Chapter 14: Listen to the Rain

(Song: E.S. Posthumus - Ebla)

Jacob grinned as he read the text message Bella had just sent him.

Thanx 4 the stationary pack. Whales r adorable! :D

He quickly sent her a message back. Knew u’d like it! Miss u!

As he waited for his office computer to shut down, she sent him another text.

Miss u 2! Can u come 2nite?

He sighed, wishing he could. No, dad & I r working in shop late.


K. Call me when u get home no matter how late.


Will do. Luv u!

Luv u 2 Jake!

He finished closing up his office before he left the building and headed to his car. As he drove to meet his dad, he tried to think of other small gifts he could leave on Bella’s bed for her. He knew she liked how he had been leaving those gifts from time to time over the last month since they had returned from their vacation.

It wasn’t an everyday thing, he just liked to surprise her every once in a while. He was glad she wasn’t complaining since he enjoyed finding cute things like stationary or pens and pencils…something he knew she would use or collect anyway.

It didn’t take long before he was pulling into the nearly deserted parking lot of his father’s boat workshop. It was there where Billy created the prototypes for the boats that were sold through the company he owned with Charlie. The workshop was a small non-descript building built right on the shores of Puget Sound. It was the original building Billy had brought before he and Charlie had gone into business together.

Now that the boats were manufactured in a much bigger, state-of-the-art warehouse further down the way, Billy had simply kept the little workshop as the place he went to whenever creativity struck. However, the majority of the time Billy worked from his office that was above the showroom where the boats were sold to the public. It was also where the offices for Charlie and their kids were. Almost all business transactions were done at the offices above the showroom, thus keeping everything in one area except for the actual building of the boats.

Tonight Billy had asked Jacob to join him at the workshop for an hour or two before he went home. He said he had a new idea that he wanted to run by Jacob, plus it would allow him to teach Jacob some more things about building boats. In all actuality, the time Jacob and Billy spent at the workshop was one of the few times they had to simply be father and son.

It was a welcome respite for the both of them.

Jacob walked inside to see Billy sanding down a plank of wood that had already been shaped into an arc. He simply picked up another piece of sandpaper from the nearby supply table and joined his father. Billy acknowledged his son with a nod, but said nothing else. Together they worked in companionable silence until Billy deemed the wood smooth enough.

Jacob helped him set it aside before following his father to a graphing table where several sheets of boat diagrams and notes were laid out. Billy smoothed one of them out and gestured with his hand.

“You’re better with machines than I am, so what do think of this?”

For a few minutes, Jacob studied the ideas his father had drawn out and jotted down on the sheets. He knew his father meant what he said. While Billy was better at working with the wood and other materials that formed the boats, Jacob was better at the mechanics that went into them. It was because of that, that Billy often deferred to his son’s opinions when it came to anything mechanical.

He finally nodded at his dad. “Good ideas, they just might work, but I think we might have to tweak a few things.”

He went on to show Billy what he thought needed to be changed in order to produce the boat Billy had been aiming for. It was another half hour that the two of them spent discussing the plans even as Billy jotted down notes from their talk. Soon, they called it a night, but as Billy rolled up the sheets, he started another conversation with his son.

“So, how’s Bella?”

Jacob looked up at his father with a smile. “She’s fine. Probably asleep by now.”

Billy chuckled. “I doubt that! She’s probably waiting for you to call her.”

Jacob shrugged. “I told her that I would be here with you.”

“Ah, let her down easy, eh?”

Laughing, Jacob shook his head. “Dad! You know she’s not clingy like that! If anything, I’m usually the one suffering withdrawals.”

Billy snickered. “Can’t say I feel sorry for you. Took you long enough to notice her!”

“What?” exclaimed Jacob, in mock outrage.

“Oh come on! That girl pined over you for years and you never noticed!”

“Ugh! Why is it that no one ever said anything! We could have avoided all the bad stuff and been together a lot sooner if someone had said something!”

