Alice POV
"Bella? Bella open your eyes, look at me!" Bella slumps forward in the chair, moaning out in pain. Jasper holds her shoulders and gently rolls her up in a sitting position but she just falls forward. If I had a beating heart I would imagine it would be going so fast right now. My normal cool and calm attitude freezes for a few seconds as I stare on at my best friend, my sister, who seems to be in agony, her eyes tight shut but wet with tears. Jasper looks at me for instructions and I pull myself together. "Take her to the living room just now, I will call Carlisle!" I say urgently and he scoops Bella up in his arms and is out of sight in seconds. I take a deep breath and pull my cell phone from my back pocket. I need to do this but I am afraid of Edwards reaction- I know there was nothing I could of done to prevent my vision coming true but I am meant to be looking out for her and since my vision I have been on edge.
Get a grip Alice! I shake myself mentally to get hold of myself together. No time for blaming myself as Bella needs help and she needs me to be able to focus. I dial Carlisle instead of Edward as it's him I need and Edward will just be frantic and I wont be able to get much out of him while Bella is in any kind of danger.
"Hey Alice, we were just about to check in with you guys," Carlisle's cool, reassuring voice answers on the second ring. I take a deep breath and let it out loudly.
"Carlisle I need your help!" I say and my voice is even though I feel like shouting down the phone. But he picks up on my distress anyway and his tone changes. " What is it Alice? What happened?" he asks calmly but I hear the urgency in his voice.
"I had a vision but there was nothing I could do because I didn't know the cause but its happening right now and I have no idea what to do." I say in a rushed babble but he catches every word.
"Wait, what is happening, what was the vision about? Slow down and tell me."
Oh, I forgot to actually explain what is going on. "It's Bella. I saw her really ill in bed, and I mean seriously ill Carlisle. But I couldn't see what caused it and the rest was sketchy. I cooked her dinner but before she even had one bite she was doubled over crying out in pain. She is not responding to Jasper's attempts to rouse her but I think she is conscious just now." I explain and I can hear the others near him and Edward is demanding the phone. "Edward stop, you will crash the car….No, let me tell Alice what to do first….Ok pull over- Emmet you can drive." I hear Carlisle tell Edward. In my haste to tell him what's going on I didn't hear the purr of the car and I can hardly hear what the others are saying anyway as there is so much talking going on and I am trying to listen to what Jasper is saying to Bella. "Alice? I need you to go to Bella and examine her for me." Carlisle has his bedside manner voice and you cant help but listen and trust anything he tells you. I flea to the living room to find Bella laid out on the sofa and Jasper kneeling at her side. He rises and stands at the arm of the chair by her head when I get to the sofa so I can take his place. He takes the phone from me and puts it on speaker phone and lays in on the arm.
"Ok Carlisle what do I do?" I ask. I stoke Bella's face and I feel her forehead, heating up- she is developing a fever.
"Ok, first gently examine her stomach. What does it feel like? Hard, soft?"
I lift up Bella's top and press softly on her stomach. When I touch the middle near the left side, her body jerks and she whines in agony. I take my hand off quickly. "It's all hard, the left side being the worst. She needs pain killers, what should we give her?" I cant stand seeing her in pain and when she cries out I feel helpless.
"Get my bag and my medicine cabinet is full of different drugs. Give her 5mg of morphine just now to see if it helps her." Carlisle says and Jasper has already gone off to find the drugs. "Bella, Bella open your eyes. We are going to help you. Can you tell me if it hurts any where else?" I say leaning in close to her face. Her eyes flicker and she looks at me weakly. "Stomach. Feel sick." she whispers and her voice is croaky like she has been screaming for the last hour. I dart back to the kitchen and almost rip the washing up basing in half as I grab it and race back to the living room. Jasper is back when I get there and he sets the bag open near where I sat. "Hold her up, she feels sick."
He does as I ask and I just get the basin under her in time. Jasper take it away to clean when she is done and lays her back down on the sofa with her head tilted to the side.
I go into Carlisle's bag and I dig out a glass bottle of clear liquid that contains the morphine. I prepare the needle and syringe and pull the morphine out on the bottle to the 5mg mark.
