CHAPTER TWELVE

BPOV

No, Quil! No!

He was standing a few feet away. His Native American features were more pronounced now in our strange surroundings. He was covered in blood. He grinned at me before turning and running away from me. I panicked because he was leaving me.

No, he can't. Edward will be furious!

I knew from the way he was moving that he was hurt. I wanted to help him, but he was far away, lost in the throng of people that were now in front of me. Where the fuck did they come from? I wanted to run away myself because the crowd was so overwhelming, but there were so many people I couldn't get past. I couldn't even see their faces because they were all fuzzy. To add to all the craziness, they were all talking simultaneously. It was like they were just inches away from my ears, different voices murmuring and shouting things at me. They were getting so loud that it was hard to decipher anything they were saying.

I shook my head in the hopes it would go away, that all this weirdness would just fade and leave me in peace. However, it just seemed to intensify. Slowly the words became clearer.

Bella, I missed you!...Where's your freakin' car now?...I love you!

I could pick up some phrases, but couldn't identify the voices.

You're such a fucking slut!...Ooh baby, look what I got you for Christmas!

I scanned the faces frantically, but I was still unable to recognize the people who were talking to me. It was like a vision of fuzziness there to taunt me.

Fucking get me out of here! I shouted to nobody in particular. My heart was pounding against my chest. Whoever these people were knew me, and I had a feeling they were out to get me. I moved and suddenly I was in the middle of the crowd. I was baffled to how that happened, but didn't linger too much on it. The need to escape was so great. I had to get away but I wasn't sure how to make that happen.

Bella baby, you married Masen? a voice asked, and I snapped my head towards it.

Holy fuck, what happened to you?

I turned again, trying to find the voice.

Why didn't you just die? You should have been dead, you bitch!

I stopped suddenly. That voice, the voice of that last statement, was so familiar. I frowned, straining to hear it again. I scanned my brain, trying to remember whom it belonged to, but couldn't put a face to it. A form suddenly appeared in front of me. It was blurry like the rest of them. I tried to reach out, but the figure suddenly dissolved into a cloud of smoke.

Holy shit! What the fuck is happening?

The crowd suddenly moved toward me, suffocating me with their proximity. I pushed hard, as hard as I could, but they wouldn't budge. I was panicking, jumping, and trying to see anyone who could help me. Nobody was there for me, so I started shouting. Maybe somebody would hear me and pluck me out of this goddamn mob!

Then without warning I could feel tremors, like the earth was shaking. The mob dispersed just as quickly as they appeared. I tried to run, but I couldn't. It seemed I was rooted to my spot. I couldn't understand what just happened. After all the weird people and the voices, I was suddenly alone. I shook my head in the attempt to make all the madness go away, but I felt more disoriented than ever. Instead of moving another muscle, I stayed where I was standing, and waited for something to happen. The shaking continued. I waited for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

Holy shit!

Suddenly I heard the sweetest voice. A very familiar one, and I felt a calm washed over me. I began moving in the direction the voice came from. The shaking halted, and I was afraid the voice would disappear with it. To my utter joy, it just got louder and clearer.

"Baby, you've got to wake up! Bella!"

I opened my eyes slowly and what I saw made my heart leap. The most hypnotizing green orbs, that one I loved the most, were staring back at me.

"Oh, thank god!" he said. I stared at him. His beautiful face was etched with worry and it made me frown. He gave me a smile, and kissed me gently on the lips before settling in the chair beside my bed.

"You were having a nightmare," he informed me. He reached out and stroked his fingers on my cheek softly. I nuzzled closer, needing more skin contact. "You scared me there, babygirl!" I didn't know if he was talking about the nightmare or the accident. Maybe both.

"I love you," I said, raising my eyes to his. I wanted nothing more than to hold and kiss him to prove the love I felt for him. I had always been a much more effective communicator through physical contact.

"God, I fucking love you!" he rasped out. He was leaning closer, and I felt his cool breath against my skin. He was hovering, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him to me. "I don't know what I would do without you!" he said forcefully. His head dipped so his face was now nuzzling my neck. I sighed because it felt right, him with me. Always with me.

I sighed, loving the soft kisses he planted on the skin of my neck. It was weird this kind of contact could reassure me more than just him touching my hand. He raised his head to check and see if I was okay.

