Wow. The last chapter was...Pretty intense. This one is in Jacob's P.o.V., because I haven't done one in a long time. I really like my Jacob chapters. They're the best ones I do, and they're really sweet. I should start doing more...
I can't believe how fast this one came out! I only uploaded Chapter 40 on Saturday. What's today? Monday? Then again, I'm on Japan time...
Enjoy!
~SashaFierce12.0
Chapter 41
Jacob's P.o.V.
My cell phone started ringing and I picked it up, thinking that it was Leah.
"Hello?"
"Jake! Finally! Jazz phased - it took us forever to figure out how to get her to change back, she was really freaking out. And now Seth's coming up the walk and he looks mad. Like beyond mad. Jazz is getting heated, too. You gotta' hurry up and get down -" Leah finally paused and I heard commotion in the background. "Just hurry and get down here, please! I already called Sam." Then she hung up. I closed my cell phone and turned to the guys.
"Gotta' run."
"Leah problems? Jayah? Sam just ran out, too," Darren said.
"Something about Seth and Jazz. Leah sounded desperate on the phone."
"Hmm...You should go," said Embry. I nodded and took off at a sprint down the road.
When I got to the house, I could hear yelling, and then something that sounded like a slap. My eyes widened and I rushed inside.
"What's going on?"
"He slapped her! He just slapped her!" Leah screeched, pointing to the backyard. When I got back there, Sam was standing on the patio with his mouth hung open. What the hell was he doing just standing there?
Jazmyn jumped up from the ground. She was shaking.
"You stupid bastard!" she screeched. Then she slapped him back. Blood dripped from Seth's cheek and I watched as the cut healed. That's when they really started fighting. Jazmyn punched him and Seth staggered back before kicking her.
I ran off the patio but Sam pulled me back.
"We need to wait for the right moment," he said. "They could really hurt you." It was a command. An alpha command at that, so I couldn't disobey him. I watched the two fight, cringing with every hit they landed on each other. Sam called out Seth's name a couple more times after that, trying to get them to at least take a break. They didn't.
Jazmyn ran towards him with her fist raised but Seth grabbed it and kicked her again. Jazz was still shaking. She was almost a blur, but then she went back to normal. Seth said something to her, and then she kneed his stomach. The kid picked her up and threw her to the ground. Hard. I heard a crack and winced. A collective gasp came from inside the house.
"Seth, stop!" Leah yelled, running out next to me. I held her back, still obeying Sam's orders. Jazmyn yelped in pain, and then Seth jumped on top of her with his fist raised. He brought it down and my eyes widened, waiting for the impact. But Jazmyn grabbed it and rolled over so that she was on top of him. After that, she threw punch after punch at him.
"You fucking asshole! Bastard!" she was screaming. Leah squirmed next to me but I kept her back. I heard another crack. From Seth this time. He reached out and grasped her face with his fingers then used his other hand to grab her hands. They rolled over again and now Seth was leaning into her face, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. He licked it away. He said something to her, she said something to him. Then she spit in his face. He jumped off of her.
"BITCH!" he yelled. Sam stepped closer with his eyes narrowed. She jumped on his back, used her elbow to hit his head and then they fell again. Jazmyn laid more punches to his face, and then she grasped his neck. She dug her finger nails into it and squeezed. Seth struggled to get up and was gasping for air. Then he stopped.
"Jazmyn!" Sam yelled. He pulled her off of him, the new wolf kicking and quivering.
"Don't touch me!" she hissed. Seth coughed and stood up. He and Jazz locked eyes, and then he flashed her his middle finger. Jazmyn kicked some more and Sam pulled her into the forest. I heard a growl and a group of birds flew into the sky.
Leah started towards her brother, but I pulled her back again. I started pulling her into the house.
"Leave him alone. We'll get to him later." I glanced at Seth, who was now crouched down and crying, pulling at his hair. I sighed and shut the patio door. Leah paced around the house, growling as she did so.
