I give you all major apologies for my long absence. I never thought or planned on being gone this long. Some insight on why I've been gone will be at the bottom.

I had this chapter written for awhile but a couple of months ago I read it and realized it sucked. So I deleted it and redid it. I'm much more satisfied with this version. I hope you like it.

Thank you to all who still read this and project team beta.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Previously:Rosalie is still wary of Tanya and plans to figure out about the mystery of her husband who had disappeared. Jacob is questioning Bella's feelings for him and if she can ever truly love him. Bella went through a series of odd misfortunes. Then, while she is driving, her car does not stop and she realizes that her brakes aren't functioning. Edward is called to the ER to see Bella injured from her car accident.

Bella (POV)

Everything was so white and unfocused when I opened my eyes.

So I closed them.

Then things were black again.

I liked black.

Edward (POV)

"Hey, Jacob," I greeted softly when he walked into Bella's hospital room. He nodded in greeting and sat down on the other side of the bed, staring at Bella as she slept. He shifted in the uncomfortable lime green chair, causing it to creak. At any other time I would have laughed seeing a chair made of steel and plastic struggle to hold a man's weight.

But this was not a time to laugh because Bella's brakes had failed.

The report had said that she had driven her car into a brick wall due to brake failure, more specifically the brick wall of a liquor store. Bella came into the hospital bleeding profusely from her head, suffering from leg and chest injuries, and unconscious.

Two ribs were broken, causing some fear of a punctured lung, but luckily that wasn't the case. There was head trauma, which was our major concern. Bella had a large, dark colored bruise on her chest, and she also had two gashes on her right leg. One of the gashes was on the side of her thigh and only needed four stitches, but the other gash on her lower leg needed twelve. It was likely that the smaller wound would heal easily with minimal to no scaring, but the other was a bit trickier. We wouldn't be able to see the extent of possible nerve damage until Bella woke up and we could do some tests, but hopefully she would only need time, possibly physical therapy, and rest.

In a way, Bella was lucky. Her injuries should have been much more severe for the speed her truck was going and the sudden impact into the wall. The reason why she attained such minor injuries was because her truck was built like a canon. For many years, we had made fun of her monstrosity of a vehicle, and we constantly told her to upgrade, but she never faltered because "It's my baby, bitches, so back the hell off and respect my truck."

Once Bella woke and was fully aware of her surroundings, I wondered how she'd take the news that her truck was totaled – never to be driven again.

"It's been hell the past two days, huh?" Jacob asked, breaking the silence. I glanced at him and saw that although we had totally different features, we looked sort of alike at the moment. Both of us had dark circles under our eyes, and the lines around them were more prominent. While both of us had laugh lines around our mouths, we were starting to form deeper frown lines. So in general, we looked like crap.

"Yes, but it's ridiculous since she's going to be fine."

He shrugged slightly, his shoulders not willing to put in much effort. "We can't help what we feel man. When I saw it was Bella . . . I felt so many different emotions at once – not one of 'em good. We see so many patients, so many people in pain, and we do what we can to make them better 'cause it's our job. But when it's someone I know, someone I care for, I do what I'm not supposed to – panic.

"We have to be calm and collected, no matter what the situation, and it's not that hard most of the time. Then something changes," Jake said. "You're not the relaxed guy who handles everything while everyone freaks out. You become the person freaking out. You question everything you do, wondering if you're making the best decision, or if what you're doing is right. It's not a good feeling. Then afterwards, when everything is over, you feel like shit because the feeling of failure just crashes down on you."

"We can't save everyone, Jake," I said solemnly, wishing that we could. In the back of my mind, I realized how odd it was for the both of us to be speaking like this. We had been friends since we first met, although things had gotten strained and awkward when he started dating Bella. Yet even back then we never really ventured into deep discussions.

"I know that." He sighed, his eyebrows furrowed as he traced gentle circles on the back of Bella's hand. I stared, transfixed at the sight of Jacob's russet skin against Bella's pale complexion.

I shook my head. "It's okay to care about people, but by doing so you have to be prepared to take the possible consequences. As doctors, it's suggested to remain emotionally unattached to any and all patients. Usually it isn't so hard. You see people, do what you can, and move on to the next person."

Jacob opened his mouth, but closed it after some thought. I waved my hand, encouraging him to speak what was on his mind. With wary eyes, he asked, "Were you always this way? You know . . . when it comes to patients?"

"Pretty much, yeah, but it's mostly because of my father, Carlisle."

"From what I heard, he was one of the best, right?" Jacob asked.

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, but he made a huge mistake."

Jacob raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging me to continue.

