A/N: Well, I suck. I let too much time go by, leaving you all hanging. I swear, this whole story is written in my head, and it will continue to nag at me until I finish it. And I WILL finish it, because I'm dying... DYING to write the epilogue! So last we left our group, Edward had been shot. Onward!
As always, thank you to Bellebiter, my intrepid Beta, who makes this story worth reading! Love you, Snoogums! You're the white chocolate mocha International Delight creamer in my huge cup of coffee! Without you, my story would be a mess of repeated words, with every paragraph beginning with "I". And don't get me started with Grammarly and the Oxford comma! *GRRR*
A strange shape soon emerged from the blackness, finally resolving into Emmett – his left arm around Edward's waist, his right dragging a figure along the ground by his collar, clearly unconscious. He had Edward's right arm draped around his neck.
"Rose! A little help, Baby!"
Rosalie rushed forward – just as Edward began to collapse. Emmett immediately dropped the unconscious man to keep Edward from falling to the pavement. That's when I could finally see that the left side of Edward's light-blue shirt was drenched with a red substance. Jasper and Alice pounded up to us, both out of breath and looking around with startled eyes.
My scream echoed off of the buildings around us as Jasper rushed forward to help with Edward.
Edward raised his head, then looked into my wide, horrified eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. It appears I have been shot."
My legs could barely support me as I stumbled forward, terrified of how badly hurt Edward was.
Jasper had finally reached them at that moment, wrenching Edward's shirt open to see the hole in his left pectoral muscle, just above and to the left of his nipple. I knew that he didn't have a heart behind that hole; but the primal part of my brain told me that Edward, my Edward, had been fatally wounded.
"Jesus," Jasper gasped out, and then looked closer. "This... this isn't blood! What the fuck is going on here?" He spun his head and glared at me. "He's a robot?" he shouted.
"An a-a-android," I panted, shoving Jasper aside. I hardly registered his annoyed snort as I cradled Edward's jaw in my hands, raising his face to see his almost-too-green, expressive eyes. "Edward?" I whimpered.
Edward gave me a small, crooked grin. "It's not as bad as it looks, Sweetheart. The bullet hit the servo for my left arm and severed a hydraulic line, so I've lost pressure in my legs. This is merely hydraulic fluid," he said, reaching with his right hand to touch the clear, dark-pink stain spreading across his shirt. "I'm so sorry for frightening you, Love."
I gaped at his apology. "Can... can you be fixed?"
"Yes. You'll need to take me to the RealMan corporate building; they have an emergency department, rather like a small hospital. Get me there, and they'll repair me. My hard drive and power supply are intact, no worries."
Still reeling from the whole incident... not to mention his cavalier attitude about his injuries... I looked around, stunned, to my friends.
Rosalie had her stiletto firmly on the back of the still-unconscious assailant's neck. Emmett hovered at her side; although he was also staring unabashedly at Edward and me, a perplexed frown on his sweet face. Alice was jittering around the periphery, casting worried eyes between me and Jasper, in turn.
And Jasper... well, Jasper was flat-out scowling at me. I knew I'd have my hands full dealing with him, eventually, but I didn't have time now to care about his fragile masculine feelings. My focus was Edward.
Just then, the police pulled up: two cars, with four officers scrambling out, weapons drawn. "Nobody move!" the first officer barked.
We all froze as Rosalie immediately began explaining the situation, kicking the gun that I hadn't even noticed toward the men. She appeared to take great satisfaction in crushing her foot down just a bit harder before stepping back from the scumbag on the pavement. At that moment, I was fiercely glad, wishing that I had the opportunity to stomp his ass a few times myself.
An ambulance pulled up, but was quickly waved away when the cops were told that the shooting victim was an android. We were all soon informed that the gunman could only be charged with criminal intent – because Edward wasn't human, and Emmett hadn't actually been shot.
It was then that I finally heard the whole story about what went down in that dark alley.
According to Emmett, he had almost reached Edward and the struggling thug when the criminal managed to wrench his own gun hand free. He was raising it to shoot Edward in the face when Emmett clubbed him on the back of his head, effectively turning out his lights. Edward had started to slump against the wall, but Emmett caught him – scooping up the gun, then grabbing the thug by the back of his collar before heading for the mouth of the alley.
After the unconscious man was cuffed and loaded into the back of one of the cruisers, I used my key fob to call my truck to our location. The police officers helped Emmett put Edward into the passenger seat, strapping his slumping body in securely. Once he was settled, Emmett stopped me from getting in with a big hand on my shoulder.
"Bells, I... shit. I'm not sure how I feel about... " He jerked his head toward the cab of my truck. "He... he makes you happy, huh?" he huffed nervously.
"Yeah, Em. He does. He loves me. I don't have time to explain it to you right now, but... I know he does. And so does Rose. Ask her; she knows all about it." I turned to leave, but he stopped me again.
"Jasper isn't taking it well. Hell, he was cranky over the whole thing anyway. He's going to give you a ration of shit, you know?" He quickly gave me a sheepish grin. "But I just want you to be happy, Bella. The rest will work itself out, okay?"
