Thank you for bearing through chapter 13 with me. I know, end of chapter 12 was like a big tease and I believe the ongoing request in ALL of my lovely reviews said something like "Open your eyes Edward!" We've waited long enough. Hmmmmm…. Can I drag this out for another 13 chapters?

It seems some of you can read my mind and aren't surprised that I dragged out the waiting process, but that is exactly what it is when your loved one is sick. You wait and you wait and you wait. I'm trying to be true to my story, true to me. I just didn't think a o/s of Edward's sick, goes to the doctor, gets better sounds like a very interesting story so we're almost there! I PROMISE!

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing

I do not own Edward, Jasper or anything else twilight.

Chapter 14 - JPOV

It was Friday evening. Edward had been here for ten full days.

I have spent almost every one of those moments within these plaster walls of the waiting room and his room a few yards away.

How much longer? No one had an answer to that question.

Every day we were assured that his condition was improving as his fever was almost completely gone and the doctors had all but stopped any sedation medications they had been giving him.

Why wasn't he waking up yet?

The doctors left the breathing tube and all of the catheters in and seemed prepared for him to succumb to the worst again.

I sat at his bedside for my few hours per day and prayed. It had been years since I prayed to God.

I was raised going to church every Sunday with each of the other families in our town. I heard the preacher pounding on the lectern and if we did this or that we would go to hell.

Trust me; I had done many of those things and more. During my senior year of high school, I stopped attending with my family. I stopped praying to whomever they said was up there. But I never discounted the fact that there was likely a higher power above us.

So I held my lover's hand, squeezed my eyes shut and prayed.

Maybe it was a selfish prayer that I sent up. Maybe that's why he wasn't waking up.

God… save my Edward. Don't let him leave us now. Don't leave me alone in this world.

Because that's exactly what I'd be. Alone.

I had a few friends, but they weren't my Edward. He was my best friend. He knew everything there was to know about me.

And I had no family I could turn back to. The Cullens were the closest thing I had to a family.

Carlisle and Esme had always accepted me into their home. As uncomfortable as I felt some of those occasions, they did their best to include me in their traditions.

On Christmas, Esme made sure I had a stocking hanging from the mantle right next to Edward's. For Independence Day, I was always invited to participate in the annual Forks baseball game. I usually sat on the sidelines and cheered for Edward, as I was never the most athletic, but they did their best to include me anyway.

Alice was harder because she lived halfway around the world. But either way, when she sent Edward boxes of designer suits and casual clothes, she made sure to add many things in my size as well.

Then there was Emmett… Emmett and I had made an uncomfortable truce in our waiting during this week and a half.

After I was forced to participate in a tense conversation with Edward's grandfather about anything I knew about CF or the location of Edward's notes and files in the house, I felt more uncomfortable with the old man than I could fathom. He made me feel about two inches tall with just a few words.

Later that same day, Emmett pulled me down into a nearby chair and whispered in my ear what a son of a bitch the old man could be. It was impossible for the older Edward to make peace with me.

I knew it had nothing to do with what I knew or didn't know about CF, but more because I was not who he would have chosen for his favorite grandchild. I could have been anyone, male or female, and chances are his grandfather would be looking down his nose at me and I could not have met his expectations.

I made my deal with God.

Please save my Edward. Bring him back to me soon. I will go to church, I will give everything I have. I need him with me.

I slowly stood and leaned over him. I touched his cheek which finally felt cool under my fingers.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered. "Come back to me soon."

I moved the paper mask away from my face and pressed a lingering kiss to his head.

He remained still. He did not squeeze my hand or respond to my touch. I heard the movement of the nurse outside of the room and quickly replaced the mask.

"I'll see you soon," I promised before stepping out of the room to allow Bella her time with her friend.

As usual, the family was sitting in the hard chairs lining the perimeter of the room. Emmett and Rose were missing possibly wander the halls of the hospital or in the cafeteria to keep from going stir crazy in this room. I knew they would not be far.

Carlisle was sitting in the corner with Esme's head leaning against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, however I doubted that she was sleeping.

Elizabeth and Edward were sitting opposite their son. Edward appeared to be studying the news intently as they discussed a further depression of the stock market index this week.

Alice sat closest to the door with a fashion magazine in her hand. She glanced up to me as I entered and offered a tight smile. Bella sat two chairs away from Alice, she was silent and unmoving against the wall. She opened her eyes to register my presence. I nodded towards her and she moved to sit with Edward.

I pretended to be preparing for my next lecture that I would have to video sometime this weekend. It was never this difficult to concentrate on my lectures and American history. I didn't see the words on the page as I was staring into my own dreamland again.

My eyes must have closed and I must have dozed off to sleep because the next thing I knew was the sun was shining through the window next to the door. I stretched and checked the time. It was almost nine o'clock. We were allowed visiting hours between seven in the morning to nine o'clock at night.

