Fever

I felt my feet shuffle backwards impulsively as Billy moved out onto the small porch, looking at me through narrowed eyes. I couldn’t decipher the look on his face for his mouth was bent in a way that it could have passed for a scowl. The courage I had built up melted quickly and I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. I had planned for Jacob to answer the door, wrap me in his arms and tell me that he knew I had it in me. I hadn’t expected Billy to be here.

“I-Is Jacob here?” I croaked awkwardly.

He watched me for a moment and then replied, “No.”

“Oh.”

“Why are you here? You know it’s not safe for you to be out by yourself,” his tone seemed to warm up.

“I know,” my voice was so quiet, “I-it wasn’t safe for me at home. I have to find Jacob.”

Billy looked around the two of us, as if searching for something, “Come inside, quickly.”

I followed Billy inside tentatively, taking small steps behind him. The house was dark except for the faint glow of the kitchen bulb, illuminating the edges of the furniture so the both of us could navigate. He continued on into the kitchen so I followed him, unsure of what I was supposed to do. I walked slowly, letting a gap form between the two of us as I took small steps towards the back of the house. I heard him pick up the phone and start to mumble into it, words I wasn’t sure of. When I reached the doorway, he was grabbing his car keys and reaching for his coat.

“Let’s go,” he said without an explanation and I followed him silently as he led the way back to the front door.

He headed down the ramp to the side of the stairs and towards a small pick-up truck that sat idly on their front lawn. I watched him roll unsteadily over the grass towards the vehicle with full intentions to get into the front seat. The closer he got to the truck, the more I could tell how low it sat to the ground. Billy rolled up beside it and opened the driver’s side where he was practically level with the seat and began to move inside. He pulled his legs from the foot rest of the wheelchair and then proceeded to transfer himself into the front seat, using the door to support himself. Billy spoke without looking over at my bewildered face, “Can you toss the chair in the back? I don’t have time to put it away.”

I hurried forward and took the chair, awkwardly lifting it into the bed of the truck. It clattered loudly against the sides, but Billy didn’t seem to notice. He started the truck, the sound reverberating through the silence, rumbling long and low. I hurried to the opposite side and slid into the passenger seat, avoiding Billy’s gaze. He only lingered for a moment, possibly sensing my discomfort, and then he put the truck into reverse and we sped down the road towards the edge of the reservation.

We plunged into the dark forest where only the light of the moon helped guide us along the road. The headlights only gave us enough light to make out the edges or the odd rock that jutted out from the ground. Billy’s mouth was drawn into a thin line, worry etched into his brow. The silence made me uneasy and I tried to focus on what was in front of us, rather than the fact that we were submerged into unfamiliar territory.

The trees seemed to swell around the truck; growing larger the deeper we went. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Billy, but his expression did not change. I could feel that something wasn’t right. My stomach churned. Oh god, I thought, what if it was Jacob? Maybe the reason he wasn’t home was because-

I stopped my train of thought right as a small cottage came into sight. There were low amber lights glowing in the windows and there were two beat up cars sitting in front. Billy slowed his speed as he approached and I knew it was our destination. As we pulled up behind one of the vehicles, the front door was thrown open and figure came speeding out. My heart jumped as I saw the copper skin and thought it was Jacob, but when he approached the window it was only Seth, pulling open Billy’s door to help him out and into his chair.

“How does he look?” Billy asked immediately.

Seth shook his head, “Not so good.”

I felt the colour leave my face as I groped for the door handle. They were talking about Jacob, they had to be. As the two of them moved forward, they seemed to have forgotten I was there. I followed them towards the small home, feeling almost unwelcome. But I had to go in; I had to see if Jacob was all right. My heart began to pick up the more I neared the home. Each step was like a deafening thump inside my chest. Please, let him be all right.

I closed the door gently behind me, looking through the dark towards the sources of the light. Beyond the dark living room was a kitchen and what looked like another large room. The crackle of a fire sounded and low voices. Billy was wheeled towards it and then disappeared beyond the door frame.

“My god,” Billy said astonished, his voice reaching where I approached slowly. “Why isn’t he healing?”

