[ Side note: Thank you thank you thank you! You guys rock, you make me want to write more often. I have been trying to update quickly because I am deathly afraid of the writer's block I have experienced in the past with my own stories. I also hate it when the story is incomplete so I will do my best to keep up with my ideas. Thanks again for the reviews, I swear I get like two or three and I am so happy!]
Chapter 14
I woke up smelling bacon cooking in the kitchen and Embry's large arm around me. I am not sure how it happened but we ended up sleeping on the couch.
I looked around for a clock and saw that it was around 11:30am. I listened in the kitchen and heard laughing and my grandmother's voice.
"You better be nice to me, or else I won't give you any food." Said a deep voice.
"Yes you will, Anna bought it for everyone, you have to." Lilly said.
"Well I will share with Anna and Embry…" I realized it was Andrew speaking. Was he, actually cooking? I smiled at the thought of him in a frilly apron.
"And me, because you have been coming around all the time." Said my grandmother.
"Of course Shanny." He said.
I turned over softly in Embry's arms and stared at his sleeping face. He had lost a lot of the seriousness and his eyes were closed with a small smile playing on his lips. I traced my finger over his nose and around his eyes. I reached his lips and I was tracing them when his eyes opened and he kissed me.
When I pulled off of him blushing he said, "That is how I want to wake up every morning."
"I think we can work that out…"I said.
"Do we have to wake up?" he said whispering in my ear.
I shook my head in no but then Andrew called out from the kitchen, "Oh yes you do, I can hear you, I made breakfast."
I giggled at the look on Embry's beautiful face. I thought he would argue but then he said, "Alright." And with a quick movement pulled us both off the couch and into a standing position.
I gasped and tried to walk into the kitchen and he said, "Don't think I am letting go of you yet…"
I giggled and he picked me up and threw me on his back. I held on tight and he walked into the kitchen like it was nothing. He found a chair near the window, swung me off his back, and into his lap as he was sitting down. He is so muscular I don't think I will ever get over it.
"Okay Lover Boy." My grandmother said eyes glinting, "Don't think you can get away with anything in this house."
His eyes twinkled and said, "Ah come on Shanny, how can I not touch such a beautiful women?"
I blushed and smiled at my grandmother, "Yeah yeah." She said, "Just watch it."
We all knew it was an empty threat but acted like we didn't. "What's for breakfast?" I asked Andrew.
Lily answered though, "Bacon, Eggs, and potato patties; which he says he will not give me any of. Will you tell him he has to share?"
"Andrew you have to share with Lilly." I laughed
"Your too bias." He said back to me working over the stove.
"Maybe…" I said laughing, "But you would never starve Lilly."
"True." He said flicking the spatula up words causing bits of egg to fly.
"Be careful with that." My grandmother said smiling, "And as much as I love to hang out with you love birds, I am going out to the library. I will be back later."
"You volunteer there a lot, don't you?" Lilly said.
"I do, I need something to do and not many places higher old geezers like me."
"Shanny your not a day over 25." Embry said from behind me.
"Shut up Embry. Yes, I am not a day over twenty five but I have a granddaughter."
We all laughed and she left.
Lilly watched her walk down the path then said, "So, Embry?"
The look on her face was priceless, it was somewhere between trying to be serious and tell me all of your secrets.
"Yes Lilly?" he asked innocently.
"I would say a congratulations are in order. How do you feel?" She said smiling, I smiled with her and looked at him.
"Like a rock star." He said laughing. I knew how he really felt, but I don't think he wanted it broadcasted to the world.
"Good. I am happy for you." She said.
"Thanks." He said, I could tell he meant it. Being a little unsure he still needed the support from the people around him.
Andrew set down the food on the table and we all dug in.
"This is amazing!" I said between bites, "Where did you learn to cook so well?"
"My father used to teach me on Sunday mornings. He said that one way to a women's heart was food." He said smiling at Lilly.
"It's working!" she said.
We laughed and joked around for a while. I knew they had to cover the night shift to we spent the whole day together. We played Life at one point and we had to pick up a second minivan for our kids, I think in the end we had 5.
