Bear of a Cowboy

Chapter twenty two

**** Gwyn was working with one of the hospital's physical therapists to make a treatment plan Genny at the ranch. Beau and the doctors had arranged everything in such a short time and she had never seen her brother so happy and content.

The therapist was printing several types of exercises when Gwyn began to hear....voices, noises....from....nowhere....everywhere. Her breath caught in her throat, she worked hard to breathe slowly and deeply, to keep the panic down.

She looked around as nonchalantly as possible. There appeared to be no one around that shouldn't have been.

"Are you all right? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Um, I'm, um did you hear anyt'ing jus' now? No, no of course you didn't." Deep breath. "I'm fine, t'anks."

Her panic eased when the noises and voices stopped. 'Maybe it's jus' stress an' bein' tired'. She told herself and paid attention to the various exercises being laid out.

Rowdy and Trish had taken Genny home in the ranch copter while the twins, isolettes and other necessities would follow in an evac helo. Two of the ranch hands were married or engaged to trained neonatal nurses and had worked with the pediatrician and pediatric nurses all day on the specifics of the babies . She would be driving out with Bear and the Sheriff.

Gwyn was glad to have the opportunity to get to know her future sister-in-law and looked forward to it. They planned on spending some time with their grandmother whom Gwyn had not met as yet. She wondered how many similarities she would find between her and Aunt Zinnie. Bear had mentioned that the two woman had been getting along famously and were eagerly learning from each other.

Aunt Zinnie had discussed the idea of the two women colaborating on a book. Blending the knowledge of generations, cultures and geographical areas.

An orderly dressed in nursing scrubs popped his head in the door and said "Miss, your ride will be ready to leave in 5 minutes. You're supposed to go directly to the underground parking area." He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"Well," the therapist said, "that was short and sweet wasn't it? Must be one of the new hires. I think he may need to work on his people skills a bit."

Gwyn stared at the door. Bear knew she didn't like underground anything. She wondered why he would have arranged for them to meet there as she gathered papers and the examples of exercise routines.

"Would you like me to walk you down to the garage? I wouldn't want my fiancé going down there alone. I, personally would feel better if you'd let me walk you down."

"Umm, actually....are you sure you have de time? I mean...."

"My next appointment isn't for another forty-five minutes. I have plently of time."

"Den, t'ank you, I'll take you up on dat. Dey must be in a hurry for Bear not ta come get me."

"Just let me notify the other therapist and I'll be right back."

***

"What do you mean she left already? She was supposed to wait for us to come get her."

The therapist felt ready to pass out at the thunderous look on the face of the huge Native American. Even using a cane he looked like a mountain, unbeatable.

"I'm sorry, sir. Some orderly came in, said you sent word for her to meet you in the underground garage and you'd all leave from there. Jerry didn't want her going alone so he walke her down there. I think he was concerned about her being alone after she started acting....odd."

"Odd?" The Sheriff repeated. "What do you mean odd?" Koni didn't like where this was going.

"Well, she got real pale, almost like she was going to be sick and asked Jerry if he'd heard anything."

"Heard what exactly?" The big man began to glower at the therapist and she though she'd faint.

"Um, I don't know exactly what but...but I heard her ask Jerry if he'd heard noises and voices....he hadn't. Then she sort of shook it off. They went back to the exercises Jerry was printing up."

Bear and Sheriff Koni looked at each other, alarms going off in their heads.

"How long ago did they leave?" Koni asked.

"About 5 or 10 minutes I guess." Both Bear and Nico started for the door.

Koni turned back to the therapist, "Call security and send them to the garage...." The therapist stood staring at her...."NOW!"

"Yyyes sir uh uh I....I....I mean, yes ma'am!"

"Damn! I was sure she'd be safe here." Bear hit the wall leaving a fist sized dent in the sheet rock. "Voices and noises."

He told his sister about the voices and noises Gwyn heard until they found the hidden devices.

"Not your fault, I thought the same....Why would they have started up again when the situation has changed?"

Bear hit the wall again. His sister tried to ease the big man's temper. She reported the snafoo to her deputies at the department and asked for a couple of deputies to be routed directly to the underground garage a.s.a.p.

***

"When are you two getting married?" The therapist asked. "I've lived in this area for about 15 years and I've never heard of the Bear getting close to any one."

"In a couple months," she answered looking around nervously. "I was neve' interested in anyone either but we jus' seemed ta....click." She suddenly stopped mid step. The voices....she shook her head. "Do you hear dat?"

"Hear what? Other than the elevator, our footsteps, I don't hear anything. But, you and Bear, it happens like that sometimes. I didn't think my brother was ever going get hitched but we can barely drag him away for poker night now." He chuckled and began to look around, becoming alarmed.

'She obviously hearing something. It was so quiet. If she was to be meeting people down here, wouldn't they hear a car? Truck? Bear and the Sheriff talking? Something's not right.'

Jerry took Gwyn's arm, "There's something about this that doesn't feel right, let's have Bear paged from the nearest nurses station and have him come get you there."

Gwyn was startled, "You hear it too?" She asked hopefully, fearing that perhaps her sanity had always been at risk.

"No, I don't." Her hopes were dashed. "But, that's the point, there should be sounds....car horns, people talking, laughing. Tires squeaking on the concrete."

"T'ank God. Somet'ing is goin' on, I've been hearin' dese....voices and noises. Very faint but dere." She told him briefly about the similar incidents in Louisiana and why she was there to begin with.

"Geez! Did they catch the guy....do they even know who this stalker is?"

"He was one of de ranch physical therapists dat had been assigned ta Bear." She answered.

"At first, it was fine. He seemed ta know his business, but....then I caught him starin' at me. I started feelin' uncomfortable. Bear had mentioned it an' dat he didn' like it, but....I jus' thought he was bein' jealous an' it was kinda complementin' cause I guess I had already fallen for him."

They continued up the corridor trying doors which were locked or blocked from the inside.