Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Intensity

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 30:

Paul’s POV

Bella was released from the hospital after a one-week stay. Charlie, Renee, Phil, and the boys left Arizona, but Sue remained behind so she could nurse Bella back to health. Of course, my wife insisted she was fine and could take care of herself, but Sue proved to be a hell of a lot more stubborn than all of us. She stated she was a registered nurse and the most equipped to provide care at home for Bella while I was at work. It had been three weeks and my mother-in-law was still living with us-she and her enormous, pregnant belly.

Home was another problem. Bella and I, along with Sue, were currently living in the presidential penthouse at a luxury hotel in Downtown Phoenix close to my job because we couldn’t go home until the local, state, and now federal investigations were over. There was that and the fact that there were still bloodstains on the floor where Bella and Vandenberger had been shot. We were going to have to, at minimum, redo the kitchen flooring and replace some of the furniture. I was only allowed inside to gather up some essentials and then I was quickly ushered out. Fortunately, our penthouse was equipped for an extended stay and has a full kitchen, four bedrooms, a gym, and other luxury amenities so we could feel comfortable.

Vandenberger was charged with a whole slew of felonies including attempted murder, coercion, and several federal racketeering charges. Bail was denied because he was deemed a flight risk. He was currently sitting in solitary, on suicide watch, in a prison in Phoenix. During the course of all of this, both my company and his were investigated inside and out. Bella and I were questioned extensively by all sorts of local and federal agents, but we had absolutely nothing to hide. We were both honest people, and I ran my company with complete transparency.

Jeff advised we sue Vandenberger and his company for medical fees, home displacement fees, renovation costs, pain and suffering, plus attorney’s fees. I told him it was unnecessary, but he insisted it was necessary to reinforce the criminal case which was already rock solid since the incident had been witnessed by Barry and Sam. It also helped that the two goons who accompanied Vandenberger, quickly turned on him in a plea bargain with prosecutors.

We had an even larger downside to this: the media. This case had garnered so much attention that the press was all over it. Many outlets requested interviews with Bella and me, but we refused all of them. I wasn’t planning on letting the public in on so private a matter. It was bad enough the press was making assumptions and conjectures about us on everything from which political party we were members of to our stance on gun control, but it got worse: someone at the hospital had leaked that Bella had been shot in the spleen and her x-rays had been displayed on different media outlets. All sorts of sleazy doctors had been on various news channels dissecting her spleen and her injury. I hired a PR firm to field any calls by media outlets. Dr. Greenbriar discovered the source of the leak and promptly dismissed the nurse who had taken ten thousand dollars from each news outlet in exchange for the personal information and had made a tidy profit. She was now being charged by the State of Arizona and the hospital she had worked at for violating privacy laws. Furthermore, she was unable to find stable employment due to her misdeed because the hospital community was very close and were incensed that the privacy of one of their very own had been violated. Basically, she had screwed herself into a hole of epic proportions all because of her greed. The news outlets were also being charged with the same violations. On top of that, Bella and I were suing them for violation of privacy-also under Jeff’s advisement.

All of this legal mumbo jumbo was getting on my nerves and I really wanted the press to leave us the hell alone. We were checked into the hotel under an alias and every single staff member had been sworn to secrecy. Of course, due to the greedy nurse incident, every single member of the hotel staff was staying mum about our presence.

“Bella, Sue-I’m home,” I called as I walked into our penthouse.

I’m out here!” I heard Bella yell from the balcony. I opened the sliding glass and walked outside to find my wife sitting in front of an elaborate candlelight spread. She looked into my eyes. “I sent Sue off on a ladies weekend with Trina Uley and Jane Cameron. Missy and Kim helped me set it up with their mothers-in-laws-they’re in on it. Trina told Sue that she won an all expenses paid vacation at a spa in Tucson for herself and two friends-which she sort of did because we’re footing the bill. I called the spa and told them to put everything and anything on our credit card. I’m even having the resort issue each of them prepaid Visa cards with a thousand dollars loaded onto them just in case they have any expenses at the resort-on our bill, of course.”

“I find it hard to believe you were able to convince Sue with just that.”

“Um… no… Babs had to tell her that she’d be staying with us in her place so she could take care of me. Of course, I really don’t need a nurse anymore. I’ve been fine for the last week.”

