Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyers.
Chapter Nine: Someone Call 911…
Alice's POV
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Emmett had come back inside the house looking properly chastened. He immediately walked over to the couch, again making his apologies to Bella. Bella had thoroughly enjoyed my little digital recording and felt Emmett had gotten his just desserts, so she accepted his apology…again.
After watching Bella yawn for the tenth time in the last 15 minutes, we decided it was time to get her to bed. The ice had seemed to do the trick but I decided to carry her up the stairs to Edward's bedroom and got her settled in for the night.
I went back downstairs to chat with Esme while we waited for morning to come and Bella to wake up. I was excited! Finally, Bella and I could start having fun.
Bella's POV
Sunlight was streaming through the glass windows and I woke up feeling pretty good despite yesterday's events and the fact Edward was not here to wake me up. I had high hopes that today would be the peaceful, relaxing and fun-filled day promised to me by my best friend, and so I gingerly sat up, testing my mobility. My 'broken bum' didn't hurt as much today. I said a little "Yes!" before making my way to the bathroom for my 'human moment.'
After a delicious strawberry waffle breakfast prepared by Esme (no whipped cream in sight, thanks to Emmett!), Alice and I headed up to her "parlor" to get started on our 'girl fun.' I had to admit it was relaxing. I was having a great time. While we waited for our nails to dry we talked about the wedding, about our men, about Alice's smack-down of Emmett. It had been a long time since I'd laughed so much and it felt good!
It was about 11:00 in the morning and we'd been holed up in Alice's room for about 3 hours. My newly healed bottom had decided it had had enough sitting down, so Alice and I decided that a nice long walk would help loosen me up. I was wearing capris today, and threw on a long-sleeved sweater and some comfy sneakers and headed outside with Alice to take a hike alongside the river. Esme had packed a light lunch for me so that I could enjoy a nice picnic. Alice made sure I stayed clear of any rocks and didn't wander too close to the river. We weren't going to push my luck today; she didn't want to take any chances and for once I wasn't complaining. I wanted to get through the day in one piece too.
Things were going good, too good, in fact. I should have known it wouldn't last.
Alice's POV
Bella and I were having so much fun! Not once had she complained about anything this morning. Unbelievable! Even if I had looked ahead and seen how well the morning would go, I still wouldn't have believed it!
We talked non-stop all morning, chatting about everything and everyone, laughing easily. I was so happy to see Bella finally looking relaxed. Esme was happy as well. She had popped in a couple of times to chat with us as we waiting for our fingernails to dry, and was pleased to find Bella in good spirits this morning.
I noticed Bella shift to her side and asked if everything was okay. "Bella, are you still hurting? Do you need another ice pack?" I asked solicitously.
Bella grimaced before answering, "I'm fine, Alice. But I think I've been sitting for too long in the same position and my bottom is starting to get a little sore again. It might help if I stand and stretch my muscles and maybe walk around for a bit. Some fresh air might be nice as well. Maybe we can take a walk outside?" she suggested.
I agreed right away. "That's a great idea! How about a little hike along the river? Nothing strenuous and we'll just take our time. In fact, Esme can pack a lunch and you can have a little picnic before we head back. It's early and we still have most of the afternoon for our facials and pedicures before heading to Port Angeles."
Bella surprised me again by readily agreeing to the plan. Will miracles never cease?
We headed out on our hike, Esme's picnic lunch in hand, and made our way along the banks of the river. It was a beautiful day. The skies were clear and Bella was enjoying the warmth of the sun as much as I was. She kept looking over at me and smiling as I sparkled. It was wonderful not worrying about Bella seeing us in the sun. She loved how our skin sparkled, saying it was beautiful. Another reason why we loved her so much…
We crossed to the other side of the river towards a small meadow visible through the trees, picking a spot where Bella could eat her lunch. The day was going well, too well. I had that funny feeling again. Closing my eyes I looked into the future…and in my vision I saw Emmett walking towards us by the river. And then…
Emmett's POV
I thought it best to stay away from the house for most of the morning. I was determined to be on my best behavior, tired of being on the bad side of the Cullen females, human and vampire! I went for a run in the forest, not making my way back until the sun was high in the sky.
I decided to come back by way of the river. It was a nice day. The sun was shining but there were no humans around to see me sparkle so I took my time walking back. I heard voices in the distance and quickly hid behind the nearest tree, but as the voices drew closer I recognized it was Alice and Bella. What are they doing out here? I said to myself. I thought they were going to stick around the house and then head out to Port Angeles. I didn't want to take the longer route back to the house so I stepped out from behind the tree and made my way over to the girls. Just be cool, Emmett, show them you're on your best behavior.
