'Till Death Do Us Part Contest
PenNames: ele05gs & Lehava
Title: I Can't Live Without Your Love
Disclaimer: SM own the Twilight world and its characters, we are just borrowing them. No copyright infringement intended. The plot, however, is ours, please don't steal it.
Summary: Two lovers that decide to seal their lives together forever have to deal with something that threatens to tear them apart. Who said life was a sea of roses?
-Collaboration with Lehava-
I Can't Live Without Your Love
Bella's POV.
"Edward, why all this suspense? It's killing me!" I protested through the phone.
Edward is my boyfriend, my best friend, my soul mate - my everything. We'd been together for ten years, but had been friends since we were kids.
I moved to Forks when I was three years old to live with my dad, Charlie. I didn't like Forks from the moment I'd first arrived. I had been so used to Phoenix, to the warm weather, to the sun. But I'd had to come here. I didn't have a place to go; I was a child so I couldn't understand the situation.
My mom, Renee, left me. She had taken me away from Charlie to live in Phoenix when I was just a baby, but on the day of my third birthday, she disappeared. I remember searching frantically in the house, but I never found her.
I'd learnt from Charlie that Renee had remarried when I was one. Phil was a nice guy, though I didn't know much about him. He took care of me, when my mom had suddenly left. That was until the Children's Aid Office discovered how I had been living and the social workers brought me back to Charlie.
The first thing I remember about arriving back in Forks was the amazing house next to Charlie's. It belonged to our neighbors, the Cullens.
Edward was an only child, just like me. Esme and Carlisle were his parents, and they soon became mine as well. Charlie worked all day, though he tried staying at home for the first two or three months after my arrival, but he became restless.
Once he started working again, he seemed happier. He would always pick me up from the Cullen's house in a good mood. Esme, being such a sweet woman, had offered to take care of me while Charlie worked. He was reluctant at first, leaving his little girl with a woman he didn't really know, but it soon became apparent how generous and caring Esme was, so he accepted the offer.
Esme was the mother I'd never had; she was sweet and caring and was there whenever I needed her, just like a child needed its mother to be. She was perfect for me, and she loved me as her own. When I'd cut my knee, fall out of a tree, or just bump my head against the door – yes, that happened a lot too- she'd take care of me, leaving sweet kisses on my knee and wiping my tears away. She'd always say that everything would be alright, and I always believed her.
Spending so many mornings and afternoons at the Cullen's meant Edward and I grew very close. He was a shy boy, whereas I was outgoing. We were different, but so alike at the same time.
For the first few days, he would just give me a shy 'Hi' when he saw me and retreat to his room, only appearing back for lunch, and afterwards he would go back to his room. He never talked to me much so I spent most of my time with Esme.
One day, though, I fell. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for me, but that day I was playing in the Cullen's yard alone, because Esme had gone shopping. I dreaded being left alone, and being distracted, I fell from the tree house.
Since I spent most of my time at the Cullen's house, Carlisle and Charlie had agreed to build a tree house for Edward and me to play in. Unfortunately, Edward was never there with me. When I tried getting out of the tree house on the day that Esme went to the store; my foot missed the ladder and I fell.
It wasn't excessively high, but I got a bad cut on my knee, and the bleeding took its toll on me. I started crying hysterically. Edward, from his room, heard me.
When I first caught a glimpse of him, he was running towards me, horror evident on his face. Once he got to me, he asked me what had happened in a worried voice, and through my tears I told him that I had fallen from the tree house.
"Come on, I'll take care of you," he told me, extending his hand for me to take. He said it while staring right into my eyes, and I believed him. He was true to his words; he took care of my cut, being careful not to make it hurt. Every time I whimpered in pain he would stop, grab my hand and squeeze it tightly.
Looking back on those days, I was surprised to say the least – he was only five years old but acted like an adult. When I asked him how he knew how to take care of the cut, he told me it had happened to him before, and his father had taught him how to take care of things for when he wasn't around.
I was mesmerized; he was the first person that took care of me even though he didn't have to. When I couldn't walk, he would help me or even carry me, and when I cried because it hurt too much, he would hug me.
After that day, we became inseparable. He was my best friend and I was his. We did everything together; he was always there for me and I was always there for him. We didn't keep secrets from each other, we couldn't. We spent every minute of our days together.
When high school came, everything changed; it wasn't friendship anymore and we both knew it.
The day of my thirteenth birthday, he gave me the present I would never forget, even if I lived a million years.
I had always complained about people buying things for me, but he didn't.
