Bearly Healed: Pacific Northwest Bears: (Shifter Romance) (5 page)

E
dward stepped in
, and if he didn’t have shifter vision, he would have had to squint. Cassie was on the bed propped up on a pile of pillows. The curtains to the room were closed, and she had a small tablet on her lap.

“Hey there, how you feeling after that mean old therapist beat you up?” Edward asked, sitting on the bed.

“Tired. “Mario” said I needed to practice when he wasn’t here,” she said, making air quotes.

“I like how you say Mario like it’s not his real name,” Edward snickered.

“Well who knows, it’s not like he showed me any ID. He could have stolen that therapy shirt from an unlocked car or something. Maybe he gets his jollies by torturing accident victims.”

“I think there are easier ways to get your jollies,” Edward said wisely.

“Probably. Were you just teasing me with those cakes, or are you gonna give them to me?” she asked her eyes on the prize.

Edward handed her the snacks. “So, we’ve invited the boys over for dinner tonight. We’d love for you to join us.”

Cassie had already started munching on the treat. She stopped chewing, the food turning to ash in her mouth.

“They just want to welcome you. Get to know you,” Edward said quietly.

Cassie put down her snack cake. “I don’t want to be ungrateful. You’ve both been so nice. I just can’t. I’m tired of seeing the pity on people’s faces. I just want to get better and go back home.”

Edward sat and tried to read her expression. His bear was calm and assessing the state of his guest. His bear told him to tread lightly. The shock on her face was real when he said the house was about to be overrun. Her fear was also palpable; he could smell it in the air.

“You know, we are all pretty friendly. Effie likes us,” he offered.

Cassie knew this. Effie would never have agreed to her being there if she didn’t trust them. But what Edward didn’t know was that her morning sucked. She’d woken to nightmares. They’d been happening since the accident.

She had flashbacks, or not really because she didn’t think she was ever conscious after the crash. Her mind had worked up a scenario where she was trapped in the car. Her legs were stuck under the dashboard, and every time she tried to pull her legs out they would start tearing away from her body. The flesh like tissue paper, blood everywhere.

Cass would cry out in the cold, trying to see through the dark. But no one was there, not even the driver. She was alone, in the cold, her body bleeding. Then she would wake up in a cold sweat. Her body shivering with the horror. Cass would run her hands over her legs to assure herself that her legs were still there. After those nightmares, sleep wouldn’t come again until she medicated herself to oblivion.

After the horrible wake up, she had her first visit from the therapist. Not a bad guy. He was even decent about her making him wait. She had hoped he would have given up at some point and left. But no, he stood around and waited.

When he finally made it in her room, she’d been sitting on the end of the bed, her face turned to the window. Turning to look at him, she saw his eyes light on her, and his mouth shape into a smile. Then when he saw the scar on her face, he couldn’t pull back the look of disgust.

Maybe it wasn’t disgust. It’s a human reaction to seeing someone marred. Cassie had decided that it wasn’t that most people were repulsed by her. Just that it was human nature to realize the violence that it had to take to make a mark like that. A scar like hers was at one time a large open bloody wound. It had to have been stapled or stitched shut making the garish line even more horrific.

People didn’t want to see evidence of how fragile we all were. Mortality is not what anyone wanted to be faced with. So when the physical therapist showed on his face what Cassie already knew, her bad day got even worse. Now Edward was asking her to parade herself in front of his family.

“I…Edward, I just can’t,” she said, trying to suck back a sob.

“My boys and their wives are so looking forward to welcoming you. Is there a reason you don’t want to see them?” Edward didn’t want to push her, but he also didn’t want to just let her sit in her room alone. There is no way that would be healthy for her.

Cassie tried to decide if she could get him to understand. “It hurts when they flinch,” she whispered.

“Who, sweetie?”

“Everyone,” she said. Her eyes were welling with tears she was desperate to not let fall.

“Baby, no one is going to look at you bad,” he tried to assure her.

