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Beta: Twilight Drama Teach
Chapter 8
Bella's POV
April 23 (Thursday)
I woke up to my alarm clock feeling exhausted. I laid there for a moment hoping it would magically turn off. Wait. That wasn't my alarm clock. The sound was steady, hollow. I opened my eyes, squinting against the harsh light. I turned to the side and groaned at the movement. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck.
"Bells!" I jumped a bit at the surprised sound. I closed my eyes against the pain. "Bells, can you hear me?" That was Dad. Why was Dad here? Where was here?
"I can hear ya, Dad," I answered, my voice rough and throat dry. I opened my eyes again.
"Oh, Bella," I heard Mom say. She reached forward and smoothed my hair from my forehead. Even though we'd had a rough start when she married Dad just after my eighth birthday and later when Ian was born, I loved Sue. She was the best mom a girl could ask for; better than mine could be. I could see the fear and worry in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay." I knew they could see the confusion on my face. "Do you remember what happened?"
"What do you mean?" I thought back. "I was waiting for Ali to arrive. I must have fallen asleep. Is she here yet? Why are y'all here?" Mom looked at Dad hesitantly.
"You're in the hospital, Bells," he said softly. I looked to my side finally taking stock of the room. The beeping noise I thought was my alarm clock was a heart monitor.
"What happened? What am I doing here?" Mom stroked my head. I watched as tears welled in her eyes.
"There was a tornado." I looked back at Dad as he spoke. He was watching me carefully. "You were home, waiting on Alice. The tornado hit before she got there. The fire fighters guessed you got in the hall closet, covered up with a blanket. The tornado hit-" He cleared his throat when his voice got thick. "It touched down a street over. It was an F3.
"You…it…your house…it was leveled." I felt my breath leave me forcefully. "You were trapped. That was on Tuesday. Edward drove over on Wednesday when you weren't answering your phone. He called 911, the firefighters dug you out, and you were brought to the hospital." I couldn't remember anything he was talking about. I couldn't reconcile it in my mind.
"Edward called us," Mom said. "We saw it on the news and were trying to get a hold of you. I was so relieved when he said he was calling about you and that you were okay. We booked the quickest flight we could."
"Where's Sam and Ian?" I asked. Just then, the door to my room opened. They walked in with a Pepsi in one hand and a Butterfinger candy bar in the other.
"Izzy!" Sam said excitedly and rushed to the bed. She handed the stuff to Mom then threw her arms around me.
"Hi Sammie," I said with a smile to my little sister. She was the youngest at fourteen. Ian, their eighteen-year-old, stood at the side of the bed looking lost. "How are ya?"
"Me? I'm fine. How are you?" She pulled back and sat on the bed. "Mom and Dad were so worried. I mean, I was too, but it felt like you'd be okay. You are okay, right? I need you to be okay." I smiled at her exuberance. She reminded me so much of Alice sometimes but a spitting image of her mother.
"I think I'm fine. I feel really sore, but I think I'm okay." I looked over at Dad. "Am I okay?"
"You've got some bumps and bruises, some superficial scrapes, and a pulmonary contusion. That means your lung is bruised. Other than that, you're in ace shape. Dr. Cullen said you could go home…he says you can leave this afternoon." I looked over at Ian, smiled, and patted his hand that was resting on the bed.
"Hey, Ian. How are ya, bud?" He swallowed and looked down.
"Fine. Worried." Ian was a great kid, very protective. "I was watching Headline News and saw the story. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. I went to the living room and turned off the baseball game so Dad could see. We would have been here sooner. I'm sorry I didn't catch it earlier." I smiled.
"It's not your fault. You can't keep on constant alert. You got here as soon as you could. It's all that matters." I tugged on his hand. "Do I get a hug?" He finally smiled then leaned down to hug me. I wish I'd had more time to be their sister before moving away. We all looked when there was a knock on the door. Carlisle peeked in and smiled.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," he said with a smile.
"Course not, doc," Dad said as he and Mom stood. "We were just filling Bells in on what happened." He stepped inside with a puzzled expression.
"Do you not remember?" I shook my head no. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners?" He leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I stifled my giggle. Cullen men. "It's good to see you again, Bella. I just wish it were under better circumstances." I nodded. "You don't remember what happened?"
