Second Chances
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: Enjoy the last chapter. I hope that you like it!
Epilogue: Second Chances
It's Not A Dream
It was all a dream, yes, and a horrible dream. I had to be dreaming. I couldn't imagine an existence without my wife, Madison and our unborn child. I already loved that baby and I had dreamed of holding him or her in my arms. I'd dreamed that it looked just like Madison. I had even picked out a name for her, because I knew it was a girl. I had the strong conviction that it was a tiny little baby girl. She was going to be beautiful, with brown eyes that lit the entire room whenever she looked at me. I had dreamed that she was going to be a hellion and she would keep Madison and me on my toes... She was going to be rambunctious and the total opposite of my little shy Braxton. She was going to be loved, pampered and coddled, but now I feared that it was all going to be just that a dream… never a reality.
I stared at Elisha, as he looked up at me with his red eyes. He looked like he was in pain, whenever he looked down at his bloody hands. I didn't know if I should comfort him. He'd gone against our laws of protecting our people from vampires. He'd taken a life… a person's life. I couldn't even consider Elaine a person after knowing that she had attacked my imprint. I couldn't even think of her as a human being, she had turned into a monster. What kinda person would hurt a pregnant woman? Why would she do such a heinous act? Why? I couldn't conceive a reason why Elaine would hurt my angel!
"What happened?" I asked between clenched teeth. My hands were clasp in fists, as I stare angrily at him. "Where is my wife? How did Elaine hurt my Madison?!"
Elisha sobbed and leaned back against the tree. "That girl…" he trailed off.
"Her name was Elaine. Even though she tried to kill Madison, she was still a person." I said, anger saturating my words. "You killed a person."
"Embry," Jake growled. "Let the leech finish." I turned around and found Jake stepping out from behind the trees, in his human form, wearing his cutoff jeans.
"She, Elaine," Elisha paused and then turned to look down at his hands. "She followed my sister to the doctor's office this morning. I knew that Madison was in danger. Alice Cullen called the house this morning and I answered the phone. I was the only one in the house."
"Stop beating around the fucking bushes and just fucking tell me what in hell happened to my wife, Elisha?" I yelled, as I clutched at his collar and slammed him against the tree. "What happened to my wife?"
Elisha looked away from me and nodded. I could hear Paul and Leah growling angrily. I wanted to fucking know if she was alive or not. I had a feeling that she was still alive, because I still felt the pain crashing over me with every breath that I took. In a way, I welcomed the pain, because it was a sign that she was still alive.
"Alice, she informed me of a vision she had about Madison. It wasn't a clear one. She said that Madie was in danger. She saw Madison bleeding and was having difficulty breathing, because of the blood loss. Alice said that the vision was blurry because Madison must've been with a werewolf. I imagined it was you. Alice got to see the place where Madison was and gave me the address. I rushed to the doctor's office and when I got there it was too late, Madison was already getting in the SUV with Seth. She was bleeding. When they left, I smelled Madison's blood mixed with someone else's and I followed the scent. I saw that girl… Elaine. She got in her car and followed Madison's SUV. She was badly hurt. I guess that Madie fought her, so I trailed after Elaine's car. I saw when Seth dropped Braxton at your mother's house. I heard him call you and leave you a message in your voicemail. That girl, she was parked a few meters away from your mom's house, following Madison and Seth. She had a plan and she was going to execute it. She was going to kill Madison... I called Mercury and told him that Madison left your son with his grandmother."
Elisha lifted his head and looked around us. "They drove down Hays Street and then turned and continued down the road that leads to Forks Memorial hospital. Madison must've gone into labor, because I heard her screaming that it was coming. Seth sped down the road, and I continued following the girl's car."
I sighed, when I heard Seth's name. I knew that he was there to protect her, but I needed to know more. There was something that still bothered me. "Continue," I ordered. "How did she end up dead and in La Push?"
"It's obvious," Jake growled. "He killed her!"
