Disclaimer:
Paul: Donna does not own Twilight. But I do owe her a belated birthday lap dance.
AN: Sorry I wasn't able to update last week but I had a lot going on. Someone had a birthday this past Saturday. Guess who's thirty-:mumble: now? lol Hope all of you had a great Labor Day. And be prepared for Emo Paul...don't say that I didn't warn you.
No one wanted to get a phone call in the middle of the night. They could mean any number of things; none of them were good. Paul's phone rang at two 'o clock and he reached blindly for it, muttering a curse when it clattered to the floor, making Bo stand upright on the bed, eliciting a low growl. Like Paul, the dog didn't like being woken up from a dead sleep.
His fingers wrapped around the phone on the fourth and last ring. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness he tapped a few buttons until he reached his missed call list since the person hadn't left a message. Why had his dad called him in the middle of the night? There could only be one reason.
"Who was it?" Bella asked sleepily.
"Go back to sleep," he said before getting out of bed.
He shut the bedroom door once Bo had made his way out of the room. He dialed his dad's number, knowing what he would say. He had been right. His mom had died just before midnight and since Jay and Sadie were out of town Tom needed Paul to help him with the funeral arrangements. Paul dressed quickly and was out of the house without waking Bella up a second time.
He drove down the only road leading out of La Push with the wipers running as fast as they could go. The rain that was supposed to be days from reaching them had come earlier than planned. Even with the wipers, he couldn't see more than five feet in front of him. He gripped the wheel with white knuckles as the truck puttered down the road. The banging was louder than normal and he knew it wasn't just because of the rain. He would be lucky if he made it to the hospice.
Twenty-five minutes later the truck pulled into the hospice parking lot where it would stay until Paul called the junk yard to have it picked up. He pulled the collar of his jacket up and hunched farther into it to keep dry as he dodged rain puddles on his way inside. He found his dad in his mom's room, someone had already taken the body.
"I'm sorry for calling you, I didn't know who else to call," Tom said from the chair by the bed.
"Have you called Jay or Sadie?"
"Neither of them are answering their phones so I left them messages."
"Were you here when it happened?"
"No. Her doctor told me to go home and get some rest. I never should have left her," he said with a sigh.
"She was probably sleeping, she's been doing that a lot lately."
"Where's Bella?"
"At home, she has to work in the morning. She'll be the only one there so she to go in."
"Did you tell her?"
"No. I left as soon as I got off the phone with you."
Tom nodded, looking down at his hands. They had both known that she would die soon but they hadn't thought that she would die alone. Why hadn't his dad called him to stay with her? They were just starting to get to know each other again; now the only memories he would have of her were ones that he would rather forget. He had forgiven her, but he would never forget what she had done to him.
He sat on the couch on the opposite side of the room from Tom. Luckily, Tom had taken care of the people who needed to be contacted. He would call Sam's mom in the morning, she would want to be at the funeral. Marisol Miller's funeral would be a very small, dismal funeral that would go down in the record books.
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Bella had gotten a ride to work from Jacob and she had been able to catch her dad just as he was getting off of work at the same time she did. She was waiting outside when Charlie pulled up. She climbed into the cruiser, placing her head against the window before closing her eyes.
"You okay?"
"I'm just tired," she said quietly.
"You sure that's all that's wrong?"
"Pau took off with the truck in the middle of the night after he got a phone call. I haven't seen or heard from him since."
"Is it normal for him to do that?" he asked in concern.
"No," she said with a sigh.
"Did he have to work today?"
"Sam called at seven thirty this morning asking where he was. That's when I started calling him. I've left a message on his voice mail plus I've texted Tom and I still haven't heard anything," she said, her voice thin.
"Call him again."
"I called the hospice to see if they were there and they told me that his mom had died. I had missed Paul by twenty minutes. Sam told me that he was like this for months after his mom kicked him out. No one could get through to him. I can't deal with this for months," she said in a panicked tone.
"Do you want to stay with me until this is worked out?"
"I can't do that Dad," she said with a shake of her head.
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
"I don't see why not. You can't be by yourself right now," he argued.
"I can't think of myself right now."
"Why not?"
"Because I have to think about the baby too."
"What baby?" he asked, cutting his eyes to her as he parked in front of his condo.
"Your grandson or granddaughter," she said, looking out the window.
