*DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Twilight Saga and it's characters. This is purely artistic fiction drawn in inspiration from Stephanie Meyers words.
*This story features dark Edward.
* Jacob maintains his pre-wolf personality, but a little animosity with his transformations.
*Includes a stronger Bella arc.
*The timeline begins after the infamous cliff jump incident in New Moon and divulges from the original.
*Quileute wolves do not imprint on anyone unless both parties are at least 18. There are NO huge age gaps (ex. 4 and 16), and it happens between anyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
*Quileute wolves also do not cut their hair out of respect for their personal and spiritual beliefs. It does not affect their transformations.
*There will be warnings for certain chapters that contain disturbing imagery that some may find triggering.
*This chapter features a pov change.
*WARNING: READER DISCRETION ADVISED!
Highly graphic, violent imagery... suicidal ideation, eating disorder mentions, and blood descriptors below!
JACOB POV
A thunderous roar ripped through my chest. Over. My. Dead. Body. Every single hair on my neck and arms stood up in retaliation. I struggled to come back to reality for Bella, swallowing the next growl that had been rising in my throat. She was balled up, her knees hugged tightly to her chest. Bella was utterly terrified.
"Jake, what can we do? Where do we go?" Her meek voice quivered. My hatred subsided momentarily to comfort her. I scrambled to figure out a plan.
"Let's leave. We can go back to my house on the reservation. Sam and the others will help—"
We were out of time. A vehement hiss followed by high-pitched screeching came from outside. Edward's nails raked meticulously down the glass and wooden frame of the window. His form was obscured by the backlight of the streetlamp; a distorted shadow. I scooped Bella into my arms and instinctively snarled back at him. He was inside instantly, directly in front of us, standing menacingly at the foot of the bed. A disturbing aura emanated from his cold, statuesque figure. The light of the bedside lamp exposed his disheveled appearance.
"What are you doing here, mutt? Kindly remove yourself from Bella before I send you to your grave—in tiny pieces."
"Bella doesn't want you here. You left her—she doesn't love you anymore, monster." I spat. Black seeped into the peripherals of my vision; pin-pricks of heat painfully tingled all over my skin. I fought back my burgeoning transformation, clinging to my human form for Bella's sake. If I phased now, she would end up just like Emily. Bella's hands trembled heavily, clutching mine so hard her knuckles turned white.
"I refuse to believe that. Bella, what is this? Why is he here? Tell me your reasoning, please. I'd prefer to hear it from you." Emotion crumpled his smooth, inhuman features. He was upset but his expression couldn't fully reflect that. The marble-like texture of his face constricted. His button-down shirt was incredibly wrinkled, torn in some spots and half tucked into his dirt-stained pants. The smell... like rotted, flowery sweet, death incarnate. Had he been living in a crypt? Due to his proximity, his scent was so intense it burned the inside of my nose.
"Edward, it's t-true... You broke my heart and left me all alone," she whispered faintly, "we are too different. I can't trust you not to hurt me again." Bella swallowed dryly, fear was thick in her wispy voice. It added fuel to the fire of my growing rage.
She continued after a controlled sniffle, "Jacob saved me, and ultimately my life. Edward, I don't love you anymore—I can't." Her words were muffled under the bulky protection of my arms. I had shielded her vital organs in case he tried to hurt her. It would be her best line of defense against him. Edward became unexpectedly calm, a quiet irritation manipulating his expression. I watched him intently, much like a predator that would defend against other predators on the hunt. I was mentally preparing to tackle him through the window away from Bella and would do so by any means necessary.
"I know that it hurt you when I left Forks, but I did that to protect you. I couldn't keep you safe from the dangers of other vampires—let alone my own family. I wanted you to experience being human without supernatural hindrance. Every last word I spoke to you that day was a bald-faced lie."
He deliberated, calculating his next move.
Edward hissed darkly, "I didn't have a choice with my humanity. Carlisle thought he was saving me, but he tore me from the arms of Death unwillingly. I did not want you to become a monster, as Jacob so aptly put it. It was my wish from the very beginning—before I even knew you—for you to live a long, healthy life as a human, far away from the likes of me. I did my best to guide you despite Alice's reoccurring visions."
He was pacing the floor, "it didn't matter what decisions I made, ones you made, or outside influences—everything led down the exact path I was trying to force you from. The one where you'd be trapped on this plane of existence for an immeasurable amount of time, a social pariah, a true perversion of nature. Feeding off of vitality, defying the circle of life, eternally unsatisfied and damned to this accursed reality," he tilted his chin down, softening for a split second, "only in your absence did I accept the naked truth. I simply don't care anymore."
Edward stood completely still, rigid like a sculpture, "I need you. I need your touch, your scent, your essence... and I'm willing to give up my morals for it. I still love you, I have never stopped loving you, Bella. I will give you everything you desired—I just want to marry you first." His tone was lower, muddied with remorse.
