A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has left me some love for this story. Reviews just make my day! I've responded to each one that I know of. If I missed you, I apologize as it was purely an oversight on my part. Also, don't forget to check me out on Facebook under LisaDawn75 Fanfiction for updates and story information!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight except the books and DVDs. Everything else belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just using her characters for my own amusement.

Three Months Later

Renee groaned and opened her eyes to see what she assumed to be a paramedic looming over her. What happened?

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?"

"You don't have to shout," Renee grumbled, attempting to take a mental stock of her injuries. What happened? Oh, yeah. That truck hit me.

"What's your name?" the female paramedic asked her, looking in her mouth with a pen light.

"Renee Dwyer." She moved her arms slightly. So far, so good.

The paramedic was now shining the light in her eyes. "Do you know what happened to you?"

"Um… yeah, I think so."

"Renee, you were hit by a semi truck. Do you remember that?"

Horns blaring. Screeching tires. Metal groaning. Glass shattering. Yeah, she remembered. She moved her legs and wiggled her toes. Seemed okay. "Yes."

"That's good. Follow my light."

Renee followed the pen light with her eyes. What was the big deal? She felt fine.

She overheard a male voice mentioning something about internal injuries. She hoped the driver of the truck was all right. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted up and placed in the back of what she assumed was an ambulance.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The female paramedic locked the wheels of the gurney in place and started an IV line in her hand. That hurt worse than the actual accident. "We're going to the hospital."

Renee tried to sit up, but found she was strapped to the stretcher. "I'm fine. I don't need a hospital."

The woman looked at her strangely. "Ma'am, you were just involved in a serious accident. We don't see any outward injuries, but there's a very good chance you have internal injuries."

So they had been talking about her.

But she was fine.

She felt the ambulance begin its trek to the emergency room, and suddenly, the siren began blaring. Why is everyone having such a hissy fit?

Within minutes, the ambulance arrived at the hospital, and Renee felt herself being unloaded and wheeled into the ER. She was instantly pushed into a room with a bright, white light hanging from the ceiling. Immediately, she was surrounded by a doctor and some nurses. She looked around at them all, hoping that someone else was not suffering because of the attention she was receiving. She felt fine.

"Renee?" A male nurse asked her. "My name is Steve, and we're going to take good care of you. Where are you hurting?"

A female doctor was shining a light in her eyes, and she felt someone's hands pressing on her abdomen. "Nowhere. I feel fine."

"We've called your husband and he's on his way. Does it hurt when we do this?" Steve asked as the doctor pressed deeply on her abdomen.

She tried to shake her head, but found she could not move it. Apparently, she had some type of restraining collar on her neck. "No."

"Ma'am, we're going to send you down for some x-rays. Steve, let's get a full body workup and then send her to CT for a scan. I don't see any outward injuries, so I'm worried about what's going on inside."

"Gotcha. Okay, Renee? We're going to take you down to x-ray to see what's going on. Don't worry; we're going to take good care of you."

oOo

"Bells, it sure is good to see you," Charlie said, practically running out of the front door. "How's Dartmouth treating you?"

Bella smiled at her father's rarely displayed enthusiasm. "I'm good, Dad. How are things in the great town of Forks?" Bella and Edward had returned to the Olympic Peninsula for their winter break. She hugged her father awkwardly, and Charlie returned it with one arm, his discomfort at emotional displays obvious.

"All quiet on the Western front. But, boy, have I've missed you." His face turned scarlet. Their time together had not diminished the fact that they both were embarrassed at showing how they felt.

She laughed. "You've missed my cooking."

He chuckled. "That, too." He said hello to Edward, and the three of them entered the house to escape the impending snow flurries that threatened. She had learned in her time in Forks that the weather did three things: rain, snow, or sleet – constantly. All that mattered was the temperature.

Bella felt as if she had only left the day before; everything was still in its same place. "You hungry?"

Charlie shook his head. "No. Bells, you just got here. You can wait at least an hour before you start slaving over the stove," he teased. "Has she been feeding you good, Edward?"

Edward nodded with a smile. "I've certainly been eating well, Charlie." He winked at Bella.

"So, tell me about college! You have to have some good stories," Charlie said, turning back to Bella. "Ivy League is impressive. The whole town's proud of you."

Oh, I've got a story all right. "It's nothing special, Dad, just more sch-" Bella's cell phone rang suddenly, cutting her off. She glanced at the caller ID. "Hey, Phil."

"Bella?" Phil said quietly. "You got a second?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"It's about your mom."

Bella felt the blood drain out of her face. "What about her?" The cancer could not be back; it just could not. She had received a clean bill of health just three months ago.

He took a deep breath. "She's been in an accident. A car wreck."

"I-is she okay?" She felt as if her tongue had suddenly swollen, causing her speech to become garbled.

