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The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this fiction may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the author's prior approval.
Chapter 2
Breathe.
"Bella!" A voice shouted behind me. IT sounded as though whoever it was, was winded and panting. I didn't slow my run, but looked over my shoulder to see Mr. Cullen catching up behind me.
"Mr. Cullen!" I huffed loudly and he laughed.
"I didn't know you were running today." He finally got the words out and I just nodded in response.
"I run every day." I told him simply and he raised his eyebrows. I noticed that he was sweatier than he usually was at practice and going a little bit faster. I could practically see his bare chest through his white shirt. I was happy that I had thought to wear a white sports bra under my shirt, because I was pushing myself even harder as well.
"So do I." He nodded curtly.
"Just out of…curiosity…why don't you run in Forks?" I asked him and he glanced at me before going back to where he was looking ahead.
"Forks is very small, populated…and flat. There really isn't running…room…there." His words shook and I nodded slowly. I had been to Forks many times but had never really thought about whether it had proper running conditions or not.
We continued running side by side. I thought about the first few weeks of my senior year. I hated to admit it, but Mr. Cullen made them much more enjoyable than they ever would have been before. I looked forward to the time between fifth and sixth period every day. We had begun our first assignment in music, which was using lyrics to describe things in ways that just words couldn't. Somehow, I even ended up eating lunch in his room the other day. Every day he and I ran together, while the rest of the team trailed slowly behind. We had a lot of time to get to know each other – it was hard to not call him a friend.
"Good luck finding a seat at lunch, Ugly Duckling." Jessica laughed as I made sure that I had everything I needed in my lunch box. I was determined to avoid the lunch line.
"Good luck finding a fucking lunch!" Lauren laughed, shoving her perfectly manicured hand out and knocking the open tote out of my hands. My food splattered out and across the tile floor of Mr. Cullen's classroom. My face grew instantly hot and I was so pissed off that my eyes began blurring with tears.
"Good one, Lor." Jane walked over and praised the two girls as the bell rang.
I just stood there with my fists balled up at my side, my blurry vision trained on the mess in front of me. In that moment, I hated the two of them. I had woken up late that day and skipped breakfast, which left me already hungrier than usual. And then I didn't add money to my account, using that as motivation to pack my lunch. The group of girls had made sure to call me every name possible since I had walked in the doors that morning and then they had to embarrass me on the first day of my second week there.
"What happened?" Mr. Cullen walked in. He had excused himself to go to the bathroom only moments before the girls approached me. I looked up at him, at a loss of words. We both knew that Jane Volturi wouldn't be punished for a single act of evilness in her life and that she'd see to it that her little group of wannabes wouldn't either. In order to keep her power, she offered everyone protection.
She made sure that the minority was kept silent as well. The minority was me.
"Bella?" His eyes softened as I just stared at him. I bit the inside of my cheek, praying that he couldn't see the slight tremble in my lower lip. His voice grew quiet. "Please, tell me what happened."
"Nothing." I squeaked, lying just as I always did.
"You and I both know that's not true!" He scolded me and I looked back down, averting my eyes towards the mess at my feet. Mr. Cullen let out a hurt sigh before getting down and beginning to pick up my mess. I shook my head and tried to get him to stop, but he just kept pulling the mess together. "I don't know why you won't tell me who's doing this to you. I have an idea, but I can't help you until I hear it from you."
"You can't help anyway. The only thing that can help is a diploma." I snorted and he just stopped to look at me for a moment. I rolled my eyes at his incredulous expression. "What? It's true."
"They don't have the right to treat you this way. It's bullying, Bella. This is what? The third lunch they've taken from you since school started. I don't even see what happens outside of my class." He breathed, looking as defeated as I felt.
"Mr. Cullen…sometimes…in life…sometimes people who don't deserve power have power anyway. Sometimes the good people suffer and the bad people gain. It's not fair and it sucks…but that's life." I spoke slowly, as if explaining something so difficult to a child. He just sighed and nodded, seeming to understand exactly what I meant. "It sucks, but I'll get over it."
"You know, you could tell them off or something. If you do it in my classroom I'll just casually be distracted then." He offered and I smiled at him.
"Except…they have the power to keep me silent and the power to suddenly make me look like the worst person in the world." I murmured.
"That's the biggest load of…I'm sorry, Bella, but that's ridiculous. You're one of the sweetest girls I know. It's not right." He brushed everything onto a napkin and then stood to go throw it away. I just stood and brushed my knees off. I was wearing the same uniform that I had on the first day, only with a fresh shirt. When I looked up, Mr. Cullen was watching me and slowly coming back over to me.
"Don't worry about it." I reassured him, crossing my arms. "I'm over it for today."
"But you don't have food now, huh?" His brow came to a pinch and his green eyes looked lost. I just shrugged, telling him I wasn't hungry. I was actually starving but that had nothing to do with him. I didn't want to come off as needy. As if on cue, and because the world was against me, my stomach let out a very loud growl, making both of us jump a bit. Mr. Cullen laughed. "Not hungry?"
"I'm fine."
"No. You're hungry." He waived me over to his desk.