The air hitched in my lungs, and my heart pounded inside my chest. The blaring, drum-like sound filled my ears, drowning out anything else. Bile lapped at the back of my throat, rampant disgust began to simmer deep inside my core. I didn't want to listen to this vile creature professes his pathetic excuse of 'love' for Bella. I was limited in my possibilities. Charlie's house was on neutral territory between both sides. I couldn't attack Edward first. We'd lose the support of the other Cullen's, severely jeopardizing our advantage against Victoria's army. Breaking the treaty wasn't on my list of priorities, but as time ticked on—I calmly made up my mind. I didn't care what it cost, protecting my mate took precedence right now.
"Edward, try to understand that it's been a year... a whole year. It may not seem like long to you, a blink perhaps, but it was comparable to an entire lifetime for me. There was this looming shadow over me, an unconscionable depression that swallowed my whole world up. I hardly ate, barely left my room—I reduced myself to nothing but a hollow, meaningless shell."
She inhaled quickly, exhaling twice as slowly right after, "a part of me died... when you abandoned me in that forest. I cried myself to sleep every single night, full-heartedly believing your lies, sugarcoated in the honey your voice spoon-fed me. My dreams were haunted by James at first, but eventually, those nightmares were superseded by the all-consuming loss of you. I was once a naïve girl, drowning in the sprawling sea of first love, and just as instantaneously, washed ashore with the expected agony of first heartbreak. A year ago, I foolishly listened to your every beck and call," she glared up at him, hot tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.
Bella wiped the moisture away, processing her next words carefully, "I thought I was incomplete without you, going so far as to jump off a cliff without a shred of fear. Permanent consequences didn't scare me, I was at peace with death. You swore you didn't want me, and it took me a full year to finally agree to that statement. I was wrong about a lot of things—inadvertently, by almost dying, I learned that I am stronger than I previously thought. I don't need you. You're not the center of my universe anymore, Edward. You can't drag me around on twisted, puppeteer strings, promising one thing and gaslighting me later. Jacob has given me more in the last few days than you ever did. Emotionally, mentally, psychologically, and physically—I'm in love with him. I love Jacob. Not you."
Bella was standing her ground, her voice was robotic, solid in her repudiation of him, "communication would have solved everything, but instead you forced me to confront traumas I may never heal from. I don't forgive your callous, arrogant, self-righteous decision. Leaving was the worst thing you could have done then, but to return now after all this time and demand forgiveness? To show up and expect me to still love you? I've moved on. Please leave—I'd prefer not to waste any more tears on you."
She was trying to defuse the situation without a fight while also sticking to her guns. I was proud of Bella for finally standing up to him, yet deeply apprehensive about his unpredictable behavior. Edward shifted unevenly under the pale light of the lamp. His expression was even more pained, and I couldn't possibly care less. The mask of perfection was crumbling, disintegrating before our eyes. Bella was shaking harder, unnerved albeit incensed by whatever Edward was slowly eroding into.
"Bella, please... Come back to me. I'm nothing without you. You gave me a higher purpose, swift redemption for my wretched soul, a chance at happiness. My equal, my companion, my only true mate—I love you more than anything," he begged, slamming his fist lightly into her dresser, the wood creaked and groaned.
"I watched you through Alice's visions, and seeing you suffer was absolute torture. I've starved myself for months as penance. In my guilty desperation, I sought to end my life more than once this past year. I failed endlessly. I see now that this—being denied of you—is far worse." He was seething with sinister frustration.
Edward was suddenly sans any semblance of humanity he might have displayed minutes ago. His eyes were sunken in, lidless, an opaque obsidian hue. They analyzed her like cattle; cold, empty, and devoid of rationality. All those words about devotion, yet it sounded more like he wanted ownership of her. Like she was his property. Now I see... Edward doesn't love Bella—he loves her blood. He admitted he hasn't fed, he's gone mad with thirst finally. Edward had fallen to his knees in front of us. If I didn't know any better—I'd say he was crying but no tears were produced, nor any moisture around his soulless eyes. Sympathy flooded my mind briefly, and I relaxed my tense arms around Bella. Pity stained my resolve.
"If you won't listen to me, then I'll help you to see beyond your bias. I have to separate you from the problem—" Edward's voice was sharp, dripping with icy vitriol, "you can't do this, Bella. He's brainwashed you, tainted you. You can't leave me for him. I won't allow you to."
I saw in slow motion a chain of events that I had no control over. Bella had been ripped from my arms. She was by the window know, secured against her will within his stone grip. She began to struggle, a scream bubbling up in her throat before he smothered it at her mouth with his hand. She whimpered with discomfort. He was crushing her to him, completely deluded within his frantic madness.
Edward escaped through the window, the sliced screen unveiling the cloudless night. I leaped through the opening after him. The moment my skin touched the frigid air, I phased faster than I ever had before. Unbridled, radical, fury blazed brightly inside me, scorching my soul, mind, and body in continuous, crashing tidal waves of heat. The fire that was ignited, burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. He would die—tonight. To hell with the treaty; I would personally put an end to his vilified un-life. A rustling of leaves occurred, and the wind whipped around me in a cylindrical column, moving of its own accord.
