Chapter 25

"Breathe deep for me. Alright. Again. Alright. Are you having trouble breathing? Is it painful?"

Bella stood outside of the little curtained off room, trying to find the courage to go in. She listened as the doctor was checking him over, not wanting to interrupt anything—at least that was the excuse she was using for being a coward. She was glad Rosalie hadn't brought Kaley down, she didn't want her daughter to see what a mess she was.

"No. I mean it burns a little but no more than normal. Inhaling too much smoke isn't uncommon for me."

"Alright, let's see that back of yours. I already know that it's really bruised but I want to make sure there were no discs knocked out of place. Are you in a lot of pain because of it?"

"Yeah. I'll admit to that one."

"Well, let's take a look."

Bella listened as Edward let out a pained hiss and a grunt. She fought tears, trying to remind herself that he wasn't dying...just in pain...but that hurt her almost as much. "Your back is really cut up, must be from going down through the floor boards. You're going to need a few stitches and I want x-rays done. Do you know if your father is working today? I would suggest letting your family know what's going on. Is there anywhere you're expected to be?"

"No. I have to call my girlfriend, though. If she knows what happened she's probably scared. My daughter's with a friend. Can you just give me a sec and then we'll go for the x-rays?"

"Yeah. I'll go get things ready. Don't sit back, I'm going to get what I need for the stitches first."

The curtain bunched from the other side and an older doctor appeared, causing her to jump. "Can I help you?" he asked, probably concerned considering she had tears in her eyes.

"No," Bella said, shaking her head quickly, annoyed with herself for getting his attention.

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked, bringing the folder he was holding to his side.

"No..."

"Bella?" she heard Edward call from the other side of the curtain, the thin pink curtain the only thing keeping him from her.

"Sweetie, you can go in," the doctor said kindly, calling her bluff.

"Bella, honey, come in. I'm okay."

She stood back from the curtain a little, as if it would burn her. She heard movement then and a grunt before it opened the whole way to reveal Edward standing in front of her, slightly crouched over. "Bella, I'm fine. See? I'm fine."

The doctor nodded a goodbye and walked away, leaving them staring at each other. She eventually stepped forward, putting her arms over his shoulders in an awkward hug, afraid to hurt his back worse and already needing to stand on her tiptoes. "I love you."

"I know. I'm fine. My backs a little messed up but I'm going to be fine."

What if you weren't? She looked him up and down before saying,"I heard from Alice."

"I figured. I was out when they brought me in. I don't even remember the ride here..." his voice trailed off as if he knew Bella wasn't taking that news so well. "How's Jasper? I know he was worse off than me."

Feeling horrible because she couldn't remember what had been said and wondering if Alice had even gotten back to see him, she felt helpless. Two words floated through Bella's head—too much. She opened her mouth to say them but the doctor came back in with a nurse. "Alright, let's get you stitched up. Bella? Are you going to stay?"

Bella answered yes at the same time Edward answered no. "I'm staying." Now that she was with him, she couldn't walk away. Not to mention the fact that the young nurse was eying him up way more intently than Bella was okay with...and he had put his shirt back on before going into the hallway to meet her.

"I don't want you to have to watch this. Just go. I'll meet you in the waiting room when they're finished with me..."

"Edward, please," Bella knew it came out as a desperate whisper and he must have realized she wasn't going anywhere.

"Alright. Let's get this over with. Bella, this is Dr. Maxwell Andrews. He's worked with my dad before and they went to some pre-med classes together in college. Max, this is Bella, my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you, darling."

A minute later, Edward's shirt was off, and he was leaning forward with his hands in hers. She wouldn't look at his back, refusing to see the skewed and bloody skin. He was on a table higher than the chair she was sitting in and he looked down at her, their eyes locking. She stayed silent, not wanting to distract the doctor...though she wouldn't mind distracting the nurse from the oogling of her boyfriend.

Once in awhile, he'd clench her hand and grimace but she held tight, not letting her eyes fall away from his. "Alright, everything looks good. There's a gown you need to put on and then we'll go down to radiology. Bella, you'll have to wait here until we're done."