"I wrote it for you," he told me once he had finished playing the most beautiful melody I had heard in my life.
"I love it," I told him, wiping the tears from my eyes.
As we stared at each other, the atmosphere changed around us; without realizing it, we started leaning into each other. Green eyes met brown, hesitant at first, but then our lips met.
The kiss started slowly, softly, sweetly. His lips were gentle, velvet against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands cupped my cheeks. Slowly the kiss deepened as our mouths became more urgent.
The first time his tongue touched mine, I was reluctant and worried whether I was doing it right, but it seemed like I was working on autopilot. I'd never forget the feeling of his lips against mine. The tingling feeling through my whole body, the way the butterflies fluttered around in my stomach or how Edward's hands curled around my waist and slowly made their way to curl up into my hair. It felt like home. I was one, one with Edward. We fit.
It was my first kiss, his first kiss, our first kiss. After he placed one last lingering kiss on my lips, he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend, and without hesitation, I agreed. It was the beginning of the happiest years of my life.
"Bella, are you still there?" called a voice through the phone, a voice I wouldn't miss for anything in the world.
"Yeah, sorry," I answered, smiling. "I was just remembering…" I trailed off.
"Is it what I'm thinking?" he asked suggestively.
I laughed, saying, "Not necessarily, Edward."
He laughed as well, but when he finally composed himself, he wouldn't say anything.
"So, will you tell me what we're doing tonight or what?" I asked for the hundredth time that day, but like every other time I did he never answered; he just avoided it.
"I gotta go baby, I'll pick you up at seven."
"Okay," I replied defeated; it was clear he was not giving in. "I love you."
"Love you too," he said before hanging up.
-:-
"Alice!" I screamed. "Alice, finish this already! He'll be here soon!"
"Bella, calm down," she said, sighing. "It's not like you've never been out with him; he's your boyfriend for God's sake!"
"You're right," I conceded, sighing to myself. "I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's like the first time."
"No, it isn't." She corrected me. "You weren't half this nervous then."
"Okay, done," she said, a few minutes later, turning me around so I could face the mirror.
"Wow," I said as I took in my appearance. I was wearing a long black dress that accentuated my curves, a pair of black and silver Prada high heels which Edward had given me for my 21st birthday, a diamond necklace with its matching earrings and the perfect make up that Alice had just finished for me. My hair was pinned up high, with some strands falling around my face.
"You're perfect," said someone behind us. It was Edward, wearing a beautiful grey Hugo Boss suit. His beautiful, bronze hair a mess, as always.
"Hey!" Alice squealed, hugging him tightly. "But now… out!" she finished pointing outside.
"Why?" he asked, pouting.
I laughed, walking towards him and grabbing his hand in mine.
"Don't be like that, Alice. He's already seen me," I told her, while looking up at Edward. He smiled at me and leaned in for a small kiss.
Alice sighed in defeat; she knew she was never going to win this fight.
"Okay, okay. Have fun tonight!" she squealed again, before hugging me and leaving the room. Alice was my best friend and my everything, apart from Edward. She had been there through every stage of my life, and I was there for her even though we were different; we connected and I wouldn't trade her for anything.
She had just moved to Forks with her adoptive family right before my last year at primary school was starting. She knew no one, but she wasn't afraid of that. Something that I loved about Alice was how she was never afraid of talking to people.
Her carefree attitude was contagious, and soon everyone loved her, especially me. She was my age so we did everything together; we have been inseparable since that first day.
"So," he started, caressing my cheek softly with the back of his free hand, bringing me back to the present. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," I answered, nodding.
"Let's go then." He took one of my hands in his and squeezed it. I had no clue why I was nervous, but I had the feeling that something big was going to happen.
-:-
"Aren't we going to a restaurant?" I asked confused, as he parked in front of his apartment building.
"No, we aren't. Let's go," he said, climbing out of the car, walking around it and opening the door for me.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have just driven here myself," I protested, but still grabbing his extended hand to help me out.
"Because I wanted to come and pick you up," he stated simply, smiling at me.
"You look so beautiful, Bella," he said, sighing.
"You already said that," I told him, giggling lightly.
"And I'll say it a hundred times more if necessary, because you are, you always are." The intensity of his stare made me shiver. Smiling, I reached for him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his lips to mine.
We kissed there, standing in the middle of a deserted parking lot, for what felt like forever. I never wanted it to end, but eventually Edward pulled away, needing to breathe as much as I did.
"I ruined your make up," he said while caressing my lower lip with his thumb; not an ounce of regret present in his voice.
