Please don't kill me for this chapter. Stay with me, for Edward!

BPOV

Coffee. I wanted coffee. Edward did, too. I was supposed to get our drinks and quickly return to him, wearing a smile on my face that showed how much I missed him, even if I was only gone for five minutes.

The elevator ride down to the lobby was slow. It stopped at almost every floor, emptying and filling back up with people I've never seen in my life. Each one looked as though they had a different and interesting story to tell. That's what I loved about the city. Everyone is so exclusive. And it reminded me of Edward. There's not a single soul out there that could match his. He's unique. I love him for that.

During my descent, the crowd in the elevator got bigger. I was soon tossed to the back as more people piled in to make their way to the lobby. Where are all these people going? Then I remembered we were in the city that never sleeps. I wanted my coffee badly now. Caffeinated. I was tired, but I wasn't ready to leave Edward unattended to especially when he was wearing my favorite clothing accessory. I made a mental note to put more sugar in his coffee. I like Edward wild.

Finally, we were at the lobby and I was the last to exit. The thirteen other people that shared my journey scattered off in all different directions, leaving an empty path for me straight out the door. I scurried and was soon met with the cool breeze of a New York City evening. I closed my eyes and breathed in, simultaneously processing all the commotion of Times Square traffic. The honking, the blurred conversations, the footsteps, the cursing, and the sounds of Edward's voice whispering I missed you when I would return.

The conjunction of thoughts distracted me so much that I didn't realize I had memorized my way to the Starbucks on the corner across the street. I was waiting for the light to turn, thinking of a way I could drive Edward crazy tonight. It was our anniversary vacation. I figured I could whip out Alice's 'gift' a little early. I also giggled at my choice of the words "whip out" to describe such a thing. Shaking my head, I saw that the cars had come to a stop and I started crossing the street. Surprisingly, the only person crossing was me. I didn't even make it halfway when I heard a long car horn blare into my ears. The fatal sound of tires screeching to stop become closer and closer. Suddenly, I was hurled into a screaming darkness. The blackest pain shot through my body as my skin scraped across the concrete and severed through my layers of clothing, wounding me. Swirls of nausea flooded my systems from the scent of my blood seeping while I felt my mind slip away, only aware of the cold ground underneath my body, and the throbbing wound on my head. Not seconds later, the black pain blinded all my systems, paralyzing my mind. I was completely submerged in it, choking on my own breathing, until it went completely black.

It was strange. Seeing myself lying there on the ground, like a child who just fell peacefully asleep. I was motionless. I almost expected to see Edward cradled beside me, holding me, kissing me. The edges of my imagery were blurred, like I was being spotlighted and zoomed in on. But I could make out the car that was totaled against the brick wall to my right. The tire marks on the street were evidence of its failed attempt to stop, to avoid me, to save me. But I lay there, directly in their path of doom.

The sounds became more and more slurred as the image passed through my eyes. Sirens blared from a distance and were quickly increasing in volume within seconds. Crowds of people were rushing and their footfalls were heavy and nervous, abruptly stopping around me like I had an invisible shield protecting my five-foot radius.

The voices I heard were questionable. I didn't know whether my mind was making them up, or if I was actually breaking back into the glass walls of reality. I felt myself float down towards the scene. The pool of blood below my head began to seep into the cracks of the street, flowing away from me like a river. I didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly, I felt the cold ground again. I was aware of my nausea, my throbbing pain, my shaking body…

"Bella!"

His voice was far away. But I heard it. It sounded frantic and panicky. I willed my eyelids to lift themselves. It was like they were being held down with bricks. Come on, Bella. Be strong. It's Edward.

My sight came to me, slightly at first, peeking through little slits that my eyelids allowed. The first thing I saw was him running towards me. His face was twisted with pain, probably mirroring my own. The strength it took to keep my eyes open overpowered me and I quickly shut them, squeezing them tightly closed. I was still shaking and sweating. I felt tears well up in my eyes and tiny streams flow down my cheeks. I think I was finally processing the pain I was bearing. The sirens were inches away now and I suddenly noticed that my surroundings had darkened.

Then the footsteps that could be no other than Edward's ceased.

"Sir…" A man's voice cautioned.

I felt two hands on my face. My two favorite hands. Edward's hands.

"Bella."

For a second, my pain had disappeared. I wished to God I could've stopped convulsing and just answer him. Tell him I was okay. Lie to him.

"Sir, you need to stand back," the stern man's voice ordered.

Edward's hands stilled on my jaw.

"Let's get her on the stretcher!" Another man's voice yelled.

I twitched and violently shook, moaning from the pain, sweating profusely. My eyes were heavy and my head was still throbbing. I was suddenly spinning. Spinning like a tornado until my head hit the ground and my stomach churned every last acid it inhabited. The rising ache threatened my breath, and my throat tightened.

"Bella!" I felt his arms lift my body into a sitting position and hold my hair back as I vomited, ridding my system of whatever it had left inside.

"Bella, love. I'm here, I'm not letting-"

"Sir! You must move aside." The man's voice was like a stab in the gut when he interrupted Edward's soothing words. He knew I heard him even though I wasn't responding.

"This is my wife you fu-"

But then I was being pulled from my sitting position in Edward's arms, away from him. No.

"Edward!" I couldn't believe I spoke, let alone scream. I latched onto his suspenders as I felt his hands grip my arms and turned towards the men trying to strap me down. "STOP!"

Edward…stop. My mind was remembering something. Edward…stop.

I fought with the men, viciously kicking and screaming as the blackness of my pain terrorized my consciousness. "Let go!"

Let go.

Dawn broke across my mind as my legs stopped trying to kick myself free. Edward's hands gripped me tighter, almost bruising my arms, and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

My dreams. My nightmares. This was it.

My tears distorted my vision but it didn't take much to notice Edward's face glistening with his own tears. I felt like the rope in a tug-of-war game. Except Edward wasn't trying to pull me away, he was just trying to stay with me.

The sirens were deafening. The smell of my blood had me nauseous again. And I felt my strength slowly diminish until I was actually in pain from holding onto to his suspenders.

"Edward I.. I'm sor-"

"Bella, shhh, I'm not leaving you."

I tried choking back tears but it was useless. My mind had wandered off, almost back into the pure blackness of illusion. And in my final attempt to keep Edward with me through the immense pain and difficulty, I pulled him towards me, only to be seared through the heart by the feel of his suspenders snapping off his pants and falling, broken, to the cold, lifeless ground below.

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