Chapter 28

FATHERS

CHARLIE

"G'night chief" young Andy Newton my deputy, called out as he left the station. I waved him off and went back to shuffling the never ending pile of paperwork on my desk. You'd think in a town as small as this one, we wouldn't have to make so many reports. But I reckon red tape is the same everywhere.

It was early still, not even ten pm yet, but with Bella gone, the house was empty I had not much to do with Sue working the night shift at the County Hospital. Used to be, Billy an' me - and most of the time Jacob too – would have been at my house watching whatever game was on while Bella puttered around somewhere in the house, her off-key humming and the occasional crashing noises when she had her little accidents in the background. But of course now, Bella was miles away and I hadn't spoken to Billy or that son of his since she left. Sue keeps bugging me to at least listen to what Billy wants to say – I haven't taken a single call of his since Bella left in November – but it's easier said than done. Easy for her anyway – she still has Seth. And Leah still comes home occasionally.

Good thing that son of his hasn't tried to talk to me. I don't know what I'd do. And really, since that bonfire, I've been itching to shoot something real bad. I see Jacob in town sometimes but luckily, never with that wife of his. Or I don't know what I'd do. And the boy looks like hell warmed over. Serves him right to my mind.

If I didn't have Sue, I would have taken that early retirement the force is offering and moved to Oregon to be with Bella. But she said Harbor already HAD a sheriff and he was doin' just fine – so there went that idea. I think I laughed when she told me that in that sassy voice of hers – my baby girl was just fine. For a while I was worried she'd get all catatonic again that way she did after that Cullen boy, Edwin – Edward – left. But she's different now. Jacob may have broken her heart, but he didn't break HER. She's studyin' and working and running that Inn with Miz Emma and while I know it's been really hard on her, I've never been so proud of her and how she's gone on and made a good life for herself even after what that boy of Billy's did to her.

Also helps that I get to visit her a lot. Good thing I have all that vacation time stored up from before Bella came to live with me and I never took any long vacations.

So here I was on a Friday night volunteering to take the night shift - I knew young Andy was anxious to get home – he and his wife Jill just had a new baby, Samantha. Cute little thing. The Newtons are so proud of her they got her picture plastered all over their store. I couldn't help but grin. Bella was due in a month or so and I can't hardly wait to meet the baby. I reckon the only reason Jacob Black hasn't taken a mysterious stray gunshot to his back is that I'm pretty sure my grandson or granddaughter would be mad if I shot his (or her – although I was rooting for a boy) daddy.

I wonder how people'd react if their Police Chief's office was all papered up in baby pictures. But then again, Bella'd never allow it. She made me swear not to tell anyone and more importantly, to make sure Jacob never found out she was pregnant. So's aside from me, only Sue knew about Bella's secret and why she never visited from Oregon. Which was fine by me. I love Forks and all, grew up here, lived here all my life – but people can be nasty and for a long while, what happened between Jacob and Bella and that whole drama with Aliya Call - well Aliya Black now – sure gave the gossips a lot to talk about.

I was all for hauling Jacob's ass into the station and pistol whipping him when I found out Bella was pregnant and he was getting married to that Aliya girl. At least ask the bum for child support I told her – I always say, if you can't keep it in your pants, prepare to pay out of your pants pockets. But Bella was having none of it. She had a good job at Wolf River Inn and would make enough for both of them she said. And I must confess, I was never more proud of my little girl when she told me her plans. At first, I wanted her to come back to Forks, this way they could live with me and I could help her with the baby. But Bella insisted she wanted a quiet life, she didn't want people pointing and staring and speculating about her – or worse, the baby. And I suppose she's right but damn them all if I care - my daughter and her child had the right to be here. She shouldn't be the one hiding away. She was the one that got the short end of the damn stick after all. Bella won out in the end and I realized I wouldn't want my daughter and grandkid exposed to all that – my trigger finger's been to itchy lately for wanting to shoot a certain Quileute boy, no need to add more people to the list I figure.