"I'm not sure. I'm on my way to the hospital right now, but she was hit by an 18-wheeler, so I'm imagining the worst." He took a shuddering breath and released a pent up sob.

"I'm on my way," Bella said, standing up quickly and tripping over her feet in her haste, causing her to sit back down on the couch, hard. She had not missed the worried looks she was receiving from both Edward and her father.

Phil stopped her. "No. Don't rush down. She may be fine and I don't want you to waste your time with Charlie. I'll call you when I get there. I'm sorry for scaring you, but I guess I just needed to talk to someone on my way."

"It's not a problem, Phil. I can catch a plane in a couple of hours."

"By then, I'll surely know what's going on. Just hang on, and I'll call you back in half an hour, 'kay?"

She looked at Edward, wondering if he had been able to hear Phil through the phone. "All right, but call me back the minute you hear anything."

She flipped her phone shut and sighed. It seemed as if neither she nor anyone she was associated with would ever catch a break.

"What's wrong, Bells?" Charlie asked, worriedly.

She pressed the heel of her hands against her eyes, willing the tears to stay at bay. She did not want to cry in front of her father, especially since she had not seen him for three months. She had wanted this to be a happy reunion as she did not know how many more they would even have together. Now, she had blown that. "It's Mom. She was in an accident."

Charlie cleared his throat. "Is she okay?" he asked gruffly.

Bella looked at her father sadly. She knew that he still cared for her mother, and in her own way, Renee still cared for him. The problem had been that Renee had not loved him the same way he had loved her. Bella had never remembered her parents fighting with each other, even when handing her off for visitation, but Renee had mentioned – after she had been much older – that they had gotten their anger out when she had been an infant, and so she had had the benefit of parents who cooperated with each other, unlike most children of divorce. "I don't know yet. Phil's on his way to the hospital now."

"Bells, if you need to go, that's fine. I'll understand."

"Not yet. I'm gonna wait and see what Phil finds out. I don't want to just show up and then rush off." She tried to smile and failed miserably.

Charlie patted her on the head. "Ah, kiddo. Don't worry about it. We'll have years full of Christmases. If your mom needs you, then go. I'll be fine."

Bella looked at the freshly cut Christmas tree that Charlie had attempted to decorate in honor of their arrival and at the three stockings on the mantel. Last year, she had bought the two for her and Charlie. He must have gone out and purchased the third for… Edward. The gesture brought tears to her eyes. We'll have years full of Christmases. Yeah, but by the time she was able to be around humans – and be trusted – Charlie would most likely be gone to that big fishing hole in the sky. She kicked herself for all of the years she had refused to spend Christmas in Forks with her father. She just had not known what she had been missing.

"Everything will be fine, Bella," Edward said, wrapping an arm around her. He kissed her softly on the top of the head. "Don't worry."

She wondered if he had seen the gruesome thoughts on her face and was speaking not only of her mother.

oOo

"I'm here for Renee Dwyer," Phil said to the receptionist at the emergency room. He had already repeated himself twice and was beginning to worry that the delay was a sign of the worst. Please, God, don't let her be dead!

"Oh, yes. Here it is," she said in a lazy drawl that made Phil want to strangle her. "Renee Dwyer?"

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth.

"You'll have to talk to the doctor."

Oh, no! "You can't just tell me where she is?" he asked desperately.

She shook her head, tossing the clipboard onto the desk behind her. "Nope, sorry. You'll have to see the doctor first. But I'll tell her you're here when I see her."

She's dead. That's why they won't let me back. "Is there anyway you can find him for me?" he choked out. "Please?"

She seemed to take pity on him because she told him, "Hang on, I'll be right back."

He waited for a few more minutes before a young, female doctor came through the double doors. "Mr. Dwyer?"

"Yes."

"Follow me, please."

She led him into a small room, bare of decoration, except for the garishly green, vinyl chairs and a table that had seen better days. He wondered how many people had been told their loved ones had passed on in that room.

"Mr. Dwyer, your wife was involved in a serious automobile accident earlier today. From what we understand from the state police, she was t-boned by a loaded tractor trailer."

He felt a sob building up in his throat. There was no way someone could survive an accident like that. Or, if they did, they would be so injured, their life would never be the same. He nodded in understanding as he did not trust his vocal abilities.

"We brought her in and did a full workup on her, looking for any fractures, internal injuries… anything." She looked at him with wide, blue eyes.

He waited for her to continue but, when it was obvious she would not, he felt the need to speak. "And…"

She sighed in frustration. "Mr. Dwyer, we can find nothing wrong with your wife."

Wait…what? Oh, thank you, Lord! "But, that's good news. Why are you acting like she has the plague?"

"Because when someone is in that type of accident, there should be something wrong with them. A broken arm…a bruise, a scratch. When I say we could find nothing wrong, I meant absolutely nothing."

End Notes: Now, just hit that little review button down there! You know you want to! :)