Perfect Strangers
– Chapter 3: Emergency Room
Disclaimer: We are extremely disappointed to have to admit to the fact that we do not own Twilight.
AN: If you know Jamillia, you know she loves to research stuff. Yeah… the beginning was written on a napkin in the middle of a restaurant while she was out to lunch. So, research didn't happen this time. Hope you still like it. Also, if you didn't know already, this story is a collaboration. Authors: Jamillia and Twilight-is-Lovee. We would absolutely love you if you reviewed this story on both of our profiles.
JasonPOV
Mommy needed to drive faster. Today, Anna and I were planning on building a sand castle. So we needed to get started early.
BPOV
"Mommy! Mommy! Wake-up!" Jason shook me awake.
I groaned at the interruption to my peaceful sleep.
"It's time for school!"
Couldn't school wait? He could miss a day, right?
"Let's go!"
Why was he so excited?
He jumped off the bed and dragged me along. Immediately, a piercing pain wracked my body and I felt like throwing up. It was like a big hole had formed right in the middle of me. Jason ran out the room, likely to eat breakfast while I got ready.
With a speed so slow, a snail would beat me, (A/N: Some turtles really are fast.) I got dressed in an oversized 'Eeyore' shirt and grey sweats.
"C'mon, Jason, let's go." I managed to walk out the room even though every movement, even breathing, hurt me internally. How would I get through the day?
He leapt up from the couch where he was eating corn flakes from the box and watching cartoons.
We walked out the door, hand in hand, him dragging me along.
Every step hurt. Every breath hurt. Every thing hurt beyond reason.
However, Jason was insistent on going to school. Afterwards, I was definitely going to need a trip to the emergency room. I hoped that I would be able to avoid bringing Jacob into this, though.
"Mommy, drive faster," Jason insisted after just the first block.
I was driving just over 15 mph. For one thing, I was always a careful driver and hated speeding. Plus, if there were a problem, I'd want to be able to react in time. And right now, that was going to be the problem.
"I can't sweetie," I choked out. The trip to the emergency room was quickly becoming a painful requirement.
Thankfully, my lame excuse was satisfactory enough, and Jason was quiet for the rest of the trip – excluding the squeak the seat made every time he bounced in it.
When we arrived at school, Jason leapt out of the car in excitement, not taking a glance back to see if I was following.
I stood there and watched him for a while. No one but him was here yet, so I didn't really want to leave him all alone. I doubted even teachers were here.
Soon, I saw a little girl with bronze hair running up to him. I was sure that was his gal pal.
I figured they'd be safe enough together, and people were starting to arrive, anyhow, so I started walking towards my car. As soon as I reached it, I remembered I had to tell Jason I might be late to pick him up. Of course I wouldn't tell him it was because I would be going to the hospital, but he needed to know I wouldn't be there in time so he wouldn't worry.
I started walking toward him, but my klutziness made me bump into someone. Someone muscular. I was about to fall thanks to the collision, but the masculine man caught me around the waist before I fell. I looked up at him and saw the most beautiful man I'd ever seen in my life. He had a head full of messy, beautiful, sexy, yummy—I should stop with the adjectives now—bronze hair, and the deepest green eyes I'd ever seen. They were filled with concern. Suddenly, I realized that he could harm me. Just like Jacob did. I bet my face showed my worry and fear because his eyebrows scrunched up a bit—an action I doubt he noticed. I was still gazing at him when he started talking.
"Are you okay?" I blushed—one of my many bad qualities.
"Um, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm a klutz. I was in a rush to go tell Jason, my—sort of—son something that I forgot to tell him earlier. It's really important and he needs to know. Of course, I have totally forgotten what it was I had to tell him. What with the fall and—" I was blabbering, and he could tell. I knew 'cause he put his index finger on my lips to shut me up. His touch sent tingles through my body. It was the most perfect feeling—one I'd never felt before. I was sure he felt it as well since his face showed a lot and a lot of shock. I blushed again.
"It's okay," he said in a voice that sounded like music to my ears. He flashed me a crooked smile, and I couldn't help but mentally swoon over him. Is it just me, or did I sound like an idiotic fool? "I'm Edward. Edward Cullen." He offered me his hand, and I shook it, the touch sending more electric sparks through my veins. I blushed again.
