Another update for y'all.
Bear in mind I'm no medical professional. I tried to keep it as accurate as possible but some of the theories presented in this chapter are not completely based on truth, lol. You'll see what I mean.
Thursday November 17, 2005
The next day was as tedious as the last. Bella avoided Jessica all day, worrying her drastic unexpected mood swings would make her snap at the girl. On one hand, Jessica deserved to hear it from someone, but on the other, she didn't want to cause any trouble for herself at school or outside of it. So she spent the day attempting to fly under the radar, Mike not attempting much conversation at work which she was thankful for, since her nerves had grown with the knowledge she would soon be visiting the clinic, and hopefully gaining some answers. While excited about the prospect, she was also incredibly nervous.
She worried that she would get bad news, that the pregnancy was extremely dangerous, or maybe there it wasn't supernaturally dangerous, but something was just wrong. Her online google searches had provided her with knowledge of the various things that could go wrong with a normal human pregnancy, and she found herself worrying about them all.
By the time she finished work and made her way to her truck, Jake already sat in the driver's seat waiting for her, her palms were sweating and she worried she'd vomit all over the shop floor. Jake immediately noticed her nerves.
"Hey," He said, watching her jump into the truck. "I can tell you're nervous, don't be."
She scowled at the slight smirk on his face.
"How can I not be?" She replied. "I could get really bad news."
"I doubt you will." He stated, driving the truck from the lot. "You're feeling okay, right?"
"I guess." She replied. "Sick again, but I'm used to that by now."
"Which sounds pretty standard. I really doubt there's anything wrong."
"Ok, maybe not." She gave in. "But I could still get bad news."
Jacob let out a puff of air. He had been worried about that today, too. While he couldn't understand Bella's love for the thing, he wanted it to be as normal as possible for her safety. If today they somehow uncovered that the fetus was actually all vampire, or some kind of dangerous hybrid thing, he'd have no choice but to try to convince her to terminate it. He hoped Sue would help convince her, though.
"Well, if we find out something really bad, we'll figure it out." Jake settled on replying. "You don't feel like you're being sucked dry, do you?"
"I don't think so." She pursed her lips.
"I feel like you'd notice." He laughed and she smiled in reply. She guessed he was right. She'd been bitten before, so she knew the pain wasn't something she could ignore, nor was the feeling of blood loss, which she'd experienced multiple times, being as clumsy as she was.
"So, how was school?"
"The usual." Bella answered. "Spent the entire time trying to avoid Jessica because I was worried I'd rip her head off."
"Woah." Jake smirked. "What did she do to deserve that?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Bella laughed. "She's spreading rumors about me as usual, but this time, she's telling everyone we're together, and that I'm pregnant with your baby. She's close, but somehow still so far from the truth."
Jake laughed quietly but he had to admit that it kinda hurt to hear that. He found himself wishing it was true. At least the part about them being together.
"Aren't you worried that it's a bit almost on the nose, though?" Jake asked, opting not to focus on what he already knew wasn't going to happen - Bella had made it clear, and he respected her too much to push, but if she ever did change her mind, he'd be waiting.
"I mean, it is." Bella replied. "She's right about half of it, but I'm not admitting to that. Not yet, anyway."
"Guess they'll find out eventually." Jake said quietly and Bella nodded and shrugged. She hadn't told him about the possibility of her finishing High school early yet. Mostly because she was planning on possibly leaving soon after, she just wanted to keep that to herself for now. "Especially when the kid is extremely pale."
"You think he'll be?"
"Well, yeah. He was, right?" Jake nodded. "Plus you're super pale, especially for someone from Arizona, of all places."
Bella snorted and smacked his arm gently.
"It's true, you know it." Jake rolled his eyes. "But any kid of mine is gonna have some color to them."
