All rights belong to Stepehnie Meyer. I own nothing but the plot of this story.
There was something about the overcast of the clouds, which was a general characteristic of Forks, that made her particularly wary today.
Bella had the impending feeling that something bad had happened, right from the moment that she stepped out of her house. And because she lived with a town seemingly overrun by supernatural creatures, she believed that she was quite good at sensing these sorts of things.
Loading up her truck with her green camouflage hiking bag and a large plastic container filled with homemade peanut brittle – her best friend's favorite treat that she makes – she set off on her twenty-or-so minute drive to La Push, excited for a relaxing walk in the misty forests of Washington.
On her drive there, she reflected on how much she missed Jacob Black's company. They had kept in touch, of course, but despite being only a short drive away, they barely had any time to see each other. With Jacob keeping the town safe from killer vampires, she couldn't blame him.
There was also the fact that Edward had always occupied her time. She loved him – she loved him more than she could describe – but there were times where she felt suffocated. Like a small rabbit in a cage, she was a small, protected animal that's only interaction was with her owner. Bella did not like to use this analogy, since she refused to admit that she was owned by anyone, but she could not ignore the small part of her mind that forced her to realize it. It was true, Edward was the owner of her heart, but she definitely had a right to spend time with her other friends. Jacob in particular, even though the two of them never saw eye-to-eye, with them being natural enemies and whatnot.
Bella ran a hand through her chestnut locks, remembering the relief she felt when Jacob called her up one day, asking if she would like to go hiking with him the first day she got on Winter Break. He sounded well enough, but she could detect the exhaustion in his voice from the shift times he has had to do. As Sam's second-in-command, he must have been patrolling more than most of the pack. Despite this, he sounded as eager as a child who was asking his parents if they would allow him to get a pet.
Bella chuckled to herself. Even though Jacob was a huge beast of a man, probably the most powerful creature that existed, he was a child at heart. It was one of the many things that she loved about him.
Nevertheless, the impending dread that she felt had only increased as she approached his house. There was something definitely wrong, and she had the terrifying inkling that it had to do with Jake.
Bella almost broke her beautiful truck's door as she slammed it and ran towards the little red house. She knocked, albeit a little excessively, on the door, her anxiety spreading throughout her body. The door opened right when she was about to start her second round of knocking. At the door was not Jake, but a very exhausted Billy, whose red eyes with dark bags conveyed to her that he had not slept at all. His hands rested tiredly on the rims of his wheelchair, and through his fatigue, he offered her a fatherly smile.
Once he let her in, she immediately crouched down to his height, taking both of his hands in hers and laying them on his lap. "Billy, what's wrong? You look awful." Bella said with concern.
Billy gave a small, tired chuckle. "That's always what I want to hear." He replied. "I don't think Jake's going to be able to go hiking with you today, Bella."
"Why, what happened?" She asked exigently. "Did something happen on his patrols? Was he attacked? Is he-"
"Bella, please. You'll give yourself a stroke, dear." Billy said as he pet her soft hair. "He's not hurt, but he's extremely sick." He said. He sighed and shook his head as he looked towards his son's room. "I don't think I've ever seen him this unwell."
"I thought…that werewolves didn't get sick…" Bella said, her voice trailing off uncertainly.
"Then we are in the same boat, my dear. Would you still like to see him? He's asleep right now; he's been up all night coughing."
Bella was not deterred by the latter part of his statement. "Of course!" She said quickly, internally cringing at how her voice squeaked as her words came out. She went behind Billy's chair and rolled him towards Jacob's room, bracing herself for the worst. He had seldom ever been sick, and if it was enough to have him suffering in bed all night, then he must have been in a bad state.
She wheeled Billy up to his door and he reached out to open it. When he did, Bella was immediately hit with an overwhelming heat wave emitting from his room. It was like a sauna in there, despite the window being open to its fullest capacity and the winter chill blowing relentlessly inside the room. One look at the boy who was, very literally, radiating heat off of him was enough to affirm the premonition she dreaded.
Jacob was covered in a glistening layer of sweat. His shirt was off and he was left in nothing except his boxer shorts. His cheeks had a red tinge to them, almost a drunken sort of blush. Staggered pants exhaled through his mouth as he tossed and turned uncomfortably, struggling to find a relaxing position that would satisfy his overbearing illness.
Bella left Billy's side to take a spot next to Jacob's bed, taking his hand and holding it in both of hers, careful not to wake him. The first thing she noticed was how incredibly scalding he felt, as if a water boiler had been placed inside of him. She almost had the urge to drop his hand with how hot he was, but she did not have the heart to. The warmth that emitted from him usually was inviting and relaxing, but his body temperature currently was nothing short of burning. She held his hand to her, hoping that her colder temperature would somehow mitigate the effects of his hot one, but this was to no avail.
