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ONE; HOSPITALS

     JACOB COULDN'T REMEMBER when everything fell apart.

     The Black family was known for always being so calm and peaceful, which wasn't necessarily a false statement. Rachel and Rebecca kept to themselves most of the time. The only problems the twins ever had were the discussion of boyfriends and who was going to get a car first. Jacob knew he was admired by his father from a young age because he was the only boy, but no one held a finger to Penelope. She usually had her hair tied in pigtails and was adorned with a sparkly pink tutu. Everyone could tell Penelope was the favorite of the family just by a first glance.

     Penelope loved the beach. She would make sand castles while Rachel and Rebecca were flirting with some of the boys on the reservation. Even if Jacob was younger in age, he was assigned with the job of watching his sister. He knew the consequences if Penelope were to get lost or swim too far in the ocean.

     Penelope loved school. She found it so intriguing that everyday when she walked in, there was a new lesson to be taught. She enjoyed being around her other classmates and singing songs with her teacher. Penelope's favorite part was story time because her teacher used to read the novel in such an excited tone, and she felt as if she was the heroine of the story herself.

     Penelope loved the Clearwater's. As soon as their front door opened, the girl would zoom into Harry's arms, giggling loudly. The man would pick her up and hold her tightly to his chest, kissing her cheek fondly. Leah and Penelope were best friends, discussing about new toys they saw on the television at every given moment. Seth had a tiny crush on the girl since she first came around. He couldn't say three words to her if he tried.

     Penelope loved the color pink. Sarah and Billy painted her nursery with the typical generic color, and it was the first image Penelope could remember. Rachel and Rebecca strayed towards darker colors, so Sarah had to buy a whole new wardrobe for their youngest daughter. If someone ever saw Penelope wearing something other than pink, they knew a terrible incident occurred.

     Penelope loved her sisters. Rachel and Rebecca weren't around the house that often because of school, and they liked to head to Port Angeles with their friends. Rachel favored Jacob over Penelope, but Rebecca favored Penelope over Jacob. Either way, when Penelope would walk into her sisters' room and ask to try their clothing on, it would turn into an all night laughing session of watching Penelope strut around in high heels.

     Penelope loved her mother. She would follow her around the house, attempting to mimic her movements in a silly fashion. She volunteered to assist Sarah in cooking, cleaning, and going grocery shopping. The other three kids were relieved that they didn't have to tag along themselves because Penelope did it for them. She was glad to just be in her mother's presence because she believed that Sarah was the strongest woman in the world.

     Penelope loved anything and everything in her life. Whether it be her home life or school life, she was delighted by the simplest things.

     She would forever be one of La Push's greatest treasures.

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     It was cold and windy when Sarah decided to go out. She forgot some ingredients to cook dinner, and she and Penelope had to make a last minute grocery shopping trip. Penelope was dressed in her pink parka and fur boots. As soon as she was strapped into her car seat, which she protested against because she was already ten years old, the two took off.

     They were singing along to one of Rachel and Rebecca's old songs when the truck came out of nowhere. The driver just finished a twelve hour shift, and was exhausted to no end. He was half asleep and running on caffeine when he passed the red light. The vehicle slammed into Sarah's side, killing her instantly. Penelope was still conscious, unbuckling her seatbelt when she saw her mother laying flat across the console. She was reaching to shake her awake when another car crashed into them, causing Penelope to fly out the window.

     The ambulance found the scene horrifying. A ten year old girl was hung limp and her body was halfway out, her parka stained with red liquid and shards of glass poking into her skin. They rushed Penelope to the hospital as fast as they could, but there was no hope for Sarah. Billy was eating with Jacob when he got the call. The two boys were watching a sports game, munching on the couch even though Sarah disliked it because of the constant crumbs. They immediately dialed Rachel and Rebecca when they heard the news.

     One of the nurses was there to greet them, but she was forced to share the outcome of the accident. Doctors were still working on Penelope, but their mother was gone. Jacob didn't know how long he stood there. He was almost nine years old, but he couldn't comprehend that he just lost his mother. The woman who tucked him in every night and read him stories about werewolves and vampires.

     The Black family lived in the hospital for weeks. Penelope was stuck in a coma, but they couldn't predict when she would wake up. It was all up to her. Eventually, the kids had to go back to school. Rachel spat in someone's face if they mentioned anything about her deceased mother and injured sister. Rebecca was handling it diligently, but she broke down in the girls' bathroom before fourth period. Jacob was being treated with kid gloves, his teachers allowing him to be excused when he usually needed to beg and getting to read books instead of participating in his spelling test.

     Years passed by. Penelope's condition was worsening.

     Rachel and Rebecca graduated high school with accolades. Billy wanted them to stay in La Push, but they both couldn't handle the stress. Rebecca married her boyfriend, Solomon, and moved to Hawaii for his surfing competitions. Rachel received a scholarship from Washington State University for computer engineering, and she took it in a flash. Rebecca still sent money that she earned from selling her art for Penelope's medical bills. Billy couldn't count how high they were racking up, and he had to come to terms that Penelope was going to be cut off soon. Jacob and Harry Clearwater refused it, but Billy mentioned that doctors weren't seeing any signs of her waking up. Penelope could be asleep forever and Billy needed to save up money for Jacob's college fund.

     The entire town had to accept that Penelope Black was going to take her last breath.

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     She felt the twitch in her left hand. It was small, but enough to jolt her awake. She was unable to open her eyes and that made her terrified. Her heartbeat sped up and she heard the loud beeping noise of a nearby monitor. She moved her head around violently, trying to comprehend what was going on.

     The last thing Penelope could recall was her mother's face, blood trailing down her forehead.

