Thank you to everyone who's sticking with me. I hope you are enjoying the story.

Sorry this update's so late. Life sometimes interferes with art (if I may be so bold as to call this 'art' ;D )

I have to ask again...anyone 'get' what the chapter titles are?? C'mon...I know someone has to have realized it by now :D

Little bit of business, then on to the chapter...I don't own Twilight, or it's characters and situations. The goddess, Stephenie Meyer holds that distinction.

We're in double~digits now....chapter 10!

~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 10: I Wanna Live

Edward stared groggily at his father, blinking, not fully comprehending the meaning of his words.

"Where?" He rubbed his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand.

"On the 101 on their way back from Port Angeles," Carlisle's spoke in a soft, quick tone. "Hurry and put on some clothes. We need to get to the hospital." He started to move down the hallway back to his bedroom.

"Wait…Dad…what?"

"Edward, your brothers and sisters have been in a serious car accident. Hurry and dress!" There was a new urgency in his voice. The doctor had over ridden the father. Edward suddenly grasped the situation and flipped on his bedroom light, grabbing the first thing he found to put on~the scrubs he'd worn to Jessica's party.

He ran into the hallway, throwing his arms into his leather biker jacket just as Esme was rushing out of her bedroom.

"Oh, Edward," she reached up and touched his face lightly, looking into his eyes. "Your father is bringing the car around." Her long hair was fastened into a disheveled pony tail and she was wearing a pair of jeans under her long raincoat with little black flats on her feet. He could see that she'd been crying. He pulled her to himself, gently wrapping his arms around her, feeling her trembling.

"It'll be all right, Mom. I'm sure it will be."

Unable to speak, Esme pulled away from him, nodding as she pulled the belt on her raincoat tight around her slim waist. "Your father's waiting."

Edward took his mother's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they hurried down the steps and out into the wet, cold night.

Please, God, don't let anything have happened to Alice. Edward repeated this mantra in his head the entire way to the hospital. They rode in silence, each Cullen lost in their own thoughts. Sitting in the back seat of Carlisle's sleek Mercedes, Edward could see his father gently holding his mother's hand on the console between the front seats. His thumb traced slow, soothing circles on the back of her hand as he tried to hold her together, and, perhaps hold himself together in the process. Carlisle drove in a fast but controlled manner, as if concentrating on the road would make everything be all right.

It felt like forever before they finally reached the emergency entrance to Forks General, but Edward knew his father had made it there in half the time it normally took.

Carlisle navigated the car into a reserved parking space and slammed it into park, seemingly out of the car before he killed the engine. He ran around to the passenger's side, and wrapped his arm around Esme's waist as she got out, holding her hand in his as he led her quickly into the emergency room. Edward was right on their heels, hands running nervously through his bronze hair.

"Dr. Cullen," a sullen, portly woman dressed in white was waiting for them at the door.

"Nurse Cope, where are my children?" His voice cracked. For a moment, Edward thought his father was going to cry, but he realized that Carlisle would never do that. Not in the hospital. Perhaps, in the privacy of his home, in the comfort of their bedroom, in the presence of his wife, he would show his human side. But here, tonight, he needed to be in doctor mode, in control, even if only to keep himself together in the hopes of keeping his wife together.

"Trauma 1 and Trauma 2. Here are the EMT reports." She handed a clip board to Carlisle, who took it with a thankful nod.

"Edward, take your mother over there and have a seat. I'll be back shortly."

"No! I want to see my children," Esme protested, voice frantic.

"Darling," he put his hands on her shoulders. "I will only be a moment. I promise I will be right out. I just want to check on the situation first."

"You don't want me to see them, do you? Oh my God, Carlisle, is someone dead? It's Alice, isn't it? I've lost Alice, haven't I!" A sob escaped her and Edward came up behind her, hugging her to himself and putting his chin on her shoulder, resting his cheek against her neck. He felt a tear quietly slip down his cheek, not sure he could manage through life without Alice.

"Darling," Carlisle looked at his wife, his compassionate blue eyes troubled. He stared into her eyes intensely, as if trying to speak to her. Edward felt her tense body relax as she slumped against him, resigned.

"Take your mother to sit down, Edward," Carlisle's voice was soft. "I will be back in a minute." He raced through a door clearly marked "No Admittance", scanning the pages attached to the clip board as he did.

Edward pulled his mother over to an empty row of attached seats that looked stiff, with small, lightly stuffed cushions fastened to the seats and backs. Esme moved at his insistence, still staring after her husband.

She sat down, numb, and Edward wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him gently. He patted her hair softly, resting her cheek against his.

