Anika returned to the bay briefly, standing behind the inner door. The bear rose to full height, sniffed once, then lowered itself again. Between metal and glass, they regarded one another in wordless truce. “Good job,” she whispered. The bear blinked slowly, breathing a fog halo that drifted and vanished.
The bear stirred again. Its head turned sharply toward the forest beyond the parking lot. Martinez noticed first. “It’s telling us something.” The officers hesitated, hands near their weapons. “Easy,” Anika said. The bear sniffed the wind, then turned slowly toward the back of its enclosure, on the side away from the hospital.