"It doesn't matter," I assured him.
Locking our hands together, we walked towards his front door, which he carefully unlocked and stepped aside to let me in first, just like the gentleman he had always been.
It was dimly lit inside, so I half blindly reached for the light switch, successfully finding it after a few seconds. Once the lights were on and I looked around, I gasped as the beauty of what he had done dawned on me.
The floor was covered with a blanket of white rose petals. Red candles were scattered around the living room to the hallway and beyond, creating a beautiful glow around the apartment. Immediately, I turned the lights off to be able to watch it perfectly. Beside every candle there was a single red rose.
The glowing of the room created the perfect scenario, and soon I felt the tears in my eyes due to its beauty. I couldn't believe he'd go so far to please me. Soft music played in the background, and I recognized it as our song. "Endless love" he'd played it for me on the piano after our first kiss. It became something special for us ever since.
Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong arms hugging me from behind and a cheek pressing to mine. Edward's soft and sweet touch made me sigh in contentment. I leaned back into him, our bodies pressed together.
"Do you like it, love?" he asked after a few moments of silence.
I sighed again; like would be the understatement of the century. "I love it, I adore it," I told him, turning around so I could look him right in the eyes. We stared at each other, getting lost in each other's eyes, the intensity; the depth of his eyes and the love in them was perfectly mirrored by mine.
Slowly leaning in, Edward touched his lips to mine. He gently sucked on my bottom lip as I did the same with his top lip. His lips were feather-like against mine. The kiss was sweet, and perfect.
Tentatively, yet slowly, I ran my tongue over his bottom lip, raising my hands to wrap them around his neck and into his soft hair, pushing him closer to me. Granting me access, I pushed my tongue into his mouth, slowly exploring an already well-known territory.
Edward hugged me tightly by the waist, and gently his hands started stroking idle patterns over the exposed skin on my lower back. The kiss gradually grew more urgent and one of his hands moved up to my face where he softly caressed my cheek with his thumb.
"I love you," I whispered through the kiss.
"I love you," he replied softly, slowly pulling away.
After we stared into each other's eyes for longer than necessary, Edward led me to the dining table where a candlelit dinner was already served.
We ate slowly, having nothing to worry about, and talking about nothing consequential. Every few minutes Edward would lean in and steal a few kisses from me, making me giggle every time he did so. He held my hand as we talked and after we finished eating, he caressed the back of my hand lightly with his thumb.
"Bella, would you come sit on the couch with me, please?" he asked politely, raising his hand to help me.
"Of course," I replied, taking his in mine.
He slowly walked us to the couch, and as I sat he kneeled before me.
I could feel my breathing pick up, my heart beat accelerate and my eyes widen as I watched him positioned on his knees while taking my right hand in his.
"Bella." He breathed.
I didn't answer; I couldn't find my voice. In fact, I couldn't even think properly because the moment my mind registered him kneeling in front of me; my heart rate increased with each passing second.
Reaching inside his pocket, Edward extracted a small, black velvet box and placed it flat on his free hand, facing me.
Letting go of my hand he slowly, he opened the small box, revealing its inside. The box was perfectly covered by red silk, and in the middle of the small pillow inside of it sat a beautiful diamond ring.
"Bella," Edward whispered again. "I liked you the moment you stepped in our kitchen, being a snobby three year old." He grinned as I continued to watch him. "As soon as I got older, I knew there was more. I've loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you and saw you for what you really were: the most beautiful woman, with the kindest soul in the world, and the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes. You are the missing piece of my puzzle." He stopped and looked me straight in the eyes. "I promise to love you, every single moment of our forever. Will you marry me, Bella?"
I felt like I couldn't breathe; everything was too much to take in, the surrounding that Edward had beautifully set up, the dinner, the kisses and now a proposal. My eyes grew wider, and my heart beat frantically.
"I.. euhm ….Yes! Yes, of course!" I gasped, unable to hold the tears that ran down my cheek. They were happy tears. I threw my arms around his neck, not being able to hold myself back. He crashed his body into mine and held me tight. After a few moments, he pushed me lightly back on the couch.
He smiled lovingly at me as he took the ring out of the box and put it on my finger.
I sighed in contentment as he leaned down and slowly kissed all my fingers before kissing the ring. "I love you," he whispered, getting up from the floor to sit next to me.
Without thinking about it I leaned into him to give him a deep, passionate kiss. After a few moments, we were both breathing hard and our hearts were beating furiously.
"I love you, too," I whispered once I could breathe again.
