Chapter Ten
I really couldn't have felt worse right then.
Carlisle had taken me straight to the hospital himself. Only sticking around to make sure I was tended to in the ER before leaving. Now here I was, stuck in a hospital bed with strict orders to stay put until absolutely everything was checked out. Some stupid oxygen tube thing bugging the fuck out of my nose. I was constantly fiddling with it, but I knew they wouldn't let me take it off. To make their job easier, I never tried.
Once I'd had a chance to rest, the cramping pains slowly tapered off. I wasn't there longer than fifteen minutes, in the middle of being given an IV of fluids before Heather found me. Rounding the edge of the curtain separating my little area from the one next to me. Josh and Zack weren't far behind.
"Leandra." Somehow, she sounded pissed and relieved at the same time.
"I'm fine." I immediately told her, "They already found the heartbeat, and said it's fine." Which was true. That was done first thing.
"What happened?" She asked.
"I think I got too mad." I sighed, focusing now on the IV stuck in my arm, "Is he still here?"
"Who?" She asked, carefully sitting on the side of my bed as the other nurse grabbed my chart and walked away.
"Carlisle." I replied quietly, "He brought me here."
"I didn't see him." She shook her head, "Then again, I wasn't really looking." Why did that disappoint me? I never had a chance to thank him. If I did have a chance, I wasted it by being stubborn.
I sighed again, shrugging a little. I'd just have to accept that.
"They're not letting me go for awhile." I muttered, "Just to be sure the baby's alright, but I'm starving."
"On it." Zack replied instead, immediately turning.
"Anything with chicken in it." I called after him. His responding small laugh told me he'd heard me. I knew he was going to get me something to eat.
"I'm going to go find someone who has some answers." Heather sighed, standing up next. I nodded, allowing that and watching her leave. Josh was left, but he hadn't spoken. He stood silently, watching the floor with an expression that worried me.
"You okay?" I asked him after a minute.
"No." He replied quietly, "Leandra, what the hell happened? It doesn't make sense. You were upset when you left, true, but what was he doing out there with you in the first place?"
I wasn't sure how to reply, but he went on.
"I thought you didn't want to see them?" He asked, "I think they very fucking least they could do is respect that."
"It's a long story." I sighed, looking down.
"You're falling for it again." He snapped.
"It's hard, Josh." I countered, "I at least owe it to them to-"
"You don't owe them anything." He pointed out firmly, "After what those people did to you? Don't be stupid."
I glared.
"I didn't mean it like that." He forced himself to calm his tone, "But you know what I mean."
"It's not that easy." I had to force my own tone to calm, "There's more to them than them leaving. You don't know what they did for me, Josh. You weren't there."
"Tell me." He insisted, crossing his arms, "What could they have done that could possibly make up for abandoning you like that?"
"They saved my life, for starters." I countered, "In every way. If it weren't for them, I would have had a really shitty life up until now."
"How?" He asked, "In what way?"
"There are things you don't know." I shook my head firmly, "Things nobody told you, and for good reason."
It was true. I never told him exactly what was going on back then, and I was pretty sure Heather hadn't either. I was fairly certain he had no clue exactly how deep Heather's and my bond went.
"What things?"
"Now isn't the time to ask me that, Josh." I snapped this time.
"Fine." He huffed, "Alright, but I'm not forgetting about this." Meaning, we'd talk about it later.
He was just about to turn to walk away, but someone else's arrival made him stop in his tracks. Andrew rounded the curtain swiftly, ignoring Josh completely.
To say I was surprised to see him was an understatement.
I noticed changes in him instantly. His normally lean physique had filled out just a bit more. Nothing outrageous, but enough to notice that he'd definitely put on a couple of pounds of muscle under his thin t-shirt. His normally slightly shaggy dark brown hair was now cut short. I wasn't sure I approved of that, but I wouldn't comment on that. He had always been tall, so I him getting a bit taller wasn't that abnormal.
