Clearwater—Part I
Leah's POV
I don't even remember what happened after that. I think I just stood there in shock. I do know that Nahuel was sitting on the rock holding me in his arms when the Ticunans came for us. They led us to the center of their village where a wonderful feast was laid out. They even had fresh meat for the Jaguars who were always by Nahuel's side. Then the food came. After overeating on a wonderful roasted duck dish with a crazy sauce that left my tongue numb, corn, beans, yams and so much fresh tropical fruit that I worried about having more than one kind of 'running' tomorrow, I started getting sleepy. I opened my eyes wider to keep awake.
The whole tribe turned out and there was singing and even some sort of a play involving hunting. It was sort of lost on me without knowing the language. Every now and then Nahuel would lean over and explain what was being said. I had a hard time taking my eyes off him but I didn't want to be rude to these nice people.'Wow, me Leah Clearwater, not wanting to be rude? That feels different and nice. It feels like I've been buried in layers of hurt and anger and betrayal and Nahuel has just dug me up from being buried alive. Now I'm seeing the sun again, breathing air again, and being free. My heart feels lighter. I hadn't realized that the weights I had hanging on me had affected my spirit. Now that I'm unburdened by them, I feel like my true self is finally reemerging, and that the past 4-5 years have been nothing but a terrible dream. IF Nahuel is serious about this, if he is really going to stay—dang, I almost feel a panic at the thought that he might not—but if he stays, I could have the strength to forgive Sam and Emily. Right now, I feel like anything is possible.' I'd thought as I gazed into the fire. For once I was content—happy even with Nahuel's hand firmly clasping my own.
At the close of the evening, the chief gave us a drink that smelled somewhat familiar. Nahuel told me it was from the cocoa tree but not to get to excited about it…if I was thinking about hot chocolate (and I was),this drink wasn't sugared and it wasn't diluted with milk. He was right. Somehow I managed to gulp it down with my image of myself as Ambassador Leah Clearwater firmly in my mind. The chief then led us to a hut farther away from the others and said something to Nahuel, who then turned to me and said, "The chief of the Ticuna People wants to thank us for our honoring his people with our presence. They know that they will have a good harvest this year because of our visit. They wish us a good night's rest and will wake us up at dawn when the Jacob's poultices will be ready. We need to smile and wave to them now." I did this immediately. I was also starting to panic a little, we were in the doorway to a 'hut' to spend our first night together and we were-man-and-wife. This had gone WAY to fast. He turned and pulled back the fabric draped across the door for me. I went in and he followed. There was one thin, wide mattress in the middle of the room. It was on top of a frame of wood. I was assaulted by butterflies. "Lovely Leah," Nahuel said as he enfolded me in his arms again. That helped the panic a little bit. "Is it possible that you might be as nervous about this as I am?' I looked up at him and he wore a sheepish expression. I just nodded and started to laugh. Quietly, as the walls of the hut didn't offer much sound insulation.
'Wow, I'm laughing. When was the last time I laughed?' Nahuel laughed as well. That helped a bit. "Do you mind if we wait, Nahuel?" I almost whispered. "I mean there is no question that I want you forever, I can't even imagine wanting anyone but you ever again, but can we kind of take it slow? Get to know each other a little bit first?" Nahuel sighed in relief, "I was kind of hoping you might say something like that." He then pulled back the blanket on the bed and made a show of turning his back on me so that I could prepare for bed.
'Well, he's already seen me in just a shirt; Heck, I married him in just a shirt, so I can at least take off my shoes and jeans.' When I was in and covered, he did the same.
"Would it be alright, if I held you in my arms, while we sleep tonight, Leah?" He asked tentatively. "I think I can handle that." I said as I snuggled up next to him. My head rested on his chest and I breathed his scent in. It was sweet, like vampires, but also earthy, musky, and the blood in his veins tempered it so the sweet wasn't overpowering. It didn't burn my nose at all. I found the more I inhaled it, the more intoxicating it was. "Nahuel?" I asked after a moment of silence as he ran his hands lightly down my back. "Yes, Leah" he asked as he grazed his lips across the top of my head. It seemed like he was smelling me. I wonder if that's a vampire thing.
