7. Sean

7

Sean

S ean laughed to himself when he saw Xyla's face turn red after he grinned at her. She seemed to be shocked when William put Elliot in his place.

"It's about time someone stood up to him," Sean murmured to Sawyer.

"I doubt if he'll stay quiet for long," Sawyer said. "They never do."

The five men pulled off their snowy outerwear and sat in the chairs close to the fire. Sean held out his hands, which were covered in blisters, despite the gloves.

Sawyer inspected Sean's hands and raised his eyebrows. "That's going to hurt."

"Is that your official diagnosis, Doctor?"

"Yep. Mine are in just as good shape as yours." Sawyer held out his hands, showing red palms with multiple blisters.

Sean shivered. He was freezing. The cold had managed to seep through his clothes and skin, getting into his very bones.

If only I could shift into my wolf form, I'd be a lot warmer. However, I'm not sure these people would handle it well if I suddenly stripped and became a wolf.

"Alright, gentlemen. I need to see your ears, noses, fingers, and toes to check for frostbite. It's a might chilly outside, making the conditions perfect for it."

Everyone pulled off their socks and Sawyer inspected everyone's extremities. William, who had been a medic in the army, checked out Sawyer's ears and nose. Sean was glad when everyone was pronounced safe.

Sara and Franny brought everyone coffee. The hot cup burned the blisters on his hands, but Sean was glad for the warmth.

"Thank you for rescuing us." Ellie smiled coyly at Sawyer. "I guess you were the Doctor Charming who rescued the princesses after all."

Sawyer blushed a little. "It wasn't just Sean and me. It was all of us."

Marcie looked at Sean as though he was some kind of god sitting on a throne. "You are all heroes then. We appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Darren laid his blistered hands palm up on his knees and leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes.

Marcie walked over close to Darren and held one of his hands in hers. "That must really hurt. Sara, by any chance, do you have some aloe?"

"I do. There's a huge plant in the dining room where it can get the afternoon sun."

Marcie and Ellie disappeared for a minute and came back with a couple pieces broken off of the plant. They slathered the aloe juice over the men's hands.

"Thanks, ladies." Tristan smiled at both of them. "Although, it will make holding the coffee cups a little more difficult."

"We'll hold them for you," Marcie said.

Sean wasn't sure if she was flirting with Tristan or if she was truly trying to be helpful. He suspected that it was a little bit of both. Marcie was a natural flirt. Plus, Tristan and Darren were both nice-looking men, and he had given her the brush off to an obvious invitation twice.

He set his empty coffee cup on the table and briefly wondered if it would be rude for him to close his eyes and fall asleep right there. I don't think I snore that much.

Laying his head back on the chair, Sean half closed his eyes. He noticed that Xyla was watching him.

When Elliot went into the room, he would be sharing with Edward, she walked over to him.

"Thank you. You guys saved our lives. I don't know that I would have done the same after the way we treated you."

"You're welcome." Sean didn't tell her that he had joked about leaving them buried.

She twisted her fingers around and looked at him for a second. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No. I'm good." His voice was terse. He didn't trust her sudden friendliness.

"How have you been doing lately?"

What's with the idle chit-chat? It's not like we're friends or even casual acquaintances. Supposedly, I'm her mortal enemy.

He didn't voice his thought. Instead, he said. "Everything has been great. I hope it has been for you."

"I went to college and got my nursing degree. I just passed the boards, so I'm a registered nurse."

"Congratulations. That's quite an accomplishment."

"Thank you. Now the hard part starts. I have to figure out where I want to work and start applying for jobs. I was thinking about working with kids or cancer patients." She glanced over to Edward. His eyes were glued on the two of them.

He's probably trying to figure out why his sister, who had been so nasty before, is playing nice now. He's not the only one.

"I do miss Angel's Creek. I was thinking about moving back. I could always work at the hospital in Raton or work for the clinic in town." Xyla's voice sounded almost as though she was pleading for him to say that she would be welcomed back.

Sean had no idea why she would suddenly want or need his approval. He wasn't the only one who had dug her family out of the cabin, but she wasn't paying attention to Sawyer. Sean glanced at his best friend, who raised his eyebrows at him as though to ask, "What's gotten into her?"

Shrugging slightly, Sean replied telepathically, "I've no idea. It makes me a little nervous."

Xyla had paused, waiting for Sean's response.

