Chapter 31: Aftermath of the Fight
"A man was found dead last night by local authorities in the abandoned sawmill owned by Leslie Willard. Police investigations have led to believe that he along with two other suspects have been behind the recent attacks on Forks locals. He was found without any form of identification after the roof of the mill collapsed due to neglect and weather. The cause of death has been deemed an accident. His companions, another man and a woman, have seemingly fled Forks. Police are urged to keep a look out for two suspicious figures traveling on foot. In other news..."
Carlisle shut off the hospital room television, satisfied. He set the remote to the side and folded his arms. He turned to Esme. "You did a wonderful job of influencing the media, darling. Thank you."
Esme smiled gently, nodding. "Of course, dear."
For the second time since she had arrived in Forks, Meredith found herself in a hospital bed. This time, however, she shared her room with Mark. He hadn't suffered all that much, but there were several scratches on his skin that were now gauzed up. She herself had a broken shoulder blade and internal bruising. In all honesty, she was thankful to be alive. Though James was dead, Victoria and Laurent had escaped. However, they were all certain that they wouldn't try anything else like that for a long time. The only real problem they had now was the media finding a corpse in the sawmill, and her father freaking out to the point of insanity. It was fortunate that Esme had the dark gift of persuasion. It was much like Alice's gift, accept less sexual and much more withstanding of time. This way, the authorities would give only a side glance at the case, rather then diving in depth with a full media coverage. Also, Esme would make Thatcher conveniently forget that his daughter was put in harms way that night every time he would leave the hospital. It would just make more trouble if he was on a path of vendetta against Victoria and Laurent. As far as he knew, Meredith was volunteering here. Once she was out of the hospital, he'd have no recollection of the incident. It took a lot out of Esme to preform so much in one event, but she was happy to help. Meredith let her head fall to the pillow. The Shepherds had swung by to make sure everything was as it should be. They could only stay for so long, however. The sun would be coming out by that afternoon. Meredith let her eyes fall to Derek, who stood near the back. As Carlisle went on about how he predicted the nomads might move next, he let out a small smile. She did the same. Noticing this, Emmet nudged his brother's side.
"Well then." Carlisle turned to Meredith; his arms folded. "It looks as though everything's in order. Your case is directly under me, so it should be fine. I'll check on the both of you as much as I can." That's when he smiled. Meredith was taken aback by the gesture. He almost didn't look the same. Now, Meredith understood how Mark's grandfather thought of Carlisle as a kind man. For as he smiled, a gentleness came through the Meredith didn't even know existed. He walked over and pat her shoulder. "You did beautifully, Miss Grey."
Meredith returned his gesture, though weakly. "Thank you, sir."
Carlisle spun around to Mark. "You too, Mr. Sloan. We couldn't have done it without Quileute support. "And you should thank your friend as well."
"Sam you mean," said Mark. He nodded and shifted in bed. "Sure, I'll tell him. Thanks."
Meredith beamed at the two of them. Despite the hostility between the Shepherds and the Quileute, Carlisle still made time to be diplomatic and polite. If her respect for the vampire was at that point appropriate, now it was profound. "Miss Meredith?" Meredith blinked and turned her eyes to Jasper. He stood beside Emmet, who had a hand on his shoulder. The boy looked quite adorable in his oversized sweatshirt that Carlisle made him wear, as well as the ball cap with the big bill that sat over his gray face. The head of the vampire family also made him wear shoes. He wore them without socks, the laces untied and laying at their sides. He dug through the large pocket of his sweatshirt and held up an old, antique doll. It was just a bit bigger than his hand, the body made of porcine. Tufts of silky, black hair were missing from the head, and what was there was matted and tangled. Its blue eyes stared at her with a slight daunting, yet strangely beautiful look. He set it on her lap. "This was Miss Bessy's. She gave it to me, and I kept it." Meredith took it, a wave of compassion overpowering her. She looked up to Jasper, a smile coming to her face.
"You're giving it to me? Oh Jasper, I don't think I can..."
Jasper shrugged. "I dun want it no more." He shoved his hands back into his pockets and then poked out a small smile. It truly made his age show through. "I guess... I want us to be friends, Miss Meredith." Meredith's smile grew wider and she leaned over, pulling Jasper into a hug. He was tense at first, but then lightly hugged back before slipping out of her grasp and scurrying behind Emmet. It was enough to make her laugh. She set the doll on the table beside her and looked up as Rosalie addressed her.
