29/08/2007 16:27:00

AN- As usual, I do not own the world of Twilight. I only play in its sandbox. Many thanks to my lovely beta Aine, whose confidence in me is more helpful than she knows.

Tests

Carlisle threaded his long ivory fingers through his golden tresses before releasing a pent-up sigh.

He knew that being closely acquainted with a human, such as Bella, would have certain "side effects," but he never imagined becoming so emotionally attached to one particular human being ever again. He suspected that Bella's affinity towards danger would always cause problems as well, but for the first time in quite a while, he was worried. Seriously worried! It seemed as if all of the bullets his family had dodged in the past were coming back to bite them. Hard. Especially Edward, but he was also aware that the rest of his family was feeling the effects. And just maybe this time they wouldn't escape it.

Bella might not recover. And that was a scary thought indeed. One that would most likely change everything about their lives. He realized during their brief stint of absence this past year that Bella had become intricately intertwined in all their destinies, but never, never imagined something like this could have so many repercussions.

For the first time in a long time, Carlisle felt tired. Weary. Afraid.

What will this do to Edward?

Carlisle eased himself up off the door and tread slowly past the reception desk. He paused long enough to award a small smile to Ms. Nash, a 26 year old girl fresh out of medical school who had taken a certain liking to him. He tried not to encourage the females in the hospital who had done as she had, but nonetheless he remained polite to them all.

As he passed the reception desk, he took a sharp left and strode down a hallway to the lab. He needed to pick up Bella's tests, but his mind was elsewhere.

If Edward had reacted so badly to the loss of Bella before, during their absence, how would be respond to her not knowing him at all? Surely he would want to nearly glue himself to Bella's side, in the hopes that she would soon regain her memory. Yes, surely he would want to do that. Edward had learned the hardest way possible that when he couldn't be with the love of his life, he felt more than empty. He felt wasted away. Less than dead.

Carlisle touched on the briefest memory of his beloved Esme. Even then he could not help but smile at the sight of her in his perfect memory. Her mahogany hair swept down past her shoulders, and her eyes were filled with such kindness and devotion, especially, he knew, when she looked at him. He recalled a few of the times he had to separate himself from her, one for instance, was just last year, in Phoenix. The memory tugged at him, and he became quickly consumed in fear and worry, if even for only a moment.

He was abruptly pulled from his reverie by the girlish croon of one of the lab assistants. Mrs. Truman waved to him frantically, her short, plump fingers laden with several garish rings. Mrs. Truman was a middle-aged woman with a stocky disposition and an even girlier countenance. She had been married for nearly 30 years, but had taken a special shine to him nonetheless.

"Oooh, Dr. Carlisle, how nice it is to see you here. How have you been? What brings you to this little corner of the hospital?" Mrs. Truman giggled, as if the funniest thought in the world had just crossed her mind.

"Good evening, Connie. Yes, I've been quite well, thank you. Actually, I came down for Bella Swan's test results." Carlisle smiled as much as his distracted thoughts would allow him. He could hear Mrs. Truman chattering on about the loveliest chat she just had with Chief Swan the other day, though it was not difficult to tune her out. He had perfected a method of displaying interest in his features while allowing his mind to wander.

He still couldn't shake the feeling that Edward's reaction towards Bella's current state wouldn't be as predictable as he'd convinced himself of. Edward wouldn't try to do anything rash, would he? His eldest son was, by far, the most unpredictable member of his family, and may or may not decide to take revenge on the Quileute wolves for the accident. Or perhaps do something even worse? If she wasn't already, he would have to ask Alice to keep an eye on him, starting immediately.

"Oh here you are, Dr. Carlisle." Mrs. Truman handed him the test results with a flirty smile, her left hand absently fluffing the back of her short, wispy curls.

Carlisle reached out for them and took a quick glance through. The X-rays showed some slight abnormalities to the left cortex of her brain, and some swelling. He quickly calculated symptoms of this. Usually, either concussions, inability to make decisions or communicate ensued, or in rare cases, retrograde amnesia.

"I can't believe how unfortunate it is that poor Bella Swan seems to have so many accidents, and at such a young age. I mean, head trauma? Well, that is only what the gossip is in the break room. Right now it must seem that to the poor girl, no one she ever knew has ever existed. I must say that—"

Carlisle's head snapped in the direction of Mrs. Connie Truman, who had unwittingly just given him a startling, horrifying revelation.

As if I never existed?

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A dark corridor flashed into view. There was a figure there – a man – who was crouched down, leaning against the right wall in the narrow hallway. Dry sobs could be heard as they were choked out between the hands cupped over his mouth. In what little light there was, the figure's skin seemed to glint eerily, almost reflective, while his hair, the color of burnt amber, stood in stark contrast of the colorless scene.

Alice streaked down the ER hallway to face the corridor of her vision. There she saw Edward, slumped down onto the ground, staring emptily at the bland tan-like pattern on the wall across from him. Gingerly, she floated to where he sat, and gracefully lowered herself to the space next to him.

