Jillian awoke to an empty house.
It was nice to wake up to silence for once. She rolled over to try and get a little more sleep when nagging thoughts entered her mind.
She needed to find a job. She needed to pay Sam back and she needed to get back to writing her poetry again.
They had her too distracted with sex, dates, and bonfires that she had almost forgotten the book she was so close to finishing.
With a groan and a big full body stretch she sat up and dressed for her day.
Job hunting. The thought of it made her queasy. She hadn't had a full-time job in years. The money she made from selling her art was how she was used to getting by. It gave her enough to travel and eat and even rent hotel rooms every once and awhile.
Her last full-time job had driven her bonkers. They demanded she arrives early, stay late and it ate up all her time for art and writing.
She couldn't just not pay Sam back. She already felt guilty for staying in his home, but he told her he couldn't sleep at night if she were anywhere else so she ended up in his bed, sometimes with him and sometimes not, but never the less in his bed.
Jillian tried her best to pump herself up for all the applications and seemed to get nowhere. She dressed in her only professional clothing, a black ankle skirt, and a baby blue cardigan.
It didn't scream business professional, but it would have to do, she could always fit in at a library, or as a secretary.
When she was dressed, she took her wallet and puffy marshmallow jacket and headed out the door, feeling too nervous to eat. Her stomach was rolling with nerves and she didn't want to risk tossing up her breakfast on a future boss.
It wouldn't look good.
The drive throughout La Push was amazing. Trees were everywhere and even under clouded skies, they were the most vibrant green she had ever seen. She was sure becoming lost in the woods wouldn't be a problem for her. The view was incredible and she could get lost in the beautiful colors and sounds for hours.
Over the morning Jillian stopped at the local convenience stores and anything else she could find hiding in the small area. She even stopped at the local library and the high school to apply for their librarian positions.
After exhausting all her opportunities in La Push she hopped back in her bug and drove out toward Forks.
Her hand cramped thinking of more paperwork but her pride pushed her on. She would not be in debt to Sam forever. She refused.
The road up to Forks was long and winding and surrounded by trees on both sides. It was beautiful. The view relaxed her and reminded her what it was like to be on the road, free and off to anywhere her heart desired.
She turned to around a corner up a steep incline when the entire car shook with a deafening pop coming from her passenger side. She started to lose control of the wheel but managed to steer over to the shoulder of the road. She pulled up the emergency brake and turned the car off.
She raced from her seat leaving the door open only to fall to her knees when she saw her flat tire.
Today was great.
She was exquisite.
The beating of her heart made his mouth water. He could practically taste her blood running past his lips and down his throat.
He hadn't planned to go after her so soon but when she left alone this morning he started planning. He couldn't help himself. He had been tracking her since she left Texas and headed north. Her smell drove him wild and the thought of her blood pounding under her skin made him hard. He wanted her, he wanted her to scream and beg for the end. He wanted to give her that, give her sweet, sweet death after he was finished with her.
When she rounded that corner on the winding road to Forks he tossed a rock at her passenger tire as hard as he could and watched gleefully as it popped. The loud bang made her scream and it sent his senses into overdrive.
She pulled to the side of the road and when she emerged, he nearly groaned. Her long hair was blowing in the wind and sending her scent flying through the air. She was panicked, he could smell it, it would make the taste of her blood even more wonderful. The magic mixed with fear and desperation would be imprinted into his mind forever.
He was thrilled when she tried to change the tire herself but found she had no tools to do so. She sat on the road near the grass and let her head fall into her hands.
Her sadness made him ecstatic.
A sound to his left on the forest floor froze him to his spot high in the treetops. He held his breathing and watched as another stopped next to his prey.
Another vampire stood next to her. Another breathed in her scent. Another was nearer to her than he has ever been.
His anger boiled, but he would have her.
"Do you need help?" a soft voice asked
Jillian's head snapped up and she saw the rusty haired boy from her vision, he stood tall with a gleam in his eye.
She nodded, "I'm alone on the side of the road without any tools or a phone to call for help, of course, I need help. I was going around the corner when the tire just popped." She felt helpless
He gave her a small smile, "I'm Edward."
"I know."
Edward gave her a questioning look. He stared at her for a long moment but then proceeded to the trunk of her car for the spare, "No tools?"
"I swear they were there a few weeks ago. I don't know what happened to them."
He said nothing and proceeded to remove the busted tire with nothing but his hands before replacing it with the spare.
"How did you do that?"
"I am a lot stronger than I look. Just like those dogs of yours."
"They're not dogs."
He laughed, "To me they are."
She rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
They were silent as he worked to tighten the bolts, "There you go. You're all set to go."
Jillian went to lift the tire up and put it in the trunk when he held out a hand, "You shouldn't be doing that." He told her quietly
"Why?" she asked confused
Edward's eyes widened slightly before returning to normal, "I just assumed you knew."
"Knew what?"
He shook his head and placed the tire into her trunk.
"What don't I know?" she asked louder
"I thought they would be able to tell with their heightened senses."
"Tell what?"
He stood in front of her and looked at her long and hard, "The heartbeat is so loud."
"What are you talking about?"
His eyes landed on her belly for a split second before snapping back up, "They may not be able to tell. I wonder if their ears aren't as strong as ours."
Her hand dropped to her belly, "Their ears?"
"Yes. Our ears are special. We can hear heartbeats from miles away. I can hear the blood traveling throughout your body." He gave her a little smile, "You should stop by the hospital in Forks. I may be wrong, but I doubt it. I can hear the little heartbeat even if yours is louder."
