Separation Anxiety
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews.
Part Two-Aftermath
Sam hunkered down beside Jacob and checked his vital signs. His head bent as he breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he was severely injured, Jacob's heart was still beating strongly. It was rare for Sam to get emotional but he couldn't stop the unaccustomed moisture filling his eyes at the fact that his pack brother was alive. Sam inhaled sharply before getting back to his feet. He made sure that his expression was as stoical as always. He had to maintain a strong front for the others. They couldn't afford to see his temporary lapse of control. As a leader you couldn't be weak.
"How is Bella?" He called across to Leah and Embry who were carefully examining her. Bella lay sprawled on the ground. Her long hair partially covered her face but did nothing to hide her sickly pallor. It was like her skin had been leached of all colours. Blood still seeped from her open wound. Leah was trying to staunch the blood flow with a torn remnant from her t-shirt.
"She's in a bad way." Leah stared across at Sam. The two of them shared a secretive glance before they both looked away again.
Embry didn't seem to notice he was too busy peering down at Bella in concern. "Do you think any venom got into her blood?" He wondered aloud.
"I don't know." Sam said tiredly as he gazed around at the dying embers of the fire. The remnants of Edward Cullen were still burning. The fire emitted a sickly sweet scent which made all the pack feel nauseous. Now that Cullen had been dealt with they needed to get Jacob and Bella to La Push. Sam ran a hand through his hair before issuing more orders. Jacob would need to be carried. His injuries were such that if he was moved in the wrong way his bones could knit back together incorrectly. Sometimes the wolves accelerated healing worked against them. Sam ordered the strongest members of the pack, Paul and Jared to help him lift Jacob so they could transport him back home. He was about to ask Embry to carry Bella when Leah took them all by surprise and offered to do so.
"She'll feel better with a woman." Leah mumbled as she easily hefted a comatose Bella in her strong arms. Seth hovered by his sister. His young face was solemn. Sam wished he could have spared Seth this. He shouldn't have to deal with bloodshed at such a young age. Then again none of them should. He watched as Leah began to make the slow journey back to La Push with Seth following close behind.
"Come on then guys." Sam called Paul, Jared and Embry over to him. "We have to be careful when we lift Jake; otherwise we could do more damage. It's lucky that he's still unconscious. His injuries are gonna hurt like a bitch when he finally does come around."
"Not as much as his heart if Bella never recovers." Embry said grimly as he bent down and flexed his muscles, ready to carry his fallen friend.
"Thinking like that does none of us any good." Sam chided Embry.
Embry didn't respond. His mood was still gloomy as he clenched his jaw, trying his best not to show how much seeing his best friend in such a state was affecting him. Slowly the four men hefted Jacob up carefully, doing their utmost not to jostle him in any way. Then they began to make their way to La Push.
Billy was inconsolable. He had lost so many people he loved already. Sarah had died when Jacob was barely ten years old. His twin daughters had fled home as soon as they were able. Rebecca had married a Hawaiian surfer while Rachel was making her way through college thousands of miles away. Neither of them ever visited. At times it was as if they had never lived there. Only Jacob had been a constant. He was the best son a father could ever ask for. He was loyal, kind and had such a big heart and warm smile that people couldn't help but love him. It had torn Billy's world apart when the Cullen's had moved back to the area for a second time. He knew, as did Harry Clearwater and the other elders, what this meant for their progeny. It hadn't been long before they began to notice the signs in Samuel Uley who had been the first to phase. Billy had been certain that Jacob would be next but something seemed to delay the transition, and it only became obvious when Jacob would spend ages in the company of his best friend Charlie's daughter, Bella. Jacob would come home with a happy grin and sparkle in his eyes after spending the day with Bella. He would make their evening meal whistling happily. Billy longed for those halcyon days and wished he could turn back time so that his son could experience more of that blissful feeling. Lately he had been so sad. Losing Bella to his natural born enemy had killed any lasting hope that she would return to him. Now this!
"How did this happen?" Billy wrung his hands together as Sue Clearwater, Harry's widow, did her best to deal with Jacob's injuries. But she was no doctor, and with no other medical professionals that were in the know about the wolves, she was limited in what she could do.
"We're not entirely sure." Sam shrugged helplessly. "Jake's thoughts were chaotic right before Edward Cullen attacked him." His eyes flicked to Bella who had already been tended by Sue. She was still unconscious and her sickly pallor still hadn't improved. Sue had found a significant bump on the back of her head which must have happened when she collapsed onto the ground. "She saved him, Billy. She cut her arm to distract her bloodsucker and draw him away."