It would have been nice to at least get to share this with Billy. Ever since Jake and Bella were just tiny little things we had always sorta hoped they'd end up together. And for a while, we had both thought our lifelong matchmaking would come true. But then there was the Cullen boy and then when they finally got together, Jacob had to go and screw things up. Truth was, what happened hurt me very badly not just for Bella's sake but for my own sake. Billy Black and I had been best friends since our chubby little hands could hold fishing poles – since old Ephraim brought him to my grandfather's old general store for supplies and we became friends. I never in all my life would have thought Billy'd betray me like he did by letting that Tribal Council of his force Bella to participate in that farce of an unbinding ceremony.

Well. What's done is done and ain't no use crying over spilt milk.

"Chief? You there?" The staticky squawking of the two way radio and our dispatcher Flo's voice snapped me back to reality.

"What's up Flo?"

"There's been an accident off of 101 heading north."

"Ok. Pull out whoever's on patrol and send them there. Any casualties?"

"Reports aren't clear yet sir but there appears to be one wounded. The driver was injured but they say she's pregnant and they're waiting for someone to check her out too."

"What's ETA on the ambulance team? D'you dispatch it yet?"

"10-4 Chief. It just got there when I reached you."

"Alright. Do you need to head out there still?"

"Well…uh...not really…no Chief, we got two black and whites on the scene. Looks like a hit and run. They pulled the pregnant girl out of the driver's side. She was conscious but she went into labor. They've rushed both passengers to La Push Emergency. But uhhh…Chief?" Flo said, her voice hesitant.

"What is it Flo? Just spit it out will you?" I asked impatiently. Flo was usually loud, brash and obnoxious. And we loved her for it. But there was an unfamiliar tentativeness in her voice that made me stop.

"What?"

She cleared her throat a few times and forced a cough. As if buying time. And giving me the cold chill that accompanies the foreboding that she was about to give me some news I didn't want to hear.

"The pregnant girl? They pulled her out of the driver's side. She said she was trying to get her passenger to the hospital…she thought he was having a stroke or a heart attack. The passenger…uh…maybe you should get down there Chief…it's uh…"

"Well? Damnit Flo! What the heck is it?"

"It's Billy Black sir. I know y'all had a falling out over uh…uhmm…and uhmm… the EMT says he's asking for you sir."

"10-4….thanks Flo. " I answered and the radio fell silent.

BILLY

I heard the door slam and the rumble of Jacob's truck as he left. It was still dark outside, but in the frigid air of early spring, sounds carried in the wind. And the paper thin walls of the house did nothing to block out the harsh words between Jacob and Aliya.

It had been a bad idea for them to move back in with me – but after the bad spell of pneumonia I had had in the winter, Jacob insisted that it was for the best. I never healed properly and mu diabetes was worse and I was nothing but a burden to Jake. Anyway, a few months after their wedding, the couple had moved back into the old house - Jacob back to his old room and Aliya taking over the twin's old bedroom. I had said nothing about this arrangement but my son knew me well. "My room's too small.." he had muttered, not meeting my eyes. "Difficult pregnancy…Aliya needs more space…the baby…" he had said and then shrugged as he left the room to carry more of their things in.

The fights were getting worse every day and I wondered how long I could pretend I didn't hear…that everything was ok.

At first, I chalked it up them just adjusting as newlyweds. God knows the pressure of the first year of marriage are hard enough on a couple that's…well…in love with each other. What more on a couple like Jake and Aliya? But with newlyweds, the fighting is interspersed with the loving – and there was none of that with them. I never saw them exchange a single loving look at each, much less touch or kiss. In fact, as far as I knew, Jacob never one spent a single night in the same bedroom as Aliya since they moved in with me.

Even at their wedding, Jacob moved like an automaton, like a dreamer not quite aware of where he was or why he was there. The Calls had insisted on a lavish party and Aliya had wanted a ceremony on First Beach near that huge beached driftwood tree that Jacob likes to go to - that was the only time in the whole process that I saw Jacob come to life, when he vetoed any plan of having the wedding on the beach.

Jacob never did tell me the whole story. And all these months I've wondered what happened on those council meetings I was never allowed to attend. My damn poor health has kept me practically shut in all winter and with Charlie not talking to me…well…I don't get much news. I KNEW though that something was terribly wrong. I KNEW that Jake was forced to leave Bella for Aliya. And I KNEW the council forced his hand somehow – under what threat I don't know. But everyone around me seemed to move like skittish deer – and I knew it was because they were afraid to accidentally slip and tell what I wanted to know.

