Chapter Ten

Alice

It was so frustrating, the Swans would have to be the only humans our gifts didn't work on when they were the ones we needed them to most of all. I did consider breaking into their house again to search for clues as to Bella's whereabouts but I knew if Chief Swan found out, or even suspected it, we would be unable to stay here in Forks.

Besides, there was no sign of life at the house, no lights, and no sounds of movement from my vantage point in the trees opposite the house. Chief Swan's two cats came and went, the only life I saw in two nights surveillance, and their heartbeats, sounding eerily like a soft human heart were the only sounds, apart from the roar of the furnace and then the sounds of pipes cooling down when it went out.

Chief Swan kept to his usual shift pattern or rather worked more hours than he normally would owing to the weather and present circumstances and surely if Bella had been at home he would have checked on her from time to time? It was all really frustrating especially after Carlisle expressly ordered me to stay away from him and his house.

Jasper

The more I thought about the situation with the Swans the more concerned I became. Alice wasn't one to jump at shadows and although I knew she was upset at the fact none of our gifts worked on the Swans, and her own patient but useless watch of the deserted Swan house, she still wasn't happy.

There was nothing more we could do, though, not without causing problems for the family and Carlisle had already told her to back off. I tried to ease her distress by promising to contact an old friend who was a computer genius thinking that maybe if he could tell Alice where Bella had actually gone she might feel better.

"Thank you Jazz, it would help. I could contact her then and put my mind at rest. I just need to hear she's safe from her own lips, I just don't trust Chief Swan.

Things were made even more difficult because at present I couldn't get in touch with Darius, Forks was effectively cut off from the world and would be for some time, at least until the weather picked up and engineers could fix the various problems. In the meantime, Alice would just continue to fret although even she couldn't say what she thought was wrong or what she felt might have happened.

It was Christmas Eve and Emmett, Rose, and I had decided to take Alice's mind off Bella by distracting her with our annual competition, when in the right climate of course, of making fantastic beasts from snow. Things were going well until we heard a cry of distress from Esme who came running from the house looking shocked.

"I've just had a deputy here with a message from Carlisle, there's been a serious accident in town and he needs our help, I think there might be some deaths and Chief Swan might be injured."

Leaving the half-formed beasts at a run we piled into Emmett's truck for the drive into town but were forced to leave it on the outskirts, the road near the school was blocked with emergency vehicles, and make our way on foot. There were just too many humans around to risk running the rest of the way which was frustrating.

Finding myself walking beside Esme I tried to get some more information.

"What exactly did the deputy say, Esme?"

She turned to me still looking horrified,

"He said a group of local tradesmen had offered to see what they could do about restoring some power to the High School so the elderly and sick could have somewhere warm to stay until the mains power comes back on. Chief Swan and another deputy went with them while others collected heaters from Mr Newton's store, food from the grocery store and blankets from the mall.

Howard's construction had three large site generators which they were setting up outside with Chief Swan and a couple of other helpers when there was an explosion. He wasn't sure quite what happened but there were some serious injuries."

We reached the school to find the area was chaotic with people running around shouting orders but it was easy to see where the accident had occurred, the snow was melted in places, covered in ash and burned material in others, and the smell of burnt flesh filled my nostrils.

Rose grabbed Esme's arm,

"We'll go help Carlisle, he'll be struggling to cope with the injuries and there's no way of getting them to the hospital in Port Angeles or Seattle, even the air ambulance will be grounded in this."

Rose was right, no aircraft could fly in these blizzard conditions so the only help the injured would get was from the clinic which was not equipped to deal with this kind of emergency.

Carlisle

As soon as I heard news of the accident I contacted Esme knowing she and the others would come to help where they could then I grabbed my bag and headed for the school hoping for the best but fearing the very worst. I drove back with Deputy Eddie who was in shock himself.

"It was terrible Doc, the closest to the explosion went up like Roman candles and all we could do was knock them down and roll them in the snow. Others further away were injured by flying metal. You have to help them, the Chief is one of the injured."

I looked at his white face and hands that shook even while grasping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. He wasn't the only one who would be affected as a result of what he had seen, there would be others who had witnessed the accident and would be suffering shock as a result but for now, my main concern was for those who had been burned or otherwise physically injured.

"I'll do all I can deputy but you'll be needed to organise things if the Chief is hurt, can you handle that?"

He nodded pulling himself together with a visible effort and I took advantage of this,

"Do you know who else was injured besides the Chief?"

