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?

31. Chapter 31: Connecting

Chapter 31: Connecting

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Four hours later…

Rudy stood in front of a sleeping Bo and Lauren - her arms crossed while Harper stood next to her. The couple had been sleeping for hours. Shannie and Lynnie had each called once asking if they were coming over soon. Rudy had picked up both calls and asked if she was invited. Of course, Shannon had told her on the first call that she was, so Rudy was growing impatient. She wanted to see her Nurse friends, but her Mom wouldn't let her drive a sled down to their house on her own even though she promised to be extra careful. She had even suggested her Mom going in the basket while she drove, but her Mom still said no.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Molly staring down at her with a smile. She whispered and wagged a finger at Rudy, "Come with me. Your Mother and I have a surprise for the two of you in the kitchen."

Rudy didn't have to be asked twice. Anything was better than watching her Sister and Lauren sleep, so she ran off behind Molly. When she got to the kitchen, she ran to her best friend,

"Elise! You're here!"

The two hugged, then gave their secret handshake – which wasn't such a secret anymore,

"Molly said she has a surprise. Do you know what it is - I mean, besides you being here? Are you staying for family dinner?"

Elise smiled, "Yup and we brought stuff to make chocolate chip cookies!"

Rudy threw her signature fist pump, "Yes!"

"Okay, girls. Get your aprons on." Mary smiled, handing the girls two garments.

"Aprons?" The pair said together, looking up at their kitchen mentor,

"Yes, girls. These are very special aprons."

The two older women watched as the pair unfolded the aprons and put them on, each tying the back for the other before they were able to stand and read the front,

"Friends by chance, sisters by choice." Rudy read, both taking a moment until the meaning settled in. They both smiled, wrapping each other in a hug once more.

"Who got them for us?" Elise asked.

Molly cocked her head, "Does it matter?"

"Of course! How do we know who to thank if you don't tell us?" Elise asked.

Molly smiled, "Good point. They're actually from Adam."

"Really?" Rudy asked, "I didn't know Adam even knew what an apron was!"

"We'll write him a thank you card," Elise said while Rudy nodded her reply, "In cursive!"

"That's very kind of you, girls," Mary said, "Now, hop up on the stools. We've set everything up for you. I'm going to go nap. Molly will supervise."

"Are you okay, Momma?" Rudy asked, "You just got up from a nap a little while ago."

"I'm fine, Child. I've just taken my medicine. You know it makes me drowsy."

Rudy nodded, "Do you want me to walk you back to our house?"

Mary shook her head, "I'm fine, Roo. You get started on the cookies, so we have them for dinner. We've got quite a crowd coming this weekend."

"Cool!" Rudy smiled, running around the table to stand on the stool next to Molly while Elise mounted the stool on the other side, the two anxiously awaiting Molly's instructions.

Baking with Molly had become quite the ritual for the months they were without Bo and Lauren. The first few weeks, the two Mothers had found themselves struggling to deal with two very depressed youngsters. Finding activities to distract them from their missing friends had become the norm. Baking happened by accident, but it had become their go-to diversion for the pair. Mary and Molly had agreed to have some base ingredients in each of their kitchens, so they were ready at the first sign of a tear.

Eventually, they added regular events such as knitting and crocheting, sled building and mushing lessons from Kyle and Mary, learning to ice fish with LJ and Mark, helping to build the new homes for their families with Path and Slate and working at the kennel clinic with Cassie. Not only had it kept them busy and raised their spirits, but they had also become very skilled in all of those endeavors.

"Okay, my girls, that's it!" Molly smiled after putting the last tray of cookies into the oven, "Another fifteen minutes and this batch will be finished. Go ahead and put those in the tins. They should be cool. I'll clean up. You can run along and play. Hang your aprons on the hooks in the closet with Mom Mary's aprons."

The girls did as they were told and quickly packed up the cookies, each of them sneaking one for themselves. Molly knew, of course. The whispering and giggles gave them away every time they baked.

Once the aprons were hung, the girls tip-toed into the living room to lay with Harper in front of the fire. Though Molly warned them not to wake Bo and Lauren, the two girls decided it wouldn't hurt if they woke up on their own… or if Harper woke them up.

They sat in front of the fire and called Harper to lay in front of them, petting her and giving her treats. When she was sufficiently bribed, they whispered 'speak' several times, trying to get her to bark. Unfortunately, Harper wasn't taking the cue. So, Rudy grabbed a blanket and held out the corner, to Harper's mouth,

"Cover Bo. She's cold. Cover Bo."

Again, Harper didn't obey, but instead laid down and pulled the blanket over herself, letting out a deep breath.

"Maybe Molly will let us take the sled to the Lynnie and Shannie's house if she goes with us." Rudy suggested.

Elise shook her head, "Not with the oven on and cookies that could burn. You know family dinner has to be perfect."

Rudy nodded, "What is she making?"

"Her famous beef stew."

"Really? She hasn't made that for months!" Rudy said, raising her voice enough that Elise covered her mouth.

"Sorry." Rudy said in a whisper, "Why's she making it now?"

Elise nodded towards the couple on the couch, "The favorites are home."

"We're the favorites. They're not as cute and adorable as we are." Rudy smiled.

Elise laughed, covering her own mouth this time, "Then why doesn't she make us beef stew all the time?"

"She does make it for you." Rudy smiled, "You just don't share it with me."

Elise shrugged, "I'm sorry. I know it's your favorite too. I promise that when she makes it, I'll sneak a bowl for you to have at school."

"Awesome. We can use that microwave thing to heat it."

Elise nodded, "You have to ask Mrs. Si for help using it."

"I know. She's super nice."

Elise nodded her agreement, then nodded towards Bo and Lauren, "When do you think they're gonna wake up?"

Rudy shrugged, "They've been asleep forever."

"Well, your Sister did just run a sled race."

Rudy nodded, "And your Sister did just come back from taking care of the people who were hurt there."

"She's not my sister. She's my guardian." Elise countered.

Rudy shrugged, "Yea, but you have Molly and Mark as your guardians now. Wouldn't it be cool if Lauren was your sister and Bo was mine?"

"Bo is yours."

"But Lauren could be yours. Remember our aprons?" Rudy asked.

Elise smiled, "She can be my Sister by choice!"

"Shhh. We'll get in so much trouble if we wake them up." Rudy whispered, "But sheesh! How can two people sleep so long! I mean, they just woke up and then – poof – they're asleep again!"

Elise giggled, putting her hand over her mouth. Rudy looked confused until she saw her friend pick up the pillow that had fallen on the floor. She pulled on the small metal tab, unzipping the outer cover, then felt around inside until she felt a prick. Using her fingernails, she pulled until a feather came through the nylon inner layer. She held it up to her friend,

"Use this." She giggled.

Rudy gave a mischievous grin and moved to her Sister's feet. She slowly pulled back the cover and carefully ran the feather across her arch. Bo didn't move.

"Do it again." Elise encouraged in a whisper.

Rudy moved to her Sister's nose and ran the feather just above her lip. The two children covered their mouths to hold in the laughter when Bo wiggled her mouth. Satisfied that Bo was still asleep, Rudy did the same thing again, this time Bo wiped her face and repositioned her body.

The two girls moved back, hands to their mouths and eyes wide until Bo stilled again.

"Do it again. She has to wake up this time." Elise nodded, egging Rudy on.

Rudy slid over to Bo again, holding back her laughter. This time a bit more persistent, she ran the feather over her sisters' lips and onto her nose. Elise giggled, but then, in an instant, Bo had her little sister by the wrist. The younger sister froze, her eyes wide as she gazed into the black eyes of the darker version of her older sibling.

Molly rushed into the room, but Lauren was already stepping between Molly and Bo,

"Stop, Molly." She turned to Bo and leaned towards her, "Bo, it's Rudy. You're scaring her."

Summoning all of her courage and trust, Rudy reached up and put her free hand on Bo's cheek,

"Sister? Are you there? Sister?"

Bo's eyes went wide. She dropped Rudy's hand, her eyes brimming with tears as her hands moved to her face. She turned to run, but Rudy grabbed her wrist with both hands, allowing herself to be dragged. Molly stepped in front of her,

"So, what? You're going to run?"

"It's no good. I'm… no good." Bo said through gritted teeth,

"Oh? Turn around and look at your sister, Bo. Remember what you promised her before you left."

Bo froze, unable to look Molly in the eye, unable to look at Rudy. She looked past Molly through the windows, the need to get outside beginning to overwhelm her,

"Please. I need to go outside."

"No." Molly said, standing her ground.

"Please. You don't understand. I can't… I can't breathe. I can't… please."

"Molly…" Lauren began, but Rudy stood and took her sister's hand, leading her towards the back door.

"Stay right there." Rudy said, wagging her finger at Bo before waving Lauren to her. The doctor came and helped the youngster get her Mom's coat and mukluk's out. She handed them to her sister,

"Put these on." Rudy said, "Go on."

Bo did as she was told while Rudy gathered her own gear and looked up at Lauren, "We'll meet you and Elise down at Lynnie and Shannie's in about an hour, okay? Maybe bring my Mom and Molly?"

Lauren nodded, "Okay, but Rudy, maybe I should go with…"

"No. This is between me and Sister. We'll be fine." Rudy said, pulling on her hat, "Tell my Mom I didn't leave without saying I love you to her."

Lauren nodded, watching as Rudy took Bo's knife out and strapped it to her sister's leg, then grabbed a can of bear mace and put it in the side pocket of her Mom's coat. She handed Bo a pair of gloves and then opened the door,

"Come on."

Bo didn't have a choice but to take Rudy's hand. The youngster led her around the house to the side door of the garage,

"Your dogs against my dogs. You can only take three."

Bo stared at her dogs, unsure of what Rudy was asking her to do. The youngster stood, waiting for her sister to figure things out, reminding herself of the conversation she had with her mom the day they found out Bo was coming home,

-Flashback-

"Roo, your sister has been running with the Athabascan Spirits for months. Her choices and her actions may appear foreign to you when she returns."

"Why, Momma? Why can't you tell me where she went?"

"She's been on a vision quest, my Daughter. One day you will come of age and have your quest as well."

"A quest is like a question, right Momma? She went to ask the Spirits for something?"

Mary smiled, "Not something… someone."

"She needed someone?"

Mary nodded, "She needed to find herself, Child."

"So, I'll have a different sister now?"

Mary shook her head, "She'll still be our Ysabeau, but she will likely be more like the Bo you first met."

Rudy frowned, "She was a little mean back then."

"Your sister's soul is filled with compassion and love, but your sister finds trust difficult. It is very hard to show people compassion and love if you don't fully trust them."

"So, she'll be mean because she doesn't trust me? I'm her Sister!"

Mary smiled, shaking her head, "No, Child. She's not mean, she just doesn't let those parts of her show. As for trust, I mean her trust of strangers. She'll hide the real Ysabeau behind her mistrust, so she just appears distant."

"Like wearing a mask and a Halloween costume?"

Mary nodded, "Much like that, I suppose."

"Don't worry, Momma. I'll help her be my Sister again."

"I know you will, Roo. Just don't be too disappointed if she doesn't respond right away. It will take time and a lot of patience – something you both often lack."

"I'll be patient, Momma. I promise. Sister needs me. I'll be here for her when she gets back, and her Spirit will watch out for her while she's gone."

"Her Spirit?"

Rudy nodded as she walked away, speaking matter-of-factly, "Yea. Her Eagle. It's been following her for a long time now. It's watching out for her just like you told me. Our Spirits are strong, Momma. The Eagle Spirit is the strongest of all. Sister will be okay."

Mary watched her daughter walk away, shaking her head, "And so will you, my little Roo."

-End flashback-

"Hey!" She pulled on Bo's arm, "Hey! Look at me!"

Bo slowly turned and looked at Rudy who pulled her arms until she fell to her knees in front of her. She gripped Bo's face in her hands,

"You are a Dennis just like me. We don't run from our problems. Mom said so."

"Roo…"

"Promise me you won't run."

