Chapter 3: Billy + His Wheel Chair.
Disclaimer: I do not own the story SM does. I still wished I owned Paul and Jasper, but sadly I don't.
Word Count: 2,847
BPOV (Bella)
"Paul, this is Bella. Bella, this is Paul," dad said with a knowing smile on his face. What the hell could he be smiling about, what is he hiding? What is he scheming? For the life of me I could not figure it out, I it worried me a bit honestly.
"Hi," Paul said, extending his hand out for me to shake.
"Hi," I respond while taking a hold of his hand. Holy shit his hand feels like it is on fire what is in the water of this town unless he is sick or something.
"What?" I looked up into his eyes when he said that, embarrassed that I actually said that out loud. Why do you have to be so silly, Bella? Where is your mouth to brain filter? Like what the hell is wrong with you?
"Sorry. Thought I had said that in my head but apparently not," I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks and silently cursing the fact that I'm so pale and that I blush as red as a tomato, I think that is one thing that I curse dad for giving to me, the pale skin that blush is easily seen on.
"That's alright. Charlie do you know when the rest will be here, mainly Sam?" Paul asked. That's weird that he wants to know when this Sam guy is going to get here. What does he have to do with anything? Who the hell is he anyway, some macho man?
"They should all be here shortly. Why?" Dad looked hesitant as he patted Paul's wide shoulder. The look on his face told me that there was something going on between them. Something that I couldn't decide if I wanted to know about or not honestly, maybe one day they will tell me about what ever it was.
"I just need to talk to him and you about something," Paul replied back with a shrug, not one to dislodge my dad's hand, just a shrug that was opened ended but at the same time the end of a conversation, this one in particular.
"Okay…"Dad sounded almost scared to know why Paul would want to talk to him and this Sam guy.
"We'll I'm going to go finish supper all that's left is to make the salad," I said backing up in the direction of the kitchen, trying to get away from the almost awkward atmosphere.
I went back into the kitchen and turned my music up a little louder even though I don't need to. I can hear it perfectly fine even when it's almost off, has been that way for a while now. I've noticed my hearing, sight, and sense of smell has improved over the last little while. Started just before my car accident, almost as if something to do with the accident is causing my body to change on its own. It doesn't worry me as much as it probably should, though. After about 10 minutes of prepping the supper and doing finishing touches to the fish, I could hear a bunch of people laughing and joking while walking up our long ass driveway.
"I think the rest are here!" I shouted to dad and Paul.
"How can she hear them? Is she one of us as well?" I heard Paul whisper to my dad but decided to just brush it off. Though I am curious to know what the whole 'one of us as well' comment was about. I mean what kind of question is that? They are men and I am a female, there's no way that I am 'one of them' as he says.
"I think maybe but I don't know for sure. I have noticed things about her that would only be happening if she was one of us," dad replied. Now I am really curious, what is it that is happening to me that he is noticing?
"You know I can hear you, right?" I said walking into the living room with a grin on my face so that they knew I wasn't upset with them talking about me. The front door opened with a bang a few minutes later and I'm guessing everyone but Jake, Billy, and Sarah walked in. There was a lot of large people walk in, I felt small compared to everyone present in the living room.
"Since when can you cook Charlie? The last time I checked it was Sue who always did it for you, especially when she stayed over for extended periods of time," someone questioned with a smile that could be heard in their voice, while coming farther into the living room and sitting on the couch.
"Just because I burn almost everything I cook doesn't mean I can't cook," dad said defending himself, well doing a poor job at defending himself as everyone around us just started laughing.
"Sure dad. You can even somehow burn water, which by the way takes some serious talent," I said laughing and pointing at him almost accusingly. I loved to make fun of the fact that he could barely cook, especially when I spent weeks with him in the summer, we always ended up eating out because the couple of times he tried to cook they turned out to be disastrous. He is one of the main reasons why I pushed to learn how to cook a home cooked, heart healthy meal.
"Oh shush Bella. Even though you the 'master chef' of the family doesn't mean you can judge others. And by the way I have no clue where she gets her cooking skills from," he quipped out with a shake of his head, but everyone could see the look of pride in his eyes and the shining smile gracing his face.