I followed him over and watched as he pulled out a plastic container. He tore the lid off and began putting half of the salad in the lid. I was shaking my head, promising that I wasn't really that hungry and that my stomach was just loud. Mr. Cullen blatantly ignored me as he sliced his apple in half and then handed me a granola bar and juice as well. It was very sweet of him, but it wasn't necessary.
"I can't eat your food," I said half-heartedly.
"Humor me." He smirked, sitting down in his seat. I pulled a chair up to his desk and slowly began picking apart the salad.
After that day, I ate in his room every day. I always made sure to have my own food though. Sometimes I even split my lunch with him because I brought my many leftovers. That was a minor plus to living alone. I cooked full meals and had plenty to spare. He even had me bring a full thing of lasagna over, wanting to take some home for himself. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug. I had found yet another way to Mr. Cullen's heart, even if that wasn't a goal of mine.
It was nice to have a friend that I could count on.
I realized that him greeting me on that day, out in public, on a weekend, meant that I really could consider him a friend. Any other teacher would have ignored me and gotten as far away from me as possible. Even Angela would have ignored me, not wanting to seem off track and worrying about things other than her career. Mr. Cullen seemed sincerely happy to see me though. It made me feel better about myself.
Our pace began to slow as we approached where I lived. He didn't know that we were next to my apartment building, but rather caught onto my increasingly slow pace. I sat down on a boulder, which I was sure had been put there for decoration considering there was one identical to it across the walkway, and began to drink my water. Mr. Cullen sat down next to me, not having enough room to leave more than a few inches between us. He took a gulp of his water and swiped at his sweaty face. I breathed heavily, hoping to catch my breath quickly.
"This place is huge." He spoke, stuttering a bit.
"Trust me, I know. It's scary big."
"I wonder what it's like up there." He pointed to the very top, his green eyes shining. I could see the specks of gold around his pupil in the sunlight. "Where half of the walls are made of glass. My room kind of has a wall like that. I can't imagine it with a view."
"I live here." I spoke without thinking and he raised his eyebrows. "In the penthouse…"
"You live in that place? Alone?"
"Technically, no." I shrugged with tired muscles. "Besides, it's got fantastic security. You'd probably have to ID yourself before getting in with me."
"That doesn't mean you can just trust everyone in the building." He mumbled, his brows low and a slight hint of anger in his voice. I wasn't sure what he was angry about, so I just sat there in silence.
"You can come see it if you want." I offered, the words falling from my lips before I could stop them. I felt my already red face grow darker when I realized that I probably sounded incredibly creepy. I stammered, hoping to make sense of my first offer. "I mean, if you want to check out the view. Nothing weird."
"I don't know." He seemed honestly conflicted, his eyes glancing from me to the building. "I guess…if you promise not to hold me hostage or shove me from the top."
"That escalated quickly." I laughed, standing up and stretching. He did the same, copying my actions, and then followed me up to the front.
I flashed my ID and told the doorman that Mr. Cullen was always safe and welcome. He nodded and welcomed the both of us, after making Mr. Cullen show his identification and basic information. We walked to the elevator and I routinely pressed the PH button, which would take us to the very top floor. When the cab stopped and the doors opened, I held my arm over the sensor, letting Mr. Cullen exit first and then followed. I couldn't help but appreciate the view of the back of him as he walked past me. He looked so much more rugged and normal after he worked out. I stopped ogling him once he was far enough ahead and caught up quickly.
We walked down the hall to my doorway, where I swiftly pulled my key out of my bra and unlocked the door. I had to fight the feeling of awkwardness that came over us when he realized where I had been hiding my key. I pushed the door open as quickly as possible and gestured for him to enter first. He did, thanking me as he did so, and I followed quietly as he took it all in.
"This is ridiculous." He breathed, his eyes taking in the windows that were everywhere.
The living room was huge. It had dark, wooden floors and modern, turquoise furniture placed in an organized fashion in a square shape. The furniture all faced a sixty inch television that was mounted on the wall that he couldn't see just yet. What he was looking at was the other two walls in the room. They were literally just two giant windows that overlooked the city and beyond. The one directly across from the doorway overlooked an awning with an in-ground pool on it. I planned on taking a swim once he left. The room was very open, and as nice as the space was, it often felt very lonely in the dark night.
"You live here?" He gasped again and I giggled a bit.
"I know." I walked over to stand beside him. "It's actually one of the smaller places we've lived at, but I think that's actually because I'm living here alone most of the time. Renee and Phil weren't willing to pay for an entire house if they weren't living in it."
"This is…wow." He was speechless. I nodded knowingly. I had felt the same when I spent my first night there alone.
"It's really something." I shrugged. "The pool's nice for after a run. My room is upstairs and pretty big like this room…it also has a view."
"I'm lucky you turn in any homework at all. I'd get so distracted…I'd spend all my time just staring out the window."
"I disagree." I commented and he looked at me, looking purely confused. "It gets…lonely. Especially when I look out the window. It's like, I know it sounds silly, but it's like I can see all these other people. People who have someone and people who are going home to someone. To be up here, so out in the open, with so much space…but so alone…it gets…lonely."
"Jeez, Bella. That was rude of me. It gets lonely just living in my smaller place. I tend to forget that money doesn't actually buy everyone's happiness." He looked at me, his eyes seeming to understand me for once.