Bo shook her head, her eyes welling with tears, but Rudy relented,

"Promise me, Sister!"

A tear trailed down her cheek. Rudy caught it, rubbed it between her hands and wiped it on her face,

"Your tears are my tears. We're sisters and that matters, right?"

Bo nodded slowly.

"I'm a Dennis. I'm strong. I'm smart. I'm re-zi-nent!" she said, "Was that right?"

Bo sighed, "I think you meant resilient."

"Right. I'm that. And so are you. You just won the Yukon Quest! We Dennis-iz… we're tough to kill and we don't run from anything."

The young girl planted her hands on her hips, "Now - deal?"

Bo nodded.

Rudy held out her pinky finger, "Swear it."

Bo stared at the little finger, a small memory calming her. She nodded, hooking her pinky around her little sister's,

"I swear."

Rudy lunged at her sister, wrapping her arms around her, "Don't you ever leave me again, Sister. Being away from you made my heart hurt."

Bo wrapped her arms around the little girl for just a moment. When she pulled back, she found tears rolling down her sister's face,

"Roo." She hugged her tightly again, her hand finding the back of her head. She held her while she wept, whispering in her ear, "I'm so sorry I was gone for so long. I just… I wasn't… right, Roo. I wasn't good for you, for me, for Mom… God, Lauren… I wasn't good for your future Sister-in-law. I needed to…"

Rudy pulled back, wiping her cheeks, "You had to find your path and all that stuff. Mom told me, but you didn't have to go away to do that. Your path is right here… right here with me."

The deep breath Rudy took was shaky as she wiped her cheeks again, "I love you, Sister."

"I love you, Roo."

"I know." She smiled, "But running away from your problems doesn't fix them."

"Actually, being away helped me to realize everything that was important about my life." Bo smiled, "You, Lauren and Mom are all at the top of that list."

"Duh." Rudy said, cocking her head, "I coulda saved you a trip if that was all you wanted to know."

Bo shook her head, "I needed to know that I wasn't like my Dad, Roo. I needed to know that the Spirits hadn't cursed me with his dark guardian."

"Duh. I coulda told you that too. Our Spirits gave you an Eagle." Rudy said, taking another deep breath to calm herself.

Bo's eyes went wide, "But… how could you possibly know that?"

"Geez. Did you get hit on the head while you were gone?"

"What?" Bo asked.

Rudy gripped her sisters face between her small hands and turned her head towards the treetops,

"Look. She's been following us for days."

"Days?" Bo asked, looking up to see a bald eagle sitting in the dim light of the moon atop a tree.

"Uh-huh. I think it likes living here with you. I think it must have a nest somewhere nearby. It's too dark to see, but I'll bet I'm right. I think It's the same one that was following you before you left me."

Bo sighed, turning back to her sister, "Roo, I never left you. It wasn't personal. You saw what happened when you woke me. I'm dangerous Rudy. You have to be careful."

"Okay. But really… Elise and I have been waiting for like… hours. You and Lauren are supposed to take us to Lynnie and Shannie's place. I mean, come on! Who sleeps in the middle of the day if they're not sick?"

Bo smiled, "Roo. I'm so sorry."

"You should be! Little kids don't like to wait."

Bo shook her head, "I meant about grabbing you by the wrist like I did. Did I hurt you?"

"I told you - I'm okay."

"No, Roo. This is important, so I need you to listen to me."

"Fine. I'm listening."

"Out in the wild… when I was young… Big Jim sent people after me."

"I know. Momma told me about the bad people."

Bo nodded, "I always had to be ready for someone trying to hurt me or my dogs. I was attacked several times while I was sleeping. I learned to attack first, wake up second. You should never wake me up while standing near me. Call my name from across the room, but never within reach." She lowered her eyes, "I can't be trusted not to hurt you."

Rudy nodded, "Fine. But you should know that little kids don't like to be kept waiting. Do you know how hard it was for me to sit and watch you guys sleep? Mom told me not to wake you. She was really strict about it. No sled for three weeks if I woke you up! Can you believe she wanted to take my sled away?"

"She didn't!" Bo said, feigning her horror.

"She did!" Rudy said, but then softened, leaned in and asked in as close to a whisper as she could muster, "So you won't tell her that I woke you, will you?"

Bo smiled, "I won't tell."

"And will you talk to her about letting me take my sled over to Lynnie and Shannie's by myself?"

Bo's eyes went wide, "I don't know about that, Roo. I don't know if you're ready to…"

"You haven't seen me and my team! We got really good while you were gone!"

"Oh? And who is on this team of yours?"

Rudy smiled, "Jenna, Muk and Persephone!"

"You're using my dogs?" Bo asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rudy shrugged, planting her hands on her hips, "Well, you weren't using them, and they felt bad sitting at home when you took the rest of Harper's family with you. They didn't feel special and they were lonely. They think you don't want them anymore."

"Oh, they told you that, did they?"

"Uh-huh. So, I made them feel special."

"Oh really?" Bo asked.

Rudy nodded, "Yes. They told me my sister left us all alone and then they asked me if they could be my champions since you think they're not good enough. How could I say no?"

Bo tried not to laugh, but it was hard. She missed this playful banter, "Well, if they asked you, I suppose you couldn't say no."

Rudy smiled, "So you and me. We race. If I win, you have to talk to Mom about me taking my sled to Lynnie and Shannie's by myself."

"And if I win?" Bo asked.

"Ummm… you talk to Mom about me taking my sled to Lynnie and Shannie's by myself so that you don't always have to take me there." Rudy said with a smile.

Bo laughed, "You're funny."

"So, you'll talk to her?" The youngster asked, hopefully.

"Let's have this race first. I want to see how you handle yourself. If I think you're safe on a sled, then you're going to learn a few things about handling wildlife emergencies, okay?"

"Yes!" Rudy smiled, wrapping her arms around Bo's lower body, "Thank you, Sister!"

"Hey, that's not a yes – not yet."

"I know, but I think you're gonna think I'm good!"

"Okay, let's get our teams hitched up. Three dogs, huh?" Bo asked, walking toward the dogs.

"Only three." Rudy nodded.

Bo stood, considering her options and whether or not she wanted Rudy to win.

"Come on!" Rudy said impatiently.

"Hey! Give me a minute. I want to be sure I give your dogs a worthy race!"

"Okay, I'll pick them then!" Rudy said.

"It seems to me that everything is being tilted in your favor, little Sis."

Rudy shrugged, "Well, if you're just gonna stare at them like you don't know what you're doing, I should help you out."

"Fine." Bo said, crossing her arms over her chest, "Who do you think I should pick to have a fair race against your team?"

"Nike, Diana and Aphrodite." Rudy said, "See? Simple!"

Bo looked confused, "So you want to run my three top dogs against three of my rookies?"

"They're rookies to you, not to me."

"Are you sure? I don't want to hear that this wasn't fair when we get there."

Rudy shrugged, "Not at all."

Bo smiled, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yup."

"Let's go then." Rudy smiled, running to set up her team.

Bo did the same but kept a close eye on what her sister was doing to be sure she didn't miss any steps. Sure enough, she stopped her when she saw her take the wrong angle with one of the lines,

"Over, than under with that line, Roo."

But Rudy shook her head, "Nope. I'm short, so when I do that, it lifts the front end of the sled when they take off. I end up back on the seat instead of driving my sled. Trust me, Sister. I know what I'm doing."

Bo considered her sisters' statement, pondering the scenario as she watched her finish her set up. The elder sister had to admit, the youngster's idea had merit. She would reserve judgment until their start and see how the sled behaved with the change.

The pair worked quickly, the dogs barking with excitement as they were attached to the center line of their respective sleds. As they were about to leave, Mary came to the doorway,

"If you'd like to let the rest of them out into the yard, I'll let them back in after I've done some reading and knitting."

Bo smiled, "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, Ysabeau. Rudy, you mind your surroundings and listen to your sister, you hear?"

"I will Momma."

"Good girl. Safe travels." Mary smiled, though Bo could see her gaze was set on the younger daughter, "Rudy, you have your mace with you?"

"Yes, Momma."

"And your axe?"

"Yes, Momma."

"You hit your mark if you have to throw it – just like we practiced."

"I think Sister will throw all four of hers before I can get one off." Rudy laughed.

"That slow, huh Roo?" Bo joked.

Rudy smiled, "I've got respect for my elders and their experience. I trust that your many, many, many, many years of experience help you to be faster with your axe. Too bad you're not fast enough on your sled."

Mary gave her younger daughter a knowing grin, then turned to Bo, "Did she challenge you?"

Bo stepped onto the rails behind her team, "She did. It's four on four."

Mary nodded, "I see you have your champions."

Bo smiled, "Rudy picked my team."

"And you let her?"

Bo shrugged, "She said she knows what she's doing."

Mary grinned, "And you don't believe her?"

Bo winked, "Sure I do."

"I see." Mary smiled, giving a nod to her younger daughter.

"Hike! Hike!"

Bo turned to see Rudy's team pulling out of the garage, "Hey!"

Mary laughed, "Looks to me like your little sister knows exactly what she's doing. Especially since she weighs half of what you weigh and I'm pretty sure she put weight in your basket."

Bo looked down at her sled, just now seeing the boxes in her basket, "That little…"

"Her dogs are sprinters. You might want to…"

"Hike! Hike!" Bo said, pulling down her goggles.

She knew right away that it would take time for her dogs to get up to top speed. By now, Rudy had at least a one-hundred-yard lead on her team. Bo had been played, but she had a few tricks of her own. She knew that Rudy wouldn't be able to peddle the sled as well as she could. She'd been training for months and could run a mile or more pushing the sled to take the stress off of her team.

"Running it is." Bo said, peddling behind the sled, "Hike! Hike! Let's go girls!"

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Carolyn and Shannon's Home

"Here come two sleds." Shannon called out to Carolyn, pointing down the trail.

Carolyn smiled, squinting, "Is that Rudy?"

"Uh-oh. I hope she had permission." Shannon said, dropping the hammer into the wheelbarrow, "You know I'll get blamed for this."

Carolyn shook her head, "I think that's Bo behind her."

"Really?" Shannon asked, stepping out from the shelter of the garage into the snow, "Are you sure that's not Elise?"

Carolyn nodded, "Whoever that is, they're too tall to be Rudy's age."

They watched as they grew closer, the shadowy figure in the back coming into view,

"Yep. That's Bo alright. With the way Rudy's looking over her shoulder, I think they're racing." Shannon smiled.

"Bo's gaining on her."

"Yea, but the Squirt is winning now. That's saying something for sure." Shannon smiled, cheering for Rudy, "Come on, Squirt!"

Carolyn laughed and joined Shannon in shouting encouragement to the younger sister, holding their collective breaths as Bo seemed to shift into a higher gear and gain on Rudy.

"Hike! Hike!" They heard Rudy yell as she turned the corner into the long drive of the property. Carolyn grabbed Shannie's arm when she saw Rudy's sled tip onto one rail.

"Oh no!" Shannon shouted, but Rudy put her leg out and leaned into the turn, righting the sled before it could tip over.

Nike and Diana were running next to Rudy when the little girl turned and shouted to them, "Whoa! Whoa, Nike! Whoa, Diana!"

"Nike, Diana! Hike! Hike! Drive, my Ladies! Drive!" Bo shouted, the dogs obeying, taking the sharp right turn hard, causing Bo and her sled to whip wide to the left. She jumped to the right rail, counterbalancing the sled, then jumped off on the inside and ran for the fence post that would signal the end of the race, "Hike! Hike! Come on, Aphrodite! On Nike! Drive Diana!"

"Hike Jenna! Hike Muk! Come on! Come on!" Rudy said, a smile slowly stretching across her face as she approached the final turn. She looked over her shoulder to see her sister within arm's reach, but turned back too late, missing the rut in the trail.

Bo saw it coming. It was like slow motion. The right rail of Rudy's sled hit the rut, thrusting the child into mid-air towards Bo's oncoming sled, so the older Dennis ran harder, jumping onto the rails of her sled and reaching out to grab any part of Rudy in a desperate attempt to avoid the child landing beneath the rails of her oncoming sled. Luckily, Bo was able to grab her coat, pulling her down onto the front of her sled with a thud.