I threw my arms around his beefy neck and squeezed. "You're the best big brother, ever," I whispered, and lost my breath as he hugged me back.
Jasper suddenly appeared at my side. "Isabella, would you care to tell me what in the actual fuck you're thinking? An android?"
"Not now, Jasper," I growled.
With a final bark, he snapped, furiously whisper-yelling, "Do you know what Charlie would say about all... about any of this?"
"Jasper Whitlock, I said not fucking now!" I snarled. "I can't deal with your over-protective bullshit at this fucking moment. We'll talk tomorrow. That has to be good enough. I have to go. Now."
After staring me down for another livid moment, he dropped his shoulders, nodded curtly and stepped back.
As I slid into the driver's seat, I looked over to check on Edward. Even though he was slumped against the seat belt, he still managed to give me a reassuring smile. At least that's what he intended; I was not reassured in the smallest amount.
"Navigation," I said to the onboard computer. It promptly responded, "Navigation. What is your desired destination?"
"RealMan Corporation, emergency entrance. AutoDrive engage." The truck moved away from the curb, and I reached for Edward's still-functional right hand.
He smiled at me with a pained look on his beautiful face. "I'm currently 87% non-functional, Sweetheart. I wish I could hold you right now. I hate that I've frightened you this way."
My voice cracked slightly when I asked, "Do you hurt anywhere?" My own stomach was in knots, thinking that my Edward was in pain.
Squeezing my hand, he shook his head slightly. "No, Love. I shut down most of my sensors as soon as the bullet hit me. So, no pain; but it's frustrating not being able to move. Well, except for this," he said, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.
We rode in silence, but my mind and heart were a jangling, tangled mess. I hadn't realized how much Edward had... gotten to me. I'd grown accustomed to his presence in my life; no, it was more than that. He had crawled under my skin and made himself an integral part of my being in this world, in just a few short weeks. I couldn't imagine living without him in my house, in my every day, in my every night.
So: I had real feelings for him. But to what extent?
The truck pulled to a smooth stop at the emergency entrance of RealMan. My stomach was still knotted, my heart was in my throat and my bottom lip was chewed nearly raw as I unbuckled Edward's seat belt.
What if they couldn't fix him? What would I do if I didn't have Edward? I hastily stowed that thought as I bolted from the vehicle to rush through the doors into a white, brightly lit lobby.
It looked extremely un-hospital-like: with a heavily made-up woman sitting behind a huge desk facing the doors, and professional studio photographs of nearly naked, faceless android bodies, both male and female, lining the walls.
There were also two mannequins artfully posed on either side of the lobby; one male, one female. Both were wearing very skimpy underwear. I suppose it was meant to be advertising... of a sort. Look! Touch! How life-like! It felt completely surreal.
Reception Desk Barbie gave me a totally plastic, phony smile and asked, "How may I help you this evening?"
"My... my... "
I took a deep breath. I'd almost said boyfriend.
"My Edward has been shot. He c-c-can't move. Please... " Suddenly, I was fighting my stinging eyes.
"Of course. Your RealMan is in your car out front?"
Why wasn't she more concerned? And why the hell didn't she move her ass?
"Yes! Please!"
She gave me the fake smile again, calmly pushing a button on the phone bank in front of her. "Two orderlies with a gurney to the front, please." She released the button. "It'll be just a moment."
That moment stretched into two... and then four... before the door to the left of the desk opened, and two young guys in green coveralls strolled out, one pushing a gurney. It was very like one from a hospital, except that it had no mattress or bedding; just cold, shiny stainless steel. I suppressed a shudder, and hurried to lead them out to my truck.
I watched helplessly as they none-too-gently heaved Edward out of my vehicle and onto the gurney. My whimper must have been louder than I thought, as three sets of eyes turned my way. Edward tried to look comforting, while the orderlies at least had the last-minute courtesy to look a bit sheepish. One even went so far as to say, "Sorry."
They wheeled the gurney toward the door as I pressed the button on my key fob and said, "Auto park." The truck purred off into the parking lot.
Just as they reached the door leading into the bowels of the building, panic struck me. I absolutely could not allow Edward to be out of my sight. "I'm going with him!" I staunchly declared.
I got a startled look from the men, and Barbie spoke up. "That's not protocol."
Spinning my head so hard my hair flew, I gave her my fiercest look. "I don't give a fuck about your protocol. I said I'm going with him."
She gave me a duck face, but didn't open her mouth again as I followed the attendants through the swinging doors. I ran a few steps to catch up with the rolling table and grabbed Edward's right hand – giving it a squeeze, letting him know that I was with him.
I got a grateful look from him in response. "Thank you, Love."
The sudden lump in my throat made it impossible to respond. I merely attempted to smile and squeezed his hand again.
The room we entered was huge, with a lot of people bustling around. There were many 'stations' set up around the periphery, with identical gurneys... and, holy crow!... androids on almost all of them!
I had to turn my head away from them all when I spied a worker with a dismembered arm in his hands.
The orderlies slid Edward's gurney into some sort of locking system on the floor, before casually walking away... no doubt to the break room, or the smoking area... without a backward glance. Assholes.