"Alice! Bella! What are you two doing out here?" I said as I came up to the girls. Alice and Bella looked at me suspiciously, trying to see if I was up to no good. I held my hands up in surrender. "Come on girls, I come in peace. Trust me. I was out running in the forest this morning and was on my way back to the house. I didn't expect to see the two of you out here. I just want to get back to the house and Rosalie."
Alice and Bella looked at me carefully, as if judging my sincerity.
I sighed and said, "What happened to the days of 'Emmett, we would trust you with our lives,' or 'Nice to see you again big brother.' Come on, I promise, I am on my best behavior."
Bella was the first to respond, sarcastically I might add. "Oh, I'm SO sorry Emmett. You'll have to forgive me for being a little suspicious when you start saying 'I'm on my best behavior.' If only I had a buck for every time you've said that to me this weekend, I'd be on my way to being a rich woman!"
Alice added, sarcastically as well and fluttering her eyelids. She was mocking me! "Yes, Emmett, forgive us if we find it hard to believe your intentions are innocent. It's going to take more than 'I'm sorry' and 'I'm on my best behavior' to make us trust you!"
Bella nodded her head vigorously at that.
"Okay, okay, I'll prove it to you." I said. "I'll walk back to the house with you and you'll see nothing bad is gonna happen. We'll arrive in one piece and not one prank will be played on Bella. Cross my undead heart! Please, will you let me walk back with you?"
Alice gave me another hard look before slowly nodding her head. "Okay, Emmett. If Bella agrees, you can accompany us back to the house. But you'd better keep your word: back in one piece and no pranks!"
I clapped my hands, happy to be on my way back into their good graces. "Yes!"
Bella still looked unsure, but she seemed determined to let it go because she nodded her head again and said to both Alice and me, "Okay, I agree. Let's go back."
With that we turned and started slowly walking back to the house.
Bella's POV
I don't know why I agreed to let Emmett walk back with us. I suppose I was just determined to let it go, let bygones be bygones. And he had promised (again) that he was going to behave himself so I let it go. But why were my "Spidey-senses" tingling again? I had this awful feeling something bad was going to happen…
Alice's POV
I could see the worry on Bella's face but she looked determined to let it go and we started walking back to the house with Emmett in tow. We started talking about non-consequential things and the banter was flowing back and forth between the three of us. I kept looking ahead to the future to see if anything was out of place, but all looked well. I was afraid there would be a split second decision on Emmett's or Bella's part before all hell broke loose again. Oh please, please let us make it back with no problems.
Bella was starting to get tired. Maybe we had done a little too much walking, as I watched her gingerly start to rub her backside again. We were still a long way from the house. Maybe she'll let me carry her back…
Emmett's POV
Things were going really well. We were laughing and joking and everything seemed to be going back to normal. I was feeling a lot better. It wasn't fun being in the doghouse with those two. It was nothing in comparison to being in the doghouse with Rosalie, but I'd say it was a close second.
Looking over at Bella I noticed she looked uncomfortable. She was rubbing her backside again and we were still a distance from the house. I could see Alice glancing at Bella as well.
It looked like Bella was going to need some assistance getting back to the house and big brother Emmett was here to save the day! Great! I thought to myself. I can carry her back to the house. Bella won't have to walk. I'll have her back at the house in minutes and I'll be a hero again!
And with that I pulled Bella onto my back, making sure she had a tight grip around my neck before racing off towards the house at top speed.
Bella's POV
Oh no! Oh God, please, no!!! "EMMETT!!!" I screamed as we went flying down the river trail.
Alice's POV
I was trying to think of a way to convince Bella to let me carry her back to the house when a vision suddenly appeared in my mind. A decision had been made and the events were playing themselves out before me. Oh no!!! I came out of the vision but before I could utter one word, Emmett was pulling Bella onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. I saw the look of surprise, and then absolute terror on Bella's face as Emmett took off in a flash towards the house. "EMMETT! STOP!!!" I screamed, running after the two and knowing I was going to be too late...
Emmett's POV
I raced down the river trail, with Bella on my back. Yes! I was going to have her back to the house in no time. Why is she screaming? I asked myself, slightly offended by her lack of appreciation for what I was doing for her.
I turned to look at her and saw she had squeezed her eyes shut. "Hey Bella, don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'm just going to get you back to the house quicker than if we walked at your human pace. You'll be thanking me for this later, trust me!"
Bella opened her eyes to look at me, and they suddenly went wide as she screamed, "Look out!"
I faced forward again and narrowly avoided the tree directly in our path; unfortunately I couldn't avoid the vines with the bright red and green leaves hanging around the nearby branches. They were starting to brush up against us, but I was able to push most of them out of the way. No problemo. It looks like a few had brushed up against Bella's arms and shoulders, leaving little scratches on her hands and neck, but fortunately there was no blood so we were good.
