MYSTERIOUS GRAFFITI - CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"Bella, are you okay?"
I can hear Edward shouting my name as he races up the stairs.
"I'm fine," I call back as I fling open the door and fall into his arms. He scoops me up effortlessly then carries me over to the sofa where he kisses my forehead and holds me against his chest, more for his benefit than mine I guess as I really am okay.
The actual tremor had only lasted about four or five seconds, but it was the most violent one I'd ever felt in this part of the world. I was sure Edward wasn't far away, but I was still terrified because I was on my own. Now that Edward is here I feel safe again because I know he has the strength and superhuman ability to save me if the worst happens before Monday, so I hope he has no reason to leave me again.
Even though this tremor was strong, it was still nothing compared to the quake I'd experienced in Italy in 2016, which was 6.2 on the Richter scale. That one had literally shaken me out of my bed, even though Perugia, which was where we were staying at the time, was many miles away from the epicenter. Hundreds of buildings had collapsed in the region and about three hundred lives had been lost, and some of the aftershocks were just as terrifying as the main quake. This time when the building started to shake, for the first few seconds I genuinely thought it was the Big One and that Alice had messed up and I admit I panicked, but the shaking abated before I had a chance to even think about what to do if the building started to collapse.
When I was sure the shaking had stopped and while I was clearing up the mess from the shattered kitchen window, at the same time watching the pandemonium in the street below, I went over all the outlandish things that had happened to me since returning home from Scotland. After I'd spent a quiet week in Forks with Charlie getting some much-needed rest, from the moment I walked into the Municipal Tower my whole world had gone bat-shit crazy.
Over and above all the madness surrounding the murals and the impending disaster, I'd fallen properly in love with someone who was in effect a 'fantasy boyfriend'; never mind the fact he wasn't even human. Edward was unbelievably good looking, an amazing lover (oh yeah), an incredible artist, he liked kids, he fixed my heating, he made good coffee; basically he sparkled in every way. It made me wonder whether he was just too good to be true and one day I'd discover he had a darker side lurking underneath his flawless ivory skin, over and above his instinctive desire to kill me of course. I doubted it, even though I had a feeling Edward could be terrifying if he got angry.
I'd chuckled to myself as I'd remembered being a teenager in Florida, lounging around in my bedroom with my girlfriends from school. I suppose we probably would have been in our 8th or 9th grade at the time; about fourteen or fifteen years old I would guess. We would fantasize about our futures like all girls do and for a giggle we'd write down a description of our perfect husband (obviously discounting Justin Bieber at the time). Edward ticked every box on my list; apart from I didn't know yet whether he liked music or animals. He obviously ate animals, but was he kind to the ones he wasn't eating? But even though Edward is nothing like the lovely Justin, I know I'll never find anyone better than him, even though we're a totally different species.
I acknowledge that I'd probably too calmly accepted that I share the planet with supernatural beings. I hadn't had time to think about this too deeply which is probably because of all the other ridiculous things going on in my head at the moment. This revelation, which most probably would have floored me if I'd learned it a few months ago, was actually much less important than knowing Seattle was going to be destroyed, so I hadn't really allotted enough brain-time to it. I'd just accepted it as fact; the same as if NASA announced they'd found evidence of alien life on other planets. So what?
I now knew 'friends' I'd grown up with, like Jake, could turn into wolves, and vampires really existed and were immortal. Okay, Edward wasn't scary, apart from the time when we were in bed and my life was definitely in the balance, but it made me wonder whether there were any other types of supernatural creatures wandering around that I didn't know about. Did I really want or need to know this though, as I'd be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life if there was something else out there that could randomly attack and consume helpless females. Having a fear of rats, spiders and snakes was bad enough; adding trolls, goblins or zombies would be too much.
Jay had suggested that Edward was planning to ask me to spend eternity with him; in other words he would want me to be like him one day? If he asked me to change now, I know I'd be torn between living a natural human life, which would mean I would grow old and die while Edward stayed young and strong, or agreeing to be like him; the implications of which were too momentous for me to even contemplate at the moment. I was still amazed that Jay was considering jumping into the lifestyle without really thinking it through. He'd admitted to me he didn't know which way was up at the moment, so he would be crazy to make any sort of decision that would be irreversible once taken. I felt like I should talk some sense into him, but wasn't sure whether I'd see him again before he set sail for Alaska with Alice. I suppose I could call or text him. I laughed then, thinking of the text I would write. 'Hold on, Jasper. Don't rush to become a Vampire!'
