Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I don't own any part of the Twilight Saga.
Chapter 4: Explanations
Emily POV
I woke up to a slight tugging sensation on my left cheek. I turned away and the tugging turned to pain.
"No, no, Emily, hold still while he finishes the stitches." A female voice said. My hearing was off but I could tell the voice's source was right next to my head. I also felt something squeeze my hand. Another hand? Yes, someone was squeezing my hand in comfort.
I turned my head again to where I heard the voice.
"Stop moving, Emily. He's almost done. You can hold still for a few more minutes. It shouldn't hurt." I opened my eyes and saw that Leah was the female voice that had spoken. Next to her was a surprisingly handsome, young doctor.
"This is Dr. Cullen, Emily. He's the best." Leah said with a wink.
"Where's Sam?" I asked. Leah's face turned dark.
"How should I know? I don't keep tabs on him and what he does every second of everyday. He bolted as soon as he found out you were being taken care of by a doctor. Why?" She sneered.
I looked down, somewhat ashamed that I hadn't thought through that question very well. "Sorry, Leah. I didn't mean…I'm sorry." I still looked down.
"I know, Emily. You did nothing wrong." She was still fuming.
I decided for a subject change.
"So…am I going to survive, Doc?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light but knowing I failed miserably. The doctor saw through it, I could tell by the way he looked at me, but he just smiled.
"Yes, you'll live, I promise.
Those will turn into nasty scars, though. I'm sorry, I can't
really help that." He said. I smiled though I hurt. "Careful, you
wouldn't want to pull your stitches."
"Sorry. How long do I
have to have stitches?" I asked.
"A month at least. You'll have to wrap your arm too so you don't get an infection." Dr. Cullen said. He hesitated before continuing. "Can I ask what happened?" He asked. Leah leaned forward, more interested.
This question surprised me. Wouldn't Sam have made something up and told them already? Maybe they were checking to make sure our stories were the same. But why wouldn't they believe Sam? Did they think he did this to me? He did, but not how they would think. I must protect Sam, but first I need to know how much they knew.
"Didn't Sam tell you?" I asked innocently.
"Nope. He barged in, demanded that you needed a doctor. Didn't say anything at all besides "Call the hospital now". I can't believe you slept through all that. He wouldn't talk or put you down. Twenty minutes later Dr. Cullen arrived. Sam threw you down on the bed and booked it out the door. He wouldn't answer any of our questions. He said you'd explain everything if you wanted to." Leah responded, snarky through it all.
Did he want me to tell them all the truth? Even if he did I wouldn't.
"A bear." I said simply. They seemed surprised by this answer (what were they thinking I was going to say?). At least Dr. Cullen did.
"A bear?" Dr. Cullen asked.
"Yes." The less I said, hopefully the less likely they could see through the lie.
Leah seemed to buy it though. "Why were you out hiking in an area you didn't know, Emily? You could have asked me to come with you, I don't know the forest best, but I know it better than you." She said much more kind.
"I know, I just had to take a walk and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going until it started to rain. That's when I saw the bear cub." I remembered that mother bears get pissed when you go near their cubs. God, I hope they believe this. "I…I took a few steps closer to the cub. Then the cub's mother came from behind me. The cub ran up a tree and the…mother attacked me." My voice cracked at the end because of it being a lie but Leah thought it was because I was upset about the traumatic incident. Perfect.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, you're okay now Emily, you'll be fine." She comforted. She turned to Dr. Cullen when he cleared his throat.
"Om my way back to the hospital I can stop by the police station and request for them to put up a bear-sighting notice."
"That would be great, thank you Dr. Cullen." Leah responded. The doctor turned to me then.
"I just would need to know where you saw the bear. Do you know where you were?"
I thought for a minute. "I know I was at least 2 miles into a forest. I don't know which direction. You can ask Sam, he's the one that found me." I suggested. I didn't have to break Dr. Cullen's gaze to know that Leah stiffened and squeezed my hand tighter.
"…I…don't know how much he'd appreciate it if I called him. Would you?" The doctor fidgeted.
"Ummm…yeah, I can call him. Leah, do you have his number?" I hated asking her but I knew I had to.
"Yes." She got up to get the phone, punched in his number and handed me the phone. "I don't think he'll answer though. Ever since those days where he just disappeared, he hasn't been home very often." As if just to contradict her, he answered on the first ring.
"Hello?" His voice shook.
"Sam?" My voice came out breathless.
"Emily! You're okay! Right? Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine. Dr. Cullen just wants to know where you found me so he can report it at the police station."
"Dr. Cullen?" He sneered.
"Yes…" I waited for him to answer.
"Can I ask you something first?"
"Of course."
"Why didn't you tell them the truth? Why didn't you tell them what I was and that I did that to you? I left that open for you to do." I thought for a second how to word my answer without making Leah or Dr. Cullen suspicious.
"Because that's not what happened."
"Actually, it is."
"No. A bear did it. You know that." Leah shot me a confused look and Dr. Cullen looked at me knowingly. That was my cue to wrap up the conversation before he could voice what he seemed to know. But how could he…? "Sam? Where did you find me?"
He hesitated again.
"Put him on." Sam said quietly. It seemed as though the doctor heard him though because he held his hand out, which I put the phone in Dr. Cullen didn't have to say anything and it only took five short seconds for him to hand the phone back to me.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. There's no need to worry about me, Sam, I'll live. You better too." Leah did a double take. Maybe I shouldn't have said that…
"For at least tonight I will. Like I said, this conversation can wait until later, maybe when you're feeling better or are more sure of your sentiments."
I just sighed. We shouldn't have to discuss the issue of his suicide at all. He shouldn't even be thinking about it. But he was right that a conversation that heavy should wait until I know exactly what all my feelings were. Because at this point, I was so unsure, that I actually considered the possibility I cared more for Sam than I thought