"Whoa Jenna! Whoa Muk!" Bo shouted, but Shannon and Carolyn were already stepping up next to the sled to grab the team and slow them down.

Bo brought her own sled to a halt before dropping the anchor and moving to check her sister, "Are you okay?"

"I-I think so." Rudy said, her shoulders dropping as she exhaled the breath she was holding. She pulled off her hat, throwing it into the snow next to her, "Darn it!"

"What? Is something broken?" Bo asked, checking Rudy but the youngster pushed her away.

"I lost!"

Bo looked up, noticing that neither of their dogs had reached the fence post. She nodded as she spoke,

"Actually, neither of our teams have crossed the fence post line."

Rudy looked, then turned back to Bo. The pair shared a glance before they both turned and ran for the finish line. Shannon and Carolyn laughed as the two sister dove into the snow at the same time, landing face down.

"No fair! You're taller!" Rudy said, spitting out a mouthful of snow.

Bo rolled over, staring up at the sky, laughing hysterically, "I guess you should have paid attention to where you were going instead of looking behind you to see where I was, huh."

Rudy rolled over, her eyes closed as the snow fell on her cheeks and eyelashes, "It feels like little, tiny feathers."

Bo smiled, "I think it feels like a hundred little, tiny hugs from heaven."

"I like that." Rudy smiled.

They opened their eyes, both shielding them from the snow when they heard Shannon's voice. They looked up to see their friend standing over them,

"Welcome to our home. Are you both alive?"

Rudy laughed, sitting up, "Of course we are, silly. We're the Dennis Sisters. We're tough to kill, right?"

Bo smiled, "That's right."

They led the teams into the garage, Carolyn asking Bo about how they should be placed in relation to their own team. Once they were all separated and settled, the couple began to lead the sisters inside, but Bo paused at the door. She turned and walked back towards her sled,

"Bo? You coming?" Shannon asked.

"Uh… I forgot something on my sled. Be there in a minute. You go on. I'll catch up."

"Okay."

The three went inside, Rudy stopping in the doorway, "She might not make it into the house."

Lynnie smiled down at the youngster, "Lauren called us a little while ago. We know. Hopefully she'll make it inside. If not, we'll all hang out in the garage, okay?"

Rudy smiled, "Okay. I just… I can't leave her alone out there."

Lynnie looked to Shannon who nodded, "We know, Squirt. We won't leave her alone. You've already been here. Anything you want to see or do you just want to warm up?"

"I'm fine just waiting for Sister if that's okay."

The couple nodded, "Let's have a seat in the kitchen then. We can still see her from there and she can still see us. Okay?"

Rudy nodded.

"We made hot chocolate." Lynnie smiled.

"Awesome." Rudy smiled, pulling off her gloves and turning back to see her sister sitting on the seat of her sled, "Do you have a thermos for Sister?"

Lynnie looked past Rudy to Bo, "We do. Let's fix up four of them, then Shannon and I will put on our outdoor gear."

Shannon nodded, "I need Bo's help fixing my sled anyway. We can sip hot chocolate while we fix my sled before Lauren and Elise get here. Lauren said your Mom and Molly might come over too."

"Momma's sleeping a lot." Rudy replied, walking over to the counter to help screw on the thermos lids.

Lynnie nodded, "Remember we explained that to you? She was out of her medicine, so there was nothing making her sleepy. Now that she's back on her medicine, she'll sleep a lot, but the medicine is healing her while she's asleep, right?"

Rudy nodded, "Are you sure she's getting better though?"

Shannon smiled, "Positive."

"Okay." Rudy said, though the two older women didn't believe she was convinced.

"Squirt, we know it's super hard to see your Mom so sick, but she's going to get better, okay?"

Rudy nodded, "I heard the big people talking. They said it was poison. If they don't know how the poison got inside of her, how will they know that she's not still getting the poison?"

The couple shared a glance, Shannie finishing up with the hot chocolate while Lynnie sat down and allowed Rudy to climb into her lap,

"Well, Tamsin, Dyson, Acacia and Adam have some ideas about that now. I'm not at liberty to discuss it since they haven't had a chance to talk to your sister and Lauren about it yet. They'll tell you, okay? For now, just know that there are a lot of people who are looking out for your Mom. We love her like she's our own Mother and I promise she's getting the best care. Okay?"

"Okay." Rudy said, wrapping her arms around Lynnie's torso, "Thanks, Lynnie. You always make me feel better."

Shannon looked over, her heart filled with so much love at the relationship developing between the child and her partner. It made her wonder what the future would hold for them. She had never thought of Carolyn as a Mom, but in the past months, it had become very clear that she would be a great one if they ever went in that direction.

"Okay, four hot chocolates ready for the great outdoors! What do you say, Lynnie? Ready to gear up?"

Rudy hopped down onto the floor, "I'll take Sisters' outside!"

She tried to grab two, but couldn't, "Uh… could you bring mine? I can't hold them both."

"Sure thing, Squirt. You run out with Bo and let her know we're coming out to fix my sled."

"Okay!" Rudy was off while the two women laughed,

"That girl can go from zero to sixty faster than a race car." Shannon said, "Let's get ready."

"I'm worried about Bo, Shan."

Shannon nodded, "I think we just have to be patient and let Dr. Gray work her magic."

Carolyn sighed, "I hope she goes to see her sooner rather than later. I mean… look at her. She looks so… far away."

"I would think that being back here probably brings up a lot of memories of the past, the present and the future. You remember what Mary said, right?"

Lynnie nodded, "She'll be different. She'll need time to adjust to being back. She may never be the same Bo we met."

Shannon handed her a pair of gloves, "For now, we just support her and get to know the new Bo Dennis. I'm sure Lauren won't be the same either."

"Well, let's not make Bo think we're waiting for her." Lynnie said, handing Shannon two hot chocolates and picking up her own.

The pair headed out to the garage, smiling when they saw the sisters sitting side by side on Bo's sled seat,

"Hot chocolate delivery for Rudy Dennis!" Shannon announced with a smile.

"Yes!" Rudy said, accepting the offered drink.

"Careful squirt, that thermos will keep it really hot."

"Bummer." She said, turning to Bo, "Did you sip yours yet?"

Bo smiled, "I did, but it was really hot, so I'm going to let it sit for a bit longer."

She looked up at the couple, "What are you two doing out here? I would have come in."

"I figured as long as you were out here, you might be willing to take a look at my busted sled?" Shannon asked.

Bo smiled, "Lauren told me. How the hell did you bust a sled handle? They're double reinforced."

Shannon shrugged, "I slipped off the rails and held on for dear life like you taught me. The sled tipped onto its side and hit a rock. That was all she wrote."

"Geezus! How are you okay?" Bo asked.

Shannon shrugged, "No idea. The sled flew up and my body missed the rock. The handle took the brunt of the impact, threw me to the other side of the sled. Luckily, I was almost home, and the dogs ran right into the garage. Lynnie ran out when she saw that I wasn't with the sled, kenneled the dogs and then hopped in the truck to come and find me."

Lynnie patted her partner on the back, "Fourteen stitches, a couple of bruised ribs and a busted sled. I'd say she's following in Bo Dennis' footsteps."

Bo shook her head, "I don't know that I'm the best example. Lauren would definitely tell you my medical chart is way too thick." She stood, "Okay, let's have a look."

They all walked over to the sled in the corner, Bo shaking her head, "Wow. That's… unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Shannon asked, "What does that mean?"

"That's tragic." Rudy followed.

"What is it with the Dennis sisters and their vocabulary words?" Shannon asked Carolyn who laughed and replied,

"It's those Word-A-Day calendars."

Rudy shook her head, "No, it's that the sled can't be fixed. The handle is busted at the anchor to the frame. You have to rebuild the whole frame to fix the handle. You might as well call it firewood."

Shannon looked at Bo, "No offense to your little sisters' knowledge, but the sled isn't a total loss, right?"

Bo shook her head, "I hate to burst your bubble, but my little sis is right on the mark with her assessment." She lowered her mouth to Rudy's ear and whispered, "Good call, Roo."

The smile that stretched across Rudy's face was priceless to Bo. She loved when she was able to give her little sister a confidence boost. Bo smiled when she saw Rudy walk over to Shannon, place a hand on the Nurses' arm and say,

"It's okay. I know how to build a sled. We'll build a new one together over at the kennel store. Then, I'll teach you how to counterbalance a sled when it starts to tip."

Shannon looked up at Bo who nodded. The Nurse smiled down at Rudy, "Thanks, Squirt. I'd love to build a new sled with you."

Bo smiled, "Let me know if you two need any help."

Rudy turned to Bo, "I've got this, Sister. You hafta train. I'll ask Kyle if I need help."

Bo nodded, "Thanks, Roo. That's a big help."

Rudy smiled, "Wanna get some paper and pencils so we can work on the design?"

Shannon nodded, "Be right back."

Bo shook her head, "Why don't you two work on the design inside? It's cold out here."

"Are you gonna come inside, Sister?"

Bo looked up at the door and swallowed hard, "Uh… I think I'm going to wait for Lauren and Elise to get here. I'll be here if you need help with the design."

Rudy sighed, looking at Carolyn who nodded, "I'll wait out here with Bo while you two go get started on the design."

Shannon and Rudy headed inside while Bo took a seat on the bench of her sled and Carolyn took a seat on the bench of Rudy's sled next to the brunette's,

"So, congratulations on winning the Yukon Quest."

Bo smiled, "Thank you. How are things going over at the hospital?"

"Really well. Your contractors are great, Path and Slate are very accommodating, and your Foreman is a really good guy. We're ahead of schedule and I think Lauren's going to be very happy with everything."

"Good. That's good." Bo said, her eyes set on the landscape outside, "So, how's the new house? Are there any problems or things that need to be fixed?"

"One of the solar panels is loose. Path said they'd come back tomorrow to have a look."

"A roof solar panel or ground solar?" Bo asked.

Carolyn nodded, "The array in the yard is fine, so we have power. It's the roof panel."

Bo stood, "Nope. I'm not waiting until tomorrow. That's the heat array. I know you're using wood, but if your pipes start to freeze, you need to be able to run the electric heaters. The weight of all of that snow against a panel isn't good."

She walked over to her sled and pulled out her toolbelt, "I brought my tools knowing I would probably have to fix a sled," she grabbed two pieces of rope, "but I didn't bring my climbing harness since sleds aren't usually on a roof."

"Bo, you can't go up on a snow-covered roof without a harness."

"I can make a harness out of the rope and self-belay. Besides, the snow is plenty deep. If I fall, there's plenty of cushion. Do you have a broom?"

Carolyn nodded, moving to a nearby closet, "How's this?"

"Perfect." Bo said.

Strapping on her toolbelt from the basket she headed around to the back of the house. She first noted the amount of snow on the roof knowing she would have to ready for the full weight to sluff off the incline. She picked a route towards the chimney so that she could swing to the side of the house if the snow started to slide,

"Keep your distance. All of that snow coming off the roof could kill you if you're under it. Remember that you always want to tap the roof from the inside of your house to keep the snow from piling up like this. I'll push it clean on my way down if it doesn't come down on my way up."

With everything set, she made quick work of the climb and methodically pushed the snow clear while Carolyn kept her distance below. Once finished, Bo tossed the broom down and moved to the summit of the roof, lying down to look beneath the panels to troubleshoot the problem. Once she had it figured out, she descended the roof,

"Did they leave any extra materials behind?"

Carolyn nodded, "In the barn."

Bo looked over to the side of the yard, "Barn?"

Carolyn smiled, "Okay, so maybe it doesn't qualify as a barn in comparison to yours, but it's a barn to us. There's boxes and all kinds of stuff in there."

