Previously: "What's wrong?" I asked as Paul ushered me out the front door.

"Harry had a heart attack."

Chapter Nine

-BPOV-

Paul didn't stop at any of the stop signs or lights the entire way to the hospital in Forks. He pushed my new truck much faster than I would have liked but I knew that we were needed at the hospital so I wasn't about to complain. We reached the hospital the same time that I saw Collin and Brady running from the woods. Collin cuddled into my side and wrapped his arm around my shoulder as all four of us walked toward the front doors. Collin had become closer to me since my little slip up which ended in him teasing me every chance he got. I was trembling, praying to god that nothing had happened beyond the heart attack; Sue, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Nor would Charlie or Billy.

Once we got inside I saw everyone was already there, except for Jared and Embry. The four of us walked over to where Sue was sitting, sandwiched between Charlie and Billy's wheelchair. I stepped toward them, Collin released my shoulders and Paul dropped my left hand, I launched myself at Sue. Wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace, I let her cry into my shoulder. I looked up to Charlie, tear stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes, he shook his head.

"He is still back there, his heart stopped and they just made us all leave the room." Charlie sighed, "It doesn't look good Bells."

Sue was still sobbing into my shoulder while Charlie was telling me what had happened since he got here. We were both brought out of our conversation when Embry came running in with a sobbing Seth in his arms. Seth looked like he had just rolled around in the woods. Then it hit me. Oh no! I got up from Sue's lap and Seth took my place, even against Sam's command. Jared came in a few minutes later, dragging an incredibly pissed of and shaken Leah. She didn't make eye contact with anyone and instead of standing with her mother at the time she needs her most; she stood off to the side of everyone, pacing the small area with her head down and hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Mrs. Clearwater?" We all looked up at the meek female voice.

"Yes?" Sue's voice was shaky and full of emotion.

"The doctor would like you and your children to come back into the room now." the nurse said softly.

Sue nodded. Seth followed behind but Sam stopped Leah from going with them. I shot him a look and he looked up with tear filled eyes and shook his head. When I heard the faint sound of sobbing coming from behind the ER doors, I almost fell from my chair. Seth came running out of the doors, tears running down his face and shaking so hard I thought he was going to explode right in the middle of the waiting room. He ran a little faster than he probably should have in front of the others in the waiting room but I understand that he needed to leave. Embry wasn't far behind him.

A deep growl echoed through the entire room and everyone turned toward the sound.

Leah, stood frozen in her tracks where she had been pacing. Her gaze locked on me, then she looked over to Sam. When her body began to vibrate almost as bad as Paul when he gets really mad, Jared wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her from the hospital. Sam asked Jacob, Paul and I to go help them out. Right as we walked out of the front doors, I looked back to see Sue collapse into Charlie's chest.

–

Paul and I had followed the trail of clothes that was tossed along the trail, right in the edge of the woods. There stood Jared's giant wolf along with a tiny little gray wolf. Paul and I stepped behind a tree to strip down and phase. As soon as we did, we were right in the middle of an argument.

Don't tell me what to do, Jared. My father just died because I became a monster! Leah screamed at the man when he was only trying to help.

Please just calm down so you can go home. It wasn't your fault Leah. He had a bad heart okay, it wasn't something you could stop from happening. He had his 'kind' voice on right now.

Jared shot me a look and I winced. Sorry.

Leah growled. Don't tell me what happened! I was there! Seth started to freak out because he said he was on fire. Then dad had to go and make a comment about how I had been acting strange to. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a mess of shredded clothes and my dad was grabbing his chest. I killed my father! And to make things even worse, is I am stuck with this damn curse now, where I have to sit around and listen to Sam tell me what I can and cannot do.

Damnit Leah, I am sorry for what happened okay and I wish that everything could go back to the way things were last spring but they cant. You have to understand that we are this way for a reason and there is nothing we can do about it now. Jared shouted.

I am not blaming you! It was those damn leeches that had to come here and fuck everyone's lives up! If they never existed then I would still be human and I wouldn't have to watch the man I love with another women every day!

I don't care who the person is but to hear such things about the Cullen family still pisses me off. Nobody seems to understand that they are people like everyone else. They never hurt anybody, hell, Carlisle is a doctor. If it wasn't for them, I would be dead right now.