A lot of course hinged on whether Charlie survived or not. If he did, there was no way I could agree to be changed while he was alive as he'd spot the difference in me immediately. My dad is a 'hugger', in that he always flings his arms around me at every opportunity and would instantly spot that his daughter was now made of marble. I couldn't do that to him, so this at least would be an easy decision for me to make. But would Edward be prepared to watch me grow old and then change me after Charlie passed away? I had so many questions but not many answers yet.
Jay said that Alice told him she'd been attacked in a park so she'd obviously been changed without her agreement. If I had a chance to talk to her on her own, then maybe she could give me some guidance as she'd only been a vampire for a relatively short period of time. I am of course presuming that Edward is thinking of me as a long-term proposition. I could be just a passing distraction of course; another notch on his six-hundred year old bedpost. I wondered then how many other sexual partners he'd had over this time and whether he'd actually 'loved' any of them, and were any of his past lovers still alive. That would be awkward, and possibly quite dangerous for me if I was still human, as there may be a bitter and twisted female vampire out there who was still in love with him.
I stopped thinking up ridiculous scenarios and turned my attention back to Charlie's situation. If Jake was really turning into a wolf or was already a wolf before Edward ran over him, then there were three possibilities. Either his organs were unaffected and Charlie would be okay, or his liver was carrying the 'supernatural gene' which could adversely affect him, possibly turning him into a wolf as well, or the gene would make his liver incompatible anyway. So that meant Charlie was either going to live normally, change into a wolf, or die. I couldn't get my head around that at all. I just hoped Edward or someone he knew would have some knowledge about this or I was going to go crazy watching for changes in Charlie's appearance, like becoming hairy. I mean, what would the signs be?
I was still thinking about all the craziness I'd have to contend with if I survived after Monday when I heard Edward rushing up the stairs and shouting if I was okay. I hadn't seen Edward's car arrive and I don't know how he got in through the outside door, but he did, and now I'm being crushed against his chest which is a nice place to be but I wish it wasn't so chilly. I'm not going to complain though as I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
"Did Alice know about this tremor," I ask as he's brushing my hair away from my face then running his fingers through it. I can tell he really likes my hair; in fact I could say he's obsessed by it.
"I don't know," he replies. "I haven't called her. I was trying to get to you and it's a bit chaotic out there right now. As I suspected would happen, there's a mass exodus out of the city going on at the moment. It looks like folks haven't bothered waiting for the next announcement from the Mayor."
"That's good, isn't it? That's what you wanted," I ask curiously because Edward sounds concerned.
"Yes, of course it is, but I'm hoping the Mayor won't be complacent now and think what just happened was the Big One we predicted. We still need him to warn folks who are still here about the tsunami."
I switch the TV on and the local news is reporting on damage in the city. This time many people had been injured by falling masonry and there'd been several car wrecks. The news station's helicopters were up and reporting that roads leading out of the city were exceptionally busy, even for a Friday, but there were no new announcements from the Mayor yet. One of the news anchors even said this was obviously what the Mayor had been predicting and it would be safe to come back to the city now, which was crazy.
I could tell Edward was concerned about this so I had to think of a way to convince the Mayor this was only a drill for the Big One. I make myself some coffee which always helps my brain cells work and after the first few sips I have an idea.
"Edward, can you call Alice and ask her about the race on Saturday. I want to know as much detail as possible about it, like who comes second and third, how fast it's run, that sort of thing. If she can do it, I'm going to call the Mayor and tell him you've been in contact again."
"Sure," he replies and calls her, putting her on speakerphone so I can join in the conversation.
"Okay, I'll do my best," Alice replies when I put the proposition to her. "You'll have to give me some time and I'll text you the details."
"Thanks," I reply and Edward hangs up. I phone Jim then who I know has the Mayor's direct line for emergencies. After I've taken the number down, I suggest to Edward that we set off for the hospital now as it might take us longer than usual to get there. Also we'd need to set off earlier from the hospital to get to the art club in time.
While we're in the car I tell Edward I'm worried that Jacob's liver might be infecting Charlie with the supernatural gene. He tells me he spoke to a member of his family about that who's medically qualified (another surprise), who said in his opinion it wouldn't happen. Edward convinced me not to think about it as it was too late to do anything about it now even if it had, and it was my dad's only option anyway, which of course was true.
