Chapter Four
Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait! I'm so grateful to all of you who9 have kept checking and not given up on this story. There is a lot more to reveal. I should now be updating more regularly.
Finally some Edward! You may notice Edward is written differently to others – he does not have thoughts italicised as he hears thoughts himself, so that would be a bit confusing. Please Review!
Disclaimer: Don't own.
EPOV
I stood in the room feeling as though my chest was collapsing and, though oxygen was unnecessary to me, like I was suffocating.
Her Blood.
The blood of my cantante.
My Bella.
Hurt.
I took another shuddering breath that did nothing to appease the crushing sensation that my body had adopted. All I could see was my Bella in my big sisters thoughts, gushing blood. It pained me to see her precious blood which caused such an insatiable inferno in the back of my throat to breathe, and the monster in me to near paralyze my body in it's need. Our bodies craved the smooth, thick, and rich elixir and caused us to revert to our baser instincts, to push our muscles and stretch our limits to immobilise our prey. This was rarely necessary, however. Our phenomenal speed and devastating strength were more than enough.
However before the blood that sang to me, that pained me to smell, that I could taste on my tongue now, from mere air particles that were contaminated by the crimson fluid my love held, I found I could barely move. The thirst and need were exponentially greater, however the intensity and weight of the feelings it brought rendered me near-drugged. Such copious amounts of that which I desired second most in this world freely spilling, discarded. Wasted.
What pained me more than this, though, more than the pain, the intense burning in my throat, the fury at such a precious substance being wasted squandered, was that it was my Bella. My sweet princess was severely injured, was hurt, wounded, unconscious, had been attacked: nearly died, nearly ripped from my side. Her bright existence, like a supernova in my dim universe was nearly snuffed out inconsequentially while I was miles and miles away.
She was helpless. So fragile.
I'm so sorry Edward that wasn't the full story! You only s-
… has been assessed for most pressing medical matters and f-
Calm, calm, Edward you need to calm down and control your emotions now with Bella injured and-
It's cool, little bro, she's totally fine, Carlisle's checked her a bit and then he'll-
… he's panicking, he's panicking, Edward, if you can hear me, it's alright, dear, don't pan-
Oh nice. Real nice. Why can't he be as decent as his mother. Maybe style and cool skip a-
Once I finally could control the thirst and better manage the pain, the sudden onslaught of thoughts made me grimace and almost feel the beginning of a headache. So many frantic thoughts, so fast – too fast, and it was Rosalie's last comment that snapped me out of my stupor.
"Mother," I spat.
I stared directly at Elizabeth Masen, who I had not seen in since 1918 during the Spanish Influenza Epidemic. I was so confused. As a vampire I could process thoughts at a shockingly fast pace, but bombshell after bombshell was not something with which I was familiar.
I hadn't seen my mother in decades, had retained few of my human memories and even fewer of my time after I fell ill with the incurable disease. But I remembered I loved her. I remembered she was precious to me. My best friend. A lonely only child of a wealthy couple in Chicago, I could not recall a single school mate I had become notably close to. However I remembered her.
Recalling human memories to a vampire was like a human trying to grasp soap. Slippery and unsure, I could only remember scenes. Events. Some that had clear purpose and significance, whereas others seemed mundane and trivial to me, and I couldn't understand their importance that they should transfer into my current memories. Mother encouraging me to play the piano. Playing a duet with me, and saying it was the key to any young ladies heart. Watching her needlessly aid the cooks in preparing dinner, watching her read, her telling me absolutely everything, and my eagerness to share everything with her. Her unconditional acceptance of me, her pride, and her devotion. Her terror at my insistence to fight in the 'war to end all wars.' Ballroom dancing, being fitted for dinner suits, parties, her rejecting any young woman to show interest in me before they could even speak to me, solely because I shouldn't settle for anyone less than a princess. My father falling ill and her caring for him. Her falling ill. My falling ill. My mother caring for me right up until Carlisle came to me for the last time to tell me he could make everything better. I remembered my lovely, beautiful, charming and eloquent, and adored mother who I loved more than anything.
And I remembered her in the vivid and nauseating scene I picked up from Alice. My beautiful mother, her soft brown hair as impeccable as ever, her clothes just as stylish if not updated, holding my beloved in her arms. Irresistible blood was now dribbling in streams down her soft, translucent throat that hadn't been in Alice's memories. The same blood on my mother's lips. The two women I loved with every cell in my body in the most terrifying and gruesome picture imaginable.
I started keening uncontrollably as my mother before me stepped closer.
"Edward, sweetheart!! Oh, my sweet, handsome, charming boy!" With vampire speed she threw herself at me and swept me up in her now hard and cold embrace. She pressed me to her in relief, and desperation, placing her head on my shoulder and circling her alabaster arms around me tighter.
I did not move.
Slowly, my mother lifted her head to gaze at me with piercing and beautiful, yet confused crimson eyes.
"Edward?" She asked softly, uncharacteristically unsure of herself. With a strangled cry, and without a single gaze to her, or any other member of my family, I raced to my Bella's side where she lay on the couch, her head still cradled in Esme's lap, discarding my mother.
