Welcome to Chapter 2 of Car Crash

I really hope you like it - if you do and even if you don't please leave a review - it would mean the world to me and to Edward and Bella!

There seems to be more Edward than anything in this story - not that I am complaining, I am the one writing it after all but I have not got around to Bella saying much yet! It is not going to be a long story - so the Cullens I think have featured in it as much as they are going to - ideas for expansion are welcome indeed.

As usual the disclaimer: I own nothing, not even Twilight, I don't own the characters either, they are visiting my laptop for a while! Stephanie Meter rules!

Who has read the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - what do you think of it? PM me and let me know!

Read on McDuff….

Chapter 2 - Car Crash

I stood by the truck in utter disbelief, I could not believe there was so much blood and no sign of Bella. I was almost frantic with worry and fear, yes a vampire feeling fear, a strange emotion to feel but an emotion all the same. I loved this girl so much, I would do anything to make sure she was safe and sound. I could not do this right now however as my most immediate concern was to find her. I looked at Alice and hoped that she could tell me something from her visions, the look on Alice's face told me what I wanted to know.

"Alice, what can you see, tell me please?" I asked

"Edward, I can tell you that Bella is alive, she is badly hurt but alive. I think…..yes, she is safe…."

I cut Alice off as I am so impatient to find out where she is, I must get to her and help her, "Alice please, does Victoria have her, if so where are they?" I snap impatiently.

"Wait…I can see her now Edward, she is safe, I can see that much. I thought it was Victoria that had her but it is not, if she had Bella I would see but she is gone, I can't see her now….in fact I can't see anything other than Bella, I am trying to push for more but I can only see Bella alone…she is hurt, hurt badly, but alive, safe," Alice closes her eyes and sighs in frustration. "I am trying to get some idea of where she is exactly….".

"Alice….?" I said impatiently but I know it's not her fault if she can't see.

"Edward, this takes time and when I can't really see properly…. oh I don't know why I can't see…" says Alice with confusion in her voice.

I stop for a moment and let her think, I don't want to interrupt her too much or put her off course with her thoughts. I don't understand however why she cannot see who Bella's "saviour" is, Alice can usually see everyone, humans because she once was one and vampires because she is one. So for her to say she cannot see someone means that this is someone or something different, but what?

I did not have to wait long for her answer, "Yes!" she said in exultant voice.

"What?" I ask

"She is in a sort of cave like place around a mile or so from here, through the woods and near a stream. We can follow her scent but I can smell something else, can't you smell it Edward?" asks Alice.

I close my eyes for a moment and inhale the air around me, "You're right Alice I can smell something else, it is disgusting, it is almost like a wet dog smell, it stinks" I said wrinkling up my nose in distaste.

"Okay then, lets get going, if we are going to find her and get her some medical help" said Alice

Before long we were heading through the woods, running as fast as the wind, branches reached out to trail across our faces and the wind gust past us as we ran. It did not take long to reach the place where we thought Bella was. It was near a wide lake with a waterfall behind it, the mouth to the cave was hidden behind a cluster of bushes which were overgrown enough to give the inhabitants a good level of protection should the weather turn for the worst. I decided to slow down at the mouth of the cave, I so wanted to go in but the smell of wet dog was overpowering and I was not sure what I would meet when I got inside.

I stood back slightly and motioned for Alice to join me and I whispered to her, "I can hear a very soft but slow heart beat, I think it is Bella, infact I am sure of it" Alice nodded at this and I continued, "If there is someone with her then why can I not hear any other sounds, like another heartbeat? Alice, are you sure it is not Victoria?"

"Edward, I have told you, I would know if it was Victoria or any other vampire, so it is definitely not her" says Alice shaking her head, "I don't know what or who it is as I cannot see them, oh…..eeeeeeew, Edward, that is a disgusting smell, what a stink!" Alice muttered in disdain.

"Come on Alice, enough procrastinating here, we need to go in, get Bella and help her so come on".

We walk into the cave and there in the dark recess of the cave I see a sight that would break my heart into a million little pieces, if I had a heart that is. There before me lay my love, my Bella, swaddled in a blanket, her face covered in scratches and blood, bruises were appearing all over her face and although I could not see, no doubt all over her body. I knelt down beside her and gently laid a hand on her cheek, she moaned very softly, she was either in a deep sleep or unconscious and I feared that the latter was the truth. I gently lifted the blanket and realised then that it was almost drenched in her blood.

