AN: As always, I created the original characters to Stephenie Meyer, and only take credit, partially, to the story idea. I also thank my beta readers for their help, all the generous readers who have left reviews, and Emmett, Edward, Bella, Alice for their input into this story. I also blame them for the odd direction some of this story went. Once they take control, I loss control - but they do weave a good tale. Thank you all for your support and patience during my surgery and recuperation.

Journal Entry Nineteen – Winning the Bet – [1958]

I wasted no time rushing into the house and up to Carlisle's office. I noticed Esme at a small table with a basin of water and a collection of rags. Next to the exam table was Carlisle's black bag. Even though everything seemed prepared, I still worried about Bella's condition. I knew her heartbeat was strong, but she was still unconscious and I was uncertain whether to contribute her condition to loss of blood or the fact that the smell of blood made her faint.

"Edward, remove her jacket and snow pants. We need to find out where the injury is and discover what caused it," Carlisle directed calmly and efficiently.

"We passed a hunter on our way home, but I was moving fast, so I don't think that could be the cause," I informed him as I gently laid Bella down on the table.

"Edward, when does anything normal happen to our Bella," he replied calmly as he opened his bag and removed a syringe and a number of scalpels, probes, and forceps. I admired his equanimity in the tense situation – well, at least, tense for me.

I slowly and carefully began to peel off the snow pants and then the ski jacket while Carlisle continued talking. "Once we find her injury, I'll administer a local to the area if she needs any type of treatment or stitches. If she recovers consciousness, I might need you to help keep her calm."

"I'll wait outside," Esme stated after arranging the basin of water and rags on a small side table and then moved it near the exam table.

As I removed the jacket, the scent of Bella's blood intensified, and her blood had distinctly stained the inside of the jacket's sleeve. "Carlisle," I said, "It's her upper arm." I moved back to allow Carlisle room to examine the wound, but first he cut open the sleeve of the sweatshirt she was wearing. I could see that Alice had chosen warm clothing for Bella to wear under the jacket and pants.

I watched quietly as Carlisle gently probed the wound and then he announced, "She has a bullet lodged in her arm. I may have to ex-ray on Monday to make sure the bullet did not fracture or splinter the bone." He reached out his hand as he said, "Hand me the syringe on the tray and I'll numb the area, and then wash your hands and you can dispense the instruments to me as I need them."

I was happy to scrub up and act as his nurse because I didn't want to leave Bella's side. I also felt responsible for her injury, but how the hunter's bullet managed to lode in her arm at the speed we were moving mystified me.

I sped downstairs, scrubbed and was back beside Carlisle in less than a minute.

"I'll need to swab away as much of the blood from the wound as possible, so if you'll prepare instruments for me Edward, I'll get started." Carlisle had become the complete professional, and I knew Bella was safe in his capable hands, and having two separate starts in medical school, I at least knew which instruments he wanted as he asked for them. It took Carlisle less than five minutes to locate the bullet and extract it, and just as he was sewing up the wound, Belle began to murmur.

"Edward," her voice was just audible, "What happened?"

"Everything is fine, Bella. You just had an accident. Carlisle is almost finished, and then I'll take you up to my room and make you comfortable before explaining everything."

"Okay," she murmured again as her hand reached out searching for mine. I quickly allowed her to find it and she gripped it tightly. I wondered if she was feeling some pain.

I looked over at Carlisle, and in a timbre, I knew Bella wouldn't hear, I asked, "Can the anesthetic be wearing off this soon?"

Carlisle just nodded his head as he finished off the last stitch, then he addressed Bella. "Bella, this might hurt for a little while, but I'm going to give Edward some pills for you that will help ease the pain." He then walked over to a cabinet, took out a small bottle and handed it to me. "She can have one every four hours but no more, and I want her to keep her arm in a sling for the next week. We'll explain to her parents that she sprained her arm and that it is imperative that she keep the sling on until I can check her arm after the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, take her upstairs, and I will send Alice up to help Bella clean up. I'll dispose of the jacket, and the rest of this," pointing to the trashcan with the bloody swabs as he began to clean up.