"I know how to cook because neither you nor mom could cook to save our lives. I sometimes wonder how the hell I survived off the junk you both fed me as a baby," I was laughing so hard that I was bent in half and tears were streaming down my face.
"Anyways, enough about my horrible cooking skills that we know about and love to make fun of, Bella this is Sam, Emily, Embry, Kim, Jared, Quil, Seth, Collin, Brady, Leah and my girlfriend, Sue," he said pointing each one out.
"Hey, guys. Where's Sarah, Billy and baby J?" When I said Sarah's name I saw every single person stiffen and looks of shock came across their faces, followed closely by sadness, it would be funny if they didn't look so sad quickly.
"Who's Baby J?" Quil questioned from his position beside Embry on the couch. The two guys were complete opposites of each other. Where Quil was built like a brick in width and what looks like to be muscles, Embry was skinny but lean with long limbs that seemed to go on forever but oddly enough they complimented each other. Making them look even.
"That my dear boy is Jakes nickname from Bella-Boo," Billy said while rolling in on his wheelchair, wait a minute in a wheelchair. When I first saw him I let out a loud gasp, which caused everyone to look towards me with sad eyes, knowing that I had no clue how the man that I saw as a second father was in a wheelchair.
"Uncle Billy what happened?" It was just barely a whisper out of my mouth but everyone seemed to have heard it. The room was so quite, one could've heard a pin drop on the floor.
"Oh, Bella-Boo don't cry. Come here and you and I can go talk. Does that sound alright?" Billy directed while patting his lap.
I hadn't even realized I was crying till he said not too. I brought my hand up to hastily wipe the tears away but they just kept coming anyways and I wasn't sure why really, it has been a long time that I have cried so uncontrollably. After a couple of seconds of just standing there silently crying I nodded and walked towards him. Everyone was watching in silence my steps where the only thing that could be heard as I walked to him. They were all holding their breathes and seemed to be waiting as if for a bomb to go off and kill everyone in its path. When I reached him I was crying even harder, almost to the point of sobs, and reached out for his hand, my hand shook as I took his.
"Jake, will you wheel me out?" He turned asking Jake, who I just noticed now to be standing behind him with his hands on the back of the chair.
"Yah dad," Jake sighed out, sounding like he already knew what the conversation was gonna entitle.
I let go of Billy's hand and followed him and Jake outside. Jake pushed him just outside the front door and turned to me and looked at me for a few seconds before gathering me into a bone crushing hug. A feeling that I didn't realize that I had been missing for so long, he always did give the best hugs, very similar to that of Charlie's.
"I missed you Bells. Sorry, I haven't kept in touch the last year. I've been fairly busy," he whispered into my ear. It sounded like he was close to tears, I would have been totally fine with him crying we would have been twins in the department, seeing as how I could not stop tearing up. Glad I didn't put makeup on this morning, not that I care for that shit anyway.
"It's okay, just don't do it again, okay? Don't make me feel like that ever again. I've missed you too. I was so worried that I didn't have my best friend to call when I got into my accident," I turned and kissed his cheek after whispering back. I felt him nod than let go of me and head inside. I turned to Billy and he's motioned for me to sit on the ground beside him. So I did just that and turned to look at him silently telling him to start whatever it was he had to tell me, already knowing that whatever it was, was gonna effect me.
PPOV (Paul)
I watched as my imprint followed Jake and Billy in tears out the front door. My wolf was whining for me to go comfort her and in all honestly; I myself as the man wanted to go comfort her as well. I knew what she was about to hear was going to be hard on her. Sounds like Sarah and Billy are like a second family to her. Which makes sense, because Charlie and Billy are always telling stories about the time when they were young and always getting in trouble over something. There was never a story of just Charlie or just Billy there is always ones that include the two of them getting up to something, even now with Billy in his wheelchair they still get into mischief. Billy seemed more like a brother to Charlie then he did a friend. I sometimes wondered if Jake looked to Charlie as a second dad like I did only for completely different reasons.
