Ten Reasons NOT to Fall in Love With a Bear

Reason #10

 Sorry this is shrt and crappy :P Dedicated to Iverlaine for the amazing cover <3

Reason #10

            The next day, I woke up sick. When I say sick, I do mean sick. I couldn’t keep any food down. I was running a fever. I could barely breath. I itched all over. Something was severely wrong with me and we had no idea what it was. Sometime midday, Joey ended up calling my parents and begging them to come home.

            There was no denying that he was scared out of his mind.

            “I’ll be fine,” I said, watching him pace the room. I was sitting up in my bed with my legs crossed.

            “You don’t know that,” he ground out.

            “Of course I do. This’ll pass. It’s probably just the flu.” I reassured. “I’ll be over it in no time.”

            Joey ran his hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you.”

            I cupped his face in my hands. “We’ll be fine. I’m just sick. People get sick. It’s normal.”

            “Not shifter people…”

            “I’m not technically a shifter,” I replied. My eyes searched his face. I tilted my head slightly, wanting to be kissed. Instead, a wave of nausea rolled over me. I squeaked, “Sorry,” and scrambled out of bed as fast as I could with my hand clamped over my mouth. Joey rubbed my back soothingly while I wretched into the toilet. “How can I still be throwing up?” I groaned. “I haven’t eaten anything! My stomach is practically eating itself!”

            Joey murmured a few soothing words and kissed my brow. “I’d offer to make you something if I didn’t know it wouldn’t stay down.”

            I sighed. “This is awful.”

            He chuckled. “I know. I was looking forward to enjoying our alone time.”

            I let out a bleak laugh and, with Joey’s help, stood up. I rinsed out my mouth with some mouth wash and spit it out into the sink. There was no point in actually brushing my teeth. I would be throwing up again in less than thirty minutes anyway. “This is what I get for walking around in the snow without a coat.” I fell face-planted onto my bed.

            “If only, if only,” Joey sang. He plopped onto the bed beside me and pulled me to his chest.

            “You know, there is the very real possibility that I could get you sick.” I mumbled, shivering as he nuzzled my neck.

            “I don’t get sick often.”

            “Show off,” I muttered. I yawned and rolled in his arms so I was facing his chest. Joey’s arms tightened around me. “Don’t squeeze me too hard or I’ll puke.” He chuckled.

            We were silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. “What if you’re pregnant and this is just morning sickness?”

            “Not possible. I already considered that and it’s way too soon to have morning sickness.” I kissed his nose. “Now stop freaking out. I will be fine. This is just the flu.”

            The next three hours passed quickly. My nausea eventually passed and I was able to eat something. My fever dissipated, and breathing became easier. The only thing that remained was the strange itch that felt more like my skin was crawling. But it was bearable. (No pun intended…)

            I was watching TV with Joey when I got the sudden urge to go outside. It didn’t just want to, I had to. I might as well have been possessed because I shot straight up and, without a word to my mate, made my way outside.

            “May?” I heard him asked. He sounded puzzled, absolutely stumped as to what was going on. As I started for the trees I heard him swear. “May? May! Come back!”

            I was gone though, straight into the trees. I walked for a while before stopping near where I had found Joey. Upon stopping, I looked down. That’s when I realized I wasn’t wearing a coat or shoes and I wasn’t freezing. I furrowed my eyebrows and wondered why in hell I had walked out of the house like that.

            “May?” Joey called.

            “Over here! Joey, what’s—” I choked on a howl of pain. Pain shot through my skull.

            “Shit!” I heard from off in the distance. “May! I’m coming, just hold on!”

            Then my bones started to rearrange themselves—snapping, breaking, and twisting to their heart’s content, though their heart was my heart… I tried not to think too much about it. “Joey, what’s happening?” I sobbed, on all fours on the forest floor.

            “You’re shifting,” He said, finally approaching me. His thumbs swept across my lips. He placed a soft kiss on them. “Calm down and relax. It’ll be less painful.”

How could I just calm down? I was experiencing extreme levels of pain. I was going to freak out. It was bound to happen. “How?” I wheezed.

            “Just concentrate on me,” He grinned.

            How in the world would that make me calm? Every time I see him, my heart tries to beat out of my chest. I don’t know about you, but that’s not my definition of calm.

            “Good girl,” He grinned.

            “Who knew my old man would be right?” I groaned, trying to roll myself into a ball. “Joey, it hurts.”

            “I know, I’m sorry.” He was a few feet away from me. He couldn’t hold me or touch me because any minute I would be bursting into an animal. I can’t exactly say I was excited by that.

            The next ten minutes went well, according to Joey. I didn’t talk much more though. I was afraid of biting off my tongue. We both stayed quiet, aside from Joey’s murmurs of encouragement, while my body rearranged itself. I certainly hadn’t expected shifting to take so long or be so painful. I had expected quick and painless. Part of me hoped it would be the only time I ever shifted. Another part was euphoric. I determined that that was my animal.

            When my body was done rearranging and sprouting fur, I turned to Joey. He grinned warmly. “Just like I said,” He stepped forward and stroked my fur. “Momma bear.”

            The tenth reason not to fall in love with a bear? Their love changes you.