“I thought so. Sue’s been… well, she’s been…”

“Overbearing with her mothering?”

“Exactly. Oh my God, Bella! I miss Renee and her under-bearing mothering ways! For God’s sake, Sue has been packing me a bagged lunch on a daily basis. Today, I had three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a bag of chips, a banana, and a note which read, ‘Be good, Paul. Love, Mom.’ She drew little hearts on it, too!”

“Yeah, Sue can give Esme Cullen a run for her money. She refuses to let me into the kitchen and she watches the hotel housekeepers like hawks when they clean the penthouse.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Today, she told the maid who was vacuuming that she missed a spot. It was in a far off, recessed corner next to a lamp.”

“So why did you do all of this elaborate planning?”

“I… um… wanted some alone time with you.”

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that answer, but I’ll take it because this is exactly what I need right now. I got down to her level and kissed her on the lips. “Thank you, honey.”

“Anything for you.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

I kissed her again. “Okay, but first I have to eat. I’m starving.” I wagged my eyebrows at her. “Then we can get started on ‘anything.’”

We laughed together and I knew; I just knew that this mess Vandenberger had forced upon us was just a tiny blip in the course of our lives. We would reclaim our lives and everything would be okay.

---

By the following Thursday, I was feeling a hundred percent refreshed and motivated at the way things were going. We had just been given the okay to begin renovations on our home, apparently both federal and local law enforcement had collected enough evidence and video for their cases against Vandenberger.

Sue was due to fly home on Saturday. If she stayed any longer than that-she would not be able to fly home due to her pregnancy. And she needed to go home. As much as Bella and I loved her, she absolutely-without a doubt-needed to go home because we were going to go insane. Of course, Leah and Seth were happy she was with us. They claimed they deserved a break from Mom.

I stopped at the Thai restaurant near the hotel to pick up some take out for dinner. I arrived at the penthouse to find it completely empty.

Okay, this is odd.

Concerned, I took a quick look around the rooms in the penthouse, but they were all devoid of people That’s when I noticed that my cell phone had been on silent and I had twelve missed calls on it. I was in my truck and speeding to the hospital within seconds of listening to the first message. As soon as I walked into the lobby, the receptionist recognized me and sent me upstairs. Coming off of the elevator, I found my wife dressed in scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck.

“Oh, hey, honey.”

“Are you working?”

“Just for tonight.”

“What about your injury?”

“I’m fine. It’s only one patient. Well, two now.”

“How’s Jenny?”

“She’s in labor.”

“Okay… Who is the second patient if her baby hasn’t been born yet?”

“The second patient would be your mother-in-law.”

“Sue?”

“She’s the only other pregnant one I know.”

“Is she in labor?”

Bella grimaced. “Um, no. She’s been put on bed rest.”

“Bed rest? As in she can’t leave the hospital, right?” I asked, hopefully.

“No, bed rest as in she will be released to our care in a couple of days.”

“Either retract that statement or I’m divorcing you.”

“I’m not the one who calls her ‘Mom,’” she returned coolly with her hands on her hips and an angry scowl to match her rising temper.

“So, who put her on bed rest?”

“That would be Randy. He noticed her swollen ankles, insisted he be allowed to examine her, and discovered she was suffering from pregnancy induced hypertension.”

“Wunderbar.” I decided to change the subject. “I have good news. We just got the okay to begin renovations on the house. Sam and I went and checked out the damage-the police cleaning crews did a decent job, but the flooring will definitely have to be replaced, part of the wall leading from the living room to the kitchen was removed for evidence by the feds, we need a paint job, and we need new living room furniture. Oh, and I’m sorry to say your instant coffee maker didn’t survive.”

“Bullshit! I was nowhere near the Keurig when he fired!”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I might have accidentally bumped into it while I was checking out the damage.” She was glaring daggers at me. “Honey, you really shouldn’t get all worked up in your condition. You’re still not a hundred percent recovered from your injury.” I kissed her on the lips to distract her. “I love you, baby.”

“Paul!”

“Yes, honey?”

“Distracting me won’t work! I really liked that machine.”

“Fine, I suppose I can buy you a new one.”

“Thank you. Now, what are we going to do about the house?”

