Lost and Found
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you very much for the awesome reviews!
Part Twelve-Panic
Sarah stroked her son's sweaty hair back from his forehead. Jacob was burning up. She had guessed he was coming down with a cold, and now his high temperature confirmed it. She just hoped little Bella hadn't caught the chill too as she had spent most of the day with him. She had gone home with Charlie now. Charlie had been exhausted. He had taken Sarah aside and confided that they had managed to track down the culprit and one of the hunters had managed to get a good aim at it. But by some fluke the black wolf had evaded the shot and escaped deeper into the forest.
"There's always tomorrow." Sarah had tried to reassure him but Charlie just appeared sceptical. However he forced a cheerful expression on his face for Bella's benefit before bidding Sarah goodbye and heading back to Forks.
"Your daddy will be back soon." Sarah said softly to her son as he looked up at her with dull eyes.
"I wan' Bells." Jacob mumbled. Beads of perspiration coated his forehead.
Sarah gently dabbed his hot skin down. "You're not very well right now, sweetie. Its best if Bella stays away until you are feeling better."
Jacob's mouth turned down as tears welled in his eyes. "I wan' Bells." He said again.
Sarah sighed as she leaned forward and kissed the top of his hair. If Jacob was sickening for something she guessed the twins were likely to catch it too. Rachel and Rebecca were playing in their room. They didn't want to be around their sick brother in case they caught his germs. Sarah had scolded the twins; sometimes she wondered where they got their ruthless streak from. She had always hoped they would be close to their younger sibling, but they acted as if Jacob was nothing but a nuisance. Sarah felt saddened, she had enjoyed a close relationship with her older sister Jane and couldn't understand why the twins acted so cold toward Jacob. He was such a sweetheart, so full of sunshine and confidence. Bella was obviously drawn to him, and she was often stopped outside when he was with her as strangers commented on his good looks and pleasant demeanour. Sarah could only assume there was an element of jealousy rooted in their ambivalence toward him. She had to admit she did dote on Jacob a lot more than her daughters, but that was because the twins made it so hard sometimes. They were so insulated. They had each other and no one else seemed to matter.
"I wan' Bells." Jacob whispered again breaking Sarah out of her thoughts.
"Oh, Jake." Sarah stroked his hair again before continuing to dab at his hot skin to cool him down.
Billy was on his way back home when he got a call from a very stressed, Harry. He parked up so he could answer his cell. "What's wrong? It isn't Seth, is it?" All sorts of scenarios began to run through his frazzled brain as he began to panic about Jacob's welfare.
"No, thank god." Harry sounded out of breath as if he had been running. That was an image that Billy couldn't envision. Harry hadn't run since high school. "Sue just told me that Charlie, along with some others, has been out hunting."
"So?" Billy didn't get what his friend was trying to say. He frowned and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "What's wrong with that?"
"They're hunting a rogue wolf, Billy." Harry yelled down the phone. "Apparently Charlie came across a strange woman he thought was being attacked by a young black wolf. However Sue heard that the woman wasn't injured at all but took off when Charlie tried to assist her. The wolf chased her. You know what this means, Billy. That wolf had to be Sam. I'm already on my way to Old Quil's. We have to find that boy and fast."
Billy felt nausea well up in his throat. He had to swallow quickly to stop himself from gagging. Harry's news had sent him spiralling into a blind panic. All his fears had come to fruition. Cold ones were once again back on their land. What else could this so called woman have been? And Sam, poor inexperienced Sam, was out there, acting purely on instinct which was inbred in all spirit wolves, to try and keep the lands safe. He ran a hand over his face as he tried to get himself together. "I'm on my way, Harry. I'll meet you at the Ateara's."
"I'll see you soon." Harry gasped as he struggled for breath.
"Okay." Billy ended the call. His hands shook as he placed a call to his wife to tell her that he would be delayed.
Sarah was still mopping Jacob's brow when the phone rang. She called out for one of the twins to answer as she didn't want to leave her distressed son alone. He had been begging to see Bella. The more he pleaded, the more his temperature began to rocket alarmingly. Sarah's concern began to deepen. This wasn't a normal chill. While she was mulling over what to do next a sulky Rebecca sidled into the room. She tugged on her long braids as she tried to keep her distance from her sick brother.
