2: Seeing Red

PAUL POV

I dug my massive paws into the dirt beneath them as Jacob was telling me about Rachel. My head was spinning, and my sharp teeth were bared at him. I didn't know how to handle this, I had a feeling that Rachel was hurt but I put it to my wanting her back home. Deep animalistic snarls greeted anything that Jacob had to tell me because in all honesty the reason Rachel left me was partly his fault.

The memory of the last night I saw Rachel filled my mind we fought, worse than we ever have before. I didn't want her to go to college in LA I wanted her to stay with me, but she thought I was trying to control her. I wasn't trying to control Rachel I'd never do that, but I imprinted on her and Jacob didn't like the idea. I was being an ass to Rachel that night; I told her that I never wanted to see her again. The very next day I found out she was going to UCLA for college. I'd give anything to hold her in my arms right now. I heard Jacob's voice breakthrough my thoughts using his alpha tone.

The alpha tone was something I hated. Sam and Jacob used it to get their way when one of the pack members was out of line. "Paul, I need you to calm down right now," he said digging at the dirt in front of me. "I don't know all of the details yet but Sam is up there now with her."

I saw red when Jacob told me that Sam was with Rachel. A feral growl ripped through my chest making my whole body vibrate with anger. "How can he see her and I can't?" I shot back at him not really caring if I was out of line. "Do I need to remind you who her wolf is? I asked as my jaw snapped clamping down on his shoulder. A loud whimper was all I got in response.

Jacob's head shot up from the ground throwing me into the air and making land four feet away from him. "Paul, I know you're angry but we need to think about Rachel right now. I'm just as scared as you are," he told me swallowing back the lump in his throat. "Hell I'm probably even more scared because this is bringing back the memories of losing Mom and I can't lose Rachel."

I watched as Jacob phased back pulling in shorts over his legs and looking down at the ground. I studied his eyes for a moment, the in them fear was unmistakable. I was mentally lecturing myself now how could I be such a dick to him? Rachel is his sister before she is my imprint. "Jake, I don't know why I attacked you. I'm just so scared right now that I don't know what else to do. Has your dad called yet?" I asked hoping to hear anything on Rachel's condition. Not knowing the situation at all was pissing me off and I started to wonder if Jacob was ever going to tell me the story.

Jacob's eyes were dark; like he had more anger in him then I ever had in my entire life. He sat on the ground watching me closely. I guess he thought I couldn't handle what he was about to say and wanted to make sure his eyes were on me at all times. A deep breath broke the silence between us before he spoke. "Paul, I don't know much about what happened to Rachel but I do know that that Dad and Charlie were on their way up there to see her," he muttered softly unable to look me in the eyes.

The ringing on my cell phone broke the long silence, glancing down at the cell phone screen I saw it was Sam. I didn't want to talk to him but something told me to pick up the phone. "Sam, what is it? Now is not a good time to harp on me about patrols," I bit out not really caring how heartless I sounded. I swallowed thickly trying to keep my temper in check so I didn't break yet another cell phone.

Sam's deep voice rang in my ears as he solemnly told me why he was calling. "Paul, I'm with Rachel, she needs you but I don't want you to leave Washington," he said quietly. His voice sounded off almost like he was afraid to speak. "Billy is checking her out of the hospital against medical advice, she's been beaten Paul almost beyond recognition. She needs you and only you so Billy is bringing her home," he told me as an ear piercing scream followed his voice.

I knew that scream anywhere it was Rachel, she sounded horrible as if something had just stabbed her in the stomach. A deep growl rumbled in my chest I was getting angry again and this time the only way to stop me from phasing was to let me speak to Rachel. "Sam, let me talk to her please," I pleaded as my voice cracked with emotion.

The line fell silent and I thought Sam had hung up on me. "I can't let you speak to her right now Paul. It's probably not the best thing for either of you at the moment," he told me brutally honestly. I hated that I hated that Sam had a choice when I didn't. "Paul I think you should wait to see her until after some of these injuries heal. It's pretty bad and I would hate to see you phase and hurt her because of how she looks right now," he said solemnly.

Another scream rang in my ears when I was about to answer Sam. "PAUL!" was all I heard her say before the nurses offered to sedate her, sedate my Rachel. Before anyone could tell me no I booked a flight to LA. "Daddy, I need Pauly," I heard her scream hoarsely. I hated hearing her like that I hated feeling helpless.