"Why would they...Why would he...They're imprints! They're not supposed to hurt each other! They're...He's..." Leah started shaking and I placed my hand on her shoulder. She instantly stopped.
"That was pretty intense," Emmett noted. "They were like freaking WWE wrestlers out there."
"Did you see all the blood?" Syanne asked. "There was a lot..." she rubbed her missing arm.
"I am going to go get him. Carlisle is here," Evangeline explained and walked out the back door.
"Everyone needs to get out," I announced.
"Gladly. I'm sorry, but I'm pretty scared of Seth right now. I definitely don't want to be on his bad side," Athena cringed and dragged Brady out of the door. The rest followed suit. The only people that remained were the Cullens and Evangeline. Syanne went upstairs to watch the babies. Sam came in and shook out his hair. Sue rushed inside. Carlisle followed.
"Please tell me what I heard isn't true," Sue pleaded to Leah. She bit her lip. "Please!" With her outburst, the house shook, and everything flew to the air for a second before coming back down again. "Oh, he's in so much trouble!" She started ringing her hands out and then took a seat on the couch. Everyone looked at each other, then snapped to the back door when Evangeline dragged Seth in. She placed him on the couch and he sat down and stared straight ahead. It was quiet as Carlisle wiped away the blood and repositioned his nose. But as soon as he was done...
"What. Was. That?" Sam demanded. "You don't go around just hitting girls, Seth!"
"It's not like she was hurt. One, she's a werewolf. Phased today. She'd heal quicker. And two, she got more punches on me than I did to her. So, really, I'm the victim in this situation." I huffed a breath and shook my head. He had some nerve.
"It's no excuse!" Sam yelled back at him. "You-" Sue flew forward.
"You should be ashamed of yourself for this mess!" she screamed. Seth sighed.
"You don't think I-"
"What would your father think?" she screeched. Seth clamped his mouth shut.
She got him there.
Sue yelled again, "ANSWER me when I'm TALKING to you!"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?" Seth yelled back. "She just made me so mad...I was considering not doing it...But then I remembered her phasing and the thought took over me and...You know what happened after that."
"How do you think I felt when the rest of the guys were calling me at work practically begging me for help? I ran over here as fast as I could! Do you know how many times I called your name?" Sam gained control of the conversation again.
"Dunno. Jazz and I were calling each other's names at that moment. We were kind of busy," Seth answered back smartly.
There's a time to be smart and a time not to.
This was one of those times.
Leah stood up from her spot next to me on the easy chair.
"Then he actually had to yank her off you. But you flashing her the bird didn't help matters at all. She practically mauled Sam afterwards. You know she's not in control of her phasing yet. And then you were actually trying to get her to phase, too! Seth what is wrong with you? I mean, first you're jumping out of cars just to be close to her. Then you're slapping her, hitting her, punching, kicking, throwing her on the ground like some kind of rag doll! And calling her names, too!" Leah got louder with each word she said. She was shaking, so I tapped her leg. She calmed down a bit.
"Hey, she said some stuff." That got Leah quivering again.
"Well we're not in first grade, now are we?" she retorted.
"At least she didn't look like you, her parents would've had a fit," Emmett muttered. I shot a look at him, trying my best not to smile. Sue walked towards her son.
"You're grounded." Seth smirked.
Ugh...
"Really? That's the best you can do?"
"You're lucky I don't just tear you apart right now!" She stormed out the door. Sam leaned down into his face.
"You're going to fix this. I don't care how long it takes you or how you do it. But you will." Then he walked out. The Cullens got up and left, too. Evangeline gave him a look full of disappointment and followed Edward slowly out the door. Leah stood and walked upstairs, rubbing at her temples.
"Where's the damn Tylenol when you need it...?" I sighed and stood up to go after her, but not before giving the kid my own look. My own pitiful one. I'd felt bad for him this morning. The end to his first year without his dad. But now I wasn't so sure I felt that bad. Beating up a girl? His girlfriend? His imprint? That was low.
