~A/N So yeah, I've been off my game. I'll try and do better. If you sent me a little note this week, I really appreciate that. It's super encouraging, never a bother even you know who that PM's almost daily. LOL! You know who you are.

Chapter 31: Opposition

Her legs felt like mush. She didn't stand long in the shower spray before sinking down to a squatting position. Bella held her legs a little while until she eventually collapsed down on her bottom. She looked up and let the water hit her in the face, so she'd never know how many tears actually fell from her eyes. She had to wash it all away, but it didn't seem to be working. She couldn't stop feeling Jake, his hands all over her, his mouth against hers.

She didn't have much hot water left since Barry took a shower first, so she soon hit the water off and watched the rest of the residual water drain down the tub. Over thirteen months of progress essentially washed down the drain. It was all a lie. She made herself believe she didn't need him like she thought she did in his hotel room the night everything changed. It would never stop, no matter what she tried. He was jealous of Mack and there was absolutely no reason. Bella didn't tell him half the time at dinner she struggled not to lose her meal. He was nice, she could tell he was working the charm full force, but anytime he was flirty, she got physically ill. The mark. What the other imprints told her was true. The lightning didn't come down, but something was taking place from within: irritation, frustration, nausea, and a overall feeling of malaise.

She didn't have a miserable time by any means. If Mackenzie was less pushy and only acting friendly, she was fine, but every time the sneaky sly moves started, she wanted to scream. Touching. That was the worst. His hands on her gave her the heebie jeebies. Jacob's hands on her were an entirely different sensation. She had to be the most shameful slut around, 'touch me.' She practically begged for a married man to touch her.

Bella meant what she said, this living situation was over. She was getting out of there as soon as possible. She was happy Barry had a good time with Collin, but what a night for him to be so inebriated, he couldn't make sense. She needed his sound advice, no matter that he'd already given it and she totally ignored his warnings. She struggled not to be completely consumed with narcissism. Barry couldn't put his life on hold to deal with her crap every single day. He'd already moved for her, took excellent care of her son. What more did she wish to ask of him?

Bella slipped on some cotton yoga pants and an over-sized sleep shirt. She found Barry passed out in her bed, so she was going to the couch. It wasn't because Jake said so either. She really couldn't be close to anyone right now after what happened. Of course, Atticus was different. She thought how he'd had a bad night. Strange, could their small child sense that everything wasn't as it should be? She needed to see him, touch him once before attempting to sleep. Jacob said he didn't eat enough, so chances were that he was not sleeping all night anyway. She had been full too, so once she kicked Jake out, she pumped while Bar was in the shower.

Bella slid the door quietly that led into Atticus's space. The first thing she noticed was a restless sort of breathing. Maybe he was already awake. She took a step towards his bed, he was moving his head around and she distinctly heard some congestion that had not been evident early that day. Poor baby. He must be coming down with a cold. That was why he was cross with Jake. Was she that dumb, she didn't realize her son was getting sick? She immediately stop berating herself as the worst mother ever when she remembered he was at the pediatrician's office two days prior and he gave him a clean bill of health. The cold must have come on quickly, so she could hardly blame herself for that.

She struggled with the decision of fully waking him and seeing if she could ease his congestion somehow. She'd read the baby books, so maybe there were a few remedies that could help him. Bella reached for her son. He whimpered as soon as her fingers grazed his cheek.

Oh my goodness. He was so warm. She didn't hesitate to lift him from the crib. Maybe her fingers weren't an accurate way to tell, especially since she'd recently been so close with his father, considering how hot he ran. Bella pressed her cheek against Atticus's forehead, still so hot. He was awake, but barely making a peep. She was used to his strong lungs letting her know when he was hungry or uncomfortable about anything.

She walked into the bedroom. "Bar."

Barry didn't move. He wasn't going to be any help in his condition, so she grabbed a blanket to shield Atticus from the night air, stuffed her wallet and cell phone in the baby's bag and started down to the garage. She looked at the door that led to the walkway. She had to get Jacob. For one, she felt too unnerved to drive and she wasn't even sure where she should be taking him. Bella left the bag on the car's hood and headed to the side door of the house. That was the door with the combination, but Jacob was most likely awake. It hadn't been that long since he left. She knocked at first and waited. No one made a noise and she honestly had no idea what the set up was inside. Maybe the bedroom was clear across the other side of the house. She could call him, but she realized she'd left her phone in the bag.

He gave her the code for emergencies. Their son was burning up with fever and listless, that constituted an emergency in her book, so she punched in the numbers to unlock the deadbolt. As soon as she pushed inside, a shrill chime sounded from a blinking panel on the wall. If they were sleeping, then surely that alerted them someone was inside.

