Moonlight in Forks

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Waking Up

Bella's eyes opened to a bright, white light. She moaned quietly as her eyes tried to adjust. She was in a very familiar room, propped up on a hard, uneven bed-a bed with rails. The pillows were flat and lumpy. There was an annoying beeping sound somewhere close by. She hoped that didn't mean what she thought it meant.

"Please tell me I'm not in hospital!"

As Bella moved her hands agitatedly, she found they were all twisted up with clear tubes, and something was taped across her face, under her nose. She tried to rip it off with her fingers, until a warm hand covered hers.

"No, you don't, honey!"

Bella instantly became still at the sound of the familiar deep, rich voice. She turned her head slightly to see his beautiful face just inches from her own, his chin resting on the edge of her pillow.

"Oh, Jake!" Bella felt tears of relief sting her eyes at the sight of him. "What happened to me?"

"Sssh!" Jacob hushed her. "Everything is all right now."

"No, it's not." Bella cried hoarsely, her stress levels rising. "What am I doing here? What happened? Please, Jake, tell me what happened. I can't…I can't remember."

"Bella, please!" Jacob said frantically. He caught hold of her hand stop the clear tubes getting even more tangled. "You need to calm down, honey." He pleaded.

"I can't, Jake. I need to know what happened."

Bella saw the distress in Jacob's eyes. She tried to calm down but was finding it difficult. Her breathing escalated, becoming ragged as she tried to sift through her hazy memories. Suddenly she heard voices on the other side of the door. Jacob quickly moved from the hard plastic chair by the side of her bed to the faux-leather recliner placed by the long window in the room. He closed his eyes, leaning all the way back, pretending to sleep.

The door opened a crack, and Renee peeked in.

"MOM!" Bella rasped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Renee pushed the door all the way open, a smile lighting up her tired face. "Oh, baby girl, you are awake at last. You don't know how worried we've all be – "She paused when she spotted Jacob asleep on the recliner. A soft expression took over her face. "He never leaves." She murmured.

"Mom, I'm so glad to see you!"

Renee bent down and hugged her gently, as warm tears fell down Bella's cheek. Over Renee's shoulder she saw Jacob's eyes open, he flashed her one of his sunny smiles, before closing his eyes again.

"Bella, I have been so upset." Renee said as she pulled back and studied her daughter's anxious face.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Almost immediately Bella fell into the old familiar pattern of trying to comfort her mother, although she was the one in the hospital bed. "I don't know what happened."

"You don't?" Renee's face became pinched with anxiety.

"No." Bella's temples began to ache as she struggled to recall what had gone on. Vague images of Edward entered her mind, mixed up with Leah and Carlisle. None of them made any sense. They were all jumbled and confusing.

Renee sat on the edge of the bed. "You were in an accident." She revealed cautiously. "I'm just glad to see you with your eyes open."

"An accident?" Bella repeated slowly. She suddenly realized she didn't have any idea how long she had been out of it. "How long have I been in here?"

"Two days. They had to keep you sedated for a while because of your injuries."

Bella finally took a moment to examine herself. She was so drugged up on painkillers she couldn't feel a thing. She noticed that the same leg she had broken before was back in a cast. There were lesions on both arms. She raised her hand, gingerly feeling her head. The pads of her fingers encountered the rough edges of a bandage.

"The doctors had to reset the bones in your leg." Renee explained. "Its not as badly broken as before, but you'll be in a cast for a while. Luckily no broken ribs this time, but your head took a pounding. You have some minor fractures in your skull."

Bella grimaced as she dropped her hand back down into her lap.

Renee glanced over her shoulder at Jacob, still lying with his eyes closed on the recliner. "You know that boy has not left your side since you were brought in here. Charlie tried to make him go home and get some rest, but he wouldn't listen. He is totally devoted to you, baby girl."

"I know." A tender expression took over her face for a minute, before it sank in what Renee had said. "Dad's here?" She asked.

"Well of course he is, baby." Renee patted her hand soothingly. "He's been as frantic as this one." She pointed toward Jacob, still feigning sleep in the recliner. "He called me as soon as he learned the extent of your injuries and I flew down straight away."

"I'm glad you're here, Mom." Bella said with a wan smile. "Where's Phil?"

"Still in Florida. He wanted to come-but work commitments-you know." Renee shrugged. She paused for a few seconds, as if she was summoning up the right words. "You know, baby, it would be good if you came down for a visit again. I really miss you. And the warm air and sun will help you recuperate faster, I'm sure of it." She gushed hopefully.

"It's a nice idea, Mom. But I can't leave Forks right now." Bella interjected hurriedly. "I can recuperate just as well here. I've got Dad and Jacob and my friends. You don't need to worry about me."

Renee looked crestfallen. Her hands fluttered helplessly over Bella, trying to find a safe place to pat. She made do with the back of her hand. "You know I always hoped you would come and live with me again once I was settled somewhere. But you really have become acclimatized to Forks. You love it just as much as Charlie."

"Its not just the place. It's the people." Bella pointed out.

