Paul's POV

I woke up with my head pounding and every inch of my body throbbing; I felt like I was burning from the inside out.

It was still dark out, but the lamp on the nightstand was on, casting a dim light over the room. I was in my own bed; of that much I was certain. I wasn't sure how I had gotten back to my house or how long I had been there.

There was someone in the room with me - I could hear a heartbeat and steady breathing but I couldn't see anything but the ceiling. It was someone I knew - a chick - I recognized her scent. Leah? Nope, too sweet and not a shifter, but I could smell the pack on her...who the fuck was it?

Then it hit me.

"Swan?" I blurted out, my voice coming out like a croak.

What is the little leech-lover doing here? Who the fuck thought that would be a good idea?

I heard her movements as she jumped quickly from the chair by the door and knelt on the floor at the left side of the bed. I still couldn't see her.

"Paul?" Her voice was unsteady and I could smell the sharp tang of anxiety coming off her in waves.

She's fucking worried about me?

I tried to roll my head over to look at her, but pain shot through me.

"Fuck!"

I heard her gasp before she asked, "How are you? Can I get you anything?" I could hear her fidgeting with the bed sheet next to me. If I shifted my eyes, I could just see her sitting on the floor beside the bed.

Seriously? Who in their right fucking mind would leave Bella-fucking-Swan in my house?

"Why are you here?" I asked her after she didn't say anything else.

I'm in the worst pain of my fucking life and they leave her here; presumably to take care of my worthless ass. How the fuck is she supposed to be any help? She's fucking tiny!

"I...um...I," she stuttered.

Useless.

My skin is on fire, and my mouth is as dry as a desert and she can't even speak?

"Can I get some water?" I sighed. I looked at the glass on the bedside table. Maybe I could get it myself, since she clearly wouldn't be much help.

Fuck! I must have broken every bone in my body.

She finally managed to do something useful and brought the glass of water to my mouth. I was so fucking thirsty, but it hurt even to swallow. I couldn't drink much.

When she pulled the glass away, she looked at me with this weird fucking look on her face and then wiped her thumb gently along my bottom lip, catching a drop of water.

What the fuck?!

"Is the pain bad? Sue left some more medicine..." she said her voice trembling a little.

"No. Whatever that shit is, it's fucking with my head. I don't want it." That must be what was making my skin burn and itch. It felt like I was on fire.

"Okay," she whispered, and just sat there again.

"I need this shit off," I said, trying to pull at the bandages I had wrapped around my chest with my right hand - the only part of my body that I could move without pain ricocheting through me. "It fuckin' itches!"

"Um, okay. Hang on," she said standing from the floor and perching on the edge of the bed. She had some scissors. Whoever patched me up must have left them there - Sue probably.

Her tiny hands were shaking as she cut the loose bandages away from my chest and shoulder. The air in the room was cool, and as soon as she lifted the gauze off my skin, the itching started to feel a little better. I tried to concentrate on that, but the rest of the bandaged areas were still too much to tolerate.

"You have to get rid of this too, and on my leg, it's making me fucking nuts." I pulled at the gauze she had left sticking out from underneath me, but it pulled at my back, making me jump. "Fuck!"

Suck it up Lahote!

"Wait, let me help you." She was right by my side again. Maybe she wasn't completely useless after all. She looked down at my chest for a second and then said, "Let me get your leg first."

She lifted the sheet and tucked it around my hip. I could hear her heart rate accelerate.

What's the matter Swan, afraid you might get a peek at something exciting?

I could feel her cutting the wrapping away from my leg, the same as she'd done to my chest. Again, the air felt like a blessing as it soothed my burning skin.

"Paul, I'm going to lift your leg. Let me know if it hurts too much, okay?" she asked looking over her shoulder at me. She looked pretty determined, despite her heart pounding away in her tiny chest.

She lifted my leg up as I fisted my hand into the sheet. I clenched my teeth as I held back from screaming in pain again. Once she had my leg back on the bed, I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

Fucking red-haired bloodsucker. If I hadn't already finished her off, I'd hunt her down and kill her again for laying me out like some helpless invalid.

Swan flipped the sheet back over me, and her heart rate levelled out a bit.

"Is your back as cut up as the front, Paul?" she asked, assessing me. "Can I pull the gauze out?"

It felt like it was pretty fucking bad. "No, help me sit up, you have to get this from under me," I said clenching my teeth. This was going to fucking smart!

How the fuck was this tiny chick supposed to help me sit up? She weighed what? 115 pounds maybe? She'd have to lever her weight somehow. If she knelt between my legs and leaned way back it might work.

"Kneel there, and give me your arm; I'll pull myself up," I directed her to the end of the bed.