The scent of more vampires assaulted my heightened senses. A small and taciturn shadow converged with Edward's torso. It was attempting to lock his arms behind him. Another figure appeared while they dashed through the tree canopies, trying to pull Bella from his immovable grasp. In their struggle, I barely kept up with the midair fight while maneuvering the forest floor and obstacles in front of me. Before I could react, a flurry of swift movements resulted in something plummeting rapidly toward the forest floor. It didn't smell like a vampire. My mind connected the dots much too late.
Bella! No!
Her body fell through the air with unprecedented speed; arms flailing, outstretched for someone, anyone to save her. Bella was a quarter of a mile ahead of me—I wasn't going to reach her in time. My paw pads echoed against the abundant foliage with every powerful stride. I caught the tail end of more vampire scents the closer I got, pushing my body to the physical limit to reach her. A deafening crack reverberated off the soundboard of wilderness surrounding us, her momentum ceased when she landed on a stationary, prone, oak stump. It was immediate, Bella shrieked violently, her scream—no—the sickening noise that left her was blood-curdling. I howled in distress with her. Everything around me developed into a chaotic blur. I skidded to a halt beside her, surveying the damage. Bella's body was laying in a ghastly heap on top of the mossy thicket. Shallow, breathy wheezes escaped from her mouth, she was gasping for air but couldn't catch it. The fresh metallic scent of blood was overwhelming.
Where? Where is it?
One of her ribs must have punctured her lung and that was why she was struggling to breathe. Her right leg was hyperextended at the knee, and her femur had pierced her skin and ripped through her pants. Bella's left arm was dislocated, the muscles were bunched up at the shoulder cuff, and her arm was unnaturally bent right before her elbow. Blood soaked into the cotton material of her pajamas, languidly pooling underneath her. The light was leaving her eyes. I watched her continue to wheeze in agony. I needed to get her out of here or she wouldn't survive. No, that wasn't possible, I refused. We were mates, imprints—my whole world was dissolving under the inequitable weight of time. Bella was going to... die?
Another shadow hunched over next to her broken figure and I viciously snarled at them. I snapped my mouth open and close, back and forth in the air repeatedly, lashing out wildly. I leaned over Bella protectively, shielding her from any more harm. A gentle voice surprised me, and I recognized it as Carlisle.
"Easy Jacob, her injuries are too grave. She'll die if we don't hurry." He urged. She had told me he was a doctor at Forks General before they left. Hope inundated my heart. I stopped and recoiled.
"Car-Carlisle...my r-ribs." Bella gasped sharply.
I whimpered weakly and cowered beside her. The shadows that were on Edward became clearer, it was Alice and someone else. I didn't know who. He had managed to break free from their hold. I witnessed the other vampires smash into neighboring trees after he flung them off. In another blink, I was knocked away from Bella. Edward's crystalline body rammed into mine, his shoulder bashed into my side with considerable force. Carlisle hissed as he, too, was batted away from her while assessing her wounds. She was gone again; a puddle of blood remained where she had once been. I yelped inside my mind and outwardly.
Edward landed deftly, mere inches in front of me, and we locked eyes. The smell of her blood must have vanquished what was left of his dwindling sensibility. His vacant eyes shined dimly in the rose-colored light that bathed the woods. A lunar eclipse glowed above us; a blood moon. What I saw before me was purely ruthless, someone—something far beyond saving. Edward began speaking to me specifically, his voice was raspy and cruel.
"If I can't love her, then you certainly won't be able to either. I'll make damn sure of that," he smiled slowly, baring his pearly teeth. "I guarantee you won't want her when I'm finished, mongrel." He bent down, threading his bony, alabaster fingers through her hair. The same hand shifted her tousled locks away from her face, exposing her pale, bare neck. Edward stared into my spirit, my very being as he tossed his head back, and barked a deliberate laugh. He pressed an indignant kiss to her nape as she fought to look away from him at me. Tears brimmed in her chocolate-hued eyes until they spilled over and down her cheeks. The moisture gleamed in the crimson rays tinting the forest floor.
"D-d-don't..." She gasped with difficulty, gritting her teeth between labored breaths. "Jake...I love y-you."
My solemn heart dropped into the depths of my stomach, Edward's voice was hollow, "careful what you wish for, Bella." He bit into the base of her throat with a muted, wet crunch. All the breath rushed out of her lungs, and a resigned gurgle left her anemic, parted lips. Her eyes fluttered wide, she was going into shock.
Bella! No—YOU SICK BASTARD!! You'll pay with your life! I'll kill you!
I screamed inside my mind, the sound was piercing, loud enough so he would feel it. Raw, unadulterated wrath consumed me. What had he done!? The rest of my humanity evaporated with that bite, and I lunged at him with furious vengeance. I gave it everything I could muster—I vowed that I wouldn't lose her. Carlisle was able to grab Bella in the scuffle. I tore into Edward's midsection, yanking him away from both of them.
