CHAPTER 62

Embry POV:

Sam and I had just put Dad on the bed when I heard Mom greet Carlisle. I heard Leah's voice, too, and I smiled. I knew she would come. Carlisle came to the bedroom door and walked over to the bed. He leaned over to look at Dad and said, "Hello, Mr. Uley. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I'd like to help."

Dad was really weak by this time so he just nodded. I looked over at Carlisle and said, "Thanks for coming." He just patted me on the shoulder and said, "What have we got here?"

I tried to explain what I had seen of Dad's injuries. He looked Dad over as I talked then he said, "OK. Can you all give me a little time here with him and I'll examine him. I'll let you know what I find." Mom looked at me with tears running down her face and Leah put her arm around her shoulders and led her out the door. Sam followed them out. "Is it alright if I stay? Maybe I can help in some way?" I asked.

He smiled and nodded. He closed the door and brought over a huge black bag. He examined Dad and found three broken ribs. "By the look of the bruises around his rib cage, I would suspect he was squeezed very hard by something, or . . . someone."

"Newborn?" I guessed.

"Possibly." Dad had bruises all over him and scratches. He had a cut under his hairline, but once Carlisle cleaned it up, he thought it would heal without stitches. Then he examined Dad's leg. Dad cried out in pain as Carlisle worked his hands over the leg. "It's bad. It reminds me a lot of Jacob's leg when he was hurt in that fight with the newborns. His leg has already started healing just like Jacob's did. That means I'm going to have to re-break it and set it again." Oh God, no. I remembered that night well, listening to Jake's screams. I took a deep breath and said, "I'll help."

"Are you sure? It won't be easy on him. I'll give him some morphine, but he'll still cry out, I'm afraid."

"I know. I remember being there, than night with Jake. I can do it."

He smiled and nodded. "OK. I'll inject him with some morphine then we'll get started. I also want to start an IV drip. He's really dehydrated. Why don't you go out and tell your family so they'll understand what is happening." I nodded and bent down to talk to Dad.

"Hey, Dad?" He slowly opened his eyes. "Doc here says he has to reset your leg. It's not going to be pretty, but he's going to give you some morphine to help with the pain, OK?" He nodded. "I'm going out to tell Mom then I'll be back to help." He nodded again then moved to grab my arm. "What?"

"Love you, son," he managed to get out.

I smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "Yea, me, too." I looked up at Carlisle and he smiled at me. I walked over to the bedroom door and made my way to the living room. Mom jumped up and came to me.

"What's going on, Embry? Is he going to be alright?"

I put my hands on her upper arms and said, "Yea, Mom. He's a wolf. He'll heal quickly, don't worry. But, Carlisle is going to hook up an IV for fluids. Dad's really dehydrated. And . . . he has to re-break the leg to set it. The bones started to heal too soon and they're not lined up right."

"Just like Jake," Leah said slowly. I could see in her eyes she was remembering that night, too. I nodded and she hung her head. I glanced at Sam and could see the same look.

"Listen, Mom. Dad's going to scream and it's going to kill you to listen to it. We all went through this with Jake. But, the doctor is giving him morphine for the pain, so he'll be alright. Carlisle knows what he's doing. I trust him, OK?"

She just nodded as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. I pulled her to me and hugged her. "Oh Embry. I hate this," she mumbled into my shoulder.

"Yea, so does he. He really didn't want us to bring him here. He knew you would be upset." I pulled away and said, "I have to go. I told Carlisle I would help." I looked over at Sam and said, "Would you help, too? It may take both of us to hold him down." Sam nodded and turned toward the hall to go to the bedroom.

Leah came over and put her arm around Mom. "Thanks, babe," I said to her. I leaned over and kissed her and she smiled. Then I kissed Mom on the cheek and turned back to the bedroom. I closed the door and saw that the IV was in and he hung the bag up on a nail on the wall where a picture had been.

"I just gave him the morphine so I'll wait a couple of minutes to let it work through his body. I started with the same dose I gave Jacob. I know you told me he is a werewolf, too, but a little different from you?" he asked.

I tried to fill him in quickly on the differences between us and Dad. "Interesting . . . " he said. "So, he's more like the European werewolves, only the moon doesn't seem to have anything to do with his phasing." I shook my head. "I would like to talk to your father more about this."

"I think he would like to talk to you, too. He was amazed at how you can be a doctor, given your, um, you know."

"Being a vampire?"

I smiled. "Yea."

He smiled back. "It took me a couple of centuries to learn to tolerate the blood and not give into the urge." He opened one of Dad's eyes and flashed a light into it. "Alright, let's get started."

