My first day of summer vacation called for a celebration, and what better way to celebrate than to post the next chapter? It's really fluffy, and a lot of Falling will be fluffy. A reminder, if you haven't read Bonding, you will be LOST. L-O-S-T LOST. I don't own anything you recognize. Please review.
"Leah, I'm so so so so-"
"Embry Morgan Call, if you don't shut up I'll make you really sorry," I said through gritted teeth. I bit my lip to hold in a yelp as the vampire doctor re-broke the first of the improperly reset bones.
Somehow, by some sick twist of fate, the exact way the car collided with the tree was the exact way it needed to accordion up and absolutely shatter my legs in the mess of metal (though this may because my intelligent self was using one of the boyish habits I'd picked up in the pack and resting my feet on the dashboard, in a skirt no less). Embry had gone into a frenzy to yank the metal of the car apart with a greater strength than the jaws of life, then carried me all the way to the hospital (where he knew the leech doctor to be) while I cussed through gritted teeth, willing away the pain.
"Leah, please be still or I'll have to do it again," Carlisle was saying, checking that the first of five breaks was set correctly. "Embry, I said distract her, not upset her."
Suddenly, he snapped the next one, and I yelped in pain.
Embry had an expression on his face that relayed my pain. "Leah…"
"No!" I snapped, grabbing his cheeks. "I blame the stupid deer for getting in our way. I blame the pack for making me act like a tomboy and prop my feet on the dashboard. I don't blame you! Just shut up and let him fin- Ouch!"
Carlisle looked up with an apologetic smile. "Just two more and then we'll get you in a cast. It'll probably take about a week for you to heal, since there was some muscle damage where the bone pierced into you."
Embry kissed me on the mouth gently, smothering the next yelp. "I swear I'll make this up to you-"
He was drowned out by my shouting every expletive I'd ever heard or read. Carlisle chuckled when I smacked Embry across the face for apologizing when I shut up cussing. Carlisle set to work binding my legs in plaster. When he was done, I tried to call my mother to get our insurance information, but he stopped me.
"The only payment I request is for you to come around to our home more often. Everyone loves having you around and we'd like to see more of you."
I nodded, blushing slightly at his kindness. "Thanks for fixing me up."
"You're very welcome. Stay off your legs for a week, and Leah…" He cut his eyes to where Embry was talking to Jacob on the phone outside the room. "Let him spoil you. He feels guilty and he wants to make it up to you."
He didn't let me argue, and offered us a ride home.
"No thanks," Embry said. "Jake's gonna be here in five. He's going to take us home and then see if he can salvage my car."
"Okay, well, you can't carry her out, so she'll have to use the chair," Carlisle said, giving Embry a 'look'. "But when you're on the reservation you can do whatever you want to do. Come to our house when you're fully healed and I'll take them off."
I shook his hand after he and Embry put me in the chair, and thanked him. Finally, I was able to go home. Seth was home and had a heart attack when Embry wheeled me through the front door, but Jacob calmed him down and they both went to check on the wreckage that was Embry's car. Embry made a prop for me on the coffee table by stacking several pillows up, and spoiled me rotten, all before my mother got home. When Mom did get home…well…
"What did you do to my baby?" she shrieked, rushing to my side. "What happened?"
"Mom, it was no one's fault," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "A stupid deer ran in front of us and we hit a tree. I swear, it was a total accident."
It took a while for Mom to calm down, but by the end of the night, and after Embry spoiling the both of us, she was okay. From her spot next to me, she yawned hugely and announced that she was going to bed, and not to stay up too late, and no funny business. "Thank you for taking care of her, Embry."
"You're welcome. Goodnight, Sue."
"Night, Mom."
Mom wished us a good night and left, leaving us alone.
"Do you need anything, Leah?" Embry asked after about ten seconds of silence.
I turned to him and patted the spot my mother had just abandoned. "Sit over here and stop acting like I'm a porcelain doll."
He crossed the room and sat next to me, wrapping an arm gingerly around my shoulders. "I'm-"
"Say sorry, and I'll make sure you never talk again," I said, giving him a ferocious look.
He bit his lip and looked at his lap. "Okay." His voice was small, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Bry," I said, putting a hand on his cheek. "Look, it was a car accident. It's okay."
Embry said nothing, but tightened his hold on me.
I put my other hand on his cheek. "Embry, look at me."
His slowly lifted his eyes to a spot behind me. "What?"
I placed my mouth over his. After a long moment, he responded to my kiss. Finally. Barely, but finally.
"God, I'm no better than my brother!" he spat, pulling back and throwing his hands over his face. "I can't believe I hurt you…"
"Stop comparing yourself to Sam when you're with me," I said, grabbing his wrist and yanking one hand away from his face. "Look at me! Damn it, look at me!"
When Embry's eyes met mine, I saw tears. "Why?"
"Because," I said, putting my hands on his face. "You are so much better than him!"
"Am I? Really? As far as I can see it, I'm as bad as him."
"How?" I asked incredulously. "How do you see it?"
His eyes grew dark. "I didn't fight the imprint, even though it hurt you. You already had to go through it before, and now you don't even have a chance to get away from it because instead of you being affected by it, you are it. You don't have a choice to be with me and that hurts you," -I'm falling in love with you and that hurts you- "and now I've gone and broken your legs and-"
He said he was in love with me… In his head, but he said it as though he were talking to me, so I heard it. But that meant that it was true… He had obviously been contemplating that fact for a bit.
"You love me?"
Well, that shut him up.
"I…I didn't mean to say that…" Embry said, blushing, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
"But you meant it." That was a statement, not a question.
"Well…well yeah…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. "I did."
"Then shut up," I said, giving the tiniest of smiles. "Stop being guilty. I know you didn't mean to hit the tree. You do a lot of things you don't mean to do."
He cracked a tiny smile. "Just a little. Sorry Leah; um, for both things." The L word…
I cupped his face in my hands, pulling his forehead to mine. "It's okay."
"Really?"
"Really," I said firmly. "Kiss?"
"Kiss."
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his gently, and he responded with far more enthusiasm than the last try. Later that night, when he was trying to spoil me, I didn't fight him.
"Do you want some more coke?" he asked, standing to go refill his own glass.
"No thanks, I have plenty," I said passively.
"Do you want me to get you something to eat while I'm up?"
"Can you bring me a slice of the cake Emily sent over?" I asked, thinking about how good peanut butter cake sounded at that particular moment.
"Do you want to tell me while you're not fighting me?"
"Because you love me."
Suddenly Embry was behind me, grabbing me in a headlock and planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. "Yes I do. Who knew all I had to do to make you shut up about my loving on you was to say I love you?"
I smirked, wriggling free from his grasp. "Rule one with girls: telling them you love them and meaning it always works."
"So I guess that's why none of my other girlfriends stuck around long," he said, hopping over the back of the couch.
"You honestly never said you loved one of your other girlfriends?" I said, chuckling.
"No, I said it," he said, with a slight shrug. "I've just never meant it before you."
A/N: Reviews, please. Also, check out my blog. Link on profile.
~Sidney