"How long has he been like this?" Bella asked, turning towards Billy.
"Just since last night, after he got done with a shift around the border of the city. He didn't eat dinner last night, which never happens, so that was the first clue I had that something was off. I came into his room around midnight because he was moanin' and groanin'." Billy said, moving towards Jake himself. He placed a hand on his son's head. "This isn't good. His temperature's gone up." Billy said worriedly.
Bella patted his leg. "Please go rest, Billy. I'll be here to take care of him." She said.
"Naw, Bella. I couldn't ask you to do that." Billy replied, although he body was already complying with her offer.
"I'm offering, though. And you and Jake are my family, so there's nothing you should feel guilty about!" Bella pleaded. "I'm taking you back to your room." She said resolutely. Billy opened his mouth to protest, but decided that it would be fruitless, seeing that Bella was already taking him back to his room. She expertly helped him into bed as she had done many times before, securely tucking him in to prevent the cold winter air from affecting him. "There you go, all done!" She said as she pretended to dust off her hands.
Billy grinned up at her as his head laid languidly on his pillow. "What did that idiot do to get you to stay around?" He asked, on the edge of losing consciousness. He closed his eyes with a smile on his face.
Bella knelt down and squeezed his shoulder. "He's been the most amazing friend I could ever ask for." She wasn't sure if Billy heard her, since he seemed to have already slipped into the land of dreams.
Bella immediately got to work on attending to her ailing best friend. She started by going to the bathroom and collected some wet towels to cool him down. She ran over multiple scenarios of what she could do. Taking him to the hospital was completely out of the question: she didn't think it was medically possible for a normal human to be at such a high temperature. She couldn't leave Billy alone to take care of Jake himself; with his high blood pressure, his diabetes, and his disability, it was hard enough for him to take care of his own needs, let alone his son's.
What to do, then?
That was the question she asked herself as she made her way back to Jake's room, a plethora of both wet and dry towels in her hands. She knelt down again and absent-mindedly dabbed his forehead and the rest of his body, trying to come up with the best solution to help him.
She almost gasped when she felt a hand clasp her wrist loosely. She looked at Jake's face to see that he was staring up at her through squinted, tired eyes. As soon as his vision cleared, and he was able to clearly see her worried face, he broke out into a grin.
"Bells…" He muttered breathily, his hand still on her wrist. She dropped his towel and took his hand in hers.
"I'm right here, Jake." She said soothingly, petting his damp hair.
"What are you…" Suddenly Jake's eyes went wide. "We're supposed to go hiking today, aren't we?" Bella nodded her head softly. "Shit, I'm sorry, Bells. I'll be up in just a-" He cut himself off with a sharp intake of breath as a biting pain erupted in his chest, sending him into a fit of coughs.
"No, no, no, no, lay down." Bella ordered as she slowly pushed his body down onto the bed. "I don't care about the hiking trip. Your health is more important." Bella picked the towel back up and continued to dab his forehead.
"Will you stay with me, Bella?" Jacob breathed out. His voice sounded so weak, so feeble. She could not even fathom the pain he was going through, and that very fact broke her heart.
She smiled down at him. "I'm not going anywhere. Anything you need, I'll be here. Like you've always been there for me." She touched his cheek, and he immediately leaned into her hand. "I've never seen you like this, Jake. What happened?" She asked, worried about how much strain he had put himself through since the last time she talked to him.
She could tell that he was trying to talk, to communicate to her about his condition. But, as he tried to speak, his eyelids started to drop, and she could tell that just their conversation was exhausting him.
Bella squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Don't worry about it, Jake. Take some rest." She saw him sigh contently, letting her know that he heard her. Then, he drifted off into a dreamless unconsciousness.
Bella stared at his enfeebled body once more before she unhooked her hand from his and stood up. She touched her forehead, unaware that it had started to form sweat from just being in his burning presence. Staring at him would not do him any good, so Bella decided to make herself useful and cook a few dishes for both Billy and Jacob, just so they could be alleviated from any worry about food.
While she was in the kitchen, searching the fridge, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She whipped it out, knowing that it was Edward calling her to ask her where she was. She hesitated for a moment, but then declined the call, something that she has almost never done.
Feeling a little guilty, she texted him a quick I'll call you soon. Love you, before she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and continued taking out the necessary ingredients to make a healthy porridge.
She could talk to Edward later. Jacob needed her right then, so she was going to be there for him.
And that's how the problem started.
Please review letting me know if I should continue! Like most college students, I have a busy schedule, so I want to make sure this is something that is worth investing my time into. Thank you guys so much for reading, and I'll see you next time!