"Isabella Swan. But call me Bella."
"I love that name. It's a perfect name for you." I blushed yet again. I knew what he'd meant, but I didn't believe him. My name means beautiful. By his statement, he means to say I'm beautiful. But . . . I don't understand why he said it. He was probably just trying to be nice. I'm not pretty at all. Jacob just likes me because of my body—that has never been fully revealed to him. I was still a virgin and proud of it. I wasn't planning on giving up my virginity to anyone I didn't truly love. And I didn't truly love Jacob—not anymore.
"Thank you. I like your name too. You never meet many Edwards these days." I'd had a thing for Edwards ever since I started reading classics. There were a lot of heroes in them named Edward.
"Yeah, I like the uniqueness of it. I wouldn't be so happy if I had a common name such as . . . Tyler . . . or something." I had to laugh at that. "What?"
"I know a Tyler. He used to practically stalk me in high school." He laughed this time.
"Wow. I had a girl named Lauren stalk me in high school. I bet they'd make the perfect pair."
"I agree." He smiled. Crap. I suddenly remembered Jacob and thought about what'd happen if he found out I was talking to Edward . . . "Well, I must go now," I said hurriedly.
"Oh, okay. I'll . . . talk to you soon?" He placed it like a question, a look of rejection passing through his eyes. I couldn't resist him—I just couldn't.
"Um . . . Sure," I said with a nervous smile.
I left soon after, heading immediately to the hospital. I was stuck in traffic though. My thoughts drifted to Edward, and I knew I'd have to do something about Jacob—and soon.
I was thinking of the different ways I could break up with him and the only possible result of it when something happened. I puked blood all over the passenger seat. Fuck.
I'd always hated blood. I felt queasy whenever I was around it. I was used to the hospital smell, though, since I'd been there a lot in my childhood—being a klutz, you have to get used to it.
Thankfully, the traffic light turned green and I drove—as fast as I could—to the hospital. I practically ran inside and told the receptionist what happened. She got me a nurse in less than two minutes, and the nurse, Jessica, raced to get me a room.
I was given water and some ice, and the nurse told me to wait.
"Hold on," I said as Jessica was walking out the door. She turned to look at me. "What's the rice for?"
"Oh, the rice sticks inside your stomach. We need you to eat it so that you don't get malnutritioned." I nodded, and she left, saying she had to find the doctor.
I waited on the hospital bed for a few minutes until the doctor entered. His lithe but muscular figure topped with bronze hair was breathtaking. I was completely shocked as to who it was.
"Edward?" I asked, my voice disbelieving.
"Bella?!" he exclaimed in the same voice.
EPOV
I woke up with a strange feeling in my stomach. Almost as if something good was going to happen today. I shrugged it off; there was no way anything good could happen in the shit-hole life I had going on.
I looked to my right and I saw my—sigh—wife asleep, snoring lightly. I was still extremely angry with her for the things she did and wanted to do to our daughter. Thank goodness, she was still asleep. If she wasn't, I don't know if I would've been able to stop myself from picking a fight with her again.
I just ignored her sleeping form, made my side of the bed, and went to take a shower. This shower was quite long, and, thankfully, very stress relieving.
I got dressed leisurely, seeing as I had a long time until I needed to be at the hospital, and Anna wasn't due to school for another hour and a half.
When I was done getting dressed, I went to my daughter's room and shook her softly.
"Anna? Anna, honey? You need to wake up, sweetie. You want to go see Jasie at school don't you?" I hated using her male friend to wake her up, but she needed something that would make her look forward to waking up and leaving the peaceful oblivion of sleep.
"Jasie?" she asked groggily.
"Yes, love, you can see him if you wake up and get dressed!" She jumped out of bed and ran to her bathroom. I chuckled and followed her. I soon had her bathed, dressed, and ready to go. "What would you like for breakfast today, Sweetheart?"
"Ummm . . ." she pretended to think about it, tapping her index finger on her chin. I already knew what her answer was, though. "PANKCAKES!" Yep, that's what she wants every morning I didn't take her out for breakfast.
"Sure." I was surprisingly a good cook. I made her favorites--pancakes with maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries on top.
"YUMMY!" she exclaimed, sloppily chewing down all her food.
"I'm glad you like it. Are you ready to go?" I asked when she was done eating.
