Disclaimer: Don't own anything with the exception of my OC's.

Chapter 15

"Princess! Are you ready to go? Gene yelled from the first floor, Anabelle ran down the stairs trying to get her shoes on.

"I'm coming, Dad!" She yelled, walking into the kitchen. Both Paul and her father were sporting Jean shorts and T-shirts. They both greeted her with smiles which she weakly returned. She'd been feeling really down this week because of this appointment and now that it was finally here, she was really antsy and jumpy. She clung to her notebook filled with her questions and would set it out of her sight for the past few days.

"Everyone ready? Anabelle and Paul nodded and headed down the gravel driveway and towards their dad's Ford pick up truck.

"Emily wants to have everyone for dinner tonight at the beach," Paul said casually. "Are you up for that?" Anabelle thought about it for a second. It would help to distract her. She nodded and smiled

The car ride was silent all the way towards Forks Hospital. The Lahotes were told that it was necessary to perform surgery there because there was a particular doctor who had experience with performing these types of surgery.

Once they arrived at the hospital they followed the directions towards the cardiology wing and used the elevator, going down to sub-level one and towards the receptionist desk.

Anabelle Lahote." She said to the receptionist. "I have an appointment. The receptionist nodded and gave her papers to fill out.

"Here princess, let me do these for you." Her father said grabbing the clipboard with the papers on them. Anabelle didn't protest and let her father do the paperwork. She sat down next to Paul who was reading a magazine on new car models. She looks over his shoulder to see a black Porsche Carrera.

"Hey look. She points to the car and says, "That was mom's maiden name.. Paul looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"A sign? She nodded and cuddled close to his chest. A sign.

"Anabelle Lahote. A nurse called from the door. "They're ready for you." Anabelle looks towards her father and brother and stands up. The nurse leads the three of them towards a room where a long table is and chairs are surrounding it. There was nothing on the walls. Only the plain white paint and muddy brown borders. Anabelle sat down in a random seat, already wanting to leave this depressing looking room. "The doctors will be here in a little bit.

"Princess, you got your questions?" Gene asked. Anabelle nodded and placed her notebook on the table in front of her. She then took her pencil and placed it next to the notebook. They had only been waiting less than five minutes when she felt Paul tense. She looked at him with an interested expression. "What is it?" She asked softly.

"There's a leech." He spits. Just then, the door opened to reveal Dr.Brennan and an unknown doctor. His skin was pale white, his eyes the same golden color Anabelle had seen before. He had platinum blond hair, wearing the usual white doctor's coat. Anabelle's eyes widened and realization dawned in her.

Her doctor was a vampire. "Hello everyone. I'd like you to meet Dr. Carlisle Cullen." The vampire smiled gently at the Lahotes but looked at Paul with interest. Anabelle could feel Paul shaking and grabbed his hand.

"If you'll excuse us for a minute." She said grabbing Paul's hand and dragging him out of the room.

He immediately grabbed his phone from his pocket and started dialing a number.

"Hello?

"Hey. Sam. I think we have a problem. We just met Belle's new doctor and it's a leech.

"If it's a Cullen, you're technically in their territory. From what I know, he's not like the red eyes. So I wouldn't worry about it."

"He's a leech. Sam." Paul spits into the phone. "And you're wanting him to treat my sister!? Hell no!"

"Paul, calm down. Ok? He's a doctor. I'm sure he could handle himself because he already does every day. So go back in there and listen to what he has to say. Now I don't want to hear that you gave him any trouble. You're in their territory. Remember that. " Paul grudgingly said yes and hung up.

"Was that Sam?" Anabelle asked hesitantly, not wanting to anger her brother more. Paul looked at her with a sad expression and nodded. He sympathized with her for what she had to watch and listen to and it hurt him that she was in the middle of this mess. He walked up to her and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Sam doesn't think he should be a problem because this is his job, but what do you think? Do you want to go? Anabelle bit her lip. On the one hand, Dr.Cullen was a doctor who could help her. On the other, he was a vampire, the very thing her family was sworn to protect people from. She nodded and took a deep breath.

The siblings walked into the room, both doctors talking with their father. They abruptly stopped and turned to look at the siblings, the tension in the room extremely thick. Gene stood up and walked toward his daughter. He gently pulled her into his arms and led her to the table to sit, with Paul right behind them. Once everyone was settled, both doctors looked towards the Lahote family.

"Hello, Anabelle and Paul. My name is Doctor Carlisle Cullen and I will be the one to perform the surgery." His voice was so smooth just like Edward's and it made Anabelle kind of uncomfortable.

"I know that this is a lot, but I feel like I am confident in answering all of your questions."

