Speed Bumps
(Mackenzie Brooks as a delirious Bella Swan)
My head was pounding unrelentingly as I was wheeled into the Emergency Room.
Stupid Tyler Crowley. Stupid icy parking lot. Stupid Twilight.
Everything had happened so quickly, and I barely remembered any of it. All I could think of was the dazzling honey-colored eyes that stared down at me.
As much as I didn't want to admit it,Edward was fuck-hot, or whatever the lingo was. Then, I remembered the simple, yet powerful words elegantly penned across the perfect skin of his forearm.
Robert Thomas Pattinson.
How had he known that name? He couldn't have read my mind, hell I didn't even know Rob's real middle name! I came to the one conclusion that made any sense, Edward Cullen was Robert Pattinson. Robert Pattinson was Edward Cullen. Rob was here, wherever "here" was. I wasn't alone!
I tried to turn my head and search for him, but the doctors fought to keep me from moving.
"Try to stay still," one of the nurses said. Still? Yeah, right.
"Is she okay?" I heard Ed—Robert ask.
"We'll have your father take a look and let you know," one of the physicians offered.
Emergency Room treatment moves slower than the line at the DMV, even when wheeled directly into the trauma center. After finally being returned from X-rays, I was placed on a small bed. Rob sat in a chair nearby, keeping his eyes trained on me. I wanted to confront him about the inscription on his arm but first, I wanted to pull up the sleeve of his jacket and make sure I hadn't been hallucinating. However, the bustling movement of nearby doctors and nurses prevented me from talking to him.
Bella's father had showed up at the scene before I was hauled away in the ambulance. He hovered nearby my bed, pacing nervously.
In a nearby bed, Tyler Crowley repeated apologies like a broken record, much to my and Charlie's dismay.
"Please, Tyler, just drop it," I pleaded, hoping he would shut up.
Thankfully, Dr. Cullen appeared from around the corner.
Jennie Garth is one lucky bitch, I inwardly thought as I looked her scrumptious husband up and down. Then, I remembered hearing that they had filed for divorce. Kelly Taylor is a ginormous idiot.
"So, Miss Swan," he said with a kind smile, "how are you feeling?"
Delusional, psychotic, certifiably insane… take your pick.
"Fine," I gave a short answer.
He nodded as he placed my films on a lightboard and flicked it on.
"Your X-rays look good," he announced, more for Charlie's benefit than my own. I knew I was fine aside from the headache and softball sized lump on the back of my skull. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."
"Yeah, um, its fine, I'm fine," I urged, hoping to speed this little evaluation up so I could get Rob alone.
Carlisle ran his cold fingers along the back of my skull, tenderly feeling the swollen bump that had formed.
"Tender?" he asked me.
"Yeah, but seriously, it's not a big deal," I replied. Charlie frowned at me, probably assuming that I was downplaying my pain.
"Well, Chief Swan," Carlisle addressed Bella's father. "You can take her home now, but Bella, come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all." I nodded and stepped down off the bed. "Take some Tylenol for the pain," he added, noticing my wobbly feet.
Carlisle turned to Charlie and began discussing the home treatment for my head injury. I didn't think taking Tylenol sounded overly complicated, but if Charlie wanted to get specifics on how to swallow pills, I was fine with that. At any rate, it distracted him enough for me to get Rob's attention. Once our gaze was locked, I quickly shifted my eyes to the right, indicating that I wanted him to follow me.
"I'm going to go to the restroom," I said quietly. Charlie nodded and I left the room with Rob close behind.
Once we were out of earshot, I pulled him into an empty waiting area. I intended on demanding answers from him, but when I looked into his impossibly beautiful face, my throat ran dry.
-%-%-%-%-
(Robert Pattinson [maybe?] as Edward Cullen)
If I had an active heart it would've been hammering out of my chest. Bella's chocolate eyes bore into me, waiting for me to say something, anything. But what could I say? If I questioned her about calling me Rob she might get upset. The girl had just had a near death experience. It was possible that she was out of it, saw the writing on my arm, and called out my name in panic. Still, I had to be certain.
"Are you alright?" I asked, feeling stupid since Carlisle had just asked her that very question several times.
She furrowed her brow at me.
"You… I saw…"
She was flustered and unable to finish her sentence, but I assumed I knew what she was getting at. I was standing near my Volvo before Tyler lost control of his van. She had seen me from across the parking lot and was naturally confused as to how I had managed to get to her so quickly, not to mention how I was able to stop the van. My dead heart sunk in my chest.
"What do you think you saw?" I probed, playing into the scene.
She shook her head and opened her mouth but no sound emanated from her lips. Instead she grabbed my arm and yanked the sleeve upward, revealing the name of a person who had just ceased to exist. She examined my forearm for some time as I contemplated how to proceed. I was sure I could make up something about the inscription. Perhaps I could tell her it was a tribute to an acquaintance that had recently passed, it wasn't exactly a lie.
We were interrupted when Charlie stepped into the waiting room, witnessing our awkward exchange. Bella lifted her head to look at him, and I noticed tears streaming down her face. Charlie raced to her side at once.