"You promised me that that wouldn't happen Bells," he said with an agonized sigh.
"Do you think that I don't know that Dad? It can't be helped now," she said as tears pooled in her eyes.
Charlie sighed once more before unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door. Bella followed suit, silently following him into the house. She didn't want to listen to him lecture her right now but she didn't have a choice. Sue looked between the two of them in confusion. Charlie's rage created a cocoon around him that no one wanted to be near. He went to his room and shut the door without acknowledging anyone.
Bella sat on the couch with her head bowed and her hands folded in her lap. Tears slowly streaked down her face as Sue looked on in concern.
"Hey mom, when is dinner gonna be ready?" Seth asked from the kitchen.
"Call and order a pizza; make it two," she said changing her mind.
Sue walked around the couch to sit next to Bella. She had a feeling she knew what was going on. She gathered Bella in her arms and Seth found them that way a few minutes later. He called Leah, not knowing what else to do. She promised that she'd be there in a few minutes.
"I'm going to find him and when I do I'm bashing his skull in," Charlie announced, stalking down the hall.
"What is that going to solve Charlie? Do you want her to be a single mother just because you can't control the situation?" Sue asked.
"I'll bring him back here. I can't lie and say that I won't rough him up a bit and not like it," Charlie said before shutting the front door.
Bella relaxed against Sue as the older woman rubbed her back in slow circles. Seth was still standing in the entry way when Leah came in. She sat on Bella's other side shaking her head in annoyance at Paul as her mom filled her in.
"No one has been able to get in touch with him," Sue explained.
"I know someone he won't ignore. Seth, call Jared and tell him to find out where Paul is," Leah ordered.
Seth did as he was told and Jared called him back less than five minutes later.
"He's at his dad's," Seth announced.
"I'll take you," Leah promised.
The ten minute ride to the other side of the reservation seemed like it took forever. Bella was silent as she got out of the car and Leah waited until Tom opened the door to let her inside before pulling out of the yard. Bella was the same age she had been when she had gotten pregnant with Sean. That fact hadn't gone unnoticed and she hoped that for Bella and the baby's sake that Paul decided to pull his head out of his ass and think about how he was hurting his wife. This wasn't something that either of them should have to face alone.
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Bella was passed worried, beyond agitated and headed on a crash course towards seething by the time Tom dropped her off at home. Paul had bolted when Jared gave up trying to reach him and finally called Tom. Tom being concerned for his son had answered the phone and confessed that Paul was with him. There was nothing that Tom could have done to keep him from leaving.
Paul had inherited Marisol's bad habit of running when things got to be too much. He was stubborn and didn't like it when people offered him help. He didn't have the option of doing that now that he was married and would be a father in seven short months. Tom had tried to reason with him, but just like his mother, Paul thought that he could handle this on his own.
Bella took a shower after feeding Bo and putting him outside so that he could do his business. Her phone chirped from the bedroom as she was stepping out of the shower. She took her time wrapping a towel around herself since she had already missed the call. She checked her phone and realized that Paul had called her around the time she had gotten in the shower and he had left her a message.
"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm gonna stay with Jay for a couple of days and then I'll call you when I'm ready to come home," he said, sounding tired.
She ran her hands through her hair with a sharp sigh. She shouldn't be dealing with this right now. Why should he be the one who got to hide? She was left to answer everyone's questions and to face their families. He hadn't even told his dad about the baby. She wanted to be there for him but she couldn't do that if he wouldn't let her.
She pressed one on her speed dial and waited for his voice mail to kick in.
"The voice mail you are calling is full. Please try again later," an automated voice announced.
She shook her head before tapping out a text message.
Just come home, I'll leave. There's no sense in you staying with Jay. Call me if you need me. Love you
Alice was there by the time that Bella had finished packing a small bag. They were about to get in the car when Bo whined from the porch. Alice whistled for him and he jumped into the car to sit in the back, his head hovering between Alice and Bella.
"What exactly happened?" Alice asked gently.
"He's decided to close himself off from everyone because his mom died," Bella explained, her voice thick with emotion.
"I had a vision of you with a baby the other day. You don't look much older than you are now."
"That'll be true in a little over seven months."
"Well, congratulations," she said with a smile in her voice.
