CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
(JPOV)
I held my breath for what felt like an eternity as the sound continued to softly echo out around me.
A hundred questions filled my head as I tried to speak, but the words failed me. Vivid flashbacks of all Bella had endured made my knees want to buckle as the weight of the situation settled over me then.
"The heartbeat is strong. That's a real good sign." Sue sighed. "She'll need to be seen by her OB right away though. Given everything with her injuries...-we can't take any chances."
The heartbreak I caught in Sue's voice matched my own as I stared down at Bella.
"A miracle in the making." Billy huffed beside me, his eyes now glossy with emotion as he patted my arm. "She was fighting for more than we even knew."
"Yes, for sure." Sue agreed. "All she needs is more rest. Her body is healing as it should. For now, we wait and keep a close eye on her. When she wakes up, we can go from there."
"She doesn't know." I managed, though my throat was tight. "She has no idea yet. I'm sure of it."
"Given the rate of the heartbeat, I'd say she's very early on in the pregnancy." Sue stated. "Have you noticed anything off with her lately? More tired or food intolerance of any kind?"
"No-"
"Probably too early for that yet.:"
"She was sick with the twins. Morning sickness off and on throughout the whole pregnancy."
"Yes, I remember that." Billy recalled. "Poor thing could barely stomach toast some days."
My eyes stung again as the memories of the last time she'd had any hint of morning sickness came back to me.
We'd been so distant then and I hated how full of regret that left me now.
I tuned out the chatter between Sue and Billy then as I climbed onto the bed with her, carefully positioning my weight so not to jostle her when I settled there. I reached for her hand and threaded our fingers together before pressing a kiss to her temple.
The afternoon came and went as I stayed there with her, the heat from my close contact enough to keep her warm without the need of blankets.
In the stillness of that room, I prayed to God and listened to her breathe, waiting and hoping she'd open those doe eyes of hers again.
When evening came, I finally ventured out into the kitchen where Billy, Gentry, Sue and the kids were. There was a big pot of beef stew simmering on the stove and while Sue was kind enough to offer me some, I still had no real appetite.
I knew with one look to Gentry that Billy had already told him what Sue had discovered upon her last exam of Bella.
"You know, don't you?" I asked, hunkering down in the chair next to him with a huff.
"Yeah, sorry bro, dad just couldn't hold it in. I get to be an uncle to another one!"
I tried to acknowledge his excitement, but the nagging sense of worry in my gut wouldn't allow me to.
"It's gonna be okay, Jake." Billy hedged, noting the concern on my face as the kids came running in with their bowls full of beef stew.
As soon as dinner was finished, I headed outside with Gentry close behind me.
"Hey, I was thinking maybe I could take the kids home with me tonight? Leah and I could use some company and it would give them a change of scenery for a few days. Might do them some good."
"They'd love that. Thanks."
Gentry shuffled his feet in the dirt below and glanced up at the cloudy sky as a crease of concern formed between his thick brows.
"I know what you're thinking, but don't go there."
"How can I not? We almost didn't survive the last time-... this- this would be worse I fear."
"Stop fearing." Gentry hedged. "Doesn't do either of you any good. I know it's easier said than done but it's true."
I swallowed thickly at this and squeezed my tired eyes shut with my response to him.
"It's early. Too early for trauma like that and with Bella's history-"
A loud crash from inside the house halted our conversation. My eyes flew open just as Sue's panicked voice yelled to me.
"Jacob!"
I was running back inside within seconds, my heart hammering loudly in my ears as I rounded the corner and heard Sue's words.
"It's alright, Bella. It's okay. Don't be afraid. You're safe now."
I stopped inside the guest doorway and saw her there, as she stumbled backwards off the bed and braced herself against the far wall. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked around the room before meeting my alarmed gaze.
Gentry and the kids, along with Billy, all piled in the room behind me. Clarissa sprinted to Bella first, throwing her arms around her with a cry of relief.
"Mama!"
I watched as Bella's face paled further, her arms hovering above Clarissa like she didn't know what to do with them. Despite this, Clarissa didn't let go.
"Bells-..."
She stayed planted where she was, cowering further into herself when Clarissa finally released her and I took another step closer.
Sue looked to me with confusion as she tried to calm her down.
"Bella, you're okay now. Do you remember what happened?"
Bella frantically shook her head and fixed her gaze on mine again as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"It's alright if you don't remember. A lot has happened-"
"Wh-where am I?" Bella forced out, her tone hoarse and her legs still unsteady as she tried to balance herself, which was proving more difficult for her to do, given that she was trying to keep weight off of her broken leg.
Her body was running on full adrenaline right now, but she would feel it later.
She stumbled forward and on instinct, I moved to catch her before she could topple to the ground. This act only proved to scare her worse. I reached for her, buffering the fall as she stared up at me blankly.
"You're at my house, Bella." Sue tried to clarify for her, but it did little to ease her panic.
Bella shook her head again and pulled away from me as she peered down at herself, her hands lifting her shirt to assess her injuries there.
"What happened?" She asked, while trailing her fingertips over the large bandages across her middle. She winced when she started to pull at the corner of one and I dared to reach for her once more.
"Careful...-" I whispered, placing my hand over hers as she spoke the words that knocked the wind out of me.
"Who are you?"
Everything stopped in that moment. The room went eerily silent and I was sure I had forgotten how to even breathe, as she peered up at me with no knowledge of who I was to her.
She swayed on her feet and placed a hand to her forehead with a pained sigh. I numbly guided her down to the bed again to sit and she let me, but her whole body was tense with weariness and alarm.
Sue hurriedly fetched her a glass of cold water and Bella drank it down greedily before handing over the empty glass in return with a nod of thanks.
Gentry ushered the kids out of the room for a bit and I saw the tears in Clarissa's eyes as they went.
It was enough to make my heart ache for her.
"Bella, can you try to tell me the last thing you do remember?" Sue hedged.
"I can't remember anything. And why do you keep calling me that name?"
"That's your name." I told her, my voice unsteady when I spoke this. "Your name is Bella."
She barely nodded at this and moved herself further away from me with evident fear in her eyes.
"I don't know you. Any of you."
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please leave your thoughts in a review. Till next time.