Song inspiration: "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King

Chapter 35

She thought it had been two days, but her mind felt foggy. Bella said his name.

"Hey, I'm here." He slipped his hand over hers and kissed the top of her head. "How you feeling?"

"Like I've been sleeping forever."

He told her that about summed it up, but it was what she needed. So far, the preventative treatment was working. Their son was still growing bigger and getting stronger. She wasn't having any more pains or leaking fluid.

Bella asked where he'd been sleeping because he looked completely spent. He nodded his head to a less than comfortable looking chair.

"No way. You can't fit in that."

"I've managed."

She knew that meant he'd barely slept in days. She'd done practically nothing but sleep. "Paul, didn't Dad get some rooms at a nearby motel?"

"Yeah."

"Then go, take a break."

"I can't, I said I wouldn't leave you."

Bella asked who else was around that he could trust and he replied no one. "I don't trust anyone else to protect you... ever again."

She frowned. "Where's Embry? It wasn't his fault."

He's back running patrols filling in for the ones that are up here. It was his fuck up and he knows it."

She hated to think about him beating himself up. She definitely was the one to blame. Paul told her they were bringing her breakfast tray in soon. She had tried to eat before, but that morning was the first day she had an appetite. He'd been finishing up most of her food each time they brought a tray. About that time, the person with the food came in the room with her breakfast. Paul helped her adjust the bed. He pulled up one of the chairs and they had a nice morning together. It almost felt normal.

She brought up the wedding. "It's up to you, but I'd still marry you right here in this room. I've already met the chaplain that works here. He said he's done such things before." Bella was considering it. She dreamed about that beach wedding with him for months, but none of the details really mattered, being his wife was the most important part.

"I think I might take you up on that, Mr. Lahote."

She missed their home, their cozy bed and being close to him. She asked if he thought he could fit on the hospital bed with her. He did his best. They didn't want to mess up her monitors, but eventually, he snuggled against her. Paul buried his face in her hair and breathed in deeply. Neither of them spoke or moved for several minutes.

"I don't know what I would've done if he'd gotten away with you. Those few minutes whenever I saw into Embry's mind were pure hell. He put the stuff in the truck, got into the back of the line to buy your tacos when he got a strange feeling in his gut. He immediately went back inside. The smell overwhelmed him, but you were already gone. He saw the tail lights and knew a car like that had to be one of the Cullens, so he took to the woods and pursued."

They were finally talking about Edward, so Bella confessed everything he said to her. "He's delusional. He thinks I'll still go back to him and you can keep our son, but that meant he'd be taking him away from me. It sounded horrible. It was very easy to make myself sick and that's what got him to pull over."

He told her it was a smart move because Embry hadn't been able to keep up at those speeds even though he was running full speed.

"You haven't said they caught him. He and Alice got away, didn't they?"

"For now, but Jacob and Sam are devising some plans of action. Jake will be here later today. I trust them. We'll get the fucker and he'll burn. We won't honor the treaty, he trashed it when he put you and our unborn son in harm's way." Bella had replayed the action in her mind over and over. It was true that Edward didn't push her and probably didn't intend on harming her, but she still was adamant he could've halted her fall. She would never forgive him for that.

Previously, Bella wanted everyone to live out their own lives in peace, but Edward had crossed a line and made that impossible. She knew the pack wouldn't rest until he received their brand of justice. She felt no sympathy, her only remorse was being so gullible that she fell for his line that he would allow her to live a human life. He said he wanted that for her many times, but he was a liar.

Paul's deep breathing clued her in that he'd fallen asleep after their chat. A nurse came in, but Bella asked if they could have a few more minutes. She spent the next hour enjoying the closeness. She stayed awake because she already had too much sleep. She daydreamed about the rocker Embry bought her. Bella pictured sitting in the nursery rocking their full-term, healthy son. The weeks would be difficult being confined to the hospital, but he was worth any hardship.