It took her only a few seconds to realize the chime wasn't the only sound in the background. There was soft music playing coming from a hidden source, but there was so much more involved. The living area was lit with candles as well. What in the hell was she walking in on? The atmosphere was clearly romantic, but she couldn't allow her mind to go there. Would Jake step out of her room straight into his own with Kaleigh? Maybe he was that frustrated, they were interrupted and she hadn't reciprocated. This was all a giant mistake. She should turn around and scream for Leah instead. She would alert her alpha there was an emergency. Bella had no business ever walking in their home. She clutched Atticus a little tighter and turned around.

"Bella," he shouted from across the room. Jacob rushed over to the panel and punched in some numbers. "What's wrong?" He was fully dressed so maybe she was wrong with her initial assumptions. He didn't wait for her answer. He pulled back the blanket. "What's wrong with him?"

Kaleigh came into view next. She, on the other hand was not fully dressed. She was wearing something very alluring, but was making a point of covering up with a long, silky white robe. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing, breaking in here? I should call the cops."

"Quiet!" Jacob yelled at her. "Bells, why does he look like that?"

"I don't know, he's really sick. I think we should take him to a doctor, but I don't know where to go."

"Calm down. It's going to be fine." Jacob turned around and told Kaleigh he was taking them to the hospital. She surprised Bella by coming forward and reaching out to touch the baby.

Kaleigh gasped, "He's so hot. He was fine earlier, but then he did get super cranky. It wasn't like him. Wait, I can change and go with you."

Jacob told her to stay since she had lots of work the next day and that he'd call her when they knew something. He walked Bella and Atticus out to her car since his car seat was in there. She buckled him in and sat in the back. Jacob stuck his head outside the door. Bella saw a glimpse of Leah. He'd whistled for her when they were on the walkway.

They started driving. He told her he was going to the the hospital that was a little further because he'd done some research and found out they had the best pediatric department. Jacob truly was a great father. Bella hadn't even thought about researching the local hospitals when she first moved there.

"Bells, about what you saw... "

"Please, just drive, get us there as fast as you can safely. I don't want to talk about it. He's all I can think about right now."

"I know, but... "

"Please don't. I can't, okay."

They drove a few more minutes. Jacob told her he remembered Rachel talking about something similar one time with Sage. "Little kids spike fevers sometimes. It turned out to be a virus. I'm sure he'll be fine as soon as it runs it's course."

"I know, but he seems so pitiful and he's so young. I'm really scared. How did I miss this?"

"You don't think I feel bad too. What if my insane temperature kept me from knowing how hot he was getting? I should've known something wasn't right. I was too preoccupied with your stupid date."

"We shouldn't blame ourselves. He was fine at his checkup."

"Yeah, I bet some germ filled kid was in the room or something before us. Do you think they sanitize between patients?"

She was sure they did. Talking to him distracted her some and Atticus was sleeping again. He seemed a little better in his car seat. The upright position had helped his breathing.

"She blindsided me."

Bella didn't respond. She told him she didn't want to talk about it, but maybe she needed to listen.

"I mean it. I need you to know that much, I would never. I mean, you and I were, well, you know... then I went home expecting to go to the guest room where I've been banished this entire time. She and I are not that way anymore. We've had problems our entire marriage, or I have."

She remembered something Edward said about that too, which was extremely weird for him to bring up.

"Okay, it shouldn't be any of my business."

"Yeah, well it kinda is your business and we both know why. I've been pretending for a long time and I honestly have no idea why or what I was trying to prove. I know I've acted like a dumbass. Believe me, I hear it almost everyday, by my pack, our dads, the council. I wanted to prove them all wrong, but how can I when they're right? Also, I don't know why I've waited so long to spit it out, but I'm divorcing her."

"Jake... " Bella saw the emergency room lights right after his declaration. They both stopped talking.

He pulled in and found a spot. He reached in for the seat. She grabbed the bag. Jacob put his free arm around her. "Let's take care of our son. You're right, everything else can wait."

Bella was about to lose her mind waiting, but at least they'd gotten to Atticus quickly. He was top priority because of his age and high temperature. The pediatrician on call quickly noted his breathing was a little labored, so he ordered a breathing treatment. He also had double ear infections. The high fever was cause for concern so they started an IV to keep him from being dehydrated. He'd ordered some blood work but all signs pointed to an upper respiratory infection. RSV was especially bad for young infants. They tried to reassure her, they caught it early.

She sat nestled into Jacob's side in a private waiting area. Atticus had actually perked up a little. He was finally having a feeding. "Told you he'd be fine."

"We're still waiting on the blood tests."

"It's a virus, Bells. The doctor said so."

"He said most likely." She couldn't help worrying, her child had gone from perfectly fine to extremely ill to showing huge signs of improvement in only a few hours. Her mind was all over the place. What if Atticus had a mysterious illness? She couldn't help wondering if this was Karma. Bella said so to Jake and he quickly disputed her theory.

"He's an innocent baby, Bells. Our personal mistakes didn't cause this. Kids get sick. That's life."