Her heart rate spiked and she looked at me with her eyes wide, before moving to the spot I had indicated. She was fucking pale, even for her. It would have been hilarious, if I wasn't convinced this was going to result in more suffering on my part.

She wiped her hands on her jeans and stretched them out to me. I held on to one of her tiny hands tight, and she grabbed my wrist with the other.

"Ready?" she whispered, looking up at me with her worried eyes.

Here goes nothing.

I pulled hard trying to right myself, but all I managed to do was pull her forward. Thank Christ she caught herself - even though she practically weighed nothing, it would have hurt to have her land on top of me. I could feel her breath on my neck as she huffed out and pushed herself upright again.

"Hang on," she bristled. She shifted her position, moving forward a little and making her stance between my knees wider.

I guess she's not as dumb as I thought.

She took my hand again and leaned back as I pulled my weight up. Blinding pain tore through my chest and back.

"Oh fuck!" my voice echoed off the walls.

Her knees nudged forward on the mattress and dug into my thighs, causing another shot of pain through my broken leg.

"Shit!" I clenched my teeth hard and gasped for air. I couldn't breathe it hurt so badly, and my vision had gone white. I could feel my muscles trembling.

"Paul?" she squeaked, wiggling her fingers in my grasp.

"Fuck, that fuckin' hurt!"

I let go of her hand and she flexed it; her fingers had gone white from my grip. At least it didn't seem broken. It was probably bruised though.

"Sorry," I muttered. I didn't mean to hurt her. She just shook her head and stared at me like she was waiting for something to happen. I don't know what she was waiting for but it must have happened, or not happened, or whatever, because she got off the bed and came around to look at my back. She lightly pulled on the end of the gauze and I could feel it pulling at my skin underneath.

"Paul, I have to get a wash cloth and soak this off. Will you be okay for a minute?" She said with a little sigh right near my ear, her fingers resting feather-light on my good shoulder. It sent a chill down my spine.

I nodded.

It hurt to just be sitting upright, but I couldn't lay back down with that gauze still there. The skin on my chest and leg was starting to cool off now that it was uncovered, and I needed the rest of it gone too.

I don't know how long she was gone. It felt like an eternity.

I heard her come back into the room. I couldn't open my eyes, but I could hear water sloshing gently, and then I felt her cold fingers on the burning hot skin of my shoulder again.

"Your hands are freezing," I breathed. It felt fucking amazing.

"Sorry," she said and quickly pulled her hand away.

"It's okay." I missed the cool touch instantly. "It feels good actually. I feel like I'm burning up. Even more than usual," I huffed. The movement made my shoulder throb again.

"I can get you a cool cloth after I clean this up," she said. She applied a wet cloth to the bandages on my back to soak away the crusted on blood, and gently pulled them loose. After she had wiped my back down with more cool water, she spread a towel out on the bed and sighed heavily.

She walked around to the other side of the bed with a strangely determined look on her face. Her pulse had dropped down to a normal level while she cleaned up my back, but it spiked again as she looked at me. She put one knee on the bed and her arm around my good shoulder, bracing my weight by wedging herself under my arm. Her breathing sputtered, and her anxiety flooded my nostrils.

"Ready?" she squeaked.

I held my breath, steeling myself for another dose of pain.

Through some miracle, she managed to support my weight, rather than dropping me to the mattress as I had anticipated.

She quickly pulled her arm out from around my shoulder and backed up against the far wall. Her whole face looked like it was on fire she blushed so bright.

"Relax, Swan! It's not like I could actually do anything to you right now, even if I wanted to." I rolled my eyes at her embarrassment, and clenched my teeth, waiting for the pain to ebb into a dull ache.

I heard her swallow thickly. I watched her as she busied herself picking up the soiled bandages and washcloths. Her lips were parted like she was breathing through her mouth. She picked up the bowl of water and said she'd be right back, without looking at me at all.

Poor little girlie. Lord help her, if she ever finds herself in a room alone with a naked man who isn't flat on his broken ass!

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the cool air on my skin soothing the itching left from the gauze. The burning from the medication Sue had doped me up with was starting to wear off, too. I felt completely wrung out. I felt myself drifting back to sleep.

...

She brushed my hair away from my face, with her tiny cold hand. It made my breath catch in my chest. It had been so long since anyone had touched me like that...I actually couldn't remember when anyone ever had. Then she pulled her hand away and placed a cold towel on my forehead.

Fuck that feels good.

Thank God, or the spirits, or who-the-fuck-ever, she was here. I don't think I could have managed to get back to sleep with those fucking bandages on. I don't know why she's being so nice to me, and I honestly don't give a rat's ass. She's here and as much as I hate to admit it, I couldn't do this without help, so that's all that really matters.

Why is she still looking at me? I probably look like some sort of Frankenstein's monster or some shit.