"Why didn't you tell her?" Jake seethed at Charlie. Oh look the temper is rearing its ugly head again. Jake always did have quite a temper, one that could rival mine on a good day. I started silently laughing to myself and shaking my head. The pack all looked between me and the fight that was brewing like a storm with questions in their eyes, we all knew how the fight was gonna end anyways; we just wanted to know what it was about.
"I thought you would have. Why didn't you tell her? She was in a car accident the same day as Billy and Sarah, only she lost her best friend. I am sure she would have liked it when someone who she saw as a brother asks for her help, maybe she would have gotten over her own problems easier and quicker. There would have been something to distract her from the 'what ifs'," Charlie answered smoothly.
"I was busy with pack and her accident probably wasn't as bad as what I went through. I lost my mother and almost lost my dad," Jake was shaking with anger now.
"Get out! NOW!" Charlie shot back at him calmly. A calm Charlie was more frightening then an angry Charlie honestly.
"Fine," he said heading for the back door and slamming it shut after him.
I decided to break the silence after I had calmed down from my laugh attack half way through Charlie's explanation to Jake, "Charlie, Sam could I speak with you both outside? Please? Everyone else can start eating, if they would like to."
They both nodded and followed me out. We stood on the back porch just looking out toward the woods for a few minutes, taking in the peaceful night. The night was nice for La Push usually, it was raining and gloomy, somehow always matched whatever mood everyone was feeling. We could all hear the rest talking, fooling around, and eating inside.
"What did you want to talk about?" Charlie quizzed after a long moment of silence.
"When I finish please don't be mad at me Charlie. I imprinted on Bella and I was wondering when we could tell her about us and that she's my imprint? My wolf is whining right now. He wants me to go to her and comfort her and me as the human wants to go as well."
"I think she's already in the process of changing Charlie," Sam said with concern.
"No. She can't be! She hasn't been around any leeches!" Charlie shouted.
"Charlie you have to remember that you're not Quiluete descent like the rest of us. Your genes could be set off by something different sides you don't know that for sure. There could be leeches in Phoenix, it's not like you have ever been there long enough to tell," Sam tried to reason with Charlie.
"Plus didn't she say she could hear the rest walking up the driveway? And you have a long ass driveway. If she was completely human like you want her to be she shouldn't have been able to hear them no matter how loud they are," I voiced in.
"Yeah, Okay, I guess you're right Sam, we will just have to wait and see what happens, won't we?" Charlie succumbed.
"We will tell her at the bonfire next Saturday if she hasn't changed by then. That gives her the week to get used to living here again, also lets everyone else see for themselves who she is and get to know her on a better level," Sam finalized.
"Okay, I think they are done talking. Let's go in and eat I'm starting to get hungry. Why don't we invite her to the sleepover tomorrow, get to know her more? Sure she'll be the only girl since Leah doesn't ever come to any of them and Kim isn't allowed to come, but what other way to get to know her more?" I asked.
"Yeah, that might work, Charlie?" Sam asked Charlie.
"Yeah, you can ask her while she eats," he mumbled.
We all headed in and got some food. I knew that I wanted to try the food that Bella had prepared for us this lovely evening. I figured that it tasted amazing by the way it smelt. Bella had fried the fish and had some type of salad as a side. The salad had cucumber, chickpeas, and a bunch of different foods like tomatoes and onions with some spices thrown into it. It was actually quite delicious and she had made enough food to feed us twice over, which was pretty awesome if you ask me. I wonder if Charlie told her to make more than what is normally needed.
"Hey Charlie, did you tell Bella to make more than what is needed?" I shouted to the living room, though it wasn't really something that I had to do.
"No, she made this amount all by herself. I think she realized that she would be feeding a bunch of boys so made double the amount," he expressed.
I do believe that my imprint is pretty awesome if she does stuff like that naturally. I could feel the grin on my face and just couldn't wait to talk to her and get to know her better. There was so much that I wanted to know about her and so much about myself that I wanted her to know about. I even wanted to tell her about my parents, something that I never tell anyone. The only reason why the pack knew was because of the pack mind sharing, though through out the years I have mastered keeping things tightly under a sealed lid. Charlie knows because he basically saved me from a down ward spiral that I was in.