It takes us nearly two hours to get to the hospital as the roads are packed due to the amount of folks who are trying to leave, plus some roads have had to be closed because of damaged buildings and rubble blocking the streets. Queues are forming to get onto the freeway and tempers are definitely getting frayed, but luckily Edward knows the back routes which means we don't get properly stuck in a grid-lock anywhere.
Dad is awake when I walk into the Unit and I notice straight away he isn't wired up to as many machines as this morning, which I take as a good sign. I also notice his skin colour is almost back to normal. Before the operation it had a sickly hue to it and the whites of his eyes were tinged with yellow. Now he looks more like the old Charlie, even though he's still very thin and pale.
"Hey!" I say and give him a kiss on the forehead. I automatically take hold of his hand as I sit next to him and he smiles as he squeezes my fingers. "How do you feel?" I ask.
"Okay; better than this morning," he replies. "I can stay awake for at least an hour now," he says almost boastfully.
"That's good. Did you feel the tremor a few hours ago?"
"Oh yeah; alarms were going off everywhere and everyone was panicking. It's a long time since I felt one as strong as that. Is there much damage in the city?
I'm just about to answer and tell him about the impending quake when a nurse comes up to the bed.
"I'm sorry, Bella, would you mind leaving the ward," she says kindly. "The doctors are just about to do their rounds; you can come back in about half an hour."
"Sure," I reply and squeeze dad's hand again before letting go.
After shedding my Smurf outfit, I make my way to the waiting room where Edward is looking at the same magazine Jasper had been reading earlier on.
"That was quick," he remarks when I come through the door.
"Doctor's rounds," I explain and sit next to him. "I'd liked to have been in there to hear what they have to say but hopefully dad will be able to tell me some good news."
"I've heard from Alice," Edward announces and shows me a text, listing all the details I need. I immediately call the Mayor's number but only get his voicemail, so I leave the following message.
'Sir, its Bella Swan. I've received another communication from the artist. He wants me to pass on to you that Always Dreaming will win the race in exactly two minutes, three point five-nine seconds. The second horse will be Lookin at Lee and the third will be Battle of Midway. He also wants me to ask you to stress to the residents that after the quake happens, a tsunami will swamp the exact area he drew on the wall, and to get out while they have the chance.
Sir, I'm happy for you to take all the credit for this, but would you do one thing for me. My father is a patient in the University Hospital in Pacific Street. Could you instruct the hospital to evacuate, as they seem to be very complacent about your initial message. If you can do this, I would be forever grateful to you."
I disconnect the call and lean my head on Edward's shoulder.
"I've done as much as I can," I sigh. "I'm not going to call him anymore; it's in his hands now."
I see Charlie again but only briefly as I can tell he's tired. I don't mention the imminent disaster; I can do that tomorrow. I have a quick word with one of the nurses who says that the doctors were very pleased with dad's progress so far which is great news. After that Edward and I leave for the art club.
We get there early and I help him set up. Edward is very quiet and I guess he's thinking that maybe this will be the last time he'll see the kids together as a group. They start coming in at just before seven, but by a quarter past there are only about half the number that had been here on Monday. There's a subdued atmosphere in the club and I can tell some of the older children are worried about what's going on in the city. One of the boys tells me that many of his friends from school have already left and are heading inland to Portland or other places. A lot more were planning to travel over the weekend.
When it's almost nine o'clock, Edward tells the children that the club will be closed on Monday and will stayed closed until further notice. He has their contact phone numbers so he promises to call their parents when the club is ready to re-open. He asks them to take home their work which is displayed around the room plus any personal belongings they normally keep here. As they leave, he speaks to all the adults who turn up to collect the children and urges them to leave the city, saying he knows a guy who works at the University and they're a hundred percent convinced there's going to be a really destructive quake very soon. Only a couple of the parents are dismissive, but they're all still leaving town just to be on the safe side.
After the kids have gone, Edward sends a text to the parents of the kids who didn't turn up tonight to let them know that the club is closed until further notice then I help him take down all the remaining art work from the walls and clear the shelves of anything that's been left behind. We load as much as possible into the Volvo then go back to lock up. Edward takes a long last look before he closes the door for possibly the last time. The vast space looks sad, like a house after Christmas when all the decorations have been taken down, and I know Edward is choked that this important part of his life has more than likely come to an end. He doesn't say much when we drive away so I leave him to his thoughts. He's done as much as he can to save these kids; it's up to their parents now to get them out of danger before Monday.
Edward slows the car down as we're approaching McDonalds but I say no this time. I'm still feeling the effects of over-indulgence earlier in the day. I wonder then how Jasper is feeling after his double Big Mac blow-out.
