Ben
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-thank you to all those who reviewed the last chapter and for sticking with this story, even with the infrequent updates. My muse continues to plague me as far as my JB stories are concerned, so thank you all again for your patience.
Chapter Twenty-Two-Placing the Blame
Luka's condition continued to deteriorate during the long drive back to Forks. He was wrapped in a warm blanket and laying in the back of the car next to Bella, while Jacob drove. Luka's head rested in Bella's lap. She did her best to soothe the frightened boy, but he continued to tremble violently. He kept asking about Ben, Bella did her best to reassure him, but poor Luka was so far gone that none of her assurances that his little brother was safe and well sank in. Sometimes he called out for his mom. It hurt Bella's heart to hear him cry out for the woman who had abandoned him and Ben.
"How much longer, Jake?" Bella begged him.
"We're about an hour away." Jacob glanced behind him and met her panicked gaze. "Has he warmed up yet?"
Bella caressed Luka's icy cheek and shook her head. She bit down on her bottom lip to stem the tide of her tears. She didn't have time to cry. "What should we do, Jake? I'm scared."
Jacob pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Lets swap." He quickly climbed out of the driver's seat and replaced Bella in the back. It wasn't easy. There wasn't much room, but with a bit of manoeuvring, Jacob managed to fold his long limbs inside the car. He tucked Luka into the side of his warm body, using his insane body heat to warm the boy up as fast as possible.
Bella took over driving. She focused on the road ahead, trying to escape the hurricane of her anxious thoughts. They had already rung ahead, letting Esme know they were coming. Esme was as practical as always. She was a doctor's wife; she had picked up a few tips over the years and was trained in first aid. Bella had noted fleetingly that Esme sounded a little strained when they spoke, but she hadn't let herself dwell on it.
"How is he, Jake?" She asked.
"He's stopped shivering." Jacob told her. Luka's eyes were closed and he had fallen into a restless doze. Occasionally he jerked in his sleep as if reliving some horrific memory. Jacob tried to make the poor kid as comfortable as possible in such a cramped space.
"Jake, I…" Bella couldn't finish her sentence.
Jacob reached out and put a calming hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be alright, Bells. Luka is a fighter."
Bella kept one hand on the steering wheel while placing the other over Jacob's. She squeezed his fingers gratefully. "I love you, Jake." She declared tearfully.
"I know you do." Jacob replied a little sadly.
Bella heard the melancholy tone in his voice. He thought she meant as a friend. She needed to kill that thought right away. "I mean I really love you." She emphasised each word firmly. "I'm in love with you, Jake!"
Jacob felt happiness swell in his chest at her words. Of course, deep down he already knew she loved him. It wasn't like she hadn't told him that a hundred times before. But somehow this was different. It wasn't just the words, it was the way she said them- the soft inflection of her voice, the emotional hitch in her breathing when she spoke. As he met her gaze in the wing mirror, his heart melted at the tender look in her eyes.
"Does that mean I can call you my girlfriend now?" He teased lightly.
"Yeah, I guess it does." She said, smiling despite the desperate situation with Luka. Even in the darkest times Jacob always managed to chase the shadows away.
Esme had everything prepared as soon as Bella, with Jacob carrying Luka, walked into her apartment. She led the way into her own bedroom, gesturing for Jacob to place Luka on the queen-sized bed. While Jacob held him, Esme carefully unwrapped the blanket from around Luka's thin body. She sucked in a sharp breath when she saw how skinny his frame was. She took his temperature and frowned slightly.
"We need to strip him out of these clothes. I'll leave you to do that, Jacob. Once you've done that, wrap him up in this." Esme passed Jacob a clean fleecy blanket. "We need to keep him warm, but not too hot. We need to get his body temperature up gradually. He's showing symptoms of mild hypothermia. I've seen it before." She continued, but didn't reveal where. "Bella, come with me."
"I'd rather stay with Luka." Bella began.
"Of course, but there is an important matter I need to discuss with you." Esme said urgently. "While we talk, we can make Luka a warm drink." She tugged on Bella's arm. "Jacob, we won't be long." She promised.
Jacob nodded. "It's okay, Bells. You go. I can handle this."
"Okay." Bella agreed reluctantly as she followed Esme back into the kitchen.
Esme's voice was tight with strain as she told Bella everything that had happened while she and Jacob had been in Seattle searching for Luka. Bella was shocked to learn that Rosalie now knew all about Ben-Esme explained that it was because the statuesque blonde had done her own digging-not because she or Alice had told her.
"She's been a great support." Esme admitted.
"Where is she now?" Bella asked shakily. This information was just too much on top of everything else she had to worry about. She and Rosalie had never been close, and it was Rosalie who had called Edward when he was hiding out in Italy, to tell him about Alice's vision of her jumping off the cliff. That had set off a whole chain of events which had led her right to the Volturi. Even though Rosalie had later apologised for her part in it, and Bella had accepted it, she had remained wary of her ever since.
"She's with Emmet. I haven't told her yet that Luka has been found." Esme's brow furrowed in concern when she noticed Bella's face pale. "You don't need to worry about Rosalie, Bella. I can assure you she is just as protective of Ben as I am."
"She can't tell Emmet." Bella responded anxiously. Even though she liked Rosalie's gregarious mate, she worried that he might accidentally let something slip in front of Edward or something. He wasn't great at keeping secrets.
"She won't." Esme assured her quickly. She was quiet for a minute as she finished making Luka's hot chocolate. "It's not Rose we need to be concerned about."
Bella felt the first flutters of panic kicking off in her stomach. Somehow, she knew that it was going to be something that involved Edward. And she was proved right when Esme explained in short, angry, static sentences about the conversation Rosalie had overheard between Edward and Jasper. Tension grew in her face and limbs the longer she listened to Esme describe the confrontation she'd had with Carlisle.