"Don't think you can be liberal with our identities now," she reminded Meredith stiffly. "We're still in hiding. And you knowing about us still puts us at risk. And I'll remind you that – "
"Rosie." Emmet put his hand on Rosalie's lower back, causing her to look up. He smiled kindly. "Let the poor kid alone. If she hasn't exposed us by now, something tells me she won't later."
Rosalie frowned. "It can't help to be careful..." The male vampire chuckled and kissed her forehead.
"Right, of course." Meredith let a small giggle go at the both of them. It seemed that the over cautious Rosalie fit very well with the lighthearted Emmet. He kept her in check; made sure she didn't take things too seriously. A perfect match, Meredith supposed.
"Well, let's go, shall we?" came Esme's light voice. "It should be getting sunny soon." Carlisle agreed and they began to file out. Meredith watched them leave, thanking them for coming. She noticed that Derek was the last one out. He stayed behind, and when Emmet asked if he was coming, he asked for a moment alone. Soon, it was only he, Meredith, and Mark in the room. He turned and looked to the wolf. They stared at one another, a very terse silence cutting through the once cheerful room.
"...Thanks for what you did," Derek said first. "If you hadn't come... Meredith might be dead."
Mark's face didn't change. "Yeah," he said. "She might have." Meredith frowned at him. Here Derek was trying to swallow his pride, and Mark was still being a prick about things. He glanced at her before rubbing his head. "But... it was you who got there at the end..." There was another thick silence. Derek crossed his arms, frowning.
"I still hate you."
"I know. I do too."
Derek nodded; glad they were on the same page. He then turned to Meredith, smiling a bit. With another little glance to Mark, he yanked the curtain divider between the two and leaned in, smiling kindly. "I'll come back tonight, ok?"
"Ok." Meredith pulled him in, the two kissing softly. She let her fingertips touch his cold neck, smiling brightly up at him. "Thanks for at least trying to be nice," she said gently.
Derek shrugged. "Couldn't hurt, right?" He leaned in for another kiss. The two stayed like that for a moment before Derek stood. "See you later. I love you."
Meredith squeezed his hand. "I love you too." With that, Derek left. The once noisy room now had an unsettling quiet move over the atmosphere. Meredith looked towards the divider that Derek had pulled between them. Carefully, she removed it. She noticed that Mark was pointedly staring at the window. She didn't want to flaunt her and Derek's relationship in his face. It was bad enough she didn't feel the same to begin with but rubbing it in by being lovey dovey right in front of him... that was cruel. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, she frowned and took a small pillow, chucking it at him. He turned around; eyes vaguely confused. "Don't pout," she said, hands on her hips. Well, one hand, anyway. The other was in a sling. She smiled a bit. "Come on. If you're in a bad mood, who'll make fun of daytime television with me?" She took the remote that Carlisle used and turned it on to some melodramatic soap opera. A woman with heavy make-up was crying, sobbing about someone named Paul and Sammy. Meredith snorted. "I think she's in love with who she things was the good guy, but who actually turned out to be the good guy's evil twin. What do you think?"
Mark took a moment or two before actually smiling. "Actually, he's a scientist's clone."
Meredith chuckled. "Right! A clone sent to destroy the Earth!"
"What, like an alien?"
"Yeah, why not?"
So, the day went on. Soon, their jokes lead them to the conclusion that Martha was in love with Paul, but Sammy was his biological twin who was only half related because he's the spawn of undead aliens. All the while, a mad scientist was programming Jason – the robot – into making a terrible cake for Andrea's and Jessie's wedding. The wedding itself was actually a cover up for a satanic ritual to raise Marilyn Monroe from her grave. Once the show was over, Meredith switched it off, and the two fell into playing cards. As always, Meredith came out victorious. They were just thinking of something else to do, when Mark stopped her. "Meredith... look." He pointed out the window. She peered through the glass and frowned.
What?"
"Look," he repeated. "Right there. In the snow. Take a look."
She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, trying to find whatever it is that he was pointing to. Then, she saw it. Through the snow, a small patch of green had spouted from the white. A small daisy had popped from it, the bud opening as the sun above it shone. A smile spread to Meredith's face. The snow was melting. She placed her palm on the cold window, her breath making little steam marks on the glass. She turned to Mark; eyes brighter than they had ever been. With a small nod, she shifted back in her bed, staring at the ceiling.
For the first time, she knew that everything would be okay.
