"Dammit!"

"Dude, don't get so mad. You're doing great," Emmett encouraged.

"Oh come on," Jacob growled. "I can't walk ten steps without getting exhausted. This is hopeless."

"Maybe you should give it a rest for today," Carlisle suggested gently.

Jacob sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to take five more steps before he collapsed into a chair.

Emmett had moved the large table in the medical library and brought some exercise equipment down from their gym, so Jacob could start his physical therapy. "I know you're determined, Jacob. But you don't want to set yourself back or worse yet, get reinjured," Carlisle warned.

Jacob ignored his advice, already pulling his weary body up to try again. "I gotta get stronger...no offense," he huffed, almost out of breath, "but I can't wait to get outta of here."

"Yeah," Emmett chuckled, "because you and Renesmee wanna..."

"Emmett!" Esme scolded as she suddenly appeared in the doorway.

Emmett just chuckled as Jacob scowled, and pushed himself to make five more steps. He panted heavily, grimacing through the pain of his atrophied muscles. He had never worked out just to get bigger muscles. He had always bulked up easily, without any real effort at all. Jacob thought about all the nights he did pull ups endlessly, never getting tired. How he longed to be that strong again.

Jacob groaned as he stumbled forward, Emmett catching him easily in his grasp. "Easy there..."

Jacob twisted away from Emmett, determined to steady himself on his own. "I can do it," he insisted.

When Jacob turned and tripped on his own feet, Esme rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"

He was now flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. "I'm fine,'' he grumbled. "I just need a minute."

"Come on," Emmett replied, offering Jacob a hand.

"I don't need your help...I don't need anyone's help. Just leave me here," he spat through gritted teeth.

Esme gave Jacob a pained look as she stood. "Let's leave him be," she told Emmett. "You yell for us if you need anything, Jacob," Esme shot him one more sad glance and left the room with Carlisle and Emmett.

Jacob squeezed his eyes shut tightly and balled up his fists. He pounded them against the floor in frustration. He hated this. All of it. He could barely do anything for himself.

He tried to steady his breathing as he thought about her, his Nessie. He imagined her walking toward him, hair bouncing as she stepped, dark auburn waves with ruby flecks glinting in the morning sun. Her eyes were beautiful and bright, warm pools of burnt sienna that changed to emerald when she gazed at him.

Her hips swung slightly with each step she made, her body moving fluidly as her clothes clung to her curvy figure. He smiled widely when he pictured her in her workout clothes, molding perfectly to her shape and revealing her bare stomach and shoulders. Her toned muscles pulsed ever so slightly under the thin fabric as she neared him.

Suddenly his image of her changed at the sight of him, crumpled on the floor. Her expression would mirror Esme's, nothing but pity. He visibly cringed at the idea of her finding him this way. He pounded the floor once more, determined to get up on his own.

Jacob started by resting on his elbows, surveying the room. His stomach muscles burned and he grimaced. It was taking all his strength just to pull up into a sitting position. He panted heavily, his body became covered in a sweaty sheen. His side was aching heavily now, but he tried to breathe through the pain. He was set on doing this alone.
........
Renesmee sighed. Her family had convinced her to go hunt with them while Jacob started his physical therapy with Emmett. They practically had to drag her out of his arms and she would've refused but Jacob had insisted too. She knew he probably didn't want her to see him in pain like that.

Even with everything he had going on, his top priority was her. The thought of that made her smile and chuckle softly. When she did, Jasper's head snapped back as he scolded her, "Get your head in the game!" he ordered, his voice in a hushed whisper.

Renesmee crouched behind a log and scowled at her uncle. She stuck her tongue out at him when he faced the opposite direction. They had a deer in their sights and she was keeping them from the attack. She shifted her weight and twig snapped under her.

The deer's head snapped up and took off instantaneously. Before anyone could berate her for the mistake, they bound off to pounce on the deer, leaving her alone with the only person who didn't go.

"Having trouble focusing this morning, darling?" Bella drawled as she popped out of her hiding space.

Renesmee stood and faced her mother. "That would be a major understatement, Mom."

"I know you're worried about Jake, but he has to tough some of this out on his own. Besides, if I know my best friend, he's gonna wanna show you how much he's accomplished afterwards, not during. You know how stubborn he is."

Renesmee sneered at her mother's reference to her best friend. She didn't like Bella referring to Jacob as her anything. She knew it was petty to feel this way, but lately her possessiveness was becoming unbearable. She just hoped Jacob wouldn't notice.

Bella glanced back to find Renesmee deep in thought. "Are you coming?" Bella motioned to the trail the others were following.

"I don't think so, Mom. I'm so tired and this is taking forever. I'll try hunting again soon, I promise," Nessie lied. She didn't care if she ever hunted again, well maybe she would if Jacob went.

Bella nodded sadly in agreement. "I can walk you back..."

"Mom, I'm totally fine to walk by myself," Ness argued insistently, maybe a little too much. She dialed it back and added, "I'll be fine on my own."

Then Renesmee took off full speed, not allowing her mom to get a chance to change her mind. She knew that Bella could still catch up to her if she wanted, but after a few miles, she knew she was on her own. Now all she wanted was to go home, shower and change. Regardless of what anyone thought, she wanted to be with Jacob and nothing could make that feeling disappear.
......
Jacob groaned as he pulled himself up to an exercise bench and struggled to breathe. His broken ribs were making his lungs burn with every breath he fought to take. His chest was heaving, but he beamed with pride because he didn't need anyone's help.

Once his breathing had returned to normal and the pain in his side had subsided, he pulled his leg up, with the assistance of his hands and straddled the bench he was on. The equipment was for leg lifts and although there were no weights hooked up to it, it was challenging for him. Each movement was barely an inch, but he pressed, pushing himself to go further each time.

