Chapter 20
Red, a color powerful enough to cloud someone's mind with rage and anger. Orange, a color so strong, it can spread through a whole forest in the form of fire. Yellow, a color so bright, it is associated with the most powerful thing in the universe, giving every living thing a way to grow and flourish. And finally, white. A color so pure and perfect, no one could ever derail it from its purpose of being successful.
Those were the colors Anabelle saw before fluttering her eyes open. She had been unconscious for a total of 5 hours. Her body felt sore all over and her head felt muddled to where she couldn't think straight. She slowly fluttered her eyes open, the bright light making it somewhat difficult. It took her a few moments for her eyes to adjust before she tried to look around at her surroundings.
"Belle? Hey, you awake?" She nodded numbly to the sound of her brother's voice. Jacob was on the other side of the bed looking at her with a hopeful smile.
"Am I wearing underwear?" She asked, her voice raspy from dehydration. Both boys laughed before Paul shook his head.
"Not at the moment Belle. We'll get you some later." Anabelle nodded and turned towards Jacob, blushing even when under the influence of medication.
"Are you wearing underwear?" Jacob chuckled and nodded.
"Yes, I am. Thank you for asking." Her father and nurse then walked in followed by Dr.Cullen and Dr.Brennan.
"Good to see you awake Ms.Lahote. How are you feeling this evening?"
"I'm ok. Just sore and uncomfortable." She rasped. She then whispered, "I'm not wearing any underwear doctor." Dr.Cullen chuckled, turning towards Julie, Anabelle's day nurse.
"Julie, can you get Ms.Anabelle some Gatorade? She is going to need it for the first few hours." Julie nodded before leaving the room. He then looked towards Anabelle. "All I need you to do is lay down and take it easy, ask for something to drink when you need it, ok? Your vitals are already improving greatly." Anabelle nodded before looking at everyone with a smile.
"You currently have a small tube in your stomach that is draining some fluid that needs to come out so you must be mindful of that." Anabelle nodded, becoming aware of why her stomach felt weird.
Julie soon came back with a Gatorade in hand along with a straw. She moved to sit towards Anabelle, pushing the straw in front of her. Anabelle slowly opened her mouth and took a small sip of the red drink. After writing down a few things, both doctors left, but not before praising how well Anabelle was handling the whole process.
After everyone had left and Julie instructed Paul to help Anabelle drink, Jacob pulled up a chair to Anabelle's left. He grabbed her hand making her turn and give him a small smile. "Hi."
He smiled back. "Hi."
"Thank you for being here. I app- appreciate it." She rasped.
"It was no problem. As long as you're ok, I'm ok." Anabelle smiled laughing airily.
"I probably look like shit." She said gesturing to her face and hair. Jacob looked at her with a loving face and rubbed her knuckles.
"I think you look beautiful." Anabelle blushed and rolled her eyes.
"I'm only going to agree with you because I'm tired and don't want to embarrass myself when I'm on these drugs they pumped in me ok?" Jacob chuckled and nodded his head.
"Ok. Whatever you want." Jacob was about to say something else before looking at his imprint, who was sleeping with her hand in his. He made himself comfortable, still holding on to her hand before falling asleep himself, finally able to relax.
It was 3 o'clock in the morning when Jacob awoke to a whimpering sound coming from his right. He quickly awoke, noting him and Anabelle's hand were still interlocked. He looked over to see her eyes open and an uncomfortable expression on her face.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you ok?" He asked frantically, moving his chair to better see her. She shook her head slightly, her hand instinctively going to her stomach.
"I'm so- hu- hungry." She muttered realizing she hadn't eaten in over 24 hours. Jacob immediately stood up, hoping to find a nurse to help his imprint. He glanced at Paul on the couch, remembering their father was at home because of limited space.
He slowly walked out of the room and into the brightly lit hallway. "Hello. Can I help you?" A nurse asked. She had blond hair swept up in a ponytail with a pair of dark purple scrubs.
"Hi, I'm just trying to find someone that can help me find some food for Anabelle. Anabelle Lahote." The nurse nodded before walking into the room, Jacob trailing right behind her.
"Hi, Ms. Anabelle. I'm Amber, and I'm your night nurse for the night." The nurse walked to the whiteboard and spelled her name on it before turning to the young girl in bed. "Your list said no solids for right now but I can get you some soup. That ok sweetheart?" Anabelle nodded with a small smile.
"Yes. Thank you." She muttered.
"No problem sweet pea." And with that, Amber walked past Jacob and out towards the hallway. Jacob made quick work to his chair and grabbed the half-full bottle of Gatorade. Anabelle smiled gratefully when he put it in front of her to take a sip.
"How are you feeling?" Jacob asked rubbing soothing circles on Anabelle's knuckles.
"Sore." She sighed. "My body aches and my chest hurts like hell. I haven't eaten in God knows how long so eh...I'm ok." Jacob knew she was downplaying it but said nothing. "And besides, it can only go up from here, right?" Jacob nodded and met her smile. "I probably won't go back to sleep. It took a lot to get comfortable."
