what?"

Rudy opened the gate, then ran around the other side and pushed the bale into the pen. She ran back to the barn again while Bo stood waiting. She smiled when she saw her little sister push another bale towards the kennel, then another and another. It was hard not to suggest that Rudy start spreading the hay while Bo carried the straw to the pen, but she resisted, allowing her younger sister to do it her way.

It took about twenty-five minutes, but when the bales were all in the pen, Bo offered to help with the spreading and Rudy agreed. It took another twenty minutes, but finally the job was done. Bo could see the fatigue creeping in on her little sister, but she was a resilient one. She went to the feed bin and laid out fifteen bowls on the ground before scooping the food out into the bowls, carefully counting out loud as she went down the line.

"There. All done. I scooped out food for Elsa, Anna and Belle too."

"You did?" Bo asked.

Rudy ran down to the end of the line, counted the bowls as she ran back towards Bo, "Oops."

Bo chuckled as her sister ran for the missing bowls, then came back and filled them, "There. Now I have enough."

"I'm sure your Mom will appreciate you taking care of Lauren's dogs for her." Bo smiled, "Can I help you put the bowls out?"

Rudy shrugged, picking up two bowls, "If you want, sure!"

She ran down the first aisle of houses, laying a bowl in front of each, then raced back to the feed bin to pick up the next set. Back and forth she went, moving faster than Bo who would have stacked the lot of them and walked down the aisle one time. Again, she let Rudy do it her way. One of these days, she would let the youngster watch her do the job and hopefully she would pick up the shortcuts.

Finally, Bo watched as she grabbed the hose and moved to turn on the water. Bo smiled, calling out to her,

"Did you check on the temperature, Sis?"

Rudy looked up at Bo, "Huh?"

"Well, if it drops below fifty degrees Fahrenheit above ground, we shut off the water out here."

"Huh?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "You're going to have to learn about the changes we make as we head into winter. Remember what Mom taught you about permafrost?"

"That it's frozen ground?" Rudy replied.

Bo nodded, "And where are the pipes that the hose is attached to?"

The brunette watched as her little sister considered her question for a long moment. Finally, she smacked her forehead and dropped the hose,

"LJ must've turned off the water out here!"

Bo laughed as her sister ran back towards the store, "Where you going?"

"To get water from inside! The pipes are deeper in buildings, so the water stays on, right?"

Bo laughed, "Get back here, kiddo. Let me show you something."

Rudy stopped and ran back to Bo who picked up a hand truck with oversized wheels on it. She led Rudy to the back of the barn where there was a line of barrels collecting rainwater,

"These barrels have been collecting water from the rain. See the downspouts that go into the closed lids?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, there's a special filter at the bottom of each spout and if you look up there – see that blue light?"

"Uh-huh."

"That cleans the water even more and makes it safe for the dogs to drink. You disconnect the spout like this and then slide the truck under. Then you tip it back and we wheel it back to the pen. These are too heavy for you, kiddo. So ask for help in the winter."

Rudy followed Bo who handled the barrel. When they got to the pen, Bo showed her how to connect the hose and loosen the air release valve on top so that the water would flow freely into the trough.

"Now, keep in mind that the trough can freeze, so we don't fill it as much. That way, we can start a fire on the back side of it and melt the water if need be."

"Oh, I get it! Cool!" Rudy replied, "But why don't the barrels freeze?"

Bo smiled, "Because they're insulated, and we store them in the barn over the hot water pipes beneath the soil."

"Oh. So are we done then?" Rudy asked.

Bo smiled, "All done, kiddo. Good work!"

"We make a great team, huh?"

Bo nodded, bending down so Rudy could climb aboard her back, "We sure do. Let's go get the dogs so we can go inside and get warm."

"I'm freezing!" Rudy smiled.

"Are you hungry?"

"Duh. Have you met me?"

Bo laughed, "No. My name is Bo."

Rudy laughed, "I'm Rudy! Rudy Dennis! My sister's name is Bo too!"

"Wait! My name is Bo Dennis! Does that mean I'm your sister?"

"Yup! My one and only sister! The best sister any girl could ever have!" Rudy smiled, kissing Bo's cheek.

Bo felt her eyes fill with tears. She never thought this would be her life. Her Mom, a little sister, a brother, nieces and nephews, friends and an incredible woman who would soon be her wife. She never imagined… but now that this was her reality, her heart was so full she felt it would burst.

"There's Mom!" Rudy pointed, "Mom! Mom! The pen is all done and ready for the dogs!"

Bo approached her Mom, lowering Rudy to the ground, "This little firecracker here is quite a worker."

Mary nodded, "I wondered where you two got off to… the dogs are still attached to the sleds."

Bo replied, "I'll take care of the teams if you and Rudy want to head inside. Someone is hungry."

"No surprise there." Mary replied, looking down at her daughter, "Why don't you head inside? LJ has some stew in there with some fresh-baked bread from Aunt Greta."

"Yes!" Rudy fist pumped, "Is Janie here too?"

"They were, but they headed on down to the hotel to sell the bread to Kenzi." Mary replied, looking up at Bo and shaking her head.

Bo didn't ask any questions, instead motioning to Rudy to head inside, "We'll be in as soon as we get the dogs settled. Don't eat it all!"

"Better hurry then!" Rudy laughed as Bo turned to her Mom,

"Greta Tyson is selling bread?"

Mary shrugged, setting to the task of unhitching Lauren's dogs from the sled, "She lost one of her jobs, so she's doing what she has to so she can feed her kids, Bo."

Bo shook her head, "Maybe we can use her in the new manager's position?"

"LJ said he offered it to her, but she turned him down."

"What?" Bo asked, walking behind her Mom with four of her dogs, "Why?"

"She said she doesn't have the right qualifications, so it would feel like a handout to take the job."

Bo scowled, "But she's family! Elise and Rudy both call her Aunt Greta. She comes to Sunday dinners at Molly and Mark's or the homestead. It doesn't make sense that she wouldn't be part of the business."

"LJ tried to tell her that, but she wasn't hearing it. She's only qualified to do accounting work as a secretary."

Bo shook her head, "And that's a skill we don't have! She'd make a great manager with those skills."

Mary walked back to the gate, "Want me to get your next group?"

Bo nodded, "We can get the last of them in one trip if we do it together."

The pair walked side by side, Bo pulling out her phone. Mary looked at her daughter, "Who are you calling?"

Bo stopped, putting the phone on speaker, as the voice came through,

"Hey BoBo. What's up?"

"Hey Kenzi. Am I on speaker?"

"Nope."

"Good. You are. I'm here with my Mom. Did Greta Tyson bring her bread by to sell to you?"

"Not yet, but LJ told me she was on her way."

"Are you gonna buy?"

"Definitely. I've been buying bread from her for about three weeks now. It's fantastic. She makes it for us every day."

"Daily?"

"Yup."

"Geez, Kenzi. Do you know she's making it at her house?"

"Wait… she's making me fifty loaves a day! How is she doing that at her house?"

"I don't know, Kenzi. I can only imagine how long it takes her. Do you know if she's selling it anywhere else?"

"Honestly, I only know about the two General stores. She sells to Mark, Big Jon and Tosh."

Bo looked up at her Mom who now looked worried, "How does she get the bread there?"

"Dunno, BoBo. I suppose she drives?"

"How much are you paying her, Kenzi?" Bo asked.

"What? Why?" Kenzi asked.

Bo shook her head, "I'm just doing some quick math here and I don't understand how a woman who works as an accountant would think that selling bread will feed her kids. Do the math with me, Kenzi. The bag of flour is about twenty bucks, she gets maybe three loaves out of a bag plus sugar and yeast. We pay over five dollars for a loaf at the store, but it's from large companies in the lower forty-eight who get their ingredients for far less money. What is she doing, Kenzi? Gas for travel would make it easy to know it's not a way to make a living."

"Right. I see your point." Kenzi replied, "So what do you want me to do? Not buy her bread? I heard she really needs the money."

Bo and her Mom looked at each other for a moment before Mary spoke, "Kenzi, do you think you could have a talk with her? You know, businesswoman to businesswoman? Maybe you could make her see that the way she's running her business isn't cost effective?"

Kenzi was quiet for a moment before she replied, "What's the endgame here?"

Bo explained, "LJ offered her the new management job at the kennel."

"There's a new job?" Kenzi asked.

"I have to start training, Kenzi. LJ will have to do training runs with the B team and my Mom will have to help with the rest of the dogs and the pups, so that leaves only the twins and my two assistant managers to run the store and they're really not ready for that responsibility. I can always pull the Veterinary secretary, but I'd rather not do that. They're going to get very busy now that we're moving into pre-season training."

"I see your point."

"Greta turned down the job because she doesn't think she's qualified. She thought it was a handout."

"Damn pride got in the way, huh?" Kenzi asked.

"I suppose so."

"Well, knowing that your books didn't balance last month, I'd say Greta is exactly who you need."

"I agree. So, can you help?" Bo asked.

"I'll do what I can, BoBo."

Bo nodded, "Thanks, Kenzi. You can tell her that you talked to LJ and he told you she turned him down. Maybe you can throw in the suggestion that we're in a bad way for a qualified manager who can also handle the books."

"That's an easy sell since you really do have that need. If you can't do a better job of buying, your profit margin will stay where it is and that's not how you grow a business. You'll barely be able to pay your bills and keep the doors open at his rate."

"Wait… is it really that bad?" Bo asked.

"Well… you're not going out of business or anything, but you know I always look long term. Your popularity will wane the minute you lose the Iditarod and you'll need to have a firm place in the market without the fame card. That means people can count on your product line as well as what you have in stock."

Bo nodded, "Right."

Mary chuckled, "You have no idea what she's talking about, do you?"

"No and that's why I need Greta. If I'd have known she lost her job, I would have walked her right here from her former bosses' desk."

"It means build your own products faster, Bo. You and Kyle need to bite the bullet and build that carpentry shop you've been talking about. Gotta go. She's here. Talk later, BoBo."

"Thanks, Kenzi."

"No need to thank me. I love when you owe me favors. I have three bathrooms with clogged drains."

Bo chuckled, shaking her head, "I'll have someone over there by dinner time who will accept payment as dinner with dessert."

"Great. Later."

Hearing the click on the other end, Bo shoved her phone back in her pocket, replaced her glove and took half of the leads from her left hand into her right,

"Okay, let's get these ladies settled and have some stew."

"Sounds perfect." Mary replied, following Bo to the pen with the other dogs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Minutes later, in the Kennel's store…

"So… will it stop… snowing… soon." Rudy asked between slurps of her stew.

Bo laughed, "Slow down, kiddo. There's plenty of stew where that came from. LJ made enough for an army."

LJ came to sit at the break table next to Rudy, breaking off a piece of bread and taking a bite, "Have you seen the size of our family?"

The door to the break room opened, revealing a sight that left Bo's stew dripping from her mouth, "Did I hear there was a pot of LJ's secret stew here?"

Bo stood, walking to her fiancé, "If you did, then you heard right. It's hot and tender and juicy." Bo said, whispering in her ear, "Just like certain parts of your body."

Lauren felt a chill run down her spine as the soft hairs on her arms stood upright, "Mmmm… well, I'll settle for stew right now, but later, you may just have to meet me in my old apartment."

Bo chuckled, kissing the blonde's cheek, "What about Stephen and Betsy? Aren't they there? Or is it Patrick and Penelope?"

Lauren grinned, leading Bo over to the pot of stew, "I never know who is going to show up where. It just depends on their daily itineraries, apparently. This morning, Patrick and Penelope were there and heading down to breakfast at the hotel with Stephen and Betsy. Then, all four of them were going on a tour of the Army Corp of Engineers dig site beneath the permafrost. Apparently, one of Stephen's old friends made the arrangements for them to visit. They don't usually allow civilians down there, so it's a pretty cool opportunity."

"Good for them. Of course, I could have taken them down into my cache at the homestead, too."

Lauren laughed, "It's a much bigger tour of a much bigger area and there's the whole speech about the 'environmental impact on the permafrost' thing that Stephen and Betsy are interested in."

Bo nodded, "Yea, well a lot of good looking does when our state is literally melting right out from under us. It would be nice if someone actually did something." She shook her head, shrugging off the topic. She didn't want to be angry right now. Pointing to the covered basket she said, "Try some of that bread too. Greta made it... or I should say, sold it to us."

"Oh, good. I had some of her bread at Molly's store. It's so good."

"Did you know she lost her job?"

"What?" Lauren asked.

"I said, she's selling bread because she lost her job." Bo repeated.

"Great!"

"What?" Bo asked, surprised as Lauren turned and headed for the table. She followed her, "Did you not hear me?"

