Sam put his hand on Jake's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jacob. Bella was a good person, and I know she was important to you." He didn't add that it would be better for her to die, here, now, and quickly, than the other alternative. He didn't add that he was hoping she would die of blood loss. Instead, he said softly, "It won't be long now… Are you going to stay with her until the end?"
"Yes." Jacob's voice was rough and muffled against Bella's uninjured shoulder.
Sam nodded silently and left the room.
Jacob didn't move for a long time. He just listened to Bella's shallow, gasping breaths. He didn't know how much time had passed. Surely it took only a few moments for Bella's fragile life to end? But it felt like hours, days, sitting there and waiting for it to be over.
After a while, her whole body tensed again, and she was shaking and struggling and screaming voicelessly. Jake held her hand tightly, wrapping his other arm around her waist to hold her still. "It's all right, Bella…" he murmured hoarsely in her ear. "It's all right…" he lied. She continued to struggle against him, gasping and coughing.
He was sure this was it, that this was the end. That these were her last moments, that this was her last, futile struggle to hold on to life. So he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Bella… It'll be okay… It'll go away soon…" and waited for it to end.
The moment seemed to stretch on into eternity. The only thing that existed was Bella's weak, shaking body in his arms, and the ragged sound of her breathing, and the sickening smell of her death…
Suddenly, again, as before, her body gave in, and she sank pitifully back into the couch. She didn't move again, and Jacob slowly let her go. He sat back, wiping at his face with his whole arm, still not letting go of her hand. When he'd wiped the tears away, he stared down at her.