I gave him a small smile and said, "It's okay babe." He gave my lips another sweet kiss before sitting back down on the chair.

It was my chance to check him out. He had stubble growing, which only meant he was either too pre-occupied to shave or he was here beside me the whole time. Knowing him, it would be the latter. He looked tired and had shadows under his eyes. I reached out to touch him and winced. Shit! That hurt!

That didn't stop me though, stubborn ass that I was. I tried to move but even the slightest movements made me cringe. He was suddenly out of his chair, trying to help me.

"Shit!" I muttered. The pain was so intense I couldn't stop wincing.

"Fuck, babygirl, stop moving!" he yelled. He looked panicked, and I pitied him. He held me in place, and I stopped trying to get up. The pain was a bitch, and I didn't have the strength to argue with Edward right now.

"I'll adjust the bed for you," he said, pushing a few buttons. The bed tilted upwards, allowing me to be in a comfortable sitting position, or as comfortable as I could be.

A strand of hair fell on my face, but before I was able to move my hand to remove it, his warm, comforting hands pushed it back behind my ear. He put his hand on my cheek, and I moved my face into his palm.

"I was so fucking scared when I heard you were in an accident," he rasped. I could see the pain in his eyes, and all I wanted to do was erase it. I knew how he felt. I would fucking lose my mind if I ever lost him. I gave him a small smile. "I thought I lost you, babygirl."

"Nah, I'm not that fragile, you know," I teased, trying to lighten his mood. He frowned and didn't seem to find my teasing funny. He just gazed at me for a long time. His unwavering stare was making me self-conscious. I tried to fix myself, but one movement caused so much pain. I cursed, and he did the same.

"God, babygirl, stop that!" He helped me, steadying my movement so I wouldn't fall down from the hospital bed.

"Don't be self-conscious around me," he said softly, his hand making light touches all over my face. He always seemed to know the right things to say at the right time. His assurance made me feel much better about my appearance. I sighed. "You're still so beautiful even with those bruises and the untamed hair."

We stayed in our little bubble for what seemed like forever, murmuring things to each other I knew was a little corny, but was totally sweet at the same time. There was also the occasional gentle peck on the lips, in between his loving touches.

We were interrupted when Alice appeared in her usual quirky exuberance.

"Bella, honey, it's so good to see you awake!" she said excitedly. Edward turned his head towards her, and I saw him scowled at her. I was confused. How long was I down?

I raised my brows in question when Edward faced me. He knew what I was silently asking. "You've been in and out of consciousness for three days now," he added.

I scrunched my face, trying to remember everything that happened the last few days. I only had bits and pieces of events that didn't make sense. Then I remembered Quil and the driver.

The monitor beside me was suddenly making beeping sounds fast and loud, making it known to everyone inside the room it was the sound of my heart thumping away.

Edward looked worried. His frown was pronounced.

"Where's Quil?" I asked, my voice quivering. I knew something bad happened. The dream I just had was now clear but fuzzy in a fucked up kind of way. I felt like it was telling me something. I just don't know what it is yet.

"He is now in stable condition and has been removed from ICU," Edward said unemotionally. "He suffered some injuries, but he will survive. I can't say the same about your driver." I gasped and he leaned over to try and comfort me. "He died instantly."

"Shit, who did this?" I rasped, my throat suddenly so dry. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I was grateful I was alive, but at the same time crestfallen that someone had died.

"We don't know yet," Alice interjected. I knew there was something they weren't saying, but I let it slide because I was still so tired. There was also something I wanted to tell them; it was lingering at the back of my mind, and was at the tip of my tongue. I knew that it was important. But for the life of me, I couldn't seem to remember what it was. Shit!

The doctors gave me permission to leave, so it would only be a matter of time before I would be brought home. Edward said he would be more comfortable when I was out of the hospital and in our own territory, for safety reasons. I agreed with him on that. I was sure I would be more comfortable in my own bed and in my own room. Edward would pay any needed medical professionals to make house calls. I knew I would. I didn't want to fucking stay here any longer!

Dr. Moore, my primary doctor, was introduced to me formally when he made his rounds. He explained some of my injuries to me. Nothing major that I needed surgery, but I had to take it slow because of the minor rib fracture I sustained. I needed to stay away from strenuous activities for at least three to four weeks. I needed to heal and that meant plenty of rest. We stayed in the hospital another two days before they allowed me fit to recuperate at home.