We go straight back to my apartment and to bed where we make love all night long; well it seems like all night long but I do manage to get some sleep. It's in the early hours of the morning after another amazing experience that I wonder for the first time whether Edward could get me pregnant. I'm still taking contraceptive pills prescribed to me when I started a short-term relationship with a guy in Scotland, for no other reason than they keep me 'regular'. They run out in the middle of June so I'd have to ask him whether there was any risk of me giving birth to a baby vampire which would be a bit scary; well actually being a mother of any sort of baby would be scary at the moment.
Saturday 1st May
When I wake up I realise it's Saturday and I haven't got much food in the fridge, as up until Wednesday when Charlie was called into the hospital, I was still planning to go to Forks for the weekend. I leave Edward in the apartment having a shower and wander over to the store to get some milk, bread and eggs for breakfast. When I walk in most of the shelves are empty and it's obvious the shop had already been cleaned out by folks buying supplies. The girl on the checkout takes pity on me when she sees my face and sells me some day-old bagels she's kept back for her regular customers, but warns me that the shop will be closing sometime during the day as none of their suppliers are bringing trucks into the city, after which her family will be getting out of town.
Alice and Jasper turn up at midday in a very expensive looking Range Rover to collect my clothes and all the other things I want to save from my apartment, including my two fan heaters which I insist on keeping just out of principle. Edward fills the rest of the trunk and the back seat with his art club equipment plus some of the kids' artwork that he doesn't want to leave behind.
From the moment Alice and Jasper walked into my apartment, it's pretty obvious to me that they'd spent the night together, as the chemistry between them was patently obvious. For a start they both couldn't stop giggling, and considering the seriousness of the situation, they were behaving like two love-sick teenagers. Even Edward, who was obviously reading their minds, was mightily embarrassed by their PDA and was glad when they left.
In the afternoon we headed for the hospital, expecting the journey to take two hours again but it actually takes us less than half an hour to get there as the city is definitely emptying. Edward sits in the waiting room while I make my way to the unit but I'm stopped by a nurse before I have a chance to get my Smurf outfit on. She tells me that Charlie has improved enough to be moved out of the High Dependency Unit and into a single room on the same floor because he doesn't need round the clock monitoring any more. When I eventually find his room and walk in, Charlie is sitting up in bed watching TV and is looking amazingly well considering it's still only three days since he had the operation. He's still wired up to some impressive looking equipment, but nothing like what was in the HDU.
At just coming up to four in the afternoon we watch the Kentucky Derby together and I tell Charlie the name of the horse I got in the sweepstake. As predicted Always Dreaming wins, with Lookin' at Lee and Battle of Midway coming up behind. I joke with Charlie that for the first time in my life I've actually won something, but I don't tell him I won't be able to collect my prize of over a hundred dollars because no-one will be in work on Monday. Just my luck. About five minutes after the race is over, a news anchor breaks into the sports channel to say that the Mayor of Seattle is making an important announcement about the recent earthquake and to stay tuned.
"What's that all about?" Charlie asks.
"I'll tell you after I've heard what he says," I answer quietly as the Mayor's face appears on the screen. He looks as though he's aged ten years since Thursday and he doesn't mince his words.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, I am speaking to you in the hope you will take on board everything I'm about to tell you and act on it immediately.
"A few minutes ago I received the strongest evidence yet that a severe quake out at sea is now imminent. There is no doubt this will cause a tsunami … a tidal wave … to hit the coastline, which will flood a huge part of our state, plus parts of Oregon and British Columbia. The Seismologists have also informed me that it is possible that some areas of our shoreline will collapse into the sea so it is imperative you get as far away from the coast as possible.
I am urging folks who haven't already left, to evacuate the area marked out on the map behind me. This will be displayed on screen after this announcement and is now on every news channels' website. If for any reason you cannot leave, at least make your way to high ground of at least a hundred and fifty feet above sea level, preferably away from buildings and trees, and stay there until you get the all clear. There will be an emergency number displayed on the screen shortly, but this is for life and death situations only.
"The National Guard is on their way to assist, but all Government buildings will be closed until the danger is over. This includes schools and colleges and all local government offices, apart from two Emergency Operation Centers which will be situated on high ground. I am instructing hospitals to stop all elective surgery and to evacuate their patients to outside the danger zone. Two trauma rooms will remain open until Sunday night, but these are also for life and death emergencies only. The state Governor has been informed and I have notified officials across the border in Canada about the severe risk to Vancouver Island and the city.