"No," I answered. "It's all a bit surreal. I don't remember anything. I know I was waiting on Ali, but that's all. Then Dad said the house collapsed, and I was trapped. I don't feel like it happened."
"That's normal. If you don't remember it, you won't feel ownership of it. You were very smart though. I was told you covered yourself with a blanket. It saved you. Without it, the debris would have caused so much more damage."
"Is Ali okay? Edward?" I was getting worried since they hadn't been in yet. I figured Alice would be close by if she could.
"Alice is fine. She's got a bump on the head, but she's going to be okay. She was kept overnight for observation and released yesterday afternoon. Edward wasn't hurt, at least not from the tornado. He scraped his arm when he was looking for you, but it's just a scratch. He just needed a bandage." I nodded, glad to hear of their well-being.
"When can I leave?" He smiled at me with humor.
"Alice said you weren't one for hospitals. You'll probably be released soon."
"I'll have to start looking for a place to stay. Is there a computer I can-" I stopped at the thought. "My laptop! No! All my work was on that. Everything! What-"
"Bella." Dr. Cullen's soft voice stopped me. He was smiling at me and chuckled. "Edward has your laptop and phone. Apparently, you asked him to make sure he got it once you were pulled out of the rubble." Charlie chuckled.
"She always did have her priorities mixed up," Charlie said as he laughed as well.
I jumped when the door to my room slammed open. Motherfucker! The sudden movement made me hiss at the severe pain that shot through my body. I closed my eyes against the pain and breathed through my nose. That moment I decided a pulmonary contusion was much worse than it sounded. How could a bruise cause so much pain?
"Bella!" Alice's lilting voice exclaimed. I heard her footsteps rush to the bed. I opened my eyes in time to see her throw her arms open to hug me, hesitate, and then lean down gently. She hugged me, I tried to return it, and she signed in relief. "Bella, I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried about you. I saw you in that house, in the rubble. I made Edward go check on you. I knew he'd find you. I was so worried. I was so worried you'd be hurt." I smiled at her ramblings.
"I'm okay, Ali," I assured her in a soft voice. I turned to see that Edward had entered the room too, albeit much quieter. "You found me?" He nodded. I watched as he smiled and something flashed in his eyes. He shrugged and the movement drew my attention to his arm. I gasped. "What happened?" Alice sat up and moved to stand beside Dad and Mom. Edward walked over to sit next to me on the bed. I reached for his arm and ever so gently ran my fingers over the gauze.
"It's just a scrape, nothin' to worry about," he said and patted my hand. "You just need to worry 'bout yourself and getting better."
"I'm sorry you got hurt tr-" He placed a finger over my lips to silence me.
"Stop apologizin'." He trailed his hand down my arm and squeezed my hand. "All that matters is that you're safe. It's one little scrape. I'll live; it only itches. I promise. Don't worry about me." I smiled. Someone cleared their throat pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to the group to see Alice, Mom, and Esme, when did she get here? with a small smile on their faces. Dad and Ian looked a bit perturbed. Sammie was looking at Dad and Mom curiously. "How are you?" I looked back at Edward when he drew my attention away from our families.
"Sore." He smirked.
"I imagine being trapped under a house would do that."
"Damnit, Edward!" Esme admonished him. I smiled and chuckled then grabbed at my ribs. It hurt. "Show some tact."
"It's okay, Esme. I don't mind," I said through gritted teeth. "When did y'all get here?" I looked over to Esme and Carlisle so they'd know I was addressing them.
"We flew in as soon as we could," Carlisle said. "We took our stuff to Edward's place then came here. We've been helpin' out since a disaster this size leaves hospitals severely understaffed." I smiled at his admission. That didn't surprise me at all.
"Thank you for calling Mom and Dad," I said to Edward. He smiled and nodded. We heard a knock at the door and turned to see another doctor stick his head in.
"Well, don't we have a full house," he said and smiled a boyishly handsome smile, a stark contradiction to his structure. The man was a wall of muscle standing at least 6'5''. He had broad shoulders making me think of a football player. He had curly brown hair, and again, a boyishly handsome smile. He seemed so innocent and completely approachable. He stepped inside and made his way toward me. I moved to sit up, but he and Edward held me in place. "Don't try to sit up. Just relax. I'm Dr. McCarty, but you can call me Emmett."
"Bella," I offered. He smiled.
"Oh, I know all about you, Bella Maria Swan." He chuckled then glanced at Alice. She shrugged but didn't look sorry at all. I just rolled my eyes. I should have known. "Tell me how you're feeling." He pulled a penlight from his pocket and flashed it at my eyes.
"Sore. I don't remember what happened. I just feel sore and tired." He pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and put it in his ears before lifting the side of my gown and placing the cold instrument on my ribs.
"Take a deep breath for me." I took one as deep as I could, which wasn't very deep. He moved to the other side of my torso and instructed me to do the same. He removed his hand and placed the instrument over my chest. "Just breathe normally." He put the stethoscope around his neck and pulled the sleeve of my gown up. I could see stitches in three different places. "My little girl Lillian would love to play 'connect the dots' with you." I looked at him strangely. "She uses a marker to connect all the dots on me. Apparently I've got a lotta freckles. You've got a few spots to work with." I smiled at the idea. He turned to everyone in the room. "Could I have a few minutes? I need to do a more thorough exam on Bella."
"Of course," Carlisle said. He placed his hand on the small of Esme's back and led her out. Dad did the same for Mom and Sammie; Ian followed. Alice and Edward stayed in their spot.
"I'll just be a few minutes. I promise." Alice looked torn, Edward determined.
"It's okay, guys. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be fine," I assured them.
"Are you sure, Bella?" Alice asked. I nodded. "We'll be right outside. Do you want anything to eat, drink?"
"Water would be nice." She grabbed Edward and hurried for the door.
"We'll go get you water. Anything else? Want something to eat? I'll get you some crackers too. Okay? Okay. We'll be right back." Her voice trailed off as she left the room. I turned back to Dr. Mc…Emmett as he chuckled.
"She's a bit of a handful sometimes." I closed my droopy eyelids. I felt so tired.
"I can see that," Emmett said as he pulled the sheet down. "I need to do some poking and prodding. I know it sucks, but it needs to be done." He grabbed the hem of the gown. "She put some pants on you, so don't be nervous." I let him lift the gown to just below my breasts. My stomach was different shades of black and blue. I must be bruised everywhere. He pressed into my stomach making me hiss. It was over in just a few minutes. He pulled the gown back down and the sheet over me.
"So?"
"Everything looks good." He chuckled at his own words. "Well, medically, everything looks good. You're very lucky. As you can see, you've got a lot of scrapes, bruises, and bumps. You do have a pulmonary contusion, but you're wheezing decreased, and you're oxygen saturation levels are up to 94. I can release you in a few hours. How does that sound?"
"Really good; that sounds really good. I hate hospitals." He laughed a booming laugh.
"That's what the little one said." He pulled a chart from the end of the bed and started writing. He laughed when the door opened and Alice stuck her head in. "Y'all can come in." She came inside with everyone following. Edward and Dad both came to sit on the bed on either side of me. "Bella's doing well. I'm going to release her in a few hours." I was fighting to keep my eyes open.
"That's great news," Mom said with a tearful smile. I smiled at her.
"First thing's first," I said. "I need my computer. I gotta look for a place to stay."
"Oh, no need to worry about that. You're staying with me," Alice said matter-of-factly.
"Ali, I'm not gonna impose." She scoffed.
"Please, BB." She even rolled her eyes. "You're not an imposition. It'll be fun, and I've got a spare room." She bounced a little in her excitement.
"Thank you. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can. Promise."
"Don't worry about it. There's no rush." I tried to fight back a yawn but couldn't. Edward reached forward and tucked my hair behind my ear.
"Sleep," he said softly. "I'm sure you're exhausted. We'll be here when you wake." I might have nodded, but I was out so quickly I couldn't know for sure.
AN: Unbetaed. Hello again, everyone. I hope ya had a great week. So, Bella's hurt but not too bad. Edward saved her and the computer! hehe How do ya feel about Bella's family? She's a big sister! It's not gonna be somethin I mention then ignore either. We'll delve a bit more into her family history throughout the story, but it's not gonna be a focal point.
Now Bella's gonna stay with Ali. They always say you shouldn't do business or live with friends. Is that gonna be the case for these two? And what's up with Edward and that little glint she saw? :)
Let me know what ya think in a review, and I'll send ya a sneak peek of the next chapter.