Jacob gave her a sad nod. "I can stay up with you if you want." He said.
Anabelle shook her head as quickly as she could. "You need to sleep. I can't imagine that chair being comfortable." Jacob shook it off before helping her take another sip. "Sorry, Paul had to take the whole couch." Jacob shook his head before glancing at Paul laying on the couch with his arms falling off.
"It's no problem, trust me. I can sleep anywhere." They both shared a smile before nurse Amber walked it with a bowl of soup.
"I brought you some chicken broth to start out with honey ok? Then we'll move up to noodles." Anabelle nodded before trying to set herself up. Jacob immediately helped her, guiding her back to an upward position and placing pillows to support it.
He watched as Anabelle slowly but surely sipped on the broth, a look of content plastered on her face. "Either this soup is really good...or I'm just really hungry." Jacob chuckled and sat back down in his chair.
"Do you want to watch some TV while you eat?" He asked, grabbing what he remembered was the remote control.
"Actually, I was wondering if you read my letter?" She asked meekly. "If you didn't that's fine, if you did that's...also fine." She pulled her hands together, only looking at her IV in her wrist, not feeling any discomfort.
"Hey hey hey…" Jacob soothed grabbing one of her colds, shaking hands in his. "I did read the letter. And well, I wanted to wait until you were a little better to tell you how I feel but this is fine too." Anabelle looked at him with uncertainty. "What I'm trying to say is...I feel the same way. I was just too much of a wuss to say anything."
Anabelle looked at him in disbelief. "Really?"
Jacob nodded. "Really. Belle, I like you. Like really like you. I just didn't realize that until I read your letter. How can I not? You're smart, funny, and extremely beautiful." Anabelle blushed a deep crimson and covered her face with her free hand. "And not to mention that you are the bravest girl I have ever met. Over the past 14 years, you have survived the craziest story I have ever heard." He stopped to laugh with her, her little giggles making Jacob's heart soar.
"Yeah, I guess that's true. Who else finds out your older brother is a wolf shapeshifter you were told were just legends at the age of 13?" Jacob chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah, I guess that wasn't on your bucket list." They both shared a smile before Anabelle breathed a deep breath. "And not to mention, that you are the first girl I have ever met that isn't afraid to speak her mind. You literally told Paul that you were going to put a stick up his ass when he took the last muffin because you wanted it." He stopped to laugh with her then continued.
"I did do that, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did. And I loved it. But all and all, you are such an amazing person with a beautiful heart filled with love. You make my day brighter every time I see you."
"Oh thank God. I have been stressing so much these last few days just trying to wrack up the courage to even write the letter. And hearing you say that it's just. Wow." She continued to blush, playing with Jacob's hand, not meeting his gaze.
Jacob carefully grabbed her chin, making her gaze fixated on him before speaking. "You don't need to stress about this. I can be whatever you want me to be, ok?"
"But what about imprinting?" Anabelle whispered, looking at Jacob with tears pooling in her eyes. She knew it was rare according to the legend but there were already three imprinted couples. She didn't want to be like Leah and have her heart crushed by imprinting magic.
"You don't have to worry about that," Jacob whispered. "I don't want you to worry about that."
"But how could you be so sure?" Anabelle questioned, looking directly into Jacob's eyes.
Jacob didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to spring this on her. Especially when she's in the hospital and would be for some time. He couldn't tell her the truth now. He needed to find a better time for it. "I just know. Will you trust me enough to not worry so much?"
Anabelle was uncertain. How did he know whether or not he'll imprint? How will they go forward from this when they have both admitted feelings for each other. What were they? And what will change for their friendship? "I know you have a lot of things running through your mind so I hope this will help." Jacob started smiling brightly at her. "After you come home from recovering here, will you let me take you out on a date?"
Anabelle's face brightened, her smile growing making Jacob do the same. " Of course I will." She then reached to kiss his cheek before laying back down in bed, breathing a deep breath. "Wow, I'm so happy."
Jacob grinned. "Me too."
"I had to walk through leech-infested hallways to get here and she's not awake? What is this?"
"Shut up Embry! We all know you took a detour to the cafeteria to get a snack on the way up."
"Will both of you shut up!? She needs her rest."
"Sorry, Sam."
Anabelle smiled softly during the pack's exchange. She slowly opened her eyes to meet Jacob's and a slight smile on his face. "They've been pretty bitchy since they got here." He whispered, making her giggle.
The pack all looked at Anabelle with smiles on their faces when they realized she was awake. "Hey, guys." She said softly, waving. They all waved back before Julie walked in with a tray of soup and another Gatorade.
"Hello, Ms.Anabelle. I brought you some more soup, it's chicken noodle." She then placed it on her table before looking at the pack. "You have quite a few visitors this morning."
