All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer; I just like to play with her characters.
No copyright infringement is intended.
HUGE thanks to my betas darcysmom and twimom817 as well as my pre-reader EdwardsMyObsession1971 – without these ladies my commas and characters would be a mess.
A/N: I apologize for the heart fail – take a deep breath and trust me. That's all I ask, okay?
To clarify some things – Bella got some devastating news that shook her to the core, so she's not thinking clearly. We know what makes sense and what doesn't – like 3 kids in 4 years. Don't over think it, but these little things (like no birth year) are all pieces of the bigger puzzle. ;)
Second Chances
Chapter Seven
"Bella?"
"Bella, it's Angela."
I was curled up in a ball beneath the covers on my bed. I could barely function – I couldn't live in a world where Edward didn't exist. I was okay knowing that he was alive and happy, living life without me, but knowing that he was gone broke my heart all over again.
"Bella?"
"In here," I murmured.
"Bella, what's wrong?"
I flung the comforter back from my face and looked at my pseudo friend with teary eyes.
"You've been crying, sweetie. What's wrong?" Angela frowned.
"Oh, Ange. It's a long story." I sniffled.
"I've got nothin' but time," she said sadly, handing me a box of tissue.
Angela looked down at the frame on the bed and carefully picked it up.
"Who is he?"
"Edward Cullen."
Angela gasped.
"The same one you had me pull info on?"
I nodded.
"Oh my God! Bella! Why didn't you say anything before? I would have come home with you. Sweetie, I am so sorry."
"I love him, Ange, and it hurts."
"Oh, sweetie … I know it does, and it will keep hurting, but every day, it will get a little bit easier and it will hurt a little less."
"Really?"
"Really. Now will you tell me about this Edward Cullen?"
I sat up in bed and pulled the covers up over my lap. I was still clinging to Edward's shirt as if it would give me the strength to tell Angela my story.
"I met Edward my sophomore year of college. He was in my Modern Literature class and sat in the row in front of me. We were assigned to work on a project together and met after class at the library one day. Well, one thing led to another and we ended up getting kicked out of the library because it was so late. We clicked and it was like we couldn't get enough of each other. We tried to pace ourselves, but it didn't work. He'd bring me coffee every morning to my first class, and I'd make him dinner when he didn't have a late class.
"We became inseparable. We were each other's worlds and eventually moved in together. My dad hated it and my mom was so excited for us. Dad wanted me to finish college, get a job, get married and then move in with Edward, but it made sense because we were always at each other's apartments anyway."
"How did Edward's parents feel about it?"
"They were so supportive. I loved them like another set of parents. Edward was an only child, and they treated me like the daughter they never had. If there was anything I needed, all I had to do was call them."
"When was the last time you talked to them?"
"About three years ago, I guess. Anyway, Edward applied to Columbia for Med school and he was accepted. So we made plans to move to New York after graduation. I applied for an internship at the New York Times, and they offered me the position. We were so excited because everything was falling into place. Our relationship was solid and we had every reason to look to the future. Until graduation day.
"I'll never forget that day. Edward and I were so happy. My dad was finally beginning to accept the fact that we were together, and my mom was driving to Seattle from Phoenix for graduation. As soon as I walked into the stadium, I knew something was wrong. I didn't know what it was, but I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach and it laid there like a ton of bricks.
"After the ceremony, I went with Edward to find my dad. He was standing near the main entrance to the stadium talking to several police deputies. They said that there was an accident. My mom was hit by an eighteen wheeler somewhere near Salt Lake City. My mom's car was pinned between the center divider and the tractor trailer. She was airlifted to the trauma center at the University of Utah Hospital.
"Dad and I pushed our way through the crowds of people, but it was taking both Dad and Edward to hold me up. I was numb. The plan was to stop by our apartment to pack a bag and then Dad and I were going to drive to Salt Lake City. Edward was so worried, and he wanted to come with us, but his entire family was there – all his relatives from Chicago and he hadn't seen them in years. I couldn't take him away from that no matter how much I needed him. He promised that he'd come to Salt Lake as soon as his relatives left. We said goodbye and I barely remember it. I don't remember stopping at our apartment, and I vaguely remember stopping at a hotel in Oregon for a few hours. I couldn't sleep and I was sick with worry. I had no idea if my mom was even still alive at that point."
I sniffled and reached over to my bedside table for a bottle of water. I took a long drink and squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to compose myself.
"When we finally got to Salt Lake City, my mom was in surgery – her second surgery since she arrived at the trauma center. The doctors didn't expect her to live, and warned us that the first forty-eight hours were the most critical – if she lived that long. But my mom is strong, and she fought. She stayed in a medically induced coma for almost three weeks. They said it would be best to keep her comatose so that her body could heal. She looked so small and broken lying in that hospital bed, Ange. It was awful to see her that way.
"Both of her legs were broken as well as her pelvis and right hip. She had several broken ribs, which punctured her lungs, a broken arm, and severe whiplash. There were bruises and wounds all over her body. The truck that hit her caught on fire, but thankfully she wasn't badly burned. The doctors described it as a really bad sunburn. So they set her legs and put them in casts and replaced her hip joint. They put a cast on her arm, and stabilized the bleeding from her punctured lungs. Her neck was messed up but not broken, so they put her in a neck brace. When the doctors realized how hard she was fighting to stay on this earth, they pulled me aside and told me that she was going to need help. I listened to every word they said before I started to make plans to go back to Phoenix to take care of her. Then I called my dad to tell him what I was planning to do, and finally I called Edward. That was the hardest phone call I ever had to make."
A/N: I know … this explains what happened to Renee, but no mention of Edward. It's coming, just trust me, okay?