The biggest change I detected was in his eyes. His normally open, friendly expression had been replaced by a cautiously guarded, tired one.
"Oh, hell no." Josh spoke first, taking our attention, "Are you fucking kidding me? What the hell-"
"Josh." I sighed, tired, "Just stop." Before Andrew could even reply to him, Josh shook his head and turned. Walking away, very aggravated by the growl under his breath.
Amused, Andrew watched him go.
"He doesn't like me much, does he?" He asked me quietly.
"Not really." I admitted sheepishly, "At least not right now." His small smile faded as he looked down. I would have looked down as well, but I couldn't stop staring. He'd changed so much.
"How are you feeling?" He finally asked me.
"I'm okay now." I mumbled, "Everything's fine, and believe me, lesson learned. They want to run some test while I'm here, but I don't want that, so they're bringing in the doctor to try to talk me into it."
He didn't reply to that, only nodding a little to himself.
"How did you know I was here?" I wondered quietly.
"Magic." He joked with a small smile, "Nah, Zack texted me."
"I'm sorry if I worried you."
"Don't be." He replied, but he sighed, "Look, I know I look different-"
"It's okay." I assured him, quieter now, "I know." I wasn't sure if he knew that I knew already, "I know what's going on."
He seemed surprised, "You know?"
"I know." I confirmed, "So don't worry, okay? If you have to be gone a lot, I get it. Take all the time you need to figure yourself out again. I'll be here. Well, not here, specifically, but you know what I mean." His responding smile was a lot more like him. He'd been worried before, and I was glad I managed to ease that worry so easily. I could imagine that he thought I'd not want anything to do with him, and I imagined he'd been going over every possible way to tell me. Now that I already knew, it wiped that worry away.
"I can't believe they let you come see me." I admitted, surprised.
"They didn't want to." He replied, "But I came here anyway. I don't care if I have a babysitter."
"You have a babysitter?" I frowned, confused. To my surprise, some stranger poked his head around the curtain, finally making his appearance.
"Leandra, this is Ethan." Andrew told me, "My babysitter."
"Nice to finally meet you." Ethan smiled and I couldn't help smiling a little in response.
"Keep him out of trouble." I told him, much to his amusement.
"Of course." Ethan replied, "It's my job."
Neither of them stayed long. Just long enough to see me before Ethan was practically dragging Andrew away. I was pretty disappointed, though. I really didn't want him to go. I couldn't even have a hug from him. Ethan wouldn't let him come within five feet of me. Was he that bad? I couldn't exactly blame him, though. From what I'd heard, and what I remembered, the wolves were pretty unstable in the beginning.
I did everything I possibly could to not let myself focus on that again. Andrew was just Andrew to me. That was all he'd ever be.
I learned through that experience that the baby was tougher than I thought. It wasn't strong like a vampire baby would be, but tough. Sturdy. From what I was told in the ER, with my blood pressure the way it was, it should have caused at least a few problems, but I was released only a few hours after getting there, with strict orders to take it easy.
That didn't excuse me from bed rest, though. Heather went on the entire drive back that I'd be resting for at least a few days after this. I couldn't reach, I couldn't bend, I couldn't lift. The only thing I was allowed to do was exist for the next few days. Just to be sure. If it didn't involve trips to the bathroom, I was to stay in bed. I couldn't exactly complain, because I knew she was just worried, but I also knew that staying in bed was going to grate on my nerves. Maybe if I followed her other rules, she'd let me at least leave my room.
By the time I got home, night had fallen. Tonight would have been the night I would go back outside, but I doubted they'd be there. It didn't take me long to decide that I wouldn't even try. I left my window shut and locked, not even moving the curtains.
At Heather's insistence, I went straight to bed. I wasn't complaining, though. After the day I'd had, I felt like I could sleep for a week.
Not even just to immediately sleep. It felt so nice to just lay there for a minute. Curled up on my side, cuddled into the blanket, I felt comforted. If only for a moment. The time it took for me to start thinking.