I made a quick turn to the left to get back onto the trail, not realizing there was a small creek hidden by the low-hanging tree branches. I landed in waist high water which was dark and muddy. Yuck. Okay, we can handle this. Bella's going to be a little wet, but it's warm out and she'll dry off soon enough. It's all good.
Stepping out of the water I got us back onto dry land. I needed to jump over to the other side of the river and taking a great big leap I soared across the river, landing next to some small bushes which were hiding a skunk. Uh-oh! A very surprised and frightened skunk. And now it was a very angry skunk that started hissing at us and aimed its tail in our direction. Oh man! Gotta move NOW! I darted away but not before hearing the sound of spray coming from its tail. I could feel some of the spray hit my legs and knew Bella probably got hit as well. Whew! What a stink!
I heard Alice yelling in the distance, but I kept going as we were almost to the house and Bella appeared to be fine, still holding on tight. Alice would catch up and once she did we'd be back at the house, all good and all in one piece. I'm a genius. Pat me on the back, Bella!
We'd made it to the edge of the property with one last hurdle to get past, a small boulder which I easily cleared. Piece of cake, I said to myself as I landed. It was at this point Bella lost her grip and went flying, face first, into a small patch of mushrooms near one of the trees. I ran over to her immediately to make sure she was alright. She raised her head, her mouth crammed with small mushrooms that she immediately started to spit out.
I sat her up and gently patted her back as she continued spitting out the mushrooms. At that moment Alice ran up. Damn, she does not look happy.
Alice's POV
"Emmett! You idiot! Stop!" I was yelling but he never slowed down. I could see him racing down the trail with Bella. I watched as he nearly hit a tree while turning back to look at her. I heard her scream, "Look out!" and he'd turned, avoiding the tree trunk but not the poison oak hanging around the low-hanging branches! I saw the vines and leaves brush against Bella's shoulders and arms as Emmett pushed them out of the way.
I was desperate to catch up to them, anxious to prevent the next thing from happening. Oh no! Too late!
Emmett and Bella dropped out of sight for a minute before reappearing on the trail. What I didn't see with my eyes, I had seen in my vision. Emmett had dropped down into waist-high, muddy water. Muddy water full of leeches. Leeches that loved blood. Leeches that were currently attaching themselves to the parts of Bella's bare legs not covered by the capris she was wearing. Oh Bella, I groaned, you have the worst luck!
I continued to race down the trail, hoping to catch Emmett before he made the jump across the river and into the path of the skunk. Too late! Direct hit!
I watched as Emmett reached the edge of the lawn and jumped over a small boulder. At this point Bella lost her grip on Emmett's neck and did a face-plant into a patch of mushrooms near the base of one of the trees. Mushrooms that were mildly toxic and could make a human sick. The very mushrooms she was spitting from her mouth…
Bella's POV
I was in a daze, having hit the ground hard. My mouth was filled with dirt and mushrooms which I started spitting out as fast as I could. Ugh! I think I swallowed a few!
Alice had finally caught up to us and told me to stay still. "Bella, I don't want you to be alarmed but I think we need to get you over to the emergency room at the hospital as soon as possible."
"What are you talking about Alice?" I said stupidly, still in a daze.
Alice looked at me sadly. "Bella, I swear you have the worst luck in the world! The vines that you and Emmett brushed up against, near that tree he almost hit? Those vines and leaves were poison oak and they brushed up against your shoulder and arms. It's a good thing you're wearing that long-sleeved sweater, but there's still a chance you may have gotten some on your exposed skin."
I groaned. Great, just what I need, an itchy red rash. Can it get any worse? I said to myself as my heart started to beat faster. Wait, it's me we're talking about…of course it can get worse!
I listed as Alice continued. "Do you remember the waist-high water Emmett accidentally jumped into?" she asked. "Trust you to attract anything that loves blood, Bella. There are leeches on your legs."
"WHAT!?" I screamed, looking down at my legs and seeing several inch-long bloodsuckers clinging to my lower legs. I yelled, "Get them off! Get them off me now!"
"I'm sorry Bella, I can't!" Alice said miserably. "If I pull them off your legs there's a good chance you'll start bleeding. We can't take that risk."
I was starting to feel a little sick at this point, when I noticed a strange odor. A really bad odor. "WHAT is that smell?" I asked as I pinched my nose.
"Well, when Emmett jumped over the river he landed the both of you right next to some bushes where a skunk was hiding. The skunk was startled and he aimed his spray at the two of you." Alice answered again. "I'm sorry, Bella, but it was a direct hit."