I was only awake for a few minutes before Emmett and Rosalie entered the room. Emmett turned to nod at Alice, but she turned to me.

"Jasper," Alice said, "I want you to go. He'll respond to you. Like he did before. I know he will."

I wasn't about to argue spending more time with my Edward, but I didn't want his sister to miss her time either.

"It's okay," she said seeming to read my thoughts, "I will go see him after you and Bella."

I leaned over in my chair to give her a quick hug before heading out to the intensive care unit doors.

I followed the same protocol that we all had to follow the past eleven days.

I washed my hands with the special hand sanitizer, pulled on the gown and mask and entered the cold glass room where my Edward lay.

I sat in the same chair and held his left hand and spoke the same quiet prayers that I only remembered from Sunday school years ago.

When I couldn't remember any more Bible stories, I made some up.

Finally, my voice gave out, I dropped my head to his still shoulder and I cried. I had shed plenty of tears over these days, but these tears could not be halted. They could not be slowed, and I didn't care.

No one was close enough to hear me but Edward.

I thought about all of the chances I missed.

Would we have gotten this far if I hadn't taken the moment to kiss him in the coffee shop?

What would have happened if I said yes the first time he asked me out?

What if I hadn't moved to Seattle to be with him?

Where would I be now?

Would he be here now if I did something different?

I stifled a heaving sob into the thin fabric of his hospital gown.

"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered against his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't have the guts to tell you how much I loved you the first day I saw you looking at me across the green."

Filling my lungs up with air I breathed, "I love you babe. I love you so much."

The air around me was still. I did my best to control the tears before sitting up and putting myself back together.

At that moment, I paused. I noticed a slight touch against my hand.

I startled upright in my chair and stared at the sight before me.

His thumb stroked my hand. His green eyes were open.

~~~~~EPOV~~~~~

The first thing I was aware of was pain.

I had a burning sensation in my chest.

I tried to breathe but there was something stuck down my throat.

I tried to raise my hands to remove it but they felt like lead bricks but it took all of my strength and power

I heard faint voices in the background. Nothing loud enough for me to make out the voices or the words, but I knew someone was there.

I tried to take a deep breath again to call out for help.

Nothing. Whatever this thing was that was in my throat was keeping me from moving, from talking.

I was trapped.

The blackness pulled me under again.

Every so often, my mind would open again and it was the same.

The burning pain.

The terrible feeling of something jabbed down my throat

Sometimes I would hear a mechanical beeping noise in the background.

But always the voices. They were always there.

The voices did seem different. Sometimes it seemed like there were a few at a time. Sometimes it was only one.

Was I on show? Who were these people?

I have no idea.

Time meant nothing.

I was stuck in the blackness.

At some point, I felt a warm tingling sensation start in my fingers. It moved from my fingers and up to my arm.

Was this my body's way of trying to pull me out of this black lagoon or whatever I'm in?

I don't know, but anything is better than this.

I climbed towards that wonderful warm sensation.

It was like swimming through pea soup at midnight. I just hoped I was going in the right direction.

I swam and swam and swam.

Finally, there was light. It was white and blinding.

I glanced around me and didn't recognize anything here.

Where am I?

I turn my attention back towards my arm where the warm tingling sensation began.

There's a man here.

He's leaning into my chest. It sounds like he's crying.

Could that be? This strong, beautiful man sitting beside me is crying? Why would he be crying like this?

Do I know him?

Then I hear his words. "I love you, babe. I love you so much."

Is he talking to me? I don't see anyone else here he could be talking to.

I pause for a moment and study the man's features that I can see.

He is tall. He has long blonde hair that is tickling the side of my neck. I feel his coarse hand dipped into mine. He says he loves me.

My Jasper.

Oh, my Jasper is here. With me. Crying.

Why is he crying? I have never seen my Jasper cry. Not even when his daddy told him he wasn't welcome and not to bother to come home for our first Christmas together.

I need to get his attention.

I tried to call his name, but that damn thing down my throat wouldn't let me.

I tried to shake him from my shoulder, but he was too strong and I was too weak.

Finally, my only other option was his hand.

I stroked his hand with my thumb.

He didn't move. He didn't notice.

I did it again. Still nothing.

The third time, I closed my eyes and put every ounce of effort I had into it.

He bolted upright in his chair.

He stared at me. I stared at him.

His face was red and blotchy. His blue eyes were swollen and tired with dark rings surrounding them.

He reached out to touch my face.

I closed my eyes and leaned into his cool hand.

"Edward," he whispered my name.

I was able to form no response. I'm sure I blinked once, but I was unable to break eye contact again with my love.

"Oh, Edward," he exclaimed again.

Suddenly, he broke all contact. He rubbed his face once to push away any stray tears and ran from the room.

I wanted to yell, "stop" "wait" "come back." Anything to bring him back to me, but he was gone.