Canyon Wolf Bride Page 26

  “Sit down, dear.”

  Nan sat next to Frank and he put a large arm around her shoulders. She began to cry. Sean looked up at Earl for answers.

  “She’s not doing well. We talked to the doctor. They’re unable to keep the brain swelling down and her organs are beginning to fail.”

  “No!” Sean screamed as he stood, grasping his own hair as if he was going mad.

  “Now, son, calm down. It’s in God’s hands now.”

  Sean crossed his arms and paced furiously.

  “I’m going to go see her.”

  “I think you should calm down first,” Earl said firmly.

  “I’m fine,” he bellowed as he continued to pace like a caged lion.

  “No, you’re not. She’s under a lot of stress and I won’t have you going in there and upsetting her further. We want her to get better.”

  “And I don’t?”

  “Hey!” Frank said as he came between the two men. “Calm down, Sean. We all love Paige. You can go in when you get a hold of yourself.”

  Sean plopped down on the hard cushions of a love seat. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, dear,” her mother replied. “We’re all very upset.”

  “I don’t think she’ll make it through the night,” Earl said with his back turned to the group.

  “Don’t say that,” Sean spat back.

  “I’m sorry, son. I don’t want us to lose hope, but we have to be realistic. We have to prepare ourselves.”

  “I saw a chapel down the hall. Does anyone want to join me?” her mother asked, more calm than ever.

  Sean shook his head no. “I went there yesterday. I want to go see her before the visiting hour is over. I promise to be calm.”

  Earl nodded and sighed heavily, his large shoulders sagging, weighing him down. Sean exited the waiting room and walked the long corridor that led to the woman he loved. He prayed the entire way.

  “God, if you are in heaven, give her back to me. I beg you,” he spoke out loud in an even tone.

  An elderly couple was walking toward him and overheard him. They prayed for him as they passed. They were there to see their only son. He had been in a horrible car accident and wasn’t expected to live through the night either. They understood his desperation.

  Sean made his way through the double doors. The nurse acknowledged him with a sympathetic half smile as he walked past her and into Paige’s room. She looked even more swollen than the day before and more far away than ever. He took her pale hand and held it in his.

  “Please don’t die, baby. I need you.”

  He stared blankly into her unseeing face and noticed the tube coming out of her throat seemed to have a large amount of blood in it. He called the nurse. She was in the room within seconds.

  “Is this normal?” he asked, pointing to her breathing tube.

  “The blood?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, it’s normal.”

  “Can’t you clean it out or something? How can she possibly breathe through that?” he asked, now angry at her incompetence.

  “Yes sir,” she answered gently. The nurse knew the blood would reappear but she did as he asked, cleaning out the small amount of blood. She knew a tiny bit of blood could look like a lot and it alarmed the families of dying patients. Part of her job was to make the family members as comfortable as possible during the dying process as well as the patient. She suctioned the tube out and replaced it.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “Yes sir,” she answered before leaving quietly.

  “Can you breathe better now, baby? You have to wake up and get well. We’re all waiting for you.” He reached for the stool on wheels and sat at her bedside, still holding her hands as he prayed again, not caring who heard him, begging for a miracle.

  His eyes were closed when a familiar scent filtered through his nostrils. It smelled like warm apples and he instantly thought of White Feather’s pipe smoke. The scent grew stronger and he opened his eyes, sniffing and lifting his head. Surely no one would light up in the hospital. Maybe they were making apple dumplings in the cafeteria downstairs and it was escaping through the vents. No, he was sure of it. It didn’t smell like food. He smelled tobacco smoke, woodsy and pungent.

  He heard a buzzing in his ear and looked at Paige. There was no change. He doubted she even knew he was there. Her eyes looked as though they would never reopen again. Her eyelashes appeared sticky with a yellow film. A bloody crust formed at the corners where she was most bruised. It looked as though they had cleaned her up a bit more from when he had last seen her. Her neck was now gray, not black and he noticed that a powder had been brushed through her golden hair in an effort to cleanse the soot from it.

