The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 08:
While Bella was still getting done in the shower, I quickly pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt, then went out to call Charlie. He picked up before the first ring even finished, “Talk to me. Is Bells okay?”
I let out a breath, “She’s alright now, but we had a rough time about 30 minutes ago. I called to ask if you could bring the journal when you come back for dinner.”
It sounded like Charlie plopped down in the chair, then asked seriously, “What happened?”
I knew I couldn’t get into the whole thing with him at work, so I just said, “Another memory surfaced. I didn’t feel her get out of bed, and I woke to her crying in the shower. She was scrubbing herself raw with one of those poofy things.”
Charlie sounded sad as he offered, “Shit. Is she alright, really?”
I rubbed my fingers through my hair, saying, “She told me a little bit when I finally was able to get her to recognize me, but she needs to know, Charlie. She can’t remember whether they actually…”
I choked on my words, unable to say it out loud again so soon. Turns out, I didn’t have to. Charlie already knew, and he offered, “I don’t have it. I left it with Billy since I couldn’t guarantee my house would stay safe. If you want, I can stop by and bring it with me.”
I shook my head, “No, Bella and I were going to the general store and the farmstands, to load up on groceries, so I’ll stop by and grab it. I’m sure Billy would like to see her awake and getting some fresh air.”
Charlie hummed, then said, “Stick close, kid. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I nodded, then turned my head as Bella came into the living room dressed and ready to go, “She won’t make it out of my sight range, Sir. See you then.”
When I hit the end button, Bella asked, “Dad?”
I nodded, “The journal is at Billy’s. Your dad didn’t think it was wise for the journal to be taken off the rez. We can swing in and pick it up once we get done shopping.”
Bella looked at me while biting her lip. I smirked, “Out with it, Swan.”
She finally let out a breath before asking, “How pissed was Billy? I’m sure he was here within 15 minutes of us reaching the house.”
I chuckled, then pointed to my foot, “He ran over my foot… on purpose, Swan. Billy didn’t even get into the house before he was yelling at me. He calmed when I told him my wolf urged me to do it, and that neither one of us regretted it.”
She gasped as her hand covered her mouth, then she snickered a bit, “Poor baby. Are you sure your foot didn’t do more damage to the wheel of his chair, than it did to your foot?”
I was shocked at her retort for a split second before I barked out a laugh, “Sassy! Okay, I see you. Let’s go, before you make any more comments about my lack of actual injury for doing a good deed.”
We got in the truck and I was getting ready to start it when I felt Bella’s hand on my thigh. I looked at how small it was for a split second before my eyes met hers. She whispered, “I think what you did was extremely selfless. I’m not stupid enough to think I would have lived to see the next sunrise, had it not been for you saving me, Paul.”
I let go of the key in the ignition to take her hand on my thigh. After gently squeezing it and nodding, I placed it back down on my thigh with a small pat, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. I can cook simple things, but I’m kinda looking forward to you cooking dinner tonight. It’ll be a nice change from boxed mac and cheese and frozen dinners.”
She chuckled, “I’ll make you a deal. How about we call me cooking even trade for your heat.”
When I looked at her after stopping at the light, she explained while taking a sudden interest in her fidgeting hands, “The heat you give off is… different… than Jake’s or Sam’s. And right now, your heat is the only thing that keeps away the cold. As soon as we aren’t touching, I feel like it creeps into my very bones. When the cold creeps in, the memories are worse.”
I pulled her right up next to me, so her side met mine. When she looked up at me, I said slowly, so she would see the truth in my eyes, “Anytime… no matter when it is… that you need me, I am yours.”
She shook her head, saying she couldn’t just use me, but I assured her, “It isn’t using me if I’m telling you to do it, Bella. I swear to the ancestors that I will never deny you something that you need to stay sane. If the memories of them are haunting you and you need to feel surrounded, I’ll make it happen. If we get into that store and you need my heat, pull me to you. Tell me in some way what you need, and I will find a way to make it happen.”
Her eyes searched mine, then she finally nodded before curling up against my side.
Shopping started off well, but soon I noticed Bella creeping closer to me. Without a word, the next time she stopped to pick something up, I slid my hand into her back pocket. She visibly relaxed, so I turned her to me, then rested my lips against my mark, asking, “Better?”
She let out a heavy breath and nodded, whispering into my chest, “It works a bit faster when you do that.”
When I lifted my head to look into her eyes, she blushed while touching where my lips had just been. I realized what she was saying then, and placed a soft kiss on the spot before whispering against it, “Noted.”
I kept my arm around her through the rest of the aisles, my hand in her back pocket, and things seemed to go a bit better. She talked to me about what she wanted to make over the next week, both for treats to keep on hand and for meals. Though her voice was soft enough that others wouldn’t hear her, I could clearly hear her.
Each time I felt her start tensing, I turned her toward me, hugged her close, and rested my lips against my mark. Sometimes it only took seconds before she was relaxed against my chest, but others it took a couple of minutes. No matter what, each time I let her go to turn back around, I could see the gratefulness in her eyes.
At checkout, I smiled at Amy, the owner’s daughter, and said, “Hi, Amy. This is Bella. She’s moving in with me, so please put her on my account.”
Bella gave her a small smile as she hugged my arm. Amy grinned, “Hi. I’ll be sure to let Dad know tonight when he comes in to close.”
Amy went to make a note on a pad near her, then asked, “Bella, can I have your last name?” Bella told her, then after another second of writing on the pad, Amy started to ring up our purchases.
Once we were back out to the truck, Bella asked me softly, “Our cart was overflowing. How did it only cost 130 dollars?”
I smiled at her, explaining, “The council has spoken to different places here on the rez that the pack frequently buys from. To the businesses, we’re kind of peace-keepers, between the rez and Forks… and we do intervene when we see something happening or the businesses tell us they need help. In return, they give us a percentage off. This one, since we all come here and buy tons of food to keep us going, gives us 60% off.”
Bella bit her lip for another second, then nodded, “I guess that makes sense. I mean… you guys really do eat a lot.”
After 2 farmstands, Bella claimed she was pleased with the total amount of our haul, and she was ready to see Billy. We made it there in less than 5 minutes from our last stop.
Jake immediately came out, and though I knew he had a crush on my girl, I noticed that after a very quick hug to Jake, she came right back to me. He frowned a bit, but let it go when Bella said she needed to see Billy.
Billy was in the living room when we entered the house, and he smiled when Bella quickly went to hug him. I thought she’d come right back to me, and that I would need to ask for the journal, but she surprised me.
After taking a seat on the chair right next to Billy’s wheelchair, Bella took his hands in hers, saying softly, “I know you have it… the journal. We called Dad this morning. I need an answer that the journal will have, Billy. Please. I need you to give me the journal.”
After a full 15 seconds of looking into Bella’s eyes, Billy silently nodded, patted Bella’s hands, then wheeled himself to the other side of the living room. He unlocked a filing cabinet, then pulled the journal from it.
Bella shivered as she looked at it, so I sat next to her and rubbed her back. When Billy tried to hand Bella the journal, her hands shook, so I took it for her. Billy nodded at my action, so I said, “We have groceries in the truck, but Charlie will be coming for dinner. You can stop by if you want.”
Billy smiled fondly at Bella, but said, “No, you guys have your dinner. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
After Bella kissed Billy on the cheek, we were on our way home to my cliffside cabin in the woods. I made a note to give Bella an official tour soon.
While Bella was still getting done in the shower, I quickly pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt, then went out to call Charlie. He picked up before the first ring even finished, “Talk to me. Is Bells okay?”
I let out a breath, “She’s alright now, but we had a rough time about 30 minutes ago. I called to ask if you could bring the journal when you come back for dinner.”
It sounded like Charlie plopped down in the chair, then asked seriously, “What happened?”
I knew I couldn’t get into the whole thing with him at work, so I just said, “Another memory surfaced. I didn’t feel her get out of bed, and I woke to her crying in the shower. She was scrubbing herself raw with one of those poofy things.”
Charlie sounded sad as he offered, “Shit. Is she alright, really?”
I rubbed my fingers through my hair, saying, “She told me a little bit when I finally was able to get her to recognize me, but she needs to know, Charlie. She can’t remember whether they actually…”
I choked on my words, unable to say it out loud again so soon. Turns out, I didn’t have to. Charlie already knew, and he offered, “I don’t have it. I left it with Billy since I couldn’t guarantee my house would stay safe. If you want, I can stop by and bring it with me.”
I shook my head, “No, Bella and I were going to the general store and the farmstands, to load up on groceries, so I’ll stop by and grab it. I’m sure Billy would like to see her awake and getting some fresh air.”
Charlie hummed, then said, “Stick close, kid. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
I nodded, then turned my head as Bella came into the living room dressed and ready to go, “She won’t make it out of my sight range, Sir. See you then.”
When I hit the end button, Bella asked, “Dad?”
I nodded, “The journal is at Billy’s. Your dad didn’t think it was wise for the journal to be taken off the rez. We can swing in and pick it up once we get done shopping.”
Bella looked at me while biting her lip. I smirked, “Out with it, Swan.”
She finally let out a breath before asking, “How pissed was Billy? I’m sure he was here within 15 minutes of us reaching the house.”
I chuckled, then pointed to my foot, “He ran over my foot… on purpose, Swan. Billy didn’t even get into the house before he was yelling at me. He calmed when I told him my wolf urged me to do it, and that neither one of us regretted it.”
She gasped as her hand covered her mouth, then she snickered a bit, “Poor baby. Are you sure your foot didn’t do more damage to the wheel of his chair, than it did to your foot?”
I was shocked at her retort for a split second before I barked out a laugh, “Sassy! Okay, I see you. Let’s go, before you make any more comments about my lack of actual injury for doing a good deed.”
We got in the truck and I was getting ready to start it when I felt Bella’s hand on my thigh. I looked at how small it was for a split second before my eyes met hers. She whispered, “I think what you did was extremely selfless. I’m not stupid enough to think I would have lived to see the next sunrise, had it not been for you saving me, Paul.”
I let go of the key in the ignition to take her hand on my thigh. After gently squeezing it and nodding, I placed it back down on my thigh with a small pat, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. I can cook simple things, but I’m kinda looking forward to you cooking dinner tonight. It’ll be a nice change from boxed mac and cheese and frozen dinners.”
She chuckled, “I’ll make you a deal. How about we call me cooking even trade for your heat.”
When I looked at her after stopping at the light, she explained while taking a sudden interest in her fidgeting hands, “The heat you give off is… different… than Jake’s or Sam’s. And right now, your heat is the only thing that keeps away the cold. As soon as we aren’t touching, I feel like it creeps into my very bones. When the cold creeps in, the memories are worse.”
I pulled her right up next to me, so her side met mine. When she looked up at me, I said slowly, so she would see the truth in my eyes, “Anytime… no matter when it is… that you need me, I am yours.”
She shook her head, saying she couldn’t just use me, but I assured her, “It isn’t using me if I’m telling you to do it, Bella. I swear to the ancestors that I will never deny you something that you need to stay sane. If the memories of them are haunting you and you need to feel surrounded, I’ll make it happen. If we get into that store and you need my heat, pull me to you. Tell me in some way what you need, and I will find a way to make it happen.”
Her eyes searched mine, then she finally nodded before curling up against my side.
Shopping started off well, but soon I noticed Bella creeping closer to me. Without a word, the next time she stopped to pick something up, I slid my hand into her back pocket. She visibly relaxed, so I turned her to me, then rested my lips against my mark, asking, “Better?”
She let out a heavy breath and nodded, whispering into my chest, “It works a bit faster when you do that.”
When I lifted my head to look into her eyes, she blushed while touching where my lips had just been. I realized what she was saying then, and placed a soft kiss on the spot before whispering against it, “Noted.”
I kept my arm around her through the rest of the aisles, my hand in her back pocket, and things seemed to go a bit better. She talked to me about what she wanted to make over the next week, both for treats to keep on hand and for meals. Though her voice was soft enough that others wouldn’t hear her, I could clearly hear her.
Each time I felt her start tensing, I turned her toward me, hugged her close, and rested my lips against my mark. Sometimes it only took seconds before she was relaxed against my chest, but others it took a couple of minutes. No matter what, each time I let her go to turn back around, I could see the gratefulness in her eyes.
At checkout, I smiled at Amy, the owner’s daughter, and said, “Hi, Amy. This is Bella. She’s moving in with me, so please put her on my account.”
Bella gave her a small smile as she hugged my arm. Amy grinned, “Hi. I’ll be sure to let Dad know tonight when he comes in to close.”
Amy went to make a note on a pad near her, then asked, “Bella, can I have your last name?” Bella told her, then after another second of writing on the pad, Amy started to ring up our purchases.
Once we were back out to the truck, Bella asked me softly, “Our cart was overflowing. How did it only cost 130 dollars?”
I smiled at her, explaining, “The council has spoken to different places here on the rez that the pack frequently buys from. To the businesses, we’re kind of peace-keepers, between the rez and Forks… and we do intervene when we see something happening or the businesses tell us they need help. In return, they give us a percentage off. This one, since we all come here and buy tons of food to keep us going, gives us 60% off.”
Bella bit her lip for another second, then nodded, “I guess that makes sense. I mean… you guys really do eat a lot.”
After 2 farmstands, Bella claimed she was pleased with the total amount of our haul, and she was ready to see Billy. We made it there in less than 5 minutes from our last stop.
Jake immediately came out, and though I knew he had a crush on my girl, I noticed that after a very quick hug to Jake, she came right back to me. He frowned a bit, but let it go when Bella said she needed to see Billy.
Billy was in the living room when we entered the house, and he smiled when Bella quickly went to hug him. I thought she’d come right back to me, and that I would need to ask for the journal, but she surprised me.
After taking a seat on the chair right next to Billy’s wheelchair, Bella took his hands in hers, saying softly, “I know you have it… the journal. We called Dad this morning. I need an answer that the journal will have, Billy. Please. I need you to give me the journal.”
After a full 15 seconds of looking into Bella’s eyes, Billy silently nodded, patted Bella’s hands, then wheeled himself to the other side of the living room. He unlocked a filing cabinet, then pulled the journal from it.
Bella shivered as she looked at it, so I sat next to her and rubbed her back. When Billy tried to hand Bella the journal, her hands shook, so I took it for her. Billy nodded at my action, so I said, “We have groceries in the truck, but Charlie will be coming for dinner. You can stop by if you want.”
Billy smiled fondly at Bella, but said, “No, you guys have your dinner. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
After Bella kissed Billy on the cheek, we were on our way home to my cliffside cabin in the woods. I made a note to give Bella an official tour soon.