Those three words still gave me goose bumps and made me feel warm inside. The first time we made love was in our little tree house. Edward grew quite fond of it with time, and it became our happy place soon after.
Our first time wasn't clumsy or awkward, it had been perfect and right. It was us. We'd watched the stars, as it had been a clear night and the warm breeze had caressed our naked bodies. He'd held me in his arms and told me he loved me for the first time. I could see it in his eyes that he meant it. And I loved him too; there would never be anyone else.
-:-
"Are you awake, love?" Edward asked as he hugged me from behind and kissed my bare shoulder.
"Yeah," I sighed at the feel of his lips against my bare skin.
After a night filled with so many emotions, propositions and an intense yet perfect love-making, I thought Edward would still be sleeping for a while longer. I simply couldn't stop staring at the ring that now was placed on my finger. It was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes this morning.
"You like it," he said matter-of-factly; I could even hear the crooked smile on his face.
"I do, I love it," I told him, rolling on my back in order to face him.
"You love too many things lately, don't you?" He said teasingly.
"Nothing more than you," I said, raising my head to touch my lips with his for the briefest of moments.
"Nothing more than you," he echoed, kissing me fully on the lips.
"Do you want to go out for breakfast?" he asked after a few moments.
"Not really," I said against his mouth. "I can make it if you want."
"Oh, no, you won't," he said teasingly. "Can we stay a bit longer then?" he finally asked, kissing down my jaw to my neck. I just nodded in agreement, giving in to the feeling of his lips against my neck.
His lips trailed slow kisses over my neck and collarbone, then he stopped between my breasts.
"So beautiful," he murmured, as he gently took one of my nipples in his mouth, while caressing the other one with his hand. I moaned a little at the feeling he was giving me, and I could feel his smile against my skin.
He trailed open mouth kisses along my stomach and pulled my legs up. He sat down and placed soft, sweet kisses along my ankle, up my leg. It was torture when he went so slowly. As if he could read my thoughts, he answered, "I want to worship you, my love; every single part of you." He was hovering over me now and placed his hand over my heart.
"That's mine, now. All mine…" he murmured, and I felt him against my hip.
"It was always yours, and it will be. Forever," I whispered.
He crashed his lips to mine and kissed me with the passion I knew he had. Our bodies were pressed together, and I arched my back to meet his hips. I tangled my hands in his hair, feeling the strands through my fingers and pulling it gently. Edward hissed. I knew how much that turned him on.
I sucked and licked and pulled on his bottom lip as he ran his hands over my waist, caressing every single part of my body.
"Edward…" I moaned through the many kisses. "I want you…" I could feel him sliding against my clit and my entrance. He was teasing me.
The feeling of him, not even inside me, was enough to give me the most pleasant sensation ever. Then very slowly, I could feel him sink into me. I whimpered, and he gave me a slow thrust. I pushed up against him, so he was completely inside. His breath picked up and hit my face, warming my already blushed cheeks.
Our eyes locked; his green eyes were filled with desire and lust, and I was sure mine mirrored his exactly. With him inside of me, I felt whole and complete. Nothing could ever change that. We were one, and we always would be.
"I love you…" I moaned while he thrust inside of me.
"You are my everything..." he panted. As everything around me tightened, and my lover's name fell from my lips. We became one, once more.
-:-
The day after he proposed, I went over to Alice's. She squealed the moment she saw me.
"Let me see! Let me see!" she cried out. I stood there dumbfounded. Out of nowhere, she took my arm and looked at the beautiful diamond ring now forever placed on my finger.
"It's gorgeous," she barely whispered.
"How did you know?" I asked her, while a dorky grin appeared on her face.
"Why did you think I had to get you all dressed up?" she mocked.
"You knew!" I almost yelled, while she nodded her head enthusiastically and threw herself at me.
"Congratulations, sweetie! I'm so happy for you, both of you!" I hugged her back. We stood there for a moment, while the waterworks were doing their work.
"So, you'll say yes?" I asked her after a while.
"Yes to what?" A frown appeared on her smiling face.
"Yes to being my bridesmaid of course! How could you not know?" I asked, feigning shock.
Edward and I told the rest of our family the day after during a family dinner. Carlisle, Esme and Charlie all wished us the best, though they already knew a wedding was coming up eventually. Rosalie accepted gladly, with tears in her eyes, to be my second bridesmaid. Jasper and Emmett did the one-arm-hug that only men do when Edward asked them to be his best men. Everything was falling into place.