  The apple wood smoke still clung to the air, dissolving the band-aid smell that had once hung in the air like death waiting. He stared at the far wall and noticed a tiny ball of light glowing. There were no windows and no sunshine. He looked at the light fixtures above him and realized they were basic halogen lights beneath a thin sheet of plastic. No lamps were on. The ball grew larger, appearing as if it were on fire. The tobacco scent nearly burnt his nostril hairs, so much so that he pinched his nose with two fingers. He blinked his eyes at the sight before him. White Feather stood across the bed, looking down at Paige. He wore an Indian headdress and was dressed in traditional Indian garb. Sean squeezed her hand tighter. Was White Feather dead now too? Had he come to take Paige away?

  “What do you want? Get away from her. I’m not ready for her to go,” he whispered fiercely, afraid the nurse would come at any moment.

  “It is not her time,” White Feather replied.

  “Then why are you here?”

  “Coming Wind has sent me. He has gone on and he is at peace.”

  “Sent you for what?”

  “There is a way to save the girl.”

  “Only a miracle can save her.”

  “You were born as a miracle, my son. The power is within you.”

  “She’s not expected to live through the night. If I knew how to save her...”

  White Feather cut him off. “You know how my son. Now do it.”

  Sean had toyed with the thought before. “I’m not sure it would work and she would never want that.”

  “She doesn’t want to die. Coming Wind has seen her. They met in the tunnel, but she didn’t want to go any further. You must act soon. There isn’t much time. She’s half way there already. She wants to come back to you, my son. She is willing to make the change. I am sure of it.”

  “You spoke to her?”

  “No, only to Coming Wind. I can only speak to the dead. She is very much alive, my son.”

  “I don’t know. How would I do it without being caught?”

  “It will be okay. No one will see.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Trust me, my son. It is your only chance. Her only chance.”

  “Where should I do it?” he asked as sweat poured down his temples. He glanced at the nurse’s station.

  White Feather closed his eyes and then mumbled something in Indian tongue before nodding slowly. Sean knew he must be talking to Coming Wind.

  “Take her sock off. Off of her good leg and bite her foot. The bite will heal quickly. The doctors will never notice.”

  Sean’s heart began to swell. He shook with anticipation. He hated to do it, but he wanted her back so badly and she had said it was okay. She was willing to live life as a she-wolf in order to save herself. He wished Aunt Bette were here. She would be soon. She was on her way. Paige could talk to her then. To hear Paige’s voice again would be glorious. He couldn’t even imagine it. She had been near death for three days, but it had seemed like a lifetime.

  “Hurry my son. She is fading fast.”

  Sean glanced at her heart monitor and was surprised to see it was speeding up. He hoped the nurse wouldn’t come running.

  “But the nurse.”

  “Don’t worry. She’s in another room now
. You have time.”

  Sean removed her sock, taking her delicate foot in his hand. Her toenails were painted soft pink. He wanted to cry. Even her feet were beautiful. He looked at White Feather. White Feather nodded and Sean closed his eyes. He held her foot up and bit into the soft flesh at the arch. He felt her tense as his teeth sank into the warm flesh. He tasted her sweet blood and forced himself to stay human. He watched her face. Her body shook gently at first as if she were cold and had the chills. Her heartbeat increased as the beeping grew more insistent. Her round, swollen eyes opened half way and they saw each other, her foot still in his mouth, his eyes blue as ice now. The swelling in her face deflated half way, like a balloon. She nearly looked like herself again. Her eyelashes grew half an inch as the swelling decreased.. She began to gag and he let go of her foot, yanking the breathing tube out of her throat. A bit of healthy color came back into her face. Her golden-strawberry hair curled down her shoulders and grew an inch. Her lips filled with blood and retained their usual plumpness. She smiled at him, making him want to melt. He had never seen anything more beautiful. Her bruises were now faint green and purple splotches around her slightly swollen eyes and cheeks.

