赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Bell closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She turned around and started walking out of the room.

“Bell?� Ashleigh called to her.

“You go with them,� Bell said to Peter as she moved past him. “Make sure she’s all right.�

Peter nodded but said nothing.

“Bell!� Ashleigh shouted.

Bell stopped. She looked back over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, Ashleigh,� she said. “I already know.�

“Know what?� Ashleigh asked.

“That it’s your duty,� Bell sighed, walking away without another word.

As she went about her day, checking on other patients and coordinating with the others about the refugees arriving that evening, Bell couldn’t shake her frustration.

So she went to the only person that she knew could give her some form of relief.

“Hello, my love,� Bell cooed as she reached down into the crib, stroking Ren’s soft hair. “I was hoping you’d be awake.�

“It’s about time for him to wake up,� the young woman who ran the care center commented gently. “I’m sure he would prefer to see you when his eyes open.�

Bell smiled and mouthed a silent thank you to her as she carried him over to a soft lounge chair nearby.

She just stared at him for a few minutes as he slept peacefully in her arms. Then, naturally, curling into the crook of her arm to hug her.

She stroked his dark blonde hair gently. His hair was closer to Galen’s coloring, but she suspected it would darken over time to resemble her.

His eyes, though, were a beautiful mix of his parents. Galen was sure that Ren would end up with his light green, and she was convinced that her dark brown would win out. But in the end, Ren was blessed with dark green eyes and a soft brown hue around his pupils.

He began to stir in her arms, his tiny hands reaching for her. As she placed her finger in his hand, his eyes began to flutter open. Finally, he looked up at her, and a gentle smile formed on his lips.

“Hello, Ren,� she whispered.

“Ma, ma, ma,� Ren cooed.

“Yes, it’s Mama,� Bell smiled.

Bell played with her son for ten minutes, and then her phone rang. It was an update on one of her patients.

“I’ll be there in just a few minutes,� Bell sighed.

“Da, da,� Ren smiled, looking at Bell’s phone.

Bell’s heart squeezed.

“No, baby,� she whispered, hanging up the call. “Not Dada this time.�

Ren followed the phone with his eyes as she slipped it back into her pocket. He looked up at her sadly.

“Dada,� he said.

“I’m sorry,� Bell whispered, kissing his forehead. “Dada can’t talk now; he is keeping us safe.�

“Dada...� Ren repeated sadly.

Bell swallowed down the lump in her throat.

“I miss him too,� she whispered. She got up off the floor, picking Ren up as she did so. “We will call Dada tonight, ok?�

Ren touched her face and smiled.

“Mama,� he said.

Bell smiled.

“I love you, too.�

​ Bell kissed her son and said goodbye as she returned to work.

She kept thinking of Galen, Ashleigh, Caleb, Axel, and even Alice and Myka as she walked the halls. All putting themselves on the line constantly. Always doing their duty.

She hated it.

She hated worrying every night about whether or not she would hear from Galen or if the next patient she saw would be one of them. She hated that Galen was missing out on these moments with Ren and that she couldn’t hug him when she was sad.

And most of all, she hated that she had been the one to push him out the door. Even as he told her he wanted to stay with their family, she had been the one that insisted he should go.

But just like Ashleigh, Caleb, and Axel. Galen was not meant to stand back and watch. He was someone that needed to help, and so was she. They just had their own ways of helping.

Bell could understand her loved ones’ need to put themselves between danger and the ones they wanted to protect.

But she didn’t have to like it.

She felt bad for snapping at Ashleigh, so she would go around and apologize as soon as she heard that they were back from their field trip, assuming, of course, that Ashleigh didn’t do something to injure herself further.

Bell sighed and shook her head, knowing there was a good chance it would happen.

“That’s weird.�

She turned to see one of the nurses at the computer. She looked confused.

“Everything all right?� Bell asked.

The nurse looked up with a smile.

“I think so...� she said. “It’s just... well, I can’t access the library.�

Bell furrowed her brow.

The library had been a project Galen had put together for her during his time in Winter. An open connection with Summer allowed Winter access to many of the research files and medical reference materials. It was also a way to quickly share data between the two packs or seek advice.

“Let me see,� Bell said as she came around the desk.

She entered a few commands and then looked through the backup channels that Galen had shown her. There were no apparent issues, but the connection was lost.

“That is weird....� Bell whispered.

She tried again and then switched to another computer. Still, no connection was being made.

“I’m going to try my office,� Bell said. “Maybe there’s an issue on the floor.�

Bell hurried to her office, but again there was no connection.

“What is going on...� she wondered aloud.

She sighed and smiled. At least now she had an excuse to call Galen outside their scheduled calls.

Bell pulled out her phone, but as she went to call, she noticed the lack of signal. She furrowed her brows. There was always a signal.

There was a sound in the hallway. When she opened the door, she saw a group huddled together.

“What’s going on?� Bell asked.

One of them turned, holding their cell phone.

“It’s the strangest thing,� the woman said. “None of us have a signal on our phones.