AN:
Okay, here it is. Sorry it's later than I thought, I've been really sick this week.
Better late than never, hopefully.
I'm not going to lie, I had a really hard time writing this. I had mentally closed this story, so continuing was challenging. So if it sucks, please tell me and I'll take it down and leave Love Sick up as a one-shot. If by some miracle you like it, please let me know and I'll keep going.
Thanks so much for reading!
-Vanessa xoxo
Jacob
Early evening light streams through the shades, and it's too quite. The conversation space that Nessie usually fills is empty, and has been all day while she sleeps. Bella and I sit side by side against the wall beside Nessie's bed, both of us watching her.
Her cheeks are flushed with fever, her long bronze hair a tangled mess that takes up the entirety of the pillow next to her. She sleeps deeply, with her hands tucked under her head and her legs sprawled out; the way she used to sleep when she was little.
"How long has she been asleep?" Bella murmurs, resting her head on my shoulder.
I glance at the clock. "Almost five hours. "
Bella takes a deep, unnecessary breath, and I know she's anxious. Edward is too, but he's managed to keep himself busy. He made soup and then convinced Nessie to eat it, even though she only kept it down for a grand total of five minutes.
He's been productive, unlike Bella and I who have been sitting in the same spot since Nessie fell asleep this morning.
"Don't worry," I tell her for lack of anything better to say.
She's silent for a moment and then says, "I want to take her to the main house."
"Carlisle said it's just a virus. And if she gets worse, he's just a call away."
"I know, I just… I want everyone to be in the same place."
I don't say anything. When Bella gets stressed, she turns into a control freak. Another thing she and Edward have in common.
Carlisle came hours ago to check on Ness, and he basically said that she's half human, therefore susceptible to human illnesses, and that this should blow over in time. His visit, all of which Nessie slept through, calmed Edward down, but not Bella.
Edward walks back into the bedroom, carrying a glass of water in his hand. He sets in on the nightstand and gently pulls the blankets from Nessie, prying the sheets from her fingers to pull them away from her body.
Her fever still hasn't broken.
She stirs, and then sits up, still half-asleep. Bella is up and by her daughter's side immediately. "Hi baby," she says gently, smoothing Ness' hair back.
"How do you feel, sweetheart?" Edward asks her.
"Fine." She says, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. She sits up and her eyes meet mine. She smiles weakly, the corners of her pale lips barely having the energy to pull upward.
Edward holds the water to Nessie, and she takes it willingly. She takes small sips, and Edward tells her he's going to get the thermometer. She groans into the glass in response and Bella laughs gently, running her fingers through her daughter's hair.
Ness looks right at me, her tired eyes burning a hole through mine. "Thank you for staying." She whispers, smiling her beautiful smile that lights up her entire face. "But Jake, if you have something more important you need to do, I won't be offended."
I shake my head in disbelief. The very thought of leaving her is laughable. There is nothing more important than her. No matter how many times I tell her, she'll never understand that she is the most important. "Ness, I'm not going anywhere." I promise her, and her smile broadens.
"Good, because I don't think my ego could survive that blow." She laughs and then her smile falters. I recognize the look on her face a second before Bella does, so I grab the black trashcan from under Nessie's desk and toss it to Bella, who holds it under Nessie's chin just in time for her to grab the sides and vomit a fountain of water into it.
She heaves into the plastic basket even after there's nothing left inside of her, and as Bella rubs her back, soon the lurches turn into sobs. Edward returns and gathers his crying daughter into his arms, and Bella disappears with the water-filled wastebasket.
Nessie isn't a crier, so I know she's miserable. I've known her all of her life and this is only the third or fourth time I've seen her cry. I've never felt so useless. I want to hold her and kiss her forehead and tell her that I love her. I have to keep my distance, although I'm not sure it's even helping anything at this point.
Edward rocks her gently, as though she were a baby, while she clings to him. Bella returns with a damp washcloth and dabs Nessie's face with it, while softly murmuring the things that all mothers do.
