Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Seven

I could hear voices, but my eyes refused to open. People were talking around me. I tried to answer them. They sounded worried and angry. I didn't understand why. I wanted them to go away and let me sleep. I was too tired to listen to them arguing.

My wish was granted as I heard the voices fade.

I could hear a faint beeping and smell bleach. Instantly, I knew I was in a hospital somewhere. I recognized the steady rhythm of the heart monitor beeping in time to the drip-drip of the IV.

I struggled to remember what had happened. I remembered Leah jumping and me diving in after her. I remembered Sam taking Leah while Jake swam with me to shore. I remember pushing my healing power onto Leah, a bright flash, then nothing.

Had healing Leah drained me? The Elders had said healing increased my powers. I couldn't understand what had gone wrong.

It was quiet, but I could feel someone else in the room with me. I didn't need my Omega bond to tell me it was Jacob. Even before the imprint, I would've been able to tell it was him. Our connection ran deeper than my bond to the pack. I was his imprint, his whole world; just like he was mine.

Guilt washed over me as I realized I'd wrecked his night. He was so excited to tell the pack about us and I had ruined it by going after Leah. I moaned slightly at what I'd done to him. I felt the bed jerk a little and figured he'd been lying on it, but had woken up when I moaned.

"Bells? Honey?" his voice called.

I grimaced, fighting to open my eyes. His hands smoothed against my hair as his thumbs brushed my cheeks.

I blinked and moaned again at the bright light.

"Bella? What is it? What hurts?" Jake asked frantically.

"Lights," I rasped.

I heard his footsteps as he walked away from the bed. There was a click and then he was moving back towards me. I felt his hands in my hair again and chanced a peek. The room was darker and it didn't hurt nearly as much to open my eyes. I sighed and looked up at Jake in gratitude. The sight of him made me gasp.

He had huge bags under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were red from either lack of sleep or crying; I couldn't tell which. His jaw was tight and there was a line formed between his brows. I reached up and gently smoothed out his features, trying to get him to relax. He jaw tightened and he swallowed.

"What happened?" I asked in a rough voice.

"Don't talk just yet," Jake said.

I pushed into his mind.

What happened? I asked again.

His face tightened even more, if it was possible. He looked like he was carved from stone. I didn't like it. I wanted to see his face soft and smooth.

You nearly killed yourself trying to heal Leah's soul, Jake answered.

What? How? I'm supposed to heal people," I reminded him.

Yeah, but healing souls takes a lot more power and energy than healing bodies. You refused to call upon the pack strength which you need when healing souls, Jake explained.

I frowned up at him, not really understanding. I hadn't been trying to heal Leah's soul. I'd been trying to heal her body. What was he talking about healing her soul?

You were in full Omega form. You couldn't tell the difference between her body and her soul. All you knew was that she was broken and you could fix it. Billy and Harry tried to get you to stop, but you wouldn't listen. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. I called for you, but you blacked out. You've been asleep for three days, Jake continued.

My eyes widened as he said that. Three days? Charlie must be frantic!

Charlie's in the cafeteria now. We haven't left since you've been brought in. The rest of the pack is in the waiting room, Jake said, answering my unasked question.

How are you doing that? I asked.

You're not blocking your mind. I can hear all your thoughts, Jake chuckled, a small smile coming to his lips.

I reached up and traced his lips, showing him what I saw; the most beautiful man in the world. He was so much better than me. He was light and caring. He contantly putting others before himself. I didn't deserve him.

I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, Jake insisted.

He took hold of my hand and brought it to his lips. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into my palm, breathing deeply.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, honey. I don't think I could take it," Jake whispered, needing to say the words out loud.

I heard them in his thoughts, too. He showed me what had happened after I'd passed out. I felt like crying as he shared all his emotions from the past three days with me. I had caused him so much pain and worry without meaning to. I wanted nothing more than to make it right.

I love you, I told him.

It came out naturally and I couldn't believe I hadn't said it before. I truly did love Jake. He was everything to me. Even when I had been mourning the loss of Edward, Jake had been my everything. He was it for me. My soulmate. I understood that now.

Jake flashed me my favorite smile and we both listened as my heart rate increased. Jake chuckled and leaned down to kiss me briefly. I could feel his relief in that kiss and it melted my heart.

"I love you, too, Bells. So much," Jake whispered, pulling me into his arms.

I snuggled into his chest, trying to absorb his warmth. He held me gently, but firmly, making me feel safe and cherished. It was heave being in his arms. Nothing else could compare.

