Crash
EPOVIt was only a week after Bella had agreed to marry me, and I was still completely thrilled that she had said "yes." No matter how long I stay with her, I will always be amazed that she wants me almost as much as I want her. She may think that that's impossible, me wanting her, but I thought it was the other way around. It was not unusual that I was thinking of her while I was away hunting. Sometimes it annoyed the hell out of Emmett. Well, it wasn't sometimes; it was always. His thoughts interrupted mine loudly. I can't wait until Bella's a vampire. Then maybe Edward would pay attention when he's hunting with us. Jasper's thoughts were along the same lines. He should just turn her already! Even I'm not this anxious when I'm away from Alice. I tuned them out and thought about Bella some more.
I was thinking about the first time I saw her when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I was instantly hoping that it was Bella; I wanted to hear her perfect voice. I was disappointed when I saw that it was Alice, but I was also very anxious. Alice never called me unless something was wrong. My phone was to my ear in a fraction of a second.
"Alice," I said, trying to control my voice, "what's wrong?"
All she had to say was one word and I was frozen with fear. "Bella."
It took me a few minutes to speak and I realized that Emmett and Jasper were by my side, anxious by my reaction. Jasper could have possibly told Emmett what I was feeling now, I was too numb to feel anything or care what they were thinking.
"Alice, what happened?" I asked her, terrified of her answer.
"She was in a car accident with Angela. A drunk driver ran a red light while they were in Seattle. They're at the local hospital, which happens to be one of the best hospitals in the country. I tried to convince the Chief of Surgery to let Carlisle examine her, but he wont let him. Right now she's in surgery, but I think she's going to be-." She cut off so quickly; I knew what was happening. I really didn't want to hear what her vision was, but I knew she was going to tell me.
"Edward…" Her voice was hoarse, and I was positive of her answer. "Edward," she whispered, "I can't see her."
I didn't realize that I was shaking, so hard that the phone fell from my hand, until Emmett tried to calm me down.
"Hey, dude, stop it. Calm down. What did Alice say?"
Jasper answered, "Bella was in a car accident and Alice couldn't see her for a second. Relax, Edward, she can see her now. Everything will be alright."
Despite Jasper's comforts, I wasn't relaxed, and apparently, Emmett wasn't either.
"God, relax you two. Everything's going to be fine."
We did relax then, only because Jasper was calming us down for us. Most of the time it annoyed me, but this time I was grateful. I needed to get to the hospital as fast as I could.
I felt Emmett and Jasper running behind me as I ran to Emmett's jeep. Emmett ran faster so he could catch up to me. He ran ahead of me and jumped in the driver's seat. He couldn't possibly think I would let him drive.
"Em, move and give me your keys."
"I don't think so, Edward. Your not capable of driving like this."
"He's right, Edward. You need to get a hold of yourself," Jasper said, his voice filled with authority.
"Shut up, Jazz," I snapped at him. "Em, give me the keys," I demanded.
He wasn't happy about the tone in my voice. He hated it when I bossed him around, but I really couldn't care less about that right now. Bella was the only thing I was thinking about.
"You're not in any shape right now to drive. Now get in the backseat like a good boy or I'll put you there myself. We're wasting time."
He was right about that, so I got in the backseat and concentrated on Bella's face, her eyes, her smile, and her beating heart.
I barely paid attention to the passing time; I just concentrated on Bella. As soon as we got in the city limits, I was aware of that Emmett was slowing down. He mist have seen my face because he thought, It may seem unimportant right now, but we have to keep up our appearances. Besides, with the accident and everything, more cops are going to be patrolling. We don't want to get stopped. If anything major happened, Alice would've called. I knew he was right, even if I didn't like it. Jasper thought quietly and comfortingly, Everything is going to be okay. I gave him a small, forced smile. I would be feeling better if Carlisle was with her. I was selfish enough to want to have another option, to ensure that she would make it out of the O.R. absolutely perfect.
As soon as we got to the hospital, I ran to Carlisle and Alice. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie, Esme, and Charlie. I should have known Charlie would be here, and Esme also already thinks of Bella as a beloved daughter, so she would be here, but I was shocked that Rosalie was sitting next to Esme, with a worried look on her face. Her thoughts were as shocking as her presence. She was actually worried about Bella! I also saw Ben Cheney, Angela's boyfriend, Mr. And Mrs. Weber, and Angela's siblings. I scarcely paid attention to that. I was listening to Carlisle and Alice's thoughts, picking out anything that could me that my world has ended. Their thoughts, thankfully, were the most comforting words I've heard all day.
