All Bark, No Bite [Jacob & Edward]

19

Jacob wakes up feeling tired. It's the first time that he's really been alone with his own thoughts, his new body. He does miss Edward, even if he is only two rooms down from Jacob, but it's not so overwhelming that he can ignore the fact that it's getting harder to sit up or to see his own toes. He's not big by any means, but he was quite a bit bigger than he's used to. His bulky frame made his stomach look like a beer gut if he threw on a sweatshirt, but it felt like he was carrying around weights. To make matters worse, his belly button was now saying 'hi' through the cotton and his chest was abnormally swollen. His feet hurt. He was vaguely aware of all of this before, but it was painfully obvious when there was no distraction.

He gets a dull kick to his right side. Kid was almost as annoying as its dad.

Edward.

Jacob pushes himself up into a sitting position, and with a huff, uses the nightstand to hoist himself up from the mattress. He's waddling. He has to in order to adjust for the weight but he catches himself in the mirror and it stops him in his tracks. Another look and he realizes that he should probably put on another shirt. The hem was inching up toward his belly button with every slight movement.

With this revelation, he decides that a bath would do him some good. As much as he wanted to believe that if he waddled down the hall to Edward's temporary room, that he would find Edward perched up on the bed waiting for him, he knew better. He knew from the subtle line on the lower part of his gut that these things tend to take time. So, he begrudgingly runs a bath and holds his breath as he lowers himself into the water. He allows his eyes to close and takes a deep breath. He can do this.

It's relaxing for only a moment. He opens his eyes to grab for the soap only to see his belly peeking out over the surface like a small island surrounded by water.

Edward was more of a shower guy. As far as Jacob knew, he always ran showers. If it wasn't his preference before, he enjoyed it now, if only to squeeze in behind Jacob under the guise of washing his back. He hadn't been in a bath since the early months when they were bickering about...something. He was now on the cusp of six months.

"Twenty-six weeks..." He could hear Carlisle announcing, followed by a polite smile.

The reminder made him groan to himself. He reaches for the soap and starts washing to distract him from his own intrusive thoughts.

After he's sufficiently clothed, he goes downstairs to grab something to eat by Edward's bedside. He determines that the house is empty as he watches the chicken and pasta slowly heat up in the convection oven. They must've started their search last night while he was "sleeping". The trek back upstairs feels daunting. He finds himself moving slower, getting distracted. Did he forget something? He's about an inch in front of the door when he realizes that he's stalling. He doesn't want to see him looking...less than alive. It looked like they were housing a dead body.

He slowly pushes the door open after finally psyching himself up. He couldn't just stand here letting his food get cold. Edward was lying on his back on the bed, a couple of machines hooked up to him, and Carlisle was on a computer at a desk next to him. At the sound of the door creaking open, he whips up, spinning around with a look in his eyes that Jacob's truly never seen before. He's only ever seen kind, welcoming Carlisle. The man has a crazed look in his eye, hair slightly disheveled. It quickly alters itself into a small, empathetic smile after he realizes that it's just Jacob standing there stupidly with his pitiful meal. It's at this moment that Jacob is reminded that Edward is his son. He's not the only one who isn't taking this very well.

"I'll leave you two alone. Alice and Jasper seem to have picked up something on the outskirts of town." He picked up his laptop and snapped it shut, pushing himself up from his chair. His walk was urgent, but he kept whatever it really was out of his facial expressions as he gave Jacob a little nod.