"I'm just so tempted to take you to my house and keep you there." Sam said.
Layla blushed softly, having to remind herself that they were just friendly compliments. Not flirting. Just being nice.
"Then how could I make Paul's mother regret pushing him to settle down?" Layla asked sweetly.
Sam chuckled and shook his head. Before he could pull Layla into his arms for a hug, Paul ran out of his house and wrenched the Wrangler door open and pulled Layla out.
"She's here and she's trying to video call girls where she lives! Hurry!" Paul said, sounding panicked.
"Calm down. I've got this. Just go along with everything I say, yeah?" Layla said, smirking. "Thanks for the ride, Sam."
Sam sighed and nodded, watching as Paul all but carried Layla into his house. He felt a small ache in his chest. Layla was slightly off and he didn't get his hug. He shook his head and headed back for patrol.
Layla walked in behind Paul, seeing a harsh looking brunette woman standing in the middle of the living room, holding her phone out. Eric was holed up in the kitchen, clearly avoiding his ex-wife. Layla took a deep breath and removed her jacket. She didn't know how she let Alice and Rosalie talk her into this outfit, but here she was. 3 inch heels and a black and red corset dress was the totality of her outfit and Alice proclaimed it would be perfect. Paul took one look at her outfit and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Layla smiled and knew her outfit was perfect.
"Sarah, this is my son Pau-... who is this?" Bonita, Paul's mother, asked.
Layla smiled sweetly and sauntered up to Paul's mother, pulling Paul with her.
"Hello, mother! Can I call you mom? I feel like at this point, I can. Considering everything. It's so good to meet you!" Layla said excitedly.
Bonita's eye twitched. She looked Layla up and down, seeing how she had wrapped her arms around Paul and was pressing herself against him.
"Do not call me anything other than Bonita or Ms. Stevens." Bonita snapped. "Paul, I need to talk to you. Privately."
"Don't be too long. Daddy said I can stay until 9. I can't wait until I'm old enough to get my own license!" Layla called out, smiling.
"Driv-... Paul, how old is she?!" Bonita asked, looking horrified.
"Thirt-" Layla said, but stopped and corrected herself. "Seventeen?" she said, sounding unsure. "Yeah, totes 17!"
Paul winked and nodded at Layla before turning back to his mother with a huge grin on his face.
"She's 16. I mean 17." Paul said, giving Layla a thumbs up.
Bonita pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed dramatically. She jerked Paul into the kitchen roughly, an action that irked Layla. She counted to thirty before going into the kitchen herself and going up to Paul, wrapping her arms around him from behind.
"Tell your little toy that we are having an adult conversation. She can wait in the living room like a good little girl." Bonita said.
"Mother-" Paul started.
"Well, I mean she is partially right. Last night we did that one thing and you called me a good girl…" Layla interrupted. "I still have the hand print."
"Paul Lahote!" Bonita yelped. "I never thought you'd be this stupid! I knew you were pretty clueless when it came to girls but this takes the cake! Clearly this one is a whore!"
"Mom!" Paul growled.
"Oh honey…" Layla said, gently straightening Bonita's hair. "I've been called worse things by better people."
"Why you little…" Bonita sneered.
"I should thank you though. I mean, if you hadn't pushed Paul so hard and set him up with so many losers, we never would have met. Or gone out. Or christened this table…" Layla said dreamily, caressing the kitchen table.
Bonita's eye twitched.
"Dinner is ready!" Eric called out, grinning.
"Oh hell yeah!" Layla said, pulling Paul to the table and giggling.
Dinner went great for the most part with Layla cutting up with Paul and Eric while Bonita sat there glaring daggers. Layla helped Eric clean up and get dessert ready, leaving Paul and Bonita at the table alone.
"How can you be so damn stupid, Paul? Clearly that…girl… was the worst decision you've ever made! I swear you are just like your lousy, no good father." Bonita hissed.
Paul stood up so quickly that it knocked his chair over. He was growling and felt so close to shifting from anger.
"Don't you ever… ever speak of my father that way again! At least he didn't give me up and abandon me! Seeing me only twice a year to torment me and him. And don't even talk about shit you know nothing about! Layla is kind and caring and the act earlier? Trying to get you to get off my back! I'll date whomever I want whenever I want so back off!" Paul growled.
Layla and Eric frowned when they heard the commotion. Eric raced for his phone to call Sam and Jake, knowing what his son was capable of. Before Layla could go to Paul and calm him down, Bonita stood up and smacked Paul across the face. Hard.
"Don't you ever," smack "raise your voice," smack "to me!" smack "Ever!" Bonita screamed.
"Oh hell no you dumb heifer!" Layla growled.
Layla grabbed the back of Bonita's head and jerked her hard backwards by her hair, sending her off balance. Layla pulled hard, relishing her yelp.