“Technically, we can move back in now, but I really don’t want you there until the damage is repaired and the furniture is replaced. In reality, we need to re-do the entire downstairs.” Including the fucked up pink Malibu Barbie garage because I’m man enough to admit that I’m not in touch with my feminine side.

“I trust you.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t touch the garage, though.”

Crap. “I won’t, honey. I know how much you love it.” Damn it, I hate that garage. “Now, as far as Sue is concerned, what can we do for her?”

“Honestly and professionally speaking, she’s going to have to take it easy. I have a gut feeling we’re going to have to induce labor early. She’s on the older side, and this pregnancy is taking a major toll on her body. Plus, she’s been worried about me. I’m well enough to be able to care for her. Actually, the penthouse might be easier for me to maneuver in because of the smaller space.”

“Wait a sec! Does this mean she’s having the baby here?”

“It sure does.”

“What about Dad?”

“Like I said, I have a feeling she’s going to need to be induced. We’ll call him and tell him to be ready to fly out on a moment’s notice.”

“I’ll arrange to have a private jet ready to fly him here from Sekiu at a moment’s notice-that way he doesn’t have to drive all the way to Seattle.”

“That’s sweet. You know he’s going to bitch and moan about the expense.”

“I’m covering it. Besides, what good is having all of this money if we can’t spend it on the ones we love?”

“And you wonder why I love you. You’re so good, Paul.”

“Hey, it’s not as if I have parents of my own to love. We have to share.”

“So true.”

“Jenny is fully dilated, Bella,” Randy came to inform her. He turned to me next. “Are you sticking around, Paul?”

“Yeah, I’m going to check in on Sue.”

“Down the corridor to your left. She’s in the second to last room.”

“Thanks, Randy.” I gave my wife a quick kiss. After that, I put in a call to my pilot and sent him to Sekiu airport to be on standby there before walking down the hallway to see my mother-in-law. “Hey, Mom. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I don’t understand why Bella and Randy are insisting I stay in bed.”

“You know why. For God’s sake, you’re a labor and delivery nurse.”

“I didn’t have hypertension with Leah and Seth.”

“That was a few decades ago.”

“Don’t say decades, it makes me feel old.”

“You are old.”

“I am not! I’m having a baby, aren’t I? It means I have fully functioning ovaries!”

“Please don’t discuss your ovaries with me.”

“I’m so sorry, Paul. I stayed here to give Bella and you a hand and I ended up becoming a burden to you both.”

“Trust me when I say that I appreciate the fact you’ve stayed to help. If it weren’t for you, Bella would have done too much too soon. She wouldn’t have gotten the rest she needed in order to recover.”

“Yes, but she’s not completely healed yet. She still needs to rest. I worry so much about her and about you, too.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. Bella and you can rest together. I know that you, more than any of us, will be able to persuade her to stay in bed for at least part of the day.”

“Thank you for not making me feel like a burden, Paul.”

“I really am glad you’re my mother-in-law, Sue. It’s kind of nice that Bella came with two sets of cool parents since I didn’t come with any.”

Sue shut her eyes for a moment, her jaw pulled tight into a frown. “Did I ever tell you that your mother was my best friend during high school?”

My mom?” I questioned, surprised. “Really?”

“Yes, your mom. She and I, together with Allison, were like three peas in a pod.”

That one completely came out of the blue. “You and my mom were friends?”

“Oh, yes. Paulina, Allison, and I used to do everything together. My very first trip to Seattle was with them. We had saved up three hundred dollars each so we could go shopping there, which in the eighties was a considerable amount of money. We were sophomores in high school. We lied to our parents and said we were sleeping over at each other’s homes and took the bus in. We split the cost and stayed in a cheap motel overnight, went shopping, ate a fancy steak dinner, then took the bus back home the next day. When we arrived back in La Push, all three of our parents were waiting for us. I think the entire reservation heard them yelling at us. We were grounded for a month each. After our big adventure in Seattle though, we each had made a decision. We were going to attend college at the University of Washington. Of course, life changed drastically for each of us and our dreams never really came to fruition.”

“My mom wanted to go to college?” I was shocked-stunned, really. I had no idea that my mother had dreams-heck, I knew nothing about her. It was the truth. I didn’t have any good memories about my childhood-none at all. My mother was always drunk. Always! And when she wasn’t drunk, she was hungover. It was during those rare moments, though, that she repeated over and over that I needed to attend college so that I could get out of the hell-hole that was La Push. Maybe she did care in her own little way?