"What?" Billy's head snapped up as he stared at Sam in confusion. "Say that again."
"She cut her arm so her blood would draw Cullen away." Sam's brows knitted together as he wondered what Billy was thinking. He thought he heard the older man mutter something about the third wife, but he had no idea what he was referring to and Billy did not elaborate. "This is my fault, Billy." Sam suddenly confessed. He ran his hand through his hair over and over as he avoided the older man's eyes.
"Why?" Billy questioned.
"I was the one who sent Jake to talk to Bella and the leech to remind them about the treaty." Sam's voice was thick with guilt. "I made the wrong call. I should have gone myself. Something must have sparked the fight between them…maybe Jake's feelings toward Bella."
"No, I don't think that was it." Billy said wearily. "Don't blame yourself."
"But I do. I'm supposed to be in charge. I'm supposed to look out for them." Sam's guilt couldn't be assuaged. He glanced at Jacob's broken body and Bella who looked as if the life was bleeding out of her. The wound on her arm had been treated, but her complexion remained lifeless. They had no way of telling whether any venom had got into her veins. Only time would tell. No one wanted to think about what would happen if their worst fears were realised and she changed. Sam knew that he would have to be the one to deal with her, and knew the consequences for Jacob would be horrific.
"You weren't to know." Billy said again as he tensed up again when he saw an exhausted looking Sue approach him. "Please give me some good news." He begged.
"He'll live, though his recovery will be painful." Sue replied tiredly. Her eyes were full of sorrow. There had been too much death lately. Her thoughts drifted to Harry as she glanced sideways at Bella. "As for Bella I cannot say for certain."
"Oh god!" Billy put his hands over his face. He felt ashamed at his relief that his own son would eventually recover, physically at least, but his heart was torn as he thought about Charlie and what this meant if Bella died. He couldn't even begin to think how he would be able to break the news to his oldest friend. Charlie would not be able to cope with the knowledge he had been lied to all these years as well as losing his daughter because of it. Billy knew it would break him.
Sue put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We have to hold onto hope."
Billy put his hand over hers briefly before rolling his chair toward Jacob. They had set up camp beds in the front room so that Bella and Jacob could be treated side by side. There was little room elsewhere in the house. Jared, Paul and Embry had been sent back out to patrol the borders. Sam had no idea if the Cullen's were aware that one of their own had been killed for violating the ancient treaty. It was bad enough they had the vengeful redhead to deal with let alone the Cullen clan. Carlisle Cullen had shown himself to be a reasonable guy in the recent past, but who knew how that would change once he knew that the pack had been forced to end Edward Cullen's existence.
"I need to get back out there." Sam said regretfully. "I've left Seth and Leah nearby. So if you need me for anything, tell them and I'll come back…and please keep me informed about their condition."
"I'll keep an eye on them." Sue assured him while inside she was deeply worried. She was a nurse not a doctor. She wished that she had someone to call on for advice. It just showed up once again how vulnerable the wolves were without anyone with proper medical knowledge to help them when something like this happened. But she voiced none of this aloud. She could see how heavy a burden Sam carried already. She watched him go before returning her attention to the patients. Billy was talking to his son in quiet tones, pleading with him to wake up. Sue took a seat next to Bella and gazed down at her wan complexion. She already looked dead, and when Sue tentatively touched Bella's hand she shivered at the icy feel of her skin.
Billy dozed in his chair while Sue sat out on the front porch with her daughter Leah. Neither of them spoke, they just held hands as they stared at the darkening horizon. Already they had received a frantic call from Charlie as he asked them if Bella had come by. Billy had been forced to lie and tell him he didn't know where she was. Billy felt utterly helpless. They were all hoping that Bella would begin to show some signs of life so they wouldn't have to draw Charlie into their troubled world. Old Quil had summoned the other elders and they were now in the midst of a tense meeting as they discussed what they should all do now. No one seemed to have any answers.
The night drew on. Billy was still dozing in his chair as he sat by his son's side. Sue was sleeping fitfully on the Black's old couch. Leah had gone back out to join her brothers on patrol. Jacob's fingers suddenly twitched on his left hand, and then a moment later his arm moved jerkily as he reached out clumsily for Bella's hand. She was lying less than a foot away from him on one of the other camp beds. He fumbled around a bit until his fingers found hers and curled around them. His arm became limp again as he lost consciousness, never having fully awakened in the first place, but their hands remained joined.
A/N-thanks for reading! :'(
