Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are all property of Stephenie Meyer. No profit is being made from this piece of work. No copyright infringement is intended.

7. Hospital

Jess caught up with me on Monday in school. To say I was surprised to see her walk so confidently up to mine and Angela's table was an understatement.

"I just wanted to thank you for Saturday," she said quietly, her back to Angela's horrified face.

"No problem," I said unsurely. It took me a few minutes to locate being with Jess at the Blood Bank in my memory. So much had happened since then.

Jess gave me an almost friendly smile that seemed a bit too uncomfortable as her eyes flitted along my scars before walking away.

"What was that all about?" Angela questioned, watching Jess go.

"She freaked out at the Blood Bank on Saturday," I explained. I knew Jess hadn't wanted anybody to know but I was too tired and my brain was too muddled to think of a good lie. Angela simply raised her eyebrows in surprise but didn't push it any further.

"What did you think of the meeting?" she asked me, dropping her voice to a whisper so I knew which 'meeting' she was talking about.

"I became an Angel," I shrugged. "Doesn't that tell you enough?" She seemed surprised by my answer as though she had expected me to praise the meeting to the heavens and whip out some matches to aim at Alice. I quickly changed the subject. "So, Ben and Eric huh?"

Angela blushed bright red. "They're our researchers," Angela explained. "Both of them a clever enough to be at college but–"

"They're not Qualified?" I asked, my surprise making it come out as a question.

"No," Angela said sternly, looking me in the eye. "You can't be an Angel and be Qualified. What sort of Angel would choose to cross over to their side? You weren't planning on applying for a VQA were you?"

"My grades aren't good enough," I said automatically. But I couldn't deny the fact that I had thought of Edward. Was an Angel not allowed to be associated with a Vamp too? "You know, you could have told me the rule book before I agreed to join."

Angela gave a small life. "You never agreed," she told me. "God chose you."

Shifting uncomfortably, I decided to change to another topic. "What about James?"

"James?" Angela questioned. "Oh, he's new. He's Bridget's grandson. I think he joined about a month ago."

"Bridget?"

"The old lady in the church foyer?" Angela prompted.

"Oh, I remember," I said, surprised I hadn't took much notice of her before.

"He seemed to like you," Angela smiled. "I saw him talking to you in the parking lot through one of the church windows."

"What were you doing?" I asked defensively, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Spying on me?"

Angela laughed.

"Okay, so what's the deal with Bernard and Harry?" I asked, wanting to move the topic away from James. I couldn't help but think of Edward when she initiated that there was something going on between me and James.

"Bernard was the one who came up with the idea," Angela explained. "His twin sister Qualified and became a Vamp when she was twenty-three."

"I bet that hit him hard," I said. I tried to imagine that; living my life with somebody always by my side until they chose a different path leaving me to grow old and leave them behind.

"It did," Angela nodded. "And Harry? Well, that's complicated."

"I think I can keep up," I told her.

"You can't let anybody know that I told you this, okay?" Angela said, dropping her voice to a whisper. The murmurings of the cafeteria faded around me as she spoke, "Billy's wife was killed by a Vamp."

"What?" I cried, a little too loudly. Heads turned and Angela hushed me.

Once everybody had resumed to their conversations, she leaned forward again and continued, "They got the Vamp, took him away and did whatever they do with them I guess."

"Does Jacob know?" I asked.

"You mean Billy's son? No. His older sisters do though. He was too young to remember any of it. Rebecca and Rachel couldn't stand lying to him. That's why they moved away as soon as they could."

"Why are they lying to him?" I asked, frowning. I felt terrible for Jacob. Losing a parent was bad enough but to lose them in such circumstances would have been horrifying. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't know.

"Billy doesn't want him getting this hatred for Vamps," she explained. "Especially when there's a good chance he'll shift."

"And where does Harry come into this?"

"They're all close on the res," Angela continued. "Most of the adults grew up together. Sarah was like Harry's sister. He couldn't just accept what happened to her and move on like Billy did."

"Wow," I murmured. "Poor Jake."

"Don't tell him," Angela said quickly. "If you do, Harry will never forgive me and you'll probably break the poor kid's heart."

"I won't," I promised. I realized it would be a good thing to keep this from Jake but I knew it would be hard keeping such a big secret from him when I was with him.

My original anger for Vamps came back then, thinking of poor Sarah Black, but then Edward's face came to my mind. Edward who had done nothing but be a stupid teenage boy back in 1918, who had been living off animal blood for the past eighteen years, waiting for me.

"Hey, look it's snowing!" I heard a familiar voice call from one of the tables near the window. I looked to find Mike with Tyler, Lauren and Jess. He was standing up and pointing out the window to where flurries of snow were falling to the ground in a way that resembled rain rather than the winter wonderlands I've seen in movies.

