Author's Note: Thanks again to moosals for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters. Also special thanks to edwardisaputz for pre-reading from the male perspective!

My favorite review to Chapter 2: "Boy can't walk but still wants to get frisky."

Saturday, September 15, 2012

"Edward." Someone is shaking me; fuck, let me sleep. "Edward!" It's a woman, but my foggy mind can't register anything else.

"Mmmm… Mom?" I mumble.

"Yes, it's your mother — time to get up for school."

"Don't wanna get up."

"Wake up for me, Edward." Soft hands begin brushing lightly through my hair again. Wait, I know those hands…

I open my eyes, and slowly Bella's face comes into focus. "You're not my mom."

"Not even close," she laughs. "Sit up for me; I bring drugs."

"Yeah? Did you score some weed?" Pollyanna has been holding out on me!

She stares at me, mouth gaping. "Tell me you aren't serious."

Goddamnit, got my hopes up for nothing. A good buzz would really help with the pain in my side. I shrug, using my feet and arms to scoot up until I'm propped against the headboard.

"Sorry to disappoint," she says, not sounding particularly sorry, "But I don't have weed — I have your antibiotic. And some aspirin. Your fever spiked a bit today."

Bella hands me two pills to swallow and then the glass of water. "Do you think you could eat?" she asks. "I can make you some toast."

I nod, swallowing a big gulp of water to wash down the tablets.

"Ok, toast first, then a sponge bath."

"My favorite part of the day," I reply with a grin. I think I see a hint of a smile on her face as she walks out of the room. I really hope she wasn't joking about the sponge bath.

"Hope you like strawberry jam… it's all I had," she says, returning a few minutes later with a plate in her hands, the cat following right behind her trying to trip her up.

"It's fine," I reply, taking the plate from her. "Not gonna feed me this time?"

"I think you can handle eating a piece of toast. I'll feed you some soup later. Will you be ok by yourself while I go start a load of laundry?"

"I'll be fine," I assure her.

By the time I finish my piece of toast, Bella returns with the desk chair again. She helps me off the bed and into the chair, then delivers me to the bathroom, leaving me alone again.

"Ready for my sponge bath, Nurse," I call from the doorway when I'm through. No one is more surprised than me when she rushes to my side.

"This is the last time, you know. By tomorrow you should be able to take a shower. There's a small seat in there, so you don't have to stand."

"You can always help me with the shower, you know," I suggest. I really wouldn't mind being naked and wet with her. Hell, she could even keep her clothes on if she wears a t-shirt. Fuck, yeah.

"I think you'll be able to manage," Ms. Party Pooper replies as she gently begins washing my face and neck. "You're getting kind of scruffy. I didn't think to get you a razor, but maybe you could try to use mine."

"I'm not using a girl's razor to shave." Those little pink plastic things are not intended for a man's sensitive face.

"Suit yourself," she replies with a shrug. She moves on to my torso and I'm struck again by how tender and gentle she is with me. I know I have done nothing to deserve her kindness.

"Thanks for this, Bella. I'm not used to having someone take care of me," I admit quietly.

"What about your mom?"

"Hmmm?" How does she know anything about my mom?

"When you were first waking up, you thought I was your mom," she says.

"I did?" Fuck, I don't remember that. "Well, it's been a long time since I lived at home." Even though Esme continues to this day to try to mother me. She's a saint for putting up with my shit.

"You're only 24, right?"

"How do you know that?" I ask, eyes narrowed. I'm sure I didn't tell her that. Fuck, what else does she know about me? Does she know what I'm accused of? Does she know about… my past?

"Um, from the newspaper — an article about your escape. You know, as soon as you're feeling up to it, you and I are going to have to talk about what exactly you were convicted of." Fuck, so she does know I was convicted of second-degree murder and she's still being so nice to me? I don't understand this chick.

"What difference does it make? I told you I didn't do it."

"Edward — maybe… maybe I can help you. Somehow. I don't know."

After a long sigh, I finally nod. I know I owe her the truth, but I have no idea how she can help. "Tomorrow, ok?"

"Deal," she agrees. "You're all done, ready to go back to bed?"

"Do you think you could try to wash my hair?" I ask, running my hand through it. My scalp is kind of starting to itch since I haven't washed my hair in days.

"Yeah, all right, I'll try to wash it in the sink," she replies, pushing the chair over to the front of the small sink. "Lean back."

She wets my hair, then reaches into the shower, coming out with a bottle of shampoo. As she massages it into my hair, I notice the smell. "Is that strawberries?" I ask, wrinkling my nose.

"Sorry, you'll have to make do with my shampoo."

"I'm gonna smell like a girl," I complain. Jesus Christ, the guys in lock-up would have a field day if they smelled me like this. I'd quickly become someone's bitch.

"Well, I'm the only one who's gonna smell you." I hope to God she's right.

Once she's done, she wraps my head in a towel and helps me sit back up. "I'll change your bandage when you're lying down, ok?"