"It's ok, Mom. It's going to be ok. You'll see." It was amazing to him how, after all that they had put her through, she was still terrified of losing any of them, still horrified at the idea of losing one of her children, so great was his mother's capacity to love. He rocked her gently, like she'd done to him so many times growing up, soothing her like she'd soothed him. Of course, loosing a Little League game or falling off a swing was nothing compared with the specter of losing a child. He knew that, but didn't know any other way of comforting her.

Her slender hand came up, cupping his stubbly cheek. She pulled her face away from him and turned to look at him. She stared into his dark emerald eyes. "I'm a horrible person," she sniffed, tears running down her cheeks.

"Mom, why would you say such a thing? You are the most beautiful and loving person I will ever know," he whispered.

"I'm horrible, Edward. When that phone rang, and your father answered it," she shook her head, exhaling a shaky breath. "When he said they'd been in an accident, all I could do was thank God that you were home and not with them. What would I do if anything ever happened to my dear, sweet Edward?" She looked at him through tear filled eyes.

He looked at her in disbelief. He had always known that he was her favorite, even though she would never say anything to confirm it, not to him or to anyone. Of course, they all suspected it, maybe even knew it, but she had never admitted it. At least not until now.

"Mom, you were scared. Panicking. It's hard to think coherently when that happens."

"It's not the first time I've thought it, Edward." She looked at him through her tears.

He sighed, and pulled her cheek against his once more. "What would you think of me if I told you the only one I thought about was Alice?"

"I'd think I understood why she's the only one you'd care about, darling. But, I'm their mother. It's not right for me to think that way." She sighed, shaking her head again. "Rosalie's been right about me this whole time. I'm a sham."

"Rosalie's not right about you. You are not a sham. You are our mother." He swallowed down the lump building up in his throat. "Besides, when has Rosalie ever been right about anything?" He let out a small chuckle, trying to relax his mother.

The door swung open and Carlisle moved toward them briskly. Edward felt a wave of relief wash over him when he saw that Carlisle's face was less tense than it had been. Esme looked up at him, face expectant.

"Suffice it to say, they are all very lucky. Much luckier than the BMW. Especially Rose." He took Esme's hand, pulling her up. "Come, darling. They need their mother." He nodded at Edward before turning and disappearing through the No Admittance door with his wife.

~*~*~*~*~*

"Bells. Bells. Wake up."

She felt someone shaking her shoulder, but smacked the hand away.

"Bella, come on, you have to wake up, sweetie." Charlie shook her harder, voice soft.

"I don wanna gota schooo," she mumbled, throwing her arm over her eyes to block out the light that Charlie had turned on when he walked into her room.

"Bella, we have to go to the hospital."

"Wha…why?" She was suddenly wide awake. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 4:00am. There's been an accident, Bells."

She sat up immediately. "Jacob! What the hell did he do this time, Charlie?" She was out of the bed and running around her bedroom, looking for something to throw on.

"Not Jacob. It was the Cullen kids. Coming home from Port Angeles."

"Edward's brothers and sisters?" She stood motionless, staring at her father.

"Yep, that's why I woke you. It was a pretty serious accident and I thought that Edward might need you tonight, sweetie."

"Be downstairs in five, Charlie."

"Make it two, kiddo." He closed the door as he left her bedroom.

She grabbed the first thing she found sitting atop the pile of fresh folded laundry she had left sitting on top of her dresser earlier in the day, and threw it on, not caring about the holes in the knees of the faded black sweat pants or how huge Charlie's old Forks Police Department sweatshirt looked on her. She shoved her feet into her gym sneakers, not bothering to put on socks first, and grabbed her cell phone before running down the stairs as fast as she could to where Charlie was waiting, already in his police uniform.

She pressed Edward's number and listened as it went directly to his voice mail. She flipped her phone shut.

"Damn it! His phone's off!"

"Calm down, we'll be there in a few minutes, Bells." The lights on the cruiser flashed, casting an eerie red and blue glow as Charlie sped through the empty streets of what passed for downtown Forks.

She ran her hand over her face, knowing that her dark eye makeup was smudged around her eyes, but not caring. She knew that if anything happened to Alice, Edward would be completely devastated and there would be very little she could do to offer him any sort of solace.

"Any details?"

"Apparently they were flying down the 101 pretty fast when they hit a patch of black ice and skidded off the road. The car wrapped around a tree." It had been raining most of the night, and by the time Bella and Edward had left Jessica's party hours earlier, the temperature had dropped considerably. So much so that Edward had turned the heat up all the way in the Volvo. He had driven slowly, afraid that the streets would become icy. Apparently his siblings didn't think the same way he did.