  He looked up at White Feather but he was gone. Nurses came running and stood open mouthed around her bed. No one had expected her to pull through. Never had they seen a comatose patient awake and the swelling subside to such a degree. The doctor had been paged and her family had been notified. Sean remembered the sock and quickly put it back on her foot. Paige flexed her left leg and looked surprised. Sean rose his eyebrows and glanced down at her leg, wondering if the burns had been healed. He peeled back the bandage and saw that they were much improved. She smiled at the lack of pain. He bent down to kiss her, never tasting anything sweeter. The doctor ran into the room, fumbling with his eyeglasses, blinking again and again as he checked her vital signs and the machines surrounding her.

  Her parents burst through the door with Joe and Frank at their heels. Her mother shrieked out loud, embracing her daughter and shaking her head. “How did this happen? Oh my stars, oh my stars. God in heaven!”

  “It was God’s will,” her father explained, as his kissed his baby girl on the cheek.

  The doctor unraveled the bandage on her left leg, having to see it for himself. He shook his head in awe.

  “It’s a miracle. The burn is nearly healed.”

  The room cheered. Everyone hugged again. Joe stood in the corner, open mouthed as Frank opened his cell phone to call Meg.

  Paige’s mother squeezed her foot from the foot of the bed as she smiled down at her. Sean shot her a warning glare when she winced. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “It’ll heal in a few days.”

  She kissed him full on the lips. He held her in his arms and breathed her in. She smelled like a meadow of wild flowers with a hint of apple smoke. He winked at the ceiling, secretly thanking Coming Wind.

  “We have a wedding to plan,” he announced to the room.

  More hoots and cheers bounced around the room as Paige’s parents mimicked their kiss. The years fell away from their faces and all was right with the world again. The room finally cleared after congratulations and hugs from all of the medical staff. Within days, they were on their way to Havasu Canyon.

  ****

  Paige and Sean wanted to marry right away. Frank was on his way to the airport to pick up Meg and the girls. The wedding was one week away and by then Paige would have healed. Sean wanted Paige to see their new home. Sean had stopped by Coming Wind’s home and told Blue Flower about Paige’s recovery.

  “I know. Coming Wind came to me in a dream. He told me that Paige was in the tunnel with him. I asked him to help save her if he could. He said he would do his best and told me that he loved me and Red Hawk. He said he would watch over us always.”

  Tears shone through Blue Flower’s black eyes, but she was calmer and at peace now. Red Hawk had even talked to Sean.

  “I saw Daddy in a dream. He talked about you. He said that you could be my dad now.”

  Sean swallowed the large lump in his throat. “That’s right, little man. I’ll never replace your father, but you can think of me as your dad now if you like.”

  “I like,” Red Hawk replied with a toothless grin, before bounding outside.

  Blue Flower was excited about the wedding and offered to help as much as possible.

  “You are like a sister to me, Blue Flower.”

  “And you are my brother.”

  Sean left Blue Flower’s house at dusk, riding his horse back to his home, where his bride-to-be was waiting. He passed White Feather’s house and found the old man outside on his porch as usual, filling the night air with his wonderful apple smoke that would forever symbolize Paige’s amazing recovering.

  As he walked into his home, the wonderful aroma of roast beef wafted through the cedar rafters. Paige was in the kitchen, cutting up carrots with her back to him. The sun was setting behind the canyon ridge when he stole behind her, nestling into her neck, kissing her softly behind the ears. She turned around to face him and his chest swelled with pride. She had been so strong and brave and now she was here. They were together at last.

  They were married five days later, beside the very falls where he had proposed and made love to her in the moonlight on their first visit to Havasu Canyon. All of Paige’s family was there with little Dianna as the flower girl, walking down the aisle with Red Hawk. The two had been inseparable since Meg had arrived and there was talk about a wedding in the future between the two youngsters. White Feather had predicted it and for once, Sean took him seriously. Sean had walked Aunt Bette down the aisle, taking her place in the ceremony as his mother.

