BELLA
The next few days passed slower than ever. After I got home from the hospital, I was supposed to be on bedrest and I had to keep the lights off and sound to a minimum because of my concussion.
Charlie had let Paul sleep beside me when I'd asked him if he could stay over on the first night. Charlie seemed more than grateful because he didn't want to leave me home alone with a concussion or post-surgery.
Charlie mumbled 'no funny business' the first night and told us to 'keep the door open' but according to Paul, he didn't check on us that night. I had felt kind of giddy that he'd respected and cared enough about Paul to trust him.
Paul meant a lot to me and it really made me proud that my dad respected him too. Although my concussion, head injury and recent surgery might've put a damper on any 'funny business' if the two of us were actually a couple and not just best friends. So maybe Charlie didn't check in on us because I had just got out of surgery. I'd still think the best.
The second day I was home, Charlie seemed to be pacing to leave the house so I'd told him to go ahead and that Paul would stay with me. Paul had cosigned my offer, telling Chalrie he'd be watching me and cooking for me so I wouldn't be getting out of bed, which I groaned at, but reluctantly agreed to.
I think all of the time Charlie spent with me at the hospital made him miss work desperately. He'd wanted to get back for days but my situation in the hospital became the top priority. But when he'd found out that Paul would be monitoring me and cooking, Charlie had decided that he could head back to work.
The third day, Charlie had joked with Paul, asking if he'd moved in but he had also completely accepted that his presence in the house was needed for my sanity and wellbeing. Being on bed rest was tough. Paul had made sure my blinds were closed, brought food up to my room every day, for every meal even though I insisted on not eating like an invalid, and he applied ointments to the bruises on my face.
Every six hours, unless I was sleeping, Paul would let me know what wolves were guarding outside, so I was kept in the loop. Paul and I would lay in bed for hours, and talk about how we felt about the upcoming battle. He let me get all of my feelings off of my chest.
I'd finally opened up about the pit in my stomach, the guilt that was eating at me. My pain, anxiety, and shame. I'd lay against Paul's side and tell him my darkest fears about the upcoming battle, the fact that Paul could die, that any of the wolves could, or that Emily and Kim might be ambushed. And, Paul would counter all of my fears with solutions to each problem or fear I had.
On my fourth day from being back from the hospital, I was finally off of bedrest. I still decided to take another day off school. We made pancakes together instead of Paul cooking for me. Paul and I took out board games, and we ended up playing Monopoly and Cards. Paul totally cheated. But we'd laughed harder and more often than we had in days.
We made lunch together, in the afternoon. We cooked scrambled eggs, and each had a plate although for Paul it was more like he ate a bucket with the way he piled it on. We proceeded to put on a movie and get our cuddles in because the next day we had a lot to do.
We cuddled for hours. Talked about nothing to everything. Laughed at the comical parts in the movies. We were trying to make the most of our last easy day together. And we did. We made the most of it.
When I woke up with one day left until the battle, I woke up in a sweaty disarray. Thank god, Charlie had I already left for work because I started bawling as soon as I realized what day it was. Tears were flowing down my face and I was shaking. Paul immediately rolled over in my bed to intervene on my panic attack and tear marathon.
He brushed the hair from my face and lulled me into his arms. He rocked me as he whispered that everything would be okay. I was nestled deep in his arms as I let my tears flow until I had no tears left to cry.
Paul was still rocking me in his arms while brushing my hair back when he began to speak softly. "We need to put your scent in the clearing today. You, Emily and Kim will be going too. But if your head hurts at all, if anything hurts, if anything's too much, you let me know okay?" I nodded in his arms, "Okay."
.
.
.
I pulled on warm sweatpants, a long-sleeve tee, and a quarter-zip hoodie for extra warmth. Before I headed downstairs to meet Paul, I grabbed my duffel bag for the next night when I would be staying in the tent. And I walked downstairs to meet Paul.
When I saw Paul, he reminded me to leave a note for Charlie. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I thought to myself as I grabbed a pen and a notepad from the counter. I scribbled that I'd be staying over at Kim's house for a sleepover tonight, and then placed the note with a magnet onto the fridge so Charlie would see it.
I sauntered down the steps and grabbed my hiking boots. I put them on and reached a hand out to Paul. He pulled my hand into his. "You got everything?" He asked solemnly. "Yeah," I replied. He took my duffel bag from my shoulder and placed it on his while keeping my one hand in his.
