Finally, when I thought Brady was almost dead, Daddy turned around, growling at Mama for yelling at him, just in time to see me fall.
The first thing after that that I was aware of were Brady's groans of pain. I could feel someone on Mama's side of the family holding my hand, someone else moving hair from my forehead, and then I felt Mama's smooth hands holding the sides of my face, and I heard her whisper in my ear those magical words: "Sarah, honey, he's getting better. Brady's healing right now." When those words made it to my fuzzy brain, my eyes jerked open, frantically looking for the reassurance my mother's words tried to give me. I believed Mama, but I had to see for myself that my precious wolf-man was okay.
It was then that I was aware of which family members had come to La Push in my time of desperation. Grandpa Edward and Grandpa Carlisle were at my side, trying to keep me in a horizontal position. Grandpa, please! I believe Mama, but I have to see for myself! I knew Grandpa heard me when he quit trying to restrain me, and began to try and help me sit up.
After I saw Brady, I think Grandpa regretted his decision to help me up, because I started to flip out more than I expected. It was hard to see him in so many bandages, I knew that I was flipping out because my vision started blurring again, and in some small part of my head, I realized the gasping sounds were coming from my mouth as Grandpa tried to calm me down. Mama came up and pulled me into her lap, holding me close to her chest and rocking me in a way that she hasn't rocked me since I was a little girl. Suddenly, a growl worse than any of the others from today ripped out of Grandpa Edward's curled lips.
I heard the hiss and flinched before I could make sense of what Grandpa was saying to Daddy. "What did I tell you about hurting my girls?" Daddy obviously thought something to Grandpa because Grandpa began to snarl out the next words. "Yes, you did! Sarah may be your daughter, but Renesmèe is mine! By hurting Sarah, whom I might remind you, does still count as one of my girls because she is my granddaughter, you hurt Renesmèe!" Daddy growled some more, obviously protesting Grandpa's words in his thoughts.
Before I could realize what Mama and I were doing, we put ourselves between Daddy and Grandpa. Well, Mama put herself between Daddy and Grandpa while I struggled to turn to face Daddy from Mama's arms on the couch.
"Enough!" Mama's words rang out through Grandpa Billy's living room. Everyone froze, and both Daddy's and Grandpa's growls stopped short. I lurched upwards before they unfroze and moved to Brady's side. Knowing what to expect made it easier to see the damage my father had caused up close.
My hands fluttered gently over my love's body as quiet sobs began to shake my shoulders again, and this time I felt just Grandpa Carlisle's cold touch on my shoulder as he assured me that Brady was going to recover quickly and completely. I could vaguely make out the words my mother was using to scold both my father and hers. Daddy and Grandpa Edward mumbled their apologies to my mother before she huffed, turning around and pointing at me, making it obvious that she didn't want to hear it, that she thought they should be apologizing to me. Frankly, I didn't care. I was never forgiving Daddy for doing this to my Brady.
And suddenly, I was very happy I had moved, because I was leaning down to kiss one of the bandages on Brady's exposed chest, when his eyes flew open, and he reached for my face, pulling it up to his, kissing my forehead, his standard greeting. It sent me over the edge that even after everything my dad did to him, he still acted that casual around me. I started moving my lips over every bandage in sight, even going so far as to move the blanket that Grandpa had put over him when I started hyperventilating earlier, off of his legs, just so that I could examine the extent of his injuries myself.
Once I was satisfied that he was as comfortable as he could be, and that he really was healing, I turned to my father, giving him the death glare. For his sake, it's a good thing Brady was gaining his strength back as quickly as he was. My father's safety was also in large debt to my Grandpa Carlisle and Grandpa Billy. Grandpa Billy rolled himself in front of me, knowing I would have to get around him to attack my father, because I would never try to go through him. Grandpa Carlisle had his arm extended in front of me, making sure that I didn't try to struggle out of my Brady's grasp on both of my wrists. As it was, I still let a snarl out, showing a fraction of my dislike with my father.
