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Jacob wakes up to the sound of rain. It's so loud in its downpour and unrelenting in its barrage that it creates a curtain that blurs the forest behind the glass doors of the house. The sky is dim. It does nothing to help his confusion as he tries to figure out how long he's been lying on this rug. The fires burned out, cold ash replacing the warm flames. It leads him to believe that it's either really early in the morning or they've given up on bedside manner, leaving him to mend his own wounds. Wounds that should be healed by now, but the sharp pain from his middle hits him like a truck as he attempts to stand. He stumbles as it hits him, gripping on to anything that would keep him from hitting the floor. 

"Fuck..." He tries to keep himself quiet while also trying to catch his breath. Though, he's clearly not quiet enough as the sound of bare feet shuffling against hardwood floors meets his ears. Three minutes later, he's met by topaz eyes boring into his own as Edward pieced together the scene before him.

"What are you doing up?" His voice is deceivingly calm, but his furrowed brow tells Jacob everything he needs to know.

"Needed to pee." Jacob huffs out a lie, trying to ignore how intense the pain seemed to be getting the longer he stood. 

"The nearest bathroom is upstairs...,"Edward doesn't look like he believes him for a second, but he seems far too interested in whatever was happening on Jacob's face to drop his line of questioning and let him limp up the stairs in peace. "Do I need to get Carlisle? You seem...pale."

It was almost comical coming from someone who turns into a human, white crystal disco ball if he ever peeked at the sun for more than a minute, but if Jacob tried to laugh, it might actually be the end of him. He was almost feeling lightheaded with how intense the pain was. He hadn't experienced genuine pain that lasted for more than a couple of minutes since he'd shifted. Whatever had wounded him wasn't just any animal or human. 

"How's Bella?" His words sound slurred to his own ears, but he's putting all of his energy into staying upright as he grips the edge of the couch. 

"She's fine," The response sounds passive and when his vision goes back into focus, he can see Edward moving closer. "You should lay back down."

"You said something about a baby?" His grip on the couch is loosening and he's not sure if Edward's doing it, as he grips Jacob's arms and tries to guide him back to the floor, or if he's just slowly falling on his own accord and Edward's the only thing keeping him from crashing to the floor. 

"Yeah, Bella and the baby are fine," He can feel Edward's hands on his back, can hear him somewhere behind him, but his mind can only focus on his words right now. "You saved them; I appreciate that." 

His voice is soft like he's talking to a child.

His brain is slow to connect the pieces as Edward moves around to lift up his shirt. Not soon after he hears a sharp hiss of "shit" before he hears the same pitter patter of feet against hardwood as Edward leaves. If he tilts his head downward enough, he can see the giant blood stain, can smell when he breathes in. The red is stark against the white as the shirt soaks it up. 

The rain seems so far away now.

He doesn't hear Edward when he returns. He also doesn't hear Carlisle when he starts talking to him. He seems to be asking questions, but the words don't make sense to Jacob. 

The blood is so red Jacob can taste it in the back of his throat. 

His eyes are heavy, so he closes them. Maybe then he can focus on their words, hear what they're saying. If anything, their words seem broken up and muffled, but at least he can hear something.

All Bark, No Bite [Jacob & Edward]Where stories live. Discover now