Chapter One

EPOV

The waiting room was quiet; it was at least one in the morning. The receptionist had shuffled and reshuffled the same stack of papers at least four times by this point. I wasn't sure what was making her so nervous; she hadn't been this way when we first arrived. Her mind wasn't giving anything away, either.

Anxiety was drowning me as I waited to hear something, anything. Three hours without a single word from anyone about how she was doing. They say that no news is good news, but my sanity was slipping through my fingers.

A clock in the far corner of the room was testing my already nonexistent patience. Repetitive ticking filled the void of noise, and I was ready to scream. I walked over to the front desk.

"Can you please give me any information at all?" I pleaded for the umpteenth time.

"I promise you, I will tell you the second any information is available," she said as she took an intense fascination in her nails. Her jumpy behavior was making me nervous. Like she knew something she didn't want to.

I sighed and sat back down. I started pulling on the frayed strings of my jeans to occupy my hands.

Earlier in the day, around three or four, we had left the apartment we were staying in to walk around, do some sightseeing. It was a beautiful day for London and we wanted to make the most of the rare occasion. If only I knew that decision would end up with spending the night in the emergency room.

I had called Carlisle, repeatedly, but he wasn't much consolation, especially being thousands of miles away in Alaska. Bella's parents were nowhere nearby, either; we've been slightly isolated for a few months. I tried calling them, too, but no one answered.

It was a calm day, the kind that made you want to just sit outside and breathe in fresh air. The perfect chance to slow down and take it all in.

We moved to London in the spring, and everything about it was lovely. We had both wanted to leave home and go somewhere new, somewhere to begin our early married lives.

Her parents were none too pleased, being so freshly graduated from high school and married, then disappearing to a new country entirely. I guess I understand their concern, but it didn't really affect our decision. My family understood, as it was time for all of us to leave Forks to keep suspicions down.

I wasn't sure what had happened then. We were sitting on a bench in a small, quiet park. She sat cross-legged, facing me. We were silent, enjoying the silence. Then, without any warning, I noticed her eyes glaze as her head snapped forward, falling unconscious. It was as quick as that. No one had seen it coming. And it would change all of our lives.

I checked her head as I took her to the hospital as quickly as I could. Not a single mark, bruise, bump, anything.

I called Alice, surprised she hadn't warned me beforehand. When I told her what had happened, she was just as shocked. She couldn't see anything related to Bella at that point. I've been numb since she said that. Nothing. Like she was already gone.

Brain dead? I had asked her, fear controlling my body. She didn't know. Carlisle didn't think it was possible with no trauma to her brain.

Her future was lost.

When we had arrived at the hospital, the neurologist began asking questions about what happened. Her thoughts told me that she assumed it was my fault; that I had hit her or poisoned her. I knew the idea was crazy, and convinced her I didn't touch her.

It wasn't until nearly 8 hours later did I hear an update. They found nothing wrong. No tumor, nothing noticeably strange, everything was in working order. Her system was clean, but I had known that.

They let me back to see her. Her face was pale, unmoving. Her expression was blank; peaceful. Like she was just sleeping.

No, I thought. Please, please wake up.

She stayed like that for four months.