For Your Eyes Only

Chapter Fourteen - When There Was A Breakthrough

A few weeks later...

I had a similar dream for the next few weeks on end, but there were many different variations of scene. Some were back in the meadow, some were in school and some were, worryingly, in my bedroom.

Despite this, they still involved the same person, the same longing and the same kissing. I woke up panicking every time, wondering what I might have said aloud after each one. Luckily Edward seemed to be acting fairly normal and I assumed that I'd kept my mouth shut for once.

The time went gradually by and we'd still heard nothing at all from the police. I was certainly beginning to feel a little disheartened and it was difficult to imagine what Edward felt. I'd never asked him, though, and wasn't sure if I really should; it was important to him and bringing it up could upset him. Besides, he seemed far away and deep in his thoughts all the time and I didn't want to disturb him.

Carlisle seemed a bit quiet too, and I wondered if he had visited Edward after all. We still went to his place after school more or less every day and hadn't come across him for a long time.

I still kept seeing Charlie on Fridays and he seemed really so much better. It was almost certain that he'd be coming home soon and, even though that was great, I was still scared about the whole him-being-around-while-Edward-was-still-there thing. It was unlikely that Charlie would actually be able to see him too, but it still made me feel a little anxious.

Still, one step at a time.

Waking up, I was shocked to see Edward right in front of me; if it was possible, his nose could have touched mine.

I automatically knew it was him because, as my eyes focused, all I could make out was shocking blurs of green that could only be his eyes.

"Hello," I mumbled into the pillow, my voice sounding as though it had been deprived of water for a few days. I immediately felt self conscious and coughed, trying again. "Hello," I repeated, sounding more normal. "Sorry about that. A frog seems to have made a home out of my throat."

He chuckled. "How are you this morning?"

"Pretty good thanks," I smiled, sitting upright and stretching my arms. I was careful to make sure nothing clicked, knowing that Edward disliked it. "Yourself?"

"Same old," he replied, smiling crookedly again. "Actually, are you sure you're alright? I couldn't help noticing that you tossed and turned quite a few times last night."

My eyes widened and I cringed to myself; I'd been dreaming a lot again last night and Edward had managed to secure the star role. It was really messing with my head and I didn't know what to think anymore.

"I was just dreaming," I answered, not meeting his eyes. My attempt at nonchalance was laughably pathetic but Edward seemed oblivious.

"And how was it?" he asked.

"It was... nice," I lied, my reply sounding more like a question.

He smirked and muttered something which sounded like descriptive under his breath.

"Thank you," I replied, then quickly frowned to myself. "Hang on, what day is it?"

"Tuesday," he answered, and I groaned almost immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I have school. That's what's wrong." I slumped back down. "All I ever seem to do is moan about it."

"Have the day off," he suggested. "Surely you won't miss that much."

"What would my excuse be, though? I wasn't in yesterday because I couldn't be bothered?"

A smirk appeared on his face again, something which I adored and made my stomach flutter a little. Gee, what was happening to me?

"Well, it's up to you," he added.

I thought for a moment. "No, I'd better go in. We're doing some fairly important work in English today... that's where I first saw you," I smiled to myself and he did the same. My mind transported back to that day which I could remember like it was just yesterday, but which, in reality, had actually happened many weeks ago now. "I always think of it when I'm in that classroom," I pondered. "It was quite embarrassing, though."

"Yeah." He looked like he was fighting a smile because his jaw tightened and his lips pursed together. "When you fainted, you hit the desk pretty hard."

"Thanks for reminding me," I said bluntly. "I'd forgotten all about that. Although, the permanent dent in my forehead is quite a reminder."

He laughed heartily. "No problem." He paused, then squinted to check my forehead. I snorted.

"I was joking, you idiot."

A disgruntled expression crept onto his face. Gosh, he really did look wonderful whatever his mood was. There were probably loads of girls that lusted after him before all this happened and when he could still be seen.

My eyes suddenly widened. Had he had a girlfriend?

No, no. He would have told me. She would have been worried.

But still... Why did the thought of that repulse me? Considering it made waves of jealousy creep over me, something that was quite sickening. Sure, I'd experienced times of being a green eyed monster when it came to Jasper Whitlock, but this feeling was overpowering.

"Bella?"

I'd been daydreaming again. "Sorry, Edward. W-What were you saying?"

"I was just saying about how you can be quite fiery sometimes. In a good way, though," he added quickly, clearly noticing my expression. "Y'know, just now with me and that one time in the supermarket." I opened my mouth to start protesting over the fact that the woman behind the counter had slammed down my biscuits way too hard and caused them all to break when he raised a hand to stop me. "No, no, hang on. I'm making my point here," he grinned. "On the day that I met you, you were quite forceful with the nurse too."

"But that was different. She was irritating beyond belief. And besides, you really did scare me and I was in an unstable mental state," I replied seriously, trying to distract myself away from my thoughts before. Did he think I was hot headed? Surely I wasn't that bad...

