This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).

After we delivered Bella to the hospital she required several transfusions of blood to replace what she had lost. I didn't like it. It changed the way she smelled to me. I liked the way her blood smelled. After a day or so her own blood had re-produced itself and her sweet, floral smell returned.

She had so many injuries; a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in her skull and bruises covering her entire body, on top of the blood loss. Because of all of the injuries they had to keep her sedated until Friday. For Bella, rest was what she needed to heal and the nurses and doctors were providing that.

Alice called Renee and Charlie and told them that she, Carlisle and I had come to Phoenix to convince Bella to come home. She then explained how Bella's unfortunate accident occurred.

According to the story, she had come to our hotel to hear what we had to say and fell down two flights of stairs before crashing through a window. Alice had great fun returning to the hotel and re-creating the scene of the accident so the whole story was more believable.

After Renee arrived, Alice and Carlisle flew back to Forks where Emmett and Jasper had already returned in the Mercedes. I stayed behind, not wanting to leave Bella's side until I heard her voice and felt her kiss on my lips. To tell the truth I didn't want to leave when that happened.

I knew the best thing for Bella would be to return to Florida with her mother – that is what Renee wanted, thinking Bella truly wanted out of Forks. I was a danger to Bella. Because of me, she had been in this situation. If she were far enough away from me I couldn't bring harm to her. Moving to Jacksonville with her mother and Phil would be the best. I didn't want to lose her, but great love also requires great sacrifice and I would languish the rest of my existence if it meant the love of my life would be safe.

I stayed in her hospital room, pretending to sleep in the fake blue leather recliner at the end of her bed. When Renee or the nurses and doctors weren't around I was at her side, holding her hand. I wanted to crawl up into the bed with her and hold her closely, but she had so many injuries I didn't want to hurt her further. Watching her sleep in the hospital was just as fascinating as it was back in her room in Forks. She was beautiful. All of the blood had been washed from her hair and I took the time to brush it each day, taking in the scent and enjoying the way it shined as it fell across her pillows and around her shoulders.

It was Friday and Renee had left to go get something to eat in the cafeteria, when Bella woke up.

I noticed she had begun to raise her hand to her face, trying to remove the oxygen tube from her nose. I quickly made my way to her bedside, taking her hand in mine and moving it back down to her side. "No, you don't," I told her.

I leaned my head down close to hers. I wanted to look deeply into her warm chocolate eyes when she looked up at me for the first time in days. "Edward?" she asked, turning her head towards me. "Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry!"

"Shhh," I whispered, pressing my fingertip gently against her lips. "Everything's all right now."

"What happened?" she asked, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly, trying to recall the day at the dance studio. It was a good thing that all the medication had made her memories of that day foggy.

"I was almost too late. I could have been too late," I whispered, scrunching my face in anguish at the thought of what might have been. I raised my hand and touched the top of her head letting it brush down to her shoulders.

"It was so stupid, Edward," She said, blaming herself for the entire situation. "I thought he had my mom."

I tried to reassure her and not make her feel as though she were the only one duped by James' ploy. "He tricked us all."

Bella then turned her thoughts to Charlie and Renee and wanted to call them. I explained to her that Alice had already taken care of that and Renee was here at the hospital. I also went over the details of her 'accident' with her so she knew what story to stick with. She bought it and I assured her Renee had as well. It was completely plausible that Bella would have that type of accident.

"How did you do it?" she asked me. I knew immediately what she was talking about. She wanted to know how I stopped drinking from her when I did.

"I'm not sure," I said, looking away from her probing glance, gently picking up her bandaged hand, holding it in mine, and kissing each of her fingertips gently. As I did this, her heart monitor beeped faster.

"It was impossible…to stop," I struggled to explain. "Impossible. But I did." I looked up at her and smiled. "I must love you."

"Don't I taste as good as I smell?" she smiled in response, wincing from the pain.

"Even better – better than I'd imagined," I said, closing my eyes as I remembered the taste of her blood after I removed all of James' venom.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

I looked to the ceiling and shook my head. She was always expressing regret for something. "Of all the things to apologize for."

"What should I apologize for?" she asked, trying to squeeze my hand, which was impossible through the mess of gauze and tape around her hand.

"For nearly taking yourself away from me forever," I said.

"I'm sorry," she said softly again.

"I know why you did it," I said in an effort to comfort her. "It was still irrational, of course. You should have waited for me, you should have told me."

"You wouldn't have let me go."

