The Porch Wolf Ch. 21-30

The meat coma hit Vicki before I paid the bill. She looked down at her distended belly, which had just added a scoop of ice cream to the beef she'd eaten. She let out a very non-lady-like burp, then leaned against Liv and started to fall asleep. "I think she reached her limit on schnitzengruben," I said with a laugh. Liv didn't get the reference, but Blazing Saddles was twice as old as she was.

"We should get her home, she's bound to sleep until noon tomorrow after that performance of competition eating," Liv said. "She's not even five yet, right? How can that even happen?"

"Changes," I said. "She's a lot more active now." Mike stopped over, we asked him to thank the kitchen staff for the excellent meal. A few of Liv's coworkers stopped by to say goodbye as we put our coats on, all of them glad that she was all right after the kidnapping attempt.

They didn't know half of what she was dealing with.

No other werewolves had come in during our meal, but the place was full on the holiday night, and a bunch of people stood by the door waiting for tables. I looked at my phone, and I had a whole bunch of replies to the text I'd sent out. I wasn't ready to look at them yet. I felt a little like Sharkbait, wanting a couch after the big meal and an early bedtime. I just shook my head at how I was changing. I was in bed now at the same time we used to go out.

Such was the life of a man in his fifties. When I was younger, I'd show up at the construction company to find a couple of my older employees sitting in the break room, sipping coffee, and reading their papers. Work didn't start for another hour, and they weren't getting paid. It wasn't until I got older that I realized why. I'd wake up at five in the morning, and wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. The only way around it was to drink heavily, and I wasn't going back to that.

I pulled my coat on, then picked up a sleeping Vicki as Liv finished putting her jacket and hat on. A few people had gone outside to warm up the vehicles and check the lot for threats; when the all-clear came from Mike, we moved out of the supper club and into the cold winter air. I opened the back door to my truck and set Vicki in the booster seat, buckling her in. Anita closed the other side door behind Liv, then got in the passenger seat. I waited until the first two vehicles pulled out, then exited the lot behind them. While crossing 61, traffic held up the four warriors, then Brent and Mike in the tail car. The road was empty, and they'd catch up. I fell in behind the first two cars.

It was a short drive back home, just a few miles along the two-lane road, heading south in the darkness. The first part was farmland, then the hills and trees started in. Guardrails started to appear as the ravine approached. "What did you talk to John about," Liv asked.

"Let's get Vicki settled first, it's a long..." I stopped when I realized something was wrong.

People sometimes say, 'my life flashed before my eyes,' while others say, 'it happened so fast I don't know what happened.' That wasn't the case. It was like time slowed down and I could see everything. Headlights came in fast from a gravel road on the left, and they weren't slowing down. It was a dump truck with a plow, coming right at me. He was going to hit us broadside, and the road had no place I could escape to. I stomped on the brakes and turned into the truck instead of aiming away. Instead of hitting the side of my big pickup, I took the impact on the driver's side engine compartment.

The dump truck spun my big pickup around like a top, sending us flying across the frozen blacktop and into the guardrails. The steel cables on the guardrails were designed to slow a vehicle down and keep it on the road. It might have held us on the pavement if the dump truck hadn't hit us again, this time from the rear. We were still moving at over sixty miles an hour when my pickup was shoved over the rails and went airborne. I heard screaming, crunching metal and breaking glass as we rolled over several times on the way down the steep ravine. We hit and snapped off a bunch of smaller trees before finally coming to rest upside down among the rocks at the bottom. We were a good forty yards from the road by the time we hit the tree that stopped our slide.

"LIV," I yelled as I hung from my seatbelt. My left ankle hurt like hell, and I couldn't move my left arm. I punched the release button on my seat belt, but with the roof partially caved in, I didn't drop far. I tried to open the door, and it wouldn't budge. I rolled awkwardly, my feet smacking into Anita's head. She released her belt and landed on top of me with a yelp. "Anita?"

"Shit that hurts," she said. "My arm's broken."

"Liv? Liv, are you all right?"

"My shoulder hurts," she said. "Oh, God! Vicki! She's bleeding!" I managed to look back; she was hanging upside down in her booster seat, and blood covered the left side of her face. She must have hit the window as the truck rolled. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. Liv unbuckled her belt and fell to the roof of the crew cab with a groan.