"Uh-huh." Renee glanced in Jacob's direction again. "One person in particular I feel." She frowned and looked back and forth between Jacob and Bella, this time very deliberately. "This boy is very special to you?" She whispered.

Bella nodded. "He's a big part of it, I admit. Jacob just gets me, Mom. He sees the real me. I don't have to put on an act. Not like I did with – "

"Edward." Renee finished for her.

"Yes, exactly." Bella agreed. "Everything with Jake is so easy, as easy as breathing. We're equals. He knows what I'm thinking without me having to even say a word. Being with him is so restful. I wish you could stay longer to get to know him better, then you'll see what I mean."

"Yes." Renee hesitated, looking Jacob's way again. "I remember him when he was younger, he always seemed a happy, confident little kid."

"He's still all that-but bigger."

"Much bigger. In lots of ways, I bet." Renee laughed quietly.

"Mom!" Bella felt heat bloom on her cheeks.

Renee patted her hand again. "I'm just teasing, baby girl." She lowered her voice. "From the few times I have spoken to him since I got here, I can already tell that he is in love with you."

"Yes, he is." Bella confided with a confident smile.

"Aww…look at you- all glowing." Renee reached out and caressed Bella's hot cheek. "And how do you feel about him?"

Bella sighed, looking away. As much as she loved her mom, she felt a little embarrassed. This was not a conversation she wanted to have right now with Jacob within earshot. He would never let her live it down. "All you need to know is that I'm pretty crazy about him." There-that sounded something like a love-struck teenager might say.

"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good looking. He obviously takes care of himself and works out a lot. He is the definition of tall, dark and extremely handsome." Renee laughed again before her expression turned serious. "But you're still young, Bella. And you've just come out of an extremely controlling relationship. So just take things slow, just enjoy being young and in love. There's no need to rush into anything."

This was the first time since their last revealing talk in Jacksonville, when Renee had expressed her disquiet about Edward, that her mother had come close to sounding like a parental authority. Bella recognized the reasonable-but-firm tone of voice from talks she'd had with her about men.

"Honestly, don't worry. Jake and I are doing just fine." Bella soothed her.

"Okay." Renee's cell phone went off then. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at it. "Its Phil." She said hesitantly.

"Go and answer it, Mom."

"You sure? I won't be long." Renee touched Bella's cheek again before vacating the room.

Bella was dying to talk to Jacob some more, but to her annoyance a nurse came bustling in right after Renee left, taking her time to check all the tubes and wires. She then read the paper readout on the heart monitor.

"Are you okay there, sweetie? Your heart rate got a little high there."

"Just mother and daughter stuff." Bella quipped.

"Ah, yes." The nurse smiled knowingly. "I'll tell your RN that you are awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute."

"Thanks."

As soon as the door closed, Jacob was at her side again. "Hey, honey, are you okay?"

"I'm okay now that we are finally alone." Bella pulled herself upright, so she could see into his eyes better. "Now, I want you to tell me what the hell happened. And leave nothing out."

Jacob's expression turned troubled. "I don't think it's the right time, honey. You need to rest."

"Jacob!" Bella said warningly. "I can handle it. Its worse not knowing. My memories are all hazy. All I keep seeing in my head is a bunch of jumbled images of Edward, Carlisle…and Leah."

"You're not going to let this go." Jacob surmised; it wasn't even a question.

"Just tell me." Bella insisted.

Jacob's eyes darkened considerably. He watched her face warily, concerned that what he was about to reveal would make her pain infinitely worse-and he wasn't thinking of her broken bones-this pain could crush her. He didn't want to do that.

Damn Leah Clearwater to the pits of hell. She deserved outright banishment from the pack after what she had done. And he was going to make sure it happened, no matter how much she pled for mercy.

Jacob felt the anger building up inside him at what the she-wolf had done, or attempted to do at any rate. She had offered Bella up to the Cullens like live bait in exchange for their promise to leave Forks forever and never come back. Bella, completely traumatized, had tried to escape in Sue Clearwater's Ford Escape, only for Leah to try and stop her leaving once again. A fight had ensued, resulting in a horrific crash, which could have ended Bella's life. She had been lucky to survive. And it was only because of Carlisle's quick intervention that her injuries weren't far more serious.

Jacob hated to be grateful to any of the Cullens, but he was thankful that Carlisle had been there that day. He had been the one to send Emmet and Jasper to locate the wolves and tell them what had happened. He had also kept Edward out of the way at the time, for which Jacob was thankful. He couldn't have handled dealing with the controlling leech on top of everything else. He knew that Edward had been loitering around the hospital since then, hoping for a chance to catch Bella alone, but Jacob had been with her the whole time, so he hadn't had the opportunity.

Of course, Leah had escaped with only a few cuts and bruises, which had soon healed up. The mental scars would take a lot longer. But Jacob found he could find no empathy for her at all. The she-wolf's reckless actions had nearly cost Bella her life. As far as he was concerned there was no coming back from that and no forgiveness.

A/N-thanks for reading!

Do you think Leah deserves forgiveness? Do you think Jake is being too harsh? Or do you agree she crossed a line and cannot come back from it? Do you understand why she did it? Let me know what you think!