Let's get back to it: Grab the tissues, kiddos, and hold on. Thanks and other stuff at the end.
*One more thing... do you remember that warning at the beginning of the story about some scenes being a bit graphic for some readers? That still applies here.
**EDIT (7 hours post-upload) I screwed up, dear readers. In my excitement & haste to get this up quickly, I loaded the wrong version of the chapter. It was just a small difference. But... you may notice it come next chapter. It's fixed now. (*Hangs head* Sorry.)
From Chapter 9—
"No!" I shout, but it's too late. Edward shoves me into the garage and slams the door shut behind me. The gun goes off a split-second later.
Once.
Twice.
And I scream.
"Edward!"
Chapter 10:
My palms sting. My knees throb. The flesh of my throat is raw. It doesn't compare to the agonizing terror radiating inside my heart. Each beat is painful, thumping brokenly inside my heaving chest.
No. No, no, no, no, no...
I hear a muffled yell, another shot and a groan. My head snaps up. Eyes snap to the door.
He's out there. He's still out there. Edward is outside with that madman.
My God, what am I still doing on the ground?
I scramble up and turn, tripping over something tangled in my feet. I glance down.
My duffle bag.
Kicking it aside, I sprint for the door. Edward's voice is a shout on the other side. I can't make the words out, but at least I know he's still alive.
My vision clouds red with the thought of that man hurting him. My hands shake as I reach for the door Edward just pushed me through. He'll be angry with me, there's no doubt about that, but did he honestly think I could just leave him?
What was I supposed to do? Get the car and run over the gunman before swinging the passenger's side door open and yelling for Edward to get in?
He was the wannabe stunt driver. I was just good with a gun.
Suddenly, my head cocks to the side and my feet begin moving backwards without any effort. I can hear scuffling, yelling, and the distinct sound of fists meeting flesh coming from outside, but...
Breathe, Bella.
In and out.
Open the zipper, reach inside. Find the bottom of the bag, and stay calm.
My eyes close in relief.
Thank you, Jasper Whitlock.
Cool metal meets my fingers. My hand wraps around the polymer grip of a small pistol. Fortunately, the magazine is already loaded.
I don't make it two hurried steps before I click off the safety. Ripping the door open I search wildly for Edward.
I find him not twenty feet from me, purple-faced and kicking. The man in the suit has his bloodied hands around Edward's neck, his own pistol nowhere in sight.
I don't stop to think. I raise my weapon and fire.
Once.
Twice.
The dirt and dust fly up just feet from the man's head. He turns instinctively at the sound of my shots, but then looks back at where I took aim just as quickly.
Edward takes advantage and lifts his leg sharply into the guy's groin. He groans painfully, but doesn't let go.
"Take your hands off of him!" I shout.
I fire again. This time, just inches from his leg. My hand trembles a bit and my stomach lurches at how close it was to Edward's leg as well. I won't do that again, but that doesn't mean I have no recourse.
"I said, get your hands off of him. Let him go. Now!" I yell, closing the distance between us.
The man laughs. "Or what? You're not going to–"
"Does the name Visili Vladimir mean anything to you?"
The man's face straightens.
"You're here for me, so I assume you know who I am. If I aim for your head, I can promise you, I won't miss."
His breathing is the only discernable movement for a long moment.
I fire.
The man bellows and throws himself off of Edward.
I'm about ninety percent certain all he should have heard was the whiz of the bullet as it flew by his ear, but I don't wait to find out.
Meanwhile, Edward rolls over and grabs the man's head and slams it into the hard ground below. The thud of his skull and a groan proceed near silence.
Scrambling up towards me, Edward reaches out a hand and I run to him, clutching it tightly. I want to throw myself into his arms, but there's no way I'm taking my eyes, or my aim, off of the suit behind him.
"Come on," he rasps, panting and pulling me with him towards the garage.
"Are you okay?" I breathe.
He stops and spins around. "Yeah. Where's his gun? I kicked it somewhere."
I look for it, but the man moans behind us and starts to get up.
"Fuck it. Let's go," he says grabbing the pistol out of my hand. "I have to get you out of here."
"Edward..."
"Let's go, Bella!"
