Bonded

Chapter 22

"Alright, who's first?"

Seth, Jacob, and I were sitting in the Cullen's living room like a bunch of animals at the vet's office. Jacob had his head in his hands, leaning forward in his seat. Seth was wringing his hands nervously in anticipation for his ribs needing to be rebroken so they could set right. And I was staring at the high ceiling, wishing I was literally anywhere else.

The ride back from Alaska was brutal. Every single time I closed my eyes, I saw hers. Every time it was too quiet for a second too long, I could hear her voice. Hissing at me. Telling me that I wasn't good enough for Jacob, that I didn't deserve to be with him. So, I ended up keeping Rosalie company while she drove, only able to bring myself to talk every few hours and only for a couple of minutes. I held Jacob the entire ride as his body shook violently, slicked with sweat. As the medication flushed from his body, he couldn't even bring himself to eat; hell, he could barely keep water down. Driving back to Forks was longer and more agonizing than the ride to Denali. And we were all tired.

Renesmee was safe. She was tucked away in her bedroom upstairs under the stressed eye of Rosalie and Emmett. All of the wolves went back to the Rez to rest and Kaya and Ephraim were finally getting some alone time good for them. Which just left the three of us. My stomach turned every single time I thought about the fact that we just killed one of them and had the balls to come back into their house and ask for help. "Look, we all knew what was going to happen," Rosalie said to me when we pulled up. "Death is natural, but the way you guys heal isn't. You can either walk into a hospital and try to explain to a human doctor why your knee needs to be rebroken and how it's healing itself so fast or you can walk in there and ask Carlisle for help. He won't tell you no."

I nudged Seth with my elbow. "Go," I told him.

"Sis, I-I think you should go first," he argued. "You should make sure the baby's ok."

"And I think you should just listen to me and not argue for once," I said, quietly. "Go, brat, now."

"Is that an order?" he said, a light snicker in his voice.

"Do you want it to be one?" I snapped.

Seth huffed before standing up, holding his right side tenderly. Carlisle stood in the entryway of the living room, donning a white coat and a somber smile. As Seth mumbled under his breath, Carlisle led him into his little hospital room. The same one we last saw human Bella alive in. I continued to stare at the ceiling; it was the only thing that was keeping me from throwing up all over the floor. Seth and Carlisle's muffled voices carried through the house and, even from downstairs, I could hear the concern and apprehension in my brother's voice. A warm, shaky hand covered mine before I felt a gentle pair of lips touch the back of my hand. Lifting my head, I looked at a worn-out Jacob as he held my hand to his stubbly cheek. He was so warm, but not like regular wolf warm. Jacob was just always so warm; I'd never met someone who could relax you with just a simple touch. I felt myself crack a little smile before it fell. Jacob cringed a little bit before speaking, "Brace yourself."

"For what?" I asked. Right as I wondered, the sick cracking of bone and the unnerving cry of pain from my brother echoed from upstairs. My heart broke. My brother, my baby brother, was in pain because of me. Because he wanted to save me when I should have been keeping him out of harm's way. He cried out again as Carlisle snapped another rib. My eyes involuntarily squeezed shut as I listened to Seth's pain. "Fuck..." I whispered.

"It's not your fault, Lee," Jacob tried. "Seth just wanted to protect you."

I rolled my eyes. "I love when people say that to me," I commented sarcastically, fixing my eyes on my bare legs. The swelling in my knee hadn't eased up, but I could tell by the yellowing of my bruises that it was healed in whatever fucked up way it set in. "Telling me it's not my fault definitely makes everything better."