EVERYTHING BELONGS TO S.M 3
RENEE POV
This couldn't be happening. Charlie, dead? Even though I had left him, he was still one of my best friends in many ways, and we had a child together, he meant so much to me. I called Phil immediately.
"Renee?" He answered on the first ring. "Aren't you in yoga?"
"Yes, but I just got a phone call from Forks." I said quietly.
"Is Bella alright?" He asked concernedly.
"Yes...well no. But Charlie is definetly not okay."
"What happened?" He asked.
"He passed away." I said, hiccoughing.
"Oh my god, what do we do? We can't leave Bella there."
"You know her, she'll refuse to leave." I said, knowing this was the truth.
"Alright then...when do we leave?" He said, and I smiled slightly.
"As soon as we can." I said. "I'll book a flight. Can you take time off work?"
"I'll quit if I have to." he said firmly, hanging up. I realised I had many phone calls to deal with, and quickly dialed Edward's number, which he had given me he last time I saw him and Bella.
"Renee." he sighed with relief into the phone.
"How is she?" I asked.
"She's...well...not so great. She won't talk." He said, his voice pained.
"I'm coming as soon as I can." I told the boy. "Are you okay with her?"
"I'm fine. I don't think she's willing to let me go, her arms are like a vice when they want to be." He said.
"Good, don't leave her." I said.
"Never." he whispered. I thanked him, and hung up. I booked us a flight that left in three hours, and fled home to pack, making sure to call Phil. He met me at the house, and we threw clothing into bags frantically. All the while, silent tears rolled down my cheeks, and my chest burned. Phil was somber and efficient, moving around the house like wildfire. We left quickly, driving to the airport in silence.
EDWARD POV
She was in a deep sleep, tossing and turning in my arms. She hadn't even awoke when Renee had called. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, stopping her trashing as she wrapped herself around me. Jacob knocked, and entered.
"I made some tea for her." He said, looking at us awkwardly.
"Thank you Jacob." I said gratefully. We had put our differences aside, and all our efforts went to Bella. She had slept through the whole night, and almost halfway throught the day now, and I doubted she would wake up for the tea, but it was a nice gesture all the same. He left, and I shook her gently.
"Bella, love?" I said softly. Her eyes opened wide. "There's some tea here for you." I said. She sat up weakly, and pulled the blankets around herself. I handed it to her, and she took a deep sip. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?" I asked, knowing she was. I had listened to her stomach grumbling all night. But despite this, she shook her head. I frowned. "Your mother called, she wants me to tell you she's coming as soon as she can." I said, and she nodded.
BELLA POV
I took a deep sip of the hot tea, and felt it burn down my throat. The pain of the heat erased the pain of what had happened for a split second.
"Are you hungry sweetheart?" Edward asked gently, and I was eternally grateful that he was here to take care of me, I didn't know what I would do without him. My stomach grumbled, but the thought of food made me want to vomit, so I shook my head. He frowned, concerned. "Your mother called, she wants me to tell you she's coming as soon as she can." He said, putting a piece of my hair behind my ear. I nodded, not feeling excitement or anticipation for her arrival. I felt empty, like something had sucked everything out of me. Everything that helped me talk, express myself, and feel any other emotion but pain. This didn't seem real, like something that could happen in a movie, but never in real life, never to me. I wanted to wake up and find everything back to normal, like it had been before that police officer had arrived on my doorstep, before Charlie had left in the morning. The phone rag shrilly on my bedside table, and Edward picked it up.
"Hello?" His velvet voice spoke into the receiver, his eyes dark. He looked concerned. "Yes." He said, nodding. "We'll be there." He said finally, hanging up. I took another sip of my tea, and Edward wrapped his arms around me, taking a deep breath. "Bella? I know you're not going to want to hear this." He said, and it felt like another weight fell on top of the one that was already there in the pit of my stomach. What could it be this time? "We need to go down to the river and identify some of...his belongings." He said, his voice painfully skipping over the name. Tears erupted out of my eyes once more, and I bit down on my lip so hard it bled. Once I realised what I had done, I tried to stop the blood flow immediately, by holding my lip with my shirt. I shook my head in apology as more noisy sobs echoed across the room. I frantically pushed Edward away, not wanting him to be overwhelmed.
"Bella, shhh. It's okay, I'm fine." He said, and pulled me into him again. I held onto him for dear life, like I would fall into nothingness if I let go. Just then, Jacob entered, he looked a mess, like he had been secretly crying as well. I tried to calm myself down, and almost succeded, the sobs turning into silent tears, and my breathing hitched. Edward rocked us side to side.
"What now?" Jacob asked Edward, re-entering the room and running his hand through his cropped hair.
"They've asked us to go down to the river and identify some of his things." Edward said quietly. Jacob bowed his head. I felt bad, for not talking to Edward, for not being strong, and for some reason felt responsible for Jacob's pain. I needed to talk. I forced my voice to break through the confines of my lips.
"Edward...I'm sorry. Jake...I'm sorry." I croaked, more tears falling. I imagined myself as Alice in Wonderland, drowning in a sea of tears she had cried. A tear rolled down Jacob's face, and it looked out of place.