"That's understandable," he answered. "I still feel awful about making you crash your truck."

"It's forgotten," I replied quickly, managing a small smile. "Onto more pressing matters, do you think I'm too fiery sometimes, then?"

He smiled back. "No, no. I actually like a woman who sticks up for herself." He winked at me and my heart fluttered by his unusual action; it wasn't in his character. He actually looked a bit worried that he'd done the wrong thing but I quickly grinned back, and relief flooded his face. I was definitely going to encourage the winking from now on.

"Anyway," I suddenly said, heaving myself upright. "Time to get ready I think. Oh, the fun never ends."

"Sarcasm, Bella," Edward warned, heading towards the door already. His back was to me but I could hear the smile in his voice. I laughed back.

"See you in a minute."

"Bella?"

Edward suddenly spoke up while we were queuing in the cafeteria and I glanced over at him subtly, aware that we were surrounded by plenty of people who would probably notice almost straight away if I started acting oddly.

I inclined my head a little to make him carry on.

"I... it's happened suddenly, but I feel... different."

Paying for my sandwich and apple, my eyes widened and the lady at the counter gave me a strange look. "Are you alright, love?"

"Yeah," I nodded, a little too quickly. "I'm... uh, just a bit surprised at the price of this food."

I bit my lip, knowing I'd said the wrong thing, and she narrowed her eyes at me. "Well you know what to do if you want to complain," she spat, her gaze suddenly ice cold. "There's a box of feedback forms over there," she jerked her thumb in some random direction, "so feel free to leave your thoughts."

I was a little alarmed at her outburst but smiled sweetly and nodded, gathering my food. "Uh... thanks."

As I walked away, I distinctly heard her mutter just like her father and had to resist the urge to turn around and defend him. How dare she say that about Charlie? She didn't even know him. He was just a celebrity in Forks because it was such a small place and the news about his alcohol addiction travelled fast.

Well, stuff her. We'll see what she thinks when he comes out of rehab completely clean and refreshed.

I'd been having an internal debate that was so intense and I hardly noticed when I nearly tripped over a table. I finally managed to sit down and glanced at Edward, who was looking a little boggled.

Wow, I really was quite hot headed.

"Evil cafeteria staff," he chuckled, his eyes crinkling on the edges.

"Yeah," I agreed, flipping open my phone as usual for cover and biting into my apple. It was soft and soggy, and I gagged, chucking it back onto the table in disgust. "Ugh, she's trying to poison us all now."

He smiled briefly and I suddenly remembered what he'd told me that had caused all this anger.

"Oh, sorry, completely forgot," I shook my head. "How do you mean by feeling different?"

His eyebrows furrowed together, an expression I soon recognised as one which he adopts while thinking deeply. "I'm not sure. I can't even describe it." He thought for another moment, opening and closing his mouth several times. "It's like... argh, I can't find the words." He glanced up, noticing my flummoxed expression. "Sorry. That wasn't very helpful."

I shook my head once more. "Don't worry. Sometimes there are feelings you just can't put into words."

That was something I knew only too well and the significance of what I'd said lingered in the air around us. I wasn't sure if he'd noticed it, but things seemed a lot more intense for me as a result.

He remained silent for a while, clearly lost in his thoughts again. While he was, I made a start on my sandwich and was surprised to find it actually tasted quite pleasant. There didn't seem to be any trace of strange ingredients or whatever.

"Is it good different or bad different?" I offered after a while, trying to make the explaining easier for him.

"Uh, it's just... different."

"Hmm. Maybe..."

"No, Bella, you are not going to go to the hospital."

My mouth dropped open; he'd just read my thoughts.

"How did you know I was gonna say that?" I protested.

He smiled. "I just know you now."

I pouted. "But that was a good idea. We'd know if there had been any developments..."

"Hmm."

"That's a no, then," I huffed. "Well, I could always call Carlisle."

"Maybe that's a better idea," he pondered and I looked up at him. There was a strange expression on his face; something that looked like fear. He seemed so vulnerable and again I just wanted to wrap my arms around him. "I'm scared, Bella," he suddenly admitted.

A mixture of pain and frustration swept through me once more. I really wanted to do something to help him, to comfort him, but knew I couldn't. It was so irritating and I sometimes just wanted to throw something. I was so fed up with this feeling.

"It'll be okay," I tried, knowing my words meant nothing. "I'll ring Carlisle now."

"What if he's working, though?"

I bit my lip. "It's worth a try."

After I'd dialled the numbers, my hands starting shaking and I dropped my head in embarrassment, feeling very paranoid. Glancing quickly around, nobody seemed to be looking in our direction, and I jumped when Carlisle's voice came softly into my ear.

"Hello this is Dr Carlisle Cullen. I'm afraid I..."

I snapped the phone shut and then remembered, and reopened it again. "Answer phone," I told Edward. He sighed as a result.

"Maybe you could go to the hospital yourself?" I suggested and his face fell.

