Sick

Disclaimer: If Twilight were mine, Alice would be extremely into historical costuming and asking Carlisle about seam placements on 17th century clothing….and what materials they used in regards to class and occupation and…well you get the idea. Since it's not mine, Alice only is concerned about the now and future fashion trends. For some reason, she doesn't seem to care about the past fashions….

Summary: Bella gets sick and family fluff ensues! Post-Eclipse, pre-breaking dawn.

Author's Note: The internet went down at work. Hence why I haven't updated. Sorry!

Sick 10

Edward POV

Bella's father, Charlie, had come over to visit prior to going to the station for his work. His mind was filled with worry both for his daughter's illness and for leaving her here while he worked. I noticed that since our announcement of our nuptials, that Charlie's mind seemed more relaxed in attitude towards me. He would still act the part of the father worried over his daughter's activities but he now at least looked to believe that I would never be so imbecilic as to even think of leaving my beloved Bella again. How I did so to begin with was beyond me.

I still had my reasons, all of which turned out to have put a blind eye to the true dangers that lurked around Forks. Had my love not jumped that fateful day, would Alice have seen Victoria attack? Or would Bella become scared similar to Emily due to her association with the werewolves? I cared not to think on such things.

Instead, I held her close, squeezing her shoulders now and again to remind myself that she was here. She had fallen asleep once her father had left after her breakfast. Her beautiful silken hair fell down her back as the left side of her face was pressed against my chest beneath my chin. Her breaths were steady but the rasping sounds from deep in her lungs bothered me. Her right lung was functioning better than her left but both had some fluid in them due to her illness.

There was little that scared me in my existence prior to Bella entering into my life; now she was my world and the knowledge that that world could be hurt, feel pain, even die….that last one cut through my heart like no stake ever could. If there was one way to kill this vampire, it was to take away his very reason for existing; Bella.

Although I knew, logically, that the pneumonia was a passing illness that she would recover from, still, it hurt me. It not only hurt me to see her in so much pain –she tried to hide it but still I knew- but also because this was so similar to the illness that caused my death. Granted, this was a very different strain and Bella was in no danger of dying but still, I remembered.

Esme's thoughts followed my own closely. Her own son had died from a lung infection which caused her to take her own life. To see her "daughter" suffer from a similar illness to that which took her biological son wasn't easy. Every other thought drifting through Esme's head was her concern and worry over Bella.

In many ways, Esme was as pleased as she was depressed over Bella's illness. She had never had the chance to play the role of Mom in this way before; to cook the chicken soup, dole out the medication, and keep her child as comfortable as possible when they were clearly miserable. Vampires don't get sick so the most "mothering" Esme got to do before revolved around either praising or punishing us. She never really was able to take care of her children before, particularly in this way. We, technically, were all grown. Despite this, Esme even admitted to herself that this was one aspect of being a mother she'd rather not have simply because it meant that one of her children was in pain. No parent enjoys that.

I watched the door as I heard my mother come up the stairs and come towards Carlisle's office turned hospital room. How is she? Esme thought as she came into the room with a glass of water. I sighed in response. She wasn't fine, that much was very true, but she wasn't on her deathbed either despite my worries. My soft reaction was all she needed to know.

I knew the rest of the family was worried as well. Alice hated to see her best friend in any pain. She had no memories of what it was like to be sick but had seen it enough times through her visions and at school to know well that it wasn't pleasant. Emmett was attempting to deal with Bella's pneumonia in his own way. He thought in making her forget that she was sick, in helping her to be happy, that she might get better more quickly. I cannot say I disagree with his theory given the medical journals that back up the idea of positive thinking as medicine within itself but he might have chosen a different way to go about it. The bear was nice but breaking into a museum was a bit much, even for Emmett. I understood his reasoning but well, at least he didn't go through with his plan to take the bear up to Canada. I'm still not sure what he was planning on doing in Vancouver but I did find out Alice talked him out of it, thank God.

Jasper was dealing with all of our combined worries plus his own anxiety. I know that early on in my and Bella's relationship, he viewed her as his little sister. He had trouble in the beginning but overcame that only to become depressed after the September incident. Even I didn't really blame him but I thought at the time… Best not to dwell on that for now.