Sam stood at the head of the bed, and I stood at the foot. Carlisle told us to bear down and hold him as still as we could. We readied ourselves and Carlisle went to work. The first break, Dad screamed and I felt it go completely through me. I looked up at Sam and saw him flinch, too. Sam was practically laying on Dad to get him stay down. I was holding his legs as best I could, but it wasn't easy. Dad was really strong! And loud. But Carlisle worked quickly and finally, he stopped and said, "I think that should do it."

Dad relaxed and Sam and I both stood up. My arms ached from pushing down on Dad. I rolled my shoulders to try and release some of the tension. I noticed Sam do the same. Carlisle had me lift Dad's leg a little so he could put a leg brace on Dad's leg and Velcro it together. "He needs to leave this on at least three days. I would like to see him again to make sure it's healed properly. I would rather have done that surgically, but I didn't think it could wait for a ride to the hospital." He checked the IV bag and said, "I'll stay here a little while until this bag is gone. Then I'll hook up another one before I leave."

"I'll go out and see Mom and Leah," I told them. I walked out and found Mom sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Leah was beside her, but she stood up and put her arms around me as soon as I stepped into the room. I held onto her and whispered, "God, that was hard."

"I know," she said as she rubbed my back. I pulled back and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Thanks for being here with Mom."

"Of course," she said.

I turned to Mom and sat down beside her. She sat up and looked at me. I told her what we did and what Carlisle said. She just nodded. She looked awful. "Mom, he'll be alright."

"I know, it's just . . . seeing him come home like that and hearing him scream . . . Embry, what the hell happened to him out there? And what's to keep it from happening again?"

She had me there. I wasn't sure what happened to him. It could have been a run-in with a newborn vampire, but there was nothing to keep it from happening again. I couldn't comfort her there. "He can't remember what happened," is all I said.

Sam walked out and said, "I need to get home, bro. Call me if anything changes?" I stood up and said, "Yea, sure."

"I'll come by tomorrow to see him again. Maybe I'll bring Lily. That always makes him happy," he added with a smile. It did. Dad loved being a grandpa. Mom stood up and hugged Sam. "Thank you, honey, for being there for your dad."

He actually looked a little embarrassed. "Sure," he said.

Sam started for the door and I caught up to him and said, "Thanks, bro. For helping me tonight. I couldn't have done that alone."

"Yea, you could have. You'd be surprised what you can do for someone you love. And you love him, Embry. I can see it. It's . . . cool how you just accepted him so fast as your dad and you never look back. I really admire that about you."

"It bugged you when he called you 'Sammy' tonight, didn't it?" I asked him.

He got that sad look in his eyes again and said, "Yea. He used to call me that when I was little. He was the only one that ever did. It, um, kind of got to me, you know?"

"Yea, but at least you had that with him. I didn't," I reminded him.

He nodded and smiled. "I know. I guess the old man is starting to grow on me."

I told him quickly what Carlisle had said about Dad's ribs and the bruises. "Alright. I'll step up the patrols and see what's out there. You and Leah get some rest. I may need you both tomorrow." I nodded.

"See you tomorrow, bro." He went out the door and jogged toward home. I closed the door and smiled. It made me happy to see him finally come around towards Dad.

Carlisle stayed for another hour and then he changed the IV bag and said this one would last until morning. He would be back then to check on Dad. I thanked him again and so did Mom and then before he left, I told him Sam was stepping up patrols to see what was out there. He told me he would have his family do the same and if they found anything, he would let us know right away. Then he was gone.

Mom went into the bedroom to sit with Dad and I sat down on the couch with Leah. I put my arm around her shoulders and slouched down to lean my head back on the cushion and stretch out my legs. She laid her head on my shoulder. "Not how I wanted this night to end," I said softly.

"I thought the same thing when you left my room tonight," she said. We were both quiet for a few minutes then she asked, "Embry?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're still thinking about the underwear, aren't you?"

I smiled. She knows me too well. I was thinking about the underwear and wondering if she was still wearing it. "Maybe," I answered.

"You're wondering if I'm still wearing it, aren't you?"

I laughed at that. "God, you know me so well!" She laughed, too. Then I said, "Well? Are you?"

She looked over at me. She wasn't wearing the purple shirt or jeans anymore. She had on some light grey running pants and a blue t-shirt. She smiled as she pulled up her t-shirt to show me the black, lacy bra. I smiled and turned toward her. I put my hand on the side of her face and said, "I am one helluva lucky guy." Then I kissed her and it quickly escalated to an inappropriate level. I wanted her so much, and knew with my parents in the house that wouldn't be a good idea. I broke away and said quickly, "Follow me."

She looked at me curiously, then got up and followed me outside. I closed the door softly and led her to the truck. We climbed in and I said, "Lay down." She laid on her back and said, "Embry, we can't here. What if someone walks up to the truck?"