"I did, Bo. I'm saying great because I can hire her to do the books for the clinic and then give her a bigger job when the hospital opens. She can be the head of the billing department."

"Wow… I mean… that would be…"

"Full salary with benefits for her and the entire family." Lauren smiled, tasting a bit of the stew, "Mmmm… LJ, this is so good. I swear I could live on this stuff for every meal, every day, all winter long."

"It's not winter yet." Rudy said, taking another bite of her bread.

Bo looked up at her Mom who smiled down at Rudy, shaking her head, "I'm afraid we won't be seeing the grass for many months, child."

"Huh? I thought this was just a freak storm." Rudy replied.

Bo shook her head, "What's freaky about this storm is how hard and fast the snow fell. We don't usually have snow this deep in October."

"So what does that mean?" Rudy asked.

Bo grinned, "An early jump on training and enough time to do a few extra races before the big one."

Rudy smiled, "Can I race with you?"

"Sadly, that would be against the rules, but you can definitely work on my team and learn the ropes for the Iditarod."

"Yes! Mom, did you hear that? I can work on Bo's team!" Rudy said, excitedly.

Mary nodded, "I heard, child. It's hard work and your sister will be counting on you. Can you do it?"

"I can move the bales of hay all by myself!" Rudy smiled before taking a breath and looking at Bo, "As long as there isn't a gate in the way."

Bo laughed, "Well, if there is, the Dennis sisters know how to get through the gate, right?"

"Right!" Rudy said, giving Bo a high five.

Bo leaned over to her Mother and whispered, "Kyle and I were talking before I went to Boston. She'd like to do a kiddie race with young kids and young dogs with plastic sleds. Make a big deal out of it like a youth Iditarod that goes around the town. We happen to have a group of three girls that I don't want at each others' throats, so I'd like to see a driver, drag sled and one in the basket. Three laps, they have to dismount the sled and rotate positions on each lap."

"Sort of like a relay on a single sled. Sounds like fun."

Bo nodded, "So, are you in?"

Mary grinned, "If only to see the pups trying to pull sleds while kids get frustrated that they won't listen."

Bo laughed, "Not our pups." Bo looked at Rudy, "They would never disobey that little musher."

Mary nodded her agreement, looking at Bo as she dropped her utensil when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked down to see Kenzi's number. She hit accept and lifted the phone to her ear,

"Hey Kenzi. What's up?"

"Greta has had a change of heart and will graciously accept your offer to work as your store manager after she is appropriately trained."

Bo smiled, looking at her Mom, "Great. Tell her that she can stop by today or tomorrow and meet with Mary Dennis who will train her appropriately about all of our inventory and equipment. She'll also get her up to speed on our available services and the scheduling of those services. You and LJ can train her on the books, right?"

As Kenzi responded with a yes, LJ nodded, knowing that she was clearly hiring someone.

"She asked when you want to interview her."

Bo shrugged, "Whenever she can get here is fine with me. I'll be here for the rest of the day. I plan to work with Rudy's dogs after I finish eating."

As she hung up with Kenzi, Bo looked up to see a scowl on Lauren's face. That could only mean one thing…

"So… you're planning to work with Rudy's dogs the rest of the day?" Lauren asked.

Bo shoved some stew in her mouth to stall for time as she searched for any hint of a memory from earlier in the day of plans made with Lauren. Unfortunately, as she swallowed hard, she had nothing,

"Uh… well, I mean… after we do that thing…"

"That thing?" Lauren asked.

"Uh… yea… right. That thing, right?"

Lauren laughed, "You forgot, didn't you."

Bo dropped her fork and sighed, "Yes and I'm sorry. I've just been… well, I just can't say no to that kid."

Lauren glanced up to see Rudy pulling a stool over to the pot of stew so she could help herself to another bowl. Luckily, LJ arrived just in time to catch her before she toppled to the ground. Mary rushed over to her daughter to be sure she was okay. She set to the task of cleaning up the spilled stew while LJ sat Rudy at the counter with her bowl of stew. The blonde smiled at the small group of family members smiling and laughing, Mary making sure Rudy stayed put on the stool while LJ wound and bound lengths of rope, tossing them into the basket on the floor by the register.

This was just a small portion of Bo's family and now, by extension, Lauren's family as well. There was so much love here… love she'd never experienced in her own family. While she craved time and affection from Bo, she knew that this kind of love was just as precious in the grand scheme of things. They needed to nurture this family just as they needed to nurture their own relationship. Tonight was just one night. They'd figure it out in time.

"I understand." Lauren whispered. She spoke so softly, in fact, that Bo barely heard let alone understood what she'd said,

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I know that we haven't had much time together, but she…" Bo stopped, looking up at the blonde, "Wait. You understand?"

Lauren smiled, "I understand. It's the first snow and I'd have to be blind not to see how excited she is to spend the day with her big sister. I'm not about to get in the middle of that."

Bo sighed, "But I really do want to spend time with you and Rudy would love to spend time with you, too."

"I know you do Bo and we will. For now, I've got plenty of work to do with the clinic and I have paperwork to do for the hospital. I'll just work a full day and then meet up with you after work."

Bo nodded, "Okay. How are you planning to get home tonight?"

Lauren shrugged, "Well, I was hoping to go home with you. Did you have other plans?"

"Nope, but what I meant was what mode of transportation had you planned to take?"

"Oh. Well, I thought we were taking your truck, right? You can drive, of course." Lauren replied.

Bo shrugged, "Well, I was wondering if you might like to take the sleds back. There's a full moon tonight and the weather is supposed to be milder. The snow is perfect, the visibility will be good and…"

"Bo, do you really think you have to do a hard sell on sledding with me? You know I love to drive the sled." Lauren smiled, "Do you not remember my near death first experience?"

"How can I forget?" Bo grinned, shaking her head, "Of course, any sane person would likely not want to drive behind a team of dogs after that experience. But you, Doctor Lauren Lewis, you insist on getting back on the sled and driving farther and faster in the worst of weather conditions."

Lauren grinned, nodding her head, "Yes, well I am a bit of a rebel. As for the worst of conditions, I still prefer not to go out in whiteout conditions. My biological GPS is still not up to native Alaskan standards."

Bo smiled, "Well, we'll have to work on that. We can't have you getting lost out there if conditions turn. You know by now that weather conditions change without permission from NOAA out here."

"Yes they do." Lauren agreed.

Bo smiled, "So you're really sure? I mean, I know it's been a while since you've driven a sled…"

"I'm really sure. I love taking my girls out and now that we don't have to worry about a bunch of thugs trying to kill us, it will be that much better." She paused, then looked up at Bo, "Too soon?"

Bo smiled, "Not at all. I'm happy that we can go for an evening run and not have to worry about flying bullets. I can ask Mom to take the truck back with Rudy."

Lauren shook her head, "Do you really think that Rudy is going to settle for a truck ride back?"

Bo shrugged, "We'll leave that to Mom."

"Well, just in case, I won't mind if she wants to tag along."

Bo's brows raised up, at Lauren's words, "Are you sure?"

"I am and I love that little girl, but I'll leave her safety in your hands. She rides with you."

"Of course. And I know you love her, but still… well, I thought you wanted some alone time." Bo replied.

Lauren shrugged, "We have alone time at home."

"Not much anymore. I'm afraid since my Mom and sister moved in, we don't have much time alone at all. Don't get me wrong – I love having a family and I'm grateful to put all of the mess with Big Jim in the rearview mirror, but I don't want to have to compromise on us. We're about to get married and – well, honestly – we've really been together for such a short time that I think we need that alone time. It's important."

Lauren smiled, "It's nice to know that you recognize the issue…"

"Did you think I didn't notice?"

Shrugging the blonde replied, "I think you're being pulled in so many different directions that you were maybe too busy to realize."

Bo nodded, "The last thing I want is for you to feel like you gave up Boston only to be ignored in Alaska after your big sacrifice."

Lauren smiled, "It's not like that Bo… I mean, I don't feel like I gave up Boston for Alaska." She chuckled, "Besides, my Boston family seems to have followed me here."

"Are you upset with them?" Bo asked as it suddenly hit her that she'd never asked the blonde how she felt about the east coast guests."

"Of course not. I'm very happy that they're here and enjoying our hometown. It helps that they're very self-sufficient."

Bo smiled, "They do seem to be trying to squeeze a month-long vacation into a week."

"They already have their return flights planned for next month."

"Well, I just want you to know that if you want to spend time with them or invite them to the homestead, they are always welcome, Lauren. What's mine is ours." Bo smiled.

"I know, Bo. Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"Lauren, I'm really serious about building a small house for Rudy and Mom on the property. Why not build a guest house too?"

The blonde shook her head, "Because you're already stretched to the bone, Bo. We're having a conversation about not having time together and you're talking about building two more homes on our property."

Bo shook her head, "I would use my company to build them, Lauren. I wouldn't try to build it myself like I did the Homestead. Besides, LJ told me that Grady Hampton's retiring."

The doctor nodded, "Yep. I saw him this morning at the clinic."

"Is he okay?" Bo asked.

"You know I can't discuss patient information."

"Geez, Lauren. Just tell me the guy isn't retiring because he's dying."

"Relax, Bo. He's not dying. Although if looks could kill, he'd be dead."

Bo laughed, "Arlene?"

Lauren nodded.

"LJ said she's fixing to leave him if he didn't retire and take her to a warm beach somewhere." Bo smiled.

Lauren laughed, "I didn't know until recently that she was originally from southern California."

Bo nodded, "She grew up surfing, but then got into snowboarding as a teenager. She was real good. She came here to snowboard on Cordova and met Grady. The rest, as they say, is history."

"There's snowboarding around here?" Lauren asked, surprised.

Bo nodded, "It's Alaska. This is probably the best place to snowboard in the world."

"People don't snowboard on my mountain, do they?" Lauren asked.

Bo chuckled, "I love that Denali is now your mountain and no, you would have to be insane to snowboard that monster. The weather is too unpredictable."

"So they met here – in Talkeenta?"

Bo shook her head, "Arlene was a professional. She was with a team who came to do a trip with a Heli-Adventure company."

Lauren smiled, now catching on, "Grady was the pilot!"

Bo nodded, "Correct! But that's not how they became close. There was an avalanche. Arlene got buried – broke a few bones in her back and two bones in her leg. He saw the red sleeve of her jacket from the air and radioed down to the team manager. They found her, dug her out, hiked a few miles, dragging her on a couple of snowboards and then flew her to the trauma center in Anchorage. She was in the hospital for a few weeks. He stopped in to check on her after about a week and apparently, they talked and talked for hours until the nurses kicked him out. They've been together ever since."

"Wow. That's some love story."

Bo smiled, "They're pretty special. He'll do anything for her – including close down his business. He was the premier builder, they never had kids or any big expenses, so he can probably afford to retire and live well. Arlene was famous back in the day – big competitions, big sponsors, so she was probably pretty well off too. I'm happy for them."

"So what does that do for you?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "He asked LJ if I would consider taking on his employees since I would likely get more contracts since he was referring all of his business to me."

"He is?" Lauren asked.

Bo nodded, "I can use Grady's guys to build on our property. I can see how they work, their skill and offer them jobs based on their performance on what we build."

"How will we afford to pay them, Bo?"

She looked up at Lauren, "You don't have to pay them, Lauren."

The blonde shook her head, "If what's yours is ours, then what's mine is ours too. If you have costs, we have costs, Bo. We're in this together one hundred percent, right?"

Bo smiled, covering Lauren's hand with her own, "Yes. Well, the extra contracts we'll get from Grady's referrals will be additional income…"

Lauren watched as Bo trailed off, her eyes moving back across the store to her family, "Bo?"

The brunette turned to the doctor and smiled, "I'm okay. I was just… I'm thinking about taking on a partner in the construction business. You have a partner in a business. I was thinking… well, Kyle asked…"

"Yes." Lauren replied without hesitation."

"You haven't even heard…"

"Bo, Kyle is a smart businesswoman. She knows the math, she knows the inventory, she knows how to manage people. You know the craft, she knows the business. You both work hard. You get along famously. She took a big hit because of a fire meant for me, Bo."

"We do anything we can for her." Bo nodded.

"She's family, Bo."

"Agreed. Do you think that Patrick…"

"Contracts? Absolutely."

Bo laughed, "Wow. We really do finish each others' sentences."

Lauren smiled, "We do. Now, about the finances. If you build now, you won't have additional income. How are you going to pay Grady's team? They'll need checks right away, Bo."

The brunette shrugged, "Well, the money from the lawsuit will come in at some point, right? What better way to spend Evony's money than to put some into our personal property? My back pay should cover the costs so that we can keep yours for the stuff you and Stephen are doing."