Anabelle giggled. "Yeah, these are some of Paul's friends." Julie nodded and retreated to the door but quickly turned back.
"Did Amber tell you what this button is for?" She asked pointing to a tiny remote with one little red button. Anabelle shook her head. "Well, in case you need it, you can push it and it will give you more morphine for the pain. Dr.Cullen says these first few days are going to be the hardest so it's here in case you need it."
Anabelle nodded before asking, "Did you get a call from Dad?" Paul's ears perked up from that and he too looked at Julie with interest.
"He said he'll try to make it to lunch." Frowning slightly, Anabelle nodded and started to adjust herself in bed. Consumed by a shot of pain, Anabelle whimpered making Jacob fly out of his chair and wrap his arm around her back.
Once she was settled, Anabelle slowly sank down in her bed before giving the pack a smile. Leah made her way to the chair on the right, smiling slightly when Anabelle started to eat. "Is no one on patrol?"
"Not at the moment. We wanted to come see you." Sam said.
"But what about the redhead?" She asked, making the pack tense and stiffen.
"The treaty still stands but the Cullens all decided that we needed help now that they were back in town. They will patrol on the border of La Push, just not in it." Anabelle smiled.
"See? Y'all are already working together! That's good." The boys groaned and scowled. "Oh grow up! Y'all are more similar than y'all think."
Paul glared at her and spit, "Like how?"
Anabelle glared back at him and rolled her eyes. "Well for starters, y'all are both mythical creatures. Not to mention that y'all share a lot of physical traits. Super speed, super strength, ability to kill each other. And y'all can live forever if the wolves continue to phase. Y'all aren't so different." The boys just scowled and kept quiet.
Anabelle took a bite of some noodles and relished in the taste. "That good huh?" Jacob asked, smirking.
"Yes. Very." Anabelle replied, "but when I get to eat real food, that is when the real fun will begin." Everyone laughed as Anabelle continued eating.
Ten minutes later, after finishing her soup, Anabelle looked at everyone with an awkward smile. "Uh sorry to interrupt but I need to go the bathroom." The pack chuckled making Anabelle continue, "Like now. Go get my nurse." When that was said, Embry and Jared ran out of the room, on the hunt for the nurse.
Julie walked in with a warm smile and said, "I hear someone needs to go to the restroom." The pack chuckled while Anabelle blushed and hid her face. "Do you think you're able to stand? You're less than 24 hours post-op, so you need to take it easy."
"I'll think I'll be able to. I just need some help." The pack moved out of the way while Paul and Jacob each helped Anabelle out of bed, helping her maneuver herself to sit up and pull her legs over.
She was panting when they were done, her body not used to that amount of exertion. "You ok?" Jacob asked, a concerned expression on his face. Anabelle nodded before asking them to continue. The pack watched as she stood up and was led to the bathroom where Julie closed the door, letting the boys know she had it from there.
"How was she last night?" Emily asked, concerned for the young girl.
"She woke up at around three saying she was hungry. The nurse gave her some chicken broth and she had some Gatorade. She couldn't fall back asleep so I just spent time with her, talking."
"Did she ask about the letter?" Embry asked, making everyone look at Jacob curiously.
"What letter?" Seth asked.
"Belle wrote me a letter and gave it to me in case she uh...didn't make it," Jacob said looking uneasily at Paul, who had no idea about last night.
"What did it say?" Leah asked.
"She admitted her feelings for me in it. Saying that she was falling in love with me." Jacob couldn't help but grin while speaking. The pack erupted in congratulations, patting Jacob on the back as well.
"So y'all talked about it last night?" Leash asked.
Jacob nodded. "I told her I was falling in love with her too."
"So she knows about the imprint?" Emily asked, smiling from ear to ear. Jacob frowned and shook his head.
"I didn't want to overwhelm her with it. I'll tell her, just not right now." Emily nodded with a sympathetic smile before the bathroom door opened. Paul and Jacob helped Anabelle to her bed once again, making sure she was comfortable before pulling a warm blanket over her.
The pack stayed for an additional hour before leaving, everyone having somewhere they needed to be. Many light hugs were exchanged with promises of visiting, making Anabelle feel loved and tears almost appearing in her eyes. She was truly grateful for gaining such a loving family in the span of a year.
"Are you sure you don't need to go home? I bet Billy is missing you." Anabelle told Jacob who was doing one of Anabelle's crossword puzzles that she received the day before.
Jacob sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I probably should." He got up from his chair and bent down to give Anabelle a kiss on the cheek.
"You might want to take a shower before you come back too." Anabelle giggled when Jacob rolled his eyes and bid Paul goodbye before leaving the room and into the hallway. When he left the hospital, he already wanted to go back to Anabelle but persisted and drove out of the hospital parking lot.
His phone then range. He looked over at the caller ID and groaned when he saw that Bella was calling. He quickly pressed ignore, and continued driving, anxious to get back to his imprint.