Touch in the Worlds - Return to the Beyond

18: Mixed Feelings

"Yeah, understatement of the year," he grumbled, letting go of her hand to run both of his through his cropped black hair. He groaned when he caught sight of the clock.

"Man, I missed patrol. Sam's going to gut me." He moaned.

"Tell him you were patrolling the hospital." She said slyly and he grinned. God was she easy to be around.

Maybe that was why everyone loved her. You could just...be...with Tulika Mukherjee. Whether you were a vampire, shape shifter or plain human, she made you comfortable in your skin.

"You could've gone home." She said, her voice still straining.

"You were holding onto me like a teddy bear. Like one of those vine things you love in that wizard movie," he muttered. She rolled her eyes.

"Is Charlie around? I don't want to stay here anymore." She sighed, trying to shimmy up the bed.

"I'll go check. They're probably going to make you stay through the night though. So, don't whine," he warned her as he stood up.

She struck out her tongueat him before he shut the door.

Alice immediately shot to her feet when the wolf appeared from the room.

"Is she awake?" she asked.

Jacob gave her a single unimpressed look which made her bristle before he approached the Swans and Stephen.

They posed the same question.

"Yeah, um, she wants to go home." He said.

Of course she does, Alice thought eyeing the door before slinking to peer through the window hole.

Tulika was playing with the neckline of her gown, looking out the window while making weird faces, probably to get rid of some phantom pain or to make her voice box work properly.

"Alice...?" she turned to look at Charlie.

She knew that men had trouble keeping straight eye contact with her kind, unless they were comfortable enough or they'd gotten immune to it – like Tulika and Stephen had.

"Yes, Charlie," she reverted back to her nice girl image.

"I know this isn't the proper time to ask but I've already spoken to the other two about this." He cleared his throat, looking conflicted.

Alice waited patiently.

"Um, Did...Edward...oh god, Tulika's going to kill me if she finds out I brought this up with you." He looked over the petite vampire's head towards the girl in the hospital bed.

Something in that image must've strengthened his resolve because he looked back with almost hard eyes.

"Did Edward break up with Tulika?"

Alice's eyes dropped.

"No, Charlie,"

"Right, ok, if that's not the case; I'll be straight with you. Did Edward do anything to hurt Tulika?" He emphasized hurt with an inflection that made it clear he wasn't thinking of them just fighting.

Alice flashed her eyes at the Chief.

"Of course not, Charlie, they just had a fight. To be honest, it was a very stupid fight but then..." she sighed, "they can be stupid sometimes." She fiddled with a small silver ring, she'd gotten from Edward.

"So, it's both their faults?" Charlie asked, clearly not buying it.

"My brother was just jealous." She explained.

"Well, Alice," Charlie said in an 'I'm going to give you some wisdom' dad voice, "Jealousy is hardly the fault of both parties. Look, I'm glad you came to see her and I'm not saying you wouldn't be there for her but...how big can a 'stupid' fight be if he decided not even to show up at her bedside?" he backed up, leaving Alice to purse her lips as she moved out of his way so he could go inside.

He was right.

She turned away from thedoor, exchanging a harsh look with Jacob Black.

Stephen and Bella supported Tulika from Charlie's cruiser as Stephen's car was still at Bella's house and her truck was totaled. Stephen had whistled when he saw the wreckage of the truck, returned to the Chief's house after evidencing it.

"Man, you did do a number on the old monster." He couldn't help but say.

"Stephen, not the best time," Bella glared at him as their best friend threw him a sarcastic thumbs-up.

"Always ready to do the bizarre, you know." She said.

"Hush now, Stephen get the door," Bella said her voice authoritative.

Maybe Charlie's genes of being the boss had come into Bella somehow.

"Yes Boss," Stephen grinned and threw the door to Tulika's room open, hurrying to shut the window and turn the heater on.

Carlisle had taken him sideways to advise him to keep Tulika warm and if there were even half the signs of her coughing up water, to bring her straight back. To be honest, Steph could tell the good doctor wanted to chain her to the bed but Tulika remained her charming adamant self and deliberately pretended to be able to walk so she could go home.

Of course Charlie and Carlisle had to give in, but not before Stephen caught the flash of pain cross her face. He'd thrown her an unimpressed look but she'd thrown him a sleepy glare and he'd caught on.

She was going to grill him as soon as the pain medicine induced haze vanished from her system.

He did not look forward to that.

Going into the bathroom he returned with a glass of water as Bella put out the medicine.

"Two for now," she said, handing them over and Tulika swallowed them, "What about Jacob and Charlie?" she asked, falling back onto her pillows.

"Jacob went home. He wanted to stay but Charlie was having none of it, told him to be mindful of his own old man," Stephen said, leaning a hand on Bella's shoulder to take his weight.

There, let's see how long Bella likes that for...

"And...Alice," she said.

"Carlisle wanted her to stay with him." Bella said before looking at Stephen. "I'll stay with her. You can sleep in my room." She said.

"I'll be on the couch. I'll wait for Charlie." He leaned down to press a kiss to Bella's temple and then on Tulika's forehead which got batted away. He grimaced before exiting the room.

His feet had just reached the end of the stairs when his phone rang.

He pulled it out, staringwith growing unease at the unknown number.

***

Short and Sweet, am I right?

Consider this a filler chapter but of course now is the point that I need to introduce the plot.

As in New Moon, it isn't much of a charge but it will add up in the next books, I promise.

Now, That I've told you more than you need to know, I'll shut up and bid you adieu.