To Mend a Butterfly's Broken Wing, 5: A Father's Love
Title: To Mend a Butterfly's Broken Wing
Author: exquisite_ugly
Rating/Warnings: M (language, sexual situations)
Summary: After the newborn fight things take a different turn with the Volturi. Edward goes missing, the Cullen's leave to search for him, and Bella flees town from the pain of loss. Can Jacob help her deal with the grief a second time? AU, M for language, sex
*~*~*
Be my friend/Hold me/wrap me up/Unfold me/I am small/I'm needy/Warm me up/And breathe me
I had tried to sleep on my own that night, but it was a lost cause. I managed to doze off, but woke crying this time instead of screaming. Jake wasn't there, so I went to him. I padded across the hall to his bedroom, gently pushing the door open. The russet skin of Jake's back faced me and was glowing in the moonlight spilling in his window.
"Jake?" I half-whispered. He didn't move.
I cleared my throat. "Jake?" I tried again louder.
He stirred, rolling over, and his eyes opened. I was surprised he had heard me; it usually took a sonic boom to wake him up. "Bells?" he croaked my name questioningly.
I tried to talk, but my throat was closed. We just stared at each other for a moment and then he lifted his blankets for me. I crossed the room, nearly stumbling in the dark, and crawled into his bed with him.
"I had… had another… nightmare," I mumbled. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be," he said yawning. His heavy arm draped over my hip, holding me, our bodies just barely touching.
Jake fell asleep quickly, but I lay awake examining the defined muscle and the line of vein in his arm. He had big hands and long fingers; hands that were good at holding someone's hand or smoothing someone's hair back. I swallowed back a lump of emotion, tracing the outline of his hand with the tip of my finger.
There was so much unsaid between us; what had happened back in Forks with the kiss, the realization of loving each other. He had followed me to Hoquiam to help me, and he was now living with me and we were sleeping in the same bed. I didn't want to hurt him again, and I didn't want him to give up any semblance of a normal life back in La Push with people he loved, but he just kept telling me he was staying. Even though I worried about all that, I was glad he was here and that made me feel selfish.
Finally I drifted off to sleep, restless but with no nightmares, as I listened to Jake's soft, steady breathing.
The next few nights Jake just came into my room with no word and we continued sleeping together. Every morning I found myself wrapped up in Jake's arms, pressed a little too close for comfort. Thankfully I didn't feel anything since that first morning as I managed to wiggle free from his embrace.
Downstairs I listened to the rain hit the windows as I made a cup of tea. I was feeling melancholy and exhausted so I sat on the couch, gazing out at the rain blowing in sheets across the back yard. When the cell phone rang, I hurried over, feeling a tightening in my stomach as I checked to see who it was. Disappointed that it wasn't Alice, but hopeful since it was the bakery calling, I answered.
"Hi Bella, my name is Dana. We spoke earlier in the week when you filled out an application. I was just calling to ask if you were still interested in the job."
"Hi Dana; yes, I'm definitely still interested."
"Great! Because you have the job. Can you come in around 1 o'clock this afternoon to get briefed? We'll have you officially start on Monday."
I agreed, wishing I could be happier about this. It was a good thing, and I liked the place, but I couldn't seem to get excited about much of anything. At least I'd be making money now. When Jake woke up, I told him the news and he was excited enough for the both of us.
I think he was just happy about cupcakes.
I made scrambled eggs and bacon for the both of us and we ate in front of the television. Around noon, I went upstairs and took a quick shower, pulling my hair up in a ponytail and got dressed to go to the bakery. Once outside, I huddled in my raincoat and tried to ignore the daily noise of logging trucks and people and hurried to the bakery. When I pushed the door open, I smelled chocolate this time.
Dana was standing at the register, finishing up with a customer. "Hey Bella," she said with a smile.
I gave her a small smile back and when she was finished, she beckoned me behind the counter. Back in the kitchen, which was pretty spacious and full of chrome appliances, she turned to me.
"Bella, I wanted to introduce you to our other bakers. This is Clarissa," she said motioning to a red-head mixing a bowl of something that smelled like strawberries. She ran through the names and I tried to follow; the dark-haired girl with a friendly smile was Samantha. The blonde girl who gave me an unreadable look was Jamie. And then there was Elijah the tall, boisterous guy with floppy brown hair and the quiet, darker-haired and solemn Brian.
Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, Dana showed me around the kitchen and then sat with me in a small office that opened up off a corner of the kitchen. She handed me a few forms to sign and we went over my pay.