Lauren laughed, "You really don't know how much money you're getting, do you."

Bo cocked her head, "Money and math just aren't really something I've ever been interested in much. I just make sure I have enough to do what I have to do."

The blonde grinned, "Well, if you'll let me and Greta help you, we'll make sure you can do whatever you want to do for the rest of your life."

"Buy a private jet?" Bo asked.

Lauren laughed, shaking her head, "Anything within reason."

"That's reasonable. You know I'd do better in planes if I was doing the flying." Bo smiled, "So… I really will have like… a lot o money?"

Lauren smiled, "You really will – as long as you're smart with spending and investing."

"Ugh. Investing. That's a word I really never understood. My Mom's idea of investing was putting our money in a secret compartment under the frozen whale blubber bin we kept in our food cache."

Lauren cringed, "Frozen whale blubber?"

Bo cocked her head, "What?"

"What on earth does one do with frozen whale blubber?"

"One makes Muktuk, of course. It's a staple on the North Slope."

"Muktuk?" Lauren asked.

Bo shrugged, "Frozen whale blubber."

"Gross."

"Delicacy." Bo quipped, "Okay, so we've solved our living situation, Mom and Rudy's living situation and your family's situation when they visit. Now that we have the opportunity for privacy in our home, we just need to figure out a way to actually be there at the same time – and have enough energy to make nooky."

Lauren burst out laughing, "Make nooky?"

"Sure. They call it that sometimes, don't they?"

"I'm sure they do… somewhere… in ancient times."

"Okay, so city slickers have cool lingo and I'm a backwoods, off-grid, old-soul Alaskan. Whatever. How are we going to solve our privacy time? Seriously, Lauren. I want to fix this."

Bo was adamant and her frustration was showing. The blonde ran a hand up and down Bo's forearm, using a calming tone as she spoke,

"I don't know that there's much we can do about it right now, Bo."

The brunette took Lauren's hand in her own, "But we'll think about it. We'll figure something out, right? I'll start on the house for Mom and Rudy right away. I can build two riverfront homes on either side of the main homestead. They'll complement each other."

The blonde smiled, kissing her fiancé on the cheek, "We don't have to figure everything out right this minute. Let's talk to your Mom and Rudy tonight and see what they think. Maybe you can let them sit with your design team?"

"Rudy could design her own room! She's love that." Bo smiled.

"I think the two of them would enjoy designing the whole house together." Lauren replied, her eyes reflecting the happiness and excitement she now saw in Bo's.

"I think Rudy would want Elise and Janie in on the project too."

Lauren nodded, "I'm sure."

"And we could ask Stephen, Betsy, Patrick and Penelope if they wanted to give their input into the guest house since they would be the ones most likely to use it… unless you think they're too much city-folk for living on the river when they're here."

Lauren shrugged, "Well, if we're calling it a guest house, then Tamsin and Kyle could stay there. LJ could spend the night when he runs the dogs out here late in the day. Your family could stay there when they come for late night dinners. The beauty of a true guest house, is that anyone can stay there, at any time, for any reason."

Bo nodded, "We'll need a lot of bedrooms."

Lauren smiled, "A common room with a big fireplace… and a small kitchen."

"Two bathrooms, both with solar showers and wash sinks." Bo replied.

"You'll need another kennel behind both houses."

Bo nodded, "I can draw a rough sketch…"

Lauren placed a finger over her lover's lips, "Think about it. For now, we have a plan to get us some privacy in our home after we're married. Until then, we just figure things out as we go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That evening…

As they crossed the open field, Bo and Lauren drove their sleds side by side, racing across the moonlit blanket of white. As the trail narrowed, the brunette pulled her sled to a stop, waving Lauren to her. When they were side by side, they each dropped their anchor and checked on the dogs. Once back at the sled, Bo turned to her companion,

"Having fun?"

"This is great, Bo. I've really missed this. The snow looks like a field of diamonds in the moonlight. I've never seen it look so pretty."

Bo laughed, "That's because you've never really seen it at all. You've done mostly whiteout sledding following my ass down the trail."

Lauren nodded, "That's very true. I can actually recognize landmarks that I've seen in the truck that I don't remember seeing last year."

"Well, that's also because the trail looks different this time of year. There's much more foliage than you're used to seeing in December and January."

"We're close though, right?" Lauren asked.

Bo gave her a smile, "Sure thing. Are you in a hurry?"

"I just want to make sure we get there in time to read Rudy her stories. She was very upset that your Mom didn't allow her to come back with us on the sleds."

Bo shrugged, "A child has to learn the word no at some point. Besides, stopping at the General Store to spend a little time with Elise and Janie had to appease her to some extent."

"I'm sure it did. You know, it's a good thing you did for Greta… giving her that job."

Bo laughed, "Yea, until you steal her from me."

"What can I say? Money and benefits talk." Lauren grinned.

"Hopefully she can get our books and orders in shape before you need to take her." Bo replied.

Lauren nodded, "I promise I won't take her until that's finished. Even if I do take her, I'm sure that she'll work overtime for you until the job is done."

Bo sighed, pulling on her gloves, "In the meantime, I'll have to start training someone else for the job or at least looking for someone."

"What about your Mom?" Lauren asked, though it was more of a suggestion. She knew that deep down, Bo valued and wanted Mary's advice with her team. Her pride was what got between them when it came to the business. Bo was still angry about the events of her past and until she was fully able to let go of that anger, Mary would continue to be pushed out and pulled in as Bo's mood allowed.

Bo shrugged, grabbing the handle of her sled and stepping onto the rails, "We had a little alone time and I mentioned it to her, but she suggested she won't be around at that point."

Lauren nodded, but offered no response which led Bo to ask the question that the doctor had been dodging all night,

"So are you going to tell me what the doctor said about my Mom?"

"Maybe we should wait until we get home." Lauren suggested.

"Rudy will be there and Mom clearly isn't ready for her to know whatever is going on. It's bad, isn't it." Bo said, her voice cracking as she struggled to keep her composure. Her Mom had left her alone… why should she care?

Lauren sighed, "I've scheduled some tests for your Mom at the hospital in Anchorage, Bo. I'll know more at the end of next week when the tests are complete, and the results are in. I'm also going to schedule tests for you and Rudy. I think that you should have them done together to allay any fears that your little sister might have while the tests are completed."

Bo's head snapped up, her eyes locking on Lauren's, "What's wrong with her, Lauren? Is it cancer? I didn't know cancer could be genetic. You think Rudy and I have cancer?"

Lauren smiled, shaking her head, "Take a breath, Sweetie."

Bo did as she was told before Lauren continued,

"No, Honey. It's not cancer. According to her records, your Mom has a condition known as Cardiomyopathy. While the internet will tell you that half of the patients with this condition live over five years, from my conversation with her doctor, I believe her condition is less advanced than he believes. The tests will tell me more. Your Mom has filed the necessary paperwork to allow me access to her medical records. Once I review her full case file, I'll know more. As of now, the mystery is that her doctor made the diagnosis without a few of the usual tests that would have confirmed it."

"So she has five years." Bo said, her eyes set on the marred old wood of the sled rail. This sled had seen a lot of miles. Maybe it was time to refinish the rails and handle. The basket could use a new frame as well. Bo was pulled from her thoughts by Lauren's voice,

"Bo? Bo?"

"Uh… yea… sorry. What were you saying?"

Lauren sighed, "I'm hoping she has much more than that. Unfortunately, her doctor failed to start treatment for stage A or B of the condition. I think that's where she is… where she has been. That's where I can keep her if I can get treatment started. The sooner we start, the longer she has."

"What did her doctor think?"

"He placed her at stage D which makes no sense."

"Why?" Bo asked, "I mean – he's a doctor."

Lauren offered Bo a tight grin in reply, "I believe you are aware of my resume, so I won't take offense to that, but to explain, the doctor she saw was not a cardiothoracic surgeon. Apparently, her healthcare insurance would not pay for her to see a specialist… or, I should say her lack of healthcare insurance wouldn't allow for it."

Bo frowned, shaking her head, "I didn't mean to say… I'm sorry. You know that I know you're good."

Lauren sighed, "There's none better for this condition, Bo. I'm the doctor all of the other doctors come to for many conditions, but this is at the top of the list."

"Careful, Doctor. Your modesty is showing." Bo smirked.

Lauren shrugged, "I don't care. Insult me if you'd like, Bo. I'm just telling it like it is. I want your Mom to have the best possible care and if there were a doctor out there that other global doctors were going to I'd call them instead of having the records sent to me."

"I didn't mean it as an insult, Lauren. Really. But… wow… you mean you really are the Queen of hearts on this." Bo said, mildly shocked.

"Yes and I feel all of the pressure that comes with that title. The bottom line is that this is a condition I have treated quite regularly throughout my career, Bo. I am familiar with all of its stages and know how to treat it in order to get the best possible results. I don't follow the rule book, I follow my instincts which come from years of experience with patients just like your Mom."

"Then why all of the tests? And why test Rudy… and me?" Bo asked, sitting back against the backrest of her seat, her shoulders slumping.

Lauren could see the change in her fiancé. She'd had enough negative to last her a lifetime and the last thing she needed was another mountain to climb. Lauren dropped the anchor of her sled, driving it into the ground with her foot before sliding over to sit on the bench next to the brunette. She slipped her hand beneath Bo's and gently pulled the brunette into her, wrapping an arm over her shoulder. Bo laid her head on Lauren's shoulder as the blonde explained,

"The tests will tell me with certainty if your Mom has the disease and if so, what stage your Mother is in so that I can properly treat her. If she has it, as the condition progresses over the years – and it will – the treatment will change as will her ability to physically exert herself. Eventually, I will also be adding her name to the organ donation registry and with any luck, we'll be able to get her a new heart."

She waited for Bo to respond, but when she didn't, the doctor continued,

"As for you and Rudy, well… unfortunately, this condition is genetic. It is not likely to skip a generation but does not usually effect every child in the family."

"So if any of my brothers had it…" Bo began, but stopped short of saying the words, so Lauren finished for her,

"It may be less likely that you or Rudy would inherit the gene."

She felt Bo nod, so she continued, "So, we'll do some tests on the two of you and see what we find. After that, we'll continue to test Rudy every five years or so and you every two. Since you have a cardiothoracic surgeon in the family, signs and symptoms will become very apparent now that I know the condition exists in your genetic line. I can adjust testing as needed based on those observations. The best part is that we all now have healthcare insurance, so we'll be able to stay on top of things."

Bo nodded. She wished her Mom had never left. She wished that she'd been here. Maybe she would have seen the signs. Maybe she could have gotten her treated earlier. One thing was for sure, she had to find a way to forgive her so that they could live as a happy family for whatever time they had left. She couldn't believe this was happening. She thought she would have more time.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Lauren. If she has this condition, should she still marry Lauren? Would it be fair to do knowing that she could die so soon after their wedding? She thought of Rudy. She would be crushed if her Mom died… hell, Bo would be crushed if Rudy died. That's what all of this meant, didn't it?

Bo asked softly, "So my Mom is dying... and maybe my baby sister."

Lauren shook her head, "Not yet… not for some time. I truly believe I'm right on this, Bo. The diagnosis without the usual tests is suspicious at best, but if I'm wrong about the diagnosis, I am certain he's incorrect about the stage. I'd like you to try to remain calm about this news. I know you tend to go from zero to sixty with your worst-case-scenario-thinking, but I'm optimistic and I'd like you to be as well."

Bo chuckled, "Yea, because I'm the vision of optimism."

Lauren wrapped both arms around her fiancé and gave her a tight squeeze, "Yes, you are. You weren't before, but you certainly have reason to be now. I need you to trust me, Bo. Trust that I'm as good as everyone says I am. Okay?"

Bo sat up, turning her eyes to the sky. It was a beautiful night and she was fairly certain that her Mom was out singing by the river, staring up at the same sky while holding Rudy in her arms. She smiled remembering the Adirondack bench she had recently built with her Mom. She loved sitting out there with her younger daughter at night. It had become quite the ritual for the two of them.

She turned to Lauren, "I trust you, Doctor Lewis, but it's hard news to hear… especially that Rudy could have this disease buried in her DNA."

"Well, technically it would be in her cardiac muscle cells." Lauren corrected, but quickly regretted doing so when she saw Bo heave a sigh, her face twisting into a scowl,

"Yea, well I hate that it could be in her at all." Bo replied, "I know we've only just met, but I love that kid to pieces. She's my blood… my little sister and I don't know what I would do if she had this thing." She looked up at Lauren, "Can she get it this young?"