Choking back all the emotion I could stand even though it felt like I was suffocating on the air that I was trying to breathe, I made one request that Sam could not deny me of at any point. "Sam, I want you to give Billy the phone, I want it to be his choice whether I see Rachel right now or not," I said sternly with every bit of anger that I've bottled up in my chest for 2 1/2 years. "You've kept me away from Rachel long enough, you will not have a choice in this decision only her father will!"

"Paul, you will not speak to me like that, understand?" Sam said in a defiant tone. "I am your alpha; you will do as I say, not as Billy says." Sam tried to use the alpha tone on me again. I couldn't believe he had the balls to try that right now, my imprint was hurt and it was partly his fault.

Billy's voice was in the next thing I heard. "Sam, you will let me speak to Paul, if he wants to speak to me. You are not my alpha, remember that," he snapped snatching the phone from Sam's hand. "Paul, they can't get her to calm down and I want to fly home tonight. They won't put her in the life star helicopter this way," he told me as his was voice broke with emotion.

I knew what I had to do then; I had to go help him, no matter how much seeing Rachel hurt would kill me. "I'm on my way, Billy. Don't tell anyone that I'm coming; I'm breaking Sam's alpha order because if he thinks he can keep me away from Rachel again he's dead wrong."

A long sigh was all Billy had to offer me in response to my tone. "Paul, I just ask that you be careful, you're like a son to me now. You always have been," he told me as his voice grew week with tears. "Chelly needs you here more than anyone, even more than me." Chelly was a childhood nickname that Rachel's mom had given her and Billy still used.

Once I ended the phone call with Billy I ran home to pack a bag and catch my flight to LA. My mom was confused because I never go anywhere, it was already 12 AM and I'm packing a suitcase. "Mom, Rachel's been hurt. I need to go to LA and help Billy fly her home; I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you." Yes, I'm a mama's boy and everybody in the pack knows it which I hate with everything I am.

As soon as I got dropped off at the hospital I ran in the double doors not stopping at any desks. I was going to find Billy on my own I didn't need a nurse telling me that I wasn't family and I couldn't see Rachel. I had made it up to the intensive care waiting room when I saw Billy sitting in the corner clutching an untouched cup of coffee. "Billy, where's Rachel? Is she all right?" I asked frantically unable to stay still for more than thirty seconds.

Charlie placed a hand on my shoulder trying to stop my constant movement. His attempts failed however because I was just too worried about Rachel to care about anything else at the moment. "She's badly hurt, Paul she keeps screaming for you though," Billy told me in a rush. "It's pretty bad, I've never seen anyone hurt this bad except Sarah."

When Billy said he and never seen anything like this besides Rachel's mother I started to panic even more. I wanted to break through the double doors, scoop Rachel up in my arms and take her home but all I could do right now was sit and wait. I refused to talk to anyone because I didn't want to appear weak but I had never felt this way before, I was helpless. "She'll be all right Billy, she is a fighter," I tried to reassure him while failing to reassure myself.

A few minutes later a blond nurse walked into the waiting room glancing between Billy, Charlie and I. She looked as puzzled as possible when she approached me. "Are you Paul Damon by any chance?" she asked holding up a medical chart.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head my voice would not cooperate. She led me through the double doors and down a long corridor into a tiny room with a single bed. "Is this allowed?" I asked nervously looking around the room. "I don't want anyone to get fired or anything for me being here."

The nurse smiled and shook her head. "We normally don't allow anyone but immediate family back here but since you were the one she's been screaming for I thought it might help," she said softly trying not to wake Rachel up. "Are you two together?"

I chuckled a bit at her question she seemed so nervous to speak to me. "You could say that but technically no, we're just best friends," I lied. With a nod the nurse was gone and I made my way to the side of Rachel's bed. I touched her delicate hand that was black and blue sending shivers down my spine. "I'm sorry, Rach, this is my fault," I whispered fighting back my emotions.

A doctor entered the room a few minutes later lightly tapping me on my shoulder. I looked up to see a doctor that looked like the leech in Forks. "You are the young man she's been screaming for aren't you? She's quite a fighter but we had to give her sedation medication for a while because her body needs rest," he told me matter-of-factly. "My name is Dr. Paisley by the way."

I stood up from the rickety chair I'd been sitting in for the past hour and shook his hand. My heart was pounding in my chest I was afraid to ask questions because I didn't want to hear that I could lose the love of my life. "Thank you, will she be all right?" I asked with a strong fear that the answer was no. "What exactly happened?"

Dr. Paisley shook his head glancing down at the folder in his hand. "No one knows for sure, she just keeps screaming for you. We've tried to ask her numerous times what happened tonight but she won't talk about it," he said quietly. "It looks to me as if she was punched in the back with a fist, but that is all I can tell for sure."