"So, Bella, you can start Monday morning? We'll just have you work on decorating; it takes a little practice, but you get used to it. I'll probably have you do a little retail and get you used to dealing with customers."
That part sounded kind of daunting, but I nodded. "That should be fine."
Dana leaned back, looking at me in a way that made me a little nervous.
"I really don't mean to be nosy," she said quietly, "but are you okay? I may be your manager, Bella, and we only just met, but I just want you to know if there's a problem you can talk to me."
I smiled a little wider. "I'm okay. I mean it's nothing serious." I winced inwardly. "There were a couple rough spots, but they're being worked on. I'm very interested in this job and will do my best." I wasn't sure honesty was the best policy, but I was never a good liar.
She nodded slowly. "All right. Well, we'll see you Monday morning then," she said with a smile.
"Thanks Dana." I shook her hand and headed home to Jake.
*~*~*
JPOV
When Bella left, I decided I had better head to the garage that was hiring and see if I had a chance of getting a job there. When I got there, I was greeted with the smell of motor oil and grease; a smell I was familiar with and sort of oddly enjoyed. In the office, a man with greasy cover-alls greeted me.
"I'm here about the position you want to fill for an assistant mechanic?" I said smoothly, trying not to think about the fake identification in my wallet.
I filled out the application and just got back to the apartment when our cell phone rang. Bella wasn't home yet and it was Charlie, so I answered.
"Jake?" Charlie said without preamble. "How is she?"
I stared into the refrigerator, hungry again, as I thought of the best way to tell Charlie how Bella was doing.
"She's… handling things," I finally said, at a loss in what I should tell him. "It's really hard, but you know…"
"Jake, what the hell happened? Did he just leave her again?" I could hear the tinge of anger in his voice.
"It's… more complicated than that," I replied. I wasn't sure what I should or shouldn't tell him.
"Jacob, so help me…"
I cut him off. "Charlie, it's not my place. I'll tell Bella you're asking, but she should be the one telling you if she wants to."
He sighed. "Is she really okay?" he asked quietly. He sounded so defeated and I felt guilty for not telling him what was going on with his daughter; that she screamed or cried any night I wasn't sharing her bed and that I struggled with how much I wanted her. That she had that dead look on her face again.
"Not really," I said quietly. "Not yet. She's having nightmares and she isn't doing much, but she did get out and get herself a job."
Charlie continued to question me until I promised I would ask Bella to call him. "Take care of her Jake. Please."
I swallowed hard after I hung up.
When Bella got home, she went upstairs to lay down for a little bit, and I stared after her worriedly. I mean, it wasn't like I expected her to get over it within a week, but seeing her struggle so much just to go outside to do something was difficult. She just looked so lost.
When it was close to dinner time, I decided to attempt to make dinner to try and cheer Bella up a little bit. So, I dug through the refrigerator and found some hamburger meat. I bit my lip, worried about how this was going to go; a cook I was not. I was more of a microwave person.
I managed to form some lumpy patties and put them on the stove to cook. It couldn't be that hard, right? Well, I found out how difficult it was to pay attention to more than one thing while cooking. The burgers were a bit misshapen, sort of burnt, and I had trouble scraping them out of the pan. I had heated up some hash browns from the freezer in the microwave, so at least that was salvageable.
Bella came down while I was putting the food on plates. Even with everything going on, I couldn't help but think how adorable she looked in her sweat pants and t-shirt, messy hair and grumpy expression. I worried, though, because she had dark circles under her eyes; she slept better when I was there, but she was still not sleeping enough.
"What's all this?" she asked looking at the hamburger patties with an unreadable expression.
"Dinner… you want some slightly over-cooked hamburgers and microwaved hash browns?" I asked hopefully.
A little smile crept over her lips. "Sure why not," she said.
I threw a blanket from the couch down on the floor in front of it and dropped some pillows onto it. I turned to see Bella looking at me oddly. "We're having dinner picnic-style," I said as I gathered up the dishes to bring them into the living room.
She just shook her head, but followed me. Once we were situated on our pillows, she bit into her hamburger. Her forehead wrinkled as she chewed, and I realized they were also a bit rubbery as I bit into my own.
"Hmmm," I muttered. "Not that bad."
I was surprised to hear a little snort of laughter from her. Smirking, I glanced up at her. "It's a first effort," she said. "But I think I should supervise when you cook from now on until you get the hang of it."
We ate in silence; I watched her discreetly as we ate. The sadness in her eyes wouldn't be going away, but I was glad I finally managed to make her laugh a little. She ate about half the burger and a few hash browns before she was done. It wasn't enough, but I let it go for now.