"He never personally told me the whole story or any details really, but I know that one night, when he was working the late shift, there was a family that got into an accident. Some guy just drove his truck right into their car – he was high as a kite. It was your usual family: a dad, a mom, a son, and a daughter. The boy I believe was around eleven, and I think the girl was six. Well, my dad did everything he could and so did the rest of the staff, but the wounds were just too severe. The mom had died on impact, so she was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy died soon after from too much blood loss, a punctured lung, and from too much pressure on his chest caused by the door of the car. He had died before he was fully in the ambulance. I know they got the dad as far as the surgery room, but he ended up dying before they were able to do anything."

Jacob frowned. "And what about the little girl?" he asked hesitantly, the circles he drew on Bella's hand stopping so he could hold it. I averted my eyes from his firm, loving grip.

"They put her in intensive care, and my dad made sure to keep an eye on her. On his breaks and during his lunch he would read, talk, and comfort her. That little girl got under his skin and into his heart."

Jacob looked at me sadly. "Why do I feel like this story doesn't have a happy ending?"

"Because it doesn't," I told him bluntly. "She died three weeks after the accident. My father was a wreck; he barely ate, he didn't talk to any of us, and he spent most of his time at her grave. It took him a long time to heal, and to this day he still visits her grave. So when I made the decision to become a doctor, I vowed that I wouldn't go through what my father did. I know sometimes it's unstoppable; you can't help but have a soft spot for some people. I just never want to be destroyed by grief and end up having to fight for who I am."

Jacob's eyes became pained. "I wanted to become a doctor because of the impact my mom's death had on me. She died of breast cancer when I was ten, so I was old enough to really be impacted by it. I felt that by becoming a doctor, I could save other kids' moms, and that they would never have to go through what I did. My dad had also spent a lot of his life in a wheel chair, and all I could do was wheel him around and give him his medication. When he died . . . I just knew that a doctor was what I wanted to be. I mean, I know everyone is going to die, but by being a doctor I can maybe, hopefully, prolong their life a bit."

I stared at Bella who was still sleeping peacefully and unaware that the two people who were in love with her were sort of bonding. If that was what you could call what was going on.

After a moment of silence, I heard Jacob's chair creak. "You know what? I just remembered something," he said, drawing my attention to him. His eyebrows were furrowed, his lips were in a hard line, and the hold he had on Bella's hand tightened a bit.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner," Jacob whispered.

"What?" I asked, hoping he didn't hear the annoyance that leaked into my tone.

"I checked her truck not too long ago and everything was fine," he said, perplexed.

"What about the brakes?" I knew that Jake was more than competent when it came to cars. He had even told me once that if he hadn't become a doctor he probably would have become a mechanic.

"All good, and so was the brake fluid," he assured me.

"That's strange."

8~*~8

I took off my white doctor's coat and placed it on the silver coat hanger by the door of the staff lounge. My eyes travelled the room, seeing that only a few nurses, assistants, trainees, office staff, and one receptionist were on a break. I smiled in greeting to those who looked at me, as I quickly made my way to the coffee machine. It was only six o'clock, but I felt more fatigued than usual. I blamed Bella being a patient, which forced me to deal with a wrecking ball of emotions. Since hospitals always had people working, there was always coffee brewing. It wasn't always good coffee, but when you needed a quick energy boost, you could not really be picky. Most of the staff was considerate, though, and bought the good, although more expensive, coffee for the rest to enjoy. I usually always bought some when I went to the grocery market or Starbucks to bring back to the hospital and leave it available to the others.

I opened one of the above cabinets to grab a plain white ceramic cup and then filled it with hot coffee. Sitting in one of the lone light-blue tables, I sipped my coffee and listened to the hum of other's conversations. Due to being lost in thought, I was startled by someone pulling a chair at my table.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen. May I sit with you?" asked Dr. Gerandy with his gentle voice, his hand on the edge of the chair. Dr. Gerandy was a nice man and a good friend. He was a wise and experienced doctor in his early fifties who was liked for his bedside manner. Children especially loved him.

I motioned for him to sit, smiling warmly. "Of course, Doctor."

He smiled in thanks and sat down, placing his own cup of coffee on the table. His hand soon wrapped around his coffee cup, bringing it to his lips and taking a rather large drink. When he placed the cup down, I noticed the difference between his and mine. While mine was plain and came from the hospital for the purpose of any staff member to use, his was also white but had 'World's greatest dad' written in bright red lettering. Next to the words was a picture of a yellow trophy. I smiled bitterly as I compared them side by side.

Dr. Gerandy also noticed the difference along with my expression. "My daughter, Janie, gave this to me four years ago, when she was ten, for Christmas. I remember not long after that I was running late for the ER shift and just grabbed a thermos I used for such occasions. I hadn't been aware that Janie was watching me. I didn't get home until the next day at around six in the morning. After some sleep, I went to go spend time with my family. Janie wasn't around, so I played with my two younger ones, Martin and Arlene. I grew concerned that Janie wasn't involving herself in our playtime, so I went looking for her. When I found her in her bedroom, she just bolted out of the room! It was the fastest I had ever seen her go. I thought it was a game, so I ran after her, followed with playful chants that I was going to catch her. When I did, however, she cried for me to let her go. After several attempts at getting her to tell me what was wrong, she said she was angry that I had left the cup home. So I swore that I'd never take another cup or what she deemed an evil thermos."