I gently picked Bella up saying, "We'll go to my room now Bella; you just relax and do not move your arm." Bella just nodded her head, and I noticed her eyes remained closed.

Alice was in the room before we reached it, so she had seen Bella's need. She gently took Bella from my arms and disappeared into the bathroom with her. Within ten minutes, Bella and Alice walked out of the bathroom; Bella smiled across at me where I sat on the bed as she told Alice, "It was the most thoughtful present he could have given me, and it meant more to me because he had to think about what to give me without spending any money."

"I told him you would love it, but he doubted his choice." Alice giggled softly as she added, "He feared you would be angry with him for waking you so early, but I assured him it would be a good gift. I'm only sorry that I didn't foresee the accident."

Quickly I asked, "Did you tell her what happened?" My tone rushed out terse and brisk but only because I had wanted to be the one to relay the information about the bullet wound.

Alice scowled at me, as she retorted, "No, I didn't Edward. I know you want to tell her so I have kept quiet on that subject."

As Bella walked toward the bed, Alice made her way to the door. In unison, we both offered, "Thank you Alice."

Alice just waved her hand at us as she closed the door silently behind her. As Bella reached the bed, I offered her the glass of water I had obtained while she was busy with Alice, and one of the pills from the bottle Carlisle had given me.

"Here, it'll help," I offered her both and she gladly took them. "I think you should lie down for a while Bella."

She smiled as she handed me the empty glass and crawled onto the bed beside me. "Will you stay and hold me?"

"Yes, Bella," I relied as I helped her lay down, pulled the quilt over her to keep her warm, and then laid down beside her.

"Edward," she began as she snuggled against my left side keeping her injured left arm free from being touched, "What happened?"

"Well, just short of home, I sensed a human in our vicinity, so I veered east of him; however, as I did I heard a shot ring out. I hadn't been paying close enough attention to realize he was a hunter or I would have shielded you more. It seems his bullet managed to find you." I leaned up on my elbow, kissed her forehead, and then said, "I'm so sor . . ." but her finger pressed against my lips silencing me.

"Edward," I could sense sleep slowly washing over her, "this is not your fault. None of this is anyone's fault. The drowning, the bull, the infection, and now this, it all ties into my bad luck – or in my case, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody should take the blame for what happens to me accidentally and least of all you." Her breathing began to even out and I knew it would not be long before sleep finally claimed her. "Promise me Edward, promise not to blame yoursel . . ." and just that quickly sleep overtook her.

I lay with her snuggled against me; I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around her for fear of touching her wound, but I fervently hoped that this sleep would be void of dreams and allow her the rest she genuinely needed.

It was noon before Bella moved, and she had slept sound – a fact I was grateful for since I knew her body and mind needed the rest.

At first, she just snuggled up closer to me, and then she ran her hand over my face and then down to my chest. Because of the sensations her touch was causing, I cautioned, "Bella, be careful what you might stir up."

She just replied with a throaty, "Mmmm . . ." but then as she moved her hand again, she groaned out in pain. "Edward," she murmured through the groan, "Why does my arm hurt so much?"

"This morning, on the way home, you were shot. I'm so . . ."

"Shh, I slightly remember, but I remember more that I told you not to dare apologize or feel this was your fault," I noticed a slight snarl in her tone.

I moved away from her, grabbed the fresh glass of water I had retrieved for her a little earlier while she slept, and then I removed another pain pill from the little bottle. I turned toward her and helped her sit up, and then said, "Here, this will help the pain."

"Thanks," she took both from me and drank all of the water before returning the glass.

"Carlisle said you should keep your arm in a sling, and he has already called your mom to let her know that you sprained your arm and have an appointment with him Monday to have your arm x-rayed." I had retrieved a sling from Carlisle's office at the same time I had refilled her water glass in anticipation of giving her another pain pill.