  Joe had returned all the film to Sean and had vowed never to reveal the secrets of the Havasupai. He had said that his partner Bill had agreed, too and Sean believed him.

  The village celebrated the chief’s wedding for two days. There was a parade down the dusty streets, complete with flute playing and drum beating with children in colorful animal costumes. Red Hawk wore the wolf hood he had worn at Sean’s coronation and everyone laughed at his antics.

  Sean and Paige hosted a dinner party at their home the night before her family left. Aunt Bette, Blue Flower, Red Hawk, Corn Flower, Proud Eagle and White Feather were there as well as Joe Steeler. They dined on the patio, overlooking Havasu Canyon. Joe asked if he could take photos of the view and Sean laughed as he slapped him on the back and told him it was okay.

  Their honeymoon was spent in their new home together. They didn’t need to travel anywhere to be together. Beautiful, breath taking scenery was in their own backyard. All they needed was sweet time alone.

  One night Sean woke Paige with wet, hot, steamy kisses. Her dream became her reality as she sluggishly rose out of slumber. She had been dreaming of making love to Sean, back in her cabin on the mountain next to a roaring fire as snowflakes drifted outside. She often dreamed of their first days together. Those memories had sustained her during his absence and had comforted her while she was in the drug induced coma.

  “I have a surprise for you. Get dressed.”

  “Where are we going?” She asked as her insides tingled.

  He didn’t answer as he threw her a shirt and a pair of jeans. They walked downstairs together as he led her outside and jumped on his horse, extending his arm and hoisting her up to ride behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his broad back. The horse galloped forward, leading them to the roaring falls.

  It was just as she had remembered it. She had relived the memory a million times. Their wedding blanket was strewn across the soft grass, candles flickered softly in the wind, carefully placed on nearby rocks and boulders. A basket of fruit and a bottle of champagne lay chilling near the blanket. Sean dismounted his horse and led him over to the water’s edge. He helped Paige down and then picked her up, forcing a throaty giggle out of her. He laid her down on the blanket and lay beside her.

 
He wasted no time in taking off her clothes and then removing his own, kicking his jeans into the water by accident and cursing while he fetched them out, stretching them over a big rock to dry.

  He cupped her face in the moonlight, kissing her. She arched toward him, wrapping her slender arms around his neck, pulling him to her.

  “I love you, Sean Wilson. You’ve made all my dreams come true.”

  “I wish it wouldn’t have taken so long, darling.”

  “We’re here now. We made it.”

  “We sure did,” he replied as he kissed her again, moving over her, his slick skin shining. The tall reeds near the water cast striped shadows across his back. He looked like a hungry tiger looming over her.

  “Sean?”

  “Yes, darling.”

  “I’m scared.”

  “I know, baby. It will be okay. I’ll be with you.”

  “We only have two days until the full moon.”

  “Shh, it won’t be as bad as you think.”

  He moved inside of her and she gasped. His eyes flashed blue and he squeezed them shut. She always brought the animal out in him and it was always a fight to push the wolf away. They made love beneath the stars, beside the blue green waters that had nourished the Havasupai for centuries. The call of the night frogs faded as they fell into each other, loving each other without restraint, screaming along with the rushing falls, becoming one with the night as the nearly full moon gazed down at them expectantly.

  Epilogue

  They walked hand and hand into the forest. It was always the same. They went ahead of the others, at least half a mile. The rest of the pack would catch up.

  Sean led Paige to the sacred circle of trees where they stripped down to their nakedness before embracing and kissing. His way of life had given her a new life. One more kiss and they would separate, walking backwards a few feet, staring into each other’s eyes as their muscles began to contort and twist into shape. Course animal hair shot from every pore while their faces grew lengthwise, forming perfect muzzles, meant for smelling and sensing life around them. White fangs glistened beneath tight, gray lips, while pointy ears reached skyward, listening for every crackle of leaves or snap of twig, indicating a meal in waiting.