He pulls at my arm almost harshly, tucking my gun in his jeans. I want to smack him for being a macho idiot, but instead I dig around in my pocket for the keys to the car. We enter the garage just as I get a hold of them.
"Here," I say, pressing the keys into his chest. "You take these. I'll take that."
I reach into his jeans and pull out the pistol.
He blinks at me.
"We're going! Remember?" I snap, moving around him and reaching for the Volvo's passenger side door.
Edward says something indecipherable and makes a mad dash for the driver's side. He barely gets there before we're both ducking down at the sound of more gunfire. Two shots impact the open door behind me.
"Holy crap!" I gasp.
"Get in!" Edward yells.
I clamber in and barely manage to shut my door before he's in and starting the engine. The gunfire starts up again and Edward pushes my head down.
"Stay down and hold on!"
I don't have time to react. The car lurches backwards, smashing through the garage door behind us and completely pulverizing it.
"Are you insane!" I scream.
I'm half shocked, half completely amazed that he just did that.
He glances at me wryly and then looks up again. "Just hold on."
The next thing I know we're spinning around while gunshots ring out one after the other. I hear the glass shatter in the window behind me and the rogue FBI agent shouting obscenities behind us. Edward slams the brake on and switches gears at the same time.
I feel my body lurch as we skid through the gravel driveway. The pistol flies out of my hands and I reach desperately instead for my seatbelt. My head hits the side panel of the door before I can get a hold of it.
"Shit! Sorry! Hang on, baby!"
More gunfire rings out. I don't even know which we're facing now, but I flail around, clicking on my seatbelt and then looking up. I'm surprised to see we're facing away from the house.
The car is pointed down the driveway, but more shocking than that, our assailant is standing right in front of us. He smiles menacingly and lifts his arms, hands closed over his missing gun.
"Get down, Bella!"
I duck at the same time Edward hits the gas.
"Oh God," I cry as the shots ring out.
I feel the car lose traction as at least one of the front tires burst. The engine revs wildly and we speed forward again before a third and fourth shot sounds and the windshield shatters.
"Dammit!" Edward roars, while I cover my head with my arms.
"Are you okay?" I scream.
"Stay down!"
Another shot rings out, and a few small pieces of glass fall all around me as we swerve wildly and, as best as I can tell, hit the FBI agent. I can't be sure as I've got my face pressed to my knees, but in the eerie silence that follows, the lack of gunfire seems to speak for itself.
We continue speeding away, turning, dipping, and occasionally skidding in the gravel. Edward swears under his breath and slows down. I take a deep breath and sit up carefully.
"Are you okay?" I ask immediately.
"Yeah, you?" Edward replies, his hand weaving into my hair and gently rubbing the spot where my head hit the door.
I nod. "I'm fine."
He smiles, sort of, and takes his hand back. "Good. That's all that matters."
"What happened back there? Did you hit him?"
"Yeah. I don't think he'll be following us, but, just in case..." He points to the windshield with one finger. "Can you help me out? I can't see too good."
I finally look forward and notice the shattered piece of safety glass still in place. I glance around quickly and thank God when I see that I left a travel mug in the cup holder the other day. Grabbing the long stainless steel cup by the handle, I unclip my seatbelt.
"Hold on, Bella. We're almost at the end the drive. Let me just... um, let me stop for a second."
I nod, gazing towards the end of the driveway, glad that we made it this far. As soon as we come to a halt, I lean forward and break out some of the glass on his side. It doesn't take much effort; in fact, as soon as I've pushed the cup through once, I drop it and wrap my hands in the end of my sleeves to use them instead. The glass breaks apart as I peel it away, but I'm quickly able to remove at least three-quarters of the windshield.
"Will that work?" I ask, turning back to Edward.
It's then that I see his slightly pale and perspiring face.
"Edward?" I ask, concerned.
"Oh, yeah... that's um, that's much better. Sit down, okay?"
"Edward, what's wrong?"
It's then that I see it. As he lifts his left arm in order to grip the steering wheel again, it's seeping down his shirt. It's also on his right hand.
Blood.
"Oh, God... No."
He shakes his head. "Shh... It's not that bad. I'll be fine."
Before I have time to argue, we're turning onto the highway and I'm fighting off a wave of nausea. The most horrific sense of déjà vu hits me and almost knocks the breath out of me.