Alice was the first person to seem genuinely happy with the idea of Bella becoming a mom. No one had shown anything more than concern or worry when she told them. Yes, the baby was a surprise but that didn't make it a bad thing. Even Paul was a little leery of the idea of bringing a baby into the world. She was starting to think that maybe he was having doubts about their relationship.
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Alice had Jasper go to Paul and Bella's to get something for Bella to wear to the funeral. Bella felt like Paul wouldn't want her there and that she would be infringing somewhere that she didn't belong. Since Alice couldn't see what would happen Bella would be walking in blind. She hadn't talked to anyone other than her dad when she called to tell him where she was which sent his blood pressure through the roof.
Bella had been keeping to herself, sleeping all hours of the day, waking only to eat when Esme, Rosalie, and Alice would prod her to eat. After being cooped up for three days she was starting to feel a bout of cabin fever settling in. She reluctantly let Alice take over and she did her hair and minimal makeup
"Why are you trying to glam me up? I'm going to a funeral Alice, not fashion week," Bella said with an aggravated sigh.
"You need to show Paul what he is missing," Alice explained, teasing Bella's hair so that it framed her face.
"Enough. If I don't leave now I'll miss the viewing before the funeral."
"Jasper is waiting for you downstairs," Alice said, stepping away from her.
The Cullen's were respecting her wishes and had agreed to not attend the funeral as moral support for her. Jasper was silent as always on the ride to the funeral home. Inside Bella saw Jacob and Seth in the lobby. They both stood and Jacob pulled her to him and she fell against him, thankful for the chance to lean on her best friend.
"Have you lost your mind? You had me worried sick," he scolded her.
"Sorry. It was more for Paul's benefit than mine," she said sheepishly.
"Don't get me started on him. He's back on my shit list," Jacob growled.
"You always have been protective of me."
"And don't you forget it."
Seth cleared his throat and Jacob handed Bella off. After assuring them both that she would be fine they went into the viewing room. Bella's eyes sought out Paul and she found him sitting in a corner by himself. Jacob steered her in the opposite direction, knowing that she wasn't ready to face him. Bella sat in between Jacob and Billy and Billy put a hand on hers, patting it reassuringly.
She smiled, grateful for the outpouring love and support. The Cullen's had been overbearing while the pack and their families were content to be a quiet, strong support system.
The sanctuary doors were opened twenty minutes later and Bella opted to sit several rows back from Paul and his family. So far, he hadn't made eye contact with her. Jay sat with him while Sadie slid into the pew in front of Bella.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"Not good," Bella answered honestly with a shake of her head.
"You're doing the right thing by giving him space, even though I don't agree with the way he's acting."
Bella smiled sadly as Tom asked for Sadie to come back to the front. He nodded solemnly at Bella and she turned to face the front. He wasn't her favorite person right now. She thought that he needed to put his foot down and lead by example. She needed to put her feelings aside and she knew that, but she couldn't make herself do it.
She tuned the minister out and before she knew it the service was over. She rode with Jacob and Billy to the cemetery. She stood close enough to Paul to touch him but she held back the urge. Rain pelted on the tent causing everyone to huddle underneath the shelter.
Jacob went to pull the truck closer to the grave site so that he wouldn't have to push Billy very far so Bella waited with Billy while the minister talked to the family in hushed tones. Jacob came back for Billy with an umbrella for Bella. She opened it and started to follow them when someone put a hand on her arm. She'd know that small sun tattoo between Paul's thumb and index finger anywhere. She froze, but didn't turn to him. Jacob looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Paul's in accusation.
"Just go, Jake. Thanks for the ride," Bella encouraged him.
Jacob shook his head before turning back around and doing as she asked. Paul came to stand next to her wordlessly.
"Don't you ever do that to me again," she said, enunciating every word.
"I can't make you any promises," he said quietly.
"Then you and I are done because I can't go through this again, I have someone else to think about now. Which is it Paul?"
"I don't know Bella because I don't know what's going to happen in the fucking future. I'm not Alice," he argued.
"This is ridiculous, all I want is for you to not push me away. Because if you do; I won't be coming back," she said evenly.
He knew that she was serious and that he had some groveling to do. He was prepared to do whatever it took to make her trust him again. He had been miserable without her and he didn't want to ever leave her again. But he wasn't the type of person to admit that in front of others. He had his work cut out for him.