Disclaimer: In case you are wondering, my name is not Stephenie Meyer. Conclusively, I do not own the Twilight series or its characters.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Back to Reality

Jacob was woken up to a horrible sound. He rolled over to see Bella, sleeping on her back. She looked horrible. Her face was pale, her eyes had dark circles. She then confirmed is suspicions by letting out a long, hacking cough. She even managed to sleep through it, which meant it had most likely been happening for a while. She probably was too exhausted to wake up anyway.

She wheezed in, producing a wet sound as she breathed before coughing loudly again. He quickly got out of bed and went downstairs. Grabbing all of the meds he could see in the cabinet in their kitchen in his arms, he ran up the stairs again and into the bathroom. Bella moaned in her sleep, and he quickly assembled the make-shift pharmacy on her bedside table. He then gently shook her.

She let out a very disturbed noise at being woken before jerking up, bending over as she coughed, trying to breathe. "Bells, you are sick…. Here, get some medicine…" he kissed her lips and put his hand to her forehead. She didn't feel as cool as normal. Fever? He quickly looked through the medicine and gave her some ibuprofen and robitussin.

She took it from him without asking questions and quickly swallowed the pills before gagging the medicine down. She groaned at the taste before blurrily looking at him. He shook his head, "You, Mrs. Black, are not working tomorrow." He gently pushed on her shoulders, making her lie down again.

"No…. I have to go," she whispered hoarsely.

"No, you don't. I will call the school for you in the morning. I will also be making a doctor's appointment for you."

She shook her head rapidly before wincing. Headache, apparently. "I have tests," she complained.

"Well, the substitute will have to do them for you. You are going to the doctor whether you like it or not." She seemed to not like visiting doctors by the expression on her face. He didn't exactly blame her. But it was needed. "I do have to work tomorrow though. So I am going to call one of the guys to take you, okay?"

Bella groaned but finally nodded. "Maybe you shouldn't be around me." Jacob winced in sympathy. She sounded miserable. He walked around the bed and climbed in, pulling a feebly protesting Bella back toward him. "Not now, you rest. I'll be fine…promise. You just go to sleep."

Eventually, she fell asleep against his chest. A thin line of what he hoped was drool soon accumulated on his chest. Oh the things he did for love…

"Hey, Sam," Jacob greeted over the phone. When Sam responded, he was less than happy. Apparently, he had been sleeping.

"Sorry," Jake said, quietly. "I called for a good reason though. Bella is sick. I think she has the flu or something. Anyway, she is sick; the works. I have to go in today, and she has a doctor's appointment for ten thirty. Do you think you can take her?"

"Ugh, I suppose so. Better than one of the girls catching it by taking them. How is she doing?" Sam asked, concerned.

Jacob responded quickly and quietly, "She's okay. She's sleeping right now. I got some meds in her at around 4 this morning. She should be waking up soon and needing more. I have to go to work though. I am going to get her up and in the shower. Can you be here at ten? I'll put her back in bed after she eats something. You can help out from there?"

"Yeah, sure. That's fine. Is there anything she needs that I can pick up for her?"

"Nope. Just a ride as far as I know. Maybe to the pharmacy after the appointment." Jacob said goodbye and quickly hung up before going to the closet. He picked out some loose comfortable clothes for Bella before gently waking her up.

"Bella, come on and wake up." Bella slowly opened her eyes before groaning.

"I don't feel good," she whispered. Jacob smiled softly, kissing her forehead. "I know sweetie; I'm sorry. Let's go get you a shower and clean you up. Then, you will stay in bed until Sam gets here to take you to the doctor. Okay?" He gently scooped her up before carrying her into the bathroom. He turned on the tub before sitting her inside of it as it filled up with cool water to help with her fever. She winced but didn't complain.

He slowly washed her and left her in the tub to go get some breakfast for her. He made her some scrambled eggs and bacon and put it on a plate on the bedside table before going back into the bathroom. He found her asleep in the tub. He sighed, gently rubbing his hand through her hair. He got her out of the tub, waking her up, and stood her up to dry her off.

Then, he walked her into the bedroom, getting her dressed in the t-shirt and cotton lounge pants. He put socks on her feet before putting her in bed and the tray on her lap. "Eat all that you can, okay?" She nodded, and while she ate, he got ready for work.

When he was done, he walked in to see her staring at the barely eaten food. "Can't eat anymore?" he whispered. She shook her head, and he stared at her for a moment before nodding. Taking the plate, he instructed her to lie down. "Sam will be here at ten to pick you up. I'm leaving the door unlocked for him. Until then, I want you to stay in bed. Okay?" Bella nodded again, and he gently kissed her on the lips.

"I love you, Bella."

"Love you, too. Have a nice day at work," she whispered, hoarsely. Jacob nodded before walking out of the room.

A very sympathetic Sam arrived just in time to wake up the monser have have it throw up on his shirt. He was nice about it, despite Bella's gagging apologies. Sam shrugged it off though and simply grabbed one of Jacob's shirts from the closet. Being a parent sure did change people. He then lifted Bella in his arms and carried her down stairs to his car. He leaned her back, and she still managed to fall asleep on the way to the doctor's appointment.