"You're hurt. You're bleeding." This is my fault.
"No, baby, it's not your fault. It's just a graze. I'm fine."
If it weren't for the way his voice shook slightly, I might have believed him.
"We need to get you to a hospital," I say.
"No, Bella. I hit that guy with the car, but it's not like we stopped to check his pulse. We need to get you somewhere safe. Emmett's supposed to call and then we'll know what to do. Then I can get this checked out."
I shake my head and think. True, we need to get to safety, but I also need this man at my side to be okay when we get there. Emmett is supposedly on the way, but I don't know if he can really do anything to help us anyway. He said Alice told him to call her.
"I need to call, Alice. Where's my bag?"
"You're bag? Bella, we barely escaped back there. I didn't stop to grab our luggage. Unless you threw it in."
"Oh, no..."
I try not to panic, but I can feel it creeping up on me. Not only did my bag get left behind, but I left my old phone in my room, and as I look over at Edward's concerned face, it's grown even more pale than it was a few minutes ago.
I chance a glance at his shirt and the blood stain is much bigger now, bright red and reaching almost to his waist.
"Edward?" I say shakily. "I think we need to pull over."
"No way." He shakes his head, but when he looks back at the road, he blinks hard like it takes an effort to focus his eyes.
I decide to change tactics and put my hand over his on the steering wheel. "Edward? Baby? You're losing a lot of blood. You need to let me drive."
He glances down at me for a long moment. It's a good thing I've got my hand on his because the car starts to drift and I have to straighten the wheel to keep us on course.
"Ease off the gas, okay?"
It takes him a moment, but after a cursory scan of the road, he slowly nods. The car begins to decelerate and he places my hand on the wheel, squeezing it before removing his own and moving it to his injured shoulder.
I lean over and put both hands on the wheel, guiding us onto the shoulder when we finally slow enough.
"Brake, Edward."
He nods and complies. The Volvo finally comes to a stop.
We sit frozen for a moment before I pull up on the E-brake and let go of the wheel. I get out of the car and walk around to the driver's side, opening the door and bracing myself for what I have to do next.
As soon as I get a good look at Edward, I gasp.
"Oh, baby... Why did you tell me it was nothing? This isn't nothing," I cry, tears filling my eyes at the sight of the blood pooled in his seat.
It should make me want to throw up, but instead all I can concentrate on is the fact that he got shot because of me. That he took a bullet for me.
This cannot be happening again. Please, please don't let this be happening again.
I kneel down next to him and try to decide what I should do first. A quick glance at his wound makes me gag. The blood is oozing freely from it. After taking a few deep breaths while facing the other way, I take off my button-down shirt and fold it a few times before placing it over his shoulder.
He hisses when I apply pressure, but then replaces my hand with his and does the same. I use the sleeves to tie the shirt as tightly as I can around him. I'm knotting it a second time when he begins to slump to the right.
"Edward. Stay with me, okay?" I take his head in my hands and turn him towards me. His eyelids are drooping and he's breathing in short, fast breaths. "Can you move? I need to get you in the other seat, baby."
He nods, but doesn't budge. His eyes get heavier and I smack his cheek lightly out of desperation. "Come on, Edward. Don't go to sleep! I need you to move! Help me out here, okay?"
He nods and lifts his right leg this time. I see what he's trying to do and run around to the other side of the car. I hop in and grab his leg, pulling it over the center console and onto the passenger's side. He shifts his body weight and repeats the process with his other leg. This one takes some more effort and I'm panting by the time I get it up over the console.
"Sorry, love... I feel kinda tired all of a sudden."
"I know. I'm sorry, too."
My voice cracks and I struggle not to let my fear and regret overwhelm me as I get back out of the car and run around again to the driver's side. Just as I lean in to push Edward over to the other side, I hear the faint wail- of a siren behind me.
Not knowing whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, I move faster, encouraging Edward to help me get him into the other seat. He manages to do a pretty good job all on his own, but needs a little help balancing. We both almost crash back into the driver's seat when my knee slips in the blood on it.
Once he's settled, I ignore the sick feeling that I get at the thought of sitting where he's just been bleeding profusely and get in the car anyway.
