A/N: Thank you very much for continuing to read my story. I am extremely happy because Hazeldene has offered to help me edit this story as a Beta. She has been my guiding light to some amazing stories and the one that introduced me to the world of fan fiction. I am never going to be able to thank her enough for all the wonderful things she has done for me.

I hope you are enjoying the plot and if you have any suggestions or comments please don't forget to post a review.

EPOV

My brain is completely fried. I have spent the last ten hours in the most boring meeting ever. I should have just let Jasper handle it but sometimes I feel guilty. After all, it is my career but he does such a wonderful job at handling it that it is easy for me to leave the burden of it to him. I know he doesn't mind, he loves being my manager but still, letting him suffer through such torture alone seems like a selfish thing to do. I am just glad we are on our way home. I want to go home and pay a visit to Laila. I haven't seen her lately and my fingers are itching to touch her. Mike will probably be disappointed because I will not be accompanying him to our favorite bar, but I just think I could handle it tonight. I am afraid that if another stupid paparazzi shoves his camera to my face, I will shove right back in his ass so for the sake of Jasper's sanity, I try not to go out when I am in this mood.

I am usually not a violent person but sometimes I feel like a zoo animal. I am not sure how or when acting became a circus show but I wish it hadn't. It's hard to be taken seriously as an actor when your entire life is on display. I mean I don't remember Jack Nicholson or Robert DeNiro being chased by paparazzi incessantly or having their business posted all over magazines. On the contrary, their careers were documented by respectful journalists who sincerely cared about their work integrity.

I don't recall a single instance in which an interviewer asked them questions about their hairstyle or body hygiene. I mean who the hell cares whether my hair is washed or not? I did my damn job so why would they not want to ask me about it? I have been to so many interviews where 90 percent of the questions are not related to my line of work. When that happens though, I try to say the most irreverent things to rile the reporters. I get a kick out of leaving them speechless after I say something stupid. Well sometimes I do say stupid things for no reason, but I blame it on the fact that I am usually nervous as hell. I don't like being in the spotlight, I never have unless it's on a stage, so when I know that pretty much half of the world will be listening to my words my brain ceases to work. My brothers dubbed me "brain mush" right after my second live interview and I often find them laughing their butts off while watching my "funny moments" videos, created by some of my adoring fans who seem to really like my brain mushiness.

BPOV

It's been three weeks without Dorito and I am going crazy with worry. I refuse to accept that he may not come back because if I do, I am not sure I will be able to function again. Knowing that the last member of my family is gone will surely end me.

I have done my best to convince everyone that I am ok and handling things. I don't think I am being too convincing, judging by the watchful glances I get every time we go out. It's funny how they are all trying to be inconspicuous about it, but it very easy to tell they are all waiting for another melt down. Today at the park a man attempted to approach me in order to give me a pamphlet and Rose literally jumped in front of me in order to deflect him. It would be funny it if wasn't so pathetic. They know that it scares me to death to be talked to by strangers and are sure that would set off a panic attack. I hate to do this to them. Why can't I be normal like other people? I would love to be able to talk to the man about whatever it is he is selling and make conversation about the weather but I can't, because I am a freak.

To make matters worse, I cannot take my medication because it makes my mind fuzzy. Usually I welcome the hazy, zombie-like state they put me in because I love anything that makes me feel numb. However, I have to be strong. I have to fight with my mind and make it function even if that means having to deal with my everlasting pain. It's been tempting to take my magic pills, especially when I wake up drenched in sweat after having the very realistic nightmares I get every night. It almost feels like my subconscious wants to punish me because as soon as I fall asleep, images of Marcus and my parents dead bodies assault me. The pain is almost unbearable but I must be strong, Dorito needs me and there is nothing I will not do in order to get him back.