I turned off the engine as I could smell gasoline. Looking out the cracked windshield, I could see the tail lights of the dump truck driving off towards Miesville. Our two trail cars were coming from the other way. "Let him go and call 911, we have injuries," I sent to Brent and Mike.

"It was a Volkov Construction truck," Mike sent back.

I was going to kill Todd, and I was going to take my time doing it. The fucker had left me alive, and he'd hurt my Sharkbait.

The truck was facing back towards the road, with my side looking up the steep hill. "Wolves in the trees heading for the Alpha," I heard Brent say over the link.

I could see them coming through the cracked windshield. "Unbuckle Vicki and get her away from that window, NOW," I said. She didn't hesitate, she moved over and found the release, lowering her daughter down as best she could. She scooted around until her body was covering her daughter in the center of the smashed cab.

We were sitting ducks here, and our protection couldn't shoot without risking us being hit too. A dozen wolves were sprinting our way, and help would not get here in time. "SHIFT AND GET DOWN HERE," I sent to the others. It was awkward as hell, but I was able to draw my M&P from behind my right hip. The driver's window was shattered, and I kicked it with my right leg to make a hole to stick the barrel through. I started firing at the approaching wolves, making them scramble for cover, and buying precious seconds.

Anita kicked out the passenger side windshield and crawled out under the smashed hood, her broken arm trailing at her side. She used the front of the truck for cover as she opened up with her Glock on the wolves coming down from the other side of the ravine. I heard her rapid-firing her pistol and the pained howls of the wolves that were trying to take her down, then her scream as one of them got to her.

One of the wolves shifted and kicked in the window next to Liv, knocking the glass fragments over her. I turned around and fired above Vicki's huddled body, aiming for the bare legs I could see. I heard a man scream as I hit his knee, and then my slide locked back.

I was out of ammo.

I couldn't use my left arm to reach the extra magazine I kept in the left front pocket of my jeans.

I growled in frustration as a wolf's head poked through the window.

"NO," Liv yelled as she scooted away from it, hiding Vicki behind her. The wolf crawled through the broken window, growling at her. Liv nailed him in the nose with her shoe, making him yip and pull back. He let out an angry growl, then snapped at her leg. Liv screamed as the wolf bit into her ankle, shaking her as he tried to pull her out of the truck.

With her out of the way, Vicki would be helpless, and soon dead.

I set my pistol down and tried reaching across to my opposite jean pocket. Pushing up, I managed to get the spare magazine to stick out enough I could grab it. Dropping the empty magazine, I set the new one on a flat spot on the roof and slammed the pistol on top of it. Releasing the slide, I chambered a round.

That was when the cavalry arrived. I heard howls of pain as the wolves attacking Anita got knocked clear of her. Liv was struggling and kicking, one knee braced against the frame of the truck to keep her from being pulled out by her ankle. Brent's wolf slammed into the throat of the one biting her, knocking him clear.

More of my wolves arrived by the second, and the attackers fell back. A howl came from the top of the hill, and the attackers turned and fled. "Let them go, we need to save Vicki," I sent. "There may be more."

The attackers slunk back into the woods. This was the only road through here, so they were probably running through the ravine to the Cannon River, or to vehicles hidden out of sight. Friendly wolves surrounded our truck as our other cars parked above us on the county road. Mike contacted me over the link. "These your old Pack?"

"I recognize that wolf, he's Welch Pack, we'll get them later," I sent back. "Anita, how are you?"

"My jacket took most of the damage," she said.

"Mike, make sure 911 has been called, we have multiple injuries."

"On their way."

"Get these bodies out of here and up to one of the trucks," I ordered. "Pick up brass and hide the blood the best you can, then shift and run home. Hurry up," I said.

Donna came down with a first aid kit. She was worried about Vicki, who was still unconscious. She handed Liv a big gauze pad to stop the bleeding on her scalp, then started to wrap the gashes on her leg. "You cut yourself kicking the window out," she told her. "Everything else you can say is from the crash."