When Alice took me shopping with her for the perfect wedding dress, I thought it was going to take me forever, knowing how excited Alice was. But once I laid eyes on that beautiful, yet simple white dress, I fell in love. It was a plain, strapless princess white dress, full length and with a few diamonds details on the upper part that fell to the skirt sporadically making it sparkle in the light. It was perfect for me.
Surprisingly, Alice didn't complain once I said that it was the dress for me, in fact she agreed with me. Cheering loudly she hugged me and then Esme, who had insisted on coming with us. It was important to me, her being there; she was, after all, like a mother to me.
After my dress was chosen we went shopping for the bridesmaids' dresses, for Alice and Rose. We decided on a light blue, tea-length dress with V-neck bodice, a draped detail at the waist point, with a full layered tulle skirt and a matching slim sash at natural waist.
My after-party dress was a midnight blue, cocktail length dress, with a wide matching waistband. The make-up was, for both dresses, very light as Alice knew me enough not to make it too exotic, and my hair was pinned up as a few lose strands of hair fell curled to my shoulders and back. It also had a few of the flowers of the bouquet in it, giving it a matching touch.
The boys were dressed in a traditional black tuxedo, with light blue bowties that matched the girls' dress color. Edward wore a black tuxedo as well; he had, though, a blue vest and a small arrangement of blue flowers on his tuxedo pocket, matching my vivid blue flower bouquet.
Alice, together with Esme, organized everything, since they were both designers and were beyond excited to make everything perfect for mine and Edward's wedding. Honestly I did few things, mainly because Alice wouldn't let me do much.
"I wanna give you this as a present," she had argued, but I knew she was buying something else for me, I was sure of it.
I let her do it because I knew how much she loved it.
The reception colors were blue and white, blue because it was the color Edward loved on me and white because I wanted it traditional. The table cloth was blue with thin white stripes. On each table there was a vase with an arrangement of blue and purple flowers and two blue candles in a small round vase to each side of it.
In one of the corners of the room there was a small table, with decorations that matched the rest, where the cake stood. It was a three layer cake, covered with small, white sugar flowers. Small blue flowers went down and around the tiers of the gorgeous cake. On top of it there was a cute couple hugging and looking in each other's eyes lovingly. It represented Edward and me perfectly.
I thought about the months that had passed; the organization had gone smoothly and had led us to this point, this moment where we finally would become one.
We stood in front of each other as we were supposed to start our vows. I stared into his eyes as he stared into mine, holding my hands tightly in his. This was my world.
My heart was beating furiously as I started.
"I used to be afraid of falling in love, of giving my heart away. How could I trust a stranger?" Pausing briefly and giving his hands a gentle squeeze, I continued.
"Edward, when I met you, I realized how much we could share together. You have renewed my life, you made me whole, and today I join that life with yours." I paused again, staring deeply into his eyes. "I promise to love you forever," I vowed.
Edward was smiling so brightly at me that I couldn't help but smile back; as I looked into his eyes I could see his happiness in that moment. I stole a look at the church; everyone who loved us was there, the guys grinning, the girls smiling through their tears of shared joy.
"Where there has been cold, you have brought warmth, where my life was dark, you have brought light. Bella, I pledge before this assembled company to be your husband from this day forward. Let us make of our two lives, one, and let us always honor and respect each other." Now it was his turn to pause as his smile grew wider. "I promise to love you for eternity," he vowed.
Our rings were now settled on our fingers forever, and at the words of the priest we slowly leaned into each other and softly kissed, sealing our love as husband and wife.
-:-
"Edward!" I squealed. "Edward, focus on the road!" I giggled. "You're trying to get us killed!" It had been an hour since we had left Forks, and not once had he stopped trying to tickle me.
Every once in a while he would steal a kiss or a glance at me, which I would gladly return, but a few miles ago he'd decided he wanted to hear me laugh, so he'd started tickling me wherever he could reach. It was the happiest day of my life though; we were finally husband and wife. A huge grin was stuck on his face.
"Edward, stop!" I squealed again.
"Okay, okay," he said, raising his hand, giving up, but grinning deviously. "I'll stop."
We rode in silence most of the way, just holding hands and enjoying each other's company. I still didn't know where we were going, as Edward had insisted on keeping it a surprise.
"It's a place you will never forget," he had told me and I, knowing he wouldn't give up easily, just let him keep the destination a surprise.