Absently he heard the glass door to the medical room slide open. Immediately a warm breeze blew in, carrying the wonderful scent of his Nessie. He was beaming now, just the thought of her, the smell of her, had his head swirling. Jacob struggled to focus as she neared him. His nose was assaulted with the scent of her shampoo, her damp hair and the smell of her that just couldn't be described.

She rounded the corner, her smiling face finally coming into view from the side of his vision line. She was fresh from the shower, hair wet and wavy, wearing just a button up navy knit shirt and cut off denim shorts. "Well look at you go," she announced, her voice bursting with pride.

Jacob tried not to smile, tried to hide the way his heart exploded from her mere presence. He gave up when she stood near him and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. He reached for the back of her neck, turned his face to hers and gave her a sexy smirk. "You missed," he murmured.

She sighed as she leaned closer, this time placing her lips squarely in line with his. They kissed desperately for a moment, as if they hadn't seen each other in weeks. Nessie didn't know if they would always feel this passionate for each other, but God she hoped so.

She pulled away slowly, sighing as she did. She slid behind him on the bench, straddling it like he was. "Go ahead," she encouraged. "I didn't mean to distract you."

Jacob chuckled as she reached around to place her hands on his hips. "Yeah, you're interrupting me from this really tough workout," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look, I can move my leg a whole two inches now."

Renesmee scoffed as she ran her hands lightly across his shoulders. "Stop being so hard on yourself."

Jacob paused and reached for her hands. He wound them around his neck and leaned back into her touch. She gasped when he swung her around to lie across his lap. "Jake, be careful!" she warned.

He pressed his lips together, trying to suppress a groan and instead masked it with a terse smile. "You hush now, I'm fine."

"Jake," she whispered, reaching for his face. "You're gonna..."

He silenced her concerns with a searing kiss that caught her off guard. She snaked her hands up his neck and tangled her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer and making the kiss impossibly deeper. He moaned softly into her mouth as he ran one hand up and down her thigh as the other hand gripped the small of her back tightly.

"I see you're back."

They froze, begrudgingly untangling themselves from the kiss. When Renesmee tried to leave Jacob's lap, he held her still. She groaned when she looked up and saw Emmett grinning like an idiot. "Oh my God, do you ever see a scene like this and think, 'Gee, maybe I should give them some privacy?' or does your mind just not work like that?" she berated.

Emmett and Jacob just laughed and she scowled in response. "I thought maybe Jacob needed protection from you. And here I thought he was the dog."

"Oh you're gonna get it..." she threatened as she took off her shoe and flung it in Emmett's direction. "Jerk!" she called as he retreated out the door in a flash.

Jacob was still laughing as she returned her attention to him. Her face was beet red and she was scowling. "Thanks for being on my side," she pouted.

"I am on your side," he retorted. "I just love seeing you like this."

Her forehead crinkled as she scowled more and somehow became even cuter to him. "Like what?"

"Mad," he breathed, pressing a finger to her nose. "I like it when you stick up for yourself...and for me."

Renesmee sighed dreamily and pressed another kiss to his lips. Jacob kissed her back and pulled her close again. He groaned a little as her weight shifted. "Ohmigosh, I'm hurting you," she groaned as she tried to back away from him.

Jacob shook his head quickly. "Don't do that."

"What?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.

"Look at me like I'm some sort of wounded animal. I can't stand it."

When he cast his eyes away from her, she cringed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was..."

"It's fine," he grumbled effectively cutting her off, his voice tight and his gaze refusing to meet hers.

She scrambled off of his lap, mentally berating herself for being too overprotective. My how times had changed. "So I guess I'll just go then..." she offered when he returned to his exercises. The silence between them was deafening.

Jacob nodded almost imperceptibly, his face tense with concentration.

She sighed deeply, her face falling with despair. A lump formed in her throat as she turned on her heel and raced to the patio door.

"Shit!" Jacob whispered to himself, already hating what he had done. He pulled his weary body up from the bench in a desperate effort to chase her. "Wait!" he called out, taking his steps gingerly and wishing he had his old speed.

When he turned the corner, he gave a sigh of relief. She was still standing there, back to him and hand on the doorknob. He knew she should've been gone by now. So either she couldn't leave or his plea to stay had reached her in time. He secretly hoped it was option A.

"I'm sorry..." he panted, struggling to take in air as he neared her.

Renesmee kept her back to him for a moment, then swung around slowly, watching in rapt fascination as he closed the distance between them. She beamed proudly and announced, "Look how far you walked, all by yourself."

She raced to him, throwing her arms around him, careful not to knock him down with her strength. Jacob just laughed, squeezing her tightly and burying his face in her damp twisted waves. He breathed deeply and gushed, "You never cease to amaze me, Nessie."

She pulled back from his embrace and smiled up at him, her confusion evident. "What did I do?"

Jacob nodded toward his bed and they walked over to it together. Once he was seated on the edge, he reached for her face and smiled. "You're so proud of me and here I was being a total dick to you two seconds ago. How do you do it?"

"Do what?" she mused happily, placing her hand over his.

"Put up with me," he retorted happily. "Anybody would have been long gone by now."

Renesmee shrugged as she took his hand into hers and sat down beside him. "Oh that's an easy one," she sighed.

Jacob cocked his head and caught her gaze. She glanced back at him, capturing his chin in her other hand and leaning in for a kiss before murmuring, "That's because I'm so in love with you, Jacob."

He opened his mouth to respond, but she was already delving into another mind-blowing kiss. And he wasn't about to argue with that.
.....
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