"At least I don't have to explain to them how I came to be shot. I'm still not sure how it happened, but I do remember the scent of blood, and then nothing after that." She was sitting up and I noticed she was holding her arm close to her body.

I reached over to the bedside table and took the sling off the top where I had laid it. Then I got up and walked over to her side of the bed, "If you will move this way a little, I'll put this on for you. It should help keep your arm anchored to your side so it doesn't get jostled."

Bella scooted over to the side of the bed, hung her legs over the edge but left some empty space to her left so I could slip the sling over her head. Then I placed her arm inside of it, and belted it around her so it would hold her arm to the side of her body. "Tell me if it's too tight," I said; she just shook her head in reply.

"Edward, you do realize this is not your fault. It was an accident; it could have happened to anybody."

I knelt down in front of her and looked her deeply in the eyes as I replied, "No, Bella, not anybody, this is the kind of thing that could only happen to you. We were moving fast Bella; it should not have happened, and if I hadn't taken you out so early, you would have been safe at home."

Bella laughed at my words, then placed her free hand on my cheek, and said, "Edward, even home isn't safe, but you are right, bizarre accidents happen only to me, but that is part of my life and I've learned to live with it. You must do the same, accept that my life will always be filled with such events at least until you finally change me." Her eyes penetrated my gaze and I saw the depth of the truth in her words. "Changing me will be the only way you can completely protect me, Edward."

"Has it ever occurred to you, Bella, that if I would have left you alone, none of this would have happened?" I kept my tone serious because I did not want her to think I was joking.

"No Edward, I have had bizarre accidents all my life. I walk on a thin line at times between life and death, but I would never relinquish being with you. I can no longer survive without you Edward. You are now my life, and this is the only life I want. Please don't try to take it away from me out of some chivalrous idea that I would be safer without you. My life will never be safe, but without you, I won't have a life." Her resolve intensified as she spoke, and her eyes reflected the intensity of her feelings, but behind all of that, I saw the pain it would cause her if I left her. It would be an intense crippling pain; a pain so furious I was sure she would feel as if she wouldn't survive if it happened. As she finished speaking, a single tear rolled down her check and her hand dropped from my face.

I reached out and wiped the tear from her check. "Bella, I feel the same way. If you left me, my world would come crashing down around me; I would have no desire to go on with my existence. Bella, believe me when I say my love for you is stronger than the other emotions I'm capable of feeling, and it has tied me to you in a way that is now unbreakable by anything but natural death." I got up and sat down next to her choosing her right side rather than her left, then I wrapped my arm around her waist and she laid her head against my chest. Her heightened warmth immediately flooded through me. "I don't want to lose you Bella, but every time you have an accident, I'm horrified by the thought of how easily I could lose you. That concept causes more pain than I ever believed possible since my change."

She looked up into my eyes as she said, "There is only one way to solve this problem then Edward. The first would be to change me now before my life becomes any more dangerous, and the second is that you just learn to live with this until you do change me."

I smiled down at her as I replied, "I guess I'm going to have to learn to be more vigilant where you are concerned because I want you to graduate first. It will be much easier to move you away from your parents at that point." I gently tilted her face just enough so I could kiss her; this kiss was not passionate, but loving and gentle. As I released her lips, I added, "I'm going downstairs to get your lunch. Any requests?"

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk, if you please." She smiled up at me as she asked.

"Your wish is my command," I replied before getting up and rushing downstairs. It took no time at all to make her sandwich, trim the crust – something I learned at lunch one day at school, and finally cut the bread diagonally in both directions creating four small triangles – another thing I learned during the lunch hour.

Bella might be odd because of her proclivity for danger, but she also had some endearing qualities as well. Her penchant for triangular sandwiches was one of them, and her cravings for chocolate at certain times was another. I did learn that when Bella craved chocolate, you did not stand in her way of obtaining it; for her it was almost as much a driving hunger as thirst for blood was to me. Before our first month of going steady, I learned to keep a fresh supply of chocolate in my room for whenever her cravings occurred. Her other two endearing qualities consisted of her amazing blush, and her sharp intellectual, although erratic at times, thought process.

