Haunted by the Wolf- Shannon Read online

  Haunted By The Wolf

  Shannon

  Air Rescue - Book 1

  By

  Margery Ellen

  Copyright © 2018 Margery Ellen

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be

  reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without

  the express written permission of the author except

  for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents

  are either the products of the author’s imagination

  or used in a fictitious manner.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead

  or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Thank you to my husband for

  giving me the inspiration and encouraging

  me to write.

  A special thanks to Carolyn and Katelynn

  In Memory

  My friend and editor

  Judy Haugness

  11/23/1955 – 5/11/2019

  Cover Design

  By

  Scarlett eBook Covers

  List of Characters

  IAR - Idaho Air Rescue

  Dr. Donna Shannon Stevens – ER Surgeon

  Gary Morris – Grizzly bear- Pilot – Medic – Team-leader

  Stan Sullivan – Black bear- Computer hacker

  Kenney Fowler – Kodiak bear – Helicopter mechanic

  Caldwell

  Capt. Frank Miller – Police Chief - retired doctor

  Capt. Bernie Webster – fire chief

  Levi Lewis – head of Air Rescue HQ

  Gerad Booker – bear - police investigator

  Joel Logan – wolf - police investigator

  Jayden Avery – wolf - police investigator

  Larry Kingston – State Inspector

  Roger Sanders – bear - owner of BBQ

  Bradley Fletcher “Fletch” – Black bear- EMT trainee

  Charles McCormack – SAR Ranger – shifter

  Robert McCormack – SAR Ranger – shifter

  Piccolo – Bradley’s pet wolf

  NYC

  Weston Cruz – wolf - Shannon’s Ex-boyfriend

  Michelle Gordon – ER nurse - neighbor in NYC

  Sally Ann Proctor – a missing woman

  Adrianna Colfax – woman attacked by the wolf

  Dr. Sean Myers – ER Doctor

  Bend, Oregon

  Lizzi Houston - Black bear

  Ally Fisher - Golden eagle

  Misty Masters – Bald eagle

  Donald Smitherson “DJ” – Cougar shifter

  Carol Cheshire – Cougar shifter

  Becky Brooks – Grey Wolf

  Franny Cox – Bobcat- Jackie’s cousin

  Great Falls, Montana

  Craig Wheaton – black bear - pilot – EMT

  Dakota Daniels – grizzly bear – mechanic- pilot – EMT

  Royce Shepard – grizzly bear – computer/electronics expert - EMT

  Edward Gavin – city manager

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Three a.m. The alarm blared at the Idaho Air Rescue.

  “Oh my god, didn’t I just go to bed?” Shannon Stevens thought to herself as she rolled over to get up. This was her job. No matter what time she climbed into bed, she loved the thrill, it didn’t matter what time it was.

  She grabbed her gear and headed for the helicopter. The rest of the crew followed her out on to the tarmac. She was always the first one out after the boss. As she climbed into the chopper, she asked Gary Morris, the boss, crew leader and pilot, what they had.

  “Yellowstone, southwest quadrant. Missing hikers with injuries,” Gary answered. “Search and Rescue ground crew found them a few hours ago. They are in a rough area so no chance of landing.”

  Gary Morris was handsome; six foot two, grey hair, and gorgeous green eyes. Shannon had no idea he was a grizzly bear. He had been a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He flew a medivac gunship; he would have to fight his way in and out to rescue injured soldiers.

  Shannon gave him a big smile.

  “Wahoo! My favorite part of the job.” She loved the adrenaline rush of having to ride in the Stokes basket hundreds of feet from the ground. The Stokes was a rescue basket, suspended in the air by a rigged main line and lowered from the helicopter.

  Gary just laughed and shook his head.

  “You’re something else, Stevens.”

  The other two members of the team climbed into the chopper and waited for the run-down of where they were going. They were a man short and had been for several months, so they had to know exactly what to expect.

  “Alright, listen up. We have a hiker with a fractured leg and minor abrasions. Search and Rescue have him stabilized but are in an inaccessible area. No landings today. I know Stevens love’s the thrill, even though she’s a pain in the ass, we don’t want to lose her, so stay sharp.” They all had a good laugh.

  “Ha, ha. Yuck it up. You all know you’re a bunch of pussies afraid of heights. You love it when I come along. If any of you want to go down, be my guest. You can never say I’m holding you back.”

  “What was that about going down? Was that an invitation?”

  “Watch it, Sullivan, you’re out of line.” Gary warned.

  “She knows I’m kidding; we know Stevens loves her work.”

  She couldn’t hear them chuckling over the noise of the engine. They settled in as the helicopter started to wind up and lift off. It was still dark. The pilot calculated that they would arrive at their destination at dawn.