Bella looked at his bare arms and nodded. She hadn't really thought about what the baby would look like. She spent the rest of the ride to the clinic imagining them. A little boy with messy bronze hair like his Dads, pale skin and a wide mouth full of pearly white teeth, but a just as crooked smile. A little girl with brown hair, a slight red tinge to it like hers had in the sun, just as pale skin, and a smile that matched hers, her top lip a little more full than the bottom. What surprised her is that both of the children in her imagination had golden eyes. She wondered what color their eyes really would be.
When they reached the clinic, Bella looked down at her hands, realizing they were shaking slightly. She internally cursed herself for being so nervous, but she was about to face reality whether the news was good or not. Jake hopped out first and opened the passenger side for Bella, offering his hand. He could tell she was nervous, and if he had to be honest, he was just as nervous himself. The next hour or so could inform Bella's safety and future, as well as his, indirectly.
They entered the clinic, Bella sighing in relief when she saw the waiting room was empty. There was one woman behind the reception who frowned when they both entered and she glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Sorry kids, we close up at 6." She said and Bella realized that's why it was so empty. Before she or Jake could respond, the door to the small hallway to the examination rooms popped open and Sue appeared.
"Oh it's okay Brenda." Sue said. "I told them to come at this time, I'm staying a little late."
Brenda nodded, happy with her answer. Bella was relieved that she didn't seem suspicious at all, maybe Sue did this often? Sue gestured for them both to come through the door and they followed her down the small hallway before she stopped at a door right at the end, opening it and waving them inside.
"Don't mind Brenda." Sue said, closing the door behind them and walking up to the desk. "Take a seat, honey."
Bella sat hesitantly down in the seat by the desk, the walls suddenly feeling like they were closing in on her. She allowed herself a quick look around, the room looking like any normal doctors office, which made her nervous in general, but she figured then she would have to get used to this.
"Okay," Sue started, turning in the chair to face Bella, offering her a comforting smile. "Do you want Jacob to stay?"
Bella turned to Jacob and he offered her a supportive smile, squeezing the hand he still held. She wasn't sure. She did feel like she wanted him here for some support, but also knew they'd likely be discussing things he might not want to hear. Ultimately, she decided his company won, and she nodded at Sue, not quite trusting her voice yet, and she felt Jacob squeeze her hand again.
"That's fine." She replied. "But if you do want him to leave at any point, let us know."
"Yeah, Bells." Jake agreed. "I won't take it personally."
Bella just took a deep breath and nodded, turning to face Sue properly again.
"So I'll just ask some questions first, to get an idea of where you're at." She explained and Bella nodded in understanding. "Jacob tells me that you're pregnant, is that correct?"
Bella nodded again.
"Okay, and how did you find this out? I assume you have tested?"
"I was feeling unwell for a while but I just put it down to… everything else." She didn't need to expand, she assumed Sue knew how she'd been affected by everything. Charlie had mentioned before to her that he'd spoken to Sue asking for 'female advice' while visiting Harry once. "A friend at school asked if I could be pregnant and it made me realize my symptoms could be that. So I did some tests."
"And they were positive, correct?" Sue asked.
"Yes, I did a few. They all were." Bella said quietly, feeling Jake give her hand another reassuring squeeze.
"So since it has been months, you're likely already a little further along than most pregnant people are when they find out." Sue explained and Bella nodded. "Do you have any ideas of how far you may be? We can work this out in other ways, but if you know the conception date that can also give an accurate estimate."
"It was September 12th." She responded quietly. "That's the only time."
Sue nodded, reaching out to briefly pat her arm comfortingly since she knew the significance of the date, before she turned to the computer, typing for a moment.
"That would put you at approximately 11 weeks and 4 days, with a due date of June 4th." Sue said, turning back to her from the computer. Bella nodded, she already knew she was around this point based on what she searched online.
"Since most pregnant people have usually seen a doctor by now, I do want to make sure we run some tests, just to make sure you're healthy, okay?" Sue said kindly and Bella took a deep breath and nodded. This usually meant needles, and she felt a bit stupid for still being so afraid of them, especially when she'd definitely dealt with worse things than a little prick.