I felt bad. I never got to thank Carlisle for helping me out, despite how much I hated him having to. I replayed over and over the words I yelled at him, and I shook my head. I'd been waiting a long time to yell at him like that, but I should have had a little bit of restraint. Now that I got it out, I could afford to feel bad.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled to the empty room.
I actually had nothing to worry about. I was downstairs the next day. Having had a chance to calm down, Heather agreed as long as I didn't try to do anything too strenuous, I'd be fine, but to limit my trips up and down the stairs.
It made me feel even better to know that she trusted me enough to watch Hunter while she ran over to the hospital to pick up some paperwork. She'd be gone thirty minutes, if that, so it wasn't a huge job, but it was enough.
Josh was, of course, working. Mike had finally talked Zack into spending the day with him at his work, and would probably put him to work there, so it'd just be me here watching Hunter.
I didn't mind that. Not in the least. We probably wouldn't even know she was gone. I turned the TV on to some cartoons for him while I pulled out my phone, and for the first ten-or-so minutes, we hardly noticed she'd left.
I then decided that I needed to go change out of my pajamas. I was feeling restless laying around all day in them. That might be as far as my productivity went, but it would make me feel better.
"Stay here." I told Hunter, who never even nodded, much less look away from the TV screen. He'd be fine.
I made sure to be extra careful on my way up the stairs. Taking my time, taking each step carefully as to not strain anything. I was still a little sore, but nothing I couldn't handle. I hadn't planned on being up here longer than five minutes, so I shut my door behind me quickly and moved for the dresser.
However, before I could even open the drawer, the mirror on the closet door beside me told me I wouldn't be leaving my room quite as quickly as I wanted to.
I turned sharply, spotting someone standing there that I really wished I hadn't.
Straight from my childhood nightmares, Jack stood leaning against the wall beside the window. Instead of reacting in fear, despite being completely terrified, I reacted in anger.
"Oh god." I snapped, "You again? Go die in a hole, you fucking bastard." The blatant tremble in my tone giving away my intense fear.
That deeply amused him, "Damn. Is that any way to greet me?"
"I fucking hate you." I countered, "So yeah. I think so."
"Oh no." He muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "You've really hurt my feelings. What ever will I do?"
I shook my head, turning my back on him. Against my better judgement. I did everything I possibly could to slow my racing heart. Staring at the top of my dresser in front of me.
"Nice digs you've got here." He said conversationally, referring to my room. He didn't sound pissed in the slightest.
"Yeah." I grumbled, "It's good. Now if you could kindly go fuck yourself, I've got somewhere to be."
I abandoned the idea of changing my clothes and turned for the door.
"Lookie here." He chuckled, blocking my path to the door as I stumbled back a step, "Is this you running away?"
"Get away from me." I muttered as firmly as I could.
"Got somewhere better to be?" He grinned, watching as I hesitantly stepped around him.
"Anywhere is better than staying here." I snapped in reply, finally reaching the door. I reached for the door knob, nearly grabbing it before his hand pinned the door shut.
"And where would that somewhere better be?" He asked quietly now, directly behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut, composing myself. Freezing with my hand on the knob.
"Downstairs." I answered shakily, "Watching Hunter and making sure he's okay."
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about Hunter." He smirked. He stepped around me and slid over, breaking my hold on the knob and standing in front of the door, "He's fine." Once again, I stepped back.
My anger was fading by the second, more fear taking its place. The way he was watching me made me very uncomfortable.
"Really, Jack." I mumbled, "What do you want from me this time?"
"So.." He crossed his arms, leaning against the door, "I heard you went and got yourself knocked up." The way he said that made me fully aware that he knew about it before ever setting foot anywhere near me.
Despite focusing on that, I had no idea how to respond.
"What a shame." He added, his smirk only widening.
I found my voice, "Is that really what you came out of hiding to talk to me about?"
"Oh," He laughed, "You really think I've been hiding?"
"How else have you stayed alive?"