"The girl, she tried… she followed them to the hospital. Seth parked the Land Rover in the third floor of the fucking hospital's parking lot. It was crowded and he knew that the bitch was after them, following them. She parked her car next to the SUV and tried to attack Seth, while he was getting Madison out of the car. I saw her attack Madie. Madie couldn't fight back. She was in too much pain. That girl, Elaine, she stabbed Madison in the arm and in the neck. Seth pushed her away and she landed a few meters away from them. Elaine was screaming, saying that if she couldn't be happy with you… that your wife needed to die..." he paused and sat on the wet ground. He ran his hand through his hair and down his face, leaving a trail of blood stains over his pale skin.
"And then what?" I asked in disgust. "What happened? How did you end up in La Push and Elaine dead?"
"That girl," he said, pointing towards the trees where Elaine's body was. "She shouted many horrible things! She wanted Madison dead! She blamed her for losing you! She said that she was coming after Braxton next. She got up from the floor and picked up the knife she had used to stab Madison. She started to run down the parking lot, after Seth and Madison. That's when I lost it. I sprang from behind the columns were I was hiding and shoved her away from Seth and Madison. I thought that I could control myself. I held her, but she continued to move and curse at Madison. I love my sister too much. I also love my nephew to let a psychopath hurt them; I had to protect them. When I knew that Madison and Seth were safe from the bitch, I let my true nature take over. I bit into her neck many times. She begged me to stop; she cried and fought for her life. But I didn't give a damn. I had made up my mind and she was going to pay for hurting Madison. I drove the SUV here. She was barely alive. She asked me to dump her body in La Push, so she can die in peace."
"You killed one of our people," Jacob said dryly. "We are here to protect our people from killers like you. We can't go back on our nature. It doesn't matter that you killed her trying to protect Madison… you have disobeyed our laws."
Elisha nodded. "I understand. I am ready to die. There is nothing left for me in this world anymore." he said, shaking his head. "I don't mind dying if it was to defend the only woman that I have ever loved. Take care of Madison, Embry. She is worth everything in this world."
I couldn't hear anymore. I had heard far too much. I turned around and quickly phased. I had to run to the hospital. I had to be with my wife and my child. I turned around and began to run fast. I could hear Elisha's screams and the loud booming sound of crushing metal pierce throught the forest. I knew that it had to be this way. Elisha had entered our territory, violating the treaty we had made with his clan. He had taken the life of one of our people. We were protectors of La Push, it didn't matter who was the person that we were protecting. I didn't hate him. He'd defended and protected Madison and my son's future. I would forever be thankful… but he had to pay for what he did. I phased into a wolf and ran to my house.
Leah and Paul were trailing after me. Their minds were a cobweb, filled with many conflicting emotional thoughts that were making me anxious. When I got to my house, I quickly changed into my human self and swiftly changed into the first pair of jeans and shirt that I could find. I found my cell phone on the counter. I looked at it and found twenty-eight missed calls and seventeen voicemails.
I dialed my voicemail number and heard the agonizing and desperate messages that Madison had left. She was afraid. Elaine had stabbed her in the bathroom of the doctor's office. She had managed to slam Elaine against the wall. Thankfully Seth had taken Braxton into the car before it all happened. There were messages from Seth, telling me to meet him at the hospital, saying that Elaine attacked Madison.
"Fucks!" I screamed, as I threw the phone against the wall and cursed myself for everything. I was at fault. Seth did protect Madison like I had asked him to. He'd also called me to let me know that Madison was in danger. I grabbed the keys to my motorcycle and hurried out of the house. "I'm going to the hospital." I said lowly, as I exited the porch and found Paul leaning against the doorway.
"I'm going to Sam's house to get Rachel." Paul said, as I stepped out of my house. "I'm going to meet you at the hospital. Do you want me to get Braxton from your mother's house and take him to the hospital?"
I nodded and put on my motorcycle helmet. "Please," I whispered, as I walked to the garage to get my motorcycle. "I'll meet you at the hospital. Take care of my son, please."
Paul nodded and patted my shoulder before he turned around to leave. Leah stood beside the garage, still in her wolf form. "Go to your house and find Mercury. Tell him what happened."