I went upstairs and took a seat on the bed. "Leah," I whispered. She was pacing around our room with her arms folded and she was shaking slightly. "Lee-Lee." I knew she was mad. It was obvious that she was mad. Seth Happy-Go-Lucky Clearwater, her own flesh and blood, had just beat up his girlfriend in front of everybody. His imprint. She'd drawn blood. He'd fractured her back bones. They didn't stop until Sam finally intervened. What would've happened if he didn't? "Leah," I tried again.
"Jacob, I'm going to go for a run. Embry and Mal are on patrol, I'll take one of their spots." She didn't wait for an answer and opened the window to jump out. I sighed gruffly and fell back onto the bed, putting my hands over my eyes. I had too much on my mind.
Seth.
Jazz.
And Dad wants me to become Alpha. That just adds to the chaos that is my life.
I groaned when the phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered hoarsely.
"Hi, Jakey! I just wanted to call you guys and tell you that Adam and I are in safely," Rebecca said from the other end. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "But...Is this a bad time?"
"No, no. There's just a lot going on right now, is all. I'm glad you guys made it."
"Yeah. We'll stop by tomorrow when we're rested and fed," she laughed.
"Okay. Have a nice sleep."
"You, too. Bye, Jake. Love you."
"Love you, too." I hung up and changed into a pair of sweats. Then I hopped into bed, wondering how Jazz and Seth were doing.
I wasn't mad, just disappointed. He knew better than that. Something was wrong.
I fell asleep, waking up a couple of times when Jayah cried.
By the next morning, I was pretty rested and left for work a little earlier than usual. I took Jayah and Kyle with me since Leah was still asleep. I put them into their car seats and started driving towards Emily's.
"There they are!" she exclaimed when I walked into her house. She took the two from me and set them in their playpen.
"They're already fed, so they shouldn't be hungry until lunchtime," I explained. She smiled at me and wrapped one of her arms around her body, then brushed some hair out of her face revealing those three long scars. "Have you heard from Seth or Jazmyn at all? I heard about what happened yesterday. Sam was pretty heated." I shook my head and rubbed the back of my neck.
"No. But I'm gonna' go by Sue's later on to talk to him. I don't know what happened, but it must've been pretty bad to make him beat on Jazz like that."
"From what I heard, Jazmyn got more hits on him that he did on her." I nodded.
"Yeah. He was in pretty bad shape when we finally got them."
"I just didn't expect him to do that. It shocked me."
"It shocked everyone. And Jazz phasing just added to the fire."
"She phased?" I nodded. She was silent for a few seconds. "You know Marie's gotten worse?"
"What? But she was getting better. Her hair was growing back and she looked healthy."
"When was the last time that you saw her?"
"Uhh...Sunday."
"She went into the hospital on Monday. She's not allowed to go home. It'll make her sicker." I was quiet. How could this have happened so fast?
"But Jazmyn...She's fine when I talk to her - with an exception to yesterday, she's all happy like nothing's wrong."
"She's a good actress. She doesn't want to be all emotional in front of you guys."
"Do you know if Seth knows?" She shrugged.
"I'll call her and ask her to stop by. She should be at home, anyway. Then I'll talk to her." I nodded and turned to go. She stopped me. "Jake, things are going to get better. Okay? I know they will. It always does. We just need to have faith." I nodded and kissed her cheek. "Bye, Jake. Stay safe, got that?" I chuckled and left.
As I drove to the Garage, I passed Sue's house. I slowed down a little, considering if I should go in or not. Deciding not to, I sped up and made it to work just before eight. The guys greeted me as I came in. They had the radio playing - they always had it on.
"Hey," Jared said. He threw an oil can at me. "We gotta' finish up the Wattersons' SUV, remember? They're stopping by at noon to pick it up."