Although I reflected on many memories of Bella, it only took a few minutes to prepare her lunch and return to my room with it on a tray. As I entered my bedroom door, I noticed Bella was on the floor with her leg stretched out under my desk, and not the open part of the desk, but the part that was only about a foot off the floor because of the drawers. My first reaction was concern because I thought she had hurt herself somehow, but before I could say anything, Emmett peered over my shoulder and asked, "Just what are you doing Bella?"

Bella turned slightly with a smile on her face and replied, "I dropped some change and most of it rolled under the desk. I couldn't get it with my arm in a sling so I'm picking the coins up with my toes."

Emmett laughed as he and I entered the room. I walked over and placed the tray on the desk while looking down and watching Bella sliding her leg out from under the desk and there between her toes was a dime.

Suddenly, I heard Emmett roaring with laughter behind me as he asked, "Why didn't you just ask Edward to get that dime for you instead of inconveniencing yourself in that manner?"

"Oh, it wasn't an inconvenience. I do it all the time." Bella smiled as she placed the dime on the desk with the rest of the change she must have retrieved.

"Well, anyone can do that. It just seems it would have been easier for Edward to pick it up then for you to slide it out with your foot."

"Oh, I didn't slide it out; as I said before, I picked it up with my toes."

I smiled as I watched Emmett's reaction to go from amusement to amazement, and then he smiled again and commented, "Well, anyone can do that."

'This could be interesting,' I thought. I had seen the coin between her toes so I knew she hadn't just slid it out, but the fact that he thought anyone could do such a thing was interesting. In fact, I wondered if he really could perform such an act. I couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you show us how it's done?"

Bella smiled as she got up and sat in the desk chair but said nothing.

"Sure," Emmett walked over and held out his hand to Bella, "If I could borrow a dime, I'd be glad to show him how easy it is."

Bella smiled as she pick up a dime from the desktop and asked, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to start with a half dollar?"

I had a feeling Bella knew something Emmett didn't know.

"No, the dime will do; besides, if you can do it, then any one can," Emmett smirked.

As he began to remove his shoe and sock, I noticed the room filling up with the rest of the family. Alice had been the first through the door with Jasper close on her heals, they were followed by Carlisle and Esme and finally Rose. Alice has a huge smile on her face, which led me to believe this demonstration would result in the end of the bet; reading Alice was impossible though. Although she had a huge smile on her face, her thoughts revolved around reciting the periodic table.

After removing his shoe and sock, Emmett said, "I'm ready. Can I just stand here and do this or do I have to sit on the floor?"

"I think standing will be fine," Bella said with a smile that spread all the way across her face. "I'll just place this on the floor and when you are ready, you can pick it up."

I heard Rose whisper, "Why is he picking up a dime?"

Alice softly replied, "He is not just picking it up, he is attempting to pick it up with his toes."

"Why?" Puzzlement covered Rose's face.

"Because he saw Bella do it and he is now going to prove he can do it," Alice replied with a smirk.

"This should be good," Jasper whispered to Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded as he commented, "Emmett is in for a surprise."

"Why?" Esme asked.

"Have either of you ever tried to pick anything up with your toes?" Carlisle looked from Esme to Jasper.

"No, can't say I have, or that I ever thought about attempting it," Jasper replied at the same time Esme commented, "Why would I want to?"

Alice just laughed as Bella placed the dime on the floor – the family's comments occurred between the time Bella picked up the dime from the desktop and placed it on the floor in front of Emmett.

Emmett spent a few minutes looking at the coin before he finally raised his foot over the coin and began attempting to pick it up with his toes. We all watched as he endeavored numerous times to retrieve the coin, but most of the time, just as he would begin to curl his toes to grab it, it would jump away from him, as if he were trying too hard. I noted the dime would jump much as a tiddledy wink would when you snapped it. Emmett had bought the game since he said it had looked interesting, but we soon discovered that in snapping the winks with the large tiddledy, we broke them. We just used too much force, and we quickly disposed of the game.