I got on my motorcycle and dashed down the driveway and into the main street. After twenty minutes, I was walking down the hospital hallways. I was a mess. My hands were clenched in fists and I could feel the hatred towards the world festering inside me. I asked the information desk where I could find Madison Love Call. They gave me the directions and I ran down the hall, making my way up the steps to the fifth floor. I found Seth Clearwater, pacing nervously around the waiting room. His hands were in his pockets and there were blood stains on his shirt and pants. When he saw me, he ran to me and stood before me.
"I did like you asked," he whispered sadly. "I called you. I didn't get any answers. I have been calling you. It was horrible, Embry. There was so much blood. Elaine went berserk and tried to kill Madison and the baby."
"How is Madison?"
"She is fighting for her life," he said, avoiding my eyes. "They had to do an emergency C-section. She was losing too much blood. The doctor recommended a Cesarean, because Madison wasn't dilating and the sudden blood pressure was damaging for the baby and for Madison. I did everything I could, Em. I even went against my mother's words of protecting and honoring girls. Em, I hit a girl! I hit Elaine and she flew across the parking lot, but she managed to get up and attack Madison."
"I know, Seth," I said, placing my hand on his arm. "You fought for her…" I choked. I turned around and walked towards the nurses' desk. "I'm looking for my wife."
"Name, please." an old nurse asked me. She stared at me and then at Seth.
"Madison Call," I managed to say. I had all this anxiety pinned inside me. I needed to be calmed. Screaming, yelling and cursing weren't going to accomplish anything. "She was admitted here a few… I really don't know. I just want to know if she is alive and how is my baby."
The nurse looked at me and smiled sympathetically. "Please, take a seat and I will call to get more information. Give me about ten minutes, please, Mr…."
"Embry Call," I said.
"Mr. Call, please, give me a few minutes. I need to find someone that can help you." she said.
"Alright,"
She nodded and turned around to pick up the phone. I heard her ask for Madison and she was put on hold. I walked back to the waiting room and watched as Seth continued to pace around the length of the room. He looked disgruntled and irritated. I waited and waited and waited. Ten minutes passed and there was still no news regarding my wife. The seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours, as I waited for the nurse to give me information about Madie's condition.
"Mr. Call," a young doctor, dressed in bright scrubs said, as she stepped into the waiting room. Seth stopped walking and stood beside me. "Hello! I am Dr. Greves."
"Hello, doctor." Seth and I said in unison. "How are my wife and my child?"
The doctor gestured me to sit down. I nodded and followed after her. She sat facing me and Seth knelt beside my seat, waiting anxiously for the news that this doctor had in store for us.
"Your wife is out of surgery and should be taken to her room in a few more minutes. They are putting her in the intensive care unit, because of the kind of surgeries that she underwent and she needs to be monitored. She had an emergency C-section and the wound that she'd on her neck, nicked the aorta and she was bleeding profusely. Thankfully, the person that brought her to the hospital brought her in time for us to save her life and the baby's. Both surgeries were a success. Your child is safe and she is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, so we can monitor her during the night. The level of stress that your wife was under may have caused stress on your child. We've checked her and she is in great health. We just want to keep her under observation to make sure that everything is fine..."
Seth sighed and stood up. "When can I see my daughter and my wife?" I asked anxiously.
The doctor smiled and placed a hand on my arm. "Mr. Call, you can go and see your daughter. She is beautiful. Just talk go pass those double doors and you will come across the elevators, turn right on the first hall and that is the N-ICU. Ask the nurse in charge to let you see your daughter." she said, pointing towards the large double doors.
"What about my wife?" I asked nervously. "Is she… um, well, is she alright?"
Dr. Greves sighed and then sat back on the uncomfortable chair. "Regarding your wife, you may have to wait a few hours before you get to see her. She is stable, but still in a critical state. She lost a lot of blood and we had to do blood transfusions. Thankfully, your wife is young and we are positive that she will pull through in the next few days. We just have to keep praying and hoping that she is strong enough to fight for her life." she said, staring at me solemnly.
"So, is she going to live?" I asked.