Lauren nodded, "If the condition is in her cells, symptoms may not manifest for years – decades even – but yes, the condition is particularly difficult in young children. The good news is that they're usually pushed to the top of the transplant list. On the other hand, juvenile hearts are not as readily available as adult hearts and often the adult heart that does come available is too big for the chest cavity. Still, Rudy is as vibrant and active a child as any I've ever met, so I'm not expecting an issue with her at this point."

The doctor sighed. She'd promised herself that she was going to be completely honest with Bo about this, so she wanted to remind her of one key point,

"Bo, I just want to reemphasize what I said at the start. All of this information is coming from the records that were sent to us from Hawaii. Those records are incomplete at best. Your Mom was feeling some fatigue and shortness of breath. She had headaches that wouldn't go away. There are no scans and no blood tests. When Doctor Grace and I spoke this afternoon, he was just as stumped by this as I was at why this particular diagnosis was made without the test results being sent."

"Did he try to call the Doctor in Hawaii?"

Lauren nodded, "He did and he couldn't get hold of him. Regardless, I would repeat the tests anyway. The diagnosis was made almost two years ago."

She shook her head, leading Bo to ask, "What are you thinking?"

The doctor shrugged, "She was out running a sled this morning and from what Rudy said, she was super-fast. That just doesn't add up with her condition."

Bo sighed, "And that's why you don't want me to freak out about this just yet."

"Right. Things just don't add up." Lauren explained.

"Good to know." Bo replied, "So we hold for now."

Lauren gave a nod, "Yes. We'll hold off on you and Rudy until after we confirm your Mom's condition."

Bo nodded, thinking of Rudy and how desperately she wanted this to be anything but her heart, "I'd like to get back to the house if that's okay."

Lauren nodded, "Bo, if hearing all of this is too much, let me know and I'll soften it. Right now, I'm trying to be completely honest with you."

Bo nodded, "That's our promise. I wouldn't want it any other way. But it is tough to hear. It's just… it's a lot."

"I know, Sweetie and if I could take this burden from you, I would but it's our reality. The best thing for this condition – for anyone that has it – is a positive attitude. The mind and body share a connection. I've seen people survive for ten or fifteen years who I thought would be gone in five. A positive outlook is crucial."

"I guess I'd better schedule some more sessions with Dr. Gray, huh?"

Lauren shrugged, "Whatever you need, I'll support. You know that."

Bo laid her head on Lauren's chest, the blonde wrapping her arms around her fiancé once again. They stayed that way for a long moment before Bo spoke,

"This is nice. We should do it more often."

Lauren smiled, "It is and we should."

"Can I still run in the Iditarod?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled, "Were you actually listening to me?"

"Status quo for now." Bo replied.

"Status quo. Live life, Bo. You have no symptoms. There's no reason for any of you to limp around. Live your lives and let me deal with the inconclusive or non-existent test results that will tell me what this doctor was up to."

"You sound like you don't trust this guy."

Lauren didn't want to remind her lover of the people who had been lurking in the shadows following her Mom in Hawaii, so she changed the subject,

"I don't know him. I'm always skeptical of doctors I don't know." She sighed, "I guess we should get going if we're going to make that bedtime story."

Bo nodded, sitting up so that Lauren could head back over to her sled, but the blonde caught her eyes, her hand gently cupping Bo's face. She placed a gentle kiss on her lips,

"I won't lose you, so know that if this thing is in you, prepare yourself to meet the real Doctor Lauren Lewis."

Bo smiled, "Oh? And who have I been sleeping with if this isn't the real Doctor Lauren Lewis?"

Lauren chuckled, "You're sleeping with Lauren Lewis the woman, friend, companion, lover, partner, playmate and soulmate. You've seen the Doctor in a clinical setting, but you have yet to see me in my field of expertise."

"Sounds intimidating." Bo smiled.

"As much as I would hate to have to race you on a dog sled, your heart should fear giving out on you when I'm here." Lauren said, a look of determination on her face that Bo had never seen before.

"Well, in that case, I'm glad you're my doctor." Bo laughed as both women began to check that their gear was secure, and their lines and dogs were good to go. As they worked, Lauren called over to her partner,

"Bo, I understand if you want alone time with your Mom and Sister tonight. It would be only natural."

Bo shook her head, "We're a family – all four of us. Besides, you know that Rudy will want you with us. She'll be upset if you disappear into the loft, so please don't."

Lauren nodded, "I won't. But I will take on story number one if you want some alone time with your Mom."

Bo smiled, "I'll take alone time with Mom after Rudy is down. You'll keep the bed warm for me?"

Lauren smiled, "Of course I will. We'll cuddle and get a good nights' sleep."

"Sounds perfect. I have to go to the hospital construction site in the morning to meet with the architect and engineers. Did they call you today about the electrical work?"

Lauren nodded, "Right after they spoke to you. I think we have it all ironed out. You're really meeting them on a Sunday?"

Bo shrugged, "You're on call tomorrow – on a Sunday after the first big snow. Someone's bound to do something stupid, so I figured I might as well get a few things done. Besides, I want to make sure I'm getting into that routine I told you about with the dogs.

"Okay, well, the list of outlets, computer terminals and all of the specs for the surgical theatres, patient rooms, hallways…"

Bo waved her off, shaking her head, "I told them to account for more than what you think you will need. That way, it will allow for growth in technology. Everything needs more juice these days and since we run mostly on generators in this state, I want to be sure you have plenty of both. If you ask for ten generators, you'll have twenty even if ten have to sit there winterized and unused until you need them."

"Well, I thank you for thinking ahead, Miss Dennis."

"You're welcome, Doctor Lewis."

Bo watched as Lauren got herself settled on the rails before she chuckled and called out to Lauren,

"And I think I'd like to be Bo Dennis-Lewis," the musher laughed as she called to her dogs, "Hike! Hike!"

Lauren stood, speechless watching Bo take off down the trail before she finally snapped out of her trance and whistled to her team. The doctor grinned at the thought of Bo's name on the program at the Iditarod as Dennis-Lewis. It would make her so proud. Lauren knew her name would never be on trophies or billboards, but she hoped that Bo would be just as proud to see Dr. Lauren Dennis-Lewis sewed onto the breast of her lab coats.

As she'd told Bo before, she would gladly have dropped the Lewis and fully taken Bo's name or at least put Bo's name after her own, but it seemed the brunette had made up her mind. Still, the doctor would bring up the subject of Rudy to be sure.

What Lauren hadn't told Bo was that if her Mom's case was as advanced as the other doctor believed, it was unlikely Mary would survive beyond her little sister's high school years without a transplant. For that reason, she wanted Bo to consider making sure that Rudy had the same last name as her older sister for guardianship reasons. That was part of the reason Lauren wanted to become Lewis-Dennis instead of Dennis-Lewis.

Lauren could see the light from the homestead in the distance. She was looking forward to a nice warm fire but kept the dogs at pace since they were still young and were out for their second run of the day. Bo had taken them the longer way home around the lake to avoid the steep incline of the shortcut and for that, Lauren was grateful. Running uphill while pushing a sled was not something the blonde had wanted to do tonight. Maybe later in the year when she needed a good workout and a challenge, but not after a day that included close to five hours of overtime.

She pulled into the open drive where Bo immediately waved her into the garage, greeting her team,

"Well hello there my little girls! Did you have a good run? Huh? Good girls! Good girls!"

Lauren smiled as Bo released her dogs into the indoor kennel where they immediately began to run and play with the fourteen dogs from her fiancé's team.

"How did they run on the homestretch?" Bo asked, helping Lauren hang her lines before handling the gear on her own sled.

Lauren unzipped her layers, hanging them one at a time as she replied with a smile, "They were great. You'd never know they hadn't run on snow for six months. You'd also never know they were pups. They were keeping pace with your big girls pretty well. Those new rails are fast!"

Bo smirked, "Yea, well we'll see how they do when we add a few more dogs to your team this year. I'd love to have a team that could give my girls a run for their money."

Lauren nodded, "Oh? You have ideas for building a team with my dogs?"

Bo smiled, "A training team, yes. You're getting better every time you go out, you handled the new rails with no problem, so I thought you might like to try a full team of your own. I figure it will come in handy on those cold winter nights when you have to use a sled to get to the hospital."

Lauren smiled, "The guys at the hospital site think I should use a snow machine."

Bo shrugged, "If that's what you want to do, that's fine."

The blonde considered Bo's expression for a long moment before heading over to feed and water the dogs,

"You don't approve?"

Again, Bo shrugged her reply, "I just don't see the need to burn fuel, make noise and ride around on a tin can when dogs are happy to do the same job. They don't break down. They don't make all of that racket. They require cheaper, all-natural fuel and the best part – they're family. They'll take care of you if you get into trouble. They have a brain, snow machines don't."

Lauren smiled, "That's sort of what I told the guys working at the hospital."

"So you don't want to ride a Tin Dog?" Bo asked.

"Nope." Lauren grinned, scratching the fur between Harper's ears, "These ladies are the only transportation I need in my life… and your truck on occasion."

Bo smiled, "I do have the snow machines in the barn for emergencies."

"I know, but we'll just leave those under the tarp unless there's actually an emergency." Lauren laughed, giving her girls one last rub each as they settled down in the hay to rest. She looked up to see Bo staring out of the window towards the barn. She looked… worried.

"Bo?" Lauren spoke softly, sliding her hand into Bo's, her other arm wrapping around her elbow, "What's wrong?"

Bo turned, looking at Lauren, a smile suddenly stretching across her face, "Nothing."

The blonde shook her head, "What happened to honesty? It's something about the snow machine."

Bo shrugged, "I don't like those things."

"O-kay… so we can sell one of them. Just keep one for emergencies" Lauren reassured, "I don't need to use one, Bo. Like I said, the dogs and truck are plenty." She walked towards her, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Bo sighed, crossing her arms, "A guy I knew out west… he bet a bunch of idiots in a bar that he could beat my team with his snow machine. I was using sixteen dogs, but still… everyone knows a snow machine is faster. Of course, that's not a reason to use them."

"What happened?" Lauren asked.

"I didn't want to take the bet. I was worried about my dogs running side-by-side with a tin can driven by a drunk. He said he'd run across the lake so I could have the trail… make it easy on them and put plenty of distance between his machine and my dogs."

"I told him that it was a bad idea… the weight of the machine, the ice… they all laughed at me and started calling me the 'safety girl', but… well, whatever."

Lauren nodded, "So you didn't take the bet?"

Bo shook her head, "A guy bet me a thousand dollars I couldn't stay within a hundred yards of him. I mean… I'm pretty sure the guy was drunk, but he was holding a fistful of cash, so…"

"You took the bet." Lauren concluded.

"It was a lot of money… money I didn't have, and I wanted to head east to follow a lead on my Mom," Bo shook her head, "So yea… I took the bet."

"Nothing wrong with that." Lauren replied.

Bo shook her head, "It was April… the weather was… inconsistent at best. There'd been some rain and while temperatures were still below freezing, driving a snow machine across ice at that time of year is risky to say the least."

"Oh, Bo." Lauren said, now certain where the story was headed.

Nodding, the brunette finished, "I tried to tell him that running across the lake was a bad idea, but he said a snow machine could outrun any cracks in the ice. I told him the vibrations could make cracks ahead of the machine, breaking the ice so that the whole machine would fall through into the water. He insisted he'd done it a hundred times. Then he started calling me 'safety girl' again and then insinuated I was afraid and wanted to back out of the bet. As you can imagine, the old Bo took the bait. I got angry and basically told him to drive."

"I take it you were right?"

Bo nodded, "I tried to get to him, but when Diana and Nike went out on the ice, Diana fell through a crack, so I backed up the sled to pull her out." She shook her head, closing her eyes, "He came up for a minute… clawing at the top of the ice…"

Bo shook out her thoughts as the memory of the panicked look on the man's face swept through her mind,

"Before we had pulled out, I had weighted and knotted a line just in case. I should have thrown the line right away instead of trying to get to him with my sled." She shook her head, "I did throw the line out across the break in the ice… I don't know if I was just too late or if he didn't see it or couldn't grab it… or if he was too drunk to see it… I don't know… it was right there… it was a perfect throw… it was right there… all he had to do was grab it… but he didn't… he didn't grab it and… and he disappeared into the water."

"You did everything you could, Bo." Lauren replied, trying to calm her lover as the memories washed over her mind, bringing the panic she'd felt that night to the surface.

But Bo shrugged, "Did I? I shouldn't have taken the bet. I shouldn't have let him take the lake route. I knew it wasn't safe."

"Bo, it sounds like there was no reasoning with those men." Lauren replied.

"If he'd been on a sled, the dogs would have pulled him out. Snow machines are just a heavy sled with no instinct… they're not intelligent… they don't make decisions when the rider does something dumb… they know no loyalty… they have no sense of accountability to their owners."