The smell alone of the blood burned my throat, but what I felt for Bella took precedence over my need for the scent or thirst for her blood. My love for her burned stronger than ever. I looked at Alice who seemed to be trying to hold her breath and I was pleased that my sister could make the effort, it must have been hard for her but she was being strong.

I gently moved the blanket back from her legs in an effort to ascertain the extent of her injuries and I realised that both of her legs were badly broken and bore deep cuts which were bleeding profusely. I checked her arms, her left arm was fine but her right arm was sitting in an awkward angle, obviously broken too. I made a quick check over the rest of her body looking for broken bones, cuts and bruises. There were many cuts and bruises and no doubt she would have either broken or badly bruised ribs.

"My poor girl, my love" I whispered to her as I leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I am so sorry my love, for leaving you, I will never do so again, I love you".

"Edward, we need to get her out of here, can you carry her?" whispered Alice, to which I replied,

"Yes Alice I will carry her. Whoever was here has lifted her from the vehicle and basically saved her life Alice and I think I might know who it was judging from the stench in this cave"

"Oh, who Edward? Please tell me because I really could not see at all, who was it?" asked Alice.

"I think it was Jacob Black, one of the Quileute tribe, the ones who have the wolf gene and who turn into wolves when they are in close proximity to vampires. Bella has known him for a long time so he may have found her and moved her here for safety, perhaps he will be returning with help but she will not be here, I am going to take care of her now, not Jacob Black" I say with determination.

"Okay Edward, well that explains why I could not see him, I can't see wolves or rather "dogs", yes I think you might be right" Alice says nodding to me.

I gently move my arms under Bella's broken body, taking the greatest care not to hurt her further and make sure that she was comfortable in my arms. It did not take me long to get her out of the cave and begin running with her. I made sure that she was not jostled in any way. It was not long before we made it out on to a main road, I decided then that I could not carry Bella the entire way to a hospital so I asked Alice to steal a car for us which she very quickly did. Not the fanciest car I had ever seen but serviceable and more than appropriate to transport Bella. The vehicle was infact a large Cherokee Jeep which had a lot of space and power. I gently laid Bella on the back seat and climbed in beside her. Alice took the wheel and before long we were racing along the freeway to the hospital. I phoned ahead to Carlisle and told him what we were doing. He contacted the hospital on our behalf and explained that an emergency was on the way in.

Carlisle has worked in a variety of hospitals around the country and was very well thought of in the medical world. He had also held quite a prominent position at the hospital in this area and because of this made arrangements to be in attendance when we arrived.

We very quickly, thanks to Alice's madcap driving arrived at Vancouver General where we were met by a very relieved and concerned Carlisle. Bella was placed on a gurney and taken straight through to the ER where Carlisle began to check her injuries. I proceeded to give him a run down on what I already knew as I had studied medicine a number of years ago and had some base knowledge. Also on our arrival at the hospital I noticed that the entire Cullen clan had made the journey to the hospital which I greatly appreciated, it went to show how much they loved and cared for my Bella and I was truly grateful for their support.

Alice had parked the car, making sure that there were no fingerprints or anything to identify either us being in the vehicle or indeed Bella. She then took her place beside Jasper in the hospital waiting area. Emmett, Esme and Rosalie were already gathered there also.

I was relieved that Carlisle was in attendance and immediately went into doctor mode and for want of a better word, automatic pilot, treating Bella with the utmost care.

"Edward, can you tell me exactly what has happened to her?" asked Carlisle

"I think she was ran off the road Carlisle, and I think it may have been Victoria, her car went over a cliff and when we got to it she had been removed from the vehicle. We found her in a cave nearby. I think that one of the Quileute wolves took her there so maybe they will be returning with help for her but I decided not to wait and bring her here. She has lost a lot of blood Carlisle, I also think she has broken both her legs, her right arm and some ribs. She has numerous gashes all over her body and her face."

Carlisle began giving out orders to the emergency room staff, asking for specific pieces of equipment to be brought in. Before long Bella was attached to a wide variety of machines, all you could hear in the room were the bleeping of different monitors.

Carlisle spoke next "She needs an immediate blood transfusion, nurse, please call the blood bank and make arrangements for Bella's blood type to be brought up, thank you".

Carlisle continued "Edward, we will need to assess her injuries, she may need surgery, but first we need to find out how much blood she has lost. Are you strong enough to stay and watch? If so, please stay back and let the experts do their job" he said looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"I am not leaving her Carlisle, I cannot leave her, not now, I have done enough damage and anyway I need to be here for her to make sure she is okay".