Around 4:30 Embry got a call from Sam and said he had to go. I decided that even though it was cloudy I would go out for a walk and let Andrew and Lilly be alone.
I walked through town and looked into the diner and waved to Lana. I walked around town and then decided to go to the cliffs. If I could find peace there with Embry, I could probably find it alone. When I got there no one was there and the ocean was churning like a monster ready to eat its prey. I thought of quotes from books I had read about the ocean. I thought about the times I had come out here with Embry and before that, with my family. I thought about the bon fires and how life was moving so fast. I sat down at the cliff where we had gone cliff diving and ignored the wet ground.
I was gazing out into the horizon when I heard something behind me. I turned around to see a giant wolf coming out of nowhere.
I watched it slowly come closer, its head was down like submission and I studied it. It had grey-ish fur with black spots, it was huge, like a bear, only more fit. It wasn't too bulky but it had muscle arouse every part of its body. The last thing I looked at were its eyes. They were a deep brown with flecks of goldish/ blight brown; I knew those eyes anywhere.
"Embry?" I said softly feeling a little insane.
He winked and showed his teeth. If I wasn't crazy before, I am now because it looked like he was smiling.
I giggled and reached out for him. He trotted the rest of the way up to me and put his head under my hand. I traced the bones in his face and then I tackled him with a hug. "You are so beautiful." I said without thinking, "And soft."
He made a chucking noise and the turned around. My smile faltered, "Where are you going?" I asked, was he just going to show up then leave?
He nodded into the forest and then back at me and I understood, he was going into the forest but he was coming back. I didn't have to wait long before I saw my 6'3" Quileute boyfriend walking towards me.
I ran up to him and hugged him, "You know we have barely been a part two hours?" he said laughing.
"I know, its been too long." I said smiling into his chest, "And not that I don't want you here but aren't you supposed to be patrolling?"
"I am, but I saw you out by the cliffs and Andrew said I should go talk to you. He also said thanks for the alone time with Lilly." I looked at his face to see it in a somewhat disgusted mask.
"What?" I asked.
"Well, he then relived the alone time in his mind…" I laughed and he smiled
"So what do you need to talk about?"
"I met with Sam before patrol, and he had a lot to say." I looked at his face to see it set in serious mode.
"Yeah? Like what?" I wondered.
"He gave me tips on how to be alpha and then he talked about us being brothers." I sat down on the wet ground and he sat across from me.
"I see." I said trying to catch his eye, "You know, you can talk to me about it."
He nodded and looked into my eyes, "Anna, you are the only person I want to talk to about it, I just don't know what to say. I feel like I have just been thrown into a world of responsibility that I don't know how to handle. Then with my father, I never wanted to know."
I nodded and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. Other then, leadership, as you now know, is in your blood. It might change who you are as a person, but your pack and your family will always care and support you."
"I love you so much." He said looking intensely in my eyes.
"I love you too." I whispered. I moved to kiss him when I heard a howl from somewhere in the woods.
"Shit, I have to go." Embry said.
"I understand, are those vampires still around?"
"They are leaving tomorrow, we are just being careful." I smiled and nodded getting up with him and giving him a good bye hug. He stroked my hair and then turned to leave.
...
I walked into the house and heard voices in the kitchen. When I arrived through the doorway I saw my aunt, uncle, Lilly, and my grandmother around the table talking.
"Hey guys." I said
"Hey Cub, why don't you grab a mug and join us?" Joe said with a smile.
I smiled and made myself some tea and sat down, "How are you?" I asked my aunt.
"Oh you know, same old same old."
"That's good."
We sat around talking and drinking tea for an hour and my grandmother got up to make dinner.
We were arguing about how to play a proper game of Speed and one of the pots crashed off the stove. We all turned in time to see my grandmother tumble to the ground.
I was the first one to run over to her and I grabbed her hand, "Someone call 911!" I said loudly.
"I did, they will be here any second." My aunt said. I looked up to the faces around me to see worry and concern etched in all of the lines that made up their face.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" I kept saying under my breath.
The paramedics came and I rode with her to the hospital. They made me wait outside in the waiting room and I felt like screaming. Not her too, was running through my head.