And I was disappointed in my son - for being so damn irresponsible that he had to marry this girl to give their poor baby a name, for allowing himself to be forced into marriage over a baby. And most of all, for not fighting for Bella. But he would never talk to me about it. Would brush me off brusquely the few times I had mentioned it. And I was afraid that if I pushed him too hard, he would run again and selfish old bastard that I was, I was so afraid to lose him that I never did. But I was afraid I was losing him anyway. Between work and school I only saw him a few minutes a day, and even then, he was bone tired and quiet.

But most of all, beyond the disappointment and fear, I felt a deep, painful grief for my son – who didn't deserve such a life after losing his mother, losing his sisters, being stuck taking care of his useless crippled father. He was a good boy, my Jacob. And while I was proud of him for taking on so much responsibility so young I often wished he had had a normal life. And I prayed that he would be happy - something that seemed impossible after that whole business with the Cullens and losing Bella. But for a while, after Bella came back, I had thought my son would be finally happy. And then all this…

It's not that I don't like Aliya. She's not a bad girl. And she tries. But I'll never love her like a daughter…not the way…well…I mean, I practically raised Bella right along with Jacob. And it's sad because Aliya knows it. And she knows that I know that she knows.

I heard the shouting and the weeping. And I stayed in my room, trying to give the poor girl privacy. Like I said, the walls in this old house are thin and after Jacob slammed out of the house, I heard her crying until she finally went into her room, slamming the door behind her too.

I was in the kitchen having coffee when she finally came out many hours later, her eyes puffy and her face swollen. But even then, in the fading golden sunlight of the afternoon, Aliya was still beautiful.

"Hachtoch'oktiyaBilly." Aliya said as she noticed me at the doorway leading to our tiny kitchen.

"It's actually afternoon now Aliya" I said, giving her a smile. "Why don't you sit down and eat something? It's bad for the baby…"

"Don't you start with me on that too Billy…" she sighed, dropping heavily into her seat.

We were both quiet for long, awkward minutes.

"So I guess you heard…this morning I mean…" she said, breaking the tense silence.

I nodded.

"I'm sorry…It's just that Jacob…he never spends time with me...he doesn't care about the baby." She complained, her voice accusing and defensive.

"I don't think that's fair Aliya…you know he's working very hard…and what with work and school and his duties to the Pack, he's just tired all the time." I reasoned with her. I knew Jacob had his shortcomings, but no one could accuse him of not working his butt off to provide for both of us.

"Huh." Aliya snorted. "You don't know what you're talking about Billy." She said, quietly still but with anger in her voice.

"I know Jacob. I know my son."

"Don't you get it? He doesn't HAVE to work this hard. He WANTS to. It's just an excuse to be away from us. He wants to be away from me and this house and this baby."

"You're not thinking straight Aliya. You of all people should know how much expense a new baby will add, and how much school costs and this house…the bills?"

"Like I said, you don't know anything."

"Then why don't you tell me?" I challenged her.

"When he married me, the inter-tribal council, and the Council of Elders, they gave Jacob a full scholarship, a grant - it covered tuition, books, transportation and living expenses, and he had a stipend." She said "It would be enough to take care of everything, he doesn't have to kill himself like this."

"What?" I asked, startled. It was the first I had heard of this. I knew Jacob was pressured to marry Aliya but I had no idea about this grant she was talking about.

"And the irony is – after all this, Jacob won't touch a cent of it." Aliya said, speaking quickly, as if a dam had burst. "He'd rather work his whole life in that dump of a garage of his… You'd think after selling himself to me…he'd enjoy the fruits of his sacrifice" She laughed bitterly. Only the sound held no mirth or humor. Only bitterness and anger. Bitterness so strong I could almost taste it in the air on this cold winter afternoon.

"I don't believe you! I can't believe you would say that about Jacob – that he would "sell" himself for anything!" my hands shook, and the coffee in the mug in my hand sloshed. I felt the sting of the hot liquid on my hand and was glad of the distraction - for the first time in my life, I wanted to hit a woman

And then she looked at me and sneered.

"Oh he didn't sell himself for that grant. Don't get it wrong Billy - he sold himself for YOU…all this was for you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"This…" she swept her hand towards herself and her swollen belly "…he was ready to abandon this...us… for Bella Swan. In the end, the only reason he stayed was because the council promised him they would renew your land grant if he married me. So really, Billy, he sold himself for YOU. To make sure YOU could keep this pathetic little house in this pathetic little village."

