“Trained,” Reed confirmed Anika’s assumption. The timestamp matched the boy’s estimated exposure window perfectly. “Whatever happened upriver, this fellow carried him. How’d it even find the hospital?” “Human,” Parker suggested. “Or instinct,” Martinez replied, his tone switching between awe and confusion.
Anika briefed them in the ICU, gesturing toward the window. Through it, the bear sat visible beyond the loading dock lights, encircled by orange fencing. Reed stared for a long moment. “He’s not pacing.” “He hasn’t,” Anika said. “Every time the boy stirs, he lifts his head.” Parker wrote: trained, guard behavior, non-territorial.