Chapter 33

Song for this Chapter: The Jacket by Ashley McBryde

Thanks Mama4Dukes for being the best Beta Ever!

Izzy's POV

After the sun rose Jasper finally turned his head towards the house. He'd been giving me blood throughout the night. Those times, pulling bags of blood from a Coleman cooler were the only times he'd take his eyes off of me.

"Char's talking to him again. Peter's in there, too. Been almost forty hours now. The worst parts for his turning are over." I didn't understand his meaning. "You should be able to go to him if you want?"

I didn't know what I wanted.

I needed to see my dad, but I also needed the man in front of me to stay close.

His eyebrows raised. Giving me a small smile. "I'll be in there too. As I said, I won't leave until you make me."

So that's how I spent my first day as a vampire. Getting bagged blood every couple of hours. Telling my dad about our lives together. I was hesitant to hold his hand. With my new strength, I was afraid I'd break the thin bones held inside.

Sometime after sunset, Charlotte handed me a letter a dad had written to me. At my questioning look, she said, "Before."

Again I didn't want to touch it. Jasper never left my side. He asked if he could open it, and hold it for me to read. But I wanted to do it on my own. I wanted to be the one to read my dad's words without any help.

At my confused look, he took a paperback book from the nightstand and started turning the pages. He'd shown me how to hold it, how to gently push a corner of a page, and then push it back. After a couple of tries, I was able to do that with no problem, though I had Jasper tear open the envelope for me.

I held in my hand twelve pages of my dad's memories. He'd written about everything from his childhood to mine. From his parents and their marriage to his own with my mom, the times he'd gotten in trouble in high school, and how his folks had handled that. He wrote about my mom coming to him when they were both eighteen years old and telling him I'd be in their lives in September. He wrote about how his job helped after we'd left. He also mentioned his friends at the reservation and his hope that they would never darken our door again.

He'd put down all of his hopes and dreams of our future together-how we'd have to gang up on Peter once we were both able; how he wanted to go to all of the places I'd once called home without him knowing about them at the time.

There were pictures inside as well. Of my grandparents, of their parents. Of us, as he held me as a baby and later on as a small child. Of me as I grew through the school pictures. His passport and birth certificate. A copy of my own. A homemade picture of my handprints.

He wrote how he'd been afraid he wouldn't remember these things after he'd awakened. Leaving them here for me to remember for the both of us.

"I can't wait to see you on the other side of this. I know it'll be hard, but together, we'll face the world head-on. We'll somehow find a way to rid ourselves of those keeping us under their thumb. I Love You, Bells. Always have and always will. Dad"

I found myself wanting to cry but being unable to. I felt that my tears would somehow release the emotions I was feeling. Now, I was unable to do just that. Feeling my emotions Jasper knew I needed a distraction.

So He, Peter, and Char started helping me learn different things. They talked me through things as they taught me how to twist a door handle.

"You can now open your doors, turn the knobs on the shower, and flip a burger. Though we might not be having human company for a while." Peter joked.

They taught me how to push off of something without breaking the object like a couch arm or walking away from a table towards a table, and how to open and close a door with hinges, etc… etc… etc… I did everything asked. Only broke a few things along the way. The only thing I did not do was hold Charlie's hand.

It was after midnight by this point, I was amazed at not feeling the least bit tired. I realized I'd never sleep again, and I didn't know how I felt about that idea.

They must have been watching me because after sitting once again near my dad. Jasper came to stand near the side of the bed.

"I want to try something, sunshine." Jasper grabbed my hand. His own was resting on top of mine. He gently placed my hand on top of Dad's, "Feather light touches. Go slowly." he lifted his from my dad's and mine. That's how the sunrise that Monday found me.

I watched my dad throughout the night as the two others came and went in and out of the room. Jasper never moved to leave; he stood behind me, ever-present; his quiet nature soothed my rough edges.

The sun was getting higher and higher in the sky. When Peter and Charlotte joined us.

"You burnt for damn near seventy-one hours. Your dad here," he waved his hands at dad. "Has been cooking for about fifty-six. I don't believe he'll be up anytime soon. But I also don't think he'll go as long as you did."

"So, we just wait?" he nodded.

I kept telling my dad over and over about the words from his letter till later in the afternoon.

"Can we talk about something without you losing your cool?" Peter asked. Making me wonder if I could answer him truthfully.

So I just shrugged.

"When you woke up. Your shield activated out of instinct. We didn't know that was going to happen. But that was the first time I'd been able to see the damn thing. It domed over the top of you, pushing the three of us out of the way. Once, it held us away from you. I could see through it, but it had an almost transparent film over it. None of us could get to you like usual. It held firm. The reason I asked you to bring it down slowly was because, if I'm being honest… I thought it might make the house fall in around us. It was that strong."

I thought of his words as he spoke.

"Then again, out back? When you turned to Jasper. A strong dome appeared around y'all, but it was much smaller than the one used upstairs. You may not realize this yet, but neither Char nor I could get to you again. We couldn't even tell if y'all were talking. It was solid. What I'm asking is if it seems easier to use it now that you're a vampire. Or do you feel as drained using it as you did as a human?"

"Peter, I didn't even know I was using it either time. I just sort of popped up."

"Once we get your dad situated, we're gonna have to work with it. See if it moves where you go. Or if it just enlarges to contain where you are? If you can make that film thicker or thinner…" Then he laughed.

They all did.

"What's the joke?"

