Hello, everyone! This is my entry for Oxygen. And. Cucumber's (remove the spaces) 1500 word challenge!

Right now, the title Awakening, is sort of temporary. If I think of a better one I'll be changing it.


I glanced out the window and saw Alice pull up in the driveway. She honked once to let me know that she was here. I walked the length to the doorway- the carpeted area I had been pacing back and forth for a couple of hours, which was now flattened- and put on a warm coat and grabbed an umbrella. You never knew when one was needed in Forks, Washington.

I locked the door behind me and shuffled miserably to Alice's Porsche. My truck had broken down earlier today and Alice had offered to give me a ride to the hospital.

She smiled kindly at me. "How are you holding up, Bella?" She asked sympathetically.

I shrugged half heartedly. "I've been okay."

"He'll be on his feet and back to normal in no time," she promised. "Dad says he's showing improvement, and he should wake up in another couple of days." She backed out of the driveway, and started speeding down the streets.

"Your dad said that one week ago," I pointed out. "And nothing has happened yet."

She sighed. "He'll be fine. He won't just leave us and go like that, especially not you. He loves you."

I nodded and turned my face away from Alice so that she couldn't see the tears that were threatening to spill over any second.

A few minutes later Alice pulled up in front of the Forks Hospital. Thanking her, I got out of the car and made my way to Room 240, the path I had taken so many times these last couple of weeks.

The nurses I crossed on the way looked at me sympathetically; they were accustomed to seeing me at least once a day, if not twice.

When I reached the door I hesitated for just a brief second before slowly turning the door and entering the room. Elizabeth Masen was sitting next to her son's bed, his hand grasped in hers, tears streaming down her face. I waited a few minutes before clearing my throat, not wanting to interrupt such an intimate moment.

Mrs. Masen looked up, and the sight of me brought on a fresh round of tears. "Oh, Bella," she gasped. "C-Carlisle says th-that he's starting to r-recover." I stumbled to her side and she wrapped her arms around me, while sobbing into my shoulder.

I felt tears of happiness starting to fall from my eyes as well, and I wiped at them hastily. After a few minutes, Mrs. Masen became quiet and she looked up, her face dry.

"Thank you so much, Bella. I can't tell you how much your support and love means to me at a time like this."

I understood what she meant. I wouldn't have been able to get through the ordeal of seeing Edward broken on the hospital bed without the love of my friends and family.

"Do you need a ride home, dear?" Mrs. Masen asked from the doorway. She was leaving.

"No, it's fine, Mrs. Masen. I'll be here for a while. Alice offered to give me a ride back, so I'll probably call her later." I replied.

She left, leaving me alone with an unconscious Edward. I leant over him, my lips brushing his lightly. A few minutes after Mrs. Masen left, I realized she had forgotten her ring here. The crystal in it sparkled, throwing reflections of light all over the room.

Dr. Carlisle Cullen- Alice's father- came in about half an hour after Mrs. Masen came.

"Ah, Bella," he greeted. "Are you okay?" He asked, noting my puffy eyes.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Is he getting better?" I asked. It was the same question everyday and almost the same answer as well –"Not yet, Bella, not yet. We're working on it."

"He is showing sign's of improvement," Dr. Cullen replied- an answer varying from the norm. "I think it's possible that he'll come out of the coma tomorrow or the day after. We're going to take a couple more tests now, so why don't you go get something to eat?"

I nodded and left the room, squeezing Edward's lifeless hand. The hospital canteen was one floor above, so I took the elevator, not having enough energy to climb the steps.

"One chicken sandwich, please," I told the lady behind the counter.

She gave it to me and asked, "Anything else?"

I spotted Edward's favorite chocolate bar stacked up with other candy "Yes. Can I have that chocolate bar as well?"

I paid her and sat alone at a table, eating my sandwich slowly. When I was finished with both the sandwich and the chocolate bar I though away the wrapper and walked back to Edward's room.

Dr. Cullen was just finishing in there. When I went inside, he said, "Bella, we're hoping that he'll come out of the coma in a couple of days. It was a very brutal car crash, to cause coma for such a long time, but I'm sure he'll make a full recovery in one or two months."

I nodded. Along with his coma, Edward's left leg was also broken in two places. He had two broken ribs and many bruises coloring his body.

"Hang in there," he said kindly. "He'll be up in a couple of days."

I nodded again. I believed him. Carlisle Cullen was the best doctor I knew and he also cared about Edward personally.

I took my place again by Edward's side. After a few minutes, I got restless. I paced around the room, unable to look at Edward. I stood near the window and stared at the moon outside.

The door opened. I looked around and saw a nurse peek into the room. "You should get going dear," she said kindly. "It's nearing midnight."

I looked at the clock and saw that it was indeed, almost midnight. "Okay. I'll be out in a few minutes." The hospital was open to visitors only till midnight.

I looked at Edward. Being near him was hard, yet being away from him was harder. Every minute I spent in the hospital room I couldn't bear to look at him, to see his lifeless body. When I was away, I yearned to be near him, to make sure that he was okay, that he was still fighting.

I had withdrawn from my friends, the ones who helped me in my moment of need. I couldn't talk to anyone; I couldn't do anything without being reminded that he was lying in the hospital, unconscious.

Alice, Rose, Emmett and Jasper were always there for me. I didn't speak much to them these days, but they at least understood my pain. Edward was like a brother to Alice and Rosalie; he was Emmett's and Jasper's best friend.

I stared at Edward's face and felt an overwhelming rush of sadness and worry. I could feel the tears coming again. I closed my eyes and willed my self to breathe slowly: in, out.

Finally the hour hand struck midnight. I got up slowly, knowing that any minute the nurse would be back telling me it was time to go home. I glanced at Edward one more time and then stepped into the corridor, closing the door behind me.

Indeed, the nurse was hurrying down the corridor towards me; when she was me she stopped abruptly and went back the way she had come. It almost made me smile. Almost. I hadn't smiled in weeks, ever since Edward had the accident.

How could I? Nothing seemed important anymore. Nothing other than Edward. My life revolved around him these days: making sure he was okay, and worrying about when he would become better.

I loved him more than anyone in the world. I know, I'm just a teenager, what would I know about love? That's what I thought before the accident. I wasn't sure of my love towards him. But now, I know that my love is true. All the days spent in the small hospital room convinced me that my love for him is real.

At the foyer, I called Alice from the front desk. She promised to be here in 5 minutes, so I waited outside to her.

She dropped me off home, and I had a hard time sleeping that night. It was no different than any other night. I tried to keep myself awake, because when I slept, I saw things I didn't want to; things I had avoided thinking about when I was awake. I had nightmares of Edward never recovering, of him not remembering me when he woke up. They tortured me every night, causing me to have many sleepless and restless nights.

I had woken up from the same nightmare that had been haunting me for days now: Edward being unable to recognize me when he woke up. The phone was ringing. I glanced at the time. It was 5 in the morning.

"Hello?" I asked, my breathing ragged.

"Bella!" Alice's jubilant voice said. "Edward woke up from the coma!"


So the title is not only about Edward waking from the coma, it's also sort of the awakening of Bella's feelings...

Anyway, I'm not sure how many other people are going to enter, but cross your fingers and hope I win!!

Xx-AddictedToTwilight-xX