"They could have bought my happiness…had I not spent some time with my dad growing up. Charlie is happiness. He comes home at night, and even if he can't cook, he asks what I want for dinner. Charlie takes me out with him and invites me to go fishing on weekends. He tells me about work and even if it's not all the time…he does tell me that he loves me. That's happiness. Not lots of zeroes on the end of small numbers. Not big houses with fancy furniture," I spoke monotonously. "I know I sound ungrateful…I have all of this. So many people would die for just a fraction of what I take for granted every day. That doesn't mean I'm happy though."
"You're right." He nodded. "I may live alone, but I live a few houses down from my parents. My mother still calls me every night, despite her twenty-four-seven schedule as a doctor. My dad invites me to events and pays for dinner when he knows I need help. Mom'll drop by and clean up my house if she doesn't have anything to do, or if she's been thinking about me. That's love."
"That's happy." I told him.
"I wish your parents cared more."
"I hardly consider Renee and Phil my parents. Charlie cares, there's just nothing he can do. The courts basically decided that I can decide what I want to do with myself when I get my diploma. I'll move to Forks and open a restaurant there as soon as I can."
"You know, when you graduate and move to Forks, if you need anything at all you can call me up. I'll always be nearby. You have my word that I'll be eating at your restaurant every night. Your food is already one of my favorites. I think you make a better mushroom ravioli than my mother – that's really saying something." He reassured me and I grinned, feeling suddenly positive of our friendship. Mr. Cullen cared.
"Thanks. That means a lot. Really." I told him, looking up into his eyes. That was my dork attempt to convey just how serious I was, with only my eyes. Charlie had always said I had inherited his eyes and that they were open books, a quick way to read my soul. I hoped that he was right just then.
My phone began ringing, making both of us jump. I walked over to pick it up off of the counter and answer it.
"Hello?"
"Bells?" Charlie asked and I laughed, slightly breathless.
"It's me." I laughed again and put it on speaker, I began taking my shoes off as we spoke. "You're on speaker."
"Is anyone else there?" He asked me and I glanced at Mr. Cullen. He was just staring blankly at me when I did. I pursed my lips, taking a moment to decide. What I said then could have changed everything. I was on the fence and decided to just go for it.
I told him I was alone.
"I hope that over winter break you can come stay here, Kid." He spoke gruffly, clearly annoyed by the fact that I said I was alone. I knew that he would have been equally upset had he known that I had let a grown man into the apartment with me. "I don't like you spending all your time in that place, alone. You may not be a little kid, but you're still vulnerable."
"I'm fine, Dad." I sighed, hoping that the 'Dad' card would soften him up.
"No, I see a lot of young women like you in my line of work. A lot of women who were living alone when they shouldn't have been."
"I don't really feel like talking about this right now." I told him. Mr. Cullen had placed himself on the edge of the couch across from me. I stared openly at him as I stretched and took my hair down. I didn't want to talk with Charlie – I wanted to take advantage of my private time with Mr. Cullen. I wanted to talk to him and relish in the moment of comfort. I wasn't alone for once and my dad decided to call me.
"I know, Bells. I don't mean to freak you out. I just worry." He muttered. I could practically see him palming his face. He did that when he stressed. "I wanted to make sure that you got back from your run okay."
"Yeah, I'm fine." I reiterated. "The run was good too. There and back with no problems."
"That's because you had me." Mr. Cullen winked and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What was that, Bells?" Charlie asked and I felt my eyes widen.
"Nothing, Dad! Can I call you back? I need to shower and stuff. I hate to get sweat on my fancy cellular device." I held the phone away from my head, grimacing at the sight of sweat on it. I was only half kidding with my reason for hanging up. The phone wasn't worth anything to me, but I did want to find time to talk to Edward before I took a shower.
"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure everything's locked up. Keep your phone close."
"Of course." I agreed.
"Love you. Stay safe."
"I love you too." I said quickly before hanging up.
Mr. Cullen just watched me, his green eyes seeming deep. He was looking at my soul and I felt suddenly naked in front of him. Not in the literal sense, but rather as though he could see my exact thoughts and feelings. He had never known more of me than he did in that moment. My phone calls with Charlie, no matter how empty and short, were very private. I didn't normally let them go on so far in front of somebody.
Renee and Phil would find a way to use them against me. Anyone else wouldn't understand. I trusted Mr. Cullen.
"It's nice to know that he's watching you, even when he's not here." Mr. Cullen finally murmured. "That someone checks up on you and wants to know where you are."
"It's not that big of a deal."
"If something were to happen…if something happened to you, wouldn't you want somebody to notice your absence? To question where you went?" He asked and I thought about it for a moment. I had never thought of it that way. Charlie's constant questions and calls weren't him being overprotective. They were him watching over me, because nobody else would. "My parents would know. The school would know. But who would know for you?"
"You've made your point." I agreed with him and swallowed heavily. "I guess I never thought of it so seriously. Nobody would notice if I disappeared, nobody but Dad would care."
"I need to go." He shot up suddenly, pulling a phone out of his pocket. He glanced at it before shoving it back in his pocket. I watched, in shock, as he reached out and swiped my own phone from my hands. He typed something into it before handing it back to me.
