ToLoveaCougar by Marisa Chenery Page B

finished with his examination.
    He tapped on the closed double bedroom doors before he opened one and stepped just inside. Caleb put his stethoscope into his bag and waved Blaise closer.
    “I’m finished,” his cousin said. “I’ve only to give him his shot.”
    His father struggled to push himself up higher on the pillows that were propped at his back. “Wait until after Blaise and I have had a chance to talk. Whatever is in that needle leaves me tired and even weaker.”
    Caleb nodded. “I have a little time to spare before I’m scheduled to arrive to see my next patient. But I’ll stay here to make sure Blaise doesn’t tire you out too much.”
    “I have no problem with that. Besides being my doctor, you’re also my nephew. I enjoy your company.”
    Blaise waited until Caleb had moved out of the way to stand near the end of the bed before Blaise sat in the chair across from his father. Caleb was the son of Blaise’s father’s younger brother. His uncle had disappeared, leaving mate and son behind, when Caleb had been quite young. No one spoke of it much, and nothing had ever really been said as to why his uncle had left. His aunt hadn’t taken the separation from her mate very well and had ended up taking her own life a year later. Caleb had been raised by an aunt in his mother’s family group.
    “How are you feeling today, Father?”
    His dad shook his head. “Not much better than I was yesterday. Caleb says he’s mixed a new concoction that should hopefully change that.”
    Blaise looked at his cousin to see him nod in agreement. He had no idea what was in the needles Caleb used. He’d explained it once, using scientific terms, and it’d gone straight over Blaise’s head.
    “Let’s hope this is the one that will cure you. I’m going out for a while, but I’ll be back for dinner.”
    His father snorted. “I’m sure your mother made sure you would be. I still can’t understand why she had to invite those people over here. They’re human.”
    The words “they’re human” were said in a way that conveyed how distasteful his father found the idea of the visit. Blaise couldn’t understand why his father couldn’t get over the fact that his oldest had become mated to a human, and that she now was a member of their family group. It wasn’t as if Aspen would be leaving.
    “I guess she wants to be friendlier with her new daughter’s family,” Blaise said. “I don’t have any problem with them being around.”
    “Taylor is starting to rub off on you. You never used to think that way.”
    Actually, Blaise had. He’d just never voiced his opinion about humans around his father until Taylor had returned and become mated to Aspen. Blaise would be more than happy to have a human as his own.
    From there they talked about mundane things until his father appeared to be tiring. Caleb stepped forward even before Blaise had a chance to say he would bring this visit to a close.
    Blaise stood, then shifted out of the way for his cousin. Caleb pushed the sleeve up on his patient’s pajama shirt, then injected whatever was in the syringe into his upper arm. Blaise couldn’t help but notice how thin his father had become. Too thin. Once he was finished, Caleb straightened, then placed the cap on the end of the needle before putting it inside his bag.
    It only took a matter of seconds before Blaise’s father started coughing. He’d been prone to coughing fits, but usually he didn’t have one right after Caleb injected him. His dad’s face turned red as the racking cough made it hard for him to get a breath. Caleb didn’t seem overly concerned by it, but that wasn’t the case with Blaise, especially when his father pulled his hand away from his mouth and there was blood in his palm.
    Blaise’s gaze shot to Caleb’s face. “What the hell is that? He’s worse than before you gave him that shot.”
    His cousin shook his head. “This has to be another manifestation of the illness.”
    “Don’t you