Chapter 15

Max

I must have fallen asleep because I don't remember the storm being as quiet earlier. I opened my eyes and looked around the dark room. How long was I out? I twisted my body in an attempt to look out the window in the kitchen. Too bad it was boarded up. Oh, right, I forgot.

A loud noise beside me scared that absolute crap out of me. I looked down and saw Jacob lying on the floor beside the couch. He had a few pillows under his head and a blanket over his body up until his bare torso. He had one arm flipped across his body; the other was beneath his head. He opened his mouth again and I realized that the loud rumbling noise that sounded like a machine was his version of a snore. That could get disturbing.

I lay back down and watched Jacob sleep, creepy as that was. I was still nervous from the force of the storm and watching him rest seemed to relax me. It was weird, but it worked. After about twenty minutes, I wasn't as tense as I had been before. Jacob looked calm, peaceful, as he slept. It made me wish I could sleep like that. I assumed I was still talking in my sleep, and it made me wonder how he had managed to fall asleep beside all my noise.

Why is he sleeping on the floor beside me? I had no idea. It's not like I was going to wake him up and ask him. I would just have to wait for Jacob to wake up on his own. He looked so young when he slept. It made me feel guilty. He has to deal with this curse every day. He's too young to have been dragged into this mess. He had no warning at all. From what Emily had told me, the change was shoved onto them with no warning of what was happening to them. What must that have been like? To go through that alone? The fear that something was wrong with you… I pitied him and the other members of the pack. At least I had the flock from the very start. And I was born with this. They didn't know what hit them.

"Max?" I looked away from Jacob's sleeping form and saw Billy in the doorway. He had just come from what I presumed to be his bedroom.

"Hey Billy," I whispered. He raised a hand in greeting and rolled into the kitchen. I closed my eyes and tried to pretend I wasn't stuck here, useless, for another day. I could hear the frying pan sizzling with fat from the bacon Billy had brought home the other day.

Billy finished making breakfast and was just setting it on the table when Jacob's eyes fluttered open. I swear he smelled the food in his sleep… He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and looked wearily around. Even awake he looked too young to do this. Jacob lifted his head and sniffed the air.

"Mmm, bacon," he said appreciatively. Billy chuckled and pulled his plate of food closer to where he sat around the table.

Jacob stretched, his long body taking up a lot of the space below the couch. I stifled a giggle and tried to sit up. Putting my hands below my back, I tried to extend my bent elbows and lift my back off the couch. It didn't work as well as I had hoped. I got only a few inches off the couch when my shoulder started to ache and sent pain up through my entire arm.

"Need help?" Jacob asked lightly from the floor. I grimaced at him. I wasn't going to answer that question. Jacob took my silence as a yes. He stood and gently placed his big hands beneath me, careful to avoid my wings.

"Ready?" he asked, leaning over me. I nodded and clenched my teeth, trying to prepare for the pain. It worked. When Jacob lifted my back farther off the couch, the right side of my back and my right shoulder protested almost violently. I had to shut my eyes and bite my lip, drawing blood.

"I'm gonna move you to the table," he said, sliding one of his hands down from my back to under my thighs. He was just as careful not to move the brace on my leg. I was thankful that I didn't blush when his hand swept slowly over my butt and again when he pulled me into his arms, holding me close to his chest. This wouldn't happen if he wasn't so damn good-looking. I had to admit that his looks certainly helped Jacob's charm, but they weren't everything. There was just something about Jacob that made me want to be near him…

"Here we go." Jacob lowered me into the chair beside Billy. Once he had me settled, Jacob slid into the seat beside me. He grabbed the plate in front of him and commenced piling mountains of food onto it.

"Good thing you made extras," I said wryly, watching Jacob devour the food. Jacob and Billy looked at me and laughed, Billy's older-sounding laugh making me smile while Jacob's younger, louder laugh made me self-conscious about my comment.

"This is less than usual," Jacob said, scowling at his father. Billy just grinned and stuck a piece of bacon into his mouth.

"You eat more than this regularly?" I knew the pack ate a lot, but I hadn't realized the extent of their immense hunger. "Hmm, your appetite almost matches mine…" I grinned when Jacob drew his lip up in a scowl. Or at least, it would have been a scowl if a piece of egg hadn't slipped out from between his teeth.