"Now usually we'd do a pelvic exam with a pap test just to make sure you're healthy there, too, but we can leave that for today. I can set up that for you with one of the other nurses, I'm sure that will be more comfortable for you." Sue said as she stood up, walking to the other side of the room and pulling a trolley towards the examination bench in the middle of the room.
"Thank you." Bella responded. Sue was right that she'd be more comfortable having that done by someone else. Someone she didn't know. She had a feeling Sue was putting it off until they knew more about the baby, but didn't ask. Sue asked Bella to sit on the bench, which she'd set up in a sitting position. Bella made her way over, Jacob still clutching her hand reassuringly, moving his chair to sit by the bench so he could still be there with her.
"Okay, I'm gonna take some blood first to run some general tests, check your levels and all that fancy stuff." Sue said, preparing some supplies on the trolley next to her. Bella took a shaky breath then nodded in consent before turning her head away from her left side completely, trying to ignore Sue wrapping the tourniquet around her arm and focusing on Jacob instead. He gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand again, knowing how much she hated needles.
She felt the pinch and squeezed Jacob's hand in response, trying not to focus on the feeling. Thankfully Sue was clearly a pro at taking blood and a few moments later she announced she was done, patting Bella's arm to indicate she could turn back around.
"You did well, I know you don't like needles." Sue smiled at her. "They'll be sent to the hospital for tests and we can let you know the results in about a week."
Bella nodded in response, hoping they would find nothing, but she doubted she wasn't anemic at least, considering the lack of food she'd been able to stomach. Although, the only thing she had been able to stomach was the steak. She wondered briefly if there was a connection but the thought died in her head once Sue interrupted her thoughts, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around her arm and waiting a few seconds while it squeezed tightly. After a moment, she nodded with a smile and announced her blood pressure looked normal. Sue had noticed it was a little high but neglected to tell Bella since she could tell how anxious the girl was - which is likely why it had risen slightly, a normal occurrence that she'd seen often.
"This is the more exciting part." Sue spoke, and gave Jacob a warning glance. This will also likely be the part that will tell them exactly what they are dealing with. Sue was nervous, wanting to be able to give Bella good news about the pregnancy and the baby, but also incredibly aware of the fact this might reveal the opposite kind of news. "I managed to get a hold of an ultrasound machine for this, and while I'm not a qualified sonographer, I do end up playing that role since our only sonographer on the reservation isn't always available."
Bella smiled shyly and nodded, suddenly feeling nervous. She was excited to see her baby for the first time but was so anxious that this final step of the examination would reveal what she was most scared of. That the baby wasn't what she hoped. Sue brought the machine closer to them, keeping the screen hidden from Bella, she decided that if she saw something bad, she wouldn't want Bella to see it, not straight away, anyway.
Jacob kept his place next to Bella, his heart pounding in his chest hard. He hadn't been this nervous in a while. Bella turned her head to look at him while Sue got the machinery set up and he offered her a small smile.
"You okay?" He asked, taking her hand back in hers again, she'd dropped it at some point.
"Yeah." She said quietly and he smiled sadly. He could tell she was nervous, too.
"It'll be okay," He promised. "No matter what. Okay?"
She nodded back and he leaned toward to kiss her forehead. Bella resisted the urge to flinch at the action. She knew Jake meant it in a friendly, affectionate way, but the action reminded her of the way Edward used to do the same thing and it made her heart burn. She found herself thinking about him, wishing he was here. This is something parents do together, but instead she was sitting here with a woman she barely knew and her best friend, who she knew was only here for her, and not because he cared about the baby. Before she could feel sad, she turned her attention to Sue who was motioning to Bella's shirt, asking for permission to lift it. Bella nodded, and Sue lifted it up, revealing her stomach.
Bella had noticed when she found out that she was pregnant that she had a little bump starting to appear. It was small enough to be dismissed as bloat (which was a symptom she'd also been dealing with), but it was becoming more defined, which Bella realized with a cringe was probably due to the lack of food she'd been ingesting recently.
