The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 25:
Bella POV
I was on an information overload, so I was thankful for Paul making sure to keep contact with me on the way back to the rez. Though the images of the Cullens had stopped replaying in my mind, it was like all the information -each missing memory- was there now. Whatever had been blocking them was completely gone, and it was almost too much to handle.
I was shaky and unstable on my paws, but with Paul letting me lean against him, we eventually made it home. As soon as we broke through the trees, I released a huge breath of relief. I could see my Dad watching for us at the living room windows.
When we got to the back patio, I nuzzled my muzzle against Paul’s, thinking, ‘Go ahead of me. Tell Dad I’ll only be a minute.’
He shook his head, ‘Are you sure you’re okay to change back already? I’ve been showing you memories steadily since it happened.’
I bowed my head slightly, ‘Not really, but Dad will want to talk.’
Paul rubbed his whole side along mine in comfort, then offered, ‘Let me phase out real quick to explain, then I’ll phase back in for you. He’ll understand.’
After a long moment of Paul’s muzzle resting against mine, he backed up enough to phase out, then pulled his shorts on. Opening the french doors to the dining room, Paul ushered me inside. I padded toward the roaring fire, then lay down as Paul offered quickly to Charlie, “She remembered… everything. All at once in a huge rush. She still needs me in my wolf form, but she needs you, too. Your her Dad, Charlie. She needs your comfort. Talk to her. Comfort her. She’ll tell you about it once she’s ready to phase back, but for now, she’s been clinging to the memories I have of my feelings for her. I need to phase back quickly; she’s not ready to let them go yet.”
Charlie rushed to my side as he bid Paul, “Go. Phase. I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s okay.” He dropped down to my side and gently started petting my fur as he hummed a soft tune.
Without waiting another second, Paul backed up to an open area, then quickly phased before crawling on his belly to curl up against me. He could feel my relief as he started sending me the memories again.
Charlie POV
It didn’t matter to me how long it took, I wasn’t leaving Bella’s side until she was human and able to assure me she was alright. I wasn’t going to leave her when she needed me. My hand didn’t leave her fur for the next few hours, and I either hummed lullabies I remembered from her infancy, or I whispered for her to take all the time she needed. Paul and I would keep her safe.
It was midday before Paul left her side and padded into the bedroom. He came out on 2 legs in a pair of shorts, offering as Bella slowly got up, “She’s stable. She’s ready to change back, but she wants to get a quick shower before she talks.”
Bella rubbed her muzzle against my cheek, so I cupped her face as I looked into her clear blue eyes, “Take your time. Paul and I will start some food while you shower. I love you, Bells.”
With another nuzzle against me, she slowly made her way into the bedroom. Paul rested his head against hers for a long moment before closing the door behind her.
When his eyes met mine, he let out a breath and asked, “What are you hungry for, Charlie?”
If I hadn’t been a cop as long as I had, I might have missed the slight tremble in his voice and hands. I stopped him, then pulled him into a big hug. I only hugged him tighter when I heard the hitch in his breath and felt his muscles quiver. After a minute, I pulled back to hold him by the shoulders, noticing right away his eyes were filled with tears. “Come on, kid. Our girl’s probably hungry, and she loves pancakes.”
Bella POV
I rested my back against the closed bathroom door, then let out a shaky breath. I didn’t know how to process some of the information I’d learned in the rush of memories that came back. Now that I was on 2 legs again, I didn’t know if I even wanted to process some of it. My wolf was urging me to focus on my mate’s memories of me as I turned to start the shower.
I decided she was right, and I needed to stay calm for now. As I stepped under the hot water a few minutes later, I took stock of the myriad of memories Paul showed me throughout the morning. Surprisingly, a lot of the small ones were just thoughts of how beautiful I was as pictures of me laughing or smiling were portrayed. He didn’t think he was relationship material, but more than once while his thoughts were directed toward me, I heard, ‘I’d damn sure try, for her.’
I sighed as I let the hot water run over me, just wanting the water to wash away all my thoughts. It was probably crazy after all I’d just remembered, but Paul was honest with my dad when he said I was stable. My mind was running a million miles an hour, but my emotions were stable. My body was stable. I knew eventually I wouldn’t be -that at some point very soon an epic meltdown would occur- but for now, Paul’s presence was protecting me from everything else in my mind.
