The Omega’s Beary Special Christmas (A Bear Under The Christmas Tree)

12. Hugo

TWELVE

HUGO

I sat in the back of the taxi silently urging him to break the speed limit and get to my destination sooner.

It was early and people who worked nine to five might not be up, but people whose jobs didn’t fit that schedule had been working all night, while others were just starting their shifts.

My mate and his business partner, Charlie, fit into the latter category, and even their surf shop opened early and closed late. From talking to Ferris, I knew he was teaching a class this morning, so I bypassed his condo and headed to the beach.

I yelled my thanks at the driver after giving him a big tip and ran down to the beach, ignoring the sand that filled my shoes. I waved at someone with a surfboard coming out of the water, but when he turned around it was Charlie. My stomach sank at not catching a glimpse of my mate.

I’d changed my flight at the last minute yesterday, and instead of flying home, I flew to the coast, not wanting to go another day, another hour, or another second without being in Ferris’s presence.

Flinging myself over the sand, I shouted, “Ferris, I’m here.” But despite being a shifter, my unwieldy suitcase affected my balance, and I ended up face down with a mouthful of sand.

“Hugo!” Charlie didn’t need to shriek. I wasn’t hurt.

Two pairs of hands helped me up. “You okay?” Neither of the people were Ferris.

“Hugo, you shouldn’t be here.”

Really? The beach was public land, but maybe Charlie was annoyed I’d interrupted his class.

“Sorry. Just point me to my… my… Ferris, and I’ll get out of your way.”

Charlie took me aside after telling his students to practice standing up. “He’s not here.”

“At the shop?” I jerked my head at the store that was just visible over the road. Charlie had driven past it the night I was here before Christmas.

“No.” He leaned in close. “He went to see you.” He checked his watch. “He should be arriving at your house about now.”

I stood unmoving, allowing the words to swirl around in my head. He was there to see me, and I was here to surprise him. Fuck! I called him and he answered straight away.

“What?” I heard him yell.

“What?”

“Sorry, babe. I’m talking to Hector.”

“What?”

“Oops. That was supposed to be a secret.” His voice got farther away. “Where is he, Hector? Did Charlie spill? Damn, that man can’t keep a secret.”

“Ferris,” I shouted into the phone.

“Ferris.” That was Hector.

“Is he hiding?” That must have been directed at Hector. His voice got louder as he spoke to me. “Are you in your fur? I can’t see you.”

“I’m not there.”

“He’s not here. I’ve been trying to tell you.” Hector’s voice was coming closer to the phone.

“Ferris, love, can you talk to me?” I had to break the bad news.

“Yeah, I’ve got something to tell you, but I wanted to say it in person which is why I’m here.” He flipped on the camera. “Now come out and I’ll show you what I’ve got in my bag.”

“Love, I’m on the coast. I can see your store, and I’m here with Charlie.”

“What?” He sank onto my front steps. “You’re supposed to be here.”

“I figured I’d surprise you.”

“Well, I’m definitely surprised,” he deadpanned.

“I’ll fly home tonight and be there in the morning.”

“No,” he wailed. “I’ll come back. I want to show you everything I love about the coast and where you’re going to live.”

“Okay.” That made sense. “What were you going to tell me? I’m with you virtually.”

Ferris adjusted the camera as he got off the step and walked around, saying he needed to move. Hector was in the background, and his expression told me he was bursting to tell something to someone.

“What’s Hector doing?”

Ferris moved the camera, and I could no longer see my friend. “Do not look at him. He knows nothing. Not one thing.”

That was odd. The pair got along great at Christmas, but Ferris’s irritated voice suggested my best friend had annoyed him.

“I’m going inside.”

“No.” Now it was Hector’s turn to whine. “I wanted to see Hugo’s reaction.”

“Did you fall down in the snow?” The path was probably treacherous with me being away all week.

“No.” My mate stomped up the stairs and fumbled with the key while holding the phone.

