Ten

Find Out

Bella noticed three things when she woke up. The first was that it was insanely bright. She hated the sun first thing in the morning – even if it was a rarity in Washington. The second that it was hot. Wasn't it fall now? It wasn't like La Push was known for its tropical weather in the summer, yet alone the fall. The third – and possibly most important – was that she was naked. Bella had never been one for sleeping in the nude, especially when Wyatt hit his talking stages and could outright ask her where her 'pee pee' went. But she wasn't at home – she realized as she peeled her eyes open. The memories from the previous night came flooding back, accompanied by a dull ache between her legs and across her shoulders where Paul's arm had acted as her pillow all night. Chocolate eyes fluttered upwards to his sleeping face as a light blush spread across her body. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her – not that she regretted it. She just didn't think the second time she had sex would be in the woods. She nearly scoffed at the thought. Perhaps she should have expected it. They were following a pattern it seemed – though thanks to her little white pill, it wouldn't be a complete repeat of the first time.

Her eyes moved across Paul's peaceful face – mentally noting that he looked younger when his features weren't settled in a scowl. From there, they drifted over his strong neck and broad shoulders – one of which nestled her head comfortably. They continued their journey over the taunt skin of his chest that gave way to abs so defined, she was sure she could literally wash clothes on them. They ended at a thin trail of black hair that disappeared beneath the sheet that covered them both.

"You checking me out, Swan?" Paul's voice was gravely and deep, sending a jolt of awareness to her sore center as she met those near-black eyes. They were heavily-lidded from only a few hours of sleep, but his full lips quirked up in amusement at the edges. He took a deep breath through his nose, half growing as she watched his pupils dilate. In one fluid movement that was almost too quick to catch, Paul was above her, hard between her legs. She moaned before she could stop it, but he didn't seem to mind. "You smell like sex and me." He growled in her ear before kissing the delicate skin of her neck. "It's fucking delicious."

His words should have been mortifying – after all, Bella was always self-conscious around the supernatural creatures that tended to find their way to her. Instead, it only seemed to heighten her awareness and egg her body on as they moved against each other in a mockery of what had transpired just hours before. "Paul…" She had meant to grab his attention, but it came out as a needy moan. "We can't…" She breathed as his pearly white teeth found the dip of her collarbone.

"I'm willing to test that theory." He pulled back to smile down at her with what could only be described as a predatory look.

"I'm sore… and Wyatt has his evaluation today…"

His shoulder's slumped, a serious expression marring his playful features. "Right…" He sighed and dipped his head to brush his lips against hers sweetly.

Despite their appointment, Bella and Paul had taken their time getting back to the house, Paul catching Bella every time she stumbled. Each time, his hands would linger just a bit longer on her hips or shoulders. Her body seemed so aware of his, and she knew that she was in trouble. Now that she had gotten a taste of what it could be like – what they could be like, she wasn't sure she could quit him. It reminded Bella of the time Edward had told her she was like a drug to him. She didn't understand it then – not really, but with Paul, she got it.

The only thing that was able to take her mind off the previous night was the homey office of Doctor Jared Wilks. He was a specialist based out of Port Angeles that Wyatt was referred to. Now that Wyatt was older, his doctor believed that they could get a better grasp on if he had autism or not. It had taken all of Bella's willpower to pick up the phone and set up the appointment. Part of her didn't want to know. She knew that no matter what the doctor had to say, it wouldn't change the way she saw her son… but it would change the way the world saw him, and that was a terrifying thought. She knew firsthand how unpredictable and scary the world could be, adding something like autism to the mix wouldn't help a kid who would grow up in the world of vampires and werewolves.

Bella picked at her nail polish as she watched the clock tick away over the ornate door embossed with the doctor's name. He had taken Wyatt in nearly an hour ago, and other than the occasional laugh, they hadn't heard much. A large, hot hand covered her own, stilling her movements. As her eyes met Paul's, she felt some of the tension ease away from her shoulders. No matter what, she wasn't in this alone. It was the sole comforting thought as a storm raged on inside of her.

"Relax, babe." Paul nearly whispered, his smile light. She could see the stress in his eyes too. "Whatever the doc has to say, we can handle it. The kid's got a whole pack for a family. He'll do just fine either way."

Bella sighed, twisting her hand to link it with his – the gesture small but comforting to them both. "I just… don't know how to tell him, if it's true. Most kids feel like they're on the outside growing up anyway, this will just solidify that for him. How do you explain to a child that they're different?" Her voice broke as she fought back tears.

"Different isn't bad." Paul squeezed her hand. "It's worked out pretty well for me." He gave her a crooked smile as the door opened.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lahote – we're ready for you." She didn't bother correcting the doctor as she stood. It was an easy enough mistake to make. She had made sure Wyatt bore Paul's last name so that he would have that connection to him – a fact that moved Paul to stunned silence the first time he saw it on the paperwork. "Your son has quite the talent for art." Doctor Wilks offered with a smile as Wyatt absentmindedly scribbled across the coloring book the doctor had provided.

"He didn't get it from me." Paul gave a half-hearted smile as they sat in the chairs across from the desk just as ostentatious as the door. "So what's the verdict, Doc?"

He hadn't let go of Bella's hand, which she was all the more thankful for when the doctor sighed lightly and removed his frameless glasses. "Wyatt is still young, and as I'm sure you know, there are no definitive tests that will tell us one way or another. Sadly, autism is on such a broad spectrum, the best I could do was assess him and tell you my findings." He paused, looking over hand-scribbled notes. "It is in my professional opinion that Wyatt does possess the signs associated with autism."