The nurse said she let Paul sleep as long as she could but Bella had to have her vitals taken, doctor's orders. Paul yawned and stretched off to the side of the bed. He mouthed to her he'd be just outside the door. She was still confined to the bed, and using the bedpan was difficult enough without an audience.

Bella even got a bedside bath. She felt much better once her hair was washed and she changed into a fresh gown.

Jacob and Leah came back in with Paul. She was happy to see them both. Neither of them looked like they had much rest lately, much like Paul. The pack must be running themselves ragged. Jacob gave her a warm, friendly kiss to her temple.

"I'm so sorry about all of this, Bells. You know I'll make it right, don't you?"

"Of course, we trust you, but don't stop taking care of yourself. That goes for all of them. Jake, the pack needs breaks, especially Embry." He growled at hearing his name. Bella was super worried he was currently being alienated by his brothers. She explained with her own words again, so they'd know how she had the error in judgment. She had sent several texts to Embry but hadn't heard back.

She asked about Holly, and he made a face. Jacob said he'd been unable to talk to her and of course she didn't understand why. He said he thought he was officially in the doghouse with his girlfriend. Bella felt guilty for one more thing. Would he always choose her first? She knew it was a complicated circumstance, but not many women would put up with that treatment. She hoped the problems were solved quickly before Holly had her fill. She had been really good for him over the past few months.

Jacob explained where they were in the hunt for Edward. Paul wasn't satisfied. Both men were edgy. Leah refereed and motioned towards Bella's bed.

"We aren't supposed to be upsetting her or causing her stress so might I suggest you two take this outside"

Bella seconded that if they intended to argue. They apologized and pushed their dispute aside. At least, Jacob got through to Carlisle who was horrified by the entire thing. He thought Edward was still in Chicago. He was unsure what Jasper knew since he and Alice were supposed to be in Europe, but he assured Jacob, the rest of them knew nothing of Edward's plots. He wanted to know about Bella and the baby's condition but Jacob didn't reveal too much.

Leah wasn't too polite when she added that Paul looked like shit and needed a shower.

"Please Babe, go to the motel, get cleaned up and take a proper rest. I'm going to worry until you do."

Leah volunteered to sit outside since the waiting room was literally only a few feet away from her door. She also said Mitch and Kai were on the way. "Come on, Alpha... let the ladies take the lead today. We can handle it.

"That's up to Paul. Bella's his mate. I don't blame him." Jacob looked at her in a familiar, pained way. He still struggled with the reality of it all. She felt herself apologizing for the hurt he suffered with her eyes. He read her like an open book. His lips moved, It's okay.

Bella brought her attention back to Paul, Renee was coming late that night or in the morning. "You want to look your best for your first meeting, don't you?"

"Are you saying you're ashamed of the way I look," he sniffed under his arm, "and smell?"

She giggled. He'd been on the bed beside her and he smelled just fine, but she was serious about him resting up.

Jacob and Leah gave them a private moment.

"Paul, I need you to be my rock. I was falling apart before. If any other troubles arise, I need to know I can count on you. You have a breaking point whether you admit it or not. The wolf doesn't override basic human needs."

He pulled the chair close her bed and rested his head against her slightly. "I'm scared to leave."

"Don't be. How close is the motel?"

"Five miles tops."

"And Leah and Kai will be here. Who else is in town?"

"Seth and Jared are napping in one of the rooms now. Others are coming for tonight."

"And Jake's staying in the area?"

"Yep."

She promised him she was fine then. He kissed her stomach. "Don't you move, little man. Mom's where it's at until you're big enough." She felt a familiar kick on the side where his father spoke to him.

She was pleased he was still as strong and responsive as ever. Paul kissed her soundly on the lips. He made sure her phone was charged and close to her.

"Call me if you need anything."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you, Blue. I won't be long."

Mitch stuck his head inside soon after Paul's departure. She held her arms out. He leaned in to give her one of the comforting brotherly hugs she'd grown partial to. Bella didn't want to let go too soon.

