JPOV

The next two days crawled by with excruciating slowness. Bella had yet to show any signs of coming out of her coma, and the wounds on her shoulders were starting to show signs of infection. As every minute ticked by, I became increasingly more worried about her. Something had to be inhibiting her healing. This wasn't normal for my Bella. Not the Bella I'd left alone and pregnant all those months ago. I had done this. I had…

"What's that?" I asked Edward when he came into her room with a packet of clear, yellowish liquid that he attached to her IV line.

"Antibiotics. We tried to hold out in giving them to her in hopes that she would start to heal on her own, now that you're near her again. But the signs of infection are getting worse, so Carlisle ordered them. By the way, I've been wanting to talk to you," he said, turning to me once he programmed the pump to push the IV fluids through my wife's veins.

"Edward, whatever you have to say, I already know. You have made it quite clear your contempt toward me," I sighed, involuntarily tensing at the thought of engaging another useless brawl with my daughter's husband.

Ignoring my dismissal, he walked over and pulled a chair next to me, and sat down.

"I'm not here to go off on you anymore. Actually, I would like to apologize," he began as he ran an impatient hand through his disheveled hair.

"Apologize? Why? What I did to everyone is unforgivable," I said, glancing down at Bella's still form. It hurt so bad to see her in the state she was in, knowing it was me who caused it. I deserved the beating he'd given me. But nothing and no one could make me feel any worse than I already did. Just sitting here, watching my Bella so lifeless in that bed, was almost more than I could bear. She should be with our newborn children. I had done this.

"I'm apologizing for attacking you the way I did. I had no idea what you had gone through, and my fears for Bella clouded my judgment.

"Jacob, everyone has done some terrible things in their lives that they are not proud of. That doesn't mean that they are unforgivable. As long as you are truly sorry, that's what matters," he said with full sincerity.

"There will be repercussions, though. I hope you do understand that," he finished.

Yeah, I knew all about repercussions. Just earlier that day the Tribal Council called me in for a meeting, and my status in the tribe was on the table. The Elders were furious that I had left my sacred duty to go off on a path of vengeance, and wanted to strip my future on the Council away from me. They wanted Leah to take over as Pack Alpha, permanently, but I had two surprising allies on my side.

Sue and Emily.

They defended me to the Tribe, and as a result, I had been put on a period of probation, contingent on status reports from Leah, once I started leading my Pack again.

"I'm ready for them, believe me. I think it's going to take me a long time before I can even forgive myself," I murmured with a broken whisper.

"You're going to have to earn our trust back, but I know you will. You have this sense of honor about you, Jacob. You're a good man," he said, slapping my shoulder.

"Thanks, Edward. It means a lot to have people who have faith in me."

"You have many people who do, Jacob. You just need to open your eyes and see them," Edward replied, turning his gaze to Bella.

"Edward, I'm scared. What if she never wakes up? I can't live without her. I won't," I choked out as tears threatened.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there, ok? Bella is a fighter. We both know it."

Our conversation was interrupted when Esme knocked on the door and peered inside.

"Jacob, you have some visitors out in the waiting room," she said, smiling when she saw us sitting together without killing one another.

"Thanks, Esme. I'll be right out," I said.

"I'll stay here with Bella while you go," Edward said as I got to my feet.

I leaned over her and brushed the tip of my nose against hers, then kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear, praying fervently that she heard me and came back to me.

When I arrived in the waiting room, it was empty, with the exception of Peter. He was pacing back and forth, stopping abruptly when he saw me.

"Dude, we got a problem," he said.

"What is it?" I asked, feeling anxiety grip my stomach in a vise.

"Maria went after Sophie and Chris. They were able to fight her and a half dozen of her minions off. He got banged up pretty bad in the fight, but he's healing ok," he said, his face haggard.

"I'll get a team together to go help them," I said, taking out my phone and scrolling through my contacts list.

Peter reached over and took the phone out of my hands, stopping my actions.