"You're lying." I said, my voice shaking. But at the same time, I could not deny the ring of truth in her voice and the memory of the night of the council meeting I was excluded from…the meeting that Jacob almost missed…the meeting where the council scheduled a hearing on our land grant application. I felt my chest tightening and felt like the air was being sucked out of my body.

"You know I'm not." She said. "So don't blame me for your precious son's unhappiness. He chose this life. He chose this life for YOU!"

"You're lying…." I managed to gasp, and then suddenly, a wave of blacknesss overwhelmed me and I felt nothing more.

CHARLIE

"He's in stable condition now. The injuries from the accident are minor, although were monitoring him for concussion. The stroke was not as bad as we initially thought...he was very lucky this time. And we won't need to move him to County. There'll be some paralysis on the left side, but if he can control his diabetes and keep up with the physical therapy, he should show much improvement in the next two months."

I thanked the doctor and he hurried off, leaving me to hesitate about whether to go in or not. La Push Emergency Clinic was a small thirty bed hospital in the Reservation. And with the nearest hospital being the one in Forks County, it was often filled to capacity. Today was no different.

I eased the door open and peeked in. Billy lay on the bed, his eyes closed and his normally ruddy skin dull and gray against the whiteness of the sheets and the bluish light of the fixture overhead. All at once, I felt a pang of regret for the many months that had intervened since I had last spoken to my old friend – since that farce of an engagement ceremony they had for Jacob and his wife. And while I knew part of still seethed with anger at how my little girl had been treated, I knew I would never have forgiven myself if Billy hadn't made it today and we had never had a chance to talk things out.

His eyes flickered open and he tried to rise.

"Lay back down old man." I said, trying for a jovial tone of voice. "Doc just finished patching you up – he's too busy to have to do it over again." I pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down next to my old friend.

I saw his lips moving but the sound he made was so faint I couldn't make it out. He motioned for me to come closer and I bent my ear close to his face.

"Jacob?" he whispered, his eyes worried.

"It's ok Billy, he's on his way here."

"'D'you…tell him I…ok?" he asked. His words were slurred, but I knew what he was asking. He and I both were reliving that night when Sarah Black had died in a car accident. And how the then 8 year old Jacob had answered the telephone call that no child should ever have to receive.

"I told him you were ok."

"Sure?..not want him…worry…"

"I talked to him myself Billy. He's shaken but I think he's ok, he'll be here soon."

"Don't…tell…twins…not worry them…" he pleaded with me.

"They're your kids Billy…they have the right to know…"

He shook his head and looked as if he were about to argue. Then he suddenly and reached toward me.

"Charlie…sorry for Bella and Jake…my fault…" he whispered, clutching my arm.

"What are you talking about Billy?" I asked, confused. "Don't worry about it…we can talk when you're better and out of here."

"No…." he insisted, his weak grip tightening on my arm. "you need…to know…want to tell you… Jake...married….to keep house. Council…they blackmailed him…land grant expired…did it for me." He said, his eyes glistening with tears.

I sat back stunned.

"Did you know?" I demanded.

"Just..today..fought..Aliya..she told." He explained, each word slurred and a drawn out effort. "So so sorry. Didn't know…please…tell Bella…forgive…."

My mind reeled as I realized the implications of what Billy had said. Even I, at the height of my anger, could not come up with a single acceptable reason why Jake did what he did. I knew how much he loved Bella, especially after everything they'd been through. It made sense now. I knew Billy and all the other Quileuetes lived on the reservation on land grants from the government, like long term leases, the rights over which were passed down from generation to generation. Billy's family had lived on that land for at least five generations. It was where he brought home his bride, where they raised their children – where all the memories of his beloved Sarah were. It would have killed him to have to leave it.

Before I could respond, a nurse came into the room.

"You're wanted in the Emergency Room Chief Swan." She said. I knew Sue, who was on duty today, was attending to Aliya. As much as I couldn't stomach the girl, my job as Chief of Police required me to be there to oversee the investigation. I had no idea why they would want me right now though. I knew she had gone into labor after the accident. Wouldn't she still be having the baby?