EPOV

I am covered in blood and my body hurts. I feel like every muscle in my body is tense as I try to get in the shower. I am honestly trying to make sense of what happened. We were driving home after the meeting when Jasper decided to stop by the In and Out Burger close to our home. We stopped on a red light and I was silently musing about how beautiful the twilight is when I looked up on the opposite road and saw a small dog running with a leash attached to its neck, but with no owner attached to it. The dog looked confused and tired. I asked Jasper to pull over and got out of the car in order to try to catch the dog. I saw the truck turning as the dog was about to cross the street. Panic hit me when I realized the driver would not be able to stop before hitting the animal. Before I could make sense of things, I was crossing the street without even looking for oncoming traffic. I heard Jasper scream but all I knew was that I had to save the dog. Everything happened in slow motion; the screeching sound of the brakes hit my ears before I heard the loud thud. I saw the front tire of the truck run over the fragile animal while I was desperately moving towards it.

The truck skidded and the dog was limp on the road as a second car was fast approaching. Without really thinking about what I was doing I jumped in front of the car as I tried to shield the dog from further damage. Luckily the car managed to stop before it collided with my body. As soon as the car stopped I hear the frantic screaming of several people and Jasper's arms on me as he tried to determine if I was hurt. "What the hell are you doing Edward?" he kept screaming "are you hurt?" the panic in his voice was evident. I looked down and saw the limp body next to me and lots of blood but I want sure it some of it belonged to me.

I saw the dog's eyes open and his little face grimaced with pain. Without giving a second thought I reached for the dog and cradled him in my arms. "Jasper move! We have to take him to the animal hospital now!" I yelled. It was only when I tried to walk that I felt the pain in my leg. I heard Jasper gasp "Edward, your leg!" he yelped. I knew I was bleeding but I honestly didn't care. All I wanted was to make sure the dog survived. "Jasper I am ok. Get in the car!" I all but barked at him.

The tone of my voice made him react and he jumped towards the car. I got in the back seat and laid the dog on the seat trying to make sense of his injuries. I saw that one of his rear legs had the skin ripped apart and that he was having trouble breathing. There was blood all over the seat by the time we made it to Dr. Gerandy's clinic. "I need a doctor! I screamed as Jasper and I walked in. A nurse came rushing and took the dog's limp body away from me. Soon there were several people looking down at him. Maggie one of the nurses I recognized from previous visits with Bear, came over to talk to me. "What happened Mr. Cullen? She said before she looked down and gasped as she noticed my bleeding leg. It was at the same time that I noticed it as well. "I am going to get help don't move" she ordered.

The pain in my leg began to throb and I tried not to wince as Jasper inspected my wound. He was unusually quiet but I could see several emotions in his eyes. The most prevalent was worry but I could see anger and frustration. "It's ok Jas it doesn't hurt so much" I said trying to be reassuring but unable to keep the wince of pain out of my face. "Compared to what could have happened today I should be thankful for that I suppose" he was definitely angry. "Do you mind telling me what the hell happened?" he snapped. "I don't know man, I saw the dog and the truck and jumped without thinking. I am sorry" I said apologetically. "Are you nuts? It's a DOG! And while I am an animal lover I really don't want to lose my baby brother because of one," he said. "You could have been killed or seriously injured! Did you not think about Dad? Do you not care about what would happen to us if we lose you?" his voice began to shake and I knew he was truly scared. I felt bad about causing him such anguish and very stupid for doing something so reckless. "I am truly sorry Jas, I wasn't thinking," was all I could say.

Dr. Gerandy ushered us into a small room and inspected my wound. "You are going to need a few stiches Mr. Cullen. Would you like me to call the hospital and inform them you will be stopping by? I looked at the doctor as he spoke and suddenly realized that the incident would be all over the news if I wasn't careful. "I'd prefer not to do that sir. Can you take care of it here?" I asked cautiously. "I do not want the media involved" He looked at me with a worried eyes and told me he would stitch it up for me if I promised to go have my leg properly checked out for any possible internal injuries. I promised I would and soon he was cleaning my wound and sewing it closed. I tried to be a man about it but I have always been a baby when it comes to pain. I am a wuss so I could not help but yelp when he injected the anesthetic in my leg, which made Jasper laugh. "Don't be such a pussy bro," he said. While his comment was certainly not welcomed, I was happy to see him smile again.

