Speak || A Twilight Fanfic

Chapter 12

His mind was rambling, buzzing with any and all case scenarios. All it had taken was Gabriella calling with a shakiness in her voice that made his heart clench for him to know that something was wrong. He did not need any explanation other than the fact that she needed him for him to scramble for car keys as everyone around him asked where he was going.

"Gabi," was all he could muster as he lifted couch cushions.

"What's wrong?" Embry peeped. "Is everything okay with her?"

"I don't know, Embry," he grumbled. "That's why I need the keys."

"Did Jacob do something?"

"I won't know if I'm stuck here getting asked questions I don't know the answer to!" Paul exclaimed. "Now, if you're not gonna help me find my car keys, please do me a favor and shut up."

Embry blinked back at the response, the color fading from his face in panic. "Uh, they're on the dining table," he muttered. "Sorry."

"No, I am," he responded in a softer tone, taking a deep calming breath. "I just have to go right now."

"Yeah, no, I understand. I do hope that everything is okay, though," the boy smiled softly. "I know that Jake has not been the best person since he got with Gabi."

"You'll know when I do, okay," he sighed. "I just need to go."

"It's okay. I just hope everything is okay."

"You and me both."

In the blink of an eye, Paul was in his truck, speeding down the road. He silently prayed no officers were in the street as he drove way over the speed limit, only one thing –person—on his mind. All he wanted was to get to her. To fix whatever it was that needed to be fixed. Even the twenty minutes he was able to cut down to ten, the journey to her felt far too long.

The Swan residence's driveway came into view soon enough, and his car rolled to a stop. Paul ripped the keys out of the ignition, ready to rip open the front door to get to Gabi. In the stark whiteness of the snow, he noticed red drops that contrasted brightly against the background. He noted the shape of her body on the ground, where her hands had stopped a bigger impact on her entire body. And he knew what had gone wrong.

Paul hurried to the front door but stopped in his tracks as he saw Gabriella's trembling body sat on the ground under the small porch, her knees pressed against her chest and her stare a million miles away. He was swift to join her side, taking off the jacket he wore and wrapping it around her. It wasn't until his hand touched her cheek that she finally responded, her face cracking into a smile.

"Oh," she whispered as though it pained her to speak. "You're here."

"What are you doing out here, Gabi? You're freezing."

"I didn't... I wasn't sure what to do," she tried to explain. "The cold, it made them stop hurting."

"What hurts, Ella? What happened?"

"My hands," Gabi said, turning her palms upward. "I fell."

He inspected the girl's palms. The lower area was ripped open, a bloody mess covering just how bad the wounds were. He could smell Jacob on her, and it made his insides boil thinking that this had happened because of him. Because everything indicated that it had been.

"Let's get you inside, okay?" Paul instructed softly. One of his hands rested on her chin, making sure that she was paying attention to his words. "We'll get you warmed up and clean up your hands."

"Yeah," she whimpered. "That seems right."

Paul snaked his arms under hers, pulling her to her feet, doing his best to ignore the sound of her wincing as her limbs stretched. He kept her close to his body, hoping his unnatural warmth could temper her body. Gabriella stammered in her step, visibly uncomfortable as she walked. Every time she whimpered or winced made, the anger built up inside him, the ire threatening to release his wolf. But he couldn't let it. Not while she was around.