Page 14 of Trash and Treasure
I’m so sorry, Jack. I let you down.
His shifter metabolism coupled with the deep sleep and whatever the doctor had prescribed must have made a difference because the pounding headache was gone, and his body no longer felt like he’d gone overtime in a cage match.
Mico stared at the ceiling, without a clue on how to handle his grief.
I lost my family, and then when I met Jack, I thought my luck had turned. I didn’t save them, and I couldn’t protect him.
I liked it here. I had a house, my art, and I was building a life. Then I found my mate, and I thought things were falling into place. Now Jack’s gone. How do I start over?
Mico wanted to run away. He knew he couldn’t.Jack didn’t have any family, and I don’t think he’s got anyone else in town except Sherrie and maybe the library folks. No one to make arrangements, to see that he’s sent off properly. I’ve been robbed of a life with him, but I can do this last thing for him, make sure it’s done right.
Grief closed around Mico so thick that he could barely breathe. The depth of his feelings just reinforced his certainty that Jack had been his fated mate. Mico might eventually find another partner, but a fated mate was a once-in-a-lifetime gift.
Why didn’t we stay in the yard? Or go up to the house for dinner? We could have shifted there and been safe. I was stupid, thinking that regular threats didn’t apply to us. I knew there were coyotes, but I didn’t think they’d attack shifters. He trusted me to protect him, and I failed.
Dr. Alton breezed into Mico’s room. “I see you’re awake! How are you feeling today?”
“Please,” Mico begged. “Take me to Jack. This is all my fault. I need to see him.”One last time.
Dr. Alton brightened. “Well, that’s the good news, and why I came to see if you were awake. He’s been asking for you.”
Mico stared at the doctor as if he’d lost his mind. “Jack’s dead.” His voice broke. “He didn’t have a pulse, and he wasn’t breathing. I—” He paused to steady himself. “I will handle the arrangements.” The words tasted like ash in his mouth, but he could do this final thing for the man who had captured his heart with donuts.
Dr. Alton looked stunned. “There’s been a misunderstanding,” he said, licking his lips nervously. We’re talking about Jack Hargrave?”
Mico nodded.
“He’s a possum.”
“We’d only just started seeing each other,” Mico replied, bile rising in his throat. “We shifted for the first time together and then the coyote—”
“Oh my dear boy. Now it all makes sense.” The doctor started to pace. “I assumed you understood, and I figured your questions were due to the confusion caused by Forced Transition Syndrome. I am so sorry.”
“What are you talking about?” Mico suddenly felt completely unmoored.
“Have you ever heard of ‘playing possum’?”
Mico stared at the doctor. “I don’t—”
“It’s an involuntary reflex. Possums—and possum shifters—can’t control it,” Dr. Alton said. “Since you said you were Jack’s partner, I thought you knew how this worked.”
“What?”
The doctor turned to face Mico with an expression of joy and relief. “Jack’s not dead. He woke up about an hour ago.”
It was Mico’s turn to stare. “I don’t understand. He wasn’t breathing. I couldn’t find a pulse.”
“Possums aren’t fast, so they’re sneaky,” Dr. Alton replied. “Falling over in a temporary coma and smelling like spoiled meat deters predators. When a possum is triggered by mortal danger, they pass out. They don’t control the response, and it can last for hours.”
As much as Mico wanted to believe, he knew what he’d seen. “But his injuries…the blood…”
“Jack gave me permission to tell you this,” Dr. Alton replied. “He did have a nasty gash across his ribs, and it probably bled enough to look twice as bad. Once he woke up and was able to shift, that moved the healing along nicely, in addition to how we stitched him up.”
The doctor’s words finally sank in. “Jack’s alive?” Mico held his breath, not daring to believe.
“He’s alive—and he’s asking for you. And the waiting room is full of people who won’t leave until they know the two of you are okay,” Dr. Alton replied with a tired smile.
“People?”
