Chapter Thirty-five As soon as they touched down in San Francisco in the early evening, Bryn and Anton decided to go pick up Petunia. After a quick stop to the warehouse to drop off their luggage and check on things there, they started heading towards Morgan Hill. Anton grinned when he looked at Bryn, who was almost bouncing in eagerness as they pulled up the drive to Clover Run. "Eager to see your other baby again, my dear?" "Oh be quiet. You didn't object to getting her right away." She noticed a BMW sedan, Honda Civic, and a Ford Explorer sitting in front of the house. "I don't remember those cars being here before." "They weren't." Anton frowned. "None of those belong to Mack or Chandra. I wonder who they've got visiting?" She shook her head, then grinned as Petunia suddenly bounded off the front steps and raced towards the car. "Oh my God, look at how big she is!" Bryn was practically out of the car before it even stopped. Although Anton opened his mouth to tell her to stay put, he never got the words out. Parking the Jag, he shut off the engine and got out of the car. On the passenger's side, sitting on her butt in the dirt, Bryn had Petunia in her lap, giggling as the puppy licked her face avidly. The dog's tail was wagging rapidly, her front feet on Bryn's shoulders. Sputtering as she got her mouth licked, Bryn said, "I'm not sure if she remembers me or is just happy to see anyone who arrives." Turning her head as Anton neared, Petunia raced over to him and rubbed up against his legs. Anton reached down to scratch Petunia's ears. "I'd say she missed us." He looked around, wondering why nobody had come out to greet him yet. "I wonder where everyone is?" As if in answer to his question, a man stepped out on the porch. It wasn't anyone Anton recognized. The tall, partially bald man walked over and extended his hand. "You're Anton, right? I'm Walter, Lindy's step-father." "Hi Walter, it's good to meet you," Anton said, shaking his hand. "It's good to meet you as well," he said. He turned to the woman on the ground and offered his hand. "You must be Sabryn. Lindy's told us a lot about you." "All good, I hope," she said, a bit self-conscious of the fact that she was on the ground. Walter helped her to her feet. "I'm just sorry we have to meet under these circumstances." Anton frowned. "Exactly what are 'these circumstances?'" He lowered his voice somewhat. "Your friend had an accident. Chandra was attacked." "Oh my God," Bryn said, immediately reaching for Anton's hand. "What happened?" Anton asked. Walter shook his head. "Long story. You might want to come inside to get the details. But I can tell you she was bitten. By a werewolf." Bryn wrinkled her nose. "W--uh, how?" "Come on inside." Nodding, Anton and Bryn followed behind him, Petunia at their heels, and entered the house. There were an awful lot of people standing in such a small area. Passing through the kitchen, they'd walked to the back bedroom, where Chandra lay in bed hooked up to an IV drip. Dr. Anne sat by her side, filling a syringe. Mack hovered nervously nearby, not even noticing they had new visitors. Bryn stuck close to Anton's side, squeezing his hand as they both took in the disturbing sight before them. She glanced briefly at the four strangers before smiling slightly at Lindy and Nate, her curious gaze flitting over the baby in her brother-in-law's arms. Lindy gestured the two o