"I'm not squishing anything, am I?"

"No, it's fine. I missed you."

Mitch pulled back to get a better look. He studied the machine that kept track of her son's well-being. His eyes followed the tube up her arm until they stopped to inspect the bag of fluid she was receiving.

He commented how real it all seemed now that he was seeing it with his own eyes. "I can't believe what happened to you. I was with Kai when she got the signal from the pack. I've never felt so helpless in all my life. I trust these guys but damn, I wanted to help too and I couldn't do anything."

"Just being here helps. Did you bring me any treats?" She knew he was always looking out for her.

"You mean like a bag full of books and a decaf hazelnut latte?"

She bounced her legs under the blankets and smiled happily. Her big brother knew her so well. He apologized the latte needed to be warmed up a tad since he bought it down the street. "Kai will bring it in after she nukes it at the nurse's station. She's giving us a few minutes alone. Tell me the truth, are you okay? The baby's going to be fine, right?"

Bella told him all the medical jargon she and Paul had recited to them several times. "Just between you and me, I'm still scared. I'm trying to be strong for Paul, the way he is for me. I think he's super nervous as well. This is the first time he's left my side since it happened."

"Understandable. I had to overlook how he was being a bit of an ass out there in the hall with Kai and Leah. I know you're both stressed to the limit."

She mouthed, "Sorry."

Kai came in next, Bella sipped her latte while Mitch went through his selections. He had tons of knowledge when it came to up and coming authors and hidden gems in the literary world.

"Thank you guys so much. Bed rest will be so much easier now."

They visited until Bella felt sleepy again. She had no idea why she still desired naps after two days of sleeping. Mitch assured it was fine to sleep. She was pretty sure Paul completely crashed as soon as he texted he'd gotten out of the shower. She hadn't heard from him in hours.

Her nap ended when it was time for vitals. The nurse looked hesitant to mention, Bella had another visitor that was eager to see her. "I told her you were resting and only two visitors at a time for now. Um... she wasn't too happy with that. I just wanted you to know."

Bella heard a familiar shriek just outside the door. She didn't have time to react or prepare Mitch for what was on the other side of that door.

"Bella, oh my God! My baby. Look at you in that bed looking like a true invalid." Renee gave a harsh look to Mitch and Kai.

"Excuse me, but I'm her mother so could you please step out and give us some time together. My daughter doesn't need to be exerting herself with a bunch of visitors right now."

Bella observed all the color leave her brother's face. Renee always spoke first and thought later. She was offended immediately that Renee didn't recognize her own son. She'd described him in great detail but Renee had declined seeing a picture so far. She wanted to scream, "Think, Woman!"

Kai circled her arms around Mitch's waist. "It's okay, Babe. What do you want to do?"

He didn't move or say anything. He just stared at their mother.

Bella intervened. "Mom, stop. That's Mitchell."

Renee's hands flew to her mouth. She was slowly realizing she'd barged in and tried to throw her son out of the room without a second thought.

Mitch composed himself and stepped forward. He extended his hand. It took Renee a second to catch on to the gesture. Bella pinched her eyes and gritted her teeth. She tipped her head slightly. Shake his damn hand.

She tentatively placed a shaky hand in his. "Oh, nice to meet you."

"You too. How was your flight?"

That gave Renee an excuse to divert the topic away from the large elephant in the room. She griped about anything and everything to do with air travel. Bella was starting to feel tension form in her shoulders and down her spine. She was feeling so nervous. How did Mitch feel? He had to be experiencing every emotion known to man, but he was cool, calm and courteous. Renee was the complete opposite.

"Mom, enough. Don't you have anything else you want to say to Mitch?"

She huffed, "Of course, I do, but I wasn't prepared to be blindsided. I came here to check on you. A little warning would've been nice."

"How could I warn you? You changed itineraries three times. I told you many times, he and I are close. Did you not think he might be here checking on me too?"