"Hospital?" her brain was in overdrive, she was connecting the dots slowly but surely as he placed a cold hand on her shoulder
"Don't panic, just go to the hospital as soon as you can. Confirm my theory. And tell your dogs, tell Sam that after tonight we will all be gone, and congratulations." She watched as his eyes fell to her hand resting upon her belly once again
Her eyes fell too and when she looked up again he was gone.
Her heart was beating frantically as she climbed back into the car and drove off. She was starting to panic.
Jillian drove as fast as she dared over the winding roads until she neared houses and city streets.
Her mind was racing and one word was repeating in her mind, heartbeat.
She couldn't be. She was protected. She had an IUD inserted years ago, but how long ago was years ago?
She felt queasy and lightheaded as she pulled into the emergency room parking lot.
She raced inside and made her way to the front desk.
The little old black lady smiled up at her, "Hello darling. How can I help you today?"
"Um. I think I might be, um preg…" She couldn't get the word out. Her throat was dry and she could breathe as the little old lady looked up at her
The lady's eyes sparkled as she gave her a sympathetic look, "Alright darling. You fill these out and then you bring them back to me and we'll get a doctor to see you."
She took the clipboard and sat down. The waiting room was quiet. There was no one there besides her as she filled in all the information. Her hands were shaking and she was feeling iller by the second.
She turned the papers over to the little lady behind the desk and sat back down with her leg shaking as she waited.
"Jillian McKnight." A voice called
She stood fast and followed the woman through a set of doors and into a small white room. She took her weight and height as well as her blood pressure before having her take a seat to wait for the doctor.
The door opened and shut softly as a short woman with long brown hair entered the room, "I'm Stephanie Bechtold. I am a registered nurse practitioner.I hear you think you may be pregnant."
Jillian could only nod.
"It also says here that you have an intrauterine device. Do you remember when you had it placed?"
She shook her head again.
She scratched down her notes, "Well to be safe we need to have it removed and then you will take a pregnancy test."
The nurse stood "I'll leave the room. If you could put the gown on and then hop up onto the table. I'll be back in a moment and then we'll get started."
She smiled before leaving Jillian to undress.
Jillian's hands shook as she undressed and pulled the gown on. She folded her clothes and sat on the cold table. She waited. She tried to breathe deeply and relax.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door opened and then shut, "Alright! Just lay back and we'll get this show on the road."
The doctor removed the IUD within minutes and then ordered the pregnancy test. Jillian dressed and waited on the bed for her results. For five long minutes the doctor made her wait before coming into the room with a happy smile on her face.
"Alright. Your test came back positive."
Jillian's heart dropped; she was pregnant.
"Just to be safe we'll draw blood and send it to our lab. You'll get a call in a few hours with the results and we'll have you set up a follow-up appointment."
She nodded and felt numb. They took her blood and gave her a little pamphlet titled what to expect when you're expecting.
Her drive home was uneventful as she drove in silence. When she pulled in front of the house and walked inside still feeling numb.
She went about making dinner for everyone before sitting at the table and staring down at her notebook.
The front door opened and her men filed in and planted a sweet kiss on her lips before disappearing into the living room to relax.
The phone rang a few hours later and she picked it up with shaking hands, "Hello?"
"Is this Miss Jillian McKnight?"
She swallowed hard, "This is she."
"Good afternoon. We are just calling to give you your results from your test this afternoon."
The woman went quiet and Jillian swallowed hard forcing the lump in her throat to disappear.
"They are still positive. Would you like to set up a follow-up visit?"
Her mouth went dry and she shook her head, "Not right this moment. Can I give you a call back in a day or so?"
"Of course dear. You have a wonderful night! And congratulations!"
She hung the phone up and tried to make herself busy finishing dinner.
The words rang in her ears, "Pregnant."
A sob rose in her throat and when she reached for the tray of cooking rolls her fingers slipped and they dropped with a loud clatter to the floor.
In a moment so fast she could barely comprehend she was surrounded.
"What happened?" four voices asked all at once with panic
She tried to wave them away but when Sam reached for her she flinched and backed away, "I just lost my grip."
Paul reached for her, "Doesn't seem like that was it."
She took a step back, "I was distracted by the phone."
"It's okay hun. Shit happens." Jared tried to reach for her too.
She took another step back, "Just let me clean it up."
The wall she threw up was wavering and when Embry reached for her she took a step back and hit the wall, "Please…" she whispered, "Just let me clean it up…"
"Tell us what's wrong."
She shook her head and tried to become part of the wall, "Nothing is wrong. Everything is fine."
By the time tears started to well up in her eyes, Sam had had enough. He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deep within her eyes, "What is wrong?"
"Noth..."
"Don't you dare lie to me. You're practically in tears and you won't let anyone of us near you. Now tell me what is wrong."
"I don't want to."
"I don't give a damn what you want. You've got us all worried at fuck. Now tell us what's wrong."
"I swear I didn't mean for it to happen."
Paul was losing it, she was obviously distraught and wasn't making any sense, "I don't care what you did. None of us do."
"You will." She looked at them with tears falling and a broken sob tore through her when she locked eyes with Embry, "You'll hate me."
Embry's heart broke, "We could never hate you."
Jared fell to his knees in front of her and held her hands, "Please tell us what's wrong. I can't stand seeing you cry."
She fell into his arms and hid her face in between his neck and shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
She mumbled the words she wished weren't true.
"We can't hear you, babe. Please."
"I'm pregnant." She said louder
Silence met her ears.
"Oh fuck," Jared whispered as his arms went lax around her