Carlisle nodded his agreement and said quietly "She knows you are here Edward, I am sure of that".

Earlier when I had realised the extent of Bella's injuries I was shocked, never in 109 years of my existence had I ever seen something so tragic, my hands had been shaking trying to help her. That was something that I had never experienced before as a vampire, sheer terror and fear, but then I had never been in love like this before. Alice had noticed my renitence and moved towards me in an effort to take over. I refused to relinquish the task to her, I needed to be there fore her, to help her, to talk to her and give her reassurance.

The medical staff were quite adept in cleaning the blood from her face and body and I marvelled at their ability to do so. I really needn't have bothered thinking this way as I then remembered that they were human and this was normal for them, it was only Carlisle and myself that were the unusual ones in the room.

It was not long before X-rays were carried out and Bella's legs were both placed in casts, also her arm was secured in a cast and all of her other injuries attended to. What worried me most was the fact that she was still unconscious but Carlisle explained to me that this would be normal due to the large amount of blood loss that she had experienced.

Her ribs were bound and I dreaded to think the level of pain she would be in, my poor Bella, there would not be a single muscle that she could move without feeling pain. Bella was also on a high dose of Morphine for her pain and this would mean that she would be unconscious for longer than expected. No matter, I was willing to stay here and comfort her for as long as it took and longer still, forever it need be. I was not going anywhere.

Once the medical team had treated her and managed to get her to a stable condition she was moved to a side room. Carlisle made sure that she had a room to herself which was good. I took my place beside her bed, holding her hand and talking to her, saying soothing words to her in the hope that she could hear me.

I began to hum her lullaby to her very softly and at that moment I was sure that if I could have done so I would have wept for her pain.

It must have been hours that I sat there, I was not counting the seconds or the minutes, I had too much to think of, I had only thoughts for my love. Nurses came and went, checking her statistics and taking notes on a regular basis. Carlisle called in regularly to check on her also.

There came a soft knock to the door and I said quietly "come in". The door opened and in walked Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie.

"Hi mom" I said and smiled at my family.

Esme whispered "Oh Edward, the poor girl, how is she?"

"Not too good mom, she has lost a lot of blood and has multiple injuries including broken legs and a broken arm, she is going to need a lot of care and recuperation".

"Oh dear, does her father know" asked Esme

I nodded and said "Yes he does but he is on a high profile case in Seattle right now and cannot get here. Carlisle has been in contact with him and keeping him up-to-date on her recovery"

"It must be awful for him being so far away from his only daughter but at least she has you Edward" said Esme and leaned over to kiss Bella lightly on the forehead.

"Well I had better get home now and let her recover in peace, Alice and Jasper are you going with Rose and Emmett?"

It was Alice who replied "Yes we are" and walked over to kiss Bella and then wrap me in as big a hug as a tiny sister can give. "Take care Edward, and don't worry too much, I have seen that she will be okay, it wont be long now before she wakens and you can talk, but not for long okay, she will be exhausted" Alice says with a soft smile on her face.

"Thanks little sister, what would I do without you?" I said to which Alice promptly stuck out her tongue!

Both Jasper and Emmett both reached over to Bella, each kissing her on the cheek. Jasper said "Take care of her Edward, she needs you"

"Don't I know it Jasper, don't I know it".

Emmett was next to speak after kissing Bella and said "Okay Bro, you look after that little lady or I will be after your blood!"

"Very funny Emmett!" slapping him on the shoulder. Sometimes Emmett really got to me, he never seemed to have a serious side but he was a good guy.

Lastly Rosalie moved towards Bella but did not make any movement towards her.

I said "What's wrong Rose?"

"Oh nothing really Edward, its just that I feel so awful for being so mean to Bella before and I just feel that this might not have happened if I had been a bit nicer to her"

I stood up to put my arms around my other sister then and said "Rose, please don't blame yourself for this, it was not your fault, if anyone is to blame then its me, anyway she is going to be fine and you can always make it up to her later okay?"

"Thanks Edward, your not really that bad a brother really" she said laughing. "Give Bella my love please when she awakens"

"I will do Rose, don't worry"

With that they turned and left the room.

