Chapter Forty Five
Rosalie
We were too late, Carlisle had already gone ahead with a second shot and now Jasper was back in the terrible place that had trapped him before. Sophie overheard me telling Emmett and she burst into tears begging us to take her back.
"I can help Jasper, I brought him back before, Rosalie, he can't stay in that scary place he was so afraid just like me. Why did Carlisle send him back? He hadn't done anything, he isn't a bad man, Rosalie."
I tried to soothe her as Eleazar drove us to the airport for our flight back to Falls International airport.
"Sophie, we are all going to do our best to get Jasper back I promise you but this is not your fault and you must try to stop crying before we board our flight. Don't forget your mommy will be expecting to see a smiling daughter, you don't want her to be upset too, now do you?"
She shook her head and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"If mommy knows she'll be upset too, we love Jasper and we want him back. I don't like Carlisle, he's mean."
"No he's not Sophie, he's trying to help Jasper but until we know what's wrong with him it's not easy. Remember when you are sick and the doctor gives you something to make you better?"
She nodded,
"And sometimes it makes you feel worse before you feel better?"
"Uhhu."
"Well it's like that with Jasper, something happened to him a long time ago and that's what's making him sick now. We have to find out what it is that made him sick."
"I still don't like Carlisle."
I sighed ruefully thinking she isn't the only person who disliked him at the moment. Esme was angry at being put in the position as the person who gave him the drugs, I was angry he'd gone ahead with a second dose after knowing what the first had done and Bella would be beside herself when she found out if she didn't already know that is.
Waiting at the airport was Darius the last person I expected to see and I noticed Sophie held tight to Emmett's hand seeing the tall stranger approach.
"Darius? Where's Esme?"
"She's with Bella, there was a complication so I volunteered to pick you up. Hello Sophie."
Sophie peered around Emmett's leg and smiled uncertainty,
"Hi."
"I'll be taking you to your mommy, I hope that's OK?"
She nodded but I noticed she squashed herself as close to Emmett as she could in the back of the car while I sat up front with Darius hoping to get more news.
"Would you like some music, Sophie?"
"I guess so."
Darius turned the radio on, just loud enough that Sophie wouldn't hear our low conversation in the front although Emmett would still catch all that was said.
"So, what happened?"
"Where to start. OK, I stayed at the hotel to watch over The Major while Esme accompanied Bella to the funeral. I didn't expect them back for hours but about two hours after they left they were back and Bella was spitting nails. She was so upset Esme ended up insisting she take a couple of sedatives the doctor had given her when she first got back to Ray. Once she was settled asleep on the bed Esme told me what had happened. let's see if I can get it all in order."
He was silent for a few seconds then began.
"As far as I can tell there were words between Bella and her mother in law before the service, apparently this woman is a real bitch and made several comments about the fact Bella had a boyfriend but Bella took it all for a while, she tried to ignore the woman. They got through the service and the burial although Esme says if she hadn't held on to Bella's arm the girl might have pushed the old woman in on top of her dead son's coffin. After that they went back to the hotel for food and drinks, a lot of people were there, Steven was pretty well known in town and everyone was there to pay their respects to Bella.
All was going well until Bella's stepmom started in on her about taking Sophie away instead of coming home with them or something. Words were exchanged, the old woman got in on the act and Esme almost had to pull her off the old woman at which point they left. Esme didn't want to leave Bella so I volunteered for chauffeur duty. The rest of the details you'll have to get off her when we arrive."
"How's Jasper?"
Darius shrugged,
"Dead to the world, you'd think he was a corpse if he wasn't so damn hot to the touch, it's spooky. That's upset Bella too, you can see there's chemistry between her and The Major and I hear the little one has a connection too. Did you know Carlisle is on his way too? Good thing the Volturi decided to play nicely for now, you've got enough on your hands as it is."
"We should thank you for all your help Darius."
"Don't thank me, if there's the slightest chance that blond haired fucker is gonna step outside Volterra to take out The Major I want to be here."