She did not say anything for a moment, but her thoughts told him everything he was supposed to hear.

Carlisle should be getting the tests soon.

Edward didn't blink. Didn't even move a muscle in her direction.

Poor Bella, she must seem so confused, not a familiar face in the room.

At this, Edward slowly closed his eyes, not breathing, still not moving.

You need to go back and see her. Your face was the first one she had seen, so you should be there… and I'm sure that just as soon as Carlisle gets the tests back, it will confirm the potential for memory gain.

For a moment, Edward remained motionless. Then, in one lithe movement, he rose, turning to face the dead end of the empty corridor and away from her.

Alice sighed and stared despondently at her hands. As soon as she did she was forced into the throes of another vision.

Carlisle was staring at the piece of paper in his hands as he ran to find her. She was sitting in a hard plastic chair outside of Bella's room. He approached her quickly, and the look in his eyes was uncharacteristically worried.

"Alice, I need you to keep a close eye on Edward. I fear that he may try something immediate, once his mind clears a bit. I'm worried that he may decide to take revenge on the Quileute wolves, because of the damage to Bella's memory. It's retrograde amnesia, Alice. Her mind has blocked all memory of people and places. This form of retrograde amnesia is rare…."

She stared at him, horrified, as a small gasp escaping her lips.

"What I'm more worried about is Edward getting it into his mind that this is some sort of sign. One that says he is meant to stay away from Bella. He may decide to leave again, Alice. Or worse, he may decide to invoke the 'help' of the Volturi. I want you to warn the others too, and make sure Jasper and Emmett will watch him as well."

As the vision faded, Alice's head snapped to Edward's figure in the end of the corridor. She waited for some form of expression from him, even a twitch. But instead, he remained impassive, staring into the wall as if he had not heard a thing. Instantly worried, Alice checked Edward's future to see if he had gotten any ideas from Carlisle's imminent conversation with her, but all she could see was him sitting in Bella's room. Thankfully, there were no immediate changes.

The thought of Edward trying anything that Carlisle was going to mention worried her nonetheless. So she rose and crossed the room in a few strides, to stand next to him once more.

"Edward, I don't want you to worry. Just be patient, and everything will come back to her. Even if I haven't seen it yet, I know it. Why don't you go back and see her?"

However, Edward simply chose to ignore her.

Heaving a sigh, Alice thought, I might as well go. I need to speak to Carlisle immediately, anyway. She knew full well that he was listening to every word, even though it appeared as if he wasn't. So with that in mind, she made her opinion abundantly clear. It will be good for him if he spends time with her. And even better for Bella!

And without a moment to lose, Alice spun on her heel and exited the corridor.

Edward remained in the space for a few moments with his eyes drawn shut, the only windows to the tremendous grief he was feeling. When he opened them again, he whispered to himself in almost an awed voice….

"Is this really a sign?"

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Bella sat uncomfortably in the stiff hospital bed, glancing around the simple room with an incomprehensible expression on her face. It was a mixture of confusion, fear, frustration, and amusement. She glanced to Charlie from time to time, who had taken to pacing around the room, and chattering needlessly. He hadn't even tried to ask her about anything she might remember in fear of provoking another panic attack. Instead, he talked about all the possible things they were going to do to help her recover, and made several casual references to people that both of them knew, or in this case, once knew.

"I don't know how in the world I'm going to explain this to your mother." Charlie raked his fingers through his short curly hair. He kept taking quick glances in Bella's direction, almost like he was checking that she was still there.

"I think – if Dr. Cullen says it's alright – we might take a trip over to La Push to see Billy and Jake. But then again it might be better for you to stay at home and rest. You definitely need to get your strength back, I think that—"

Bella allowed a corner of her mouth to twitch upward. This man – Charlie – said he was her father. She observed him as he paced and talked, paced and talked. He had the habit of tugging on his left ear followed by running his fingers through his hair when he was anxious. Bella watched the curious man try to ease some of the tension in the room by talking about mundane things.

What irked her was this wall, for a lack of a better word, which seemed to have implanted itself in her head. Blocking off all sorts of thoughts and memories tumbling around in her head that she knew were there, but couldn't place. All she could remember were the events of the last half hour, and there was shockingly little to remember.

It was all so strange. She found that it was only people, places, and events that seemed to escape her memory. While she still knew the names of things, what they did, and how to use them. She could also remember what the name of every object in the room was. Bed, chair, lamp, door…

But, what really frustrated her was the inability to remember anything that seemed significant. Who cared if she knew what a lamp did?

Just then, Charlie's pacing was broken by the quiet opening of a door as Carlisle walked back into the room. He closed the door quietly and made sure to smile when he caught Bella's eye. However, he did not speak directly to her.