"You still underestimate me?" Every word out of my mouth seemed to amuse him even more. I really couldn't understand, though. If he hadn't been hiding, then where had he been? How was he not dead yet? I knew the Cullens probably gave up looking for him after he was no longer a threat to me, but from what I understood, they weren't the only ones looking for him.
"Enough games, Jack." I mumbled, my shoulders slumping tiredly, "For once in your life, just cut the shit. Just be straight with me. What do you want from me?"
He was quiet for a moment, just watching me with that infuriating smirk. It took a while before I realized he was just thinking it over. After that moment, he dropped the smirk and glanced down at the floor.
"Okay." He said, looking to me again, "Believe it or not, I came to help you out."
"I don't." I crossed my arms.
"Suit yourself." He replied with a slight shrug, "But I thought you'd like a heads up."
"On?" I sighed, quickly getting annoyed at his extremely vague answers.
"You've got the attention of someone.. Pretty fucking important."
"Oh, shit." I rolled my eyes, "Aro again?"
"You're not taking this as seriously as you obviously should." His tone held no hint of joke in it, "Don't be fucking stupid."
"I'm not scared of him." I turned for my bed, "I've had his attention for years. Between you and Aro, I'm pretty fucking used to being hunted down."
"Thing is.." He slowly stepped forward, "You live here now. Three guesses why that would bother me."
I hesitated, tensing. He had a point.
"So, what?" I asked, turning to face him again, "You think he'd really hurt Heather?"
"What the fuck did you expect?" He asked, scoffing.
"It was his idea to put me here." I snapped lightly.
"You knew from the start what this was." He snapped in return, and right then, I started to get suspicious. I did what I could not to let on, though.
"Yeah," I said, "This was supposed to be something that would protect me from you."
"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes again, "You really think that would work? No. I'm not afraid to show up here. Obviously." He gestured around pointedly, "You really think coming here was something that was supposed to benefit you?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Surprise, fuck-stick." I turned sharply toward the window at Emmett's voice. He'd clearly made his way in through the window. The door behind Jack also burst open, and I hardly got a look at Mikah before he was running for Jack.
Impossible to follow, I flinched hard as Mikah was suddenly hitting the wall across the room. The shelving I had hanging on the wall had no chance of survival, the table under them even less of a chance. Everything, including Mikah, hit the floor with a deafening sound. Glass breaking, wood exploding into splinters.
"For fuck's sake!" I shouted, flinching again at Emmett's try. Instinct had me move forward, standing up on my bed and out of the way. I turned in time to see Mikah heading for the struggling pair in the middle of the room. Emmett was strong, but Jack was faster.
"Hey!" I shouted as loudly as I could this time, my voice breaking and gaining Emmett's attention just long enough for Jack to punch him back and run. Straight to the window, and out of it. Without bothering to open it back up from where Emmett had closed it. Shattering the glass outward, and taking a lot of the frame with him. Mikah immediately followed him out the window, his growl a deadly mix of anger and tension.
"Goddammit!" I shouted yet again in the silence of Emmett getting back to his feet. He strode for the window, but I jumped from my bed, "Hold it, asshole."
He turned, his expression as angry as Mikah's growl had been.
"Clean this shit up." I pointed around the room, "You guys made this mess. You're not just leaving me to clean it up."
"In a minute." He replied roughly, but before I could even think of a reply, he was out the window as well. I strode quickly across the room, leaning out what was left of the window and searching the now empty yard.
"What the fuck?" I called outside, "Get your ass back here and fix my bedroom, you son of a bitch!"
Of course, I got no reply.
I was fully aware that the reaction I'd had was not the reaction I should have had. Focusing on exactly what I shouldn't be focusing on. Maybe as a defense against getting too upset. I wasn't sure.
"Leandra?" A small, hesitant voice behind me in the doorway had me turn. Hunter had obviously heard the commotion up here, and was no doubt scared out of his mind. Given his wide-eyed look around the room, he was pretty freaked out. Not that I could expect any less. Looking around again at all the devastation, it was easy to see why.