'Maybe I'll need to just get use to that. Oh, wait; I was just doing that to him too.' I looked up at him in the darkness. "Just how married are we? I mean, there didn't appear to be any vows, or a license…" I trailed off waiting for an answer. I didn't want to be angry with Nahuel but this was something I needed to resolve with him. "Well, as far as the indigenous people of the Amazon are concerned. We are husband and wife. If we live here, it's a done deal." He said matter-of-factly. "What if we don't live here?" This brought up another worry to me. I thought it was beyond beautiful there but I didn't think that I really wanted to live in the Amazon. "Well, the Brazilian government has an agreement with Tribal People of the rainforest; they give authority to the chiefs to officiate in matters of their tribes. They are encouraged to have the marriages, births, deaths recorded with the government within three months of the event but it is a haphazard agreement as it doesn't get done very often. To keep our marriage legal, we would need to go to Porto Velho and have it recorded. So to answer your question, Lovely Leah, we are and we aren't." 'So, we're not actually legally married right now?" I asked. Not sure how I felt about that. Partly I felt relieved and partly sad. I also worried that he would change his mind and not want to marry me. It was hard for me to be imprinted. I couldn't take charge like my pack-brothers could. I concentrated on his arms around me. It calmed my unease. "We're legally married until we leave Brazil or the three month grace period runs out, then if we want to be legal, we would need to get it recorded. But Leah…" He leaned up on his elbow to look me in the eye. "I would never trick you into marrying me if I thought it would be a permanent arrangement. I will need to explain to you about the legends of the Jaguar God and the Wolf Goddess to help you understand why I acted as I did yesterday. I truly didn't think I would fall in love with you, and I do love you Leah." At the intensity of his words, my heart caught in my throat. He said he loved me. I never thought I would ever hear those words again. "I thought I would do what was needed to get away from the Jaguar People so we could help Jacob. Then make sure it was never recorded and when you left Brazil it would be over and you wouldn't ever need to be worried about it. Edward was going to tell you before the ceremony but I warned him not to if there was any chance you would not play along because the Jaguar People take their legends VERY seriously. Can you forgive me for that? I promise you I will never do anything like that behind your back again." "Yes," I said feeling that he didn't need to ask and also a little ashamed to realize that his assessment was spot on. "Now that you have explained why, I can forgive you and you're right. If I had known I would never have allowed the marriage to happen--even knowing it could be fixed later. And we would probably not be here now getting Jacob the medicine he needs. It's just that…" I was almost afraid to tell him my anxiety. "Just what," He murmured? He was brushing a wayward hair strand off my face. "Just, that I'm a little sad that it isn't permanent. I mean, I'm relieved, but I'm sad also. How's that for conflicting emotions." I laughed half heartedly. "I've lived 158 years and I've never had a wife before. I like having you as my wife. I could hold you hostage here." He said thoughtfully. He bent down and kissed my lips softly. "I think I kind of like being your wife." I answered back, "But could you hold me hostage back home?" "That might work. I'm getting an idea here. If you'll agree to be my permanent wife, then I want to give you the wedding you have always dreamed of Leah; where your home is, with your family there and your friends. What do you think of that? I mean," He paused and shifted off the bed to kneel beside me, and took my hand. "Lovely Leah, will you be my wife? Will you marry me?" "Yes!!!." I said with joy erupting through my voice. He pulled me up in a tight embrace. "Oh, and by the way, I love you too." He kissed me again softly. "You have made me a happy man Leah Clearwater." He tightened his arms around me. We lay back down and were silent for a minute. "Hey, Nahuel, what is your last name?" I asked him suddenly, as I realized I didn't know. I was very proud to be a Clearwater and I wondered if my new last name would be something strange. "Well I am from the Mapuche Tribe over the mountains and into Chile. In our tribe, I was known as Nahuel of the Mapuche. I've never really had a last name so to speak. I have shortened it to Nahuel Mapuche. My father's name is Joham—if you could even call him a father," He said his voice suddenly gone cold. "I would never consider using his name. I enjoyed seeing him squirm when the Volturi came calling on him last year. I don't think he'll be trying to make anymore hybrids for a while. They made him turn over all his notes and they also took detailed accounts from my sisters. Do you know what he did Leah?" His voice held hate and pain in it. I remembered the story from when his aunt told it to the Volturi at our confrontation. Still, sensing that he needed to tell it himself I shook my head no. "He left my