"Starting to show there, Bells." Jake teased and poked her stomach, earning a tut from Sue and a glare from Bella, who was also smiling so he knew she knew he was just trying to make her feel better.
"This will be cold." Sue warned before putting the wand with the cold gel applied onto her stomach, but Bella didn't flinch. Sue moved it around on her stomach and Bella sat in silence, since she couldn't see the screen which Sue was staring at, her anxiety grew as Sue pursed her lips, tilting her head slightly at the screen, focusing on it intently.
After a few moments, just before she was about to open her mouth to ask what was wrong, Sue smiled and turned the screen so both her and Jacob could see it. Bella couldn't make much sense of the black and white shapes, until Sue pointed at a shape in the center of it.
"There's your baby." She smiled, looking at Bella as she looked at the shape, which she could now tell was in fact a baby. Very small, and somewhat alien looking, but definitely a baby. She felt a smile and glanced at Jake who was also smiling, but his eyes were on Bella's face rather than the screen.
"So this is the head, here." Sue said, pointing towards the larger end of what Bella could only describe as a blob. "Then here, these are the legs. And the arms. If I zoom in a little… here, you can see them moving."
"They're saying hello, Bells." Jake joked, and he made his voice high pitched to imitate a toddler "Hi, Mommy, it's me, you're not so vampire half vampire baby."
Bella just rolled her eyes at him, slapping his arm with her spare one which wasn't grasping his, while trying not to laugh at his sudden silliness.
"Now let me see if I can…" Sue muttered and suddenly a noise filled the room. Thump…Thump….Thump…Thump. The fast thumping noise made Sue smile in relief, and Bella soon realized she was listening to her baby's heartbeat. She had wondered previously whether the baby would have one, given that it's father didn't. Then worried how they would monitor a baby without one.
"Sounds perfect." She noted and Bella smiled in relief. "It may sound fast, but that's completely normal."
They listened to the sound for a few moments and Bella smiled, her eyes closing as she listened to the thumping. She wished she could record it and listen to it whenever she felt anxious, the sound was soothing.
"It's too early to see the gender," Sue explained. "But we can look for that in a few months, if you'd like."
Bella shrugged. "I don't really care either way."
"You have plenty of time to decide." She said, pressing the button on the machine to print some pictures of the scan. "I preferred it being a surprise, myself."
Bella nodded along as she spoke, taking the pictures from Sue that she'd just printed and looking at them for a moment, smiling at the small shape.
"Well, everything does seem normal. And the baby is measuring correctly for your gestation." Sue confirmed. "I can't say for sure whether the baby is… well, half like him. But I see nothing that we should be alarmed by, Bella, even if it is. Aside from your weight loss, which isn't actually all that uncommon in early pregnancy, especially when dealing with morning sickness."
"I do feel like it's gotten worse, recently." Bella spoke and Sue hummed.
"It can sometimes get worse before it gets better. I can prescribe some anti sickness medication if you'd like? It won't do any harm to the baby." Sue suggested and Bella nodded.
It probably would be a good idea, she didn't want to deny any nutrients to her baby or herself. Even though she wondered what nutrients the baby would really want or need. Is human food what they want? However, the alternative was too horrifying to think about right now, so she shook the thought from her head. If the baby wants that when it's born… she'll deal with that if it happens, somehow.
"Okay, so while we've got the machine running I just want to look at the placenta, check it looks good." Sue said, moving the wand around her stomach again.
Bella wasn't looking at the screen anymore, instead looking at the pictures Sue had printed, her finger tracing the outline of her baby affectionately. She was still in awe. She'd obviously known the baby existed, being pregnant being obvious proof of that, but seeing it there, and seeing it moving had made it all the more real. She may not have Edward, but she had her baby. Even if Edward did come back into her life and still didn't want her, she'd still have her baby, and her baby would have their father. This baby is half him, proof that he was real, but also their own person. Someone she could love, who would love her back unconditionally. Being a parent scared her, especially as she really didn't know much about babies or children, but the love she already felt for them was undeniable.
