A/N: Thanks to all of you who are reading, even if you aren't reviewing. I was really nervous about posting this, but ThatPanicGirlE made me so happy, I wanted to get on with the story. This might be a good place to inject a disclaimer:
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT, I DO HOWEVER HAVE THREE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN WHO REFUSE TO GO TO BED, THUS MAKING IT HARD TO CONCENTRATE. :i
BTW: If you have any suggestions as far as music that helps you write, they would be greatly appreciated, seeing as I suck at picking out music. Oh, and one more thing, umm, probably not going to be lemons in the story itself, I'll do outtakes for that if they're really wanted.
Maybe.
Maybe just throw them in there.
Who knows.
But for right now, RATED M FOR LANGUAGE,maybe a little violence.
Chapter 4
BPOV
Quil wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked back into the hospital. "It'll be okay Bella, he really didn't have any business doing whatever it was he was doing anyway," he said, as I chanced a look back at a broken Jake, slumped over pulling at his hair.
I wasn't happy that this is how it ended, I thought we could have done this like to grown adults. I was angry that he was trying to make this my fault, but at the same time hurt by the words that came out of his mouth.
Maybe he was right, maybe it was all my fault. But why wouldn't I be insecure when he was like the finest bottle of Chateau Lafite and I was a box of Franzia you get at the grocery store.
I didn't respond to Quil's comment, instead choosing to let him console me by rubbing my arm. Besides, what could I say? He had just pretty much confirmed all of my suspicions, not that I needed them confirmed.
We were making our way down the hall, when I stopped in front of the coke machines. Quil turned and looked at me a little confused by my hault, but I just told him that I was thirsty and would meet him down at the nursery.
He just nodded and offered up a small smile before turning to keep walking. I wasn't thirsty at all. I just didn't want to go down there and face all of our friends-Jacob's friends- with tear streaks down my face.
I couldn't help but find myself a little bitter towards all of them right now anyway, seeing as they were all keeping this from me. Now I understood why everyone grew so quiet earlier when I asked about Jake.
I fished five quarters out of my pocket, put them into the coke machine and pressed the button. I didn't really want it, but I had told Quil that I was thirsty, so I decided to just go with it.
When I bent over to grab my coke I noticed a pair of shoes out of the corner of my eye, standing rather close to me. I stood up only to be met with a pair of emerald green eyes. I felt the sheet of pink flowing up my chest and settling on my cheeks at the memory of my dream.
"Hey stranger, no face plants today?" he asked as he leaned his upper body against the machine.
It took me a moment to resurface, after swimming in those deep green pools, and realize he was talking to me. "Uh, I'm sorry what was that?" I asked, not having heard the question, only seeing his mouth moving.
"Nothing," he chuckled and gave a boyish smirk, before continuing, "I was just saying it's nice to see you again."
"Oh yeah, well it's nice to see you again, too. Better face to face rather than face to chest, although any way really works for me." I rambled. Why did you just say that? Now he's going to think you're some weird desperate girl who goes around falling all over guys just to meet them. I felt the flames ignite over my skin again.
"Well, that's nice to know," he said smirking again. "So what brings you to this part of the hospital? You don't look like you're one of the usual patients," he finished while eyeing me thoroughly.
"What? Oh no, my friend just had a baby. I was on my way down to see her," I said looking down while running my finger around the top of my coke bottle.
"Oh, well by all means, don't let me keep you. I was just on my way out and figured I would stop and see if I could catch your name since I didn't get to last night," he replied.
"My name.... Right, my name." I stammered, willing this small piece of imformation to come back to me. "Umm, Isabella. But most people just call me Bella. You know, for short. Like Will for William, or Alex for Alexandra...." I trailed off once I realized I was rambling again. If I had thought I couldn't get any redder, I was proven wrong at this moment.
"So, Bella," my name rolled off his tongue like silk. "Is there a last name to accompany such a beautful name like that?" he asked very coolly.
"Umm, yeah, Swan. Like the bird." I replied, chancing a glimpse into the emerald pools again.
"Isabella Swan. Very fitting. It's nice to have a name to put to such a beautiful face. Thank you Bella, for allowing me this knowledge," he stated.
I smiled at him shyly and simply nodded, partly because I didn't know what else to say, and also because I didn't trust my brain filter to be fully functional at this moment.
Just when I thought I had it all under control and was about to speak, we were interrupted by the P.A. system calling for Dr. Cullen to return to O.B.
"Well, that's me, so I'd better get going, once again it's wonderful to finally put a name to a face around here. Oh, and tell your friend she has a beautiful healthy daughter," he said, while turning to head through the big double doors.
