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Chapter 3
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Billy sighed tiredly as he stepped off the helicopter with Jacob in tow. Bella was still in a coma, much to the doctors' confusion. A whole team of specialists had tried to tell Billy that she shouldn't be moved when he'd asked her to be transported back to Washington, but he wouldn't hear it. She was only 17- a minor in the states eyes, and Billy was her legal guardian. He wanted her close to family. Especially after he learned what had made Jacob so mad.
They'd found the source of the smell once the detectives had left. Jacob confirmed that it was indeed a vampire and it was coming from the clothes she'd been brought in. the staff had bagged them for her, but done little else. Jacob's skin had crawled with fury. He wanted so badly to know how should have gotten involved with such monsters. What he nor Billy knew, was that the vampire in question had been following her around since she was a toddler. A phantom staring in many of her nightmares, more times than not Bella would wake up screaming in fright. Jacob hadn't left her side after that, refusing to allow her to be venerable in the slightest bit.
By Thursday night, Billy and Jacob were packed and their plane tickets had been refunded. Seeing as Bella was a minor, Billy had been granted permission to ride along with her. Seeing as Jacob was a minor- though the doctors swore he was older than 16- he'd be traveling along with them as well.
Now, it was nearing midday on Friday, and Billy and Jacob were following Bella's gurney as she was wheeled into the hospital. They were directed to the waiting room where they were to fill out all of her information while she was placed in a room of her own. Billy only sighed. She was home. Almost.
Jacob arched an eyebrow when his phone went off, earning him a disapproving glare from the desk nurse. He rolled his eyes, patted his dad's back to let him know he'd be back and walked out towards the front doors. He only just resisted having a childish moment by sticking his tongue out at her as he went.
Sam had called while they had been in the air. He'd wanted to know if they were home yet, and when the pack would be allowed to visit. He'd heard word that the Cullen's had visitors. Their cousins- another group of animal loving leeches- were in town. Carlisle had asked to meet with the pack the day after Jacob had first flown down to Arizona. Jacob was the only wolf who had not been there. As the beta of the pack- until he became alpha himself- it had raised questions as to where he was.
Naturally, the mind reader had ripped through their minds to find the answer. What he had seen was cause now for alarm as Sam explained that Edward believed Bella was his mate.
Jacob growled low in his throat at that. There was no way he'd let a leech near his cousin.
"Sam, hey." Jacob said when he was out the door.
Sam sighed. "Hey, you guys settled in?"
"We just landed about fifteen minutes ago now.. What's wrong? You sound upset about something."
Sam wondered how, even over the phone, his beta was as perceptive as he was. "I am, but it's nothing that can't be solved later. How are things? I haven't talked to you in a while.."
"I'm…. I don't know. We had some issues earlier this week. The blood work came back on Phil on Tuesday… he ingested high amounts of LSD mixed together with smaller amounts of PCP, morphine and heroin. They called it a speedball… it gave him a bad trip and caused him hallucinations." Jacob all but growled.
Sam shook his head even though he knew Jacob couldn't see it. "I'm sorry."
"He told the cop responding that he was punishing the demon prince Sitirian for not allowing him to have his choice in women. He was going to… he tried to…" Jacob calmed himself down. The last thing he needed to do was phase in public.
"Do you want us to come to you?"
"She should be in a room by the time you get here… just… don't crowd… dad's still kind of messed up. I think he's thinking of uncle Charlie again…"
Sam sighed. "I understand. I'll bring Paul with me in my truck. I'll Quil and Embry come with Jared when they get done with patrol."
"Thanks Sam…"
"Don't thank me. She's family to you, which makes her family to us. She'll be ok now. So long as the leeches stay away."
Jacob growled. "Speaking of… I have to go. Something stinks."
Sam shook his head and hung his phone up before giving out orders. Paul climbed into the passenger side of his truck after he made it back to Sam's house not ten minutes later. Emily had given him a giant ham and cheese sub sandwich with extra mayo and pickles- made exactly how he liked- kissed Sam and waved goodbye to them.