"Don't use that number unless it's a dire emergency…but if you need something, anything, you can call or text me." He explained. I looked at it and found 'Edward Masen' in my contacts. "I used my second middle name…just in case one of those girls at school found it. I wouldn't want them with my number but I also would like to know that you're safe."
"Thanks." I whispered, putting the phone on the counter. I knew that I wasn't going to use it, but the extra security was heart-warming. "I'll show you out."
"It was nice of you to let me in for a while." He told me as we walked to the door.
"Really, it's no problem. I don't often get company. Charlie wouldn't dare come here and I don't exactly have any friends from school." I told him. "You can drop by any time you want, as long as it's not baseball season. If you get hungry or something, I mean."
"Thanks." He nodded before awkwardly patting my upper arm. "I'll see you…around."
"Goodbye." I smiled as he walked out. I watched him as he retreated down the hallway and to the elevator. Once he was out of my sight, I closed the door and locked it behind me.
I quickly got into my navy-blue bikini and found a towel before trekking out to the pool. The sun was just barely beginning to set, giving the pool a slight pinkish-orange tint. I set my things on a lawn-chair before diving into the deeper end of the pool. I swam around, did a few laps, before swimming to the shallow end and relaxing against the wall of the pool. I let my neck rest against the cool, concrete edge and my eyes drift closed.
When I opened my eyes, I was shocked my how dark it was around me. The light that shined over the deck had been out for days and I had intended to fix it, thinking I wouldn't be out at night anyway. It was pitch black and I struggled to see my hand in front of me. When I stood, the water went up to mid-thigh and the brisk air chilled me to my bones. I gasped and quickly hopped out of the water, hoping that the Band-Aid effect would get me out of there quicker. I slowly stood to my feet and tried to find my way back to my chair.
I thought I had been walking one way but instead realized that I was walking the opposite, back to the pool. I tripped, stubbing my toes and scraping the side of my foot on the ground, before flinging myself into the pool. I wasn't close enough to the edge though, and my shins roughly hit the corner of the concrete. My lungs let out a sharp scream and a bit of a yelp before I was under water.
I was suddenly confused. My legs were throbbing and I was in too much pain to kick them. Instead, I frantically moved my arms and attempted to gain control of my body. I sucked in, reflexively, and water rushed into my legs. The instantaneous burning that took over my lungs and throat made me kick my legs, shoving myself roughly into the wall behind me. My head hit the wall with a crack and things grew increasingly fuzzy before turning completely black.
EPOV:
I was on the phone with my mom when my phone beeped, signaling that somebody was on the other end. I frowned. Nobody had ever called me during one of my routine phone calls with my mom. She was at work, so the call was going to be shorter anyway, but that didn't make the interruption any less peculiar.
"Can I have a moment, Mom? I don't recognize the number on the other end of the line." I told her as I glanced at the screen on my phone. It was a local.
"Of course, honey. Don't make me wait too long. If my pager goes off, I'll have to hang up."
"That's okay." I told her before flipping to the other line. "Hello?"
"Is this a, uh, Edward Masen?" An unfamiliar voice asked me.
"Kind of. Who wants to know?" I frowned. There was only one other person who might have used that name, and it definitely wasn't her calling me.
"My name is Quil Atrea…I live next door to…well, I don't know their names. I just know that there's a girl and that she's here alone all the time. I usually drop by and deliver her groceries every week, like today. I have a key and everything. But I went in and the back door is open, but I can't find her…anywhere."
"You mean Bella?" I asked and the man agreed. "God dammit. Are you sure you checked everywhere? How long have you been there?"
"About ten minutes. She wouldn't go anywhere – she'd be expecting me, Mr. Masen." He explained further. "They pay me to do the basic grocery shopping. I work for Phil's baseball team, actually."
"I'll be there as soon as possible. Keep looking." I ordered and switched back to my mother's line.
"I have to go, Ma, it's an emergency." I told her.
"Is everything okay? Is there something I can do?" She asked me, sounding suddenly frantic.
"I hope so and I doubt it. I'll call you if I need help." I told her, feeling anxious. "I love you."
I hanged up after she told me she loved me as well and then ran to slip my shoes on. I didn't waste any time getting in my Volvo and peeling out of the driveway. My mind centered around Bella, praying for the life of me that she was okay, and making up what else she could have been doing then that didn't include something bad happening to her. I wasn't supposed to care so much, but I knew by the frantic urge to cry that I was fighting that I cared anyway.
I needed to know that she was safe.
It took me twenty minutes, while driving over a hundred miles an hour, to get to Bella's apartment. The doorman let me in quickly, seeing the pure terror in my eyes, and I ran to the elevator. I had never run so fast in my life and I was sure that no elevator had ever gone so slowly. When it stopped, I ran out the door as quickly as it would allow me and straight down to Bella's doorway. I ran in, ignoring the tan male standing in the middle of the living room, groceries laying on the floor around him, watching me confusedly.
"Bella?" I called. "Bella!"
I ran halfway up the stairs, calling her name, before I realized a minor detail that I had missed. The back doors were wide open but there was no way she could have exited that way.