A middle-aged man with a receding hairline, dressed in a white smock, immediately appeared in their place. "Hello, Miss... ?"
"Swan. Bella, please."
He shook my hand, then looked down at Edward. "What do we have here?"
Before I could respond, Edward spoke in a chilling monotone.
"Single gunshot wound, small caliber. The bullet entered my left pectoral, destroyed the servo to my left arm, and severed the main hydraulic line to my legs. It did not exit."
He truly sounded like the computer he was at that moment; and again, that feeling of unreality came over me. I must have made some sound, because Edward turned his face back to mine, smiling that sweet, crooked smile that I adored. "I'll be fine, Sweetheart."
The technician quirked an eyebrow at me, then pulled a small tablet from his pocket and began ticking off items on the screen. "Internal cleanup; replace left servo and hydraulic line; refill of fluid, and bleed the system," he muttered, as he poked at the computer.
"We'll need to open him up. It won't be pleasant. If you want to stay, we'll set up a screen for you."
At my curt nod, he turned and motioned to a flunkie – so identified by the blue smock he was wearing – and asked for a screen. The assistant brought a four-foot-wide, frame-like thing on wheels, with cloth stretched from the top to the bottom edges, which he rolled into place at the head of the gurney. It had a rounded notch at the bottom of the frame, and he slid it into place over Edward's neck; he then pushed a button on the side that lowered it a few inches, effectively cutting off the view of his body. The young man placed a stool next to Edward's head; and, with a kind smile, indicated that I should have a seat.
Once seated, I couldn't see the work being done; and, to be honest, I was grateful for that. The fluid was clear and dark pinkish, but enough like blood to make me queasy. I reached out to stroke Edward's hair off of his forehead, whispering, "I'm right here, baby." He turned to keep his eyes on me as the technician went to work.
Throughout the procedure – indicated by whirring, buzzing and some snipping noises that made me cringe internally – Edward kept his gaze steadily on my face... so I did my best to keep a calm expression. For him.
It took about half an hour before the assistant was back, raising and removing the screen. He quickly wheeled away a cart with various tools, and a basin of pinkish water, filled with rags.
I swallowed thickly as the technician curtly addressed Edward, "Sit up, back to me."
A please wouldn't be remiss, I scolded silently; but obviously, the guy didn't think much of androids. My blood heated at the indignity.
Edward immediately complied, and I cringed internally at how obedient he was to someone... well, someone other than me!
The skin on his chest looked unblemished; practically pristine. They'd made Edward look like it never happened. It was amazing.
The assistant rolled a computer unit to the work space, and the balding technician fiddled with the back of Edward's neck. I remembered the manual, and assumed that he was opening Edward's access port. I knew I was right when he plugged a USB cable into the back of Edward's head.
I realized at that moment how easy it was to forget that Edward wasn't human... because I had almost done just that.
"I'm running a full diagnostic scan. It won't take but a few minutes." He smiled at me and turned to the computer, pressing a few buttons; he then crossed his arms, and leaned a hip against the table to wait for the program to complete.
Eyeing me speculatively, he then asked what he'd been wanting to ask all along.
"Has your unit displayed any... unusual behavior?"
Suddenly extremely nervous, I hesitated. Why did I have the feeling that I had done something wrong? "W-what do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing terrible. But has the unit displayed any strange... that is to say, anything that might resemble... feelings?"
I stared. Shit. He knew about Edward's glitch.
"Miss Swan. Bella. Has it said that it loves you?"
Anger boiled up in my stomach. It? Edward was not an it!
"Yes, he is in love with me," I said belligerently.
The tech smiled... almost trying not to sneer.
"We've had this behavior in a few units. We have a patch we can apply to stop that. I can run the program right now for you."
His hand reached toward the computer, and I was completely horrified.
"No!" I nearly shouted. Stop this 'behavior'? Turn Edward back into an appliance? The very idea filled me with such terror that I almost stopped breathing.
"No?" the tech smirked. "I assure you, it won't change anything about him. It will just stop all of this 'love' nonsense."
"Please don't," I said quietly. "Leave him the way he is. Please."
"Very well. It's not like it matters. Next week, we'll be sending out a patch wirelessly; so now, or next Friday... it will be corrected either way." The computer gave a quiet beep, and he turned away from me, completely unfazed by the look of panic I was sure I was wearing.
He touched something on the screen; and without looking at me again, said, "He's all clear, good as new. You can take your unit home now. Let us know if there are any residual issues."
And with one efficient movement, he pulled the USB cable out, closed Edward's access port, and simply walked away... leaving me gaping after him.
At that very moment, I knew with complete certainty.
I was in love with Edward.
And at some random, uncontrollable hour next Friday, he would no longer be in love with me.
E/N: Oh, I am a cliffie bitch. But she finally admitted it, to herself, at least.
So, even though I haven't posted a chapter in a while, I've been getting a lot of new readers. Where are you coming from? Please tell me, so I can rush over to see what is being said, because I'm an attention hoor. ;-)
Also, even though I am complete fail at replying, please know that I read every review, obsessively and repeatedly, and that each one is like a gift on Christmas morning. That notification gives me a thrill!