"Yep," she said, popping the 'p.' I nodded and picked her up. I ran her to the door while holding her in a Superman pose. She squealed the entire time. "Daddddyyyyyy!" she yelled when I put her in her car seat.
"Yes, Princess?"
"You forgot to buckle me up," she whined. My eyebrows scrunched up and I noticed I indeed hadn't put her seatbelts on.
"Sorry, Baby."
"S'okay. But I. Am. Not. A. Baby!" she pouted.
"You'll always be my baby, Baby." She harrumphed, but gave up otherwise. I smiled and kissed her forehead.
I drove to her school, driving 80mph. I was known for my speeding. However, I'd never gotten a ticket in my life.
We reached her school early, so I took her to play on the swings in the playground of Forks Pre-K.
"Daddy, there's Jasie!!" Anna exclaimed, pointing at the boy who was on the Monkey Bars.
"Oh, well, why don't you go play with him then?" I tried to make my voice cheerful, but I don't think I fooled her.
"Bye, Daddy!" she yelled, running off to meet her 'best friend.' Why weren't things still as easy as they were in Pre-K?
"Bye, Princess." I waved at her and she waved back, blowing me an air kiss. I chuckled. I watched her run off, her shoulder-length, bronze hair swaying in the wind. I turned around and started walking off to my car.
Everything happened so fast. One moment, I was walking to my car, and the next I was being bumped into by someone. I caught the person before he or she fell, and looked down. It was a girl. The most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She had long, chocolate-brown hair and the same color eyes. Eyes that looked frantic and afraid. Almost as if she was worried I would hurt her. I helped her stand straight and when I was sure she wouldn't fall, I started a conversation.
"Are you okay?" She blushed.
"Um, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm a klutz. I was in a rush to go tell Jason, my—sort of—son something that I forgot to tell him earlier. It's really important and he needs to know. Of course, I have totally forgotten what it was I had to tell him. What with the fall and—" She was blabbering, so I cut her off by putting my index finger on her lips. The contact sent tingles throughout my body—almost like a shock. I'm sure she felt it too because her eyes went wider than they already were and she blushed that gorgeous blush again.
"It's okay," I said with a lopsided smile. "I'm Edward. Edward Cullen." I offered her my hand, and she shook it. I felt that same electric spark again, and apparently, so did she because she blushed again.
"Isabella Swan. But call me Bella."
"I love that name. It's a perfect name for you." She blushed, obviously knowing that her name, Bella, means beautiful.
"Thank you. I like your name too. You never meet many Edwards these days."
"Yeah, I like the uniqueness of it. I wouldn't be so happy if I had a common name such as . . . Tyler . . . or something." Bella let out a laugh. "What?"
"I know a Tyler. He used to practically stalk me in high school." It was my turn to laugh this time.
"Wow. I had a girl named Lauren stalk me in high school. I bet they'd make the perfect pair."
"I agree." I smiled. "Well, I must go now," she said in a rush, as if she'd just remembered something.
"Oh, okay. I'll . . . talk to you soon?" I placed it like a question.
"Um . . . Sure," she said with a nervous smile. I didn't worry too much about it. As long as she'd see me again, I'd be happy.
Now I just had to deal with Tanya before I could do anything with Bella.
I left soon after Bella did, whistling quietly to myself the entire car ride to the hospital. I guess the good feeling I was having earlier was about Bella. I smiled at that.
When I got to the hospital, I greeted everyone happily. I could tell they were surprised.
"Good morning, Edward," Carlisle, my father, said.
"Morning, Dad!" I smiled.
"How're things with the family?" There goes my happy-go-lucky mood.
"Fine." I didn't mean it, but I didn't want Carlisle to worry.
I went to my office, thinking about Bella again. I hadn't spoken to her for more than 30 minutes, but I was already completely enamored by her. I was still daydreaming about that beauty when a nurse named Jessica came in.
"Dr. Cullen, we need you. There's an emergency." Sigh.
"Coming, Jessica." I walked out with Jessica, and followed her to a room. I opened the door and was shocked to see who was lying on the bed, looking much too pale.
"Edward?" she asked, her voice disbelieving. I gulped. She looked beautiful, even when sick. I found my voice, and spoke in the same voice she'd used.
"Bella?!"
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