I watched as he walked away, realizing then that he must be the new OB-GYN. "Wait, Dr. Cullen," I called, "doesn't it seem a little odd you know my name, but I don't know yours?" I asked.
"Edward, Bella. It's Edward." he replied, glancing back at me and offering a smile as he kept walking.
"Edward," I breathed, now happy to finally have a name to put to the face as well.
I was broken from my thoughts as Jacob came into my periphery. "Bella, we need to talk, it shouldn't have happened that way," he pleaded, but I was in no mood to deal with his crap anymore.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore, but do me a favor? Tell Jenni I'll come see her tomorrow, I'm not feeling well anymore," I told him still staring down the hall Edward had just gone down.
"Yeah, sure." he said sourly, looking down at his feet, making scuff marks on the white tile floor. "Thanks," I said, turning to face him and offering a tight smile before leaving.
JPOV
I had never been so broken before. I shouldn't have said such ugly things to her, but she's just so stubborn sometimes. She never sees her self the way I see her. I hope that in time, whether it's with or without me, she can come to see herself in that light.
If there was one thing I knew not to throw at her, it was her insecurities. Usually that was a fast track to sleeping on the couch for a week. I just never thought it would happen like this. I was so sure.
I was sure of Bella, of us. How could it all just fall apart so fast? I decided I should stop trying to pull my hair out and see if I could take back what just happened. I got up and went to her, not knowing what to say.
I tried pleading with her, to no avail. She decided to leave, stating she didn't feel well. I couldn't help but think it was my fault she didn't want to see her friend. I watched as she walked away and turned into the women's restroom.
I was going to start down the hall towards Jenni's room, when I caught a glimpse of Leah and Paul come around the corner by the restroom. Leah stopped in front of the restroom and turned to say something to Paul before entering.
I was a little puzzled as to why she would go into the public restroom, nurses had their faculty ones in their specified departments. The next thing I heard let me know all too well why she had picked this particular one. Bella.
There was a loud bang and two people arguing, that I was almost certain could be heard anywhere on the first floor of the hospital. I ran down the hall to the women's restroom, not sure what I would do, but couldn't stand the thought of Leah being ugly to my Bella.
Ok, well I guess she isn't really my Bella anymore, but still she didn't deserve this.
I stopped in front of the door, not sure whether to wait out here in the hall, or go into the forbidden territory of the women's restroom. I glanced at Paul as if to ask should we?, only to have the look returned to me.
When we heard what sounded like metal hitting the floor, we both burst through the door without a second were floored by the scene in front of us. Bella was holding Leah by the hair on her head. Leah was slumped over on the floor with blood running down her face to her scrubs while Bella stood over her. Never loosening her grip on her hair, she drove her fist into Leah's face repeatedly while Leah tried to undo Bella's hand in her hair.
It took Paul and me a few seconds to understand what we needed to do, and fast before anyone came in here and saw this. I grabbed Bella up in a tight hold around her waist while Paul tried to loosen her grip on Leah's hair.
He grabbed a hold of Leah's shoulder to keep her down in her position on the floor, just so she didn't try to get to Bella again, but that proved to be less effective than anything. Bella still refused to let go while simultaneously trying to kick at Leah.
There were so many f-bombs and other four letter words dropping from her mouth that I felt a little ashamed that I ever used that kind of language around her. I tried to pull Bella further against my chest, raising her up higher, but everytime I did this it caused Leah to come up out of her sitting position.
Finally she was standing and Bella just let go. Before we had a chance to react, she shot her leg out at Leah's face and made contact with her nose once again.
Paul grabbed Leah and pinned her against the wall, putting himself between her and us. I then lowered Bella down keeping an arm around her waist.
"Look what you did to my nose you little bitch! How am I supposed to explain this?" Leah shrieked.
"Tell them the truth, tell them your face met a paper towel dispenser, you stupid whore," Bella seethed.
"That's enough, Jake get Bella out of here, before someone decides to call her dad, I'll get Leah cleaned up and take her home," Paul said, still restraining Leah against the wall.
"Oh, I'm definitely calling Chief Swan about this," Leah announced while trying to stare daggers at us.
"Call my dad, I seriously doubt he would arrest me for fucking you up," Bella scoffed at her.
"Can it Leah, if you haven't noticed yet, no one really gives a shit about what you have to say, so why don't you do us all a favor and shut the hell up?!" I told her while guiding Bella to the door.
We made it out of the restroom, where Bella immediately shrugged my arm off her waist. "Thanks, but I can drive myself home," she said, turning her back to me and walking away.
