The slightest amount of blood was on the pavement. I had always heard she was clumsy though I had never witnessed it myself. I watched hee wince as she found small rocks in her knee, blood getting on her fingers. After A few seconds, I reacted. Scooping hee up into my arms, I rushed her back into the office. Though I was worried beyond words, some part of my brain took note of the way she felt in my arms - small and natural and perfect. I didn't care who saw us. The damn principal could have seen, I could have gotten fired, and still my first priority would have been taking care of the shallow scrape.
"Mr. Black, I just tripped." she protested. Of course she did - always the martyr. When her hands found their way around my neck I nearly fell, the feeling of her touching me on her own accord was nearly too much for me to handle. There were calluses on her palms, confirming my suspicion that she lifted weights. I had never felt more pleasure from a simple embrace, one that probably didn't even have meaning.
I set her down on the desk, carefully, and then began to search for the bandaids. Without her touch to soothe me, I was seeing red. Her beautiful angel skin was broken. She felt pain. Some protector I was, not even able to help her walk. I chastised myself. Now that I knew what to watch for, I would. I finally noticed that she was carefully closing her eyes. "Bella, are you afraid of blood?" My angel had a fear. A small nod confirmed it. I rushed to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "don't worry, everything will be ok."
I had found the first aid kit and began to carefully clean the wound. Every time she flinched, I put a hand on her other knee to steady her. It only took a few minutes, and then a bandaid. Once I noticed her eyes were open, I decided there was no harm. I laid the smallest of kisses to her bandaid. She didn't react. "Bella, you're all fixed up!" I barely managed to hide my disappointment. I helped her off the desk. While we were walking out to the field I noticed a pallor to her face and began to slow,,barely reaching out in time to catch her as she fainted.
Hours later, in the hospital waiting room, I began to plan. Obviously it would take some convincing to get her to come with me. Perhaps I could interest her in a college. But we would have to move away, to somewhere nobody knew what we were. We'd marry, I'd call her my wife until the day that I died. As long as I never had to let her go again. I realized now that I couldn't leave her, she was as much my life as my own heart and blood. My only thought was of getting to her, of making sure she was still there.
"Mr. Black? She wants to see you." I jumped at the opportunity. In the moments it took me to reach her side, I rehearsed my speech. I would ask her to run with it all fell apart when I saw how small and fragile she was in her ER bed. "Bella, dear, how are you doing?" I asked in a whisper, filled with anguish. I did this to her. I couldn't protect her. I was undeserving. I looked up at her, without hope, and raised her knuckles to my lips. The looking her face said she clearly wouldn't remember this.
"they said I need an adult to take me home...Mr. Black, please?" I understood. She just needed a ride home. Of course, any time with her was welcome and precious, but I had hoped this was a social visit. I was about to deny her when I saw the fear in her eyes. I realized she had nobody else to call. My angel had no family, at least not that deserve her, none that would help her. it was then that I decided to risk it all, if only to save my angel.
"please, Bella, call me Jacob."