"Did you see everyone's faces?" I asked, remembering when our guests waved us goodbye as we'd left for the airport. Alice had been wearing a big grin; she and Esme had had tears in their eyes. I have never seen Carlisle more proud of his son than he was tonight. Emmett and Rosalie had been in each other's arms while they waved at us, smiling brightly as well. I thought I saw Emmett's eyes water, but he'd never admit that if I asked.
Charlie had been there too; I could swear he had tears in his eyes as well, when he said goodbye to me, and his voice was thick with emotion. I had never seen him so happy, though. They were all there. All but my mom.
"What happened, love?" Edward asked as I frowned.
"Nothing," I said, shaking my head to get rid of the memory.
"There's not much time left until we arrive at the airport, love. Don't worry," he said, softly caressing the back of my hand with his thumb.
"You can sleep for a while," he said, encouragingly. Slowly I shook my head, disagreeing.
"I'm okay; I'll sleep once we get on the plane, when you do it, too." I finished, smiling up at him, giving his hand a little squeeze. I wanted to look at him as long as I could.
As the minutes ticked by, I felt myself beginning to fall asleep as Edward's soft voice murmured to me.
"Sleep, my love, sleep." I fought against the numbness. I didn't want to fall asleep, but when Edward started humming lightly to me, I couldn't help it and I drifted off.
A few minutes later, I woke up, startled, looking around disconcerted. Shaking my head, I tried to breathe easily and reduce the rapid beating of my heart. There was something making my heart clench, and it wouldn't go away; something was wrong, I could feel it.
As we were turning a curve on the road, I saw a pair of lights moving fast, coming straight at us. After that, everything happened very quickly.
"Bella!" I heard Edward scream as he threw himself at me, releasing the wheel and taking me in his arms, my head safely tucked against his chest.
I felt my eyes widen as I heard the piercing sound of metal crashing and glass shattering. My heart was pounding so rapidly in my chest with panic that breathing became difficult, and my head started spinning.
The last thing I saw was my beloved's terrified eyes and his body hugging mine tightly, protecting me from the glass. I felt him loosen his grip, and then everything went black.
-:-
He had protected me. With the most precious thing to me, his life, he had protected me. I could still hear him screaming my name, as his body flew over to my side and shielded me from the impact. I couldn't believe it, but I clutched to him tightly.
I didn't remember a single thing, before I woke up two hours ago. There was nothing wrong with me; a small concussion and a few minor cuts from the glass, and that was it. I had been unconscious for a couple of hours, but I was free to leave the hospital as soon as I was ready.
"Where's Edward?" I asked the moment my eyes opened. I was met with Esme's bloodshot eyes and Alice pacing across the room. The moment she saw me, she ran to the bed and threw herself onto me.
"Thank God you are awake!" she cried. "I thought I was going to lose you too…" she said through her tears. It took me a moment to recall what she had said. Too… she said too?
"Alice, where is Edward?" I demanded. She avoided my eyes, not even Esme would look at me.
I was about to shout when Carlisle entered the room, all doctor-like and professional. "You are ready to go Bella; I have your clothes here," he said, pointing to a dull brown bag that was standing in the corner of the room.
"I don't care about all of that! Where is my husband?" I almost screamed.
Silence.
"Why won't you look at me Alice? Or you Esme?" I continued when they didn't say a thing, my breathing speeding up and my eyes filling with tears.
"Why won't you tell me? I demand to know where he is! TELL ME!" I shouted, making them all cringe at the sound.
"Bella calm down, please," Carlisle asked softly, but still in doctor mode. "I'll take you to him if you promise me you'll take it easy," he warned and even though I wanted to be stubborn and act like a child, I nodded in agreement.
They gave me some privacy as I got dressed. A minute later, I was done and walking beside Carlisle. We stopped outside a door; the blinds were closed so I couldn't see inside. I wanted to run in, but a firm hand on my shoulder held me back. I turned around and looked into Carlisle's kind, but worried blue eyes.
"Bella, before you go in there… there's something I need to tell you," he began, hesitantly. My heart began to pound faster instantly, I couldn't speak and my throat went completely dry.
"Edward shielded you," he began, and I nodded again; those were things I knew, but what came afterwards was what I didn't know.
Take my life… I would sacrifice… I'd die for you… The lyrics of the song he had sang in my ear while we danced at the wedding started repeating over and over in my head, and as its meaning sank in I felt my eyes go wide. He had sacrificed himself for me; he would die for me if he had to.
"You survived, but Edward got the full impact of the crash. I need you to be prepared for what you are going to see… he is…" he paused. I needed him to finish his sentence; I needed to know what was going on, what had happened to my Edward.
