Back to December
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews. Nikki :)
Part Twelve
Jacob ran past Sue and sprinted down the corridor to the emergency room. He wasn't thinking clearly, all he had on his mind was getting to Bella. He needed to see her, be with her. He burst through the double doors and skidded to halt beside the bed. The doctors and other medical staff were astonished at his sudden entrance.
"You can't be here." The senior consultant said sternly when he got over his shock. "Please leave."
"Why aren't you working on her? What's happening?" Jacob demanded.
The other people in the room exchanged discreet looks. The consultant who had already spoken to him sighed. "Are you connected to this patient?"
"I'm her boyfriend." Jacob said quickly.
"I'm sorry young man, we did everything we could." The consultant's voice was gentler now as he delivered the bad news. He tried to reach out to Jacob but he shook him off.
"She's not dead?" Jacob yelled. "You're wrong."
"Her heart wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry. We tried to re-start it. We tried everything." The consultant glanced at his colleagues as he spoke. "You need to leave I'm afraid, we have to clear things up here. I haven't pronounced the time of her..."
Jacob's whole body was shaking. He refused to listen to the older man. He stood by Bella's bed and stared at her. She looked so peaceful, as if she was sleeping. He hair was like a satin pillow as it flared around her head. Her skin was pale, but hadn't taken on a deathly pallor. Some internal instinct told Jacob that Bella was still there, inside somewhere and he just needed to get her heart to start to bring her back. He began to perform basic CPR.
The consultant tried to pull him back from Bella but Jacob easily shrugged off his attempts. "Call security now." The older man ordered. One of the nurses immediately left to do his bidding.
Jacob tuned everyone out and kept at his task. His lips pressed together as he chanted in his head for Bella to wake up. He wasn't going to give up on her. He knew he could bring her back.
Her head was spinning as ice cold chills spread through her body. Bella had to shut her eyes to block out the motion. She could feel herself being pulled back to where she didn't want to go. She cried out but no sound emerged from her opened mouth. She continued to curse anyway; mouthing silently about the unfairness of it all. She still had a few days left. It wasn't time. Cauis had deceived her. He was bringing her back, he had broken his word. Fire shot up her spine as the spinning slowed down and she found herself on the cold, marble floor of the Volturi's castle. Bella stared at her hands, they were no longer pale and soft, but stark white and hard. She saw the sheen of diamonds run along the back of her hands from the light shining in through the tall windows. She raised her head, expecting to see Cauis' laughing face staring back at her, but to her surprise, it wasn't him.
Jacob continued to perform CPR. Charlie and Embry came into the room, followed by Billy and Sarah. They all stared at him as they watched him pump Bella's chest, yelling at her to wake up. The consultant had briefed them on what had happened. Billy came up to his son, his face awash with grief.
"Stop, Jake. Enough now. She's gone." He said huskily.
Jacob glanced over his shoulder and glared at his father. "If you are not going to help me then just stay out of my way." He growled.
Sarah came to stand by her husband. She reached out to Jacob. "Please." She begged him; the tears running down her face. "Your dad is right, Bella is gone."
"She is not." Jacob said fiercely. "Embry, help me." He called out to his pack brother.
Embry exchanged a look with the other adults before quickly coming to assist Jacob. He took over when Jacob began to tire.
"Don't make me issue an order, Jake." Billy said softly so Charlie wouldn't hear.
Jacob whipped round to face his father. His whole body was trembling from the force of his emotion. "No order you give will stop me. If you really care about me at all, then you will help me. Keep the security away." He pleaded.
Billy stared at his son for a moment before glancing at his wife. Sarah nodded, giving her silent permission. Something about the way her son spoke so determinedly told her that it wasn't his grief that was making him act irrationally. "We will help you." She said gently.
Jacob nodded at his parents and then turned back to help Embry. Sarah went over to Charlie who seemed completely overwhelmed and confused. He allowed her to lead him out of the room. Billy hesitated for a second before following.
"What's going on?" Bella said in confusion as she stared up at the blonde, waif like figure in front of her.
"I called you back." The female's eyes were bordering on black, which gave Bella the hint that she was thirsty and needed blood.
"Do I know you?" Bella asked quietly. She jumped to her feet gracefully and peered closer at the tiny figure in front of her. The long black cloak she wore hung on her thin frame. Her white skin was powdery, showing she had been a vampire for a very long time.
"Probably only by reputation. I am not allowed to leave my quarters much. Cauis does worry so." The blonde female had a soft voice, almost like a child's.
"You're Athenodora." Bella breathed.
"Yes, you are correct." Athenodora smiled, showing a line of perfectly aligned teeth. Her tongue flicked out and licked them.
"I thought you were not allowed to leave your tower. Cauis always has you under heavy guard." Bella said suspiciously. "Where is he?"
"Yes, that was before." Athenodora frowned, her small hands tugged her voluminous cloak around her.
Bella felt totally confused. "Before what?"
Athenodora pouted like a small child. "Before Sulpicia killed Corin. Once she was dead and her power to keep both us contained inside the tower was vanquished, then for the first time in so long we were allowed to have our own minds and wander this castle alone. It was easy to overcome the guards. I am centuries old you know."
"Where are Cauis, Aro and Marcus?" Bella ground out impatiently. She getting fed up with Athenodora's cryptic answers.
"You mean you don't know?" Athenodora's head twisted to the side as another female entered the chamber dressed in the same voluminous cloak. "Ah sister."
"I see you successfully brought her back." The other female vampire floated gracefully across the marble floor. She came to stand by Athenodora's side. Her long, curly brown hair was done up in a complicated twist at the back of her head; like Athenodora, her eyes were bordering on black and she had the same powdery white skin.