mother alone, a fragile human to be ripped apart by me. I was an innocent life; I had no idea what I was doing. He tried to justify it to me later with all kinds of nonsense about humans being nothing more than animals and it didn't matter, that my mother gladly gave up her life for me, that there was no other way. I honestly believed myself to be an evil creature. I killed my own mother, Leah" A sob escaped him. I held him tightly and he regained his composure. "Sorry about that." He said quietly. "You know what," I said kissing his bare chest. "Just tell me what you need to without worrying about crying in front of me. Don't ever be afraid to be emotional with me. You can trust me with that. I mean, as long as we're by ourselves, alright?" "Okay," He said. "You know I haven't cried since I was six years old. Now this is twice in one day. I'm turning into...how do you say it…a girly-man?" I almost growled at him. He went back to his story. "Honestly, when Caius asked the Cullens, 'your daughter, is she venomous?' I expected to hear a male voice respond. But when it was Bella who answered, well, I was shocked—shocked beyond belief. She was a mother who survived! And in that moment I knew that my father was a lying, immoral, monster who would justify anything. He could have saved my mother, but she was nothing to him. I have been so thankful for my Aunt Huilen for helping me to know and love my mother. If not for her, I would be as callous and self-centered as my sisters. He actually has them believing they are gods." "Do you mean like the Jaguar God?" I asked him leaning up to rub my nose against his. "No," He said smiling a little. "Remind me to explain that to you later. My sisters have been brainwashed into actually believing they are this super-race." He shook his head "But I digress. Edward loved Bella and stood by her side and made sure she delivered Renesmee safely and then took steps to ensure that she survived. It sounds kind of strange, because I'm older than Edward, but comparing him to my father…I feel more like Edward is the man I respect as a good father figure not Joham." We were quiet again. ' "You know Leah, as far as after we get married, I kind of like Clearwater and I would be honored to take your last name if you prefer? I mean many cultures in this area do that. It's a matriarchal society." He said tentatively. "I would like that VERY much." I said a smile on my face. "Who are you trying to forget?" Nahuel asked between kissing the tip of my nose and my eyelids. "I already forgot." I mumbled into his throat. "Good. Don't forget that you forgot again!" He kissed me again longer.
Clearwater-Part II
Renesmee's POV
It felts like Nahuel and Leah had been gone forever. Dad and Emmett left in the middle of the night to meet them on their way back and speed up the medicine Jacob needed with a relay. Already it was early afternoon of the third day.
'When oh when will someone get here with my Jake's medicine?'
Granddad and I watched over Jacob. We had just relieved Mom, who then left to prepare some kind of soup for him. He was awake but not doing as well as yesterday. He kept seeing things that weren't real; Mom explained to me that he was hallucinating. I could also see Granddad was very worried. He said that after Mom fed him some broth, he was going to give him more morphine.
"Nessie, Nessie," Jacob's voice rose to me through his delirium. "Don't go with him. He can't love you like I do. Promise me you won't leave me." I held his hand. He wasn't looking at me. He eyes were open but it almost looked as though he were in some kind of a trance or something. His breathing was ragged. It hitched in a strange uneven rhythm.
"Jake, I'm right here." I cried. Couldn't he hear me? I felt the panic come over me and I was filled with a dread that quickly disappeared when Uncle Jasper put his hand on my shoulder. Next, he knelt down beside me and put his other hand on Jacob, who then started to breathe easier.
"Not so much that it put him to sleep, Jasper." Granddad cautioned. "Bella's almost got his broth ready. Let's get him some liquids first. Oh, how I wish I had brought my medical bag." Granddad fretted, not for the first time.
"Granddad, Jake is a werewolf! He should not get sick like this. What happened?" I wailed again despite Jasper's strong emotional support.
"I don't understand it, Nessie." Granddad shook his head. "But we WILL make sure that he is going to be alright." His words seemed as though he willed Jacob to be well by the force of his faith alone. "I kept the feathered dart that Nahuel pulled out of Jacob's neck and I scraped the inside of the jar of the poultice the old native woman made. They're in the ice cooler and I'll send them off along with a sample of the medicine we get from the Ticunans. Don't worry Nessie; we'll get to the bottom of this. When we get to a large enough town, I'm going to have it shipped to a lab in the states for analysis."
Just then Mom came in and I scooted over so she could feed Jacob the bowl of chicken broth. It didn't go so good. His tongue was swollen and he had a hard time swallowing it. Somehow, after a thirty minute battle, it was mostly all in. She then proceeded to lay cool wet towels all over him. Granddad got his dose of morphine ready.