"You came in and those doors were open?" I asked, pointing at them and he nodded. I ran back down and out there. "Did you check the fucking pool?"
"She doesn't usually swim at night!" He argued, walking out. My jaw dropped and I began kicking my shoes off.
"But you think the towel is just over on that chair by coincident?" I asked, hoping that less clothing on me would make it easier for me to pull her up. Clothing was extremely heavy when wet. The man, Quil, just looked confused. I ignored him, swearing all the way, and went to dive into the water. The lining said that the end I was in went down ten feet.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
I got to the bottom and felt around. I used my hands and feet to drag myself along the walls and floor. When I ran into a heavy lump, I didn't need to see it to know that I had found her. I turned around and pulled her as tightly to me as possible before using my legs to propel me up and out of the water. The swim back up was tough, but she didn't move or offer a struggle. When I finally broke the surface, I got her out and laid out on the patio around the water.
She was unconscious and not breathing when I got her straightened. I swore and plead with her, begging her to wake up. It wasn't working. Shouting and tapping wasn't getting us anywhere. Naturally, I began doing what my parents had made sure I could do since I was big enough to handle it. I started compressions and CPR, shouting at Quil. I was instructing him to call 911.
"Call for a fucking ambulance, you dimwit!" I shouted and he scrambled to find a phone. "Tell them that an eighteen-year-old female has drowned, is unresponsive, and that I'm preforming CPR as we speak."
"Of course!" He held the phone to his ear and walked away.
"Come on, Bella. Don't do this to me." My eyes stung. I knew, deep down, that it had nothing to do with the chlorine in the pool. My heart was breaking by the second. It physically hurt me to look at her, with blue lips, pale skin, and closed eyes. It was as if she was dead already. "Don't do this. Please. Please, Bella."
"Is she awake yet?" Quil came running back in. "Paramedics are on their way!"
"No! She's not!" I shouted angrily. "How did you not think to check the fucking pool?"
"I just…I didn't really think at all." He scratched back of his stupid head. I rolled my eyes and then reached up to lift her chin. I plugged her nose, opened her mouth, and began adding mouth-to-mouth breathing to the procedure. When her lungs released the air I put into them, I noticed water coming out with it. It was a step closer to her breathing and encouraged me to do better on the other half.
"Come on, beautiful. It's not your time. It's not your fucking time yet." I was officially crying at that point.
I had never met such an intriguing girl. I felt horrid, falling so quickly interested in a student, but I couldn't stop my heart. She had caught my attention and my feelings for her had only grown. I clearly wasn't in love with her, but there was a certain amount of respect and feelings there anyway. She was important to me and I definitely considered her a friend. She was a sweet person, always there for others and willing to help out. Of all of the twerps that she went to school with, she had probably lived the saddest life. It wasn't fucking fair.
"Come back to me, baby." I whispered so softly that nobody heard me. I then leaned in and did another two breathes before going back to another round of thirty pumps. "Come back. You're stronger than this."
Paramedics arrived eventually and had to rip me off of her. I followed them down to their bus and went with them. I still had her phone in my pocket, from when I checked it earlier, and I remembered her father. Her father would be wondering where she was and what she was doing. I pulled it out and found his number. I then pulled my own phone out and put it in there, calling him from my own. I didn't need him to know that I had her phone.
"Hello?" A tired voice answered. He had probably been asleep.
"Chief S-Swan?" I stuttered, my voice thick from tears.
"Who is this?" He asked me and I sucked in a sharp breath.
"My name is Edward Cullen, I-"
"What's wrong? You're Carlisle's boy…is something wrong with Carlisle?" He asked frantically.
"No, I'm calling about your daughter, actually." I told him and heard him call out to someone.
"What's going on? What do you want? Where's Bella?" He asked me angrily and I shook my head, looking over at the girl on the gurney. They had attached some breathing thing to her mouth and were pumping air into her. Water was coming out around her lips as they did so. The other medic was checking her vitals and beginning CPR. "I asked where the hell my daughter is!"
"We're on our way to Forks General." I told him quickly. "I found Bella at the bottom of her pool. I don't know how long she was down there, but I can assume it was for a long time. She's not conscious and they're doing CPR. I just…I think you should come."
"Jesus Christ!" He huffed and I heard him rushing around. I could hear him talking to someone. "Sue, get Clara. It's Bella. She's had an accident."
"What happened?" A softer, feminine voice asked him.
"She drowned in that damn pool. We need to go!" He stage-whispered.
"We'll be ready in a moment." She told him, her voice suddenly stronger. "Is an ambulance taking her?"
"Yes, I have some guy on the phone. Cullen's boy."
"You can trust them."
"I hope so." He grumbled. "Boy, call me if anything happens before I get there. I'm on my way."
"Of course. Thanks." I told him before hanging up the phone.
I moved up so that I was beside Bella's head. I leaned in so that my lips were at her hair and whispered softly. "Come on, Bella. Your dad's waiting for you. I'm waiting for you."