"It's rude to stare, Swan," I said. Even my voice hurt, if that's possible.

"Sorry," she blurted out, but I could still feel her looking at me.

Why does she always say she's sorry for every damn thing?

"You apologise too much," I told her. I didn't mean to, it just sort of fell from my mouth.

"Sor - oh..."

Are you fucking kidding me? Did she seriously just apologise for apologising too much? Shit, this girl is a bigger head case than I am!

I stopped myself from laughing in her face, and just looked at her. I did not understand this girl. She wasn't like anyone I had ever met before in my life. How had she been spending so much time on the Rez for the last few months and I still knew almost nothing about her?

She totally fell apart under scrutiny though and started fidgeting again.

Always with the fucking fidgeting! Why can't she just sit still?

"Can I get you anything? Are you sure you don't want the pain medication Sue left?" she asked, probably trying to get me to stop looking at her.

Fuck that! I didn't want any more of that shit. "No," I simply said, not even having the energy to complain about it anymore.

This girl is fascinating. I don't think she knows a fucking thing about herself. That fucking leech must have done a real number on her, and Black says it barely laid a cold dead finger on her. He really must be dead...

"I thought you said it was rude to stare?" she said.

There's that smart mouth of hers; I wondered when it was going to make an appearance.

"I'm not really known for my good manners, am I Swan?" I snarled at her.

Fuck, why does she always turn me into some sarcastic asshole? She's being nice to me; the least I could do is NOT be a dick.

She eyed the chair, but didn't move from her spot on the bed. I still didn't understand what her motives were for even being here. What was she hoping to get out of this? I knew she fucking hated me; it just didn't make sense for her to do this.

She was about to get up when I finally just decided to ask her.

"Why are you doing this, Bella?" She just turned and fucking stared at me some more. I didn't think she was going to answer me at all, but then her eyes got all teary and she started talking.

"You were nearly killed protecting me," she started, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know this doesn't make up for that, or change anything, but..." she wasn't making any fucking sense at all, and to top it all off, she started crying.

Great! I don't know what to do when a chick cries. It's not like I've ever had anyone comfort me when I'm fucking upset. What the hell am I supposed to do now?

"Fuck, don't cry, girlie," I tried, my voice sounding way harsher than I meant it to.

So much for that. Shit! I'm probably supposed to let her cry on my shoulder or some shit, but I can't fucking move! Well, I have to do something, she's a mess. Just fucking touch her somehow, I guess.

I reached over and rubbed her knee; the only thing I could reach. Even that just about fucking killed me.

She stood up in a flash, wiping at her face like a crazy person, and threw herself back in the chair.

"You should try to get some more sleep," she said with a sniffle. The whole situation was completely fucking ridiculous.

She still hadn't answered my question.

"Why are you crying?" I asked her again, frustrated at having to repeat myself.

"I don't even know," she whimpered. She sounded like a little kid. "I'm just so overwhelmed by everything. The whole pack put their lives in danger for me, fighting a crazy vampire hell-bent on hunting me down and killing me because she lost her...I don't know, her boyfriend? Her lover? What? Her mate?! I've been scared for so long. I seems like every time I turn around there's some new threat to my life; someone else who wants me dead. It's been like that since I moved back here practically... and tonight it's finally over. Tonight you... You were nearly killed tonight, Paul! Because of me! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you didn't make it." I think it was more words than I'd heard her say to me at one time than ever before, and it was overpowering.

So she was here out of guilt; because she felt sorry for me?

I don't need her fucking pity!

"I didn't know you cared, Swan," I spat at her.

"You killed the vampire who was out to kill me, and nearly died doing it. This really is the least I can do," she snapped back at me.

Fuck! Now she's pissed off at me?

"Go to sleep, Paul." she huffed and turned the lamp off leaving the room dark.

She thought I was some sort of fucking hero or something for doing my fucking job? This is what I was born to do, how dare she think I did this for her? I killed that fucking leech so there was one fewer in the world. End of fucking story!

Yes, the leech was after her, but I would have taken that thing out regardless of who it was after...wouldn't I?

She's important to Black, and because of that she's important to the whole pack...

Is it more than that?

Do I fucking care if Bella Swan lives or dies?

I can't think of any reason for her to be dead, and I sure as fuck didn't want that corpse Cullen getting his fangs into her...

She's here to take care of my broken ass and I fucking snap at her like some piece of shit. Nice work, Lahote! I should be fucking grateful she cares enough about some piece of shit like me; to stay in the first place. Nobody else ever has...

Fuck! I should apologise or something... Thank her, maybe?

"Thanks for staying with me, Bella." It fell out of my mouth before I even registered I was thinking about it.

She's asleep...

I'll have to try to be nicer to her tomorrow...

If she's still here.