I left the bedroom dressed in a clean pair of lounge shorts and a tank less than ten minutes later. Dad was pulling leftovers from the microwave, while Paul was at the stove tending to the skillet.
I went to Charlie first, hugging him tightly. I let out a breath, then said softly, “I’m glad you’re here, Dad. I’m sorry you had to be woken, but I…”
He hugged me tighter to him, then held me by my shoulders, “You’re my daughter, Bells. I’d want to be here for you no matter what. I don’t care if I was 4 counties away and had to be called back in the middle of the night. I’d still be here. Paul said you were stable for now. How about you eat a bit, then when you’re ready, you can tell me whatever you feel comfortable with.”
The kitchen bar was lined up with a bunch of leftovers from the fridge, and Paul was just setting a large batch of scrambled cheesy eggs and bacon next to a mountain of fresh pancakes. I gave Charlie a small smile and nod, then went to Paul.
He immediately opened his arms for me, so I lifted onto my tiptoes as my hands cupped his face. I pressed my lips to his for a moment, then met his eyes as I whispered, “Thank you. I know you never showed the pack half of what you showed me today… and I really appreciate it. Even knowing they would all see them, you still showed me because you knew I needed them. I don’t think I would have gotten through that without you.”
He rested his forehead against mine, offering simply, “I’d do anything for you, Baby Girl.”
Feeling the truth in his words, I gave him a small nod while whispering, “I know; I feel it. We’re both starving, so let's eat.”
Once the 3 of us loaded our plates, we sat at the dining room table, with me at the end and them on either side of me. I was only 4 bites in when I looked at my father, “Did you read far enough in the journal to know about the nomads?”
Charlie looked at me curiously, so I said, “Phoenix, Dad. When I ran.” His eyes flashed with anger, then he just nodded while looking pointedly at my wrist.
I caught his eyes again, “So you know he’s still out there.”
After a grumble of “Need to light his ass on fire,” I stated, “The thing is, Dad, my memory of the incident up until this morning, was that James was dead. For months, I believed that James was hunting me, and they killed him to save me. I watched them tear him limb from limb, Dad, then throw his body in a bonfire in the middle of the ballet studio. Yet none of it was real; he’s still alive out there somewhere, and I was the game he didn’t get to finish. Instead of killing him, they brought him into their games, then didn’t let him have the prize at the end. I’m having a hard time reconciling what I believed with what is real.”
Charlie patted my hand on the table, then offered, “It’ll take a while, Bells, and a lot of talking and sorting through things. Just take it slow.”
Paul added, “We’ll have to let Sam know, now that you’ve confirmed what I was getting from your thoughts.”
I nodded, letting him know that I understood. We talked about a few other things I remembered, then near the end of our meal, I finally said, “I’ve delayed seeing Dr. Brown because things just keep happening so quickly, but I need to see if she’d be willing to look at me soon. Some of the things I remembered have me really worried.”
Paul pulled out his phone. Before I could tell him to wait until Dad left, she was already answering the call. “Hey, Doc. Sam’s probably already told you I’d be calling.”
I could hear her side of the conversation, too. “Hey, Paul. Yes, Sam told me you mated. Congratulations! He didn’t get into detail, but he told me the situation was delicate, and that the cold ones were involved. When he told me her name was Bella, I put together that your new mate is Chief Swan’s daughter. I take it you’d like her seen?”
Paul nodded, “Yes, she would like to be seen. She’s not comfortable in public right now, though.”
Melody hummed, then asked, “Where is she most comfortable? I can bring my portable equipment. If she needs an MRI or CT, I can have a clear pathway and the space made available.”
I smiled slightly at Paul, so he answered, “Thanks, Doc. She’s most comfortable here at the house. We’ll let you make the call on the tests once you see her. How soon do you think you can come by?”
She chuckled, “I’m finishing my lunch right now, and have no one scheduled for the rest of the day. Give me 30 minutes to load my portable equipment, then 10 to get to your place.”
They ended the call, and I explained to Charlie, “She’ll be here in under an hour. Do you want to get a nap in one of the spare rooms? Most likely, with everything I’m going to need to talk to her about, it’ll be around time to think about dinner not long afterward. Stay for dinner… please?”
Charlie nodded, “Of course, Bells… and I think I’ll take you up on that guest room nap in the meantime. This full belly is making me sleepy.”
Less than 10 minutes later, Charlie was closing the guest room door, after giving me a long hug and having me promise to wake him if something happened.
