Abandoned Treasure

Mykayla Pierce’s POV

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Monday, July 20, 2020

“We have the results of your tests, and they aren’t what we hoped to see,” Doctor Thompson said. “On the good side, the scans showed no signs of the cancer spreading beyond your bone marrow.”

I sat on a chair across his desk with my guardians on each side, and Doctor Olson from Oxbow Lake sat in the corner to take notes. Tammy had my left hand and Taylor my right. I drew a little courage from their squeezes. “And the bad news?”

“The lab tests have not shown any improvements,” he said. “As we discussed a few months ago, we used chemotherapy to target the cancer cells. The hope was that by killing or stopping them from dividing, your body would resume producing normal cells. The tests showed the cancer remains. When the chemotherapy stopped, it began gaining strength again.”

My heart dropped at that. Chemotherapy treatment was horrible; I’d lost all my hair, I was sick all the time, and I was on so many pills that I had a pile for each time of day. Nausea, nerve damage in my fingers and toes, sores in my mouth, and fatigue that kept me in bed for days at a time. As soon as I started feeling better, it was time to do it again. I didn’t know if I could handle any more of this.

Tammy spoke first. “What do we do next? Another series of chemo?”

“I’m afraid that won’t work. The drugs we use become less effective with every treatment as the cancer adapts. Eventually, the drugs will stop working.”

I knew what would happen if the cancer took off again. I’d have weeks to months to live. “Then what do we do?”

“The best course of action is to do high-dose chemotherapy to kill all of the blood-generating cells, then replace them with new cells from a transplant. Ideally, the new cells would come from a close relative with compatible genetics. My understanding is that Mykayla is adopted?”

“Yes,” Taylor said. “What do we do if we can’t find a relative?”

He let out a sigh. “I’ve searched the bone marrow donor database and found no compatible donors. Doctor Olson, what is the status of your search for a werewolf donor?”

He’d warned us it was a long shot when I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. A Caucasian patient had a 75% chance of finding a database match on their race. “We’ve received blood samples from nineteen hundred and eighty-seven volunteers, with another thirty or so tests pending. So far, no matches. As we discussed, we don’t know what will happen to Mykayla’s wolf if we use human bone marrow.” Our dual nature resided in our blood, and Doc was concerned that human blood might take my wolf away. After all, the marrow generates the blood. Even if it weakened my wolf, it would make my healing slower.

“Is there any hope of finding a close relative?”

I’d dreamed of it, but finding my father hadn’t happened. My parents abandoned me as a baby, so my parents were likely rogues. The Packs didn’t have DNA databases, and those outside the Pack system wouldn’t participate if they did. “It’s not likely,” Tammy replied. “We are still looking.”

Doctor Thompson nodded. “Well, without a matching donor, we’re limited to using your body’s stem cells. We start by harvesting Mykayla’s stem cells from her bloodstream. The stem cells are separated and grown in a lab. We then use a high-dose chemotherapy drug to kill her existing bone marrow before injecting the prepared stem cells. When the stem cells multiply, it will restart your body’s production of white and red blood cells and platelets. It can be an effective treatment, even a cure, but not without risks.”

“Like what?”

“If the stem cells we harvest have cancerous cells among them? The cancer could roar back in what we call a relapse. That’s why donor marrow has a higher success rate. The transplant procedure has its risks. The chemotherapy drug will completely suppress your immune system, leaving your body nothing to fight off infection or illness. You’ll remain isolated in the hospital until your marrow produces healthy white blood cells again, and it will take months for your body to return to normal.”

“And if we don’t do the transplant?”

He shook his head. “The leukemia is aggressive and resistant to treatment. A bone marrow transplant is the best option now.”

There wasn’t much else to talk about. The lab collected blood from me, and Doctor Thompson scheduled the procedure for early August. I’d miss the rest of the summer and the Minnesota State Fair in a hospital bed.

Timur picked us up in the recreational vehicle we used for these trips. It was a small Class-C with a bed in the back. I could see the worry on his face, as my Moms must have kept him updated using the link since he wasn’t family. Doc helped me inside, and I found a spot by the table and sat down.