“Paul, your mother was brilliant and beautiful. She had big dreams; she wanted to become a nurse practitioner like Bella is now and move permanently to Seattle. She wanted to find the perfect husband and have children. We all wanted that. Then life went to hell in a hand basket for all three of us. Paulina’s parents died in a car accident about a year later. She was forced to go and live with her brother in Tacoma. It was the beginning of her downfall. Her brother had always been bad news. He was a drunk, dealt drugs, and hung out with a fast set of friends. He was buddies with your father Johnny Lahote, also Quileute.” Sue sighed. “Allison and I lost touch with Paulina after she left. We have no idea what happened in Tacoma. We just know she returned to La Push with you when you were seven years old and requested tribal housing. Your father was in jail at the time and she had nowhere else to go.”

“He was in and out of jail my entire life.” And then he’d come home and beat the crap out of my mother and me. I hated my father.

Almost as if she’d read my mind, Sue reached over, grabbed my hand and said, “You know, Allison and I tried our best to reach out to Paulina, but she was too far gone to accept any help. We did our best to make sure you were fed and clothed. Once a year, Allison and I would sneak into your room and replace all of your old clothes with new ones because when we tried to give them to your mother, she wouldn’t take them. She was too proud.”

“That was Allison and you?”

“It was the least we could do. She was our best friend at one point and you were the spit and image of her. Besides, you looked so lost all the time. When I think about it, the best thing that ever happened to you was becoming a wolf. It empowered you enough to give you the confidence to fly straight and make something of yourself. Your mother was so proud of you.”

“She was?”

“She was. In a rare moment, after you had put yourself through college and was working in Seattle, she and I had coffee together. She mentioned how proud of you she was. She was perfectly aware she had been a terrible mother and was hoping she could stop drinking and put her life back together so you could be proud of her. She tried. She really tried that year. She went to AA meetings and had just been accepted into a rehab facility. Unfortunately, her ‘friends’ decided she needed one last hurrah-and it truly was her last hurrah. She missed her check-in at the rehab facility.” Sue was breathing hard, holding back her tears. “I became worried. I went to her house to check up on her. The door was unlocked and… and… and…” Sue took a deep breath before continuing. “She wasn’t breathing. I tried to revive her using CPR, but… but she had been dead for a few hours. I just wish… I just… I didn’t do enough, Paul! I failed her and I failed you!”

Sue was wailing, and I wasn’t doing much better. I had tears streaming down my face. Somehow, I had never imagined my mother as anything, but a drunk. She had been loved, though-at least by Sue and Allison-and I appreciated it more than anything. I reached over and hugged my mother-in-law. I needed a hug and suspected she needed one, too. “You didn’t fail me, Sue. Even my mom didn’t fail me. You see, whenever my dad would come home and get into one of his rages, she would put herself between him and me. She tried to protect me. In her own way, she cared. She just couldn’t get control of her addictions. She was sick.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you are such a good boy.”

“You know, I’m glad you were there for her. She needed someone in her life. I’m also happy you stepped in to take her place as my mom because, truth be told, I really needed someone to call mom.”

“I’m honored you feel that way.” She sighed and changed the subject. “Honey, would you be a dear and find out if I can have dinner delivered to me?”

“Sure, I’ll be right back.” I rushed out to the garage and grabbed the Thai take-out from my truck. I walked back into the room with the food. “Maybe we can have dinner together?” I suggested.

“Oh, you! When did you have time to get take out? You were only gone for a few minutes.”

“I actually brought it home for the three of us to eat, but you were all here.” I put together a plate and handed it to her. “Dig in.”

“And now you’ve officially become my favorite child.”

“Why?”

“You saved me from hospital food.”

We both sat and ate. After a bit, Jared and Sam came to join us. Of course, they dug into the Thai food, too, so by the time Bella came into announce Jenny’s baby had been delivered and she was famished-there was no food left to speak of.

“So did my sister have a boy or a girl?” Jared asked.

“A girl,” Bella confirmed. She hasn’t named her yet. Your mom is insisting on ‘J’ names and Kim is insisting on ‘R’ names.