  *****

  Dr. Donna Shannon Stevens was living in Caldwell, Idaho. She had signed on as a SAR (Search and Rescue) doctor at the Idaho Air Rescue and Training station. She had been on the job for about a year and loved every minute of it. It was exciting, dangerous, challenging and kept her mind in the now and not the past.

  She worried one day she would remember the six months that were missing from her memory. Six months that haunted her dreams. She even dropped her first name, she was using her middle name, Shannon, in hopes of postponing her past catching up with her, whatever it was. She didn’t recognize the name Donna or remember ever using that name. Her mom used to call her Shane.

  Shannon Stevens, a beautiful, short, brunette with dove grey eyes and a husky voice. She was very athletic, but it didn’t matter how much she worked out, she was stuck with a curvy body
. She almost didn’t make it into the airborne division because of her weight. She had to prove to her boss and her team that she could handle the job, that her weight wouldn’t hold her back.

  When they discovered that she was a natural for the Stokes basket, they welcomed her with open arms. She weighed less than any of her coworkers, even though she was overweight for her size.

  “We’re here,” Gary announced.

  Just as the sky changed from gray, to the pink hues of the rising sun, air rescue hovered over the ranger’s campsite. Dr. Stevens rode the rescue basket to the ground, so she could check the injured man and stay with him as they lifted him in the air and back up to the helicopter.

  She spoke to the other hikers, informed them which hospital they could find their friend after they got back to civilization. Just as she started to lift off, one of the Search and Rescue rangers caught her arm.

  “Wait, we didn’t get your name for our report,” Robert McCormick, a member of the SAR ground crew asked.

  Dr. Stevens looked at the ranger. He was gorgeous, he had the most beautiful brown eyes. He was tall, but it seemed like they were all tall when you only stood five feet four inches tall. She gave him a smile and a wink and told him her name. If she hadn’t sworn off men, she wouldn’t mind spending time with him. She didn’t ask his name. She didn’t want to know. The less she knew about him, the better.

  As she was lifted to the helicopter, she looked back to the man on the ground. She gave him a smile and a salute and disappeared into the helicopter. Dr. Stevens concentrated on her patient; she couldn’t waste time thinking about the fabulous looking man she left standing on the ground. She wasn’t aware that the ranger on the ground watched as her helicopter disappeared on the horizon.

  Her patient was stable, that was all that mattered. The helicopter headed for the nearest hospital in Idaho Falls. The rangers had put an air splint on the hikers broken leg. They had taken excellent care of their patient.

  Most of Dr. Stevens work had been done for her. It was too bad she hardly ever saw the same rangers more than once; she would have liked to thank them. Buy them a drink occasionally.

  When Dr. Stevens went out on a call, she never had time to socialize with the members of the rescue teams. It was, get in, get out, get the injured to a hospital and that was it. Her job was done. She liked it; it was better that way. It wasn’t because they didn’t invite her, because they did. Her crew never gave up. After every rescue, they would celebrate their safe return. She was always invited, but seldom joined them.

  They were finally landing at the hospital. ER was waiting for them when they arrived. Dr. Stevens went into the hospital to fill out her paperwork. She knew one of the reasons the crew let her do the basket rescues was because it involved more paperwork than normal. She didn’t mind. After being an ER surgeon in the heart of New York City, she was used to paperwork.

  When everything was done, the crew would return to their base in Caldwell. They worked like most crews, six days on, three days off, but in reality, they were on call twenty-four/seven.

  Dr. Stevens was a trauma surgeon with years of ER experience. Two tours of duty in Iraq and seven years at NY General Hospital, NYC.

  *****

  Shannon was waking up to something beeping. Sounded like a BP and heartrate monitor. Of course, she was a doctor, but why was she waking up and why did she feel like she was on the wrong side of a bad dream. She slowly opened her eyes and realized she was in a hospital room, but she was the one in the hospital bed. “Oh god, I must have fallen asleep in here,” she thought to herself, she had worked a twenty-four-hour shift.

  “Well, Dr. Stevens, it’s good of you to finally join us again,” the attending doctor said softly.

  “Where am I? I’m terribly sorry, did I fall asleep in here? I must have been really tired, I don’t remember.” She tried to get up.

  “Whoa – whoa – whoa! Stay right there. Don’t try to get up.” The doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in the bed.

  Pain shot through her whole body. She gritted her teeth and tried to relax through the pain, it slowly subsided.

  “Was I in an accident? I don’t remember. Are you a new doctor here?” She couldn’t recall seeing him before.

  “Just relax, Dr. Stevens. Is it alright if I call you Donna?” She looked at him strangely, she didn’t recognize the name. “How about Shannon?”