"I know but I said I would, so just let me do this one last thing," I told her trying to catch up to her.
I was hoping once I got her in the car she would let me talk, it's not like she would jump out of the car and take off on me, you know?!
She stopped and looked up at me with what seemed like a conflicted expression as if she were searching for something in my face. Finally, she rolled her eyes, and took her keys out of her pocket and placed them in my upturned palm. I flashed her the best Jacoby smile I could manage and walked her outside to her car.
The ride home was anything but eventful. I didn't get to say anything to her because everytime I tried, she just turned up the radio. I knew I could have turned it down, but I figured I would just let her sulk for a little while longer.
I wanted to know what started everything with Leah, and secretly, where she learned how to bloody a nose like that.
We pulled up in front of the house where Bella opened her door to get out as soon as I had the car in park. She bounded up the steps tripping on the last one. I climbed out of the car and made my way over to her where she sat. I took a seat next to her and sat quietly trying to get my thoughts in order.
"I didn't hit her because of you," she said barely audibly. "I'm just tired of letting her make me feel this way. She started telling me about everthing you two have done, and I just couldn't take it anymore."
"Bella you have to know, that all of that was a lie." I told her, willing her to look at me, but she just stared at the bottom step.
"It doesn't matter now Jake, it's all done and over with. I just know now that it wasn't meant to be." she replied shakily, finally meeting my gaze.
We sat there for what seemed like hours looking into each other's eyes, pleading with the other to see it from our point. She finally broke her gaze and stood up stretching her arms over her head.
"I'll get my bag and then I'll be headed to Angela's," she added, finally breaking the silence that was so deafening on the porch.
I didn't move to follow her, knowing that it would only make it that much harder for both of us. Instead I stayed on the step and watched the sun start to slowly sink behind the clouds. I hadn't realized how much of the day was lost to these cataclysmic events.
I guess we sat on the porch for longer than I realized. The air was getting cooler and the sky started to embrace the colors of yet another end to another day. For once, is wasn't raining and under any other circumstances, I may have enjoyed sitting here watching this sun set.
I leaned on the siding of the house and remembered the day we first moved in here.
~o0o~
We had finished carrying in the last of the boxes and were deciding what to eat for dinner.
It was either Pacific Pizza, the Smoke House, or Mill Creek Bar and Grill. It didn't really matter to me what we ate, seeing as I could eat anything. I would have much rather have had Bella's cooking, but decided it was best not to ask her since she was probably worn out from moving everything.
We had been hoping for a day like this for a long time. Every time we decided our moving day it seemed to rain. When we woke up that morning, the sun was shining through our curtains, and we each glanced at each other with one eye. When we realized that it wasn't raining, we both threw back the covers and started darting around the house as if we in search of the Holy Grail.
We threw on what clothes we could find and I started loading the truck with different boxes and things, not sure when to expect a down pour to start. Bella was on the phone explaining to Angela and Sam that we were moving today and wouldn't be in to work. Neither one minded and wished us good luck with our new place.
Quil and Embry showed up not long after she got off the phone, quickly followed by Paul and Jared. We managed to get everything packed and moved with the help of our friends in one day.
I had never been so grateful to these guys as I was that day. We drank a few beers on the porch after all of the big stuff was moved and Bella insisted she could handle the few small boxes that were left.
After about an hour and a half, the guys all went home, leaving me alone with my woman and our new home. We sat on the porch for a bit watching the sun set behind the trees and talking about nothing and everything.
We finally ordered pizza and sat on the porch eating it together. Neither one of us making a move to go in the house until the sun went completely down and the temperature slightly dropped. It was another end to yet another perfect day in my life with Bella.
~o0o~
I was brought back to my now-reality by Bella dropping her huge duffel bag on the porch and closing the door behind her. She glanced down at me as I turned to see her face. She picked up the bad and stepped closer to me. I was hoping to find some clue as to how she feeling at that moment, but once again found that calm and collected look.
I tried one more time to convince her to stay by telling her it didn't have to be this way, but she simply said, "If anything Jake, we just need time to see what it is we really want out of life," as she walked down the steps and over to her truck.
At that moment, I realized the significance of what was happening. Not only was she walking to her truck to leave. She was leaving me. And walking out of my life for good.
A/N: I do have a song that goes with this chapter, it's Maybe by Secondhand Serenade. If you haven't heard it, you might want to..just a suggestion. Oh, and that little green button right there, yeah , right below this...it was made to be clicked on. So....if you would be so kind, please click and review. Thanks for reading.