"Charlie, I'm afraid the damage is worse than I feared." His soft voice intoned in a manner that Bella could not hear. "The left cortex of her brain has been subjected to some severe swelling, and thus I believe Bella is suffering from retrograde amnesia. Now, there are types of therapy, and I do believe—"

Bella strained to hear the doctor's quiet words, but he spoke too softly for her to hear. Instead, she concentrated on his face. She studied it, noting his exact features, how perfect they seemed to be. She had only seen a scattering of humans that she could remember, but there was something odd about this one. A sort of edge that didn't feel quite right, though the doctor seemed to be remarkably kind.

Carlisle, when finished speaking with Charlie, turned and sat on the foot of Bella's bed, on the very edge.

"Bella," he began softly. "When you were in a car accident a few hours ago, you suffered some head trauma. That's why you can't remember anything about the accident. I take it you can't remember anyone's name?"

Bella shook her head.

Carlisle nodded, as if he expected it. "Do you know what any of these objects are?" He motioned to the bed she was laying on, and the chair beside the bed.

Bella stared at them for just a moment before she answered. "Yes, Dr. Cullen. This is a bed and that is a chair."

Carlisle nodded once more. "Can you tell me what they are used for?"

"The chair is for sitting on and the bed is to sleep on."

"Good." Carlisle smiled warmly at her willingness to readily talk. "Can you remember a time when you've ever used these objects?"

Bella once more opened her mouth to respond, but faltered for a moment. She looked slightly dazed, contemplating. Finally she shook her head, momentary shock crossing her face.

Carlisle hesitated for one moment, and then nodded again. He had been hoping, with her ability to recall the use of the objects in the room, that the damage to her memory had not been as bad as he'd feared.

"Alright, Bella. Physically, you are just fine. You should be able to return home tomorrow if your vitals stay solid. Since you seem to be suffering from some memory loss, I'm going to have you come in twice a week for some therapy. Perhaps it will help you to regain your memories."

Carlisle rose and turned to Charlie again, this time discussing possible therapeutic methods he could use to help Bella regain her lost memory. He left a moment later, and Charlie turned to face Bella, his expression unreadable. He sat down on the hard plastic chair at the head of the bed and grasped Bella's hand tightly.

"Don't you worry, Bells. We'll get this figured out. I promise."

Bella smiled slightly and squeezed his hand a little tighter. After a moment, she turned to Charlie. "D-Dad," she asked. "What happened to that boy that was in my room earlier? Edward, I think?"

Charlie gave her a look that meant he would rather not think about that at the moment, but he sighed. "I'm not sure, Bells. Maybe he went out to get some air."

"Are… Edward and I… close? It just seemed that way to me… when he first talked to me…."

Charlie lifted his eyes to meet Bella's curiously frustrated gaze. Charlie despaired at the look in those eyes.

"Yes, Bella. You and Edward are pretty close. You two seem to be very good friends." Charlie answered as honestly as he could.

Bella's mouth turned up at the corner, and she laid her head back down on the pillow, lost in thought.

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Paul, you are such an idiot!

Way to go, now what happens?

Do you realize what you've done?

I'm going to tear you apart and break off all your limbs!

The last thought was Jacob's, sent hurtling in Paul's direction at a furious speed. A russet colored, shaggy looking wolf hurtled out from behind a tree to take down a smaller gray one. The two wolves bit and tore at each other, fighting tooth and nail, as if they had only one purpose in mind: to break each other apart.

Enough.

A firm reprimand came from the mind of the largest wolf, a solid and unwavering command that was neither soft nor loud. At once, all the other wolves froze and turned their heads in the direction of their Alpha.

Paul, if I remember correctly, you said that the bronze haired leech came onto the Quileute territory?

Sam turned his large head to the smaller gray wolf, who nodded once. Yes.

The large wolf lowered his head, almost like in a weary sigh, a human action that looked out of place on such a large creature.

Then it has begun. The bloodsucker has broken the treaty.

Sam, I'm sure they won't see it that way. Since this turd-brain over here hit Bella, they may view it as a hit on them first, especially with the details being so conflicted.

Jacob inclined his russet head in Paul's direction, a menacing look on his wolfish face. A low growl rumbled from his throat, and he crouched angrily, almost like he had just remembered his reason for despising Paul at the moment.

Be still, I say. Sam commanded again, and reluctantly, the two wolves broke their gaze. What Jake says is true. It may not be wise to view the treaty as broken as of yet. I think we should wait to act.

The other wolves nodded their heads in agreement, but they all turned at the sound of Jacob barreling away from the clearing in the opposite direction. He ran as fast as he could, emotion tumbling out his senses like a tempest windstorm. He ran for a span of a few minutes, and slowed when he came to a small stream lining the neck of the woods. Like a great, shuddering sigh, he transformed back into his human form, and slipped on a pair of sweatpants he had tied to his leg.

He sat down on a log, dipping his feet into the clear water, lost in thought.

What happened to you, Bella? What will you think of us? Of me?