"Unconscious, unconscious, is she comatose?" I babbled aloud, brushing Bella's hair away from her face with a shaking hand as Esme looked on, a sad but reassuring look on her face and tone in her thoughts.
"She's simply fainted. From exhaustion or shock, or simply the smell of her own blood," Carlisle explained wryly, suddenly in clinical mode.
"Why does she not have a compress?? She needs a compress for her neck! Get a compress!" I said in a high, frantic pitch that surprise even me.
"She was not bleeding when she.. arrived. The bleeding must have not been stopped but simply cleaned up before she arrived."
"Infection! She could have infection! Carlisle we need to disinfect this, she could get bacterial infection from these wounds, she could have septicemia – the open wound has been exposed for too long, it has probably been penetrated by microbes and now she could have sepsis! The wound is filthy – blood poisoning is probably one of many infections she now has – are you sure she's unconscious? Her heart rate is too slow, Carlisle!" I was sobbing now, frantically caressing her warm cheek with one hand and rubbing the other along the length of her arm.
"She feels too warm, Carlisle, she's feverish, my God if she has a fever her immune system is too shot from the septic infection to handle a fever, Carlisle, she might need dialysis to clean her blood of infection before her blood boils from the fever. Where is that compress!?" I felt a cool, familiar hand on my shoulder, gently but firmly pulling me away. I struggled. I had left the love of my life alone, helpless in the woods to fend for herself because I couldn't go 15 minutes without hunting. I could have called her to come over earlier before I'd left. I could have made sure she was physically safe and in the care my family who could take care of her before leaving instead of leaving her completely defenseless! I felt panic spread through my system faster than adrenaline through a human, remembering my terror at discovering the situation with which I had left Bella last summer. Alone. With wolves, Laurent and Victoria to handle. I was truly a monster.
I felt the hand on my shoulder more insistently, now, only changing it's course to turn me around, not remove me from the side of my beloved angel. I snatched Bella's warm hand and turned to growl fiercely at who so ever sought to separate me from my sweet girl, only to meet Carlisle's authoritative and penetrating stare. He put both hands on either of my shoulders to gain my full attention, as I felt Esme start tending to my Bella's injury.
"Edward, stop. Stop right now. I know you are worried, we all are, but as far as I can see as a medical professional Bella's life is not hanging in the balance. This is one of her worse injuries, but I can promise you that she does not have life-threatening sepsis. She could possibly have a mild infection, and a mild fever. Definitely some serious discomfort and will need bed rest for the next few days, medication and close observation in the days there after, but she does not need any medical care, tests or procedures that cannot be done by myself here at home. You're frantic and in shock and not thinking straight. Let me care for Bella. She's going to be okay." With that I broke down, falling into Carlisle's arms as we both knelt on the plush carpet at Esme's feet. I was taking hacking breaths into my dead lungs unnecessarily, however I still felt as though I were chocking. This was as close as our kind could get to crying, I imagined. Carlisle held me as I fell to pieces, my back to Esme as she tended Bella, gently cleaning the wound as Bella made soft cat-like noises in her unconscious state with utmost care, before positioning bandaging at the site and applying appropriate pressure. I couldn't think straight. In my head I was running all of the most horrible medical maladies with which my very heart could be afflicted. A small part of my brain was whispering to me their impossibility, unlikelihood and downright ludicrous nature, yet still I could not cease the images my mind conjured of Bella convulsing in agony, or worse, still as her pulse grew slower.
Alice understood. She was always the one I felt the closest to of my siblings. I truly felt as though she were my biological sister, although our bond could be justified by our gifts. Either way, it was my big sister who finally began to calm me. I saw images of Bella. Not overly energetic and unbelievable images – images of her weak and tired, but smiling and happy as we watched Emmet and Jasper play Xbox together. Of her still bandaged immobile from blood loss, but contentedly curled up in Esme's lap as my family played football together. Not far fetched snapshots to placate me, but honest and realistic visions to reassure me. I finally took a deep breath without shuddering. I looked up.
Jasper had his head in his hands, doubled over on his seat beside Alice. He was spent. Alice also had two fingers positioned at her temple, and was smiling at me in relief. Rose and Emmet just looked shocked. No-one seemed to be forming structural thoughts, but were thinking with images and colour and impressions. Carlisle looked relieved as well, and began to smile as well. I was not quite there yet. I turned to me beautiful fiancée, still being tended to by Esme. I reached out a hand to help, but it still shook too much to be of assistance. Esme ran one hand through my hair absently without looking up from her work. My Bella would need stitches, later.
I turned to face the only still individual in the room. My darling mother. I made eye contact with her as she hastily moved to wipe the blood of her lips, daintily, with an intricate gossamer handkerchief she had conjured. Her eyes oozed fear. Worry. Love.
No regret.
She raised a hand to her heart as she stood hunched over in grief. Grieving my suffering. Not her actions. I wanted to run to her and hold her and assuage her fears and never let go. But I could see in my adoptive mother's thoughts my darling sweet Bella's pale face and gory wounds and remained motionless.
"Edward?" My mother whispered, her hand over her mouth muffling the sound.
"Talk."
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