Unknown
Jasper moved back to where Emily was resting on the couch, placing his hand against her forehead in an effort to quell her sudden restlessness. He knew there would be a quick-fire of questions even though Emily's status was for the most part stable. His attention turned just as Carlisle appeared from the basement stairs. "She's restless but other than that seems to be handling the restful state well."
Carlisle gave a nod, "Cara has awoken from her unconsciousness and is now off the ventilator. Still has a long road but not so close to death as she had been previously." He moved to lift Emily into his arms, looking around the living area before turning back to Jasper. "Where's Sue?"
"Sue had to leave on an emergency page from the hospital." Jasper answered taking Emily's oxygen tank in hand as Carlisle adjusted her weight in his arms and began moving back toward the stairs that would lead to the basement medical center. "She said she would return tomorrow as she had some things that she needed to speak with you about."
"I assume that Jake and the others haven't returned as of yet?" Carlisle questioned as they reached a vacant, pre-set room in the medical center and he placed a still mostly sleeping Emily onto the bed and lifted the railings. He settled her into a comfortable position and removed her from the portable oxygen tank, replacing its mask with a nasal cannula attached to a more stable, stronger source of oxygen and activating the system.
"Not yet, but they should be back any time." He answered watching as Emily was hooked up to the vital monitor and covered with a blanket. "Stress really has worn her out both mentally and physically, or so it would seem?"
"Yes, and her recent series of panic attacks did not help her overall situation," Carlisle admitted studying the monitor. He put his hand on Emily's shoulder as she restlessly shifted position, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to focus amidst her own exhaustion and the continued heavy relaxation effect of the dose of valium she had been given earlier. "Easy Emily, just relax and get some rest."
"Sam... Sam…have to find him…Sam!" Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes and her restlessness grew in intensity as she tried to force herself to focus. Her breathing shifted from calm exhaustion to heavy gasping as her panic and distress worsened. She shook her head and disheveled the covers. Her words grew strained and her gaze turned from a mixture of utter exhaustion to one of fearful concern for the well-being and safe return of her lost mate.
"Shh, we'll find Sam," Jasper soothed allowing his gift to resonate outward in an effort to ease her distress. He placed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her as best he could as Carlisle started an IV and provided soft restraint to her arms so that he could administer another dose of medication along with the fluid so that she would be able to actually rest comfortably overnight. "Sounds like Jake and the others have returned."
"Good, Jasper go ahead and go meet them, I will be along as soon as I finish getting her settled." He adjusted the sequence for the IV and injected another dose of medication into the port in Emily's arm, giving her enough sedation that she finally succumbed to her own exhaustion and drifted into a comfortable sleep. For several minutes, he continued to monitor her vital signs, watching for any fluctuation that might suggest that she was so exhausted as to not handle the sedation without further more drastic measures. Once he was certain that she was resting easily and with no complications, he adjusted the blanket covering her and dimmed the light above her bed before leaving the room.
"Took longer than anticipated, I assume," Jasper insinuated the obvious as he greeted the group that had now returned from a scouting mission in the area of the Quileute Cemetery. He noticed nearly immediately Embry's injury but didn't ask for any explanation. He knew by the placement of the parallel cuts what had created them.
"The area around the cemetery was littered with snares, none of which were set in the usual way," Quill revealed before Jake or the others could respond. "Whoever or whatever is setting those snares doesn't want to be followed, that much is for certain."
"The unusual snares would be suggestive of a foreign presence prowling in that area as well." Jasper sat down on the arm of one of the chairs, his expression one of concentrated thought as he tried to, in his mind, put enough pieces together to at least get some sort of vibe about what might be going on.
"As much as I don't want to jump to conclusions here, I really think this presence is linked to Sam's disappearance," Embry admitted tensing slightly as Edward cleaned the wound on his shoulder with antiseptic. "There's just too much coincidence and the snares from both places are nearly identical in the way they are set and the overall construction."
"We're assuming that the same entity is behind both incidences. We have no concrete proof that these snares are being created by the same entity that took Sam captive, if he's actually being held captive by a foreign presence." Jake turned the pieces on end, playing the doubt card and shuffling the deck before anyone could find a concrete conclusion to land upon.