"No, I'm sorry. My mind has been preoccupied with other things."

"Well, get over it. This moment isn't about you."

Paul surprised her with his sudden appearance. He looked at all the occupants surrounding Bella. She was pretty sure he already sensed her distress. The monitor showed a couple of twinges taking place within her uterus.

He shook his head. "Oh, hell no. This isn't happening in here. Take it outside. Bella's not supposed to have stress."

Renee looked stunned that Paul's first greeting to her would be throwing her out, but that's exactly what he was doing. She tried to explain her position. Mitch apologized and told Bella he was leaving. Kai followed him out the door. Renee breathed a sigh of relief. Bella cringed again and her stomach tightened. Was her mother still hoping to avoid further confrontation? Mitch deserved better.

"Well, good thing that's out of the way for now. I need an update on you. How are you Bella? Are you sure about this? What if this baby comes too early? You know my neighbor had niece that had a baby far too soon. He's blind, Bella and has several disabilities. I just don't know. I'd hate for you to be in that situation. You're so young."

"Don't... stop it right now. I don't want to hear any of your negativity. I know how you get when you're frightened. Our son is fine. He's going to be fine but if he wasn't, we'd love him no matter what."

"It's just that some problems are a lifetime commitment."

Paul voiced his opinion immediately, "Hey, you heard your daughter, shut it. Newsflash, all children are a lifetime commitment. Maybe you need to think about that next time you run into your son. I said no more visitors for now. Go! I'm taking care of Bella."

Renee asked if Bella was seriously going let him speak to her that way and throw her out.

"Yes, Mom. Paul always has my best interest in mind. You're stressing me out. I know you're concerned. I love you, but you need to go find Mitch. Make that situation right or you might lose your son all over again. He's a good man and you're missing out on something wonderful if you don't face what happened or find a way to move past it."

Renee sniffled and cleared her throat a few times. Her mother never liked to cry in front of her. She preferred to pretend all was peachy even when it clearly wasn't. She came closer to Bella's bed and leaned in to kiss her check.

"I'm very sorry if I upset you." She turned to Paul and offered her hand. He shook it, but Paul didn't soften up a bit. He looked menacing. "And I apologize for overstepping. I do that sometimes. Ask Bella. Thanks for taking care of her." She said she'd see her again when she was up to it.

Bella was tempted to ask her to stay, but he stopped her.

"Should I get the nurse?"

"No, they monitor me from the desk. It was just the tension. I'm not contracting again."

"See, I can't leave you for a second." His signature smirk calmed her further.

"Paul, it's fine. I can survive my own mother. I did for seventeen years."

"She's a fucking trip. How are you so normal?"

She laughed, "Since when am I normal?"

Bella and Paul had a quiet afternoon and evening. He wouldn't allow visitors the rest of the day. When her dinner tray arrived, her father stuck his head in.

"Can you lift the ban just for a second? I brought Bella a little treat."

"Of course, come in Dad."

Bella smelled the delicious aromas coming from the bag. He brought cheeseburgers and fries.

"I thought you might want this instead of the regular hospital cuisine tonight."

"Yes, thank you so much."

"Smells like there's more than one in there, Charlie. You looking out for your future son-in-law?"

"Yes, I brought you plenty. Knowing you, you'll eat this and her tray."

"How's Mom?"

"She's... " he paused, "she's Renee."

"Is she upset?"

"No, I talked her down. Sorry, I didn't warn you. She texted as soon as she was in the hospital that she was surprising you. She was supposed to call me for a ride, but she took a cab."

"Did she talk to Mitch again?"

"She did better than that. She's out to dinner with him as we speak. "

"Really?"

"Yep."

Bella was so relieved to hear that. Her mother wasn't evil. She was a tad bit selfish and needy and constantly stuck her foot in her mouth. Mitch was so patient. Hopefully, they'd balance each other out. She wondered if Kai joined them but Charlie said it was just the two of them. He needed to be at the hotel for moral support when she returned so he told them he'd be back the following day.