Edward kissed her on the cheek as the doctors walked out before picking up the flimsy gown. "I really hate these things..."

Bella watched him start to unbuckle his belt. Her mouth watered and she had to remind herself that she was in a hospital and Edward was in no condition to take her there on the hospital bed. So, she did what she did best in these types of situation—situations where she couldn't decide if she should laugh in frustration or cry in desperation , she teased. "That little nurse was checking you out, Mr. Cullen."

"Was she now?" he smirked.

"She sure was...I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head when she saw you take off your shirt."

"Yeah," he snorted with a smile, "as if a torn up and bruised back is what a girl needs to get all hot and bothered..."

Through their little banter, things began to seem not so scary and Bella started to relax. She could also remember what was said about Jasper. Edward was all smiles, though careful when bending over to remove his jeans. She felt for him, seeing how much pain he really was in. He still seemed happy and she wanted to keep it that way. "Jasper's doing fine, I hear. A broken arm and they were checking him over but I think he's fine. I wonder if Alice got in to see him. Your dad came down and got me in. They weren't going to let me at first..."

"I don't give a shit who I am! You tell me where he is before I call his father..."

"Miss...wait...you can't go back there!"

Edward was scrambling to pull on the gown and Bella strode over to help him. Obviously, Rosalie wasn't playing the waiting game as calmly as Bella had. She had no idea how Rosalie figured out which room was his but they heard heels coming down the little hallway, stopping right outside his curtain.

Edward was sitting down, the open-backed gown thankfully in a position that left enough to the imagination that he was comfortable with it. Bella was behind him, tying the strings at his neck, he was fine with her seeing his backside...he just wished she didn't have to see how bad it probably looked. Either way, he was grateful Rose couldn't get that type of a view as she threw the curtain open and walked in with authority. "Edward Anthony, I swear between you and my husband I'm going to have a damn heart attack before I'm 30!"

"Where's Kaley?" was all he could think to ask her and Bella added, "I thought you couldn't come."

"Emmett got home and has her at our place. No one called me and I was starting to worry. Then, the dumb asses out there wouldn't give me any information on you!" her voice was rising again and Edward just shook his head.

"Rosalie Ann, you loud, pregnant, crazy person, calm down and give me a hug. I'm fine. I fell through a floor...no big deal..."

"Fuck you, Cullen," Rosalie said, giving him a hug and tensing when he winced. "How bad is it?"

"Stitches and I'm on my way to get x-rays now. Everything is taken care of at the farmhouse? Did they ever get a hold of the neighbors?"

"Yes, it's taken care of and no, still no word from them."

Now, the curtain opened and it was his father's turn to walk in. The little curtained room was beginning to feel rather cramped. "How are you? I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier, I had to go back up to one of my patients."

"I'm fine. Everyone needs to quit worrying about me. I took a fall and banged up my back, inhaling too much smoke at the same time. Max said my lungs sounded fine, my back is stitched up, and he wants to take a few x-rays. No big deal."

"You took a bad fall," Carlisle reminded him.

"Fine. I took a bad fall." A fall that could have killed you, stupid. What if it had? Where would that leave Kaley?

Rose plopped down in the chair that Bella had sat and stuck out the stitching fun a few minutes prior. Not thinking, he reached for Bella's hand and took it in his own. She squeezed it as the doctor came back in. "Hello, Carlisle. He's doing well. I just want to get some x-rays to make sure of it."

"Good."

"Dad, have you heard anything about Jazz?"

"Yeah. He has a broken arm but he's okay. Alice is taking him home."

"Let's get these x-rays done," Edward said, grateful that his friend was okay-Jasper yelling for help was the last thing he remembered from the black out. I really want to get home. Bella's hands are shaking, she looks terrified.

