I have had this particular idea in mind for quite some time. I wrote a story called Hearts and Soul-might have been the better title here. However it ran away with its own plot and in the end I loved it. Then I tried again to write a story like this, Twisted, and it took a life of its own. So I decided, dang it, I'll write this as a O/S and get it out of my head. This won't be continued. If you like it, try my other two stories if you haven't yet. Thanks for reading!
Jacob sat in the sterile white room in the much too small chair. He was still stunned from the news and the ink had barely dried on the organ donation form. They had asked if he would consider donating his wife's organs. There were people that could benefit from organ and tissue donation but they needed a decision right then.
It was something they had talked about before. Jacob would never be able to donate to someone because his genetic makeup could cause questions, but his wife, she could. She told him not to hesitate if there was ever a time he had to decide. She enjoyed reading story after story of a happy donor recipient whose life was saved.
He didn't think it was something he would ever have to decide. They still had plans for their life. They were planning their first house, designing it so Billy would have his own space and they would have room for their future children. They were supposed to grow old and gray together, that was their plan.
The police officer said it looked like the brakes went out on the semi. It hit her car and there was no chance she was going to survive. He patted Jacob on the arm and told her, at least she didn't suffer. It took a lot of effort not to punch the guy in the face.
He sat in the room for hours. Nurses, doctors and finally a social worker all came in and asked if he was all right. What could they do for him? Could they call a family member or a taxi? Once he was able to speak after an older woman, he thought she said her name was Beatrice, he asked her to call his brother-in-law to come get him. She took his cell phone and looked up the number under the name Paul LaHote. She stepped out of the room and called the other man.
Paul raced to the hospital, shocked to hear the news of his new sister-in-law's death. They hadn't been married for even a month, and now she was gone. When he got to the reception desk, he told the kid with the zits what he was doing there, and he held up a finger while he picked up the phone.
"Bea? Someone's here for Mr. Black," he whispered into the phone. It was a small hospital and word had spread fast amongst the young women about the huge, hunk crying in the small waiting room.
The older woman, dressed in a black pant suit with her graying hair walked out of a door and introduced herself to Paul.
"Mr. Black is right in here. Take all of the time you need and let me know if you need anything," she told him, holding out her business card. Paul took it and stuck it in his pocket before hesitantly opening the door.
"Jake?" he called to his friend, alpha and brother-in-law.
"Paul?" he cried, surprised he was there, seeming to have forgotten he asked someone to call him in his grief.
"You ready to go home?" Paul asked.
"Home? My home is gone," he said.
"Okay, how about back to Billy's then?" he countered, not wanting to argue over semantics at a time like this.
"No, but I guess I've got to leave," he admitted.
"Come on, pal. I've got you," Paul reassured him, as he wrapped his arm around Jake. Slowly, they walked out to Paul's waiting truck.
When they pulled up in front of Billy's house, Jacob started sobbing again. He was thinking of how he would never see her car there again or how he would never sit down with her for dinner at his old kitchen table.
Paul helped him into the house, but he insisted the other man leave. He went into their bedroom and stayed on the bed, holding her pillow close to his face.
The next day when he hadn't emerged, Billy went in to check on his son. He was still sleeping curled up with his wife's pillow. His heart ached for him as he had known what it was like to lose a spouse all too much.
Carefully he wheeled himself into the room and put a few bottles of water on the nightstand. When Jacob was ready, he would drink them and if he didn't soon, then he would find a way to make him.
A week later, Jacob sat on the swing they hung in the backyard. It was designed to hold Billy and in a way it was supporting Jake as well. Billy had yelled at his son to get out of the house. He didn't care where he went but he needed him to get up and move.
The swing was as far as Jake was willing to go. He pushed himself back and forth until he finally lulled himself to sleep.
One year later
Jacob looked in the mirror at his reflection. He looked better than he had. His eyes still looked tired, but he'd gained back some lost weight and he'd cut his hair short. Overall, he was presentable.
He hopped into the Rabbit and drove to the grocery store in Forks. This was his first time going back since the funeral. It was too painful to go to her grave, but he thought that she deserved it. Glancing around the store, he located the flowers and went over to them, finding a pretty spring bouquet. He turned around and almost crashed into a young woman standing behind him.
"Sorry," he gruffed, looking up at her.
It was that moment that gravity shifted. It was also the moment in time, when he gave the spirits the mental bird and walked away, saying nothing else to his imprint.
He paid for the flowers and made the short drive to the cemetery. When he got there, he pulled out some dead flowers from the vase and wondered who had been bringing her flowers. Probably one of the pack, since they were in his head and knew he hadn't been able to come.
Carefully, he put the flowers in the vase by her headstone and in hushed whispers, he apologized for not coming back sooner. He traced his finger over her name and the heart above it.
A beautiful scent filled his nose and he looked around trying to figure out where it was coming from. It was then that he noticed the woman from the grocery store was walking onto the grass. He turned back, ignoring her, figuring she was there to leave flowers for a loved one as well.
"Hi," the melodic voice whispered behind him. "I didn't know anyone else would be here. But since it's been a year, I wanted to make sure there were flowers."
"Why do you care?" he snapped, wishing she'd go away. Why now? Why? Why?
"Well, she gave me life and I wanted to make sure she knew how grateful I was for the heart," she responded.
He gasped at her response. What?
"What?" he asked dumbly.
"A year ago, I was waiting for a heart transplant. I was at the top of the list, if I didn't get one the doctors were sure I would have died. I did, so once I month I drive down here and leave flowers on her headstone, to say thank you," she said. "I'm Bella Swan."
"I'm Jake Black," he said.
"Can you tell me about her?" she asked, sitting down with him near the grass.
They sat and talked for hours about his wife's life and her decision to be an organ donor. When it started to rain, Bella asked him if he wanted to go to the diner in town and have dinner with her. He agreed.
In the diner, Bella brought in a bag, it carried copies of all her medical records. She took them out and showed them to Jake.
"The thing is, I overheard them and the notes prove it, they didn't think I would live even with a new heart," she confessed.
Jake searched through the pages of dictation that the doctors had kept on her. She was a miracle according to her cardiac doctor. He couldn't explain how she was alive, just that she was and it was amazing.
She looked up to Jake with happiness in her eyes and he looked back at her, glad to see what his gift had done.
The last book she took out was a baby album. It was filled with pictures of a young boy probably 5 or 6 years old, from the start of his life until the present. Jake complimented her on the cute little guy. Bella gushed over him.
"The pregnancy wasn't the cause of my heart problems, it just made all of the doctors aware of it. I'm so glad I have him because I can't have anymore, not with the new heart and all," she smiled sadly.
"I'm glad you have him," Jake smiled. "Maybe I can meet him one day."
"That'd be nice," she grinned. "Thanks for eating with me. I'd better get going. My husband will be wondering where I've been all this time." She stood and gathered her book and files.
"It was nice to meet you, Jacob."