Chapter 26

After Henry left checking on his patient, he decided to stop in town at the diner for lunch. Pulling in, he noticed Bill's truck. He almost decided not to go eat. But he was hungry and he had not done his weekly shopping yet and his fridge was very bare.

Walking into the diner, Kailey greeted him with a smile. "Table for one, Doc?"

"Yeah, Kailey." They were about to walk by Bill's booth when he motioned him to join him. The girl just smiled and placed the menu on the table. "Coffee, Sheriff?"

"Yes Kailey." turning to Henry, she asked what he wanted to drink. "I'll take a glass of water, please."

"Okay, I'll be back with your drink in just a minute. I'll get your order when I return." She said, smiling

"Your sister and I would like you to come to the house for dinner one night this week." Bill said.

"I have a ton of appointments. Some of them later in the day. I'll check my calendar." Henry mumbled.

"Yeah right. Quit avoiding your sister, Henry. She hasn't done anything to you and you need to stop acting like she has. She cries herself to sleep some nights. You ignoring her cuts her to the quick." Bill said, balling up his fists, and trying to control the need to yell at his friend.

Henry had the good grace to look upset. "What do you mean, she cries herself to sleep at night sometimes?"

"Just that. I have to lay there in our bed, with her in my arms, while she cries because her brother will not speak to her!" Bill slammed his fist down on the table, causing a crack to run across the center from the wall to the edge.

"Have you any idea what it's like to have a loved one reject your love, your affection? Of course you don't! Because you have your head stuck so far up your ass that you can only see what you want to see. Pull your head out of your ass and look around you for a change." Bill stood up and threw a few one dollar bills on the table and left.

Henry sat there and began to think about what Bill had said. Yes, it had been said in the moment and with anger and passion. But, that didn't mean it wasn't true. Henry had been so determined to live with his guilt that it became a self-imposed prison. He had done his level best not to make friends. But, when he thought about it, he had several. Two he could think of right off the bat. Bill and Jaxson.

Even though they had only known each other a short time, Henry felt like he and Jaxson had connected as fellow veterans. Plus the fact that he had treated Jaxson's mate and shared a table with him.

Henry shook his head to himself. He was an idiot.

"Did the sheriff need to leave, Doc?"

"Yeah, Kailey, he did. I'll take that cup of coffee, if you don't mind. I also think I'm ready to order."

Kailey smiled and wrote his order, promising that it would take long.

While he was waiting, he picked up his phone. Going through his contacts, he stopped at the one that he had not used in years. One that he kept even though, he probably would never call it.

It was time!

Touching the contact, it dialed. He could only hope she had not changed her number over the years.

"Hello?" The voice was soft, lilting and faintly musical. It caused a shiver to wash over him.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Randi...."

"Henry.." It was a shocked whisper. He could see her face as the blood drained and shock took hold.

"Randi, I...I missed you?.."

"Where are you, Henry?" she asked.

"In the Smokies."

"The Smoky Mountains?"

"Yes."

He could hear her taking a shuddering breath. 'Can I see you?"

"Do you really want to?"

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?" Then as if realizing the answer, she said, "Send me your location. I'll get there as fast as I can."

Henry talked to her for a few more minutes before hanging up and sending her his location.

Just as he was sitting his phone down, Kailey brought his food.

He sat there in that booth realizing just how lonely his life really was and how alone he was. All because he had isolated himself through guilt.

Just like his friend, Jaxson.

Henry cringed when he realized how like Jaxson he really was. He felt like he didn't deserve friends and had isolated himself because of it. He had taken a life through stupidity. Technically, he knew it wasn't his fault. But, in his mind, he still carried the weight of guilt.

He sat there quietly eating his food. While he ate, he thought about how she would look now. It had been at least ten years since he had seen her. She had been so young. He remembered when he was seventeen and she had been a nine year old girl. it had been his birthday and she had brought him a gift. She hadn't been invited to his party because he knew the atmosphere that would be prevalent and he didn't want to expose her to that side of their world. She had come late that night. She had snuck out of her home and walked over to his to bring him a gift. It had been a beautifully rendered sketch of him. He had trouble believing that she had done the sketching herself. He knew that she was a child art prodigy, but the scope of her talent blew him away.

"Go home, Randi. This isn't a place you should be. Innocent little girls don't need to see or know the things that go on at 'grown up' parties."

She had looked up at him and said, "I understand. Goodnight, Henry."

His friends had laughed at him for being friends with a child. That child had been more mature and wiser than his so-called 'friends.'

