I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for that...everything has been crazy! Please read and review. I would love to hear what you think! :)

Chapter 5:

"Dr. Black!" Bella exclaimed once she began to breath normally again. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry about that," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. It was then that Bella realized he was out of he scrubs and dressed in normal clothes. "And please, call me Jake. When I'm outside the hospital I hate to have people calling me by such a formal name. Anyway, it looks like you could use some help."

Bella laughed wryly at his statement. "Yeah, I think I do. My car just won't start and I know absolutely nothing about fixing it…or anything to do with cars for that matter."

"If you don't mind, Bella, I could take a look at your engine," Jake offered kindly. "I used to work on cars when I was a teenager, so I know a bit about fixing them up."

"That would be great, Jake," Bella said, feeling relieved. "I have to get home to my daughter."

Jacob looked a little shocked to hear Bella mention her child again. Bella thought it was sort of amusing to keep him uninformed. But somehow she still felt guilty.

"I know this is none of my business," Jacob began, as he rolled up his sleeves and leisurely made his way over to the front of her car. He had popped the hood and was lifting it up. He did not, however, look inside the car. Instead, he faced Bella who had made her way out from the front seat. "But how have you only had your child for a year?"

Sighing, Bella sat on the ground and motioned for him to sit beside her. "This is going to sound a little strange, but you have to know that I have no regrets. My life has turned out great and there is absolutely nothing that I would change." As Jake sat down, Bella began her story and watched his face carefully.

"I suppose I should have told you all of this before," Bella said when she had ended her tale, nearly laughing at the expression on his face. "It's just that it felt nice to be Mel's birthmother for a while too. You can't imagine how people react when they find out I adopted her at my age." She laughed to herself.

"Wow," Jake breathed when he could finally breath again. "You were so mature when you were a senior in high school. And even now. When I was your age I was definitely not thinking about a little girl. Or even a house."

"I've gotten that same reaction before," Bella said, blushing a little as she remembered her first conversation with Edward. "So, Jake, what should I do with my car?"

Getting up, Jacob lifted the hood and stuck his head inside. He tinkered around inside for a little while, making Bella a little nervous with all the thunks and squeaks that he was making, before lifting his head and shutting the hood.

"You're going to need to get this thing to a shop. You're transmission's shot as far as I can tell," Jake said, straightening up and rubbing his dirty hands off on his jeans.

"Then I'd better call a cab and a tow truck," Bella groaned, digging through her purse for her cell-phone.

"Why don't I just drive you home?" Jacob asked her. "I'm sure it won't be too far out of my way."

"Well…" Bella felt hesitant to ask a man she barely knew for such a huge favor.

"Please Bella. I would feel compelled to sit here with you until both the tow truck and the cab arrived. Thus shortening my already abbreviated time off."

Bella laughed. "So now you're going to play the tired doctor card?"

"If it works. And I've found it has a 99 percent success rate," he said, keeping up the cheerful banter. "Come on, I promise my car isn't that bad. I promise."

"Alright, fine. Just give me some time to call a tow truck," Bella relented, trusting the young and kind doctor.

"You don't have to do that. It'll be fine here overnight and I can call one for you in the morning. This way you can get home to your daughter," Jacob said, eager to return to his own home.

"Thank you so much, Jacob," Bella said, grateful to her new acquaintance and glad that the next day was a Saturday. "I really don't want to keep Melanie waiting for too long."

"You're welcome, Bella," Jake said, quickly growing impatient. "But let's go."

"Alright, alright!" Bella agreed, laughing.

She got into his beat-up sedan and looked around. True to his word, the interior was neat, but it was obviously old.

"I thought doctors make a lot of money!" Bella said, smiling to show it wasn't meant offensively.

"Doctors do. Interns paying off their student loans don't," he replied, smiling at her as he got into the car.

Bella laughed and smiled happily at Jacob. Instead of feeling as if she had known him for the few hours that she actually had, she felt like they had been friends her whole life. Being with him felt natural.

With Bella directing the car, Jacob soon found her house. Of course there were a few missed turns, where Bella told him to drive right and then quickly clarified that she meant the other right. But they got there in one piece, and that was really all that mattered.

Turning into her driveway, Jake somehow felt as if he was once again the guilty teenager aching to kiss a girl in her driveway while he knew that she had to get inside for curfew. Wait, did he just think kiss?

Bella opened her door and hesitated a moment before looking at him.

"Why don't you come in?" she asked him. "You took me all the way home, the least I can do is offer you a cup of coffee?"

Though just moments ago he was completely exhausted and only wanted to return home, he found himself following her up the path to her front door.

Her house was simply gorgeous. Large, but simple in structure, carefully arranged furniture made it look elegant yet comfortable and homey at the same time. Bella shed her coat, hanging it up on the coat rack beside the door and placing her shoes in a bin beside it. Lights were on towards the back of the house, in the direction in which Bella was walking.

"Hello!" a man called, coming out from the kitchen. "Mel was great, we read a few stories, watched a movie and ate some dinner-" he trailed off when he saw Jacob.

Jake watched as Bella ran up to him and gave him a hug, which he returned easily.

"Thank you, Edward!" Bella nearly crooned from his arms. "I hope it wasn't any inconvenience…"

"Not at all," 'Edward' said gallantly. "Bella, we're being rude: who is this?"

"I am so sorry! Edward, this is Dr. Jacob Black who gave me a ride home from the hospital tonight when my car wouldn't start. Jake, this is my friend Edward Cullen."

Jacob extended his hand and the two shook, grasping one another tightly. Both had a rather strong grip, they soon discovered.

"Jake, I'm really sorry to do this to you, but tomorrow's going to be crazy for me and-" Bella began, only to be interrupted by the doctor.

"It's not a big deal. I'll call for a tow truck tomorrow. Some friends of mine own a shop a town or so over and they'd be more than glad to do me a favor," Jacob said. "It was nice to meet you, Edward."

"Likewise," Edward said to him.

Their entire exchange was tense, but Bella didn't notice. She was too busy fretting over her ruined Thanksgiving dinner. She walked Jacob to the door, lost in thought, and gave him an absent minded hug.

"Thanks again, Jake!" she said, her voice sounding distant.

"No problem, Bella," he told her, getting into his car and driving home.

He vowed to himself never again to chose a pretty girl over an hour of sleep. Especially after the circuits he'd worked the past few days. He was just sleep-deprived, nothing else. He made a ridiculous choice because he had barely slept for a minute all week. There was nothing else to it, no attraction or even a possible crush. Nothing to it…