After a while, the nurse informed us that the dog would need surgery. One of his lungs was punctured by one of several broken ribs and the wound on his leg would require a lengthy treatment of antibiotics in order to prevent infections. "The dog may survive but it would be more cost efficient for you to just put him to sleep Mr. Cullen," she said with such a cold and detached tone that it made my blood boil. "As you can probably imagine ma'am, money is not an issue for me," I replied icily. "So do what you have to do in order to save my dog," I snapped further. She raised her eyebrows and walked away muttering something that sounded like "asshole". Eventually the vet approached us to confirm what he had suspected. He informed us that the surgery was successful and the dog was induced into a coma in order to keep him from moving. He advised us to go home and rest and promised to call me if anything happened. As he was walking out he looked at me and said "I've never been a fan of yours Mr. Cullen but after what you did today, you have my eternal devotion." He then walked out of the room leaving me speechless.

The dog had a microchip with his owner's information but the address listed on it was located in Texas. The owner's name was Charles Swan but the phone number was disconnected. It was confusing. Why would a dog from Texas be wandering the streets of LA by himself? He had a leash attached so something must have happened to the owner as he walked the dog. The thought of it made my stomach hurt. I fervently prayed that the owner was ok so that he could be reunited with his dog. I know I would be worried sick if I ever lost Bear. "Hey man we need to go home," Jasper said. "Apparently someone recorded your super hero antics and the video is now all over the news. Dad is freaking out". I groaned in frustration. "I know man; this is going to be a PR nightmare. We really need to hire a publicist," he responded.

My leg was really hurting and it became so swollen I found it difficult to walk. Jasper helped me in to the car and made sure the seat was all the way to the back so I could stretch it as much as possible. Being 6'2, there wasn't much he could do but I appreciated his thoughtfulness. Dad was waiting at the door when I staggered in. He and Jasper helped me to the couch where I was sure Dad would tear me to pieces. After sending Jasper away Dad looked at me at and exhaled slowly. I wasn't sure but I thought I saw I tear roll down. "Are you ok son?" he asked gravely. "Yeah Dad don't worry. Everything is fine." I tried to sound reassuring. "Edward don't ever scare me like that again." Here we go. "You and your brothers are everything to me. I already lost the love of my life; don't ever make me lose you too" I could tell he was truly upset and worried about me and I felt like the biggest dick for causing him to feel that way.

"I am sorry dad. I honestly wasn't thinking. I looked up and the next thing I knew was that I was on top of the dog." "Have you found the owner yet?" he asked. "No Dad, but Jasper is on it" He looked at my bandaged leg and removed the gauze in order to inspect the wound. "It's a nasty gash you got there. Does your leg hurt?" Dad is a doctor so I know better than to lie to him. "The cut itself throbs but the pain is worse when I bend my knee," I replied sheepishly. Dad began to assess my leg and determined I had a sprained knee. After bandaging my leg, he wrote a prescription for painkillers and asked Mrs. Cope to fill it at the pharmacy. He also asked her to stop by his clinic and get some crutches. "Seriously Dad? You are going to make me walk with crutches?" my tone was outraged. "Yes Edward, you will do as I say and that's the end of it," he said severely and I knew better than to cross him further. He was obviously still mad at me.

Eventually I made it to my room where I am now trying to take a shower standing awkwardly on one leg and leaning on one crutch while I try to wash my hair and keep my bandaged leg outside the water. Dad wanted to help but I put my foot down. I know Emm and Jas would not let me hear the end of it. I would rather risk my life a second time by taking a shower leaning on a stupid crutch than have to hear those two endlessly teasing me for having my daddy shower me.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think of the story so far by reviewing it. I can only improve if I know what I am messing up.

XOXO