It took three minutes to sanitize the scene. Six of them worked in pairs to remove the wolf carcasses, while the rest picked up brass and covered up bloody snow. The evidence was on its way to my house before the first sheriff's cruiser arrived. Fire trucks and ambulances arrived shortly afterward.

Vicki still hadn't woken up, and the EMT's were worried about a potential head injury. They managed to get the door open and soon had her taped down to a backboard and out of the truck. The steep hill made it difficult to get her up.

Liv was right beside her, limping on her torn ankle and helped by one of the firemen. She was in the ambulance as soon as the gurney was inside, and they took off with lights and siren.

"Have Brent meet her at the hospital. She has to come back home by morning before the shift begins," I said. Now that she had been bitten, it would be twelve to twenty-four hours before the symptoms would start. That couldn't happen in a human hospital.

Anita's arm was splinted, and she was helped up the hill. Mike picked her up and set her in his car; she was refusing the ambulance, and he'd drive her to the hospital himself.

As for me, I got to ride up in the rescue litter. The EMT had my ankle splinted, saying it was likely broken, and my shoulder was dislocated. They shifted me onto a gurney and into the waiting ambulance.

The whole way there I was praying to Luna that Vicki would be all right.

Ch. 22

I hate hospitals.

I was wheeled into the Emergency Room and examined briefly. "Mr. Volkov, your shoulder is dislocated. We're going to give you some drugs to relax your muscles, then we will use the Stimson technique to put it back in place."

"Just do it, Doc. I'd have done it myself if they would have let me do it."

He just shook his head. "I'm going to roll you onto your stomach; just let your arm hang towards the floor." He had a nurse hold tension down on the arm while he massaged the muscles, then moved my arm and shoulder blade. I felt it pop back in place, and immediately it felt better.

"Oh yeah," I said. "Do the same thing to my ankle and I'll clear out of here before the fun really starts for you tonight."

"We always overstaff on this night, Mr. Volkov. The next stop for you is radiology." There was good news there; the ankle was not broken, but it was bruised and swollen, with several torn ligaments and a severe sprain.

Just after midnight, he was putting an immobilizing boot on the ankle and giving me my discharge instructions. I was to follow up with an orthopedist next week to see if surgery was required for the torn ligaments; otherwise, it was RICE, RICE, baby. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Since my same-side shoulder was also injured, I was to use the wheelchair as much as possible. "Wonderful," I said.

"Is there someone in your home who can help you? I can give you some numbers for home health aides," he said.

"I'll be fine," I said. "I need to check on the others who were in the truck with me if we're done here." The nurse brought me back out to the waiting room, leaving me where Donna was sitting with Brent. "What do you know?"

Donna started. "Mike took Anita home, she had a clean break and her arm is in a cast now. Larry went too, he's supervising the cleanup of the scene. The carcasses are in your pole barn until you make arrangements to return them to the Welch Pack."

I looked over at Brent. "How are Liv and Vicki doing?"

"Vicki woke up during the ambulance ride. She got her bell rung pretty good, and it caused her to throw up. And throw up again, then again. All that food she ate sprayed over the EMT's and their rig. They are probably still cleaning it up," he said with a grin. "She got five stitches by her left temple, but the MRI was clear. She has a concussion and is being held overnight for observation."

Thank Luna it wasn't worse. "And Liv?"

"Bruises from the crash, and thirty-plus stitches in her leg to close up the gashes. She's up in the room with Vicki."

One of the Sheriff's Deputies was waiting for me; I gave him a statement about the crash, going as close to the truth as I could. I said it was a dump truck but didn't see anything other than the lights and the plow. I signed it, and he left.

"Ask the desk if I can visit my niece's room before you take me home," I said. "I need to talk to Liv."

It was past visiting hours, but since we were all in the same accident, they made an exception. They gave me the room number and called ahead that we were coming. Brent volunteered to wheel me up there; a wheelchair sucked when my arm was in a sling.

When we arrived in the darkened room, Liv was by the bed in her own wheelchair, her bandaged ankle elevated. Her face lit up as we came in. "Leo," she said softly. "How are you?"

"I'll get better," I said as I was wheeled next to her. "How's our Sharkbait?"

