Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, I just like playing with them.
(EPOV)
The box smelled strongly of Bella and I opened it first. Nestled in white cotton was a small glass bottle filled with a rich, dark red, liquid. In horror, I realized what it was. Bella's blood. I tore into the envelope with my name on it and unfolded the tear-stained letter.
My dearest Edward,
This is my last gift to you.
It's sweet scent brought you into my life, and the spilling of it tore you away from me.
This is the last of my blood that will remain on this Earth, and I thought you should be the one to possess it, as you already have my heart.
I'm sorry, I love you too much to live in this world without you.
Forever Yours,
Bella
Frozen with shock, the letter drifted to the floor and the bottle fell to the carpet. Agonizing pain ripped through my granite body as understanding and pure terror pulsed through me. I flew through the back door into the forests following the trail of Bella's scent. I pushed myself to run as fast as I could, surely I could get to her in time. She was heading towards the river. As the trees began to thin, I finally caught a glimpse of her white dress.
"Bella!" I screamed, fear ripping through my body. "Bella stop, please!" But she was already well into the river.
At the sound of my voice she paused for a moment, before moving forward again. Almost there, I could dive in and stop her in just another few seconds. As I reached the bank I saw the water swirling around her was tinged with pink, and as I dove into the icy river she disappeared. Swimming downstream with the current, I searched frantically. I surfaced to see if I saw any trace of her, and there was a flash of white. Relief washed over me as I pulled her into my arms, dragging her to the surface first and then to the bank. I gathered her still form into my arms and tried to keep my composure. She was ice cold and white, her lips pale. I smelled her blood and found the gashes on her wrists.
No! Please no...
Ripping my shirt from my body I tore it into strips and wound it around her wrists tightly. I heard a thready pulse, but she wasn't breathing. I placed my mouth on hers and filled her lungs with air. No response. I tried again. Nothing.
"Please Bella, love, come back to me, please." I pleaded into her hair.
Once more and she coughed up a little water and took a shallow breath. It was a beautiful sound. The sound of other vampires approaching whispered through the trees, and then a stifled scream as they arrived on the beach. Alice and Jasper took in the scene, as I ran towards them with her.
"She's alive, barely. Where's Carlisle?" Hardly pausing to ask before heading for the house.
"He went by the hospital, Alice said she'd need blood, so he's getting some." Jasper answered.
When we reached the house I took her upstairs to Alice's room and laid her on the bed. "Alice, warm towels and blankets. Jasper, Carlisle keeps an extra bag in his office closet, it will have the supplies I need."
I gently pulled the wet hair away from her face, and ripped the wet dress off of her. We had to get her dry and warm. Wrapping her body in the thick comforter, I left one arm out so I could repair the wound she had made. Jasper was back with the bag. Even though our family never needed medical assistant, I was never so thankful to have a doctor for a father.
"Jasper you don't have to stay if it's too much." I told him.
"No, I want to help. It's my fault all this started...I can control myself."
"I need to stitch up her wrists first." I pulled out the supplies I needed.
Alice dropped off the first load of towels. "I have some in the dryer warming up." She folded up one and laid it under Bella's wrist.
The bleeding had slowed down, partially because of the cold, but also because it had begun to clot. If it hadn't been for the freezing cold water, she would have lost much more blood. I worked to close the wound, and then moved to the other side. Jasper bandaged the first wrist and laid it back inside the comforter. Alice was towel drying her hair, and decided a hairdryer would be faster. The buzzer went off on the dryer and Jasper ran to fetch the warm towels. We laid them against her body and around her head. Once the second wrist was bandaged, I wrapped her back up in the comforter and sat beside her. Alice kissed her on the forehead, and then left the room with Jasper to give me some time with her alone.
I just sat and drank in the sight of her for a few minutes. Then I began to gently trace the contour of her cheek with my fingertips. I brushed my thumb across her lips, and desperately hoped to get some kind of reaction. She did feel a little warmer, but her breathing still shallow and pulse weak.
I heard footsteps coming down the hall, and Carlisle hurried into the room. You never left did you?
I scowled and looked away. Living with vampires made secrets impossible. Our senses were too keen, they knew my scent was too strong throughout the house. I'm surprised Alice hadn't seen it in one of her visions...or maybe she had and just didn't say anything.
"Tell me what happened." He commanded.
I explained how I found her and what I'd done. Just as Alice saw. He nodded curtly, before he pulled away the comforter. He examined her wrists. Well done. There was no admiration, just a simple statement of fact. She's warming up, but she needs blood.
"Edward, I'm going to be frank with you. I've always tried to let you all make your own decisions, even when I did not agree with them. We gave up what we had here because you asked us to. You've moved on for us without complaint on more than one occasion and we felt obligated to reciprocate."
"Car..." He held up his hand to stop me.
"I'm talking right now. I kept silent for too long. Not a single one of us agreed with this choice. We knew this would not end well for Bella, but you insisted on playing games with her heart. I know you thought you were doing the best thing for her, but son, you knew better. I have never been disappointed in you until you made that decision. She was a part of our family, we loved her too. I am going to tell you right now, if you cannot commit to standing by Bella, then I am going to change her."
Rage swept through me. "No you will NOT, Carlisle."
"Yes, I will Edward. It's what she wanted. She should be in a hospital right now. What do you think would happen to her after that? Years of therapy, maybe an institution. Do you want to see her like that, drugged up, restrained, simply because you walked away from her? Could you live with yourself knowing you did that to her? When she realizes she didn't succeed, and you're still not a part of her life, it won't be long before she gets it right, and we may not be able to stop her next time. The love between you two is too precious to be wasted. She would have followed you to the ends of the earth, son, not many people get to experience that kind of love in their lifetime. You knew she wouldn't let you go, and so you broke her, in the only way you could, lying to her that you didn't want her. Don't you dare try to tell me that you don't feel the same about her either. We've walked this earth together for almost a century, and you have never been so happy as you are when you're with Bella. So if you still want to play your game and keep your distance, I will change her today and she will be a part of our family, regardless of what you want or where you decide to go. Otherwise, if you are ready to open your damn eyes and see what a precious gift you have been given, I have the blood she needs and I will administer it here. Then we can decide what to do from there, but you damn well better be the man I know you are when she wakes up."
As I stood there in shocked silence, staring at the man I most admired, I was ashamed.
"I will give you a few minutes alone to think this over." He said before he spun on his heel and left the room.
There was no decision to make, I knew instantly, as soon as I held her in my arms I would never leave her again. Carlisle's harsh words stung, but they were the truth. I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. Trouble seemed to run into Bella from the moment she stepped into our lives. Jasper's attack on her birthday reminded me how fragile she really was and how dangerous we were to her. I knew how much I loved her, but it seems I underestimated how much she cared for me. My beautiful, strong, selfless Bella, and I had broken her. Would she even want me once she woke up? I would have to prove it to her that I was never leaving again, but would it be enough? I had to try, there was no existence for me in a world with her. The raw, aching hole that burned in my chest since walking away from her made it clear that I would never be whole again without her.
I felt Carlisle's presence in the doorway and turned to face him. He had the supplies, and I nodded. We worked in silence together to heal Bella. We sat in silence as we waited for some hint she was responding. Just as I was starting to worry, her heart beat a little stronger, and her breathing deepened.
"She's going to heal Edward. I think you need to go talk to your sister. I'll let you know if there is any change."
"I'd much rather stay by her side Carlisle."
"There is plenty of time for that in the days to come, for now you have other wounds to heal." He nodded towards the door.