"Alice?" Granddad asked. "Did you find the satellite uplink for our cell phone connection?"
"Yes," She said slowly, "Just got it." She appeared swiftly with a cell phone in hand.
Granddad quickly dialed a number. "Billy Black? This is Carlisle. Yes, well, there is a problem. Day before yesterday Jacob and Renesmee ran into some hostile Amazon Indians and they managed to shoot Jacob with a poisoned blow dart. (Long Pause) Well, that's just it; he isn't healing on his own. We got the Indians settled down and they made a poultice for him that has slowed the spread of the poison but it is still active. We sent Leah and Nahuel to a distant Indian tribe that knows how to make the antidote…"
I could hardly listen to Granddad's one-sided conversation. Jacob was looking for my hand again as he whispered my name. I went back to his side. Mom handed me a cup of ice. Whenever I could get him to open his mouth I gave him a small chip. He seemed to be coming back to himself some more. He looked over to me and a flicker of recognition lit his eyes. I sighed in relief.
The satellite phone conversation continued."…Yes, he is here. I wanted him to be able to talk to you before I gave him some morphine. (Away from the phone) Jacob, can you say 'hello' to your father?"
Granddad held the phone right up to Jacob's ear. "D—a—d," Jacob had a difficult time speaking. He listened to his dad for a long time. "O—ka—y. (Pause) I kn—o—w, I lo—ve you, too." Jacob closed the phone. He was starting trembling from the effort it took to speak those few words. He fell back to the bed completely exhausted. Granddad gave him the shot and watched as Jacob fell into unconsciousness. He then went over to the side of the boat and looked anxiously off in the direction Dad and Emmett had taken off in last night. I hoped they made it back SOON.
Thirty minutes later—that seemed like hours later, they did. First my Dad breezed in with the meds and Uncle Emmett shortly thereafter. Dad and Emmett relayed the instructions on how to use the medicine, they got started. Apparently it was quite a drawn out sequence. There were four different medicines. First there were leaves to be crushed up into a broth, Next was a topical suave to be applied to the infected area, the forehead, chest and the bottom of the feet. One was more leaves to be boiled in hot water and the vapors inhaled and the last was a pasty, white substance that was to be left on the tongue.
Apparently it wasn't a one-time dosing either. All four steps were to happen every hour for an entire twenty four hour period. It was so hard getting him to drink the broth that the first few times, it took the whole hour just to get through all of the steps. I wasn't sure for the first several hours, if he was improving at all. Aunt Rose fixed me a sandwich, which she all but had to force-feed me. I could hardly think about food. It was after the fourth dose that Leah and Nahuel raced back in the cove where our boat sat. They immediately dove in and swam to us. Leah was at my side immediately assessing Jacob's condition with a frown on her face. She seemed quite alarmed. He was much worse than he'd been when they had left. Still, he'd begun breathing better than before. Nahuel looked to see how much of the medicine was left and shook his head.
"They told me there would be enough here." He said in dismay. "How many doses has he had already?"
"Four," Granddad replied. Nahuel nodded. "He is improving. I can hear his heartbeat getting stronger and his color is better." Shortly after that, his fever broke and he came around. Mom shooed everyone away; it was time to start round five and she'd brought his boiled medicine broth over.
Jacob tried to spit it out. "Bells, I gotta tell ya," His voice still shaky but much stronger. "Your cooking skills have really gone to the dogs since you became a vampire." Everyone chuckled lightly. Relief was strong in the room. When his fifth treatment was done, he rested for a bit.
Leah convinced that he was improving, left for a shower. Nahuel asked if he could speak to Edward. They left and went to the roof of the boat. We were traveling back up the river we had come down. Granddad decided that he needed to get his samples airborne as soon as possible. Plus we could travel to our next destination in the boat and that would make it easier for Jacob to regain his strength. We decided to wait until we arrived back at Manaus, where we would decide if we'd cut short our trip based on Jacob's condition at that time.
