But the people who came here couldn’t afford anything. And they appreciated everything. So, we did what we could, helped out as much as possible. But sometimes it wasn’t just medical issues we helped out with. Sometimes we helped with food, housing, placing families in shelters, just doing what we could to make their lives a little bit easier. And in this day and age, in this world, it was the least we could do.
“Anybody else here?” I asked Jackson, referring to the other volunteers.
He emptied out the trash cans and tied up the bag, shaking his head. “No, everyone left about ten minutes ago.”
“Thanks so much for your help today.” A lot of days I worked the medic station by myself, something that had to be done given the fact the volunteers had other jobs. And although I also worked as a part-time nurse at an extended care medical facility, something that allowed me to pay my bills, I didn’t mind working the mobile alone.
It gave me time to think, reflect, and a part of me actually enjoyed it.
“I won’t be able to come in for the next couple days. Heading up north to spend time with my brother. But I’ll be back this weekend and can cover a few more shifts.” Jackson smiled and I felt gratitude fill me.
“Thank you so much. You’re always such a huge help. Have a great time with your brother.”
Family, something that was totally foreign to me. Being a child who grew up in foster care, I never really had a stable life or family bond. I didn’t even know who my birthparents were, didn’t even know if I had siblings out there.
I’d never been adopted, so at the age of eighteen, I left the system, got a part-time job, and went to school. It was hard, and I felt like giving up more times than not, but here I was now, twenty-five years old and going home every day feeling like I’d made a little bit of a difference in the world.
Jackson smiled and exited the van. From the doorway I watched as he walked across the parking lot, the trash bag in hand. He tossed it in the back of his truck and climbed in before driving off.
The sun was just starting to set, and I shut and locked the door. After cleaning the rest of the interior, I settled behind the driver’s seat and started the engine. I headed home, something that should’ve been a relief given the fact I’d been working all day, but the truth was it was lonely.
My one bedroom, one bath apartment was lackluster, to say the least. And the only company I had was a damn house plant which, more times than not, looked half-dead.
A green thumb was not something I had, apparently.
California was a heavily populated state, yet I felt utterly alone. It had been something I’d felt my entire life, a missing piece that I could never fill. Maybe it was because I never had a family. Maybe it was because I didn’t really know who I was.
Or maybe it was something else.
That feeling that something was missing in my life had been so consuming, so filling, that it had actually had me isolating myself even more. Trying to connect with people was hard, because I didn’t feel like I belonged.
It was the strangest feeling, one that had taken me a long time to accept. Now, I just went through the motions, immersed myself in helping others because that’s what made the connection for me.
Maybe one day I wouldn’t feel this way.
Maybe one day I’d find that piece that I’d always been missing.
Chapter Two
Oli
I probably looked like a growly, reclusive bastard sitting in the corner of this diner. I certainly had seen people looking at me with caution in their faces, a little bit of reluctance.
And I couldn’t blame them. An unmated shifter in search of his female was a dangerous thing.
I’d been here for the past half hour, slowly eating the cheeseburger and fries in front of me, looking at anybody who walked in, the little bell above the door chipping away at my patience.
I could’ve left at any time, but there was something inside of me, this feeling that had me staying put. I didn’t know what it was, didn’t really understand it.
It was like an intuition, something I’d never truly felt before, but didn’t want to ignore.
So here I sat, not sure how long I was supposed to stay here, maybe until this feeling passed, or until I lost my damn mind.
I picked up my glass of water and took a long drink from it, glancing out one of the front windows in the process. The parking lot was mildly full, cars sporadically placed in intervals.
As a shifter, all of my senses were heightened. I heard the sizzle of bacon in the kitchen, the grease splattering up as it cooked. I smelled the batter that was being stirred, the sound of the whisk on the metal bowl filling my head. The chatter of employees talking in a back room came through the walls, the conversation as clear as if I stood right beside them, engaged right along with them.
But it was none of those things that had the hairs on my arm standing on end, that had my bear pacing. Whatever it was had me on edge.