"I take it you are Sulpicia?" Bella said wryly.
"Yes." Sulpicia clapped her hands in delight. "It is so fun to be recognized, don't you think so sister?" She smiled at Athenodora.
"Yes." Athenodora ran her hands through her long, blonde hair, shaking it out so it waved around her shoulders. "It's great to be free."
Bella was getting increasingly irritated with the two females. "What do you want from me?" She demanded. "And where are your husbands?"
"Oh Aro." Sulpicia sneered. "He is in some place called...what is it again my dear?" She asked Athenodora.
"La Push. Odd name." Athenodora let out a tinkling laugh which echoed around the chamber.
Bella felt sick inside. What the hell was Aro doing there? She felt like shaking the two females but she needed to probe them for more information. "What about Cauis? Is he there too? And Marcus?"
"You do ask a lot of questions." Athenodora complained. "My husband's whereabouts are unknown at present. He is definitely up to something. Sulpicia and I have grown increasingly suspicious of him over the last year. We have heard things. If it wasn't for that blasted Corin creature keeping us locked in our own minds I would have escaped sooner."
"What do you suspect him of?" Bella tried to keep calm.
"We think he is looking for another mate. Maybe he might have already found one." Sulpicia replied angrily.
"But vampire's mate for life." Bella stated baldly.
"Do they?" Sulpicia dropped her childlike act and stared triumphantly at Bella. "Not you. We know all about you and what you are trying to do. You do not love your mate. You are trying to escape him."
Bella couldn't deny that. Exactly what did these women want from her. "Do you suspect Aro of the same thing?"
Sulpicia burst out laughing as if Bella had told a funny joke. "I know my husband my dear. He hasn't got it in him. He may be the spokesperson for the Volturi but he is certainly not the brains behind it. As for Marcus he is so tired and worn out he just follows Aro around on his little ventures. They are in La Push, secretly planning to capture some spirit wolves? Is that the right name for them sister?"
"Yes. Not children of the moon. They are nasty smelling creatures. But these are proper humans who turn into beautiful wolves. Sleek, handsome creatures. Aro thought they would make a wonderful addition to his guard once fully trained of course. They live for eternity if they stay in their wolf forms." Athenodora scrunched up her pretty nose and laughed again.
Bella felt nausea well up in her throat. She couldn't believe what these two stupid, air headed creatures were telling her. Jacob and the others were in danger and she was stuck here, having an inane conversation. She now knew who the other two figures were who were constantly covered by their cloaks in La Push. The older a vampire became, the less they could tolerate the sun. Aro and Marcus were as old as Athenodora and Sulpicia and had the same powdery skin. They would always keep fully covered when outside to protect their more delicate skin.
"What do you want from me?" Bella asked bluntly. She still wondered what Cauis' role was in all this.
Athenodora and Sulpicia exchanged a devious glance. "We want you to find Cauis' new mate and destroy her. In exchange we will give you your heart's desire." Athenodora whispered. "That sun dial belongs to me. It has been a treasured possession in my family for generations. Cauis took it from me when we were mated and uses it for his own gain. I can send you back now. In exchange you find Caius, I suspect his new mate is with him. Once you find her, end her miserable existence so I can get my husband back. Then I will let you stay in that time line with your 'love.' How you stop Aro and Marcus will be up to you and the spirit wolves themselves but they must not be harmed. Send them both back to us. We will not interfere in that. Do we have a deal?"
"How can I trust you will keep your word?" Bella demanded again.
"You can't." Athenodora gave her a lazy smile. "Just know that things are about to change around here. When the men return they will find a different kingdom to the one they left. I will not allow myself to be imprisoned again."
"How will you prevent it?" Bella asked curiously.
"We have our means." Sulpicia interjected. "Now will you do as we ask?"
"It seems I have no choice either way." Bella muttered.
"Remember don't hurt my Aro, or the deal's off." Sulpicia reminded her.
"Yes I get it." Bella snapped. "Now send me back."
"Don't harm my Cauis just the witch who stole him." Athenodora added.
"Yes, got it." Bella drifted over to the sundial. "Just send me back."
"Touch the dial." Athenodora instructed.
Bella did as she was bid. She heard Athenodora begin to chant in the same language Cauis had used. Like before she was lifted off of her feet and she was spun round and round, her past life flashing in front of her eyes. She became dizzy and lost focus.
It had been nearly fifteen minutes since Bella's heart had stopped. Jacob and Embry had tirelessly kept up their efforts to get it re-started but nothing was happening. It was chaos outside the room. Billy was having difficulty keeping security out of the room. They were going to contact the police until they realized it was the police chief's daughter in the other room. Charlie had no clue what was going on but he stood by Billy's side and blocked the guards from going in.
"Come on Bella wake up, dammit." Jacob cursed again and again. He was getting frustrated that nothing was working. Slowly the fear that he was wrong began to slow his movements until he stopped pumping on Bella's chest.
Embry glanced up at him, his own face awash with tears. "Jake?" He said uncertainly.
"She's gone." Jacob said brokenly. "We lost her."
"Don't say that." Embry looked down at Bella, she looked like a sleeping angel.
"It's not working." Jacob fell against the bed and rested his head on Bella's chest. He closed his eyes for a moment, giving into his despair. "I am so sorry, honey. I love you so fucking much."
"No, sis. Wake up." Embry shook Bella a little, but there was no response.
Jacob lifted his head and sat next to Bella on the bed. He stroked her cold cheek with his warm fingers and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips, but before they connected with her mouth, Bella began to breathe.
A/N-thanks for reading!