Leaning back against the sofa when we finished, I draped my arm casually over her shoulders. After a moment, she leaned against me, her head resting on my shoulder. We talked a little bit about her job, about me applying at the garage. It was everything safe and not what we should have been talking about.
*~*~*
BPOV
It was just nice to be able to relax and not talk about anything serious. I knew we would have to eventually, but for now just leaning into Jake's warmth and listening to him talk about innocuous things was good enough.
We watched a little television and then Jake told me that Charlie called for me earlier and had a lot of questions.
"I should go call him, I guess," I said quietly.
I turned around before heading upstairs. "Thanks for dinner, Jake," I said and was rewarded with his beautiful smile.
He stayed downstairs to watch more of the movie that had been on while I went upstairs. Perched on my bed, I swallowed hard before punching in the phone number. My heartbeat sped up at the thought of talking to my dad; I was nervous, but I was anxious to hear his voice.
"Dad?" I said softly, feeling the tears burn behind my closed eyelids when he answered the phone.
"Bella," he said. I could hear the relief in his voice and the guilt ate away at me.
We were both quiet for a couple minutes, taking comfort in just hearing each other breathe. Finally, he said, "Are you okay? Where are you staying? What happened?"
A little overwhelmed, I tried to answer his questions the best I could. "Not really," I said honestly. He deserved to hear the truth from me after what I had done to him. "I'm staying in Hoquiam in an apartment."
Before I could think of what to say about what happened, he interrupted me. "You rented an apartment? How? I know you have some money saved, but…"
"The Cullen's," I told him. My stomach ached and I wrapped my arm around myself trying to keep it together. "Before they… well, they had this set up because Alice knew I left."
"I can't believe this," he muttered. "Of all the… they paid for your apartment?"
"It was just so I would be able to get the place. Jake and I will be paying the rent."
"How?" he demanded.
"I just got a job," I told him. "At a bakery that does catering for events as well."
"And what about Jacob?" he asked. He sound exhausted.
"He applied at a garage," I said. "Part-time work," I added quickly in case he decided to question me further regarding Jake's age. "He'll be able to help, though."
"You won't come home?" he asked softly.
I squeezed my eyes shut again, too choked up to speak right away. "Dad, I miss you," I managed to say as I began crying. "But I can't… I can't be there right now…"
"I miss you, too," and I could hear him sniffling a little, too. "Honey, what on earth happened? Please… tell me," he pleaded.
I answered without thinking about it; I couldn't bear to hear him pleading with me after everything. "Ed-ward," I managed to stutter. "He was… taken."
Charlie's voice sharpened. "What? He was taken?"
I kept speaking before my brain caught up. "Alice said there had been a struggle and when they went home he was gone." I froze. In my haste to tell him I had a momentary brain lapse; my father was the chief of police.
"Bella, give me the details," he ordered. "Honey, I can't believe… shit, I'll do whatever I can…"
"NO!" I practically screeched. "Dad, no," I said, my voice shaking. I could kick myself for saying that. "The Cullen's have it under control."
"Bella, I can't do nothing. I'm the chief of police; if he was taken, I need to do what I can."
"Dad, I'm begging you not to. Please. Promise me. There's more to it and the Cullen's left and you won't be able to get a hold of them to find out where they are; they know what they're doing. Dad, please," I babbled.
"Okay, okay, settle down," he said soothingly. "Oh Bella, I can't believe this," he murmured. "I won't do anything for now, that's all I can promise. But sweetheart, you know I'll do anything for you. Just let me know, okay?"
I wiped the tears away. "I know, Dad. I'm not quite ready yet, but I'd like to see you when I am. Mom, too; I'll call her to let her know I'm okay."
We were both quiet again, and I lay down on my bed, wishing Charlie was here to tell me everything would be okay. I knew this wasn't sitting right with him, but he was reluctantly abiding by my plea.
Before we hung up, I heard him say softly, "I love you, Bells."
I was half-asleep by the time he said it. "I love you, too, Dad," I mumbled.
As I drifted in and out of sleep, the phone still against my ear, I heard my door open and Jacob stood there.
"Bells? You want me to…?" he questioned.
I held my hand out toward him. He walked over to me, looming over the bed and gently removed the phone from under me. Once his hand took mine, and I was enveloped in his warmth, I gave a quiet sigh feeling sleep overtake me.
*~*~*
AN: I'm trying to keep the chapters interesting without bogging down with all the sadness. Things should pick up and progress soon.