It was then that I noticed Jasper, as he walked around smiling like someone just presented him with a smorgasbord of predators for an all-you-can eat buffet. Funny, but I thought he would've been exhausted after helping Jacob remain calm for the last 36 hours. Edward and Nahuel came down the stairs smiling and Dad had his arm on Nahuel's shoulder. At the look of them, Granddad, Mom and I looked up in surprise. Apparently Jacob woke up a bit and moaned when he looked in their direction. Leah came out of the bathroom with wet hair and Nahuel walked right up to her and planted a big kiss right on her lips before taking off for the showers himself.
If that wasn't surprising enough, she then went to Alice, "Hey, not that you need any, and this is definitely away from civilization and all," Leah's voice was sheepish.
'What was going on? I've never seen Leah act this way,' my thoughts were confused. I had to consciously remind myself to close my mouth.
Leah continued, "But, do you have any makeup on you I could use?" Of course, Leah probably already knew she'd just waved a red flag in front of a raging bull. Alice dragged her off and I wasn't sure if we'd see either of them ever again.
At least I wasn't the only one surprised. Everyone was quiet and seemed confused--except for Dad who grinned from ear to ear. Uncle Jasper looked funniest of all, as he smiled but also looked perplexed.
Before I knew it, Mom was back with the medicine broth and Jacob was begging for someone to hide him. It was a huge relief, to see him slowly come back to himself. Now that Jacob was more coherent, the process didn't take the entire hour to administer and it seemed like after each treatment, he was stronger. It was approaching evening when Alice and Leah returned. I always knew that Leah was beautiful, but with her hair done and the added definition makeup provided, the effect was dramatic.
Alice proudly presented her with a loud, "Tada!" As if she took full credit and show cased Leah as if she were a masterpiece. Leah rolled her eyes and went over to Nahuel who took her into his arms at once held her for—well, for longer than a regular hug normally lasted. When they broke apart, they were surprised to see my family staring in shock at them. They laughed a little nervously.
"Well Damn, now I've seen everything." Emmett finally broke the silence.
Jacob from his bed on the couch said in confusion, "Leah, just how 'into' my little assignment for you did you get?"
Jasper couldn't stand it any longer. He crossed to them and hugged them together. Emmett not missing a beat announced, "Group hug" and before I knew it Leah and Nahuel were nearly crushed by not just Emmett, but Alice, Esme, Mom, Dad, Huilen, Zafrina, Senna and Kachiri. I was surprised when Aunt Rose came and got me and the two of us joined the huddle, leaving Jacob and Granddad sitting on the bed, mouths open in astonishment.
"Leah," Jasper said with a happy note in his voice. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "What is going on? You're exploding with a joy so intense it is consuming and contagious. What has happened?" Leah and Nahuel just looked at each other grinning and finally Leah spoke. "Jasper, we'll tell everyone, but first, do you have a cell phone that works out here?"
Jasper handed her his phone with a grin plastered on his face. Leah, with her hand still in Nahuel's walked over by Jacob as she dialed a number. Everyone was close by.
We could hear the phone ring. After a minute we heard Seth's faint answer on the other end.
"Seth, its Leah I have great news. Is Mom there? (Pause) Where is she? (Another pause) Okay, I'll call her there. (Pause) Yes, Jake is starting to get better; I'll have him call Billy as soon as I get a hold of Mom."
"She's with Charlie." Leah said to us as she quickly dialed Grandpa's number. "Hi Charlie, its Leah, (Pause) Yes, it is beautiful here. (Pause) Yes, I'm taking pictures. Hey, Charlie, Is my Mom there? (Pause), "Mom!" Leah could no longer contain her excitement. She practically exploded with her news. "Mom, I'm bringing home another Clearwater. I imprinted on Nahuel and we're getting married!" There were startled but delighted yells of delight. Clapping sounded and Emmett took this time to start some rather pointed cat calls.
"Well, Dog-on-it! Nahuel's going to the dog house and it don't look like he's gonna ever get out! I think they call it Puppy-love. It's all going to the dogs." Of course Aunt Rose put him in his place with one look.
"Holy Cow," Jacob stated, to stunned to comment further.
I was confused. I turned to Jacob and asked him, "What does 'imprinted' mean?"
He looked suddenly uncomfortable.
'Poor Jake, he must need more morphine.' My heart went out to him.
He whispered back, "I'll tell you…later."
Most of this was lost because at the mention of an upcoming wedding Alice's squeal of delight was so loud it startled a flock of parrots, who took off and painted the sky green in their wake and some monkeys were startled into a banter to rival Uncle Emmet's.