One of his friends had tried to snatch the framed sketch from his hands. What it had done was knock it out of his hands and broke the glass. He had roared out his anger at the guy. That's when he understood what Randi already knew. They were just people he hung out with. They were not his friends at all. He remembered one memory in particular. "Your going to be my husband one day." He had laughed at her childish statement. Looking back, he wondered if she ever married.

He would know soon enough. Realizing that he had finished his breakfast, he left some money on the table and went back to his office.

Bill, on the other hand, was already sitting in his office. He recalled how he had lashed out at Henry. His mate Misty was suffering because her brother was something of an asshole. It wasn't that he meant to be, he just was a bit like Jaxson and thought he didn't deserve to be close to anyone. Thankfully, Jaxson had been cured of that idea. Now to get Henry to open his eyes and accept the love and connection of his sister.

As if just thinking about her would conjure her up, Misty walked into his office. Walking over to him, she leaned down and kissed him. Grabbing her, he pulled her down into his lap and latched his lips onto her. With their mate bond complete, it didn't take much to get either on of them aroused to a fever pitch.

He tried, but it was so very hard to keep his hands to himself. She looked so good in her jeans and boots, and then her shirt tied at her waist, causing little flashes of her stomach when she moved or took a step.

Misty nuzzled her nose into Bill's neck.

"I love the way you smell. To me, you will never need cologne or aftershave. But if you do wear it, it will only enhance your scent." Humming, she buried her nose again and then kissed his neck.

Bill wasn't ready for the conversation that he was about to have with Misty. Pulling her to face him, he kissed her. Deeply.

"Henry came into the diner today. He sat with me for a while. I passed along the invitation for dinner at our house. Of course, he made some kind of excuse about late appointments." Looking up at his mate, he frowned. "I'm sorry, Misty. I told him about you crying yourself to sleep a lot of nights."

Misty couldn't be mad at her mate. He had only done what he could to protect and defend her. He had told her that after his first mate had been killed in an accident he didn't really think that he would ever be involved with another female, except for the occasional bed romp. When he and his bear realized that she was his mate, he had not been sure how to tell her. She had been so glad that he had. She had been concerned that she was losing her mind. She had been drawn to him like she had never been drawn to a man before.

"I lost it and told him it was time for him to pull his head out of his ass so he could see what was going on around him." Bill still felt a little bit of anger thinking about it. "I had to get up and leave. I was afraid that I would do to say something that not only would I regret, but cause you pain too."

"It's okay, my love. You tried. That's all that matters. You and I cannot make him accept the invitation." She replied.

"Why did you come by today? Not that I mind. I'm always glad to see you, hold you, kiss you." He leaned in to kiss her again.

Misty suddenly looked nervous, which immediately set Bill on edge. Grabbing her upper arms, he demanded to know what was wrong. "What? What is it, Misty? What's wrong!?"

"I haven't had a period. I'm....late." She ducked her head. She couldn't stand it if he wasn't happy about the prospect.

Bill drew in a sharp breath. "Are you saying...you mean you think...that you're pregnant?" When she nodded, still not looking at him.

Bill placed his finger under her chin and raised her face to look at him.

"I am thrilled! I never thought that I would want another mate, let alone another child. It's not like we have been careful. As a matter of fact, we haven't used any protection." Bill smiled widely. "How soon will you know?"

"I have to go see Henry for a pregnancy test to be sure. I'm going to ask for a blood test as well. I want to make sure. From your expression just now, I do not want you to be disappointed." Bill nodded, giving her a small kiss as she got up from his lap. Going to the door, Misty turned and smiled and him and said, "I'll call you later. Okay?"

At her mate's nod, she stepped out of the Sheriff's office and walked over to her brother's office. After checking in, she sat in the waiting room reading a magazine. Okay, she was pretending to read the article.

She was so nervous. The age gap between her and Bill was close to 20 years. She really didn't mind. She knew that shifters live longer than humans, so maybe they would have a long, happy life together.

The nurse called her back and did her triage and medical history. When asked for emergency contacts, one family and one not, she gave Bill and Henry. The nurse looked startled by her words. Misty just smiled.

then the nurse asked her the big one. "What is the reason for your visit today?"

"I think I'm pregnant and need to have it verified." Misty replied.

The nurse dropped her pen.

"Preg-pregnant?"

"Yes. Bill and I have been trying and I haven't had a cycle yet this month." The nurse's eyes got wide before narrowing.

"Something wrong, nurse?" The cheetah shifter was suddenly very busy filling out paperwork. "Did you know that I was Bill's second mate and that his son was happy for his dad?"

The nurse looked at her and smiled. "I'm sorry. I was just shocked. Of course, we all know the story of how his mate died. None ever expected him to get a second mate."

"I think you and Bill are going to be great together."