We got to work and had it finished well before noon. I took a break and rested the towel across my shoulders.
"How do you think they're doing?" Embry asked, carrying a tire across the garage. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was talking about Seth and Jazz.
"Dunno. Why do you think he did that?" Darren asked. "Jazmyn's too sweet and energetic to punch." I thought about it, then it dawned on me. Could it be his new meds? He'd had a doctor's appointment yesterday, I knew that much. Maybe he had given him some new medicine. It had to be some sort of side affect, or something.
Anger problems.
That could be a side effect, right?
"Knock, knock," someone said, walking in. Rebecca!
"Becks!"
"Becky!"
"'Sup, Rebecca?"
My sister waved to everyone with a huge smile on her face. She ran and hugged me, then hugged the rest of the guys. Darren cocked his head to the side in curiosity.
"Rebecca, this is Darren," Sam said, gesturing to his half-brother.
"Oh, I know him. I used to see him around during the..." She trailed off when she locked eyes with him. Darren's eyes widened and he dropped his wrench. I held my breath. He just imprinted. On my sister.
My going-to-get-hitched-in-a-few-months sister.
The guys seemed to forget that flaw and patted Darren on his back. His smile only widened, and Rebecca turned away.
"Yeah. I used to see him around during the summer when he came to visit you, Sam." She placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. This was something she did when she was nervous or didn't know what to do. She knew about us, and she knew about imprinting. I know that she knows that Darren had imprinted on her. No doubt about it. "Uhh, I'm gonna' go. I promised Rachael I'd stop by and keep her company. I'll see you at Jake's house later, right?" The guys nodded and I kissed her cheek.
"Bye, Becca." She waved at everyone, avoiding eye contact with Darren. She waved once more then left. Darren watched her go with a sad look on his face.
"Darren..." I shook my head. "Y'know she's getting married in three months, right?"
"W-what?" he looked disappointed.
"Oh, crap. I forgot about that," Embry said. "Sorry, Man."
"Just because she loves someone else, doesn't mean that I can't love her," Darren muttered. He walked into the office part of the shop.
"Damn, I feel bad for the guy," Paul shook his head. We went back to work after that, but then Paul stopped suddenly about an hour later. His cell phone rang and he answered it quickly. "Rach, what's wrong?" I stopped working and looked at him, as did everyone else. A smile formed on his face, then was replaced by worry. "O-okay. Is Rebecca there with you...? Good. Put her on the phone..." He waited a couple of seconds. "...Rebecca? How long have you been there...? Do you know how far apart they are...? WHAT?" I could hear my sister on the other side.
"It broke! Her water broke! It's all over the floor!" she was screaming. "Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! I do not know how to deliver a baby! Let alone freaking triplets!" I snatched the phone out of Paul's hand.
"Rebecca, you need to calm down. Get her to the hospital, Paul and I will be there soon."
"Okay."
"Tell Rach to hold on until we get there."
"Dunno about that, Little Brother. But I'll tell her to try." She hung up and I threw the phone back at Paul.
"Let's go, Big Guy," I commanded. Rachael was almost like Leah. I guess it's some kind of wolf thing that makes them go into labor early. Damn, she must be in a lot of pain right now.
"Good luck, Pauly!" Embry yelled after us. He was laughing.
Paul and I drove to the hospital...Well, I drove. Paul had his head in his hands and was leaning back on the seat. When we got there, we rushed in and to the front counter.
"Hi, do you have an appointment?" the lady asked nicely.
"Rachael Black. Is she here?" I asked.
"I don't know."
"She's having triplets right now. Mine. Is. She. Here?" Paul growled.
"I think...But you're going to need to fill out some papers first," the lady said. She took out a stack of documents and handed them to Paul. He took them, ripped them up, then threw it behind his back.
"We don't have time for that! I'm going to ask you again: Is. She. Here?" The lady sputtered and no sound came out of her mouth.
