Bella threw on a pair of jeans and grabbed a crumpled tee-shirt from her chair without looking at it, heading out her door she threw it over her head . She was still attempting to shove one of her arms into its sleeve while hurrying down the stairs. She finally succeeded in pushing her arm through only to fall down the last few steps.
Edward rushed over, catching her before she hit the ground. "Are you alright, love?"
"I'm fine."
"Why are you wearing that shirt, again?"
"Edward, now is not the time to question my fashion choices."
The smell of coffee, bacon, and eggs wafted from the kitchen. As hungry as she was, it only churned her stomach more. "Dad," she called. In her self-induced panic she missed the fact that he was on the phone.
He turned and held a finger up signaling her to wait. "Yes, it's a family emergency, An accident. Yes, Mrs. Cope, we are hoping Bella will be able to return tomorrow. Thank you, you have a nice day"
He hung up the phone and looked at her. "Nice shirt."
She responded automatically. "Thank you."
Bella stood there, staring at him with wide eyes. "What?" He asked after the silence got too uncomfortable.
"Leah!" She cried.
Charlie's eyes widened. "What happened to Leah?!"
Edward's frustration with the inability to read her mind right now came out in his voice. "Bella, love, what's wrong?"
Ignoring him Bella tried to get her thoughts in order. Unsure if Edward would try to placate her; she couldn't trust him to be honest. Speaking straight to her father she asked,. "You saw Leah after I left J…" her eyes started to well up. She squeezed them tight and willed her tears away. "After I came out of the house."
"Yes." He dragged out the word unsure what his daughter was getting at.
"How did she look? I mean, was she mad or sad or…"
"Well," Charlie said carefully. "She was crying."
"Shit," Bella's hands flew to her mouth, Charlie's mouth popped open and Edward chastised her.
"Bella!"
"Sorry, I'm sorry." She apologized looking at her father.
"It's okay honey, it's been a crazy few days."
Bella started pacing back and forth, biting her nails and mumbling more to herself than to anyone else. I don't know what to do. I should apologize."
"For what?" Charlie asked.
Before she could answer, Edward announced. "Sue Clearwater is here."
Charlie scowled. "You better not be reading her mind."
Charlie opened the door before Sue even got to the stairs. "Oh, are you on your way out?" She asked him.
"No, I was told you would be joining us." Charlie glared at the vampires back.
Edward was still standing in the kitchen trying, and failing to calm Bella down. "Bella, love, please, tell me what is going on?" She waved her hand at him as if she were shooing a fly. The action made Charlie smirk.
"Apologizing won't be enough. What if she takes this out on Jake? What if she already has?"
"Take's what out on Jake?" Charlie asked.
She continued, as if she didn't hear him. "I have to explain. It was all me, all my fault. Jake didn't mean to. He was just surprised, I'm not trying to step in. It was just a goodbye." She stopped suddenly. Taking a shaky breath she repeated. "It was goodbye." Sniffling, she nodded. "I have to fix this for him."
Turning to face Sue, Bella said, "I'm ready."
"Oh," Sue said in surprise. "So Leah did call you. When I suggested that, she told me that you wouldn't come unless I came to get you myself."
Charlie and Edward looked on in confusion.
"No, she didn't call." Bella said. "But I figured she would want to confront me face to face."
"Confront you?" Sue asked.
Bella nodded. "I screwed up. I owe her this respect." Then she marched around Sue and out the door.
Scrunching up her brow Sue said. "Okay-." looking at Charlie and Edward in question. They both shrugged and shook their heads."
Charlie looked over at the plate of food he placed on the table for his daughter. Sighing he put it in the fridge and grabbed his and Bella's jackets before walking out after her.
Bella stood in the driveway where her truck was usually parked.
Her father came out and handed her the jacket. She turned to him with wide eyes. "Someone stole my truck."
"Bella," Charly said slowly. "Sam took your truck, remember."
She smacked her open palm to her forehead. "Oh, yeah, right. Okay."
"Bella, love," Edward said, "I think you need more rest. You should go back in the house and go back to bed."
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with him." The sour look on Charlie's face did nothing to take away from the concern in his eyes.
"But, Leah." Bella said.
"Leah can wait." Sue said. "I will tell her you will come later."
"No, I want to do this now." Bella insisted. "I'll be fine,"
"Bella, love,"
Edward said the same time Charlie said. "If you're sure."
"Yes." She insisted.
Bella got into the passenger seat of the cruiser and Charlie happily held the backdoor open for Edward to get in.
Seeing his daughter gnawing on her nails Charlie asked, "Bells do you want to talk about what's on your mind?"
"What?" She asked distractedly.
"You're down to your nail beds." He pointed out. "There has been a lot going on, and you are obviously distressed. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Oh. No."
"Okay, well at least stop chewing your nails. You're going to make yourself bleed and I don't think that's something you want to do before entering a crypt full of Vampires."
"Dad!"
"What?"
"They don't live in a crypt! Don't say things like that!"
