Prompt: Breathe
Fandom: Twilight
Word count: 756
Rating: PG
"Oh no, Bella, no!"
Edward fell to his knees at the motionless girl's side, shaking her desperately. She fell limply back, her eyes shut as if asleep, only now she was even more lifeless than when she slept. She was perfectly still, beautiful and silent and dea—
"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!"
She wasn't waking up…She wasn't waking up! There was blood all down her face, coating her arms, soaking through her shirt, trickling down her leg. It was everywhere, it was all he could see, all he could smell. The smell of her intoxicated him, he felt dizzy and sick. Blood was everywhere and yet she couldn't be—it couldn't be that she was—
"Carlisle! Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!"
He was beyond remembering how fragile she was, gripping her so tightly that he might have broken more of her bones if a small moan hadn't interrupted.
"Ed…ward….?"
"Bella!" He let go of her arms, relief pumping into his stomach. Ridiculously, he felt the mad urge to laugh.
But then he saw her face, and the relief sank into oblivion. Her eyes were vacant and dulled, a small trail of blood along her lips. Edward's heart clenched painfully.
She noticed his badly-veiled anguish. "'re you okay?" she mumbled, drowsy with shock.
He laughed, a hard, half-panicked sound. "That's so like you, Bella. Absurd to the very end." But his voice cracked on the last word, and his face was scrunched up like he would be crying if he could.
"'m so sorry, Edward… I just…."
"Don't apologize," he told her, trying to sound stern and controlled, but ending up only pleading. "When you get better—"
Bella smiled. It looked painful to do. "I'm glad you're here…. So, so glad…I'm so lucky, aren't I?" She coughed, and blood came up. "I get to see your face right before I die."
"Don't…don't say that! Don't even think it!" he ordered; but his own voice shook violently, knowing she was right.
"Thank you for everything," she whispered, knowing she was right, too. She could feel herself slipping away as she lied there. "I love you." She was so tired…. Maybe if she just rested for a moment…. Bella began to close her eyes.
"NO!" Edward roared, desperate now. "No! Bella, you've got to…you've got to stay awake! And keep breathing! Do you hear me? Don't think about anything else, just breathe!"
Bella tried to do as she was told, taking deep breaths and carefully counting each one. In…out…in…out…. It hurt to breathe. She didn't want to hurt anymore. It seemed so easy, just letting herself go, easy as falling backwards into empty air, but knowing that you won't be around to see if anyone will catch you. Just painless, endless death. It was so simple. And she was so tired…so tired….
"No, Bella!" a half-sobbing voice shouted. She realized slowly that it was Edward's. "You can't close your eyes! Come on, Bella, please, please, just breathe!"
She couldn't die yet—it would kill Edward. But she didn't know if she had the choice anymore. She heard him only vaguely through the rush in her ears; straining to make out what he was telling her and trying her very best to obey. In…out…in…out…. Her eyelids flickered as she fought for consciousness. Everything was getting blurry, fading around the edges. She tried to reach out to the beautiful, terrified face in front of her but her arms were too heavy. "I knew you would come, Edward. Th…thank you…." She couldn't see anything but him, his eyes horrified and tortured and helpless, and even that image was melting with each breath she took. In…out…in…out…. "I…love…."
She couldn't go on. The black was overwhelming, relentless, she never had a chance against it, really. At least she could still see Edward….
But then he was gone, too.
"B-Bella? Bella…Bella, no, no, no, please no… BELLA!"
His voice never reached her. She was already far away, floating in absolute darkness. It was so peaceful, there was none of the pain that had been clogging her mind before, though she had the strangest feeling that she had left something very important behind. She struggled to remember but her mind only searched empty memories—It was too hard to pull herself back.
So she gave up. She let go of everything she'd ever had. Faded memories were strewn and blurred before dissolving, irretrievable, into nothing. There was only one thing she remembered.
In…
Out…
In…
Out…
In…
…..
…
..