"Nice going, Paul. You sent the poor woman into shock," I said sarcastically.
"Jacob! Paul!" I turned around and Rebecca was running towards us. She started dragging us down the hallway and into a room. Rachael was on the bed, sweating up a storm. Leah was next to her. Every contraction she had, she bit her lip and squeezed Leah's hand. I was surprised she wasn't screaming. "Rachael, Paul's here." Paul rushed to his imprint's side and took Leah's place. Carlisle walked in after that.
"You made it just in time, Paul. She's about ready to start pushing."
"She's gonna' deliver triplets...Through...?" I stuttered. "Damn."
"This is no time for questions, Jake! Get them out! GET THEM OUT!" Rachael was definitely screeching like a banshee now.
Ha, ha. Only my sister.
Carlisle and a group of nurses came forward and started prepping Rachael. I dragged Leah out of the room.
Once you've seen one birth, you've seen them all.
We waited patiently in some not-so-comfortable seats. I looked up when I heard a cry.
"Yes!" Leah cheered. She started to stand up.
"She still has two more to go, Leah."
"Aww..." she pouted and leaned on my shoulder. I didn't hear any other cries after that. Even the first one wasn't crying anymore. I started to worry. After that, everything seemed to happen so fast. Three nurses rushed out of their room, running down the hall with three little bassinets. About three other nurses rushed after them with a bed. I caught a glimpse of Rachael. Then Paul rushed out, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"What? What happened?" Leah asked.
"They stopped breathing," he answered quietly.
"But they're going to be okay, right?" Leah asked. "Right?"
"They don't know. Even Carlisle seemed a little doubtful."
"What about Rach?" I asked worriedly.
"She started hemorrhaging. I feel so bad because the triplets are stronger than her. She looked so dead when they were finally out." Rebecca walked out, then. Leah hugged her and I patted Paul's shoulder.
We all sat around the waiting room for hours. Paul's head was in his hands, and Rebecca had long since left to go share the news to Dad. Leah had to go back to her nursing thing, so that left me alone.
"Rachael Black?" someone said suddenly. Paul and I stood up with lightning speed. The nurse smiled. "She's ready for you. We got the hemorrhage under control and she's as good as new. We're gonna' keep her here for a while to be sure, but other than that, she's all better. Would you like to see her?"
Thank the Lord!
"My kids. What happened to my kids?" Paul demanded.
"They're in the NICU right now, I'm afraid. You can't see them right now. They're in critical condition. But you can still see Mrs. Black." Paul looked at me and I nodded, then he nodded at the nurse. "Right this way, then." She led the two of us down a long hallway and then to another room. Rachael was in there asleep. The nurse nodded at us and then left. Paul rushed to his imprint's side and brushed her hair back. She opened her eyes and smiled tiredly. Paul kissed her forehead tenderly and Rachael closed her eyes again.
"How're my babies?" she whispered.
"They won't let us see them," replied Paul.
"...Are they okay?"
"The doc say's they're in 'critical condition.'" A couple of tears slid from Rachael's cheeks and Paul wiped them away. "Don't cry, Rach. Please?" His voice quivered.
"Do you think we'll be able to see them soon?"
Paul hesitated before replying, "Yeah." Rachael smiled at his reply and nestled back into her bed.
"You should've seen your face when you first walked in," Rachael teased quietly. Paul laughed, and I decided that was my note to leave. I walked out of the room and into the hallway, pausing for a second when I saw Jazmyn.
"Hey, Jazz." She looked at me and smiled.
"Hey, Jake." She was holding her mom's hand. Marie's hair looked thin and wispy, even though it had seen it all done up just on Sunday. Dark circles were under her eyes and she looked sick. But she was still beautiful. She held a long rod with a water packet hooked to it. "I'm just taking Mom for a little walk." Marie smiled at me.
"Hello, Jacob."
"Hi, Marie. You look pretty today." Marie laughed and a little color flooded to her cheeks.