"That was daddy." Rebecca said sulkily.
Sarah glanced at her daughter distractedly. "Is he on his way home?"
"No. He's going to be late." Rebecca replied as she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of her brother rolling around on his bed covered in sweat.
"Late?" Sarah couldn't believe it. She was counting on her husband being here so she could leave the twins with him while she took Jacob to the hospital. He was getting increasingly feverish and Sarah was beginning to panic that he might have contracted meningitis or something. Tiffani Call's son, Embry, had suffered with it as a baby and had barely escaped with his life. He had recovered but had been frail ever since. "Did you tell your father that Jake isn't well?"
"No." Rebecca said petulantly as Jacob called out for Bells again. "Jake's just acting up, he's such a baby."
"REBECCA STOP BEING SO DAMN SELFISH." Sarah snapped at her. Rebecca had never heard Sarah speak so sharply before. Resentful tears welled in her eyes as her mouth wobbled. "Jake isn't well, Rebecca." Sarah tried to keep her tone even as she glared at her daughter. "Bring me the phone I need to call your father. Whatever he's gone to do will have to wait, I need him home now."
Rebecca ran off to retrieve the phone as she finally heard the urgency in her mother's voice.
Bella was sneakily rooting through the fridge for leftovers. She wanted to make sure she had the food hidden outside before her father noticed. As soon as he was asleep she planned to slip outside to meet the wolf cub. The phone rang in the hall and she heard her father get out of his recliner to answer it. She wasn't really listening to her father's conversation, but when she heard Charlie say Jacob's name, she stopped what she was doing and began to eavesdrop.
"Oh my god, Sarah. Of course I'll come over. I'll have to bring Bells with me." Charlie stopped speaking as he listened to Sarah's response. "Sue is working tonight. As far as I know Leah and Seth are at her mother's because Harry is working overtime. Well that's what she said to me when I spoke to her earlier."
He paused again. Bella gave up on pretending she wasn't listening and hurried into the hall to join her father. She tugged on the leg of his jeans to catch his attention. Charlie hushed her as he continued to listen to Sarah. "No, I can't understand why he isn't answering. Maybe the battery's dead in his cell. I have no idea what he would be doing. Look I'll drive over, take you and Jake to the hospital and take care of the twins, alright."
Bella watched as Charlie hung up the phone. His face looked drawn. Bella knew that look. Something bad had happened. "Daddy?" She said fearfully.
"Oh, Bells." Charlie bent down and picked his small daughter up in his arms. "Can you be a brave girl for me?" Bella nodded silently. "Jake isn't well, kiddo. Sarah needs me to take her and Jake to the hospital as she hasn't got any transportation. So we'll need to leave now."
Tears welled in Bella's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She had seen how ill Jacob looked when she was at his house earlier that day. He had been unusually grouchy. He kept snapping at her and then apologising afterwards. "Is Jake gonna die, daddy?" She asked as panic made her heart race.
"No." Charlie stated firmly. "He is a strong kid. He'll get through this."
"Promise, daddy?" Bella pleaded as she slipped her thin arms around his neck and peered up into his eyes.
"I promise." Charlie felt a lump lodge in this throat. He just hoped that it was one that wouldn't be broken. "Let's get your coat on, kiddo. We need to leave."
Bella nodded dumbly as she let him help her on with her winter gear.
Billy, along with Old Quil and Harry, rapped loudly on the Uley's front door. It seemed an age before Allison answered. She opened the door and stared at them wearily. "Why the hell are you disturbing me? I'm due on a night shift soon and need my rest." She complained bitterly. "I don't have the luxury of nine to five jobs like you do." Her gaze wandered to Harry in particular as she stared pointedly at his huge paunch.
"We don't mean to disturb you, Allison. We need a word with young Sam." Billy interjected hurriedly before she could launch into any more complaints.
"Why what's he done now?" Allison demanded suspiciously as she crossed her arms defensively across her chest.
"He's done nothing. We just want to see if he's okay." Old Quil tried to sound reassuring but failed badly.
"Why wouldn't he be okay?" Allison snapped. "What are you implying?" Her angry gaze swivelled to Billy. "Is this about what you overheard in the store? I was just exaggerating that's all. My boy is well cared for. I don't need any nosy busybodies coming into my home and interrogating him. So you can all just piss off." She began to shut the door but Billy wedged his boot in the way before she could slam it closed. "Hey!"