Emmett was like a mother hen hovering than usual. However, Edward was much worse. Between the two of them, I was ready to take a break from everyone. I needed peace and quiet because they did nothing but piss me off!

Everything went smoothly when we discharged from the hospital and made our way home, just as I wanted it to be. We had just arrived in the Swan mansion when we were hit with another round of fuckery.

Shit, why can't I just get a break?

I couldn't blame anyone for it. It was my fault. I slipped. I unconsciously called Edward, 'Masen'. I made it a point not call him that around my family, especially Emmett. Maybe it was because of all the drugs coursing through my veins, or maybe it was a simple complacency issue. I was so successful in not mentioning 'Masen' around Emmett I must have forgotten to be cautious.

Everything was good up until the slip up this morning. There was a reason he shouldn't know, and the reason was now sitting in front of me.

Emmett just punched Edward in the face and he looked as if he was just starting.

"Motherfucking asshole!" Emmett yelled. He was holding Edward by the collar, pushing him against the wall. Edward, who was looking furious and confused at the same time, was trying to push Emmett off of him.

"You fucking release me you prick, or I'm going to do something that I will regret!" Edward muttered. His fist was holding Emmett's arms. They were having a pissing contest, and it felt like forever before Emmett released Edward. From my brother's expression, I knew this was far from over.

"What the fuck was that all about, Swan!" Edward asked. His face had a murderous scowl.

This is not good! I shook my head. Maybe this was a hallucination of some sort from all the painkillers and antibiotics.

I closed my eyes, squeezed my eyelids shut before opening them again. The scene in front of me didn't change. Goddammit, why did it have to be now? My head was pounding from the effects of all the meds and my eyes were so heavy I struggled to keep them open.

My palms were sweating profusely from nervousness. My heart was racing because I knew it was at this point he would know all about the overdose. The moment of truth, whether I liked or not. Shit! He wasn't supposed to know! It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Emmett was heaving, and the anger was clear on his face. "Why the fuck did she call you Masen?" His hands were clenching beside him, and his knuckles were turning white. I watched his hands, afraid that he would move them inside his jacket where his gun was tucked in the holster. Though, I was fairly sure Edward was also making that assessment. I didn't need my brother and my husband to kill each other because of that shit in New York!

Although my body was sore, it didn't stop me from moving towards Edward, I wanted to shield him however and in whichever way I could. The sling around my left arm prevented me from hugging him, so I just stood beside Edward, knowing full well what would happen.

"Because my middle name is Masen!" he hissed. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Emmett again. "Is there like voodoo something shit in that name that warranted that fucking punch?"

"So are you sayin' you're that fucking Masen from New York?" Emmett's voice was so angry.

Suddenly his head turned in my direction and his eyes conveyed the hurt he was feeling from my betrayal. "Did you know he was the same person?"

I was so high from all the drugs all I was able to do was nod. Edward's eyes were darting from Emmett and me, looking so baffled.

"I'm so sorry, Em," I cried. I loved my brother, and I hated that I wasn't honest with him about Edward being Masen.

"Can you please stop talking in circles! You're fucking confusing me!" Edward said angrily.

"Did you know she almost died in New York? Huh?" Emmett hissed. "I blame you for everything! She fucking overdosed because of your sorry ass!"

Edward's head snapped back at me and I almost cried. The pain that reflected in his eyes would be forever etched in my brain.

"Bella?" he rasped. "Is it true?" His voice was between angry and pained.

Just like earlier, all I could do was nod. I didn't know what to do because Emmett was looking like he wanted to murder somebody, while Edward looked so fucking hurt and angry. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but Emmett's tirade wasn't finished yet.

"My father looked for you," I heard Emmett say angrily. My eyes were locked with Edward's. "I looked for you. If I knew you were the Masen we were after, we would have fucking killed you!"

Edward didn't even flinch nor did his eyes leave mine. The entire time Emmett was talking, Edward and I were assessing each other. He closed his eyes, and I could see him taking in a long deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, I was lost. I couldn't read him any longer. It was like he erected a wall I couldn't penetrate. He took a step forward and reached for me, but the voice of my brother interrupted the silent exhange.

"You fucking stay away from her!" he yelled. He was advancing towards us, and I could see Edward was livid. He pushed me a little to the side, before moving forward to Emmett.

