There will be another chapter after this one and an epilogue and then its all over. Enjoy.
Chapter Nine
Goodbye Casper
I counted the rise and fall of his chest as I sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair by his hospital bed and waited.
It had been a long night.
It had felt like forever waiting for the ambulance to arrive and when it did the paramedics pushed me away and started working on him. All I could do was stand and watch helplessly just praying for him to live. Willing him with my heart to open those green eyes. He never did. But he continued breathing.
The paramedics almost didn't let me ride with him in the ambulance and I practically had a fit, screaming god knows what at them until they allowed me to ride with them, probably just to get me to shut up.
I didn't care. I sat there holding his hand and talking to him, telling him how I would bring him back from the dead just to kill him myself if he died on me now.
"You're not getting rid of me that easy, Casper." I whispered in his ear.
They had rushed him into the hospital, me holding his hand the entire way until he was ripped away from me and some nurse gently moved me away from the room they had taken him into.
I sat in that waiting room for hours, begging somebody to tell me something.
"Are you family, ma'am?" The receptionist asked with her very nasal voice.
"No, but-"
"Then I'm afraid I cannot let you see him or divulge any information about his condition."
"Listen here you stuck up, emotionless, bitter old hag. I am in love with Edward Cullen and you are going to tell me where he is right this second or I swear to god I will climb over this desk and show you just how much physical pain I can inflict on the body of those who get on the wrong side of madly in love woman."
She stared and swallowed and I thought for sure, in that very moment, she was terrified of me.
Then I heard something that made me want to bolt right out the hospital door.
"You're in love with our son?"
I spun round to see a tall blonde man with Edward's glorious jaw and lips and a caramel haired woman with sparkling green eyes filled with tears, her hand covering her mouth.
I gaped. What do I say to that? I myself had just discovered that I was, in fact, in love with Edward Cullen who technically and physically I had only just met. Despite having known his…spirit…for about a day now.
"I…err…um…" I stuttered until suddenly the woman rushed to me and threw her arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder.
I awkwardly put my arms around her, patting her back.
"Y-you're Esme?" I asked.
She pulled away a little, nodding. Then she took my face in her hands, gently, "That lady over there told me you found our son." She indicated to the paramedic who talking to a doctor though watching us. "And now we've heard you're in love with him. What can I ever do to repay you?"
"Completely erase the threat I just gave this woman from your memory?" I asked sheepishly.
"Absolutely not." Esme said feistily, "I would have said the exact same thing had she not allowed me to see my son."
I really liked this woman.
Esme and Carlisle immediately told the woman behind the desk to allow me to see Edward whenever I asked to. She wrote my name down not meeting my eyes or those of Edward's parents.
Then they found out what was wrong with him.
He was malnourished, he had to have help breathing due to the intake of smoke to his lungs and the doctors would only know the result of the damage he had suffered to his head once he woke up.
So now, it was just a waiting game. Waiting for him to wake up. Waiting to find out the damage done to his brain. Waiting to find out if he would even remember me – and there was a high chance that he wouldn't. That hurt me more than I could say.
Just the thought of his eyes finally opening, green boring into my brown, waiting for any sign of recognition until the shake of his head and the frown of confusion would shatter my heart.
It was selfish of me. Selfish of me to want him to remember me when we didn't even know if he was going to be okay. I just couldn't help it. Despite never even having a conversation with his physical being and despite the fact that I had only really known him for a day I was completely and totally in love with him. I felt like I had known him and had loved him my entire life and I hoped with all my heart that this wouldn't tear us apart now.
But I had a feeling. A feeling that he was going to be okay, whether he remembered me or not. Because I could no longer see his ghost, and if I could no longer see his ghost then surely it was because he was sticking securely to his body. And if he was sticking securely to his body then maybe that meant he was going to recover.
I took his hand in my own and tore my eyes away from his steadily moving chest to his face. He looked so peaceful and even though I was desperate for him to wake up and tell me he was okay, I would have preferred this to be my last memory of him. He, asleep, and looking peaceful rather than awake and looking into my eyes without a hint of recognition in his.
With that thought I stood, swallowing the lump in my throat.
I bent down to kiss his cheek, breathing in his scent.
"I'll miss you, Edward," I whispered in his ear. "Goodbye, Casper."
I allowed myself one last look back at the boy I loved before taking a deep breath, murmuring a farewell and leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind me.
So she finally realises she loves him, then leaves him. Though I'm completely irritated with Bella I had to do it, just felt like something she would do.
I apologise for the shortness.
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