She dries my hair a bit then wheels me back into the bedroom and helps me into bed.

"Does it look better?" I ask quietly as she removes the bandage on my stomach. It does feel a bit better this morning.

"Yeah, it does. It's not all red and puffy. I think the antibiotics are helping." Thank you, God. Or Vet Bella. She cleans the wound gently, then applies more of that stinging ointment and a fresh bandage. She is just finishing up when I hear a phone ringing from the other room.

"Do you need to get that?" I ask.

"Nah, if it's important, they'll leave a message."

She laughs as the orange cat jumps up on the bed like he's going to keep me company. "He likes you," she says with a small smile. "He usually doesn't like anyone but me. I hope you're not allergic?"

"No, I'm not. He's fine. Leo, you said?"

"Yeah, because he looked like a lion cub when I got him," she explains. "Try to get more sleep, all right? I'll bring soup and toast for lunch in a few hours."

Once Bella leaves, I reach over and pet the cat until he comes to curl up next to me. "Thanks, buddy," I whisper. "Your mama is being pretty nice to me, even if I haven't seen her naked yet. Keep working on her for me."

I can hear her voice in the other room, and I wonder if she called the person back. I think I hear the word, "Dad," and I cringe. I really hope she isn't telling the Chief of Police all about me. When I don't hear anything more, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, the cat by my side.

"Edward," Bella's voice wakes me again, then I feel her shaking my shoulder. This must be why I thought she was Mom earlier — Mom had to call me five times to get up for school, and she always ended up shaking me until I got pissed off and crawled out of bed.

"I brought lunch," Bella says after I open my eyes. She helps me sit up, then hands me a plate with another piece of toast. "I brought more soup, too."

"Thank you," I reply, still half asleep. "Did you already eat?"

"Yeah, I did," she nods. "I figured it was easier, yeah?"

"I could get used to being spoonfed," I admit, taking a bite of the toast.

"Well, don't get used to it. Hopefully by tomorrow you'll be able to get out of bed and move around a bit — and have your meals at the table."

I finish most of the delicious soup before I decide to ask her about the conversation I overheard earlier. "You were talking to your dad earlier."

"What?"

"I heard you say 'Dad' but I didn't get a lot of the conversation," I explain. "You said your dad is a cop, right?" As if I could forget.

"Yeah, he is, and he talked to a friend of his on the police force here this morning and learned about your escape. He's worried about me being alone here."

"If he only knew, eh?" I chuckle. "What would he do if he found out you were harboring an escaped convict?" I ask curiously.

"Probably have my head examined," she replies dryly.

I look at her, finally too curious to ignore the elephant in the room. "Why did you decide to help me? You had every opportunity to turn me in when the police showed up. I couldn't have done anything about it."

"Because I believed you — I believed you were innocent."

"I don't think I'm innocent," I snort. "But I'm not guilty."

"Whatever," she replies, rolling her eyes. "You looked so scared when the police knocked. In that instant, I held your life in my hands. And I couldn't be the reason why you lost it. I couldn't… have that on my conscience."

Well, fuck… now I know I don't deserve the things she's done for me. Bella may be a bit of a Pollyanna, but she's good; she ranks right up there with Mom, I can just tell. Suddenly, I feel like a bit of an asshole for the way I've objectified her in my mind. She's so much more than a hot ass.

"Bella," I begin, taking her hand in mine, "I'll pay you back for this somehow. I don't necessarily mean with money, I—I mean, I'll make it up to you. What comes around goes around, and all that. It's good karma for you to help me."

I'm startled when Bella shakes her hand loose from mine, standing up so quickly that she nearly knocks the tray off the nightstand.

"What?" I ask in confusion. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Are you finished?"

"Yeah," I reply cautiously, drawing the word out. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Try to rest some more," she commands, picking up the tray, "Or I'll bring you something to read if you're not tired."

"Bella, wait," I call, but she scurries out of the room without looking back. Ok, that was fucking weird. What the fuck did I say to make her react like that? I was trying to tell her how much her helping me means to me. I was trying to be… nice. So much for being fucking nice.

I can hear water running out in the kitchen; she must be washing dishes. I wait for her to come back and apologize, but then a few minutes later, I hear the front door slam. She left? What the fuck? What if I need her?

Just having lunch took a lot out of me, so I decide to take a nap while I wait for Bella to return, still stewing about her abrupt mood swing; she's giving me whiplash.

It must be hours later when I wake up on my own. The house is quiet; no sign of Bella. I lie there, staring up at the ceiling and trying to figure out what the heck I did to make her react like that.

I hear Bella's footsteps on the hardwood floor and turn my head, watching as she walks into the room.

"You were gone," I accuse.

"Um, yeah, I went for a walk."

"You look tired," I note, watching the way she's leaning against the doorframe.

She nods. "I tried to take a nap, but I just couldn't get comfortable."

"You can take a nap in here."