"They are here, Jake. They had nowhere else to go where they would be safe, so they hopped on the first flight out this morning," he explained.

"Where are they now?" I asked, looking around and seeing nobody else in the waiting room.

"Right here. Hello, Jacob," Sophie's musical voice said from behind me.

She and Chris were coming out of the elevator, both with a cup of coffee and looking exhausted. My heart skipped a beat when the familiar pull began tugging me towards her, and before I could stop myself, I hugged her close.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I checked them over for injuries.

"We are fine. It takes more than a busted arm and leg to keep me down," Chris said as he shook my hand.

When I saw satisfied that they both were ok, I led them over to one of the large couches, where we all sat down.

"I am so sorry I brought danger to your lives. You both were going about your lives peacefully until I came along," I guiltily said.

"Psssht! Please. My life was boooooring for all these years until you came along, Jake. I am a bit upset that Sophie has been exposed though. What can we do to protect her?" Chris asked, taking a long pull from his cup of coffee.

I couldn't help but notice that his hand slightly shook, either from adrenaline or pain.

"Do you want me to have Carlisle take a look at you, Chris? If you're in any pain, he can help," I asked before answering his question.

"Sophie first," he stoically said.

"My Pack will protect you. I will assign two of them to keep watch over at all times. Do you have any idea what Maria is up to?" I asked, worried that the filthy leech was going back to making newborns to come after me, now that we killed her friends.

"Not a clue. Although, she knew what Sophie was once she got near her. She has been compromised, and who knows what she's planning, now that she knows that vampires can breed with humans," Chris said.

"That would be an Achilles heel for shifters, because we are forbidden from hurting humans, and hybrids are part. We can talk more once you both have gotten some rest. Where are you staying?"

"Not sure. We literally just got into town thirty minutes ago and came straight here. Is there a hotel nearby?" Chris asked.

"Nonsense. My father's house still belongs to me, so I can send a few of my people there to clean things up and get you settled in," I said as I flipped open my phone and called Sarah, Seth and Maddy.

A few minutes later, things were settled with them going over to the house to get it ready.

"Thank you," Sophie said.

"You're welcome, both of you," I smiled.

"How is Bella doing?" Sophie asked, noting my gaunt face and worried eyes.

"Not so good. After I left, she found out she was pregnant with twins and was sick through most of her pregnancy. When she delivered the twins, they had to do a partial hysterectomy because she had an abruption and nearly bled to death. She has been in a coma ever since, and her body isn't healing at all," I explained, my voice rough with emotion.

"I'm so sorry, Jacob," Sophie said, placing her cool hand on my forearm. She then got to her feet and tugged me to mine.

"Chris, will you and Peter take our things and help the others prepare the house for us? Jacob, please take me to Bella. Maybe I can help," she said, hardening her eyes at Chris, who looked as he was about to protest.

"When should I come back for you?" Chris asked.

"I don't know. I'll call you when I'm ready, ok?" she asked.

"Chris or I will come get you. I'll let you use my Mustang, because you're going to need a car to get around," Peter said, giving Chris a nudge to get moving.

"Sophie, be careful. You know how much it drains you when you heal people," Chris gently warned.

"I'll be fine, Chris. I'm a big girl, you know," she said, giving him an affectionate grin.

After Peter and Chris left, I brought Sophie to Bella's room. Edward was still with her, sitting in the chair that I previously occupied. When we entered, he got to his feet and walked over to meet us, looking at Sophie curiously.

"Edward, this is Sophie, one of my friends I met in New Orleans," I said, introducing them.

"It's a pleasure," he said as he grasped her hand.

His back went rigid once their hands met, and his eyes got a faraway look in them.

"You're the one Jacob told us about. Part vampire, part human," he stated, looking frustrated.

"That I am. I know you're trying to get into my head, but I wouldn't even bother. It's a defense I learned to put up a long time ago, and now I can't seem to take the shield down," she chuckled.

"How did you….?" he asked, looking confused.