"Thanks. How's my little Jewel doing? I haven't seen her in a while."
"Great. She's teething, and sure is making a big fuss over it."
"And my Pack? My little boys?" she asked. Marie had become another mother to the Pack. And she treated all of us like we were her own children.
"Great. Great." I glanced at Jazmyn and she looked away.
"Why are you here, Jake?" Jazmyn asked. We were walking slowly down the hallway.
"Rach just had the triplets a few hours ago. But they're not looking so hot."
"Aww..." Jazmyn's bottom lip poked out. I noticed a small scar on her cheek, and thought back to yesterday. I shook it off.
Marie reached into her housecoat and pulled out a small paper flower. "I make these for my 'neighbors,'" she said, referring to the patients in the next rooms around her. "Give it to Rachael for me? I want her to get better." Marie gave me a wide grin, and I couldn't help but have my eyes fill with tears. Her smiles made her whole face light up, and it would hurt me to see her go.
"Thanks." I took the little flower from her. "Sorry, but I gotta' go now. I'll see you guys later, okay?" Jazmyn nodded and continued walking down the hall. Marie turned and waved at me, giving me a huge grin as she did so.
"Stop by and see me sometime. Bring my Jewel with you," she called. Jazmyn nodded and laughed. I laughed, too. I memorized her face, considering that this might be one of the last times that I'll see her.
I stood in the spot for about a minute after that, even though Jazz and Marie had disappeared. I started back down the hall, stopping to drop off the paper flower to Rachael. Then I left. Leah was already gone, so I headed back home, knowing that the Garage was closed.
I stopped by Sue's, though. I needed to talk to Seth. I knocked once and walked in. A game was on the TV and Seth was laid on the couch, staring at it blankly. Food was being made in the kitchen and Sue shouted a greeting to me when she saw who I was.
"Hi, Jacob. Would you like some stir fry?" She held up the spoon she was holding. Then she whispered, "He won't eat. All this food's going to waste; I don't even know why I'm cooking. He won't sleep, either. I'm starting to feel a little bad for yelling at him yesterday." I looked back to the living room. The Cardinals had just scored a home run and the kid wasn't even cheering for them.
The Cardinals was his favorite team.
"Can I...?" I gestured towards Seth and Sue nodded with a shrug.
"Be my guest." I walked towards Seth and sat on the floor next to his face. He didn't acknowledge my presence and kept staring at the screen blankly. I watched the game, too.
"So are you gonna' yell at me?" Seth asked quietly. "I'm waiting. I'll just add you to my list of people that hate me right now. Everyone does. There's no point in even being here anymore."
"Don't say that, Bud."
"Too bad. I just did. Leah hates me. The guys hate me. Mom. The Cullens. Even Evangeline. The Imprints...Me. I hate myself pretty bad right now."
"You should. But don't beat yourself up over it. What made you so mad in the first place? I've never seen you that heated before. You were cussing her out, practically. She was, too." Seth sighed.
"Aecia Southbrooke," he said suddenly.
"A chick at your school?" Seth nodded.
"She kissed me. And my mind went blank. I finally registered what was happening and pushed her away. But not soon enough. Jazz was there." He looked at me. "She started screaming 'I hate you' over and over again. She wouldn't let me explain."
"Okay...But why'd you start hitting her?"
"I just got mad. Furious. I dunno. First, I was sad. Then, just as quick, I got really, really mad. Everywhere I looked, I was seeing red. I don't know what did it...The fact that she won't believe me? Maybe. But before I knew what was happening, I'd slapped her. And I didn't feel any regrets. Then she slapped me back. And we started fighting. I called her a bitch. I commented meanly on her brain. I tried to get her to phase..." he looked away. "I said so many things. Now I can't take them back and she hates me. She wanted me dead. She tried to choke me to death, Jake." He rubbed his neck, and I saw little fingernail prints on it. The same prints were on his cheek. "I wouldn't be surprised if everyone else wanted me dead, too. I'm a horrible, horrible person."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am. And do you know how bad my chest hurts right now? I feel like someone's stabbing me over and over again and won't stop. I can't even be close to my imprint to make the pain go away!" He didn't talk anymore after that and turned back to the game. Again, he stared blankly. He rubbed his chest with his hand, moving it in short robotic movements.