She knew he was being the rational one, but she'd just let a married man give her an orgasm. There had to be some repercussions to that. They couldn't just get away with it. The universe didn't work that way. Did it?

After a quick rap at the door, the doctor stuck his head inside. "Mr. and Mrs. Black," Bella felt Jacob squeeze her shoulder, but neither of them disputed the mistake. "You ready to get this little guy home?"

Bella was so relieved. He went ahead to explain, Atticus did have a virus. He told her not to worry too much about the ears, but she explained how Renee told her she'd had tubes as a toddler. He said they would wait and see. He suspected Atticus could easily grow out of his ear problems. He was giving him a dose of antibiotics in the IV to clear up the infection. The virus would run it's course. He was giving them a prescription for a nebulizer in case he started wheezing again. The doctor complimented them for being so conscientious. He was confident they could care for their son at home, some cases were much worse and required hospitalization.

They weren't going to have to wait much longer. Once, the medicine was finished and the paperwork completed, they were going home. When they were alone again, she asked Jacob why he didn't speak up.

"About what? He covered all my questions thoroughly."

"He thinks we're married."

"So. I'm sure it was a simple mistake. He's a busy doctor, you think he has time to read about our marital status?"

Hearing the slip up did weird things to her, but she tried to blow it off like he had. Jacob asked to hold his son to see if he could get him to sleep. Now that she wasn't so worried, Bella started feeling how tired she was as well. Jacob told her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Close your eyes for a minute Bells. Leah's already alerted the guys. Collin doesn't expect you to go in." Jake said he had to work some, but he was going to try and take the afternoon off. She knew he desperately wanted to talk and if she wasn't so tired, she was almost just as anxious to start, but they could wait. Obviously, they'd waited for a long time to get it all off their chests.

Bella was surprised she actually drifted off, but when someone knocked again, she had trouble coming around. Of course, she thought it was the doctor or a nurse, someone with the paperwork.

Jacob's voice shocked her, "Kaleigh."

Bella snapped to attention, pulled away from Jacob as quick as she possibly could which no doubt made her look even more guilty. She was guilty with good reason.

"I just couldn't sleep. I was worried."

She said she got his message, but she'd planned in going in her office early, so she got up and came there first. Atticus was on his father's chest sound asleep. Jacob told her in great detail what the doctor told them. Kaleigh, honestly seemed concerned. Bella felt out of place the whole time Jacob discussed things with his wife. She couldn't make eye contact but then if she didn't, wouldn't they make her look like she was hiding something?

"He looks so much better and he seems pretty content right now. I'm so glad." The nurse came in to remove the IV which woke him up, so Bella offered to take him. She nudged Jacob, maybe he needed to speak to Kaleigh in private.

Before they stepped out, Bella got the courage to say something. "Thanks for checking on him."

Kaleigh halfway smiled and she realized it was the first non-hostile moment between them.

Maybe Jacob was acting in haste. Bella was more conflicted than ever. She didn't want to be the deciding factor behind the demise of Jacob's marriage. She, no doubt played a part. It was stupid to try and deny that, but for some reason, she got the feeling there was more to the story. Bella saw first hand what a bitch Kaleigh could be, but there was reason for that. He swore in the beginning she was different and Bella just caught a glimpse of a another side to Kaleigh and her guilt had never been more real. Given all the circumstances of the last few weeks, could they even trust that Kaleigh's niceties didn't have ulterior motives beneath them?

Now that her son was much better, it was easier to recall the romantic scene she intruded on. Jacob admitted they weren't sleeping together. She assumed that was as long as she'd been back in his life. That was a long time for a man to go without sex. Actually, that was a long time for any healthy person that was accustomed to being intimate with their partner. Of course, Bella was different. She could shut that part off for incredibly long lengths of time. Then again, that's what got her into trouble more than once with Jacob, being so deprived, so starved for that connection, but it was only with him, that she caved. Maybe Kaleigh was about to combust, she was in close proximity to Jacob more than anyone. It was strange to Bella that this night was when it happened. She was out with Mackenzie and Kaleigh enjoyed a night with Jacob and Atticus. That was enough to push Kaleigh into a romantic mood?

The more minutes that passed, the harder she thought about all the possibilities. Also, the longer he was gone talking to Kaleigh, the more she worried he was actually changing his mind. Which was it? She didn't want him to act hastily and end his marriage or she desperately wanted him to close that chapter. It would take all her willpower to stand firm. If Jake broke up with Kaleigh permanently, that couldn't mean he and Bella would jump right into where they left off. They had to start a new story, because the old one was riddled with mistakes and errors. She honestly didn't know if they had a chance, but only a few hours before, she never even considered that possibility. She was wavering between hopeful and a state of despair, an emotional purgatory. So much was changing or maybe some things were always going to be exactly the same and that was truly the most frightening part of it all.

~Thanks for reading.