"You make me, you fucking asshole!" Edward replied. I knew that if they weren't stopped, something really bad would happen. "Don't fucking forget I'm her husband!"

"Not for long, you're not!" Emmett countered. They were only a few steps away before I heard Rosalie growl.

"Jesusfuckingchrist!" she shouted. "Will the two of you assholes just stop it?" She had now placed herself in between the two men; her hands splayed out towards each of their chests. She was the only barrier preventing the two men from getting their hands on each other.

"Can't you see that Bella is already agitated because of the accident?" She had everyone's attention now. She used the opportunity and turned her gaze to me. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I shifted, not really knowing what to say and do at that particular moment.

It seemed Rose wasn't satisfied with what she just said because she continued her rant. "The two of you are fucking pricks!" Her voice resonated through the entire room. I wanted to cover my ears because the sound was giving me another round of headaches. It felt as if my head was splitting into two. I could feel the tension around me drain me of my strength. I struggled to hold myself up, not wanting to add to all the drama by losing consciousness. I bit my lip in my attempt to prevent the pain from showing on my face. I might have succeeded because they turned to face each other again.

Rose then pointed to the door of the house and hissed, "If you want to kill each other, go outside! Be my guest!"

With that, she stalked towards me, leaving the two men gazing at her stupidly. Emmett still looked furious, but somehow I knew he had calmed a little. Rose being pissed at him wasn't good, and he knew it. Edward had a sullen look I wanted to kiss away, but I was too exhausted to do anything. I saw Edward walk towards me but Rose held her hand to stop him.

"Back off, you two! Don't even think about coming near her anytime soon!" she threatened. Edward started to open his mouth but Rose cut him off. "I'll take care of her."

He looked as if he wanted to protest. The frown on his forehead deepened but he didn't say anything. He pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a few steps away from Emmett. I moved along with Rosalie when she started to lead me away from the foyer. I was glad she was there to support me, otherwise I was sure I would have crumpled to the floor. Suddenly, Seth was beside me to relieve Rosalie. He made a move to carry me, but I shook my head as we slowly made our way to my old room.

"Bella, babe, are you alright?" Rose asked. Her brows were creasing and she had a concerned look on her face as she moved beside me, her hand on my left forearm. "You look pale," she said. I knew that the pain and the tension I was feeling was already obvious on my face.

I tried to shrug it off, and just gave her a small smile. "I'm okay. I just need to lie down."

I surveyed my room, expecting all sorts of medical equipment and apparatus to be here ready for my use, but there wasn't anything. I was surprised that it was exactly the same as I left it before the wedding. I missed this room, but I wouldn't trade the room I shared with Edward for it.

I was surprised why my room didn't look like a hospital room filled with different kinds of medical equipment. I had expected it, and now I was confused. I wanted to ask Rose about it, but decided against it. I knew it would be revealed to me soon. Besides, there was a pressing issue that was much more important to me.

Rose helped me into more comfortable clothes, before putting me into bed.

"Rose?" I asked. I clutched the pillow beside me and decided to ask her what I dreaded at this moment. "Do you think Edward will forgive me? Do you think he'll leave?" I croaked. My voice was so weak I doubted she heard me. I could feel my eyes prickle from the tears threatening to spill over. I sniffled, waiting for Rose to say something.

"Shush, babe," she said forcefully. "That man can't even take his eyes off of you when you're in the same room. He wouldn't be able to leave you, I bet my life on it!" Her reassurance made me feel better. "You should've seen his face when he first arrived at the hospital."

Thinking about what Edward went through when he knew about my accident pained me. "What happened?" I asked, afraid to find out. My eyes were fluttering shut, but I struggled to keep them open. I wanted to know.

"Don't worry too much about it," she said as she tucked me in. Making sure I was comfortable, she removed the sling from my arm. "You get some rest and we'll talk about everything when you're feeling better." She leaned and wiped the tears from my eyes. She kissed me on the cheek and quietly left the room to let me rest.

I closed my eyes and the tears started to fall. I wanted Edward's arms around me. I knew he was somewhere, maybe angry at my deception.

I was so tired, but I wanted to talk to Edward. Shit, I knew I had a lot to explain. I tried to fight off the exhaustion, and waited for him to appear. It seemed like hours that I had been staring at the door, willing for him to come inside my room. He never came.

The exhaustion finally took over, and I drifted off to sleep.