We pulled into the parking lot of the ER and they quickly unloaded Bella. My dad, Carlisle, was waiting for her and ready to begin saving her. He glanced up and looked shocked to see me, but didn't waste any more time on me. Instead he focused on Bella, going into doctor mode. Somebody was shouting basic information and vital information to him as they transported her in. I slowly followed, feeling as though my legs, which had been pushed to the max earlier, were finally growing exhausted.
"God fucking dammit!" I hissed, grabbing my hair as they rushed her to a trauma room. I knew I wasn't allowed in there and I didn't try. The distraction would only slow them down. I pulled my hair and tossed my head back, feeling my heart snap in half and the tears finally break loose.
"Edward Cullen?" My mother's voice came from across the room. I heard rushed footsteps, as if she had ran, and she appeared in front of me. "Edward, honey? What happened?"
"Mom!" I bawled and she gasped, reaching up to wrap her arms around me. I went limp and wrapped my arms back around her. "I fucked up."
"What happened, baby? Why are you here?" She asked me but I couldn't speak. My throat was tight and my head was throbbing. I was freezing and still dripping with water. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, if you don't tell me what's going on-"
So, I told her. I didn't tell her how I felt about Bella. I told her that I gave Bella and the rest of the team my number so that we could contact each other if something were to happen at or the day of a meet. The lie worked, but my overflow of emotion didn't. I just kept sobbing, barely choking the story about her neighbor calling me and asking me for help. I explained that she had confided in me about feeling lonely and sometimes afraid and that I should have checked in on her more.
"I was fucking stupid." I choked.
"Edward, you did more for that girl than it looks like anyone has in a long time!" My mother scolded me. "You probably saved her life tonight, not the other way around. You cannot blame yourself for this. You can't."
"You didn't see her, Ma!" I shouted angrily. "It was like she was already gone! It's not fucking fair!"
"Maybe it's for the bette-"
"Don't you dare say that! Don't! That could never be better. Never. Not for her." I hissed and my mother looked taken aback. I didn't know what to say. I felt bad for shouting at her, but I couldn't believe that her reasoning could be something as pathetic as fate. There was no way that Bella was meant to die so young. She was so level-headed, and bright, and good, and pure, and perfect. I had only just gotten the privilege to meet her. There was no way that I was going to outlive her. The thought was so sickening that my stomach physically clenched. "She has more potential than any student at PAP."
"Maybe, but Edward you ca-"
"Where the hell is my daughter?" I recognized the chief's outraged voice and I gently pulled from my mother's arm. I needed to stop being such a pussy and go tell her father what was going on. It was the least I could do.
"Chief Swan." I sucked in a deep breath and greeted him, before walking over. He rushed to meet me in the middle.
"You're Cullen's boy?" He asked and his eyes flickered to Mom, behind me. She nodded at the same time as me, appearing at my side. "Edward."
"Yeah, that's me." I murmured. He was staring at my face. It was probably very obvious that I had been crying like a baby. I wasn't going to protest. There was something about his daughter that seemed to just rip the most pure emotions from me. She evoked feelings from me that I had never felt before. I couldn't quite name all of them, but I knew that they were significant. That she was as well.
"Where's she at?" He asked, his voice softening at the mention of his daughter.
"Dad's working on her…she still wasn't breathing when they brought her in. Quil, the guy Phil pays to buy groceries, found the apartment unlocked but empty. He was afraid she'd run off, but I noticed the back door was open and realized that she'd probably gone swimming after her run."
"And you were there because…" He eyed me suspiciously.
"Bella's actually in two of my classes and I coach the Cross Country team. I gave the whole team my number for emergencies. I guess Quil didn't know that and called me." I explained, lying smoothly. He nodded, taking it as well as Mom had. I knew that he was strictly worried about his daughter. He would ask questions later.
"Do you think she's-" He began to ask but I couldn't let him finish.
"I don't know." I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I pray not, though."
"Is she all right, Charlie?" A woman appeared beside him. She had dark hair, skin, and eyes. Her long, dark hair was down and framed her heart-shaped face well. She was a bit older, like Charlie, but held a bundle in her arms. It looked like a toddler-sized girl by the light brown curls falling down her small back, over the pink blanket. The woman looked at me. "Where's Bella?"
"They're working on her." I repeated. "I don't know anything yet. I just got here with her."
"Dada, where are we?" The toddler cooed, her voice soft. She twisted to get a look around the room. Her sleepy brown eyes landed on me and her brow creased. She looked very much like Bella, who apparently was her sister, even with her little thumb hanging between her lips. "Wh's goin' on?"
"Don't worry, baby. Bella had an accident and we're here to make sure everything is okay." He spoke very gently. I saw her eyes flicker curiously to me again.
"Is she okay?" She urged further. She was very persistent, another similar quality between her and Bella.
"We don't know yet," the woman spoke quietly and the toddler looked at her.
"I want Bella." The child demanded suddenly.
"We all do," I told her, hoping to come off more sympathetic than creepy.
"Who are you?" She asked me and Mom chuckled beside me.
"Clara, don't be rude." The woman hissed softly and in a scolding manner. Clara's eyes didn't even flicker to her. They were glued curiously on me.
"I'm Edward Cullen, your sister's teacher and friend." I told her and she nodded slowly before holding out her tiny, free hand.
