Chapter 8 - Deaf & Overprotective

Paul and Jared ran over to the edge of the cliff and looked down, Paul didn't even take three seconds as he jumped over the edge and splashed into the water beside her.

As Paul re-surfaced he was looking around frantically for Antonia, he felt something tap his shoulder as he spun around as fast as he could and saw her smiling face looking back at him, he jerked her into his arms, "Oh my God Toni are you okay? I'm so sorry, I'm going to kill those idiots." Toni wrapped her arms around Paul as she took in his warmth she buried her face in the side of his neck and couldn't help giggle a little, "You know for someone whose so afraid of heights, I really want to do that again."

Paul breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't believe she was laughing, "I can't believe you're laughing. What is wrong with you? You could've been killed." Antonia smiled, "I'm fine Paul. I promise. It took me by surprise and scared the hell out of me. But I'm ok." Paul swam them over to the shore as he carefully carried her out of the water. He set her down in the sand as he started looking her over as she pulled away from him and stood up, "I'm fine Paul. I already told you that."

Paul growled, "Something is clearly wrong when you're sitting there laughing when you could've been killed." Antonia frowned, "What are you saying Paul? Suddenly because you know I'm sick I'm made of glass? God! I'm not some fragile little porcelain doll. My hair is growing back and I'm finally gaining weight again and you've known me for what 24 hours if that? And suddenly you've turned into my father."

Paul could feel his temper starting to rise, "C'mon I'm going to take you home. You need to get into some dry clothes before you catch pneumonia." He started to touch her when she backed away and just started walking to the truck. Paul knew she was mad at him. He couldn't help that he was worried about her. She was right though now that he knew she was sick he was treating her differently than he had the night before. He was basically treating her with kid gloves. She walked to his truck with her arms wrapped around herself, he opened the passenger door as she got into the seat and put her belt on.

The drive back to her house was made in silence. He could feel the sadness and anger coming from her all at once. When she felt something it was strong it was all the feelings or nothing there was no two ways about it. Damn she was stubborn. When he pulled up in front of her house, she didn't even wait for him to open the door she got out and slammed the door shut behind her. Paul got out and went to touch her again as she put her hands up putting some distance between them, "No I'm just fine, I think I can make it up the three small steps without breaking anything."

Antonia walked in the house and slammed the front door closed as she went to her room.

Brady heard Antonia storm the house like a hurricane. Damn she was pissed. Apparently lover boy did something to fuck something up. Brady couldn't help but chuckle. He laughed hard as he heard the sound of metal being punched. Brady got up and walked out onto the front porch and looked at Paul as he growled and grumbled and cussed up a storm.

Brady crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the support beam that was holding up the porch roof, "So what did you do to my sister? 24 hours and you've already managed to piss her off." Paul looked up at Brady and noticed how big he really was, damn he was going to be joining the pack soon.

Paul growled, "You're sister is the most stubborn woman I've ever met." Brady chuckled hard, "Yea she gets that from our mom. So what exactly did you do to piss her off? It takes a lot to make her mad, especially with as happy as she was when she left here. There was no way anyone could've fucked up her smile in that short amount of time. So it must've been a dozy."

Paul large form paced back and forth, "I took her to the cliffs cause some of the guys were jumping, plus I knew she'd like the view, well she walked over and was looking down the cliff edge and Embry and Quil got into a damn fight and were shoving each other and Quil managed to bump into Toni and she got shoved off the damn cliff and went all the way down to the ocean water."

Brady chuckled as he put his hand up effectively stopping Paul from the rest of the story, "Lemme guess, you decided to be Captain Save A Hoe and jumped in after her and once you got her to the shore you tried inspecting her to make sure she was ok...To which point she got pissed off and then you got pissed off and thus ending the day with her turning into Hurricane Toni and you into Pissed off Paul."

Paul nodded, "You're sister is infuriating and stubborn."

At which point Antonia's bedroom window opened as she looked down, "Yea well your deaf and overprotective." She slammed her window shut as Paul growled again. Brady couldn't help laughing, "Welcome to the family Paul." Paul shook his head, "What the hell did I do wrong...She's you're sister I'm assuming you know."

Brady nodded as he tried to get his laughter under control, "Yea...Okay think of it this way...For the last seven months Antonia has been confined to hospital rooms, chemotherapy chairs, bathrooms because chemo makes her puke. She was finally well enough to travel so dad could move us, her beautiful hair is finally started to grow back and she finally weights more than 90 pounds. She meets you and obviously she thinks you're Mr. Wonderful. And right now all she wants to do while the cancer is in remission is forget she even had the damn disease. You inspecting her is something our father would do. Not taking her word when she said lemme guess 'I'm fine.' Pisses her off to no end. Clearly if there was something wrong or hurting her she would've told you. All you did was act like her father. When that's not what she wants from you. If you haven't noticed."

Paul sighed, "I really did act like your father didn't I? I couldn't help it. The look on her face when she got shoved off the cliff made me sick to my stomach. She looked completely terrified. I was pissed off at the guys for horsing around that close to her and putting her in danger and then when I finally got to her in the water, she was laughing. She said she was fine a couple of times. But my temper being the way it is, I was still very pissed off at Quil and Embry."

Brady nodded, "Sometimes Antonia has a way of laughing at the worst times, even though it was very funny to her. But lately she finds humor in a lot of things, and I'd rather have her laughing then crying...Look you're more than welcome to stay out here, but I can't even begin to let you in the house, she'd take my head off and I don't know any doctor's around here who could attach it without some kind of permanent damage being done."

Paul chuckled as he nodded and watched Brady go back in the house. Paul sat on the steps trying to just go over the day's events in his head. He'd wait all day and night. Hell he'd wait forever if that's what it took for her to talk to him again.