"Will I inject it into the muscle or should I get a cannula?" I say leaning closer to the phone. There is a seconds pause before he tells me, "Yes just insert the needle into her leg, it shouldn't take too long for the effects to work."
I put the needle down and stand up. "Bella, I need to take off your pants to inject the morphine." I tell her softly. She opens her eyes again and find my face. She nods weakly.
I peel off the three quarter length pants we bought yesterday and throw them on the arm chair. "Ok, where do I put it?" I say raising my voice a little even though he can probably hear perfectly.
"The thigh, straight in the muscle." he tells me. I take a deep breath and insert the needle into her thigh. Her body twitches a little but other than that there is no response from her.
Jasper comes back and brings the foot stool nearer the sofa and sits down. He puts the basin on the floor near Bella's head and gives my hand a squeeze.
"What else can we do Carlisle? Should we take her to hospital?" I say picking up the phone but keeping it on loud speaker. There is a longer pause while Carlisle thinks it though…Then it happens again:
Pictures flash in my mind like a weak movie: Bella is on Edwards bed, she is utterly still with no heart beat. I see myself cry tearlessly and I am holding her hand. I see Jasper's face, his eyes are closed in defeat. "Carlisle was right, It must have been Septicaemia. It happened so quickly- there was no chance of the hospital being able to any more than we did…"
Another flashes my mind. We are in Edwards room again, the same vision as my first except Bella is unconscious. She looks iller than I saw the first time; sweat wetting her hair, grey skin and shallow breathing. She has on a few pieces of hospital equipment that Carlisle keeps in the house and the heart monitor shows her hear beat is dropping and her blood pressure is falling. There is a lot of noise in the room. I have my phone in my hand and there is so much noise coming from it. I make out Edwards harsh voice and above his is Carlisle's. They seem to be arguing and Jasper is arguing along with them. I hear "There is nothing you can do. The only way would be to turn her." Then everyone is arguing on what would be best and I worry what to do, what is the best outcome. I know I have to choose to either bite her and let the change happen or just play it out and see if she comes gets better…
I open my eyes to present time and Jasper is rubbing his hand on my face. "Alice what did you see? Is it Bella, will she be ok? Alice?" and at the same time I can hear Edwards demanding voice, screaming though the phone for me to answer him. I look down at Bella who seems to be getting worse every minute that goes by. Morphine can keep her out of pain for a little while but it doesn't cure the source it just masks it. Her eyes are open though and she is looking up at the pair of us but nothing in her eyes show she is interested in what is going on or if she even understands. "Edward shut up!" I say and I keep my voice under control. " Carlisle, I think its really bad. From what I saw she just gets worse and worse and really quickly. In one of the visions Jasper said that you were right, it must have been septicaemia and that the hospital wouldn't of done thing different that we had already- it was just too late." I say and my voice falters. Everyone is quiet when I say that and Bella looks like she hasn't even heard what I have said.
"You saw Bella dead? Gone?" Edwards says slowly, his voice stiff.
"Am sorry Edward but yes it's what I saw." I whisper. "But I also saw another. She was very weak and getting worse by the looks of it and she was unconscious and her heart rate was falling- so was her blood pressure. Jasper and I were by her side and everyone on your end was arguing or at least discussing loudly about what to do…We were talking about turning her now. There didn't seem to be any hope. It was either let her die or change her now." I say slowly and clearly. I try to think of something else to say and I wish for another vision: one where Bella is ok and everything turns out fine. Or one that lets me know the out come of what might happen.
"No! You can't turn her now. We are getting married then I turn her myself. That's what was agreed." Edwards says and it's like he hasn't listened to a word I have just said.
"Edward, son, that was before Bella got ill. If it really is septicaemia then there might not be much of a choice. If you don't want to loose her you have to agree to what might have to happen. But before that, Alice we have the correct antibiotics. Get all my equipment set up. Heart monitor, the machine for blood pressure and the oxygen saturation machine to check the oxygen levels in her blood. I have an oxygen cylinder, so make sure she is getting enough. You will need an IV pole and I have stocks of different Intravenous medicine. The antibiotic you should use is called Cephalosporin- it's in the cupboard. She will also need fluid." Carlisle says calmly with a ring authority but I can hear is own stress. We all love Bella in this family and we would all be divested to loose her.