My bedroom door itself was destroyed, completely unusable thanks to Mikah kicking it in. The door was broken in half, save for one spot keeping it together, holding on by one hinge. Part of the door frame itself in splinters strewn across the floor from the force. Almost comically, the single hinge holding what was left of my bedroom door up gave out. Letting the door hit the floor with a thud, which allowed the door to finally crack completely in half, breaking apart on impact. Both Hunter and I flinched.
The floor across the room, in the corner to the left of the window was also littered with broken glass and wood from what was left of my shelves and table as well as everything that had been sitting on it. A lamp that once stood on that table was now in pieces, the shade caved in and cracked. The wall itself wasn't immune, either. A giant indent from I assumed Mikah's head and shoulders was left behind. The drywall completely destroyed, pieces of the wall itself mixed into the wood splinters.
The window was the most intact thing, which was amusing.
"It's okay." I sighed, "Don't come in here." I didn't want Hunter to step on any wood shards in his currently bare feet. The sound of Heather's return had me glancing back outside.
How was I supposed to hide all of this from her? Where would I even begin to explain? She was an understanding person, but not this understanding.
Hunter, having heard her arrival as well, did what he always did when he was scared. He ran for her.
"Hunter, wait." I called, but it was pointless. He was way ahead of me. Being careful of where I stepped in my room cost me precious time. Nearly tripping over my useless bedroom door laying on the floor, I caught myself on what was left of the door frame. I followed him anyway, making it safely down the stairs and to the wide open front door in time to see him ambushing Heather as she closed her car door behind herself in the driveway.
She was puzzled at his obviously upset state, looking to me for answers. I had absolutely no answers to give her.
Behind me, on the couch, my phone sounded a text message notification. Curious, and more than willing to put off trying to explain, I turned for it. It was from an unsaved number, one I'd never seen before, and only had three words.
"Stall and lie."
It didn't take a genius to figure out who had sent that message, and I suddenly had hope. If they could pull this off, they'd save me a whole lot of tension. I sent a quick reply.
"The floor in front of the closet creaks. Be careful."
Almost instantly, I got my own reply.
"Give us 30 minutes."
Thirty minutes? I could do that easy.
"Leandra?" Heather spoke to me from the front doorway, "What is he so worked up about? Something about your room?"
"I have no idea." I replied easily, "I was just up there. He must have had a bad dream or something."
"Liar." Hunter sniffled, "It was wrecked. I saw it."
"I don't know what you think you saw.." I shook my head.
"I saw it!" He was getting mad.
"Now, that's enough." Heather told him gently, "Come on. Would it make you feel better if we went up and-"
"I was just up there." I cut her off, my heart sinking, "I don't think it exploded between now and five seconds ago."
"I believe you." She laughed a little, turning for the stairs with Hunter in tow, "I'm just trying to calm him down."
Shit. Not as easy as I thought it would be. Thirty minutes had been requested. It had barely been two. I knew they were fast, but I doubted they could do much of anything in such a short amount of time.
I jogged forward, pushed passed her and blocked the stairs. Immediately, she was suspicious.
"You can't go up there."
She gave me a look in response. It was one of those what-are-you-hiding-from-me looks.
"I'm uh.." I searched my head, "I forgot to tell you.. Um.. I'm remodeling."
"Remodeling?" She asked skeptically.
"Yeah."
"While you're supposed to be on bed rest?"
Crap.
"Uh.."
"Leandra," She sighed, "Move aside, please."
"I can't." I said, "I'm stuck."
"Oh, for goodness sake." She gently but firmly moved my arm to the side, "Really. How bad could it be?" I couldn't exactly physically stop her as she and Hunter both walked by me. She made it three steps before her phone rang in the purse still hanging on her shoulder.
She paused to dig it out and answer it, and I prayed that whoever was on the other side of that phone call could buy those cleaning my room up enough time to at least make it somewhat orderly.