"I'm sorry, Bella." Esme apologised earnestly. "Rose and I have tried to contain it. I promise we've been keeping a close eye on your father and Ben while you've been in Seattle searching for Luka. We didn't want to burden you with all this when you had enough to deal with already."
"I can't believe this!" Bella pressed the palms of her hands to aching head. She wanted to scream with frustration. "Damn Edward and Jasper to hell!"
The front door opened and Alice and Paul walked in right at the moment Bella was cursing Edward and Jasper. Alice halted, her posture stiffening when she heard her mate's name mentioned. "What's going on?" She asked anxiously. "Is Luka okay?"
Bella breathed deep as she tried to stop the wild and crazy thoughts accelerating around her head. She wanted them to slow so she could breathe but they wouldn't. She was so angry. She couldn't take that anger out on Edward and Jasper, so she took it out on the closest connection to both of them-Alice.
"Jasper and Edward hired Jenks to track down Ben and Luka's mother!" She raged at Alice. "Why didn't you foresee this? Or were you too busy playing your stupid games with Paul?"
"No!" Alice shook her head wildly. Her golden-brown eyes went wide with horror. Jasper wouldn't betray her like that. She couldn't believe it. "Jas wouldn't…" She looked helplessly toward Esme. "Please, tell me its not true?" She pleaded. "Esme?"
"I'm sorry, Alice. Its true." Esme confirmed sadly. "Rose overheard them plotting together. I confronted Carlisle and he didn't deny it."
Alice's world crumbled around her. Jasper's treachery was too much to bear. She couldn't look at Bella. She couldn't look at anyone. Distraught, Alice tore out of the apartment, nearly bowling Paul over in her haste to be gone.
"Hey, Pixie, wait!" Paul called after her. He went to follow Alice, pausing at the front door to glare over his shoulder at Bella. "You are out of order saying that to her. She has done nothing but support you. She's been focusing all her psychic energy on trying to find Luka. She's been beating herself up because she couldn't see him. She was so happy when you called to say you'd found him. She's not responsible for the crappy decision's others make. You, of all people, should understand that!"
Bella was already regretting her hasty outburst. She looked shamefaced at Esme as tears began to roll down her face. Esme sighed and gently embraced Bella. "We're all hurting right now. Alice understands that you didn't mean to lash out at her." She stroked the back of Bella's head comfortingly. "Put it out of your mind. Luka has to be our main focus right now."
Bella took a moment to compose herself before she pulled away from Esme. "I'll call Alice and apologise in a bit." She sniffed and wiped her tears away with shaking fingers. "I need to see Luka."
Esme smiled in understanding. She picked up the hot chocolate and clasped Bella's hand in her own. "He'll be better soon, Bella. As soon he's well enough we can take him to see Ben."
Bella's face broke out into a smile. She could already imagine her little brother's excited face when he saw Luka. It was his birthday in a couple of days. What an awesome present it would be for Ben if she could reunite him with his big brother on his special day. The thrilling thought warmed her heart for a moment until she remembered that she still had a hard task ahead of her.
"I need to tell my Dad about Luka." She sighed as her mood came crashing down again.
"He may be hurt at first but I know your father will understand." Esme assured her. "Charlie is a good man."
"He is." Bella agreed, feeling a little better. She was anxious to get back to check on Luka again. She missed Jacob's solid presence. She knew that he must have overheard her conversation with Esme while he was looking after Luka. She knew how blessed she was to have such a loving, protective guy in her corner. With a renewed spring in her step, she took the lead as she headed back to the bedroom, with Esme following close behind her.
Rosalie had lied to Esme. She hadn't gone home to be with Emmet. She had driven straight to the Swan house to spend more time with Ben and Charlie. The police chief had been surprised to see her again so soon, but he quickly welcomed her inside. He was feeling exhausted after entertaining his son on his own for so long. Ben was a little bundle of energy and Charlie had found it difficult to keep up with him.
"I think he's had too much sugar." Charlie confided to Rosalie. "Bells is not going to be happy."
Rosalie's laugh was like music to Charlie's ears. He grinned sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning pink when she gave him the benefit of one of her most blinding smiles. He led the way into the lounge, calling out to Ben. "Hey, kid, look who's here."
Ben looked up with interest when Rosalie swept into the room. He was kneeling on the floor surrounded by hundreds of puzzle pieces. He was struggling to fit the pieces together. Rosalie had difficulty hiding her smile, Ben was just too cute and adorable for words.
"Do you need help?" She asked Ben as she knelt down beside him.
Ben nodded vigorously. His long fringe flopped in his eyes and he brushed it back impatiently. Rosalie bent her blonde head over the puzzle pieces, her keen eyes already working out which pieces fit together.
"It's probably out of his age range. It's quite a complicated puzzle. But it had a picture of a racing car. And he likes cars. I blame Jake for that." Charlie mumbled, embarrassed as he joined them on the floor.
"Ben's a clever boy. He'll soon pick it up." Rosalie said affectionately. "And he's got us to help him. We'll soon have it done if we all work together. Isn't that right, Ben?" She asked him.
A small smile flitted across Ben's face as he nodded. Rosalie moved from a kneeling position and curled her legs underneath her as she lifted Ben up so he was sitting on her lap. "What's next?" She asked him.
Ben pointed to a corner piece. Charlie picked it up and handed it to his son. Ben took it, and with Rosalie's help, snapped it in place. "Well done." She praised him.
She was rewarded with another smile from Ben as he eagerly pointed to another piece. Charlie picked it up and pressed it in place himself this time, making Ben clap his hands in delight.
A/N-thanks for reading!