"Baby, at this point, I don't fucking care who's watching. I want you so much and I can't wait any longer." I pulled her t-shirt off and ran my hand over her bra. She reached around and unhooked it for me so I could feel what was under it. She moaned softly and I crawled on top of her and kissed her until we were both breathless. I managed to pull her pants off and run my hand over her black panties. She arched her back and dug her nails into my shoulders as my fingers did some exploring. I couldn't take it. I pulled my shorts down, pushed her panties to the side and drove into her. It was like a long drink of water after days in the desert. I moved slowly until she cried out, begging me to go faster. I drove into her over and over until she squeezed her legs around me and she yelled, "Yes, oh yes!" and I felt her contract around me. Then . . . sweet release. I tried hard to catch my breath. "Oh baby, that felt so good," I told her.

"I never imagined when I bought this underwear, it would make you so crazy," she said panting.

I laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me? You have no idea how sexy you are, Leah. That image of you will stay in my head for weeks."

"Oh no, please don't phase around Seth," she begged. "I would hate for him to see that."

"I won't, I promise. He would kick my ass for sure." I propped myself up to look down at her. "You are so gorgeous. I can't wait to marry you."

She smiled a most brilliant smile. "I can't wait to marry you either. Then we won't have to sneak out to the truck for sex." Then she gave me a look and said, "Well, maybe once in awhile, just for fun." I laughed at that and she joined me. This girl was incredible. And she was all mine.

The next morning, Carlisle came back as promised and checked on Dad. He had given him enough morphine before he left that Dad slept most of the night. He took out the IV and checked him over. "Feels like your ribs have healed fine. Any pain?" he asked as he felt around with his hands.

"No," Dad said. The bruises had yellowed but I knew they would disappear by tomorrow. They did when Leah was hurt by that newborn. Everything was doing better, except the leg. Carlisle removed the brace and tried to feel around, but Dad was squeezing my hand and trying so hard not to cry out in front of Mom that he stopped. "This is going to take time, Joshua. I'll leave some pain meds for you, but no more morphine."

Dad just nodded and tried to relax back into the pillows. He let go of my hand and I flexed it trying to get the blood flowing again. Carlisle gave Mom a prescription for some pain pills then he told Dad, "Rest here today, but by tomorrow, you should get up and try to move around. Maybe even by tonight. The fluids I gave you should have re-hydrated you, but please continue to drink water, and eat. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to call me."

Dad smiled at him and said, "I don't how to thank you. I really owe you."

"Tell you what. When you are feeling better, let's get together and talk. I am very curious about your kind of werewolf. It's something I've never come across before."

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't believe I've ever sat down with a vampire before, so it could be interesting for me as well," Dad said with a smile.

Carlisle laughed and said, "You have a deal. Rest, and why don't you come and see me at the hospital day after tomorrow and I'll check that leg for you?"

"Alright. Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle." He held his hand out to Dad, who took it gladly and shook it. Then Carlisle said goodbye and left.

Mom decided to make Dad some breakfast, so she kissed him and walked out to the kitchen. I sat down on the edge of the bed and Dad said, "I think I remember him saying last night that he thinks these bruises around my ribs were caused by a newborn? What did he mean by that?"

"A newborn is a new vampire. Vampires are at their strongest and most deadly in their first year. We had a fight with a very large number of them last year. Jake was hurt by one who picked him up, squeezed the shit out of him then smashed him into the ground. You've seen how big we are when we're wolves. That's how strong a newborn can be. Leah got into it with one a few months back and it did the same to her, but it only broke a few ribs and her arm. She was fine the next day. Jake took about three days to heal."

He nodded. "So, these newborns, is this something you have around here a lot?"

"No. The big fight had to do with Bella, Jake's girlfriend. That's a long story. The one with Leah was just three newborn stragglers that went through here. We got all three of them," I told him.

He shook his head as he looked at me. "You amaze me, son. Sitting here, talking about killing vampires. No big deal."

I laughed. "Well, it's what we do, Dad. It's why we're here. You know the legends."

"Yes, I do. So, why is there a vampire doctor taking care of me?"

"Well, yea, that's kind of sketchy. We don't have a doctor of our own. We hope that Seth might go to college and be one for us someday. But, to go to a regular doctor with a body temp of 108, and then with the fast-healing thing, it just doesn't work. So, when Jake was hurt, Doc went to his house and treated him, and I guess, we just kind of rely on him. He's a good vampire, if there is such a thing."

Dad laughed at that. "Well, there must be. He is a nice guy."

Mom came in with a cup of coffee for each of us. I helped Dad sit up and Mom made sure he had enough pillows behind him. Then she handed him the coffee. "Thanks, honey," he said.