Bo nodded, heading into what was really a large shed, while Carolyn pointed out the equipment. It didn't take Bo long to find what she needed and in short time was back on the roof as the Nurse watched. Meanwhile, three additional sleds pulled up. Carolyn turned to see Lauren, Elise and Molly pulling into the barn with Mary in the basket of Molly's sled. She wanted to walk to the barn, knowing Mary may need help getting to the house and the women would need help getting the dogs settled, but she didn't want to leave Bo alone on the roof.

It wasn't long before the women were heading over to where she was standing, Lauren wiping her googles to see what her friend was looking at,

"What's going on?"

"Bo's fixing a solar panel."

"On a wet metal roof?" Lauren asked.

"She's using ropes."

"Oh." Lauren replied with a nod, "Where are Rudy and Shannon?"

"They're inside designing Shannie's new sled. It's busted beyond repair."

"That's too bad."

Shannon nodded, "Rudy's going to help her build a new one."

Lauren looked at Elise, "Rudy can build a sled?"

Elise nodded, "Yup. We've built five of them together."

"Awesome. Do you want to go help with the design for Shannie's new sled?"

"Yea!" Elise said, running off to the house.

"We're going to head in too." Molly said, taking Mary's arm and helping her towards the house."

Carolyn took a moment before she spoke again, "Bo hasn't been inside yet."

Lauren nodded, "She may not go inside."

"What's up with that?"

"I told you."

"You said she's having some issues with being indoors." Lynnie corrected.

"She spent almost five months outside. She feels claustrophobic inside… trapped."

"So…"

"I have nothing else to say on the matter. Just please be patient with her." Lauren said, watching Bo as she finished her work and readied herself for her descent.

"Of course." Carolyn replied, surprised by Lauren's sharp tone.

Bo slid down the rope from the roof and walked over to the pair, "All fixed. Anything else?"

Carolyn shook her head, "Everything is incredible. We're adjusting to life off grid… loving it, even." She smiled, "We're still trying to get the hang of chopping firewood. Yours looks like you've measured each piece so they're the same size. Ours is hit or miss on size, so it takes a while to get the fire going most days." She laughed, "Last night, Shannon kept trying to shove a piece of wood into an opening that was clearly too small for it…"

Bo and Lauren shared a devilish grin, both laughing when they realized they were both remembering the sex toy night and something Bo had said about a particular item they'd tried to use.

"What's so funny?" Carolyn asked.

"Nothing." Lauren said quickly, the two straightening their mouths, "What were you saying?"

"Our pieces of wood aren't uniform, so to solve the problem, we sorted the wood this morning, putting the big pieces on one pile and the smaller pieces on another pile. The wood in the house we split up so that the smaller pieces are in the bedroom for the stove and the larger pieces by the main fireplace until we can learn how to chop firewood the right way."

"Do you have enough to last the rest of the winter?" Bo asked.

Carolyn shrugged, "We chop a little each day. It's frozen, so it's hard to chop."

Bo shrugged, "I could run off a cord for you if you want."

"A whole cord? Do you have a machine?" Carolyn asked, excited about the prospect of saving the blisters on her hands.

"Bo is the machine." Lauren smiled.

Bo laughed, "Actually, I'm 100% human. I just chop wood like a machine. I'm good with an axe."

"Oh." Carolyn replied, "But no, Bo… I can't ask you to…"

"You didn't. I offered. I could use the workout and – from the looks of those hands - you could use the help. Your job doesn't exactly allow for you to have hands covered in blisters."

"How did you know…"

"The way your gloves are worn." Bo said, nodding towards thin padding on the palm.

Bo shook her head, "Really, it's all good. Our house is stocked with wood to the shed roof, so I won't get to vent my frustrations on a wood pile like I usually would. It's quite therapeutic."

Carolyn nodded, "Fine, but I have to help, so you have to teach me."

Bo shrugged, "Fair enough. Do you have two axes?"

"Yes. They're in the barn." She said, leading the way towards the structure.

Bo smiled at Lauren, "Isn't it cute? She called that a barn."

Lauren looked at the oversized shed and chuckled, "You'll have to pardon my… Bo. She's a barn snob."

They all laughed, "Well, your Bo is welcome to come back and build us a legitimate barn one day. We'll even pay her for the work."

Lynnie turned to Bo, her face serious, "Bo, we've been talking. This place… the land, the home, the… wee barn… it's so much. It must have cost your company a mint! Please allow us to give you at least the down money we were going to put on the other property."

Bo shook her head, "I'd prefer to trade you babysitting and medical services for life."

Carolyn sighed, "Bo, we're happy to do those things for free. We love Rudy and let's be honest, Lauren would never let us charge you for medical services."

Bo looked at Lauren, taking her hand, "Well, I wasn't thinking just about Rudy. One day – probably not in too far in the future, we'll be having kids of our own. It would be nice to know someone would be there to deliver the babies and provide qualified help when we have to be away."

Carolyn looked at Lauren who was looking at Bo who was looking back at Lauren. Finally, Bo spoke,

"It wasn't a stupid idea."

Lauren gripped Bo's face and planted a long, firm kiss on her lips before releasing her and smiling,

"You're sure?"

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

"Wow. You're gonna make little Mushers. They'll be adorable." Lynnie said.

Bo smiled, "As long as they look like our favorite doctor. But back to the topic at hand, no money is necessary."

"Still, we would really like to pay you something for all of this. We aren't penniless – we've had very good jobs for a very long time. It costs us next to nothing to live here, especially now that Shannon is in love with fishing and is getting pretty good at trapping."

"Oh?"

Lauren interrupted, "Well, if this conversation is going to turn to hunting and fishing, I'm going to head in and visit with Shannon and Rudy. I'm still readjusting to the climate here."

Carolyn nodded, continuing the walk to her barn while Bo waved her on, "Be there in a second."

Bo turned to Lauren, "I tried… I did. I couldn't go inside. Carolyn gave me an out and I took it. I feel so bad, but I just can't…"

Lauren cut Bo off, "It's okay, Bo. Breathe. It's okay. Talk to Lynnie, okay? She comes from a counseling background so I'm sure she could help. If nothing else, she'll be an ally when you're with the whole family."

Bo nodded as Lauren gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I'm going to head inside to visit with Shannie for a while. I think we've left her alone with the dynamic duo for long enough."

The pair smiled, Bo nodding, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lauren said, "Talk to Lynnie."

"Yes, Doctor." Bo chuckled, watching Lauren turn and walk towards the house. She surveyed the area as was her custom. The land had recently been cleared, so there was no doubt in her mind that they had taken over the habitat of some animal. She was certain Tosh, Molly, Mark or Mary would have talked to them about being aware of their surroundings, but she should probably remind them just the same.

Once Lauren was safely inside, she headed to the structure Lynnie had referred to as their barn. It really was just an oversized shed, but it would serve as a great seed and seedling house. She may even be able to install glass on the sunny side so they could grow things year-round.

She walked in to find Lynnie moving trapping and fishing gear out of the way. Bo immediately saw that she would have to help them with ways to organize their equipment or things were going to get damaged.

"Let's take a minute and organize this gear… I mean, if that's okay with you. It shouldn't be laying on the ground like this." Bo cautioned, "Ropes can rot and then break during emergency maneuvers. That's the last thing you need when your sled drops through the ice over a lake."

"Yea, organization isn't Shannon's strong suit unless it's in a surgical room. There, she's the task master. There's certain things even Lauren knows not to touch."

"Really?" Bo asked.

Lynnie laughed, helping Bo as she pointed to various items she was moving, "Lauren works the magic, but Shannon is the one who has to hand her what she needs as she needs it. So, she controls what goes where and it works."

"But not with that new surgeon?"

Lynnie shook her head, "The new surgeon is more the 'I'm in charge' type of surgeon – just as anal as Shannon when it comes to having things as she likes them. They clashed. Shannon is accustomed to Lauren allowing her to do her thing, her way – for a very long time. It's new for everyone. They'll figure it out."

"I hope so." Bo replied, wondering how they were going to react to the news of Lauren's career move. Still, it wasn't her story to tell and now wasn't the time, so instead, she pulled out a box of nails and some wood, "We'll build a stand here for the traps and over there, we'll build a stand for the fishing gear."

"Bo, you don't have to go building us furniture. That will take hours and…"

Waving her off, the brunette smiled, "It'll take about fifteen minutes or so. Give me an assist?"

Carolyn smiled, "Okay. I won't lie – I've dreamed of learning woodworking from you. We may never get inside at this rate…" realizing how that might sound to Bo, she added, "…I think I could keep you busy out here all day as long as you have the energy."

Bo laughed, "I love working outdoors."

"It really does suit you." Lynnie smiled, "Anyway, I saw the porch swing you built in Molly and Mark's store. I'd love to build one of those for Shannon for our anniversary."

"Wait. You two are married?" Bo asked.

Lynnie shrugged, "If the marriage laws weren't held up in red tape and bigotry, we would be common law partners this year."

"Do you not want to get married?"

Carolyn shook her head, "It's not that. It's just that… well, we wanted to be settled in a home, with good jobs that we truly loved and a nice positive cash flow before we got married. We had been talking about it – actually talked about it again when we got here, but now… well, I guess it just hasn't really come up lately."

Bo nodded, "That's everything we need. If I can get you to cut seven eight-inch supports from those two-by-two pieces of wood, I'll start working on the frame."

"I can do that. Do I sand the ends?"

Shaking her head, Bo explained, "No. They're going between the two armrests which means no exposed edges, so no need to sand."

"Arm rests on a fishing gear stand?"

Bo smiled, "I'm going to add a built-in bench so that you can sit down to change your boots and you can store tackleboxes or other gear under the seat."

Lynnie laughed, "Of course you are. It couldn't be simple."

"It could and it is." Bo said.

Lynnie shook her head, "Okay. Tell me what to do."

Bo smiled, "I guess it's a lot like what you do for Lauren in surgery."

Lynnie stepped forward and stood next to Bo, hands up, "Ready, Doctor."

Bo laughed, extending her hand, "Hammer."

Lynnie responded in a moment, "Hammer."

The pair shared a laugh before Bo got to work, "So, you mentioned Shannon getting into trapping and fishing?"

Carolyn nodded, "Rudy and Mary have been teaching her. She went fishing yesterday morning…" a proud smile stretched across her face, "… she caught two Rainbow Trout and a Dolly Varden,"

"Wow. This time of year, that's a big catch." Bo smiled as she continued to work,

"That's what your mom said when I called her for a lesson in cleaning and cooking them. Mary used her new video chatting skills to walk me through it step by step."

"Mad new video chatting skills?" Bo asked, surveying the stacks of lumber her team had left behind from the build, then looked at what she'd put together so far. She had plenty of materials, but what she had in mind would require a few additional items she didn't have. She decided on a different track and set to work with her new plan.

"That doesn't look like bench." Lynnie commented.

"This part will be but I'm adding an adjoining piece. Don't worry – I've got a plan. So, you were talking about my mom's chat skills?" Bo reassured.

Lynnie shrugged, handing Bo the wood she pointed to, "Your Mom was alone a lot while you were gone. Until our house was built, Rudy was at the mercy of our work hours in order to get a ride home." She sighed, "Sometimes Molly and Mark would drive her home and stick around for a while, but – well, you know – sometimes you just want to have dinner at home and relax. Eventually, we decided to take turns checking in on your Mom by video chat during the day so we knew she was okay. We tried to strike a balance between being overbearing, yet responsible."

Bo felt a wave of guilt rush over her but quickly rationalized it away by remembering how she was left alone by her Mom as a young teen, "Well, I'm sure she appreciated the virtual company."

Bo was well aware that Carolyn could read the level of culpability she felt no matter how much she used the childish excuse of a payback for her absence in her Mom's time of need. Just as she was about to give voice to her apology, Lynnie did what Lynnie did best – she redirected the conversation with weathered skill,

"Honestly, I think we drove her nuts." She smiled, "It's just been a long winter for her. She's missed you, Bo. She knew you had to go… insisted you go. She's not mad. She just… well, she just got you back and I think she was worried you wouldn't find your way back to your home on the river… to her and Rudy… mostly Rudy."