Almost everybody in the cafeteria looked over to him but it was my eye that he caught, sending a smirk and a wink my way.

"Jerk," Angela muttered under her breath. I looked at her in surprise. "Oh, come on, Bella," she said, rolling her eyes. "He exudes jerkiness." She smiled at me but I was still surprised.

"So you mean you don't know anything about Saturday?" I asked her.

"No, why?" she asked, looking confused and concerned. "What happened on Saturday?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, wishing I hadn't brought it up. "I saw them in the car lot at the Thriftway, him and Tyler, and they were acting like…jerks." I didn't mention them hassling me as I knew I couldn't avoid it without mentioning Edward. He'd taken a risk showing himself that night. I just hoped Tyler and Mike thought him nothing more than a nomad passing through.

But why did I hope? I hated being so concerned with Edward's wellbeing. I wished I'd never met him – but then I felt guilty for thinking like that.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Angela sighed, getting up. I took one last glance at Mike's table. By now all four of them were looking at us. I made my escape quickly with Angela.

"You don't mind if we go to the Office do you?" Angela asked. "I need to drop off a letter to Bridget."

"Bridget works at the school?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but she goes by Mrs. Cope," Angela explained. "Have you not seen her before?"

"No," I admitted. "I've only been to the Office once and there was a young woman there."

"Miss. Tanner," Angela supplied for me. "First name's Bree. She came over here from Seattle though I don't know why. Why would anybody want to move here?"

"Maybe some people don't have a choice," I muttered. I realized I had never told Angela why I had moved here nor had she asked. I stopped walking to gather my thoughts. Opening up to Edward over the weekend had made me feel a lot better about myself and my situation. Why would opening up to my friend be any different?

"I'm sorry," Angela said straight away, stopping a few steps ahead of me when she realized I wasn't following. "I didn't mean to upset you or anything…"

"It's fine," I told her. I took a deep breath and said, "I moved here because my mom and her husband were sent to jail." Angela didn't react but nodded her head to confirm she was listening. "They went down for shooting at a werewolf."

At that Angela did react. She clenched her hands into fists practically growled in anger. "Stupid L.W.C," she seethed.

"You know about them?" I asked, surprised.

"Everybody knows about them," she answered. We started walking again, mainly so Angela could calm down. "We don't get werewolves round here but everybody knows about them. I don't see why Vamps are so protective over them anyway."

"Maybe it's because they know they can…you know…kill them," I said unsure I should be talking about it in public.

"Don't say that aloud outside the church again," Angela told me, almost threateningly.

"Sorry," I said.

"It's a good theory though," she added, perhaps feeling guilty over her tone. I shrugged.

Once we hit the end of the school corridor and had no choice but to go outside to get to the school Office, we broke into a run. That was big mistake number one. The ground had become slippery overnight but now that the snow was falling it was even worse. My foot slipped ahead of me causing me to cry out in surprise.

Angela turned towards me, and that was big mistake number two as she too slipped only she fell to the floor, banging her head with a thud.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, but her eyes looked a little dazed.

"Let's get to the Office," I said, helping her up.

It turned out Angela was not okay as she fainted as soon as we hit the Office. A panicked Bridget Cope quickly phoned for an ambulance before calling for Alice.

"There's no bleeding on the brain," Alice confirmed. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I didn't know whether she could tell that from her sense of smell or her visions but both were unnatural. "Bella, why don't you ride with Angela to the hospital? She could do with a friend there until her parents show up."

I was about to protest, saying Angela would hate all the fuss, but something in Alice's eyes made me stop.

"Okay," I said.

Mrs. Cope didn't seem too happy about it but Alice was a Vamp and they can be very persuasive. I was let off for the rest of the day.

The ambulance ride was awkward as Angela was still out of it and the EMT seemed a bit put-out that I was taking valuable space in the back.

At the hospital, Angela's doctor turned out to have pale skin and red eyes.

"Hello, Angela, I'm Dr. Cullen," he introduced himself. Automatically the name brought up a memory of Charlie telling me about the Vamps in Forks. Dr. Cullen – wife of Esme.

Angela looked up at him dizzily and her eyes widened when she saw him.

"I don't think she wants you to treat her," I said.

Dr. Cullen turned to look at me where I stood awkwardly next to Angela's bed.

Angela shook her head frantically as if agreeing with me, only to moan and clutch her head in pain.

"Take it easy, Angela," Dr. Cullen told her. "And I'll send somebody else to treat you."

I watched him leave in surprise. Normally Vamps would disagree and persuade the patient that they knew best. At least that was what they had done in Phoenix. But Dr. Cullen put up no fight and seemed to respect Angela's wishes.

Angela was still a bit dizzy when her parents arrived.