Lauren smiled, "That's why you don't want me to ride a snow machine."

"I know it's stupid, but…"

"Bo, it's never stupid that you look out for me. I respect your knowledge about all things Alaska. If I had seen the things you've seen, I'm sure I would think twice about everything."

"Still, they have their place." Bo replied, "When it's a quick trip and you don't want to have to set up lines, hook up each dog, get them into booties… it's good to have the machines."

Lauren nodded, "Okay."

"I just don't like running them over water… not unless it's the dead of winter and the ice is solid." Bo replied.

"Okay." Lauren agreed again.

Bo turned, taking a look at the dogs who had quieted down, "Wow. Didn't they all crash out."

Lauren smiled, "Fresh air, first run. They're tired."

Bo nodded, "Well, it looks like they're all content. I want to throw down some extra hay. It's going to get cold tonight."

"Do you want to turn on the heater?" Lauren asked.

Shaking her head, Bo replied, "They're fine with just some extra hay."

They got to work, watching as the dogs immediately began making piles near their houses and settling in for the night. Bo picked up a few stray poo piles before the two washed their hands and headed inside.

"I hope your Mom has a fire going." Lauren said as Bo held the door for her.

"Me too." Bo nodded, taking a glance back through the window at the tarped snow machines. Shaking her head, she turned and walked inside where she immediately heard Rudy's voice.

"Lauren! Lauren! Come here! I wanna tell you about my first mushing… or mushy… how do I say that?" Rudy asked her Mom as they wandered back to her bedroom.

"Your first run as a musher?" Mary replied.

"Yea!" She crawled into her bed and looked up to see the doctor standing in the doorway, "Lauren, you should have seen me and my sister riding the sled, Lauren! There was this long trail and there was so much snow… did you know it doesn't usually snow this big this time of year here?"

"I've heard." Lauren smiled, walking to the near side of the bed and tucking Rudy under the covers while Mary kissed her on the forehead,

"I'm going to go have my tea, child. It's Lauren's turn tonight."

"Okay. Goodnight, Momma."

"Goodnight my sweet, sweet child. I'm so proud of you."

"Did I do good?"

Mary smiled, "You did great and I took lots of pictures. I'll show them to you tomorrow."

"I love you, Momma."

"I love you, my little Roo."

Mary stood and moved to the doorway where Bo was standing, arms crossed, her shoulder against the door frame. Bo smiled at her Mom who gave her shoulder a squeeze as she walked by. The brunette then turned her attention back to her little sister and fiancé, smiling as Rudy continued to explain her adventure… for the third time today. In her defense, Lauren hadn't heard the full story just yet and the blonde looked like she was enjoying it.

"… well, there was so much snow that the trees were hanging to the ground! My sister was getting all smacked in the face and stuff. We were going down this really long trail when she stopped and made me get into the basket. That's the thing in the front. Did you know that?"

Lauren smiled, "I did."

"So she put me in the basket and zipped it shut so that only my googles were sticking out so I could see. It was like being a butterfly in a cocoon but a lot colder. I mean… I wasn't cold. She gave me really warm clothes and a blanket and… well… then she got on the sled in my driver's seat and she started going and it looked like we were going to fly into the sky, but then the sled dropped over this huge like… well, I don't know what you call it but we were going really fast down the mountain… like so fast! Sister was getting hit in the face. I know she was because I could hear her making funny noises like in the cartoons when they get hit."

She giggled, looking over at Bo who came into the room, "Oh, that was funny, huh? I get you all snuggled into a nice warm space and you laugh at me while I'm freezing and getting whapped in the face by snow covered branches all so that you can get into town?"

She shrugged, "It was funny." She looked at Lauren, "It really was. And we were going really, really, really fast! It was so cool! I think it was like those rollercoasters I saw on TV one time. Have you ever been on a roller coaster?"

Lauren chuckled, "I have."

"Are they as cool as they look?" Rudy asked.

"They are a lot of fun." Lauren smiled.

"Will you take me? And Bo too? I don't think my Mom would want to go. She says a roller coaster is far too much excitement for her. I don't know what that means." Rudy frowned.

Lauren nodded, "One of these days, I'll take you and Bo to Disneyland and we'll go on a roller coaster together."

"Really?" Rudy smiled, her face lighting up with hope, but Bo interjected,

"Maybe. Roller coasters are not always good for people with… well, we'll see."

Lauren cocked her head as she made eye contact with Bo, her words countering Bo's hidden concern,

"Actually, for speed addicts like you and your sister, they are likely exactly what the doctor ordered." She turned to Rudy, "One of these days we'll take that trip. If Bo is too afraid to go on little roller coaster, we'll do it ourselves, right?"

Rudy laughed, "Right!" She looked at Bo, then back at Lauren, "But my sister's not afraid of anything. She's Bo Dennis… my champion! She'll go."

Lauren nodded, watching Bo's head drop. If only Rudy knew that Bo's greatest fear was losing her little sister, she might understand. Hopefully she wouldn't have to fight Bo on treating Rudy like a fragile child that couldn't continue to live the vibrant life she would choose.

"I did really good driving the sled today, right Sister?"

Bo smiled, "You did great, kiddo."

"Am I a… what did Mom call it at lunch?" She looked at Lauren who replied,

"A worthy successor."

"Right." Rudy said, turning to Bo, "Am I… what Lauren said?"

Bo smiled, sitting beside Rudy on the bed, "You will not only be good enough to take over my sled, you'll be better than I ever was."

"You think so? You really think so?" Rudy grinned, but Lauren could see the tears welling up in Bo's eyes as she replied,

"Yea, kid. I think so. I really think so."

Bo leaned in and kissed Rudy on the cheek before turning and walking from the room. Rudy watched her go before turning to Lauren,

"Is Sister okay?"

Lauren smiled, "Of course she is. She just gets a little emotional when she thinks about you being all grown up."

"But I'm not grown up. I'm still a little kid. That's why she won't let me drive the sled by myself."

Grinning, the doctor kissed Rudy on the forehead, tucking her in tightly before picking up the books they had started to read this week, but the youngster shook her head,

"Do you mind if we don't read tonight? I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna fall to sleep."

Lauren frowned, "Are you sure? Not even just a page or two?"

Rudy shook her head, "Can we just talk a little?"

Lauren smiled, putting the books on the shelf, "Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"My sister and why she looks at me like she's sad sometimes. I think Mom does it to." Rudy replied.

Lauren sat back against the headboard, allowing Rudy to snuggle into her side, "Sometimes, we adults imagine what the future will bring. When your sister looks ahead like that, she sees you all grown up and I think she just wants more time with you as a little kid."

Rudy giggled, "Do doctors have a secret pill to keep me little forever?"

Lauren laughed, "Of course not, silly. But Bo will be okay."

Rudy grew silent, her smile dissipating, "And will I be okay?"

Lauren paused, seeing the look of fear that spread across Rudy's face, "Are you worried?"

Rudy nodded, "A little. I'm not very good at tests. Mom told me I have to take one."

Lauren smiled, "Well, you don't even have to study for this one. The doctor will do all the work."

"Really? I don't have to study?"

Lauren shook her head, "I promise. No studying. All you'll have to do is take a nap and we'll be right there with you from the time you fall asleep to the time you wake up."

"Good. I think I'll get an A. I'm really good at sleeping – especially when I'm tired." Rudy replied with a yawn.

"Really?" Lauren giggled, "Then why are you still awake?"

Rudy laughed as the doctor tickled her belly and kissed her once more on the forehead, "Go to sleep, kiddo. We'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight, Lauren. I love you."

The doctor stood and moved to the chair by the bed. Reaching to the nightstand, she lowered the wick on the lantern and as it dimmed, she replied,

"I love you too, Roo. Sleep well, pleasant dreams, kiddo."

Lauren watched as the youngster rolled onto her side, heavy eyes slamming shut. The doctor sat vigil as she always did on the nights she read to Rudy. She waited for her breathing to become slow, deep and rhythmic before she turned the wick all the way down, then quietly moved to leave the room. She looked back once more, before slowly closing the door. When she turned to walk towards the living room, she found Bo standing by the large picture window. There was a beautiful view of the river tonight, but her fiancé did not seem to be calmed by the scenery,

"Bo?"

"She can't ride roller coasters, Lauren. She'll never race a sled. She'll…"

Lauren tried to keep her voice down for Rudy's sake, but she was losing her patience with the brunette,

"Stop it. Stop it, Bo. You stop it right now. I told you to prioritize what I don't know over what that damned doctor from Hawaii told me," She shook her head, "I should have lied. I should have told you that they sent the wrong file. I don't know what it is, but lately, you go into panic mode right away. You used to be this tough, angry, I-can-beat-anything woman who I didn't have to worry about falling apart. Now, it's like you live in constant fear! The worst part about that is that you should finally be able to live life as a free woman with not a care in the world! Everyone who wanted to kill you is dead!"

Lauren started to walk down the hall, but turned back, "I'm going to say this one time. That child in there is fine. You don't know anything about her heart and more importantly, I – the expert - don't know anything about her heart! She is showing absolutely no symptoms of having this condition and I refuse to allow you to bring darkness into our lives again… not when the sun has just begun to shine on this family after Big Jim's reign. So you pull yourself together or you can go sleep outside with the dogs."

Lauren stormed down the hallway into the main house leaving Bo behind. She entered the living room, plastering a smile on her face for her future mother-in-law's sake and spoke calmly,

"I'm going to make some tea. Would you like some, Mary?" Lauren moved straight to the kitchen while trying to contain her anger but listened intently for the woman's reply.

"That would be nice, Lauren. Thank you." Mary said from her spot on the sofa.

"What are you knitting?" Lauren asked, putting some wood in the compartment beneath the burners before turning to the cabinet to find the matches. She grabbed the tea kettle to fill.

Mary smiled, "Another blanket. I know it sounds crazy, but we can never have enough of them for winter and it seems it's coming early to our region this year."

Lauren lit the stove, setting the kettle to boil before moving to the shelves to pull out two mugs. She hesitated for a moment before sighing and grabbing a third mug. She may be angry with her for going into super pout mode right now, but Bo was going to be her wife and she needed to learn to move past the brunette's recent tendency towards the negative.

"I suppose this is nothing like it was on the North Slope when you lived there?"

Mary shrugged, calling back to Lauren, who was spooning tea leaves into small sacks for steeping,

"It's a different kind of cold up north. The air is a bit drier and the snow doesn't fall deep… it falls to join the hardened landscape, the lightest snow blowing into drifts against buildings or what little hills we have there."

Lauren nodded, "I see. You know, it's nowhere near the North Slope, but Bo flew me up to Denali. It was beautiful."

"Ah, yes… and finally restored to its original name." She smiled as Lauren came to stand by the fire, "You know, that name plays a large role in the creation story of the Koyukon Athabascans – my grandmother's descendants. Of course, there are those who believe in an earlier version of history that states the mountain is Dena'ina territory, not Koyukon territory."

Lauren nodded, "So they want it named Dena'ina?"

Mary shook her head, "Their name for the mountain would be Dghelay Ka'a."

"What does it mean?" Lauren asked.

"Dghelay means mountain and Ka'a means big, so… big mountain." Mary smiled.

"So the dispute isn't between the government and the natives but between two native peoples?"

Mary shrugged, "There are definitely disputes between natives and government which is why so many of our towns and landmarks are reclaiming their native names, but native people were pretty territorial before white man ever came to our lands. When the white man came, you would think we would have united, but unfortunately, that was not the case in all tribes. Our isolationist ways left each to fend for themselves in keeping what was our own. Once our land was sacrificed, we were at the mercy of the white man's government."

"How do you feel about that? I mean… do you object to Bo not marrying a native Alaskan?"

Mary let out a chuckle, "Are you asking if your lily-white skin bothers me?"

Lauren shrugged, "I guess I am."

Mary dropped her knitting and stood, walking to Lauren. She took her hands in her own,

"Child, I adore you and I couldn't be happier about my daughter's choice for a mate. From what Mark and Molly have told me, I owe you her life, for you alone found my Ysabeau's soul and brought her out of the darkness and into the light."

Lauren raised a hand, stopping Mary's impassioned thank you speech. She offered a shy smile as she shook her head, lowering her eyes to her hands as she spoke,

"I wish that were true, Mary, but it seems that while the dark curtain was closed on Big Jim and his escapades, a new shadow has fallen, and Bo can't seem to find her way around it."

Mary dropped Lauren's hands and placed a hand on the mantel above the fire, "My sickness."

Lauren could only manage a nod in reply.

"I'll talk to her."

Shaking her head, the blonde replied, "I don't know that it will do any good. She's worried…"

"Rudy." Mary nodded, turning to stare into the fire, "She won't be satisfied until she's sure that her little sister didn't inherit this dreaded disease."