"Why not?" He glanced at the brooding vampire in the back seat. "Is it going to upset their delicate sensibilities?"
"I have never heard you be so disrespectful."
"Well maybe that's because I have never felt so disrespected. At least there's a bonus," Charlie smirked. "You stopped chewing on your nails."
Bella glanced down at the raw choppy stubs. He was right, she was about to make herself bleed. She huffed and tucked her hands under her arms, in doing so reminded herself that she forgot to put on deodorant. She blurted this fact but Charlie waved her off telling her she smelled like soap.
Edward grumbled. "And dog."
She glanced back at him in confusion but he was glaring out the driver's side window.
She decided on figuring out her current predicament and figuring out what his problem was later.
Every step from the car was so anxiety-inducing that she was shaking as bad as an angry werewolf by the time she was in the living room.
Again it looked completely different. In the back there was a line of privacy screens blocking off a good section of the room. In the middle was a large rounded machine with a long table jutting out from the center of it. Carlisle was setting up a computer next to the contraption.
"Good morning Bella." The doctor greeted her.
"Good morning." She returned.
"Back here Swan." Leah yelled from behind the screens.
Bella winced, but forced herself to move forward. Peeking around the screen she could see three beds lined up side by side with about two feet of space between them. Embry was in the middle bed. His sweat soaked skin was sallow and his eyes drooped with exhaustion. "Hay Bella." he greeted quietly.
"Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Happy to see you." He smiled.
"You are?"
"He's happy to see everyone. It's a product of almost dying." Leah said. Bella looked down at the floor. She knew Leah was in the bed closest to her but she couldn't bring herself to look at her. "What's your problem? It's not like you're the one that's going to have a leach hold you down while another one re-breaks your back."
That offhand comment pulled her eyes straight to the other girl. Bella blinked. "I expected you to be angry."
Leah shrugged. "I usually am."
Bella opened her mouth but then closed it again. She thought there would be screaming. "I just don't want you to blame Jake. What happened yesterday. It was all my fault."
Leah lifted an eyebrow. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Bella gasped. Did she not know? "I… um, I" She looked back down at her feet. "Kissed… him." Her skin flamed so red it actually burned.
"Oh, that. Why would I be mad?"
Bella looked up in confusion. "Because he's your boyfriend."
Leah burst out laughing. "No he's not."
"But you two have… you've done… you see each other naked." Bella whispered.
"Oh my Gods, you are so gullible."
"What?"
"We all see each other naked, Bella. Phasing destroys our clothes."
"But I thought…"
"I know what you thought. And as much fun as it was to mess with you, I'm done now. Nice shirt by the way."
"So, you and Jake aren't together? And what's with everyone commenting on my shirt?" Bella glanced down enough to catch a glimpse of black before Leah's outburst.
"Ugh, no WE ARE NOT TOGETHER."
"Well, why not. I mean, Jake is great. He's kind and sweet and generous and…"
"Sort of beautiful?" Leah smirked.
Bella blushed at the familiar words. "Yeah." She admitted in a whisper.
"So then you date him. He's in love with you anyway."
"No," Bella shook her head. "He's not."
"Bella, I've been in his head. Trust me the boy is head over heels for you."
"His feelings will fade. Then you will have no reason to not want to be with him."
"Bella! Stop! First off, you don't get to dictate someone else's feelings. Second, I will NEVER want to be with Jacob. As I said, I've been in his head, and he's been in mine. I don't think that having a relationship with someone that knows your every thought would work. I'm guessing that's part of the reason the lea… that asshole chose you."
"Leah, calling him an asshole is not better than calling him a leach."
"Ma," Leah shrugged, "You should choose your battles. Me calling him something nice, not going to happen. The truth is girly, I just don't like him."
"Wh…"
"And third," Leah cut her off. "I didn't have my mother drag you over here to talk about Jacob Black, or any other dick swinging asshole."
"Then why did you want me here?"
Looking at her knees Leah gripped fistfulls of her blanket. "I'm scared." She admitted in a whisper. "I just needed to be with a friend."
"You consider me a friend?"
"Well, you did save my life." Leah rolled her eyes. "And it's not like I'm drowning in friends that are in the know. Or any at all, really."
"You have the pack."
Leah scoffed. "You mean the two that I am on somewhat friendly terms with." She jutted her thumb to the side pointing at Embry. "This one keeps falling asleep on me." Sure enough he was sound asleep again. "And I don't want to bother Seth. the less he sees me like this the better."
"What about Jake?"
"He's not doing great either. And besides he hates me. I'm sort of a bitch to him."
"You're a bitch to everyone."
"Yeah, but unlike them, you can take it."
Bella raised her eyebrows. Then sighed. "What do you want me to do?"
"Tell me everything's going to be okay, then just be here." Pursing her lips she added. "Maybe, make your boyfriend cry."
"Leah." Bella said in a warning tone.
"Yeah, yeah, I just really dislike him."
"Leah, everything's going to be okay. And I will be here with you."
"Thanks."