Bella

'What a strange dream.' A flurry of movement around me drew me from unconsciousness; voices intruding on the image playing against my closed lids. A vision of three hauntingly beautiful faces, watching me concernedly, cautiously. Each face more beautiful than the last.

Awareness came slowly; other senses telling me where I was before I opened my eyes. Cool hands moved over me, checking me – one set icier than the others. A strong chemical odor assailed me – antiseptic? – and I wrinkled my nose against it. I was in a hospital. Had the dream been real, I wondered. Who had the three breathtaking faces belonged to? Were they here as well?

"Let's get an IV in," I heard a soft voice say.

IV? Ugh! "No," I protested weakly. My eyes flew open as I sat up. That was a mistake. The room spun wildly; beads of perspiration stole across my forehead as I paled and fell back against the pillows, eyes closing to fight off the dizziness.

"It's all right, Bella," a voice sang gently as cold hands took hold of my right hand. My eyes fluttered open and I gasped. It was him – one of the three angelic faces I'd seen in my dream. Had it been a dream? With golden hair and eyes, he smiled down at me, capturing my attention.

"Just keep your eyes on me, Bella. It's going to be all right," he promised. I flinched as the nurse jabbed a needle in my hand; he squeezed my other hand tenderly. He wasn't difficult to look at – he was beautiful; his face kind. Yet I longed to see another face – one I was still unsure was real.

"Your father is on his way…" he began, cutting off as we heard Charlie's voice carry across the room.

"Bella!"

"Dad," I cried, thankful to finally see a face I recognized. I frowned as he moved closer, wondering why he was wearing his uniform. Did he travel all the way from Washington in it?

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie turned a worried glance at the man standing with my hand in his. "What happened?"

"Let's talk in private, Chief Swan…and please, I told you to call me Carlisle." The blond man smiled at my father; then turned to me. "Bella, I need to speak to your father for a moment, but we'll be right back, okay? And you can call out, if you need us."

I sighed and closed my eyes, trying hard to focus on the soft voices speaking in the far corner of the room.

"What happened to her?" my father demanded.

"Esme has been redecorating…" Dr. Cullen started, almost absentmindedly – as if his thoughts were elsewhere, it sounded to me. "Bella tripped on the top step and hit her head on one of the new planters."

"Where is your son? Why isn't he here?" Charlie asked suspiciously. His son? Surely the two men I'd seen with Dr. Cullen were far too old to be his sons. Who could Charlie be talking about?

"Edward's here, Charlie. He's waiting in my office." A beat. "We thought it best…"

"Best?!? What does that mean?"

"Charlie…" the doctor began, stopped; then started again. "Bella's injury…there's been some memory loss. Now, we don't know if it's permanent or not," he said quickly. I opened my eyes, staring at the horror written plainly on my father's face.

Memory loss? No…this had to be some kind of cruel joke. I wasn't in Phoenix after all – I was living with my father…in Forks. How much time had I lost? What had I lost? Charlie had mentioned someone named Edward – Carlisle's son, he'd said. A face swam before my eyes; bronze hair, golden topaz eyes, and a crooked smile that made my heart skip a beat.

"How much time has she lost?" Charlie echoed my unspoken question.

"She thinks she's still in Phoenix…with Renee," Carlisle replied. "Right after the wedding, I believe." He sighed. "As I said, it's too soon to know if it's permanent. Most cases, the amnesia is only temporary."

"So much time," Charlie's voice was pained. "Does she know?"

They both turned to look at me; my wide, panicked eyes flickered from face to face. I saw my father take a step toward me. Carlisle placed a firm hand on his arm, holding him back.

"Slow, Charlie," he cautioned; it reminded me of something he'd said earlier. He and the other blond had restrained the third of their party – the youngest one…the most beautiful of the three. They'd called him Edward – that was the doctor's son?

"Bella?"

My heart raced; my mind was reeling. 'So much time', Charlie had said. How much? I struggled for breath, my head throbbing.

"Bells?" Charlie said softly. Both men moved slowly toward me. I saw the doctor nod to someone out of view. "Bella honey, it's okay."

"Dad? I…" I couldn't form the words, didn't know what to say – what to ask.

"Bella," Carlisle spoke up, approaching and taking my hand again. "I know you're frightened. But I don't want you to worry…we're going to work this out. Everything is going to be fine," he soothed.

"We're giving you something for the pain. Something to help you rest." An odd warmth ran through me and a strange taste sprang to my tongue. I turned to see the nurse remove a syringe from my IV.

"No…" I shook my head, a dull, numbing sensation already stealing over me. I didn't want to sleep! I struggled against my drooping eyelids; it was a losing battle. "Noo…" I slurred.

"I'm right here, Bella honey," I heard Charlie whisper and his hand took mine. The last thing I remembered before sinking into the darkness was the drastic difference in temperature between his warm hands and those of Dr. Carlisle Cullen.