Bo nodded, turning and staring out at the river she now shared with family and friends, "If I'm being honest, I wasn't sure either… and I'm not completely sure I have... not yet, anyway. I feel… uneasy, Lynnie. I don't know what it is…. I just feel like I don't… fit."

Carolyn nodded, "Like your mom, we all know that you've spent your life living free in the wild and the pull of that world is a part of you, but the other part of you belongs to us, Bo… particularly to your Mom, Rudy… and Lauren. You've just got to find some balance this time around and, well I, for one, believe you will. You went away to figure out how to do things differently and that's why your Mom wanted you to go. You couldn't do that work here with all of us constantly making demands on your time."

"My mom…"

Lynnie shook her head, "She's just happy that you're back. You could live in a tent in the back yard for all she cares. If it's a mistake giving all of us a piece of your land, you could toss us all out on our asses… or, if you prefer, you could live across the water up on the mountain to have the space and privacy you need. Like I said… we missed you… she missed you and she's happy you're sharing the river again." Lynnie looked to her left, "What is it about that water anyway? She said it connects you to her. I figured it was a native thing."

Bo considered Lynnie's words, her heart aching for her ailing Mother, yet thinking about the connection the river offered them. There were times in the past months where she had gone days without thinking of anyone in Talkeetna. But eventually, she couldn't go but a few hours without thinking of them. She had been prepared to chase Lauren to the ends of the earth, but she knew she would have to come back to the river to see her mom and Rudy again. Once she'd found herself, she realized that life without the three of them would be no life at all.

"I missed her too." She said quietly, "And Rudy."

Carolyn nodded, "I thought you did." She paused, "And Lauren?"

Bo's eyes filled with tears. She looked to the river again, this time the wind howled, forcing her to close her eyes against the frigid blast. The salty wet fluid froze to her cheeks, stinging her skin. She turned back to Carolyn, her eyes down as she spoke softly,

"I can't breathe without her, Lynnie. It took a while to get my mind straight, but being away from her…" Bo's throat tightened at the paralyzing fear she'd felt thinking that Lauren would shun her upon her return. She couldn't speak, but as always, her friend's voice filled the silence as she smiled and looked back towards the entrance to her new home,

"I know the feeling."

Bo was surprised, "You do?"

Laughing, she replied, "What? Do you think Shannon and I haven't had our rough spots? We've spent some time apart. It's not an easy thing to do."

Bo shrugged, "You just seem so… inseparable. I literally have never seen the two of you apart. I don't think I ever say one of your names and not the other when talking about you. You're just Shannon and Carolyn or Shannie and Lynnie. You just… fit. I don't think anyone sees Lauren and I that way. I feel like everyone must see her with me and think 'what the hell does Lauren see in her?'.

Lynnie smiled, "Well, you haven't seen the way the two of you look at each other. You're like… magnets."

Bo smiled, "Magnets, huh?"

"Definitely. Whenever you are in the same space, you just seem drawn to each other."

Bo looked around, "I don't see her here now."

"That's called self-preservation. Lauren came here and found you on a slick rooftop. You can't expect her to just disregard something that everyone in our line of work knows injures and or kills thousands of people each year."

Bo shook her head, "Those people are idiots. They climb up on roofs to clean gutters or patch tile without securing themselves. Stupid."

Lynnie smiled, "I'm glad you have that point of view."

Bo nodded, "Yea, well make sure Lauren knows where I stand. I don't need her worrying."

Lynnie shrugged, "It's in her nature. We're medical professionals, Bo. We've seen every train wreck you can imagine."

"Well, I'm hoping to avoid wrecking any trains from here on out." Bo said, picking up the sharpening tool and getting to work on the dull blade of the first axe, "First lesson – sharpening a blade. You can't chop wood with a dull axe blade. Take that sharpening stone and do what I do to my axe."

"Axe sharpening 101. Got it." Carolyn smiled, picking up her axe and stone, "Right. Here we go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, inside the house…

"Shannie! Look at this one!" Rudy pointed to the fish in the book, "It says… lakes… and rivers…"

She looked up at her friend Elise who shrugged, so Rudy asked, "What does the word spawn mean?"

There was no way Shannon was getting into a 'birds and the bees' discussion this morning. She shrugged and feigned ignorance, "Don't know."

Lauren entered the room shaking her head, "Seriously, Shannon?"

Shannon's face reddened, "I'm not going there."

"Where are we going?" Rudy asked, looking at Lauren, "And why won't Shannie go?"

Lauren smirked, "Because she's a scaredy cat."

Rudy propped up her chin on both hands and smiled at Lauren, "What's she scared of?"

"How smart you are."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh." Lauren said, propping her chin up on both of her hands, her face just inches from Rudy's.

"I am kinda smart, huh?" Rudy asked.

"You're super smart." Lauren smiled, looking up at Elise who was sitting on the counter, "So are you."

Elise giggled, "Shannie didn't know what the word spawn meant."

"Really? I'll bet you two know what it means."

Rudy scrunched her eyebrows together, "I don't think we do."

Lauren grabbed the book, "Okay. I'm going to read to you and then you're going to tell me – in your own words – what I said. Ready?"

"Hold on." Rudy picked up two invisible items from the table and cupped her hands over her ears, "Okay. Ready."

"What was that?" Lauren asked.

Elise giggled, "Teacher says that sometimes Rudy's so busy asking questions, that she forgets to listen."

Rudy added, "So we invented invisible ears. I put them on, and it reminds me to listen. Sometimes she has me use the invisible key to lock my lips shut too… just to be sure I listen."

Lauren smiled. She could only imagine what it would be like to have Rudy as a student in addition to a classroom full of other students.

"Okay. Here we go, Miss Listening Ears." Lauren smiled, reading from the book, "Alaska is known for its salmon. In the winter, you can find King Salmon that are active and most popular. These fish, particularly the Feeder King Salmon, migrate up from the U.S. and Canadian West Coast to feed. They then return to their rivers to spawn, to recycle the population. These fish are a desirable treat for winter fishing tours in Alaska."

Lauren closed the book and turned to Rudy, "So, what did you hear?"

"Well, we all know that salmon is everywhere in Alaska, but I thought you could only get the big old King Salmon in the spring and summer. Isn't that why Bo stocked our cache?"

Lauren shrugged, "I don't know. The book didn't mention Bo and our cache."

"Oh. Right. It didn't." Rudy said, tapping her cheek, "I know! It said that there's a feeder fish that lives in California and it moves to Canada and then up to us! Then it comes back to the rivers here to… spawn… so it can recycle the population."

Elise looked at Lauren, "It didn't say California. It said the west coast, so that could be anywhere." She scrunched up her eyes, "What does it mean… recycle… like recycle our trash?"

"Kind of like that. When we recycle, what happens?"

"Our paper becomes new paper!" Rudy said proudly.

"So, what happens when fish spawn?" Lauren asked, wondering if the child could use the comparisons to answer the question.

Rudy leaned in, propping her chin up on her hands, staring into Lauren's eyes for a long moment. A grin slowly stretched across the doctor's face when she saw Rudy's eyes go wide. She sat up, turning to Elise, the two girls giggling before Rudy finally turned back to Lauren,

"The fish makes babies?"

"Excellent! That's exactly what they do!" Lauren smiled, so proud of the pair.

Rudy pondered the idea for a moment, then smiled, "Cool."

Lauren smiled, "Very."

"I was trying to find this fish in the book." Rudy slid Lauren her plate with a fish tail and a few bones on it."

Lauren raised her eyebrows, "Yea, well… I think I might have seen that one on page sixty-two."

"Really?" Rudy asked, surprised.

Lauren laughed, shaking her head, "Unfortunately, the fish in this book are whole and therefore identified by the appearance of their skin…" the doctor held up the tail, "…not by… bones."

Rudy giggled, "I know, silly. Shannie took a picture of it. Show her, Shannie!"

"Manners, Roo!" Lauren scolded.

"Please Shannie, will you show her?"

Shannon pulled out her phone and slid it to Lauren. The blonde smiled, "Nice one."

Brushing off each shoulder, the nurse replied, "I've got skills."

"Nu-uh! Lynnie said you caught it by its lip!" Elise said, wagging a finger at Shannie, "You got lucky!"

Lauren smiled as Shannon, Elise and Rudy laughed long and hard. She had missed the full-belly sound of the young friends laughing. She'd missed casual time with friends. She'd missed the idle chatter that wasn't about business or hospitals or surgeries. She missed being around people who treated her like a normal person instead of the grand surgeon of the gala. She was grateful to not be used as a pawn for some rich and powerful person to be skipped to the top of the transplant list.

She sighed, remembering that there was a gala coming soon and she would have to be prepared to shake hands, make a speech and lead the masses into the future of medicine – a future she had envisioned and promised. Of course, now she likely had a rogue doctor that she needed to deal with on Monday. Would her plan actually work or were doctors no better than the Evony's of the world?

The phone rang, pulling Lauren from her thoughts. She looked down, suddenly remembering the phone wasn't her own,

"It's… the clinic?"

Shannon took the phone, "Hello?"

Lauren studied the Nurse, wondering what would be happening at the clinic that they would call Shannon and not Carolyn.

Shannie shook her head, her face clearly expressing her frustration, "You know she just got back, right? She's barely had any off time. Can't someone else…"

The pieces were coming together. Lauren knew she was needed.

"Okay. I'll see what I can do." Shannon ended the call and stood, staring down at her phone as she spoke,

"Apparently the Gauthier's arrived on Wednesday. They've been staying at Shirley's. Do you remember Shirley?" She turned off the phone and looked up at Lauren who was pulling out her phone, "Lauren?"

The doctor looked at Shannon, "Is it Thea?"

Shannon nodded, "She's got a fever."

"Shit."

"Lauren, let Dala handle it."

"She's got limited transplant experience, Shannie. That's why we hired Doctor Myers, but Kate isn't here yet. They don't get in until next week."

Shannon's eyes went wide, "But I thought…"

"I've got to get to the clinic." Lauren insisted, as Molly and Mary joined them in the kitchen after hearing Shannon's raised voice. Just as they were about to ask what was happening, the door flew open, revealing a snow-covered Carolyn,

"They called me first. The storm's getting bad. Time to go. Bo's hooking three of your teams to her sled so you can make good time getting to the clinic. She's leaving Elise's team so you can all get back to the homestead if you need to."

Shannon turned to Lynnie as Lauren headed to the door to get dressed, "I only got as far as telling Lauren she has a fever."

Carolyn helped Lauren dress, "They thought she had the flu."

"Shit. She's rejecting the heart." Lauren said.

"That's what I thought. Chills, body aches, weak, tired…"

"How long?" She asked, pulling on her Mukluks.

"Just before their flight here."

Lauren shook her head, as she laced her boots, "She should never have been put on that plane."

"Well, what's the plan?" Shannon asked, now getting dressed as well.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked.

"I'm your Surgical Nurse. I'm coming with you, of course."

Carolyn shook her head, "She's got three doctors at the clinic and Stephen is on his way to assist."

Lauren stopped, looking up at the Nurse, "He is?"

"He and Betsy picked up Patrick from the airport and stopped by the General Store for some stew, so he was just around the corner. He knows this is going to be tricky considering you won't be in a hospital. He said you'd need to learn some new tricks from the old dog."

"He's right. We have no bypass machine at the clinic. I'll take anything he has to offer." Lauren replied, grabbing her goggles and walking to Rudy and Elise, "Sorry to run off, girls. I promise we'll make it up to you."

Rudy smiled, "It's okay. We're going to teach Shannie how to build her new sled. She needs one that isn't bought in a store because it will never really fit her. Kyle taught us that."

Lauren smiled, "Well, good luck then… both of you. Shannon's great with surgical tools, but sled tools…"

"Hey!" Shannon protested, "I'm learning! But really, Lauren – don't you think…"

She eyed Shannon, "I know you want to be there, but with Stephen there, my role will be limited. Still, if you could both be ready… just in case."

Shannon nodded, "Whatever you need, Doctor Lewis."

"Thank you."

"Good luck." Shannon said, forcing a smile.