I hugged Bella's shoulders again as she slept next to me and kissed her head. Esme came to sit on the other side of Bella, looking over her youngest daughter. Maybe I should call Carlisle and have him check on her again Esme mused in her head. I shook my own. There was no reason to bother him at work, again, when Bella was sleeping peacefully. Well not, completely peacefully. It was amusing to watch her sleep when she was sick given the more coherent mumblings. She wasn't nearly as quiet as she was when she was well. Emmett and Jasper got a kick out of it last night. Apparently, a giant frog was involved in her dream.

"No, Mom," Bella whispered in her sleep. Both Esme and I turned our attentions to her. "I…stupid sandpaper," she muttered against me. I smiled, having no better idea than anyone else what she could possibly be dreaming of.

"Esme?" Bella asked in her sleep. Although my mother knew Bella was sleep talking, her face lit up and she gently moved to brush a fallen strand of hair from my love's face.

"Yes, dear?" Esme asked quietly. I hope I don't wake her. I read about sleep talking in one of the journals Carlisle brought home. As long as you agree with the person while they are sleeping, they will return to a deep sleep cycle quickly. she thought as she looked to Bella.

"Don't…upset with Emmett…he...trying to help. Hurts…" Bella muttered in her sleep. I felt my own heart break at the last word she spoke. I hated the idea of my love in pain even in her sleep.

"I know, sweetheart. Sleep," Esme managed to say but I could hear the worried tone of her thoughts.

"Yes, Mom," Bella stated before curling up tighter against me and going into a deep sleep. I smiled a bit knowing how much Esme loved hearing that even without having to read her thoughts. One look from my love's face to that of my mother confirmed the amount of joy those two words had brought Esme.

It was another hour and thirty four minutes before Bella began to stir. Esme had gone back to cleaning the house –not that it needed it- while I knew my siblings were mulling about. Alice was currently considering coming upstairs given that Bella was awakening. Jasper and Emmett were playing chess, both focused heavily on their game. Rosalie was contemplating on whether the pale blue or the pastel pink jacket looked better on her. She was going shopping later and wanted to make sure every woman envied her while every male dropped to his knees at the sight of her. I rolled by eyes at her thoughts.

"Edward?" I heard her beautiful muffled voice as she peaked up at me through her lashes. I smiled down at her.

"Good morning, love," I whispered back. Rather than kissing her, I watched, in horror, as Bella's body convulsed suddenly into another coughing fit. I held to her as her body tried, in vain, to rid itself of the vile fluids that rested deep in her lungs due to the virus. I remembered, slightly, my own coughing fits before being turned but do not recall them being quite this dramatic.

Gently, I patted her on the back to loosen the fluids in her lungs so she might manage to cough a bit of it up and alleviate her suffering a bit. I doubted it would help since the only things that would help would be those medications that boosted her immunity and helped to fight off the virus that was ravaging her lungs and throat so horribly. I knew we had given her all we could, and, that according to Alice, we had 48 more hours – more or less- until this was over with. I wasn't sure if I could take 48 more hours of watching my fiancée in so much pain.

Once the coughing fit was over, to which Esme had rejoined Bella at her side, I heard Bella whimper slightly. I knew her lungs were hurting her but, other than morphine which I doubted Carlisle would let me use; there was little I could do. Rather, I held her tight against me, wishing –even praying- that there was something I could do to make her better other than what we had already done.

Maybe the medication isn't working Esme's worried thoughts entered my own. I shook my head. Despite my worries, I knew the medication was working. She had gone from coughing an average of three times every ten minutes to four times every hour. Bella was getting better but her lungs and throat were already raw from the amount of coughing and the continuation of her illness. She'd heal. I had to hold myself to that and not entertain the thoughts of changing her myself right now. I had a promise to keep and she would still be human at our wedding.

There must be something else we can give her Esme continued as she looked on to her youngest "daughter". Again, her worried thoughts followed my own. Before I could answer, Bella looked up and grimaced at us. I knew she hated conversations around her that she could not hear for herself.