Stabilizing his spindly figure with my front paws, I sunk my teeth into his marble flesh. My robust jaws clamped down, rending his right arm from its socket by sheer compulsion. I started to repeat the process with the other arm before I was dragged off by someone. Alice—she and a blonde-headed vampire were back in action. The male beside her pinned Edward into place by immobilizing his legs and remaining, damaged arm. Another, taller, dark-haired, behemoth of a vampire materialized behind them and helped the other male anchor Edward into the dirt.
"Go! Bella needs you!" Alice cried, her pixy-like features awash with strong sadness.
Bella was convulsing behind me when I turned back around, her body thrashing uncontrollably in Carlisle's arms. All noise had been silenced but the look on her face told a different story.
"It's the venom. He bit her—we have to act quickly, or she'll change." Carlisle's voice rang in my ears. "There's not much time left."
I swore my soul left my body. I watched in grueling torment as the love of my life lay dying right in front of me. My Bella... gone forever. I howled again in deep anguish, crying out into the desolate night. The curly, blonde-haired, male vampire held Alice in his arms as they sat there, paralyzed with grief. The tall, dark-headed one, growled with mutual displeasure, digging his claws deeper into Edward's subdued shoulder. Leah appeared on my right, and so did the rest of Sam's pack in a partial rear flank. I hadn't noticed them until she whimpered and rubbed her grey-speckled mane against mine. Her head was buried under my muzzle in solidarity.
Oh my god—what happened to her!?
Leah whined in our collective, her voice was brittle.
Bitten...dying. H-help...
I choked out, my voice was gruff. Crying and yelling had wrecked it. It didn't matter.
Carlisle was calmly and expertly filtering the venom out of the wound in her neck. Bella lay completely still now, her heart barely beating, pupils dilating—her body mutilated. I phased back into human form; the tears poured freely from my face. I dry heaved, sick with loss. My soul shattered into splinters. I knelt next to her mangled form, afraid to touch her. I had to let her know I was there, I wouldn't dare leave her side. My hands shook strenuously as more and more tears cascaded off my cheeks, they landed in the messy wefts of her tangled, brunette hair. I wept quietly over her near the lifeless figure. She couldn't leave this world—we still had so much to do, and she had so much to live for. The moon illuminated the devastating reality I was forced to live with. Carlisle finished siphoning her blood manually and applied a makeshift tourniquet to her leg from his belt.
"I'll take her to the house. It's not that far. She needs surgery and multiple blood transfusions," he was strained, "I have everything I need there."
He was gone. I looked around and noticed the absence of all of the other Cullen's as well. Leah phased back beside me, and so had all of the other wolves.
"You need to be with her. We'll keep watch outside." Sam patted my back; his face was stretched into a bereaved frown. I nodded timidly, leaning against Leah for support for a brief moment. Another sob staggered through my chest, I tried to shove down my nausea.
"Jake, it's gonna be okay. She'll be okay." Leah whispered, trying to reassure me.
"I don't think she will," I sniffled weakly, "it would take a miracle for her to survive that blood loss. That's not including her other injuries..."
"Don't say that! She needs you—get out of here—run! Be the alpha that I know. Help your imprint. I'll be right behind you."
I listened to her for once, phasing back into my wolf form. My energy was waning but I did not stop running until I reached the architectural phenomenon that was the Cullen's house. When I transformed back, Alice threw clothes at my feet when I began to ascend the steps to the double doors.
"Here. Keep them. Figured you would be more comfortable wearing them than naked," she muttered softly.
"I appreciate the offer but not really. They smell like garbage, I could care less what's happening with me right now." I replied coldly. I slid on the tight-fitting sweater and jeans. Surprisingly, they both fit fairly well aside from the length being a little shorter than preferred. "Where is she?"
"Carlisle's still in surgery with her. You can wait in the living room with the rest of us." She said flatly.
"I'd rather not," I retorted, "I'll stand right here for now. Just let me know when she's out of surgery." Stepping foot inside any place he had called 'home' was unthinkable. I couldn't hold back my hatred for vamps, not right now. A short while after I arrived, Leah joined me on the steps. She was dressed in a loose t-shirt and pajama pants.
"Is she still in there? The bat mansion?" She was genuinely curious, and her voice quivered.
"Y-yeah. I didn't want to go inside until she was done," I paused, grinding my teeth together, "I couldn't be near—"
"Shh, I know. I saw." She interrupted, looking up at the lights on in the house. She stared impartially at the glass walls of some of the rooms. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner. I was asleep and woke up when you screamed and he—" her voice trailed off. Leah hugged my right arm and leaned her head on my shoulder. The contact helped keep me grounded at the moment.
She continued, hesitant, "do you want to talk about it?"
"I have nothing to say." My interminable desire for revenge was strong despite feeling drained physically and mentally. I daydreamed about the sensation of ripping Edward's body into neatly sliced ribbons. The need to make sure Bella was okay drove me to stay awake.