Several chuckles escaped me during his story as I pictured a little Janie heartbroken that her dad didn't take her cup to work. I had met Janie several times, but not as a child. She was now a very outspoken teenager with her father's straight, light-brown hair and her mother's thin lips and button nose.

"You know," Dr. Gerandy continued, "I never understood why people consider starting a family the end of an adventure. If anything, it is the beginning of a bigger one. Dr. Cullen, you're at the age where you're starting a family or at least thinking about it. Since you're not married and judging from some things I've noticed" – we both glanced at the cups – "you're thinking about a possible family. While that is wonderful, just remember not to rush things. You have a lot ahead of you, and like all adventures, it is important to enjoy the experience and the road it takes to get there."

"Thanks for the advice, but so much has happened in what seems like such a short span of time, and I just don't know how to deal with any of it. I keep thinking about a good way to go about everything, but I just come up blank. Also, Bella being in the hospital hasn't exactly helped things."

Dr. Gerandy's expression was grim as he took another large gulp of coffee. "Ah yes, I saw her name in the patient admissions. What a horrible thing to happen – brake failure. Although it seems like she'll be as good as new after some time if that leg heals nicely. As for whatever else is troubling you, know that I will be glad to help you by giving the best advice I can give or by simply being an ear to your problems," he said seriously.

My mouth opened to reply, but suddenly a young woman who seemed to be a volunteer walked up to our table. Both Dr. Gerandy and I looked at her expectantly, and she smiled awkwardly in response. With her left hand, she tugged at her dark-brown hair that was in a high pony tail, staring at the wall behind us.

"Um, there is a Rosalie McCarty here and she wants to talk to you. She's in room 387W with patient Isabella Swan," the woman said hurriedly, her feet now rocking back and forth.

Smiling, I thanked her and learned that her name was Natalie. After she practically ran away I turned to Dr. Gerandy.

"I remember I was kind of like that when I was working for my hours as a med student," he said with a fond smile. I chuckled as I too remembered those early days as a trainee.

"Yes, me too, though I was known to stutter quite often. It was only after I gained more confidence in my abilities that I was able to speak a full sentence more clearly. Thank you again, Dr. Gerandy, for your offer and for your company. I just might take you up on it."

"You do that," he said as he waved me off. I quickly drank the rest of my coffee and put it in the sink, only slightly caring that someone else would have to wash it.

When I walked inside Bella's room, Rosalie was sitting beside her. She was fiddling with her wedding ring, a habit of hers, as she stared almost absently at Bella.

"Hey, Rose. The others couldn't make it?" I asked. Her eyes smoothly turned to me, like I didn't just interrupt her deep thoughts. Her manicured fingers stopped playing with her ring and moved to settle on her lap.

"Nope, but they are all coming tomorrow for sure. Alice had to go visit a possible wedding location up north with some clients. I was so glad to not have to go because of course I wanted see Bella, but also because that chick was driving me crazy. She's a picky, trust fund baby and is driving Alice and me nuts. She said no to all churches without even looking at them because they're too depressing and some other shit. We've taken her to several other locations but they either don't have good lighting, she doesn't get a good vibe, or 'my wedding here would be a total embarrassment for I am of high class, not a knocked-up hussy.'" Rosalie had quoted the woman with a low voice and a hand placed on her hip, all while holding her head up comically high.

Laughing, I stood closer to Bella's bed, my eyes traveling to the monitor on the other side of her. Everything was stable, although her blood sugar was too low for my liking.

"What about everyone else?" I asked, grabbing Bella's chart and checking when her last glucose administration was.

"Well, Emmett wanted to come here immediately, but I told him to deal with his problems at the bar since we were all coming tomorrow. He has been having issues with kids sneaking in and getting drinks. Emmett thinks that one of the employees is allowing it. He wants to get it under control before one of those kids get hurt."

"How does he know this is even going on?" Lifting the blanket up and laying it gently over Bella's upper body, my eyes scanned the wound on her leg, barely registering the gasp that escaped Rosalie's lips.

"He, um, saw them when he reviewed the security camera footage. Though he can't see how they got in since he only has one camera recording the front of the building. I told him to get more cameras, but he insists he doesn't need them." Her voice started off shaky, but after averting her eyes from Bella's jagged wound, she was able to calm herself. Rosalie was never good with these kinds of things.

"Jasper?" My fingers gently touched the edges of her injury, testing the amount of physical response. I stared at Bella's face for any amount of reaction as I applied various amounts of pressure to several areas around the gash. Bella visibly flinched a few times, which was good, but I noticed little to no reaction when touching the lower part of her injury. This worried me.

