Please forgive me everyone, I know you wouldn't like to read excuses so I won't write any, but hopefully since I am updating today you can forgive me. I will definitely have Chapter 5 up next Monday!
Thank you to those of you who have reviewed the other 3 chapters. Getting reviews inspires me to write faster!
Thank you to JJ for helping me out with this chapter and getting it back to me so quickly. It is because of you that this chapter doesn't suck.
Thank you to Cam for Pre Reading for me.
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Without further ado, here is Chapter 4, ENJOY!
Part 4
Dr. Cullen came out of Paul's room, turned to look at me, and placed his hand on my shoulder. I nodded, answering his silent question, as I followed him next door to Jake's room. There were all kinds of monitors beeping and whooshing. It was unnerving to listen to them.
I walked up to the left side of Jake's bed and I ran my right hand through his hair, while my left hand reached for his. He didn't even flinch when I kissed his cheek.
I bent my head low by his ear so only he could hear me, "Jake… Baby… It's me, Bella. I'm right here and I won't leave you. Baby, I need you to wake up for me. Okay?"
I squeezed his hand, but got no response. He looked like he was sleeping. The only reason I knew he was alive was because I could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
He had those annoying tubes for oxygen in his nose. The clip to monitor his oxygen levels was on his right index finger. The white sheet and blue hospital blanket were pulled up to just above his hips and the blue and white hospital gown he had on was unbutton and sat bunched up at his waist, it was because of this that I could see the EKG tabs all over his chest. He also had the blood pressure cuff around his right arm.
I could see the two, four by four inch, patches of gauze covering where he had been shot. One of the patches was at his collar bone on the left and the other at the bottom of his ribs on the right. Both had bright red blood stains on them. His I.V. was on his left arm just above his wrist.
I didn't know what I would do if I lost Jake. He was… is my whole life. He is my sun. I always felt safe in Jake's arms. I would never forgive myself for what happened to Jake and Paul today. They risked their lives to save me from my psycho of an ex.
I cried at Jake's side for a while, just holding his hand and rubbing my thumb over his knuckles, hoping and praying he would wake up soon.
Billy came into the room and stood at my side. He placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Bella, stop blaming yourself, I know that is what you are doing. Jacob and Paul chose to do the things that they did today. They may have been a little stupid going up against someone with weapons, but they did what they did to protect you and your classmates."
"How… How… did you…" I got out between sobs.
"Paul told me what happened. He said that Edward told the class, before you got there, that he had a gun and that he wasn't going to leave without you. They didn't believe he had a gun until…" he cleared his throat, "until he pointed it at Jake. Paul wanted to get you away from Edward, but he wasn't quick enough. Jake made a stupid move trying to get the gun from Edward, but none of their choices were your fault Bella." Billy finished placing his hand on my shoulder once more.
Billy bent down to give Jake a kiss on the forehead. He whispered something to Jake in Quileute and then walked to the door and stopped.
"Bella, he loves you. He'll wake up when he is ready, don't worry. You let me know when he wakes up ok?" I nodded. "I'm going to make sure Leah is okay and then I'll go let your dad know you are going to be here for a while." He smiled.
"Thanks Billy." I said smiling back. He walked out of the room.
I held Jake's hand in mine as I whispered, "Please Jacob, you have to wake up. I need you to wake up so that I know you are going to be okay."
I sat down in the chair by Jake's bed and rested my head on top of our hands. I could still feel the tears leaking out of my eyes as I closed them and prayed for Jake to wake up and for him and Paul to be okay.
I felt tension on my hand and as I opened my eyes, I realized that I had fallen asleep. I sat up and looked at Jake. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. I stared at his face, his eyes were still closed.
There was no longer light coming through the window. I looked at my cell and realized it was almost 5 o'clock in the morning.
Jake's eyes fluttered for a minute, and then he focused on me.
"Baby… oh my god Jake!" I said as I started to cry again and leaned forward onto the bed.
"Shh…" he couldn't get anything else out because I was kissing him with everything that I had.
When I pulled back I said, "Jacob, how could you do that? You and Paul… you both could have been killed."
"Do… what? Why… am I in the… hospital? " Jake asked with confusion as looked around the room. His voice was slightly hoarse.
"You… don't remember what happened yesterday?" I asked as I started to panic.
He tried to sit up and groaned, "I…God! Why… do… I feel like… I got hit by a bus?"
I lifted myself to sit on the bed at Jake's side, careful not to pull at any of the tubes or wires. I cupped his cheek with my hand as I spoke, "Jacob look at me," he looked at me and I continued, "What is the last thing you remember?" I asked as I pushed the button for the nurse to come in with my free hand.
"Um… I… I'm not sure." He said as tried to think.
"Okay, let's start with this… do you know who I am?" I prayed he did.
"Yeah," he smiled, "You're… Bella… you're my best friend." He said. And my heart sank.