"She's going to be fine," said Carlisle. " She's got a lot of injuries and at this moment, she's not breathing on her own. At the rate she's recovering, or going to recover, she'll be breathing in her own in no time." Alice thought it was time to cut in. "She'll be breathing on her own the day after next, Friday tops. It's still a little fuzzy, but it's getting clearer. Don't worry, Edward. She'll be okay."
"Thank you, Alice. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm just relieved I can tell you this. I wanted to tell Charlie all of that to relieve him as much as you. He was having an anxiety attack until the doctor came out and told him she was going to be fine." She gave me a big smile, and I was so relieved that Bella was going to be fine, I couldn't help smiling back at her.
"Where's her room?" I couldn't help asking.
"She's on the sixth floor, room #6221. But, since she's in the ICU, they won't let anyone see her until she's been stable long enough. They'll let Charlie see her in an hour. He'll visit for a while, then she's all yours."
I turned around and sat next to Emmett and Charlie. Just like Alice, I wish Charlie could be as assured as I was, but I knew that if I told him, it would cause some suspicion. I tried to listen to his thoughts, something to distract me while I waited to see Bella.
He was thinking about when Bella was born, the summers they spent together, when she first came to Forks; he was so happy then. He thought that, with him around, she would be safer. The sad part is, she was safer away from Forks, away from the vampires. Edward, Alice's voice filled my head and I saw that the doctor was on his way towards us in the waiting room.
He said, "I'm sorry I had you wait so long, Charlie. We just wanted to make sure that Bella was stable before we let you see her." He saw me looking eagerly at him and asked, "Who is this?"
I let Charlie answer because I was trying to hear or even see what Bella's condition is like. "This is Edward Cullen, Bella's boy-" he paused to take a deep breath, "fiancé," he said through his teeth. No matter how much he gets to know me, he still thinks that I'm no good for Bella. He was absolutely right, though.
"Well Edward, I'm Dr. Banks. It's very nice to meet you," he said politely. "I suppose you would rather have your father be Bella's doctor, instead of me. But, I can assure you that Bella will be fine and I will keep a very close watch on her."
"I know she'll be fine," I said, " but it would definitely be more comforting if my father was watching her, no offense."
He laughed. "None taken. I understand completely." Then he beckoned Charlie to come with him so I sat back down and waited for Charlie to be done visiting with her.
It was over two hours later and Charlie was finally coming down the stairs to tell me that I could visit with Bella. He came into the waiting room that was practically empty now; Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper went home, Alice was with me and the Webbers and Ben were visiting Angela, who was awake now. Charlie walked over to us and gave us directions to her room, like I needed directions.
"Do you think you could stay with her while I'm at work, Edward?" he asked hesitantly. "Of course, Charlie. I want to be here when Bella wakes up, anyway," I told him. If she wakes up, he thought sadly.
He controlled himself quickly so he could say, "Thank you, Edward. I really appreciate this." He left then, before his emotions could get the better of him.
I walked slower than usual to Bella's room. Alice said she would give me some privacy while I saw Bella. I told her she should go home, but I think that was a mistake. I don't know if I'll need her to comfort me some more by telling me that Bella will be okay. She said that she'd be here as soon as she sees that I need her. Alice and I always have, and always will have each other's backs. We'll always be there when the other one needs the other. Even though I want her now, I knew I needed to do this alone. I took a deep breath and walked into Bella's room. Thanks to my imagination, she didn't look as bas as I thought she would. There was a cast on her left arm, a bandage on her head, some cuts on her face, and respirator tubes down her throat, helping her breathe. She smelled wrong; different from her natural scent, so the doctors must have given her a transfusion or two. I walked to her side and carefully held her hand. I stared at her face for a long time and waited for her to open her beautiful brown eyes.
It had been three days, and even though Alice kept telling me that Bella would wake up soon, I was still worried. The cuts on her face were healing amazingly fast and the bandage on her head was gone. Doctors and nurses kept coming in and out of her room to check on her. Alice was with me then, reassuring me that everything is going to be fine. "Do you have any faith in me, Edward? Do you think that, because I slipped a couple of times, that I'm no longer capable of seeing Bella? I think that you should have a little more respect for me than that," she all but yelled at me. I tried to calm her down, "Alice, you know that I respect you completely. I just want to make sure it's soon." She sighed and said, "Sorry, I know that you're worried. Oh, and by the way, two minutes." I turned to look at her with a hopeful expression on my face, but she was already out the door. Suddenly, the seconds seemed to go by slower. But, finally, she started to cough, choking on the respirator tubes. A nurse immediately walked in and removed the tubes. Bella took a deep breath, but didn't open her eyes. I was disappointed. I thought that she was going to open her eyes. I knew she was getting better, but still, I wanted to ask her if she was all right.