Lauren nodded, "You'll…"

Carolyn nodded, "We'll take care of everything here. Go save our favorite patient."

"Mary, we could use a little help from your ancestors."

"May the Spirits be with you, your team and that young girl, Lauren. Believe, Child."

Lauren nodded before disappearing from view. Rudy watched as Carolyn pulled the door shut and immediately asked,

"Who's the patient?"

Carolyn sighed, "A little girl who is just about your age."

"Are we allowed to know what's wrong with her?"

Shannon laughed, "Silly. If Lauren is her doctor, you already know what's wrong with her, right?"

"Her heart is broken?" Elise asked.

Carolyn and Shannon shared a glance before Carolyn replied, "Yes."

Rudy gave her Mom a quick glance before she told the pair, "I'll ask the Spirits to help Lauren and Dr. Stephen to save her. They listen to me. She'll be okay."

Lynnie gripped Shannon's hand, sharing a worried glance. Unfortunately, the two nurses weren't so sure and even worse – Lauren Lewis was not one to lose patients easily. Without the two of them there, Bo was going to have her hands full.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside…

Lauren walked into the garage to find Bo putting together a massive team,

"Um… Bo? Do you really think that Aphrodite is going to tolerate my dogs?"

Bo smiled, looking down the line at an excited Aphrodite. She knew what Rudy knew. The Dennis family couldn't actually talk to dogs, but they had an instinct about what their dogs were thinking. Looking at Aphrodite now, she just knew. Aphrodite would get the job done and she would keep the other dogs in line while they all did their jobs… just like Harper had before her. Bo replied simply,

"I guess we'll find out."

But Lauren had her concerns, "No offense, but it's really important that I actually make it to the clinic to save that little girl. I mean – Elsa, Anna and Belle together I can see, but Kikkan, Sadie and Keegan are completely unfamiliar with Aphrodite. Couple that with your Mom's dogs…"

"Rosie and Reese have come to an agreement with Aphrodite."

"They told you that, did they?" Lauren asked, doubting the three dogs could get along.

Bo smiled, remembering her conversation with Rudy from earlier, "No. Aphrodite did."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Oh, well as long as Aphrodite did…"

Bo stopped, looking up at the doctor, "Lauren, this is my area of expertise, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"I will get you to the clinic, because it's what I do. You, Doctor Lauren Lewis, Cardiothoracic Surgeon extraordinaire will then save that girl because that's what you do. I swear I will get you there."

"But…"

"Lauren – stop. Please! Listen to me. Tyler, Scotty, Logan and Cait have run with my team before. I'm putting Rosie and Reese between those two pairs and then putting Kikkan with Aphrodite because she's such a sweetie. Sadie and Keegan will run behind them and your kids will run behind Nike and Diana. I swear this will work. More than that – this will be the fastest team ever assembled of this size. Come on – we've got to get you to town. Hop in the basket."

"If you don't mind, could I sit on the bench?"

Bo nodded, "Of course."

Lauren pulled on her goggles and tightened up her jacket and gloves while Bo double checked the team and then stepped onto the rails,

"Okay, kids! You know how important this is. There's a little girl that needs Lauren. Let's go! Hike! Hike!"

As the sled pulled out, eighteen dogs strong, Rudy watched from the back door, her hands against the screen,

"Go Jenna! Go Muk! Go Persephone! Show Sister what you can do! She'll see. You're just as good as her other rookies."

She stood, watching until the sled was out of sight, then whispered again as she slowly closed the door, "She'll see."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Clinic

When they entered the clinic, Bo was quickly introduced to Dr. Dala Mujambi who had admitted young Thea Gauthier. Bo had met Henri, the Father, back in Boston but now she also met the worried Mother, Greta. Holding on to her leg was little Leah and her slightly older brother Tomas. All were standing by Thea's bedside. Bo had to admit, she had never seen a child look so ill. Dr. Mallie was also there as well as another new doctor, Taylor Kane. The room was crowded… more crowded than Bo could stand, so she had moved to a corner near the front door.

She watched from a distance as Lauren, Stephen and Dala planned their next steps for their patient. Yet again, she was seeing a different side of her Doctor. Kelly was on shift and stood by, hanging on every word her Chief spoke. As a matter of fact, all eyes were on Lauren, leaving Bo to whisper,

"So, this is the great Doctor Lauren Lewis, Cardiovascular Surgeon extraordinaire in action." She folded her arms over her chest and smiled, "Sexy."

She was quickly consumed by embarrassment when Henri came to stand beside her, "You know, you would think by now we would be used to Thea being close to death."

"I'm not a parent, but I don't believe one could ever get used to that. It's okay to be worried… even afraid, Henri…" she paused, looking up at him. He was holding a paper cup of coffee and watching as the doctors talked, "…is there anything I can do for you?"

He nodded, "Actually, my wife sent me over to you. She was wondering if you might take our two little ones for a sled ride when the surgery begins. They really shouldn't be here, but we didn't have anywhere else to take them. We've only been here a few days, so we don't have any childcare set up."

Bo nodded, "Are you sure? I mean, it's not like the sledding that has been described to me in Boston. There is risk involved and the storm is bad. Beyond those factors, I'm sure you have noticed that we don't have much daylight this time of year. The twilight hours of the day are ending, so it will be very dark soon – at least until the moon rises. Finally, you also have to remember that this is Alaska. I can't promise there won't be a wildlife encounter that could turn into a… situation."

"Lauren says we can trust you to get them somewhere safe. She said maybe where there are other kids who could distract them?"

Bo smiled, looking at Lauren, "I think I know just the place."

She pulled out her phone and made a call, then turned to Henri, "We're having a family dinner tonight. My little sister and her friend would be happy to babysit." Bo grinned, "Rudy… that's my little sister… is actually excited about having her first babysitting job, even if she's too young to do it alone."

When his wife looked his way, Henri gave her a nod. She hugged both of the children before sending them to her husband. They ran to him, the youngest all smiles and giggles, her curly pigtails bopping up and down on either side of her head, oblivious to the seriousness of her older sister's condition. Her brother looked down at his shoes, admiring the blinking lights that lit up with every step. They were adorable and Bo's heart sank when she looked past them to their pale older sister who was looking up weakly at her mother.

Bo turned back to the group of doctors, all now looking to Stephen... Lauren included. Bo saw the same admiration she always saw on the doctor's face when she looked at her mentor, but there was something else… a partnership of sorts. He wasn't taking charge as Lauren had thought he would. This would be Lauren's surgery… he would assist – that is, if Bo was hearing correctly.

"Tomas, Leah – this is Bo Dennis. Do you remember mama telling you about her?" Henri asked of his children.

Little Leah leaned into her papa, her big green eyes staring up at the brunette. She stuck out her tiny hand, and smiled as she spoke, "C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer."

Henri corrected, "Use your English, Leah."

Bo shook her head, "Je suis ravi de vous rencontrer aussi, Leah. Vous pouvez m'appeler Bo."

She grinned, "Hi Bo."

"Hi Leah." She looked up at Henri, "Are they fluent in English?"

"They are fully bilingual, but I'm afraid my wife and I have been speaking mostly French since we arrived. We've not been around many people outside of our family other than Kelly. Thea absolutely adores her Nurse Kelly."

Bo smiled, "I can imagine. She's young, fun and has that energetic personality."

"Tomas, can you say hello to Bo?"

He extended his hand, "It's an honor. I read about your last race in an old newspaper that was left in our apartment at Miss Shirley's. I would love to hear about what it's like to drive a sled from you… I mean… if it's not too much trouble."

Bo grinned, "How about we do something even better? Do you want to run behind my team?"

Tomas looked up at his papa who smiled down at him, "Really, Papa? I can go with her on a real dog sled ride?"

Henri smiled, "Yes. As long as you take your little sister and do exactly as Bo tells you. Remember, Alaska is not Boston. There are…"

"I know, Papa. Bears and Moose and wildlife that can hurt us badly. I promise I will protect Leah if you let me go."

Bo grinned, "I'll do the protecting. You just make sure that you and Leah do as I tell you if we should run into anything with large teeth. Deal?"

He smiled, "Deal."

He hesitated, but then looked up at Henri, "What about the cold?"

Henri turned to Bo, "We don't yet have appropriate gear for the outdoors. Is there a place where we could get them proper clothing for the trip?"

Bo nodded, "You leave that to me. I just want to talk to Lauren before we go. Why don't you go sit with Thea until I get back?"

He smiled, "Thank you, Bo. I can't thank you enough."

"No need. I'm happy to help. Are you staying at the hotel?"

"We were staying with Shirley down in Anchorage, but she transferred our room to your friend's hotel… Kenzi, is it?"

Bo nodded, "She'll take good care of you."

"Yes, Lauren said." He pulled out his wallet, but Bo placed her hand over his,

"Not necessary. We'll take care of the gear. You just worry about your family for now."

"Thank you. Thank you so very much."

Bo watched him walk away and then moved towards the group of doctors, waiting for Lauren to see that she needed a moment. Eventually, the doctor excused herself and moved to the brunette,

"I'm afraid it's going to be a long day… and night."

"I understand. You arranged for the kids to…"

"Yes, I'm sorry if I overstepped, but since Molly is already out there and you have the full team, I thought…"

"Lauren, I'm happy to help and the dogs need the workout, so it's fine. I'll run Molly back until closing time at the store and then take anyone back for dinner who is going. I'll come back for you once you're ready to call it a night."

Lauren nodded, "I may have to stay the night here, Bo."

Bo smiled, "Then I'll bring you a plate and I'll sleep in the barn. It'll be like old times."

The blonde grinned, "Yes, it will. Are you sure you don't mind doing all of those trips?"

"Not all of the dogs got a run in today, so the extra miles will be good for them. I can take different routes around the lake and along the river to give them the type of terrain they need to train on and swap out groups since I won't need the speed I needed to get you here."

Lauren nodded, "Okay."

"Anything I should know about these kids?"

Lauren smiled, looking at the family, "They're great kids. Tomas thinks you're a Superhero and Leah is a kind soul who is afraid of the dark."

"Headlamps all around then."

Lauren nodded, "They don't have…"

"I'm heading over to see Mark at the store. I'll get everything they need. You just focus on saving that little girl's life."

Lauren sighed, "It's going to take a miracle, Bo."

"Miracles happen every day, Lauren. A miracle brought you to me. Maybe a miracle will come for Thea."

"Sadly, I think she already got her miracle in the form of the first heart. It wasn't perfect… the man it came from was much older but she was the only match, so we decided it was better than nothing. It bought her time, but not as much as we had hoped for, honestly. The drugs aren't working, so we'll have no choice but to try surgery to repair the heart. In truth, she needs another transplant."

"Then she'll get one, Lauren." Bo tried to reassure the blonde.

"She spent two years on the donor list the first time and even then, we didn't find the match we needed. Now they're in Alaska. Even if they find a heart, getting it here at this time of year…"

"Hey, hey! What's with all of the negativity? I thought Balto was one of your favorite movies? We know how to get things to where they need to go in these parts. Just… don't lose hope, Lauren. Hope is… everything."

Lauren nodded, pulling Bo into a tight embrace. She felt the brunette resist and pushed her back,

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I just…"

Bo smiled, lifting a hand to Lauren's cheek before slowly wrapping her arms around the blonde. It took a moment, but the doctor responded,

"It's okay. I didn't think you would… in this setting… you know." Bo whispered, "I'm gonna go. You don't need any distractions. You've got this, Lauren. I'm sure of it. Just do what you do."

Lauren pulled back, her eyes brimming with tears, "Thank you. I needed that."

Bo smiled, thumbing away an escaped tear, "Somehow, I find it hard to believe that this is what the great Doctor Lewis looks like before she's about to perform heart surgery."

Lauren smiled, "This isn't Doctor Lewis. It's Lauren… your Lauren. And… I have to know, Bo. I feel like I'm going to burst if I don't know before I do this surgery."

"What do you need to know, Lauren?" Bo asked, concerned.

"Are we still getting married?"

Bo relaxed, laughing, "Is that all?"