We both got into my truck, I didn't want to drive or know where to go so Paul took the driver's side and I took the passenger's after he dropped my duffel bag into the bed of my truck. Paul drove extra slow, with his right hand interlaced with my left.
We were heading to the closest road to the clearing and then Paul was going to carry me the rest of the way. I knew we arrived when Paul started to park on a dirt road beside two other cars. Now I felt bad for wearing my heaviest boots because Paul was going to be carrying me, but if I mentioned it to Paul, he would laugh it off because apparently I weighed the same as a feather to him and his supernatural strength.
I wish I had supernatural strength I huffed in my head as I exited the truck. I walked around the cab to meet Paul and he was at my side faster than it would've taken me to walk two feet, plus he'd gotten my duffel bag out of my truck bed already and had it wrapped around his left shoulder.
I giggled and looked up at him and he smiled back as he placed his big hand in mine and gave it a kiss. Then he quickly let go, with an apologetic look in his eyes and swooped me up by my neck and under my legs so he was carrying me bridal style. My mouth gaped open, startled as I realized how suddenly I was swept into his arms above the ground.
Paul chuckled and then spoke "The rest of them are at the clearing already, if not already on their way back. We can be late though, we're special." He drawled.
"I can hear one wolf on our left and one on our right. It's Leah and Jacob." He continued. "When we talk our trip to the clearing it'll be live on wolf pack-centric radio." He cackled. "Umph." I let out a groan, then realized I was thankful. "Thank you guys–and Leah!" I called out. Paul chuckled.
Paul and I talked all the way to the clearing. I was almost ready for a nap or some food, and then he told me we'd arrived. He set me down carefully, keeping me steady as I yawned. We were right at the edge of the clearing. I was supposed to head out to the clearing on my own so I couldn't go with Paul because his scent would cover mine.
I walked through the underbrush, dragging my fingers through the leaves and then walked about a mile out slowly. I took some time, since I dragged my feet, pulled some hairs out while walking and drew some blood from a small cut I made in my finger from tripping. Then I quickly made my way back to Paul.
I wasn't thinking when I decided that my walking faster would result in me seeing Paul sooner. Because, soon enough I was tripping more, landing me with more bruises on my skin and more cuts and scrapes. I was almost there when the sun began to hurt my eyes intensely and my vision started to go spotty.
I was about sixty feet from Paul when I had to sit down. The sun was bliding me and my concussion was acting up. I heard Paul say something but I couldn't hear him. But he could hear me. "My concussion is just acting up, I need to sit for a minute." I let out, in his direction. I gave a weak thumbs up and then rested my hand on my thighs.
My vision kept going hazy, and my head was pounding so I decided to stay sitting until my vision and head cleared up. I tried deep breathing to calm myself. My head and vision wouldn't let up though. I tried to stand up and my vision spotted, and I fell back down onto my hands and knees. I closed my eyes and stayed there. I was just going to rest here for a second, I thought.
The next thing I knew I was being lifted under my neck and knees, being carried. "Are you all right, Chica?" Paul's voice drummed into my ear. "Yeah–" then I thought better of lying in that moment. "No, my head started killing me, the sun, my eyes and can you speak a little quieter please?" I drawled.
"Yeah, honey." He whispered. "You did good. Getting all those cuts were overkill but I knew you couldn't help it." He chuckled softly. I let out a small giggle at his remark. And then clutched my head in my hands. "I'm so sorry Bella. I packed you some Advil and you can close your eyes the whole way to the cliffs." He apologized. "Okay," I mumbled, as I listened to his advice and closed my eyes.
It was dark and cold when I felt my body being brushed against a nylon fabric, and I heard a tent rustling in the wind. It was a loud, constant woosh. I jolted awake in terror, forgetting where I was. "Shh, it's okay honey. We just arrived at the tent. Embry scouted ahead and set it up for us. You want to yell and thank him too?" He smirked. I huffed in response. "Can I get down now?" I asked.
"Yeah of course." He said as he helped me down in the tent over a sleeping bag. Then he proceeded to tell me that he'd leave so I could change. "No, you could stay," I said as I took off my quarter zip and left my boots by the door of the tent. Then I got into the sleeping bag with just my sweats and long-sleeve tee on and settled in for the night beside a warm Paul who didn't need the sleeping bag.