I slept horribly. My headache has persisted, leading me to sit at the end of the bed cradling my head in my hands desperately trying to rub it away.
Nothing Charlie or Bella have done has effected it at all. I know what makes it better.
I've been staring at my phone for fifteen minutes deciding if I feel bad enough to be so pathetic.
Eventually, I decide I am.
The ringing hurts my ears, but it's not for long. Jasper answers quickly.
"Jordan? Are you alright?"
"Er, hey, Jasper. Um, not really."
I'm finding it hard to speak properly. The deep throbbing makes it hard to articulate.
"What's wrong? You sound hurt."
"Is it that obvious?" I mutter, then sigh.
"You are hurt?" Concern rings clear in his voice.
"It's my head, Jasper. It's so sore. Please, I know it's ridiculous but could you come over?"
I hate the moisture I can feel pooling in my eyes as I grasp the hem of my shirt.
"Of course, Jordan. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Thanks. Be careful coming over. The roads are slippy," I say.
Not fifteen minutes later, there's a knock on the door.
I can hear muffled voices, but I'm in too much pain to hear them properly.
I'm lying on the floor, curled up with my head pressed into my knees as hard as I can. Anything to relieve the pressure.
Footsteps vibrate on the floor, but they're too light to be Bella or Charlie's, so I know it's Jasper. The door creaks open.
"Jordan?!"
In a flash, I'm held in icy arms. The cold soothes my rising temperature, and I sigh in relief.
"Jordan, what happened?"
"I don't know. It just got worse," I manage to say, before another wave hits me and my face crumples in pain.
"Hey, hey, shh. You'll be okay, I will take you to the hospital."
"No, no, don't take me to the hospital," I say.
"Why not?"
"Just...please."
I hear him sigh and adjust his position. My head finds his chest, and he places his hand on the other side.
His fingers draw gentle circles on my temple. My breathing calms as I try to sinc it with his.
As the ache fades, I feel more and more drained. Like I said, I didn't sleep. So when there's no pain left, I fall unconscious in Jasper's arms.
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I am dragged back through the peaceful darkness by the sound of a bell. It tolls loudly, shaking the floor and ceiling.
Eventually, I drop to my knees trying to block out the sound. Pain erupts through my head as I clutch it tightly.
"Jordan..."
I can barely hear the voice through the pounding of this damn bell.
"Jordan."
Clutching my head tighter feels like the only way I can even begin to hear this person speaking.
"Jordan, that's it. I'm taking you to the hospital."
I'm wrapped in strong, cold arms and lifted off of the softness I was lieing on.
A few more muffled voices appear, questions and answers. Then I'm placed in the seat of a car.
The engine might be loud; I wouldn't know. But I am able to find a cold grip on my hand that draws some of the pain away.
Somehow, I manage to frown. The grip is much tenser than usual. But then it disappears.
I make an unhappy noise, and it comes back.
When we reach the hospital, I can tell, because Jasper's steps are faster, and there's more noise. But I can't complain, because it means more time wrapped in his cold arms.
An air of panic has risen in the room, whatever it's use is. I get the feeling there's more than three people in here.
Jasper has laid me down on a bed of some kind, but has not let go of my hand.
"Carlisle, what's wrong with her?"
"I don't know. It's been a while since I've seen this kind of head pain in someone so young."
"Can you help her?"
This voice is new. Soft, feminine, but not quite as low as Rosalie's, so...Alice?
"Of course. I'm not going to leave her in this much pain."
Someone walks over to the bed.
"Jasper, I have to ask you to leave, along with your siblings."
"No. I won't leave her like this."
"I have to abide by medical rules. You are not her family, and this may end up as an operation." His final sentence has a different tone to it.
Jasper's hand tightens on mine. His reluctance is clear, but he begins to pull away.
I reach for his wrist and latch onto it. "Please stay."
Even to my ears, those words sound pained. But so far he's the only thing that has taken the mind wrenching pain away. I don't care how pathetic I sound.
"I don't like hospitals, remember?" I say weakly.
"Why is that?" Dr. Cullen asks.
I try to turn my head and open my eyes. I at least accomplish the latter.
Edward, Alice, Emmet and Jasper are all here. The other three are standing back, mainly because Emmet blocks the light. Dr. Cullen is on my left.
"It's a long story. Why are all you guys here?"
"Jasper told us about how you are feeling. We were worried," Alice says.
"Your father and sister are waiting outside," Edward says.
"Charlie isn't my dad..." I say sadly.
"Well, it's what he put his name down for. And if he isn't, why do you use his last name?" Dr. Cullen asks.
"He said I could," I say.
Another wave of pounding hits me, and I groan. Jasper grasps my hand and places his other over my forehead.
"What are you doing?" Dr. Cullen asks.
"It's the only thing that soothes it," Jasper says.
"Very well. Jordan, I'm going to have to ask you some questions so I can figure out what's causing this. I will do it as fast as possible," Dr. Cullen says.
"As long as Jasper stays, I should be fine," I say.
The difference is obviously clear in my voice, judging by the surprise on their faces.
"So, Jordan, have you recently experienced any head trauma?" Dr. Cullen asks.
A nervous laugh bubbles up through my throat. "Depends what you mean by head trauma."
"Maybe you should elaborate on that," he replies.
I shift awkwardly on the table. "I, er, I'm a bare-knuckle boxer."