"Smooth," I said, hiding my laugh behind my hand. Jacob blushed and shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth. I shook my head and piled my plate with the rest of the food. Jacob watched me, a remorseful expression on his face.

"She took the rest of the bacon," he said to Billy disbelievingly. Billy laughed, his shoulders shaking. I joined him and held a piece of bacon out to Jacob. He smiled and reached for it but just as his hand started to close around the bacon, I pulled it back and shoved it into my mouth. Billy laughed even harder at Jacob's ridiculous expression. It was a mix between outrage and complete surprise.

"My bacon," I said with a small growl, putting my arm protectively around my plate. Jacob grinned and got up from the table. I watched him, hunching over my plate as he came to stand behind me.

"No, my bacon," he corrected me. I narrowed my eyes at Jacob as he put his hands on the back of my chair and tried to pull it back. I hooked my hands around the legs of the table and pulled it with me, popping another strip of bacon into my mouth as I did.

"You'll have to go through me first," I joked. He grinned at the challenge and leaned over, his face right in front of mine.

"I accept your challenge,

oh evil-one," he said with mock-seriousness. Billy couldn't even stand being here. He was shaking so hard with laughter that I thought he was going to have a stroke or something.

Jacob leaned all the way over me, trying to reach over my shoulder to my hoard of bacon. I elbowed him in the chest, pushing him back. He muttered 'ow' and leaned over again. I was so busy protecting my very important bacon that I didn't even notice Billy had left until a few minutes later when Jacob tipped the chair Billy had been sitting next to.

"You need to calm down," I said with a chuckle. He still hadn't gotten even a single piece of my bacon.

"I want the bacon," he said menacingly. His eyes narrowed to slits. If we'd been talking about anything other than bacon, I might have been scared.

"I'm not afraid of you," I said, laughing in his face. "You're too small to be truly frightening."

His eyebrows shot up and a wicked grin spread slowly over his face. "Wrong thing to say cripple." My own eyes narrowed when Jacob advanced slowly, his arms out, as if he were ready to pounce.

"Try me," I challenged unblinkingly. Jacob looked positively huge, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

He paused his advance at something he heard outside. He cocked his head, looking more like a wolf than any other time he was human. I looked at the door, expecting to see someone open it. I made the mistake of believing he had actually heard something.

Jacob lunged at me, snagging my plate right off my lap. He had lunged a little too far because when I whipped my head around, I realized too late that my chair was tipping backwards, with me still in it. My eyes widened. This was gonna hurt

At the last second, Jacob dove, catching me before my wing and brace smashed against the wooden floor. "Nice catch," I said breathlessly. He grinned and shuffled me against his chest, sliding back onto his knees. My wing didn't even hurt… neither did my leg… It was as if Jacob had known exactly where to grab me to cause me as little pain as possible.

I looked at the floor and saw the plate of bacon scattered under the table, the plate chipped and the bacon dumped onto the floor. "You sacrificed your bacon?" I was only being half-serious.

Jacob nodded, completely serious. "It was worth it. That was too close Max. I'm sorry." I shook my head.

"It's fine. I'm fine." I held up my hands. "No harm, no foul." Jacob still did not look placated. "Really, I'm fine Jacob. Nice save."

"Thanks," he said, a small smile making his features seem lighter. For some reason, I caught my breath. Under the dim kitchen light, his skin looked gorgeous. It was a soft brownish tan. I wanted to touch it for some reason. Pull yourself together Max. You are losing your mind. That was certainly possible.

Jacob stood in the middle of the room, just standing there, holding me in his arms, tight against his broad, muscled chest. I sighed and slouched in his arms, getting more comfortable. If he was planning on standing here like a statue for any longer, I might as well get comfy.

"Comfortable?" Jacob asked, echoing my thoughts. He raised a brow and one side of his lip tugged up slightly. It made my heart beat just a little faster.

"Yes," I said truthfully. The corner of his lip pulled farther up, speeding up my already too-fast heartbeat just a little more.

"Good to know," he said softly. I made a face at him to hide the wouldn't mind Jacob holding me in his arms like this for a few more minutes… or hours. He laughed and walked slowly to the couch. I thought he was going to put me down, but he turned around and sat down, cradling me in his lap. "Still comfortable?"

