A/N: I'm still blown away by the amount of feedback I've already gotten for this story! You guys are truly amazing and I appreciate every single favorite, follow, and review! I've been working the night shift at the hospital, and it's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things. So I decided to work on a few of my stories while I had the time. Please read and let me know what you think.
The next day found Melanie still in bed. Carlisle prescribed her strict bed rest, and she was already going crazy. Her skin felt itchy and dirty from her lack of a shower since getting home, and all she could think about was the warm running water in the bathroom next door to her room.
"Melanie, Paul is here to see you!" Billy called from down the hall. Melanie perked up in bed and smoothed her hair down as much as possible before Paul showed up in her doorway. He flashed her a quick grin before biting his lip and giving her a once over. She could tell he wanted to say something about her predicament but held it in. She scolded him enough about not feeling guilty, and it looked like it was finally starting to sink in.
"How are you doing?" He asked and sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting to jostle the brunette. Melanie shrugged and rubbed her collar bone absentmindedly.
"I could really go for a shower, but Carlisle banned me from getting out of the bed anytime soon," Melanie complained.
Paul looked to the side in thought. "I could carry you in there, and we can wrap your bandages up tight so none of the water gets in. You'll probably have to take a bath though and not fill it too high and submerge the bandages," Paul rambled. Melanie couldn't stop the smile from covering her lips at his thoughtfulness. She leaned forward enough to kiss his cheek and cut him off.
"That sounds great. We have some saran wrap in the pantry." Paul was up and in the kitchen before Melanie could say anything else. Pushing the covers back, she slowly moved her legs to let them dangle off the bed. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as when it first happened, but there was still a dull ache surrounding her stomach.
Paul walked back in and handed her the box of saran wrap before picking her up carefully and heading into the bathroom. He gingerly sat her on the bathroom counter and closed the door to give them some privacy. It was then that Paul realized she was just wearing an oversized t shirt and underwear. They messed around before but had yet to see the other completely naked yet.
"Do you uh need help getting undressed?" He croaked, thinking about her naked. He knew he shouldn't get worked up about it because she was probably still in pain from his unintentional attack, but it was an undeniable truth that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.
"Yeah, it hurts to raise my arms too high above my head," She mumbled. Paul nodded and slid his hands forward to inch under her top. He helped raise it up and get her arms out of it without hurting her. Paul tried, he really did, but seeing her topless left him breathless. He focused on her face and not the most perfect pair of breasts just inches from his hands.
"We can wrap my bandages and then change them when I'm done," Melanie commented. She saw Paul's internal struggle and felt another form of affection blossom in her chest when she saw him reign it in and focus on her well being. Paul nodded, turned on the water to fill the tub and got to opening the saran wrap. Melanie helped by lifting her arms enough for Paul to reach around with the wrap and cover all the exposed bandages.
"We just need to be careful not to let them sit under the water for too long," Paul mumbled and turned the water off once he thought it was full enough.
"What about...?" He gestured to her underwear. Melanie flushed and looked down. She was already self conscious enough with him seeing her topless; she didn't need him seeing that as well. Not yet at least.
"If you help me up, I think I can manage on my own." Paul lifted her back up and set her on her feet. He held her arms and looked away so she could take her underwear off without him staring at her. Melanie told him she was ready, and he helped her get into the tub. Once she was settled, Paul slid down and sat with his back against the porcelain tub.
"This feels so good," Melanie groaned at the warm water. Grabbing a loofah and her body wash, Melanie began to scrub every inch of visible skin, careful not to move the saran wrap.
"So to what do I owe the visit?" Melanie asked as she washed herself. She was glad to see Paul, but she figured he would be busy with pack duties today. Things were still tense when she got home from the hospital last night.
"Nothing, I just wanted to come and check in on you," He mumbled with a small shrug. Melanie looked at his broad shoulders and smiled; he was a big softy on the inside.
"I feel a lot better today. The pain is going away, but when there are flare ups, Carlisle gave me some pretty strong painkillers," She laughed wanting to lighten the mood. "Carlisle said everything should be healed up in the next month. I'll be good as new in no time."
"Yeah, a month too late. It never should have happened in the first place. Now your summer is ruined, and then you'll be off in college far away from here," Paul grumbled and it clicked in Melanie's head why he was so forlorn. She raised her hand to run her wet fingers through Paul's dark hair. He closed his eyes and soaked in her warm touch.
"I won't be that far away; I'll still be living here. You can always save up some money and come with me. Or you can go to community college or one of the technical schools. I know they offer some auto shop classes that will help add onto your experience." Paul chuckled and shook his head.
"I wasn't cut out for higher education."
"You won't know unless you try-"
"Paul!" They both turned their heads when they heard Jared calling for him. Before either could react, Jared threw the door open in search of his pack mate. His eyes widened and filled with horror; the last thing he expected to find was a naked Melanie in the bathroom with Paul. He could smell his pack mate but not his imprint in the bath tub.
"The fuck, Jared?! Get the hell out!" Paul snarled. Face aflame, Jared slammed the door shut and thanked his lucky stars that all Paul did was yell at him.
"I didn't know Mel was in there too," He called through the door. "Sam wants me to tell you that you need to pick up the next patrol in an hour." With that he was gone, and Paul was groaning. He let his head drop back so that it was resting on the edge of the tub, and his eyes were looking directly into Melanie's.
"He's an idiot. Did he see you?" Melanie wasn't sure what all Jared saw, but she shook her head anyway. If Jared was smart, he would keep is mouth shut even if he did manage to catch a glimpse of anything.
"Good," Paul mumbled and pecked her quickly before getting up and grabbing a towel. Melanie pulled the drain and let Paul help her up, his eyes averted again.
"What else did Carlisle say?" Melanie wrapped the towel around her hips and let Paul put her back on the counter.
"He said I could come back in two weeks to see if I could get the stitches taken out, but I need to go easy on myself until then. Once they're out, I can do more, but I still need to be cautious," She told him as he began to unwrap the saran wrap and her bandages. Using a warm wash cloth, Paul cleaned the irritated skin near her stitches. It was the first time he actually saw the full extent of the damage he did to her.
"I can't believe I did this," He said hoarsely and kept washing her stomach. Melanie frowned and cupped his cheek, forcing him to look down at her.
"You can't keep doing this to yourself. It happened, Paul. And I don't blame you for it so you can't blame yourself either. Jacob got under your skin, and you reacted to it. It's done, and we both need to move on from it. I'm fine, and I'll be even better at the end of the month. So stop beating yourself up." Paul swallowed and nodded. He replaced the old bandages with new ones and wrapped the towel around her entire body to cover her completely.
Paul carried her back into the bedroom and set her down on the bed. He headed to her dresser and got her another night shirt but hesitated when it came to opening her underwear drawer. He knew which one it was because most were near the top, but he didn't want to invade her privacy.
"Just grab the blue ones," Melanie grinned and decided to have mercy on him. She knew the blue ones were on the top, and they were cotton and comfortable. She didn't want to put anything fancy on. Paul quickly grabbed them and closed the drawer again. He helped her back into her shirt and turned so she could slide the clean underwear up her legs.
"Do you need anything else before I go?" He asked and chucked her towel into the hamper.
"No, if I do, I can call for my dad. You should probably head out before they send Jared back over here." Paul snorted at the thought of Jared coming to look for him again. He relented and leaned down to kiss his girlfriend's forehead.
"But you can come back here once you're done patrolling and cuddle with me," Melanie teased.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," He whispered and kissed her once more, this time on the lips. With a soft goodbye, he was out her door and gone. Leaning back into the pillows littering her bed, Melanie was bored again in a matter of minutes. She wasn't one to stay inside all day.
Grabbing the book on her nightstand, she tried to read a few chapters, but ended up zoning out on the same page. She tossed it aside at the same time Jacob trudged into her room. Paul must have relieved him from patrol. He had a plate with a sandwich on it and set it on the bed next to her. He all but collapsed onto the other side of the bed. Melanie looked at the plate in question and then back at her younger brother.
"Dad made it for you and told me to bring it to you before I went to bed. I don't think I can make it to my room," He mumbled. Melanie snorted and picked up one half of the sandwich to start eating it.
"Sam shouldn't work you guys so hard. If there's an actual threat, you won't be able to stay awake long enough to fight them." Jacob peeked his eyes open and smiled. Reaching over his sister's body, he grabbed the other half of her sandwich and sunk his teeth into it.
"Jerk," She muttered halfheartedly.
"What have you been up to?"
"Besides staying in bed? Nothing. Paul came by earlier and kept me company, but he just left to go patrol. He's going to come back by later when he's done. I was waiting for you to get home or I was going to bug Dad."
"Sorry to disappoint but I really want to sleep, and Dad went over to the Clearwater's after making you lunch," Jacob informed her. Melanie rolled her eyes and nodded.
"I figured you would. Go ahead and sleep; I'll find something else to do to keep me occupied until you wake up or Paul comes back." Jacob opened his mouth to say something about Paul but was caught off by the doorbell. He groaned and forced himself to get up and go answer it.
Melanie watched her brother slowly walk down the hall and call out to the person that he was coming. She soon heard what almost sounded like fighting. Whoever was at the door was upsetting Jacob. Thinking it might be Paul, Melanie grabbed one of her large, throw blankets to wrap around herself instead of finding pants and walked down the hall. Every step caused a small pain to shoot up her side, but she wanted to make sure the boys didn't try to kill themselves again.
Melanie came up behind Jacob and was surprised to see that it was a girl instead of Paul. She stood beside her brother and looked at the strange girl on their front step. Her wavy, brown hair was windblown, and her cheeks were flushed a bright pink. Melanie didn't know if that was from fighting with Jacob or the warm breeze outside. If she could describe her in one word, it would be plain.
The girl looked back at Melanie equally confused with her presence.
"Who is it, Jake?" Jacob immediately wrapped an arm around her blanket covered shoulders in case she needed help staying upright.
"Mel, you shouldn't be out of bed," Jacob groaned, but seeing that she didn't plan of leaving, he gave in and introduced them. "Mel, this is Bella Swan. I told you about her." Melanie immediately narrowed her eyes at the teenage girl. This was the girl that stole her brother's heart and tore it up before throwing it back at him? She never wanted to hit another person so badly in her life.
"What is she doing here?" Melanie hissed. Even though Bella could have answered her herself, Melanie chose to ask Jacob instead.
"I was just getting around to finding out," Jacob replied.
"And who are you?!" Bella exclaimed, looking Melanie dead in the eyes. "Are you Jake's new girlfriend or something?" Melanie's jaw almost dropped at the accusation, but in a moment of pure pettiness, she decided to play along with Bella's ill based conclusions.
"What's it to you?" Jacob's eyebrows raised, but he didn't say anything to contraindicate what Melanie said. He also wanted to see where she was headed with the ruse.
"I'm his best friend!" Her voice was starting to grate on Melanie's ears, but she wasn't done with Bella yet.
"I highly doubt that. After everything you put him through, I'm surprised you even had the guts to show your face around here." Bella looked offended, but Melanie could care less. Her reaction didn't faze Melanie in the slightest.
"Jake, how can you just stand there and let her talk to me like that? Why are you going out with an awful girl like her?" Bella pointed a bony finger in Melanie's face and she was almost tempted to break it.
"Awful? Have-"
"Enough! Bella, I'm not going out with Melanie. She is my sister!" Jacob said, quickly stopping any fighting from happening. Bella's eyes nearly doubled in size when she realized who exactly she was insulting. Melanie felt a sense of smug joy when the light bulb finally clicked on in her head.
"I'm Melanie Black, Jake's older sister. Nice to meet you," Melanie said with a sickly sweet smile on her face. After tormenting her brother and playing childish games with his emotions, she didn't feel bad at all doing the same back to her.
"You never told me you had another sister," Bella accused, looking back at Jacob.
"You never asked about the rest of my family," Jacob sighed and rubbed a hand across his tired face. Melanie knew he just wanted to go to sleep so she decided to end things with Bella so he could turn in.
"What are you doing here, Bella?" She asked.
"I just want to talk to Jacob again and see how he was doing," Bella told her, trying to be nice and make up for how she acted a few minutes ago. Melanie held back an eye roll and crossed her arms.
"I know you know about the pack and what Jacob does considering who you are letting into your bed. So I'm going to tell you that Jacob just got done patrolling and needs to sleep before he kills over. Besides, I don't need you trying weasel your way back into my brother's life now that he's finally gotten over you and moved on," Melanie snapped. Bella flinched and recoiled back at her harsh tone and searing words.
"Over me?"
"You heard me. He's done with you and no longer has any feelings for you. Maybe he can still see you as a friend, but things won't be how they used to be. So please leave now before I have you escorted off our property," Melanie explained. Bella turned to Jacob, waiting for him to deny what his sister just told her, but he avoided her eyes and looked down at their worn welcome mat.
"You said you loved me," Bella whimpered, trying to get him to react to her.
"And you said you would always choose Edward over me. How can you expect me to keep waiting on you, Bella? I don't want to be in second place anymore; I want someone who will love me back. I don't want to keep fighting for someone who won't return my feelings," He told her. Bella stood there for a second and took everything in before stepping back and running to her beat up truck.
"Good job, Jake. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but this is good for you. Go get some sleep," Melanie whispered to him. She took one more look at Bella and closed the front door. Jacob helped her back to her room before disappearing into his without another word.
Melanie knew Jacob was hurting, but she was proud of him. He didn't need that leech lover keeping her claws sunk deep into his heart. He needed to move on and find a nice girl to imprint on and love. Someone that would make him happy like Paul makes her happy.
Melanie shifted in bed and winced. She shouldn't have strained herself so much after Carlisle told her to stay in bed. Rummaging through her nightstand drawer, she looked for the pill bottle she tossed in there last night. Grabbing two pills out, she popped them in her mouth and drank some of the water she had on the nightstand. She laid back and listened to the silence in her house and willed Paul to finish his patrol faster and come back to her.
A/N: Let me know what you guys think! I loathe Bella. She actually ruined the series for me which is weird because she is the main character. But seeing the movies with Kristen Stewart made me hate her even more. I love the supporting characters, but I don't think I will ever be able to take Bella seriously and see her as anything other than a whiny, clingy imp of a girl...