Then, he opened his mouth. As if he wasn't in enough trouble with me and Mama both, he just had to open that stupid mouth of his. "Baby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have broken my promise to you earlier. But the two of you aren't ready for this! I've been in Brady's head! I have seen you hurting! The two of you aren't ready for each other!" I heard a snort accompany my own, and turned to watch Brady wince as he replied to what my father said to me.
"Jake, the last time you were in my head was over twenty-five years ago. The last time you knew anything about what I was thinking without me opening my mouth to tell you, was before you went off to go save Bella from Sam." When he finished speaking, he gasped, shuddering as he breathed too deeply. My hands fluttered over him again, trying to find some way to ease his pain. I turned back around when my Brady tried to smile at me, and glared at my father once more before speaking.
"Father, you know that you're wrong. You don't have any right to try and keep us apart. It's hypocritical and you know it! Brady and I love each other. You know that it's real because I finally get the looks between you and Mama. Don't you want me to have the assurance that Mama has? Isn't that enough? Yeah, Brady's technically a lot older than me. But you're technically seventeen years older than Mama. And you two got married when she was technically only eight years old! And you shouldn't be apologizing to me! You didn't physically attack me. The only thing you have to apologize to me about is for hurting my Brady, when he didn't do anything. He didn't even freakin' defend himself! He's the one you owe an apology to. You wouldn't have hurt me at all if you hadn't almost killed him." My father tried to come near me at that point, but I growled, managing to break out of my wolf-man's grasp and moving into a protective crouch in front of my father' only ammunition.
"Jacob. No. You know better than this. By hurting Brady, you will inevitably hurt our daughter. Just like Mama or Daddy hurting you would have hurt me. You will not hurt them again. If, as I threatened earlier, it means I have to let Daddy rip off a limb and break the other three, I'll let him. And by the look on his face, he isn't going to try and talk me out of it." Mama's voice was fierce, and I knew she was thinking of how many ways this could go, and how much she hoped it would not result in another fight.
"Baby, I am sorry. I don't know what came over me." The words of my father were drowned out by my growls, knowing that he was just trying to distract me. My stance held as I glared, wanting to know why he kept walking towards Brady and me. He turned a little, and I saw his eyes focus behind me as my father then addressed my werewolf. "Brady. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you this afternoon. It was wrong of me and I am sorry. I am also sorry that I continued to attack after I realized you weren't putting up a fight. I shouldn't have done that to you or my daughter."
I could feel Brady relax behind me, and I knew that he had forgiven my dad. I wasn't quite ready to though. He still had some explaining to do. For the moment, I let it go, turning back around to check on Brady's expression and healing wounds. He didn't have any broken bones, just quite a few deep gashes, along with some smaller ones that were beginning to pucker, where I could see that they were almost to the scabbing over stage of healing.
I was looking at my mom when I told her that as soon as Brady was well enough, we were going on a date. I knew I was speaking for us both, because Brady hadn't actually asked me out like that, but I had a feeling he wouldn't be too mad at me for sticking up for us.
It was my father's turn to glare at me. "What did you just say, Sarah? I did not give permission for the two of you to do anything together." He wasn't happy, but I just looked up at him, incredulous that he was actually trying to keep us apart.
I turned to face Brady and asked him quite simply. "Do you think my dad has a bit of a problem with the idea of us dating? Cause really, he shouldn't. He started dating Mama when she was less than half my age. And obviously, Grandpa Edward didn't try to rip him apart for it. But, what Daddy dearest didn't realize before now, is that if he and Mama can sneak around my mind-reading grandfather, we can manage to sneak around him. Especially seeing as Mama told me what they did to get out of range, and a little of what they did once they were out." When I turned back around, Daddy was looking at Grandpa Edward with a slightly petrified look in his eyes, and Mama was watching Grandpa Edward with a sheepish face. Whoops. Guess Grandma and Grandpa didn't know about that one.