Sucking in a ragged breath she said, “They don’t mean to. They aren’t bad people. It’s just human nature when seeing it. I didn’t sleep well. I’m sore from the PT, and the guy flinched at me the second he walked in. It sucked. I’m tired, I’m kinda pissed, and I don’t know if I can take any more today. I’m not saying I don’t want to meet them. Just not today, please,” she begged.

Edward sighed. He understood where she was coming from. It was a delicate line to balance. They wanted her better, but they didn’t want her sinking worse.

“All right, you are a pain in the ass you know that, right?”

Cassie gave a sad laugh. “Thanks.” She meant that. She missed being a pain.

“I can’t promise Sophie won’t poke her head in. She’s been asking about you. The rest of them we’ll keep back with a sharp stick. Deal?”

Cassie sniffed and nodded. “Yes, that I can handle tonight.”

“Okay, maybe we’ll start slow, huh? One tonight, maybe a few more tomorrow?” Edward nudged her arm.

“Can we wait and see?” Cassie asked. She didn’t want to make any promises she wouldn’t be able to keep.

“How about we do some rearranging of the furniture in here tomorrow? I think we can move things around, maybe put a chair in so you can look out the window. I see you use your tablet a lot. Would you like a TV in here?” Edward asked, looking around the room.

Cassie shook her head. “I like my tablet. It’s easier to watch my porn that way,” she said, no hint of laughter.

Edward started laughing, though. He saw the tiny glimmer of sass in her eyes, and he loved to see it.

“Makes sense. Practical,” he said. “All right, I’m gonna go help with dinner. If you change your mind, you are welcome at any time to join us.”

Cassie gave him a nod. Little did he know she totally wasn’t joking about using her tablet to get off. She had a number of bookmarked sites that weren’t the full on pay-to-wank sites. But more independent offerings of naughty pictures or gifs. Just enough to get your imagination rolling and your fingers trolling.

Her hands weren’t damaged in the accident, and when you have hours and hours to kill, why not get off? It wasn’t like she only watched porn. She’d made her way through three different series. She had years worth of show episodes at her fingertips.

Getting out of meeting the entire family tonight took some of the tension out of Cassie. She figured with the family on their way, she needed to get moving. Stuffing the last of the cake in her mouth, she grabbed her crutches. Heaving herself off the bed, she listened at the door and only heard noises coming from the kitchen.

She cracked the door open and peered out. Nobody but her and the dust motes. She made her way to the bathroom and took care of her business. She decided to stock up and hit the kitchen when she was done with the bathroom.

Connie stopped what she was doing when she saw her and came over, cupping her face in her hands. Cass was used to this now. Connie Rochon was very touchy. “We understand, sweetheart. But this house is full of people, so I can’t promise how long they will give you before bribing their way into your room,” she said with smile.

Cassie didn’t feel like she needed to say anything, so she just nodded. Connie nodded back and let her go. Cassie looked around, and Edward pitched his thumb over his shoulder. “Your stash is in there.”

Cass made her way to the open pantry and hobbled in. She found her staples that Dax had shipped were arranged on a shelf with a hand printed sign under them that said
Cassie’s Only! Violators will be dismembered!
Seeing the sign brought a little tear to her eye. This had to be Effie’s doing.

Spying a sack of plastic shopping bags, she grabbed one. She tossed in some cheesy poofs, a pack of red licorice, and a couple orange sodas. Tossing everything in the bag, she grabbed her crutch handle and headed back out. Spotting a package of marshmallows and figuring Connie wouldn’t mind, she stuck them between her teeth and hit the kitchen.

Connie and Edward looked at her then started laughing, both of them shaking their heads as they smiled, but then went back to their work.

Seeing the marshmallow theft wasn’t going to get her kicked out, she made it back to her room and was happily propped back up on her pillows munching away before the first group arrived.

She could hear the greetings, the laughter. There was a tiny part that was hidden far below the pain and embarrassment that wanted to be out there. Wanted to be in the middle of the fun. The big meanie, though, was reminding her that they would be staring. There was no way they wouldn’t.

