In sickness and in health, I kept thinking to myself.
The sun was shining dimly through window of the emergency room and it was creating a glow over Jacob as he slept. He couldn't look more gorgeous as his color returned, muscles enlarged back to normal, and hair thickened.
The clock read six o' clock and I had been sitting in the same spot for three hours, just staring at Jacob's chest rise and fall, his eyelids flicker a little, and his hands twitch when I rubbed his thumb.
I wondered what he was dreaming about.
Seth, the pack, the twins and Billy were in and out, visiting and lingering in the hallway, waiting patiently until he awoke. Sue and Seth assured Baby Doll that Daddy was perfectly fine and it was alright to visit him but she was too scared to even come in and see for herself.
I wanted to hold my daughter in my arms and sing to her like I used to when she was an infant. I wanted her to know that I loved her more than life itself and no matter what happens to Daddy or Seth or any family member that I wasn't going anywhere. She trusted me too much.
I sighed and rubbed my stomach.
I honestly don't think I could take it if Jacob had died and I had to raise baby number two by myself. The whole point of me returning to La Push was so that I could reunite with Jacob and continue our lives together as a union and possibly expand on the family we have now. How fucked up would it have been if he had died only leaving me to be right back where I started? Back where I came from?
"Leah? Can I talk to you for a second?" Carlisle's smooth voice called from the doorway behind me and at first I was reluctant to leave Jacob's side but my legs were cramping from sitting in the same spot for so many hours.
I kissed his hand before releasing it and joining Carlisle along with the rest of my family to hear what he had to say.
His voice was hushed as we all huddled around him except for Sue who was holding a sleeping, puffy eyed Baby Doll in her lap.
"Jacob's body is healing but as always, there will be some defects. Like he wont be able to phase into his wolf form anymore."
That it took a second for us all to take in.
"Why not?" Seth asked for us all.
"I hate to say it but the venom destroyed all physical ability of him to ever phase again and-"
"So it destroyed his genes?" Seth interrupted.
"Not necessarily. He's still a wolf mentally and it's still in him but the actual physical ability is gone. He's not necessarily human and his muscle, stamina endurance should increase due to the extra energy from being able to phase now gone."
After a few moments of silence, Paul spoke up. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."
"Literally," Carlisle added and continued, "He should be waking up soon."
All us just stared at one another until Seth spoke up again. "What about his brain? Will he remember anything?"
"Luckily, the venom didn't spread fast enough to reach his brain. His memory and every other function of his brain are unharmed. Fortunetly, he doesn't have to undergo physical therapy."
That was a relief.
My stomach growled which led to Carlisle's loving wife, Esme to offer me breakfast. I would've declined if I were just eating for one person and not two so I politely took it. After demanding my family to take turns on watching after Jacob, I followed Mama Leech down to the kitchen, where my appetite peaked.
"Doc says you're gonna be alright," I said.
His eyes flicked as he drooled on the pillow. Leah would find that cute.
"Do not ever do that again, alright?"
Beep, beep, beep, beep...
"You scared us. Leah was in hysterics."
Beep, beep, beep...
I sighed. "I thought lost my best friend."
Beep, beep, beep, beep...
"You had Baby Doll pretty scared too. She knew something was wrong."
I thought back on how she was bawling into my shoulder, whimpering about how he didn't look right and wondering as to why Mommy was crying. She asked if he was alright and I didn't know how to respond. I just told her that she and her mom were gonna be okay and that she was gonna have to be a big girl for Daddy.
"I was about to make a big mistake and fuck everything up..." I wondered off in my own head, talking more to myself than to him.
Beep, beep, beep...
I thought back on how Nessie held me and told me to let it all out. She walked me back to Sue's and placed a little kiss on my cheek and offered to stay with me but I declined because I knew Sue would've given her a look and made her uncomfortable.
As if on cue, the door slid open and there stood Nessie who had showered and changed into some new clothes and for some reason my heart was setting off faster than Jacob's.
"Hey, Seth," she greeted me with a tiny wave and pulled up a chair next to me, taking a seat of her own.
"Nessie," I acknowledged her, not taking my eyes off of Jacob like Leah instructed me. I couldn't help but notice that every few seconds she'd steal a glance at me then back to Jacob then back to me. My cheeks reddened.
The silence was almost draining any energy I had left to stay awake. I loved him but watching Jacob sleep was boring as hell. I don't know how Leah found pleasure in doing this every morning.
Nessie was tapping her silver gladiator sandal annoyingly until she finally used her voice to get my attention.
"Um, Seth?"
"Hmm?"
She toyed with her jewelry for a second. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Her thick lashes batted a little, looking towards her lap as if she were conflicted on what words to say.
"Ugh, I really like you. Like...like, like you."
My ears and neck burned as the nerves of electricity and hormones swam through me. Saying I turned beet red would've been and understatement cus my face felt white hot.
I tore myself away from Jacob to examine the redhead that was fidgeting in her seat, refusing to make any eye contact with me.
"Well, I like you too Nessie."
Her face softened and she sighed in relief.
Well, that was easy. If I had known it wasn't that hard, I would've done it to girls more often in high school.
"Really?" she scooted her chair closer to me and had a smile as wide as Texas on her face. Some little spirit in me made me feel accomplished knowing I had put that smile there.
"What do you like about me?"
I could go on forever talking about my fascination and admiration for Nessie. So I told myself to breathe and start off with the simple.
"I think you're really smart. And cool. And it's easy to chill with you."
She was rosy. I continued.
"And I think you're really cute."