"Thanks for looking after her, Bella," Mrs. Weber gushed, giving me a hug.

"They said she'll just be a bit dizzy," I informed them awkwardly before slipping away. The snow and the winter season meant outside was a dull grey that resembled early evening rather than mid-afternoon.

"Bella," a voice whispered from round the side of the hospital building.

I recognized it anywhere, and even if I hadn't recognized it, the feeling in the pit of my stomach and the racing of my heart would have told me otherwise.

Edward Masen.

Without thinking, I followed his voice round the side of the hospital where we were alone. Separated from the outside world by a brick wall and a tall row of hedges, our surroundings felt all of a sudden very intimate.

"I didn't think you would come," Edward said, a relieved smile tugging up the corners of his mouth.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I was here with Angela."

"I meant here," he said, taking a step forward, "Here with me, all alone."

Involuntarily, I took a step back and didn't miss the disappointment that danced along his face.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Don't be," he said. "It'll take time but you'll get used to it."

I realized then that Alice had seen this scene, had seen me talking to Edward and that was why she had insisted on me accompanying Angela to the hospital. I felt as though I should be angry but I was beginning to accept Alice would always be one step ahead of me, controlling my every move. I made a mental note not to listen to her in the future and wondered whether she would see that too.

"Edward," I sighed, unsure what to say. Eventually, realizing he was hanging on to my every word, I said, "Aren't you worried someone might see you?"

"As long as they're not from the Volturi I don't care," he said, keeping his eyes on me. I waited for his gaze to become too intense, for me to feel the need to look away. But the need never came. Instead I was forced to blink and look away but only because my eyes were drying out. I smiled, finding the whole thing quite comical.

"What are you thinking?" he asked suddenly, seeing my smirk.

"Nothing," I said, smiling even more.

"Stop that," he said, sounding like a little kid. "It's very frustrating."

"Now you know how everybody else feels," I said. "You know; the ones who can't read minds."

He smiled sheepishly. After a moment of silence he said what I knew he had wanted to talk to me for, "Will you be delivering my basket on Thursday?"

"Do I need to?" I asked. His face fell and I hurried to explain myself, "I mean, you're out in the open now, why don't you just get your things yourself?"

"I came here to visit Carlisle," Edward said, sounding like he was a little kid trying to explain something so he wouldn't get told off. "And I'm going back to my house now – through the woods and as fast as I can so I don't get seen."

I smiled at him. "You know, Edward, if we're friends then you wouldn't have to wait until next Thursday to see me."

"Friends?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

"Don't rush me, Edward," I said to him, more sternly. "This…thing," I waved my hands frantically between us, "Is not normal."

Edward seemed to disagree though. "It's the most normal thing in the world," he said.

"For you maybe," I admitted. "But not for me. Not for…humans."

At first I thought my statement would annoy him but he just gave me a smile. A beautiful smile. "The world has changed," he said suddenly. "Your world has changed. Back in my time – when I was human – people married once and stayed with that person forever."

"Humans don't have forever," I corrected him rationally.

"Until they died then," he said, changing his words. It seemed odd that he looked uncomfortable, that he didn't like the thought of death – something he would never have to encounter. "But now, you skip from one to the next."

"Not all of us," I said, feeling the need to defend the whores of my race.

"Not you then?" he asked. Then he got a little brave. Taking a deep – and clearly unnecessary – breath, he reached out and took my hand in his. His skin was so cold that it made my hands feel clammy. Or maybe they were already clammy before. I couldn't remember. "Can I tell you a secret?" he asked.

I blinked furiously, determined he wouldn't dazzle me as his race was often known for doing. "Yes," I said, both surprised and annoyed to find my voice a little breathless.

"Humans do mate for life," he said, his voice so quiet and gentle it would be rude to just call it a whisper, "They're just impatient."

And then he was gone. Suddenly my fingertips were warm again and the leaves of the hedges rustled slightly. But Edward wasn't there.

Shaking my head, I left and headed for home. Mechanically, I prepared dinner. It was only when Charlie got home that I realized I had been in some sort of trance for hours.

"I heard Angela got taken to the hospital," he said over dinner.

"Yeah," I said, a beat late. "She hit her head on some ice in school while walking to the Office."

"Well that's new," Charlie chuckled. "Aren't you usually the one who falls?"

I gave him a weak smile back. It was enough for him to ask if I was okay.

"I'm just tired," I said, rubbing my eyes for emphasis.

He didn't say anything more, clearly having given up on trying to draw a conversation out of me. I felt bad as we hadn't seen each other all day but I just wasn't in the mood for talking. My mind was full of Edward; what he had said; when I would see him again; how I felt with him; how I felt without him. At that last thought, I clutched my chest, feeling it ache in his absence.