Billy put away the last of his materials before turning to give his son a serious look.

“That would have been the easy way to do it, yes, but not exactly the right way, son. A good relationship is based on what the two people involved bring to it. Had any of us stepped in and told you to be with Bella, then it wouldn’t have been your own decision. A relationship is what you make of it, so even if it took this long, at least you and Bella know it is all your doing. Just you and her and no one else.”

Jacob sighed as he sat down and ran a hand through his hair. “I know dad. It’s not that I’m not grateful for the fact that this is all Bella and me, it’s just that I knew I was interested in her since the beginning of high school and I found out it was the same for her. We just never knew it then because we never said anything to each other. Sometimes I think of that and wonder what things would have been like if we had been together back then. You know, all the missed opportunities.”

“Well, no use in dwelling on the past and what might have been. Just be glad you two found your way to each other now, the way the rest of us are. Plus, you two are best friends and all grown up, that has to make things easier, doesn’t it?”

Jacob grinned. “Hm, there’s nothing like loving your best friend and having her love you back!”

Billy simply grinned back at his son’s words for a few moments, then the smile faded to be replaced with a serious expression. He placed a hand on Jacob’s shoulder.

“Look, I know I don’t have to say this, but I feel I should since your mother and I consider the Swans as family. You and Bella are best friends and now, she’s your girlfriend. I know how both of you are and I know what she means to you. All I ask is that you do right by her. Don’t do anything that will make it hard for our families to remain as close as we are. Understand?”

Jacob looked into his father’s eyes as he nodded. “Yeah dad, I get it. I don’t want to mess up what all of us have either.”

Billy patted his shoulder. “Good. Now we’re done here for the night. You go on home, I’ll lock up here.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

Jacob nodded as he got to his feet, then made his way out to his car. As he cleared the front door, his phone began to buzz, making him reach to pull it out of his pocket. He frowned at the unknown number that flashed on the screen. Shaking his head, he put it back in his pocket and continued to his car.

(Song: Dido - White Flag)

What is it with unknown numbers calling my cell? He thought to himself.

He had reported the last unknown number and gotten it blocked from his phone as soon as he had gotten home from California and there hadn’t been any unknown calls since then. Now there was this one, which he knew wasn’t the same number as the last because he’d practically memorized it from dealing with getting it blocked in the first place.

Unlocking his door, he began to open it when his phone vibrated again. Pulling it out with a scowl, he saw that it was the same unknown number from a few moments ago. Tossing his phone on the passenger’s seat, he got in the car and started it up. Taking a few breaths to calm himself, he then strapped himself in and put the car in reverse.

Just as he was about to turn onto the road, his phone buzzed again. With a growl, he picked it up and glared at the unknown number. Whoever it was, was obviously determined to talk to him and not his voicemail.

“Hello?” he answered crisply.

At first there was nothing but what sounded like heavy breathing. He was about to snap when he heard a soft whine and then…

“J…Jacob?”

He froze. That was a very familiar voice. One he had hoped to never hear again.

“Vanessa?”

A sob came from her. “Jacob…please…I’m so scared! Please…help…me!”

Fear ran down Jacob’s spine at her words and tone. There was no way she was faking this.

“Vanessa, what’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I…don’t know! Hurts! Oh God…my baby!” She was crying fully now, making Jacob’s protective instincts kick in.

“Okay, okay Vanessa? I need you to tell me were you are. I’m coming to get you, okay?”

There were only sobs for a few moments before she spoke again. “Um…I was at the convenience store…near my condo…I’m outside…”

Another sob broke, so Jacob answered, “Okay, I’m driving there right now. Just stay on the line with me.”

“O…okay,” came her broken reply.

Jacob was glad that the store was only about ten miles away but he did his best to drive as fast as he could without attracting attention. As he drove, he tried to talk to Vanessa to keep her calm.

“Vanessa, where’s Riley?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Did you call him?”

