Disclaimer: While the attempt has been made to be medically accurate, some artistic license has been taken, and statements made by Carlisle are not to be regarded as authoritative.
Recognizable characters and plotlines are the property of Stephenie Meyer; all original characters and story © 2016 FemaleChauvinist.
Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety.
A/N: This is the companion story to "Nessie's Halloween," but you don't have to read that one first. I actually wrote this one first; in fact, it was one of the very first Twilight stories I wrote. Barbie
November 2008
Nessie three A/E ten, claiming eleven, sixth grade
Nessie
The whole thing was my fault. Daddy hadn't wanted me to go to Maddie's Halloween party; he didn't like some of the thoughts he heard in her parents' minds. On the night of the party, I said I was going hunting with Jacob — being careful to think of nothing else. But when we were alone, I told Jacob I'd just gone hunting — which I hadn't — and convinced him to take me to the party. Jake will do anything for me, just like Daddy will for Momma. Good thing for me, Aunt Alice can't "see" werewolves and halfbreeds, and Jacob and I thought only of hunting when we got home.
So on Monday morning, everyone thought I'd been hunting less than a week ago. If I'd been a full vampire, my eyes would have given me away, but mine didn't darken with thirst. No one guessed that I had gone nearly two weeks without hunting.
For a full vampire, that might not have mattered, but I needed to hunt more often than they did, unless I wanted to eat human food — ugh! Even my growing need for sustenance of some kind was not enough to make me eat the food on my tray at lunch. I played with it as I normally did, then tossed the mess in the trash. How humans could like that stuff…
Maddie was still talking about the Halloween party and how much fun it had been as we went back to class, but I wasn't really paying attention. Maybe I could sneak out hunting by myself that afternoon… I really didn't think I was a danger to anyone, but if I didn't go soon, I wouldn't be able to keep from thinking of my thirst in front of Daddy. I was glad the elementary school in this town was far enough from the high school that I didn't have to worry about it during the day.
As the teacher explained the lesson, I worried my lip between my teeth to get my mind off my thirst — a habit I picked up from Momma.
I bit harder than I meant to, and suddenly I tasted warm blood on my tongue. It tasted better than animal blood; I couldn't stop myself. With a quick slash of my vampire-sharp teeth, I made a deeper cut and sucked at it ravenously. When one cut began to heal, I bit myself again, even deeper as I lost control and hardly noticed the pain.
I suppose I must have had a wild look; the teacher suddenly broke off what she was saying. "Nessie? Are you all right?"
And then…I wasn't. My head felt strange and light; I heard the teacher's voice as if from a great distance, and then everything swirled into blackness.
oOo
Carlisle
"Dr Cullen?"
"Yes?"
"There's an ambulance on the way from the middle school; I think the patient may be a relative of yours. R-Ree-ne-smee Cullen?"
I stared at the man in horror. "Renesmée?" I couldn't imagine anything at the school that should have been able to hurt her. "What happened?" I asked tersely.
"She fainted; they weren't able to rouse her."
That seemed even less likely; Nessie had never once gotten sick.
"I'll take her when she comes in," I said quietly.
"Are you sure? Sometimes it's best —"
"I said, I'll take her!" I half growled. At that moment, my phone rang; I pulled it out and glanced at the number. Edward.
Normally the high school was too far for him to hear thoughts from the hospital, but he was attuned to my mind; my shock must have been strong enough to reach him.
I answered on the second ring. "Edward."
"Carlisle. What's wrong with Nessie?"
"They say she fainted at school," I replied, too quietly for the human to hear.
"How is that possible?" Edward demanded.
"I don't know." I tilted my head slightly. "I hear the ambulance coming now, Edward; I have to go."
"We'll be there in five minutes," Edward growled, and the connection went dead.
I was at the door to meet them as they rolled Nessie in. She lay pale and still, almost as pale as if she had been a full vampire, and I caught the scent of blood.
"We couldn't start an IV," the EMT told me in a low voice; "the needle just glanced off her arm."
I nodded tersely and twisted the bed from their grasp to wheel it to an empty examining room. I kicked the door shut behind me; I didn't want human observers.
"Nessie," I murmured. Lifting her hand, I pressed it to my face; her thoughts were merely a chaotic swirl.
I checked her quickly, finding no source for the blood I smelled until I looked inside her mouth. "Nessie," I groaned, "you didn't…"
But I knew that she had. Edward! If Jacob isn't with you, turn around and get him, now! By now he must be close enough to hear me.
Less than two seconds later, I heard Edward, Bella, and Jacob arrive. The nurse at the desk tried to make them stay in the waiting area, and I pulled the door open quickly before Edward or Jacob could end up killing her. "It's all right, Claudia; let them come in."
