Two weeks had passed before I saw Edward's eyes flutter. I held my breath knowing that there was a chance that it was a reflex and he wasn't waking.
I was alone at his bed side. I couldn't tell you where anyone else was at that moment, because all I cared about was the movement he was making.
His eyes fluttered again and he grasped my hand. He held on tight and I was thankful. So very thankful.
"Why are you crying?" he croaked out.
"I'm just happy you're back. Now shh, don't talk. You need to rest." I kissed his forehead before I remembered I was a doctor in this hospital and I really needed to make sure he was okay.
I checked his vitals and they were promising.
I paged for my team to come in. I wanted to get another full body scan to make sure the insides looked as good as the outside.
"Oh my God, Edward!" Alice shrieked as she came back into the room.
"Ali," he said with a smile. She wrapped her arms around Edward and he did his best to wrap his around her.
His right side was visibly a little weak.
"How are you feeling? I've missed you!"
"He needs to rest and speak as little as possible," I answered before Edward could.
Angela came into the room with a smile on her face.
"Happy to see you back with us, Edward."
He smiled in response.
I let Alice know we were going to take Edward for a few more tests and to stick around to tell Carlisle and Esme of the development when they returned.
She agreed with a smile. She was so happy to have Edward back…maybe as happy as I was.
"What happened?" Edward whispered.
I glared at him for talking before I started to explain. "You were brought in by ambulance early in the morning after our date. You had been poisoned again."
He frowned and a tear slid down his cheek. "How long have I been out?"
"Two weeks. I was so worried about you. It seems the chocolate that you ate that night had been poisoned."
His face was shocked when I told him how long he had been out. "Who did it?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"We don't know. Do you remember anything from that evening?"
He shook his head no. "Well, I remember our date, and I remember getting back to the hotel and Alice lectured me and Eric was watching TV and then I ate the chocolate before getting ready for bed. The rest is a blur."
"Sounds like you remember a lot. But Eric was still here?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Just Alice didn't mention that. Jake and the other cops were unaware. I was there when he asked Alice who else had access to your room."
"Why wouldn't she have?" His heart rate increased and he started to gasp for air.
I put the oxygen mask back on him. "Slow, deep breaths, Edward. I don't know why she wouldn't have, but I will make sure we find out."
Once Edward was calmed down, Angela and Tyler helped Edward onto the table for the scan and I went to call Jake.
He needed to know he had been lied, too.
"Jake, we have a major issue."
"What? Do you know what time it is?" he replied back very groggy sounding.
"Nope, no idea, and that doesn't matter! We were lied to! Well you were!" I looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. Opps! Sitting by Edward's bed side messed up my nights and days.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Bells?"
"The sister! She didn't tell us there was someone else there at the hotel."
"Wait, what?"
"Edward Cullen, remember him? Well he woke up and told me that his friend, Eric, had been there that night. When you asked Alice she told us there was no one else there. So either she knows Eric did it or, Heaven forbid, she knows he can point the finger at her."
"Either way, she lied and hindered an investigation. I will have an officer at the hospital to pick her up. Can you get contact info for the friend back in New York?"
"Yeah, I'm sure Edward will have it. I'll call you back with it, okay?"
"Okay. Hey, B?"
"Yeah?"
"How is he?"
I thought of his weak right side and had to force back the tears that threatened to fall. "He has some issues, but I think he will be okay."
"Good. I will drop by later to talk with sleeping beauty."
"Sounds good. Bye Jake."
I got back to Edward just as he was finishing up the scan.
"How did it go?" I asked him.
"Went great!" he said rolling his eyes.
I pushed Edward back toward the room. When it came to him, I was doctor, nurse, and orderly. As long as I was with him, that was all I cared about anymore.
"So, Jake will be stopping by later to talk to you."
"Okay. What did he say about Eric?"
"He needs contact info for him in New York. He also is going to send an officer to pick up Alice."
He craned his head back until he was looking at me. I stopped pushing the bed.
"Alice? Really? Why?" His voice was full of disbelief.
"She hindered the investigation, Edward. She was asked a question and she lied to the police. There is nothing I can do about that."
He gave me a straight tight lipped smile and nodded his head. "I get that. I just can't believe she would do such a thing."
"Sorry, babe."
He raised his eyebrow and I smiled.
"Babe, huh?"
"Sorry, I haven't left your side for much other than to shower and go to the bathroom…I've taken to calling you by pet names."
Edward laughed, which caused a minor coughing fit. "Forgot about that part," he said.
"Yeah, you aren't supposed to be talking either," I said resuming my doctor role. I gave him a smile before I continued pushing him back to his room.
We arrived back in the room just as the officer was walking out with a handcuffed Alice.
She looked pissed until she saw Edward. Then she looked remorseful.
"Edward, I didn't keep it from them to hurt you. I just didn't think about it! I swear! I love you! You are my brother. I would do anything for you!"
"Then why did you lie? How did you forget someone else was there? I could have died." His tone was flat. He was not amused. You could tell he didn't feel sympathy for his sister at that moment.
Carlisle and Esme came in not to long after Alice was taken away.
Having to explain to them why Alice wasn't there was a chore. They didn't understand how she could be arrested.
Esme said her daughter was perfect and Carlisle didn't understand how the police could think her withholding information was intentional.
They were both upset and this was the first time they sat side by side since they came back to town.
Why were they not this upset over Edward? I didn't want to voice my thoughts, because Edward was none the wiser to what happened when he was asleep and I really didn't want to upset him.
I figured I would mention it to Carlisle in private later.
When Jake came in, we were all asked to leave, but Edward begged for me to be able to stay, so Jake agreed.
"Edward, first let me say it is nice to see you awake."
"Thanks, Jake or Detective Black…" Edward looked at me, confused at how to refer to him.
"Jake is fine. So now, Edward, what do you remember from the night you were poisoned?"
Edward went into the complete recount of the day of our date; from coming in for his appointment, what happened with James Smith, and Edward returning to my office and then our date. Edward asked at that point if I had an update on Mr. Smith and I had to tell him we would talk about it later. Truth be told, I didn't have one. My team took over his case when Edward came in. If I wasn't caring for Edward, I was out of commission.
"After I left Bella's, I went home, well back to the hotel. Alice was at the door, visibly pissed that I had been out with Bella." He took my hand and squeezed it. "Eric was still there. He said he was taking a later flight. He left not long after I went into my room. I ate the chocolates as I did every night, before brushing my teeth, washing my face, and getting into bed. I remember hearing Eric leave just as I was drifting off. After that, the rest is pretty blank."
"Do you have that contact info for Eric?"
"Yeah, Bella, can you give me something to write on?"
I helped Edward and he put Eric's number and address in New York down for Jake.
"Edward, Bella, we will find out who poisoned that chocolate. I promise you. I just can't believe that your wife had an accomplice. She was very adamant that she did it all on her own."
Jake left and Esme came back in. She said Carlisle was talking with Jake about Alice.
Perfect timing!
"Babe, I will be right back, okay?"
Edward nodded and I kissed his forehead before leaving him with his mom. I hated to leave him, but I knew I would only be gone for a moment.
I caught Carlisle just as he was turning to walk away from Jake.
"Hey, Carlisle, got a moment?"
"Uh, sure." He looked back over his shoulder quickly.
"So tell me, why are you and Esme so all over what is happening to Alice, but hardly shed a tear for Edward while he was in a coma?"
"Izzy, I don't think this is your business."
"Carlisle, it is. Edward is very important to me and for some reason he is not as important to you as Alice is."
"Izzy, before we got here, Esme and I cried. We yelled and argued and we went through all the pain of possibly not getting our son back the second time. Don't tell me I don't care about my boy."
I swallowed, feeling instantly stupid, but still not sure he cared for Edward like he said he did. "Okay."
"I know you care for him a lot, so I get why you came to me like this, but know I care for my son more than you will ever know." Carlisle wrapped his arms around me and I melted into my friend and mentor.
I knew in that moment, as I felt the tears that fell from Carlisle's eye damped my shirt he was being honest.
Edward had been awake for seven days and Alice was still in lock up. She stuck to her story that she just forgot Eric was there. She told Edward, on the one phone call he took from her, that she didn't know who poisoned him and that she didn't think it was Eric, so she didn't see why the slip up mattered.
Jake had still been unable to get in contact with Eric via phone. He was having someone from the New York City Police Department go to his home today.
Edward was doing remarkable. The right sided weakness was getting better. He was able to hold a pound now. That doesn't sound like an amazing feat, but as of week ago, he could hardly move his arm.
He was working with an occupational therapist at least an hour a day to help build the strength back up.
When the therapist would leave and Esme and Carlisle were still out of the room, I would climb into bed next to Edward. He would wrap his left arm around me and hold me close.
Some days we would talk; others we would kiss and some we would cry. We didn't cry often, but it was still painful for us both that Edward was suffering.
I was sure anyone in the mental health profession would say I was overly attached and shouldn't feel so emotional for a man I hardly knew and up until this latest hospitalization was my patient. Some may say I needed to separate myself, but I had no desire to be away from him.
Jake came in around three that afternoon. He wanted to let us know he had yet to hear from the New York police, but he wanted to see if Edward had an idea of where else Eric would be besides home and work.
"Maybe his girlfriend's house, but they had just gotten together not long before I came to Chicago. I never met her. I don't even know where she lives." Edward looked sad that he couldn't provide more information.
When Jake left, Edward pulled me close and kissed my temple. "I don't think either of them, Alice or Eric had anything to do with this, but then again I never thought Tanya did either."
"Sometimes it is hard to know who is worthy of being trusted."
"Then why was it so easy to trust you?" I couldn't help but smile as Edward placed his left hand on my jaw and pulled me in for a kiss.
Our tongues danced together as I wrapped my arms around Edward and ran my hands thought his hair.
This kiss was like our first. Our first kiss that was the day of our first date. I couldn't wait to have another date with him.
Unfortunately, the mini make-out session was broken up by Jake, Carlisle, and Esme.
The three of them came barging back into the room.
I wiped my lower lip, which was noticeably swollen from Edward and looked at the three people that obviously had something important to share.
The room got uncomfortably silent as Edward and I stared at them.
"What? What is it?" Edward asked, breaking the silence, but increasing the tension.
Jake cleared his throat and took a step forward. "I just heard back from the New York Police. They located Eric. And I'm sorry to say this, but the reason I wasn't able to contact him was because Eric has been in the county morgue in New York since last week."
And... now I go to work. Be back this evening with hopefully the rest.