Copyright declaration: The Twilightseries and its characters are the creation of and copyright of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing and this story is purely a not-for-profit work of fan fiction. No copyright infringement intended

Author's note: here's a weekend treat for you: another chapter, packed with drama, of A Stolen Beginning! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts!

Chapter Twenty-one

– Shock –

I felt sick to my stomach as I panicked, "What do you mean? Is he okay?"

"Charlie told me to tell you not to panic. Jacob was taken straight to the hospital. They might need to take him to Seattle but for now he is being treated in Port Angeles. Charlie couldn't tell me much."

"Oh God," I wailed, putting my head in my hands. The worst-case scenario ran through my mind: losing my beloved husband, becoming a widow once again, bringing our child into the world on my own. I went into shock, hyperventilating as I struggled to breathe. It was as though someone had punched me in the stomach, sending me reeling into distress. I stood up and wobbled, feeling dizzy.

"Bella, sit down," my mom ordered. "Put your head between your knees. I don't want you fainting."

"But…but I need to see Jacob," I whimpered, my voice weak. "I want to drive to the hospital."

"Honey, we should stay here until we hear any news. I'm going to call the hospital, okay? I'll see if I can find out any details."

And then fear struck my heart as her earlier words registered with me, "He skidded on gas?"

Gasoline. Highly flammable. Only a week before, I'd watched a report on the news about a gas tanker that skidded out of control and burst into flame. The driver suffered third degree burns. A shiver ran through me, "I know who did it."

My mom frowned, "Charlie said he suspected it was deliberate. But I don't understand. What's going on?"

And so I explained the whole story to her as best as I could through the shaking tremors in my voice. When I finished, she looked at me in disbelief, mouthing the words "Oh my God." at me. She hugged me close as she dialed the hospital number and spoke to them. Then she phoned Charlie. He was the on-duty officer at the time and had been called to the scene of the crash.

When she hung up the phone, I wanted her to spill out the words that everything was okay, just a few bruises and scratches, nothing major. Jacob would be coming home the very same day and we'd embrace in sheer relief at his escape.

But she didn't say that.

"They have taken him straight into the operating theater, sweetheart. He has suffered a lot of trauma to his body and they are setting the broken bones. He has a number of cracked ribs and his leg is fractured. They also suspect there could be damage to his optic nerves from the impact. He hit his head very hard."

I sat, stunned, trying to take it all in. "Was there a fire?"

My mom frowned, "There was. But Jacob wasn't in it. He got out in time. Charlie told me it looks like he opened the door and flung himself out in an attempt to save himself."

I tried to absorb this and then another terrible fear struck me: what if he was brain-damaged from the impact of hitting his head? What if he was blind and brain-damaged?

The hours passed agonizingly slowly. When the phone rang, I jumped every time, hoping it was the hospital. Finally, they called with news:

"Can I talk with Mrs Bella Black, please?"

"Speaking," I said, impatient to hear.

"Mr Black has been transferred to the ICU. We expect his condition to improve but we need to monitor him in ICU for the time-being. He has some broken bones, including cracked ribs, but the good news is they were all simple breaks and fractures; no major problems there. We do have a concern about the head trauma he has suffered from the accident. We need to take precautions to ensure he does not develop secondary brain damage, such as edema (swelling) of the brain or increased pressure inside the skull. The doctors are looking at his MRI and CT scans as we speak and we are constantly monitoring him using EEGs. However, his skull does not appear to be fractured and he flickered his eyes so that is promising."

"Can I come and see him?"

All I wanted to be able to do was to hold Jacob in my arms and to know he would be okay.

"Of course. He is very heavily sedated at the moment. We want to keep him still while we run tests and monitor him. Don't be shocked when you see him, Mrs Black. The ICU can be quite overwhelming if you have no experience of it. Ask for Dr Nicholls when you get there, he will be able to answer any questions you have about your husband's condition."

When I hung up the phone, I felt so weak. My mom rushed to my side, "What did they say, sweetie?"

"They're worried about his head trauma. But they think the signs are 'promising', that's what they said."

"That's good!" my mom said. "They wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. I know what doctors are like; they wouldn't give you false hope."

"I hope so," I nodded.

Charlie arrived, still in his uniform and looking absolutely worn-out. When I opened the door I threw my arms around him, as much as my bump would allow, and burst into tears.

"Oh Dad."

"I know, honey." He patted my back and sighed, "Renêe told me you know who was behind the spilled gasoline. I'll need to talk to you about that and take a statement."

"Yeah, I know who it was. Jacob's jealous ex, Rose Dimanche."

"Okay," Charlie acknowledged.

He spent half an hour talking with me and taking notes. Near the end of his scrutiny of the evidence he paused and said, "What I don't understand, Bella, is why she targeted Jacob and not you."

"Jacob took my car this morning," I said. "His VW wouldn't start. I guess Rose must have seen my car pull out of the driveway and assumed it was me. She knows the route we take to get out of La Push, so I suppose she was out to get me, not him."

I shuddered at the thought of her crazy actions, the obsessive plot she must have developed in her head to murder me and get Jacob back for herself.

"Right," Charlie said, nodding slowly.

"Bella," Renêe called from the kitchen. "I think you've got a visitor. There's a car outside I don't recognize."

"Okay, I'll be right there," I answered. When I stood up from the chair, I felt a warm sticky fluid coursing down my leg. I looked down at the rapidly increasing puddle on the floor, "Oh my…Mom! Dad! We need to get to the hospital. I think I'm going into labor."

I walked through to the kitchen, breathing slowly as I felt the first twinges of labor pain crease across my abdomen. My overnight bag was packed and ready to go. Jacob and me had packed it weeks ago, eager to prepare. Tears pricked at my eyes when I recalled his enthusiasm for choosing the tiny sleep-suits and clothes for the baby. Charlie picked up my bag, grabbed the keys and my mom put her hand on my shoulder to calm me. Then the door opened and Rose burst in.