Edward went through the process of getting the x-rays and filling out paper work to leave. So much had happened in just one day. That morning he had been at the airport getting equipment ready for the next weekend and now he was in the hospital being sewn up. As he changed back into his dirty clothes, he let Bella wipe a cold paper towel from the bathroom over his face to wipe away some of the sweat and dirt still present. The back of his shirt was a little ripped up and there were holes in his jeans. It was all still wearable—and much more flattering than the flimsy gown.

For the first time in almost a month, all he wanted was to sleep. He assumed it was from the pain killers they'd put him on but it scared him. There was a reason he tried to go days without sleep, a reason that he couldn't bring himself to sleep all night long beside Bella. Rosalie kept telling him he needed to see a psychiatrist, James just simply wanted him to try to come to terms with the fact that unfair shit happened...and with this job...it happened often.

This was already too much for her. She had stepped up as mother to his daughter, she was striding toward girlfriend of the year, and still pulling a 4.0. It was no wonder that she was tired and easily upset. He also knew that Tanya's visit today had shaken her. He still hated himself for not being there—or at least missing her call. His back was another issue. Pain racked his body as it shot up and down the area between his shoulder blades and tailbone. There was no way he was going to let anyone in on how truly it actually hurt. He couldn't go through more lectures on how he needed to start taking better care of himself. He needed to take care of Kaley and right now, she and Bella were the only things he wanted.

It seemed like forever before the doctor came in carrying a pill bottle and his chart. "Thankfully, nothing looks broken or out of place. Unfortunately, these bruises are going to probably be a lot worse tomorrow. I'm giving you a pretty strong pain killer and it's imperative that you take them as you're supposed to." Edward watched his father walk over and take the bottle to look at it. "I would advise against heavy lifting and recommend a lot of rest. I'm writing you slips for missing work for Monday and Tuesday. Let me know how you are feeling Wednesday and we'll talk about where to go from there. I don't think you'll have much problem. Oh, and no alcohol while you're taking this."

"What about my daughter? What's considered heavy lifting?"

"How old is she now? One?"

"Two."

"I suggest letting grammy and pappy watch her for a few days," Max said, smiling over at Carlisle who was now talking to Rosalie.

"That's not necessary. I want her with me. She never goes days without seeing me..."

"Max, he and Bella are living together. I'm sure Kaley will be fine at home with them."

"Absolutely," Bella spoke up.

"Bella, it's late, after ten. Why don't you just let her stay with Emmett and me tonight? We'll bring her by tomorrow afternoon," Rose said hopefully.

Bella was looking at him now, as if waiting to let him make the decision. "That's fine, Rose. Why don't you head home? You need your rest as well and I'm a little concerned that Emmett's been alone with her for this long..."

"Alright, I'll call you before I bring her over tomorrow," Rosalie said, walking over and hugging him again. When Carlisle started talking to Bella beside them, Rose lowered her voice. "If you need me, you call. Bella's great and I've got faith in her but I'm still here, just like always."

"Thanks, Rose. Same here, though I might not be in the best shape to do it, you let me know if someone's ass needs kicked."

After forty five more minutes, they were finally home. He hadn't eaten in almost twelve hours, his face was the only part of his body that was clean, and he felt like all of that could wait until he slept for twelve days. First and foremost though, he could see that Bella was about one more straw away from her own back breaking. "Bells." He said it as more of a command then a request, she was helping him into the house, rattling off a list of things that needed done for him and he just wanted her to stop.

"What?" she asked with a confused look, like she just realized he was even there.

"I'm okay." Pulling her towards him, he kissed her forehead and taking her hands in his, rubbed his thumbs in soothing 's all it took. Tears started to pour and she shook her head. He knew what words were coming next. He'd seen them right under the surface at the hospital and now they were back. He braced for them, not knowing how much the situation had become too much—or at what point it actually happened. She looked ragged and even through her sad eyes, he saw beauty.

"It's too..."

He kissed her, cutting off any possibility of her getting to say what he didn't want to hear. It was selfish, it was unfair, and he couldn't stop himself. He wasn't sure how long they stood there kissing in front of the front door but he wasn't sure that he cared. He was scared that she would choose now to walk away, which is why she pulled away first. "That's not fair," she whispered.