"Dizzy and tired," she said. "They have to wake her every hour to check her because of the concussion. Thank God the MRI was clean and she didn't fracture her skull. If she passes her tests, they will let her go home tomorrow night."

"She's a tough one, and sharks have cartilage. Much more resilient than bone," I teased and got a weak smile. "We have another problem, and this one is with you."

"I'll be fine, a few weeks for the gashes to heal up. I don't need rabies shots, do I? Is that a problem with werewolves?"

I was my turn to be shocked, then smile. "No, that won't be a problem. The doctor gave you a tetanus booster?" She nodded. "That should cover it, and we'll watch for other infections. No, the problem is that you are going to turn into one of us."

"I thought you weren't going to turn me because it was too dangerous. You said more die than make the change." She was starting to panic a little, and Brent reached over and took her hand. She calmed almost instantly.

"I said we should not turn you voluntarily because of the risk. This attack took that choice out of our hands. The bite will infect you; a fever will start by morning, and you should complete your change by late tonight."

"Oh, God..."

"I'm sorry, Liv." She was looking between me, then at her daughter, then out the window and back again. "We need to keep her calm, she can't run out of here or start telling humans about us. We have to protect our secret," I sent to Brent.

"You've seen what your daughter went through. Your change will take longer and be more painful than Vicki's since she was born a werewolf, and you are changing."

"That doesn't make me feel better," she said with a snort. "Her change was horrible."

"Lying to you about it won't make it any easier. Your daughter needs you to be courageous enough to make it through the change. It is going to be the hardest thing you will ever do, Liv, but you will do it. I believe in you. All of us in the house are pulling for you, Liv. We think that you are a woman of extraordinary character and strength, destined to take her place among us. You have all the qualities we want in a Pack member. I don't believe Luna brought you into our lives to be taken out now. I refuse to lose my family, and you are FAMILY, Liv."

I could see the gears turning and the tears falling. "Vicki..."

"She will not be alone. My in-laws are going home to get a few hours of sleep; they will return and stay with her today. They are her grandparents, at least that is what we will tell them. It's close enough; I think of you as my daughter, after all, and you know they will keep her safe." It was all I could do. "Brent, go back down to Admitting and get paperwork that will authorize Larry and Donna Winters to check her out and bring her home. Liv can sign it as she won't be able to do it tomorrow."

"She might need a limited power of attorney. I'll find out and get her the forms she needs," he said as he got up.

"Why can't I stay here with her?"

"Unless the doctors change their minds, Vicki has to stay here under observation for another twenty hours or so. As soon as the fever hits, the doctors will think your wound is infected. Nothing they do will work, and no virus or bacteria will show up in the culture. You saw the changes in her body; we cannot allow humans to see that. You have to come home with us before it starts, and we will help you through it."

We continued talking, stopping only when her nurse came in to check her vitals, and wake her up to make sure she was still functioning normally. She had difficulty getting her to open her eyes, which Liv told her was normal. "The smoke alarm over her bed went off last year, and she didn't even move. I always do it this way. Let me try something." She got up and leaned over Vicki, pulling the covers down and blowing a raspberry on her stomach. The noise and the tickling woke her quickly.

"MOMMY! STOP!"

"You need to get up, Vicki. The nurse needs to check you over again."

As the nurse checked her over, she caught sight of me sitting next to her bed. "Unky Leo? You're hurt!"

"I'll heal up, Sharkbait. How are you doing?"

"My head still hurts, and I'm hungry," she said. "Can we go eat prime rib again?"

"It's too late for that," I said with a grin. "Go back to sleep, you need your rest."

Brent came back up with the forms, which Liv had to take back downstairs so the notary could witness her signing them. I stayed and watched her as she slept.

I was shocked when I felt a mental push from someone I hadn't linked from in years. "Ivan? Brother? You're still around?"

"I wanted to stop by your house, but then I saw the wreck being winched out of the ravine. Are you all right?"

"Dislocated shoulder and severely sprained ankle. I'm in a room with your daughter; she hit her head in the crash and has a concussion. Thank Luna that it wasn't worse."

"It wasn't an accident?"

"No. A Volkov Construction dump truck knocked us off the road, then Welch Pack wolves came after us at the bottom of the hill. Liv got her ankle bit, she's going to change in the next day."