"Yes," I said again. And I was. My leg didn't hurt and even though my wings were pressed against Jacob's arm, it didn't hurt. The heat coming from his skin actually made them feel better, like he was a hot-pack and the heat was relaxing my muscles.

Jacob took his arm from around my shoulders and reached for the television remote on the floor. He had to lean down and when he did, his torso curving over forced me to fall backwards. Jacob's arm pulled up from the floor, his hand clutching the remote, and caught me again. He grinned at me, his face not too far from my own. I smiled back. I was smiling a lot more now.

"That's two," he said.

"What do you want? A cookie?" I asked sarcastically. He stuck out his tongue like a five-year-old and leaned back against the couch. He flicked the screen on.

"Yes. Chocolate chip. With extra chocolate. And milk," he said, not taking his eyes away from the TV. I snorted.

"Do I look like someone that knows how to make cookies?" I asked snidely. He looked down at me, surprised.

"You mean you can't make cookies?" He looked crestfallen. I couldn't hold back another laugh.

"Not a chance. I'm the leader, not the cook. That was Iggy's job," I said without thinking. Right after his name escaped my lips, I felt an unfamiliar tugging at my chest, pulling my good mood away immediately.

Jacob seemed to sense that something was not ok with me because he dropped the remote and searched my face. "Are you ok?" I nodded, unable to speak.

My chest ached, as if it had been ripped apart. I could practically feel Iggy's name tearing a chunk off my heart. Picture this: a heart with sections sewn together with thread. Iggy's section was tugged, hard, the thread snapping at the end so that a piece of the section hung away from the rest of my heart. That was what it felt like. I know that was a little graphic, but that's what it felt like.

Jacob was grim, not paying any attention to the television anymore. His eyes were trained on my face, waiting for some sign that I was either about to break down or smooth out and say I was fine. I did neither. I just sat on Jacob's lap, my arms absently going around my stomach. They were there for only a few seconds before Jacob's hands wrapped around my wrists and pulled my arms away from my abdomen.

"Don't do that," he said, a weird tone in his voice. Almost as if he was pleading with me. "Please don't do that." He was pleading with me! I stopped trying to force my arms back against my belly. Now that I knew it upset Jacob, I was determined not to do that. I didn't know why it upset him, but I didn't want to be the one to stress him out even more than he usually was.

"Sorry," I mumbled. He still held my wrists away from my body. He released them and shifted me more comfortably in his lap.

"S'okay," he said, smiling down at me, the light back in his eyes. "I just don't like when people do that." His eyes were still on my face, but he seemed to be somewhere else. Somewhere that didn't make him happy by the darkness that drifted across his face.

"Bad memories?" I whispered, knowing that look. I'd done it enough and seen my fair share of that look. He nodded, blinking and coming back to the present. His smile popped back into place, shoving the darkness away immediately.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked, changing the subject. I shrugged. It's not like I knew what was supposed to be on. I didn't watch TV all that much. Jacob went channel surfing, pausing occasionally to watch a show for a few seconds before deciding it wasn't good enough.

He finally picked a channel and settled back against the couch. I twisted my body so that my left shoulder blade was flat against his chest. He kept his arms around me, but not holding me there, more like holding me up. I watched the screen, surprised when a werewolf came into the frame.

"Horror?" I asked, confused. He grinned and looked down at me, his eyes twinkling.

"I love watching these," he admitted.

"What, you get some sick joy out of watching people get hurt that you can't help?" That question didn't even apply that well to what I should have been talking about, but for some reason, I gave Jacob a hint into my past. What the hell?

The odd question didn't seem to dull his good mood though. He kept smiling as he watched the werewolf pick a man up and take a huge chunk out of the man's side with its teeth. I was surprised even more when Jacob snickered.

"Seriously, do you get off on this stuff?" I hadn't thought Jacob was like that, but apparently he was.

"No," he said, glancing down at me. "I find it hilarious to watch the fantasies Hollywood creates about werewolves and vampires. Besides" He snickered again. "It's so obvious how fake this is!"

"You're weird," I muttered, but I turned my head to look at the screen. Even I couldn't help chuckling at the amount of blood that spurted out of the werewolves' victims.

For the rest of the movie, Jacob and I laughed and the stupidity of Hollywood. I realized when it was over that this was the first time in a long time that I'd just sat around the house and watched a movie. It was fun. I missed having fun.

