His World

Making Friends (9)

Carlisle refused to let Lily go back to work. It had been two weeks since she collapsed and she was to the point where she could make it at least twelve hours without needing to rest. Lily felt good and was itching to get back to work. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for Carlisle's help and that his family had taken them in. Lily just wanted more to do than sit around and watch the Quileute boys tease one another about things she didn't understand. Their language was confusing to her. What did they mean by imprint? What was their definition of the word 'leech'? They talked sometimes of running patrol or checking in with another pack, which only confused Lily all the more. These questions and the confusion that came with them was only added to by the questions she had from overhearing the conversation between Rosalie and Alice a couple weeks ago.

Lily had started to notice a pattern with the Cullens. With the exception of Renesmee, their eyes would go from gold to black when they were extremely upset, or sometimes Lily would just wake up one day and someone had black eyes. The next day whoever's eyes had changed were usually back to the beautiful golden color she remembered. The entire thing puzzled her and she wasn't sure what to make of it. This was just one more thing that was odd about the family, other than their cold, pale skin and perfect looks.

One good thing Lily found as she continued her stay with Carlisle was how much Embry had taken to Elsie. It was an odd relationship to see forming, but Lily couldn't find anything in herself that was against it. The man was loving and kind, and he was the first to respond to any distress Elsie started to show. It was as if Embry could read Lily's daughter better than she could herself.

"Don't think too hard," someone said from beside her. "You'll burst the blood vessel in your forehead."

Lily couldn't help but laugh when the woman beside her tapped on her forehead teasingly. She looked over. "It's hard for me to be away from work this long. It's been my entire life since I started at the hospital. It's strange to suddenly have this much free time."

Leah rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder with Lily, both of them giggling. Leah Clearwater was Seth's older sister and a beautiful young woman. She kept her hair at chin length and rarely did anything with it, and she had a tendency to wear board shorts and loose tank tops with her trainers. Leah made Lily happy. She brought out a warmth deep inside that Lily hadn't felt for a long time. When Lily wasn't bothering Carlisle about going back to work or helping with case files, she was with Leah.

Apparently, Leah had never been a friendly person. She'd been similar to Rosalie in that way. Something had happened years ago with a boyfriend leaving her for her cousin, which Lily frowned upon learning about it, and it had been really hard for Leah ever since. She was full of fire and anger, and she was set off quickly. Jacob told Lily that all of that changed when Leah met her. He never said anything else about it, and neither did the others. They were just glad that Leah wasn't angry all the time the way she had been for years.

"Momma, Leah, look!" Elsie squealed as Embry held her above his head and spun in circles. She laughed freely, only the way a child could and stumbled when Embry set her down. She giggled when she fell onto her bottom.

"Be careful," Lily said with a smile.

"Your hair is a mess," Leah said suddenly, after a moment of silence between them. "Let me fix it."

"Okay," Lily agreed. She moved onto the step just below Leah, as they were sitting at the top of the porch steps, and Leah began carefully untangling the woman's hair. Since she didn't typically have anywhere to go, Lily didn't bother with her hair. When the blonde waves were bothering her she simply tossed it up into a bun to keep it out of her face. Leah pulled a particularly nasty tangle and Lily grimaced.

"If you used a brush it wouldn't hurt when someone tried to make it look decent," Leah reprimanded. "There. Finished."

Lily felt the back of her head to find that Leah had pulled her hair back into two braids, similar to the way she did it for surgeries. She smiled softly. "Thanks, LeeLee."

Leah groaned at the name. Elsie had come up with it, but Lily seemed to use it more. "Do you have to?"

Lily smiled. "No. But your reaction makes it worth it."

"Leah," Jacob said, his voice full of authority.

Both women looked forward to see Jacob standing at the bottom of the steps, stress clear on his face. He was wearing cut off shorts, but no shoes or shirt. The February air was enough to make Lily want to go inside, but sitting with Leah had made is bearable. She couldn't imagine wearing anything less than her jeans and sweater. Lily chewed her lip, realizing something was wrong. His expression was the same one she had when a complication came up with a patient. "Is everything okay, Jake?"

The young man let out a sigh, running his hand over his face and through his hair. Lily couldn't tell if it was from stress or how tired he was. She knew that none of the Quileutes got as much sleep as they really needed. He ignored her question. "I need you to run a patrol around our usual route."

"Why can't Seth? Or Quil?" Leah argued back.

"Seth was out all night- he needs sleep. Claire needed Quil's help with homework," Jacob answered. "Go."

Leah glared at the man before standing up. She put a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder and squeezed gently before stomping down the stairs. Lily barely heard what the woman said as she passed Jacob. "Don't let her die while I'm gone."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "She'll be fine. It's not like you imprinted or anything."

"Says the man who was in love with his imprint's mother," Leah muttered. She ran into the trees without seeing Jacob's angry expression.

"Jake, you should sleep," Lily said softly when he sat a few steps down from her.

"I'm fine. Nessie will be home any minute and I always help her with homework," he answered.

"I didn't know Claire went to school here," Lily commented. "She's been here quite a while. Aren't her parents worried?"

"They died two years ago in a car accident. Some truck driver dozed off or something and hit them head-on," Jacob answered. He looked up at her. "She lives with her aunt now. Emily and Sam trust Quil. Claire is homeschooled so she can go with Quil if she needs to. Sam might not like the Cullens, but he knows good people when he sees them. Despite all our differences, Carlisle's family is good."

"I can't imagine..." Lily murmured, trying to picture how Elsie would have survived if Lily had died. "It must be hard for her."

Jacob was quiet for a moment, watching Embry and Elsie play in the open yard. "She was five. She misses them, but being with Quil helps. That girl is everything to him. If it made her happy, he would jump in front of a train. It's how I feel with Nessie, and how Embry is with Elsie."

Lily sighed before rubbing her arms to try and warm them. "I've never seen Elsie this happy, or this animated and trusting. She takes after me that way."

Jacob glanced at Lily again. "You're cold. We should get you inside. Leah would kill me if you got sick."

Lily offered a small smile and took Jacob's hand, standing. She wobbled for a second on stiff legs before going into the house.

"How are you feeling today?" Carlisle asked, placing a hand on Lily's lower back and accompanying her to the kitchen as Jacob went in a different direction.

"I'm better," Lily answered honestly. "I feel stronger. I want to go back to work."

Carlisle turned, looking at Lily with pleading and worried eyes. "Just a few more days. Please? I want to be sure you have your strength back."

Lily bit her lip, knowing she couldn't deny him what he was asking. Simply standing for surgery, much less all the mental and physical prep it took, was tiresome on a good day. She nodded. "Okay. But... Carlisle, I want to work before it gets too late."

Carlisle nodded once. "You will. I promise."