"Allison, we are not here to investigate whether you are a good parent or not. This isn't about you. I need to talk to Sam as a matter of urgency. Now you either call him out here or I'll just barge my way in. The choice is yours." He ignored the vicious glare she shot his way and stood his ground. Old Quil and Harry crowded around him like some sort of bodyguards.
Allison's lips thinned as she mulled over what Billy had said. Eventually she made an annoyed sound at the back of her throat before she turned and hollered for Sam to come out of his room. There was no response. "Damn that boy." She muttered under her breath. "Wait here, I'll go get him." She left the door ajar before heading off to Sam's room.
It seemed an eternity before she returned. The men were just considering whether to go in the house anyway when she reappeared with a grim expression making her face appear more haggard than ever. "He's not in his room. He's gone." She informed them irritably.
Billy, Old Quil and Harry exchanged dubious glances. There was no way they could track young Sam down in his wolf form until the morning. He must be out there in the forest somewhere, alone and vulnerable. Billy sighed heavily as he pulled a pencil from behind his ear and wrote down his number on a receipt he found in his pocket. "Ring me if he comes home, please. It's important that I speak to him."
Allison took it and glared at the three men. "I told you before. I'm a single mother, I have to work. I can't help it if my son is running wild."
"Just call me when he comes in." Billy didn't bother to try and placate the woman. He bid her goodnight and followed Harry and Billy back to his truck.
Sarah was a wreck when Charlie eventually turned up. She was pacing back and forth in Jacob's room. His temperature was off the charts. She had considered calling an ambulance but decided waiting for Charlie was quicker. It sometimes took an age for the medics to get to La Push as their house was off the beaten track. Usually they got lost, losing even more vital time. The twins hovered in the doorway, both silent for once. Sarah's fear had communicated itself to them and they finally seemed to understand that Jacob wasn't faking his illness, he was actually very sick.
"Sarah!" Charlie called out as hurried into the house. He had left Bella in the cruiser to save time.
"In here, Charlie." Sarah hailed him. Seconds later he appeared in the doorway to Jacob's room. One glance at the little boy who was tossing and turning on the bed, his skin slick with sweat, told him that this was an emergency. Sarah was right to be afraid. "Thanks for coming, Charlie. I didn't know who else to call when I couldn't get in touch with Billy or Sue."
"It's fine. Let's get moving." Charlie hunkered down and carefully picked Jacob up in his arms. He could feel the heat pouring off Jacob's body even through the material of his shirt. Charlie tried to hide his alarm as he cuddled the little boy close. "You got his stuff?" He asked Sarah.
"Yes. Becca, Rach get your coat and shoes on." Sarah barked at her daughter's. The twins ran off to do her bidding. Sarah gingerly touched her son's forehead and flinched as his skin burned hers. "Charlie?" She faltered.
"He's gonna be fine." Charlie looked directly into her eyes. "He will."
"Bells." Jacob mumbled as his glassy eyes opened for a second.
"Bells is near." Charlie said gently to the distressed little boy. This seemed to ease Jacob's fears as he relaxed and his eyes closed. Charlie looked at Sarah again and nodded. "Let's go."
Sarah's lips trembled as she hurriedly picked up a bag full of Jacob's things and followed Charlie out into the hall.
The chill night air hit Charlie's face as he carried Jacob out to the cruiser. He asked the twins to climb into the back and strap themselves in. Sarah would sit in the front so she could cuddle Jacob on her lap. It was only when Charlie came close to the cruiser that he realised that the passenger door was wide open. His daughter had been sitting in the back. Panic gripped Charlie's heart and squeezed it painfully in his chest. He hurried over to the cruiser and peered into the interior. Bella wasn't inside. Her seat belt was unclipped. The only thing on the back seat was one of her red mittens.
Sarah came up behind him, wondering what was wrong. She could see the dread written all over his face. "Charlie, what's wrong?"
"Bells, she…she's gone. I can't…." Charlie gripped Jacob tighter in his arms as he stared around wildly. "BELLA…BELLA WHERE ARE YOU?" He yelled.
Snow began to fall….
A/N-thanks for reading!
