The man stiffened, glancing toward the sound. “Why is that animal here?” he demanded, his polite tone cracking. “Because he saved your son’s life,” Anika said. “We haven’t released him yet.” The man’s expression faltered, then reassembled into forced composure. “That’s… admirable. But it’s still dangerous.” He adjusted his cufflink.
As the man moved toward the ICU, the bear bellowed from outside again, and everyone in the hospital heard its rumble. The boy shifted again in his sleep, monitor beeping faster, his tiny hand curling into a fist. Rowe faltered in his tracks.