"Want some lunch?" he asked, breaking into my thoughts. Could he hear my stomach rumbling or something? It was like telepathy. But it wasn't, obviously. I would have known if it was. Angel was telepathic.

Another section of my heart began to tear away. The section with Angel's name on it started unraveling. I gasped at the suddenness of my pain and doubled over, clutching my stomach. It only took me a few seconds to remember what I was doing. I stayed curled up, but I put my head in my hands instead.

"Hey, are you ok?" Jacob asked yet again. He seemed to have to ask that a lot lately. He sounded so worried that I looked up at him.

"Yeah," I said, not convincing him in the least. He frowned but put his arms under me and stood up, carrying me to the kitchen table. The bacon from breakfast was still under the table. I sat in the chair patiently while Jacob cleaned the mess up.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked, standing up. He tossed the bacon in the trash, making me frown automatically. That was still good… Have to let go of old habits Max. No more dumpster diving.

"Uhh, anything is fine." He nodded and opened the fridge. Jacob rummaged around for a few seconds before pulling out a huge slab of meat. I raised a brow.

"Hamburger," he explained sheepishly. "I don't eat raw anymore."

"'Anymore'? As in you ate raw before?" He blushed.

"It was easier than going home and eating. I couldn't go home and be so far from Bella." I tilted my head, confused at how Bella came into this. "When she was pregnant, I helped protect her. But I had to break away from the pack. I couldn't go home and go into Sam's territory or leave Bella unprotected."

"What about the vampires?" I asked. No way would Edward or Alice have left Bella there alone. Jacob shrugged.

"Sam wouldn't have trusted them enough to shift human, so there wasn't really a way for him to communicate effectively. Edward wouldn't leave Bella's side long enough to translate." He didn't look too happy at having to relay this story so I stopped asking questions.

"Four burgers please," I said. Jacob smiled at my effective subject change.

"I'll have five," he said, taunting me. I stuck out my tongue and leaned back in the chair, my arms folded over my chest.

"Well, that just makes you fat." Jacob snorted disbelievingly.

"Does this look like fat to you?" He gestured to his body. I didn't hesitate in sweeping my eyes appraisingly over him. I shrugged, trying to seem unimpressed. In truth, I was very impressed.

"I suppose not," I agreed grudgingly. Jacob grinned and returned to making our food. "But you're definitely on steroids now." We both grinned. The first time we had met, officially anyways, I had thought he was on steroids. I mean, who wouldn't? The boy is huge.

"Nope. Just pure, un-medicated muscle." I rolled my eyes at the pride in his voice. Boys… Not that Jacob was a boy per-say, but it was close enough.

"So what do you want on your meager meal of four burgers?" Jacob taunted. I groaned and leaned back in my chair. I didn't even realize until a few minutes later what I was doing.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed. Jacob dropped the spatula and spun, concerned.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, rushing over to stand at my side. He tilted my face up and looked into my eyes. I hadn't realized just how much he cared.

"Nothing's wrong," I said, pulling my chin back out of his hand. He dropped his hand to his side and looked at me, confused. "My wing doesn't hurt anymore!"

Jacob smiled, clearly relieved. "That's great news Max," he said, walking back to finish making lunch. "How's your leg?"

I rolled my shoulder just to check. Nope, no pain. Thank God. I didn't have so much luck with my leg though. I untied the strips of leather that bound my leg to the board and tried to bend my leg at the knee. It hurt a lot still. I ground my teeth together, frustrated. My calf was at the right angle, but it was swollen and bruised.

"So what's the verdict?" Jacob asked, placing my food in front of me. I grabbed a burger and took a huge bite before answering.

"It still hurts to bend my leg and my calf is really swollen and bruised." Jacob nodded as if he had expected as much.

"What should I do doctor?" I asked, positively dripping sarcasm. Jacob frowned at me, but his eyes smiled. He's not very good at hiding his true emotions.

"You should eat your food and stop bugging me," he said, dropping into the chair across from me.

"I'm bugging you Jacob? I hadn't realized that my attitude bothers you," I said, knowing he would hear the sarcasm in my tone. Jacob was good at catching it.