"Ready?" I ask him.
He nods, so I throw the car into drive and hit the gas. The vehicle protests against being driven this way, but I push on, laughing somewhat bitterly.
"Do you think Carlisle will be pissed that he has to buy new rims after this?"
Edward chuckles weakly. "And here I was worried about the garage door."
I smile and laugh unsteadily, blinking away a few stray tears. We continue on in silence, but the silence is eventually broken by the approaching sound of a police siren. I glance in the rear-view trying to get a good look.
"Please be a good guy..."
"What are you mumbling over there?"
I sigh. "There's some kind of law enforcement behind us, but I can't tell who or what agency it is. They're coming up fast."
Edward sits up a bit, groaning with the effort, and tries to turn around.
"Stop. You'll hurt yourself." To my surprise, he doesn't argue.
That, more than anything, scares me and I press the gas down until it hits the floorboard. I glance backwards again and bite my lip.
"We can't outrun him in this thing. If that's what you're thinking," Edward says, his voice strained.
"I don't know what I'm thinking, I just know I need to get you to the hospital and then call a contact of Jasper's for help."
"Who?" he asks, trying again to sit up again.
"Sit still," I hiss. "It's the guy who owns that bar. You know the one in Sequim? Garrett's?"
Edward takes a deep, rasping breath and looks towards the shattered window. "Can he get you somewhere safe?"
"He's supposedly one of the best, and he's who I was supposed to go to if I ever got into trouble."
The siren is louder now, and the police cruiser is less than 50 meters behind us.
"Edward," I say to get his attention. "I think it's a Forks PD car behind us. Do you know Emmett's number?"
"What?" he asks confused.
"All cruisers have a number on them. Do you know Emmett's?"
"Um... three something."
"They're all three something."
Edward shifts in his seat.
"Don't!" I shout at him. "Just don't, okay? It's 346, does that sound right to you?"
"I don't know."
"Well... we're about to find out."
The police cruiser speeds up and pulled into the left lane, overtaking us easily. I hold my breath the whole time until the passenger's side window rolls down and I see a familiar mop of short brown hair.
"It's Emmett," I sigh in relief. Edward hums in answer.
"Goddamn! Are you guys okay?" Emmett shouts.
"That's debatable!" I shout back. "Edward's–"
"What?" he yells.
I shake my head and gesture in front of me, easing off the accelerator. Emmett nods and pulls in front of us. It's only seconds until we're both stopped and he's out of his cruiser and yanking open the driver's side door.
"Holy shit!" he gasps, pulling me into a bear hug. "Are you hurt?"
"Not me," I answer against his chest. He releases me and starts talking a mile a minute.
"I got the house and saw that asshole laid out in the driveway, between the gun next to him, the busted up garage door, and the tracks you two left out of there, I didn't know what to think."
I suck in a breath. "Is he... dead? Where is he?"
"Not dead, but hopefully in custody. The rest of Forks PD was already on their way to the house, so I zip-tied him around his wrists and ankles, and threw him in the back of his own goddamn SUV. Son of a..."
"Em," I stop him. "He shot Edward. We need to get your brother to a hospital and I need to get in touch with Alice."
Emmett stops and blinks at me.
"Emmett?"
He looks me over from head to toe, his eyes widening at the sight of Edward's blood on me. Then his gaze falls on the half missing windshield.
"Goddamn son of a..." He trails off and storms over to the passenger's side.
Tears fill my eyes when he kneels down next to the door and knocks lightly on the window Edward is slumped up against. Emmett's face is crest-fallen.
"Hey, big brother. I gotta open the door." I hear a muffled acknowledgement and Emmett laughs, albeit weakly. "Try not to fall out before I catch you, okay?"
I take a shuddering breath and go to see if I can help. Emmett has the situation well in hand, but I ask anyway.
"You can open the back door of the cruiser for me, Bella girl. Hit the locks on the driver's side first."
I do as he asks, and open the door for him. Emmett has Edward in a fireman carry when I turn around, so I climb in the back seat first and slid-e over.
"Sit him down and I'll get his head."
"Yeah, okay," Emmett grunts. He lowers Edward and I help get his head in the car without injuring him further. I scoot back and Emmett helps heave Edward inside, while I pull under his good arm.