Jacob was shaking as he entered the room side by side with Edward; Bella followed and pushed the door shut. "Who did this to her?" he growled. "When I find them, I swear —"
"She drank her own blood," I cut in. "Roll up your sleeve."
The needle was in my hand already; I swabbed Jacob's arm with alcohol and slid it in.
"Carlisle. Will that…work?" Edward whispered, pulling Bella against his side.
I don't know for sure. His blood is a closer match than any human's…I'll change her if I have to. Even her apparent age was borderline for an immortal child, but she was already half vampire, in perfect control… I shook off the thought and concentrated on my work; hopefully it wouldn't be necessary to find out.
A length of tubing connected the needle to a second, which I inserted in Nessie's arm. Using vampire strength, it pierced her skin easily, just as a straw can be driven through wood by a hurricane. Edward was murmuring something in Bella's ear.
I rapidly calculated the percentage of a person's blood volume that he could safely lose, then the amount that would be for Jacob. He would willingly give more than was safe, I knew, but I didn't think it would come to that. Nessie was so tiny next to him…
"Her thoughts are…more coherent," Edward murmured after several minutes. "More like she's sleeping."
I nodded; I could see myself that her color was better. She could still have a bad reaction, I warned him silently, but of course he also heard that I didn't think that was likely.
After another few minutes I removed the needles, not bothering to bandage either of them; both healed fast. "Thank you, Jacob," I said quietly. "Edward, get him a soda from the vending machine."
Edward growled softly under his breath, but did as I asked; he could hear my thoughts just as easily from down the hall and could be back at Nessie's side in an instant.
When he returned, he pressed the cold can into Jacob's hand without a word. Jacob popped the tab off, but held it without drinking. "She's going to be all right?" he asked tersely.
I focused for a moment on the sound of Nessie's heartbeat, stronger now than it had been. "I think so," I assured him.
Jacob grinned suddenly. "Guess now she's really one of a kind — half human, half vampire, half werewolf."
Bella giggled a bit nervously. "Three halves?"
Jacob scowled. "You know what I mean!"
oOo
Nessie
I blinked my eyes open slowly, wondering where I was. Daddy? I thought uncertainly.
Instantly his hand was there, brushing my hair back from my face. "I'm here, Nessie," he said softly. "How do you feel?"
Tired…where am I?
Daddy gripped my hand reassuringly. "In the hospital. I'm going to go tell Papa you're awake."
Then he was gone, but Momma had slipped into his place by my side, and I could see Jacob across the room. As I ran my tongue over my lips, I felt strange, almost-healed sores, and then I remembered.
"You're looking better, Nessie," Papa said as he came into the room with Daddy close behind him. He picked up my wrist, feeling the pulse, and tilted his head slightly as he listened to my heart and breathing without aid of the stethoscope that was just a human prop.
"You know, I never expected to have you as a patient," he commented with a smile, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What happened, Nessie?"
"I…was thirsty," I whispered without meeting his eyes, trying not to think of why I had been thirsty. Of course Daddy was going to find out sometime, but I still wanted to put it off. "I didn't mean to bite my lip…but then it tasted too good to stop."
Papa shook his head. "Fainting when you did is probably what saved your life; that and the fact that you did drink it."
"I won't do it again, Papa," I promised in a small voice.
He lightly touched my cheek with the back of his hand. "I should hope not." He stood, holding something I hadn't noticed before…it looked like a bag of blood. "Normally I would have a patient drink orange juice or something…" He chuckled at my expression. "…but not in this case. Edward, Bella, do you want to leave the room?"
Neither moved, and Papa cut the bag, catching the blood in a cup. He helped me sit up and then handed it to me. "Drink it slowly."
Mmm. I hadn't had human blood since I was a baby; it was better than animal blood, better even than my own blood had been.
Daddy groaned. "Thanks, Carlisle. Now she's going to want donated blood all the time!"
Papa chuckled, and I let my eyes sparkle at him over the edge of the cup. Not all the time, I told Daddy. Just for a treat!
Daddy only groaned again.
Papa chuckled again and took the empty cup from me. "I'm going to release you, Nessie; Edward, you and Bella can take her home. Keep her quiet the rest of the day. Jacob, you should take it easy, too."
"Aw, my body's probably replaced the blood by now," Jacob protested.
Papa frowned. "Maybe, but we don't have any proof of that."
I wondered what they were talking about, and Daddy laid a hand on my arm. "Papa gave you Jacob's blood," he explained quietly. Then he looked up at Papa. "You don't have to worry, Carlisle; he isn't planning on leaving Nessie today, anyway."
Jacob scowled, but I could tell he wasn't really upset.