He tensed suddenly and started to pull away. I held fast to his arm, not wanting to let him go. He flashed me a smile and kissed my temple.

"Charlie's coming. We have to be good," Jake insisted, taking my hand in his.

He took his place beside my bed again as the door opened. Charlie walked in a second later, turning on the lights as he did. I winced slightly and Jake growled low in his throat. I gave his hand a squeeze and looked at my dad.

Charlie looked almost as bad as Jake. His hair was uncombed and his eyes had dark bags under them. He was still in his uniform and I guessed he hadn't been home to change in the time I'd been here. When he saw I was awake, he rushed to my side.

"Bells! Oh, thank God you're okay!" Charlie cried, leaning over to hug me.

Jake tensed and growled again, too low for Charlie to hear. I shot him a warning look, but he was too busy watching Charlie to see.

Chill out, Jake. It's Charlie, I thought to him.

He finally looked at me and relaxed. I gave him a smile which he hesitantly returned. Charlie pulled back and glanced between the two of us, his eyes landing on our joined hands.

"About time," he grumbled.

I grinned up at him. He gave me a small smile back.

"How do you feel, Bells?" Charlie asked.

I mouthed the word good. Charlie frowned.

"She can't speak, yet, Charlie. Her throat's a little rough," Jake explained.

"Should I get the nurse?" Charlie asked.

I shook my head no.

"Might be a good idea. They should know she's awake," Jake said, ignoring me.

I frowned and tugged on his arm. He just grinned at me while Charlie left the room in search of a nurse.

"What?" he asked.

Not cool. I don't want a nurse, I whined.

"I don't want you to be in pain," Jake countered, brushing his fingers across my throat.

I sighed and let him feel my irritation. He just smiled because beneath my irritation, he could feel the love I had for him. He leaned over and placed a kiss beneath my ear.

"I'm sorry I growled at Charlie. I couldn't help it. I've been worried about you for three days. I didn't like seeing him smother you," Jake murmured in my ear.

My heart rate sped up again as his breath brushed against my skin. He chuckled and stood up.

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to get kicked out of here," Jake warned.

Stop kissing me, then, I hissed back.

His eyes darkened and his face turned serious.

"You don't want me to stop," Jake said.

I swallowed as he came closer to me again. He kept eye contact with me until his lips were just a hair away from mine.

"Do you, Bella?" Jake asked.

I felt his lips brush against mine as he talked. He was torturing me. It was completely unfair.

Just as I was about to press my lips to his, he jerked back and the door to my room was suddenly filled with people trying to get in. I glared at Jake as our pack filed in, all talking at once. Seth surprised both Jake and I by running up to me and throwing his arms around my neck. Jake growled and yanked him off me.

"Sit," Jake ordered, shoving a surprised Seth into a chair.

I could feel Jacob's anxiety rolling off him and it made me nervous. My breathing and heart rate accelerated. Everyone noticed and began worrying, just adding to my own nerves. I didn't know what was happening and that scared me even more. Everyone was talking at once, trying to figure out what was going on.

One voice rose above the others.

"Everybody, out!"

It was a command that the entire pack had to follow. Sam was standing at the foot of my bed, glaring at them. Jake was growling ferociously, not even trying to stay quiet.

"Out, Jacob!" Sam ordered, pointing towards the door.

Jake dragged his feet, looking back at me. He was scared to leave me alone with Sam. He was worried I'd go back to sleep. He didn't like not knowing what was happening to me.

"It's okay," I wheezed, not having the mental strength to project into his mind.

Jake struggled against Sam's command, wanting to come back to me. I started crying, feeling his pain and worry. It wasn't fair of Sam to make him leave. I didn't want him to leave. It hurt too much just thinking about it.

"Jake, stay," I sobbed, clutching at my chest.

Instantly, warm arms encircled me, keeping me together. Jake was still growling at Sam, putting himself between us. I grasped Jake's body to mine, needing him closer.

"Don't go," I gasped.

"Shh, honey. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. I promise," Jake murmured into my hair, his body still trembling from defying his Alpha.

"Bella, he needs to wait outside with the rest of the pack," Sam told me sternly.

"No!" I cried, wrapping myself completely around Jake.

"I can't leave her, Sam," Jake panted, trying to regain his breath.

Sam frowned down at the both of us, obviously annoyed at having his orders disobeyed.

"She's my imprint," Jake continued.

Sam's eyes went wide as he stared fixedly at me. I glared back at him, daring him to say something negative.