"Well if it's not the same one then I'd daresay we have big trouble. Trouble that Billy and the rest of the Quileute Council are going to be none too happy about." Quill shook his head, "Jake, it seems more than obvious that whomever was watching or stalking Sue and Emily earlier at the cemetery is far from just your usual human teenage thug. They were there for a reason and they weren't mortal nor were they Vampire."
"The scent was wolven but not of our pack." Jake agreed letting his gaze survey the room for the first time since they had returned. "Where's Emily… I thought she was here…"
"Emily is downstairs in the medical center resting," Carlisle's voice preceded his presence by only a few brief moments. "She was exhausted after several panic attacks and not finding it easy to get any rest worrying about Sam." He moved immediately to assist Edward with the care of Embry's injury. "She is in no danger medically other than just needing to relax and rest."
"The effects of stress were rather obvious when I saw her last," Jake admitted glad to hear that Emily was in good hands and would be able to at least get some rest, something that since Sam's disappearance, she had been unable to accomplish with any sort of ease.
"It's probably best that she's here anyway," Leah's voice interrupted the flow of conversation as it had been the first words she had spoken and until that moment, no one had noticed her entrance from the basement where she had been spending much time recovering from rib fractures that had required her to undergo daily hours of oxygen therapy to ease the resulting pain and counter some minor complications. "Until there's more than just spit in a tepid breeze as far as the identity of this threat that may have taken Sam prisoner, it's probably not wise for Emily to be at their home alone." She took a seat at the desk that filled the alcove at the base of the stairs, adjusting the sling that supported her fractured arm so that it remained elevated.
"Either here or at Sue's," Quill agreed moving to sit down in one of the vacant chairs. "The fact that Sam has technically been missing now going on four full days with no trace. He's not one to just disappear and if there were any other reason other than an unknown taking him captive, I'm sure that Charlie and the Sherriff's Office would have found out about it by now. The population of Forks, including the reservation is not all that large for one and these forests are patrolled enough that if he had wandered off somewhere injured or well…we won't go there…but in those cases, there would be obvious clues and a definite scent trail that doesn't end 250 yards from the place where a blood bath basically occurred."
"Case and point," Leah admitted, "If there is an unknown that has taken him captive, and it's obvious that they are serious about not being followed and we have no real clues as to who or where they might have taken him, how do we go about finding him?" She stated the explosive question that everyone else had been trying not to ask and then lit the fuse. "We are stuck on a limited time-table here. We need to find Sam before his life is forfeited by whoever or whatever took him and accomplish that feat before Emily has an irreversible nervous breakdown. It doesn't leave much time to figure out this mystery and it certainly doesn't help the stress level either."
"Thanks Leah," Jake muttered his own stress level already bordering on dangerous as far as his ability to handle it both physically and mentally. "But she does have a point, we are really behind the eight ball here as far as finding Sam. Finding him alive well…" He shuddered visibly at just the unfinished thought.
"Take a breath Jake, you are not carrying the entirety of this burden alone." Esme's voice preceded her as she brought a tray of sandwiches and other snack items in from the kitchen for the hungry members of the pack. She set the tray down on the coffee table and reached over to put her hand on Jake's shoulder in an effort to provide support. She knew well what he was feeling, she could see it radiating off of him through Jasper as he pinched the bridge of his nose briefly in an effort to adjust his own shields against the waves of concern and emotion. "It would seem the best way to engage this situation is to continue patrolling the area where the battle took place along with the Quileute Cemetery until we can determine if this wolven presence that was sited is linked in some way to Sam's disappearance."
"That's the plan, although instigating it is much easier said than done." Embry admitted seeing the stress in Jake's demeanor. He knew, without a doubt, that Jake was feeling the pressure of not only finding Sam but also dealing with this new threat and being there for his recently injured mate and his kids. It was obvious that he was struggling with the weight that seemed to have been just dropped upon his shoulders.
"Patrols are already stretched to the limit as it is, to add more will exhaust everyone. Exhaustion is only going to get someone injured or worse killed." Leah reminded moving to gently massage Jake's shoulders in an effort to ease his stress. "There's already not enough pack to cover regular patrols plus those that have been added since Sam's disappearance. It's just not… " She allowed her thought to trail as Jake tensed reflexively in response to the insinuation. "We won't give up, we will keep trying …" She squeezed his shoulders, "To do everything we can but there comes a time when a single pack can't do it all."