I'm panting by the time we've got him in.
"I've got a blanket and a first aid kit in the back," Emmett says.
I nod and shift around until I'm seated on the floor near Edward's head. I run my hand through his hair and brush his cheek with my thumb.
"Hey."
He smiles weakly, his pallid brow shining slightly with sweat. "Hey, baby."
"Shh..." I say, looking out at Emmett just as he slams the trunk shut. Edward doesn't seem to get my deeper meaning though and reaches up to touch my cheek.
"So, beautiful," he whispers.
I blush and lower his hand to his stomach, but leave mine on top of it.
"I'm so sorry, Edward. This is all my fault."
He shakes his head and tries to hold my hand. Emmett coughs behind us.
"Here's the stuff," he says, his voice thick. I twist around to see him. He's watching us with red-rimmed eyes.
I smile apologetically and take the first aid kit and blanket from him. I lay the former over Edward and prop his knees up so that Emmett can shut the door.
As soon as we're moving again, we're speeding towards Olympic Medical Center at nearly 100 mph. I do what I can with the first-aid kit, but it's not much, especially since I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Perhaps I should, but in all my years of shooting, I've never actually seen a gunshot wound.
Well... until my parents.
My throat constricts at the memory and tears flood my eyes. I find myself repeating a mantra in my head. Or perhaps it's a prayer even though I've never been religious before.
Please don't take him, please don't take him, please don't take him...
Despite my best efforts to help Edward, blood is still seeping through the gauze I packed against the wound in his shoulder. I think hard and look around the car, then ask Emmett for one of the zip-ties hanging from his rear-view mirror, remembering something I'd seen in a movie once.
"Good idea," he praises. "You might need two or three hooked together though."
He steers the car with his knee and somehow manages to connect two of the plastic ties together before handing them back to me through the wide-open partition.
Please don't take him, please don't take him, please don't take him...
I slip the ties around Edward's bloodied shoulder and try to get them above the wound without fainting or vomiting. My mantra is the only thing keeping me conscious.
Please don't take him, please don't take him, please don't take him...
Edward moans loudly when I pull down on the plastic tie. He screams while the make-shift tourniquet tightens, pressing the gauze further into his injury.
Please don't take him, please don't take him, please don't take him...
"Bell... 'm fine," Edward pants.
I guess I wasn't just chanting in my head anymore.
Smiling at Edward, I try to make light of the situation. "Liar. You are not."
"What'd he say?" Emmett asks from the front.
I sniffle and wipe my bloodied hands on my jeans before answering. "He says he's fine."
Emmett snorts. "Dude, you look like shit."
"Thanks," Edward whispers. "Love you...too... Em."
His eyes never leave mine while he speaks. I smile for him and squeeze his hand before relaying the message to his brother.
"He says thanks, he loves you too."
Emmett chuckles, but it's definitely not a happy sound.
"Just don't die, okay? Mom and Dad would kill me if I let you die. And don't even get me started on Tori. She'd have my balls on a platter. Then she'd kill me."
Edward laughs, but it quickly turns into a violent coughing fit. He cries out as the shaking of his chest jars his injured shoulder. For whole minutes afterwards, he can't seem to catch his breath.
Please don't take him, please don't take him, please don't take him...
"Did you radio this in, Emmett?" I say suddenly. "Does the hospital know we're coming?"
"Yeah, they know. Believe me, though, this is faster than waiting for an ambulance."
"Yeah, except I can't do anything else to stop the bleeding and the paramedics could."
"He's strong, Bella. He'll fight. Right, big brother?" he raises his voice. "You're going to stay with us. You're going to fight."
Edward nods and offers a weak smile. I grip his good hand and, forgetting about Emmett for a moment, kiss Edward's palm before linking our fingers together. We stare at each other almost like we're back in our little bubble, at least until I remember how it burst.
"Emmett, I need to talk to Alice. Has she called you?"
"The fire department was working on getting them out of the ravine last I heard. To be honest, I think they're both pretty busted up, Bella girl. If they could have walked away from that accident, they'd be with you by now."
My heart skips a beat in fear for them.
"Can you tell me why they were on their way to Forks to begin with?" Emmett asks in the silence.
