Sleepwalker Wolf

Found

Valery

It's been a long drive back to Idaho. I haven't spoken much and neither has Travis. I'm still coming to terms with what Melinda had done to me. Parts of me can understand her frustration. Babies are a lot of work, but why didn't she just lock herself in the bathroom and cover her ears or leave me with Dad? She had so many options, but she resorted to anger and took it out on an innocent one year old baby.

            We are a few hours from home after finally stopping in Oregon when Travis was so tired he could no longer stay awake at the wheel. He slept hard while I sat awake beside him. I had napped on and off in the car only waking up to pee and sip water. We were both anxious to get home, not only to put the whole ordeal behind us, but to check on our baby. My hand almost never left the small bump in my midsection.

            The sun shines through the window, asphalt passing in a black blur dissected by yellow lines. We're so close to home I can almost taste it. I'm going to have the baby checked on and then I'm going to curl up in bed and sleep for the next three days. Sandy has the ultrasound machine ready in her little makeshift office for the moment we get back. It's nerve wracking wondering if something is wrong with my baby. Will my body fail at the one special thing it's designed to do?

            My phone ringing breaks the long silence and I pull it out of my bag to see Uncle Garry on the caller ID.

            "Hi," I answer. "What's going on?"

            "You're daddy came wandering back this morning. He's sleeping right now, but he was almost coherent when he knocked on the door. I think he stayed clean this time. He was still pretty confused and disoriented, but at least he recognized me. He asked about you, wanted to know where you were."

            "He remembered me?"

            "I'm not entirely sure on that. He asked where piglet was, but he looked confused about why he asked. Anyway, if he keeps on improving, I can bring him down to see you. See what happens."

            "That sounds like a good idea, Uncle Garry," I say, grabbing Trav's hand off my thigh and giving it a squeeze. "I found Melinda."

            There's a moment of profound quiet until Uncle Garry mutters, "Where was she?"

            "Pasadena, not far from LA. She's married to a man, a regular man. She said she meant to use me as leverage to get Dad to do what she wanted. But apparently I was crying too much and wouldn't stop so she... you know."

            "No, piglet, I don't know. What'd she do?"

            I sigh and give Trav's hand another squeeze. "She shook me. I think it's why I can't shift unless I'm asleep, some kind of brain damage. When she did it, she just took me to a hospital and left me there. She thought they would use the note she left with me to send me back to Dad, but since he never reported me missing, they never did."

            "Dear God, I always knew there was something wrong with that woman. She hated shifting. Would go as long as she physically could, shift for a few minutes, and then shift back and start all over again. Got up to lasting over a month before she'd need to shift again before she left. I didn't think that meant she'd abandon you and ruin my brother. That woman is the devil."

            "Can't disagree. She didn't even look that sorry for it. Happy in her middle-class suburb while I was passed around between families and Dad lost his mind. Although, I think our visit caused some problems in her marriage, so that's something."

            Uncle Garry chuckles over the phone. "Good. Serves her right. How's the baby?"

            Glancing over at Trav, who's watching the road intently with a soft frown, I take a deep breath. "Um, okay. There is a little issue. My stomach is bigger than it should be this early in the pregnancy. Trav's mom is going to take a look when we get home. We're not back from California yet."

            "That doesn't sound good. I'm sure everything's fine, though. Multiples are frequent with werewolves. And isn't your man a twin?"

            "Yes, but identical twins don't run in families. Also, twins only run on the mother's side, so the father's side doesn't matter."

            Travis gives me an incredulous glance. I shrug and admit, "Eve talks a lot."

            "Either way, let me know what's going on. I'll keep you updated on your Dad," Uncle Garry says.

            "Sounds good."

            I hang up and shove my phone between my legs. Trav glances over at me again and gives my hand a squeeze. Leaning my head back against the seat, I close my eyes with a tired sigh. This week has been packed with too much and I'll need a few days to process it all. My brain feels heavy, like it's made of lead.

            "I'm assuming your uncle was calling about your dad. Is he back?"

            "Yeah, showed up this morning. Apparently, he asked about me. Do you think he remembers me?"

            Trav bites his lip and looks like he doesn't want to answer. "I think he does. I just don't think he remembers how much time has passed or he doesn't want to accept that you're grown now and not still a baby. You said he was saying you weren't his baby when you first found him."

            It stings to think my dad has really lost it like that, further fueling the hatred burning in my gut. Melinda ruined my childhood and my father. The drugs and high fevers Uncle Garry said he suffered after Melinda left probably hard boiled his brain. If he had me, maybe he would've kept it together or it would've lessened how bad he got. Travis squeezes my hand but stays quiet.

            The rest of the drive is quiet. I run into the house once we stop, bladder filled to bursting. Sandy is seated with Trev in the living room and brightens as soon as I enter. Trev startles violently and clutches a hand to his chest.

            "Jesus Christ, woman!" Trev cries as I race through the living room toward the bathroom. "You scared me out of ten years growth!"

            "You're not growing anymore, Trevor! You look like you stopped growing when you were twelve!" I shout back as I close the bathroom door.

            Trev gives a victorious laugh. "Travis is my identical twin, which means if you insult the way I look, you're insulting him!"

            Silently, I concede his point. Not that it matters.

            Sandy is waiting for me when I exit the bathroom. Trav drags in both our bags and drops them with a groan onto the living room floor.

"Eve is setting up the ultrasound machine in my office, so let's go and get this done quick so we can make an action plan," Sandy orders.

She ushers both of us down the hall to a door I've never been down. There are stairs leading down to her basement office. It's well lit, with cool tone brown walls and cream carpets. There's a dark leather couch and a set of armchairs in the far right corner beside a wooden desk with a few neat piles of paper. A small filing cabinet sits beside it, likely filled with patient information. The left corner as you enter has a small counter with a sink and cabinets above it. The space beside it is filled with a bed you'd find in a doctor's office, Eve setting up an ultrasound cart next to it.

"Alright, hop on up and we'll see what we're dealing with," Sandy instructs, pulling her curls back into a ponytail.

I sit on the bed and take a deep breath, preparing myself for more bad news.