Lauren shrugged, "Condition, not disease and yes."

"Condition or disease, what does it matter? The end result will be the same. I'll be dead and my little girl will be left without her Mother. No matter how hard I try to do better by Rudy than I did by Bo, nothing seems to change. I just keep making the same mistakes over and over again."

Lauren's eyes went wide when she realized why Mary had been so quiet the past few days. The guilt of how she'd left Bo when she was young was rearing its ugly head as she relived the experience with Rudy,

"First, please remember that we're still not sure you actually have this particular condition. The report was grossly inadequate."

Mary nodded, "As you said earlier today, but why then does my energy come and go? Why do I have these bouts of shortness of breath?"

Lauren shrugged, "I can't answer that question without the test results that should have been in your records. Your symptoms may or may not be unrelated to a single issue. Energy can be related to stress, depression, hormones, chronic fatigue and shortness of breath could be something as simple as asthma. Then there are glandular conditions and many reproductive ailments such as menopause. I would just like everyone to try to have hope."

Mary cocked her head, "Easier said than done, I'm afraid. You're not the one leaving a child behind… leaving a child for the second time."

Lauren sighed, "Mary, I'm sure you feel guilty about how you left Bo and she surely hasn't given much room for forgiveness on that front but surely… you can't really blame yourself for what's happening to you now. First and foremost, if this diagnosis is correct, these conditions are manageable, so I'm fairly certain that you won't be going anywhere too soon. Second, you didn't ask for this – it was passed onto you from one of your parents just as you may have passed it onto any of your five children. You had no way of knowing."

"That doesn't help the shame I feel."

"Why? For having a genetic predisposition to a condition? Mary, there is nothing you could have done to prevent this. There is no shame in having a condition brought on by heredity. You would have to blame your entire family line. It's simply something born to your ancestors."

Mary shook her head, "It feels more like something bestowed upon me by the ancestor spirits for the damage I've caused to those I should have loved and protected. I should have stood up to him. I should have been willing to die for her and instead I ran like a scared child when he threatened me."

"Big Jim? From what Bo has recalled, he was controlling, abusive and kept you from your sons. As for the more recent events, he threatened Bo, not you."

"When he threatened her, he threatened me… she is my very soul, Lauren. I know that sounds ridiculous considering I left her behind – I'm sure that's how it appears to you, the same as Bo – but it wasn't like that at all. Had I not done as he told me, he would have killed or had her killed. Once he thought he had me, he went after her. You would understand if you had a child of your own."

Lauren scowled, "I'm sorry. You're right. I don't have a child of my own, but still, you did what you thought you had to do. There's no changing that, but there is a future for you to look to with your daughters. Yes, there might be a heart condition for you to deal with, but Mary, please understand you could not have prevented this from being passed on to any of your children."

Leaning in, the scientist in Lauren came to the surface and continued, "It's only been in the last ten years or so that we have even known to do genetic testing for this disease, but that testing isn't performed until an adult has the condition. What I can say is that if you have it – and remember, we're still at the 'if' stage – it was passed to you by one of your parents who got it from one of their parents and so forth. We have traced this condition back four generations now. If we had the documentation, I'm sure we could trace it back to the first of each patients' line. No matter what happens, this is not your fault, Mary."

The pair grew silent when the tea kettle began to whistle an insistent tune leading Lauren to return to the kitchen while Mary went back to her knitting. The blonde poured the hot water over the bags in each of the three cups, shaking her head as she worked. She was frustrated with Mary's insistence on personal blame. She needed her to have a positive attitude if she was going to live a long life… if not for her sake, for Rudy's – and Bo's. As much as her fiancé might not realize it right now, she needed her Mom in her life more than she believed.

She pulled one of Bo's hand-carved trays from the counter and set up the servings. She opened the bread box and removed six of the shortbread cookies Mary had baked, adding them to the platter before carrying everything into the living room.

"Here you are." She smiled politely at Mary who responded with a smile and a nod, "It's a cold night. I'm glad we still have tea left. I'll have to pick some up from the store tomorrow."

Mary shook her head, "No need. There's more in the pantry. I picked some up from the herb shop today. I think she's chopping her leaves too fine too soon. It's a bit bland. The leaves our Ysabeau grew will soon be dried and ready for use. Then we'll have the finest tea in the country."

Lauren grinned, "I'm afraid I probably wouldn't notice, having sipped boxed American tea all of my life."

Mary laughed, "You forget – this is American tea, child."

Her eyes grew wide as she realized what she'd said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate that you aren't… I mean… you're the original American. Please forgive…"

"Lauren, relax. I know your heart by now, Child. You would never insult my culture. What I'm saying is that mass production has led to an inferior product. They cut the plants too soon because of the demand in supply. Of course, I'm sure it also sits in warehouses for too long and becomes stale."

Lauren nodded, sipping her tea, "I am definitely able to taste the difference between this tea and the tea back home."

"Be careful my daughter doesn't hear you refer to Boston as home. She's set on you calling this home." Mary laughed.

"Of course. It's just… habit." Lauren sighed, "Thank you for picking up the tea. I do appreciate it."

Mary shrugged, "It's the least I can do. I live here rent free while you and Bo pay for everything."

Lauren smiled, "We don't need your money, Mary… but we do need you."

"Need an old fool like me? That's kind of you to say, but…"

"But nothing – and you're just hitting the fifty mark. If your life is going to be shorter than expected, you must remember that I know nothing about Athabascan culture. If you wish for Rudy to learn from me one day, you've got lessons to teach me. I know nothing about dog sledding except the basics that Bo has taught me. You do notice I'm not sledding on my own yet, right? She doesn't trust me out there anymore than I would trust myself. I can handle most things about the sled, but the wilderness is a whole different ball of wax. Honestly, I know little more than Rudy does, yet I may have to drive my team through deep snow in order to tend to patients in need this winter."

"Bo will drive you."

Lauren shook her head, "And if she's not around or heaven forbid, she's the one who's sick? I can't always rely on Bo to rescue me. I've got to learn to be as self-sufficient as she is without getting myself killed in the process. I've tried trial and error – it didn't work out well for me."

Mary chuckled, "So you just need me for my knowledge, huh?"

Lauren stilled her cup, mid sip, "Uh… no… that's not what I'm saying. I mean… I respect your knowledge and would be grateful if you shared it with me, but it's not the only thing…"

Mary laughed, "Again, relax, child. I was kidding. My, you are wound tight, aren't you!" She said, sipping her tea as her eyes remained set on the flames."

"Oh. Well… that's good because I'd hate for you to think I didn't care for you." Lauren replied awkwardly. She could just never get the hang of when Mary was joking.

They both looked over their shoulder when they heard a throat clear. Bo entered the room,

"You two look cozy." She came to stand in front of the fire, holding her hands out towards the flame, "Cold night. I'd better get the stoves cranking."

She headed up the stairway, as Lauren called out to her, "Bo, I've made you tea. Don't let it get cold."

"I'll be right back." She called down as she disappeared over their heads.

Lauren sat quietly, staring at the fire and sipping her tea. She cupped her hands around the mug and inhaled the warm steam that flowed from the surface. It wasn't long until Bo came back down,

"I started two fires in your part of the house, Mom."

"One in the bedroom, yes?"

Bo nodded, adding wood to the fireplace, "Yes. The other in your sitting room."

"Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome." Bo smiled, coming to sit beside Lauren. She accepted the offered cup of tea and grabbed two cookies from the tray, "Did you make these, Mom?"

Mary nodded, "This morning."

"Mmmm… they're good. Whatcha makin'?" Bo asked, trying to make out what was on her Mom's knitting needles.

"Another blanket. We can never have too many with the way your family stops in around here."

"They're your family too, Mom."

Mary shook her head, "They're not my blood, Ysabeau. They are from your Father… with another woman."

Bo shrugged, "A woman who wasn't lucky enough to get away from Big Jim. Thankfully, you had the sense to run when he threatened you. Tosh tells me she died a slow death. Lauren went back over the medical records at his request."

"Oh?" Mary asked.

Lauren nodded, "She was poisoned. A little bit – likely administered daily – over a long time."

"How did you know?" Mary asked.

"I found evidence of more than twenty-four fractures in her skeletal remains that the coroner did not reveal to the family since they didn't ask. Despite those findings, Tosh knows of no traumatic injury to his Mother during his lifetime. It is unlikely the depth and size of those fractures would have been caused in her childhood. Three of the injuries were spiral fractures to the wrist or forearm which is indicative of being pulled or tugged abruptly."

"So you think she was abused." Mary concluded.

Lauren nodded, "I do. In addition, there is no evidence of anything that would have caused a long-term illness such as the one Tosh describes – no cancer or debilitating disease. Her doctor never mentioned problems with her heart or lungs, but he does mention liver failure. I won't bore you with the specifics, but there are things left behind – markers of a sort when poisons are used, and there is evidence of arsenic poisoning."

"Arsenic, you say?" Mary asked, her fingers working faster.

Bo and Lauren shared a look before turning back to Mary, "Yes. Why?"

Mary took a long swig of her tea before she answered, "Big Jim used to carry a black bottle with a large X on it. He would never tell me what was in the bottle – just that it wasn't for kids."

Nodding, Lauren replied, "I suppose he got the poison up north, then carried it down here so no one could witness him purchasing the deadly mixture."

Mary stood, carrying her tea to the fire. She stood close to the stone, her eyes firmly attached to the orange glow as she spoke,

"Seline had such knowledge. She may have made the potions for him while she lived on the North Slope, then continued to supply him when he needed them down here." She stopped what she was doing, going back over the row to count her progress, while she nonchalantly asked,

"How would one know they were being poisoned?"

Lauren shrugged, "Early stage symptoms would vary - headaches, general sickness, possibly stomach pain as it impacts abdominal organs, dizziness or weakness, possibly a fever, loss of appetite. Late stage would see various organs beginning to fail. The sporadic dizziness and weakness would continue as symptoms progressed. Honestly, the symptoms would vary with the dosage and method of administering the toxin into the system. The effects would be long term without treatment."

Mary nodded, "And could this cause the condition in my heart?"

Lauren shook her head, "Arsenic poisoning generally affects the lungs, liver and kidneys," Lauren replied, her mind heading into overdrive as she tried to process the information at her disposal.

She had heard all of it before, but for some reason, she didn't connect the dots until now. Could it be possible that the doctor that Mary saw was somehow connected to Big Jim? How would that be possible? Jim was never in Hawaii… or was he? Obviously, she had not been present for these events so couldn't know the whereabouts of Bo's father until very recently, but who would? He had cells of men seemingly stretched across the northwest. Were they elsewhere?

She stood from the sofa, "It would be a gross misdiagnosis for a physician to mistake a poisoning for myopathy."

Bo looked at Lauren, confused, "Where are you going?"

"I have to call Tamsin."

"Tamsin? Now?" Bo asked.

"Yes, now."

Bo looked at her Mom who looked up towards the loft and commented, "This leads me to believe that your doctor believes your Father was somehow involved in what's happening to me. She's going to Tamsin for answers to her questions."

It took a moment for Bo to connect the dots, but when she did her anger flared. She turned to the fire, her eyes searching the flames for answers, "The real question is if the damage he brought into our lives will ever end."

Mary lowered her head,

"I brought." She said flatly, emphasizing her role.

"What?"

"The damage I brought, Bo!" She looked up at her elder daughter, a mix of fear and rage in her eyes, "I brought him into our lives. I did this. Just like I may have given you and Rudy a deadly disease if this isn't caused by your Father's meddling."

Bo shook her head, "Is that what you think?"

"It's the truth." She replied, her eyes lowering in shame once again.

Bo sighed, putting down her mug. She turned to face her Mom, "Okay, so we're assigning blame? Well, then I'm the one who did this to you… I'm the one who made you believe this was all your fault. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. I know exactly what kind of ruthless, vengeful, power-hungry, manipulative, horrible man my Father was, and I never should have blamed you for what happened to me. If you had stayed, he would have killed both of us, plain and simple. Because you left, we're both alive and the Spirits gave us Rudy."

She took her Mom's hand, "Look at me, Mom."

Mary's eyes remained on the floor, though Bo could see a single tear drop from her cheek, "Mom, look at me."

Finally the older woman turned, her eyes red as tears trailed down her cheeks, "When you were young born, I was so excited to finally have a girl… to have a child I could shape and teach… a child he wouldn't take under his wing and steal away from me. As you grew, you were… you were everything, Ysabeau… and I wanted so much more for you."

"I know, Mom. I remember. You wanted me to be smart and I studied so hard to make you proud. School was everything to me."