"I'll be back with breakfast," she told him. She came back a few minutes later with a plate of eggs and bacon. He dug in saying he couldn't believe how hungry he was all of a sudden. She brought me a plate, too, so I sat down and ate breakfast with him. As I ate, I thought about what Sam said last night about how he could see that I loved Dad. And how I just accepted him without looking back. I did love my dad. I lived my whole life without him, and now that he was here, I couldn't imagine being without him. He was damn lucky last night that he wasn't killed. Whatever was out there, I wanted to help find it and kill it before it hurt someone else I loved.

I finished my breakfast and told Mom and Dad, "I'm heading over to Sam's. He told me to rest up because he would need me today."

"You be careful out there, son," Dad said anxiously.

I smiled. "I will, Dad. I know what I'm doing."

Mom hugged me and said, "Don't get cocky, boy. Listen to your father."

I laughed at that. "Yes, ma'am," I said. "I'll see you two later." I pointed at Dad and said, "Behave!"

"Will do," he said.

I left them and walked out the front door. As I passed my truck, I had to smile. I would never be able to get rid of that truck. It held some great memories. I took off at a jog for the woods then I phased and ran for Sam's.

Right before I got to Sam's I heard Leah. "I thought you were going to be good and not think about me in that underwear."

"I can't help it, baby! I walked by the truck on the way here and it all came back to me. Where are you?"

"On my way to Sam's. I should be there in less than five."

"I'll wait for you."

"How's Josh?"

"Much better. Carlisle came by this morning to take a look. He took the IV out and told him to rest. Dad's supposed to go to the hospital to see him on Monday."

"Good. Did your mom get any sleep?"

"A little. She was a wreck for awhile."

"I know. I felt so bad for her last night. Almost there."

I phased and pulled on my shorts just as she came into the clearing. She phased and said with her sexy smile, "Oh, I'm too late."

"I can take them off if you want. Just say the word, baby!" I told her with a grin.

She walked up to me and kissed me. Then she reached down and untied her shorts and tank top. "I think we need to find just a little self control, Embry," she said as she pulled on her clothes.

"Well, what fun is there in that?" She laughed and said, "None. But I don't want my little brother to come along and find me rolling around naked in the woods with you, OK?"

"Fine. Let's go," I pouted. She smiled and took my hand as we walked up to Sam's house. Leah walked in the back door quietly, in case the baby was sleeping and I followed her into the kitchen. "Hey, Emily," she said. "Good, the baby's awake!" She walked over to the baby, who was sitting in a baby seat on the counter. "Hey pretty girl," Leah said as she lifted the baby out and held her close.

I smiled and said, "Hey, sis. How ya doing?"

"I'm fine. How's your dad today?" I told her what Carlisle said and how he ate some breakfast. "Good. I know Sam was pretty shook up when he came home last night."

That kind of surprised me. "Yea, Dad was busted up, but he'll be OK." Sam walked into the room and I had to repeat what I just told Emily. He nodded and said, "Good. I'm glad he's healing."

"Leah and I came over to patrol. Anyone find anything yet?"

Sam shook his head. "No. You two can take over for Jared and Paul. They are supposed to check in with me in about 30 minutes."

I nodded and looked over to find Leah babbling to the baby. Sam looked at me and smiled. We hung out with them until Jared and Paul came in. Sam met them with "Anything?"

"No new leech trails," Paul said sounding disappointed.

"We ran the treaty line and Emmett told us they haven't heard of vamps in the area or seen anything on their side," added Jared. They both plopped down at the kitchen table and helped themselves to a sandwich from the platter Emily had put there.

"I have to go to work at three so we better get going, babe," Leah said. She had put the baby in Sam's arms and was dragging me out the door.

"I guess we're going! See ya!" I called. We headed out the back door and into the woods. Leah stopped and stripped down then tied her clothes to her ankle. "Come on, slow poke!" she said with a smile. "Now you're going to have to catch up to me!" She took off and phased on the run. I smiled as I finished tying my shorts to me. This might be fun! I ran and phased knowing that I really had no chance to catch her, but I was going to have fun trying.

I did finally catch up to her, but only because she slowed down for me. We ran our patrol and found nothing. Whoever it was that attacked Dad must not have stayed around. I guess that's a good thing, but I really would have felt better had we found it and taken care of it. I didn't want it coming back.

"I'm heading home, Embry. I have to get to work. I get off work at nine tonight, so I'll call you when I get home."

"Yea, OK." I moved close to her and put my head next to hers. "I miss you, baby."

"Me, too." We stayed close for a moment then we went our separate ways – she turned home to get ready for work and I turned toward Sam's. It seemed like lately, we were apart more than we were together. I decided then and there, I would have to do something about that. And soon.