So she put on her headphones and blocked out the happy family.

“
S
o she’s not coming
out?” Conner asked.

Conner had his arms wrapped around his mate Kenzi’s waist as she held their son Kingston in her arms. If he wasn’t holding his son, he was holding his mate holding his son. Either way, he kept them close.

“Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. We have to go slowly. She met with her therapist today, which was a big step. Dax said she’d stopped going back home,” Connie said, pulling trays out of the double oven.

“She won’t see us at all?” Jinger asked. Wyatt stood behind her playing with her red hair that she’d put into a braid. He liked to pet it. When it got on her nerves, she’d tie it up on her head and watch him pout.

“Cassie said that she would see Sophie tonight. I’m going to say that is at least a step forward,” Edward said, carrying a huge tray of chicken in from the grill outside.

“Well, aren’t you special?” Cage gave Sophie’s ribs a poke.

“Yes, I am,” she said giving a haughty sniff.

Connie looked around the group and was happy to have her boys here, but something was missing. “I miss the babies,” she sighed.

“Come on mom, one night we get off. We were lucky to have Cash’s sister Allison come over to watch the little hellions,” Conner scoffed.

Connie glared at him. “My grandbabies are way easier then you three ever were.”

The boys all started laughing. They couldn’t deny for a second that they were all hell raisers. It’s a miracle their mom didn’t kill them herself for all the trouble they got into.

“Well, I’ll be happy to bring her dinner and try once more to lure her out. I’m just going to enjoy not having to clean boogies and food off my trouser leg.” Sophie sighed. Almost three-year-old Micah had taken to wiping his face on the closest available adult pant leg. It was gross.

“He’s spreading his love, babe,” Cage said, giving her a noisy kiss on her neck.

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“Soup’s on!” Edward called out.

The boys and their wives all dished themselves up and took seats at the large wood table. Without all the babies, they could sit together instead of running back and forth to the clip on counter chairs the babies usually sat in. Normal dinners meant at least two or three people were going to be eating their meals cold.

Sophie made up a plate and took it down the hallway. She knocked on the door and waited. She didn’t hear anything, so she tried again. Still nothing, so she cracked open the door and waved a white napkin she’d brought along.

“Safe to come in?” she called out as the shadowed room came into view. She spotted Cassie on the bed, her headphones resting over her blonde hair making the spiky edges stick out all over. The light from her tablet cast a white haunting glow over her.

Pulling off her headphones when she saw who came through the door, she offered, “Sorry, didn’t hear you. It’s just you, yeah?”

“Yup, just me. Brought you some food. Although you don’t appear to be starving,” she said spying the empty wrappers around the bed.

“Just snacking. That smells good,” Cassie said sniffing at the cooked chicken. She reached over and flicked the switch on the small table lamp on the nightstand.

“Grilled chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, and as usual around here, fruit. These guys are nuts for it. I had to start thinking of ways to sneak it in my normal recipes,” Sophie said with a laugh.

“They all just super healthy?” Cass asked, dipping into the cheesy noodles.

“I think it’s all the dark, rainy days out here. Their bodies crave the vitamins. Keeps the scurvy away,” Sophie said with a laugh.

Cassie thought that seemed reasonable. She didn’t know what else to talk about, so she kept shoveling food in her mouth.

“So…” Sophie started.

Cassie glanced up from her plate. She swallowed the garlicky chicken and waited.

“Why me? Not that I’m not flattered, I love that you are willing to see me. I hate to think of you all alone in here,” Sophie said reaching out to gently touch Cass’s foot.

Cassie looked at the sweet round-faced woman next to her. She was pretty and soft. She looked homey.

“Well, I didn’t want to come off like a crazy recluse, and you did make an awesome dinner. I hoped that someone that was that thoughtful wouldn’t stare at my scars,” she said quietly.

Sophie’s eyes softened even more than they already were naturally. Sophie’s heart was breaking. She’d called Effie and asked her about Cass after she’d met her. Effie was happy to fill her in. The stories she told about her wild and crazy friend were nothing like the young woman sitting next to her. That girl was hopefully still in there, but right now she had all her shields up. The walls she’d built were for protection, and Sophie didn’t blame her.