"No," I agreed grimly. "I wouldn't." So now I knew how Bella was going to get around me to get her way. She just wouldn't ask for or give me her game plan. She would just do things later. I guess the saying, 'It is better to ask forgiveness later, rather than permission' now seemed to be Bella's motto.

Suddenly she shuddered.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

"What happened to James?"

"Emmett and Jasper took care of him," I said. I could not hide the disappointment in my voice that it hadn't been me to do the deed.

"But I didn't see Emmett and Jasper there," She said.

"They didn't get too close. There was a lot of blood," I explained.

"But you stayed," she said as her eyes softened.

"Yes, I stayed," I answered.

"And Alice, and Carlisle…," she wondered.

"They love you too," I said softly, reaching to touch her cheek.

She closed her eyes again as though she were remembering something, then opened them and asked me. "Did Alice see the tape?"

"Yes," I growled lowly. I was glad Alice now knew more about where she came from, but knowing James had wanted her as well, made me angry.

"She was always in the dark," Bella said. "That's why she didn't remember."

"I know. She understands now." I spoke in an even tone but my eyes were dark with fury and thirst. I hadn't left Bella's side in days and was in need of hunting.

She tried to reach up to my face to comfort me, but the IV tugged against her and she groaned in frustration. Apparently she was afraid of needles. Bella, who would take on an evil vampire, by choice, was afraid of a needle. She was a contrast in terms in so many ways.

I reached up to stroke her cheek softly with the back of my fingers and the heart monitor suddenly began to beep erratically.

"This is going to be embarrassing," she smiled, knowing that the monitor would announce to me, and everyone else, when her heart skipped a beat.

"Hmmm, I wonder…" I said wryly.

I then leaned in slowly, building up her anticipation as I listened to the beeps accelerate before my lips ever touched hers. Then my lips met hers with the lightest of touches and the beeping stopped all together.

I pulled back out of concern for her. Just as I turned to check it, the monitor started beeping again. I had made her heart stop. I would have to be exceptionally careful with her until she recovered. Though I couldn't help but smile at my accomplishment.

"I was not finished kissing you," She protested. "Don't make me come over there."

I smiled and leaned in, pressing my lips against hers again. The heart monitor beeped wildly again.

Suddenly I stopped kissing her. Her mother was about to return and she probably wouldn't let me continue to stay with Bella if she thought I was up to no good. She didn't seem to care for the fact that I never left Bella as it was.

"I think I hear your mother," I said to her, pulling away.

"Don't leave me," she cried in panic.

I was shocked by her fear. "I won't," I promised, smiling as I made my way back to the blue leather chair. "I'll take a nap."

I fell back into the chair and closed my eyes as Renee reached the door.

"Don't forget to breathe," Bella whispered jokingly just as Renee turned the handle.

"Mom!" Bella exclaimed. Her voice was full of love and relief. No matter how much comfort I could and would give her, there was something about a mother's love. I was envious.

Renee walked quietly to Bella's bedside, whispering, "He never leaves, does he?"

Bella ignored the question. It was more statement of fact than question anyway. "Mom, I'm so glad to see you!"

Renee bent over to hug her daughter and Bella's eyes filled with tears of joy. "I'm sorry, Mom. But everything's fine now. It's okay." She said, trying to reassure and comfort her mother.

"You're lucky Dr. Cullen was there. He's such a nice man…very young though. And he looks more like a model than a doctor…" Renee whispered. I smiled behind her back, not certain if Bella could see me or not.

"You met Carlisle?" Bella asked. I guess I forgot to mention that fact to her.

"And Edward's sister, Alice. She's a lovely girl."

"She is," Bella responded with pride.

I quickly wiped the smile off my face and went back to pretending I was asleep.

"You didn't tell me you had such good friends in Forks."

Bella moaned and Renee asked her what hurt. My eyes immediately popped open out of concern for her.

"It's fine," she said, assuring us both. "I just have to remember not to move."

Once I knew she was okay I continued with my ruse.

Bella, uncomfortable about discussing her life in Forks with Renee, changed the subject by asking about Phil.

Renee told her that he had gotten signed to play for the Jacksonville Rays and they would soon be looking for a house. She assured Bella she would love living there.

That conversation had not gone the way Bella anticipated. I could tell by her voice when she explained to her mother that, despite this episode, she liked living in Forks and wanted to stay there.

Renee pressed Bella for a reason why she would chose Forks. She had thought Bella was terribly unhappy there. "Is it this boy?" she whispered, referring to me.

"He's part of it," Bella answered. "So have you had a chance to talk with Edward?" she asked. I wondered secretly if she meant had I had a chance to dazzle her mother.

