AN: Bet you didn't think you would see this update ever come. I cannot apologize enough for the delay. Thank you to those who have stuck with this story and encouraged me to complete it. This is for you. This chapter is un-beta'd. Please forgive any mistakes.
Here is a (not so quick) recap since it has been so long: Edward (US Marshal) meets Bella (Flight Attendant) on a routine flight to Atlanta. They randomly see each other at a bar and leave to get better acquainted. They end the night on a steamy note and in the morning leave each other with promises to keep in touch when back home in Seattle. They date while back at home and begin falling in love, although neither will admit it.
Edward looks into a suspicious character he noticed on the flight to Atlanta and discovers that he is a wanted assassin. He reports this information to the chief and the information gets escalated to the FBI. Edward overhears the chief saying something disconcerting to an unknown person about him and does not know what to think. With the FBI and USAM working together, they discover that James and an unidentifed female companion are working for an underground terrorist group – The Volturi, who hold a grudge against the US and will likely try to hijack a plane and cause a national catastrophic event within the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Edward and Bella have dinner and drinks with all their friends for the first time the night before Edward and the boys have to leave for their assigned flights. Everyone has a great time, though there is a level of tension at the looming danger ahead. Edward and Bella share another passionate night together before he leaves in the morning assured that Bella is not scheduled to work over the next couple of days.
Edward and Emmett are paired to surveillance flight 2804. Edward notices Victoria and recognizes her from the pictures they have of James' companion. But do not see James. After the flight has backed away from the gate, Edward sees Bella who was asked last minute to work today. Bella immediately knows something is wrong after seeing Emmett and Edward on the same flight. She endeavors to help in any way she can and aids the inconspicuous communication between Edward and Emmett by passing messages.
Victoria (aware of the USAM on board) manages to place and hide two bombs in the rear of the cabin without anyone noticing. By the time that Edward realizes Victoria did not go back to her seat without the bags she left with, a small explosion goes off at the back of the plane. Bella and a fellow flight attendant put out the fire while Emmett and Edward follow Victoria up front. She threatens them with a remote bomb detonator for the larger bomb before knocking on the cockpit door to enter.
James who is posing at the pilot opens the door and lets her in, but before closing the door back notices Bella who walks up behind Edward. He remembers her from the first flight and quickly grabs and pulls her into the cockpit. After making an overhead announcement that he now has control of this plane and that everyone on board will die, he shoots Mike (the innocent co-pilot) and Edward thinks he shot Bella.
Edward and Emmett engage passengers to help search for the bomb while Edward works to find a way inside the cockpit. The bomb is located and Edward works to disarm it. Bella who fainted at the murder of Mike, comes back around by hearing James and Victoria argue. She lays still until an opportunity to escape arises and she bolts from the cockpit. James is able to shoot her in the shoulder before she exits and she falls to the ground.
Emmett, who is closest to the cockpit barrels in and shoots James and then Victoria. However, James is not dead, so when Emmett turns his back James shoots him. Edward, just finishing disarming the bomb, rushes into the cockpit and kills James. Knowing that he only has a matter of seconds to announce his control of the plane and to safely land It before the government shoots down the entire flight, he has to fly the plane. The other flight attendants and a passenger who is a nurse tend to injured Emmett and Bella. They safely land at an air force base and get taken to a nearby hospital…
EPOV
The Emergency Medical Technicians rushed Bella into the ER upon arriving at the hospital. The nurses immediately started prepping her to have a blood transfusion once the doctor heard the EMT's medical report. She had lost enough blood on the plane to make the doctor feel it was warranted. Bella was a trooper and stayed lucid enough to tell them her blood type was O positive and agree to the procedure.
My eyes remained glued to Bella as she began to get sleepy from the sedative they administered to her. She gazed into my eyes with a look of contentment and relief. I wanted to hold her hand, but the nurses moved continually around her and I would have only been in the way.
I gave her the crooked grin that she seemed to love and watched as her eyes brightened for a fraction of a second before she exhaled deeply. Then her eyes began to droop. Before slumber had a chance to claim her, I softly told her I loved her and would see her when she woke up.
I continued to watch over her sleeping form and felt an array of emotions pass through my body. Love was the strongest. I also felt joy that Bella returned those feelings, gratefulness that she made it off the pain alive, guilt that I couldn't protect her as I should have, pain at the memory of how I felt thinking she had died, anger at the bastards that did this to her. My last emotion was anxiety for Emmett.
Emmett had arrived shortly before Bella and I did. He had already been transferred immediately to ICU, forgoing the ER entirely. I knew enough about the ICU to know that I would not be able to go up to see Emmett any time soon and that his condition was considered critical.