Esme patted Bella on the shoulder and kissed her forehead, followed by kissing mine before getting up. "I'm going to call Carlisle and see if there is anything else we can give you, alright, sweetheart?" Esme asked. Bella nodded slightly in response, she hid the pain from her face well but her eyes told me a very different story. She was hurting.

Esme went back downstairs to call Carlisle and see if there was anything else we might be able to try. The morphine was looking more appealing by the second as I looked into my love's face. Yes, it was a highly addictive substance but we've had to deal with addicts before. Jasper has been doing quite well for the past five years since his last mishap.

Slowly, Bella closed her eyes again as I held her against me. I only hoped she might find even the smallest comfort again in sleep rather than her awakened nightmare. After all, despite what she may think, I doubt that being this ill in a house filled with vampires –plus the possibility of a werewolf or two coming over- is anything other the stuff of nightmares. Yet, here she was. Safe in my arms with my birth mother's ring upon her finger. I was never happier than the day she finally agreed to be my wife.

I watched her as her heart kept a steady beat, one that I knew well, and her breaths evened out after the coughing fit. I could hear Emmett's thoughts as he came up the stairs, Jasper in tow this time as Rosalie kidnapped Alice for a shopping trip. It may well have been Alice kidnapping Rosalie and allowing Rose to think it was her idea but I didn't divulge much into that.

I wonder if we could take her outside. The warm air might do her some good. Emmett's thoughts came to me. He was picturing keeping Bella on the front porch swing while the rest of us played, only "Beary Phoenix" to keep her company. I growled lightly as he entered. Jasper stayed at the doorway. The smell of Bella's raw throat was a bit much for him and permeated the room.

Emmett rolled his eyes. Fine, you can stay with her but she probably could use some warm air and it's going to be sunny here for an hour he told me. The sun could do Bella some good and I could not deny her the small amount of sunlight that we would get today. She loved the sun and missed it terribly though she didn't say much about it anymore. As long as she stayed wrapped up lightly in her blanket, I doubted there was much harm in being outside for an hour or so.

Is she getting any better? I heard Emmett ask but I also heard Jasper at the same time. She's extremely frustrated more than anything else right now Edward. I think she simply wants this sickness over with as bad as the rest of us want to see her well again.

I raised an eyebrow to Jasper. Frustrated made sense when it came to my Bella. Of course she wouldn't be wallowing in self-pity or any other of the numerous emotions humans could have while being sick. She was simply frustrated at her suddenly lack of independence.

Bella opened her eyes again. I saw her look at Emmett and then at me before coughing a bit more. She groaned and leaned back once this small bout of coughing was over with. "Bella, love?" I whispered to get her attention. She looked at me with pain in her eyes but quickly hid it. I decided it was best to ignore it and managed to smile.

"Emmett and Jasper would like to know if you would be willing to join them outside," I told her. She looked to Emmett and then Jasper before looking back at me.

I told Emmett his stunts would only cause Bella to think the worst. She's worried now which really isn't helping…Jasper thought. I smirked slightly. Yes, Emmett's reputation at a prankster were clearly upheld after last night but, thanks to her sleep talking, I also knew that it wasn't necessarily Emmett that Bella was worried about.

"It will be sunny for an hour and you can sit on the swing if you like," I stated as nonchalantly as possible to make sure it was her choice and her choice alone. If I acted like I could care less either way, she wouldn't feel obligated to go outside due to my own desires.

I watched as Bella bit her lip. I tried to reign in my emotions-given that Jasper was grumbling to me about that- and also from quipping about payback. After all, it's not as if his thoughts have always been kind for my sanity. There are times when I truly wish there was a way for vampires to forget because there were certain things I'd much rather not ever know.

Bella sighed and picked up Beary Phoenix, hugging him tight before nodding her head yes. That was all any of us needed to race, with her in my arms, down the stairs and outside to the front lawn.

Author's Note: Edward's POV? Good? Bad? Indifferent? I tried to do this from Bella's POV and it was …a page. Barely that. I thought a little change of pace might work.