That's all I needed to say before the distance between us was becoming less and less spacious as our faces began to come together as if we were magnets. Her huge eyes were wide and excited, somewhat like Baby Doll's and her nose was pert and her lips-as pink as flamingos- were slightly parted, the edges pulled back in almost a grin.
Hold her face, dumbass, the voice in the back of my head instructed.
My hand shaking, I reached up and rubbed her cheek taking note and feel of her unbelievably smooth flesh. Her sweet scent found its way up my nostrils to my brain, telling it that I liked my position very much. I loved being this close. She leaned in a few more inches until our breath was mixing between our philtrums and sending goosebumps right down both of our arms. She trembled.
"Seth," she breathed and my bottom lip caressed hers gently...
"Is he ok?" My sister's voice rung through my ears, distracting me and involuntarily causing Nessie and I too separate as quickly as possibly as if we were five year old's who believed the opposite sex still had cooties.
"Yeah, he's fine," my voice was shaking. Hoping to find Nessie's attention again, I glanced over at her but unfortunately she was staring intensely at my sister.
Esme must have given Lee some new clothes to wear because her sweatshirt and gym shorts had disappeared. She hovered over fiance and fingered his hair.
The three of us occupied that room in silence, Nessie and I sharing glances of shyness.
I was about to kiss her.
My lip felt against hers. If Leah had entered just five minutes earlier...
"Um, well I'm just gonna go," Nessie announced and rose from her seat, staring at my sister who wasn't paying her any attention. She did a little side step towards the door but skipped back over to my seat, leaned down to my face and for a half of a second, I pursed my lips but then relaxed them when she planted a light peck on my right cheek.
Her red face glowed as she walked backwards right into a wall and tripped over herself nervously, making a desperate dash for the door.
"Bye, Seth!" Was the last thing she got out before running down the hallway at top speed.
I felt my cheek and the substance of her lip gloss stuck to my hand, turning my fingers a light pink. Caught up in my own hormones and sudden high school memories, I barely noticed Leah eyeing me funnily.
"Don't even-"
"You like her. You like her. You like her," she began to chant adding a little dance to it as well.
"Leah, shut up."
"Make me. Seth has a girlfriend! Seth has a girlfriend!"
"She's not my girlfriend. I just-"
"Love her?" She was teasing.
I rolled my eyes. "It's just a crush."
A throaty groan echoed through the room and the both of us stopped bickering, Jacob being our main concern. Slowly, his fingers twitched around as they gripped onto the sheets, feeling the fabric.
"Leah?" Were his first words. She leaned down to his face to hear him better.
"Yes?"
His lips pouted but his eyes remained closed.
"My mom-" he growled a little. "My mom says hi."
Judging by the tiny smirk on Jacob's face and the sudden sigh from Leah, I could tell they were finally back to normal.
Everything was different.
Colors were brighter, more defined and in detail.
Smells were more potent and noticeable, filling my nostrils with all the scents that were present.
My ears buzzed with all the sound they picked up, whether it was breathing or tapping a foot.
This was all too...new.
After tons of tests and experiments, Carlisle finally left me alone with my baby.
"Are you okay?" I asked her when her worried expression didn't ease up.
"Are you?"
I grinned. "I'm fine."
She wasn't convinced because her eyes shot to the ground in disappointment. "Are you mad at me?"
The last thing I remembered before being set afire was my fiance' screaming at me with tears streaming down her beautiful face, me on the verge of ripping my own head off. I recalled my skin being hot and crawling almost as my mind raced with disturbing images of Leah cheating on me, leaving me, getting an abortion, and taking Baby Doll away from me again.
I remembered running in my wolf form for a few minutes and stopping at a motel where night walkers tried to lure me in. I remembered passing by a jewelry store, where I pondered getting Leah a gift to make things up to her. I remembered going by La Push's elementary school and thinking about how Baby Doll would be attending there in the fall. I remembered how confused I was when my skin began to burn from the venom and how drunk and heavy I felt when my body went numb.
My first thought was my daughter.
"Poca, we don't have to talk about it," I insisted, using her favorite nickname.
"No, Jacob. We do. I said some really hurtful things and-"
"I'm fine." I repeat but she threw her hands up in frustration.
"You died! You left us. I thought you were gone forever and I'll be damned if we don't discuss this. You left us. Jacob, I went on for hours believing you were dead and I need you to know right now that I didn't mean a single word of it. If something like this to happen ever again, I need you to know that you're my whole world and-"
"Where's Baby Doll?" I interrupted her when she kept going on and on.
Her begs for forgiveness were unnecessary considering I had already forgiven her. The things she said to me were nothing compared to the pain and suffering I went through as I rested with the belief that I had died and left them by themselves. A few words weren't even the half of the torture that being dead and leaving my family caused me. I was fighting through tears as Carlisle was working on me, giving the false belief that I was unconscious. I didn't wanna yell out and scream and holler because I knew my family was in the hallway. I didn't want them to hear my cries.
She stopped abruptly and sighed. "She's downstairs."
"Can I see her?"
She scrunched her nose. "We should talk first."
"Leah..."
"No, Jacob. Just please." Her eyes glistened with the tears she had probably been crying for the last twelve hours.
"What?"
"Tell me," she kissed my forehead and the tears tickled me forehead.
"Tell you what?"
Her lips kissed against my black hair and tugged at the roots in comfort and need. She needed me. Her hands were hotter than usual.
"Tell me what heaven's like."
A/N Sadly our story is on its way to its end but guess what? I can one-hundred percent promise and guarantee that this story will have a sequel and it will continue. I can promise you all drama, romance, lust, friendship, death, love, betrayal...Merry Christmas, x) This story is to be done very soon and thank you all for reading.