Chapter 6
Author: exquisite_ugly
Rating/Warnings: M (language, sexual situations)
Summary: After the newborn fight things take a different turn with the Volturi. Edward goes missing, the Cullen's leave to search for him, and Bella flees town from the pain of loss. Can Jacob help her deal with the grief a second time? AU, M for language, sex
*~*~*
Be my friend/Hold me/wrap me up/Unfold me/I am small/I'm needy/Warm me up/And breathe me
I had tried to sleep on my own that night, but it was a lost cause. I managed to doze off, but woke crying this time instead of screaming. Jake wasn't there, so I went to him. I padded across the hall to his bedroom, gently pushing the door open. The russet skin of Jake's back faced me and was glowing in the moonlight spilling in his window.
"Jake?" I half-whispered. He didn't move.
I cleared my throat. "Jake?" I tried again louder.
He stirred, rolling over, and his eyes opened. I was surprised he had heard me; it usually took a sonic boom to wake him up. "Bells?" he croaked my name questioningly.
I tried to talk, but my throat was closed. We just stared at each other for a moment and then he lifted his blankets for me. I crossed the room, nearly stumbling in the dark, and crawled into his bed with him.
"I had… had another… nightmare," I mumbled. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be," he said yawning. His heavy arm draped over my hip, holding me, our bodies just barely touching.
Jake fell asleep quickly, but I lay awake examining the defined muscle and the line of vein in his arm. He had big hands and long fingers; hands that were good at holding someone's hand or smoothing someone's hair back. I swallowed back a lump of emotion, tracing the outline of his hand with the tip of my finger.
There was so much unsaid between us; what had happened back in Forks with the kiss, the realization of loving each other. He had followed me to Hoquiam to help me, and he was now living with me and we were sleeping in the same bed. I didn't want to hurt him again, and I didn't want him to give up any semblance of a normal life back in La Push with people he loved, but he just kept telling me he was staying. Even though I worried about all that, I was glad he was here and that made me feel selfish.
Finally I drifted off to sleep, restless but with no nightmares, as I listened to Jake's soft, steady breathing.
The next few nights Jake just came into my room with no word and we continued sleeping together. Every morning I found myself wrapped up in Jake's arms, pressed a little too close for comfort. Thankfully I didn't feel anything since that first morning as I managed to wiggle free from his embrace.
Downstairs I listened to the rain hit the windows as I made a cup of tea. I was feeling melancholy and exhausted so I sat on the couch, gazing out at the rain blowing in sheets across the back yard. When the cell phone rang, I hurried over, feeling a tightening in my stomach as I checked to see who it was. Disappointed that it wasn't Alice, but hopeful since it was the bakery calling, I answered.
"Hi Bella, my name is Dana. We spoke earlier in the week when you filled out an application. I was just calling to ask if you were still interested in the job."
"Hi Dana; yes, I'm definitely still interested."
"Great! Because you have the job. Can you come in around 1 o'clock this afternoon to get briefed? We'll have you officially start on Monday."
I agreed, wishing I could be happier about this. It was a good thing, and I liked the place, but I couldn't seem to get excited about much of anything. At least I'd be making money now. When Jake woke up, I told him the news and he was excited enough for the both of us.
I think he was just happy about cupcakes.
I made scrambled eggs and bacon for the both of us and we ate in front of the television. Around noon, I went upstairs and took a quick shower, pulling my hair up in a ponytail and got dressed to go to the bakery. Once outside, I huddled in my raincoat and tried to ignore the daily noise of logging trucks and people and hurried to the bakery. When I pushed the door open, I smelled chocolate this time.
Dana was standing at the register, finishing up with a customer. "Hey Bella," she said with a smile.
I gave her a small smile back and when she was finished, she beckoned me behind the counter. Back in the kitchen, which was pretty spacious and full of chrome appliances, she turned to me.
"Bella, I wanted to introduce you to our other bakers. This is Clarissa," she said motioning to a red-head mixing a bowl of something that smelled like strawberries. She ran through the names and I tried to follow; the dark-haired girl with a friendly smile was Samantha. The blonde girl who gave me an unreadable look was Jamie. And then there was Elijah the tall, boisterous guy with floppy brown hair and the quiet, darker-haired and solemn Brian.
Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, Dana showed me around the kitchen and then sat with me in a small office that opened up off a corner of the kitchen. She handed me a few forms to sign and we went over my pay.
