Edward's hair was bronze and stylistically disheveled. He was tall and thin, but muscular. He wore plain blue jeans and a maroon button-up shirt, but they looked worthy to be in a fashion runway. And I could see how my mother fell for this boy so many years ago. But my eyes kept looking warily at his.
"Hello Hannah." He said, his tone casual.
"Edward." I said, coldly, but my voice cracked, and I did my best not to break eye contact.
"You look so much like your mother." He said cooly.
"So I've heard." I said.
I was surprised by the anger that surged through me, although it was not unexpected. This was the man that ruined my mom's life. He nearly got her killed, and she's been traumatized since. Now his diet consists of humans. My life probably meant just as little to him as his victims, and he was clearly here under coercion. The prospect of staying in an actual hospital was starting to look good.
He walked up, and picked up my chart, quickly reading it.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Fine." I brushed off.
"I'm sure you do." He said, unbothered, setting the clipboard back down.
"We'll be continuing the physiotherapy that you've been doing with Carlisle." He said, smooth as any professional, "You haven't tried walking yet, have you?"
"No." I said.
He nodded, "You can start now if you wish. Just be mindful of your ribs."
"Carlisle said nothing about walking yet." I disputed.
He shrugged, "Carlisle was coddling you."
I looked at Alice, who stared at the wall with a glazed look in her eye.
"Whatever. Let's get this over with." I said.
Alice did a runthrough of exercising my knees, ankles, and my good arm as I sat upright in bed. Edward observed silently against the wall.
After my exercises were finished, Alice held her arms out to help me stand. My body was stiff, and my entire body complained when I threw my legs over the edge of the bed. My feet pressed against the cold hardwood, and my ankles and lower back complained. Edward appeared next to me with a walker.
"We don't have the proper equipment here, but this will do." Alice said.
She tried to speak lightly, but it sounded strained.
"Thanks." I said.
Alice supported me as I stood. My ankles and knees burned as I stood up for the first time in weeks.
"Is it supposed to hurt?" I asked.
"Yes." Edward brushed off, "It'll hurt less over time."
I slowly walked up and down the hallway with the walker and Alice supporting most of my weight. Even though Edward was supposed to be my doctor, Alice was the one helping me. I don't know if it was my imagination, but Edward seemed to be keeping his distance from me.
After a few minutes of my exercise, Alice helped me back into bed. My heart was pounding, and it felt like I went on a 10 mile hike, not a few minutes of awkward walking that was more like shuffling. My legs in particular were burning. Everything hurt still, but mostly it felt like a good hurt.
When I got settled back into bed, I looked back to where Edward was standing, but he was gone.
"Cheery guy." I said flatly.
Alice had a grim grin, "He didn't handle the breakup so well either."
"He left her. He has no right to complain." I said.
"It killed him to do it." Alice said, "Bella was at least able to move on. For Edward, that will never be a possibility. Our kind never forgets."
"How tragic." I said dryly.
"It is." She said sadly.
"Did he always eat humans?" I asked.
She shook her head, "No, that happened about 3 years after the breakup."
"Is that why he separated from you guys?" I asked.
"No," She said, "He left immediately after the breakup. We didn't even know until I saw his eyes in a vision."
Alice's visions. Carlisle mentioned something about them because that's how they found me. I was in a great deal of pain, so it was a little hazy.
"Your visions… You can see the future?" I asked.
"Sort of. I can see the future through the decisions someone makes. If they change their mind, their future changes." She explained.
"Okay." I said, but I had reached my limit for the impossible for today, "Alice, I'm kinda tired. Can I nap?"
"Sure." She said, unsurprised, and threw thin blankets over me.
"Can you bring me a cell phone? I wanna call my grandfather when I wake up." I asked.
Alice pulled a cell phone from her pocket and placed it on the small table next to the bed. I got comfy, and fell asleep almost immediately.
My nightmares consisted of wolves dying and vampires with bright red eyes drinking the blood of those I love. Edward finally getting my mother's blood. Thomas changing sides, deciding to drink mine. The last thing I remembered is his cold lips against my neck, and then a sharp sting as his razor sharp teeth broke through my delicate skin, and then my vision went blurry and everything went black.
I woke up in a cold sweat.
I grabbed the cell phone, pressed Papa's number, and let it ring. There was no answer, and I hung up.
"Alice?" I whispered.
She appeared immediately.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I want to go home." I said, weakly.
Edward materialized at the door. Was it just me, or did his eyes seem brighter?
"Soon, when Carlisle gives the okay." She said.
"You can't go home yet." Edward dismissed.
"My injuries don't seem that bad." I countered.
"And?" He prompted.
"I'm well enough to travel back to Forks. My life isn't in danger anymore. Medically, anyway." I said.
His face darkened, "That's not a good idea."
"What not?" I asked.
"Don't ask questions." He said in a hard voice.
I flinched. He was so cold. I felt vulnerable in this bed. He could kill me in a second if he wanted to. Or at the very least, leave because he clearly didn't want to be here. Whose loyalty kept him here?
"Alice, make her food." Edward ordered, and he left the room.
Alice looked at me, and I nodded, too terrified to talk, and she left the room.