Jasper is already gone so I pick Bella up carefully and take her up stairs to mine and Jasper's room. I want to do things different than my visions have already shown me and I decide it would be best to avoid Edwards room. I place her softly on my side of the bed and take the pink blanket from the bottom and spread it over her bare legs. I move the bedside cabinet out of the way so the equipment has room.
I can sense Bella is still awake so I lean down and give her a kiss on the forehead. "It's ok Bella. Everything will be fine, don't worry Jasper and I are going to get you better." I whisper to her. A voice comes from my pocket and I take out my cell phone. "Sorry, I was taking Bella upstairs." I say directly into the phone. "I will put the phone next her head Edward, I am away to help Jasper with the hospital gear." I do as I said and put the phone on the pillow next to Bella's head. "I'll be right back," I tell them both and hurry out of the room to find Jasper.
We have our own hospital in the house even though it is impossible for one of us to get ill. But Carlisle brings his work home just for his own purpose so he keeps various medical machines and drugs. He does the odd house visit and he uses some of the medicines for that, but until now there was no use for all the stuff he has and I am glad now he has it. I find Jasper in Carlisle and Emse's room. He is loading various drugs into the bag and already set out ready to take though to the bed room is the heart monitor, blood pressure machine and pulse oximeter monitor and I wheel them through to the bedroom. I set all the machines up but I decide that for easier access I need to take Bella's clothes off and put on one of my nightgowns. I grab one of my blue silk gowns with thin straps and pull in over her head and slip her arms in to the holes. Edwards is soothing her from the phone and she seems focused on his voice and I doubt she realises I have just changed her out of the clothes.
I am about to attach her to the monitors when Jasper appears silently by my side and sets the bag of drugs on the bed and rolls the IV poll next to me. I instruct him to get the antibiotic Carlisle told me that would work and to then attach the monitors to Bella so I can fix a Cannula. "Jasper, I need you to hold your breath for awhile. I cant handle everything and I need your help to do this. Fix the machines to her and don't think about anything else. While I get the needle in her arm there might be blood if I don't get it right the first time. I need to know you will be ok?" I say and pray he will be ok. He nods and inhales deeply. There is silence from the phone and Bella is staring into space- which I am not sure is a good thing or not but hopefully it means the morphine is doing it's job and she is just a little spaced out.
I find the correct needle from the bag and take Bella's right arm. Jasper has already fixed her up to all the machines so he takes a step back and stands at the foot of the bed. I wipe the crook of her arm with a alcohol wipe and take the tourniquet and clip it above where I want the needle to go. I feel around and I pick a good vain that appears in seconds. Without thinking of her blood that I can feel rushing around under her skin I stick the needle into the vain and by good fortune it sticks. No blood appears so I stick the cannula down with sticky dressing. With the IV antibiotics all ready on the poll I take the end of the tube and secure it on the end of the cannula then do the same with the fluid and stick it on to the other pipe and make sure it's secure.
"I've done it. She has the antibiotics and she is hooked up to everything…no wait, we for got the oxygen. Jasper go and get the oxygen cylinder." Dam how could I forget that? My head is all over the place and my usual perfect memory is failing on me today.
"What else can be done? How long will it take to know if it's working?" I ask Carlisle while leaning over Bella to retrieve the phone. Jasper comes back in the room carrying the oxygen and places it at my feet. It take the tube and put it around Bella's ears and insert it through her nostrils. I watch the machine that tells me that it is starting to work almost straightaway and the oxygen level in her blood picks up.
"How is her heart rate? Her BP?" Carlisle asks. I look at the machines but the only improvement the oxygen levels. Her breathing is rapid and her heart is flying. I sweep her forehead and its clammy. "Not good. Her heart is fast and her blood pressure is falling. What is wrong with her? How did this happen?" I ask getting frustrated as I can do nothing more for the girl I love lying in the bed beside me. I crawl over the bed and sit cross legged at her left side and Jasper perches on the right.
"I don't know what's causing it. There is a number of things that can cause septicaemia. Has she any open cuts? Burns? But since the pain started in the abdomen and left was the worst I am thinking it's one of her organs. Maybe something ruptured. Check her abdomen again. Is there are red patches?" Carlisle says. I lift up the short night gown and I gasp in shock. On the upper part of her abdomen is red patches- that wasn't there a few minutes ago! "Yes! But I just undressed her and it wasn't there a few minutes ago! What is it?"