Hours went by, the moon set, and the sun rose in the east. The sky was bright red, with layers upon layers of fluffy, orange-hued clouds thinly stretched across the horizon. My eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, sleep evaded me between the sounds I heard inside and my paranoia. While they were heavily muffled, I heard Alice's footsteps before she even opened the door.
"She's out, Carlisle was able—"
I jumped to my feet from the stoop and pushed past her, using my developed sense of smell to find Bella on my own. I didn't care who I'd have to fight to reach her. No one stopped me in my pursuit though. I found the room she was in by the scent of all of her blood, or what had once been. It was in the process of being erased. Carlisle was just outside of what appeared to be an office, throwing old bandages into a fireplace and sterilizing the surgical tools in a bowl of undiluted alcohol.
"Jacob, wait. She's resting," he tried to stop me, splaying his right hand outwards. I growled softly as I passed him, evading his reach. "I'm sorry. None of us meant for this to happen," he murmured, his eyes a strange color. Not quite golden, but not bright red. The edge of his irises were rings of cherry, while the center was a muted saffron.
I entered the room, closing the door firmly behind me but quiet enough not to disturb her. She was hooked up to numerous machines', draped in multiple plastic tubes, and her arm and leg were both in fixed, elevated casts. Her usually pale skin was hard to look at, and her face was a sickly, gray shade. The only thing I cared about was the sound of her heart, which was painfully lethargic but remarkably steady. Tears welled in my eyes; I knelt beside the gurney she was laying on. I lifted her bruised right hand to my face. There were two IVs in her arm, one taped to the crook of her elbow and one fixed to the top of the hand I held. I rested her palm against my warm cheek. I kissed it delicately, tracing around the purplish outline of new bruising and avoiding the needle of the IV carefully.
"Bells," my chest hurt, it felt like I was breathing broken glass, "how could I let you suffer so badly?" I cried silently, trying to swallow the sobs that overtook my upper body. My throat burned from the tears that wouldn't stop coming. "I'll never forgive myself."
She did not wake.
It must have been the morphine that was being pumped through her IV drip. It kept her pain-free, but also in this stagnant, near-catatonic state. That was a compromise I could partially accept. A few more hours passed, and she finally cracked opened her weighted eyelids. She struggled to speak, unable to talk due to being intubated through her esophagus. Bella was hooked up to a ventilator to help her punctured lung heal and work properly. I was right, even though I didn't want to be. Panic started to set in with all of the sounds of the machines and she couldn't communicate. Her heart monitor took off like a rocket, mild whimpers sounded from her throat.
"Easy baby, I'm here. I'm right here," I sputtered, running a hand through her tangled hair. Remnants of forest debris were scattered throughout it. I diligently removed a twig and some leaves from the knotted mess. She looked at me with tired but relieved eyes, still trying to speak to me without uttering a single word. Bella croaked a minuscule amount, using her only free hand to mimic writing with a pencil. I looked around and stole a pad of notepaper and a pen. They were filthy rich—they wouldn't miss it. Thankfully, she still had the use of her right hand. I watched her try to press the pen to the paper and fail at first. Singular tear trails left her heavy, sore eyes. She was bruised everywhere, I counted more and more as I appraised her. Purple, black and yellow splotches leeched onto the visible skin not covered by her hospital gown and casts. Bella was determined and began again, I flattened the paper pad for her and waited patiently. She wrote a full, shaky sentence.
What happened? I don't remember all of it.
I looked up into her chestnut-hued eyes, my own lingered when they passed the pink-tinged gauze over the wound on her neck. I swallowed uneasily, stroking her hand against my warm face.
"Bells, I... I don't think now is the best time," I whispered gravelly, she furrowed her brows in response.
I need to know. This is Carlisle's study. Why am I here?
"Honey, it'll just make you upset."
I'm already upset, please tell me.
She dropped the pen onto the blanket over her legs for a moment, stretching her hand gingerly.
"You were... a-attacked. Carlisle saved your life," I mumbled, pressing a kiss to her wrist. The words were difficult. "Edward," I felt nauseous, "bit you." I would never lie to her but I wished she wouldn't remember.
She was silent for a long time. I looked into her eyes once more, searching for any sign of awareness. They were murky as they peered back up at me, and she winced. The morphine must have been wearing off. She moved to readjust on the gurney, a groan escaped her involuntarily open mouth. The monitor for her heart rate picked up in pace again, and another grunt of pain sounded as she toiled. I stood and yelled for Carlisle, who opened the door and entered seconds later.
"Good afternoon, Bella. I'm glad to see you're awake. That's a pleasant development. You're very resilient despite your serious injuries," he checked her vitals and injected some more pain reliever into the port for her second IV. She relaxed a minuscule amount, attempting to write on the pad yet again.
When can I get this removed?
She gestured to the intubation tube, struggling to point at it.
"Oh, I'm afraid it will be a little while. In your fall, you bruised several of your lower ribs and fractured your seventh rib on the right side. It separated and punctured the bottom of your lung. You need to learn to breathe without the help of a ventilator before it can come out." Bella looked pensive before writing once more, her eyelids were drooping sleepily.