"Ah, alright then. Have you had any major head injuries?"
"One when I was fourteen, but I've had check ups for years and it's fine. There's no way it could cause this," I say.
"Do you get examined after fighting?"
"Yes."
"When was your last fight?"
I think for a moment. "Three weeks ago. It was the day before Bella asked me if I wanted to come here with her."
"Did you win?" Emmet asks eagerly.
"Course. I always win," I grin.
"What were your injuries?" Dr. Cullen asks, sending an exasperated look at Emmet.
"Fractured nose, cracked rib, bust lip and knuckles. To be honest, I got off quite well," I say.
"Who were you fighting?" Edward asks.
"Big John." Anger swells in my chest. "He cheated. He brought knuckle-dusters."
"Were you hit in the back of your head at any point?" Dr. Cullen asks.
"Once. But it didn't hurt that much," I say.
"Okay. Jordan, I'm going to examine that area. Can you sit up?"
Jasper helps me straighten up and lean ever so slightly forward so Dr. Cullen has access to the back of my head.
His fingers are just as cold as Jasper's. But he doesn't have that warmth behind it.
"Did you hit your head during the collision in the school parking lot?"
"I don't know."
"She might have," Jasper says. "As she pushed Bella down, her head scraped the truck. She wouldn't have felt it if her adrenaline was high enough."
"How hard?"
"I'm not sure," Jasper replies.
Dr. Cullen makes a noise and keeps looking at my head. His index finger pushes on a certain bit and my teeth clamp together.
"Did that hurt?"
I nod, unable to speak as I scrunch my face up against the throbbing.
"Okay. I am going to try and see what the problem is, alright?"
My grip on Jasper's hand tightens. I'd be worried about hurting him if he didn't feel like stone.
A small prick on my head makes me press my tongue against my teeth. It spreads into a stinging sensation that causes my eyes to water.
"Are you alright, Jasper?" Dr. Cullen asks.
"Yes," he replies tensely.
I stroke the back of his hand with my thumb, thinking he must be squeamish with blood. He squeezes back reassuringly.
"I...think I may have found the cause," Dr. Cullen says, confusion creasing his forehead.
I feel something move, then all at once the pressure in my head disappears.
He pulls back, holding something in his hand. It's small, but blood coated. I notice Jasper tense.
"I do not know what that is," Dr. Cullen says.
"I do." My blood boils in my veins.
I take it from his hand and turn it between my fingers. Long and slender, something like this is hard to see when you're concentrating on other things.
"This is just called a Spike, but it's used in illegal fights. They secure it onto the middle of a knuckle duster and put it where they want it," I explain.
"Where do they usually go?" Alice asks.
I look at her. "The windpipe. Big John must have missed, and put it in my head."
"Why would he do that?" Edward asks.
I scoff and hand it back to Dr. Cullen. "To win the fight. These things are so small and strong that if you put it in the right place it can look like a knockout."
"Until you don't get back up," Jasper says tightly.
"Exactly. They're small and sturdy enough to go in without too much pain, and not let any blood out," I say.
"What will you do?" Emmet asks.
"Nothing. Retaliation is exactly what he'd want. In the place I used to fight, we had very strict rules. For me to go after someone I beat in a fight would get me in much more trouble than I care for," I say.
"But why would he try and kill you?" Alice asks.
"Because...I've only lost three fights in my boxing career. In the place I fought, I was a legend, because I never cheated. I fought cleanly. Big John hated that. He's an old school guy, and didn't believe in the kind of rules we have to keep people alive," I say.
"Big John, eh? That's a crappy name. What was yours?" Emmet asks.
"Jordan Blitz was what I originally fought under. Then it changed to Huntress," I say.
"Hmm. Well, be careful with your head for the next few days. This should heal quickly. I think it was made worse by how long it stayed in your head and the way you hit it on the truck," Dr. Cullen says.
I hadn't noticed, but he's sewed up the small incision he made, and is writing notes.
"You are very lucky he missed," he says.
"I know. Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I say.
"Call me Carlisle," he smiles.
"Before you go, Jordan," Emmet says. "Why didn't you leave the ring when you saw he was wearing knuckle dusters?"
"I'm not a coward, Emmet. I said I'd fight him, and I did. I went out with a bang," I smile.
Jasper helps me off the bed. My head isn't throbbing as badly, and has died down to a normal headache.
"I'm sure your family are very worried," Carlisle says.
"Yeah...I bet. Please don't tell Charlie what it was. He'll rip me a new one," I mutter.
"And you say he's not your dad," Edward chuckles, shaking his head.
Jasper keeps a hand on my shoulder as we leave the room and see Bella and Charlie waiting anxiously.
Bella spots me first and rushes over, engulfing me in one of her worried hugs. I got them a lot when I was younger. She's the only family member who knows about my fighting.
"Are you alright?!" She asks, looking me over and checking for wounds.
"Bells, I'm fine. I just knocked my head on the truck," I say.
"So you were hurt?" Charlie asks.
"Charlie, it was my fault. I didn't pay attention to what it was doing when I pushed Bella down," I say.
He hugs me too, and I freeze a little, before hugging back.
"I'm glad you're okay," he says, then turns to Jasper. "Your decision to bring her here definitely saved her a lot of pain."
And to everyone's surprise, but no one's more so than Jasper, Charlie hugs him tightly.