Carlisle's POV:

My phone was ringing off the hook but I couldn't answer it. Hating myself all over again, I turned it off. Bella's life hung in the balance. My complete attention had to be on her.

She crashed twice on the way to the hospital. We revived her, but she clung to life by a thread, fighting for every heartbeat. Why had I turned my phone off earlier? I could have saved my little girl all this…

She had a broken ankle and probably a few ribs, but our main concern was her head. The trauma team had to shave off all her beautiful hair to get to the large gash – probably caused by a flying piece of windshield. She'd hit it hard on the steering wheel, and this was our biggest concern. She still hadn't awakened.

Through all this, the words brain damage kept running through my mind, and I would cut them off before they got any farther. I couldn't handle that thought right now. She would just have to be all right.

When we finally got her as stabilized as possible and set up in the CCU, I braced myself for what I had to do next – call my family.

"Carlisle!" Alice's voice was high with a mixture of fear and relief. "Carlisle," and her voice broke because she suddenly knew what I knew.

I heard Edward next. "Carlisle, what's the news?"
I sighed heavily. "Alice saw her wreck?"
"Yes." The one word was tense and loaded with barely concealed fear. "Now tell me what's going on."

"She's stable…for now. We have her in CCU here at the hospital. Fractured ankle, a few ribs, nothing major there. But her head…she's still unconscious, Edward. We nearly lost her twice on the way to the hospital."

He sucked in a breath that he didn't need. "We're on our way. We'll be home by tomorrow night."

"Edward, I -"

"Not now, Carlisle. I can't…I just can't right now."

I stared at the dead phone in disbelief as the full weight of my guilt settled heavily on my shoulders.

Esme's POV:

Dawn broke outside, shining gloriously in a rare moment of sunshine.

But there was no one outside to appreciate it.

We were all clustered in the tiny waiting room just a few doors away from where Bella lay fighting for her life. Charlie paced up and down, up and down. Renee and Phil were on their way from Florida. Emmett just sat there, staring into space, Rosalie perched stiffly beside him. Alice was here, but Jasper had been unable to stand it. The whole emotionally-charged atmosphere was too much for him. Carlisle was still with Bella. And Edward…Edward didn't move from his silent vigil next to the door.

"Charlie, can I get you something? Coffee, maybe?" I finally offered, when his pacing threatened to drive me crazy.

He took the hint and fell into a chair. "No, thank you, Esme."

He'd no sooner relaxed when Carlisle appeared in the doorway. Instantly Charlie sprang up and Carlisle was surrounded. "One at a time, please," he said, raising his hands, and we all instantly quieted.

He turned to Charlie first. "She's alive."

Charlie and my children all deflated in relief, but I kept my eyes on Carlisle's face. His eyes told me the worst was yet to come.

"She has a broken ankle and few fractured ribs. A little internal bleeding, but we were able to stop that fairly quickly. Her head, on the other hand…she hit it very hard, and she's still unconscious."

"Could she…die?" Edward asked, his voice low and tormented.

Carlisle hesitated.

"Could she die, Carlisle?" he demanded, and only I who knew Edward so well could detect the trace of anger and resentment in his voice. With sickening shock I realized he blamed Carlisle for this. He blamed him for not having his phone on and preventing this whole mess.

He must have heard my accusation in his thoughts, but he gave no indication as he kept his attention fixed on his father.

The pause stretched on and on. Even Rosalie was waiting to hear the words. Emmett clutched her hand, his face agonized at the thought of losing his little human sister. And Charlie…Charlie just looked old.

"Yes," Carlisle said finally, defeat etched on his face. "She could very easily die. The next twelve hours are critical."

The silence in the room was deafening, and I closed my eyes and wished I could cry.