"Ah Mr. Black, you're awake. I'm Emily, your nurse. Did you need something? Or are you in pain?" The nurse asked as she walked into the room. Jake nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'm in pain," Jake said quietly. The nurse walked over to the other side of Jake's bed to check the monitors. After checking his blood pressure, she asked, "Did you need anything else?"
"Actually I called for you. Can you call Dr. Cullen please?" The nurse looked at me for a minute, and nodded her head before she walked back out of the room. I stared at where she left until I was brought out of my thoughts.
"Bella," I heard Jake call and I turned to look at him, "What happened? Why am I here? And why did you… call me 'baby' and… kiss me a few minutes ago?"
I looked at Jake and felt my heart break again, "Jake I… you're… you know what I'll go get your dad he is really worried about you. He's right next door, I'll be right back." I leaned forward wanting to kiss him again but decided against it.
"What? Why is he ok?" Jake asked in a panic.
"Billy is fine. I'll be right back to explain what happened yesterday, okay? Try not to move too much." I smiled at him slightly and he gave a half smile back as I walked toward the door to his room.
I walked to the hallway and walked next door into Paul's room. Leah was sitting in the chair next to the bed staring at Paul's sleeping form.
"L-L-Leah?" I whispered, as I started to cry.
"Oh my God, Bella, what happened? Is Jake ok?" she asked as she got up out of her chair.
"He… He..." I fell to my knees probably scaring the hell out of Leah. I took a deep breath before saying, "He doesn't remember what happened."
"Bella, what do you mean?" she asked as confusion spread across her face. She knelt down in front of me.
"Jake woke up and I guess I had fallen asleep. He tried to sit up after I asked what he and Paul were thinking and asked why he felt like he got hit by a bus." I paused to breathe and Leah giggled.
"What?" I asked.
"I asked Paul the same exact question. You should have heard his answer. Go on." She answered.
"I need to go get Billy. I'll tell you all together. Do you know where he is?" I don't think I can handle saying the story over and over.
Leah nodded, "He's in the waiting room with your dad. He brought us some cloths and stuff before he goes to work."
As I made my way back out of the room I turned to Leah again, "Hey Lee, how's Paul doing?"
"They said he's going to be fine, he had a lot of lame ass excuses for what he and Jake did." She paused and looked over her shoulder at Paul before whispering, "And with all the pain meds he's gone crazy, he keeps asking me to marry him." both Leah and I giggled.
"Who knows it could happen. I'll be right back." Leah smiled and went back to Paul's side as I turned and walked out the door.
Once in the hallway I looked over my shoulder to Jake's door, then turned and walked to the waiting room. I lost myself to my thoughts as I walked down the corridor. I reached up to wipe away the tears that were falling down my cheeks yet again. My head was hurting from everything that had happened yesterday and today so far, but my heart felt so much worse.
As I walked up to my dad and Billy they both rushed over to me in a panic.
"Bella?" Billy said bringing me out of my thoughts, "What happened? Are the boys alright?"
I sniffled, "Yeah, I-I-…" I paused, I felt so pathetic.
"Bella, what's wrong? What happened?" Billy pleaded as I stood in front of him, my dad, and Sue.
"Ja…Jake's awake. But I need to talk to you and Paul before we go back to Jake's room." He let out a sigh of relief, but before he could say anything the tears started falling silently.
We walked back to Paul's room. My dad said he had to get to work. The paperwork from the shooting needed to be completed. The school was closed until Monday so that everyone could relax a little.
When we entered Paul's room Paul looked panicked, I'm sure Leah woke him up to let him know I was going to talk to him about Jake.
"Hey Paul," I said as Billy and I made our way closer to Paul.
"What's… wrong with Jake?" Paul asked.
I looked at Leah, but she gave me the You-need-to-tell-him look. I knew I had to tell him and Billy but this wasn't going to be easy. I made my way over to Paul's side. He motioned for me to sit down on the bed. Billy stood next to Leah.
"I don't really know what happened." Maybe those weren't the best words to choose, because he almost jumped down my throat.
He became tense as he yelled, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BROTHER?"
I flinched, "He's fine. He's alive don't' worry, actually he just woke up about 10 minutes ago." I paused to let him relax. I looked down at my hands before I continued, "He doesn't remember what happened yesterday. He doesn't know I am his girlfriend either."
"Bella… Bella, look at me. What happened from the beginning?" Paul asked.
I took a deep breath, "Okay, well he woke up and looked at me, but he seemed like he was confused about where he was. I asked him if you and he were crazy for what you did and he looked like he didn't know what I was talking about, then he asked why he was in the hospital. I asked him if he remembered anything that happened yesterday but he didn't answer me. He tried to sit up and when he realized it was painful he asked why he felt like he had been hit by a bus," I paused to breathe again, "So I asked him what the last thing he remembered was and he said he wasn't sure. So I called the nurse and told her to get Dr. Cullen."
