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Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Twilight saga. Stephenie Meyer's does!
Prologue
It sounded like a firecracker. The exploding crack only lasted for a second, but in just that one second, my entire life changed. I heard someone grunt in pain. It was more of a groan. And in slow motion, I saw my fiancé falling forward into my arms. I collapsed to the ground with Edward lying atop of me. I maneuvered myself into a sitting position and cradled him in my arms. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed the blood seeping through his shirt. My eyes traveled over to the upper left side of his chest and there it was, a tiny hole, where the bullet had gone through. Exhaling, a ragged breath escaped my lips as I glanced up at my fiancé's face. His eyes were closed and his chest was already rising and lowering slower than it should have been.
"Edward?" I gently shook his shoulder. When he didn't move or respond, I shook him again and exclaimed louder, "Edward!" When I didn't receive a response, I broke down and cried. Angry tears spilled from eyes as my body trembled. I wrapped Edward in a tight embrace with his head resting against my chest.
I felt a gentle hand rest itself upon my shoulder and I gasped, startled, "It's me, Bella. I've called 911, and an ambulance should be here any minute. Jasper's got the bastard tied up. Emmett knocked James unconscious. Jasper's keeping guard."
I raised my eyes from Edward's paling face to Alice's worried eyes as she gazed down at her brother and me. That's when the next crucial thought hit me. I couldn't believe they had slipped my mind. What kind of mother was I?
"Where are Kaela and Kaden? Dear God, please tell me James didn't hurt them!" More tears began welling up in my eyes as I imagined our small children lying on the ground, nearing death, with blood pooling out beneath them, just like their father.
"They're safe. Emmett's with them. He doesn't want them coming out here and seeing their daddy like this." I watched as Alice dropped to the ground beside us and sighed, "This isn't good, Bella. There's no blood beneath you. That means the bullet is still inside Edward. It causes more damage that way."
I was about to respond when I heard the sirens in the distance. They grew louder as the ambulance neared our house. The ambulance pulled up. I was about to thank God, when I felt my fiancé spasm in my arms. I tore my eyes down to his face and saw his eyes open briefly and close as he gasped a breath. Then he went limp in my arms.
I don't remember letting go of Edward but now I found myself cradled against Jasper's chest as Alice stroked my hair. The paramedics were surrounding my fiancé's body shouting orders left and right.
"No breath sounds. Get him intubated. Charge up the paddles. Now!"
Everything was happening so fast. It seemed like hours had passed, but in reality only a minute had passed, when I heard one of the paramedics shout "Clear!". I watched as Edward's body was jolted up and caved down a second later. Then the paramedic closest to his head continued to deliver air to my fiancé's lungs. They repeated this step three times before the head paramedic told the junior paramedic to continue delivering the oxygen while they raced my fiancé to the hospital.
"Bella, we're going to follow the ambulance to the hospital. Emmett already has the babies in their car seats. Let's go!" Alice ordered as Jasper carried me over to the Volvo. Emmett was in the driver seat as I was placed in the passenger seat and buckled up. "Jazz and I will meet you guys. But go now! Emmett, drive as fast as you can. Ed didn't have a heartbeat when they left. Now, go!"
I don't even remember arriving at the hospital or taking Kaden out of his car seat… As I took in my surroundings, I was laying in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. I went to remove it when a gentle, but firm hand caught my wrist.
"No, Bella, leave it in. Carlisle said you're in shock and the IV is keeping you hydrated."
Hospital? IV? Carlisle? Why was I in the hospital? Why wasn't…. Oh! "Edward! Is he alive?"
"Bella, when they brought Edward in, he had no heartbeat. He'd been in cardiac arrest for twelve minutes. Carlisle had to crack open in his chest with a rib spreader and massage his heart. That took another five minutes, but a minute into massaging his heart, Edward's heart began to beat. But it's not good, Bella. The bullet nicked the aorta. Edward's in surgery right now."
"Open heart surgery?"
"Yes, dear. He's been in there for three hours now. We probably won't hear anything for another five hours or longer. Carlisle said it's at least an eight hour procedure."
"What are his chances? Carlisle must've told you…"
Esme looked away, agony and terror creeping into her eyes.
"Tell me, Esme. Edward's my fiancé, the father of my children. Please…" My voice cracked and I sounded like a small child trying to get out of a punishment.
"Thirty percent. Even if he survives surgery and the critical seventy-two hours after surgery, Carlisle's more concerned with the after effects of surgery and the lack of oxygen Edward's brain endured for those eighteen minutes his heart had stopped beating."
"What are you saying, Esme?"
I watched as Esme's face twisted in pain and I could tell her response tortured her as she spoke, "He will be in a coma after surgery, medically induced, of course. But with his brain not receiving oxygen, Carlisle said Edward will probably never awaken from the coma. He'll be trapped in the vegetative state."
My eyes grew wide in horror… there was no positive outcome, both outcomes were negative… One, he won't survive the surgery. Or two, he'll survive but never wake up. My fiancé would be a vegetable, trapped in his own body.
***Don't assume this is another "killing Edward off" story. Who knows when this prologue occurs during the story… DUN, DUN, DUN! There will be lots of struggles and tears, but I can promise you that the ending will be a pleasant one! YAY!***
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