I took my seat again beside my love and could not help thinking of how distant Rose was from Bella. Surely she did not feel that threatened by her anymore, I know that at first s he was jealous of her and I could not understand that one at all. Rosalie's problem was that she always had to be in the forefront all the time and she never took second place. I always knew that she would feel like this when I met someone, don't get me wrong it is not because I am big headed or anything but its because when she was first turned she was supposed to be my mate and because I did not show the same interest she never truly forgave me. Maybe it was time for that now, I hoped so.

"Edward" Carlisle said quietly, I had not heard him enter the room.

"Yes Carlisle?" as I looked up to meet his eyes.

"I see you have stayed with her son, you have been talking to her? She will be okay, you do know that, don't you? She has lost an awful amount of blood but the x-rays and scans I have taken have shown that there is no lasting damage. She is a very lucky girl. All she needs now is some TLC and someone to look after her" said Carlisle

I nodded in agreement and said "Of course I will stay with her Carlisle, I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am to have found her and find out that she will be okay, I love her so much Carlisle, I cannot live without her"

"I know Edward, I know" he said inclining his head to me.

Carlisle quietly left the room again leaving me alone with my Bella, my love.

I must have sat with her for hours just sitting holding her hand and talking to her, telling her about the good times we had before I left. I spoke about the times when we went running, well I would run and she would climb onto my back, she loved the wind in her hair. She even got used to the speed I ran at and she didn't need to keep her eyes closed at all anymore. Not like the first time when she was almost sick! That was the first time I had kissed her too and I will never forget that day for the rest of my existence. I just hope now that she will recover and let me love her again so that we can spend even more days together. She is so beautiful and good and kind and I really do not deserve her at all.

"Bella, I know you cant hear me, but I want to tell you that I love you, I have always loved you and I always will. I left you because I thought it was the best thing to do, to let you have a normal life, a life without fear, a life with happiness and sunshine. Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done in 100 years and I cannot believe that I have caused you so much hurt and pain. I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you so much. I don't deserve to ask for your forgiveness, I do not deserve to expect you to love me again but I hope that you do because I do not know how I will live without you. I love you my darling, I love you so much"

I must have sat for hours just watching her face and holding her hand. Her beautiful face was marred with bruises and cuts, yes they would heal, but this would not have happened if I had not left her. I will never forgive myself for allowing this to happen to her.

Dawn was creeping through the windows when my love stirred, I leaned forward, eager to look into her eyes and see her face clearly for the first time in a long while. Her eyelashes flickered very slightly and she very slowly opened her eyes. Initially she did not focus much but it was not too long before she managed to focus on my face. Her eyes widened and she smiled a very soft and gentle smile.

"Hi" I said softly, "how do you feel?"

"Awful" she replied in a very groggy voice which was barely audible.

I leaned over and pressed my lips to her forehead and caressed her cheek. She turned her cheek into my palm and I noticed a tear slip from the corner of her eye.

I was appalled at the sight of her tears "Bella, are you in pain, can I help you, will I get you some pain relief?"

"N….n…no" she stuttered, "I…..I'm o..ook..ay really, y…yo…you've c..c..come ba…ck, wh..why?"

"Oh Bella, I came back because I love you and I should never have left you in the first place. I am so sorry for everything" I answered.

"J…j…ust k..k..isss m..me?" she pleaded

"Yes my love" I leaned over to her and gently placed my lips on hers, I very softly kissed her taking care not to hurt her. I had missed her so much and at that precise moment I realised exactly what I had missed. I was never going to leave her again for as long as I existed.

I whispered against her lips "I love you Bella" and was rewarded with a softly spoken "I love you more Edward". I closed my eyes and thanked the heavens above that she still cared so much for me after what I had done to her.

When we eventually pulled apart, Bella asked me what had happened to her so I explained to her that she had a car accident, I had found her and brought her to the hospital. I told her that she had been treated for her injuries and would be well cared for in the hospital. I told her that I would be taking her home to our house in Forks as soon as she was well enough to be discharged and I would spend every second of every minute, every minute of every hour and every hour of every day looking after her, for the rest of eternity.

I could see that Bella was very tired by this time so I buzzed for the nurse to ask for some more medication to help her sleep and ease her pain. This was arranged to be administered, once the nurse had done this and completed her final checks for the night I decided to lie on top of the bed beside her and put my arms around her to console her and keep her safe. It was not long before she dropped off to sleep. Once again I held my love in my arms, she was in pain but she was safe and content in my arms, as was I.

Well folks, that's Chapter 2 for you - you know what you need to do now, go on you know you want to - review!

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