“Is she okay?”

“She is absolutely fine. You can’t see her yet, she’s still in recovery.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see the baby,” Sue wished aloud.

“I’ll bring her in for a visit.” Bella winked and left the room. A few minutes later, she wheeled a bassinet into the room. She lifted out an adorable baby who looked incredibly like Jared. “Meet Susie Jane Cameron.” She turned to my mother-in-law. “Jenny named her baby after you because she hopes that one day, she’ll become a nurse and a tribal elder like you.”

“Oh!” Sue was so touched that she started crying. Bella placed the baby in her arms, and she cuddled her lovingly. Jared soon wanted his turn with his niece, and then Sam wanted a go.

I was the last one to hold the baby. One look at my face and she started hollering. “Fuck! What do I do?” I panicked.

“Don’t swear in front of the baby!” everyone chastised while Bella gently removed little Susie from my arms.

“I’ll just take her back to the nursery, honey.”

“Oh, that was scary,” I commented after Bella left.

“Oh my God! There really is no hope of you giving me grandbabies anytime soon, is there?” Sue asked me in horror.

“Not really-it’s not like we need a kid right now on top of all the crap we’re going through.”

I saw Jared and Sam both rolling their eyes at my response. I shook my head. Why the hell was everyone in such a rush for us to have babies? Geez.

I got up out of my seat. “I’m going to take Bella home. She needs her rest.” I leaned over and gave Sue a kiss on her forehead and nodded my head to Sam and Jared, before taking off in search of my wife. It was time to leave before the conversation became uncomfortable.

Later in the evening, I stretched out my limbs and gave Bella a lingering kiss on the lips. “Mmm… so nice,” she cooed before snuggling into my arms. “It’s nice to have the penthouse just to ourselves.”

“Oh, yeah, for sure. I like it when it’s just the two of us. I was thinking that when this all blows over, we can go on a vacation.”

“Absolutely, I need a break. Do you think all of the media attention will die down eventually?”

“I do, but it’s the anticipation leading up to the trial which is building up the media frenzy. I think it’ll blow over after the trial.”

“Let’s hope so.” She looked up at me with expectant eyes. “So, are you going to make love to me or are you going to keep chatting?”

I kissed her soundly. “I thought you’d never ask.” Little did I know then that our moment of serenity would be shattered a few hours later.

Four a.m.…

Buzz. Buzz. Bella and I jerked awake. Both of our cell phones were going off at the same time. We each answered our phones and bolted out of bed. Sue was in danger.

We got dressed and rushed straight to the car. I was on the phone with Collin, who agreed to rush Charlie to Sekiu Airport in order to get him on a flight. I figured Collin was best person to call since he lived in La Push and could get to Charlie quickly. In the meantime, Bella was consulting with Randy about what steps to take next.

As soon as I pulled up at the hospital, Bella darted to the maternity ward. I parked the car and ran in after her.

“Paul! Stop! You can’t go inside.” Emily blocked my path. She had a worried yet stoic expression on her face.

“What? What’s going on with Mom?”

“Sit down.”

“No.”

“Sit down, Paul Lahote! Now!” Emily yelled.

“No, I want to know what’s going on with Mom.” I was nervous and anxious. All I knew was that Sue was in some kind of serious trouble. Bella didn’t even have the time to tell me anything. She was consulting with Randy the entire time. I couldn’t lose her. I just couldn’t. She was the closest thing to a mother that I had.

I sat down. Emily sat next to me and wrapped her arms around me. I heard her sigh. “Paul, Sue had a seizure.”

“A seizure? How? She’s as healthy as an ox. Was it the Thai food?”

“Complications from the pregnancy induced hypertension. It was left untreated for too long.”

“But…”

“They’re stabilizing her now, but there’s a good chance her baby will have to be delivered early. She’s going to have to remain in the hospital until she delivers the baby.”

“But is she going to be okay?”

“She will… She… Oh, Paul…” Emily broke down. She tried to be strong for me, but she couldn’t do it. She sobbed in my arms in complete shock. “Aunty Sue has to be okay. She has to be, right?” I had forgotten that Emily was Sue’s niece.

“She’ll be fine. She has to be fine,” I reassured her. We sat in the waiting room holding each other. It was all we could do while we waited for news.