My allegiance was split in two directions. On one hand I needed to be with brother. We might not be biologically related, but for as much as we've been through together, we might as well be. Under any other circumstance I would have done everything in my power to be by his side, but I couldn't do that in this situation; I had Bella here now and she needed me. I simply couldn't leave her. My guilt about Emmett didn't subside because of that however.
My stress levels were running high to say the least. Since making it off of the God forsaken flight, I had been hounded and pressed for answers from all directions. My superiors gave me orders to debrief as soon as the chief and the general showed up in a couple of hours. The doctors wanted to know how everyone's injuries had transpired. The air force base we landed on wanted to know what occurred in the air that called for an emergency landing and I knew that I would have to inform everyone back home of Emmett and Bella's conditions. I powered my phone on fully, only to reveal that I had 11 voicemails on top of the 8 texts that had been received while in transport to the base hospital.
I decided to start sifting through my text messages first, then voicemail so that I knew who to call first. However, before I could press the menu button on the phone to check the text messages the phone came to life, signaling that I had a new phone call coming in.
A couple of the nurses in Bella's room gave me a pointed look as if to remind me that we weren't permitted to use our cellular phones while in the hospital. My glare must have been enough to convince them to let it go.
I looked down at the screen as it reflected Emmett's name. This was Rosalie calling.
I glanced over at Bella, who was still asleep as I hit the send button and lifted the phone to my ear. "Hello."
"Edward! Oh thank God. I have been trying and trying to call Emmett and you. Your flight has been all over the news. Are you both ok?! The station said there were some fatalities…" Rosalie, who normally wore such a cool exterior, was near hysterics.
"Rose, please calm down. Emmett and I made it off alive." I hesitated; trying to make sure I worded my next sentence right. "Emmett is in pretty bad condition though. They have him in the ICU. I expected that they'd have contacted you as soon as he came in… which was about 30 minutes ago now." I added in hastily to assure her that it had not been an extremely long time.
Silence met me on the other line. Had it not been for the soft sound of wind in the background indicating she was driving, I would have thought the line was dead. I waited for her to gather her thoughts and didn't push her.
"Is… is he… do you think that he will make it?" Her voice merely a whimper.
I tried to give her reassurance, but I honestly didn't know how he would fair. He looked like he was barely hanging on when they removed him from the plane.
"You know Em better than any of us, he is the strongest person I know – physically and mentally. He will fight with all that he has to come back to you." No truer words could be spoken.
She finally replied after another moment, "Thanks, Edward. You're right. I'm at the airport now. Once I saw your flight on the TV, I booked the first flight I could to get out there. My plane leaves in an hour and a half. Can you… let me know if there are any new updates?"
I quickly gave my word that I would.
"I will wait to get the story of why Em is in critical condition until I get there. I don't think I can handle hearing it only to replay it in my mind repeatedly and not know if he is alright or not."
"Of course. I am in the ER with Bella. You can find me in her room once you get here. If I'm not here, then I am debriefing."
"Bella was on the flight too?" Surprise and sadness heavy in her voice.
I sighed before answering, "Yeah. Another story for when you get here. Please be safe Rosalie. Call me if you need anything and I promise to call you if I hear anything."
"Okay, Edward." She paused for a second before continuing, "… and thank you."
We were about to hang up when a thought came into my mind. "Hey, Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"You said that the story was all over the news? Have you talked to anyone else? Jasper and Alice or anyone?"
"Oh. Yes. I talked to Alice a while back to see if she heard of anything through Jasper. They didn't have any information and she said they both would be flying in tonight as well."
"Thanks, I suppose I need to check these messages. I will see you soon." We said our goodbyes and disconnected the line.
Bella would be asleep for a while, so I decided to see if I could get an update on Emmett's condition. Since this was a military base, there were officers all over the place. Especially with the emergency landing we made on its base.
I grabbed the attention of a young looking first lieutenant standing about 6 feet away from Bella's room. "Excuse me, might you be able to do me a favor?"
"I'll do my best, sir."
I offered him a small smile of gratitude before continuing on. "I would appreciate if you could arrange to have someone give me status updates on Agent Emmett McCarty's condition every half hour until his family arrives in a few hours?"
"Certainly. I will handle the updates myself. With what the two of you did to protect those innocent civilians up there, it is the very least I can do."
"Thank you so much First Lieutenant…"
"First Lieutenant Eric Yorkie at your service, sir." He stood a little straighter and saluted. He certainly was an eager guy.
With another small smile and incline of my head, I took a few retreating steps towards Bella's room. "I will be in here when you have an update."
He gave a curt nod in understanding and went off to gather whatever information he could. I pivoted and walked back into the room. I situated my chair next to her bed now that the doctor and nurses had vacated the space. I sat down and gently lifted her hand and caressed the back of her hand in slow circular motions. She looked pale and fragile still despite her having just received a blood transfusion. Her shoulder, now bullet free, cleaned and wrapped in gauze, looked swollen and stiff.
I managed to call my parents, Jasper and Jacob in the next hour to let them know that we were all right for the moment and share the status updates I was receiving on Emmett's condition. My parents took a while to sway, but ultimately I convinced them not to come. That I was perfectly fine and I would see them shortly after I made it back home to Seattle.
Jacob would be coming tomorrow with Angela to visit Bella. The panic that laced his voice at the beginning of our call had now turned into concern and gratitude. I was glad that Jacob was over-protective of Bella in Atlanta that first time we went out and made us exchange phone information. Otherwise I would have no way of contacting anyone for her right now.
"Thanks, Edward. I hadn't even realized that she was on that flight. When we spoke yesterday she told me she was planning to run some errands and catch up on some reading. Thank you for taking care of her."
My chest tightened at Jacob's words of thanks. He had no way of knowing the details of the flight or what happened since I was not able to say, but I knew that I failed at my job of protecting her and again it pained me to know how close I had come to a completely different outcome.
"Really, there is no need to thank me. I love Bella. I will do whatever I can to keep her safe from here on out."
After a brief lapse of silence he spoke. "Oddly enough, I believe you. Well, Ange and I will see you tomorrow morning. Thanks again. Oh, and please let her know that I am calling her parents to let them know she is alright."
"I will. Thanks Jacob. See you soon."
Having completed my last call for the moment, I signed and stared at Bella's sleeping form. At least I thought she was.
She groggily opened her eyes, blinking a few times to allow her eyes to adjust. "Hey you," she said with a lazy smile.
"Hey. How are you feeling there, love?"
"I've been better. But I'm alright. Was that Jacob?"
My eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Yes it was. Were you snooping on my conversations, miss?" I teased.
"Maybe… what did he say?"
"That he and Angela will be here tomorrow and that he is calling your parents."
Hey eyes got big and she started to struggle to sit up. "Oh! My parents. They will be so w-." I quickly halted her movements and gently prodded her with my free had to lay back down.
"Calm down, love. Jacob's got it covered." I squeezed her hand in reassurance.
After a couple of steadying breaths, she admitted my being right and relaxed back into her bed. Her eyes fluttered back closed and her breathing evened out. Hopefully she would be asleep for a while.
In the still of the moment, the exhaustion finally set in and I tipped my head back to rest it on the back of the chair. I wanted to rest my eyes for a bit and immerse myself in the quiet that had settled upon the room. The only sounds heard, being that of the constant beep of the EKG machine monitoring Bella's heart. However, as fate would have it, as soon as I closed my eyes the door slowly creaked open.
My once again opened eyes revealed two men fully clad in military garb stood archly in the doorway. One of the gentlemen was in a tan uniform with multiple metal decorations on his shoulders showcasing his rank. I immediately knew him to be the General. The other man dressed in a dark blue uniform; my chief.
Chief Fason was the first one to move from the doorway and he walked until he stood directly in front of where I still sat. I at once moved to stand up and as soon as I had he grabbed my left hand shaking it vigorously.
"How are you, son?" His concerned eye glanced over my tired face and body.
"I'm alright, Sir. I'm more worried about McCarty and Bella," I said tipping my head towards Bella's bed.
The chief shifted slightly to follow where I indicated and noted Bella's condition. When he returned to his original position he seemed slightly confused.
"She was on the flight?" I nodded my head in affirmation.
"She's someone important to you." This time it wasn't a question, but rather a statement of fact. I again nodded my head.
He was contemplative for a moment before he spoke again. "I think it's time that we debrief now. General are you ready?"
The second man who stood quietly in the doorway throughout the chief's and my verbal exchange, agreed and I stood to follow them out. With one last glance at Bella I turned and followed the men out the door. The faster we began this process the sooner I could make it back to Bella.
BPOV
Three days. It had been three long days that I had been stuck in this hospital bed. Despite that pain that my body was in, the grief of remembering what happened to Mike and the agony of not knowing what would happen with Emmett, these past few days with Edward had been surreal. Edward had been my rock, refusing to leave me for any great length of time, and doting on me even though my injuries weren't that serious. If I had questioned how he felt about me before, I now knew exactly what the depths of his feelings for me were. He loved me. He said as much on the plane but to physically see it in his eyes or in the way he treated me so tenderly, it was beyond surreal and it made my own love for him soar to every part of my body and soul.
Jake and Angela arrived the morning after Alice, Jasper and Rosalie. Jake and Ange were a constant source of entertainment and jokes and tried to keep my spirits up. At least after the initial breakdown that Ange had upon seeing me for the first time. I had never seen her so upset. It took me, Jake and Edward nearly 20 minutes to calm her down enough to talk. Once she and Jake were convinced I wouldn't be leaving this earth any time soon, we were all able to slip into an easy groove of talking and laughing that only the best of friends could achieve. That is until I fully remembered and accepted what happened on the plane.
It took approximately a full day for me to truly come to grips with the fact that I had seen someone murdered in front of my very eyes. Mike and I may not have been close, but he had always been very nice to me. He did not deserve the death that he had gotten. It killed me inside to know that he had died trying to protect me. It might not have been likely, but there was a chance (no matter how slim) that he might still be alive today if it weren't for me. After that realization set in, most of my day was spent in tears over Mike and Emmett. My grief only being assuaged by Edward, Jake, Ange, Alice, Jasper and Rosalie, who I came to look at as my friends and support group. I knew everyone was worried about me. The doctor suggested I talk with a psychiatrist about what I had been through. Although I would rather not re-live the events of that day with myself much less another person, I saw the importance of not letting all of my grief and guilt fester internally, so I agreed to see someone when I made it back home.
Emmett was still in the ICU ward and although he was showing signs of improvement, he wasn't doing as well as the doctors hoped he would by now. Rosalie seemed to be hanging in there, but on occasion she would break down in sobs. It was difficult seeing her, and knowing that Emmett's current condition was partially because of me. I know he was doing his job, but if it weren't for him trying to protect me from James and Victoria, this may have never happened. I would be getting out of here at the end of this day while Emmett had yet to even open his eyes. The thought alone caused my heart to constrict with sadness.
"What has you thinking so hard, Bells?" I turned my gaze from the blank spot on the wall to a concerned looking Jake.
I smiled sadly at my best friend. "I was just wishing Emmett was able to go home today too." To which he slowly nodded his head in response.
"It might not be today, Bells, but he will make it. Have some faith, kid."
"I know and I do. I just wish he would at least wake up."
Again, he nodded. "So what time did the doc say you could blow this joint? Edward already got the hotel room booked… although I still don't know how I feel about you two sharing a room."
I knew he was partially joking. He would always be a little over-protective of me. I just rolled my eyes at his antics. "I got the okay to leave in the next hour after all of my discharge papers are ready."
Edward and I would not be going back home to Seattle until we knew that Emmett was ok. He booked us a room at the same hotel the others were at. It wasn't my bed, but it was better than this hospital bed has been. Plus, I would be with Edward, and that topped any comfort a bed might provide me. I only hoped that being held by Edward at night might help to chase away the nightmares that I have been having.
I have been having problems sleeping these past couple of nights. I kept dreaming that I was back on that God forsaken flight and that James not only succeeded in killing Mike, but Edward and Emmett too, forcing me to watch. I woke up screaming and Edward would be there to help calm me down. He continually whispered in my ear that he was here and James wasn't going to be able to hurt me anymore until my heart rate slowed back down and I was able to drift back to sleep.
Jakes voice once again took me away from my thoughts. "Yeah, well, just be sure not to do anything to hurt that shoulder of yours any more than it already is… if you catch my drift." He wiggled his eye brows up and down as he said the last part.
I could feel the heat coming to my face. "Shut UP, Jake!" I said in a huff. I swear that man had issues. I doubted anything like that would happen any time soon.
"What's he done now?" Edward's smooth voice had a hint of amusement in it. He was walking into the room and must have overheard my reaction to Jake.
"Nothing." Jake and I said at the same time, although I grumbled my response where as Jakes was rather animated. Edward shot us both a quizzical look before shrugging his shoulders.
Edward walked over to the side of my bed directly in between Jake and me. He cupped my face in his palm and made sure he had my attention. He looked me directly in the eyes before starting, "Good news, baby."
"What is it?" I thought it might have something to do with my being released. But I was wrong.
"Emmett woke up." The smile on his face was radiant. I felt the tears slipping down my cheeks. We might all be alright after all.
AN: Sorry this was short. I actually had more written that transitioned into a natural epilogue, but decided to post it separately. It will be up within a couple of weeks. I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe me, but that is my plan.
Special thanks goes out to soccermom19 for sticking with me for so long. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart.