Sorry these updates are taking so long. Summer life is crazy. Hope you enjoy this.
Chapter 6: It Comes And Goes In Waves.
Charlie Pov:
Bella hadn't come home last night. I could only assume she was with the Black's. She always was. Sarah had been her mother, maybe not biologically, but physically and emotionally, she had always been there for Bella. She was an amazing person, much better than Bella's mother. I frowned at that, Bella wouldn't be happy with my news.
Bella's genetic mother, after seventeen years, had come back to Forks looking for her daughter. I was happy that Bella wasn't home at the time, because there was a lot of yelling that took place. I wanted to tell Bella myself, anyways, I didn't want her hearing it from some crazy, awful woman who claimed she had finally gotten her life back together.
ReneƩ had showed up, smiled at me with the same smile I had fallen in love with all those years ago and asked all-too-sweetly where her daughter was. Not even sure how old she would be. I simply said " she's with her mother, her real mother." and slammed the door. She was back two hours later with takeout, a peace offering. I didn't slam the door in her face that time around, I wasn't one to turn down free food.
Bella would hate me if I kept her mother's re-appearance in town from her for any longer, so I figured I should probably go over there and find her. I wasn't so sure she would want to meet her mother anyways, though. Bella didn't talk about her feelings with me, her feelings about her mother in particular. That kind of thing was left for Sarah. She was good at those things.
I arrived on the reservation just outside Billy and Sarah's house. Billy stepped out onto the porch, smiling widely. " Charlie, hey. Come on inside, I've got the game on." He announced cheerfully. I sighed, " Well, Billy I actually em' lookin' for Bells. You seen her 'round here?" I asked, peering inside.
He looked confused. I raised my brow at him. " She didn't tell you?" he asked, curiously. " Now, tell me what, Billy? Is she alright? I swear to god if that awful woman came here and snatched her up..." I started. He waived me off with a hand, " I don't know what your talkin' bout' Charlie, but no woman has been her snatching Bella up...She's over taking care of the boy." he said. " What? Where, what boy?" I asked.
He wrote down the address for me on the little coffee table. " It's pretty nearby. A boy she's close to got in an accident and she wanted to help him out. If you go over there you'll find her just fine." he said. I mischievously looked at him, " what boy? How close?" I asked. He smiled sympathetically. " Charlie, I don't know how you'll feel about this, I know you helped him back when..." he sighed, " It's the Lahote boy she's helping out. He's injured real bad." he said.
I pulled the car softly up outside of the small, all-too familiar cabin in the forest. It was evening now, around six o'clock. I shuffled up to the front porch, knocking on the huge, wooden door three times. The door opened to reveal Bella, looking busy and tired. She was surprised to see me. " Dad?" she asked. Glancing over her shoulder and sighing. " What are you doing here? She said, more quietly than before.
" Well, I've got some news. Something important to tell you. I thought you were at the Black's, but Billy told me you were here, taking care of the Lahote boy. He got in some kind of accident?" I asked.
Bella closed her eyes briefly, sighed, and opened the door wider for me to come inside. The home was the same as before, just emptier, less cluttered, less strange. There was no longer the awful scent of too much alcohol and cigarettes flooding the home, as there was eleven years ago. One of the walls had been busted out and re-designed. It was now a one room home, with the exception of a bathroom and laundry room.
Tucked away in the new space of the room was a king sized bed, framed by two outer walls that looked to be designed to fit the bed, cozily. Atop the bed lay a very large, sleeping man, his lower half was covered in only a thin sheet, a small blanket lay at the end of the bed. His upper half was out of the sheet, his whole torso and one arm were both woven in gauze bandages, his arm in a much too small sling.
I sighed as I took in the man, soundly sleeping before me. He was certainly familiar. I hadn't seen him since he was eight years old. He was much older now, much larger, but seeing him covered in bandages reminded me of how he had looked before, how he had looked after that night. I closed my eyes, a lump in my throat from the awful memory.
" Dad?" Bella asked. " Hmm, Sorry, What?" I asked, dazed. " This is Paul. He was in a...motorcycle accident the other day. He's a friend of mine and he didn't really have anyone else to take care of him so..." She began. I smiled, she was taking care of him. Like father like daughter. " You aren't mad, are you?" she asked, hesitantly. " Why would I be mad, Bells? It's a good thing you're doin' here." I told her honestly. She smiled.
Bella had me sit down at the kitchen table while she made dinner. " What was your news, dad?" she asked me, quietly. I sighed. " Honey...this won't be easy to hear, and I don't know what you're going to think of this, but your...your birth mother is in town. She..she came back to find you." I told her.
Bella turned to me with wide, shocked eyes, but as soon as she heard a muffled grumble come from across the room she darted over to Paul's side. " Mwhass' wrong?" I hear him mumble. As I turned to see Bella sitting on the side of the bed next to Paul, stroking his head with tender care. They didn't look like close friends to me, not at all. They looked to be friendly in a non-friend way. But I was not going to make assumptions until I knew for sure, but it damned well seemed to me like I was right when I saw him wrap his non-injured arm around Bella's waist and nuzzle his head into her hip. It made me uncomfortable to witness such an intimate moment, especially since it was my daughter. " Do you need anything? I'm making us dinner." I heard her say as I turned away from the scene.
Bella Pov:
I was surprised to see Charlie turn up that evening, and I was certainly surprised when he seemed completely okay with me spending the night and taking care of Paul. Paul, intimidatingly attractive, Paul, incredibly sexy and all over her. And yet, Charlie was utterly fine with me being there, he seemed, proud, even.
Charlie had turned his head and not said a word of complaint when Paul had wrapped his muscular arm around my torso and nuzzled into me. He hadn't said a word when I had helped Paul sit up in bed and Paul had sweetly placed a tender kiss to my shoulder, and another to my cheek. When Paul saw Charlie he blinked in shock and Bella wondered if maybe they had met before.
I climbed off the bed to continue with dinner and Paul grumbled unhappily. I bit my lip, I hated leaving his side too. I finished dinner and gave some to Charlie, who was now sitting on the couch before making my way back over to Paul with both of our bowls. I sat beside him as he leaned into me, shoveling food into his mouth with his non-injured hand.
" Why'd she come back? What does she want, exactly?" I asked Charlie as I carefully laid Paul back down onto the bed. " Stay?" Paul murmured. I smiled and nodded. I continued to sit on the edge of the bed and absently traced Paul's chest with my fingers as I looked over at Charlie. Paul's arm that wasn't in the sling was draped over my thigh, his thumb rubbing the inside subtly. If Charlie noticed he didn't say anything.
" She came back because she wanted to see you...talk to you. She said that she's finally gotten her life together and realized what she'd left behind. I slammed the door in her face when she first came but then she brought me food and..." he started. I chuckled, Charlie of course would not have turned down food.
"Bella...would you want to meet with her? I mean, obviously not right now, while you're taking care of the boy, but maybe sometime over this break? It's spring break now, how long is that?" He asked me. " It's two weeks. Paul should be better soon...he's healing fast." I told him. " Yeah, he's a tough one." Charlie said. I looked at him curiously.
" Do you know Paul from before, dad?" I asked him. It sure seemed like it. " Well...I don't know if you've heard about Paul's past..." he started. He glanced over at Paul, who was sound asleep once again. He needed lots of sleep to heal. He was in and out all day. " Well, anyways, his dad used to beat him and his mom. He was an alcoholic and addicted to all sorts of drugs...he wasn't a good dad to say the least. Well, one night..." he sighed. I had heard from Emily and Jake that Paul had it rough growing up, that he had never been truly loved before, but I had never heard an actual story.
" One night his dad...beat his..he beat Paul's mom to death. Paul was only eight years old. He had called 911 while his dad was hitting her...and when his dad saw him with the phone he just killed her...and then he went after Paul. He was too little back then to fight back..." he looked over at Paul and smiled, chuckling to himself. " He would take that bastard down easily now, I'm sure. Gosh, he sure is huge." Charlie said. " Anyways, I was only a deputy back then, but I was the one on call that night, I was the one sent to his house." he told me
" When I finally got there...I thought it might be too late. His dad had dropped him and ran out back, my partner went around to catch em' and I...well I had to get Paul. His leg was broken, arm shattered, his face and body was so bruised...he was so young..." Charlie sniffled. " That was the hardest night I've ever had as a cop. I went with him to the hospital and visited him in there every day until he was healed. You were only seven, you stayed with the Blacks and I would stay overnight in the hospital with him." Charlie told me. I was surprised, I hadn't known that Charlie had done that for him.
" Eventually Paul went and stayed with his cousins, once he was all healed. That was the last I heard of him till' now." Charlie told me. " Why did you stay with him?" I asked. " Well, Bella...I hadn't been a deputy for a whole long while back then. My job was mostly just the little things, you know? I did patrols around and gave speeding tickets, Bells. I just happened to be the closest one to the reservation when the call came in. I was so scared, I had never done anything like that before and...well, I was still so worried about him. I was a dad to you, you were his age and...well, in my heart I felt awful for him. Just a young kid all alone in the hospital, no family who really cared all that much bout' him." Charlie told me.
I had a lump in my throat. It hurt so bad to hear that, Paul, sweet, gentle hearted Paul was volatile and angry on the outside because he was damaged. A tear fell down my face and I stroked my hand over Paul's warm cheek. " Bella...you and Paul, are you sure you are just friends?" He asked me. I sighed as I lay my hand over Paul's heart, looking over at my father. " Honestly, I don't know, dad." I told him.
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