“He…he didn’t…oh God…help me!” she wailed.

Jacob tried not to panic in response  to her words. “It’s going to be okay, Vanessa, I’m almost there.”

“H…hurry! Please! H…hurts so much!”

Jacob pulled into the store lot and looked around for Vanessa.

Not seeing her, he spoke into the phone. “Vanessa, I’m here. Where are you?”

“Out…outside.”

“I don’t see you!”

“The…the side!”

Jacob maneuvered his car towards the store, looking at the side of the building that faced the street, but she wasn’t there. He drove to the other side, which was a long, narrow alleyway. It was dark and full of all kinds of debris.

He threw his car into park and scrambled out towards the dank alley. A putrid odor hit him as he reached the entrance. It smelled of rotten eggs, stale beer and dirty socks. Trying not to gag, he searched the darkness for Vanessa.

“Vanessa? It’s Jacob, are you in here?”

A faint rustle came from a few feet ahead to his left. “Here,” came the sob.

He scrambled towards her voice, using his phone as a light. Finally, he could see her in a crumpled heap on the ground, surrounded by broken bottles and other trash. With the little light he had, he could see that she was curled over with her arms around her now six months pregnant belly.

Shoving his phone into his pocket, he bent down to gather her in his arms. “Okay, I’m going to carry you to the car, then take you to the hospital.”

“ ‘kay,” came her faint reply.

He slid an arm under her knees and braced her back with the other one as he maneuvered her to rest against his chest. She weakly moved an arm to drape over his shoulders and leaned her head against his shoulder. As soon as he was certain that she was secure against him, he rose as quickly as he could without jarring her, then made his way to his car.

Settling her into the passenger seat, he took stock of her appearance. Her clothes were slightly rumpled, but otherwise okay. Her hair was damp with sweat and her face was fraught with pain and worry. He touched her forehead to find that she was a little hot, but not alarmingly so.

“Vanessa, are you bleeding?”

She weakly shook her head.

“Okay, let’s get you to the hospital,” he said, as he looked down at her legs. There was no evidence of blood on her clothes, so he hoped that everything really was all right. He quickly buckled her in, closed the door, then went to the driver’s side.

He drove her to the nearest emergency hospital that he could think of and pulled into the receiving bay. Turning the car off, he got out and ran to the other side to get Vanessa out.

“Vanessa, are you sure you don’t know where Riley is? I thought he was staying with you?”

She opened her eyes and sniffed. “He’s…but…not…home.”

Jacob nodded. “Okay, let’s get you inside then.”

Taking her into his arms, he carried her through the emergency doors where the nurse behind the counter caught sight of them and stood up. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” replied Jacob, “She called me, in pain, so I picked her up and brought her here. She’s about six months pregnant.”

The nurse nodded. “Yes, I can see that. Can you bring her over to the stretcher? We’ll take it from there.”

Jacob laid Vanessa down on the stretcher that the nurse had indicated, then began to back away until Vanessa grabbed his arm. Looking up at him with tears in her eyes, she pleaded with him.

“Please! Stay with me? I’m so scared…our baby…I can’t lose…our baby!”

The nurse’s eyes snapped to his face, “Are you her husband?”

He shook his head, trying not to scowl at Vanessa’s words. “No, she’s not married, but the baby’s father stays with her sometimes.”

“Jacob! Please…don’t…leave me!” Vanessa cried as she dug her fingers into his arm.

He gently pried her fingers off of him and answered her in what he hoped was a calm voice. “I’ll be right here in the waiting room, okay? Let the nurses and doctors take care of you and the baby.”

Vanessa nodded erratically as they wheeled her away. Jacob stood there until they disappeared behind the doors, then pulled out his phone as he walked outside. He was going to call Riley and get him there as soon as possible. He knew the man would want to be there for Vanessa and their baby. He would have wanted the same thing if it had been his.