“Forgot your bag.” A shadow passed beside my mate. Hector was helping my mate, but Ferris told him to zip it.

“Lips are sealed,” my friend said as he walked off the deck.

Ferris got the door open, but I was trembling with anticipation wondering what the news was. Charlie had gone back to his class, but he kept glancing at me. Seemed everyone had a clue as to what my mate was going to say except me.

“I sort of hoped we’d be together for this. But I can tell you now and do the test tomorrow at home.”

“Test? Do you need to requalify to be a surfing instructor?”

“Not that sort of test.” He giggled and rummaged around in his bag. He pulled out a bunch of small boxes, but I couldn’t read what was on the packages.

“What are those?” He waved them in front of the phone, but I still couldn’t read them.

“They’re the tests.”

Now I was more confused. What sort of test came in a box that you administered yourself? Unless… unless he was sick. But he’d go to the doctor and a medical professional would take blood or whatever.

“I haven’t been feeling well and?—”

He was ill, and he was doing his own diagnostic tests. I wanted to reach through the phone and hug him.

“You stay there. I’ll come home.”

“I think I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” I must have shouted because Charlie’s students swirled in my direction. “You’re having a baby? My baby?”

“I don’t know.” He held up the tests. “That’s why I got these.”

I thought back to Hector’s behavior. I loved him, he was my best friend, but I was sad he found out before I did. But I shook off that, especially when Ferris told me Hector had been the one to suggest to Charlie that my mate might be pregnant.

“Should I take the test now or wait until tonight when I get home?”

I wanted to be with him, but being on the phone and seeing the test result was almost as good. And I didn’t think I could wait hours until he flew here.

“I’ll wait.” He put down the tests and said he’d call back once he’d booked the flight and called a cab.

I sat on the sand and shaded my eyes as I stared out to sea. Our child would grow up here, and maybe we could wrangle it so that we could spend part of the year at my place too.

Ferris called, and his face told me he wasn’t pleased. “I can’t get a flight until this afternoon.”

“Okay, there’s food in the freezer, or Hector will make you something.”

There was a banging on the door. It had to be Hector. He’d want to know if we’d taken the test.

“Any news?” Ferris turned the camera around to capture my friend’s face.

“No, he hasn’t taken the test.”

Hector clamped his mouth shut. I knew what he was wanting to say, which was, “Why not?”

“How would you feel if I took the test now?” The phone swung around to my mate. “I can show you first before I look.”

“Or,” Hector butted in, “I’ll hold the camera and you hold the test, Ferris.”

My mate cocked his head. “How will that work?”

“Well, you hold the test up so Hugo can see and… oh right, you can’t see it.”

“I’ll hold the phone and you hold the test, and ummm, yeah, that works, as I can see it and Hugo can too and does that work?” He giggled. “You don’t need to see me pee on the stick, I hope.”

“Nah, I’m good. Wait, is that what you do? How had I reached my mid-thirties and not known that was how those tests worked?” But many shifters went by scent and didn’t bother with a pregnancy test.

“Okay, I’m going.” He gave Hector the phone, and it jiggled until it focused on my friend’s face.

“I’m so excited.” He grinned and checked his watch. “What’s taking him so long?”

His phone beeped. It was Charlie, and he turned on his camera, and now we were all waiting.

“Maybe he didn’t aim properly or he dropped it in the toilet? He is kinda clumsy,” Charlie informed us.

“Am not.” Ferris appeared and said we had to wait. So the four of us waited and waited.

“How much longer?” The baby would be here before we got the results.

“It’s time.”

Everyone argued about who should hold what, but Ferris held the phone and Hector held the test up in front. Charlie complained he couldn’t see, but when Ferris said, “I am,” and I said, “You are,” Hector and Charlie cheered, and my mate told me how much he loved me.

“Come home, Dad. I need to kiss you and Little Bear.” I lowered my voice though Hector would still hear me. “And maybe do other things to you as well.”