"That's not possible. It would've happened a week ago," Sam mumbled, still staring at me.

"I know. Billy says it's because she was still holding on to Edward," Jake informed him.

Sam grimaced at the name as it shook himself out of his shocked state.

"That changes things. You can stay, Jake," Sam accepted.

"Gee, thanks," Jake snorted, relaxing his hold on me.

I refused to allow him to let go of me, though, and pulled him completely onto the bed with me. He was a little too tall of the hospital bed, but he managed well enough. I knew he'd deal with worse things in order to have me in his arms.

"Now, about what just happened. Bella is in an extremely vulnerable state. Her Omega abilities are tapping into everyone's emotions. Or, at least, the pack's emotions. When you panicked over Seth, she was set off. When the pack heard her heart rate increase, they started panicking, adding to her anxiety. Everyone is going to have to be careful for a while. Until you regain your strength, Bella, you're going to be affected by every emotion the pack feels more strongly. Your shield will take longer to bring down and put up. The only thing that won't be affected is your healing abilities. Those only grow stronger with use. You're just going to have to take it easy for a few days while you regain energy from healing Leah's soul," Sam explained.

Where is Leah? I asked them.

"She's in the waiting room. She wasn't sure if you would want to see her," Sam answered, frowning slightly.

I want to, I told him.

He nodded and left the room. Jake relaxed beside me and kissed my hair.

"I love you," he whispered.

Love you, too, I thought sleepily.

"Close your eyes and relax, honey. Leah's not going anywhere," Jake encouraged me.

I sighed and snuggled against his chest, intending to only rest my eyes till Leah came in. The sound of Jake's steady heartbeat ended up lulling me to sleep before Leah arrived.

I woke up later to hear Jake talking to Charlie.

"She needs to see her, Charlie. Before she fell asleep, she asked to see her," Jake was saying.

"I don't care. I don't want that girl anywhere near Bella. She should be locked up," Charlie rumbled.

"Charlie, Bella jumped after her to save her life. She needs to see that Leah's okay," Jake insisted.

"No. I don't want her here," Charlie huffed.

"But-"

"I said no, Jacob. Don't forget, I can see that you aren't allowed in here either," Charlie warned.

Jake growled and I heard a chair scrape against the floor.

"It would take a lot more than a few doors and hospital staff to keep me away from Bella, sir," Jake thundered.

I moaned, reaching for his hand. I sighed happily as I felt his warmth envelope my cold hand. I squeezed it and tugged him onto the bed.

"Bells? Come on, honey. Wake up," Jake persuaded.

I opened my eyes and was rewarded with a smiling Jake looking back at me.

"Hey. Some one is waiting to see you," Jake murmured.

"No, Jacob. She's not to come in here," Charlie snapped.

"I think that's Bella's decision," Jake glared.

"I want to see her," I whispered hoarsely.

"I'll go get her," Jake grinned.

"Jacob-" Charlie started.

"Dad, stop. I want to see her. Me being here is not her fault, okay? Just, let it go," I pleaded.

Charlie didn't look happy about it, but gave a stiff nod.

"Good. Now, when she comes back in here, you need to take Jake up to the cafeteria or something. He needs a break from Bella Bed Watch," I teased.

"Sure thing, kid," Charlie agreed, laughing softly.

The door opened and Jake led Leah into the room. He walked over and took hold of my hand again while Leah stayed close to the door, looking down at her feet. I gave Charlie a pointed look.

"Hey, Jake. Why don't you and I go upstairs and grab a bite to eat. I'm sure Leah can handle Bella for a little while," Charlie offered.

Jake frowned at Charlie and then looked at me. I gave him a quick nod.

"Sure, Charlie. I could always eat," Jake sighed, following him out of the room.

Once the door shut behind them, I looked at Leah. She looked better than she had three days ago. Her face wasn't as pained and her shoulders were more relaxed. As soon as Jake and Charlie left, she looked up and met my gaze. I gave her a reassuring smile and motioned for her to sit in Jake's seat. She slowly walked over to stand beside my bed.

"Bella… I just… I guess… I wanted to say I'm sorry. I know that doesn't make up for what happened, but I am. I was, and still kinda am, screwed up. I couldn't handle being inside Sam's head and hearing all his thoughts about how much he loved Emily. And what made it worse was that he still loves me, too.

"But that doesn't make what I did right. You were right, Bella. I have so many people to live for. It just took a little Omega power to help me realize it," Leah smiled sadly.

