Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 2

Bella sat quietly at the kitchen table as she listened to her father move around the kitchen, the sound of the coffee maker brewing in the background. She had become accustomed to certain sounds in the kitchen, seeming to like to spend most of her time there since coming back home to Forks after spending time in the hospital. It was Saturday and she knew that it was the night of the Forks High School prom. She actually hadn't been back to school since returning, nor had she heard from any of her friends. Well, except for Angela who she actually felt good talking on the phone with.

Charlie sat across from her with a cup of coffee, gently pushing another one her way. Once it was in front of her he watched his daughter lift her hand from her lap and touch the edge of the table. She then edged her hand towards the cup of coffee before finally touching the mug. She slowly pulled it towards her and lifted it with both hands to her lips, taking a sip of her coffee. Charlie smiled seeing that Bella was more comfortable moving around though her world was forever dark. She seemed to be staring off into space, but she would always fix her eyes somewhere because she never knew where to look anymore.

Clearing his throat gently he asked, "So kiddo, how are you this morning?"

Bella hummed a little before answering, "Okay, I guess. I've got my shirt on right this time."

Charlie cracked a small smile remembering how Bella had been having trouble figuring out if her shirt was on right or not. Taking a sip of his coffee he said, "It's the prom today. Are you going?"

"No, I'm not nor have ever been interested in prom."

"I didn't think so. It's not really your scene."

"Do you even know my scene, dad?"

"Well if you're anything like me, you prefer solitude and don't like crowds."

Bella smiled a let out a soft laugh, her brown eyes flickering over towards his face before looking down. She tapped her finger against her coffee mug before saying, "Yeah, I don't want to go. I mean, I don't like dressing up, I don't like crowds, and I have this boot on my leg. It's better for me if I just stay home."

Charlie heard what his daughter didn't say: I don't want everyone looking at me now that I'm blind. Bella hadn't returned to school since she was currently adjusting to moving around without the aid of her sight. She rarely used her white cane around the house, but Charlie knew she'd have to get used to using it when she eventually left the house. But she was scared and refused to leave the house. She even refused going out anywhere when her boyfriend came about. He was afraid she was going to become a hermit because she wasn't ready to face the world without being able to see. However he believed that with a bit of coaxing she would go out. If he or Edward couldn't get her to leave the house, he could think of only one person who could.

A knock on the door was heard and Bella heard Charlie set his of coffee down to go answer the door. But for some reason she wanted to be the one to answer the door. Feeling her father walk past her she reached out and grabbed Charlie's shirt, lightly pulling on it causing him to stop. When she figured she had his attention she said, "I…I want to answer the door."

The police chief looked at his daughter before nodding and gently taking the hand that had his shirt. He helped Bella to stand up and let go of her hand, watching her slowly make her way out of the kitchen. She was walking a bit slow due to her boot, but other than that she seemed fine. She trailed her hand along the wall until she finally reached the door. Reaching out she grabbed the door handle and opened the door. Before she could reach out for the screen door handle she heard, "Hi Bells!"

Bella's eyes widened before her mouth spread in a smile. She reached out for the screen door, but she heard it open before she could grab the handle. She heard extra movement that sounded kind of like metal, so she backed up a bit figuring it had to be Billy as well as Jacob. After a bit of clattering sounds, the sound of squeaking wheels were heard before a large warm hand grabbed hers, followed by Billy's deep voice.

"Hello Bella; you're looking well," Billy greeted with a warm smile, though he knew the brunette couldn't see it.

"Hi Billy," Bella replied with a small smile. She lifted her eyes to where she figured Jacob was and greeted, "Hi Jake."

Jacob grinned at the brunette and moved over towards her before enveloping her in a big, warm hug. Bella's eyes widened at the sudden movement, especially considering she hadn't heard his footsteps at all. However she relaxed and returned Jacob's hug, reveling in how warm he felt. Actually, he felt warmer than he probably should have been. If she thought about it his skin felt more than a bit feverish.

Pulling away slightly she looked up to where she figured his face was and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel great, especially now that I'm finally able to see you."

She couldn't fight the blush that rose on her cheeks and awkwardly patted Jacob's shoulder, only it didn't feel like his shoulder. Frowning a little and rubbed the area that she had patted, noting that it felt kind of like a muscular chest. Placing both hands on his chest she felt along his shirt covered chest and up to his shoulder's, noting she was reaching up a bit higher than she previously had when she last hugged Jacob.

"Enjoying feeling the boy up, kiddo?" Charlie suddenly asked with mirth in his voice.

Bella snatched her hands away from Jacob and placed them behind her back, her face burning and most likely than not bright red. She heard Charlie and Billy chuckle at her before she cleared her throat and said, "Wow Jake, you've seemed to have grown. I guess you were still growing and the rest of your growth spurt kicked in."

Jacob looked at his dad and slowly said, "Yeah, that's one way of putting it."

Charlie nodded and said, "Yeah, and the boy cut his hair too. Though I will admit the short cut looks good on him."

"You cut your hair?" Bella asked incredulously. She loved his long hair and couldn't imagine him cutting it, especially when he had told her he didn't plan on ever cutting it.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I guess I just…wanted a change." Jacob hoped that sounded convincing enough to Bella. He couldn't tell her what was really going on, especially while she was dealing with being blind.

The corners of Bella's mouth turned down, knowing her best friend wasn't telling her the truth. The hesitance in his voice let her know it. However she decided not to call him out on it, instead smiling when Charlie invited Billy for a beer and to watch the game. The Mariner's weren't playing until later, so she figured the Blacks were going to be here for a while. That was alright though, because she had Jacob to keep her company.

Hours had past and Bella couldn't remember a time when she smiled so much before going blind. She was greatly enjoying her time with Jacob and loved listening to his laugh. It was so joyful and enchanting; she wished she could see his face. She'd bet it was shining with happiness.

At the moment they were upstairs in her room talking, both of them seated on her bed, though Bella had her booted leg propped up to rest it. They were so engrossed in their conversation that the knock on the bedroom door startled them. Bella turned her head towards the door and called, "Y-Yes?"

The door cracked open and Charlie poked his head in. He smiled and said, "Hey guys. Just checking to make sure you're okay."

"We're fine, dad," Bella replied.

"Alright, just making sure. Also, Alice Cullen called about ten minutes ago. She wanted to come over to do your hair and makeup for prom. But when I told her you had no intention of going, she seemed shocked. I thought you told her you weren't interested."

Bella blinked in surprise at the news, never having taken into account that Alice might have expected her to go to prom. Not only her, but Edward too. Because her booted foot was resting against Jacob's leg, she could feel him tense a little; she wondered why. Pushing that thought to the back of her head she asked Charlie, "What did she say?"

"Something about Edward being really upset and how much he loved you and other stuff I drowned out; sorry kiddo."

Despite what her father had said, Bella couldn't help but giggle a little. Getting her bearings she said, "I'll call Edward soon to apologize."

Charlie nodded and shared a look with Jacob, both of their expressions obvious wishes that Bella wasn't involved with the Cullen boy. When he left and closed the door behind him Jacob asked, "So Bella, have you been outside since you've been home?"

Shaking her head Bella answered, "No, I haven't. I'm…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "…I'm afraid to, to be honest. I'm afraid I'm going to bump into people and things and be even clumsier than I already am. I could barely step without tripping when I could see, so I can only imagine what could happen now."

"But you have your walking stick."

"It's called a white cane. But I don't want to use it. I don't want people looking at me."

"Bella, people are going to look at you regardless for some reason or another. People are going to talk about you behind your back and there isn't anything you can do about it. But you can't let them get to you, because if you do that means that they've won." Jacob gently took Bella's hands in his, letting her feel the warmth of his hands. "It's okay to be afraid, but I'm here with you. We all are because we care about you. And we want to see you getting back out into the world again. Sure, you may be walking in darkness, but I'll be your light if you'll let me."

The brunette stayed silent for a moment, letting Jacob's words tumble around in her mind. They were so wise and she was surprised that they had come from a fifteen year old boy. She almost didn't want to believe his words, but her heart was telling her to trust him. With a smile Bella said softly, "Okay."

Jacob's brown eyes widened and he looked into Bella's chocolate brown ones. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But can it be after the boot comes off? It's heavy and makes walking somewhat awkward."

"You're already awkward, so I don't see how it makes a difference."

Jacob laughed loudly when Bella reached over and smacked him in his head, causing her to laugh as well at her good aim. He knew she'd be alright and would learn to navigate being blind just fine. She just needed a bit of persuasion. Jacob was glad he was going to be able to help his best friend out and help her to see, even when she couldn't.

Downstairs Billy and Charlie listened to their offspring laughing together, matching smiles on their faces. Looking at his best friend Charlie said, "Thanks for coming over, Billy. And thanks for bringing Jacob. I figured if anything or anyone could make Bella feel somewhat normal again, it was your boy."

Billy waved off Charlie's words and replied, "It's fine, chief. Besides, Jake has been bothering me nonstop to come and see Bella ever since I let him know you two had returned from Arizona. It looks like she's adjusting, though."

"She is, but I don't think she sees it that way. She doesn't even realize she's making progress moving around and locating things every day. I'm positive within the next two weeks she'll be able to move around this house flawlessly as if she wasn't blind at all."

"That's good, that's good. But what about when she ventures outside?"

Charlie sighed and said, "That's where I'm hoping Jake will step in. She won't step outside for me or even for her boyfriend. I'm hoping your son will be able to convince her to give walking around outside a go."

Billy held his bottle of beer to his lips and said before taking a swig, "Trust me Charlie, he will."