"You don't lay one fucking FINGER on him!" Layla growled, dragging Bonita towards the door by her hair. Bonita landed a good punch to Layla's thigh, making her stumble and hiss in pain. Paul let his anger take control and felt unable to stop himself from shifting into his wolf. Within seconds, Paul morphed into a huge, dark silver beast, growling and snarling. Bonita took one look and freaked out, using Layla's monetary pause to swing her arm and take her legs out from under her and scramble outside. Layla fell hard, hitting her head on the table by the door before hitting the floor out cold. Paul lunged for the door but was met by Jake, Sam, and Embry. Sam instantly zoned in on Layla, who was lying unmoving on the floor and bleeding.
"One of you go get Bonita! We have to get Paul out of the house and calmed down! I'm taking Layla to the Emergency Room!" Sam ordered, his voice taking on the Alpha double timbre usually reserved for his wolf form. Embry doubled out the door and took off after Bonita. Sam picked Layla up carefully.
"Eric, call Seth and Leah. Jake will need them to corral Paul." Sam said.
Jake phased instantly, circling around Paul, using his Beta voice to order him to stand down. Leah and Seth were there in moments and the three of them forced Paul into the woods. Sam moved as quickly but as gently as he could to his Wrangler. Sue met him no sooner did he get to the door. She ushered him into the passenger seat and got in to drive to the hospital, setting a bag beside of him.
"I've called Charlie to let him know Layla fell. You need to get that dress off of Layla before he sees it and asks questions we can't answer. I brought some of Leah's clothes." Sue said.
Sam nodded mutely. He couldn't find a way to get it off of Layla without hurting her so he closed his eyes and ripped down the middle. He pulled the rags off and slid a button up shirt and sweatpants onto Layla just as Sue pulled up to the ER door.
"This one I'll take. She's a friend of my son, Emmett." Dr. Cullen called out, jogging over to Sam. "Alice saw bits and pieces." He whispered to Sam. "Put her on the bed."
Sam gently set her down before moving away. Dr. Cullen and a few nurses began getting get vitals and preparing to start an IV and run blood work when Layla started groaning and squirming.
"Layla, it's Carlisle. I need you to be still okay? You're hurt and I need you to be calm so we can find out how to help you." Dr. Cullen said calmly.
Layla struggled against the nurses. Sam saw and felt how his Imprint was struggling and felt the fear from her.
"Back up, I can calm her down." Sam said, pushing his way into the room.
"Sir, no visi-" a nurse started, but was interrupted.
"He's okay, Marianne. If he can't calm her then there's always sedation." Carlisle said softly.
Sam was given space to approach Layla on the hospital bed. He took one of her hands and brought it to his face, kissing her palm. His free hand gently cupped her jaw, being careful not to put any pressure or jostle her in any way. He let his bonding scent surround the two of them.
Layla calmed down within seconds and was docile enough to get an IV and blood drawn. Carlisle ordered several X-Rays and an MRI of her head and neck. Sam refused to move much for the X-Ray, insistent on keeping his hands on Layla so she won't get upset. Charlie ran into the Emergency Room, finding Layla and demanding to know what happened. Sue was waiting for him at the door and explained everything in hushed tones.
"So why is Sam holding her down?" Charlie asked.
"I guess she recognizes his touch and his warm skin over that of the nurses and doctors. If she didn't, she'd be sedated." Sue explained.
"Chief Cullen, if you'd step in here, I'll explain the reports and plan of action." Carlisle said.
Charlie and Sue joined Carlisle and Sam, who was still holding Layla. Everyone looked expectantly at Carlisle.
"She has a concussion, a pretty moderate one, and she has a ruptured eardrum. Usually with a ruptured eardrum, hearing loss occurs and it's usually temporary, resolving in a few days to weeks. The way her bruising and swelling patterns are, she might have some temporary vision problems, but we won't know until she does a vision test later. Right now, I feel comfortable with going ahead and doing surgery to fix the rupture in her eardrum and start her on antibiotics and pain medication and something to help the swelling." Carlisle said.
"If you think it's right, do it. I'll sign off on it." Charlie said.
"I'll go ahead and prepare a sedative so Layla won't be as agitated when Sam moves away." Carlisle said.
Sam wanted to snap at Carlisle for even suggesting that he might have to move away from Layla. She was clinging to him for a reason… because she instinctively knew that he was her safety. Her safety and her calm and her protection. Carlisle motioned for Charlie to sign consent forms, giving the nurse ample time to inject a sedative and for Sue to manage convincing Sam to let go so she could have surgery.
It took every spare second, but Sam finally let go and headed to the waiting room with Sue and Charlie. Waiting on him was Leah, Jake, Seth, and to his surprise, Paul.
Three pairs of eyes turned to him.
One pair was cast downward in submission and sadness.
"And now we wait." Sam said, taking a seat in the floor. "Just wait."
...
this week has been insane y'all. I meant to post this yesterday. Whoops!
DRAMA BOMB!
And aww even suffering a mild traumatic brain injury Layla instinctively clings to Sam. And if vise he eats it up because imprint. There's gonna be even more drama in the next chapter that I'm about halfway - ish done with. Aaaanyway, leave me comets? Let me know what you like, don't like, etc. Af the bonding scent? I borrowed that from a book series called the Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward. Omg y'all need to read them umf! Basically it's when a male whose found their mate gives off this scent called a bonding scent signaling to everyone he's a bonded make and his mate is his.
Leave me comments please!