"Know you were trying to read my mind? Simple. I get a warm, tingling sensation, and it feels almost as if my hair was standing on end. There are not many readers out there, at least not as strong as you. My first encounter was an old psychic woman when I first came to America. She was sitting in a little booth, nearby where my ship docked, and I made the mistake of asking her where I could find lodging, since I was new to this country. Needless to say, she immediately figured out what I was and took me under her wing, teaching me how to shield myself from those who might harm me. She died a few months later, and that's when the Marmontes took me in," she explained.

"Enough about me. I came to see if I could help," she said, slowly walking over to Bella's bedside and looking at her.

"I don't know what else we can do for her. We thought that once Jacob came home, that she would get better, but it's almost four days since she went into the coma," Edward said as he watched Sophie closely.

"You'd be surprised, Edward. When I got sick from the Imprint, Peter took me to Sophie and she healed me," I said, for once feeling hope that Bella would get better.

"Her soul is not here," Sophie whispered, taking Bella's hands into hers and closing her eyes.

"What do you mean her soul isn't there? I can feel her," I said, my tone snappish from my fear.

"Tell me everything that happened to bring her to the state she's in," Sophie said as she continued to focus her energy on Bella.

Edward and I told her everything, from how Bella sustained the same wounds as I did when Irina caught me, to the difficult delivery, to the emergency surgery, to her dying twice. When we finished, she opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Did she come to you, Jacob?"

"Yes. I thought it was a dream, but when she bent the metal rebar back and freed me, I knew that it wasn't. She kissed me, then there was a bright light, and she was gone. I remember that after she disappeared, I felt immensely strong, as if her spirit filled me and gave me the strength to fight," I explained.

"Come over here," she commanded, which I obeyed.

She took my hand into hers and closed her eyes once more, seeming to go into a meditative state. A few moments later she opened her eyes, then glanced over at Edward.

"I need you to leave us," she stated, causing his eyes to narrow at her authoritative tone.

"As one of her doctors, I think it's best that I…," he started, but she cut him off.

"For what I have to do, I cannot have anyone else in here, in fear of it going wrong. Please, because she's run out of time and will die," she said, giving him a pleading look.

"Fine, but if something goes wrong…," he said, then stopped himself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sophie then walked over and clicked the lock into place as I nervously watched her.

"What are you going to do?" I asked with a bad feeling rolling around in my stomach.

"Jake, Bella died. Either half of her soul is with you, and the other half passed on, or her whole soul is inside of you. I won't know until I do a similar healing ritual as I did to you. Now come, we need to get started, because it can take awhile," she said.

"Give me your hand," she said, holding hers out to mine.

I took it, then she slowly reached over to Bella, taking her hand into her other one. She closed her eyes and began an incantation, and I could feel the energy filling the room. I felt as if the current was flowing out of me, into Sophie, and then into Bella, and it was the strangest feeling I had ever felt.

Sophie mumbled a few more words, and then a golden, shimmering light began filling the room and settled over us. Her head snapped backwards and her eyes opened, causing me to jump when I saw they were pure white rather than the amber they usually were. Her whole body began to shake, and gold colored electricity began crackling through her hands. I felt myself becoming weak as my energy flowed out of me, but I held strong, fighting off the fatigue that was making my legs shake as I struggled to stand.

The shimmering light grew brighter, the lights began to dim and wind began blowing our hair around in wild abandon. I glanced over to Bella, and my heart skipped when I saw that her color was starting to come back into her face. I gripped Sophie's hand tighter in fear that it would slip free from the powerful vibrations running through her.

Then, in a bright flash and a deafening boom, Sophie collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious.

"Sophie!" I cried, moving to catch her before she hit her head on the hard tile.

I picked her up and laid her on the couch, making sure she was breathing before rushing to Bella's side.

"Jacob! Open the door, NOW!" Edward yelled from behind the locked entry.

I looked up and saw that he and Carlisle were peering nervously into the room through the small window, and went to let them in.

"What in the hell?" Edward asked as he looked around at the mess.

