I'd never wanted more than to be mortal than right now. Even now, my overburdened mind was still struggling to break through the haze surrounding Bella, with excruciating half-vision results. If I were a human I could take some painkillers or sleep, anything to escape this endless agony for at least a few hours.
"Are you sure you're okay, Alice?" Jasper asked. He slowly rubbed my temples while I stared blankly down on the tome he was reading from his lap. I tried to focus but the words swam and my head ached. My head protested at the extra information and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from crying out.
Despite my best efforts, a small moan escaped my lips. He immediately pulled away, casting worried eyes at me from across the room. "Come back..." I whispered, reaching out to him. His desperate eyes looked at me. "I'm hurting you..." he said, more of a statement than a question. I could feel his worry bleeding out of him.
I gave a small smile. "You're not hurting me, really!" I insisted, gesturing to the space beside me. He glanced at me, his expression hesitant. I pointed to the space again. "But what if I hurt you, Alice? I'm trying all I can, but you're still hurting! I should be able to help you, but I can't, and it's my fault!" he protested.
"I'm really fine, Jazz! It's not your fault!" I repeated. He tentatively edged closer, not completely able to resist the offer. A few seconds ticked by, then he sat down by my side and pulled my head into his lap again. I sighed with satification. A few minutes passed, and we were still in the same position, listening to each other's breathing.
"I'm going to get Emmett to come help. Another pair of eyes always helps." Jasper said and rose to leave.
"Wait!" I objected. He turned around, perplexed. "I'll go instead. I need to stretch my legs anyway." I insisted. Before he had a chance to answer, I'd darted out the door. I went straight to the living room, assuming Emmett would be with Rosalie, and Rosalie with Bella. As I walked in, my overactive mind registered Bella's presence and my head just hurt more.
Edward raised his head. I was shocked. I'd never seen him like this. His expression was beyond all agony. He could barely raise his head to give me an apologetic look. Bella was lying on the couch, smiling feebly while Rosalie hovered warily, attending to her every need.
I was shocked at how withered she looked after just a few hours. Her hair clung to her scalp, and her cheekbones looked like they were on the verge of bursting through her fragile, translucent skin. I felt a rush of anger at the... I couldn't bring myself to think of it as a baby... thing that had done this to my best friend and sister-in-law. "Emmett-" I mumbled, but before the words were fully out of my mouth, Edward stiffened, his expression irritated. "Jacob's coming." His words were hard and emotionless, but I could hear the pain behind them.
Rosalie stiffened too, her eyes flashing. Emmett disappeared up the stairs, then returned with Carlisle, Esme and Jasper. As Jasper entered the room, he instinctively cringed away from Edward. The cloud of emotions that filled the air must have been far from positive.
"That mutt! He heard the story?" she hissed. Edward nodded in response.
"I can hear him a lot better, because I've been around him so much lately. He's coming to see if she is still alive." His eyes flickered to Bella and back. "If he sees this..." his voice trailed off. Jasper immediately darted to my side.
"Why don't you just let him see?" Bella whispered. It was the first time she'd spoke since I'd entered the room.
"It will mean war with the packs. We can't let that happen!" Carlisle said. Jasper nodded in agreement, his eyes flashing to my face and back. I rolled my eyes. He really was a bit of an overprotective fool. "I can look after myself, Jasper, and you know that!" I grumbled.
"I can't risk you getting hurt, Alice!" he reminded, taking no notice of my remark. Edward cleared his throat.
"Jacob's going to be here any minute now. Carlisle, you get the door. Esme, Alice, you'd better go stand behind the sofa." I quietly left Jasper and went to stand next to Esme. Being that close to Bella just made it worse. I flinched away ever so slightly and Esme put a hand on my back. "It's going to be okay," she whispered comfortingly. And assuming our roles, we waited.