"Bella, sweetheart. It's not your fault. Why are you sorry?" Edward asked gently, rubbing my back.
"I don't know." I hiccoughed.
"Shhh Bella, you don't need to be sorry." He said, and I leaned farther into him. "We need to get ready to leave." He said, and I suddenly felt like a small child who didn't want to take her medecin. I didn't want to do it, I knew it would be horrible, and yet it was coming straight at me like a lion charging, there was no avoiding it. I moved to my dresser, unwillingly climbing out of Edward's arms, and held onto the edge of it for support. He was at my side in an instant, holding me so that I wouldn't fall. I pulled a drawer open, and pulled out a sweatshirt. Jacob left awkwardly to give me some privacy. Edward tried as well.
"Edward, don't leave me please." I said, and he nodded. I know we had agreed on "waiting", but Edward had seen most of my body anyways, and I felt comfortable enough to keep him around while I changed. It's not like we were going to do anything, we hadn't even kissed since before...the news. I thought back to that time, it felt like I was watching someone else's life.
Edward sat across from me at the kitchen table, smiling crookedly.
"I'm warning you, I'm a master at Scrabble!" I said playfully.
"I'm not backing out." He said, and I opened up the game board. "I do have conditions though."
"And what are those conditions, ?" I asked, smiling.
"Well first, you need to sit a little closer than that." He said, and I walked around to his side of the table, sitting on his lap.
"How's this?" I asked. He chuckled.
"Perfect." He said, wrapping one arm around my waist like a seatbelt.
"What's the second condition?" I asked, curious.
"For every point I get, I get a kiss." He said, and I smirked.
"Fine." I said, planting a quick one on his lips. "That was just for luck."
"I didn't need any luck, but I think now I might." He said, kissing my neck.
"Edward, I love you." I said, tousling his bronze hair even more.
"I love you more." He said, and I scoffed, as he kissed my shoulder. I jumped as someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get it, let's just hope it's not Mike." I said, smiling, and hopping off his lap, skipping in the direction of the door...
I grimaced, and pulled off the shirt I had been wearing of his, and searched through the drawers for a tank top. I found one, and pulled it on. I pulled the sweatshirt over top of it, and my eyes caught a glimpse of something shiny on top of the dresser. It was the camera my dad had bought me for my 18th birthday. I burst out in sobs again, and before Edward could ask why, I hurled the camera across the room, watching it smash against the wall. I fell into Edward once more, and cried into his chest. When did eyes run dry of tears? Did they have an endless supply of water? I prayed to god that they didn't. Edward wrapped his arms around me, and the thought that we hadn't kissed for almost 24 hours ran through my head. I grabbed the back of his neck and pushed his lips against mine. He met mine softly, moving gently and tenderly. I knew I shouldn't even feel like kissing at the moment, but it was instinctual, like he was absorbing everything that could hurt me. He pulled away, and I linked our hands, tears still running down my face. He pulled me out of my bedroom, and swung me up into his arms. He carried me, curled up against his chest, down to his Volvo, and I watched Jacob wave as he left in his Rabbit to the exact same spot we were headed to. I closed my eyes the whole way there, with Edward squeezing my hand reassuringly at regular intervals. We got to the river soon, and Edward helped me step out of the car, I couldn't stop my shaking. He wrapped his arms around me. I watched Jacob climb out of the car that was too small for him. We were at the river bed, except it didn't look like any peaceful, natural place anymore. There were police SUV's, and cars everywhere, yellow caution tape and officers speaking into walkie talkies. I immediately felt sick, and almost threw up right there. An officer approached us.
"Miss Swan, ." He said, nodding. He looked in my direction and frowned as he saw the tears. "I'm very sorry, Isabella." He said, and I didn't care about the use of my longer name. The officer gestured for us to follow him, and Edward pulled me with him. We came to the bank of the river. It was a small overhang or cliff, and the river rushed below, white and fast, cold and deep. I shuddered, my breath catching. Edward rubbed my back.
"Isabella, we need to know if these belonged to your father." Another officer said, gesturing to some items on a table. There was his blue, waterproof backpack, his prized fishing pole, and lastly, his battered ball cap, soaked with water. I choked as a sob made its way through my throat. I felt the soft, worn, wet fabric of the hat, and nodded.
"They're his." I whispered, and knelt down, vomiting into a clump of bushes. Edward held my hair and rubbed my back, and then helped me up again, holding me securely against him.
JACOB POV
As soon as I got the news, I was immediately sick in the small washroom adjacent to my bedroom. Charlie had been like a second father to me. I had gone over to his house countless times when I was younger, while he babysat or we watched the game. This was impossible, inhumane, disgusting, terrible, devastating. And then she popped into my head. Bella. I knew Edward would probably be with her already, but I didn't care. I hopped into my Rabbit, silent tears running down my face, and drove over the speed limit to her house. I entered without knocking, figuring no one would care, and found her and Edward on the couch, her arms wrapped around him like she would die if she let go.
"Bells..." I said quietly, taking in tear stained face and puffy eyes, the lost look in them.