"I haven't been there for ages." His gaze was focused on the table. "It scares me now."

I admired his honesty and smiled briefy. "Alright. Okay. Well, we'll just have to stay at his house tonight and wait till he comes home." I paused. "Although maybe he'd be pretty annoyed at us for doing that."

"He doesn't seem the type of person to get annoyed. What time does his shift finish, anyway?"

"About 9ish I think."

He frowned. "Maybe I should just go to the hospital myself."

"No, Edward," I protested. "You don't want to, so you shouldn't have to."

He met my eyes and nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

"Excuse me, Isabella Swan?

A new voice came from behind me and it was the dinner lady who had given me the abuse a few minutes before. I looked up at her in confusion.

"You're not allowed mobile phones in the cafeteria."

I frowned. "Since when?"

"Since now." She held out her wrinkled hand and I sighed, knowing it was no use to protest. I placed my phone in her hand.

"When can I get it back?" I demanded.

"The end of the week," she answered, walking away and placing it in her back pocket. I suddenly felt repulsed and panicked; I had no way of contacting anyone now for a few days. What if there was an emergency? Gah, why hadn't I just protested like a normal person?

"I'm an idiot," I declared, placing my head in my hands.

Edward snorted. "No, you're not. I'm sure you just don't like conflict." He paused. "Actually, that's not completely true."

I just sighed.

The rest of the day passed by horribly slowly, mainly because we were both so on edge. I'd practically gnawed away all of the skin around my thumb nail and Edward wandered off a lot, claiming he need some 'time alone.'

Most of the time I was afraid he wouldn't come back, but everytime he did I sighed heavily with relief. I was like a parent, worried everytime my child went out of my sight.

"Can't you just skip last lesson?" Edward pleaded in the corridor. His tone sounded so desperate that I half expected him to be on his knees, begging. "I can't stand staying in a classroom for another hour. These teachers are so dull."

"Sorry, it'll look bad if I skip. You're most definitely a bad influence, though."

He smirked. "I do apologise." We stepped through the doors and sighed almost simultaneously. "This had better be interesting."

"You don't have to come along," I muttered quietly.

"Someone's gotta keep you company. And besides you seem to panic everytime I leave."

I cleared my throat in embarrassment. "Anything could happen."

We settled down at the back for the lesson and within half a minute or so my mind had already travelled away from the topic. I'd come to the conclusion that whatever was happening with Edward couldn't be something bad. If it was, he would have disappeared like he did last time. I shuddered just thinking about it.

Maybe we'd had a breakthrough...

"Miss Swan?"

I bolted upright, realising the teacher was looking directly at me. Crumbs. "Sorry, sir?"

"Not listening again," he tutted. "Your mind has been wandering a lot lately, Miss Swan. Please do try to focus." I nodded. "No doubt there's a boy involved," he muttered under his breath and my face flustered.

When he turned back to teach the class I grabbed some paper and scrawled the words bad influence down in big capital letters, underlining it several times for effect. Edward caught sight of it and chuckled.

"Sorry, again."

We'd spent many hours at Carlisle's house after school had finally ended and, even though I enjoyed playing the piano with Edward, it was clear that we were both anxious for the owner to get back the whole time. I made quite a few silly mistakes but he didn't seem to mind. He was clearly just as distracted as me.

When the clock eventually ticked past nine, I began pacing around frantically, nearly making permanent grooves in Carlisle's soft carpet. My thoughts were whirling around, desperately anticipating news and always swinging back and forth about whether it'd be good or bad. Maybe there'd be no news at all. That'd be a disappointment.

Or maybe it'd be a relief. I honestly didn't know.

When the hands slowly ticked past half past, though, I began to feel frustrated.

"Where is he?"

Edward shrugged. "Maybe he was held up."

Just as he said this, there was the sound of a door opening and Carlisle suddenly rushed through into the room, clearly surprised to see me. He looked flushed but his eyes seemed alert and strangely frantic.

"Bella, I've been phoning you all day!" He ran his fingers through his unnaturally messy hair. "Couldn't you have picked up?"

I reached into my pocket then winced. "Ah, sorry! My phone was confiscated. Why, has something happened?"

"I thought you might be at the hospital but you weren't, so then I went back to your house and it seemed empty..." He paused for breath. "Blimey, I never thought I'd find you. And yes, something has happened."

My heart thumped wildly and I felt Edward approach by my side. The tension was practically prickling in the air and I suddenly felt sick. Please, please, please make it be good news. "W-What is it?"

Carlisle looked at me and suddenly smiled widely, his eyes twinkling and the intensity disappearing from his face. "Edward's gradually recovering. He's showing signs of waking up soon. Could be any day now."

My hand clasped over my mouth in joyful disbelief and I reached out to hug Carlisle. I met Edward's gaze and we both smiled happily at eachother. So that explained why he was feeling different earlier...

It was most definitely good different. No, stuff that, it was fantastic different. No, brilliant different.

Edward could wake up soon!