"Is that all? It's only the rest of our lives." She said, turning so that her back shielded Bo from the group of doctors.

"Do you want me to get down on my knee right here?"

Lauren shook her head, "No. I want you to get down on your knee when you know you're ready."

Bo looked around, "Well, I had something else in mind, so if you need me on my knee right now to know that I want to marry you, I'll do it here, but I sort of had something a little more… personal… planned."

Lauren grinned, "Personal is fine."

"Good."

"You're sure?" Lauren asked.

"After months apart, you really have to ask?"

"Well, we just had our first real hug." Lauren replied.

Bo nodded, "I'm sorry about my…"

"No. It's okay, Bo. I just needed something solid before this. Something I can count on. I just feel like I may be fighting a losing battle and… she's just so young. She deserves a solution and I'm not sure I have one, Bo. What if I fail her?"

"Lauren, you can't think that way. You do your best just like you did the first time you saved her. You know that some things are just not in your control."

Lauren took a deep breath and sighed, "I think I made a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"I should have brought Shannon."

Bo shrugged, "Then call her."

"I feel like it would be an insult to that mind trust behind me." She looked over her shoulder at the group who were focused on Stephen, "Honestly, I thought Stephen would take the lead on this, but now we're doing a procedure that I just invented on the fly and he's assisting me. What if I'm wrong?"

Bo took both of Lauren's hands in her own, "How many procedures have you invented?"

"Twenty-seven."

"And for how many of them was Stephen present?"

"None." Lauren said, "But…"

Bo shook her head, "No buts, Lauren. He's your mentor and he would object if he thought your idea was going to cause that child harm. Clearly, he is ready to stand by you on this. The two of you have been talking about hearts for decades and you were always assisting him. He retired, Lauren. Forgive me if that means something different in medicine, but it would seem to me that it means he hasn't held a scalpel for a while."

Lauren nodded, "True, but…"

"It's your turn, Lauren. Let him officially pass the torch with this surgery. Give him his proud Papa moment."

Lauren nodded, "Okay."

"Okay?" Bo asked.

"Okay." Lauren smiled, "Did I hear you speaking French to Henri?"

Bo shrugged, "I've been crossing over the Canadian Border my entire life. Do you really think I could have gotten trade business there if I didn't know the language?"

"Oh. I never thought… wow. You never cease to amaze me, Bo Dennis."

Bo grinned, "Well, I hope to hear amazing news tonight, Doctor Lewis. Good luck."

"Thank you. Be safe out there."

"I'll be hauling precious cargo. I'll be the safest ever."

Bo hooked her pinky finger in Lauren's, the blonde looking down at the joined digits with a smile before she said,

"I love you, Bo Dennis"

"And I love you, Lauren Lewis."

Bo pulled up her hood and headed to the door. It was going to be a long day, indeed, but at least her dogs would get their training runs in and these kids would have a healthy distraction.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Talkeetna General Store

Mark looked up when he heard the bell on the door and smiled, "Hey, Bo! It's so good to see you! I hear we're having some unexpected tiny company for dinner tonight."

Bo stood in the doorway, holding her foot up as she tried to convince herself to step forward into the store, but the walls closed in quickly. She retreated to the steps outside and allowed the door to close.

"Shit!" she said to herself, balling her hands into fists, "You look like a fucking idiot! You can do this, Bo!"

She stepped to the door again, this time making it across the threshold,

"Forget something?" Mark asked.

Bo shook her head, eyes down as she forced a smile. Mark moved to hug her but when he saw her body stiffen, he threw one arm over her shoulder and led her to the children's clothing section,

"Do you have any idea what size these kids are?" He asked, releasing her.

Bo shook her head, "Sorry, I didn't think to ask. They're little, though."

"And the parents are okay with you taking them out in this storm on your sled? You were moving like a bat outta hell with all of that paw power in front of you."

Bo shrugged, "I know - they're crazy right? I don't know that I would let my kids hop in the basket of a sled in a storm like this - especially with a Musher I didn't know."

Mark laughed, "Yea, well I think they've got that one covered since Lauren knows you and knows where you live."

"But you all forget that I could disappear into the wild without a trace, never to be found again if I chose to take off."

Mark stopped, "Are you planning to vanish again?"

Bo could see the seriousness in his question, "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't joke about my vanishing act. No, you don't have to worry about that."

"Good, because you were missed."

Bo looked up, "I'm sure you guys did just fine without me."

"Really? Well, let's assess, shall we?" He counted on his fingers as he recounted the events of her time away,

"The first week you were gone, Molly had to go pick Rudy up from the School Nurse every day because she had a belly ache from missing her sister. For her daily writing practice at school, Elise wrote you letters because she had so much she wanted to tell you but couldn't. Kyle lost eighteen customers because they came to buy a sled from the real Bo Dennis, not her business partner. LJ didn't sign up for any races because he wanted you there for his first race. Your Mom ran out of medicine and didn't tell anyone because she didn't want to be a burden. Your brother Tosh went ice fishing. Ice fishing, Bo!" He shook his head, lowering his eyes to the floor,

"Every damn day Pops went out on that ice, we worried about him. You brought him fish for the store – he hadn't fished for years." He looked up, his eyes red, "Don't get me started on what Path and Slate went through or the fact that you weren't here when Michael came home from school for the holidays hoping to see you."

He shook his head, "We were a family, Bo. We had all become invested in you… in caring for you…"

Bo scowled, "What do you want me to say, Mark? That I shouldn't have gone? That I was selfish to go? Do you want me to feel guilty?"

"I want you to understand that staying away like you did… it was hurtful, Bo."

The brunette turned to Mark, her eyes dark and menacing, "Hurtful? Do you really want to talk to me about hurtful, Mark? You want me to feel bad about leaving my Mom behind? Do you have any idea who I would be today if she had never left me behind? I was a good girl, Mark. I was smart. I was popular. I was hard working. I would have gone to college. Mom wanted me to get out of the village. She wanted me to see the world. She didn't want this life for me when I was a kid. But here I am."

Bo took another step towards him, "You want to talk about hurtful? How about the way that you treated me the first day I came into this town? You sided with all of the other people in this town against me. You didn't have the guts to stand up to your grandfather any more than Tosh did. Molly was the only one who was kind to me."

She turned away, tears filling her eyes, "Do you want to talk about hurtful? Well then, let's clear out the last skeletons in your closet Mark, because while I was away, that's exactly what I did. I thought I'd reconciled my past with my present, but apparently, there are still a lot of things left unsaid. My Mom insisted I go on my vision quest, and do you know what endless days and nights in darkness gave me, Mark? Memories. Lots and lots of memories."

She faced him again, "I remembered, Mark. I remembered it all. I thought I'd forgiven you… all of you… but when those memories resurfaced, I had to find a way to truly forgive all of you and that took time."

She stepped closer, "That night… I laid there, bloodied and beaten while his men called me every nasty name in the book and ripped at my clothes until I was half naked. You helped them build that fire and stake each dog collar to the ground. You stood side by side with them as they surrounded me and my team. I thought they were going to burn me at the stake, but you knew. You stood there knowing what he was going to do."

Now standing toe to toe with her nephew, she recounted the final events of that night and his role in it,

"They knew what guns could do. They'd seen it firsthand. They were crying and struggling to get free, yet you did nothing but watch as one by one, your grandfather held a gun between the eyes of each of my dogs and pulled the trigger while I screamed and begged someone to help them. And when his men took turns throwing the bodies of my dogs on the fire..." She tapped a finger on his chest as she spoke, "… I remember, Mark. You were there. Ten years ago. You were there. And just in case you were wondering, the dog you threw on the fire… her name was Aurora… she was one of my lead dogs… Harper's sister."

Mark stood… stunned… his face filled with horror, "Bo…"

"Don't. There is nothing you can possibly say to make that memory leave my mind." She spun away from him, walking to the front window of the store, "So don't you dare talk to me about the hurt I caused by leaving this town for a few months. Instead, thank me for coming back despite what I know now."

She sighed, remembering the lessons of the Shaman that Scout had introduced her to in Haa Héen. She closed her eyes and allowed love to fill her mind, then her heart, then her soul. She took deep breaths, willing herself back to the present… to the new Mark. She turned to him,

"I know you were not able to say no to Big Jim at the time. What matters is that you finally found the courage to get on the right side of the whole thing. I've forgiven you, but know that I will never forget what happened, Mark. I can't and I won't. Remembering honors the memories of my team… honors Harpers' life and the family she lost that night… honors the legacy of my Mom's team that was lost that night. Those dogs were bred from her dogs… and Harper is all that remains."

"You'll never know how sorry I am…"

"Oh? If that's true, then you would never judge me for taking a break from my family and friends to figure out how I was supposed to go from Bo Dennis, loner who lived off the grid full time to Bo Dennis, homeowner sleeping under a roof. I had never considered love let alone marriage, but all of a sudden, there it was. I found a brother I didn't know I had. My Mom came back after I'd finally convinced myself she was probably dead and oh, right – she brings me a little half-sister I didn't know I had!"

She turned away again, "Suddenly I owned two additional businesses on top of what I'd already had, I learned that Big Jim was actually my Father and that the woman who had been like a Mother to me – Seline – would represent the biggest betrayal I had ever known. I didn't think it was possible that I could trust people less after that, but I did… worse yet, I didn't trust myself."

She moved closer to Mark, "I was trying to be all things to all people because I had no experience being part of a family, being part of a couple, being part of a community, being part of a business partnership, being a member of a household… suddenly I had everything to lose and I was behaving irrationally."

She looked up at him, "So I'm sorry if my going away was hurtful to anyone, but for the first time in my life, instead of protecting everyone else, I protected my sanity. If I hadn't gone, I would have become someone you would not have wanted to know."

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Bo. I didn't know it was so bad for you."

She shook her head, "Think about who I was, Mark. Then think about all that was suddenly part of my life. My instinct when I met Lauren was to run… get some space and sort things out in my head. When my Mom and Rudy showed up, that will to run was overwhelming, but I kicked into protective mode when Acacia showed up with the Feds. Knowing the threat to everyone I loved was very real, I stayed. After the threat was gone, I was so afraid of losing Lauren, that I continued to stay. But then, the anger came. I didn't know it at the time, but the truth was - I blamed her for how I felt."

Mark nodded, "I never thought about it. I never looked at the big picture. Now that I see it – I mean, as much as I can – I get it. I'm glad you found your way back."

Bo walked to the window once again, "Honestly, I don't think I have found my way back just yet – not completely."

"Molly said you were… different." Mark replied, "… just her observation."

"Yea, well I think she meant to say… distant."

Mark nodded, "I noticed you flinched when I tried to hug you. Was that your memory of what I did?"

Bo shook her head, "No, Mark. I really have moved past your role that night. You were outnumbered and if you had tried to help, they would have pushed you aside and done it anyway."

"Oh. I just thought that…"

Bo shook her head, "I'm having problems with claustrophobia."

He nodded, drawing a conclusion about her earlier behavior, "That's why you went back outside after opening the door earlier."

She nodded, "I'm having troubles being indoors at all."

"It's okay, Bo. You've gotten used to life indoors before - you'll get used to it again."

Bo grinned, moving towards a porch furniture display and taking a seat, "Yes, but there's a hidden truth to that façade. You see, I never actually got used to living indoors. When I was at Kenzi's, I slept on the roof most nights. Right up until I left, I was outside more than I was inside unless I had something to distract me. Have you seen the ceilings and glass in my house?"

Mark came to sit beside her, "I thought it was just great architecture. You know that modern stuff."

Bo smiled, "Me? Modern? You do know my architect just signed off on the plans for city council approval, right? His company would have built something much different for one of their top contractors."

He shrugged, "It's a beautiful home and I love the open layout. People put up too many walls inside their homes. I know there are moments that call for privacy that doors and walls afford, but it would be nice if we didn't use them more than is really necessary."

Bo nodded, "It's funny, really. I feel like I have more privacy outside than I do inside – walls and doors notwithstanding."

"I get that." Mark replied, pausing before changing the subject, "Well, my wife said you would be in a hurry?"