"Now," She spoke into the phone, "Hold on. Slow down." I recognized that tone. It was someone from work. She spoke again, "I realize that, but right now is really not a good time. Can I call you back in-"
She cut off, obviously interrupted. Listening while gently smoothing Hunter's hair beside her. With a sigh, she started back down the stairs. As she passed me, she gave me a very clear don't-you-move look.
"Let me check." She said into the phone, "Just hold on one second. You said three?" I stopped listening then, looking to Hunter still standing there. Without waiting much longer, I took his hand and led him up the stairs, ignoring his protests. Stopping just out of Heather's sight in the hallway, I turned him to face me. In the brief moment of silence, I could clearly hear movement up the hall in my room.
"Hunter," I spoke quietly and he looked up at me with a pout, "You have to tell her that it's okay."
"Why?" He asked.
"Because." I replied, "If she sees my room right now, she'll be so mad at me. Do you really want me to get into big trouble?" When I put it like that, he actually stopped to think.
"But it's not okay." He reasoned, frowning.
"I know." I said, "I know it's not okay, but we need her to think that it's okay. Just tell her that I showed you my room, and that it's okay."
"But that's a lie."
"I know." I sighed, trying to keep my temper, "But-"
"I'm not supposed to lie." He went on, "Lying is bad."
"Sometimes lying is good." I explained. I paused to listen for a moment, vaguely hearing Heather still on the phone downstairs before I spoke again, "I promise. If you tell her that everything is okay, I'll give you four cookies every day for a week."
Of course, that was enough to get his attention.
"Really?" He asked, and I nodded.
"I promise." I repeated.
"But won't I get in trouble for it?"
"Not if she doesn't find out." I replied, and he paused in thought, "But you have to help me. Please." I hated negotiating with a five-year-old.
"Okay." He finally muttered, clearly skeptical.
"Okay." I smiled a little, not quite relieved yet. I'd save the relief for the moment I believed it worked. I took his hand again and led him back down the stairs, finding Heather in the kitchen at the table, just finishing up her phone call. She looked to us expectantly as she set her phone down.
"Everything's okay, mommy." Hunter told her, but I instantly didn't believe him. If I didn't believe him, Heather sure as hell didn't believe him.
"Really?" She asked, confirming her disbelief.
"Yup." He said, and looked to me, "Where's my cookies?" I hesitated before I sighed. Ignoring Heather's flat look at me as I turned to the pantry. I dug four cookies out of the package and handed them to Hunter.
"Nice doing business with you." He told me and walked away. That kid clearly needed a lesson or two about how to make a believable lie. He also needed to stop hanging around Mike so much while he was working.
"Cookies?" She asked me, having caught on and I sighed.
"It didn't work."
"No," She agreed, "It didn't." She turned to walk toward the stairs, but I grabbed her hand. She frowned, now worried, "Leandra?"
"Don't be too mad." I requested, "Please. I know it's bad-"
"What on Earth is going on with you?" She asked, "Honey, whatever it is you did-"
"Please." I requested again, "Don't kick me out."
"Kick you out?" She frowned even more, "Okay, come on." With that, she led me toward the stairs. This time, there would be no stopping her. I'd done everything I could think of to buy them as much time as I possibly could. Maybe ten minutes.
Her phone rang on the table behind her again, but she ignored it this time. Walking with me up the stairs, but I stopped following her when we reached the hallway. I couldn't bear to look. Covering my face with my hands, turning and facing the wall. I waited for it.
"Leandra." Her firm voice had me cringing moments later, "Come here. Now."
A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. Little KNeu's quest to grow up is continuing. This week's episode: Teething! Oy.
Anyhoo. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Even with the horrible cliffhanger at the end. I know it's not as long as my other chapters, but I got what I could into it.
THANK YOU! To my AMAZING reviewer of last chapter! EEEEEEEE! THANK YOU!
Chapter eleven has a lot of answers in it and I'll do what I can to make it longer, so hopefully, I can get it done faster than I got this one done. Fingers crossed!
Until Eleven, my friends!