A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 5-

Charlie's POV-

"Bella,"

No response.

"Bella, sweetheart,"

Again, no response.

"Honey, can you hear me?"

And you guessed it right- once again, no response.

Bella simply continued to stare ahead, not an inch of attention allotted to poor old me!

I frowned in curiosity and worry.

What the heck was so interesting that my daughter refused to even look up and away?

What was she even staring at with so much curiosity in her amazed filled eyes?

I led me eyes to follow her movement, the look of confusion on my face widening when I realized of what- or rather who- she was staring at with so much interest in her eyes.

Little Jake?

Why?

She did not even like him all that much, tolerated him at best.

More importantly, what was he even doing here at this odd a time?

I frowned at Billy in question, said man walking closer to where we stood still, Sarah beside him with a widely smiling Jake in her fidgety arms.

Strange!

Bella had the same foolish grin on her face, though.

She had been moaning in pain less than ten minutes earlier- and now she was smiling like someone was going to post these very photos of her in the local newspaper, demanding from her to look her best?

Not that I wasn't elated about this latest development, for I definitely was. But still could not stop the questions from arising….

"Charlie." Billy let out a tired sigh, coming to a stop in front of us.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

"Billy, Sarah, what are you doing here this late?"

Or, should I have said early, considering the rising of the sun would be in mere hours now- the coziness and comfort of the night long gone from each of our eyes?

Eh. Who knows or cares of what the correct term in the situation would be?

I was a tired man.

I needed my sleep.

I wanted to sleep.

"Jake was not feeling well." Sarah stated, letting out a sigh, strangely the boy in question smiling wide as he protested his mother's claims.

There looked nothing wrong with him, honestly!

Though, if anyone were to take a look at the current Bella, they would say the same about her….

"What about you?" Billy enquired in curiosity. "It does not look like a duty call…"

Of course, I had Bella with me at the moment.

It could not be a duty call.

I would never risk her coming with me on a duty call.

I shrugged in agreement. "Bella, here, too was not feeling well. We got her tested for everything possible, but nope, nothing found. Have been here for hours now!" I finished with a tired sigh, completely aware and slightly relieved that my daughter was not paying any attention to me or her surroundings at the moment- too busy in staring at someone.

It wasn't that I didn't want her to hear me complain….

But. Yeah, that was exactly it.

I was her father.

I was supposed to be there for her- be it night or day- or even midnight, nature demanded that from me.

What right did I even have to complain or moan out in annoyance?

My parents never complained when I demanded their time or their patience, wasting their hard-earned money on things I had no use of. Internally, they may be exhausted beyond words- having worked the entire day to provide for me, but a smile was what always greeted me when I asked for something from them, not caring in my innocence of how they would be affected by it.

That was life.

Our parents did it for us- and we do it for our kids- time, money or just patience, whatever they need from us readily provided to them.

And nature being nature, Bella would do it too someday, for her kids….

That was the cycle of life.

No escape from it.

Billy sighed, nodding his head in response. "We were here to get Jake checked too, but I suspect we will get to hear the same, if Jake's current mood swings are anything to go by."

I let out a brief chuckle; the situation really not amusing but still slightly amusing to my still worried brain.

"Bella had been crying for hours, stating that her chest was aching. She has not looked this good in hours now." I finished with a sigh of relief. At least she no longer looked to be in pain, whatever this mysterious pain be now stood resolved.

Thank God!

I would no longer be needed to place that dreaded call to Renee, calling her here in the next flight or sending my baby there, no indication to when she would be back in my arms.

No. I got to keep my baby with me for a while longer.

Renee need not be informed.

Not unless this was a repeated affair.

Then, of course, I would have to make her aware of whatever this was….

Till then, I would try to reach a solution on my own, making sure that Renee was not aware and yet, my daughter did not suffer.

"Strange!" Billy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Jake too had been crying since hours; Sarah tried everything in the book to make him stop. He had been whimpering since the time you and Bella left, but it soon changed into loud howls of pain!"

I hummed in agreement, realizing the same could be said true for my Bella.

I suspected that the pain had started ever since we left the Black's, becoming unbearable in the hours that went by, before she made me any wiser of her discomfort.

"Sarah," I raised an eyebrow in question. "Did they eat something… odd?"

I did not wish to play the blame game, but it was a plausible conclusion to reach to.