Anabelle nodded and took a deep breath. "I actually uh...do have some questions that I'd like to ask. She grabbed her notebook and flipped to the page with her written questions. She readjusted herself in her chair and looked at everyone. After a nod from her father, she said, "Um.where will the incision be? She asked nervously.

"Well because it is open-heart surgery, the incision will be in the middle of your chest from below your collarbone and to your breast bone.' Dr. Cullen said using his hands to illustrate where.

Anabelle nodded and wrote down that information in her notebook

"How long will be in the hospital? She asked meekly, her demeanor slumping some. Paul wrapped a comforting am around her, trying to reassure her. Tears were springing into her eyes already, her emotions taking over.

Carlisle looked at her with sympathy. "Well, that all depends on how long your body takes to heal itself. We will have to break your sternum, your breast bone, so it will heal fully in about six weeks after the surgery. Annabelle wrote down that information as well.

"How long will my surgery take?

"Surgery will take at least 3 hours, maybe less. Even though you have a rare condition, performing surgery will be the easiest thing that will happen in this process." She wrote that down as well.

"I have one more question." Carlisle nodded for her to continue, "Will I be able to have kids one day?" The whole room went quiet and there seemed to be no air.

Carlisle took an unnecessary breath in and said, "Well, it all depends on your condition after you've recovered. There are a lot of possibilities for whether you could mother a child. Usually. I advise women to try a few years post-surgery. So I don't see that ever being a problem since you're so young." After writing down that information, Annabelle looked towards her father who looked like he had some questions of his own. "Daddy?"

Gene looked at his daughter sadly and then at both doctors. "When will her procedure be taking place? I want to make sure I'm not traveling for my work."

Carlisle looked through the papers on his clipboard, analyzing his notes. "Surgery is scheduled for next week. We want to make sure it's as soon as possible. Having the valve still in her heart could damage it further. This made Anabelle panic inside. A week. She had a week to prepare. What does she pack? How will she know if she doesn't know how long she'll be there? What about school? What will recovery be like?

" I can tell the gears in your head are turning and that is completely ok," Carlisle salad with a reassuring smile. Annabelle smiled back a little and nodded.

"Well if that's all." Paul started, not wanting to be in the room a second longer. "Then we will be going." He stood up, bringing Anabelle with him and headed towards the door. Their father, right behind them.

"Actually there is one more thing." Dr. Brennan said, standing up from his seat. "We will need a copy of a will to put on record." Anabelle was confused. A will? Like a will for after your death? Why would she need a will? That thought made her head spin. Annabelle's chest started tightening and she couldn't breathe.

"It's only a precaution. In case something were to go wrong, the hospital wants to be prepared.

Just as the last result. Anabelle nodded in understanding. It didn't hurt to be prepared. But the questions remained.

Would they have to use it?

The Lahotes were now in the car driving back from the hospital. Anabelle was doodling in her notebook, trying to not look bothered because she knew Paul was watching her. He watched her intently, making sure she was comfortable and waiting to hear if she needed anything. He leaned in next to her ear and weakly. She couldn't and wouldn't let this put a damper on her day. She was going to enjoy herself and enjoy spending the night with her pack. whispered, "Do you still want to go to Emily's? She glanced at him and nodded

Their father was hesitant to let them go but nonetheless felt like his daughter needed time to process and needed a distraction from everything right now. He dropped them off at the entrance of the beach and left after telling Paul to be home by midnight.

The siblings walked along the path towards the beach in silence. Anabelle closed her eyes and listened to the crashing of the waves and smelled the salt in the air. Then, heavy footfalls surrounded her senses, making her flutter her eyes open. She saw three silhouettes before she was embraced in a tight, warm group hug. She wrapped her arms around the body in front of her and squeezed. She let the warmth calm her and ease her tense muscles but not completely.

The hug ended and Anabelle smiled at Jared, Embry, and Seth, her mood already improving. Leah walked towards her and gave her a small smile which she returned. Next to greet her were Sam and Emily, making Leah leave swiftly and join the guys in a game of soccer.

"Hey, Belle! How are you doing?" Emily asked. Her body was tucked into Sam's, making Anabelle smile. They were perfect for each other, all because of a beautiful thing called imprinting. Emily soon scurried over to the food to get Anabelle a plate, leaving the young girl with Sam.

"Belle, I just want to make sure that you're comfortable with the Doctor. I know you know the legends and what the Cold Ones can do. But I need to know that you're fine with it. Anabelle nodded and thought about it. Yes, Dr.Cullen was a vampire. But he was also a certified doctor who had probably been one for a long time. And he had performed these kinds of surgeries before. And, he was her only option.

