I awoke on a bed in a room I had never seen before. I was aware someone was with me, but it was too dark to see anything and fear began growing inside me. I took a second to gather my thoughts, I wouldn't be able to escape or fight if I didn't at least get a feel of what surrounded me. I realized that I had been placed under the covers and the bed was very plush with an expensive feel to it. I felt my fear ease up just a little; who would bother putting me under the covers and making sure I was comfortable if they intended on hurting me. I reached my hand to feel my head, and sure enough there was a bandage; someone had been taking care of me. The lightening flashed outside, and I was finally able to get a glimpse of where I might be and my heart jumped inside my chest when I saw that one whole side of the room was a big window. My heart started racing; Edward had never left, he'd been here all along! I couldn't contain myself and I sat up so quickly it made me dizzy; Edward had been sitting in the corner of the room and jumped up when he saw that I was awake. As he moved to the side of the bed he spoke, "How are you feeling?" but it didn't sound like Edward. I figured I must have banged my head pretty bad.
"Edward…" It came out as a whisper, but I knew he had heard me. I felt the bed sink under his weight next to me; I reached for his hand and laced my fingers through his when I found it.
"Bella, I-"
"No, don't talk! I don't want to hear what you have to say right now, I just want to sit here and enjoy this." Once again, I thought that his voice sounded different. Maybe it was just because I hadn't seen him in a few months. He didn't move, he just sat there and held my hand but I longed for him to lie down beside me and wrap me in his arms. I didn't understand what was going on; if he had been here, and I'm sure he had by how clean this room was, then why hadn't he come to see me. And what room was I in, it definitely wasn't his, I had never seen this one before, and finally why hadn't he hugged or kissed me yet. After a few minutes of silence I got the courage to speak and asked him why he was here.
"I never left, I couldn't." Panic coursed through me, my blood rushing through my veins as I realized that this voice didn't belong to Edward. I was too scared to move, yet I needed to see who was sitting here with me. I slowly leaned up, cautiously pulling my hand away releasing myself from any impending danger. As if prompted, lightening filled the sky lighting up the room and I gasped as I realized who sat next to me.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, Bella; but Edward isn't here." Carlisle's hand reached out for mine again as he spoke, trying to make his words as soothing as possible. To say the least, I was relieved that it was Carlisle. For whatever reason, I had thought I was in danger; that someone, maybe another vampire had taken claim on the Cullen house and had been staying here. I never thought it could be one of them; this room was so unfamiliar to me, which probably spiked my suspicions, but then it made sense. This had been Carlisle and Esme's room, which is why I had never seen it before. I could tell by the paintings on the wall, they resembled the ones in his office, but this collection also included some with Esme. I was unsure as to why they had a bed, since vampires don't sleep, but when a realization popped in to my head I was quick to dismiss it. I must've hit my head pretty hard. I had spent the past few minutes in utter confusion jumping from one conclusion to the next, my head had begun to ache more than before. But I was so happy, even if it wasn't Edward and I sat up quickly and threw my arms around his neck. He paused only for a moment before wrapping his arms around my waist and then pulling me closer tightening his grip. We sat there for a very long time, just holding each other as my tears stained his shirt. After awhile, I asked him again why he hadn't left.
"I didn't agree with him, I knew you wouldn't be able to make it alone. I care about you so much I couldn't just leave you here; I wanted to be able to check up on you and make sure everything was ok. Without your knowledge, of course, unless you got into trouble and then I would've most likely intervened." His words filled up inside me as he spoke and I tightened my grip on his neck. I cared about him too; but it felt different than Edward. With Carlisle, we were hardly ever alone, unless I needed stitches, but for the most part I just watched from afar. However, I knew that sometimes, I watched with longing and adoration, imagining being in his arms like I was now. I felt so safe, and even though his skin was cool to the touch, I felt warm. He gently pushed me away and told me I needed to lie down, the cut on my head had been pretty bad and he had given me a few stitches. Big surprise.
"Would you lie down beside me?" I sounded like a child as I asked the question but I was so afraid of his answer, of rejection. I was relieved when he slowly crawled under the covers with me, careful not to stir the bed too much. In a way, this was awkward, after all this was Carlisle. But at the same time, I knew that this is what I wanted. Even though my heart ached for Edward and I would love him until I no longer existed, I felt something for Carlisle. I didn't think it was love, since it had never had a chance to grow, but there were definitely some feelings for him, and they were deep.
"I care about you a lot, too, and I'm really glad you stayed. Knowing all this makes me feel better than I have in months." There was silence when I finished, except for the rain on the roof, and I began to feel self conscience. What if he had meant he cared for me like a father cares for a daughter, or someone cares for a pet. As I was contemplating this, I felt him slid towards me and press his cool body against mine as he wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes and took in his scent. It wasn't familiar, yet, but I hoped that it would be. I relaxed in his arms, the first time in months and enjoyed just being in the moment. He tilted his head down and kissed the top of mine sending chills through my body.
"I think you should try and get some sleep and we will talk in the morning."
I hadn't realized how tired I was until now and tried to stifle a yawn but eventually gave in.
"Good night, Bella."
"Good night, Carlisle." And I quickly drifted off to sleep.