He rolled his eyes and took another bite of his second burger. I stuck my tongue out at him and dug into the rest of my first burger, already halfway done with the third before Jacob spoke again.

"Do you still want to see Carlisle?" I blinked, surprised. I had never heard Jacob say the vampires' names. It was usually 'bloodsucker' or 'cold-one' or even 'vampire'. Never by their names. At least not here.

I thought about it. I had forgotten that Carlisle was supposed to come by today. I wanted my leg fixed, but Jacob got upset whenever the vampires were in a conversation. I didn't want to see him upset even more because one of them was coming into his home.

"Yes," I sighed, knowing I had no choice. Jacob's feelings aside, I still had to get my leg checked out. If it healed wrong, I was screwed. And I wanted to make sure my wing was truly healed.

"I'll call him," he said, tossing his last burger onto his plate and standing. I grabbed his arm as he passed by me.

"Sit and finish eating first," I commanded. "It can wait until we're ready." Jacob nodded and sat back down.

"You gonna eat that?" Jacob asked, smirking at me. I scowled and shoved the last of my burger into my mouth. Acting like the child I was, I opened my mouth and revealed all the chewed food. Jacob groaned, but it was followed by a laugh. He shook his head disbelievingly and looked down at his plate.

"That was cute Max," he said, leaning back in the chair. I grinned, the food already on its way into my stomach. I stood on my good leg and leaned over, reaching across the table for the last half of Jacob's fourth burger.

"No," he said. His hand shot out and gripped my wrist right before my fingers reached the burger. "My burger." I snorted and tried to pull my arm back. Jacob didn't release my arm. He stood instead and walked around the table, still clutching my wrist. Before he had come all the way around to where I stood awkwardly leaning over the table, Jacob snagged the second half of the burger in question and shoved it into his mouth.

"Are you going to let go of my arm?" I asked. Jacob grinned and shook his head, his dark eyes sparkling with mischievous thoughts. He came around slowly, twisting my arm behind me. I tried to turn, but my bum leg was not helping any.

"You're a cripple!" he teased in a singsong voice. "You're a cripple with a lousy appetite!"

"And you're an ugly teenager on steroids," I countered lamely.

"Actually, we have decided that I'm middle-aged. You are the teenager." I snorted.

"How are you middle-aged?" He grinned. "And who's 'we'? Your multiple personalities?"

"Nope, me and Bella," he said brightly. "We figured that I'm older than she is because I'm better at more things than her."

"If that's the case, I should be dead compared to you," I said, grinning. Jacob shook his head and I was suddenly lifted into the air. Jacob let go of my wrist, taking care not to jostle my leg. I slid my left arm around his neck and held on tight. He was carrying all of my weight on his forearms. It was scaring the crap out of me.

"Scared?" Jacob asked with a smirk. I shook my head, the initial fright over. It was still just as comfortable as sitting on the couch. Jacob was a comfy kind of person. "Yeah you are. You're heart is racing."

"That's how fast my heart always beats moron," I said snidely. Jacob looked surprised. He cocked his head, asking me to explain. "It has to beat that fast to keep up with the large amounts of oxygen being pumped into my system since I have larger lungs than everyone else."

"Oh. Well, if you haven't noticed, my skin stays at a toasty 108." He grinned, proud of his temperature problems.

"Yes, I had noticed that," I said wryly. "What else does being a werewolf entitle?"

He looked at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "Well, we heal extremely fast. Not as fast as you, I don't think." I grinned triumphantly. He ignored me and continued. "When we're in wolf mode, all our minds are connected. It's like one huge think-tank or something. And Sam can give us orders in the 'Alpha' voice. We can't disobey him when he uses the Alpha tone."

I frowned. "So he takes away your free will?" I didn't like how that sounded. Jacob shook his head though.

"No. Sam only uses the Alpha tone when it's completely necessary. He hates using it to control and undermine us." I heard what Jacob was saying, but I still didn't like that he could be controlled like that.

"Sucks though," I commented. "I would hate having someone who had the power to tell me what to do all the time."

"We all have that in one form or another." I nodded, understanding. For me, it was the Voice. I had the will to ignore it, but it was always best that I did what it said. "Everyone has parents like that."

"I don't," I said. Jacob looked surprised. "I don't have parents."

"I'm so sorry Max," he said, his facial features contorting to pity. I shrugged as best as I could from his arms.