"She won't talk." Edward told me. "She's still in physical shock." I found it hard to believe that she wouldn't talk to her beloved bloodsucker.
"Even to you?" I asked him, and he nodded. More tears rolled down her face, and she pushed herself closer to him, if that was even possible. I had a dilemma, I needed to stay somewhere, I couldn't go back to the house. I needed to stay with Bella.
"You need to stay here?" He asked, not seeming bothered about it. I had forgotten about his...talents.
"My dad's in the hospital with two broken femurs, and the rest of the pack told me to leave for the night." I said, the first part being true.
"Bella?" He said softly, looking down at her. "Are you hungry?" He asked. She shook her head, and curled into him. I sat down on the other couch.
"I'm sorry Bella." I said, and she let out another sob. I sighed.
"I'm going to go get her in the shower and into bed. You can sleep wherever, blankets are in that cupboard I think." Edward said, and I was grateful that he knew what to do, and she would let him help her. Hold on...he was going to get her into the shower? My face turned red, and I cleared my throat. I watched him carry her upstairs, and shortly afterwards heard the water start. I sighed, resolving that I had better get some sleep as well, as hard as it may be. I grabbed some blankets, and lay down on the couch, my feet sticking off the end. I closed my eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, I woke up at around 9. Which was at the precise moment someone knocked on the door. I hopped up, and shuffled to the door, the ache in my chest dulled by sleep. I opened it, and saw one of Charlie's fellow officer's standing there, his hands clasped in front of him.
"Hello, I'm just coming to see if everyone is...okay over here." He said. "Who are you? Where is Isabella?" He questioned.
"My name is Jacob Black, sir. I'm her friend. She is still asleep. Her boyfriend, Edward Cullen is watching over her." I told him, and he nodded.
"How is she doing?" He asked.
"She's not taking it very well...but for the moment she's absorbed in sleep." I said, and he forced a smile.
"I just wanted her to know that we all miss Charlie. He was an honorable man and chief." The man said, and I nodded, looking down. He patted me on the shoulder, and left, climbing back into his patrol car. I closed the door I decided that I would make Bella some nice hot, herbal tea to soothe her pain. I shuffled into the kitchen, and started to make it, fumbling a bit with the instructions. Finally, it was finished, and I brought it up the stairs to her bedroom. I knocked before entering, and found Bella, with her arms wrapped around him, and his around her. I felt a pang, but then shook it off.
"I made some tea for her." I said, and Edward looked at me gratefully.
"Thank you, Jacob." He said sincerely. I nodded, and left the room, hovering outside the door. I heard Edward wake her and tell her about the tea. I heard her sit up and assumed she was drinking it. I heard him ask her if she was hungry, and assumed she shook her head, because he didn't make any motion to get her some food. I frowned, she had to eat sometime, although I had to admit, the thought of eating made me feel even sicker. The phone rang, and I heard Edward talking to the person on the other line, and then tell Bella something I didn't catch. I heard Bella start to cry again, noisy sobs, and felt like I had been punched in the stomach. And then I heard it get louder and panicky.
"Bella, shhh. It's okay, I'm fine." I heard Edward say, and was confused. Her crying was stifled, and I entered the room again, concerned.
"What now?" I asked, running my ahnd through my hair.
"They've asked us to go down to the river and identify some of his things." Edward said quietly. I bowed my head, trying not to cry.
"Edward...I'm sorry. Jake...I'm sorry." Bella croaked, and I let one tear roll down my cheek, why was she sorry? I saw a little bit of blood on her lip, and realized why Edward had said he was fine. She had accidentally bit her lip, and tried to protect Edward. But I saw he could control himself.
"Bella, sweetheart. It's not your fault. Why are you sorry?" He asked her.
"I don't know." She said through more tears.
"Shhh Bella, you don't need to be sorry." Edward soothed her, and she leaned into him. "We need to get ready to leave." He said. Bella moved reluctantly to her dresser, and pulled out a dark blue sweatshirt. I left awkwardly, trying to give her some privacy. I noticed that Edward didn't. Well, they had been together for a year and a half now...I assumed he had already seen her undressed. My face turned red, and I began to shake. I took deep breaths to calm myself, and went downstairs. I heard a huge crash, and more crying, but knew that she wasn't hurt. It sounded like something had broken against a wall, and assumed she had thrown something. A while later, Edward carried her downstairs, and we both left for the river, Bella in Edward's Volvo.
We arrived at the river very soon, and I saw all the police cars and yellow tape. It was almost overwhelming, but as I saw Bella climb out of Edward's car, shaking incontrolably, I felt worse for her, having to see the exact spot where Cahrlie had...died. I watched from a distance as an officer approached them, and led them to a table. Bella nodded, touched Charlie's hat, and then vomited violently into a bush. Edward held her hair back, and I watched her stand up, her eyes empty.
That was all I could take. I ran, into the woods surrounding the river, I ran as fast as I could. As soon as I was far enough away, I transformed, feeling the beat of my four, furry paws hitting the soft forest floor, and picking up scents I couldn't have before. It was a kind of release, everything was so much more simple in my wolf form, and I ran until I didn't recognize the area.