Eight

Chapter Eight - Twilight Zone
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Jasper
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I woke up this morning with a stiff back and a sore ribs, but what do you expect when you’ve been sleeping in an airport all night.

I looked at my phone to check the time, and nearly shit my pants.

I had 20 missed calls, all from Emmett.

Fuck.

He had called me last night to voice his concerns about Bella, telling me that he didn’t think she was feeling well and that she had slept the entire trip.

When I asked him if he thought he might be overreacting a little bit, I thought Emmett might be the first person in history to successfully come through the phone. He was livid. He yelled as he explained to me that he had to physically carry her off the plain from London, and how she had slept well over 14 hours already and had still be tired enough to fall back asleep directly after getting off the phone with me.

I quickly checked the numerous text messages I also had, but they all said the same thing.

‘TO CALL IMMEDIATELY’

Now I was worried.

I quickly dialed Emmett’s number, but it was Alice who answered the phone, and boy was she pissed.

“Jazz, where in God’s name have you been?  We’ve been trying to reach you for hours.”  she screeched.

I could hear muffled noises in the background that sounded like arguing.

“I’m sorry, Ali, I feel asleep with my phone on vibrate.”  I told her hoping that she’d calm down some.

She didn’t and then I could hear Emmett bitching at the top of his lungs, and yelling at me to call… I don’t know I couldn’t understand him, but he sounded like a pissed off bear, cause it all came out in growls, and for once throughout my shitty trip, I was glad I wasn’t there.

“What the fuck is he bitching about?”  I bit out in an annoyed tone.

“Oh, did we interrupt something, sorry, but we’ve just spent the last four hours trying to calm Bella down.  Excuse us if were not all that polite right now.”  She snapped.

“What?  Why?  What’s going on.”  I yelled, as I shot up off my seat.

I heard Emmett in the background, growling out for Alice to “give him that goddamn phone.”   And I knew instantly that what ever he was about to say would be far from pleasant.

“Where the fuck you been?”  He growled as soon as he picked up the phone.  

“Stuck in the fucking airport were do you think, now, what the fuck is going on?”  I asked, trying to restrain my temper.

“Look, I’m sorry for yelling,”  he quickly amended.   “It’s been a crazy morning, and it’s just…  Bella had a panic attack when she woke up this morning.”

“What?  Is she alright?”  I said my voice steadily rising.

“She is now, but we she was really freaking out, she said she was having a bad dream and when she woke up that she couldn’t breath.”  

Now I was starting to panic, and Emmett must have known by me not saying anything.

“Jazz, she’s alright now for the most part, but do me a favor and see if you can get a hold of the Kennel.”

“The Kennel?”

“Yeah, Bella tried calling them to check on that fucking dog, but they’re not answering the phone.  I told her not to worry, but she’s been beating herself up about leaving him with strangers.”

“What do you mean they aren’t answering?”  I asked, getting more pissed off by the second.

“What you mean, what do I mean.  It’s simple there not fucking answering.  ARG!  She so fucking upset about that fucking dog!  Dude she’s sick, and worrying over that ugly mutt isn’t helping.  I just…”  He trailed off, and I’m worried that Emmett is about to lose it.   This makes more nervous.

I stood there for a minute mulling everything over.  First I was gonna kill that bastard at the Kennel and then I was gonna pull all my hair out.

Fuck!  

I’ve never considered myself a needy person, but the last three weeks have been absolute hell.

And now my girl was sick.

“Jazz?”  Emmett said after a moment.

“Yeah?”  I said running a hand through my hair, tugging it a little.

“I’m really worried about Bean.”  He whispered, he almost sounded like he might cry and that led me to believe that Esme or Alice must have been close by.

My eyes started to sting, and my throat felt tight.  “What do you mean, Em?”

“Dude, she’s ain’t acting right.  She hasn’t been herself.  She‘s so fucking tired and pale.”   He told me a very hushed voice.

“Let me talk to her.”  I all but begged.

“You can’t right now.  Esme just put her in a bath to get her to relax, man, she freaked out really bad.  I don’t know what that dream was about, but she was damn near inconsolable.” 

I could hear them announcing that my flight was now boarding overhead.

“Alright,”  I told him with a tight voice,  “I’ll be there as soon as I can, there calling me now, I’ll be there in a few hours.  Tell Bella I love her, and that I’ll see her soon.”

“Alright, bro, make tracks.  We’re gonna try and get her to come with us to get the tree, maybe she’ll feel a little better with some fresh air.”

We said our goodbyes and I went to my designated gate.

~~

I felt like I was having an anxiety attack on the drive from Dublin to Wicklow, and I think the cab driver was scared for his life at one point.

I couldn’t get anyone on the phone.  No one.

I called the Kennel Service as soon as I was out of the airport, after thoroughly telling the fat-fuck behind the desk exactly what I thought of him, he gave me some excuse for why no one answered the phone for four fucking hours.

I had Migg’s be put on the first plane out today.

I really didn’t care that Uncle Carlisle mother detested dogs and I really didn’t care if it cost me an arm and a leg either, if my girl was that upset about leaving the little bastard then the little bastard was gonna come to her.

In the three weeks that I had been away from Bella I had lived  a nightmare in it’s truest fashion.  Yes, Alistair and I did go to New Mexico for business deal, but that only took us a few days to deal with, the rest of the time we spent in Boston trying to hunt down Demetri Caponi.  I wanted to know why Aro had him watching Bella, and I wanted to know if Edward was in on it.

We found some fairly good leads but most of them were dead ends, but we did accomplish our main goal.  I wanted it known that I was looking for Demetri, and Edward and our presence in Boston would do just that.

The closet we came to finding him was at an underground club in a nastier part of the city.  In the end all we ended up with was a back-ally brawl that resulted in some really sore ribs.

I also did some shopping while we were there.  I had something in mind for Bella’s Christmas gift this year and I wanted it to be a one of a kind.   

That was what made me miss my flight.  Me waiting to pick it up.

When the car made its way through the front gates to Cullen Manor, my heart rate picked up and I felt like I might jump outta my skin.

I couldn’t decided if I was deliriously happy or scared outta my mind.


But I had my foot out the door before the car even came to a complete stop, and was throwing a wad of money at the driver before he could inform me of how much I owed him.  

I didn’t give a shit about anything except getting to Bella.

I entered the house and threw my bag in the foyer not really caring were it landed, and was going room to room calling out Bella’s name, but the house was quiet.

I heard a car horn and the sound of Christmas Carols being sung, and I flew out the door like the devil was on my heels.