Page 2 of The Cowbears of Curvy Bear Ranch

“I’ll be there in a minute,honey.”

He gingerly set a red block on top of a green block. “I made aChristmastree.”

“It looks great. Dr. Jennifer and I are almost donetalking.”

As she turned back to the doctor, she steeled herself against a rising tide of despair. She wouldn’t stop fighting until they found a cure. “What do wedonext?”

“Does he have any brothers orsisters?”

“No.”

Not that she knew of, anyway. He could have a half-brother or half-sister out there somewhere, but it was unlikely. She hadn’t spoken to Brady, Jimmy’s father, in over four years. As far as she knew, he’d joined the Marines and had left forAfghanistan.

The doctor said, “What about his father? I know he’s not in the picture, but if he’s a good match, we could try an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Typically we’d like to harvest healthy marrow from a brother or sister, but since he doesn’t have any, his father is the only otheroption.”

“Why can’t Idoit?”

“Jimmy’s shifter DNA is preventing you from being a good match. Since you’re not a shifter, his body will reject thetransplant.”

“Are you sure? Test my bloodagain.”

“We’ve tested it twice. I’m sorry, but we’re down to one option. Can you get in touch with hisfather?”

Rachel wrapped her arms across her trembling belly. “I haven’t talked to him since… well,since…”

The doctor shot her a questioning look. “Does he know he hasason?”

“No,” Rachelwhispered.

“I don’t know what happened between you and Jimmy’s father, but your son needs a transplant as soon aspossible.”

Rachel bit the edge of her lip. “I don’t know if Jimmy’s dad is even in the country. He might still bedeployed.”

Dr. Landry said, “I suggest you find out. I can’t emphasize how much Jimmy needs this treatment. We’re out of otheroptions.”

“What about the clinical trials? I thought you were close to abreakthrough.”

“We are close, but not close enough to try the treatment onchildrenyet.”

“So there really aren’t any otheroptions.”

“No.”

Rachel smoothed her damp palms across her jeans. How the hell was she going to pull this off? Brady would kill her for keeping Jimmy a secret. But after what happened between them, she had every right to keep her son toherself.

The doctor leaned forward to place her hand over Rachel’s. “I know the last few months have been hard. I’m only a phone call away if you needtotalk.”

“Thankyou.”

She stood and walked to where Jimmy sat. He looked up at her with the same big brown eyes as his father. The day he was born, she knew he’d grow up to be the spitting image of his father. He’d be a real heartbreaker… if he lived longenough.

“Are you ready to go?” sheasked.

He nodded. “I’m tired,Mommy.”

They’d been in the doctor’s office less than thirty minutes, but the light had already faded from his eyes. The familiar look of exhaustion turned his normally pale skin to a sickening shade of gray. A piece of her died every day that passed without a cure. She’d never wanted to talk to Brady again, but what choice didshehave?

She clasped Jimmy’s hand in hers and led him through the snow-covered parking lot to the car. After buckling him into the car seat, she pulled out of the hospital parking lot. She paused at the intersection to Highway 191. She could turn right, go home, and hope that Dr. Landry could find a cure through herresearch.

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