Above Edwards roar I hear Carlisle say, "She is beginning to clot. There is no blood in the house so you are going to have to inject clot busting drugs. There is streptokinase in my bag. Take out the fluid and inject it in that pipe."
Since Jasper is nearest he rummages in the bag and pulls out another little bottle of liquid and needle. I hold out my hand for him to give it to me but he prepares the drug himself and pulls up the amount Carlisle tells to use. He reaches over to the IV poll and stops the fluids coming through by clipping the tube. He takes out the cap in the cannula and injects the needle into it then reattaches the cap and unclips the tube for it to flow freely again.
"Alice, Jasper what is happening now? Is she getting any better? Are the antibiotics working?" Edward says and he sounds more frantic than ever. "Emmet can you drive any faster?" I hear him say. I cant blame him for being like this as I feel the same and if it was Jasper I wouldn't be any different. "I'm sorry Edward but she is not changing. She keeps coming in and out of consciousness but she never says anything…" I hear the sadness in my voice when I say this and I bite my bottom lip to keep me from screaming. I hear the others in the background and I catch words of encouragement from Esme and Rosalie but It wont help Edward so I don't bother try and soothe him with reassurances. I cant lie to him- I don't know if it will all be ok...
Just then the heart machine beeps frantically to indicate something wrong. I partially fly over Bella to be on my feet by the machine. I hear Edward shouting but I ignore him for just now. "What's happening?" Jasper asks me. I look at him wide eyed,
"It's her heart…Carlisle her heart rate is dropping and her pulse is really weak... What should I do?" I screech into the phone. There is a lot of commotion on the other end and I cant make sense of it. "Shut up all of you! You aren't going to help Bella if you shouting over the top of each other. She asked Carlisle so let him help!" Jasper yells grabbing my hand to speak directly into the phone.
Everyone hushes up at once and only Carlisle's voice can be heard. " Try CPR…" Just as he says it the machine make the sound to tell me her heart has now reached failure and is flat lining. I drop the phone and start giving her compressions. I block out all the noise I can hear from the phone and concentrate on counting. When I reach 30 I blow air into her mouth twice. Her chest rises them falls but the continuous beep seems louder than ever as if it's mocking me that I made not difference.
I keep going but I still get no response. "Come on Bella! Don't leave us now!" I keep trying frantically until finally I hear the beep, beep of the machine and I look over to see a slow but sure rhythm of her heart. I close my eyes in relief and I lay my head on her chest and wrap my arms around her. "Thank you…thank you. Don't do that again Bella." I whisper. I can feel her heart beat against my cheek and I lay there for a few minutes. I can hear Jasper talking to Edward to reassure him everything is ok just now but I don't listen, I just want to sit with Bella, listening to her heart.
A hand touches my back and I sit up. "Alice, Carlisle wants to speak to you." I take the phone and sit back on the bed.
"Carlisle, what is going to happen?"
"I cant be sure but her organs must be failing. She is most likely going into septic shock. The septicaemia must have spread all over. The antibiotic probably wont work." He tells us and we don't need to have vampire hearing to hear Edwards howl of distress and yelling at Emmet to drive faster.
"With out testing her blood and having other tests I cant say for sure but I reckon her heart is not the only one that is failing. She is going to go pretty quickly, I am sorry Edward. Her heart has already failed once-she might not come back next time and there will be a next time, its only a matter of time. They could take her to the hospital but they wont be able to do anything for her except keep her alive for a little while longer via a ventilator. " he says this matter of fact and I can tell there is nothing we can do for Bella. He is right- we could take her to hospital but they will only be able to put her on life support. Her lungs haven't failed yet but if her heart gave out then her lungs will eventually.
Ok so you might be thinking to yourself- I doubt she would go into heart failure so quickly!…and your probably right in most cases but this illness can get worse very quickly and I just decided to go for the most dramatic effect.
And you might also wonder why not just take her to hospital- because they know that septicaemia is life threatening and if things don't go right then they might not get a chance to change her. What Carlisle said is true- at the hospital they wont be able to anymore than they are already going. They just have extra diagnostic machines.