"Sweetie, you're nothing like any newborn we've ever seen. Most are out of control. They learn to move and do the things everyone else does, but only after a few weeks of breaking everything in sight. We've sat here all day, wondering when you're going to lose your shit, but it doesn't look like you're going to." Char was now hugging me to her side as she talked. Then they started throwing ideas of why around.

"Is it because she knew beforehand?"

"Because she's a shield?"

"I don't know, maybe it's just her?"

"We'll have to see how Char…" then everyone stopped talking. Turning their heads to look at me.

"Izzy, your dad is gonna have to change his first and last name. Charles Lee Swan is now Lee Swanson. Jenks had his office send your dad's new identification overnight yesterday. They came in the mail today. We're all gonna have to get used to calling the man Lee. It isn't as easy as you may think to remember."

I thought about that for a second and shrugged. "I'll just call him dad. It won't be a problem for me." I believe that was the first time I'd smiled as a vampire.

"I think I'm going to enjoy listening to you, Charlotte, and Jasper stutter over it, though. Maybe I ought to start a swear jar. Every time you guys goof up, a hundred bucks goes into it." Dad had written that he wanted us to torment Peter, so I'd just get a head start.

As I said earlier, every two hours, like clockwork, a bag of blood was placed inside my hands. Sometimes, I'd feel like two bags; others, I didn't think I needed it at all.

"Where'd all of this come from anyway?" I asked, sometime around 6 pm. I was shaking my now empty bag in the air. Dad had been changing for close to sixty-five hours, and we'd started our 'Lee's watch,' as Peter called it.

"Your dad thought Char had been upstairs with you when we first got here Thursday night into Friday morning. What he didn't know is that Thursdays are blood banks' busiest days. Between Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, and Plano, she was able to get us about ninety bags of donated blood. She'd take about 15 bags from each location. Fudging their paperwork at each place. Then, hit the next one. Took her to about six different locations, but she wanted there to be enough to get you and your dad somewhat under control before we had to teach y'all how to hunt."

"She's always worried that I wasn't eating enough," I said. I could hear him whispering something so softly, but I couldn't, even with my improved hearing, make out what he was saying. He nodded his head as he talked.

"What was that?"

He rolled his eyes before saying, "Later."

"Sug, since you seem to be under control, how's about we go upstairs and get you showered and changed?"

That's when I noticed my pretty black dress, which I'd worn to the meeting back in Forks, wasn't what I was wearing now. I was wearing a pair of my old sweats that I'd left here before going to North Carolina. They were bloody from that first bag I'd popped.

I looked up at Peter, "Do you think I'll have time?" Then I looked back down at my dad.

"Yep. I'd say another hour, at least. Go on, we'll be here when you're done."

I looked next to me to see Jasper had his arms folded over his chest. He was leaning against the tall dresser of drawers near the window. He had a small smile on his face.

"Go on, as Pete said, we'll be here."

I don't know if it was being away from my dad. Worrying he might wake up and I'd miss it. Or if it was being away from Jasper? But it took everything I had in me to follow Char up those damn stairs.

I was fighting something deep inside of me that I didn't even know was there.

Once in the bathroom, I carefully turned the knob for the hot water. Char watched as I pulled open the dresser drawer. I carefully grabbed a clean outfit and slowly closed the drawer.

I thought a hot shower would help, but as it turns out, my new skin wouldn't have cared if I used ice to bathe in. This sucked. No one told me that I'd be giving up hot showers.

After getting out and dressed. I looked at the room around me. I quickly sat carefully on the bed. Each house I own has the same furniture in the master bedroom. I like the clean lines and easy care. I do have a couple of things different in each room though. My books and my guitars.

I wandered over to the wall that held them. I wondered if relearning to play would be as easy as everything else seems to be. I wanted to grab the old Martin Dad had given me, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The last place I played it was in Nome. Char must have unpacked my bags for me.

I know most people would think it's crazy. But some of these guitars are worth tens of thousands of dollars. Some upwards of seventy-five grand. I've known some pickers with thirty-five thousand dollar guitars while sleeping in their POS cars.

But the one Dad gave to me was priceless.

So I gently grabbed the Martin Hops and Barley limited edition. Worth more than some cars. And strummed to see how out of tune it was. It wasn't bad, the D string was the worst. After tuning it up without destroying it. I hit a C-cords. Let's see if I can still do this.

I ended up doing the simplest chords I could use. Unwilling to try anything too outrageous yet. I sang the words to The Jacket. Quietly and tried not to get too emotional.

I found myself wandering to my closet and grabbing the one item that lasted the whole time I'd been running. Dad's jean jacket. It no longer smelt of the man I stole it from when I'd left Forks at 18, but I'd written that particular song to remind myself of the connection it held with him.

I knew when Dad got up, I'd have to be still and quiet. I didn't want to hamper the others in helping him, like they had me.

I made my way down the stairs and into Dad's room. He'd been burning for more than 68 hours, and Peter had said it would all be over soon.

Peter grabbed my hand, and and then released it as I walked towards the chair in the corner. Char walked up to me and gave me a sideways hug, before going to stand with her husband. Jasper was standing in the same place I left him. A sweet smile on his face as he watched me take my seat.

I listened carefully, remembering the way the burn felt towards the end. I said the words I'd told my dad as he stepped out of the car before he came with me to Nome.

"I love you, Dad."

Two more heartbeats and then nothing. As soon as the last beat hit, he sat straight upright, looking about the room that surrounded him. When his red eyes found mine, his smile was breathtaking.

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