Emmett's thoughts told me he was just as frustrated with this task as he had been with the game. I waited for him to admit it was beyond his capabilities, but he surprised me by saying, "Maybe Bella is right, and I should start with half a dollar."

Bella kept all comments to herself and picked up the dime while replacing it with half a dollar. Emmett proceeded to spend another fifteen minutes trying to get his toes around the half dollar without snapping it or bending it, but all his attempts failed. He finally admitted his defeat.

"You win Bella. I can't pick it up with my toes. How do you do it?" He finally asked.

Bella looked around the room at the family, and then said, "I've always been able to do it. The first thing I remember retrieving was my teddy bear that fell out of the crib and onto the floor. The mattress was set so low, I could hang my leg out of the bed and just reach the floor, so when he fell, I could reach him with my foot as well."

"Why was the mattress low?" Emmett asked before anyone else, but I knew everyone else had formed the same question in their minds.

Bella chuckled softly, "My parents set it low because I had tendency to lean over the rail and inevitably fall over it. I hit my head quite often falling out of the crib, so my parents solved the problem by placing the mattress low enough that I could no longer lean over the rail. After that, whenever I dropped something out of the crib, I used my legs and toes to retrieve what I had lost, unless it was too heavy. There are still times when I find it a handy skill, like today."

Emmett chortle as he commented to no one in particular, "La fille a des pieds de singe."

Bella glared at him as she replied, "Now you're making fun of me."

Emmett stopped laughing, "You understood that?"

"Yes, funny thing is, I had to learn the French for 'monkey' and 'feet' for a class I had a few years ago, and 'girl' was one I remembered from a French class I took in sixth grade. I honestly think implying I have 'monkey toes' constitutes teasing." She looked over at Alice for confirmation, "Don't you agree Alice?"

Alice looked at everyone and then replied, "I concur, and I declare Bella the winner of this bet."

"Damn," Emmett muttered under his breath as he walked over and sat down on the bed.

Bella got up from her chair, walked over to him, and sat beside him. "I tell you what Emmett. I'll give you chance to redeem yourself."

Emmett looked up at her with a slight gleam in his eyes. "What are you willing to bet?" He was already formulating bets he could make with her that he could easily win.

Bella's smile intensified as she offered, "I will bet you double or nothing that Alice can put a needle through my skin without drawing blood, and to make it more interesting, she will use a darning needle."

Emmett looked slightly confused as he asked, "What do you mean by a darning needle?" His thoughts already revealed his belief that this was one bet that Bella could not win.

"A darning needle has a dull rounded point; it is not sharp on the end at all."

"Just to clarify, you are betting me that Alice will take this dull, round-tipped needle and she will put it through your skin without making you bleed?" Emmett was beginning to think there might be a trick to what she had proposed.

"That is correct," Bella affirmed.

Emmett scrutinized Bella's face, and then asked, "You don't have holes in your ears, so where exactly is Alice going to put the needle through?"

"Well, how about under my arm?" Bella offered.

I knew Emmett's thoughts, and everyone else was fixated on ways it would be possible for Alice to achieve what Bella was suggesting. The only two minds that revealed nothing of how this could be done were Bella and not surprisingly, Alice. I presumed that Alice knew something the rest of us didn't, but it worried me that either of them would attempt something of this nature if neither had an idea of how it could be done.

"When?" Emmett asked simply.

"When what?" Bella returned.

"When will Alice put this needle through your skin?" He clarified.

"Right now, if you agree to the bet," Bella offered.

Emmett studied her one more time, and then said, "You've got yourself a bet."

Bella looked over at Alice and said, "Go get the needle."

AN: The following is extra information for anyone who needs clarification.

If you are unfamiliar with the game Tiddledy Winks, go to the following site for pictures of it, it was popular kids game in the 1950's – .com/boardgame/4792

'La fille a des pieds de singe' is French for 'The girl has monkey feet.'

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