"I am instructing the owners of buildings having more than ten floors to leave the doors to the stairwells open, so if for any reason you have to remain in the city, you will have somewhere to escape to before the flood hits. Looters and anyone who takes advantage of this situation will have the full force of the law heaped on their heads once the emergency is over.
"I will end with this message. Look out for your family first, but if you know of anyone who is old or disabled who needs assistance, please do the right thing and help if you can.
Good Luck and God Bless."
"Holy Smoke, Bella!" Charlie exclaims then he turns to me. "How long have you known about this?"
"Quite a while; it's a long story," I reply. "We have to get you out of here, dad. I've already asked the doctors what their plan is, but up until yesterday they were going to ride it out. I'm hoping they'll change their minds after this."
"Bella, you can't hang around. I want you out of the city tonight. Don't even think about staying with me. You've got to be safe."
"I will be safe, dad. I've got Ed… " and then I snap my mouth shut.
"Who the hell's Ed? What aren't you telling me, Bella?"
"Errr, he's here. I'd better bring him in to meet you. Don't go mad; he's a lovely guy and he's really important to me. Okay?"
Charlie does one of his' harrumphs' and I skedaddle out the room before he can see my face bursting into flames. I count to twenty then make my way to the waiting room where Edward is watching a repeat of the Mayor's speech on his phone.
"Hey!" I say as I walk in. Edward jumps up and is over to me in a flash. How the hell does he move so fast?
"What's the matter? Is your dad okay; your face is bright red?" He puts his hands on my shoulders and I can see he's expecting me to cave.
"He's fine, but I accidentally mentioned you. Ummm, would you like to meet him?" I give him a sheepish smile as I hate putting him on the spot.
"Sure; of course I would," he says gently. "What did you say to him?"
"I implied you were looking after me."
"Well, that's true. I'm staying with you until you're ready to leave."
"But what about Alice and Jasper and the boat."
"They've already sailed, Bella. Alice is quite capable of handling it herself. Anyway, she's got Jasper to keep her company; she won't want me around."
"But…"
"No buts, Bella. I'm not leaving your side, even if you're here when the quake hits. I won't be in any danger and I'll make sure you're not either. Now let's go and see your dad. I'll put his mind at rest."
"He'll want to shake your hand, Edward."
"That's okay; I know what to do."
I look at him strangely but follow him out the door without questioning him then along the corridor towards Charlie's room. We pass a vending machine where Edward buys a bottle of chilled water then holds it in his right hand as we walk into the room.
"This is Edward, dad," I stutter and I know I'm going red again. "He's been a great help to me over the last few days," I add then move out the way so Edward can move forward.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir," Edward says in a firm voice then he transfers the bottle to his left hand and proffers his right one to shake. "Sorry, my hand's freezing."
I can see dad assessing Edward from head to toe. Luckily Edward's eyes are almost a normal color at the moment and the lighting in the room doesn't make him look too shiny.
"Edward what?" he asks in a gruff voice.
"Cullen, Sir. My father, brother and I run a boat repair business in Elliott Bay. We've been in Seattle for the past thirteen years."
"How do you know Bella," he grunts. "She hasn't been in Seattle for five minutes."
"Errr, we bumped into one another in the queue in her local store. We got talking and realised we were both interested in art. I offered to take her around some of the local galleries."
"Really?" he mumbles under his breath as if he didn't believe him.
"That's enough with the interrogation," I insist. "Edward has been very kind driving me back and forth. I'm very grateful to him. Now, we've got to talk about the earthquake. I'm going to insist you're moved by tomorrow at the latest. The Mayor has made the announcement, so I'm going to try and find out what's happening."
"But I still want you to get out of the city," he growls angrily. "Don't hang around waiting for me; I'll be okay." He turns to Edward and starts wagging his finger at him. "Edward, I want you to convince her to go now."
"I can't do that, Sir," he replies and shakes his head as though he's despairing with me. "I've already tried and she's insistent she's staying with you. I'm not leaving her either, so I'll make sure she's safe; I promise."
I stand up and move towards the door. "I'm going to find a doctor or anybody who can tell me what's going on. I'm not leaving this hospital until I've got some answers about when you're being moved."
I dash out of the room before Charlie can stop me and walk along to the nurses' station which is a hive of activity. I can clearly see tensions are running high so I guess that the balloon has already gone up and plans to evacuate or discharge the patients are already full swing. Eventually I catch the eye of one of the nurses who comes over to me.