Bella POV
I was on an information overload, so I was thankful for Paul making sure to keep contact with me on the way back to the rez. Though the images of the Cullens had stopped replaying in my mind, it was like all the information -each missing memory- was there now. Whatever had been blocking them was completely gone, and it was almost too much to handle.
I was shaky and unstable on my paws, but with Paul letting me lean against him, we eventually made it home. As soon as we broke through the trees, I released a huge breath of relief. I could see my Dad watching for us at the living room windows.
When we got to the back patio, I nuzzled my muzzle against Paul’s, thinking, ‘Go ahead of me. Tell Dad I’ll only be a minute.’
He shook his head, ‘Are you sure you’re okay to change back already? I’ve been showing you memories steadily since it happened.’
I bowed my head slightly, ‘Not really, but Dad will want to talk.’
Paul rubbed his whole side along mine in comfort, then offered, ‘Let me phase out real quick to explain, then I’ll phase back in for you. He’ll understand.’
After a long moment of Paul’s muzzle resting against mine, he backed up enough to phase out, then pulled his shorts on. Opening the french doors to the dining room, Paul ushered me inside. I padded toward the roaring fire, then lay down as Paul offered quickly to Charlie, “She remembered… everything. All at once in a huge rush. She still needs me in my wolf form, but she needs you, too. Your her Dad, Charlie. She needs your comfort. Talk to her. Comfort her. She’ll tell you about it once she’s ready to phase back, but for now, she’s been clinging to the memories I have of my feelings for her. I need to phase back quickly; she’s not ready to let them go yet.”
Charlie rushed to my side as he bid Paul, “Go. Phase. I’m not going anywhere until I know she’s okay.” He dropped down to my side and gently started petting my fur as he hummed a soft tune.
Without waiting another second, Paul backed up to an open area, then quickly phased before crawling on his belly to curl up against me. He could feel my relief as he started sending me the memories again.
Charlie POV
It didn’t matter to me how long it took, I wasn’t leaving Bella’s side until she was human and able to assure me she was alright. I wasn’t going to leave her when she needed me. My hand didn’t leave her fur for the next few hours, and I either hummed lullabies I remembered from her infancy, or I whispered for her to take all the time she needed. Paul and I would keep her safe.
It was midday before Paul left her side and padded into the bedroom. He came out on 2 legs in a pair of shorts, offering as Bella slowly got up, “She’s stable. She’s ready to change back, but she wants to get a quick shower before she talks.”
Bella rubbed her muzzle against my cheek, so I cupped her face as I looked into her clear blue eyes, “Take your time. Paul and I will start some food while you shower. I love you, Bells.”
With another nuzzle against me, she slowly made her way into the bedroom. Paul rested his head against hers for a long moment before closing the door behind her.
When his eyes met mine, he let out a breath and asked, “What are you hungry for, Charlie?”
If I hadn’t been a cop as long as I had, I might have missed the slight tremble in his voice and hands. I stopped him, then pulled him into a big hug. I only hugged him tighter when I heard the hitch in his breath and felt his muscles quiver. After a minute, I pulled back to hold him by the shoulders, noticing right away his eyes were filled with tears. “Come on, kid. Our girl’s probably hungry, and she loves pancakes.”
Bella POV
I rested my back against the closed bathroom door, then let out a shaky breath. I didn’t know how to process some of the information I’d learned in the rush of memories that came back. Now that I was on 2 legs again, I didn’t know if I even wanted to process some of it. My wolf was urging me to focus on my mate’s memories of me as I turned to start the shower.
I decided she was right, and I needed to stay calm for now. As I stepped under the hot water a few minutes later, I took stock of the myriad of memories Paul showed me throughout the morning. Surprisingly, a lot of the small ones were just thoughts of how beautiful I was as pictures of me laughing or smiling were portrayed. He didn’t think he was relationship material, but more than once while his thoughts were directed toward me, I heard, ‘I’d damn sure try, for her.’
I sighed as I let the hot water run over me, just wanting the water to wash away all my thoughts. It was probably crazy after all I’d just remembered, but Paul was honest with my dad when he said I was stable. My mind was running a million miles an hour, but my emotions were stable. My body was stable. I knew eventually I wouldn’t be -that at some point very soon an epic meltdown would occur- but for now, Paul’s presence was protecting me from everything else in my mind.