"So why do you think that he doesn't know you are his girlfriend?" Billy asked.
"I had kissed Jake when he woke up, before I asked if they were crazy. After the nurse left he asked why I called him 'baby' and why I kissed him. So I asked Jake if he knew who I was… he said I was Bella… his best friend." I finished and cried as Leah pulled me into a hug.
"Oh Bella I'm so sorry. Everything will be fine I know it," Leah said as I cried on her shoulder. "Shh, Bella it's ok. Maybe he's just disoriented from the medication, like Paul."
"Hey what do you mean me?" Paul asked with confusion.
"Nothing baby don't worry about it." Leah said to him. Paul mumbled a "fine."
"Bells, I'm so sorry." Paul paused, and then continued, "But you know my brother is an idiot maybe he's faking it or he's high. The pain killers must be getting to him. Why don't you and my dad go check on him?" Paul tried to reassure me but it wasn't helping, at all.
I don't think Paul even believed his own words right now though.
"Billy could you come with me Dr. Cullen is going to… check him out." Billy nodded and talked to Paul for a few minutes.
I told Paul I'd be back after Dr. Cullen checked Jake and got up to leave. Billy followed me, but as we walked I couldn't really gather my thoughts enough to say anything to him.
I was so lost in my head as we walked over to Jake's room that I walked right into something or someone very solid. I bounced backwards and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the fall, when I felt two sets of strong arms grabbing me.
I opened my eyes and Dr. Cullen was holding my forearms, while Billy was holding me under my arms. I tried to smile as best as I could to show my gratitude but I am guessing it came off as more of a grimace.
"I'm so sorry Dr. Cullen." I said quickly. "Thank you," I whispered to Billy and Dr. Cullen, while righting myself on my feet.
"Billy. Bella, I was just about to check on Jacob, would you both like to join me?" Dr. Cullen asked and I nodded following him into Jake's room. Billy nodded his head and spoke softly to Dr. Cullen.
"Hello Jacob, how are you feeling?" Dr. Cullen asked as he approached Jake.
"Um, fine, I guess. I feel like I got hit by a bus." Jake replied before asking, "Dad, what happened?"
Billy walked up to Jake's side, "Jake, I'm so glad you're awake. Why don't you let Dr. Cullen check you out and then we can answer your question, okay?"
Jake nodded and looked at me, but said nothing. Dr. Cullen picked up Jake's chart, looked it over, and then proceeded to check Jake over from head to toe.
"Well, your injuries were pretty serious…" Dr. Cullen started to say before he was cut off.
"What injuries? None of you have answered my questions. Like why in the world I am in the hospital, what put me here, and why Bella looks like she's about to cry?"
"Jacob, what is the last thing you remember, for instance, what is the last holiday or birthday, or just a special occasion do you remember?" Dr. Cullen asked.
"Uh… I remember…" Jake paused, "Prom. That's the last thing I remember. Paul and I took Leah and Jackie over to Embry's house party after prom." He finished. I knew why. Jake and Paul got drunk that night and Leah had to drive them home. When they woke up the next morning with hangovers from hell and not a clue as to how they even got home, Leah and I went over to take care of them since Billy and my dad had gone fishing for the weekend.
The tears were streaming down my face as I cried silently by the door. I wiped my eyes, and took a deep breath. I was about to ask Jake a question when he said, "Was I in a car accident? Is that why I can't remember? Is Paul ok? Where is he? Oh my god, are Leah and Jackie alright?"
Billy put his hand on Jake's shoulder and said, "Jake, son, calm down." Then Billy looked at me and then at Dr. Cullen.
"Jacob, you and Paul were injured yesterday at school. You both had to have surgery. Paul is in the next room with Leah." When Jake looked like he wanted to interrupt, Dr. Cullen continued, "He's fine, you can visit with him later, but for now I need you to tell me exactly the last thing from prom you remember."
"Um… I… We… Paul and I were drinking." He looked up at Billy apologetically, "We were sitting in Embry's backyard, and then Jackie told me she needed to get home, but Leah said she would drive because she hadn't been drinking. All I can remember is getting into the truck with Paul, Leah, and Jackie. After that everything is blank."
"Okay, um… why don't you relax for a few minutes while I talk to your dad? Mr. Black can I see you in the hall for a minute?" Billy nodded and he and Dr. Cullen walked into the hallway. Dr. Cullen went to pull the door closed but left it open just enough for me to hear.
"Mr. Black, as you heard Jacob's memory is not all there. The fact that he cannot remember the last 5 months is cause for concern, but I have a feeling it may just be temporary. After he was shot, he fell is that correct?" I assume Billy nodded because Dr. Cullen continued, "He may have hit his head, and the blood loss from his wounds didn't help the situation."
"So what does this mean? Dr. Cullen what can I do to help him remember?" Billy asked but I didn't hear what the answer was because Jake called my name.
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