"You wanted to be the first one in the family to go to college. You wanted to grow things… all kinds of things."

Bo nodded with a smile, "I loved to spend time with you in the garden at the restaurant."

Mary smiled, "Some of my most cherished memories are of you in that garden… running up and down the rows, your long, dark mane of hair flying behind you in the breeze. Your pink cheeks puffy as you smiled, chasing butterflies… always, always smiling."

She cupped Bo's cheek, tracing her thumb over the bulge of skin, "Then I left and Big Jim took over. Your smile went away. Every picture the agent sent me… no smile."

"You got pictures of me?"

She shook her head, "The agent left a box with pictures. Surveillance pictures. He'd been keeping an eye on you… or one of his men. I'm not sure. Seven pictures… no smiles. He found you and Big Jim before he found me. He told me who he was and what he was trying to do. He asked me questions and told me what my cheating, theiving, murdering husband was doing. I suppose I already knew that he was a bad man – but murderer? I always thought they were just threats."

She sighed, "He said that if I was cooperative, he would make sure we were safe. I asked about my sons…"

Bo saw another tear fall from her Mother's cheek as she explained, "He said they had been implemented in several of his crimes including two of the murders… there was nothing he could do for them. He said that he had to be careful – that he was concerned our Father would catch on to him. Then… for years I didn't hear from him. I thought everyone was dead – the agent, your brothers… you… until Tamsin."

She shook out her thoughts, "Anyway, your friend Dyson…"

"He's not my friend." Bo scowled.

Mary's head jerked quickly towards Bo, "Well, he could have fooled me."

"It complicated." Bo replied.

"Well, uncomplicate it for me."

Bo sighed, "He's in love with me. He thinks this thing with Lauren is just a curiosity."

"A curiosity?"

"He doesn't think I'm really a lesbian."

"And why would he think that?"

Bo shrugged, turning her eyes to the floor."

"Ysabeau?"

Bo rolled her eyes, throwing her head back, "I slept with him, okay? I just needed… release!"

She looked at her Mom, receiving a disapproving glare,

"I only slept with him once… or twice… okay, so I slept with him a little more than twice… okay, I slept with him a lot, but I never lied to him! He knew it was just sex for me! He knew I didn't like people or the complication of relationships and emotions and expectations!"

Mary laughed, "Oh, Ysabeau. You should know better than to toy with a man's emotions. Did you learn nothing from watching your Father and I growing up?"

Bo shrugged, "I didn't remember Big Jim was my Dad let alone remember the two of you together. Dr. Gray says I used something called defense mechanisms that put my brain into survival mode. Suppression, denial, displacement… apparently, I used just about every one in the book."

"You're angry with the man for loving you just because you can't reciprocate that love? He saved you many times, Ysabeau."

She shrugged, "He's overbearing and overprotective."

"I'd say he's simply following his instincts – instincts that come from true love, Ysabeau. He's not trying to be anything but who he is. I notice he's not around here banging on your door, bringing you flowers? As a matter of fact, I've barely seen the man. It seems to me he is respecting the boundaries and your relationship with Lauren despite how he feels. It takes strong man to resist the pull of true love, Ysabeau. You should remember that – and if you can't, then at least respect the fact that you wouldn't be marrying Lauren if it weren't for him?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bo asked, "If anything, he tried to keep me from marrying Lauren."

Mary smiled, "No, he tried to win your heart by telling you how he felt. And what I mean is that if he hadn't helped you when Big Jim imprisoned you in that jail cell, you and I never would have seen each other again, you would never have met your little sister and that Doctor of yours wouldn't even no you exist for you never would have met. You would have died on the cold floor behind those old iron bars from your wounds."

Bo closed her eyes, wishing away the image that immediately began to play in her mind. It seemed that since she'd started talking about the events of her life with Doctor Gray, the flashbacks came more easily than before… sometimes in scattered images that didn't seem to make sense.

"I don't want to talk about it," Bo snapped.

"Okay, but I hope one day you will tell me what you've survived so that you can share the burden of your past with me. I helped bring it about, so the least I can do is carry half of the load if not more. Besides, I know a bit about that look on your face. The night he killed your team was not the first night he took a dogs' life nor was it the first time he'd beat a member of his family half to death."

Bo watched as her Mother's eyes turned to the fire. She could see her physically shudder at whatever memory had rushed through her mind. She had no idea what her Mom had suffered at the hands of her husband. She had very few memories of them together in their home.

Bo shook her head, "You know, this conversation started with me trying to reassure you about your burden, not you trying to reassure me about mine."

Mary nodded, heaving a great sigh before her shoulders visibly relaxed and she turned towards her daughter, offering a half smile, "So it did."

"Listen, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't forgive you as soon as you set foot in town. Big Jim did this to us. I should have recognized that he took me from you just as he took you from me. He wanted us to be apart because he knew that we were stronger together."

"Together, we would have been no match for him." Mary replied, squeezing Bo's hand, "You were getting older, stronger and wiser. We were – and still are - a strong pair of Athabascan women with the spirits of our ancestors and the children of nature on our side. He would not have stood a chance against us."

"Except for that shotgun he carried with him everywhere he went." Bo chuckled, shaking her head.

Mary laughed, "Yes, that's true."

A moment of silence followed before Bo looked up at Mary, her expression soft and caring, "I forgive you, Mom. And I apologize for ever being mad at you."

"And I apologize for bringing such a man into your life."

"Well, you see, that's the catch, Mom. If you hadn't brought him into your life, I wouldn't have my life." Bo smiled, "Besides, if I've inherited anything of benefit from him, it's his stubborn streak, persistence and never-say-die attitude towards life."

"You forgot to mention his charm." Mary laughed.

"Right. He's certainly charming… whenever he wants something," Bo said, sarcastically.

The two shared a glance, Mary shrugging, "I wonder why we still speak of him as if he's alive?"

Bo cocked her head to one side, "I suppose it's because the pain he caused is still alive in us and as long as it lives, so does he."

The pair looked up when Lauren came down the stairs, pulling on her boots, "I'm going to the clinic."

"No you're not." Bo said, looking back at her Mom as she stood and stepped in front of her fiancé.

"Yes, I am." Lauren said, handing Bo a stack of books, "Hold these."

The doctor side-stepped the brunette and moved to the kitchen, pulling her pack from the wall before walking back to Bo in the living room. She took the books and began loading them into the pack.

"Lauren, this is crazy. You cannot go out there right now."

She looked up at Bo, shaking her head, "Bo, this is me… the real me. I realize this may seem strange to you, but it's my process. When I'm on a case, I have to go with my instincts and right now, I need to go to the clinic and do some research."

"Lauren, surely this can wait until morning." Bo replied.

The doctor shook her head, "I have patients to see in the morning and I'll lose my train of thought. I have to do this now before I run the tests I have scheduled for your Mom. If this has something to do with poison, time is of the essence."

"What is five or six more hours! It's been months! It can wait until morning! It's almost midnight and it's snowing again, Lauren. You cannot go out there."

Lauren smirked, walking to the table by the windows and grabbing some paper. She shook her head, putting the paper back before dropping her bag and running towards the steps.

"Lauren!" Bo yelled, before throwing her hands over her head and dropping them to her sides in frustration.

For her part, Lauren took the steps two at a time. Moments later, she was running back down the steps, Mary and Bo turning to follow her movement. The older raven-haired woman was now standing beside Bo, her hands on her hips as she spoke calmly to the doctor,

"Child, you said I won't be dying any time soon. Are you certain this can't wait until morning?"

"Yes, Mary. I'm certain. I have all sorts of ideas running through my head right now and if I don't work the problem now, I'll lose the flow of ideas." She stopped, looking up at Mary, "Besides, if I'm right, I may have been wrong about you dying any time soon. I'm sorry I didn't consider this possibility knowing Big Jim as I do."

She pulled the pack onto her back and looked up at the pair, "I need the two of you to trust me. If I'm right, then the proof I need is at the clinic. I won't know if I'm right until I'm there and doing my research. If I'm right, I can save you – and the organs this poison is slowly killing every minute it's in your body. I have to go now if there will be no ill side-effects… I mean, beyond death, obviously."

Bo turned to her Mom, who shrugged, "Go."

"I'm driving." Bo replied.

"Bo, no. You have all sorts of things going on tomorrow and you need your sleep. Besides, one of us has to be here in the morning to take Rudy to school if your Mom is going to take care of the dogs."

"I can bring the dogs now and she can handle Rudy. I'll follow you on the sled and you can drive my truck."

Lauren nodded, "I am taking your truck and you can take the dogs in the morning. They're probably sound asleep. Don't wake them up now."

"You forget that they're accustomed to running on short bursts of sleep. Iditarod Champions, remember?" Bo smiled, walking towards the blonde, but she held up her hands,

"Bo, I need to go… alone. I need to think."

Bo scowled, "About what?"

Lauren could see the panicked look in her fiancé's eyes and quickly clarified, "This has nothing to do with our previous discussion. I'm going to think about science… not about us."

Bo visibly released a heavy breath, "Right," she shook her head, "But I don't understand what the harm is in being safe. It's better to travel in pairs out here."

Lauren shook her head, moving to the kitchen and grabbing the truck keys, but Bo followed quickly, stilling the doctor's hand. Lauren looked up at the brunette,

"You travel alone out here all the time… you always have. I made the decision to move here, Bo… to this state… to this vast wilderness. I've read every book that's been written about this place. I've read your early journals that outlined every lesson you've learned. I've learned from Molly, Mark, Tosh, LJ, Kurt and anyone else who would give me advice. I'm not the naïve doctor you rescued from the blizzard almost a year ago, Bo. I'm smarter and more experienced. Granted, I know I still have a lot of practical experiences to learn from, but I won't learn if I don't try. If I'm going to continue to live here, I've got to be able to come and go as I need to. Being part of a couple doesn't mean we're with each other every waking minute. You have to trust that I don't need your protection every minute of every day and night, but I do need your teachings and support."

She looked over Bo's shoulder, "Yours too, Mary."

Bo nodded, "I know all of that, but I don't understand why I can't just go with you just this once."

Lauren shrugged, "There has to be a first time that I go out in a blizzard alone again, Bo! You want to go because you think you have to protect me… not because you really want to go. You'd rather I just stay here. You don't think that my work is important for what you perceive as an unnecessary risk."

"Okay, so maybe you're right. I don't think that some science project you want to do at midnight is important enough to get yourself killed over!"

"Ysabeau!" Mary scolded, leading Bo to turn and cower. Bo turned back to Lauren,

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice."

Mary walked between Bo and Lauren, grabbing a scarf from the coat rack, "It's very cold. Call us if you have trouble or when you get there so that we know you're safe. If you don't call, I won't be able to stop my stubborn daughter from coming after you. Be sure you have your phone on."

Lauren smiled as Mary gripped her head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She then reached up to the top shelf, pulling down the solar battery charger that had been plugged in all day, "I charged this today when I saw the weather. Remember to plug it in at the clinic if you use it on the way there. With no sun…"

Lauren nodded, "Solar batteries can't charge."

Mary smiled, tucking the blonde's scarf into her collar. It was a gesture that Lauren found comforting. Her own Mother had never done such a thing, though she'd remembered other Mom's doing it for their kids when she was a child. She smiled at Mary as she continued,

"The snow is deep. The trail will be narrow. If you won't take the team, take the iron dog." Mary took the truck keys from Lauren's hands and handed her the key to the snow machine, "Don't forget to wear a helmet and a riding suit."

"No!" Bo protested, stepping towards Lauren, "You know how I feel about those damn things! You can't!"

Lauren shook her head, her eyes now angry, her voice impatient,

"Ysabeau Dennis, if you love me, then trust me to take care of myself. I don't have a death wish and I am all about safety. I'm not taking the shortcut, so I'm not crossing the lake, river or creeks. I'm riding a straight line to town – the long way. You took greater risks on the Iditarod trail while crazed men were chasing you to kill you. I spent weeks worrying about you and you treated me like shit the entire time. I am taking your Mother's advice and taking the snow machine. You will stay here and that's final."

The blonde stepped past Bo who turned and glared at her Mom, "I can't believe you gave her the keys to that thing! If anything happens to her…"

"Nothing is going to happen to her, Bo. She's very well trained on the machine." Mary replied.

Bo's eyes went wide, "You? You've been teaching her how to ride that deathtrap?"

"She asked me. I had no reason to reject her request."

"You had no right!" Bo replied.

"I had no right to honor a request from a grown woman who is caring for my youngest daughter and paying my bills?" Mary laughed, "You're overreacting, child."

"Overreacting? You're sending the love of my life out on a machine that will likely kill her!"

Mary frowned, "Kill her? Really? Do you know how many people ride those every day around here?"

