It had been nearly 6 hours since we had brought Emily into the emergency room. Edythe had managed to bring me clothes so I could be in the hospital. I held her phone in my hand and called Emily's house every 30 minutes to tell Jared of any changes, and he relayed it all to Sam. Sam was still unable to calm down enough to make the change, and his helplessness just made him feel worse, thus making it even harder to calm down. It was a vicious circle.
Edythe was sitting next to me as Carlisle finally walked into the waiting room.
"That young girl is very lucky. The scratches start millimeters from her right eye, it was hard for me to get enough skin to stitch in that area. She will have some scarring, but it will not be a defining feature of her face. I managed to get the stitches small enough that with some special skin cream, the scars will fade even more. Her arm, however, will have scars for life, though even those will not stand out too much."
He paused for the information to sink in. "I put this down as a bear attack, so I will have to inform the authorities."
I nodded my head and started to give my thanks, but Carlisle was still speaking.
"Now, because of who she is, according to Edythe, I have put in for some emergency vacation time to be away from the hospital. That should make the Quileute elders allow her to stay here for the best care until she can be released in a couple of days."
His thoughtfulness and understanding moved my respect for him to a whole new level. "Can I see her?"
He shook his head, "She is still unconscious and will hopefully remain that way until the morning."
"Thanks, Carlisle. I will pass this along to Sam and the tribe. And I am sorry that their poor judge of character is pushing you away from your chosen life."
He smiled, "It is just a few days, and I will sneak in if there is an emergency. Besides, now I can spend some quality time with Esme and help work on your house."
"You are too good for this world doc, don't allow yourself to be near danger. God calls angels like you home far too often."
He laughed at that, "For some reason, I doubt I am on his list, if he does exist."
"If he exists, and is as all-knowing as they say, then you are definitely on his list, and if he doesn't exist, he should. Just to give people like you a place to rest in the afterlife."
That got me a surprised look from Carlisle and a kiss from Edythe. "Anyway, I have a freaked-out, guilty wolf to give an update to." I pulled Edythe into a hug, "Thank you for all your help love, and I will see you tonight."
I walked out of the hospital and decided to leave Emily's car there. I made my way to the nearby woods and found one of my supply backpacks where I made the change. As soon as I did, I felt Sam reaching out for my mind.
{"Thomas, how is she?"}
{"She will be okay, Sam. The doctor was able to limit her scarring, and other than blood loss, she wasn't in any real danger once we started treatment. They won't let anyone see her until tomorrow, but she will make a full recovery."}
Instead of the relief I had expected, Sam seemed to spiral down a well of self-blame and torture. {"I did this to her, I hope she lets me kill myself. The very thing that brought her into my life and made her so special to me nearly took her from me."}
Sam sighed again, {"The Elders are demanding to see you as well. We are at Emily's cleaning up wolf sign and planting bear tracks."}
{"What do they want with me?"}
{"They are unhappy you took Emily to the hospital where a Cold One plays."}
My temper flared at that, and I decided to go see them if only to give them a piece of my mind. {"I'll be there in a bit, but don't plan on it ending in smiles, Sam. That Cold One you all despise so much just saved Emily from being tortured every time she sees her reflection, and he did it knowing how you all feel."}
{"He is not natural, Thomas."}
{"Neither are we, Sam! Not by majority standards. Anyway, what happened? What caused you to hurt the woman you love?"}
There was a long pause. {"She told me to stay away from her and go back to Leah. That she didn't want the cost of our happiness to be Leah's suffering."}
Another pause as I was moving through the woods, {I was filled with joy that she said it was our happiness, that she was finally allowing herself to feel that for us. But I told her I could stay away from her if that was her true wish, but I would not go back to Leah. That would be a lie, and it would hurt Leah more than anything else I could do. I would rather she hate me for being myself than love me for lying to her."}
I didn't comment, but I agreed with him there. Love built on a lie is just pain and hatred waiting to happen.
{"When I said that, Emily charged at me angrily and got in my face, yelling at me. My emotions were in such a flux that I was worried for her, so I placed a hand out to force a distance between us and then… What she was yelling registered in my mind. She… she told me I was just like Joshua, running from my responsibilities for something easier. Being compared to him, to… to my father, who abandoned me and my mother, forcing us into a life of scraping by on the charities of others, maddened me and caused an involuntary shift. My hand was too close to her, and when I fell forward as a wolf, my claws dug into her. I swear I didn't mean it, Thomas. I swear on everything I hold dear."}
I could hear the tears in his mental voice, and all I could feel was sorrow. There was no fault on either side. A thought hit me, and I hesitated to ask about it, but I decided that it was worth a shot bringing it up if it could help.
{"Have you thought about maybe a polygamous relationship? Didn't you tell me you had an ancestor who had three wives?"}
{"That was because he lived long enough for his first two wives to pass naturally. And Emily did think of that, even bringing it up to me. She confided in me that Leah thought for a time she was more interested in women than men. The two cousins explored that a little when puberty first hit them. But Emily didn't feel the same way, and she thought Leah had changed as well when she started a relationship with me. I thought long and hard on that and decided against it, because what I felt for Emily was stronger than what I felt for Leah, not equal. So, no matter what I tried, I knew I would be giving more to Emily, and that wouldn't be fair to Leah."}
{"Did you ever ask Leah for her thoughts on the subject or just decide that only your opinion on it mattered?"}
{"Of course, my opinion matters more, I am the man. The responsibility falls on me alone, and as the pack leader, I must set the example."}
I was almost to Emily's house when he said that, and I let out an irritated sigh, {"You sound as stupid as Edward with that one sentence, Sam. Relationships are never about just one person's feelings. A true relationship needs to take in the feelings of everyone involved. Celebrate where you feel the same and compromise on your differences."}
{"That is not our way, Thomas. When we form a relationship, it is up to the man to lead, and the woman walks beside or follows him."}
{"We will just have to disagree on that one, my friend. I am here."}
I said the last bit as I broke through the forest near Emily's house.