He took a deep calming breath before spilling it all out at once. "His right lung collapsed, he has broken many of his ribs. His nose was broken. We had to operate him because his liver broke down, and there was too much pressure on his skull. His right leg has several fractures, and all of his body was cut with the glass…" he paused again, looking me right in the eyes. His eyes were sympathetic and sad while mine were wide open as the tears were pouring down my face.
"I'm so sorry Bella," he said while he took me into a warm embrace. He was after all, my father-in-law. I considered him my second father.
"Can I see him?" I asked against his chest, and after a few moments I felt him nod.
Opening the door, he motioned for me to go in. I wasn't prepared at all for what I came to face once I stepped inside of that room.
My sweet, beautiful and caring husband was broken. Everywhere I looked there were cuts stitched and wounds taken care of. His right leg was completely covered in a cast, and his whole body was filled with little tubes. The beeping in the background, with the sound of his heart, was the only thing that assured me he was still alive. I ran to him and clung to his limp body. The tears were now falling relentlessly down my face.
I felt Carlisle's hands on both my shoulders and, without looking away from Edward, I asked him.
"How bad is it…?" I couldn't even look at him; his son was lying here too.
"We don't know, yet," he said quietly, "but we sedated him, so he doesn't feel anything at the moment." I nodded. He stood there, behind me, not moving for a couple of minutes, not wanting to leave his son's side. But then, reluctantly he left.
"I won't leave you…" I whispered to Edward, clasping his hand in mine. "I'll be here forever if I have to."
After that, the seconds passed into minutes, the minutes into hours, and the hours into days. I never left his side. My skin was always touching his, needing that connection more than anything in the world. I had been living with him for so long; I had known him for almost my whole life. I didn't know how to be without him, and I didn't know how I would survive if he didn't. He was my sun, my happiness, my whole life.
Two days later, Carlisle came to inform me that the drunk driver who caused us so much harm had died of his injuries. I couldn't even begin to feel sad, or pity his family. I didn't even want to hear his name or see him. He was the reason that my family was suffering, and I would never, ever forgive him for that.
After a couple of days, the nurses along with Carlisle came in to give Edward some medication to finally wake him up; his injuries could heal once he was awake. According to Carlisle, he was not going to be in any unbearable pain anymore as the time that passed had relatively healed some of his wounds.
What I had hoped for, for a torturous amount of days, was finally happening; they were letting him wake up. The only thing was, he didn't wake up. Hours after the medicine had settled in his system, his eyes stayed firmly closed. I waited and waited, the anxiety growing with each passing minute. After a day had passed and his eyes hadn't even fluttered, I asked Carlisle the reason.
"Why isn't he waking up? He should be awake by now! Why isn't he!" I was getting hysterical. I barely ate; I barely slept in this small bed. But I wouldn't leave, ever.
"I don't know… we don't know… he's having some sort of reaction to the medicines we are giving him. But we don't know what, or which or how to stop it…" I saw the worry take over his face as he turned on his heel and walked outside, leaving me alone with my beloved one.
We should have been on our honeymoon, enjoying each other's company and making love. We should be bride and groom. We should be one. We should be in our perfect little bubble of happiness that would last forever. We weren't though. Not even close.
Alice came by daily, forcing me to eat something or wash myself. Esme came when she could, which wasn't often. She couldn't bear to see her son lying helplessly like this. And she couldn't bear seeing her daughter-in-law wasting away with every passing second.
A week went by and nothing changed. The beeping of his heart became my only belief in existence, my only reason to stay there, alive. Alice sat in the left chair, while Esme was sitting on his right, looking out of the window into the dark, cloudy sky. I was curled up against Edward's side. I wanted to be close, as close as I could get to him. This grey room felt like home already.
"Bella, you need to come home with me…" Alice tried to convince me once more. "You've been here for over a week, this isn't healthy anymore. You're wasting away; Edward wouldn't want that…" she added quietly.
My eyes shot to hers, furious that she was thinking for him, of what he would say to me.
"How dare you, Alice! I'm not leaving his side," I snapped at her, making her flinch away from me.
"You're dying with him, Bella," she whispered. "I can see the life fading from your eyes." Her sad eyes weren't looking at me anymore, she was looking down, but I could see her tears.
"I'm sorry, Ally," I whispered, realizing how I had yelled at her when she was just trying to help me. "I can't, I can't leave his side, I just can't…" I sobbed, burying my face in the crook of his neck.
Carlisle came in after an hour, a look of pure horror written on his face.