"Mmm." She heard Sue hum, and her eyes tore from the picture to Sue's face which was looking at the screen in confusion.
"What?" She asked sharply, her voice coming out harsher than she expected and it made her cringe.
"Oh, nothing concerning, please don't worry." She said, squeezing Bella's arm slightly. "The placenta is just quite large."
"What does that mean?" Jake asked, sounding nervous.
"Not much," Sue said, pulling the wand from Bella's stomach and handing her a tissue to wipe away the cold gel, which Bella did promptly while she listened to her speak. "They come in all sizes, it doesn't always mean anything."
"But?" Jake coaxed.
"See, the placenta placenta provides nutrients, glucose and oxygen to the baby from the mother." She explained. "It does this through blood. It travels from the mother through the placenta, then through the umbilical cord to the baby."
Bella frowned, unsure why this was relevant to the fact she had a large placenta.
"So?" Jake pushed.
"Well, I just wonder if it could be related to the baby's possible unique physiology, since it involves the passing of blood to the baby." She explained.
"... so what, you think it is sucking her dry?" Jake asked, alarmed, and Bella frowned. There's no way she wouldn't notice if it was.
"No, I don't." Sue responded quickly, reassuring him. "I'd be guessing, but I wonder if the placenta being large just means the baby is requiring more of that blood from you, Bella. A bigger placenta could mean a faster circulation of that blood from you to the baby."
"Is that bad?" Bella asked quietly.
"No, not at all." Sue said, squeezing her other hand. "The blood goes from the baby back to you. They basically become part of your circulation system."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous, though?" Jake asked. "If the baby is at all a vampire, which is likely, that blood going back to Bella doesn't sound very safe."
"If it was unsafe, we would've noticed by now, I'm sure. The moment you become pregnant, that process starts." Sue reassured and Bella relaxed. "Like I said, I'd be guessing. Sometimes the placenta is just bigger, for no real reason. It could be that simple. There's no need to worry about it at all, but we will monitor it just for reassurance, okay?"
She gave Bella a smile, squeezed her hand then stood to wash her hands. Bella pulled her shirt down and pulled herself up on the bench into a more upright position.
"Thank you, Sue." She whispered. "So much."
She turned and to Bella's surprise, pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry you had to sit with this knowledge alone, Bella." She said to her. "If you need to talk about anything - you can call me, or text me."
Bella smiled and nodded in thanks.
"Now, I want to talk to you both." She said slightly sternly, and Bella froze slightly. She stood and took the seat again next to Jacob, not wanting to sit on the examination bench any longer. "Don't worry, it's not bad. Just important."
Jacob smiled at Bella as she sat next to him and he gave her an awkward one armed hug, and he looked at the pictures that Bella clutched in one hand.
"What do you think, then?" He said, motioning to them. Bella found herself staring at them again and she traced the shape softly, almost like she'd hurt them if she pressed too hard at the image.
"I'm happy." She realized, and turned to him with a smile. He grinned back and kissed her forehead again gently, making her blush.
"Definitely looks more human than I expected." He said. "Maybe alien-like, actually."
Bella let out a little laugh. She couldn't disagree. While the shape was definitely baby-like, since it was so early in development, the shape absolutely also resembled an alien.
"He's perfect." She whispered.
"You're stuck on he, huh?" Jacob replied and she blushed, not realizing he could hear her. She shrugged in response. She didn't really have any feelings either way, or care about the sex of the baby, but she had found that she had used 'he' in reference to the baby somewhat naturally.
"I just don't like calling it 'it'." She shrugged. "I did dream about having a girl last night. But I dreamed about a boy the night before."
"Well, it's 50/50." Jacob smiled, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Unless it's twins?"
"God, no way." Bella replied quickly, rolling her eyes at his teasing. "Plus I think Sue would've noticed."