Eventually the doctor came out and said something about having a major stroke and she has lost feeling in one of her legs and they don't know if she can speak yet, but the chances are low. I started crying somewhere in the middle and asking questions. He said that most likely she would need to stay in a full time care facility with doctors and nurses around all the time. Finally he told me what room she was in and I ignored everyone around me and ran to it.
When I walked in I saw breathing tubs coming out of her, large machines all around, blinking and chirping noises. I blocked it all out and went straight to her. My grandmother was still asleep and I pulled up a chair and held her hand. I put my head on my arm and just sat there watching her for movement. I don't know how long I was there just waiting but then I fell asleep.
I can feel someone stroking my hair and I all of the sudden wake up and see it was my Grams.
"Oh my gosh, I was so worried." I said crying again. I looked at her for an answer but then remembered what the doctor said, "the stroke hit her speaking and responding part of the brain; we don't know if she will talk."
"Say something." I said quietly. Her eyes filled with so much emotion and she shook her head in no. I looked at the walls for something to do or say but I couldn't find anything.
"Anna?" I heard someone say, "Anna come on, your aunt and uncle want to see her too."
I almost objected to the hand trying to pull me away from her but I looked back at my grandma and saw he nod me out the door. I remember words from my grandfather's funeral that she said to me, "Smile and be brave, its how I get through the day."
I smiled back and her and fallowed the hand pulling me out. When I got out to the hallway I finally saw the face and it was Lilly. It looked like she had been crying as much as I had and I pulled her into a hug.
"Thanks for being here." I said into her hair.
"I would never be anywhere else." She said.
We sat down in the hallway and looked at the wall in front of us. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I leaned my head on hers. I heard crying from inside my grandmother's room and assumed it was my aunt. I don't know how I will do this. How am I supposed to know what to do? First my parents and now her. Why is it people around me keep disappearing? This is not fair.
"Yeah sure I am family. What room?" I heard a deep voice say from down the hall.
"You know you don't sound very convincing." I heard a nasally voice say.
"Please? I need to see her." Embry is here, thank goodness.
I whispered into Lilly's ear who was half asleep, "Embry is here, I will be right back."
"Are you going to make me call security?" the nasally voice at the nurses' station said.
I snorted as I rounded the corner thinking of puny security men trying to take Embry out.
"Oh Anna!" he said rushing over to me and picking me up in a hug.
"Is he family?" a lady with huge glasses and a small nose said at the desk.
"Yes, he is." I said when he put me down, "thank you."
She sniffed and turned back to her computer. I looked behind Embry to see Andrew walking through the doors. I pointed down the hall way and he went straight down and I heard his sigh of relief when he saw Lilly.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner. I was on patrol until Jared finally popped in and told me that everyone was talking about an ambulance at your house. I didn't know if it was you or what. I got here as soon as I could. I'm so sorry."
I smiled at his worry, "I'm fine, it's okay. It wasn't me, it was my grandmother."
"What happened?" he said pulling me over to the chairs in the waiting room.
I told him how she fell and how scary it was and how I didn't leave her side. I told him what the doctor said and how he was right she couldn't speak. My throat closed a couple times and I had to hold in the tears.
When I was finished he said, "Oh Anna, I'm so sorry."
He pulled me into his lap and I couldn't keep up the brave façade anymore and I began to sob and cry. I didn't care who heard me or what happened. I needed this.
When I finally took a deep shaky breath we headed down the hall way to see everyone else. Lilly and Andrew were standing hand and hand looking in looking really nervous. My aunt and uncle were standing in the door way, my aunt holding on to him for dear life, and then a nurse running down the hall way pushed past them into the room.
"No." I said under my breath and Embry and I ran the rest of the way, "What's going on?" I said to my uncle.
"I, I don't know, one minute she was awake and smiling and then she was gone."
"What do you mean gone?!" I yelled.
"Anna…" Lilly said from behind me.
"I mean, her heart monitor, it just stopped. I'm so sorry, cub."
"No, I don't believe you."
My aunt looked at me, "I know, I'm sorry."
Then I crashed again, I could move I could stand I could speak, I just cried. Embry picked me and held me in his arms. I have no idea where he is going, or what is going to happen.