"Mr. Call," she paused and leaned forward to touch my hand. "We are doing everything possible to keep her alive. There is so much we can do... the rest is up to her. She is young and I can tell you that she's a fighter. Have faith that a miracle will happen." she smiled and stood up. "Mr. Call, I have to go now. I must go and make my rounds to check on my patients. Please take care and if you have any questions let me know, I'll be glad to answer them. It was a pleasure speaking with you. I shall see you later..."
I nodded and turned my head to Seth. He was still pacing around the waiting room. His hands were shoved inside his front pockets. "I should've stayed with her." he muttered, as he walked to the windows. "She told me to take Braxy to the car and wait for her while she went to the bathroom. I should've said no and waited for her outside the bathroom."
"It's not your fault, Seth." I said, as I got up from the chair I was sitting and walked to him. "Elaine was determined to hurt her. She could've easily hurt Madison even if I was the one with her. She…"
"I should've strangled her with my own hands." Seth cried angrily. "What if she… I can't even think of what could've happened, Embry."
I placed my hand on his shoulder and sighed. "Don't blame yourself. You heard the doctor. Madison is going to be fine. We just have to wait a few hours to see her. She's strong and she's a fighter! I know in my heart that she'll be fine. I know that she'll be alright." I said reassuringly. I meant those words for me. I had to convince myself that I was going to see my wife again. I need to see her smile again. She was my sun, my Earth, my universe and stars. I couldn't live another day without her. I needed to feel her close to me.
"I am sorry, Embry." Seth cried, as he leaned against the window and turned to face me. "I love Madison like a sister and if something happened to her and the baby, I would've never forgiven myself. She is part of my family… We are family,"
"I know, just calm down. Crying or blaming ourselves won't solve anything. Plus, you heard the doctor; Madison was saved because you were there to help her. You kept a leveled head and managed to take her to the hospital in time."
"I know," he paused and covered his face with one of his large hands. "I-I, don't know what to say to you…"
"Bro," I stopped and looked down the hall to the gray double doors. "I know that you tried your best and I am grateful that you stayed beside my wife when she needed you. I trust the doctor. She'll be alright. Madison will pull through. She is a strong girl and she is young. She'll fight for her life… because she loves me and she wants to see our children grow happily. So come on, let's meet my tiny princess." I said, smiling weakly at him.
Seth nodded and together we walked down the hall, through the double door and then turned right on the hall. We came across another nurses' station and asked to see my daughter. Since Seth wasn't family, he wasn't allowed to enter, he had to wait outside the glass wall. I put on the scrubs and was immediately showed to where they had my daughter. I sighed when I smelled Madison's lingering essence. It was faint, but I knew the direction it was coming from. I felt blessed, when the nurse pulled out of the incubator a tiny baby girl, wearing a pink hat and a white diaper. She had many wires hooked to her, but she was quiet and cooed peacefully.
"This is Baby girl Call," the nurse said, introducing me to my little girl, as she placed the tiny babe in my hands.
I wanted to cry; because this was not the way I was supposed to meet my daughter. She was supposed to meet her mother too, we were supposed to be taking pictures and laughing about how long of a wait she made us suffer. We were supposed to be crying with happiness for the arrival of our daughter. But this was the way I had to meet her. I looked up at the nurse and smiled. I didn't care for the tears that were falling down my face. I was glad that my children were safe. I couldn't wait to hold Braxton in my arms. I needed to feel his soft skin, to remind me that he was safe and alive. I would forever treasure my children. They were too important for me. They were a constant reminder that I loved their mother and they were the culmination of my love for her. Better yet, they were an extension of our love. Because a culmination meant the end and Madison and I couldn't end… We were meant to be together forever, I didn't care how cliché that sounded. We were meant to fight, survive and live through the adversities that life threw our way.
I held my daughter against my chest and she snuggled closer to me. She was another heat stealer, just like her brother and mother! She was beautiful, a perfect and pretty baby girl. Her nose was tiny and her cherub face was just like Madison's. Her pouty lips were tiny and her eyes were the same color as mine: hazel. Her skin was russet and her hair was midnight black, just like Madison's. Those were the only traits my princess had inherited from her mother. Madison was going to be pissed. My baby girl, my little girl looked just like me. I showered kisses on her forehead, chin, cheeks and nose and stopped when I heard her coo.