I mean, what were the odds of them both falling ill on the same night?

It was certainly strange beyond words.

She shook her head briefly, not taking offense to my question, thankfully.

"It could not be that. Rach and Becca are fine; all four of them were fed the same cookies and banana smoothie yesterday in the evening."

I hummed in response, taking in her words.

It could not be that then.

And, Bella here had no weak a stomach. She could digest everything we gave her- her bowel movement rather regular- and she was not allergic to anything; her mother had had her tested, Renee being at the receiving end of several allergic reactions herself.

What could it even be then?

Huh.

I would think about it in detail in the morning, after drinking my morning coffee, with some luck.

Bella looked fine now- all pain forgotten-so it was time to put her to sleep, me and the comfort of the bed becoming one in a desired union.

I almost smiled to myself at that beautiful a thought.

"I…I should get going. It has been a long day. Keep me updated on what the doctor says." I nodded my head at Billy.

I wanted to be there for my friend, of course I did.

But I was truly exhausted- more from the worry than lack of sleep. And Bella needed the sleep.

Strangely, she did not look any tired or sleepy- still consumed by whatever silently staring thing was going on between her and Jake- no matter how late it was, but a few more hours of staying awake, and today would be worse than hell for everyone involved.

I was a hundred percent sure of that.

After all, no one appreciates a cranky and annoyed kid- let me be the first to tell you that.

Billy nodded his head in agreement, understanding my plight- and where I was coming from.

He would have done the same, had our places been reversed.

I would talk to him in the morning, get a full update on what the doctor said regarding Jake's mysterious crying.

Anyhow, it did not look anything serious, from what Jake currently looked like.

Still.

Morning, it was!

"Bella, sweetheart," I whispered, cuddling her closer to me. "Let's go home."

I hadn't expected her to react. Heck, I would have been glad had she only behaved like she had heard my words being spoken, and so, a loud 'NO' was the last thing I had been expecting to hear.

"Bella?" I frowned in question.

"NO. Daddy." She firmly stated, shaking her head at me in stubbornness.

Damn. The tantrums!

"But, sweetheart, it is late. We need to go home…."

It was obvious.

What other way was there to even describe something that was this obvious a conclusion to reach to?

Everyone had to go back home- end of story!

"No." she repeated, pouting. "No pain."

I let out a sigh.

Of course, she would worry about the pain.

It had been extremely painful for her to experience- leaving a lasting impact on her mind, needless to mention.

I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, consoling her with the ultimate love I felt for her. "Bella, the doctor has assured us; you will no longer feel any pain. But if you do, Daddy will be right there with you. I promise."

I had been expecting a simple nod in response.

My Bella trusted me with more than her life.

She knew that I never broke the promises that I made her, come hell or high water.

I would do it for her.

And that was a guarantee.

And it almost looked like she was going to give out a nod, letting me take her home without any further argument.

But then…

The strangest thing happened….

Even stranger than what all we had experienced in this one long night.

Bella looked at Jake, a silent conversation occurring between the two- as they had been doing for all this while, following which Jake started screaming and crying once again, attempting to jump out of Sarah's thin arms.

"Jake," Sarah wailed, all her efforts to calm him down going in vain, as she tightened her hold on him.

I frowned to myself, not knowing of how to even react to whatever was happening here.

I was simply too tired to think coherently.

But Billy was not.

Thankfully so!

"Stop it, Jake." He chided, looking at his wit's end. "Bella is not going anywhere."

That did the trick.

He instantly stopped crying, a wide smile coming to cover his face.

Strange.

Billy frowned, deep in thought. "Bella, do you feel any pain at the moment?"

I turned to look at my daughter, waiting to hear her answer.

"No, Uncle Billy," she spoke up confidently.

Billy nodded his head in agreement, humming to himself.

Where was he even going with this?

"Charlie." His look was filled with questions. "We need to pay a visit to Old Quil. I think he has the answers that we are seeking."

I frowned in confusion.

Old Quil was this old man, just like the name suggested, who lived in one corner of La Push, his house and occupation one big mystery to all of mankind- as no one ever went any near to where he was supposed to reside, staying away from the unknown and all of that.

I had heard about him and his strange mannerisms…. but how was he even supposed to help my daughter out?

That was certainly the question of the hour….