I felt horrible for the kid. He's slowly caving into himself and practically dying from the inside out. He's so skinny. He was already thin before, and is only getting thinner. Dangerously. He had big dark circles under his eyes which were rimmed with red from crying.
I couldn't help but feel protective of him. Then again, everyone's like that. As soon as you meet Seth, you want to protect him. He was everyone's baby brother.
I sat there for a few more minutes before leaving. I rubbed his shoulder as I walked out the door and called my goodbye to Sue.
I drove slowly to my house. I needed to talk to Jazmyn. She'd listen to me. I know she will.
0000000000000000000000000
"No! I'm not going to!" Jazmyn whisper-yelled at me. It's been about two days since I had talked to Seth and now I was talking to Jazmyn. We stood outside one of the play rooms in the hospital. Marie was in there, singing to the Forks' sick children. Her voice was beautiful, and would make anyone passing by stop and stare. Marie held Jayah in her arms and my daughter giggled and laughed as Marie tickled her between the words of her songs. "He cheated on me right in front of my face, Jacob!"
"But it's not like that. I talked to him."
"How do you know he's not lying?" she crossed her arms. "He's doing that a lot. And he's hiding things from me, too."
"Hmm...Kind of like you?"
"What?"
"Did you tell him about Marie?" I asked, cocking my head. Jazmyn looked away and pursed her lips. She shook a little, took some deep breaths, and then stopped. "No. You didn't."
"Jake...Just...Stay out of this, okay? I'll forgive him when I want to forgive him." She turned on her heel and walked into the playroom. She sat next to her mom and watched her sing. I looked around the room. About seven children - four little girls and three boys - sat around Marie's feet as she sang to them. They were all bald, and one of the girls had a long rod with a water packet at the top like Marie's. She stuck out the most and I watched her. Her bare head was covered with a colorful scarf, and she wore big white bunny slippers. She had a russet skin tone like mine, and she was grinning the widest. She had big brown eyes and long eyelashes, and looked about twelve. Suddenly she looked at me and cocked her head with a smile. She stood up and walked towards me, pulling her little rod with her.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi." She held out her small hand and I shook it.
"Miracle Rose. But Rose will do."
"Jacob." She turned back to Marie and then looked at me again.
"It's amazing. The beautiful voice that God gave her." I smiled at her.
"Yeah. Sure is." Marie sang some more, a wide grin on her face as she did so. "How old are you, Rose?"
"I'm thirteen." Miracle Rose was really short to be thirteen. At the most, she was probably only 4'11''.
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure."
"Why are you talking to me? Ever heard of 'never talk to strangers?'"
"That's two, Jacob." I looked back down at the little girl. She was giving me a teasing smile and I chuckled.
"Yeah. I guess it is."
"I'll answer them, anyway. I believe that strangers are just friends that we haven't met yet. Wonderful, kindred spirits. Don't you love that? Kindred spirits...? Anne uses that phrase a lot in Anne of Green Gables. That's one of my favorite stories." Miracle Rose sighed and looked up. "Have you ever read it, Jacob?"
"No. I don't think so."
"It's just wonderful." We were quiet for a few moments. "Oh, yeah! Your other question!" Miracle Rose laughed. "I'm talking to you because I like you. You seem wise and strong. Like a leader."
Humph. Something that I'm still not sure I want to be.
"Thanks, Rose. By the way, you have a cool name."