Bo sighed, "Yea. She told you everything?"

"Lauren's doing some big heart surgery and you're taking two kids to The Homestead. I'm not sure how the two connect, but I've learned not to ask questions."

"Lauren's patient is from back east. They just moved here. The oldest child – who's about Rudy's age – got a new heart and, well – I'm no doctor – but it sounds like something's wrong with it. She's got the power team of doctors over there who are planning some big surgery. I'm taking the two youngest kids back home where Rudy and Elise will babysit them."

He moved to the toddler clothing, "Do you know their approximate ages?"

Bo shrugged, "You know I don't know much about kids, but I'd guess the boy is maybe eight and the little girl maybe five?"

"Well, I haven't met them, but sizes are based on ages, so… do they have any gear?"

"They have the kind of gear tourists would wear."

"So, a few more layers each, some mukluks, socks, gloves, hats and two coats?"

Bo nodded, checking out the display of socks, gloves, masks, goggles and hats, "I'll get this stuff."

They gathered everything they needed and said their goodbyes. Bo went back to the clinic to get the kids. Lauren was already in the barn getting the dogs ready.

"What are you doing out here?"

Lauren shrugged, "I needed some time away from the group. Stephen is leading them through drills for any potential issue and I'm going through the steps over and over again in my head."

"And the knots you're tying in my team's leads?"

Lauren grinned, "As I once explained to your Mom – they're similar to the knots that you usually tie, but stronger."

Bo's brow furrowed, "Lauren, if there was a stronger knot, I'd know it."

"Your Mom said the same thing and yet, she analyzed it and came to agree. The force of blood inside a blood vessel is greater than any force you could ever put on a knot."

"The force of a team pulling…"

"Isn't as great as the force of blood on a vessel wanting to burst. The heart is a more powerful engine than your team of dogs, Bo. Remember – I've seen both. You've only seen one."

Bo considered the blonde's words before lifting a line and having a look. She flipped it over and back, then slowly took it apart as Lauren watched. Finally, she looked up at Lauren,

"I'd like to try it, but with Henri's children on board I'm worried…"

"These are the safest knots to ensure their survival. I trust that you'll get them there. You trust that this small change will help you to do just that… because I really need to keep tying these knots right now. I don't have enough surgical thread or a plastic model to practice the technique any other way."

Bo sighed, watching as the doctor methodically tied knot after knot. Bo had never seen Lauren tie knots before… at least not on land. She had seen her make quick work of the knots on the lines of the Gracie Marie when they went out for a sail. It was strange to suddenly recognize that she had never thought of Lauren having a need to tie knots as a surgeon.

Lauren looked up, seeing that Bo was checking the knots, so she decided to explain,

"Since you are struggling with trust, I'll explain. When I was prepping the sled with your Mom, I had tied two pieces of nylon rope together and, like you, your Mother corrected me and, after thoroughly insulting me first, finally explained that it was a reef knot I needed to use."

Bo could hear Lauren's frustration… and possibly a touch of anger… as she continued,

"Your Mother was upset that you had not made me tie sledding knots until my fingers bled. I explained to her – as politely as possible – that if a surgeon had even the slightest imperfection in a single knot – in a row of tight, side-by-side knots – that patient would bleed out before the surgeon would have a chance to suture them closed."

She moved to the next rope, her voice even more insistent now, "So I untied my original knot and tied four knots in the time your Mother had tied two – she didn't know I was racing her – and as I tied them, I explained that what the average person doesn't know is that a surgical knot is basically a reef knot – with a small twist – literally and figuratively. Without even seeing the knot, your Mother told me I was wrong."

Lauren again moved to a new rope as the brunette watched - now amazed by how quickly the doctor could tie the knots,

"So, I explained that I had tied millions of these knots and that a reef knot can be strengthened by adding the extra twist that she said was incorrect, because it forms a double overhand knot. The additional turn in the rope provides for additional friction that will prevent loosening of the first tie while the second part of the knot is tied. For a surgeon's purposes, it's a way to maintain tension on a suture so that the first throw doesn't loosen, allowing the pressure of blood flow from the heart to cause blood to seep out, thereby creating a gap in the underlying suture that will become invisible once the top knot is placed above."

Bo cocked her head, trying to follow Lauren's incredibly fast explanation. She had to admit, she was struggling to keep up, but then realized,

"Hey – that looks like one of Mom's quilting knots."

"As your Mom said - and I further explained - some books classify a surgeon's knot as a bend since it can be effective in that manner as well. It can also be used in fly fishing."

As her Mom had before, Bo took the knot in hand, pulling one of the working ends away from the standing end closest to it. The knot broke free.

"Wow. The added twist doesn't stop it from working as it should. Can you show me again?"

"Geezus. Just like your Mom." Lauren said, shaking her head and moving to Bo, tying a knot so she could see it, then dropping the knot in her lap and walking back to her side of the sled.

"I'm sorry. I just never thought of you as needing to tie a knot."

Lauren shook her head, "You literally watched me tie knot after knot into those scars on your forearm after that bear attack. I'm so tired of being underestimated."

Bo walked to Lauren, placing her hand on the knot she was tying, "Then don't underestimate yourself. You'll save Thea. I know you will."

Lauren nodded, her eyes set on the rope as she began to tie again until a voice rang out,

"Doctor Lewis? It's me, Greta? I've brought the children. They're dressed and ready."

Bo waited for Lauren to respond. When she didn't, she called out, "In here, Greta. Walk past the second stall and turn right."

The three entered the room, the two children holding tight to their Mother's hands as the dogs began to bark. Bo smiled, walking to them,

"I know the two of you are fluent in English and French, but do you happen to speak Canine?"

Leah's face scrunched up in confusion, "What's Cay-nine?"

"Dogs are of the Canine species. We are Humans. We speak many languages, but dogs have a universal language."

"Their bark?" Tomas asked.

Bo nodded, "They're saying hello."

Aphrodite threw her head back and let out a howl. Diana and Nike responded before the entire team was silent.

Bo smiled, "That's Aphrodite. She's the eldest. Diana and Nike are the two at the front. They're in charge. They just told the rest of the team that they're being too loud in their greeting. Would you like to meet Aphrodite? She'll be right in front of you the whole way there."

Greta asked, "Where is 'there', exactly?"

Bo looked at Lauren who stepped towards them and explained, "As I said, Bo is taking you to our home. It's usually about two hours most times of the year, but Bo will be taking you the more direct route which will take about forty-five minutes."

"Probably less with a team of this size." Bo corrected.

"How can you take so much time off of a trip?" Greta asked.

"There is a lake between here and there. About four months out of the year, the lake is frozen solid and we can cross it without worry. This is one of those months."

"You're sure?" Greta asked, worried.

"I would never risk the lives of others, Greta. You have my word. I've crossed lakes during warmer months and I'm still here." Bo smiled.

"Very well." Greta replied, holding her children close.

The brunette looked at Lauren who dropped the last rope and smiled, "All set."

Bo turned to Greta, "Well, good luck with… whatever is going to happen in there. We'll be praying to the spirits for Lauren's steady hands and your daughter's good health."

Greta asked, "The spirits?"

Lauren smiled, "Bo's family are Athabascan natives. The Spirits are those of her ancestors and the creatures of the earth."

"Oh." Greta nodded, smiling respectfully, "Thank you."

Bo nodded, "Okay kids! Are you ready for your first sled ride?"

Little Leah ran for the bench, "Shot gun!"

"Nuh-uh! I'm older! I get shot gun!"

The three women laughed as Lauren moved to the basket, unzipping the compartment, "These are the shotgun seats on a sled. Come on then."

Bo looked up at Lauren, "What's shotgun?"

"Front seat – I'll explain later."

Bo leaned in, "But they don't expect me to have a shotgun?"

Lauren shook her head, "No – different kind of shotgun."

Bo stood, confused for a moment until Lauren had the kids settled. She pulled a match from the tin in her pocket, then reached between the two, striking it on one of the outer rails, "Everyone stay very still…" she lit the lamp in the base of the sled, "… there, that will keep you nice and toasty. Pull down your goggles."

She unzipped the underside compartment and pulled out two of the dogs' headlamps, handing one to Lauren,

"These will give Bo the light she needs to see what's ahead, so try to keep your head forward to help her with direction, okay?"

"Are we gonna get lost?" Leah asked.

Bo came to stoop beside the youngsters, pulling the blanket over them and checking to be sure their hats covered their skin next to their goggles,

"Nope. Nike and Diana know the way. They've done this trip a hundred times if not more."

"Wow. That's a lot." Leah smiled.

Bo nodded, "Yes, it is."

"Will there be stars?" Tomas asked.

Bo shook her head, "Not as many now as there will be later. Remember, it's still daylight on most of the planet, so our sky isn't as dark as it will be in a few more hours."

"Looks really dark to me." He replied.

"You'll see," Bo smiled, "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" They said in tandem.

"Good. Now, because the dogs are running in front of you, they'll be kicking snow up, so your goggles are going to get covered with snow. If you get cold, just duck into the cover of the basket and it'll be like a tent back east."

Both children looked inside and nodded before Bo pulled the zipper fully up to their necks,

"Comfortable?"

"It's getting warm," Tomas said, "It's not cold at all!"

"Remember – we're not outside yet," Bo cautioned.

"Right." He nodded.

Bo pulled on her gear, then double-checked all of the lines before handing Lauren her phone, "I think my location settings are off. Can you make sure they're on – just in case they want to know where we are. We were in such a hurry, I forgot to grab the GPS Navigator from the charger in the garage at Lynnie and Shannie's place."

"Good idea." Lauren said before looking up at Greta, "I'm going to give you Bo's number and an app you can download that uses GPS data to find her phone when she's on her sled. That way, you'll know where they are. When they reach the river, they're home. They can spend the night there with Bo's Mom and daughter. Our whole family will be there for dinner. They'll be well cared for, I assure you."

Greta nodded, "I'm so sorry you're missing a family dinner."

Lauren waved her off, "It's okay. We have them at least once a week. There will be others."

"But this one must be special, Doctor Lewis. You've just returned home. They must have been looking forward to you being there."

Lauren shook her head, "Bo is the blood relative, and she'll be there to represent us. Like I said, Greta, there will be other dinners. Right now, let's just focus on Thea."

The mother nodded as Bo stepped onto the rails. Lauren held out her pinky finger which Bo hooked into her own before releasing it and giving a nod to Greta. The doctor reached up and pulled down the brunette's goggles, then pulled down her hat to cover any exposed skin. Finally, she tugged the hood up and tying off the collar at the neck, leaned in and whispered,

"I love you, Bo Dennis. Stay safe."

"I love you, Lauren Lewis. Remember – you are the best surgeon in the world."

Bo turned to her team, "Line out, Ladies!"

The dogs stood on that command, taking up the slack in the lines. Greta stepped back, her arms going to her chest as the sled lurched forward under the pull of the dogs.

Bo called out, "We've got precious cargo on board! Let's run quick and safe! Hike! Hike! Show them the way, Nike! Show them the way, Diana! Go home! Go home!"

Greta shook her head as the team quickly hauled the sled out of the barn and into the world outside. She ran a few steps, watching as the sled disappeared into the midday's darknesss. Turning back to Lauren, she shook her head,

"I've never seen anything like it. A team of dogs lined up like Santa's reindeer carrying my kids as if to deliver gifts on Christmas Eve."

Lauren smiled, "It is an amazing way to travel."

"Thea would have loved it." Greta smiled, her clenched fist moving to her heart as Lauren moved to wrap an arm over her shoulder. The mother nodded, "So, are we ready for this?"

Lauren smiled, "We will be. Greta, please, go be with Thea. This is precious time. My team and I will be preparing. You know this is time we need to focus. Normally, we would be in a lab right now working together. Don't let anything you hear or see alarm you. This is our process the one we would follow if we were in a hospital. I promise, we'll be ready."

Greta nodded, heading out around the corner into the clinic from the barn. Lauren sighed,

"What I wouldn't give for just one surgical room in a hospital right now."

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