It took a half an hour for them to make it to the hospital, ten minutes to park, and another ten minutes to find Bella's room. Paul hesitated slightly before raising his hand to knock on her door. It opened before he even had a chance. He grinned when he saw Jacob, surprising not only Sam, but Jacob as well by pulling him into a brief hug.
"If anyone asks, it was the wolf." He demanded when they broke apart.
Jacob smirked. "Sure, sure." He said walking out into the hallway.
"How was it?" Sam asked when the door was closed. He was implying the rest of the trip.
"There was a leech… somewhere down the road she came into contact with it…"
Sam and Paul were shell shocked. The watched as Jacob scrubbed at his face tiredly, only just then noticing the bags under his eyes. It made him look aged beyond his 16 years of life and neither of them liked it. They remembered little of the girl laying in the hospital bed. Bella Swan had been taken by her mother as a toddler and after her father's death to which she had not even been allowed to attend his funeral for, she had all but disappeared from their lives. The pack knew only what Billy could remember of her or what Jacob had shared over the years in his head- not a lot.
"How bad, Jake?" Paul asked quietly. He knew what it was like to be beaten. Granted he'd never been beaten by someone who wasn't a parent, but wasn't one just as bad as the other? He was already thinking of ways to try and help her when she finally woke up.
There was a frown on his face when Jacob looked up at them. "Renee is lucky she's already dead. I'd let my wolf tear her limb from limb otherwise." He growled.
Sam's eyes widened. "I thought she was attacked by her mother's boyfriend.. Why are you upset with her mother?"
"Because it's so much worse than we first learned it was over the phone." it was all he could say.
Paul swallowed roughly, trying to ignore his own demons rolling through his mind. "I'll help her if I can…" He whispered knowing full well his pack mates would hear him.
Anything else that would have been said was interrupted by a ringing phone. They could hear it through the closed door plain as day. Billy only sighed. "Hello?"
"Billy…" Sarah's voice came over the other end in a whisper.. She was quiet- scared almost.
"Sarah? Sarah, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Billy asked as calmly as he could.
"Billy are you at the hospital still?" Jacob's eyes flashed with panic.
"Yes… I am… what's happened?"
"There's been an addition to the pack…" Sam's eyes closed, trying to hide the pain of another ruined life. "Two new additions."
'Two?!' Paul mouthed.
"Sarah… who is it? Can you tell me?"
"Harry had a heart attack. Sue's quick thinking might have saved him, but they're taking him to the hospital in Forks now. Billy… his kids… Leah and Seth have both changed."
"They've changed? I'm not following you." Billy said.
Sarah sighed. "They're not themselves. Perhaps you can send Sam after them. To offer them comfort and tell them it will be alright?"
Billy finally understood. Leah had phased. He looked up when the door opened. Jacob, Paul and Sam nodded to him in understand before turning to leave. He sighed. "They're on their way to help. I'll ask a nurse to tell me when Harry gets here. Are you going to bring Sue?"
"I am, yes. I want to see my niece as well as be there for Sue. How's Bella? And just as importantly, how are you and Jacob?"
Billy smiled briefly. "Jacob and I are fine. But… it's worse than we thought. She's going to need you…"
He heard his wife sigh. "I'll help her in any way I can. But I think you'll find, she'll have more than just me… she has her entire family again."
Billy agreed. He could only pray that Bella would learn to trust them in time. Given what had happened to her for what he gathered had been almost all of her life thus far, he didn't think she'd be directly open with them as easily as Sarah hoped. Either way they saw, they were all of them in for a long road of tears and sorrow. It was all dependant on Bella to wake up. It was the only way they would know just how badly she'd been hurt- mentally and physically.
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Quick authors note:
I want to say a quick thank you to Jasper'sDarlinKathy for helping me with some of the affects of the illegal drugs… medical books are awesome.. Also…. I'm hiding under my rock again… it's been heavily fortified… it keeps me safe… for now at least.
