Chapter Ten: Oh- Wait, What?

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu

The room was completely silent for a few moments as we all took in what had been said. That was until the doctor came in. Automatically Jared tensed up.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Cullen." He said extending his hand towards my mother, then to me, Miss Jane, finally to Jewel. Jared stood up putting himself between Dr. Cullen and me.

"I'm afraid he there is no definitive answer as to whether or not he'll make it. His chances would improve significantly if he would wake up. We're doing all we can."

Everyone in the room seemed as though they couldn't talk.

"Thank you Dr. Cullen." I said standing up, while putting an arm on Jared's bicep to relax him. "We'll call you if anything changes."

"Thank you, Ms. Rowley." He smiled at me.

Everyone waited for Dr. Cullen to leave to continue whatever this would become.

"Kim, you's bein' here ain't gunna change nothin'. I'll keep control of these two; you and your beau go run along. Ans' don't yall's all worry 'bout nothin." Miss Jane whispered to Jared and me.

I smiled at her, silently thanking her, while grabbing Jared's hand and waving good bye to everyone. Only Miss Jane waved back. I glanced at the clock to find it was nearly four. I heard Jared's stomach growl as we walked out.

"Why don't we go to my house, I'll make us some sandwiches, then we can have a picnic at the cliffs."

"Sounds great," Jared said squeezing my hand while smiling down at me.

"What do you want to do about having two cars?" I asked him, leaning my head on his chest while walking down the white hallways.

"How about, I'll drive us to your house, and then later I'll run back here to get your car?" Jared suggested.

"Run?" I questioned him.

"Part of the wolf thing, remember?" He whispered.

"Oh, yeah, that. I'm a little tired." I told him.

"I know." He said.

As we reached his car he opened the door for me, helping me into his truck.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem." He smiled at me.

His massive frame made the truck look small. As we got on the road he put his arm around my shoulders.

"You know we're going to have to talk about, well everything." He told me.

I sighed, "I know, and the sooner the better, I guess."

"Are you okay to talk about it right now?"

"I think I'd like all the crying to be done in one or two days instead of dragging it out."

"Okay, whatever you want." He said, "The easiest thing to talk about is the whole wolf thing."

I let out a short laugh at that. "What?" He asked.

"It's pathetic that's the easiest thing to talk about. My boyfriend morphs into a wolf, and that's the easiest thing for us to discuss."

"Yeah, that's a pity."

"Tell me more about imprinting. Like do you know why it happens?"

"We aren't sure why it happens. Sam, our alpha, thinks it's to create more wolves. Personally I think it's because we're closer to nature so we feel stronger towards our soul mates. It's an amazing feeling, practically impossible to describe. All you want to do is make her happy and protected. You feel completed just seeing her. You get high whenever she laughs. Her voice is the best music. And you know that all you need is her."

A smile forms on my lips. Hearing that gives me butterflies.

"That's really sweet." I tell him.

He smiles sweetly at me.

"Anything else," I ask him.

"When we're in wolf form we can hear each other's thoughts. We have to listen to Sam when he uses his Alpha voice. Sam imprinted on Emily, which is why Sam left Leah. Emily wasn't attacked by bears but Sam…he accidently phased too close to her. But I'd never do that to you." He rushed the last sentence.

Leah's story was a sad one. Her fiancé goes missing. When he comes back he's not the same. They tried to work it out but soon Emily Young, Leah's cousin is in town. Everything changes suddenly. No longer is Emily a third wheel while they're at the beach because it's simply Emily and Sam. Leah refuses to come outside. I used to think Sam and Emily were the scum of the earth but now I understand it. I'd hate to be Leah still but now I know neither Sam nor Emily could control what had happened.

We finally arrived at my house. I start making sandwiches as Jared packs drinks and snacks. I also see him slip in a box of tissues, which I know for a fact I'll need. Next on the agenda is my parents and Jewel not to mention my dad's bundle of joy. Jared also grabs a jacket and a few blankets loading them into his car. Soon we're in the car.