"It's whatever. I don't need parents. No one to tell me what to do." I looked into his dark eyes. "I'm my own person."

"But still," he pressed, clearly disturbed with my lack of parental supervision. "No one to always be there for you? No one to hold you when you're upset?"

I looked away. I didn't want Jacob to see the pain in my eyes. I had someone like that once. Fang was my best friend. He was always by my side and he was the one I went to when I needed someone. He was better than any parents could ever be.

"Hey," he said quietly, bringing my attention back to him. "Are you ok?"

I sighed. I still can't tell him. He isn't ready. "Yeah." He didn't look convinced in the least.

"No you're not. What's wrong?" He looked so concerned. "Max, you can tell me. I'm a good listener."

"I'm fine," I insisted. Jacob frowned but let it go. He seemed to know when not to press things farther than necessary.

"So… do you want to call Carlisle now?" I took a moment to think about it. I really need my leg fixed… but it makes Jacob moody… but I'll be moody if I don't get better. I nodded.

Jacob went to the table and grabbed the phone. He positioned it in his hand so he could dial single-handed. "You can put me down you know," I pointed out. He was still cradling me to his chest. Jacob ignored me completely.

"I need to speak to Carlisle," Jacob said gruffly. I noticed the new tone in his voice. Sharp, a little hostile, clearly unfriendly. I frowned. It was because of me that Jacob felt this way right now.

"Yeah, Sam called last night and told me that the council had talked. They will allow only you into La Push. You can only stay as long as it takes to fix up Max." Jacob paused, listening to something Carlisle said. "She said her wing feels fine, but I want to make sure it really is healed, and her leg is still messed up."

"Want to talk to him?" Jacob asked, looking down at me. I shook my head. What would I say? Jacob already told him what's wrong with me. What was there left to tell?

Jacob pressed End and put the phone down. Holding me with one arm, Jacob ran his hand over his face. He suddenly looked ten years older and really tired.

"Hey," I said softly. I pulled on his wrist, taking his hand away from his face. "Are you alright? You don't look too happy."

"I'm fine," he said, dismissing it quickly. "Carlisle is on his way now." He put me on the couch and stood above me, his hand running through his hair.

"No, you're not fine," I said. He looked so upset and it worried me. "What's wrong Jacob?"

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing if it makes you so moody," I pointed out. "Talk to me." Jacob scowled.

"Why? You don't talk to me," he said sharply. I cringed back from his tone. "You won't tell me anything Max."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, not liking how his hands were shaking. "I—I just can't tell you."

Jacob didn't say anything. The shaking moved up his arms until his body was shaking as if he was cold. But he wasn't cold. He was upset. Jacob glared at me before walking into his room, leaving me on the couch.

It wasn't more than a minute later that Carlisle knocked on the door. Billy pushed himself out of his room and rolled over to the door. He opened it, his lips pressed into a grim line. As soon as the door was all the way open, Billy retreated to his room.

Carlisle walked gracefully over to stand beside me. He smiled down at me, looking as handsome as ever. He set his medical bags on the floor and went back outside to wheel a large machine into the Black's living room.

"What's that for?" I asked nervously.

"It will help me see how far your bones need to be set," he said, donning a white lab coat. I gulped, nervous.

"Do you have to wear that?" I whispered, my eyes locked on his coat. Carlisle looked confused for a split second before realization came into his amber eyes.

"Of course not," he said, taking it off and quickly shoving it behind the arm of the couch where I couldn't see it. "Are you ready?" He had finished setting up his equipment.

"Sure," I said, uncertain not about him, but about him being a doctor. He was the only option though.

"Do you need my help getting up?" he asked gently. I nodded, a slight blush creeping into my face.

Carlisle scooped me up and while he carried me over to sit on the top of the machine, I noticed vaguely that his arms were nowhere near as comfortable as Jacob's. Not surprising really. Carlisle, like all vampires, had skin like granite. It was hard and cold. Jacob was very warm, and although he had muscles that made his arms tough, it wasn't uncomfortable.

Carlisle put a white sheet over my upper body, making sure the bottom of my shorts was covered before turning the machine on. It whirred to life, making me jump a little. I hadn't expected it to be so loud.