I nodded remembering the story Carlisle had told us about his friend Darius and his blood feud with Caius Volturi.
Bella
When I woke up I felt a little better knowing I would be seeing Sophie again soon although I felt guilty as I realized one of the reasons I was eager for her return was my hope that she could help Jasper. Margaret and Sue didn't concern me any longer, I was going to live my life the way I chose and bring up my daughter the way I decided was right and to hell with the lot of them. I didn't want to cause trouble for my dad but I wasn't about to be treated the way Sue treated me and stay quiet. Maybe in time, when Jasper and I had come to know each other better and perhaps…...then I would feel more able to face her and Sophie would be older, able to look after herself and warn me if Sue or Margaret were unkind to her or tried to manipulate her, for now, I didn't trust either of them.
Esme fussed over me like a mother hen explaining who the stranger was who had been watching over Jasper.
"He's a….."
She smiled,
"Yes Bella, he's a vampire too. You have to get used to the V word if you're serious about Jasper, after all, he's one too although I'm not quite sure how much his vampire nature rules him."
"Tell me about them, Esme, about v….vampire's. I want to understand how Jasper ended up like this. How did you become a v...vampire?"
She sat down beside me and smiled,
"It's a rather tragic little tale actually, Bella. When I was human I married a man my parents thought would be a good match for me."
"But he wasn't? It sounds a little like my own story."
"A little but my husband was abusive and my parents told me to keep quiet about it so I did. Eventually, the first world war came along and he was drafted into the army and I had some peace while he was away fighting. I did hope that perhaps when he came home he would have changed but unfortunately, it was for the worse and I found myself pregnant. I was so scared for my baby's safety that I ran away but he found me and dragged me back home. I ran away again and this time I was better prepared. I worked as a teacher for a while and then my sweet baby son was born. I was so happy Bella, he was beautiful and I was so happy then two days after his birth he died, lung fever. I couldn't bear the thought of living without him so I decided to kill myself. I threw myself off a cliff and when I was found the hospital thought I was beyond help."
I felt terrible wallowing in my own pity when Esme had been through so much worse and had said not a word.
"Anyway, they took me straight to the morgue and I would have died for sure if Carlisle who had once treated me for a broken leg as a young girl saw me there and spirited me out. He changed me into a vampire and I fell in love with him. I have never been happier Bella, Carlisle is a good man really. I know you have seen his dark side but I truly believe much of that was down to Aro Volturi. he was a very clever and manipulative man who knew just what buttons to push to get what he wanted. That is not to excuse what Carlisle did to Jasper but please believe me when I say that I know in my heart he will do everything he can to put things right."
"I heard certain things when Jasper was sick before at my place. I thought he had been tortured, have you seen his scars?"
"Yes, but they have nothing to do with Carlisle, Bella. Jasper was sent to Mexico after Carlisle was told he had died. He trained newborn vampires and that's where he got the scars. Newborns are violent and uncontrollable and Jasper was attacked many times as he trained them into an army for his new boss."
I put a hand up, I couldn't bear to hear anymore, it was all too dreadful and I still blamed Carlisle, if he hadn't created Jasper then none of this would have happened to him.
"Do you think he'll live, Esme?"
"Yes, I do Bella because he has something to live for now, you and Sophie. Jasper is strong and determined and he will fight to the bitter end to stay with you."
I nodded hoping she was right but fearing for him all the same.
"Are there many V…...vampire's in the world, Esme?"
"Not really and we are all very careful to stay hidden from the humans, to expose ourselves is to risk death and if there were many vampires we would be more likely to be discovered, as you know vampire's live on blood and we are a small minority living on animal blood."
"How is a vampire created? I know what happens in the movies but I doubt that's the truth."
"You're right, a vampire bite is all it takes to change a human but we have a weakness, few vampires have the strength of will to resist the lure of blood. Once it is flowing it is almost impossible for us to stop before the human is dead. Carlisle has the ability as do a few others but not many."
"So one bite would turn me into a va….mpire?"