"So are we away from the whole werewolf thing?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, so the next topic would probably be my parents right?" I ask.

"Whatever you want," Jared says.

"Ever since that night my family basically fell apart. We used to be the all American family. You know apple pies, family nights, board games and everything else. Then well…" I let my voice trail off. "After that I started to withdraw, from everyone. Then my dad felt useless so he started sleeping with any woman he could get, I guess it made him feel like he was giving someone joy. I'm sure there's some type of disorder there. Then my mom tried to forget everything by throwing herself into any cause, leaving me more alone so I withdrew even more. The cycle continued till it got so out of hand that there's no end in sight. We aren't a family just three people under one roof."

The last sentence is when tears started forming, but I wouldn't allow them to spill over. It made everything harder to deal with. "The rape wasn't as bad as what the rape did, what I allowed it to do. Did you know rape is about control? Well, he still has control over my family and I, almost three years later! He's still there! I can't get rid of him because of everything he did! God he changed every little thing about me and my family!" I say allowing tears to spill over.

I heave a sigh of relief. I never realized that before, or maybe I'd never admitted that before would be a better description. I felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. Jared simply sits in his car though we've gotten to the beach. One of his arms is around me, comforting me.

I breathe calming myself, knowing the worst is yet to come. I'm trembling almost painfully so.

"Kim, why don't we set up the picnic?" He says.

"Sure." I say, I reach for my door but Jared had already opened it. In addition to that he insisted on carrying everything to the cliffs.

Soon he had laid out a blanket, with the sandwiches, snacks and drinks I had packed. The tissues were also out because he knew I'd need them. I'd already put the oversized jacket on. It was my favorite jacket because it was warm and comfortable. Jared slung one arm around me.

As we began eating I took a big breath. Better to do it now and get it over with. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked I didn't have to specify what I meant.

"How did you deal with it afterwards?" Jared asked me.

"I didn't. I thought that if I didn't think about it, I wouldn't remember it. I got terrible flashbacks. I could barely close my eyes. I developed insomnia. It got out of control. I made myself physically sick. It was a really bad time for me. When my dad moved I think my mom wanted everything to go back to normal, and she thought it would. Then when I found out Cody had moved up here too, I freaked out." I told him.

"Cody… as in Cody Welle?" Jared asked, shaking so much I could barely see him.

"Jared, what's going on?" I asked, trying to calm him down, he started to shake less and less till he was barely shaking at all.

"Is it Cody Welle?" He asked once again.

"Yes." I responded.

"That… I'm… I…" Jared stuttered at a loss for words.

"Jared, I know you two are friends, I don't expect…" I start to say.

"No we're not. Not any more we aren't and you should expect it! Kim, you mean more to me than that filthy whore, he's not worth anything. What he did to you… he should be in jail! I can't believe that anyone would ever think that he shouldn't! I mean…"

"Jared, you can't do anything about what he did." I told him.

It was true. I didn't expect him to drop his entire life for me. I wasn't sure how long he and Cody had been friends and I wasn't sure how close their bond was. I knew he had imprinted on me but it wasn't fair to ask for him to sacrifice his entire life.

"I may not be able to do anything but I sure as hell don't have to be friends with him!"

"Jared do whatever you want, I just don't want to see him again." I told him.

"Kim, if I found out that anybody had done that to another person I would hate them for it. That's one of the lowest things a person can do. I would hate him for it if he was some person off the street that did it I would hate him. He did this to my imprint; I know I can't kill him, but that's what I want to do." He said pulling me into a hug. The emotion in his voice was undeniable.

We stayed there for a while, taking comfort in each other's embrace. I felt drained. I hadn't gotten a great night's sleep per say. The conversation, though I was grateful to get it off my chest, was strenuous. Suddenly my phone began vibrating, I wouldn't have normally answered it but my father was in the hospital so I flipped it open.

"Hey," I said into the phone, sending an apologizing glance to Jared.

"Kim, get to the hospital right now." My mother's voice rang through my ears.