"Um... I was recognized in Port Angeles last night."
"By who?"
"Some guy I don't know. But he knew me, and it ended up all over the internet, I guess. Jasper and Alice were on their way in case I needed to be relocated."
"But they had a mole on their team..."
"Is that what happened?" I ask, unsure of what went wrong.
"That's what Alice said." He makes a disgruntled scoffing sound. "Damn, Bella girl, that Alice Brandon is one smart little cookie, and really good at her job too. I can't believe this."
"Yeah, I know. Can I use your phone? Or the radio?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."
"I understand, Emmett, but... well, we need help. Please?"
He sighs loudly and I see him shifting around out of the corner of my eye. "I think the phone is a safer course. Okay?"
I hesitantly let go of Edward's hand and reach up to grab the device from Emmett. I thank him and look it over. Seeing that it's an iPhone, I hit the browser button.
"Can I use your internet?" I ask Emmett belatedly. "I need a phone number."
"Sure. What number?"
"Garrett's bar. Don't ask."
"Why the hell do you need the number there?"
"I said not to ask."
The car slows down a bit, and I feel us make the northward turn on the 101 as we approach Port Angeles. Emmett's grumbling about a logging truck and blaring his horn and sirens when I finally find the number I'm looking for.
I click the phone number and thanks to the geniuses at Apple, I can connect the call with a single touch. I exhale a shaky breath when it starts ringing.
"You... okay?" Edward whispers, getting my attention by touching my cheek at the same time.
I smile down at him. "I should be asking you that."
He smiles weakly, his lips devoid of color. I want to kiss the red back into them, but know I can't with his brother in the front seat. Instead I trace them surreptitiously with my finger until someone finally picks up the phone at Garrett's Bar.
"Garrett's. Kate speaking."
"Um, hi. Is Garrett in?"
"I'm afraid not, sweetie. Can I help you? This is his wife." In another circumstance I would find her slightly possessive tone endearing. Today, I just need to talk to her man whether she likes it or not.
"No, I'm sorry. I need to speak with Garrett. It's urgent."
"Who is this?"
"Someone who needs his help. Please?"
She's quiet for a moment before she speaks again. "He's at home, sleeping one off. I can call him and give him a message. I don't need specifics. Just a name."
I sigh, and try to think what to say. Will he even know me? I doubt it.
"Can you tell him that one of Jasper's... friends is in trouble? I'm on my way to Olympic Medical Center and it's..." I hesitate. I don't know if this woman is even who she says she is. Fortunately, she doesn't make me wonder for long.
"Where's Jasper?"
"There's been an accident."
She sucks in a breath. "I'll get Garrett up and we'll meet you at the hospital. How far are you from there now?"
"I don't know..." I lean up and eye the speedometer along with our current location. "Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes?"
Emmett looks back over his shoulder at Edward upon hearing my words and speeds up.
"Hopefully, fifteen," I amend.
"We'll be waiting for you," Kate says. "Can Garrett reach you on this number?"
"Yes."
"See you soon. Stay safe, Jasper's friend."
"Thanks," I say, choking on a sob of relief as the call disconnects.
I cannot fight the tears anymore as the strain of everything continues to pull at me. I lower my head to Edward's and kiss his forehead before resting my own against his uninjured shoulder and crying.
"I'm so sorry, Edward. I'm sorry for all of this. I never should have agreed to come here."
"Shh... I'm... glad... you came."
"Please, be okay," I whispered. "Please don't leave me."
"Never. I love... you."
"I love you, too," I breathe into his ear. "So much."
"Bella?" he rasps.
"Yes, baby?" I whisper, sitting up to look at him.
Edward's eyes are barely open and his skin is an unearthly shade of white. I try to hold back my tears, but he breaks me with his smile and his barely audible words.
"Marry me."
I gasp and stare disbelieving at him until his eyes close. I collapse against his chest, trying and failing to stifle my sobs.
Emmett's panicked voice breaks through my cries.
"Bella? What's wrong? Is he..." His voice breaks. "Bella, why are you crying like that?"
I struggle to sit up and form words, but somehow manage. "I'm sorry. He's okay." I stare down at his closed eyes and ashen lips. "He's still breathing at least."
Unfortunately, his breaths are getting longer, slower and more irregular. I know from experience what this means and a fresh wave of hot tears slide over my cheeks.
"Hurry, Emmett! Please, hurry."
It feels like an eternity passes before we hit the streets of Port Angeles. I have to hang on for dear life and hold Edward in place as Emmett maneuvers through and around traffic. He's on the radio the whole time and I hear dispatch inform him that the hospital is waiting for him.
"We're almost there, Edward. Hang on, okay?"
He doesn't respond, though I'm not surprised. He has to have been losing blood for almost an hour now.
"Edward, can you open your eyes? Can you look at me? Please, I want to see those gorgeous green eyes."
He stays silent, unmoving except for the long, unsteady breaths he takes.
"Edward, please open your eyes. Stay with me. Stay with Emmett. Please, Edward."
His breath shudders and his mouth moves, but no sound comes out. I link my fingers together with his good hand and raise my free hand to his neck, terrified but determined.
I check his pulse. It takes me four tries to find it. I can barely feel it and it's way, way too slow.
"Emmett!"
"Three blocks."
"We're not doing so good, here... Get back on the radio!"
"And tell them what? They know we're coming!"
"He's barely breathing Emmett, and I can hardly feel his pulse..."
There's a moment of silence and then Emmett erupts.
"Shit! Dammit! Fu... You are not allowed to die on us, Edward!" He grabs the radio, still speeding through traffic. "346001 to Port Angeles Dispatch, advise to Olympic Medical Center on inbound casualty."
The radio crackles, indicating for Emmett to continue.
"346001 in route to Olympic Medical. Previously advised on single trauma victim. Twenty-nine-year-old male, Caucasian, single GSW to left shoulder. Patient is unresponsive and no longer breathing. ETA two minutes."
Edward coughs, almost if he wants to argue with Emmett. His eyes flutter a bit as he rasps for breath. I cry, my tears falling in steady streams over my face and onto our joined hands, while I wait for his chest to rise again.
"Hang on, baby. Please stay here. Stay with me. Just breathe."
Emmett continues on the radio while I beg Edward to hold on, to keep breathing. I keep my fingers on his weakening pulse and my eyes on his chest. I scream at Emmett when it no longer rises and falls.
"Breathe for him, Anna Bella! Do you know how to do that?"
"Like CPR?" I rasp, suddenly feeling like an idiot. A panicked idiot. "Yeah, yeah... I can do that."
I sit up on my knees and tilt Edward's head back with shaking hands, using two fingers to lift his chin and open his airway. As I lean over him, my other hand closing over his nose, I can almost hear my father's deep, steady voice whispering in my ear.
"Rescue breathing should be administered slowly. Don't let panic take over and make you stupid. One breath every five seconds. The best thing to do is count it in your head. Like this. Breathe-2-3-4-5, stop and inhale, then repeat, breathe-2-3-4-5. Nice and steady. Got it, Bells? Good. Now, you try."
Sealing my lips over his, I do as my father taught me and breathe for Edward. I listen to my dad's voice in my head and breathe for the only other man I've ever loved.
It hardly seems real. I wish that it wasn't.
Just as I've lost count of how many times I've administered breaths to Edward, the car comes to a sudden, jarring halt.
"We're here!" Emmett yells. "We're here, we're here, thank God, we're here," he repeats as he throws himself out of the cruiser. I readjust my position and keep doing what I'm doing.
A part of me is still hoping Edward will start gasping and coughing and push me away. But it's Emmett that has to peel me away. I hardly register his voice when the door closest to Edward's head opens and several men in paper gowns, plastic eye glasses, and gloves appear.
"Anna Bella, let go. They need to get him inside."
Someone is behind me, having crawled halfway in the backseat.
"Come on, kiddo. You need to let him go so the doctors can help him."
I realize that it's Emmett trying to pull me up off of the floorboard while the doctors, or nurses, or whoever they are, extricate Edward from the cruiser.
"Emmett. He's not breathing."
"I know, honey. They'll help him though. They'll fix him."
I stare straight ahead, my eyes fixed on my hands, now empty, shaking, and bloodied.
"Come on," Emmett says. "We need to get you checked out, too."
I shake my head, but we're walking forward anyway. "I'm fine. I just want Edward. I want to go with Edward."
"I know. Come on."
Emmett pulls me close to his side and ushers me into the emergency room. His uniform seems to get us through all the doors without many questions, and soon we're standing outside a trauma room that's a flurry of movement and noise. As we stand there listening to the medical personnel work on Edward, I don't even realize I'm trembling violently.
Emmett starts rubbing my arms and calls for a blanket.
"We've got one," a deep, vaguely familiar voice says. Emmett turns around with me still under his arm. The tall, slightly graying man across the hall from us smiles. "You're Jasper's friend, right?"
I nod just as Emmett growls menacingly. "Who the hell are you?"
The man I've only met once before raises an eyebrow and puts his hand out. "I'm a good guy. The name's Garrett. Bella called me."
I nod when Emmett looks at me to confirm this information. They shake hands while a petite, strikingly beautiful blond steps forward and lifts up a thick woolen blanket.
"Here, sweetie."
"Thanks," I whisper as she hands it to me. I start to turn around to keep an eye on Edward, but something in their gazes makes me stop. The woman moves to my side.
"We have to get you out of here, little lady," Garrett says. "If you're hurt, Kate's a nurse and can take care of you for now. We need to move."
Emmett bristles and pulls me over to his other side. "Is that really necessary? The guy who did this is in custody back in Forks. And how can I be sure I can trust you anyway?"
Garrett eyes Emmett for a moment and steps closer to us, lowering his voice.
"Because Jasper Whitlock trusts me and he's the one who told Bella to come to me. As for the man you have in custody? We don't know he was working alone, or how high up this thing goes. Besides, I got in touch with Alice Brandon just a few minutes ago and she gave me strict instructions as to how to proceed. That's all I can tell you. Now..."
"No, I'm sorry," I stop him. "I won't leave Edward. I need to make sure he's okay before I go anywhere."
Garrett frowns. "You know that's not possible."
"I don't care."
"Well, I do. As do the people who nearly gave their lives today to protect you, including this Edward." He lifts his chin towards the trauma room behind us.
I feel like I can't breathe.
"Shh, Bella girl... Hey!" Emmett barks at Garrett. "That was a shitty thing to say to her. If she wants to stay, she should stay. Nothing's going to happen to her while I'm with her anyway. I can promise you that."
"I'm fairly sure that the U.S. Marshals assigned to protect her felt the same way, Officer..." Garrett squints at Emmett's badge. "McCarty-Cullen. But with all due respect, this is not a normal protection detail. In fact, if you'll look around, I think you'll see what I mean. The Feds just walked in the door."
Emmett's chin jerks up, but I'm still trying not to hyperventilate.
"Again," Garrett continues. "I have no idea whether that asshole agent in Forks was working alone, so I need to get Isabella out of here."
"Isabella?" Emmett asks sharply.
The woman I now know as Kate, steps close to me and puts an arm around my shoulder. "Please come with us, Bella. So many people want you safe. Let us help you."
I shake my head, tears streaming down my face at the same time a monitor in the room behind us goes berserk.
"Charge to two-hundred! Push a milligram of epi!"
Emmett spins around, letting go of me, but I follow him in an instant. There are five people standing around Edward's bed, but they all back-up simultaneously as a pair of defibrillator paddles are brought to his bare chest.
"Clear!"
I wince and close my eyes, but it's a second too late. The image of Edward's body arching off the table slightly is burned into my mind.
"Oh, God... oh, God... oh, God..."
Please don't take him, please don't take him, please...
"Bella!" a woman shouts, I feel her gripping me around the waist. "Garrett, grab her."
"Again! Another round of epi! Change to three-sixty! And we need more blood, people! We're losing him!"
"Edward..." I whimper.
Please, please, please...
"Clear!"
I am so, so, so sorry... Once again, please don't aim those firearms at me. I promise you reap the benefits of the cliffie-monster.
Next update will be on Tuesday. Tell your friends, okay?
Much Love & Big Hugs, (Deep Breaths, too.)
–Ginnie 3
PS- Muchas Gracias to my betas & pre-readers for making this chapter much better than it was, as well as hanging in there while I was still writing it. :)