I threw my head back, looking at the sky. Why me??? I asked God.
Alice wasn't finished yet. "Bella, one last thing. That mushroom patch you landed in? Well, they might be mildly toxic. We won't know for sure unless you get sick."
"Mildly toxic? What do you mean 'unless you get sick?' Can't you tell if they're poisonous?" I screeched. And suddenly, just like that, I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted the weekend to be over. I didn't want to be anywhere near Emmett. I had reached my limit. I can put up with a lot of things, but this was it, the final straw. I was so angry I did what I always do when I'm angry: I started crying, harder and harder by the second.
Alice was kneeling down next to me, brushing my hair out of my face, wiping at my tears and trying to comfort me.
"Alice, I want Edward," I sobbed hysterically, over and over. "I want Edward right now; I want him to take me home. I don't want to play anymore."
I couldn't stop the tears as I sat there on the ground. I could hear a car pulling up the drive, hoping it was Edward but instead hearing a voice that sounded like Charlie's. Before I could think any more on it my stomach started to cramp and I barely had time to turn to the side when my lunch reappeared.
Alice's POV
Oh Bella, I am so sorry. She was a mess. She looked like she was developing a little rash on her neck, the leeches were going to town on her legs, and she smelled horrible from the skunk! And now here she was, crying hysterically, asking for Edward and saying she wanted to go home. I'd never seen her so upset, and I had never felt so bad in my life!
Emmett looked stunned, seeing that his good intentions had turned out so badly. A part of me was extremely angry with Emmett but the other part knew that this time it hadn't been on purpose. However, once again Emmett had failed to consider the consequences of his impetuous actions and once again Bella was paying the price.
I could feel a version of a vampire migraine starting in my head as I continued trying to comfort her. I failed you, Bella, I thought miserably.
Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. I turned my head at the sound of a car coming up the drive and saw Charlie's cruiser pulling up to the house. Oh no! How did I not see this?
Why is he here? For once I was completely clueless. Charlie got out of the cruiser and looked in our direction and recognized the three of us at the edge of the lawn. The look of recognition quickly turned into panic as he realized Bella was sitting down, crying hysterically, with Emmett standing nearby and me kneeling down next to her, trying to comfort her as she cried.
"Bells! Bella!" I heard him shout as he came running towards us. "Alice, what the hell happened to her?" he said before noticing the smell of skunk and pinching his nose.
I thought very quickly about the story I needed to give Charlie. Emmett, you are going to owe me big time…AGAIN! I said to myself.
"I'm sorry, Charlie. This weekend has not been going as planned," I said as I shot a dirty look at Emmett, who had the good sense to look ashamed. "We wanted to get out of the house for a bit and decided to go for a little hike through the woods. Bella got tired and Emmett thought he could be helpful by carrying her back to the house. Unfortunately, Emmett's way back to the house was through the mother of all obstacle courses and here are the results." I finished.
Bella just continued to cry where she was sitting. Suddenly she grabbed her stomach and turned to her side as her lunch reappeared.
"Alice, what's wrong with her?" Charlie asked in a panic, forgetting about the smell of skunk as he kneeled down next to his daughter.
"Uh, Charlie?" I said. "I think we need to get Bella to the emergency room right now. Bella did a face plant into that patch of mushrooms." I pointed over to the ground next to the nearby tree. Charlie's realized what I was saying as I continued, "Yes, the mildly toxic variety. She spit most of them out, but I'm sorry to say she did ingest a few and they're making her very sick right now. Not to mention the poison oak and the leeches on her legs."
Charlie closed his eyes, shaking his head. Poor Charlie, he wasn't surprised anymore by the things that happened to Bella. Now it was all about damage control. He opened his eyes again and looked over at Emmett. I couldn't quite make out the look he was giving Emmett, but I could tell it wasn't good. It was very similar to the look he reserved for Edward. Nope, not good at all for you Emmett, I said to myself as I chuckled darkly.
"Can you carry her to your cruiser, Charlie? It'll be quicker than calling 911 and waiting for an ambulance," I said as I thought how much faster it would be if I were the one driving Bella to the hospital.
We carefully pulled the sweater off Bella so Charlie wouldn't be unnecessarily exposed to the poison oak. He lifted her gently and started running towards the cruiser. I ordered Emmett back to the house to let Esme and Rosalie know we were on our way to the hospital with Bella, and telling him that I would be the one to call Edward. Then I ran after Charlie, climbing into the backseat where he gently placed Bella next to me. He quickly ran around the car to the driver's side, got in and raced down the drive with sirens blaring and lights flashing, on our way to yet another emergency room visit for Bella.