"No, I can't," she says, leaving little room for argument.

"You did yesterday," I point out. "I didn't bother you."

She closes her eyes. Yes! She's thinking about it. Nice work, Cullen.

"You've been taking care of me for the last two days, Bella," I continue to butter her up. "It's time to worry about yourself."

Slowly, she steps into the room. I'd get up and dance if I could, I'm so pleased with myself. "Look, I'll even scoot over so you have plenty of room."

"Thank you," she replies with a small smile as she lies down on top of the covers. "Just for a little while, then I need to go make dinner."

She turns away from me and I close my eyes, happy to have her next to me again. Whatever I did to piss her off earlier, she seems to have forgiven me.

As I sleep, I feel the heat of something next to me. I reach out, pulling myself closer to the warmth. Some part of my unconscious mind recognizes that it's a person. I can't remember the last time I just held someone — if I ever have.

"Jesus!" Bella's scream wakes me up from a very sound sleep. "I thought you weren't going to bother me!" she yells, scrambling off the bed.

"I never said that; I said I didn't bother you yesterday," I point out. She gives me a glare and I can't help laughing at the timid little female trying to look angry and intimidating. "I didn't touch you on purpose, I swear," I tell her honestly. "I must've done it in my sleep."

"I wouldn't have taken you for a cuddler."

"I'm not — trust me." If I do pass out drunk before leaving a woman's bed, or kicking her out of mine, there is never any cuddling going on.

She walks toward the doorway, sighing. "Soup for dinner, or can you handle some fish?" she asks without even looking back at me.

"Just soup, I think."

Fuck, just when she forgave me for whatever the hell my first indiscretion was, I've managed to get on her bad side again! But I was asleep this time, goddamnit. I really didn't do it on purpose. And even if I did, I don't know what the big fucking deal is. It's not as if I was rubbing myself all over her.

I'm getting pretty hungry by the time Bella appears in the doorway, carrying a tray with another bowl of soup. As a rule, I'm not one to apologize, but I don't like her being angry with me. "I'm sorry."

She remains silent, setting the tray down and handing me a glass of water and two pills. When I hand her the glass back, she sits on the edge of the bed and begins to feed me. She doesn't say a word the entire time, or even look me in the eye. And it… well, it hurts. I rarely give a shit about what other people think of me, but I don't want Bella angry with me. And not just because I don't want her to turn me in.

When the bowl is empty, Bella stands, reaching for the tray. Needing to fix this, I grab hold of her wrist. "Bella—"

"Get your hand off of me," she replies through clenched teeth.

"Just — listen to me," I persist. She continues to glare at me until I drop her wrist in defeat. "I'm sorry," I tell her sincerely. "Really. I didn't touch you on purpose. I was asleep. I don't get why you're so angry."

"Apology accepted," she whispers before hurrying out of the room. Given the way she hightailed it out of here, I don't know whether to believe her or not.

I fall asleep again for a while, and when I wake up, I really need to piss. I think about calling Bella for help, but decide against it. I feel stronger than I have since I first collapsed on the floor, and I'm determined to do this for myself. I manage to crawl out of bed, and holding onto the wall for support, I head out to the living room. I see Bella look up at me from where she's watching TV on the couch.

Slowly but surely, I'm able to make it into the bathroom for a badly-needed leak. Afterward, I wash my hands then slowly make my way to the couch, sitting down beside her.

"I'll sleep out here tonight; you can have the bed so you can get some sleep." I just want to be back on her good side.

"No, that—that's fine. You're still not 100%. I'll suffer for one more night."

"Am I really forgiven?" I ask timidly, looking her in the eye.

"Yeah," she replies with a small smile. "It's my issue — not yours." Now what the fuck does that mean?

She clears her throat. "Are you gonna sit here and watch TV or do you want me to help you back to bed?"

"I'm sick of lying in bed." Unless she's there beside me, but I know that's not gonna be happening again anytime soon.

"Let me give you the blanket then; you must be freezing."

"Thanks," I whisper as she drapes a blanket around my shoulders. "What are we watching?"

"Just a movie," she shrugs. "Did you want to watch something else?"

"This is fine," I respond as Leo appears from nowhere, jumping up on the couch to sit between us. I tentatively reach out to pet him, still trying to bond with the other male in the house. After a few minutes, he crawls into my lap and curls up. It's not quite the same as touching Bella, or having her touch me, but it'll do for now.

"Edward," Bella whispers, touching my face gently. I open my eyes, staring up at her; I must've fallen asleep. She's actually quite pretty in the soft light. "Time to go back to bed, yeah?"

I nod reluctantly and she stands, holding her hand out to me. I grasp her hand for support, pulling myself to my feet and letting her lead me to the bedroom.

"I'll see you in the morning," she says quietly.

"Goodnight, Bella."

A/N: What's that… a little growth there from Edward?

Say hi and tell me what you're thinking — I don't bite! Cheeky might though.