Fifteen minutes later, Riley came barreling into the waiting room where Jacob sat. “Jacob! How is she?”

Jacob stood up to greet him. “I don’t know, they haven’t said anything yet.”

Riley nodded. “What…happened?”

Jacob sat back down and motioned for Riley to sit next to him before he told him everything that had happened. He went silent once he was done with the whole recounting of the night’s events. When Riley sat back and closed his eyes, Jacob turned to look at him.

“You okay?”

Riley nodded. “Yeah.”

Jacob looked down at his hands. “When she called me, I asked her if she knew where you were and if she tried calling you. She was…vague.”

Riley sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I was at my house for the night. She said she was fine and wanted to be alone, so I went home.”

“Did she call?”

Riley pulled out his cell and scrolled through his call log. He looked at it for a moment before holding it up so Jacob could see it.

“No.”

Jacob frowned. “I think she still believes the baby is mine.”

Riley sat forward and turned his head to look at him. “She does.”

Jacob closed his eyes as Riley continued. “Sometimes, she talks to me as if I’m nothing but a friend of hers…telling me that she’s waiting for you to come to your senses. That you’ll want to be with her and your baby soon. When I try to tell her that it’s mine, she gets angry and tries to force me out of the house. Other times, she’s perfectly fine with me and acknowledges that it’s our baby.”

Jacob knew what that meant. No wonder she had called him instead of Riley, then said those things to him before they took her away. Riley’s next words confirmed it.

“I tried talking to her parents, Jacob, but they won’t listen to me. I know she needs help and I tried to get her some, but she won’t do it and her parents refuse to help me. They claim there’s nothing wrong with her…that she’s not…delusional.”

Jacob sighed. “Yeah, I kind of figured that’s what was going on. I wish I could help, Riley, but unless she or her parents consent…”

“She won’t get help…I know,” finished Riley.

They were silent for a few moments until Riley’s soft voice said, “You should go on home, Jacob. I can take it from here.”

Jacob looked at him. “You don’t need me to wait to hear what the doctor says?”

Riley shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I can handle it, but I’ll let you know what the doc says.”

Jacob finally nodded, grateful that Riley wanted to take responsibility for her. Vanessa may have called him first, but she had no right to. He had told her to stay away from him and he had meant it. Vanessa was now Riley’s problem. So, he said goodbye to Riley and left the hospital.

Once inside of his car, he immediately called Bella, hoping she was still awake.

“Hello?” came her sleepy reply.

“Bells! I know it’s late…”

“Hm, it’s okay. I told you to call.”

“Yeah…listen Bella…is it okay if I come over now?”

There was a moment of silence before she said, “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I’ll tell you when I get there. Please, honey?”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

*********************************************

(Song: Within Temptation - All I Need)

Bella was waiting in her balcony door when Jacob climbed up. She took one look at his face and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his own arms around her and buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath. Bella could feel the tenseness in his body as she slowly let go of him to take his hand in hers.

Leading him inside, she pulled him down besides her on the bed, but never let go of his hand.

“Tell me,” she whispered.

He did.

He told her about Vanessa’s frantic phone call and the words she said. Then he told her about picking her up and taking her to the hospital. He told her everything…all the way down to the conversation he’d had with Riley right before leaving the hospital. When he was done, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

Bella waited for a few moments before speaking. “It’s okay, Jake. You did everything you could. Riley’s right, he can handle it now.”

Jacob shook his head and turned to her. Squeezing her hand for emphasis, he spoke his fears.

“The way she is, Bells, I just think she’s going to do something bad. I don’t know what it will be, but with the way she still thinks that we’re going to be a family, that the baby is mine. Something’s going to happen. I just feel it.”

“Okay, then we’ll just have to keep our eyes open. We just need to be careful and be aware of our surroundings. Don’t worry, Jake. We know she’s unstable, so we’ll just try to be prepared for anything. You know your dad will do his best to have someone keep an eye on her.”