  “Yes.” She knew the name Shannon. “What happened?”

  “I’m Dr. Sean Myers. You have just come out of a medically induced coma; we’ll talk more when the anesthetics have worn off. If we talk now, you won’t remember a thing. You get some rest. I’ll be back in a while.”

  The doctor was right, she was in and out of consciousness. She didn’t comprehend what was going on until the next day.

  *****

  “Shannon, are you alright?”

  One of the crew members stood beside her outside the ER.

  “Oh! Sorry Stan! I didn’t hear you.”

  “Are you okay? It took a while to get through to you.” He looked at her with concern.

  Stan was six feet tall, the shortest of her teammates, but tall compared to her. He had black hair, a little on the long side, and beautiful brown eyes, typical of a black bear shifter.

  “I’m fine. I was just remembering….,” she paused, “I guess I spaced out for a moment.” She never really remembered anything, just a flash here and there, a moment in time. She couldn’t remember what happened and wondered what triggered the memory. She hadn’t thought about what happened to her in a long time.

  “Yeah, just a little. Sorry about that remark I made earlier.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  She gave him a smile, she knew he was kidding around, he always did.

  “Are you finished with your paperwork, we’re ready to head home?”

  “Yup, all done. Let’s get out of here.” She nodded her head towards the helicopter. “Are you going for a drink when we get back?”

  “We always do. You are welcome to join us?”

  “I think I will.”

  She gave him another smile. He was a nice guy. She needed to spend more time with the members of the team. If she ever needed help, they were the only ones she would have to count on. If she continued to be standoffish, there would be no one to turn to.

  “It’s about time.” Stan gave her a smile. “You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I have a sturdy shoulder and a sympathetic ear.”

  That made her laugh.

  “I’ll be sure to remember that,” and smiled.

  “That’s better. Let’s get out of here.” At least he got a laugh out of her as they walked to the helo pad.

  Chapter 2

  The crew made it home safe and sound. After repacking and checking their gear for the next call, they headed for the Runway Bar.

  “It’s good of you to join us, Stevens. What’s your poison?” her boss asked.

  “I’ll have whatever they have on tap.”

  “Great, I’m buying the first round,” Gary replied.

  “I hate to be a disappointment so early in the evening, but I’m pretty much a one round, kind of girl.” She thanked him when he handed her a beer. “I’ve never been much of a drinker.”

  “You’re among friends, if you drink too much, we’ll make sure you get home safely and tucked into bed.” He didn’t tell her that he didn’t drink.

  He gave her his fatherly smile. She knew she was in safe hands. The team was on call twenty-four/seven, none of them could get drunk. If they did, they would be grounded. One drink was the limit, Gary didn’t allow any more than that.

  They used the time to unwind, relax and allow the adrenaline from the job to dissipate. Iced tea and diet Pepsi followed the beers. Most of the time, they didn’t bother with the beer.

  They shot a few games of pool. Shannon didn’t know how to play, but she was a quick learner. When members of the team weren’t playing against her,
they helped her beat her opponent, showing her how to make the best shots.

  “How is it, you never learned to shoot pool while you were in the service, Stevens?” Stan asked.

  “Too busy taking care of injured soldiers in the field.” She left it at that and took a shot; the conversation forgotten.

  It turned out to be the best evening she had had in a long time. She had forgotten what it was like to spend time with friends. After a couple of hours of unwinding, they all walked back to their barracks.

  “See Stevens, told you I would make sure you got home safely.”

  That made them all laugh. They all lived in the same place.

  Their home was an airplane hangar at the far end of a small, local airfield. The hangar had been converted. The ground level was for their helicopter, workshop, and equipment. There was also a kitchen and breakroom, a place to relax when they weren’t flying around the countryside. The mezzanine and second floor loft had been made into living quarters. Behind the hangar there was a junk yard of sorts. There were two old helicopters that had been retired and used for spare parts, along with multiple items that were no longer needed.

  “Thanks, guys. I promise I won’t be such a snob in the future. I had a great time, next time the first round is on me.”

  They all headed inside.

  *****

  The next few days were quiet. In addition to helping Search and Rescue, they did air lifts from traffic accidents and the occasional transport for special medical patients. It was nice to have a bit of a break. On the fourth day, Shannon’s boss informed her she had a visitor.

  “Who?” Apprehension tickled the hairs on the back of her neck and then it was gone.

  “I think he’s from SAR. He said his name is Robert McCormick.”

  “Doesn’t ring any bells.”

  “Well, he’s waiting downstairs in the shop,” Gary told her. “Do you want me to stick around?”

  “No, I’ll be okay.” She wasn’t sure she would be, but she could always yell for help, she knew Gary was never far away. She went to see who her mysterious visitor was.