"Can you tell me what's happening about evacuating my father, Charlie Swan?" I ask and give her a big smile as I don't want her to think I'm being pushy.
"Liver transplant?" she says as a question.
"Yes," I reply nervously.
She walks over to a desk and looks at the computer screen then comes back to me with a worried look on her face.
"Your father is too sick to be moved I'm afraid. We won't be able to transport him while he's still connected to the machine that's supporting his liver, so it'll be Tuesday at the earliest before he's well enough."
"What," I screech. "You've got to evacuate him before then. He's doing really well."
"I'm sorry," she says kindly. "We have a large number of critical patients who can't be moved and your father is one of them. He'll have to stay here, at least until his liver is functioning totally independently. The hospital is well built, Miss Swan, so he should be fine if the worst happens."
I can't get mad at her as it isn't her decision. The doctors have made their minds up and that is it. I have no other option but to ride it out with him which terrifies the life out of me.
I wander back to dad's room in a dilemma what to say to him. I can't tell him I know when the quake is going to happen as this would stress him out completely. I would have to brush over it then discuss the problem with Edward as soon as we're on our own.
"What did they say," Edward asks when I walk back in.
"They'll evacuate dad as soon as possible," I reply, "But not for a few days," I add then gave him a hard stare which he picks up on immediately.
Charlie is looking tired by now so I tell him I'm going but I'll be back tomorrow. I give him a hug and a kiss then Edward shakes his hand again. As we walk out the door Charlie's eyes are already closing but he manages to give me a wave as I glance behind me.
"Tuesday," I spit as we walk along the corridor. "Not before then. I'm not leaving him, Edward."
"I know that," he responds with a resigned tone to his voice. "I won't leave you either, but there are other options; we'll discuss them in the car, okay?"
"Okay," I grumble, wondering what he's got up his sleeve, but whatever it is it isn't going to change my mind.
He doesn't start the car up when we get back in but sits quietly for a moment and I can guess he's making sure he gets his words in the right order so as not to wind me up. I'm still adamant I'm not going to abandon Charlie, but there's no harm in listening to what he has to say so I stay quiet until he speaks.
"We know what time the quake is going to happen, right?"
"Right," I agree.
"There's a small chance the hospital might collapse, right?"
"Right," I agree again.
"You do realise the chances are you'll be killed if that happens. Your dad is on the third floor in a room with no windows. There are seven other floors on top of him. You'll be crushed to death and there is nothing I can do to protect you from that, even if I try to shield you from it. I'm not that strong. Do you understand that, Bella?"
"Yes, but….."
"There are no buts about it. Do you really want your dad's last image of you being one where you have a large lump of concrete landing on your head and possibly decapitating you?"
"No, but…."
"So what's the point of you being in the room with him at 8.03 on Monday evening?"
"I can't bear the thought of him being on his own, Edward."
"Look, if the quake destroys the hospital, his dying thoughts will be that he's glad you're not there with him; don't you understand this? What I'm suggesting to you is we stay in Seattle, somewhere near here, probably in the middle of a park or somewhere like that. If the hospital survives, great; we can get back in there and be with him when the tsunami hits and stay with him for as long as necessary. If not, then I'll get you out of Seattle to somewhere safe and away from the tsunami."
Even though I hate to admit it I can see the sense in Edward's proposition. I could stay with dad on Monday evening then get out the hospital before the quake hits and stay safe. At least then if dad survives, I'll be around to assist him as much as I can. There's no point me risking my life, and I imagine those few seconds of terror when the hospital starts to shake violently and the possible guilt my dad would suffer if he survived and I didn't. I take a deep breath before delivering my verdict on his suggestion.
"Okay, Edward. We'll do it your way, and thanks for saying you'll stay with me. I don't know how I would've coped without you."
Edward pulls me across and kisses me on the top of my head then turns my face up so we were eye to eye.
"I love you, Bella Swan. I'm not going anywhere without you from now on. You're my life now."
"Likewise," I reply, and I really meant it. I just hope I have some life left after all this to enjoy being with him.
So do you think she'll have the strength to leave Charlie when the clock is approaching 8.03? Even if she does do what Edward says and goes somewhere 'safe' with him, if the hospital collapses do you think they'll have enough time to get out of the city before the water catches up with them?
It all comes to a head in the next chapter as time has definitely run out. It will be very tense - I promise.
Joan xx