"Yeah, Howard and a couple of his guys, Greg Newton, and of course Charlie were burned but others were hit by flying debris, I don't know who or how many Doc the deputies are doing what they can for them."

When we arrived the situation was not as chaotic as I had feared. There were a couple of serious injuries from flying debris but those present had rallied round and were dealing with the less seriously injured. I scouted the area relieved at how much worse it could have been. Most of the injured were walking wounded, broken arms, cuts and bruises, plus there were others in shock at what they had seen.

The patients I concentrated on were those who had been closest to the explosion, five with serious burns and other injuries lying together away from the others, even these few burns patients would stretch us to our limit at the clinic. My secretary who had been here and witnessed the accident promised to locate as many of the off-duty staff as she could and get them there ready but I really needed medical help here too.

One nurse had turned up and was tending to the five and when I joined her I was relieved to see that three seemed to be less seriously hurt than I had first thought, at least they were conscious and propped up if white with shock and pain. I gave them a quick once over and deciding they would be better off at the clinic sent them off with one of the deputies in two flatbed trucks with snow chains he had commandeered. I was just relieved the clinic was close by, otherwise, it would have been a case of carrying the injured on stretchers through the snow drifts.

Once they had gone I turned my attention to the three forms who still lay on the ground aware I could hear only two heartbeats, I was too late, someone was already dead. Kneeling down I tried to examine a figure who was screaming and thrashing about. He was badly burned on his arm and one side of his face but I thought we stood a chance of saving him. I gave him some morphine for the pain and two of those eager to help carried him carefully to a car where the back seat had been folded so he could lie down.

Only two now remained, and only one of these was still alive. The stillness of the man with the worst burns, all his clothes and his hair burned away, told me he was beyond my help and I pulled the blanket over his face. We would find somewhere to store the body in a moment, I still had one patient to examine.

This man was barely recognisable but his uniform made it clear this was Chief Swan and I could see he wasn't going to make it.

Suddenly I was very glad that Bella had already left and would not have to witness this terrible sight. He was deep in shock, his burns so bad that he was not feeling much pain which was a Godsend, and I knelt beside him talking quietly in an effort to reassure and comfort him.

He tried to lift a blackened claw-like hand and I heard a raspy voice, no more than a whisper. Leaning closer I tried to make out his words, he was trying desperately to tell me something and it seemed important to him.

"Bella."

"Don't worry Charlie, we'll get in touch with your daughter."

"Bella...not...help her..."

I couldn't make out anything else and he was sinking fast so I did all I could to reassure him,

"We'll get word to her Charlie I promise you, now please try to relax."

I filled another syringe ready to give him a shot of morphine too but as I turned back I could see there was no need, Charlie Swan was dead.

Leaving the deputies to sort out somewhere for the bodies to be stored I started walking back to the clinic, to those I may still be able to help, and I found to my relief that Esme was at my side.

"The boys are staying behind, to see if there is anything they can do. The vulnerable people they were trying to help still need to be made comfortable, there are two working generators to provide heat and light and the school hall wasn't damaged. Rose went on to the clinic, she thought she would be of more help there but I….."

I knew Esme was talking to hide her shock so I smiled then took her hand in mine.

"It's OK Esme, I'm glad you are here. I'm afraid Chief Swan and John Howard are both dead but there are three men still alive, two we should be able to help and one we may be able to save but it's not going to be easy, we aren't equipped to treat burns, not to the degree those poor men need anyway."

"Oh God! Chief Swan? Thank goodness Bella didn't have to see this. Was it instant?"

"No, but he was so badly burned I don't think he felt much. He was worried about Bella though and I tried to comfort him. Once things get sorted we'll have to find out where she is and get a message to her. Unfortunately, that might not be for some time if this blizzard does return as expected which also means we are going to have to do our best with the injured here in town."

It was manic in the clinic but all the off-duty personnel who had heard of the accident had come in and were doing all they could for the injured along with Rosalie and Alice and I soon had Esme helping too.

"If you get a minute later Esme perhaps you could ask Alice to speak to Charlie's dispatcher, she might know how to get hold of Bella, I think it's going to be chaos at the station too and they might not get organised for a while with Charlie dead."

Then I set about helping the victims of the fire as best I could. Luckily volunteers had arrived unbidden to donate blood and supply blankets and pillows for the injured who were arriving all the time with injuries running from broken bones that needed setting and cuts that needed stitching to shock and minor burns. Forks was showing itself as the close community it boasted of being and that only served to reinforce my love for this town.