Because Nessie grew up so fast, it's moments like this that totally shock the hell outta me: watching Edward and Bella be real parents. And be good at it, too.
"Thanks, Jake." Edward mutters, rolling his eyes. Nessie's cries turn to sniffles, and he detaches her from his shoulder and holds her in front of him. He wipes at her red, tear-stained cheeks and kisses her forehead. Or that's what it looks like, but I know he's checking her temperature.
Then he holds her to his chest again and mouths to Bella, Call Carlisle, over her head so she doesn't see. That sends a pang of panic through my chest.
Bella nods once and disappears.
Higher fever? I think to Edward.
Still rocking his daughter, he just barely nods.
One hundred and ten degrees. We couldn't find a thermometer that actually went up that high, so that was Carlisle's professionally experienced guesstimate. From there it was cool baths and tons on Tylenol, neither of which worked any miracles. And most recently, they put an IV in her arm to keep her hydrated because she can't keep anything down.
Carlisle stayed all night, and at around 2 a.m. the rest of the family started showing up. Yep, Bella got her wish all right. I couldn't help but feel annoyed, but I had to remember that they're here for the same reason I am: They love her and want to be around her, even though they can't be of any particular help.
Nessie wasn't particularly thrilled either. She'd rolled her eyes and whispered to me, Great, more people to hover.
And she was right, of course. Even now while she sleeps, her parents don't leave her side, Carlisle is always nearby, Blondie has been untangling her hair for the past hour, and I myself am guilty of slowly pacing around the room.
Alice and Jasper retreated to the living room, and Esme has been cooking since she got here, even after I told her that there was no way I could eat anything. Emmett hasn't even been in here, but I can hear him outside, being destructive. Jasper said he's too anxious to be in here.
Fear does weird things to people.
Nessie whines in her sleep, and every eye focuses on her. Her cheeks are flaming, and her hair is matted with sweat and water from the cold washcloths they keep putting on her forehead. There are dark circles under her eyes, despite sleeping being the only thing she does.
The sight of her is this bizarre contradiction of tragedy and beauty that would make your head hurt if you looked too long.
Every person in here is worried, and I'm trying really hard to keep my head on straight and tell myself that we're overreacting. But I look at Ness and I think, how could this be the flu?
I want some answers. Flu my ass. The flu rarely does this to humans; it shouldn't have this effect on Nessie. She's basically human 2.0. She does everything with twice as much efficiency as a human.
At my thoughts, Edwards head snaps up in my direction. "You're right." He says; brows narrowed in concentration.
He stands up, untangling himself from Bella. She looks up at him, worried, and he gestures for her to stay, promising that everything's fine.
He motions for me to follow him, and then nods once to Carlisle. We leave the bedroom, but not before Bella gives me a puzzled look. I shrug to her and softly close the door behind me.
We enter the living room and Alice sits up from the couch. "What's wrong?" She demands immediately, which draws Esme out from the kitchen.
Edward waves her away her concern and says quietly, "Nothing, Jacob had an interesting thought is all."
They look at me expectantly. What is he talking about?
Seeing that I don't understand where he's going with this, Edward continues. "He was thinking that if this is just a virus, a common illness, then it shouldn't effect Renesmee even worse than it would a human, because she's proficient to humans in every way. But maybe that's exactly why this is happening."
Carlisle frowns in confusion, "What do you mean, Edward?"
"Every part of her body is more evolved. Everything happens faster. If she gets a cut, it heals within seconds. Her heart beats twice as fast—"
"So an illness would travel through her body much quicker." Carlisle finishes, putting the pieces together.
Edward nods. "Too quickly." I can see the unspoken words on his tongue, Enough to kill a human. He wouldn't dare say it, though.
Alice cuts in, "Then by that logic, whatever this is should be out of her system shorty."
Alice is right, this should almost be over. It has to be.
Edward opens his mouth to answer, but he's cut off by an ear-splitting shriek coming from the back bedroom.