BPOV
I felt as though I was flying. My dreams were usually vivid, but this time I could actually feel the wind rushing through my hair. Other than the whistling air, the silence was complete. I felt peaceful and strangely calm. I wasn't worried about the impossibility of flying; there was so much in my life that was impossible that flying could just get in line.
I lost myself in the sensation. Edward was my life; having him back meant that I could breathe, that I was no longer afraid to feel. But the path of our true love was not strewn with rose petals. Charlie was openly hostile to Edward, making no secret of his disapproval. He rarely spoke directly to Edward, and when he did it was to tell him to leave. He never referred to Edward by name. I was becoming very tired of hearing the words "that boy" (which, had Charlie but known, could not be further from the truth). Charlie had even rung the school to try and have me moved from my classes with Edward. Fortunately that ploy had failed.
My time at school was no bed of roses, either. Those first days back with Edward had resulted in the kind of scrutiny that made me want to hide in my locker until the day was over. I hated being the focus of that much attention. Edward had not been accepted back into the student body with open arms. Even Angela, kind and forgiving as she was, had regarded him with distinct disfavour. That had only lasted a few days until she could see how happy I was. Then, she and Ben began to share lunch with us and all became normal again. But, weeks later, Edward still tensed every time Mike Newton walked past us. I didn't need his gift to know what he was hearing.
As for Jake...... He wouldn't answer my calls and I didn't know if Billy was passing on my messages. I had considered sending him a letter but I didn't think he would bother to open it. I couldn't even go down to La Push and bang on his door until he opened it. After my disappearing act, Charlie had grounded me indefinitely. It looked as though I had regained my love, only to lose my best friend. Yes, my life was sufficiently fraught that the feeling of floating weightlessly amongst the clouds was very welcome.
Eventually the wind slowed. Ah, I must be coming back down to earth. That disappointed me – I was really enjoying the flight. A part of me wondered why my feet weren't touching the ground; the rest of me just didn't care.
I heard a voice speaking; it seemed far away, at the end of a tunnel. Good grief, could my subconscious be more clichéd? In my trancelike state it sounded like my angel. That didn't make sense because I knew that he was off hunting in the mountains with Emmett, and my dreams were usually a reflection of my reality. But what did I care? I would just enjoy my angel's voice until he came back to me.
With that thought my dream turned dark. I was pulled back to a time, not many weeks ago, when I had thought he would never come back to me. Hot fire ran through my veins, wracking my body and I struggled to breathe. I wanted to run, as fast as I could, away from this feeling, back to my feeling of weightless flying, but I was paralysed by the pain. My heart thumped rapidly, a driving beat that shook my body and pounded brutally through my brain. I was pinned in place, helpless to the onslaught of my own body.
A blinding light flashed in front of my eyes, breaking through my paralysis and I cried out.
EPOV
Bella's body felt light, insubstantial in my arms. I could hear her breath whistling through her restricted bronchioles. What could possibly have happened in my absence to cause this? I was trying not to panic and failing miserably. If I had a heart, it would have been pounding with sheer terror. I was scared, as scared as I had been watching Bella stand before the Volturi. Before I could only guess; now I knew how it felt to think I had lost her. I would not survive a second time.
I should not have left to go hunting. I should never have left her, period. The first time I had hunted after our return I had thought I might actually go mad from being away from her. I hadn't wanted to go at all. I was managing fine on whatever prey wandered too close to Bella's house while she slept. But after Emmett's ridiculous "intervention", I couldn't hide the concerns of my family from Bella any longer.
She had actually threatened to go on a hunger strike if I didn't hunt. She told me she "wouldn't eat until I did". It was a ridiculous threat; one that she had no hope of following through. But I hadn't needed Carlisle's silent warning to know that any more weight lost by my Bella would be downright dangerous. She had always been delicately slender but during my absence she had become horrifyingly frail. My vampire senses had no trouble calculating her exact weight loss and every pound lay heavy on my silent heart. I swore to myself yet again that I would never stop trying to make amends for my worst mistake.
I burst out of the trees and slowed as I approached the house. I cradled Bella in my arms as I made my way up the stairs, searching at the while for Carlisle's mind. I could only pray that he was even at home.
"Carlisle?" I called softly, trying not to startle the angel in my arms.
Edward? The thought was startled. When did you return? Is Bella with you?
"Carlisle. Something is wrong with Bella. She won't wake up." I couldn't get the rest of the words out. They were lodged in my through with the lump that I couldn't shift.
Carlisle raced down the stairs to my side. Bring her into my study.
I hurried into the room after him, set her down gently on the sofa then moved out of the way so Carlisle could examine her. My arms felt empty and cold without her in them; bereft as I was without her. Carlisle was speaking to me again. I struggled against the panic to focus on what he was saying.
What happened, Edward? How long has she been unconscious?
"I don't know," I whispered, feeling helpless. "She was fine when I left. I came back early. When I went to her room she was like this. She wouldn't wake up, even after I picked her up. I didn't know what to do, so I brought her here." I looked at him pleadingly. "Tell me what is wrong with her."
I'll find out, Edward, Carlisle promised. You need to keep calm.
I tried to throttle down the panic as Carlisle began his examination, noting Bella's elevated temperature and laboured breathing. Each symptom catalogued in his mind sent the panic spiralling up again as my medical training supplied endless hideous possibilities; all of them deadly.
As if she had heard me, Bella's heart rate rose higher and her breathing became more laboured. My own breath stopped as, impossibly, my fear increased. I couldn't breathe or think or live without her.
Pass me my light and thermometer, Edward, Carlisle commanded, breaking through my fug. I obeyed him, my shaking hands causing me to fumble for the first time in my vampire existence.
Carlisle gently pulled up Bella's eyelid and shone the torch in her eye checking her pupils' responses. Simultaneously, Bella moaned and Alice crashed through the door.
