This is the twenty-fourth chapter to my fourteenth story. Refer to prologue for info.
Disclaimer: These are Stephenie Meyer's characters. I have my ideas, and I'm fitting them in the month or so between New Moon and Eclipse.
A/N: I'm dating this story based on Twilight Lexicon's Timeline.
Bella's POV:
I slept in Saturday, happy to escape the pain of consciousness. The new cut didn't burn all night, complying with my silent wish.
When I did awake, two hours before noon, the bright smile on Edward's lips greeted my eyes. Before he could say a word, though, I smashed my lips to his and took advantage of his willingness. Just as I ran out of breath, he pulled away, with that gorgeous smile still intact.
"What are you so happy about?" I asked, smiling back.
"Nothing," he stated calmly, working to keep the grin off his face.
After a long pause, in which I tried unsuccessfully to stare him into telling, Edward spoke up again. "I'll make you breakfast while you have some human time."
I pouted a bit in one last effort to get him to tell. Earning no response but the smirk on his face, I gave up and stalked toward the bathroom.
What I needed was a nice shower after last night. I turned on the water and stripped. With my body exposed, I lightly traced the cut from just hours ago. It burned at the touch, but it was tolerable.
I relaxed into the water, washing away all the painful memories as best as I could. Feeling the hair on my calves, I reached for the razor to shave. Absentmindedly, I began removing the course hair.
Mere moments later, Edward appeared, towel in hand, and gathered me up. He sat down with me in his lap, much like the first night.
I looked down to see what had startled him. There, on my left leg, was a deep wound, bleeding freely onto my calf. I practically puked from the sight. Thankfully, a bit of steam was still rising through the air.
"I didn't mean to," I said as tears began to form in my eyes.
"Of course not. I believe you. Please don't cry."
With all my strength, I held the tears back. Then a fresh wave came as the cut began to sting.
"It hurts, Edward," I whimpered.
Silently, he picked me up and carried me to bed. I was placed under the covers with my left leg hanging out.
"Be right back," he murmured, kissing my forehead.
A second later he was next to my wound, dabbing it with a soft, wet towel. When the excess blood was gone, he placed some Neosporin on the cut and wrapped a band-aid over it.
"I know you hate needles, but you needed some kind of antiseptic," he said, squeezing my knee gently.
I nodded.
Edward sat cross-legged on the floor by my side after tucking my left leg under the covers. Instead of the smile he wore this morning, concern leaked onto all of his features.
"Will you lay next to me?" I asked, trying to seize the moment for some intimacy as well as make him happy again.
To both my approval and dismay, he crawled onto the bed next to me, resting on top of the covers. I snuggled against his chest and he wrapped his strong arms around me.
"Will you tell me why you were so happy this morning?" I inquired, hoping his smile would return.
"Alice had a vision."
I nodded encouragingly, hoping to get it all out of him.
"That was your last cut," he whispered almost too softly for me.
Stunned into silence. I closed my eyes ad wished myself back to sleep. All the different emotions running through me were confusing.
Was that good, or what??