My blood began to race, I hated this I hated the fact that Rachel been hurt so badly and I wasn't around to protect her. I sank back down in the chair holding my head in my hands. "When will she be awake?" I asked feeling my hands start to shake. "I can't believe this happened!"

Dr. Paisley looked at me worriedly glancing back up towards the head of the bed. "It will be a while, she was putting up a fight when we tried to sedate her," he muttered. "She was insistent upon going home tonight. Even when her father pleaded with her to cooperate with us, all she wanted was you."

I knew then that Rachel didn't really hate me although I wouldn't have blamed her if she did. I'd been a complete asshole to her when she wanted to leave La Push to go to UCLA. I'd give anything to take that moment back right now and stop her from leaving in the first place. "Well, that makes me feel a little better," I mumbled wishing he would just leave me alone.

With a simple nod Dr. Paisley left the room and I sat in the silence of just me and the beeping machines that sustained Rachel's life at the moment. I hated the noise I wanted to hear her laugh or hear her call me Pauly again. I knew that Jacob was scared but nothing compared to the fear I hid from everyone. After a few minutes I couldn't fight the emotion anymore I broke down and let the violent sobs I held deep in my chest out. "I'm sorry, Rachie, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have let you leave the reservation, I shouldn't have told you I never wanted to see you again," I sobbed violently as my chest ached because of the broken imprint bond.

I wasn't sure if the bond was truly broken or not but the ache in my chest got worse and worse over the two and half years that Rachel and I have been apart. I was mean to her so mean that I probably didn't deserve her now that's all I wanted. I'm not a man who shows emotions because I just don't. The only person who's ever seen me cry besides my mother was Rachel. I sat in the chair thinking about all the times Rachel has picked me up from the most disastrous times in my life. Then I started hating myself for not being there for her tonight when she needed me the most.

I must've cried myself to sleep at some point during the night but when I opened my eyes I was still in the same place as the night before. I was hoping that Rachel being hurt was some kind of horrible nightmare and I had just dreamt it all but of course I was wrong like always. There was a blonde nurse standing over by Rachel's head offering me a warm smile. "Good morning, you must be the infamous Paul she was screaming for last night," she said checking Rachel's vitals.

I nervously rubbed the back of my neck and looked up at her. "Yeah, I'm Paul, am I going to get in trouble for being here?" I asked hoping she would say no because I wasn't going anywhere without Rachel. "Is she going to wake up soon?"

The nurse smiled a little bit and extended her hand to meet mine. "I'm Danielle, nice to meet you and she has incredible taste in men," she said blushing slightly. "What a lucky girl she is to have a man like you around." She was eyeing me and I could tell she was trying to flirt but I had no interest in her or any other woman besides the one lying in the hospital bed. Before leaving the room Danielle turned to me with a grin a mile wide. "If for any reason it doesn't work out with you two, here's my number give me a call."

My inner wolf was at the surface now as I tried desperately to remain calm. I couldn't believe the nurse had the nerve to flirt with me while Rachel was lying there hurt. I started to pace the room when Billy wheeled in with Charlie behind him. "Morning, Paul, did you sleep okay?" he asked handing me a cup of coffee. "You should really sit down Paul, pacing won't make her wake up any faster."

Nothing would allow me to sit down because I was on the brink of phasing and I knew it. I clenched my teeth and balled my fists trying to control myself in the tiny room. "I know I should sit down, Billy but I can't right now it's nearly impossible," I sneered not meaning to take any of my frustrations out on him.

Billy shook his head and continued to watch me pace back and forth through the tiny room. Charlie watched in silence too but was completely unaware that I was even a werewolf. Charlie thought I was just Jake's best friend and Billy took me in after Mom's job got crazy. I was taking deep breaths squeezing my eyes shut as tightly as I could while my whole body started to shake violently. "Not now!" Billy said sternly backing his wheelchair into the corner of the room.

I couldn't help it my bottled up anger was boiling over and that meant that I was going to phase any minute. Charlie stared at me in shock and never said a word but I'm pretty sure he was horrified at the sight before him. "I can't control it, Billy I've tried all night!" I snapped letting my body crouch down into the position necessary for phasing.

The next thing I heard was like music to my ears and I instantly snapped to full attention. "PAUL! My Paul, where is he?" Rachel screamed unaware that I was at the foot of her bed crouched on the floor. "God dammit, daddy why are we still in this godforsaken hospital? I told you to bring me home to Paul, I want him here now!" Oh boy she hadn't lost her temper that's for sure!