If I was bitten, how come I'm still human?
"Carlisle saved you," I admitted, rubbing her right shoulder tenderly. Please don't...
"I whisked you away in the nick of time for emergency surgery and several blood transfusions." He looked surprised that I hadn't mentioned the other part—where she almost became one of the walking undead as well. She was too smart for that and jotted down another sentence.
The venom should have spread. How have I not turned by now?
"Yes, well, unfortunately... it was a grisly repeat of the ballet studio." Carlisle grimaced, glancing down to look into her eyes, "only instead of a rogue vampire biting you this time, it was... my son." His voice was barely audible. Bella flinched; her eyes fluttered shut. The heart monitor beeped in pointed retaliation. "I'm sorry. You should rest, Bella. I'll have you transferred to Forks General Hospital as soon as possible. That will make it less suspicious. It might be prudent to figure out what you're going to tell Charlie."
"We'll tell him in a little bit. I'll have to talk to my dad, too." I stamped a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Car accident?
Bella scribbled, starting to blink rapidly. She was fighting sleep.
"Yes, we can use that excuse. Go to sleep, honey. I'll watch over you."
Her eyes closed fully, and the monitor signaled her quick descent into subconsciousness. I used that time to borrow the Cullen's house phone, explaining the situation to my dad. He understood and told me everything I knew he would. I didn't expect him to offer to break the news to Charlie about the 'car accident', though. After Bella slept for a few more hours, Carlisle alerted me before she was transferred to the hospital by ambulance. I rode with her by her side so she wouldn't be scared. When we were admitted and given a room on the third floor, Charlie soon followed as if on cue.
"I'm right here, Bells." Charlie was visibly distraught, he held her free hand on her right side while I sat on her left for the time being. I took the pen and paper from the Cullen's house, wanting her to feel like she had control over something in this situation.
I'm okay, dad.
"Bella, you most certainly are not okay. Thank God a passerby found you. I can't believe you were t-boned at a red light. I'm even more pissed off at the fact it was a hit and run." A silent, angry tear escaped the corner of Charlie's left eye and he dabbed it away with the sleeve of his uniform. "I'm going to do a full sweep of the area and arrest the asshole who did this. I'll find them, baby," he said raggedly, "I promise."
Bella looked at me and huffed. She wasn't the best liar, and expending any extra energy into this wouldn't be the best thing for her right now.
"I didn't get a good look at the car, Charlie. It might have been a lifted truck judging by the damage. The rabbit was totaled and towed to the scrap yard. We don't even know if the person driving was just passing through." I lied to him for her.
"What I don't understand is, how come you came out of it without so much as a scratch?" Charlie eyed me suspiciously, stifling a sniffle.
"I just banged up my head, I have a mild concussion but it's not my first. I was looked at by the EMTs on the ride here. They said I'll be okay as long as I take it easy. Bella took the brunt of the force... that jackass must have been going at least fifty miles per hour." My eyes shut tightly, at least I was right about one thing. She did get hit—hard. Just not by car.
"I have to call your mother," he sighed, "please try to get some sleep. Both of you."
"I'll watch over her." I fully intended to keep my promise. Bella did her best to smile with the tube strapped to her face.
Charlie left mumbling something under his breath about 'bad luck' and 'how he needed a whole case of beer'. I tried not to chuckle. We were alone again. I resumed my place on her other side so I could hold and kiss her good hand occasionally. The staff had replaced the IVs in her arm. Somehow the nurse had blown the vein in her elbow, leaving a new bloom of violet and chartreuse to appear under her paper-thin flesh. I couldn't even protect her here. I felt useless.
Don't be sad.
She wrote, her eyes lit up a tiny amount.
"Bells, honey, how can I not be sad? I couldn't save you," I swallowed dryly, "you got hurt because of me."
No. Not your fault.
"It is—don't argue. Please try to get some rest. The nurse should be along to give you more morphine."
The clock struck twelve, and the nurse came in for just that. The telltale sign of Bella resisting the urge to sleep was apparent, but the machine beeped slowly to signal when she lost her fight and slipped into unconsciousness. I fell asleep not long afterward, holding her hand in the chair parallel to her hospital bed. An unpleasant sound woke me, the hectic alarm of Bella's heart monitor. Her pulse was racing, practically fast enough for it to implode. I sat up and searched for the reason. In my half-awake state, I was afraid Edward snuck into the room. Thankfully, she was still asleep, and no one else was with us. Bella might have been having a nightmare. That was to be expected after last night's ordeal. I smoothed down a section of her wavy, auburn-tinged hair, humming to let her know I was with her. She settled down after that, and we resumed our joint sleep.
Four days came and went. Plenty of Bella's friends from school visited her in the hospital. Even Sam, Emily, Quil, and Embry came to see her. She was breathing on her own now and didn't need the intubation tube or the ventilator anymore. I struggled to watch the medical team pull it out, she was in a lot of pain already and the retrieval temporarily made it worse. She was spitting up blood for a little while after they removed the tube from her throat. Bella was able to downsize to the oxygen tube that connected to her nose, it was drastically less invasive and painless. Once the bleeding stopped, the smallest Cullen was there. Alice had come by Bella's room multiple times since admittance. Most of the visits were when she was asleep.