"What is it?" I asked, already panicked. He sighed heavily, his former sparkling, full of life, blue eyes were dead now, like the life was sucked out of them, and there was not an ounce of doubt in me that mine mirrored his perfectly; as did the rest of the family's.
What scared me the most was not the excruciating sadness I saw in his eyes, it was the look of defeat, of loss I saw in them. I felt my eyes widen as I took in his expression, my heart beating furiously in my chest.
"I'm so sorry, Bella," he started softly. "There isn't anything we can do. We tried everything. But nothing works. It's time to stop the machines… we… he…" he couldn't finish, his eyes started to water.
In my eighteen years of knowing Carlisle, I hadn't seen him cry once. Until now. I stood up and walked slowly towards him, as a doctor came behind him, and took care of his unfinished sentence.
"We are almost sure that Edward won't make it till dawn. He isn't improving. In a few minutes, we are stopping the machines, and then we'll wait and see what happens." His eyes were dead too, as if he had given this message a thousand times too much. Seeing many families break apart over the loss of their loved ones.
"I'm sorry," he finished, looking down before exiting the room quietly as if to give us all some privacy. While he left, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper came in to say their final goodbyes. Their faces matched every single one of us in the room. We were all slowly dying.
I shook my head heavily, not really processing his words as the word 'no' started chanting in my head over and over.
"No!" I screamed finally. "I'm his wife! You can't decide that!"
Several things happened in that next minute. Esme gasped and threw herself at her husband, whose tears had finally started to fall. Alice clutched at my side, trying to hold me up, but I flinched away from her and ran, ran back to my life.
"No, Edward, please… don't do this to me!" I cried out. "You said forever." My tears were streaming, soaking my already dirty shirt. I clutched onto him for dear life. I couldn't find the strength in me to get up, nor move. Curling up against him with his hand pressed against my heart, I was slowly dying.
"Please… please don't give up…" I whispered. "I can't live without your love… you promised me… you promised me our forever…" I barely spoke. I wasn't aware of anything but my own heart crippling, till the beeping machine began to increase as his hand curled around the fabric that covered my heart.
I stopped breathing, and my heart stopped beating. Everyone in the room was oblivious to this fact. Esme was crying in her husband's arms, Jasper was holding Alice in his arms, keeping her from falling to the ground; Emmett had both his hands in his hair, covering his face, as his shoulders shook slightly while Rosalie softly caressed his back.
"Edward… please…" I whispered again, squeezing his hand tighter. "You promised…"
As I watched his beautiful face frown my eyes grew wider and wider as the tears ran freely down my cheeks. Slowly he opened his eyes and finally, after what felt like an eternity, my brown eyes connected with the most magical green in the world.
Last night, I was on the threshold of hell. Today, I am within sight of my heaven. I have my eyes on it: hardly three feet to sever me. Emily Bronte's words of Wuthering Heights played in my head.
"Bella," he tried saying, but no sound came out. I just smiled at him, cupping his face with both my hands and caressing his cheeks with my thumbs.
"Bella…" He finally croaked. "Yo-you a-are… you are right… I promised you forever…"
In that single moment, my whole world became light again as I crashed my lips down to kiss him. My body was pressed against his, and I could feel his heartbeat through his shirt. It matched mine perfectly.
"How is this even possible?" I heard the unknown doctor say as he came back into the room. That was when I finally took in my surroundings. Alice was smiling and crying at the same time in Jasper's arms. Esme and Carlisle were embracing each other with the new joy of their son's awakening. Emmett's head had snapped up, his red eyes were wide, but a smile was planted in his dimpled face that mirrored Rosalie's expression. And the confused look on the face of the doctor made absolutely no sense.
"Love…" Edward whispered again, while he caressed my cheek and looked in my eyes with the love he felt for me.
"In the end, love really does conquer all," he bowed his head and his sweet lips met mine once again.
"I thought I lost you…" I murmured through our kiss, while happy tears streamed down my cheeks.
"You'll never lose me," he whispered back, "I'll always be with you. Forever."
"The course of true love never did run smooth."
-William Shakespeare.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading. :)
*This one-shot won Second Place (people's choice) in the contest. ("Till Death Do Us Apart")
*And it is First Place winner as Best Edward and Bella in the TwiTastic Awards.
Banners for this one-shot can be found on my profile.
Lastly I would like to thank Lehava for getting in this crazy journey with me. Love you lots, bb!
And thanks to the betas from PTB : SecretlySeverus, AZBella, ShowtunesJesus and ilovenaley for their great beta-work!
Now, please Review.