Fifteen minutes later, the arrived to a very crowded waiting area. Apparently, a young man that felt sorry for Bella for being in such bad shape compared to him offered up his time and switched with her. Sam thanked him profusely while Bella coughed, trying to do the same. It resulted in a grimace and a thumbs up to which the man laughed as Bella was helped back to the room.

Bella's appointment resulted in a diagnosis of the flu combined with some rather intense migraines. On the drive home, Bella mused on these developments. She had never had migraines before. But, if she had been human the last fifteen years, would she have already been having them? It was odd- being sick. When one could count of being sick every once in a while, they could build up a sort of immunity. When they got sick, they knew what to expect. It usually wasn't too bad. However, Bella hadn't been sick in over fifteen years. The doctor said her pain tolerance was quite low, and that it was odd she was feeling so bad with only a 100 degree fever. He sent her off with a Z-pack of antibiotics and some medicine for her migraines.

When she arrived home, Sam very courteously helped her in and up to bed, turning around while she got undressed. When she gave him the okay, he quickly turned around and asked what he could get for her. Within minutes, some juice was in her hands. "Thanks so much, Sam. I really appreciate it." Sam nodded, dropping a kiss on her forehead and assuring her it wasn't a big deal, before leaving.

Bella fell asleep and woke up the phone ringing, and the sound of the door shutting. "Bella?" she heard Jacob's voice call as she picked up the phone. "In bed. I've got the phone." She then spoke into the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi Bella," a soft voice whispered.

Bella smiled, "Hello, Esme. How are you? Did Alice see me sick or something?"

"No, I was actually calling to give you some news. You are sick?" Esme asked, concern enveloping every decibel of sound.

"Yes. I have the flu, and apparently, I get migraines. I have medicine though. I'm feeling not too bad right now. It always seems better in the afternoons, or at least that's how it used to be when I was young."

"Hmm. Well, we sat on this information for a while now… We discussed it, and we think it would be good to tell you before it pops up on you," she whispered. She sounded upset about something, and Bella felt her heartbeat quicken a bit. She thumped her chest with her palm as if trying to tell her heart to "cool it".

"Okay… what is it?" Jacob came in the room at that moment and crawled up on the bed next to her.

"Well, Carlisle sat down the group and told them about you being human again. We…"

"I'm sorry, Esme. The guys still want about a month for me to adjust and everything."

"Well, that's fine. But, you see, it's Edward…"

Bella felt her breath catch in her throat. She felt as if she needed to thump her chest this time to make her heart beat. Apparently, Jacob had heard over the phone because his body stiffened up. Bella knew Esme's tone… this was not good news. "Edward?" she asked, feebly.

"Yes. He has decided that… because you are human again… you are meant to be together again. He left here a week ago, and we think he was headed to Forks." Bella looked at Jacob to ask if they had seen him, and he shook his head. She could see him getting angry, and she knew that this would not end up well.

"Did you… tell him that I was happy with how I am now?" she asked, quietly.

"Yes. We were wondering if you had…… seen him?" she whispered, fear lacing her voice.

"No, Esme…" Bella responded, knowing that Esme really wanted to know if the pack had killed him. "No, they hadn't seen him. But they will definitely have their eyes out for him," she whispered. She didn't really like Edward much anymore, but she still didn't like the idea of him dead. Or the Cullen's hurting from the loss of him.

"Well, we… just thought you should know. You will… tell us if anything happens, right?" Esme asked. Her voice sounded pained, and Bella's heart ached with sympathy. She really did see Edward as her son. "Yes. We will."

"Okay, then. Well, I hope you get better soon, Bella. And I hope we can come see you sometime soon, as well."

"Me, too, Esme. Take care." Bella hung up the phone and groaned, rolling up against Jacob. He was stiff, but he quickly relaxed.

"So… how are you feeling?"

"A little bit worse than I was ten minutes ago," Bella said quietly in return. Jacob nodded, kissing her head.

"You know, I have to tell the pack," he whispered. He took her hand, and started to gently rub circles on the back of it. She nodded, closing her eyes. "I know, Jake. But you don't have to worry about me, okay? Edward is…..wrong. I am happy with you." Jacob nodded again before scooting them down and pulling her closer to him, brushing her hair with his hands.

Author's Note: 37 reviews. Thank you! I really appreciate all of you who reviewed. That's just over half of who has me on their alerts, but I did get more of an outreach. Please keep reviewing like this. It makes posting a lot more fun for an author, and it makes reading a lot more fun for you because I am more excited and eager to plan and write.

Currently, I am at a part in the story where I am having trouble deciding what direction to go in. They will still end up at the same place, but I cannot decide which is better. Shouldn't be a big deal though- I have all weekend to plan. Do not expect another post before Tuesday; some friends and I are escaping to the Alps for the weekend. I will be spending most of my time shopping, hiking, and drinking at the best Irish pub in the world. If you ever go to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany- go to the only Irish pub in town. It rocks. Anyway, tell me your thoughts. I probably won't get around to replying too many of reviews before next posting, but I'll do my best. Thank you!