"Hi, Bella. How're you feeling?" Her spritely features were melancholy but still hopeful. She placed an extravagant, large crystal vase full of white and pink roses on her bedside table. Alice pulled up another stationary chair next to the hospital bed.
"Like I was hit by a fleet of buses." Bella's voice was hoarse and thin, a product of the tube removal.
"Yeah, I can imagine," Alice ran her fingers through Bella's hair, "you need a shower."
"I can't take a shower yet," she looked at me as if asking permission, "can I?"
"I'm not sure. I can go ask but I doubt you can get your hardware wet." I didn't want to leave her alone in the room but out of all of them, I trusted Carlisle and Alice the most. I didn't mind her as much as I did before the incident. Seeing her dote on Bella filled me with a strange comfort; she needed more support than just me to get through this. I wondered if Alice was only doing it because she felt guilty.
I stepped directly outside Bella's room and flagged down a nurse I'd seen a few times before. She seemed like she had good bedside manners, her name tag read 'Jenni' in bold, purple, cursive letters. She told me that she'd get supplies to clean her wounds and change the bandaging, but dry shampoo and washcloth spot-cleaning would be her best option for cleanliness right now. When I came back in, Alice was running a brush through Bella's hair, thoroughly and painlessly detangling it. She was also removing the last minuscule bits of debris from the forest.
"Unfortunately, the nurse said no to a full shower, but you can have the equivalent of a cat bath," I rubbed Bella's other shoulder, "Jenni said she would come by with all the stuff necessary. Also, Alice do you have dry shampoo in that bag of yours? She said that would work for her hair right now."
"Duh. What girl doesn't carry dry shampoo?" Alice replied flippantly. Bella arched an eyebrow at her and they laughed together. "Oops, sorry, I forgot. I always carry it with me for beauty emergencies—it's volumizing and smells great. Never know when the wind'll give Jaz' frizzies or fly away's."
"I definitely would like to smell a little less like a garbage heap," Bella murmured thoughtfully.
The same nurse I spoke to in the hall dropped off new bandages and some saline for the incisions on Bella's side and back. I thanked her and when I sat back down, Bella gave me a cloying glance.
"First name basis, huh?" She giggled, "guess I'll have to hurry and get my strength back. All the nurses are gonna wanna steal you for themselves."
"No, no, Bells. The only girl for me is you." I smiled warmly.
"Alright—girl time! No boys allowed." Alice made a shooing motion at me, and I gave a reluctant glance down at Bella.
"I'll go for a walk." I didn't want to, but I did need to stretch my legs. Staying cramped up in the room for that long was making me stir-crazy. "I'll be right back, hun." I kissed her cheek gingerly, squeezing her free hand just as softly. I heard the familiar sound of their laughter when I reached the elevator.
Heading down to the cafeteria, I decided to grab something sweet for Bella. Chocolate would help to cheer her up. While I was down there, I planned to snag her some flowers, too. On a walk at First Beach one time, Bella confidently told me she liked orchids. They were very beautiful, elegant flowers and luckily the shop inside the main floor still had a red one left in stock. When paying for it, I zeroed in on a stuffed white wolf in the children's section. I couldn't leave without him. I used some of the meager savings I'd built up from odd repair jobs I'd completed over the past few months.
On the way back up to Bella's floor, I caught the pungent scent of another vampire—one that was different from Alice's or the other two that night. My body tensed and I sprinted back to her room. When I flung the door open, I startled a relaxed Bella who sat in the reclining chair by the large window seat. She was noticeably refreshed; her hair fixed in a very low ponytail. Her bandages were crisp, clean, and bright again. I narrowed my eyes, following the smell that came from a blonde, female vampire that was scowling in the corner. I didn't recognize her. Alice was perched next to Bella on the window seat, legs swinging and arms politely crossed.
"Who the hell is this?" I snapped.
"Jake—it's okay. This is Rosalie, she's one of the Cullen's." Bella sat up more in her chair and instantly regretted it. She clutched at her stomach, stifling a short grunt of pain.
"I don't give a damn what her name is. You don't need the added stress of more vamps around," my eyes darted from Alice to Bella to the new leech.
"Cool your jets, wolf boy. I have as much a right to visit Bella as you do." Rosalie bared her perfectly straight, pearly white teeth with a broad hiss. "You don't own her," she crossed her arms defiantly over her chest and glared at me.
"You're a nasty bloodsucker, you don't have any rights." I ignored her for the time being and set the orchid down on the other bedside table. I handed Bella her wolf plushy, pressing a kiss on her cold cheek. "You gave that up when you became a vamp—"
"Stop fighting," Bella interjected, eying the stuffed animal with a demure smile. "Thanks, Jake."