"Yes! And a lot of them end up dead!"

"Bo, that is simply not true. Your fear is clouding your judgment."

The brunette turned when she heard the garage door raise. She rushed out the door, her Mom calling after her,

"Bo! You have no jacket on!"

The brunette ran past the indoor kennels where the dogs were all wide awake and barking. She grabbed the blanket that was laying atop the basket of her sled to dry and wrapped it around her, then grabbed a pair of googles at the door. Holding them up to her eyes, she pushed out into the storm, dragging her legs through the knee-deep snow. She took a breath to yell and the cold air filled her lungs, burning them instantly. She covered her mouth with the blanket and tried again,

"Lauren!" She called out as the iron dog roared to life, but all she could do was watch as her fiancé pulled out of the barn and into the deep drifts of the snowswept driveway. Lauren slowed for a moment. Turning to Bo, she shouted over the engine,

"Trust me! I'll be fine! Go back inside!"

Bo dropped to her knees as Lauren sped off down the long snow-covered road towards Talkeetna. She felt her Mom pull the goggle strap over her head and wrap another blanket around her,

"Come – before you catch your death out here. She'll be fine, Bo."

Bo leaned on her Mom all the way to the garage, turning back one last time to see the taillights of the machine. She sighed, shaking her head,

"You'd better be right, Mom or I will never forgive you for handing her those keys."

Mary shook her head, watching as her daughter made her way back into the house before she spoke quietly into the storm,

"You're more like you're Father than you'd care to admit… or remember." Mary said, "And there's a story behind this fear of yours. I think you're going to tell me all about it tonight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four Hours Later…

Bo was tossing and turning in her bed as the conversation… or rather, confrontation that she had created with Lauren played over and over again in her head. She didn't understand why the blonde had been so stubborn. It would have been no trouble at all for her to accept a ride into town with Bo,

"I would have slept on one of the beds in the clinic or even in the bed in the apartment. It's not a big deal, right? Why is she so damn stubborn?" She whispered her argument to the rafters of their bedroom.

After Lauren left, Bo had remained dressed, planning to be forced out into the night to check on her. It wasn't that Bo expected Lauren to be in trouble. The more likely scenario was that the doctor would get wrapped up in her science and forget to make the call home. If she was being completely honest with herself, Bo was hoping to have a reason to make the trip just so she could say she was right.

She sat up, frustrated with the thoughts whirling around in her mind and reached for her phone. She tapped Lauren's name in her contacts before allowing her thumb to hover over the call button, but stopped,

"You're probably asleep." She said, remembering the call she'd received from Lauren after she arrived at the clinic, alive and well. She'd sounded so tired, "I shouldn't wake you no matter how much I want to scream at you for leaving me alone in this bed."

She put the phone on her bedside table before rolling over and reaching out to grab Lauren's pillow, sighing at the empty space beside her. The small picture frame on Lauren's nightstand caught her eye in the dim light. Bo smiled at the memory of the two of them at the Union Oyster House in Boston. Betsy had taken the picture and brought it with her in a frame as a housewarming gift. The glow of the phone vanished, taking with it the image, but it was already burned into Bo's mind. She ran her fingertips over the cool sheets,

"I hate it when you're not beside me."

She sat up again, picking up the phone, but hesitated again, "Damn. When did I get so clingy?"

She pulled up her contact list and dialed, the phone ringing several times before a groggy voice answered,

"What the hell, Bo! Do you know what time it is?"

Bo cringed, "Actually, I don't."

"This had better be important."

"I can't sleep." Bo replied, her voice holding at least half of the frustration she was feeling.

"Oh, so I shouldn't get any sleep either? What the fuck, Bo. I have to get up early to meet the plumber."

"I'm screwing up with Lauren and I don't know what to do."

There was a long stretch of silence before she heard the rustling sound of blankets and a throat clearing,

"I find it hard to believe you could screw things up permanently. That woman is head over heels for you. She calls you her soulmate, Bo. Her soulmate."

"I know and I believe she's mine, too! I mean, I'm laying here feeling like half a person because she's staying at the clinic apartment tonight!"

"You've got nothing to worry about. You're like… the peanut butter to her jelly, the salt to her pepper, the fruit to her smoothie, the bait to her hook, the table to her chairs, the…"

"What?" Bo asked, confused.

"I'm sorry. It's three a.m. so don't expect me to be at my best." A yawn followed, "Okay. How are you screwing things up this time?"

"I don't know."

"Then how the hell do you know you're screwing up?"

"I don't know."

"Did she say she was leaving you?"

Bo shook her head, "No."

"Did she say she was mad at you?"

"No."

"Did she yell at you?"

Bo replayed the conversation as far back as she remembered. It was a jumbled mess in her head, but she was pretty sure the only voice that was raised in anger was her own. Lauren was just… frustrated and insistent.

"No."

"Then why are we talking, Bo?"

Her voice cracked, "I don't know, Kenzi!"

There was an audible sigh, "Get dressed, get the dogs ready and get over here. We'll have an early breakfast. A really, really… really, really early breakfast."

"I don't want to bother you, Kenzi."

The younger woman laughed, "Really? You do remember that you called me, right?"

"I know and I'm sorry." The tears fell harder.

"Bo, you're not a crier. The cold air and your dogs are just what the doctor ordered for this mood."

"If only my doctor was the one writing this prescription." Bo sobbed, "I have to take Rudy to school in the morning, so I can't come. I'd never make it back in time."

"Then come when she wakes up. If you get her up a little early, she can have breakfast with us. Tell her I'll make her sunshine pancakes."

"Thanks, Kenzi."

"I've always got your back, BoBo, you know that. I'd just prefer it was after I've gotten my beauty sleep. You know, I have to work at lookin' like a super model. Contrary to popular belief, I don't just wake up looking as fabulous as I do."

Bo's wet cheeks curved into a small smile, "I'll be there as soon as I can get Rudy out of bed."

"Yea, well good luck with that little lump. She's not exactly the most cooperative morning child."

Bo nodded, "She's got her good days and her bad days."

"Okay, well I'm going to get a couple more hours of Z's. Text me when you're leaving. I'll have breakfast for your girls too. Bring them around the back door instead of putting them into the kennel."

"Thanks, Kenzi. I appreciate it."

"I know you do. Later." Kenzi said, hanging up before Bo could reply.

The brunette hung up the phone and stared at the screen. Her thumb hovered over the contacts once more. Finally, she took a breath and made the call. It rung several times, eventually going to voicemail. Her mind went into overdrive, wondering if Lauren was okay. She dialed again, this time getting an answer on the fourth ring,

"Talkeetna Clinic, this is Doctor Lewis."

Bo hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Hello?"

"Uh… hi."

"Bo?"

"Yea, it's me."

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"I… uh… I suppose I could ask you the same thing."

Lauren sighed, "I'm working."

"You have to be up soon. Shouldn't you get some sleep?"

"No, Bo. I mean I'm literally with a patient. We had an emergency. He came in about forty minutes ago. I was asleep at my desk."

"Who?"

"It's not a local, Bo. It's a tourist from Montana. He was out here to attend Boyd Washinton's sledding school and decided to do a night run on his own."

"Stupid outsiders."

"Yea, well… careful there, Miss Dennis. I was a stupid outsider at one time, too. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, as they say. I've really gotta go, Bo."

"Do you need me to come into town?"

"Do you suddenly have a medical license?" Lauren asked before realizing how Bo might interpret her comment as more condescending than a joke.

"I realize I don't have a high school diploma, but there was a time you thought I could be of some use in situations like this. Good night, Lauren."

Bo hung up abruptly, leading Lauren to hold the receiver of the old landline against her chest, shaking her head. The last few hours with her fiancé had been tense at best. She really did need to tread more gently, but then again, the brunette was getting on her last nerve with the protectiveness.

She walked to her desk and picked up her phone, sending off two texts. The first was an apology and clarification to Bo that ended with an 'I love you' and the second was to her colleague, Faith Gray requesting an appointment at her earliest convenience. She had a lot to get off her chest and sorting through what she should and shouldn't share with Bo was a job for a professional since Lauren was certainly not sharing wisely at this time.

Her phone had barely touched her desk when it rang. Seeing Kenzi's name, she accepted the call,

"Kenzi? Everything okay?"

"Well, your wife called, so apparently not. Are you mad at her?"

Lauren sighed, "My fiancé and I'm more frustrated then mad."

"Why aren't you home?"

"My science… I mean… Bo, Mary and I were talking when I got a lead on something from Mary's past. It gave me an idea about… how to solve a particular patient issue and… well…"

"Your big brain took off and you had to come into town to do your science stuff."

"Exactly. Thank you." Lauren said, relieved that Kenzi got it.

"So what's the problem with Bo?"

"She wanted me to wait until morning, but… well, I had all of this stuff in my head, so I just had to come in and get it all down. I had a few books at home, but most of my research materials are here. I also have high speed internet here."

"Still haven't convinced BoBo that a cell tower is worth the invasion of the natural elements at the homestead?"

"Nope. She built her house to be off grid for a reason, Kenzi. I can't ask her to betray that. I've got electric, running water and internet here and that's enough. Besides, it will prevent me from allowing my personal and professional lives to become too intertwined. When I'm at the homestead with Bo, I want to be fully present with her."

"Got it. So why does Bo think she's screwed things up with you?"

"What?" Lauren asked.

"That's what she said. She called me about thirty minutes ago all freaked out that she had screwed up your relationship. I think she's afraid you're going to change your mind about being with her."

Lauren shook her head, "Kenzi, I'm not going anywhere… but honestly, she's driving me crazy. I've seen it in patients before."

"What?" Kenzi asked.

"Fear, Kenzi."

"Fear? Are we talking about the same Bo because I think we can both agree that our Bo is likely the most fearless person in the whole of Alaska… if not the world."

"Normally I would agree, yes but right now, it seems like everywhere Bo looks, she is afraid of losing someone or something. It's like the fear has taken hold of her and won't let her go. Every decision, every thought, every waking moment is spent dwelling on those fears. The fearless Bo I had learned to handle, but this one – I don't know what to do, Kenzi."

"You know, Doc - Bo's life has changed an awful lot in the past year. She went from having nothing to having it all and then some. I think now that she's opened herself up to the possibilities her new life has to offer, she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Let's face it, until now, it always has. Being so isolated most of her life, she had the luxury of low expectations and low emotional connections. Now that she's allowed herself to feel, experience and connect, she's got everything to lose."

Lauren heard Kenzi heave a big sigh before she continued,

"We haven't talked much about the losses we've both experienced in life, but I'm sure we've each had our burdens to bear. Bo has never known loss – never. Even when she lost her Mom as a kid, she never really allowed herself to believe she was gone. For whatever reason, memories of her Dad were lost to her – probably trauma or some psychological shit like that, but she never felt loss because she didn't remember him. Now, she's gotten just a small taste of loss from her brothers' deaths and Seline's betrayal. I think she realizes that if those losses feel as bad as they do, that losing her Mom, Rudy, me, Kyle, Molly, Mark, Tosh, LJ, Michael and especially you would be devastating. She's holding on tight like she did with you last year… too tight."

Lauren sighed, "I guess I'm so deep in my day to day life with Bo, I hadn't been able to step back and see the big picture. But Kenzi, that fear is consuming her and now, curing that fear is consuming me. I left last night because the science I'm doing could allay some of those fears… big fears."

"This is about Mary's heart disease."

"She told you?"

"Of course she did, Doc. I'm Bo's second brain. When things don't make sense in her actual brain, she uses mine as a backup."

Lauren smiled, "Well, I'm glad she has you."

"Likewise. So did you figure anything out?"

"Nothing I'm ready to share other than the fact that I'm pretty sure her doctor in Hawaii was a Quack."

"You mean…"

"I called Tamsin. She got here about an hour ago with an emergency case Kurt's plane was diverted to… she found out that the doctor in Hawaii didn't have an actual medical license. Actually, I really need to get back to my patient."

"Okay, Doc. Bo's coming in for breakfast. I'll see if I can do a little clean up."

"Thank you, Kenzi."

"You betcha. Chat later, Doc."

Lauren ended the call, placing her phone on her desk. Her fingers danced over the device for a few moments as she thought about the last few hours. She really needed to be more patient with Bo. She was accustomed to the tough, fearless woman she fell in love with, but that was not the Bo she was living with right now. Kenzi was right – after having nothing for most of her life, Bo had been gifted so much recently. Anyone would be scared in her position, although she was pretty sure her fiancé wasn't quite consciously aware of those fears.

For now, she would check on her patient and then get back to Mary's case when Tamsin got back from visiting Dyson. The best thing she could do right now for Bo was to figure this out. Maybe then, Bo would have one less thing to fear.

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