"I forgive you, Leah. I forgave you before you even jumped. It wasn't your fault. Things happen. If you're willing, I'd love to help you work through the rest of your pain. I know I got you started, but I can feel you still have a ways to go. And I promise, no using my Omega abilities," I laughed, hoping she'd take me up on the offer.

"I'd like that," Leah admitted.

"Good. Now, tell me what's going on in the outside world. Jake and Charlie haven't left the hospital yet and no one else is allowed in cause Jake would totally flip on them," I giggled.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Congratulations on the imprint," Leah said.

"Thank you. It'll happen for you, too, Leah. I can feel it. And it's going to completely change you, for the better," I assured her.

"I hope so," Leah sighed.

"Trust me. Now, dish on all the happenings of the outside world!" I commanded, using my best Sam-Alpha imitation.

Leah laughed and began regaling me with a story about how Paul and Quil had gotten into a huge fight, resulting in both of them phasing at First Beach. Sam had refused to go get them clothes and they couldn't exactly walk back to their homes as wolves. They'd been forced to hide until nightfall when they could sneak back into their homes for more clothes. She told me how Quil had been caught by his mom, coming through the back door completely naked. I was laughing uncontrollably at this point, imagining the look on Quil's face.

Leah was laughing with me and it was nice to see her loosening up a bit. I was hoping that with a little time, I'd be able to get her to completely open up to me about how she felt about Sam and Emily. The only way for her to heal completely was for her to talk it out and work her way through all the pain.

Two days after I woke up, the doctors cleared me to leave the hospital. I was finally going home.

Charlie came with the cruiser to pick me up. He was obviously still concerned about my health because I wasn't even allowed to get out of the wheelchair without his help. I was extremely uncomfortable with all the attention he way paying me. He asked me if I was okay at least eight times before we made it to the house. Every time, I replied that I was fine and he would go back to staring at the road, sneaking glances at me every so often when he thought I wouldn't notice.

I was so glad to be home. The moment we pulled into the driveway, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. I would finally be able to relax and get back into my routine. I had missed cooking for Charlie and seeing La Push. Of course, tomorrow, I'd be back in school. I'd already missed the first two days after Spring Break. Those were going to be fun to make up.

I opened my door and moved to get out, but Charlie was already there, grabbing me by the elbow and helping. I rolled my eyes when he wasn't looking and started making my way towards the stairs. Charlie was right behind me, probably waiting for me to fall.

"Dad, I'm fine, alright. Just chill out," I grumbled, opening the door.

I flipped on the lights and looked around at the house. It felt off. Something wasn't quite right.

"Did you do anything different while I was in the hospital?" I asked as Charlie made his way in behind me.

"No. I barely came home at all," Charlie grunted, falling into his recliner.

I looked around the living room, kitchen, and hallway, but I couldn't place my wary feeling.

"I'm going upstairs. I'll be done in a bit to start dinner," I offered, walking up the stairs.

Charlie just grunted again from his chair, flipping on the TV.

I walked into my room and frowned at the walls and floor. Nothing looked different, but I still felt funny. Maybe it was just my Omega abilities trying to come back into play.

Knowing I should probably call Sam and have one of the wolves come over, I reached over and picked up the phone. Emily answered after three rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Emily. It's Bella. Is Sam around?" I asked, twirling the cord around my fingers.

"Oh, sure, Bella. Hold on. He's right here," Emily chirped, handing off the phone.

"Bella?" Sam asked, his voice crackling over the phone.

"Hey, Sam. Listen, could you send one of the pack over here? Something doesn't feel right and I want to know if there's been anything snooping around," I huffed, shifting my feet a little.

"We'll be right there," Sam said.

"Thanks, Sam," I smiled.

The line went dead and I placed the phone back in it's cradle. I knew it wouldn't take them long to get here, so I walked back downstairs and into the kitchen. Charlie was watching some game on the television and the announcer was screaming about the score.

I was boiling water for spaghetti when there was a pounding on the door. Charlie jumped in his chair and I yelped, dropping the box of noodles I was holding.

"What the hell?" Charlie grumbled, stomping to the door.

He wretched it open and took a step back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Charlie snapped.

I walked over to the door and looked over Charlie's shoulder. I gasped and backed away quickly.

"Hello, Bella."

Hahaha! Cliffhanger!! I am so evil!! Alright, so question!! Should Charlie find out about the wolves and vampires? Hmmm? Let me know, cause I'm really leaning towards telling him!

You guys have been totally awesome with the reviews!! My inbox is being completely flooded with them!! Hugs and kisses for everybody!!