"I figured you could use something to hold on to," I leaned back against the wall by Bella, "and something nice to smell—other than dead people." I wasn't backing down. I didn't like this new Cullen. She seemed like a stuck-up, demented Barbie. She looked too perfect, a walking advert for a runway in Paris. That annoyed me even more.
"Speak for yourself," Alice chirped, sticking out her tongue playfully.
"I almost forgot. I brought you a cookie, Bells. They have a bakery down there." I handed her the large baked good I stashed in my hoodie pocket.
"Chocolate does sound good right now." Bella nibbled slowly on it, the room went silent.
"Hmm, maybe you should have some, dog. Isn't chocolate toxic for your kind?" Rosalie scoffed, "do yourself a favor and rid us of your stink."
I snarled under my breath, pushing off the wall into a protective stance. My hands balled into fists; Bella grabbed at my shirt, eventually connecting with my wrist. I relaxed slightly, glancing down at her. She flashed a melancholy look toward me and dropped her hand. Bella finished her cookie, and yet again, the room inadvertently was quiet. I didn't feel like talking with that harpy roosting nearby.
"Sounds like it's time to gooo. We'll give you two some privacy, Bella. Make sure you don't overdo it—you're ridiculously clumsy for a human." Alice hopped down, flashing a wink at me. She gathered her giant brand-name purse under one arm, leaving an oversized duffle bag full of toiletries and other gifts for Bella beside the bed. Alice also left a folded stack of expensive clothes for Heaven-knows-what. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She laughed at Bella's deep blush. The Barbie leech half-heartedly waved and they disappeared with the click of the door latch. I refocused on Bella.
"Well, do you feel better after your mini spa session?" I grinned, helping her to stand. Bella struggled to shuffle back to the bed to lie down again. She was pivoting on her good leg, trying not to set her other foot down.
"Yeah, kind of. What would make me feel better is to get out of this mess," Bella winced. The cast she had on her leg stopped just before her hip and made it difficult for her to walk. The cast on her arm was fairly high as well, which didn't help her balance. I hooked my arm around her middle, careful not to touch her incision site on the right side.
"That's not for a few weeks..." I sighed, aiding her to get settled into the sheets. A queen-sized furry comforter was folded neatly at the foot of the bed. I didn't know how I didn't notice it earlier, I must have been too preoccupied with the blonde wannabe. The blanket had to be some sort of joke by Alice, but it would help keep Bella warm so I couldn't complain too much.
"Don't remind me. I hate this." She pouted.
"Bells, don't beat yourself up over it. You'll be out of here before you know it."
"I'm not, I'm just a little upset they didn't let me turn this time. It would have been so much easier instead of dealing with this fresh hell." Hearing her say she'd rather be a vampire filled me with short-lived resentment. My blood ran cold, my heart skipped a beat.
"No, that would have been so much worse, Bella. You'd be one of those soulless monsters. Just like the one that put you in here." The words left my mouth like lead weights and my feelings formed a divisive pit in my stomach. I didn't mean to say that. She's a victim— how could I say that?
"Jacob—don't ever compare me to him. Ever again." She purposefully looked away from me. She was rightfully upset.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that... I'm angry, but that doesn't make it right. I shouldn't take it out on you." I inhaled a deep breath of air, "I let my guard down and it cost you everything. You're nothing like him, Bells."
She was resolute and stayed facing away from me for five solid minutes. I couldn't blame her. What I said was horrible. I didn't mean it.
"It's okay. I forgive you." Bella softened, adjusting to look at me once again. "I'm super sad."
"Why are you sad, honey?" I rubbed her back absentmindedly, I stole a peak at her expression.
"I've had the worst sleep of my life because I don't have you beside me. I wish you could cuddle me."
"Oh, I see," I chuckled, "I might be able to make some arrangements. Only if you behave." I sat down on the edge of her bed, she was so small in it. My body was positively too big and tall, it wouldn't fit properly but I would try.
"Please, Jake? I won't tell if you won't," she grinned at me, pawing at my hoodie.
"Okay, okay. Hush, you need sleep, hun." I did my best to lay beside her, gingerly resting my arm along her side above her wound.
"I'll get plenty of sleep now." She yawned softly.
"I hope so."
"Jake?" She called, pulling on my sleeve.
"Yes, Bells?" I felt sleep calling my name.
"I love you." She whispered faintly, hugging my arm to her chest. The machines protested for a split second but stopped once she relaxed her arm.
"I love you too, Bella." I breathed in the muted smell of her skin, too many factors dirtied her scent. The blood transfusions, the medical equipment, the Cullen's... It was still present, very faded, but there underneath it all. Bella fell asleep by my side, we were content with each other's company.
It didn't matter what happened—as long as we were together, we would survive. We were destined, intertwined, connected by a blood-soaked ribbon of fate. Nothing could separate us.
As unconsciousness beckoned, I couldn't help but think of the other matters to contend with. Edward was alive. Victoria was hunting Bella. And I hadn't imprinted yet... Worse still—what trauma did Quil speak of if that wasn't it? What else was there?
My mind went blank and sleep took me.