"Jesus, Charlie," she breathed, saying a silent prayer of thanks that Edward wasn't with them.

"All four were brought to the hospital, but apparently only one of them is in really bad shape."

She felt her stomach flip and clenched her hands into fists, afraid to ask. "Which one is that?"

"One of the girls, I think."

She closed her eyes. "Dear God, please make it not be Alice," she prayed quickly.

"Alice?"

"She's the closest to Edward. He won't be able to handle it if anything happens to her." She shook her head and took a deep breath in an attempt at calming her nerves.

Charlie reached across the front seat and grabbed her small fist, squeezing it gently. "It'll be ok, Bells. You'll see."

Bella was out of the car before Charlie even stopped, running into the emergency room entrance as fast as she could.

He looked up when the doors slid open, and a sense of relief fell over him. Everything would be ok now, now that she was here.

She met his eyes, and sucked in a breath. "Edward," she breathed as she moved slowly to where he sat slumped in the small attached seat. He looked so helpless sitting there all by himself. He stood up as she approached, and wrapped his arms around her, holding on to her tightly.

"Bella, you came," he sighed, burying his face in her hair.

"Thank Charlie. He woke me up because he wanted me to be here for you," she smiled into his chest.

"I'll have to remember to do that," he sighed and moved over to the seats with her, pulling her down next to him.

"How are they?"

"I don't know much. Dad's in there with Mom now. He said it wasn't as bad as they had feared, that they're lucky. So, that has to be good, right?"

The automatic doors swung open and Charlie sauntered in. He looked over to where Edward and Bella sat, nodding. Edward nodded back before Charlie pulled open the No Admittance door and slipped behind it.

Edward put his arm around Bella, drawing her against him. "Thanks for being here, Bella," he sighed against her hair, kissing the top of her head gently.

"You know I would have killed Charlie if he came down here without me," she smiled, taking his free hand and twining their fingers together. "I'm here for you. Isn't that what we're supposed to do for each other?"

"I think it is," he sighed, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

They sat in silence for a while, until Bella spoke. "You know, she's going to be ok, don't you?"

"Hmm?" He lifted his head up, startled out of his thoughts and turned to meet her gaze.

"Alice. She's going to be fine. I just have a feeling."

"You…have a feeling?" He chuckled softly. "Now you sound just like Alice. Maybe a little bit of her rubbed off with the boob tweek tonight?"

"Oh God, I'd forgotten about that," she snickered, feeling the color rise in her cheeks. "Damn, but I think I love that little pixie." They laughed lightly at Alice's uncensored actions.

"You look different," Edward smiled.

"I know. It's my makeup. It's smeared all over my face," she laughed.

"Well, there's that, but, well, I don't think I've ever seen this outfit on you." Her head snapped around and she looked at him, his green eyes sad, but the crooked smile that she loved so much was threatening his lips.

"Oh, God I forgot what the hell I had on," she laughed. "I grabbed the first thing on my dresser. I usually wear this when I fart around the house."

"Well, I've been there farting around the house with you, and I've never seen this on you."

"When you're there, I don't consider it farting around," she smiled, leaning her forehead against his cheek.

"When all of this is over, remind me to tease your dad about you being Cinderella," he smirked, fingering the holes in the knees of her sweat pants.

"Then that would make you my Prince Charming," she sighed. "Where the hell did you put my glass slipper?" They giggled, relaxing slightly for the first time since either of them had entered the emergency room.

The No Admittance door opened yet again, and Carlisle led Esme out of the trauma area. Both of their faces reflected the relief they felt. Edward felt his body relax slightly at the sight of his parents.

"Well?" He looked up at his father expectantly as Carlisle sat Esme down next to Edward.

"Well, it could have been a lot worse. They were all very lucky," Carlisle sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair and over his weary face. He looked up. "Bella, I'm sorry. I just realized you were there. Thank you for coming and being here for Edward." He smiled a weary smile at her. "From what I've been told, they hit a patch of black ice on the 101. Emmett was driving, so you know what that means," Carlisle looked at Edward.

"Speeding," Edward sighed, shaking his head. "Speeding after drinking."

"This is exactly why I always tell all of you not to drink and drive, Edward. Now do you see that I'm not just being a buzz kill?"

"Yes, sir," Edward's green eyes looked down at his and Bella's entwined hands. He wouldn't be drinking and driving anymore. Not when he had such precious cargo in his Volvo as Bella Swan.

"Anyway, they hit the ice, skidding along the highway and then just slid off the road, hitting a huge tree broadside on the passengers side." Carlisles hand found it's way into his hair again, running through it nervously. "Emmett was the luckiest," he continued. "He has some facial lacerations, a concussion from his head hitting the steering wheel and some whiplash."

"Not wearing his seat belt either?" Edward watched his father intently.

"Now do you see why I'm always telling you to make sure you wear your seat belt?"

"Yes, sir," his eyes cast downward.

"Jasper was sitting behind Emmett. He's got some lacerations from where his head hit the window and shattered it. Whiplash, and a separated shoulder. Alice was on the side that took the impact. But apparently she was sitting closer to Jasper on the driver's side. I guess she was close enough that he basically absorbed her when she flew across the seat after the impact, which is probably why he hit so hard in the first place," Carlisle paused, shaking his head. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Unfortunately for Alice, her leg got caught when the side of the car crushed in. Perhaps it was the way she was tossed by the impact. Her ankle is broken in three places. They will be bringing her up to surgery in a bit."

Bella and Edward gasped. "Can we see her before they bring her up?" Bella spoke for both of them.

"I don't see why not. She's sedated, but you know Alice," he smiled at the thought of his youngest daughter, but noticed Edward running his hand through his hair nervously. "She's ok, son. She's going to make a full recovery." Carlisle leaned down, putting his hand on Edward's shoulder.

Too stunned to speak, Edward just nodded as Bella squeezed his hand.

"And that, well, that brings us to Rose." He inhaled sharply, looking at the expectant faces of Edward and Bella. "I'll say this much. She's an extremely lucky girl."

"Is she going to be ok?" Bella could feel how tense Edward was. She understood that things were apparently far from perfect in the Cullen family, but she also knew that Edward would never wish his sister harm.

"I expect she will make a full recovery, Bella. I also expect that recovery to take a very long time." His demeanor suddenly changed from concerned yet relieved parent to that of a doctor. Perhaps it was the only way he could deal with Rosalie's injuries, Bella mused.

"What…how bad is she?" Edward finally spoke.

"She was in the line of the direct impact. Essentially, the front passengers side door is what hit the tree directly. So, the door was crushed. They had to use the Jaws of Life to get her out."

Bella gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. She knew from listening to Charlie talk that it was always a pretty bad crash when they had to use the Jaws of Life.

"She's got a broken nose, broken jaw, broken collarbone," he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing laundry list of Rosalie's injuries. "Shattered elbow, several cracked ribs. Thankfully none punctured her lungs. They are bringing her up for an MRI now, to determine if there are any serious internal injuries, which is why we are out here waiting right now. She's probably going need several surgeries on the elbow and collarbone alone, and not all of them minor." He moved and sat down next to Esme, taking her hand in his. "It's going to be a long road to recovery for Rosalie."

Edward and Bella sat in stunned silence. Rosalie took the brunt of the impact. Bella shook her head. Despite her seemingly bitter demeanor, Rosalie was probably the most beautiful girl in Forks High. She said a silent prayer for Rosalie's nose as they all sat silently, absorbing all of the information that Carlisle had just delivered.

After a while, Carlisle took a deep breath. "Come on, let's go see Alice before they wheel her up, shall we?" He was back to being a parent again.

Bella and Edward got up from their seats and quietly, almost robotically, followed Carlisle, seemingly still dazed by what he'd just told them. Esme came up behind them, putting her hand on Edward's shoulder. He turned, looking at her. "It's going to be ok, Mom."

Esme nodded at her son, a sad smile on her face.

Carlisle opened the No Admittance door and stepped aside, allowing the trio following him to enter first. He led them into a large room, with curtained cubicles on either side of them. They walked past several closed curtains, to where Alice lay on a small gurney. Even though the gurney itself was small, Alice looked even tinier than usual on it, if that was at all possible. The white vampire makeup was still on her face, although it was streaked off in spots while the black that had encircled her eyes was smeared all around her eyes and down her cheeks, more than likely from crying.

"EDWARD!" her lyrical voice sang when Carlisle pulled the curtain wall of her cubicle back. She held her arms open. "C'mere an gimme a huuug!"

"Is she drunk?" Bella whispered to Carlisle.

"Nah, she's just sedated," he chuckled softly.

Edward managed a small smile as he walked over to the gurney, leaning down and taking his tiny sister into his arms gently. She wrapped her slender arms around his shoulders tightly.

"Edward! I love youuuuu!"

"I love you too, Alice. Don't ever scare me like this again," he whispered, realizing that tears of relief were running down his cheeks.

"Guess what," she was shouting, as a result of the drugs they'd given her.

"What, Alice?" Her grip on him was firm.

"I'm going to have a boot!"

"A…what?"

"A boot! It's big and it's black and I can kick your ass with it!" She let go of Edward and slid back onto the gurney, smiling with self satisfaction. "Is that Bella?" Alice glanced around Edward. "Bella! Where are your boobs?"

Esme and Carlisle shot curious looks at Bella, who felt her face flame red with embarrassment as Edward brought his hand up to his face, pinching his nose between his fingers as he shook his head from side to side.

"My…boobs." She glanced nervously between Carlisle and Esme. "Uh…well, they're right here, Alice," she pointed to the front of her baggy sweatshirt. "But, shhh…they're in bed, asleep. See? They are in their pajamas."

"Aww, your boobs are sleepy! Night Night, boobs!" Her head lolled from side to side as a wide grin sat on her lips. "Dad, can I get boobs too? I want boobs just like Bella's."

"We'll talk about it in the morning, Alice," he tried to conceal his smile, but it was no use once he heard Esme chuckling softly.

"Excuse me, Dr. Cullen, but we're ready to bring Alice up for surgery." An orderly appeared in scrubs.

"Thank you, Paul." Dr. Cullen was once again the medical professional. Everyone stepped aside as Paul wheeled Alice's gurney from the cubicle.

"Mrs. Cullen and I will accompany her up to the OR with you, Paul."

"No problem, Dr. Cullen."

"Bye everyone! See you in the morning," Alice sang as she was wheeled past her family. Carlisle and Esme began following. "Wait!" Paul stopped pushing the gurney. "Mom…can you hold my hand? Please?" Her wide eyes implored Esme, who was at her side in a flash, gripping onto her tiny hand tightly.

"Good luck, Alice." Bella raised her hand in a little wave, Edward silently doing the same, as Paul started pushing the gurney again. "Even doped up with a broken ankle she's exuberant, isn't she?"

"I don't think an elephant tranquilizer could take her down," Edward smiled at his sister's spirit.

"Edward?" A soft voice came from behind the curtain next to Alice.

"Jasper?" Edward pulled the curtain back slightly, peering in.

"Hey. Can you open that up a little? It's kind of close and lonely in here." Edward pulled the curtain back, and stood there, looking at Jasper.

"Hey. How you feeling?" Bella could see from Edward's tense stance that he was uncomfortable talking to Jasper. She moved next to him, sliding her hand around his waist for support. Bella herself had only heard this Cullen utter a handful of words, making his voice sound foreign and new. Of course, the slight slurring from the painkillers didn't help.

"I feel like shit." Jasper's head was bandaged and he wore a neck brace. His left arm was being held out at a peculiar angle by a square block attached to a sling and resting under his arm.

"Well, if it's any consolation, you look like shit too, if you don't mind my saying," Edward smiled, shaking his head.

"I'd laugh, but it would hurt too much," Jasper smiled, feeling no pain. "Hey, is Alice gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, Dad says she'll be fine. Says she has you to thank for it too. She hit you instead of the side of the car." Edward nodded.

"Good. I'd rather I got hurt worse than her. I love that little shit, ya know."

Bella turned her face, hiding her snicker behind Edward's back. Jasper on drugs was almost as much fun as Alice on drugs.

"I know you do, Jazz," Edward smiled, wishing to himself that it could be this easy every day, even without the drugs.

"Hey, you haven't called me Jazz since before we moved to Forks, Eddie." Much like Alice, Jasper wore a huge grin on his face. His white makeup had been mostly wiped off when they were cleaning his lacerations and stitching him up where necessary, but the black around his eyes was still there, smeared down his cheeks, making him look like a sad clown.

"And you haven't called me Eddie in about as much time, Jazz," Edward laughed.

"Yeah, well, issues, man. Big issues. Big issue named Rose, right Eddie?"

"Right, bro."

"Hey, Eddie? You seen my cape, man? I had a big ass black cape when I left tonight. Alice is gonna kick my ass if I lost that fucker!"

"We'll look for your cape, Jazz. Don't worry about it," Edward tried to sound reassuring.

"Hey! Is that your girl, Eddie? Ibasella? Ibsalella? Inselala…what the fuck is her name, Eddie?" The drugs seemed to be kicking into high gear on Jasper.

"Isabella," Edward's eyes danced as he tried not to laugh out loud.

"That's what I said, Ibasella. She's real pretty, Eddie. I always knew you could get a real pretty girl if you just tried." He smiled a loopy smile at Edward. "Hey there, Ibasella. I'm Jazz-per." He spit his name out as if it were two words. "I'd shake your hand, but I can't really move."

"Hi Jasper. It's nice to meet you. You can call me Bella," she smiled, waving her fingers at him gently. "And it's ok. We can shake hands when you're feeling better."

"Thanks, Ibasella. I will call you Bella, Ibasella. You seem really cool. Hey, Eddie?"

"Yeah, Jazz?"

"Eddie, am I tied to this fucking bed? I feel like I'm tied to this fucking bed."

"No, Jazz, you're not tied to the bed."

"You sure? I sure do feel tied to this fucking bed."

"I'm sure, Jazz."

"Ok then," Jasper yawned loudly, closing his eyes. "Hey, Eddie? I think I'm gonna go to sleep now. Nice to meet you, Ibasella. Thanks for coming to visit me."

"Nice to meet you too, Jasper. Night."

"Night, Ibasella. Night, Eddie," he closed his eyes.

"Night Jazz," Edward sighed, closing the curtain around the snoozing Jasper. "Come on," he took Bella's hand and led her back out into the waiting room, where Chief Swan was sitting.

"Finish your work?" Bella sat down next to Charlie.

"Yep. I'll file the report in the morning down at headquarters. There's really nothing more I can do here tonight." He looked up at Edward, standing in front of him. "Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry for what happened," he sighed. "And I'm really glad they're all going to be ok."

"Thanks, Chief Swan. I'm happy about that too."

"You know how lucky they all are?"

"Oh, I know they are lucky," Edward sat down on the other side of Charlie, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.

"I don't think you do. Twenty feet further down the 101 and that car would have careened off the road and down the embankment, with no trees to stop it."

"Holy Shit! Are you kidding?" Bella exploded as she looked at her father.

"Nope, not kidding and shhh. Keep it down, Bells."

Bella felt the color rise in her cheeks. "Sorry, Charlie."

"So, I think you both should say a little prayer of thanks tonight." Charlie got up. "I'm going to head home. Bells, you coming? Edward, I can drop you off at home if you want to leave."

"I'm going to stay, Chief Swan. I want to be here when Alice gets out of surgery, but thanks for the offer."

"I'm going to stay with Edward, Charlie."

"You should go home, Bella. No doubt we're probably going to be here all night." Edward rubbed his eyes.

"Then I'll stay here all night, Edward. I'm not leaving you alone." She looked at Edward.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "So, I'm not driving either of you home?"

"No, sir." Edward reached across Charlie's now empty chair and took Bella's hand.

"Ok, then." He sat back down between Edward and Bella again, making them break their hand hold. "I was going to tell you to call when you had any word on Alice and Rosalie, Edward, but since you both want to stay, I guess I'll stay here with you as well." He looked at Edward. "That is, if you don't mind, Edward?"

"No, sir. Not at all, Chief Swan."

"Good," he put his left arm around Bella's shoulder and drew her closer to him. She curled into his side, sighing.

"Thanks for waking me up and bringing me here, Charlie."

"You're welcome, Bells." He smiled down at her, feeling a little embarrassed yet proud at the same time, then turned and looked at Edward. "If I ever find out you drove drunk with my daughter in the car," he pointed a finger menacingly at Edward, "the law will be the least of your worries, Edward. Understand?"

Edward swallowed hard. "Believe me, I would never, ever take a risk like that with something so precious in the car with me, Chief Swan," Edward's voice was barely a whisper.

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page, son." Charlie nodded. He stretched his right arm around Edward's shoulder and pulled him close. Edward hesitated, but finally closed his eyes as his head wearily tilted down and laid on Charlie's broad shoulder. Charlie rubbed Edward's shoulder soothingly. "Its all going to be ok, son. You'll see. Try to get a little sleep. I'll wake you up if anyone comes out with news."

~*~*~*~*~*

"Edward, baby? Edward?" Esme's gentle hand caressed his stubbly cheek as she whispered his name. "Edward, wake up, angel."

He stirred, opening his eyes slowly and blinking at the intense bright light that filled the room. It was morning and the rare Forks sun was streaming into the empty waiting room. He moved slowly, sitting up, not wanting to disturb Chief Swan or Bella, who were both sleeping soundly next to him.

"Mom? Is everything ok?" He asked in a hushed tone as he stretched his neck, feeling an ache in it from the position he had fallen asleep in, with his head on Charlie's shoulder.

"As ok as it can be, sweetie." She sat down next to him, putting her arm around him and pulling him to her. He rested his head on her shoulder, feeling like a lost child. Instinctively, he reached for his mother's hand.

"Is Alice ok?"

"Alice is fine, baby. She's sleeping now, but she'll be flitting around in no time. You know Alice." She smiled, stroking his hand it softly.

"And…Rosalie?" He closed his eyes, comforted by his mothers' touch.

Esme sighed. "Rosalie has a very long recovery ahead of her, Edward. We are all going to have to be very patient and helpful with her, sweetie."

"Did they fix her up?"

"Well," Esme took a long breath. "Her jaw has been wired shut. Her nose has been set. Hopefully, she won't need any surgery on it, but we won't know that until the break heals. They operated on her collar bone, but they are going to have to do a more extensive reconstruction on it when the inflammation is gone. The elbow is next."

"She must be in so much pain," he mused. "I…I can't imagine."

"Well, right now, she's pretty well sedated. She's not really conscious, which is for the best, I think."

"Where's Emmett?" In all the commotion and turmoil, Edward hadn't seen his oldest brother at all.

"He's been with Rose the whole time," she smiled at the thought. "Hasn't left her side. He's nothing if not loyal. But Dad and I are going to bring him home now. He needs to be resting. He doesn't need so much stress. He can come back later when she's awake."

Edward absorbed what his mother had told him, then chuckled softly to himself.

"What's so funny? Hmm?" Esme rested her head against Edward's. She was only now beginning to feel her exhaustion, now that the adrenaline rush was wearing off.

"I was just thinking. Rosalie with her jaw wired shut. She can't talk, right? How peaceful is it going to be around the house for a while?"

"I'm sure she'll find a way to make herself heard," Esme giggled lightly. It was a youthful, girlish sound and Charlie stirred at it, sitting up quickly and looking around.

He looked at Edward. "Oh, you're up. Morning, Esme," he whispered, nodding. "How are the kids?" Bella still slept soundly at his side.

"They are doing as well as can be expected, Charlie. We'll be bringing Emmett home shortly. Alice and Jasper will likely come home tomorrow. Rosalie, well," she sighed. "It's hard to say."

"Well, if you and Carlisle need anything, you just let me know, you hear? Don't hesitate at all."

"Thank you, Charlie. That's very sweet." she smiled demurely.

"Bells?" Charlie shook her gently. "Bells, come on, let's go home so you can get some breakfast and a little bit of sleep."

Bella opened her eyes and stared up at her father with a confused look on her face

"Charlie…what the…where…" she looked around. "Oh, gosh…Edward?"

"I'm right here, Bella," Edward stood up slowly from his chair, still stiff from sitting for hours. He stretched his lanky frame, trying to get his joints working again.

"How long were we asleep?" Bella yawned, stretching her arms as Charlie stood and adjusted his gunbelt.

"A few hours," he looked at his watch. "Definitely a few hours."

The No Admittance door flew open and Carlisle appeared, pushing a scowling Emmett in a wheelchair. He looked far too big for the chair, but that didn't deter Carlisle in his mission of wheeling the large boy. A wide bandage wrapped halfway across his forehead, and he wore a neck brace. But Carlisle had been right. Emmett had been the luckiest.

"Good morning, everyone. Charlie. Thank you for staying." Carlisle greeted them. Edward couldn't remember ever seeing his father look so exhausted.

"Morning, Carlisle. Hey, it's no problem." Charlie shook hands with the doctor.

"Hey, Emmett," Edward walked over to his brother. "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think I feel?" Emmett snapped. "Stupid shit."

"Sorry for being concerned," Edward mumbled as he drifted away from his brother and over to Bella, who put a consoling hand on his arm.

"Emmett, petulance won't change the fact that we're taking you home, so you might as well accept it and not snap at your brother for showing concern." Carlisle's tone was clipped.

"Since when has that fucking dick been concerned about anyone but himself?" Emmett spat. He shook his head, looking at Bella. "I feel sorry for you, girlie. You seem nice. I'm sure you deserve better."

Bella stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief. She'd never even formally met Emmett Cullen before, and here he was, saying such terrible things to her about the boy she had fallen in love with.

"I see the happy pills have worn off," Charlie mumbled to Bella as she still stared at the big boy she used to refer to as "Dimples" Cullen, mouth open in shock. She'd have to change that to "Dickwad" Cullen in the future.

"OK, let's go home. Esme? Edward? You ready?" Carlisle turned the wheelchair toward the door and started to walk.

"Wait…Dr. Cullen?"

"Yes, Bella?" Carlisle stopped and turned to look at Bella.

"I was just thinking, it might be a better idea if Edward were to ride home with us. I mean, that way Emmett could have the whole back seat to himself and stretch out in the car?" She tried to sound confident in her statement and not let the boring, angry eyes of Emmett Cullen distract her.

Carlisle stared at Bella, his eyes meeting hers. He nodded thoughtfully. "You know, that might actually be a good idea, Bella. That is, as long as your father doesn't mind?"

"Nope, no problems bringing the boy home at all, Carlisle. In fact, why don't I take them both to the diner for a little breakfast first? I'm sure Edward here can use some coffee right about now," Charlie smiled at Edward.

"I think that would be a good idea, Charlie," Esme nodded to Charlie. "Thank you."

"No problem, Esme," Charlie walked over to Esme and hugged her lightly. "It's the least I can do. Carlisle," he held his hand out to the doctor again. "Like I told your wife, anything we can do to help out, don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you, Charlie," Carlisle gripped Charlie's hand firmly. "We appreciate the offer."

"Can we go home now? I'm supposed to be resting." Emmett's tone was as sarcastic as his temper was short.

"We are going right now, Emmett." Carlisle pushed the wheelchair toward the automatic doors and quickly through them.

"See you later, sweetie," Esme kissed Edward's cheek softly. "And thank you again, Charlie." She pecked Charlie's cheek as well, doing the same to Bella before rushing out of the waiting room to where her husband and son were arguing on the sidewalk outside.

Edward shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor "Thanks, Chief Swan."

"Hey, no problem, Edward," he put his hand on Edward's shoulder, gripping it gently. "Hey, Emmett's just upset and hurting, son. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

"Then you don't know Emmett like I do," Edward shook his head, laughing to himself.

"It's ok, Edward. Let him think whatever he wants. We know better. We know you." Bella took his hand. "Come on. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Me too," Charlie led the way out of the waiting room. "What are you guys gonna eat? I'm having pancakes. And eggs. And sausage. Ooo and bacon! Bells, you having bacon?"

"Knock it off, Charlie," she walked slowly behind her father, holding on to Edward's hand.

"Hey, Edward, I think you should have a nice ham steak. With a side of Canadian bacon!" Charlie turned and faced Edward and Bella, the corners of his mustache turned up in an evil grin as he walked backwards.

Edward managed a small smile. "Or maybe we should have steak and eggs?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh, the two of you are gonna get it!"

"Wonder if they'll cook our eggs in bacon grease, Edward?" Charlie winked and Edward's smile grew.

"Oh, I'm sure they will if we ask them nicely," he giggled when Bella shoved him hard.

"I wonder if we'll run into any of your friends, Bells?" Charlie cackled as he looked at his disheveled daughter. She'd had the foresight during a quick trip to the bathroom before falling asleep to wash her face and get the black smudges off with a rough paper towel, but no one in Forks had ever seen her dressed like she was.

"Maybe they won't recognize you, Bella, so you won't have to worry about anyone saying anything." Edward smirked as they reached the parked police cruiser.

"Of course, what with camera phones and all, I'm sure that if she does run into someone, her picture will be all over town in about an hour," Charlie smiled as Edward guffawed out loud. He'd succeeded in lifting Edward's dour mood. He couldn't help himself. He really liked the boy. And the boy really loved his daughter. He was respectful to her. Treated her well. And he respected Charlie and his rules. What was there not to like?

"Well, I know one thing for sure. If we run into freakin' Newton, he will never, ever bother me again. Even after we break up, Edward," she laughed at the thought as she got in the back seat of the cruiser. "Edward, you sit up front. I don't want the fine people of Forks thinking the weird Cullen finally snapped."

"Oh, sounds like you're buckin' for that break up sooner rather than later," he snorted as he slid into the passengers seat of the cruiser and put on his seat belt. "Hey, Chief Swan, if you drive through town with the lights on, people will think you arrested your own daughter."

"Hmm…that's very tempting, Edward," Charlie navigated the car out of the hospital parking lot and headed to town. "What kind of charge can we say we got her on? I mean, isn't that outfit in and of itself a crime against humanity?"

"Oh, I'd say it was a fashion felony for sure, Chief Swan." Edward grinned from ear to ear.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hope you liked it!

Things should be getting good now...secrets to be revealed and all. Believe me, Edward has a whopper of a secret!

With regard to the injuries, well, I'm an accountant, not a doctor, so I might be off on some of the treatment options here. But, please bear with me...it's a work of fiction, after all LOL

I'd love to hear some feedback, so please, hit that little review button at the bottom there...I want to know what you think!

And as always, thanks for reading!