He sighed in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. “I just wish she could get help! Her being a loose cannon just scares the shit out of me.”

“I know it does, it scares me too.”

“God! What is wrong with her parents? Don’t they see she’s not just a danger to others, but to herself and the baby as well?” he snapped.

“I have no idea what’s wrong with them. Come on Jacob, there’s nothing we can do about any of this right now. Riley has it covered for now. You did your part and tomorrow, we’ll inform your dad about what happened and go from there, all right?”

He finally nodded. “Yeah, all right.”

She gave him a smile and a hug. “Good. For now, you want to try to get some sleep? You look like you could use some.”

He looked up at her with his puppy dog eyes, making her smile widen.

“You can sleep here, if you’re too tired to make it to your house,” she said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her like she was his lifeline. “Thanks Bells, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I know,” she whispered as she kissed his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

Moments later, the two of them were under the covers of Bella’s bed. Bella had tightly wrapped herself around her boyfriend’s body, giving him all of the comfort he needed to finally fall into a worry-free sleep.

*****************************************

(Song: Evanescence - Listen To The Rain)

Charlie grinned proudly at his daughter as she finished the last of the paperwork that had been in the pile for that day. They had spent the morning in her office working together, although Bella had done most of the work while he watched her. He was only there just in case she got stuck on something, but that hadn’t really happened, so he had mostly chatted amicably while she worked.

He couldn’t believe how much she had learned in the last month, but he was sure that by the end of the summer, she would be ready to handle her share of the workload without any help from him at all. Of course, he hoped that would really be the case and that Bella wouldn’t let anything interfere with that.

Not even that boyfriend of hers.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Jacob, who was like a son to him. He just didn’t like Jacob with his daughter.

Bella set the last of the paperwork in the outbox then looked at her watch, but before she could say anything, Charlie piped up.

“You did a good job today, Bella! So good that I want to take you to lunch to celebrate!”

Bella bit her bottom lip and gave him an apologetic smile. “Oh dad, I’m sorry but I already made plans to have lunch with Jake.”

Charlie did his best not to scowl as he said, “Can’t you cancel? It’s not like you don’t see him every day!”

She chuckled. “No I can’t, but we could have dinner together instead. How’s that?”

He sighed. “Fine! I’ll see you for dinner then.”

Bella walked over to him and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, dad. What time should I be ready to go?”

“About seven.”

She nodded her head as Jacob knocked on her door and poked his head in.

He smiled at her. “Hey honey, you ready for lunch?”

“Yeah,” she replied as she retrieved her purse. “I’ll see you at seven, okay dad?”

He waved her away with a pout, making her chuckle again as she kissed him on the cheek once more, then joined Jacob at the door. Charlie stood up and followed them out, closing Bella’s office door behind him. Stopping at his own office door, he continued to watch the couple walk towards the stairs as they held hands and smiled at each other.

He knew they had always been close growing up, best friends and all that. Yet, watching them now, they seemed to be even closer than before. Everything seemed so easy with them. Their laughter, their banter and even their hand holding.

Shaking his head, he went to sit at his desk and picked up one of the picture frames that littered the bookcase behind him. It was a photograph of Bella as a child, looking up at him with a face full of love, awe and respect. Nowadays, she looked at Jacob Black like that.

Back then, Charlie had been her whole world and she had worshiped the ground he had walked on, as if he had hung the moon for her. Now, that reverence was given to someone other than him and he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

As he ran his fingers over her photo, he knew he had to face the ugly truth. His baby girl was growing up and she was in love with Jacob Black…and Jacob loved her back just as fiercely. Although Charlie tried to ignore it, it was plain for all to see.

It was evident in the way they gravitated towards each other without being aware that they did that. It was also in the way their faces lit up when the other one walked into the room and it was in the way they often finished each others sentences.

He gave a sad sigh as he set the picture frame back down on the shelf, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before his only daughter would leave the only home she had ever known.