"Yes," Renee said with a hint of concern. "And I wanted to talk to you about that."

"What about?" Bella asked hesitantly.

Renee whispered, not realizing that effort was pointless. I had already read her thoughts and knew what she was going to say. "I think that boy is in love with you."

"I think so, too," Bella whispered back.

"And how do you feel about him?" Renee asked. Way to go Renee, I thought. I would gain more insight into Bella's thoughts now.

Bella paused and glanced in my direction to see how much attention I was paying to her conversation. She didn't want to talk about this with her mom and least of all in front of me, but she knew she was stuck. "I'm pretty crazy about him," she admitted.

I smiled with this newly confirmed knowledge.

"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Bella…" Renee mildly protested.

He is such a good catch though, she thought, money AND good looks, plus he is a gentleman. What more could a mother want?

"I know that, Mom," Bella said with a hint of teenage frustration. "Don't worry about it. It's just a crush," she said softly. I hoped she was merely trying to quell her mother's concerns and, in fact, felt more strongly about me than just a crush.

"That's right," Renee said, patting Bella's arm as she stood up and looked at the clock behind her.

She explained that Phil was supposed to call and she didn't know she would be awake. Bella told her to go back to the house where she would rest better.

Her mother stated that she was uncomfortable at home, since there had been a crime-wave – one that included someone breaking into the dance studio and burning it to the ground. She told Bella she would leave for a little while, but would return to spend the night with her as she had every night since she arrived.

Just as Bella's mom was about to leave, a nurse stepped in and checked on Bella's tubes and wires. She then checked the read-out from the heart monitor and seemed concerned.

"Are you anxious, honey?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Bella answered, with a hint of embarrassment that only I would understand.

The nurse explained that her RN would be in shortly and left the room with Renee.

As soon as they left, I was back at Bella's side, sitting in a hard plastic chair next to her bed, resting my chin on my arms which were crossed on her bedrail.

"How was your nap?" she asked sarcastically.

"Interesting," I said.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm surprised. I thought Florida…and your mother…well, I thought that's what you would want."

She looked at me with confusion in her eyes. "But you'd be stuck inside all day in Florida. You'd only be able to come out at night, just like a real vampire."

I began to smile at the little joke she made, but I was serious and quickly dismissed the smile. "I would stay in Forks, Bella. Or somewhere like it," I explained. "Someplace where I couldn't hurt you anymore."

She looked at me blankly for several seconds as she tried to comprehend exactly what I was saying to her. Suddenly the heart monitor began to beep wildly and her breathing increased as well. Her confusion soon turned into pain and dismay. She understood what I was saying and it upset her.

Before she had a chance to say anything another nurse walked into the room, no doubt, responding to the heart monitor.

She moved to the other side of Bella's bed, tapping the IV and asked, "Time for more pain meds, sweetheart?"

"No, no," Bella mumbled. She was trying to disguise her agony at my words and get rid of the nurse so she could bombard me with questions and reasons why she could not leave. "I don't need anything," she said.

"No need to be brave, honey. It's better if you don't get too stressed out; you need to rest." She pleaded gently with Bella. I hoped she would listen to reason since she wouldn't listen to me.

Bella shook her head. She was not having any meds until she dealt with me.

"Okay," the nurse agreed, begrudgingly. "Hit the call button when you're ready."

The nurse gave me a stern look, as if to warn me against exciting Bella any further. She then glanced quickly at the machines, patted Bella's shoulder and walked out of the room.

I moved my hands to Bella's cheeks to calm her before she became too excited.

"Shhh, Bella, calm down."

"Don't leave me," she begged, voice cracking as she grabbed my hands with her good one.

"I won't," I promised. "Now relax before I call the nurse back to sedate you."

My words and touch hadn't calmed her. The monitor continued to beep furiously.

I stroked her face more rapidly, hoping that would calm her. "Bella, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here as long as you need me."

She had a way of getting me to do and say just what she wanted. I knew the right thing to do, but I always did the opposite when it came to her.

"Do you swear you won't leave me?" she whispered, trying to control her hyperventilation. I could tell she was in pain as well.

I continued to hold her face with both of my hands and moved my face in closer to hers, opening my eyes wide so she would believe me. "I swear," I said seriously.

She seemed to be soothed, either by my words or my closeness, and her breathing slowed. I looked deeply into her eyes until the beeping on the monitor slowed as well.

"Better?" I asked.

"Yes," she said cautiously. It was as though she wanted to believe me, but didn't know whether she should or not.

"Why did you say that?" she whispered. "Are you tired of trying to save me all the time? Do you want me to go away?"

"No, I don't want to be without you, Bella, of course not. Be rational. And I have no problem with saving you either – if it weren't for the fact that I was the one putting you in danger…that I'm the reason you're in here."

"Yes, you are the reason," she frowned. "The reason I am here – alive." She seemed…disappointed.

She reminded me of all of her previous near-disasters in which I had intervened, telling me that she would be in the Forks Cemetery right now if it hadn't been for me. It was true, but hardly a valid argument. Two wrongs didn't make a right.

I heard her but I continued as though I hadn't. I wanted to be heard. "That's not the worst part though. Not seeing you there on the floor…crumpled and broken." My voice was choking back what would have been tears, if I could cry. "Not thinking I was too late. Not even hearing you scream in pain – all those unbearable memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of eternity. No, the very worst was feeling…knowing that I couldn't stop. Believing that I was going to kill you myself."

"But you didn't," she said softly.

"I could have," I reminded her. "So easily."

She saw through me. She knew I was trying to convince her, and myself, that us being apart was the right decision.

"Promise me," she whispered.

"What?" I asked. I knew what she wanted me to promise her, but I wanted to hear it from her.

"You know what," she said stubbornly. She was getting frustrated with my evasive measures.

"I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you, so I suppose that you'll get your way…whether it kills you or not," I said roughly.

"Good," she responded. I could tell it still wasn't exactly what she had wanted to hear but it was the best I could do and I hoped it would suffice for now. "You told me how you stopped…now I want to know why," she demanded.

Oh how I wished that nurse had been more stern and forced Bella to take the pain meds.

"Why?" I asked, warily.

"Why you did it. Why didn't you just let the venom spread? By now I would be just like you."

She wouldn't be asking this pointed question if she didn't know about the process. Alice must have told her more than I wanted. She promised me. Clearly, Bella's hold over her was as strong as it was over me. We vampires seemed to spill the beans when Bella asked. How did I not know that though? Alice had done a good job of keeping her thoughts elsewhere, so she didn't reveal her slip to me.

I breathed heavily, nostrils flaring, which just pulled Bella's scent in deeper. I was angry – furious, in fact. The one thing I wanted Alice to keep to herself, more than anything, and she had shared it with Bella.

I refused to answer her question. I was not going to indulge this line of questioning. I knew where she was going with it and I refused to follow her there.

"I'll be the first to admit that I have no experience with relationships," she said. "But it just seems logical…a man and woman have to be somewhat equal…as in, one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other one. They have to save each other equally."

I reined in my anger. I didn't want to direct it at Bella. I did, however, want to have a few words with Alice. I crossed my arms on the side rail again and rested my chin on it, looking directly in her eyes.

"You have saved me," I said, quietly.

"I can't always be Lois Lane," she said. "I want to be Superman, too."

I took the time to explain to her that she didn't understand what she was asking for. Of course, she protested and had a 'why' for every answer I gave her. I told her that I had over 90 years to think about what I was and how I became this way and I still didn't know what to think.

"Do you wish Carlisle hadn't saved you?" she asked. She had used the right word. What Carlisle had done with each of us, was save us from certain death. That wasn't the norm and it didn't change the dark reality of what that involved.

"No, I don't wish that," I said. "But my life was over. I wasn't giving anything up."

Bella would be giving so much up if I allowed her to get her way. She would give up her mother and father and the chance to get married and have a family of her own one day. She would miss the chance to grow old along with someone.

"You are my life," she said softly but with conviction. "You are the only thing it would hurt me to lose." This whole near-death/near-immortality thing had made Bella more expressive. Not that she normally held back much, but she was letting me know more easily how she felt about me.

I lowered my eyes. I had already made this decision, for her and for me. "I can't do it, Bella. I won't do that to you."

She continued to argue her side with me, telling me that after sucking the venom from her it should be easy for me. She had no idea how hard that was and, the fact that I experienced that, would make it that much more difficult for me to do it again. I realized as my lips closed around her wrist at the dance studio, that I didn't want to give her the same death sentence I had received. I could not fathom one reason, one circumstance, which would make me feel it was necessary to change her.

"…I have my own life to live," she added at the end of her repetitive argument for immortality.

"Exactly," I snapped, sitting upright. "And I won't end it for you."

I was not compromising on the issue and she wasn't backing down. Instead, she played dirtier and dirtier.

"I'm going to die," she insisted with great confidence.

"Really, Bella." She was being a drama queen now. "You'll be out of here in a few days. Two weeks at most."

Her eyes softened and so did her voice. She was getting ready to hit below the belt. I knew that much. "I may not die now…but I'm going to die sometime. Every minute of the day, I get closer. And I'm going to get old."

She was frustrating me beyond belief. I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples in frustration. Why couldn't she just get it? "That's how it's supposed to happen. How it should happen. How it would have happened if I didn't exist – and I shouldn't exist," I reminded her.

She snorted at my response. She actually snorted. I opened my eyes in surprise. "That's stupid," she said. "That's like going to someone who's just won the lottery, taking their money, and saying, 'Look, let's just go back to how things should be. It's better that way.' And I'm not buying it."

Where was that nurse? I was in a lose/lose situation here and it was wearing me out. I hadn't realized how much 'rest' I had gotten while Bella was out of it.

"I'm hardly a lottery prize," I growled at her.

"That's right. You're much better."

I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. "Bella, we're not having this discussion anymore. I refuse to damn you to an eternity of night and that's the end of it."

That didn't stop her either. I was beginning to think she had a pre-occupation to get the last word in. "If you think that's the end, then you don't know me very well," she warned me. "You're not the only vampire I know."

That sent a tinge of anger through me. That was hitting below the belt. This was between her and me. I couldn't believe she would involve my family if she didn't get her way.

"Alice wouldn't dare," I said. I knew Alice was the only one Bella might be able to convince. Alice was as weak to Bella's requests as I was. I didn't understand it.

My eyes revealed more than I had intended – again.

"Alice already saw it, didn't she?" she guessed. "That's why the things she says upset you. She knows I'm going to be like you…someday."

"She's wrong," I asserted. "She also saw you dead, but that didn't happen either."

She smirked at me, having felt a minor victory with her new-found information. "You'll never catch me betting against Alice."

Finally the arguments stopped, long enough for us to look at each other, surrounded by the beeping, whirring and dripping of machines that surrounded Bella.

"So, where does that leave us?" she asked.

I laughed. It was clear where we were – to me, at least. "I believe it is called an impasse."

I could see on her face that her pain was getting worse and I thought she was long over-due for her pain medication so I buzzed for the nurse. I smiled wryly at Bella, who was glaring at me for pushing the button.

"I won't take it," she promised. The heart monitor started to beep faster and I could hear her heart rate increasing.

"Bella, you're in pain. You need to relax so you can heal. Why are you being so difficult? They're not going to put any more needles in you now."

"I'm not afraid of the needles," she mumbled. "I'm afraid to close my eyes."

I bent over and smiled at her, taking her face in my hands again. "I told you I'm not going anywhere. Don't be afraid. As long as it makes you happy, I'll be here."

She smiled as much as she could before she cringed with pain. "You know you're talking about forever."

We were back to that. She didn't lie. She wasn't going to let it go. That was fine with me. She wasn't going to live forever meaning, eventually, I would win.

"Oh, you'll get over it – it's just a crush," I said, tossing her words back into her lap.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I was shocked when Renee swallowed that one. I know you know better."

"That's the beautiful thing about being human," I told her. "Things change."

"Don't hold your breath," she warned me.

Just then the nurse arrived to save the day, with a syringe in her hand. She brushed past me and I backed up as she injected the needle into the IV. "Here you go, honey," the nurse said. "You'll feel better now."

"Thanks," Bella mumbled as the nurse left the room. It was already hitting her. Soon she would rest, and so would I.

"Stay," her words slurred. She was talking to me.

I stepped over to her bedside and gently touched her cheek, letting her know I was there. "I will," I promised. "Like I said, as long as it makes you happy…as long as it's what's best for you."

"'S not the same thing," she mumbled as she began to drift off to sleep.

I laughed. "Don't worry about that now, Bella. You can argue with me when you wake up."

"'Kay," she smiled.

I bent over and touched her ear with my lips as I whispered to her, "I love you."

"Me, too," she said.

"I know," I said, mimicking her earlier response to me.

She turned her head towards me. I knew what she wanted. I moved my lips to hers, kissing her softly as she drifted further away.

"Thanks," she sighed.

"Anytime," I said.

She was still fighting the medication. She wasn't done talking.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"I'm betting on Alice," she said as her eyes became heavy and the medicine took effect. She now rested peacefully and quietly. I returned to the blue chair and commenced watching her in her peaceful state. There was total silence in the room, with the exception of the machines, the heart monitor finally beeping at slow, regular intervals for the first time since she had woken up.

A/N: The story is coming to a close. Please tell what you think. I am already working on the next book in the series and your encouragement keeps me writing. The Epilogue will be up soon. Thank you all for reading & stay with me as we continue the journey.