"Okay," Sue said, interrupting them. She had sat back at the desk, which was facing them, and was typing some information on the computer. "I'll book you in for another check up in, maybe two weeks? We don't usually do them that regularly, but given the unique situation, I think it will be good to do them more regularly."
Bella nodded, thankful. While nothing appeared wrong today, she knew she'd be too worried to go too long now that she had someone to help care for her. Sue finished booking the appointment and gave Bella a small card which had the date and time on so she wouldn't forget.
"And I've booked it under Jane Doe, which we do when we need to keep patients private for various reasons, so you won't be on file at all, Bella." She reassured her. "Which brings me to what I wanted to discuss with you both."
"I promised discretion." She started and Bella froze, suddenly nervous that she was going to go back on her promise. "And I stand by that. But Jake, I don't think telling the tribe would be as bad as you think it is."
"What?" Jake spat out. "Of course it would be. Considering who the father is, they'll want to take care of it. They won't take no for an answer, Sue. You know them well enough to know that."
Bella flinched. She knew this, but hearing it again from Jake upset her, even more so now that they knew everything did seem okay. She was frustrated that her pregnancy was something that everyone else felt privy to. It was her business, not theirs.
"I do know them well." Sue said, not flinching at Jacob's harsh tone. "And I think you're wrong. Now that you have the information that this pregnancy will not harm anybody, I think they'll be much more accepting of the situation."
"That's not the law, Sue." Jake argued. "The law states that they have to protect from vampires. That'll include something that's half of that."
"But the baby is a Cullen, Jake. By blood. Which is something that none of that coven can claim themselves." Sue pointed out. "Whether they're here in Forks or not, the treaty stands."
"I'm not convinced they'll see the baby that way." Jake stated, shocking himself by calling it a baby for the first time. "Blood or not."
"Look," Sue started. "I can't tell you what to do. I promised I wouldn't tell, and I won't. It's definitely up to you, Bella, and I don't fault you either way, okay? But if you do decide to tell them, let me know. I myself can talk to them and explain that the baby is not a threat to anyone. At not even 12 weeks, it's smaller than a plum."
Bella smiled slightly to herself, remembering Jacob only yesterday had compared the baby to a fruit. She was also grateful that while Sue thought she should tell the tribe, she also respected that it was her decision. She didn't feel entirely sure what to do, but the tribe would know sooner or later. She couldn't hide it forever.
"And I can ensure that she'll be closely monitored." Sue continued and Jacob felt his resolve wearing. He knew his Dad well, and knew that Billy wouldn't want to harm Bella. Bella was his best friend's daughter, and he cared for her, even though he never showed it. Since he's the head of the council, it wasn't a complete stretch to think that they could get them on their side.
"It's not up to me." He settled on. He glanced at Bella who was watching their exchange quietly.
"I…" Bella started. "They're going to find out eventually, I guess."
"We don't have to tell them yet, Bella." Jacob said to her. "Not if you're not ready."
"I think it's for the best if we just tell them, Jake." Bella whispered. "If we wait and they find out later… don't you think they'd be even more pissed if they found out we hid it from them?"
Jake sighed and nodded, knowing she was completely right. They'd absolutely be more pissed. Billy would be furious, in fact. The council existed to protect the tribe, and people outside of the tribe, from the supernatural, and help keep tribe secrets. To do that, they had to know everything. Jacob found the constant surveillance suffocating at times, but he knew they only did it to keep him, the pack, and everyone in the tribe safe.
"Which means I should tell Charlie." She said, breathing a huge breath in anxiety.
"He'll support you, Bella." Sue said. "It's tough, telling someone news like this. I was in my 30s when I fell pregnant with Leah and I still got nervous telling my father."
Bella gave her a weak smile, not convinced their stories were remotely comparable but appreciating her attempt at comfort. Renee and Charlie had both worked to ensure that Bella didn't end up in this situation. She knew they didn't regret having her, although she wonders sometimes about Renee, she knows they wouldn't want it for her. She didn't want to disappoint her parents, but had done the one thing that she knew would disappoint them greatly.