"I'm fine with it. Honest Sam. No matter where we come from, this a professional thing that needs to be done. There's a difference between work and play. Church and state. Ya know?" Sam nodded and smiled slightly. She was taking this all in stride. "Plus we can sue i he refuses. They both laughed to themselves and walked over to the logs where the pack was sitting

"Here you go Belle," Emily said placing a plate of food in her lap once she sat down. Anabelle immediately started eating her chicken and mashed potatoes. Everyone came back from playing soccer and sat where there were open seats

"Where's J?" Annabelle asked, taking a sip of her soda

"He's on patrol. He should be done in a bit. Anabelle nodded and sat with the pack for a bit. They talked about future plans that they could make after school the following week. No one mentioned anything about her surgery or the vampire doctor, which she was thankful for.

About fifteen minutes later, she heard a rustle in the forest from behind her. The pack al moved towards the beach but Anabelle stayed back. She heard the rustle again and stood up. searching the brush for anything that might not be good. She closed her eyes just in time to hear something explode out of the trees, making Anabelle yelp in surprise. She then heard deep breathing and opened her eyes. Once they adjusted, she saw Jacob. His hair was al matted and he was only wearing the signature cutoff jeans. He ringed his hair out, not noticing Anabelle, but she sure noticed him. He was sweating, his body glistening in the sunlight. His abs defined and chiseled. like a greek god

She couldn't help but stare. She felt that familiar warm feeling again. Her stomach was doing lips and it felt like butterflies were fluttering all throughout her body. She took a deep breath trying to slow down her racing heart rate. Jacob, having heightened senses, noticed this.

"Is everything alright?" She looked up to see him with a concerned expression on his face. She nodded her head and smiled weakly, trying not to blush from his gaze. He walked towards her more and looked out to where the pack was. "I Just got off patrol. Gotta tell Jared now. He paused

"Belle? Are you sure everything is alright?" She was still staring at him. She took another breath, steadying herself.

"Yeah, everything's fine. U. I'm just going to uh. go watch the soccer game. She turned around and hurried to where the pack was, making sure not to trip and fall on the rocky sand.

Jacob chuckled and shook his head. This was the crush stage along with the freeze and fly stage.

Emily had talked to him earlier when the Lahotes were out. There were apparently 10 stages and they were all very important.

Something he had noticed more this week was the way Anabelle was acting. He assumed it was the stress of her surgery but now he was thinking otherwise. It reminded him of the breakfast incident. Yeah, that was interesting.

Jacob woke up feeling grumpy and disoriented. Sam had him work doubles the night before because of a sighting of the redhead. He grudgingly got up and put on a pair of shorts before leaving his room and making his way towards the kitchen. He stopped short in the hallway when a sweet smell overtook his senses. It was also accompanied by flowers. More specifically roses.

This made Jacob widen his eyes. She was here. In his house. At 7 o'clock in the morning. He quickly regained his footing and walked into the kitchen. He found Billy sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand and the newspaper in the other.

"Now Billy," Anabelle said, still facing the stove and mixing something in her arms. "Are you sure you don't want pancakes? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I don't want my conscious to know that I..." she faltered when she turned around to see Jacob. His hair was more mattered than usual. The only piece of clothing he had on were low waisted jean shorts. She looked up towards his face. His deep, chiseled, bright face, that held a smile that could light up any room.

Anabelle, who was holding the mixer, accidentally pushed the power button causing batter spew all over Jacob's torso and face. Anabelle gasped and hurriedly picked up a washcloth. She wet it slightly and started to dab the batter off of Jacob's body. She started at his neck and slowly made her way down.

"I'm so sorry. I guess my finger slipped. I wasn't careful with the button." She chastised herself when a warm hand grabbed hold of her hand. She immediately understood what she was doing and dropped the rag, it squishing into the floor below her. She looked up to see Jacob with a smirk on his face and an eyebrow raised.

"Um. I'm just gonna." she took a step back from Jacob and moved towards the entryway. "I'll be right back." Both men chuckled when the young girl scurried to the bathroom before closing the door.

"She sure is something son," Billy said wheeling towards the living room. Jacob nodded, still surprised that his imprint was rubbing his bare chest not five minutes ago.

"Yeah. She sure is."

...

Jacob smiled to himself and walked over to the pack. "Jared! You're up. He walked over to where Anabelle was sitting and sat in the seat next to her. He smiled, making her blush and look away quickly. It was cute to see her reaction to him. He felt his wolf inside him feeling happy and content.

But he honestly wanted more. He was falling for her. And fast. He just didn't know if she felt the same way. He obviously knew she thought he was attractive but there was no indication that she had feelings for him.

But he was going to change that. He didn't care whether Paul would like it or not. He won't let anything stop him from telling Anabelle how he felt.