Chapter Six - Bonnie

Since I had settled well into Forks, I decided to get back into some of the work I'd been doing before I'd left California.

I headed down to Forks general hospital, in the hopes that I'd be given permission to play my guitar on the kid's ward.

I drove my new van (which I totally adored) to the hospital, my wipers working furiously against the sleety rain.

Fork's general was a small brownstone building, with an arched roof and a tacky sort of sign above the A&E entrance, that read FORK'S GENERAL. I parked up my van and ran in the reception entrance of the hospital.

I was greeted by the horribly familiar scent of antiseptic. I kind of liked this hospital, though. It was a lot nicer than the industrial-type ones that I was used to.

The receptionist behind the desk had blonde hair that had been teased into an overly large quiff. She was wearing far too much make-up, and I could smell her perfume from a mile away, but she looked welcoming, none-the-less.

"Hey," I said, approaching the desk.

"Hello there," she said, smiling broadly and revealing her lipstick-stained teeth. I tried not to laugh.

"I'm just wondering about doing some community service in the hospital? See, I used to live in Los Angeles, and in the hospital there…" I explained the whole story to the receptionist.

She loved it. She loved the whole idea.

"Something like this has long been needed in Forks. I think it's really great that you're doing it."

I was kinda embarrassed, but pleased. "So will you mention it to someone?"

"Doctor Cullen is the overseer of the hospital, but I'm sure he'll think it's a fantastic idea. Do you mind if I take your number?"

I gave the woman, who introduced herself as Mirabelle, my cell number, and the number of Wayne and Maria's house. It was still weird for me to think of it as home. It was more like I was just a guest there.

I walked out of the hospital feeling pretty good about myself. As I crossed the lot towards my van, I heard a shout.

"Hey!"

I turned around, to see a really tall guy running across the lot towards me. My first instinct, as is natural when you see seven-foot men running across parking lots toward you, was to run.

The guy was tall and not typically handsome, but there was something attractive about his strong cheek bones and his floppy black hair. Well, he would have been attractive if it wasn't for the crazed look in large brown eyes.

"Yeah?" I said, my voice cautious.

"I'm Collin," He said.

"Bonnie," I said, on the verge of laughter. Who was this guy?! "Honoured." I turned to get into my van, hard as it was to tear my eyes away from his coppery skin.

"No, wait!" Collin said, and his tone was urgent. "Do you wanna hang out sometime?"

I wanted to say yes, I really did. But that bitchy part of me, the bit that had been fairly resident since I had first been diagnosed with cancer, lashed out. Instead of saying I would love to go out with him, I raised an eyebrow and smiled sceptically.

"In your dreams, Collin," I said, this irritatingly confident tone in my voice, and I got into the van. As I drove away, I regretted having turned him down. I could see him in the mirror, and he was standing in the middle of the parking lot, his shoulders slumped.

Damn, why'd I have to be such a cow all the time?! Why couldn't I have thought logically for a moment and said yes?

I was ashamed to admit it, but during my whole twenty years, I had never had a boyfriend. There had been kisses, sure, and plenty of them, but anytime any guy showed signs of real interest, I would run a mile the other direction. I had commitment issues, and I knew it. It was like after years of being in hospital, having my body at the mercy of so many people, that I wanted to keep my life and my body all to myself.

I wanted to travel the world alone, but I knew that that was completely out of the question. I might be better, but I still had a low immune system, and being weak (though I hated that word) was the reason I had to be so close to Maria all the time.

I loved Maria, I did, but I really wanted to live my own life.

It was noon, and I was feeling kinda hungry, so I drove back to Wayne and Maria's and made myself a ham and peanut butter sandwich. Ham and peanut butter, believe it or not, is the best sandwich combination in the world.

The house was dead quiet, what with Wayne and Maria being in work (Maria had managed to get a job at some computer firm in Port Angeles, and Wayne was commuting a ridiculous two and a half hours to Seattle everyday), which kind of creeped me out, so I didn't want to stay there too long. What I really missed was company. I missed my friends. I hadn't had many, but the ones I'd had were really great. Leanne and Kayla. I'd met both of them in hospital, though at different times, and we'd all just become really good friends. It's funny how stuff like chemotherapy can be the foundation for life-long friendships.

We'd kept in contact since we'd moved, but it wasn't the same. I missed their company, and it was part of the reason I was so cranky all the time.

At two o'clock, I headed to work. I loved working at the garage. It was the best thing about Forks. I'd been working there for about three weeks, and it was the coolest thing I'd ever done in my life. For someone who had known nothing about cars previously, I was doing pretty good. I could already fix minor engine problems, change oil, do basic stuff like that.

"Hey, Bonnie," Seth said as soon as I stepped into the garage.

"Hi, Seth," I grinned, inhaling the scent of gasoline. It had become one of my all time favourite smells.

"New car got dropped in this morning. It's got a faulty engine. Wanna take a look?"