So, we have a leech loving wolf, isn't that just great. Leah snorted. How do we know that she isn't going to go and run off, turn against us. Huh? Go running back to that leech after he left. Oh but the way I am seeing is that one of the other tried to kill you. How great is that, they try to off you yet you will still run back to him with open arms. Pathetic leech lover.

Fuck you, Leah! I spat. You know nothing about me.

I didn't even move to cover before I phased back. I just needed her out of my head. Collapsing on the ground, I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them; fighting off the tears that wanted to fall. Leah, doesn't even know me but from what she picked from my mind, she assumes things. I hadn't realized that Paul had phased back until I felt is pulling the string from around my ankle to grab my clothes.

"Come baby, lets get you dressed and then we will go back to Emily's." Paul whispered.

I shook my head, "Sam said we had to stay here." Sighing, I ran a shaking hand through my hair. "We cannot go against his orders."

Paul sighed, "Bells. Baby. I don't care what he says right now. You don't need to stand around and listen to that frigid bitch say shit like that." He all but growled.

I sighed, it was really no use to argue with him. "Okay." I whispered.

He scooped me up into his arms and held me close to his chest. "Sorry Jared, but I am taking her to Emily's. Bella doesn't need this shit today."

Jared let out a slight whine but barked a response.

–

Sam was all but screaming when Paul walked into the house carrying me.

"Why are you here and not with Jared helping him!?" Sam snarled.

"Because, Leah was taking her shit out on Bella and I wont allow it." Paul growled in response. "She triggered some of Bella's memories about the Cullens and said some pretty mean shit to her and I will not let her talk to Bella that way because she has some sort of self hate thing going on right now."

Sam sighed. "What did she say?"

"Oh just calling Bella a leech lover and saying she wouldn't think twice before running back to there coven." he huffed. "She was fighting with Jared at first. Talking about what happened between the two of you." Paul whispered the last part.

"Damnit," Sam shouted. "I'll talk to her later."

I felt a tug on my arm and looked up. "Hi Sammie." I attempted to smile.

"Hey Bells," he smiled back. "Sorry for Leah. She really can be a..."

"A complete fucking bitch!" a snarl came from behind us. We all turned to see Jared standing there with his blood soaked shirt pressed against his shoulder. "She took a fucking chunk out of my fucking arm, Sam! I didn't even provoke her! She freaked out when she asked where Paul and Bella ran off to together and when I said your place she flipped." He pulled the shirt away from his shoulder and it was already starting to heal up.

I hopped down from Paul's arms and went over to check Jared's injury. Pulling him down so I could get a closer look at him, I could see the muscles and flesh trying to regrow in the area where Leah's teeth had ripped his flesh away. "I'm sorry Jared. This is my fault, if I hadn't had freaked out over the whole thing then we wouldn't have left and you wouldn't have been in the crossfire of her rage." I winced with him when I tried to wipe some of the blood from his arm. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"Bells, sweetheart, do not blame this on you. She had no right to talk to you like that and she is just upset." Jared tried to assure me. "But my opinion still remains: Leah is a bitch."

–

After everyone got calmed down from Leah's downright rage she was pouring onto everyone for what was going on in her life and Charlie brought Sue back to her house. Sam called off patrol for the night so everyone could get some rest. Charlie had asked Paul and I to go back home and grab him some clothes since he would be staying with Sue for awhile. I was also going to stop by the store on the way and make some food to take over.

Paul and I were walking through the grocery store when we ran into none-other than Lauren. I tried to ignore her stares and sneers at Paul and I but she obviously just loves to make my life hell. On purpose, she shoved her shopping cart into the back of my heels; it didn't really hurt but it pissed me off. I was having a bad enough day without her starting in on me too.

"Oops! I guess I didn't see you there, Swan." Lauren sneered from behind us.

I growled low in my chest but Paul grabbed my hand to calm me. "Breath baby."

"What do you want Lauren? I really do not have time for your crap today." I muttered, turning to look at her over my shoulder.

I caught her rolling her eyes. "Oh I am sorry. Am I keeping you from your gang bangs down in La Push? I wouldn't want to keep you from that now would I."

Paul growled this time. "Alright bitch. I have kept my mouth shut every time you have started shit with Bella and I honestly cannot stand it anymore." he fumed. "You want to know where we have been most of the day? Huh? We have been in the hospital because a family friend died earlier this afternoon. We came here to buy groceries to make a meal for our family but you just have to open your damn mouth and say stupid shit like you always do. Are you really that jealous of Bella that you want to make her life hell to make yourself feel better?"