"I know, I know," He snapped, his tone not so much angry as just boiling over with stress, concern and frustration as the situation with Sam and the current state within the ranks of the pack seemed suddenly daunting. Rising from his place, he moved then to stand at the veranda window, his gaze drifting out to the line of trees and nearly pristine forest that bordered the yard.
"Hey," Embry moved then to stand at Jake's shoulder, he gave his friend's arm an understanding squeeze. "We're here, to stand as one pack, not divided. We aren't against you bud, we'll stand with you and do what it takes, no matter what." He glanced back, his gaze focusing first to Leah and then to the other ranking members that were present. "This situation wasn't easy to begin with and it's not helping that we're shorthanded, without two of the integral members due to injury." He felt Jake tense in regards to the mention of his mate even if it wasn't a direct association.
"Speaking of those that are injured," Leah pressed apparently missing Embry's subtle warning not to question Jake further about the matter of his mate or the current status of the pack as far as handling the situation with Sam was concerned. "There's been no updates on the injured, so Jake? What is the status, I mean …we are the pack, we should know the real deal as far as when members of our ranks are injured."
"Tarra will be fine," Jake answered his tone giving away that he was getting annoyed with Leah's unintentional pressuring of him. "As for Cara, her injuries were serious. She may not be able to continue as alpha-female. She is likely paralyzed from the waist down and it's likely permanent. What else do you want to know?" He shook his head and rubbed his face with a hand. "We're just going to have to deal with being shorthanded…I don't know…" He pulled away from Embry then and opened the door. "I need time to think." He insisted stepping outside onto the veranda and closing the door behind him. He knew the revelation was startling and he was nearly certain that it upset those within the ranks of the pack that were unaware of the severity of Cara's injury. It was not how he had planned to let them know but Leah's persistence had left him no real choice.
The room fell strangely silent as the members of the pack that were not aware of Cara's plight were suddenly forced to understand and cope with not only the shock but also what might be the future as far as Cara's involvement in the pack was concerned. Even though they had needed and wanted to know, the revelation to some extent, had been totally unexpected and now every current member of the Quileute Wolves, ranking and otherwise, needed time to assimilate and come to terms with the consequences of the situation.
"A bit touchy, I guess," Leah admitted the guilt very evident in her voice. "It wasn't like I was trying to push buttons, I just…well…"
"He's on edge," Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose briefly while simultaneously allowing his gift to radiate outward to consume the room in calming waves, "His nerves are frayed and he's bordering on mental exhaustion. Under normal circumstances he would have a handle on things, this unfortunately isn't the normal situation. Leave him be, let him cool down so to speak." He knew there was more in regards to the current state of things with Cara and he was nearly certain that Edward knew as well but this was not the time and it would be easier if that particular information came from Carlisle being as he was the physician in charge of her care.
"You have a valid point though Leah, it is possible that we are going to need help, not that the help from you guys," Paul locked gazes with Jasper and swept over the other members of the Cullens' that were present, "Isn't a good thing, it is and it's very much appreciated if we can get around the treaty, but like Leah I wonder if we're still going to be in a bit over our heads, so to speak, when it comes to finding Sam before this ticking clock winds down into the red-zone."
"Pushing Jake to make a decision on that aspect at this point is going to do nothing but grow his current state of concern and exhaustion." Seth reminded his tone rather pointed and firm. "Yes, the clock is ticking but if we rush into this, we risk more than just possibly losing Sam. We need to be smart about how we choose to handle this situation. I mean let's not all go off half-cocked and end up getting ourselves in worse trouble."
"Until there is word from Billy as far as the state of things surrounding the treaty there is little more that can be done." The tone made it rather apparent that Carlisle had sided in agreement with Seth's statement. "For now, I would suggest that everyone take this down-time to rest while you can. Patrols are going to be far more important and Jake is going to want frequent updates on any new findings in and around the Quileute Cemetery. Those updates are also to come to me as well so that I can relay them to Billy should Jake happen to forget as he has a great deal on his mind right now. Make wise choices, don't enter the forest alone but rather in groups and try not to plague Jake with redundant questions. Allow him time to rest as well. I'm sure when he has news or further instruction, you, as members of the pack will be first to know."
The room was overcome with a brief but stale silence as not a single one present could find a reason to argue with Carlisle. Even though he had really no actual control over the present members of the pack and his instructions had come without Jake's approval, every single member trusted him enough to obey. It was this trust that had squelched any further argument even after he had left the room for the veranda to talk to Jake.