"I'm afraid of what you have to say."

"You have to let me say it."

He motioned for her to continue and she took a deep breath. "I can't do this alone."

"You aren't..."

"I could have been! As of five o'clock when this happened, I could have been. What would happen to Kaley if something happens to you?"

Wondering if this was a rhetorical question, he answered anyway, "My mother and father."

"And I'd be moving back in with Alice and Jasper, losing my shot at being her mother."

"That's not true. My parents would never let that happen. They wouldn't take the house away from you and they sure as hell wouldn't keep you from Kaley."

"Yeah, keep her from me, as in she wouldn't be in my care anymore. I wouldn't be her mother. I would lose both of you..."

"Bella, this is a part of my life."

"I am a part of your life! Kaley needs you in hers! I can not and will not lose you. I've lost too many people in my life: Alice's mom, Jake's mom, Quil, and I refuse to lose you."

"I'm not leaving the department, Bella." The words were supposed to come out slow and kind but he found that they came out harsh and slightly bitter.

"Go get in the shower."

"What?"

"Go shower off, you're exhausted and need to sleep. Shower off some of the ash and blood. I'll get you something to eat."

"Bella..."

"Go. I need to think and you need to eat. It'll be ready when you're done..."

"Bella..."

"I said, go, Edward. Go."

So, like a dog with his tail between his legs, he made his way up the stairs to the bathtub that once again looked cavernous. He winced as the hot water hit his back and he fought tears. You had to be a dick about it. She's going to leave your stupid ass and all you have to say is you aren't leaving the department? Really, Cullen? He was thankful for the water, it made it so he was unable to feel his tears. He knew he couldn't leave the other guys. He couldn't. They'd become his family over the past two and a half years, you couldn't go through what those guys witnessed without creating life-long bonds.

Of all people, he expected Bella to understand that part of his life. Her own father was a police officer. Then he realized that might be why it was so hard for her to accept what he did. She was right, Kaley did need him. He could say what he wanted about the resiliency of that little girl, the way she was tough enough to survive with just him for most of her life. He could deny that he was fundamental to her life, that she was probably better off with a father who had his shit together, but he knew better. He only wanted what was best for her, and though he knew he was definitely not the best, he was the best that she had.

Then there was just the simple topic of Bella. The girl was everything. He needed her, loved her, and wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. He made a mental note to speak with his parents about Bella's importance in both he and Kaley's life. If something were to happen to him, he doubted Kaley would survive it without her. His mother constantly told him how much she hated his past time but he couldn't give it up. It was a brotherhood, a family. He just needed to give her some time, let her calm down, and then they could talk everything out.

Walking into the bedroom, he pulled on a pair of sweatpants and left off the shirt, not wanting to feel anything against the raw skin. He headed out to find Bella and couldn't help the smile when he saw the dinner she had sat out for him on the table. "Bella, you didn't have to cook..." his sentence stopped there when he saw the paper sitting beside it.

In her neat little, school teacher scrawl, Bella had written, 'I'm not going anywhere. I'll be back.' He felt like his knees were about to give out. The only thing that gave him the ability to sit down and eat a few bites of the food was the presence of Peanut. Bella wouldn't have left him for good. So, he sat by himself, taking about five bites, and setting the plate on the floor for the little ball of fur to finish off.

I went a whole day without updating...it was scary, I know lol Seriously, though, thank you all for your kind words and reviews! I may not have a spare minute...or minutes—seeing how many of you are so awesome that you review (every time)...I do read each and every word. Thank you all for the wedding wishes and it probably will not be quite as pretty as in Breaking Dawn, though I do have my very own Alice, she's my cousin and best friend—after my fiance—and I couldn't get through life without her :) Also, thanks to those who checked out Everyday Hero, it didn't receive too many reviews but they have all been positive and that's all I could possibly want :) If you're bored, check it out! Next update will possibly (probably?) happen tomorrow evening sometime. Until then, LP xxooxx