"So, Bella, you can start Monday morning? We'll just have you work on decorating; it takes a little practice, but you get used to it. I'll probably have you do a little retail and get you used to dealing with customers."
That part sounded kind of daunting, but I nodded. "That should be fine."
Dana leaned back, looking at me in a way that made me a little nervous.
"I really don't mean to be nosy," she said quietly, "but are you okay? I may be your manager, Bella, and we only just met, but I just want you to know if there's a problem you can talk to me."
I smiled a little wider. "I'm okay. I mean it's nothing serious." I winced inwardly. "There were a couple rough spots, but they're being worked on. I'm very interested in this job and will do my best." I wasn't sure honesty was the best policy, but I was never a good liar.
She nodded slowly. "All right. Well, we'll see you Monday morning then," she said with a smile.
"Thanks Dana." I shook her hand and headed home to Jake.
*~*~*
JPOV
When Bella left, I decided I had better head to the garage that was hiring and see if I had a chance of getting a job there. When I got there, I was greeted with the smell of motor oil and grease; a smell I was familiar with and sort of oddly enjoyed. In the office, a man with greasy cover-alls greeted me.
"I'm here about the position you want to fill for an assistant mechanic?" I said smoothly, trying not to think about the fake identification in my wallet.
I filled out the application and just got back to the apartment when our cell phone rang. Bella wasn't home yet and it was Charlie, so I answered.
"Jake?" Charlie said without preamble. "How is she?"
I stared into the refrigerator, hungry again, as I thought of the best way to tell Charlie how Bella was doing.
"She's… handling things," I finally said, at a loss in what I should tell him. "It's really hard, but you know…"
"Jake, what the hell happened? Did he just leave her again?" I could hear the tinge of anger in his voice.
"It's… more complicated than that," I replied. I wasn't sure what I should or shouldn't tell him.
"Jacob, so help me…"
I cut him off. "Charlie, it's not my place. I'll tell Bella you're asking, but she should be the one telling you if she wants to."
He sighed. "Is she really okay?" he asked quietly. He sounded so defeated and I felt guilty for not telling him what was going on with his daughter; that she screamed or cried any night I wasn't sharing her bed and that I struggled with how much I wanted her. That she had that dead look on her face again.
"Not really," I said quietly. "Not yet. She's having nightmares and she isn't doing much, but she did get out and get herself a job."
Charlie continued to question me until I promised I would ask Bella to call him. "Take care of her Jake. Please."
I swallowed hard after I hung up.
When Bella got home, she went upstairs to lay down for a little bit, and I stared after her worriedly. I mean, it wasn't like I expected her to get over it within a week, but seeing her struggle so much just to go outside to do something was difficult. She just looked so lost.
When it was close to dinner time, I decided to attempt to make dinner to try and cheer Bella up a little bit. So, I dug through the refrigerator and found some hamburger meat. I bit my lip, worried about how this was going to go; a cook I was not. I was more of a microwave person.
I managed to form some lumpy patties and put them on the stove to cook. It couldn't be that hard, right? Well, I found out how difficult it was to pay attention to more than one thing while cooking. The burgers were a bit misshapen, sort of burnt, and I had trouble scraping them out of the pan. I had heated up some hash browns from the freezer in the microwave, so at least that was salvageable.
Bella came down while I was putting the food on plates. Even with everything going on, I couldn't help but think how adorable she looked in her sweat pants and t-shirt, messy hair and grumpy expression. I worried, though, because she had dark circles under her eyes; she slept better when I was there, but she was still not sleeping enough.
"What's all this?" she asked looking at the hamburger patties with an unreadable expression.
"Dinner… you want some slightly over-cooked hamburgers and microwaved hash browns?" I asked hopefully.
A little smile crept over her lips. "Sure why not," she said.
I threw a blanket from the couch down on the floor in front of it and dropped some pillows onto it. I turned to see Bella looking at me oddly. "We're having dinner picnic-style," I said as I gathered up the dishes to bring them into the living room.
She just shook her head, but followed me. Once we were situated on our pillows, she bit into her hamburger. Her forehead wrinkled as she chewed, and I realized they were also a bit rubbery as I bit into my own.
"Hmmm," I muttered. "Not that bad."
I was surprised to hear a little snort of laughter from her. Smirking, I glanced up at her. "It's a first effort," she said. "But I think I should supervise when you cook from now on until you get the hang of it."
We ate in silence; I watched her discreetly as we ate. The sadness in her eyes wouldn't be going away, but I was glad I finally managed to make her laugh a little. She ate about half the burger and a few hash browns before she was done. It wasn't enough, but I let it go for now.