"Sure," I said casually, but inside I wanted to scream. This was the first time I'd been asked to look at a car myself.

I grabbed the tools I needed and approached the car. It was pretty old, a maroon 1986 Ford Taurus with balding tyres. Seth started to work on one of the other cars in the garage. Jacob didn't work on Wednesdays.

We didn't talk, instead working silently, listening the low hum of the old wireless radio that rested on one of the workbenches.

At about half three, just as Seth and I were sitting in the office enjoying our tea break, a silver Land Rover pulled up outside. I stood up, wiping my hands on a rag, assuming that it was a customer.

A young woman walked into the office moments later, and Seth moved rapidly from his position next to the computer in his eagerness to greet her. He pulled her into a tight hug, and kissed her gently on the mouth. She laughed, kissed him on the cheek and pulled away.

I watched enviously for a moment. Something in Seth's eyes as he watched the woman scared me. They were in a world of their own, and Seth's expression was filled with a love so powerful that it was intimidating.

The woman was beautiful. She was probably about twenty five, and had long luxurious, curly chestnut hair that was thrown into a sloppy ponytail. She was tall, probably six foot, with a curvy figure - maybe a bit overweight, but it suited her completely. Hell, I would have killed for boobs like that. Her skin was almost porcelain, though her cheeks were rosy, and her large eyes were as blue as sapphires. She had a small mouth with full rosebud lips, and I noticed a single dimple in her left cheek when she turned to grin at me.

"Bonnie, this is my wife, Aoife." Seth said, still not taking his eyes off the woman.

"Hi, Bonnie, it's nice to meet you," The woman said, smiling broadly and stepping forward to shake my hand.

"You too… Ee-fah?" I said, not sure if I had heard her name correctly. I was scanning my brain rapidly, trying to remember if Seth had ever mentioned a wife. I didn't think he had, but he was a man, and men didn't usually shout information around.

"Aoife, right," She said smiling.

"Cool. Like the author? Aoife O'Grady?"

Aoife laughed, and so did Seth. Almost like a private joke between them. "Right, like the author." She grinned again. "I'll be right back."

Seth watched as she left, his mouth hanging open slightly, as if he had never seen her before. He excused himself, and went into the bathroom.

The woman, Aoife, was back in about a minute, carrying a baby carrier. She carried it into the office, and sat it on an empty chair. I peered into it from my seat on the edge of the desk. A tiny little baby looked up at me. It was dressed in a little yellow baby-gro, and I assumed it was a girl, due to the pink blanket covering it.

"Aww," I said. "What's her name?"

"Evanna," Aoife said, leaning in and kissing the baby on her forehead.

"She's cute," I mumbled. It was true. I wasn't exactly into babies or anything, but I had to admit she was sweet.

Her skin was sort of honey coloured, as if someone had added a dollop of butterscotch to cream. She had a sweet button nose, large blue eyes and a tuft of black hair.

"Thank you," Aoife said, now stroking the baby's little nose.

"How old is she?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Three months," She said, and she smiled at me as she leaned in to lift the baby from the carrier. She opened her mouth to say something else, but we were interrupted by Seth's return.

"You brought Evanna!" Seth said grinning.

Aoife nodded, and Seth cooed at the child in her arms. I felt slightly uncomfortable as I watched the family scene - It was like I was an intruder.

"Do you want to hold her?" Aoife asked, taking me by surprise. For the first time, I noticed she wasn't American - her accent was completely new to me.

"I - er - no. I mean, no thanks. I'm not good with kids," I said, backing away.

"Okay," Aoife said, and she handed the baby to Seth instead. It was weird to see this hugely tall guy holding this tiny baby, smiling at her and looking so fatherly.

"So, um, where are you from?" I asked Aoife, trying to make conversation.

"Ireland," Aoife replied. "The south east."

"Ireland? Really?" I was genuinely interested. I'd never actually met an Irish person before.

"Yup," Aoife said.

"That's really cool. I've never met anyone from Ireland before."

Aoife laughed. "And where are you from? I take it that you're not from around here?"

"Nope, I'm from Los Angeles. Well, Boston originally."

"Boston? Oh, I love Boston! I went to college there… I would have stayed there, except Seth's a real home bird." She laughed again, and lightly hit her husband on the arm.

"You did? That's really cool. What'd you study?"

"Literature. I'm a writer."

"You are?" I hesitated after a moment, and something occurred to me. "You aren't - I mean - what's your full name?"

Aoife suddenly looked embarrassed. "Eh -"

"She is who you're thinking of, Bonnie. The author." Seth interrupted. "Aoife O'Grady."

"No way!" I exclaimed, jumping back a step in my excitement. "I love your books! Oh my God! This is amazing, I can't believe it!"

Aoife looked mortified so I shut my mouth.

"I'm sorry, I -"

"No, no! I'm so happy to hear it!" Aoife interrupted. "I just still can't believe it that people actually recognize my name, and actually like what I write."