"I-I uh..." Lauren stuttered.

"Just do everyone a favor and mind your own damn business!" Paul snarled before taking my hand and pulling me along.

His entire body was shaking and I was afraid he was going to phase in the middle of the store, so I pulled him down one of the back aisles and wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him to me. "Calm down honey. It's okay, she is just a bully that wishes she had a life like us. She's jealous." I murmured.

Paul sighed and hugged me back. "I know she is but I am just at wits end right now. First Leah doing what she did to you and now Lauren starting in on you, I just lost my cool. I am sorry if I spoke for you or upset you in any way; I just had to let it out."

I rubbed my hands up his back and kissed his chin. "Don't worry. I am glad you did." I planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you," I whispered against his lips.

"Mmm," he hummed, "if this is how you thank me for yelling at people. I think I will do it more often."

I smacked his arm playfully. "Come on, we have food to make. You know the guys must be starving and Sue needs all the love she can right now."

Paul nodded and we headed to pay for our things.

–

I sent Paul to grab some things for Charlie and myself, since we will be staying in La Push close to Sue for awhile, while I make enough food for the entire pack plus some extra for Charlie, Sue, Billy and Emily. I was busy going to work on putting the stuff together for lasagna when I heard a few soft thudding sounds hit the floor in Charlie's room followed by Paul cursing under his breath. I tried to cover my giggles but it didn't work.

"Oh, funny Bells." Paul called down to me. "These damn shelves are too short. I knocked my head on it again!"

I giggled even more at that.

"I have a mess up here! I never knew Charlie had so many pictures." There was a pause and then the sound of papers being shuffled. "Awe, you never told me you used to bathe with Jake!"

"What!?" I dropped my spoon into the bowl of sauce and took off up the stairs. Paul was sitting on the floor in front of Charlie's closet, a couple shoe boxes were turned over and there were pictures and older looking papers scattered around the floor. "Did he seriously keep that picture?"

Paul waved a 3x6 picture at me. I snatched it from his hand and sure enough, it was a picture of me and Jake in the bathtub at Billy's house. I couldn't have been over three or four. Both of us, butt-naked, smiling like idiots and covered in bubbles. I smiled down at the picture of our young selves.

"You were adorable, Bells." Paul smiled up at me from his perch on the floor.

My cheeks grew warm. "I was a cute kid. But look at how tiny Jake was!"

Paul chuckled. "Yeah, you two were really close back then, huh."

"Yeah, until mom and dad divorced. Then I never really got to visit because Renee was always going with Phil on some crazy adventure and drag me along. Then when I turned ten they started to let me visit Charlie again. We would spend summers at the beach with Billy, Jake and his sisters. And then at Christmas Charlie would take my to California." I sighed thinking back at when I didn't want to visit anymore. "But, then I thought I was too grown up to come visit dad in the summers and wanted to stay with the few friends I had in Phoenix. I really wish I would have visited more now."

"Do you wish you would have went to Jacksonville with your mom? I mean, if you would have known what all was going to happen to you here?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No way. I have grown up a lot since I moved here." I smiled. "I learned what it was like to fall in love... then what it was like to lose it." Paul winced slightly. "But, I also learned that there are mythical creatures in the world with humans and I just happen to be one." We both chuckled at that. "I also found the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with too." I smiled down at him. "So, no. I wouldn't change anything."

Paul pulled me down into his lap, covering my mouth with his. We sat there holding each other, just enjoying the feeling of one another's body and mouths. Pulling away when he needed to breath, placing a few extra sweet kisses on my lips he sighed. "I love you Bella."

"I love you too Paul." I kissed him once more before hopping up. "We should clean this up and then we can finish making dinner for everyone."

We both went to work picking up all the pictures and papers, putting them back into the shoe boxes, I would have to sort them out later. I put the lid on the box I was filling up when Paul grabbed my hand. "Bella, look at this." he handed me an old black and white picture of two young men in army uniforms. The corners had bent and the picture itself was cracking and peeling in places. "Is that... who I think it is?"

My eyes widened. "I-I think it is..."

AN: Sorry it took me a couple of days to update. I wasn't feeling very great yesterday so I didn't write. I know that I left it hanging here but I felt it was a good place to end this chapter, don't kill me! I will try to have the next chapter up by tomorrow or Friday. Thank you to everyone that are leaving me reviews, it means a lot. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

XoXo - Jen