Bella was sure she heard her heart drop into her stomach. The only thing keeping her consciously present in the room was Paul's thumb moving lightly over the back of her hands. "Okay… what do we do?" He asked. For the first time since Bella met Paul, he seemed… small. Almost helpless. She hated that he was reduced to that, but it was in that moment that she realized just how much he loved Wyatt. No, she wasn't in this alone. She had a whole pack at her back – Wyatt had a whole pack on his team.

"As of right now, there isn't much to do. Like I said, he's still young, and the signs are minor. If I'm wrong – and I find in this job I often hope I am – he'll outgrow these limitations. As I've said, the symptoms seem to be minor, so I don't want to start pumping him full of medications at such a formidable age. I recommend behavioral therapy which my office provides. If you'd rather find a doctor closer to home, I can have a list made up of specialists I'd recommend. You'll have to monitor him at home between sessions. I suggest keeping a journal of any adverse behavior and changes in things like sleeping or eating patterns."

Bella released the lip that she hadn't realized she was biting until Wyatt came over and crawled on her lap – picture in hand. "And if the symptoms get worse?" She asked, wrapping her free arm around Wyatt as he started to talk about his drawing.

"I don't like to speak in hypotheticals, Mrs. Lahote. As I've said, Wyatt is a remarkable young man. You've both done a wonderful job with him. Something like autism might limit him in certain aspects in the future, but there is no reason Wyatt can't live a happy, normal life."

They didn't talk on the way home, or while Bella was making dinner for the three of them. There wasn't anything to say. She knew it was a possibility, and despite all the mental preparation, she was still… shocked. It wasn't an easy thing to hear, but they would get through it – if only for Wyatt's sake. It was only when their son fell asleep curled up on the floor in a nest of blankets, his alligator tucked neatly under his arm that Bella finally felt ready to talk about it.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" She asked with a sigh as she watched the light from the TV play over his face. She knew what Paul would say, but she still needed to hear it.

"Shit, yeah." He breathed out with a small laugh as he caught her gaze. "He's a Lahote. Lahote's always land on their feet." His hand moved to her temple, brushing her hair back from her face before cupping her cheek. It was a small gesture, but it instantly relaxed her body. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll have to be." She rose a hand to cover his own. "I just… I can't help but blame myself. I know it's stupid, and that it's not my fault… but I feel helpless. I'm his mother. I'm supposed to be able to protect him from the world, but I can't." Tears welled in her eyes as Paul pulled her into his chest. "I can't protect him and it makes me feel so helpless."

"I know, baby." He breathed, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "Trust me, I know. My whole existence is about protecting people, and I can't even insure that for my own son." She didn't have to see his face to know his teeth were clenched. "But we'll do the best we can. That kid is gonna be so fucking loved, he'll hate it." He breathed out a short laugh. "I can promise you that much."

AN: I want to apologize for how long this chapter took to get up! RL has been kicking my butt lately.

I know a lot of people wanted Bella to get pregnant again, but I think she (and all the wolf girls) would be pretty adverse to sex if they got pregnant even with protection lol. There might be more little Lahote's in the future, but right now, they've got their hands full. I've been playing around with the idea of establishing everything plot wise and then either doing a time jump or a sequel with an older Wyatt so we can actually incorporate him more into the story. That's all going to depend on how this plays out. I have a general idea of how I want parts of this to go, but right now I'm taking it chapter by chapter.

I wanted to touch on Wyatt since we broached a serious issue this chapter. Originally, when I wrote Wyatt, I wrote a lot of his mannerisms to be younger than he was. I don't have much experience with kids or toddlers, so Belladcmum set me straight and was a super big help with figuring that all out. I decided to explain away his behaviors by following the plot that he might have autism. Originally, I had planned on it turning out to be minor OCD and something that wouldn't really affect him later on, but then I read the comments. A lot of you have said that you deal with autism, and seeing that I started to research. I decided that it would be a cop out to explain it all away and pretend that everything was fine, because that's not real. Real life doesn't have picture-perfect families. Sometimes people deal with things like autism or OCD or depression, and no one talks about it because it's almost become sort of a taboo to admit that you have a problem mentally. It's not something tangible to those who don't possess it. I myself have OCD, which I couldn't begin to explain to someone that's never had to deal with it. I thought why shouldn't he have autism? Why would that be such a bad thing? He could still have a 'normal' life (whatever the hell normal is) and it's a group that you rarely see represented, especially in a positive light. So I decided that Wyatt was autistic. Not for plot, or to cover up my lack of knowledge, but because I wanted a real character with real challenges. I wanted representation for those of you that don't really get it, and I didn't want to glamorize it or make it this quirky thing. I wanted it to be a true representation of what it's like to live with this affliction that's neither horrible nor good – it just is. We'll see more of Wyatt's behavior spike here and there, but make no mistake, he's just a normal toddler that has a few extra challenges.

Finally, I want to invite you guys to my Pat reon (for some reason the word is banned on this site lol). By pledging $2 a month there, you can get access to chapters early, rants/personal thoughts and bonus scenes. That will start up on the next chapter, so it's brand new. Bonus scenes are little side scenes that don't really effect the plot of the story, but give you little tidbits of things that go on between chapters.

If you want to find my just go to pat reon and add / aliceatheartfanfiction