Daddy gently lifted me in his arms, pushing my head down against his shoulder when I tried to look around. "Rest, Nessie," he murmured.
Jake was in Daddy's car when we got there, scrunched into the back seat. Daddy laid me across the seat with my head in Jacob's lap.
I sighed a little and rolled onto my side…I was tired. Jacob gently ran his fingers through my hair, and I heard Daddy growl softly as he got into the driver's seat. I wondered what Jacob could be thinking to upset him…but I fell asleep before I could worry about it.
oOo
Bella
Carlisle must have called Esme; she wasn't surprised to see us as Edward carried Nessie inside. She or Jacob must have been worried about the fact that Nessie didn't stir as he laid her on the couch; he was quick to reassure them. "She's all right; just sleeping." He grimaced. "Dreaming about that human blood Carlisle let her drink…"
"Human blood?" Esme questioned.
"Donated," Edward said quickly. "Esme, will you stay with her? Jacob, come on upstairs." There was an ominous note in Edward's tone, and Jacob didn't argue.
Edward led us into Carlisle's study and sank into the armchair with a sigh. Jacob leaned uneasily against the desk, while I perched on the arm of Edward's chair and slipped my arm around his shoulders. Edward, why was Nessie so thirsty?
"She and Jacob didn't go hunting Friday night, Bella," Edward said harshly. "He let her talk him into taking her to that Halloween party."
"She told me she'd just gone hunting!" Jacob insisted.
Edward sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know," he admitted. "It's the only thing stopping me from tearing your throat out."
"I did save her life, leech," Jacob said defensively.
"Thank you," I put in softly. "But how could you agree —?"
Jacob shrugged uncomfortably. "She asked me."
And he couldn't say no. Sometimes I wondered if imprinting really had anything to do with love at all. But then, all of them seemed to think it was their mission to make us happy; we had to be the five most spoiled females in history. I wondered if even Carlisle would do what he thought was right if it made Esme unhappy…ugh! I was sick of the very word. Why should we expect to be happy all the time?
Edward might not have been able to hear my thoughts, but he heard my soft growl. "Jacob. Giving Nessie what she wants is fine — we all spoil her. But the next time you help her disobey either of us — or Carlisle or Esme — I don't think Bella will need my help to kill you."
Edward and Jacob both knew I never would, but at least Jacob looked properly ashamed. "Sorry, Bells," he muttered. He looked up almost hesitantly. "Are you gonna punish her?"
"No," Edward said softly. "Not — after what happened. Go on down, Jacob; she's waking up."
Jacob left the room, and I looked at Edward. "Aren't we going down?"
He grinned suddenly and pulled me off the arm of the chair into his lap. "Not just yet, Bella Cullen!"
oOo
Nessie
Daddy let me off easier than I expected; that was the one good thing about almost dying. He just talked to me about disobeying, and warned me not to let them think I'd hunted more recently than I actually had.
Papa made me stay home from school the next day, partly because he wanted me to rest, and partly because the teacher wouldn't be expecting me back so soon.
In the morning I helped Mama Esme make cookies for Jacob. I liked baking, and I liked the smell of things baking, even though I didn't like the actual food. Jacob would certainly have no trouble eating the entire batch by himself at one sitting.
Papa took me hunting when he came home in the afternoon. I didn't really think I needed to go; I'd drunk so much of my own blood, and then he'd given me the donated blood in the hospital…
"I know you may not feel thirsty, Nessie," he admitted. "But I'd advise anyone who lost as much blood as you did to drink extra fluids. If you don't want to go hunting, I could get you some water…"
I made a face as if he had prescribed some vile medicine, and Papa chuckled. "Hunting it is, then."
Normally Daddy and Momma drove me to school, but the next day I rode with Papa. He came inside with me, and talked with the teacher for several minutes. He made up some explanation for what had happened, using lots of long medical words so she wouldn't ask any questions. I knew he had already destroyed any record of my being at the hospital.
I wasn't really listening; I was leaning against his side with his arm around my shoulders. *
When he finished talking with her, he squatted down to hug me goodbye. "Don't do that again, Nessie," he murmured.
"I won't, Papa," I whispered in his ear. "I swear it in my blood!"
The End
* Illustration for this scene can be found on my DeviantArt account.
A/N: I have no idea if it's really possible to get enough blood from the inside of the mouth to nearly "bleed" to death… I know it's possible to chew your cheeks bloody, because I've done it, and I guess if a half vampire wanted to badly enough, their teeth would certainly be sharper to bite deeper! Plus vampire venom (and half vampire saliva) might have anti-clotting properties; I know mosquitoes do. Barbie
I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!
Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie
