When Alice, Jasper and Charlie arrived at the airport, the car was waiting for them. They dropped Charlie off at the hotel. "Rest for a little bit, Charlie. From what Esme says they're still trying to get her temperature back down to a safer level. We won't be able to see her for a little bit."
Charlie nodded and headed up the stairs. All he wanted was to see his daughter and to hold her.
"Jasper, he looks so lost and afraid."
"After what he told us, can you blame him? I mean we abandoned the daughter he loves and all of a sudden we're back in the same town as her and she gets sick? He can't possibly think that this is a coincidence."
"I know. I just hope he doesn't blame us."
"I don't think he does. I think he might blame Edward but not the rest of us. At least not as much."
The two of them drove back to their home where Esme was waiting.
****
Carlisle had helped lift Bella off the bed and into the ice bath when they arrived in the room.
Bella's scream echoed through the room and all Carlisle could do was pray that Edward was far enough away that he wouldn't hear it.
"Please. Stop. Let me out. Please." Her pitiful cries made Carlisle hate himself. He didn't want to hurt her but he knew that this was the quickest way to make her temperature go down. "Carlisle, why are you doing this to me? What did I do?"
He knelt down beside the tub as the nurses continued to pour the water over her head. "It's the fever, Bella. We have to bring your temperature down so that it doesn't kill you. If it doesn't come down soon, you might suffer from brain damage. I don't want that for you. Just hang in there. Once the fever breaks we can pull you out."
"Carlisle, it hurts. It hurts so much." The tears streaming down her face made Carlisle glad that Esme wasn't there.
It didn't take long before she was shivering in the water, which was quickly loosing its chill. "Her temperature's back down, Dr. Cullen."
"Okay. Let's get her out of there. You two get her into some dry clothes and I'll come back in to evaluate her." The nurse nodded and Carlisle left the room.
As soon as the nurses had Bella in clean dry clothes, they called him back. He bent over the young woman and checked her temperature as well as her other vitals. "She's out of danger for now. Let's get her back to her room."
"Yes, Doctor Cullen." The nurses immediately wheeled her back to her room where Carlisle picked her up by himself and placed her gently back in her bed.
"Carlisle?" Bella whispered.
"Yes, Bella?"
"May I please have a blanket? I feel so cold." He pressed his hand to her forehead.
"Maybe just for a little while." He pulled out a light blanket and draped it over her. She snuggled down under it. She was asleep almost before Carlisle took his post in the chair by her bed.