A/N - Especially for AnneValkyria b/c she left me amusing reviews for every chapter and made me laugh, especially when she turned into a 5 y/o when she didn't get her way :) Hope you all enjoy!
Bella POV
I stared at the man in front of me. Something was niggling in the back of my mind. I should know this man. I don't know why I should, but something was telling me I had a connection to him. He stared at me intensely for several moments before the curtain around the bed was pulled open by Dr. Gerandy. He was holding my chart and I saw him glance between Charlie and the stranger in front of me, eyebrows raised in question.
"Bella, Charlie, I have the results of the MRI." He stated. Charlie grabbed my hand and looked pointedly at the stranger. "Paul, could you excuse us please? We need to talk to the doctor." I don't know how Charlie remained calm as he said this because I felt the tension in his fingers. Paul. Paul. Why do I not remember him? I look down at Paul and see his face scrunched as if he is in pain. He stood up slowly, gazing at my face one more time before turning to walk through the curtain. I saw someone waiting for him at the door to the ER and I'm glad that he's not alone.
"Well Bella your MRI was mostly normal. There is a small bruise on your brain at the front where you hit your head, but otherwise everything looks good." Dr. Gerandy told us with a small smile on his face. Charlie glanced at me and I nodded my head.
"Doc, we seem to have a little problem though." Charlie said. "Bella seems to have lost a couple of days. The last thing she remembers is from two days ago." Dr. Gerandy looks thoughtful for a moment before nodding and answering him. "It's not uncommon to have some minor memory loss Charlie. It's usually only for a little while, but if it's more than a week, we'll have to reevaluate her and make sure that nothing else is wrong."
I sighed in relief. It figures that I would have injured myself enough to knock a few screws loose in my head. Hopefully after some rest and relaxation at home, I'll remember what I've missed.
"But other than that, everything looks good, so I'm going to order your release. I've written a prescription for painkillers and I want you to take it easy for a couple of days. If you need anything at all, you just give me ring or come back." Dr. Gerandy smiles at us and leaves through the curtain. Charlie glances at me apprehensively. "I'm going to have to go talk to the guys who brought you in, see what in the world is going on and how you ended up here in the first place." I just nod at him and smile. "Go ahead, I'll be fine right here. I'm just going to get dressed and wait for the release papers." He nodded stiffly and left.
I shuffled to the side of the bed and swung my legs over. My clothes were neatly folded in a chair next to the one Charlie had used. I contemplated them as I pulled the shirt over my head and the pants on my legs. These clothes did not feel familiar at all. And there was a faint smell to them, something sweet? Did I buy these over the last couple of days? I pulled the shirt back off and looked at the tag. A designer brand. But I never wear any of the clothes Alice left me, so why would I be wearing a designer brand? As I looked down at the outfit I realized it was not something that I would have picked out for myself. No, this was something Edward or Alice would've made me wear.
I love you; I want you back in my life. I NEED you back in my life. I can't live without you.
I gasp as the words make their way across my mind. He said those to me. When? Recently. I remember…. What? A room. A grey room that wasn't familiar to me. And Edward. With a tray of food. Why was I there? What the hell was I doing with him?
"Everything alright Bella?"
I jumped at the new voice. Embry! But what is he doing here? Wait Charlie mentioned I had been hiking with him and Jared. Jared Cameron? Well that doesn't make sense either! "Geeze Em, way to startle a person with a head injury." He just chuckled in his shy way and shrugged his shoulders. "You looked like you were a million miles away for a moment." I nodded at him. "Yeah I actually remembered something but it doesn't feel right. There's no way I would be somewhere alone with Edward that would involve him bringing me breakfast in bed." I gave a nervous laugh at the end because it really was ridiculous. And Embry would know that.
"Really? Breakfast in bed. When do you think this was?" he asked. I could see the curiosity on his face but there was something else there. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners made me think he really needed this answer for some reason. So I dug around in my muddled brain. When…when…when... "Today maybe? Doesn't feel like an older memory. Had to be morning time." I glanced at the clock on the wall. Just after midnight. "Huh, so I guess technically yesterday." Embry's eyebrows were now scrunched up in thought. He nodded once and sighed.
"Bella, there are some things you need to know. A lot of stuff has happened in those days your mind is missing. The ideal situation is that you go to sleep tonight and remember everything tomorrow. But I have a feeling that won't happen. I'd like to come by tomorrow with some friends if that's ok with you." I couldn't resist the smile on Embry's face as he looked me square in the eye. "Of course Em. Are you bringing Jake and Quil?" I saw him wince as I mentioned his friends. "No, Bella, some other friends I've made. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll love them." He gave me that sideways smile of his. I was a sucker for that smile. "Ok Em, if you say so."
Charlie returned just then with my release papers and pain killers. He nodded at Embry and said "Ready to go kiddo?" I just smiled and slipped my shoes on. Charlie helped me slide off the bed. "Call me tomorrow when you're up and about Bella." I smiled at Embry one more time. "No problem, see ya later!" And he was gone in a flash. Charlie and I made our way to the exit door of the ER and to his cruiser. It felt eerily quiet out in the dimly lit parking lot, like something was lying in anticipation of some major event. The wind picked up for a moment and the trees rustled. I thought I heard a whimper and turned my head towards the forest, but couldn't see anything past the front line of trees. But there was something there, I felt it.
The ride home was silent as was our entry into the little white house. I bid Charlie good night knowing that any conversation we were going to have would have to wait until morning. I was curious as to what he had found out from the guys but I don't think I could have processed it at that point. Even though I had been out of it most of the afternoon, I was exhausted. I trekked up to my room and quickly made it into my pajamas. A shower was another thing that would wait til the morning. As I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up, I heard a wolf's howl in the distance.
And for once instead of igniting fear, it brought me comfort.
How strange.
Paul POV
Jared guided me towards the waiting room of the ER. I couldn't think, couldn't process. She didn't remember me. How could she not remember me?! We may not have had a lot of time together, but the connection was there. And come on let's be honest. I am kinda hard to forget. I sat silently and tuned my ears to what was being said beyond the ER doors. Bruise on your brain… Lost a couple of days… Not uncommon… Minor memory loss.
Jared seemed to have come to the same conclusion I had. Bella had lost part of her memory, but there was hope in her getting it back. "Ok, so how do we do this?" Jared asked. "If we ambush her, it'll drive her away most likely. We don't want to overwhelm her." Embry joined us at this point. "Well, fortunately we have a bit of an in." Jared and I exchanged blank stares before turning them on Embry. He sighed heavily. "She may not remember you Paul, but she remembers me. And if I'm not mistaken she believes I'm still hanging out with Jacob. Remember Jake told her the night of the bonfire. She remembers everything up til that afternoon." I nodded my head at him. "So what's the plan then?"
He thought about it for a moment. "Well when the chief comes out, I'll go talk to her. See if she remembers anything at all. I'll let her know we need to talk to her, but not tonight, it's too late. We'll go over tomorrow." All I can do is nod my head. She needed the time, needed the space. I had to give her that. I knew this, the man knew this, but the wolf? He was chomping at the bit to get inside the ER and sniff every inch of his mate to make sure she was ok. He didn't care if she remembered her own damn name, just that she was safe and in one piece
The ER doors swung open at that point and Charlie walked out. He spotted us and started walking over, determination in every step. As he came to a halt in front of us, I could feel his concern and confusion over the circumstances of how his daughter ended up here. "I need to know what happened and I need to know now. My daughter is injured and can't remember how it happened so I'm counting on you to give me an honest answer." I exchanged a glance with Jared and he nodded at Embry. "Well sir, it's kinda my fault." Embry said. Charlie just raised his eyebrow at him.
"Ya see, I ran in to Bella at the rez store on her way to Jacob's to surprise him or something. I was with Jared and we were walking her to Jacob's and cut across a little piece of forest. We honestly didn't think much of it until she stumbled and fell. I swear Chief we got her out and here as quickly as we could. We didn't mean for anything to happen." He had been looking at Charlie the entire time he was talking, but once he was done, his hands were in his pockets, his shoulders pulled up to his ears, and he was staring at the ground as if held the answers to the mysteries of life. Charlie studied him for a few moments before seeming to accept the story. "Well, I'll have to take your word for it kid. I'm going to get her stuff so we can get outta here." He nodded at us and went over to the reception desk.
"I'm going to talk to Bella, you guys might wanna give Sam an update." Embry took off silently through the ER doors. It took every bit of strength I had not to follow him through and steal my mate away. Jared's heavy hand on my shoulder reminded me however that I needed to go.
As soon as we hit the tree line, we strip and phase in. I feel the unfamiliar tenor of Jacob in my head and know he's angry, but I have no room in my head for his petty bullshit at this point. I show Sam the encounter with Bella and Embry's plan to talk to her tomorrow. He nods his massive head.
Ya know, I never would have thought that kid would be as brilliant as he is. He sees so much shit that we just ignore – Jared.
Jacob chuffs at this. That's because he's used to being in the background. No one notices him, but he seems to notice everything.
Alright guys. Jacob and I are going to run a patrol so I can show him the ropes. I know we got one… Well, technically two leeches today, but there's no reason for us to slack off. Embry, Jared, Paul, get some rest. You three are going to talk with Bella tomorrow. – Sam
We nod our heads and I'm just about to take off for home when I hear the hospital doors open. Bella and Charlie walk out and the wind catches her hair blowing her scent to me. I let out a small whimper that I quickly suppress when she turns in our direction. She studies the forest for a moment before turning towards the chief's car. I give a mental sigh of relief because spirits know she is not ready for that with her head the way it is.
Sam and Jacob take off towards the patrol lines while Jared and Embry head home. I follow the Swans' car to their home and watch from the woods as they make their way in. It seems they both opted to go straight to bed. I watch as the light in her bedroom turns on for a few minutes and then shuts off. Her breathing quickly becomes steady, her heartbeat slows to a soft thump thump thump. It reminds me of way her heart thumped when we were talking about the imprint in the diner; how her eyes sparkled with longing and hope when I uttered those words explaining what she meant to me. I finally felt at peace after 2 days of agony. That was until I heard the howl in the distance. Jacob. Man I forgot about him.
Quickly I phased and climbed the nearest tree as high as I could. I perched myself on a limb that face the Swans' house. It even had a view of her window where I could watch her sleep for a few. I almost felt bad for Jacob. How would it feel to find out the woman you've been in love with practically your whole life is promised in a sense to another man. I can't imagine it would be all hunky dory.
But I couldn't complain. I got the girl. I just had to get her to remember that fact.
A/N 2 - Ok so she has no memory of the last two days… or does she?! What will her dreams bring? Will the boys help her recover those memories tomorrow? Maybe. Maybe not. Only I know. Muwahaha! Oh and be on the lookout for a new Sam/Leah/Emily one shot that goes along with "Meanwhile" and "The Inequity of a Kiss". I like it, but that just me :) Thanks for reading and drop me a line!