“First, your scar is far less noticeable than you think. I’m guessing it’s the first thing you see in the mirror. But I’ll be honest with you, the short blonde spiky hair is the first thing that draws the eye.”

“It was orange,” Cassie said softly.

“Wow, orange. I’d love to see that,” Sophie said with a laugh. She got a smiling lip quirk from Cassie.

“Second, I’m British. No matter if I saw something shocking or not, I would never be so tacky as to show it,” she said, raising her eyebrow in an aristocratic look.

Cassie took in this cherub trying to look snotty, and it sooo wasn’t working. She started cracking up. She laughed and laughed. “You’ve seen that look, but girl, you have not practiced it,” she mocked.

“Oh damn, it’s my mom’s look. I’m thinking of using it on Cage,” Sophie said with a pout.

“That look will probably just get you kissed,” Cassie guessed.

“Oh, honey, you don’t even know. That big dummy thinks I’m cute when I’m pissed. Can you imagine? It drives me barmy!”

Cassie wasn’t sure what barmy meant, but she figured it was annoyed at the very least.

“I can’t imagine a man finding me cute when I’m angry. I tend to scream and scratch,” she admitted.

Sophie tried to imagine this broken little bird getting rowdy. It was hard to imagine. “Hmm, I think I’d like to see that.”

Cassie just shook her head. She made poor life choices. Effie had once called her a Tasmanian devil when she’d gone ape shit over her favorite TV show being cancelled. Her world would never be shiny again. It was ugly.

“You don’t think I’m going to get any other visitors tonight do you?” Cassie asked as she finished up her plate, leaving it on the nightstand.

“Nah, sweetie. We’ll give you your time. But we are a pushy lot. We will only be patient for a while. Then we will bulldoze into your life. It’s kind of like an initiation,” Sophie explained thoughtfully.

“Nice, do I get a funny hat to wear? The Bison lodge has ones with horns,” Cassie snarked. It was a weak snark. All the food she’d consumed in the last two hours was starting to weigh her down. She let her head fall back to her pillow. Her eyes were droopy as she looked at Sophie.

“Well, we can make you one for sure,” Sophie said thoughtfully.

Cassie gave her a weak smile, and Sophie saw how tired she was. “I’m gonna let you rest, sweetie.” She gave her foot another gentle touch and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

“You were in there a while, babe.” Cage pulled her onto his lap when she came up to him. “Everything all right?”

“Yup, chatted a little. She ate quite a bit. I think she’s going to sleep,” Sophie said. Cage was spoon feeding her the dinner she’d missed.

“Is she in pain?”

This came from Cash, who’d joined the group after Sophie had taken Cass her food. He was leaning against the counter with a plate in his hands. He put the plate down when he asked the question, his bear concerned for some reason.

“She didn’t seem so. But man, is she sad. Like deep down, soul sad,” Sophie said frowning.

For some reason, Cash’s bear didn’t like hearing that. The wounded woman with the amazing smell should be happy. Anyone that smelled like candy shouldn’t be sad.

“I have to say, her biggest fear, and stop me mom and dad if I shouldn’t share this, is about her scars,” Sophie started.

“No, dear, I think everyone needs to know. I could see it when I met her,” Connie agreed.

“She mentioned it to me today. Apparently the PT guy made a face. That’s why she didn’t want to come out tonight. I think if she could get past some of the anxiety about how she looks, she’d be moving around more. Getting better faster,” Edward added.

“What scars?” Cash asked. Now his concern for this woman peaked even higher.

“Well, the car accident left her with a scar that runs from her forehead down beside her eye. It’s healing well really. A year or two and it should only be a white line. I know she has a significant scar from where they took her spleen out. Her leg injuries are all internal,” Cage said, filling Cash in. He’d been in touch with Dax since the moment they had to leave Christmas to rush to Cassie’s side.