"He's gonna hate me." Bella whispered.
"He could never hate you, Bella." Jacob said. "He'll be shocked, maybe, but he'll get over that."
"He loves you, Bella." Sue said with a smile. "He speaks the world of you."
Bella smiled weakly. He did, and that's why she was so scared of telling him about this. She already felt like she'd disappointed him so much this year, and she knew this was going to just add to that. Even more so given he couldn't stand the father, and the father was absent.
"What if the baby is different?" Bella questioned. "Charlie will notice."
"We'll deal with that when it happens, Bella." Jake answered. "Honestly, even though we can't exactly be honest with Charlie about the tribe… I think he notices things."
"Oh, I agree." Sue remarked. "Billy and Harry are bad at being discreet about some things. I think Charlie is just a smart man, who refuses to ask."
"Billy won't want him in on things, though, surely?" Bella questioned.
"Not by choice." Sue answered. "But if it's the best thing for his safety, humans can definitely be informed of the truth of the tribe."
"What?"
"There are… tribe laws that allow some humans to be told of the truth of the pack, and the tribe." Jacob explained.
"Really?" Bella frowned. "But why were you so against telling me about you, then? You said you couldn't."
"I couldn't." He started. "There's tribe law allowing humans to be told, with stipulations, but the pack, we are under oath to secrecy. We couldn't physically do it. If I tried, the words would die in my throat. I quite literally couldn't say the words if I tried."
"That's… freaky." Bella said honestly, earning a chuckle from Jake.
"It feels pretty freaky too." He laughed. "Anything the alpha says, we have no choice to uphold. It's quite literally out of our control. So when Sam told me to ignore your calls… I literally had no choice. I couldn't even lift the phone when you called."
"That's messed up." She frowned.
"Yeah, it's definitely a con of being a wolf." He sighed. "Sam rarely utilizes the ability."
"So some humans can be told?" She questioned. "What are the stipulations?"
"We don't spread the truth sparingly. It may seem like a lot of people know the truth, but the majority of the reservation just see them as myths of the tribe. A person outside of the council and pack has to… qualify, to be told the truth." Jacob explained.
"For example, they can qualify by being close family to someone on the council, being family of a member of the park, being imprinted on by someone on the pack-" Jacob listed.
"Imprinted?" Bella asked curiously. She hadn't heard of that before.
"It's… an involuntary mechanism," Jake muttered and Bella recognized his slight hesitance. "It happens when you meet someone, and you bond with them. In a way you can't control. They become the reason for your existence, you'll be anything for them, protect them by any means."
"Like a mate?" Bella asked, remembering how Edward had described mating to her all those months ago. She thought he'd been hinting that their relationship was mated, but she knew now that wasn't the case.
"Kind of." Jacob replied. "But it's not necessarily romantic, even though it goes that way for most."
"Oh." She responded. "Have you imprinted on anyone?"
She almost didn't want to know the answer. She worried he had imprinted on her. Would that explain why she felt so safe, and comforted when around him? Was it really the result of some supernatural mechanism that neither of them could control? She wasn't sure how she felt about the possibility, but she hoped Jacob wasn't helping her out of some obligation to a wolf process. He looked at her, gazing into her eyes for a moment before breaking the contact.
"No." He said shortly. "I haven't."
The silence between them became awkward. Bella, slightly relieved that he hadn't imprinted on her, felt guilty for feeling so, especially since it appeared that Jacob felt upset that he hadn't done so yet. She didn't want to be that person for him, simply because he deserved better, but she also knew that Jacob did want her to be that person.
"Another stipulation is that the human could be told if there was a risk to their life." Sue explained, breaking the silence. "If there is risk to their life that could be helped by involvement of the wolves, then they could be told."
"... that would fit." Jake whispered. "Victoria is after you Bella, but he's probably the closest person to you. Who says she wouldn't go after him?"