Leaning back against the sofa when we finished, I draped my arm casually over her shoulders. After a moment, she leaned against me, her head resting on my shoulder. We talked a little bit about her job, about me applying at the garage. It was everything safe and not what we should have been talking about.
*~*~*
BPOV
It was just nice to be able to relax and not talk about anything serious. I knew we would have to eventually, but for now just leaning into Jake's warmth and listening to him talk about innocuous things was good enough.
We watched a little television and then Jake told me that Charlie called for me earlier and had a lot of questions.
"I should go call him, I guess," I said quietly.
I turned around before heading upstairs. "Thanks for dinner, Jake," I said and was rewarded with his beautiful smile.
He stayed downstairs to watch more of the movie that had been on while I went upstairs. Perched on my bed, I swallowed hard before punching in the phone number. My heartbeat sped up at the thought of talking to my dad; I was nervous, but I was anxious to hear his voice.
"Dad?" I said softly, feeling the tears burn behind my closed eyelids when he answered the phone.
"Bella," he said. I could hear the relief in his voice and the guilt ate away at me.
We were both quiet for a couple minutes, taking comfort in just hearing each other breathe. Finally, he said, "Are you okay? Where are you staying? What happened?"
A little overwhelmed, I tried to answer his questions the best I could. "Not really," I said honestly. He deserved to hear the truth from me after what I had done to him. "I'm staying in Hoquiam in an apartment."
Before I could think of what to say about what happened, he interrupted me. "You rented an apartment? How? I know you have some money saved, but…"
"The Cullen's," I told him. My stomach ached and I wrapped my arm around myself trying to keep it together. "Before they… well, they had this set up because Alice knew I left."
"I can't believe this," he muttered. "Of all the… they paid for your apartment?"
"It was just so I would be able to get the place. Jake and I will be paying the rent."
"How?" he demanded.
"I just got a job," I told him. "At a bakery that does catering for events as well."
"And what about Jacob?" he asked. He sound exhausted.
"He applied at a garage," I said. "Part-time work," I added quickly in case he decided to question me further regarding Jake's age. "He'll be able to help, though."
"You won't come home?" he asked softly.
I squeezed my eyes shut again, too choked up to speak right away. "Dad, I miss you," I managed to say as I began crying. "But I can't… I can't be there right now…"
"I miss you, too," and I could hear him sniffling a little, too. "Honey, what on earth happened? Please… tell me," he pleaded.
I answered without thinking about it; I couldn't bear to hear him pleading with me after everything. "Ed-ward," I managed to stutter. "He was… taken."
Charlie's voice sharpened. "What? He was taken?"
I kept speaking before my brain caught up. "Alice said there had been a struggle and when they went home he was gone." I froze. In my haste to tell him I had a momentary brain lapse; my father was the chief of police.
"Bella, give me the details," he ordered. "Honey, I can't believe… shit, I'll do whatever I can…"
"NO!" I practically screeched. "Dad, no," I said, my voice shaking. I could kick myself for saying that. "The Cullen's have it under control."
"Bella, I can't do nothing. I'm the chief of police; if he was taken, I need to do what I can."
"Dad, I'm begging you not to. Please. Promise me. There's more to it and the Cullen's left and you won't be able to get a hold of them to find out where they are; they know what they're doing. Dad, please," I babbled.
"Okay, okay, settle down," he said soothingly. "Oh Bella, I can't believe this," he murmured. "I won't do anything for now, that's all I can promise. But sweetheart, you know I'll do anything for you. Just let me know, okay?"
I wiped the tears away. "I know, Dad. I'm not quite ready yet, but I'd like to see you when I am. Mom, too; I'll call her to let her know I'm okay."
We were both quiet again, and I lay down on my bed, wishing Charlie was here to tell me everything would be okay. I knew this wasn't sitting right with him, but he was reluctantly abiding by my plea.
Before we hung up, I heard him say softly, "I love you, Bells."
I was half-asleep by the time he said it. "I love you, too, Dad," I mumbled.
As I drifted in and out of sleep, the phone still against my ear, I heard my door open and Jacob stood there.
"Bells? You want me to…?" he questioned.
I held my hand out toward him. He walked over to me, looming over the bed and gently removed the phone from under me. Once his hand took mine, and I was enveloped in his warmth, I gave a quiet sigh feeling sleep overtake me.
*~*~*
AN: I'm trying to keep the chapters interesting without bogging down with all the sadness. Things should pick up and progress soon.
Chapter 6