We stopped at John Hardy’s BBQ on the way back to the freeway. My appetite was better than during chemo, but not like it used to be. I was always tired, my wolf was weak, and I just wanted to sleep all the time. If you think losing your hair sucks as a teenage girl, imagine being in wolf form in bare skin! Ugh! I didn’t want anyone to see me that way. It wasn’t long into chemo before I was too weak to shift anyway.

It was a six-hour drive from the Mayo Clinic to the Pack House, but we only had to make that drive for the scans and doctor visits. They gave me my chemo in Duluth, and I stayed at Arrowhead in between treatments. Why Arrowhead? I was still a US citizen, and my health coverage was through the Pack major medical plan. The Mayo Clinic was the best in the world, so we came here.

After our early dinner, I went straight to bed. I was almost asleep when I heard the adults talking about me. “She should know who her parents are,” Timur said. “She’s old enough to handle it.”

“There’s a reason we kept it hidden,” Mom said. “She doesn’t need the baggage that comes with that knowledge.”

“What baggage?” Timur was very defensive of me, so I didn’t understand why he was fighting them. “A decade ago, no one knew what was happening at Bitterroot. People will understand why they had to get away!”

“Her mother killed a warrior, and her father killed another,” Mommy said. “Is that the legacy you want her to embrace?”

“She still thinks her Mom or Dad might be alive somewhere,” Timur argued. “Especially now, when her life is on the line? Keeping that hope alive is cruel.”

What he said was a punch to the gut. They knew my parents and didn’t tell me they were dead?

I sat up and moved slowly to the door. Opening it, I saw everyone except Timur look my way. I looked into their eyes until they looked away. “You know who my Mom and Dad are.” ‘Deer in headlights’ face, times three. Probably four, but Timur was busy driving.

“Yes,” Mommy said as she looked down from my stare.

“Tell me.” She patted the bench around the table, and I sat down.

“Your father was Nathan Storm, a young warrior in Bitterroot,” Mommy started. “He had just come of age and was on a trip with the Beta and other warriors when the Council asked them to look into reports of rogues in North Dakota. The group attacked Carolyn Sampson’s home. She killed one of the men but was taken alive.”

“They were mates?”

“Yes, but things didn’t go as hoped. Since Carolyn had killed one of ours, the Alpha had her enslaved and used for years. You saw what that was like.” I nodded; though I wasn’t a participant, I knew how bad slaves had it at the Pack. “Nathan wanted to mate her, but the Alpha refused. He warned him that if they mated, he would join her in slavery and make him watch as the warriors raped his mate again and again.”

“That’s horrible,” I said. “How could Nathan allow that to happen?”

“It took years for him to plan their escape. They made it, but Nathan killed the gate guard to get away. Both were on the Council’s wanted list for a long time, but Enforcers finally caught up to them in eastern Montana. The Enforcer forced their car off the road, and Nathan died in the gunfight. Carolyn survived the crash long enough for him to deliver you by emergency C-section. The Enforcer turned you over to the Pack, and they gave you to us.”

I looked over at Doc Olson. “You knew?”

He nodded. “We searched for paternal relatives in the Council database, but Nathan was the last of his family. We don’t have records on Carolyn’s side, but we asked the Oracle to put out a query.”

“I could still have family out there somewhere?”

“It’s possible,” he replied.

“Does the Oracle know we’re looking because I need a donor? Or did you ask if anyone knew my real Mom’s relatives?”

He looked a little guilty. “We didn’t state why because we didn’t want anyone connecting you with it. All the Packs know you’re looking for a donor.”

I looked at my Moms. “Do you care who my parents were?”

“Of course not,” Mom said. “We love you, Mykayla.”

“Timur, do you care?”

“You’re my mate. I don’t care about anything else.”

“Did the Alphas know when I joined the Pack?” Mom nodded. I looked back to the Doc. “I don’t care either.If letting the big secret out gives me a better chance of staying alive, DO IT.” I got up from the table and went back to the bedroom. “I’m going to bed.”

I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn’t even wake up when we dropped off Doc at Oxbow Lake before returning to Arrowhead.

We were too late for the Pack dinner, but the beach cabana would keep a grill going into the night. It was a beautiful summer evening with temperatures in the low eighties and humid. I changed into shorts and a tank top in a guest room of Alpha Rori’s house. My hostess offered to take me down to get food and go fishing, and I quickly accepted. “Heading out,” she told Chase. “Nancy is fed and changed, and the Terror Twins are at the pool with the nannies.” Yes, her babies were well into their Terrible Twos.