"You are all protecting him already." Bella noted. "But I'm not sure if telling him about the wolves makes him any more safe. Especially if that means he'll find out about vampires, they do have laws against those things."
"That would be where it gets tricky." Jacob agreed. "Look, Bella. We don't have to decide anything yet. You don't even have to tell him yet, we have time."
"Okay." Bella said, nodding.
After Sue prescribed Bella some vitamins, they said their goodbyes and Bella and Jacob left the building, hopping back into the truck. Bella instantly felt her body relaxing, not realizing beforehand just how tense her body was.
"How are you feeling?" Jacob asked. "Be honest."
Bella thought about the question. She was happy, and definitely relieved. The visit had calmed a lot of the worries that she hadn't quite realized she had, but at the same time, she felt sad. It was bittersweet for her, that she got to see her baby and be reassured that everything does look fine, but she wished Edward had been there. She had accepted by now that he didn't want her, even though that made her heart hurt in ways she didn't think was possible, but she wanted him here for their baby. She wasn't sure what the future would hold and that scared her.
"I'm relieved everything looks good. I'm happy about that, too." She whispered, smiling slightly.
"But?"
"I don't know, Jake." She whispered. "I know you hate him but I just-"
"Wish he was here?" Jake finished and Bella nodded.
"He doesn't want me. That hurts more than I can put into words, but it's not about me anymore, Jake." She explained and Jake nodded, sighing.
"I get it." Jake said. "I do hate him, but he should be here. He owes you that."
"No, not me." Bella whispered. "He owes the baby that."
Jake just nodded, not believing that. Edward had a lot to answer for when it came to Bella. Even if he hadn't wanted her in the same way she wanted him, he had absolutely no right to hurt her like he did. None of them did. He had been there and seen just how much she was hurt, and nobody deserved that. If things went his way, he would've ever come back. He and Bella would work things out and he'd help how he could. He'd raise this baby with her, if that's what she wanted. But he knew it wasn't.
"We'll find him, Bells." He said and squeezed her shoulder.
Bella just sighed in response, not feeling as confidence as he was about that. They worked hard to hide themselves. She hoped she was wrong, though.
"Are you going to tell Charlie?" Jacob questioned and Bella pursed her lips for a moment, thinking. She kinda hoped Jake wouldn't ask yet, she felt like she needed some time. But at the same time, she felt like maybe ripping off the band aid and telling him sooner may be better. It would be hard, but he was bound to find out soon anyway.
"I think so." She said quietly. "I need to, really."
"There's not much of a rush, Bella."
"No, but I don't see any point in putting it off. His reaction won't change if I wait."
"It'll be fine, I'm sure." Jake said and Bella gave him a look. He knew how Renee and Charlie felt about this kind of topic. "I mean… eventually."
Bella rolled her eyes.
"Look, I'm sure any parent would be a bit disappointed." Jake started. "But like Sue said, he loves you. He just wants you to be happy. This baby makes you happy, right?"
It hurt Jake to ask that. He had secretly hoped Bella wouldn't want to keep the baby, but it was becoming increasingly clear that she definitely didn't want to choose that. Bella nodded in response, after a moment.
"He'll support that, I'm sure." He smiled.
"Thanks, Jake." Bella replied. "For everything. I know that this isn't that easy for you."
"No, but I lov-" Jake started but caught himself. Bella caught it but pretended she didn't. "I care about you and I'm here for you."
She smiled, her eyes filling up and she leaned over the seats, giving him a hug in thanks.
As Jake drove her home, she decided that she would tell Charlie. But after the stress of the day, she opted to wait until tomorrow. Tonight she would cook him dinner, force herself to have the usual awkward small talk, and pretend to pay attention to a baseball game with him. She was going to have this one last normal night with him since tomorrow that could all change.
So things are looking good for Bella in terms of her pregnancy. For now, anyway...
Thanks for reading! I have a chunk of the next Chapter written, so hopefully it won't be too long before I can update again.