There were scattered papers from the wind, and the bulbs from the overhead lights had exploded, leaving only the dim evening light to illuminate the room. Carlisle went to Bella to check her, while Edward went to Sophie to make sure she was ok.

"She's healing! Look!" Carlisle said as he looked at the wounds in her shoulders.

I rushed to his side and sighed with relief as each one knitted itself together. I then started to cry tears of happiness when I saw Bella begin to stir, shouting when her eyes fluttered open.

"Bells! Oh God, baby, you're back!" I cried, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

She flinched away from me and closed her eyes as a lone tear trickled down her face.

"Bella, I'm going to remove this tube from your throat, ok? When I say so, I need you to cough as hard as you can, sweetheart," Carlisle said.

She nodded her head, and a moment later the tube was removed, followed by a coughing spell. Once she caught her breath, and Carlisle was satisfied that she could breathe on her own, I sat down beside her, taking her hand in mine.

"You're home," she croaked, opening her mouth so that Carlisle could give her some ice chips.

"Yes, honey, and I'm never, ever leaving you again," I said with conviction.

"How are my babies?" she asked, not meeting my eyes.

"They are perfect, Bells. So healthy and strong," I said.

Then she turned and looked at me, her eyes hard.

"Good. Now get the hell away from me," she said, turning away from me and laying on her side so I couldn't see her face.

"Bells?" I asked, hurt by her rejection.

"GET. OUT. NOW!" she yelled, which brought on another coughing fit.

"Jacob, I think it's best you leave for now. I cannot allow Bella to be upset, because she is still fragile and doesn't need the stress," Carlisle said.

I nodded my head and stood, glancing at her before walking away.

"Edward, how is Sophie?" I asked.

"She's still unconscious, but she seems to be ok. I'm going to move her to the room next to yours until she wakes up," Edward said, anxiously looking over at Bella.

"Ok," I replied, and walked to the door.

Before I left, I looked back over at Bella, whose shoulders were gently shaking as she cried silently.

"For what it's worth, I love you, Bells. I promise I will make this right," I said, feeling my heart clench when she didn't acknowledge me.

Please forgive me……

BPOV

"How do you feel?" Carlisle asked me once Jacob left and he had moved me to a new room that didn't have broken glass and debris all over it. Waking up and seeing him sent me into a maelstrom of emotions, from elation, all the way to anger. I was happy he was back, but I knew our relationship sustained some major damage. He had done the one thing to me that he had promised above all else that he would never, could never do; he'd left me.

I could never trust him again.

"Tired. Confused. Weak. How long has he been back?" I sighed as I wiped my tears away.

"A few days. He hasn't really left your side the whole time, Bella. The only time he did leave was to spend time with Aiden and William. Other than that, he's been glued to you," he explained.

"Carlisle, I don't want to see him until I'm ready to. I don't care how you have to do it, but please keep him away from me," I begged, my tear filled eyes meeting his startling blue ones. I wasn't ready for this. For him. It was too much. There was so much I felt that I didn't understand. That I didn't want to feel. The biggest part of me needed to forgive him. Needed him. But I couldn't do it. Not yet. Not now.

His were filled with compassion and understanding, and his soft smile was touched with a bit of sadness.

"You know you're going to have to talk to him, Bella. Granted, he did a foolish thing, and he's really beating himself up about it. But you've loved each other since you were children, basically, so you owe it to each other to at least try to talk things through," he gently said, brushing my hair away from my face.

"I will, just not now. I'm not strong enough yet."

"I understand. Now, before I leave you to get some rest, is there anything you need?" he asked.

"Can you get my mom and have her come? I would like her to help me take a shower, and I need some clothes, especially if you keep me here, like I think you're going to. I would also like to see my babies," I murmured, my eyes closing, as I tried to fight off the darkness of sleep as it tried to suck me under.

"I sure will. Now rest. I will send up some food for you when you wake up," he said.

"Ok," I sighed, then slipped off, letting the safety of my dreams take me, running away from my feelings like I usually did.