"Jasper might come later on today, but I doubt it. He wants to be here with Alice. You know how he hates hospitals. I would hate for him to lose it, so I told him he shouldn't push his control."

I nodded in agreement. Jasper coming here, especially without Alice, was asking for trouble.

"She. . .She's going to be okay, right?"

I smiled softly. "Yeah, she's going to be." A part of me, the doctor part, felt like I was giving her hope too freely.

Bella (POV)

I opened my eyes again, the harsh lights stinging, but after a few blinks, I was able to see clearly. I was, by the looks of it, in a hospital room.

How the hell did I get here?

I tried to think back to my last memory, but all I came up with were bits and pieces. I closed my eyes and thought harder. I remembered driving my truck, then feeling panicked, then scared, but that was it. I could recall nothing but flashes of me looking at my dashboard, and then a wall.

I was freaking out in my bed when Jacob walked in.

"Bella, you're awake! Oh, shit. Calm down. Take deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth," he instructed. I did as I was told, and I thankfully calmed down after several breathing exercises.

"Why am I here?" I asked once I felt like my brain wasn't going to jump out of my head. I was so confused.

"You don't remember anything?" he asked as he looked at some chart, and then at the screen that had all these numbers and lines that was by my bed. The only thing I could tell from the machines was that I was alive because the line was going up and down, and there wasn't a continuous beep. Of course the fact that I was fucking breathing showed I was alive, too.

"I only get flashes when I try to remember anything."

His eyebrows furrowed, but he seemed to nod in approval at the machines. "Does that happen when you try to remember anything or only what happened recently?"

I realized then that I wasn't used to "Doctor Jacob." He was so serious, and well, doctor-like. It was actually quite a turn on. "No, I can remember everything clearly except for what happened right before I ended up here, which is why I'm freaking the fuck out," I told him.

"Bella" – he started gently – "you were in an accident. Your truck's brakes failed and you crashed into a wall. You're injuries would have been much more serious if your truck wasn't built like a tank." He then continued to tell me all of my injuries and that nobody else was injured.

"I'm glad no one was hurt. So how bad is my truck?" I asked, closing my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the news.

I heard Jacob sigh. I was pretty sure that wasn't a good sign. "I'm sorry, Bella. Your truck . . . didn't make it."

Now my eyes were closed for a totally different reason – to keep my tears from spilling out. My lips trembled as my heart broke a little. I know it may seem that I was totally overreacting, but I loved that truck. It was my baby. I had it since I was seventeen. My dad gave it to me, and I was so happy to have my first car. I also foolishly thought it would be my last.

His voice was soothing when he spoke. "It's gonna be okay, Bells. Your car would want you to be happy and move on."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks, Jake. Is Edward working right now?"

He nodded. "Yup, well, he should be. Want me to go look for him?"

"Please."

8~*~8

Edward (POV)

I poked my head in Bella's room and saw her laughing at me.

"What?" I said, smiling. I walked closer and stood by her bed. A nurse had given her a hair tie and she had done her hair into a side fishtail braid. Even though she was in a loose hospital gown and the room was filled with harsh fluorescent lighting, she still took my breath away.

"Nothing, but the pain medication they gave me makes everything seem hilarious," she said, trying to control her giggles. Her laughter slowly died down, but a short chuckle would escape at random times. I saw her eyes were open wide, telling me that she was forcing them from drooping.

I chuckled and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, well, it's going to make you sleepy too." To prove my point she yawned, her eyes still wide. "I'll leave and let you sleep. Jesus, Bella. You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sor . . ." her voice drifted off as her eyes finally closed.

I smiled softly at her when she tried to open her eyes again, but she only managed to make them open halfway. Pressing the button on her bed to make it go completely horizontal, I whispered good night. I had planned to tell her that Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett would all be coming to visit her tomorrow, but I guessed that a surprise would be better. Then, I needed to discuss with her the concerns about her leg, but she obviously wasn't coherent enough.

I was about to leave when I heard her whisper, "I luff you." I turned around quickly to see that she was now asleep.

Smiling sadly, I whispered, "I love you, too. More than you believe."

Some of the reasons/excuses (depends on how you want to look at it): Two little baby girls have been added to my family, major family drama, I got a new job, I had to get a restraining order on someone (that wasn't fun), and I found out that I might be moving to a different state.

I am definitely going to finish this story, that I swear. My life has been really chaotic lately and I'm slowly starting to put things in order.

Also major thanks to you lovely reviewers who gave me comforting and hilarious words on my cheater ex. They really made me feel better :) Also, just in case some of you think so, he was not the one I put the restraining order on.

Question: Which movie never fails to make you cry?

p.s. I'm going to try to respond to reviews more. Let's see how that works out