Tidal Moon (Renesmee & Jacob)

Chapter 32: Jacob's POV

The walk up to the Cullen's house felt like slow motion. My knees burned and my throat felt as though it were going to close up at any given moment. I was going to lose myself. This would be the one thing that would destroy me, in losing her I would without a doubt be losing myself. And knowing that I have a son I will never have the opportunity to meet, that a life with Renesmee and my son was ripped from me, I can barely handle the thought of it.

The cold night air brushes against the exposed skin on my chest and I am vaguely aware of icy rain plummeting down onto my bruised shoulders. I finally reach the front door and I have to take a few moments to compose myself before I can push that door open.

The house is dark and still, only the light from Carlisle's upstairs office illuminating the home. I can hear shushed voices coming from the office and I can already assume that this means she's gone. Tears begin to involuntarily rush down my cheeks and I have to steady myself against the wall. The sound of the office door opening and someone coming down the stairs catches my attention, but I don't look up.

"Jacob." Edwards voice is thick with hoarseness and strain. I run a hand through my soaking wet hair and lift my gaze up to him. There is blood on his shirt, and I don't have to ask to know that it's her blood.

"She's gone?" I whisper weakly. His eyes pierce mine sympathetically for a few short moments and right as I begin to feel my world crash around me, he speaks again.

"No. Rosalie had done research and found a very complicated method. She never said anything about it because she was fearful of it not working, and she had also hoped that we would never have to have a reason to test the theory." He whispers. My head snaps up and I take few tentative steps towards him.

"What are you saying?" I demand, my head reeling at the possibility of Renesmee being alive.

"We met someone long ago, someone like her. Do you remember him?" Edward asks. I scour my thoughts for only a few short moments before the name comes to me. Nahuel.

"Yes." I answer, my voice cracking.

"He almost died long ago, but his sister saved him. Their kind is so rare, it's hard to conclude what could save them in these situations. But it's their blood. In a way it's like a blood transfusion. If they share blood, it heals them. Nahuel traveled here a few weeks ago. Rose has had him on stand by. Like I said, we didn't want to have to test the theory. It's invasive." He says, clasping a hand on my shoulder. Consuming confusion ripples through me and he takes my silence as a nod for him to continue speaking.

"He injected his own blood into her heart. It healed her. He saved her, but you did as well. Nahuel said if you didn't get to her when you did, nothing would've saved her. She would be dead and so would your son." He whispers. I almost lost my balance.

"I need to thank him." I say, my voice cracking with every word.

"He's already gone. He doesn't stay in one place for long and he doesn't accept thanks very much. He's weird like that." Edward chuckles, the stress seeming to leave his shoulders. I glance up at him, tears still in my eyes.

"So she and the baby, they're both fine?" I ask nervously.

"Perfectly fine. She will most likely sleep it off for a few days, but you can take her home and take care of her there. There's no more threat. Jacob, everything's okay." He breathes out and hugs me tightly. I couldn't help but return the hug with all of my strength. It was like I was seeing the shredded pieces of my life carefully stitch themselves back together. A future I thought had been torn from me was lighting up in front of me again.

"Can I see her?" I ask, my voice still holding a bit of shakiness.

"Of course." He said and turned his back, beginning to lead me up the staircase. It's like the world around me went absolutely quiet as I scaled those shiny stairs. I could hear my own heart pounding against my chest as we arrived at the heavy door. Edward swung the door open, and there she was.

My breathtaking Nessie, bandaged up with bruises scaling the span of her entire body.  She had been cleaned up and changed into a cotton pajama set that I'm sure Alice put her in. No one else in the room mattered as I walked toward her. I dropped to my knees and ran my thumb down her defined jawline.

"Baby." I whispered quietly, not as a question but as a statement. I pressed my lips to hers and laid my forehead against her soft skin.

"She's a fighter. So is the little one." Esme says sweetly from behind me in the sterile room. I nod and blink away the tears filling my eyes.

"Of course she is. She always has been." I laugh softly as tears continue to fall down my face. I glance back at everyone and hope that my gratitude shows with my expression. I've never been someone than can easily be transparent with my emotions, so I silently hope it goes without saying how much I adore each and every one of them for what they've done tonight.

"No need to thank anyone." Carlisle nods, a smile spreading across his face. A mixture of stress, love, and sympathy haunt his face. I think we probably all look like we've been through the wringer tonight. 

 The cold air outside whistles past the window as the oncoming storm threatens to shatter the world around us. I frown at the weather and look back at my beautifully damaged girl resting in front of me. 

"Edward, can you bring the car around so I can take her home?" My voice is barely above a whisper, but he must've known what I was going to ask before I even finished my sentence because before I know it I hear his footsteps scaling the stairs and the heavy front door pulling open and closing behind him. 

"You're all sure that she's safe?" I question, taking Renesmee's hand in mine and pressing my lips to her pale knuckles. 

"Absolutely. The worst is over." Rosalie confirms. I look at her with a gratitude I hope she can recognize and she gives me a nod and a genuine smile, which is rare for her. Usually we are at each other's throats with arguments and insults any chance we can get, but not anymore. Tonight I think we both earned a respect for one another that there is simply no coming back from, and for that, I'm thankful. Had it not been for her quick thinking, my angel would not be here next to me, sleeping peacefully despite all she's been through tonight and all of the sacrifices she made. 

The roar of the car's engine catches my attention and I take this as my cue to gently lift her off of the bed, careful not to disrupt any of her injuries. I hold on tight to her and whisper my goodbyes to everyone before carefully walking down the stairs and out of the door. A car I don't recognize is in front of me. It's a large and flashy SUV with all of the bells and whistles. 

"What's this?" I ask raising my eyebrow at Edward.

He runs a hand through his hair and smiles sheepishly.
"I wanted my daughter to drive something safe when she has my grandson. So it's a bit of a surprise for her. I was going to wait to give it to her until you both came back to the house and she was feeling better, but I realized I just wanted her to have it right away." 

"Of course you would." I roll my eyes and laugh as we both gently slide her into the backseat which he has already stuffed with an enormous amount of pillows and blankets to make her journey home more comfortable. Once I've tucked her into the backseat and assured she was comfortable, I turn to Edward. 

"So it's over." I mumble, with a small smile. 

"It's over." He nods and without warning wraps his arms around me in a tight hug. After the initial surprise at his sudden affection, I return the gesture. 

"I guess we have a wedding to plan." I chuckle, glancing back at her gorgeous face. She stirs a bit in her sleep, but not enough to let me know she's awake yet. 

"Jacob, I know how odd this must sound coming from me, and believe me when I say I never really pictured myself uttering these words. But it would be a pleasure to have you as my son-in-law. Despite our... odd past for lack of words." He laughs, his face looking as awkward as I feel. 

"All right now, old man. We're technically close in age." I wink, causing him to roll his eyes. 

"Get her home safe, Jake." He says, squeezing my shoulder. I smile and nod. 

"Always."