"Clarissa Swan. Bella's sister." She nodded towards her hand, forcing me to shake it. I couldn't help but smile. She was such a spitfire. It was nice to know that, as horrifying as the thought was, that if something were to happen Bella, there was already a little copy of her, ready to take over the world.
"It's lovely to meet you, Clara. I just wish the circumstances were different." I muttered the last bit and she nodded, obviously pretending to understand what I was saying. She leaned back into the woman's chest and visibly relaxed. The woman held out her hand and I shook it. I found out that she was Bella's step-mother, Sue, and that Clara was Bella's half-sister.
"Maybe we should call Renee." Sue urged after an awkward, bored silence. We were all growing anxious. It was difficult to just stand there. I wanted to pace around and ask questions.
"Renee?" Charlie muttered.
"If it were Leah, Seth, or Clara, I'd want to know." Sue whispered and Charlie muttered some unintelligible words before pulling out his phone. We all walked over to the plastic chairs in the waiting room and sat down. He had Bella's mother on speaker only a few moments later.
"Charles, you know it's only just drinking hour here. What do you want?" She asked loosely and I cringed. I already wanted to punch the woman in the face for leaving Bella behind. She thought she had the right to complain when Bella tried to contact her afterward? I shook my head and let it rest in the palm of my hands. Mom rubbed my back as we listened to the angry phone call.
"Bella had an accident, actually." He spit the words out and the other end was silent.
"Well…is she okay?" She asked.
"I don't know, Renee, she's being worked on in a trauma room."
"Shouldn't you have waited to call me until later? When you knew what was going on?" She questioned and I gasped, looking up. Sue had her eyes closed and was shaking her head. My own mother was just staring at the phone with her jaw hanging open. Charlie explained to her again that Bella had been unresponsive upon arrival and that they didn't know if she was even alive at that moment. Renee simply repeated her own question.
"Fuck it, Renee. I'll call you if things get worse." Charlie hanged up the phone and then chucked it to the floor. I watched as the screen shattered. I understood his anger and didn't comment on it either. Charlie whispered an apology, his voice suddenly thick. He wasn't looking at us and that signaled to me that he had broken down to crying as well. Sue leaned forward and Clara climbed into his lap, hugging him tightly.
I felt my heart break for the family. All Charlie wanted was time with his daughter. Instead she was legally being forced to live in this psycho's house, a psycho who wouldn't even check in on her when called about her getting in a fatal accident. Clara could spend the rest of her life without knowing the beautiful sister that she had once had. The other two kids that Sue had mentioned, who I was assumer were her older kids, would lose a sister of their own. It was so wrong. They all deserved so much better than what they were facing.
My dad appeared a bit later, and was wiping sweat off of his forehead as he approached us. We all stood at once. I felt my mother's hand on the small of my back. I was surprised when Clara's small hand contacted my shoulder. I reached up and placed my own over hers and glanced at her. She was looking at her dad instead, waiting for a reaction to understand. Sue crossed her arms on the other side of Charlie. My eyes trailed back to my exhausted father.
"Bella…is not in good shape…but we've got her stabilized and the majority of the water has been removed from her lungs." He reassured us and I let out a huge breath of relief. She was alive. I felt as though everyone had visibly relaxed and calmed.
"She's strong. She can do it from here." I told him and he nodded.
"I truly believe so. I would simply like to keep a close eye on her from here. She should be discharged in a day or two." He told Charlie, who let out a cry of relief. Clara squeezed my shoulder before letting to and turning to hug her father tightly. I sighed, wrapping my arms around my own mother. Sue even seemed to be crying tears of joy at this fact. "Had Edward not found her when he did...well…let's just say that you all are very blessed and lucky right now."
"Of course…" Charlie nodded. "I can't believe how close we came to losing her."
"Doc, the girl back here is waking up. She keeps asking for a 'Mr. Cullen'." A nurse walked out, her face confused. My dad's eyes shot to me.
"Go to her." Charlie urged. "Just let me know when you're done talking with her. I want to see her."
"Thank you." I sighed, turning to rush down the hall. I found Bella in one of the first rooms on the left. She looked exhausted, her skin still pale and her brown eyes blood-shot. Her hair was damp and brushed to the side and her lips were only just beginning to get their color back. I didn't care what she looked like though – as long as her heart was beating.
"I knew it was you that I heard." She grinned sheepishly. I walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. "I thought you were an angel. Maybe you are."
"No. If I were an angel, you wouldn't be here right now." I reminded her and she shook her head softly.
"Had you not spoken to me, reached out, I wouldn't have come back. I was going to die, Mr. Cullen." She explained and I cringed.
"First of all, you're alive now and that's all that matters. Secondly, as long as you don't tell anyone, you can call me Edward outside of school. That Mr. Cullen nonsense makes me feel all old. I'm only five years your senior." I told her and she nodded, another slight smile taking over her lips. "Oh, and thirdly, you are never allowed to swim in that pool without anyone there with you ever again. Got it? I don't care if you're wanting to swim at three in the morning. You call me, or your dad, or anyone, and wait for them to get there. Got it?"
"Sorry…it really was an accident." She whispered, her voice scratchy. I realized that she probably had the most major sore throat after all of that CPR and the way that she breathed all of that water in.