"Like?" I said in disbelief. "My sister and I, we love your books!"

"That's so great!" Aoife said, and she looked almost emotional. "What's your favourite?"

"La Jaune Pavot*, definitely! Though my sister doesn't agree, she loves Grass Wars."

Aoife grinned. "La Jaune Pavot was my favourite to write. I got to spend three months in France doing research, it was awesome."

"Wow." I was staring at this woman with my mouth hanging open slightly. She wasn't my favourite author, but she was a very close second - her writing was incredible. La Jaune Pavot was a completely heart wrenching story, it had me in tears every time I read it, and I was usually a tough person.

"If I give my books to Seth after work someday, will you sign them for me?" I blurted out. My face immediately flushed red with embarrassment - I hadn't meant to sound so… lame.

"I would love to sign them for you," Aoife said, and she looked truly chuffed.

"Thanks," I said. I opened my mouth to comment on her book, but I was cut short by a loud wail from Evanna. She was so tiny and quiet that I had completely forgotten about her.

"Uh oh.." Aoife said, taking her from Seth. "She's probably hungry, I better take her home."

"Aww, ok.." Seth said, and I felt as disappointed as he sounded.

"Bye, Bonnie," She said, reaching over to shake my hand. "It was great to meet you."

"You too," I said, still slightly gob smacked.

"See you later, Seth," She said, standing on her tip toes and kissing him goodbye.

"Bye, Aoife," He said, and she walked out the door, baby in one arm and baby carrier in the other.

"Wow," I said as soon as she was gone.

"Yup," Seth said. "Isn't she amazing?"

"I can't believe you never told me your wife was a best selling author!" I said, sounding indignant.

Seth shrugged, an amused expression on his face. "It's not something Aoife likes to shout around."

"What? Is she embarrassed or something?"

Seth shrugged again. "I dunno. Maybe."

"She shouldn't be. She's an incredible writer. Wait till I tell Maria!" I leaned over to pick up the phone that rested on the desk.

Seth laughed. "Breaks over, Bonnie. Back to work!"

I rolled my eyes. "You work me too hard."

Seth laughed again. "You love work."

"It's true," I replied, and I headed back into the garage. "I do."

Soon enough, the garage was silent. We were interrupted by the arrival of Brady, a Quileute guy who was about five years older than me, who worked part time in the garage.

To be honest, I kind of liked Brady. He was pretty good looking, and had a good sense of humour. He didn't really get my sarcastic ways, but he was cool. He was also abnormally tall - what was it with these guys? They were all at least seven foot.

"Collin will be over, Seth," He said, walking into the garage. "He's got a problem with his exhaust or something. I said we'd take a look."

"No problemo," Seth said, not looking up from where he was working. "How's he getting on anyway? It's been ages since we've had a -"

Brady suddenly had a loud coughing fit, and Seth, curiously enough, shut his mouth.

"He's doing good," Brady said. "He's working as janitor in the hospital."

"That's good," Seth said absently.

I furrowed my brow in thought. Collin. The name rang a bell. It couldn't possibly be -

"Hey, Seth, Brady." A miserable sounding, yet vaguely familiar voice echoed through the garage.

Crap!

"Collin! Man, what's up?" Seth sounded concerned. I rolled around the back of the car and sat there silently, hoping that Seth would forget that I was there so I could eavesdrop.

"I - I -"

"Hey, Bonnie?" Damn. Stupid Brady.

"Could you go into the office and check the mail?"

"Sure," I said, standing up.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the garage changed. As soon as I stood, Collin's eyes clapped onto me, and Seth and Brady exchanged shocked expressions. I stood cowering, as though caught in a crossfire.

"Er…" I muttered, not sure what to do. Collin was still staring at me.

"Bonnie?" Brady said suddenly, breaking the tension. "The mail?"

"Oh, sure," I said, my voice falsely cheery. "The mail. No problem." As I turned towards the office, I could still feel three sets of eyes on my back. As soon as I was inside the office, I could hear all three men break into urgent sounding chatter. I pressed my ear against the door, straining to hear them.

I thought about the expression on Collin's face as soon as he had seen me. He had looked relieved, excited, devastated and joyous all at once… what the hell did it mean? I didn't feel so hateful towards him anymore… in fact, whenever I though his name, a warm feeling spread through me, heating me all the way to the core.

Hell, what was wrong with me? I was never usually so soppy and stupid!

Suddenly, the door I was leaning against swung open and I fell out onto the dirty floor of the main garage.

Seth and Brady were looking down at me, bemused expressions on their faces.

"Bonnie," Seth said, looking abnormally serious. "We've got something to tell you…"

FINALLY! I finally finished this chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long, people, but it's FINALLY finished! I will start work on chapter seven immediately and it will be up soon, providing I get a good response... you know what that means! Click the review button!

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Love always..

Lily! :D x