Carlisle took my brace off and laid it on the floor beside his bags. He pressed a few buttons and the light above me flickered on. He looked reassuringly at me quickly before pressing another button. The light flashed and slid on a roller over my entire leg, stopping at where the white sheet ended. It ran back down to my toes and flickered off.

"Alright," he said, picking up a paper the machine had spewed out. He looked it over silently. I didn't look at him, but I didn't want to look at the machinery either. I closed my eyes, unable to find a place to look that didn't make me feel like I was going under the knife or something.

"Well, it isn't too bad," he said, sounding hesitant. I didn't like that he was hesitant.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked nervously. Carlisle looked at me, pity written on his face.

"I'm going to have to re-break it," he said softly. My chest tightened and I stopped breathing for a few seconds. "It appears that it shifted in the brace. If I let it sit like this, you will end up with your right leg twisted a little, which would throw your left leg out of balance. You see, the two legs work together and if one is placed wrong, it affects the performance of the other," he explained.

"Will it…" Will it hurt? That was a stupid question. I rephrased my question. "How long will it take?"

Carlisle looked professional as he told me that re-breaking it and re-setting it would take him about five minutes. "But for it to heal, it should take another two to three days."

I sighed, disappointed. And I was so close to being able to take care of myself… Carlisle asked if I was ready and I nodded. He pulled the white sheet away and put sterile gloves over his pale hands. I closed my eyes, not able to bear seeing him looking like a doctor.

"I'm going to break it now," Carlisle said softly. He had just put his hands on my leg when I said, "Wait!" He stopped.

"Jacob," I called tentatively. There was no answer. "Jacob?" Billy rolled out of his room. He saw Carlisle's hands poised over my leg and grimaced. He opened Jacob's door and came right back out.

"He isn't in there," Billy said gruffly. "Sorry Max." I nodded, disappointed.

"It's ok," I said softly, laying my head back on the table and closing my eyes. I can't do this on my own!

"I'll go look for him," Billy said, pushing himself out the front door.

"No, it's fine Billy," I said. Billy didn't stop.

"Just wait five minutes Max. I'll find him." Billy rolled out into the street and away from the house.

"Would you like to wait?" Carlisle asked softly. I nodded. He took his hands off my leg and bent down to rummage through his bag. "I thought you would need this."

Carlisle pressed something into my hand. I raised my hand and looked at the familiar silver cell phone. Sighing, I set it down on the table beside me.

"Alice packed some clothes for you," he said, leaving my side to reemerge moments later with a suitcase. "She said that it was unacceptable for you not to have nice clothes to wear, even here."

"Thanks," I mumbled. Carlisle nodded and faced away from me, looking out the door to the street. I looked too and saw Billy rolling back up towards the house. He had a pissed-off-looking Jacob trailing after him. I bit my lip nervously.

"Hello Jacob," Carlisle said courteously when Jacob and Billy reached the front door. Jacob huffed in response. He didn't look at either Carlisle or me. He walked right past us, going straight into his room and slamming the door shut behind him.

I looked at his closed bedroom door, willing it to open and reveal him walking back out. I let out a small sigh of relief when the door opened and Jacob came out, looking frustrated. He walked over to stand a few feet from where I lay on the medical table. He looked between Carlisle and me, torn. I guess I won because he stepped up to the table and took my hand in his. I tried to smile gratefully, but I'm sure it looked more like a grimace.

Jacob leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I'm here. Just relax Max, I'm here." He smiled reassuringly and smoothed the hair back from my face, taking my hand back in between his two large, russet ones.

"I'm ready," I said as strong as I could. Carlisle nodded and put his hands on my leg again.

"On the count of five," he said. I nodded. "One…two." I squeezed Jacob's hand tight, shutting my eyes and clenching my teeth. Jacob didn't complain at my grip. It probably didn't hurt him at all. "Three."

I had expected two more seconds, but Carlisle's hands blurred at 'three.' I couldn't help but scream as the intense pain shot up through my entire body. Jacob's hand tightened around mine and I could feel his shaking lightly through my own. My body convulsed with the shooting pain.

Carlisle's hands kept me from moving my leg. I don't know who it was, but a pair of strong hands clamped down on my shoulders, holding me still. Carlisle twisted my leg and I suddenly felt an unbearable urge to scream as loud as I could. I probably did, but I wasn't sure. I blacked out then.