"I know. But you scared the hell out of me. And your dad. And Sue. And Clara."
"Clara's here?" She gasped, peering over my shoulder, hoping to find her sister.
"Yes, and she's looking forward to seeing you." I smiled at her. "I'll go get everyone, but first, I had to make sure that you really were okay."
"I really am." She sighed. "Thank you for saving me. I went out to swim before showering and I felt asleep. When I woke up, it was dark and the light had stopped working. So, in my attempt to get out and go inside, I tripped, hit my legs, and fell in. I couldn't swim with my sore legs and ended up hitting my head and passing out. I truly thought that was it, Mr. Cu-…Edward."
"Jesus. Seriously, no more swimming. I'm not messing around. Had Quil not had a key to your place, or not been expecting you, we wouldn't have known you disappeared until tomorrow." I reminded her. I reached out to brush some wet hair out of her face. Once I realized what I had done, I stood up and took a step back. "Promise me you'll try harder to stay safe, Bella?
"I promise, Edward." She nodded, her cheeks finally turning a very familiar pink.
"Thank you. For coming back to me."
"Thank you. For saving me." She used my own words back to me. I nodded and turned to walk out.
I went to get her family. They followed me back to her room and when they found her, awake, the small family rushed over to greet her. Sue hugged her first and kissed her cheek, scolding her for being so careless with her life. Bella just nodded, her eyes still wet with fresh tears as she did so. Charlie set Clara, who was suddenly crying, probably absorbing the emotion as well, down beside Bella and let Clara curl into Bella's lap. Charlie then took his opportunity to kiss the top of Bella's head and whisper quietly to her. Bella nodded, bursting into tears of her own and hugging her dad back.
"You did good, baby." Mom stood beside me and rubbed my shoulder. "You saved this family."
"I wouldn't change a thing." I told her honestly. "The world almost lost a great person, Ma."
"By all of the love that's in that room, I really believe you, Edward." She looked up at me, her green eyes, so much like my own, worrisome. I noticed just how tired she looked as well. Her usually perfect, red-brown hair was up in a ponytail and her eyes had slight rings under them. She was exhausted. I had probably worn her even thinner than usual that night.
"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time." I sighed. "I just really felt for her. It wasn't right for her to go tonight. It hurt just thinking about it. You saw how much effort her own mother has put into her. She's an extraordinary person and she's done it all on her own. For her to go before she could find the support she's always deserved…I know I'm being irrational, but…"
"You can't change how your heart feels. I know, honey." She agreed. I didn't say anything else, but instead nodded in agreement. Bella suddenly looked up, her brown eyes meeting me. She had her arms wrapped around her dad, and Clara in her lap, Sue at her side, but she was still focused on me. I smiled softly at her and she simply grinned back, her eyes clearly thankful.
"Thank you." She lip synced.
"You're always welcome." I mouthed back slowly and she nodded once before bringing her attention back to her family.
"Let's give them some privacy. She doesn't get much time with them." I whispered and wrapped an arm around my mother before leading her back into the emergency room. Dad was there, one hand in his blond hair, the other scribbling away at a chart.
"Hey, Kid," he said softly. "You all right?"
"I'm perfect." I told him and he smiled.
"You did good tonight. You made me proud." He said to me and I felt another smile break out across my cheeks. My father always knew what to say to me.
"Thanks, Dad. You and mom should head out. It's late." I told them and they nodded.
"You can ride home with us, honey." Mom told me and I nodded, remembering my car, which was parked outside of Bella's apartments. I would worry about that later.
I followed my parents out to Dad's Mercedes after he finished filling out paperwork. I sat in the back while they sat up front, their hands bound together over the console. I noticed several glances that they had shot my way since getting in, but chose to ignore their worrying. It was after midnight when we parked outside of my house. I kissed Mom on the cheek and thanked Dad before climbing out and making my way up the many steps that led to my doorway. I walked into the house and sat my keys in the dish. On my way to my room, I thought about everything that had just happened.
My reaction to Bella's drowning was unlike anything I'd ever done before. I had never felt so utterly devastated. Not even when my childhood dog, Jake, died. There was something different about Bella Swan and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I stumbled through my dark house and into my bedroom. It took only a few moments for me to strip down to my underwear and crawl into my comfortable bed. I laid there and thought further into everything.
The gut-wrenching, heart-breaking pain that occurred had been unbearable and unreasonable. It didn't make sense. My reaction to the possibility of her death was similar to how I would react to losing one of my parents.
That was when the truth hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt my heart sink along with the horrifying thoughts.
I had fallen for a student.
I was quickly falling irrevocably, and unconditionally in love with Bella Swan.
Author's Note:
Sweet Cheez Its. I just wrote 20,000 words in the last twenty-four hours. I haven't done that in a long time. I'm really falling for this story. Almost as quickly as Edward is falling for Bella. *wink wink nudge nudge.* Anyway, I hoped you liked it! I do. And how 'bout that Edward's POV? This is where the whole damsel in distress/beautiful disaster stuff comes in. Bella's kind of prone to freak accidents.
And a lot of them.
*Reviews are better than mouth-to-mouth CPR with Mr. Edward Cullen.