“…blow was too strong, we were ambushed. We underestimated their numbers,” an unfamiliar voice said, his voice hardly audible.

“How many?”

There was a small silence and then someone muttered something that I couldn’t hear. I held my breath and stepped closer, craning my head to see around the corner. There were some bodies congregated in the kitchen, but most of them were standing around a sofa, blocking it from sight. Billy was at the head, leaning over whoever was on the couch. It had to be Jacob. I gathered what nerves I had and made my way over, oblivious of the eyes that fell on me. I held my breath as I neared and finally, glimpsed at the beaten body that lay half-conscious on the couch. It wasn’t Jacob.

“Sam?” I said quietly, looking down at the man.

Billy looked up, the worried look still on his face, but said nothing. In fact, no one said anything. No one told me where Jacob was. No one told me what happened. We all just stood waiting, watching, doing nothing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Sam. He was half covered with bloody bandages and his face was badly swollen and bruised. I hardly recognized him in the state he was in. I remembered how Jacob’s wounds had healed that one night before my very eyes, and I watched in shock as Sam didn’t improve.

“Why…?” I only managed to make out.

“Surface wounds are easy,” one of them said from beside me, “it’s the internal ones that take time. With the amount of damage he has, we don’t know if his body can even take it.”

“Wh-what about a doctor?” I turned to look at him. “Can’t they do anything?”

They all seemed to stare at me, wide-eyed, like I knew nothing. I stared at them, finally taking in the mass of people around me. I recognized some of Jacob’s friends, but there were some women lingering around that I hadn’t met. They must be the other mates. Most of them looked completely calm, leaning against the counter or standing next to their mate. Of all the things I felt right now, calm was not one of them.

I stepped back from Sam, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. I looked around once more and then asked, my voice cracking only slightly, “Where’s Jacob?”

They all remained quiet for a moment, and then one of them motioned towards the door at the end of the hall. I moved towards the door just as the knob began to turn. When it opened, I lost my breath and felt my emotions prickling at my eyes. Jacob limped out of the room, trying his best to comfort me with a wounded smile. The area around his left eyes was purple and swollen, closing his eye completely and he had dried blood crusted to his hairline. One of his arms was badly bandaged and put into a makeshift sling that hung loosely around his neck. I could still see the scars that ran down his leg, jagged and in the process of healing.

I didn’t even notice I was crying until a salty tear slipped into the corner of my mouth. I tried to smile, but my lips were trembling too much. I felt my body start to shake with the coming sobs and as I wobbled at the knees, Jacob came over and held me to him with his good arm. As soon as I was enveloped by his warmth, I began to sob. This exhausting feeling that had slowly built up in me exploded and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand on my own. I just let him hold me, support me, as I cried and cried into his chest.

“It’s just a couple of broken bones, they’ll heal in no time,” he said softly. “Don’t cry.”

I tried to work some words past my sobs but I couldn’t make out any words. I just kept crying and crying until I had used up all of them. Even after the tears subsided I felt myself sob, my chest heaving with each sharp breath that I took in. I felt someone else’s hands reach for me from behind and I suddenly remembered that I was in a room full of people. A blanket was draped around my shoulders and I was steered towards the kitchen table where a steaming mug was waiting for me.

“Drink this, and you’ll feel much better,” the woman said softly.

I grabbed the warm mug, feeling it spread up my arms. I took a small sip of the hot liquid, the burning feeling travelling to my core and easing the bout I had just had. I looked over at the woman, smiling thanks at her. I opened my eyes wider as I saw the scars that travelled down her face, long gashes that hadn’t healed. My smile did not falter but she could sense my discovery and tentatively touched them.

“You’ll get used to them,” she said kindly, “it’s always a shock when you first see them.”

I nodded and took another sip. Jacob limped over to the table and put his hand on the woman’s shoulder for a moment, muttering, “Thanks, Em.” Then he dragged one of the chairs close to mine and sat down, his free hand resting on my leg. It was difficult to believe that I had made it and I was here, finally, with Jacob. I grabbed his hand tightly as if I would disappear at any moment, squeezing it for reassurance.

“Will Sam be okay?”

Emily looked over at Jacob, then back to me, “We can only hope.”