"Thank you. It was my mom's idea. The night I was born, they said I wasn't going to live through the night. I was too small. Too frail. But I showed them all. I was a miracle. A beautiful flower - a rose, even. Miracle Rose." The little girl took my breath away. She was so sweet, and it kind of hurt me to see her like this. Would she die soon? Would Marie? All the other little kids in the playroom? "Can I ask you a question, Jacob?"
"Mhm."
"Do you believe in miracles?" she whispered hopefully. Her brown eyes glistened, and she smiled widely. I couldn't say no...
"Yeah. I do." I glanced at Jayah. She let out some more giggles and it made me grin wider than I already was.
"Is she your daughter?"
"Yep."
"And proud of it." She laughed and I laughed with her. "She's gorgeous, and looks like you. Oh, she has beautiful hair. So silky and coal black. It must be a joy just to brush it."
"I actually don't know. Leah, my fiancé, is the one that plays around with her hair."
"Oh, I know Miss Leah. She's the one that lets me take walks outside when I'm not supposed to. She's probably the kindest nurse that I've ever known in my days here." Miracle Rose was looking at Marie as she said this, and now looked up at me with her usual wide grin. "You're lucky to have such beautiful ladies, Jacob. Your daughter and Miss Leah. Very lucky."
"I know. Maybe a little too lucky." Miracle Rose giggled.
"Walk with me to my room?" she asked. I nodded and we proceeded slowly down the hallway.
"How long have you been here, Rose?"
"Five months, three days." I glanced at her. "I've been counting."
"That's a pretty long time."
"Yes, but it's been longer. My family move around a lot because my parents are always trying to find someone that can fix me. Make me better." The smile on her face never left. "When they heard about Carlisle, Forks' 'miracle doctor', they couldn't resist. We moved here, and this is where I've been ever since."
"Carlisle's a good friend of mine. Your parents were smart to move here."
"Yes, they were. I feel like I'm getting better with each passing day. Even though..." Her smile never faltered. "Even though I know it's not true." We stopped outside a door. The room was filled with rose bouquets and big, bright balloons. A giant teddy bear laid across the bed and some picture frames lined the side tables. But I couldn't get what Miracle Rose had just said. She knew it wasn't true?
"Rose..."
"It's okay, Jacob. God has kept me alive this long. I have faith in him." She started walking through the door, and then stopped and turned to me again. She gestured me down, and I crouched so that I was at her level. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Do me a favor: don't forget me. Remember me kindly, Jacob." She kissed my cheek and I smiled sadly.
"I'll never forget you, Miracle Rose." She gave me one last giggle and walked the rest of the way into her room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Walking back to the playroom, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I'd only known Miracle Rose for about six minutes, and yet she'd already made such an impact on me. I'd never forget the way she laughed or the way she smiled, even when there was nothing to smile about. I'd never forget how she always looked forward to the future and just lived, even though her future would most likely be cut short. Rose was the type of person that I wanted to be...
Weird, huh? She's five years younger than me and way shorter. Yet, I still looked up to her as if she was a famous role model.
I'll never forget how she made me decide what I was going to tell my father when I visited him tonight...
00000000000000000000000000000
"You're sure."
"Yes, sir."
"Your decision is made?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright then." Dad sat back in his wheel chair and turned his head to Sam, who sat up a little straighter. "The ceremony will be held tomorrow. You two may go now." I watched as Dad rolled to his room. And I let out a sigh, glad that that was over with.
"I'm glad you've made up your mind, Jake. What made you finally decide that you wanted to become Alpha?" I sighed and smiled.
"It may sound crazy, but...A little girl got me to do it."
"What? Claire? Jayah?"
"No...Her name's Miracle Rose. She's thirteen, and a cancer patient at the hospital."
"Some name."
"I know. She's amazing, Sam. You gotta' meet her."
"Maybe. She made that much of an impact on you, huh?" I nodded.
"I'll never forget her."
There's Chapter 41! I still can't believe how fast I finished it! Review, please!
~SashaFierce12.0