"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked gruffly, giving me an accusatory look.
"I, I was just thanking Edward for saving my life," she stammered, giving me a weak smile.
"Oh, yeah," Charlie looked at me dumbfounded. "Thanks for taking care of my little girl. Bells?" He signaled for her to follow him out of the waiting room. Bella hesitated before dropping my arm and leaving with Charlie.
I left the hospital before Carlisle could confront me. It didn't take me long to find my way back to the Cullen's house. Initially I had no idea where I was going, but my instincts led me home.
I passed Esme, who looked at me quizzically. I knew from her internal dialog that she had already spoken to Carlisle on the phone and was aware of that morning's events. Racing into the bathroom, I snatched a hand towel, doused it with water and soap, and began to scrub at my skin. Before long, the ink inscribing the name of some fictitious actor has disappeared.
Robert Pattinson was gone.
My siblings returned home after school, followed shortly by Carlisle. They were demanding answers to my erratic behavior, and all I could do was go along with the storyline.
"I couldn't let her die," I shrugged. Rosalie fumed, her anger boiling to the surface.
"You are so selfish! And to think, I was actually feeling sorry for you!" she spat heatedly.
"I know, I'm a bastard," I replied, defeated. She blinked at my words, clearly not anticipating them.
"Jesus, Edward." Jasper shook his head, feeling my defeat.
"So, about the move," Esme began calmly. "We haven't been to the Finger Lakes in quite some time. Upstate New York is rather lovely."
"No!" I replied almost immediately.
"Calm down, schitzo." Emmett nudged me. I took a deep breath before speaking again.
"The girl, Bella, she's not going to be a problem," I said with an even tone.
"How can you say that? Surely your little Superman stunt must have made her curious," Rosalie retorted.
"No, Edward's right," Alice interjected. "If we stay, it will be fine. People will talk for a few days but by next week it will have blown over."
"Are you positive?" Carlisle asked.
"As sure as I can be," she answered.
"Alright, then. I think if we leave, it would look even more suspicious. Edward, are you sure you want to stay?" he questioned. I nodded.
Rosalie huffed out her audible disapproval.
"Does anyone else's opinion even matter, or just precious Edward's?"
"Rosalie, that's enough," Esme defended. "You are every bit part of this family as Edward."
Please don't leave me again, she silently pleaded, looking at me with sad eyes. I felt a twinge of guilt form in the pit of my stomach. Edward, or I rather, had been such a selfish coward in the past. I wouldn't leave my family again.
"Look, I'm sorry. I know that what I did poses a huge threat to us all, but trust me when I say that it will all be fine," I sighed.
"What? Are you Alice now?" Rosalie barked, not appeased in the least.
"Ni-Rosalie," I caught myself. "Please?"
Since when do you cower to Rose? Emmett silently asked, bemused.
The scowl on my sister's face didn't disappear, but she remained closed lipped.
"Now that that's settled, we can move on to more important things!" Alice chirped happily. "First of all, Edward's serious, and I don't want you two fighting. Secondly, Bella's my friend. At least she's going to be, so Jasper, I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill her."
"But… Alice…" Jasper struggled to defend his future actions, which I guessed included some sort of intent to kill Bella in order to preserve the family.
"I'm going to love her someday, Jazz. I'll be very put out if you don't let her be," she continued. Soon, a smile broke across her face, and I knew Jasper had changed his mind about harming Bella.
"So you're actually going to become friends with this girl?" Rosalie asked, looking repulsed.
"Yes," Alice replied confidently, "and not just me, we all will be."
"Hmpf," Rosalie sounded, sticking her nose in the air. I knew that she would eventually come to accept Bella, but it wouldn't happen for quite some time.
"Just wait and see, Rose," Alice baited. "We'll love her, all of us, especially…" she flashed her eyes to me, fearing she had said too much.
Sorry, Edward, she mentally apologized, but I waived her off. I already knew Edward was in love with Bella, why deny it?
"Huh," Jasper seemed surprised. "I really didn't feel that from you." I wasn't surprised by his inability to sense my so-called love for Bella. How could I love her? I didn't even know her!
"Oh, come on!" Emmett roared, not catching on to what everyone else in the room had understood.
"Pay attention," Rosalie bit. "Alice sees him falling for a human! How classically Edward!" She actually scoffed at me. Misunderstood or not, Rosalie really was a bitch.
I was quickly tiring of the conversation and just wanted to be alone so I could think.
"Yes, I love her. The end," I said all at once. Everyone looked startled by this confession. For a few moments all was silent aside from inner thoughts, which I happily tuned out.
Finally, Carlisle cleared his throat unnecessarily.
"Well this… complicated things."
"I'll say," Emmett agreed with a playful smirk.
Esme beamed at me with delight while my other family members continued to debate whether or not to rely on Alice's visions.
Whatever. I didn't care anymore. Bella Swan would be the death of me, or at least she had been the death of who I thought I was.
1 Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005), 32-33.
2 Meyer, Stephenie. Midnight Sun. (StephenieMeyer . com: 2008), 84-85.