"I love you so much, little girl." I whispered, as I continued to kiss her. "I'll protect you! Come now, let's meet your Uncle Seth! He's been worried sick all day and he wants to meet you." I said, as I walked closer to the right side of the room, where the large glass wall was.
I pressed my daughter closer to my chest and inhaled her soft smell; it was soft and it made me want to cry, but I held the tears back. I needed to be strong. I walked towards the glass wall, where Seth was waiting on the other side and stopped and tapped on the glass wall to catch his attention. He was staring out the window and turned when he heard the tapping sound.
"Holy fucks," I muttered, when I saw Seth's spastic look. "Tell me that you… you didn't, right?" I laughed, startling my sleepy princess.
She began to cry and I held her upright and started whispering how much I loved her. She immediately quiet down. My eyes were still fixed on Seth. He looked like he was in agony, when she started crying. I heard him sigh, when the baby stopped crying and fussed a bit more, before she felt asleep again.
He was staring at my daughter and I immediately knew what had happened. He'd imprinted on my daughter. He could've waited until she at least had a name. I now knew the reason why he followed Madison around like a faithful puppy. It was the same reason why Jacob followed a pregnant Bella around. He'd imprinted on my little angel.
Seth placed a hand on the glass door and I had to swallow my pride. I had a feeling that something like this was going to happen. Shit, I had even bet on it with Quil. By the way, he owed me three hundred dollars.
"Seth," I said. "This is my daughter, your imprint. Isn't she beautiful?"
Seth nodded and continued to stare at my little princess. His eyes held admiration and kindness. I knew that my princess was going to be safe with him. He was meant to protect her, and be anything that she wanted him to be. I grabbed my daughter's hand and placed it on the glass. It was funny to compare the size of her hand print to Seth's.
"What are you going to name her?" Seth asked. His voice sounding muffled due to the glass that was separating us. He looked up at me and then averted his eyes to my daughter. "She's beautiful," he said proudly.
I looked down at my princess and felt the world start to make sense once again. She opened one eye and stare at Seth. I could imagine that she was feeling that connection that tugged at your heart. It was a connection that death could never break.
I heard a loud commotion and the nurses began to rush around the halls. "Mr. Call," one of the female nurses called, as she approached me. "I'm sorry to cut your time with your daughter short, but there has been an emergency. Dr. Greves wants to see you ASAP," she said quickly.
"What happened?" I asked hysterically. Something happened to Madison… I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"I don't know, sir." she said truthfully. "All I know is that you have been paged to go to the waiting room on the fifth floor."
She tried to pry my daughter from my hands and I heard Seth growl. "Sir, we are going to need that your daughter remains here." she said, a little afraid at my behavior.
I reluctantly handed her my daughter and turned to face Seth. He nodded his head and I gave my little princess to the nurse. I felt my hands empty and I swear that all the anger and hatred that I had felt my entire life was slowly brewing inside me. If I wasn't in control of my emotions, I would have phased, hurting my angel and the nurse in the process.
I exited the room where I was and ambled down the hall. I turned around and found Seth trailing behind me. He veered his head towards the direction where my little girl was. I silently prayed that my daughter was always happy.
When I got to the room, I got the worst news in the history of humanity. I had to hold on to the wall, because I felt like the weight of the world fell on my shoulders.
"You have to be fucking joking with me?" I screamed, as I slammed my fist against the hospital wall, making a large hole. "My wife… you told me that she was fine! What do you mean…?"
"Sir," Dr. Greves said. "We don't' know what happened!"
"There should be cameras that monitor the halls or something like that! Why isn't she in her room?! She was under a lot of medication. She couldn't have move on her own! For fuck's sake someone took her! I want my wife NOW!"
"We are doing everything we can, to ensure the safe return of your wife." Dr. Greves said desperately. "We've called the police and the hospital staff has been notified! Your wife will be found."
"I hope! For your sake, I hope that she is found." I growled.
AN: So, here is the end of the story. It was getting too long, so I had to stop there. The sequel will be coming next Sunday. I would like to cordially invite you to read my next story Hopeless. It's awesome and it will explain what happened to Madison.