I got behind her on the ATV for the short drive to the beach. The cabana and beach were full of people, and island music played in the background. Everyone was smiling and calling out greetings as we rode up. Bikers in their cuts were everywhere.

Chase was no longer a Nomad. In May, he became the President of the Northwoods Steel Brotherhood Chapter, with Roadkill as his Vice President and Rori leading the Ladies. The chapter was small but growing. Chase had eight patched members and a dozen prospects now. Half were from the Pack, the rest from the surrounding area. A few dozen members of Duluth-area clubs had joined today’s fun run to the Apostle Islands on the south shore. Some bikers were chatting up the single female werewolves at the horseshoe pits while others played volleyball or swam at the beach. A dozen kids swam and played at the beach as their parents watched.

I had to wear a mask and avoid other people because of my cancer, which sucked. Seeing them look at me with my bald head and the weight loss sucked even more. I waved at some of the older girls I knew as we passed. It looked fun, but not for me.

The miracle of the Pack link meant our food was ready when we stopped at the grills. I had to eat away from everyone, so I got a box to go. I put sauerkraut, relish, and ketchup on my cheddar bratwurst to go with the Fritos and a dill pickle. Rori was piling toppings on her bacon double cheeseburger AND her brat. I knew she hadn’t skipped the usual Pack meal. “You’re that hungry already? Pregnant?”

“Breastfeeding, but hopefully not for much longer. If my heat caught? I’ll have the baby BEFORE the Memorial Day party this time!”

I snorted. “And no summer pregnancy in wolf form?”

“Exactly. Once was enough!”

We put the boxes on the back of the ATV next to her tackle box and the rods and reels, then parked at the fishing dock. I didn’t have the energy to do more than sit and fish these days, and I wanted to be outside as much as possible before the transplant. Lake Arrowhead had a lot of crappie and sunfish, with the occasional smallmouth bass, northern pike, and walleye. The sun was just above the pines, still an hour until sunset. The bigger fish would return to the weed beds after another hot summer day.

Rori sprayed me with Deep Woods Off to keep the mosquitos at bay, then went to get minnows from the bait cooler. I took two spinning rods and her tacklebox and slowly walked down the dock to the chairs at the end. I had a slip-bobber rigged on my line as Rori arrived with the bait. The great thing about this dock was that it extended beyond the dropoff instead of ending in the weeds. I knew where the dropoff was and cast my bobber just upwind. I had my first strike before she was ready to wet the line. “Cheater!”

The competition was on! My first crappie was too small to keep, but the fish got bigger as the moon came out. I’d just landed a three-pound walleye when Rori’s phone rang. “Hello?”

I could hear both sides with my wolf hearing, even over the beach party noise. “Hi Rori, it’s Jade.”

“How are you doing?”

“Good. We got the note from Doc Olson this afternoon and forwarded it to our people, but I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“The girl with leukemia is Mykayla Pierce, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And Mykayla is the daughter of Nathan Storm and Carol Sampson?”

“Also correct, though we haven’t released that part until today. Mykayla needs a blood marrow transplant, and a relative has the best chance of a match.”

“How is that possible? Her parents died two months before her recorded birthdate!”

Rori gave them the story from Vic’s side since he was the one who confided in his Alphas when he recognized Mykayla’s scent years earlier.

There was silence for a minute. “I located a blood relative. He’s nervous about responding to the plea because he’s worried the Council will kill him for what he did in the past.”

“Tell him not to worry. I’ve already cleared this with the Council Chair under the humanitarian exemption. If he is a match and agrees to help, no Pack or Council personnel will harm or detain him in any way.”

“And if he doesn’t believe you?”

“Mykayla is family to me. I’ll do anything to help her get better, Jade. You have my word he’ll be safe.”

“I’ve recorded this conversation and will pass it on. He’s getting his blood tested now and will forward the results to Doctor Olson. Thanks, Alpha Rori.”

The call ended, and I stared at Rori. “I have family?”

She pulled me into a hug. “You’ve always had family, Mykayla. You might meet more soon.”