Fifteen minutes later, my eyes were closed and I had my head on the edge of her pillows, when I heard a very familiar flutter of eyelashes. I opened my eyes and saw Bella looking around the room, confused. Her eyes met mine and I couldn't help smiling. I put my hand against the side of her face, holding her as much as I could without worrying about hurting her more.
"Edward," her voice was hoarse. Her throat must be dry.
"Shh," I shushed her. I didn't want her stressed.
Of course she didn't listen to me, "What happened?"
I waited a second, choosing my words so she wouldn't worry about anything unnecessary. "You and Angela were in a car accident. Angela is fine. You have a broken arm and a few cuts on your face. You couldn't breathe on your own for a few days but don't worry. The doctors knew that you were going to be fine. I heard the doctors say that the driver that hit you died of impact." That was the one part I was happy about. "Angela's okay?" Of course she's not worried about herself. I loved that about her.
"Yes, she's awake and has been asking about you nonstop for three days. It's been driving Ben nuts." I laughed a little, and then I was instantly serious. "You know, you scared me, Bella. I thought I lost you." She had that crease between her eyebrows and I knew she was worried.
"You didn't. I'm still here. I'm all right. Now stop worrying." I knew she knew that I could never stop worrying about her. I still tried to worry a little a little less, for her. "Okay. How are you feeling? Should I get a nurse?" She sighed and smiled slightly.
"I'm fine. I don't need a nurse. I could use some water, though." There was a pitcher of water on the table beside her bed. I poured her a glass and watched her drink it. I was about to help her when Alice's voice filled my head. Can I see her yet? You've had a chance to talk to her and once Charlie gets here, I highly doubt we'll have a chance to talk to her again. I gave Bella the choice of seeing Alice; I partially hoped that she wouldn't want to see her, but Alice is one of her best friends, so I didn't think she would not want to see her.
"Do you want to see Alice?"
"Alice is here?"
I knew she would be excited. "Yes, she was worried about you, too, you know. You're like a sister to her." I smiled at her and she smiled back.
We would've stayed like that for a while, but Alice walked in then and started babbling aimlessly. I still looked at Bella and I got lost in her deep, brown eyes.
A couple of hours later, after the doctor examined Bella, Alice called Charlie. He was ecstatic. He got out of work and was on his way here. I was still at Bella's side when he walked in. I really didn't want to leave. Bella saw the colors of my eyes and I had to explain that I was just starting to hunt when Alice called. She all but physically kicked me out when Charlie got here. I wanted to give them some privacy anyway, so Alice and I left to hunt whatever was nearby. We found a herd of deer. We hunted for a few hours and Alice said Charlie was leaving to get some sleep. Two minutes after he left, I was back at Bella's beside. I didn't want her to close her eyes, but she needed to sleep. Alice went home and the others were planning to visit Bella tomorrow. I wasn't sure that Jasper could handle it, but I trusted him. He's more practiced since Bella's eighteenth birthday party where he tried to kill her. He would never hurt Bella now.
Emmett was the first one in the door of Bella's new room; she was moved from the ICU this morning. "Hey, Bella. You sure know how to give a vampire a heart attack. Edward lost it when Alice told him you were in a car accident." He always twisted the truth when he showed any kind of weakness. "You weren't so great either, Em. I recall Jazz having to calm you down, too. Everyone laughed when he growled. It was rare to see him upset over anything, even Rosalie. After that, everyone just started talking. There was never just one conversation, and Bella was apart of all of them. I have only seen her talk this much when I was questioning her nonstop last year. She truly looked happy. But when she looked at me, somehow, she looked even happier.
It was a few days later when Bella was allowed to go home. Charlie asked Carlisle if Bella could stay with us, so Carlisle could keep an eye on her. I was grateful when he asked; I didn't want to leave Bella at all. I really wanted to hold her twenty-four/seven. When I told her, she was excited. She didn't want to leave me either.
We spent the next week together, never leaving each other's sides. I realized that that's what it's going to be like when we're married. I couldn't picture a more perfect way to spend the rest of my life.