Gravity

Jacob stared at Ben wide eyed.

"She's pregnant, isn't she? One of those assholes got her pregnant!" Jacob said, clearly pissed off.

"No, when a woman is raped it procedure for her to get the morning after pill, that way she can't." Ben shook his head.

"Oh," Jacob said, immediately feeling stupid about his outburst, "Then what's the problem?"

"The day before yesturday, a police officer came to see me. I guess they had found some blood in the alley where Charlotte was attacked, and it wasn't hers, it was blood from some of the guys, which would explain the defensive wounds, even though Charlotte can't remember fighting back," Ben rambled, until Jacob gave him a look, Ben shook his head as if to get himself back on track, "Anyways, they were able to get an ID on two of the guys, and they're out looking for them, and think they'll be able to find out who the other two are by making a deal with one of the two they're after now."

Jacob furrowed his eyebrows, "Well that's good, isn't it? I mean if they find the two, they'll find the other two eventually, and they'll all go to jail. What's the problem?"

Ben sighed, "One of the guys has AIDS, Jacob." Jacob's eyes widened, all he really knew about AIDS was that it killed people, and was an STI.

"AIDS? He has AIDS? Did Charlotte get it?!" Jacob demanded. Ben shook his head.

"They're not sure yet, the hospital did some blood work on her this morning, and we'll find out soon. That's why they still have her in the hospital, they didn't want to release her in case something like this happened."

Jacob shook his head, "What are her chances?"

"Well the doctors were taking all the necessary precautions, and they've been giving her Post-Exposure Prevention pills since Charlotte got into the hospital. So that'll help, but there's still the possibility that..." Ben trailed off. Jacob nodded slowly. "Usually it takes two weeks to get the results, but I talked to a few people, made a couple of donations, and they're putting a rush on it and we should know sooner."

"I have to go back in there." Jacob said after a few minutes of silence between the two of them, "I can't leave her." He added, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Jacob," Ben said, and Jacob turned to look at him, "You really care about my daughter don't you?" He asked uneasily.

Jacob nodded, "Yeah." Jacob said, "And sorry if you don't like it, but I'm not going away. Not unless if she told me to."

Ben laughed, "I don't think you have to worry about her telling you to go away." He said, "But, can you do me one favor?" He asked, Jacob nodded slowly, "Don't tell her. I don't want her to get scared or worried about something she doesn't need to."

"Yeah, sure thing sir." Jacob said, before getting out of the car, closing the door, and jogging back to the hospital.

____________________

"Jacob." A voice rang in his ears, then he felt something squeezing his wrist, "Jacob." The voice said louder, and he looked up immediately, from where he had rested his head against the hospital mattress, he saw Charlotte smiling, but with a confused look on her face, "I thought you went to my house to sleep?" She questioned.

"I was, but I changed my mind." He shrugged, and she nodded slowly, before smiling.

"Guess what?" She asked.

"What?" He asked tiredly, leaning back in the chair.

"They're letting me go home." She smiled.

He sat up straight, "What?"

She nodded eagerly, "Tonight they said. They want me to come back in a few days for a couple of tests, and in like a week to get results, and for a few other things, but they said that there's no reason to keep me any longer, as long as I take it easy at home."

He smiled, "That's good." He said, knowing that Charlotte would be much happier being at home then in the hospital room she had been cooped up in, "What about school? And work, did they say anything about that?"

She nodded, "Dr. Cullen gave the school, and my work a doctor's note. I'll probably be back in the next month, but I'll be having work, and notes sent to me from my teachers so I'll have a bit of an idea of what we're doing when I get back." She explained, and he nodded, "Chloe came by while you were sleeping, she said she'd help me out with school and all that." She added.

Jacob smiled. Chloe was Charlotte's best friend, who had been with her at Best Buy the day he imprinted on Charlotte. She had gone to Holland a week after that day in Best Buy because her grandmother had died, and got back only a few days ago. Since then she had constantly been coming to the hospital to visit Charlotte.

"That's good." Jacob simply said, and she smiled, "So what's the first thing you're going to do when you get home?" He asked, and she wrinkled her nose, and groaned a bit.

"Shower."