"Oh YES, a wedding! How much time do I have?" Alice was suddenly in a frenzy of her own. "I didn't think to bring my suitcase full of samples and magazines or my binder." She looked at Leah who was staring at her. Alice became alarmed, "You are practically family Leah, don't you dare cross me. We're in this together." Her look was one of no nonsense.
Leah and Nahuel burst into laughter and everyone joined in. It was Nahuel who spoke, "we're already married. Well, for three months anyway. We could get it recorded here and it would be official but we decided to be married close to Leah's family so she can have the wedding SHE wants, Alice." Nahuel looked at Leah and they both smiled. Leah shrugged her shoulders.
Alice saw her opening, "I can do a Leah wedding--exactly like she wants." Aunt Alice's expression looked hurt and I knew what was to follow—I'd seen it before.
'And now for the begging.' I thought wryly. My Aunt Alice was a master at begging. The face contorted and pulled into an exquisite look of intense longing. I'd taken to practicing it in the mirror myself. It really works well when you really want something. That was unless Dad 'heard' my plans first.
"Please, Please, Please, Leah, Let me do your wedding. You will be so happy. You won't regret it. I swear, it will be perfect"
Leah looked at her and then turned to Nahuel, "She's kind of hard to say no to isn't she?"
Nahuel kissed her softly, "If you want, I'll tell her 'no'; whatever you want." He had the most intense look on his face. Alice was practically jumping up and down, to get Leah's attention away from Nahuel and his promise of annihilating all her fun. He continued, ignoring Alice, "If you aren't going to get it exactly like you want it, we can always just go and get recorded when we stop in Manaus." Alice tensed at the possibility of seeing her plans slip through her fingers. She moaned in agony.
Leah sighed then smiled and turned to Alice, "Of course I need your help Alice. I don't have a clue how to do a wedding. First two restrictions though…"
Alice whooped and hollered so much that Leah had to wait for her to calm down. "Okay, I'm ready now, what are they?" Honestly, I didn't know who looked happier, Leah, Nahuel, Alice, Jasper or Nahuel's Aunt Huilen.
"Okay," Jacob said eyeing Leah from where he still lay on his make-shift bed. "Who are you and what did you do with Leah?" Everyone laughed again.
Leah ignored Jacob and turned back to Alice, "First, I want to have it within the next three months." She turned to Nahuel, "I don't want to give this first wedding a chance to expire in the meantime, just in case you might think of escaping." She said this in a teasing voice. I decided Jacob was right, this wasn't really Leah. I'd NEVER seen her act this way.
"Not a chance," Nahuel said to her holding her tightly again. Leah laughed and the sound was bright and happy.
"What is the second condition," Alice demanded, not to be side tracked.
"Well, I don't want it in any way to resemble the… a… wedding you did last week."
Alice understood at once. "No problem there. We can start thinking about exactly what you want. What is your schedule for the next three months—because you're going to need to clear it?"
"Hello, Leah?" We could all hear the tinny sound that faintly came from the phone. Leah was startled to look at the cell phone still turned on and in her hand. She mouthed, "Oops," as she brought the phone back to her ear. "Sorry Mom, I guess you heard the little ruckus over here! (Pause) Yes I will do that, here he is."
Leah handed the phone to Nahuel, who looked suddenly a little nervous. "Yes, Hello Mrs. Clearwater," (Short Pause) Thank you very much. (Pause) Yes, ma'am, I am excited to meet you too. (A laugh) Here is Leah back." He handed Leah back the phone very quickly.
"Mom! (Pause) We're not sure yet. It depends on how fast Jacob gets better. Did you hear? (Pause) He is doing much better but he's still weak. (Pause) Yes, we're going to call Billy again in a minute. (Pause) I love you Mom! (Pause) Okay, we'll call you when we know we're coming home. What? (a longer pause) Oh, you heard that did you? (Pause) Well yes, that is a great story for me to tell you when we get back… but we're sort of married already for three months but don't worry it wasn't really real. I gotta go. Bye Mom" She got off that phone call pretty fast there at the end. She handed the phone to Jacob. "Call Billy," She ordered.
"Yes ma'am" Jacob said grinning. He gave her a military salute.
"And make it quick, your next treatment starts in ten minutes," Mom added.
Jacob gave her a salute as well, "Yes ma'am to you too." He sounded happy, relieved and much, much better.