"Yes, but it is a long and excruciatingly painful process as I can attest to. Carlisle changed everyone in our family, Edward first, then me, Rosalie and finally Emmett."
"Edward? I haven't met him have I?"
"No, he was in Europe when Carlisle discovered the truth about Jasper and he chose not to become involved. Edward is afraid of the Volturi because of his gift. He can read minds and the Volturi wanted him to join them."
Thinking about it I was pleased not to have met this Edward, he sounded too much like a coward which didn't fit with the rest of the family who had come to help complete strangers putting their own lives at risk in order to do so.
I had a thousand more questions for Esme but we were fast running out of time, Darius would be back soon with the others and not wanting to upset Sophie I moved reluctantly from Jasper's room to Esme's. We were just in time as I heard the car pull up outside moments later and went to the door eager to see my little girl again, all I wanted to do was to hold Sophie in my arms. I had missed her terribly but I didn't regret my decision to keep her away from Ray and her father's funeral. I would tell her that her daddy was dead when we were alone somewhere quiet and try to answer her questions as honestly as I could. I would also do all in my power to shield her from Margaret and Sue for the meantime, she could do without the atmosphere of criticism and spite that they carried around with them.
Sophie came bounding in followed by Emmett and Rosalie both carrying huge bags that I suspected contained Sophie's gifts from Santa. I swung her up into my arms noticing suddenly how heavy she was getting and she smothered me in kisses talking excitedly all the time then I put her down so she could say hello to Esme. While Rosalie smiled nervously,
"I know you told me to join Carlisle, Bella, but we both decided it would be far better if he joined me here. Even if we came up with something we're too far away to act quickly and from what Esme said we need to."
She took my arm and guided me away from Sophie and Esme and lowered her voice.
"Bella, Carlisle will never say so but I'm afraid Jasper's best hope in the short term is Sophie. She's narrowed our search for us but there's still a mountain of work to get through if we are to find a cure for him."
"I know Rosalie, I'm hoping she can reach him too, I'm so scared when I look at him lying there and think about the hell he was trapped in before. I can't bear to think of him suffering again."
The room was crowded with everyone squashed in it but I didn't want anyone to leave just yet, I wanted to hear all about Sophie's adventure in Alaska and I felt safe among friends again. Sophie sat beside me on the bed with Esme on her other side while Emmett tried unsuccessfully to appear as if he didn't dominate the whole room and Rosalie I noticed had disappeared, probably to check on Jasper.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Why are you all grey? Is it Jasper?"
I smiled trying to look positive,
"Well, I am worried about him just like you but that's not all."
Realizing I would have to tell her something I braced myself,
"Actually, I'm sad about daddy, he won't be coming back to us."
She studied me for a long time,
"Was he in the house when it caught fire?"
I braced myself, shocked by her intuition.
"Yes, he was but he didn't know anything about it. He was asleep and the smoke stopped him waking up."
She nodded, her bottom lip trembling a little
"That's sad mommy, poor daddy. Can I take him some flowers?"
I frowned and she went on,
"Flowers for his grave mommy, he has got one, hasn't he? Like Grandpa Haynes. Does Grandma Margaret know? She must be really sad too."
"Yes, she is and she's here so tomorrow we can go see her and Grandpa and Sue."
Sophie wrinkled her nose,
"Do I have to stay with them? Can't I stay with Esme or Rosalie and Emmett instead? I have to see Jasper first mommy, he needs me."
"I know and we're going there in a few minutes. You don't have to stay with anyone except me and I want to hear all about your trip to Santa."
She didn't' need a second invitation and jumped in with her story. I was glad that she hadn't been too upset to hear about Steven but then he'd been gone almost a year and hadn't bothered keeping in regular contact. Besides she was very young, death didn't have the same impact at her age, not that she wouldn't cry later I was sure but she had so much in her head right now the finality of it hadn't really registered. Her story distracted her from concern for Jasper too although I knew in a few minutes she would remember and ask to see him and then I knew she would be upset.