"You got Mom a room where you're staying?"

Her father did that thing with his mustache when he was avoiding a question.

"Dad, she has a place to stay, right?" Bella pretty much knew her mother wouldn't think about securing her own reservation. She would happily let other people take care of her needs.

"Yeah, she's going to stay with me for now."

"With you? You mean in a motel room... like together?"

"Not together the way you're saying. I have two beds. There's too much activity going in and out of the other rooms. I wouldn't put her up in a room and chance that Quil kid slipping under the sheets with her in the middle of the night."

Both Bella and Paul burst into laughter. Quil would totally do something like that. Leah had yet to tame him. She said she had no desire to. She liked him exactly the way he was.

"Quit looking at me like that, Isabella Marie. I was married to your mother. We're still close. We're adults. I can share a motel room with her without it getting weird. She's married to Phil."

"I know, I never said a word."

"Yeah, but the look on your face says it all."

She was concerned that he was footing the bill for all the rooms. She reminded him how many weeks she'd most likely be in Seattle. "I don't expect everyone to stay up here the entire time. It'll get super expensive and most of you have jobs." Bella frowned at Paul. He couldn't stop working indefinitely. They hadn't even discussed it, but they needed his income, especially with the baby coming.

Both Paul and Charlie told her to let them handle all that. She was not supposed to worry or have stress. "Take care of my grandson. That's your only job, Bells."

He kissed her goodbye, but Paul followed him outside. She knew Charlie wanted an update and so did Paul. He knew Charlie was working the police side of things. Jacob was coming close to telling him the truth about the entire situation with Edward. The council said, "No." She was equally nervous about it because then he'd know how close she came to making the worst mistake of her life. She knew it would hurt him deeply but mainly his hatred for Edward would grow exponentially.

Bella and Paul enjoyed their greasy cheeseburgers and fries while watching a little TV. She asked the nurse earlier if their was anything bigger for Paul to sleep on at night, but she stated the fold out chair was it. She said she heard from the day shift how he napped with her. They all gossiped how cute it was. No one cared if that was most comfortable method for them. She reminded Bella she was on pelvic rest. Of course, that went without saying. She felt bad, Paul was used to lots of sex. She was too, but they'd have to connect in other ways.

They had two wolves on watch outside. Cade volunteered to come with his brother but Jacob wouldn't let him. He thought he was too young. Collin and Quil were minding the hospital that evening. The others were occupying the rooms nearby at the motel. Mitch finally texted that he and Kai were headed home and that dinner was easier than he expected. She couldn't wait to hear the details, but after all those carbs, she was sleepy.

Bella patted the bed after Paul changed into gym shorts.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I got unofficial permission."

"Okay, if I start crowding you or making you too hot, just shove me out and I'll take the chair."

They snuggled together and talked a little. Bella asked if he was okay with the hiatus in their love life.

"I haven't had time to think about it. Sure I'll miss it, but we have to make sacrifices, you especially. I'd lose my damn mind if someone told me I couldn't get out of bed or step outside."

"Paul, you're already such a great dad. I can't believe you didn't think you'd be good at this."

"Thanks, I just want to love and protect him all the time, like I do for you."

"Well, we both appreciate it more than you know." He kissed her neck and then brushed over his mark.

Bella sighed and relaxed. She knew she could manage as long as he was with her. They both were barely drifting off, when Paul shot up with alarm and flew off the bed.

"What is it?"

He turned his head side to side with his nose lifted high, eventually spinning around in a circle.

"I don't fucking believe this," he whispered.

"What?" He was scaring her.

"There's a damn vampire. I smell it."

Bella felt like she was going into shock. "Close?"

He nodded with his finger over his lips, "Just outside the door."

~Thanks for reading.

Whew... long chapter. Any guesses on the vampire? Friend or foe? I'd love to hear what readers think of Renee!