     She awoke with a scream. Her throat was sore and her lips were chapped. She could hear someone yelling and multiple figures entering the room.

     A man ran to her side, wearing a white coat. Penelope wanted to touch his pale complexion, but refrained against doing so. Nurses were stabilizing her in the bed, all shocked she woke up.

     "Penelope? Penelope, can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?" The stranger inquired. He brushed back his blonde hair, and she could make out flecks of gold in his eyes. He turned his head to speak with someone, his voice stern. "Jacob, I need you to wait outside."

     Her brother's name brought her back to reality. She glared at the man and hissed quietly, even if her tone came out scratchy and hoarse. "Where's my family?" She outstretched her arms, but groaned when she heard them crack from being so tense. "Is that Jacob? Where is he?"

     "Penelope, you need to relax." The order wasn't well taken, for the girl glanced down at herself. Her body was no longer small in stature, her toes almost reaching the end of the hospital bed. She wasn't wearing her normal shade of pink and her figure looked oddly similar to Rachel and Rebecca's. She sat up, ripping the tubes connected to her arm. Carlisle stayed calm, attempting to reconnect them but Penelope swatted his hand away. "Penelope, this is just medicine. It will help you."

     "I don't want it!" She shrieked. "Why am I here? Where's my dad?" She started to call Billy's name, and Carlisle was shushing her gently.

     "Penelope, he'll be here soon. I assume you want an explanation?" She nodded, but backed up so she was as far away from Carlisle as possible. "You've been asleep for seven years. You and your mom got into an accident." Carlisle realized Penelope's brain had grown, but her mind state was still stuck at ten years.

     "An accident?" Penelope whispered. "I don't understand." She couldn't believe it. Seven years? Billy stated that's how long Jacob would be in high school when they were sitting at the dinner table on Friday. Well, Friday seven years ago.

     "I'll call your dad in," Carlisle nodded, not knowing what else to do. Billy glared at him every time he gave the updated status of his daughter, and he surely wouldn't want the vampire telling Penelope about her mother's death.

     Billy couldn't afford to send Penelope to a hospital in Port Angeles when Carlisle was accepted as the head doctor. He never trusted his daughter in the hands of any bloodsucker, but it eased his nerves a little bit when he saw Carlisle's eyes were a shiny gold instead of blood red.

     Penelope was taken aback when the man she loved rolled in with a wheelchair. Jacob was right behind him but although her father looked the same, Jacob was a completely different story. He had grown immensely tall and his muscles were showing through the fabric of his shirt. He had his hair cut short, even though Penelope loved it long. They both had tears running down their faces but she was wondering why Rachel and Rebecca weren't following after Jacob. Had they grown like Jacob too?

     "Penny," Jacob said, his voice cracking. The seventeen year old was sat upright, her orbs wide. He was the first to envelop his sister in a hug, but noticed she didn't embrace him back. "Penelope. Oh God, I thought I'd never see your eyes again." The mix of hazel and chocolate brown was the most relieving thing Jacob had seen in a decade.

     Billy placed his hand over his mouth, frozen at the sight of his youngest daughter.

     Penny, the girl who loved beaches and pink tutus. Penny, the girl who was deprived of the last seven years because one worker couldn't ask his boss to take a shorter shift. Penny, the most beloved girl on the reservation.

     "Jacob, what's happening? Where's mom? Where's Rachel and Rebecca?" She furrowed her eyebrows as her brother pulled away. Billy couldn't stand to hug her and it made him frustrated.

     She was still beautiful, her long brown hair cut short and sparkling eyes matching his other children's. Her bottom lip trembled in fear and Billy felt his stomach churn.

     "Pen, you've been out for a long time," Jacob began to divulge. "Rachel and Rebecca graduated high school. They moved away." It broke Penelope's heart, but not as much as the next information. "The truck that hit you and mom in the accident collided into mom's side. She tried her best, Pen, you know she did, but it didn't work as well as we hoped."

     Penelope was confused at Jacob's hidden meaning. "What are you saying? Is mom asleep like I was?" She was trying to add up how long she had been in a coma, and how much longer Sarah would be in one. Penelope quickly deducted she wanted to be the first one to see Sarah when she opened her eyes.

     "Penelope," Billy wheeled closer, and Jacob stepped aside so he could come into her vision. He gulped back his lunch before speaking. "Your mother died from the impact. She couldn't fight to stay alive, but you did, Pen. You're still here."

     She couldn't breathe. She held one hand to her chest, eyes fluttering shut. Carlisle rushed in, already prepared for her reaction. He managed to get the tubes back up her arm and control her breaths. Penelope was sobbing loudly and Billy felt his heart tighten at the sound. It was like he was experiencing Sarah's death all over again, observing his daughter as she heard it for the first time.

     They left Penelope with a few nurses because Carlisle needed to speak with them outside. "I'm bringing a counselor in to talk with Penelope," he conversed. "She needs to learn what she's lost for the last seven years, and get accustomed to being in a seventeen year old body instead of a ten year old one. You're allowed to be present during these procedures, of course."

     With all the courage he could muster, Billy sputtered out a thank you. Carlisle nodded, offering a consoling grin before retreating to other patients. Jacob laid a hand on his dad's shoulder, and Billy squeezed it. "She'll be okay. She's a fighter and she's made it this far."

     "You're right," he exhaled at his son's words. "Call Rachel and Rebecca. Penelope needs everyone here right now."

     Jacob patted his shoulder reassuringly and walked away, calling the numbers his father instructed him to. He also dialed Emily's home phone to send his alpha over with his pack members — Paul Lahote, Embry Call, and Jared Cameron.

protect!! penelope!! at!! all!! costs!!