"There's always a high demand for registered nurses. I'm sure you won't have a problem finding a good place to work."

Just then, Elliot walked out of the bedroom and stopped short when he saw Xyla talking to him. He glared at the two of them, and Xyla was suddenly nervous.

"Thanks again for saving our lives." She touched his shoulder and then quickly walked away.

"What was that all about?" Sawyer asked.

"Hell if I know. Did you see how she took off when her father came back out?"

Sawyer nodded. "Yeah. I would almost feel sorry for her if she hadn't been so rude to us from the very beginning. It can't be easy living with a man like that."

"Probably not. I do feel sorry for Edward, though."

Their conversation was interrupted when Ginny put dinner trays in front of the five men, and Franny and Sara brought out bowls of stew.

"It's not that canned junk. This is my homemade stew." Franny smiled proudly at them.

"I'm sure it's delicious." Sawyer smiled back at her.

Sean took a bite and looked up at the short, plump woman who was watching them closely for a reaction. "This is amazing. I don't think I've had any stew that could compare to this – not even my mother's."

The others agreed with him.

Franny beamed at them and then waved in the general direction of the others. "Food is ready. Come into the dining room."

Elliot glared at Sean as he walked by. Sean wasn't sure if it was because Xyla was talking to him, because the five men got special treatment, or if it was just a general nasty look. Whatever the reason, Sean was amused. Being this close to Elliot would make the old man more miserable than anything Sean could have possibly done.

They gobbled up the stew in silence. Almost as soon as Howard, Tristan, and Darren finished eating, they leaned back in the chairs and fell asleep. Sean was pretty sure they were practicing synchronized snoring.

Sean thought about doing the same when Sawyer said something shocking. "I'm thinking about quitting Doctors Without Borders and opening a practice in Angel's Creek."

"Would you be happy doing that?"

"I think so. Dakota Higgins made it work when he settled down with Sadie. He hadn't even been back in Angel's Creek for thirty years when he decided to hang up his traveling shoes."

Dakota was a world-famous photographer who focused on endangered and threatened animals. He took pictures of the animals in the wild and wrote captivating books about the animals, their habits, and everything else a person might want to know. He was also featured in several documentaries on one of the nature channels.

Sean nodded. "Well, yes and no. He mostly stays in Angel's Creek, but every so often he goes on one of his trips and might be gone a month at a time. He hasn't totally settled down."

"I think I'm ready. The idea of having a permanent home, with clean running water, good food, and no worries about being overrun by rebels, government agencies, and whoever else might have evil intentions sounds pretty nice. I enjoy helping impoverished people around the world, but I'm ready for home."

"Are you going to compete with Dr. Carlisle or join forces with him?"

Sawyer laughed. "There's no competing with him. He's the finest doctor I've ever met and everyone loves him. He wants to retire so he and his wife can buy an RV and travel around the country. We've been talking, and I would simply take over his practice. People know me and like me, and once they accept the fact that they can't have their old favorite doctor back, they'll settle for me."

"Settle for doesn't sound good." Sean grinned. "I would say that they would accept you with open arms."

"Yeah, that, too."

"I would love to have you back in town. I think it's a great idea."

William walked back into the room and looked at the three sleeping men and then at Sean and Sawyer. "I hate to ask. I know you guys are exhausted. But is there any way you could check on the main road to see what kind of condition it's in? The radios are still down so I can't get through to anyone."

"Sure. We can do that," Sean said. "Do you have a couple of large plastic trash bags we can take with us?

William looked at him strangely but nodded. While Sean and Sawyer put on their coat, boots, and other gear, he hurried into the storage closet and returned with the bags.

Sean took them with a smile. "Thanks. We'll be back."

The two men headed out toward the main road. Once they were sure they were out of sight, Sean and Sawyer quickly undressed, stuffed their clothes in the trash bags, and shifted. They could move a lot faster in their wolf forms than in human form, although standing naked in forty-below-zero weather, even for a split second, wasn't fun.

Sean and Sawyer looked down the main road, their heart sinking. In some places, the snow was packed in fifteen feet high drifts. No rescue vehicles would be coming their way soon. It wouldn't even be safe for snowmobiles because there was no way to tell where the snow might give way. No helicopter or airplane could safely land anywhere.

They looked at each other and shook their heads. Everyone would be stuck together at the resort for a long time.