I left the bedroom dressed in a clean pair of lounge shorts and a tank less than ten minutes later. Dad was pulling leftovers from the microwave, while Paul was at the stove tending to the skillet.
I went to Charlie first, hugging him tightly. I let out a breath, then said softly, “I’m glad you’re here, Dad. I’m sorry you had to be woken, but I…”
He hugged me tighter to him, then held me by my shoulders, “You’re my daughter, Bells. I’d want to be here for you no matter what. I don’t care if I was 4 counties away and had to be called back in the middle of the night. I’d still be here. Paul said you were stable for now. How about you eat a bit, then when you’re ready, you can tell me whatever you feel comfortable with.”
The kitchen bar was lined up with a bunch of leftovers from the fridge, and Paul was just setting a large batch of scrambled cheesy eggs and bacon next to a mountain of fresh pancakes. I gave Charlie a small smile and nod, then went to Paul.
He immediately opened his arms for me, so I lifted onto my tiptoes as my hands cupped his face. I pressed my lips to his for a moment, then met his eyes as I whispered, “Thank you. I know you never showed the pack half of what you showed me today… and I really appreciate it. Even knowing they would all see them, you still showed me because you knew I needed them. I don’t think I would have gotten through that without you.”
He rested his forehead against mine, offering simply, “I’d do anything for you, Baby Girl.”
Feeling the truth in his words, I gave him a small nod while whispering, “I know; I feel it. We’re both starving, so let's eat.”
Once the 3 of us loaded our plates, we sat at the dining room table, with me at the end and them on either side of me. I was only 4 bites in when I looked at my father, “Did you read far enough in the journal to know about the nomads?”
Charlie looked at me curiously, so I said, “Phoenix, Dad. When I ran.” His eyes flashed with anger, then he just nodded while looking pointedly at my wrist.
I caught his eyes again, “So you know he’s still out there.”
After a grumble of “Need to light his ass on fire,” I stated, “The thing is, Dad, my memory of the incident up until this morning, was that James was dead. For months, I believed that James was hunting me, and they killed him to save me. I watched them tear him limb from limb, Dad, then throw his body in a bonfire in the middle of the ballet studio. Yet none of it was real; he’s still alive out there somewhere, and I was the game he didn’t get to finish. Instead of killing him, they brought him into their games, then didn’t let him have the prize at the end. I’m having a hard time reconciling what I believed with what is real.”
Charlie patted my hand on the table, then offered, “It’ll take a while, Bells, and a lot of talking and sorting through things. Just take it slow.”
Paul added, “We’ll have to let Sam know, now that you’ve confirmed what I was getting from your thoughts.”
I nodded, letting him know that I understood. We talked about a few other things I remembered, then near the end of our meal, I finally said, “I’ve delayed seeing Dr. Brown because things just keep happening so quickly, but I need to see if she’d be willing to look at me soon. Some of the things I remembered have me really worried.”
Paul pulled out his phone. Before I could tell him to wait until Dad left, she was already answering the call. “Hey, Doc. Sam’s probably already told you I’d be calling.”
I could hear her side of the conversation, too. “Hey, Paul. Yes, Sam told me you mated. Congratulations! He didn’t get into detail, but he told me the situation was delicate, and that the cold ones were involved. When he told me her name was Bella, I put together that your new mate is Chief Swan’s daughter. I take it you’d like her seen?”
Paul nodded, “Yes, she would like to be seen. She’s not comfortable in public right now, though.”
Melody hummed, then asked, “Where is she most comfortable? I can bring my portable equipment. If she needs an MRI or CT, I can have a clear pathway and the space made available.”
I smiled slightly at Paul, so he answered, “Thanks, Doc. She’s most comfortable here at the house. We’ll let you make the call on the tests once you see her. How soon do you think you can come by?”
She chuckled, “I’m finishing my lunch right now, and have no one scheduled for the rest of the day. Give me 30 minutes to load my portable equipment, then 10 to get to your place.”
They ended the call, and I explained to Charlie, “She’ll be here in under an hour. Do you want to get a nap in one of the spare rooms? Most likely, with everything I’m going to need to talk to her about, it’ll be around time to think about dinner not long afterward. Stay for dinner… please?”
Charlie nodded, “Of course, Bells… and I think I’ll take you up on that guest room nap in the meantime. This full belly is making me sleepy.”
Less than 10 minutes later, Charlie was closing the guest room door, after giving me a long hug and having me promise to wake him if something happened.