CHAPTER 37

AND IT ALL COMES TUMBLING DOWN

A/N— Again, my notes are full of thanks.

Thank you, ladyrip, for your hard work. It's so appreciated.

Thank you, Eviekinz, who is writing a lovely review of this story. If you don't know in addition to writing some pretty amazing fanfic, Eviekinz has an incredible talent for writing reviews. I hardly recognized my own story she made it sound so good!

Speaking of glowing reviews, Nelson Smandela who recently published a great review of this story at:

http:/thelittleknownficster(DOT)blogspot(DOT)com

Thank you, Salix Caprea, for making a lovely banner which is featured on the forum (page 42) as part of the Chapter 37 teaser. I love it. She couldn't resist adding a peach.

Speaking of peaches, the Fics for Nashville compilation had some problems and my story was one of them. They are trying to fix the issues and re-post it to the compilation. If you have any problems reading it, just let me know via PM.

Finally, consider this a GREY GOOSE WARNING. Have a shot of something strong nearby...just in case.

It is almost midnight and I am sitting, playing video games with my brothers. I can't wait for morning to come as I will see Bella at school. Alice has already located some properties she wants Bella and me to go see. She and Esme are now looking at furniture on-line. I remind them I want one of those warming mattresses. Those are great.

I hear Alice's tell-tale gasp and focus immediately on her thoughts as she is experiencing a vision involving Bella.

The image is terrifying for me. Bella's on the phone. She is upset. The vision skips forward and she is in her car, crying as she drives. In her distraction, she swerves over the center line and nearly hits an oncoming car.

"Go-go to her quick! I'll call her and let her know you're on your way," Alice urges, and I'm out of the house and in my car before she finishes the second sentence.

Driving at the speed I prefer, I will arrive at Bella's home in just less than fourteen minutes. I take out my cell phone and text her.

Don't go anywhere. I'm on my way. 13 minutes. I love you. -Edward

I was debating whether to call her to see what was wrong, but I sensed I should wait until I was there in person so I could comfort her. Was it bad news about Charlie or Rene?

She will wait for you. Julian is hurt. -Alice

I arrive and rush to Bella's door. I can hear her crying before she opens the door, and I immediately pull her into my arms as I enter the apartment.

"What is it, Bella? Tell me so I can make it better."

She cries into my chest, "Julian fell this morning, and he is unconscious, and he has been that way for hours. They couldn't reach his mother." She says it all in a rush, her small hands clutching my shirt.

"And Edward, he is all alone and..." She stops trying to explain as she simply wails, clearly tormented and scared for him.

A small part of my mind is conscious of the fact that perhaps I should be worried that she is so overwhelmed with concern for Julian. But it's a small, petty, jealous part. I would not expect Bella to not care that a man who until recently, had been her boyfriend, has been seriously hurt.

I hold her, whispering words of comfort. When she calms down, I pull back slightly and ask her, "Where is he now?"

"In a hospital in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. It's a long drive."

"You can't drive in this condition. Do you want me to drive you to see him?"

"Would you?" Both surprise and relief are evident in her tone.

"Of course, Bella." I rub her arms and shoulders soothingly. "Calm down, love."

I get her to sit down in a chair, and I bring her a glass of water. As she is drinking it, I move to pack her a small bag as I am not sure if we will be staying for a time. I also think to grab her passport which is sitting on top of her dresser. Luckily, I have one or two passports in the glove compartment of my car.

Ten minutes later we are in my car and on the highway. Bella is on her phone trying to reach Julian's mother, but apparently she is not answering her phone. I distinctly hear Bella mutter, "bitch,"after she leaves a second message, advising her of Julian's accident.

Bella makes one more call to the hospital to check on Julian's condition which is apparently the same. She then leans her head against the window, worry marring her features. She drifts in and out of sleep during the six hour ride.

It's just after 7:00 am when we arrive at the hospital. We made good time. We did not talk much during the trip, and I'm not certain what my role is supposed to be here. My first instinct is to usher Bella to a comfortable seat and take charge. But I sense that is not what Bella wants. So I opt for taking a secondary, supportive role. It's horrid.

We soon find Julian's room, but visitor's hours do not start for forty minutes. Bella asks to speak to his doctor. I pick through the young female doctor's thoughts while she explains the basics of Julian's condition. He has suffered a head injury significant enough that he has been in a coma for almost 24 hours. His initial CT, EEG, and BSER test results have all shown injury to his brain stem, but it does not appear from the tests to be as extensive as initially feared. However, as with any brain injury, it will be impossible to access the full extent of short term or long term damage until after he awakens.

Bella gasps over and over as the doctor explains to her that according to the report made, Julian was snowboarding the previous morning, a few hours before he was due to check out of the ski resort. Witnesses said it looked like he hit a hard patch of snow and that he twisted, flying from the snowboard and landing at the base of a tree, where he struck his head. He was barely coherent—and only for a few minutes—before he was completely unconscious.

After explaining that all we can do now is sit and wait for him to wake up, the doctor excuses herself and reminds us he can only have one visitor at a time, per hospital rules.

I turn to Bella who has paled and is clutching her throat, her body rigid with anxiety. I gently remove her hands from their grip on her throat and rub them soothingly in my cold ones. "Bella, don't give up hope. His body has induced this coma so his brain has time to heal. It is entirely likely he will wake up." She nods absently at my words of comfort.

Bella sits by his side all day. I sit just outside in the visitor's lounge. My only view of Bella is through the thoughts of the doctor or nurses when they enter the room to check on Julian. Julian's thoughts are nothing more than random dream-like images.

Bella's expression is stressed and anxious. Sometimes she is holding Julian's hand and whispering words of encouragement to him, practically begging him to open his eyes.

I feel so helpless. At noon, I approach Julian's room. When she looks up, I motion for Bella to join me in the hallway, and she seems reluctant when she joins me. She is anxious and keeps looking over her shoulder back at Julian's room, as if she wants nothing more than to be in that room.

She's just concerned for him. It has nothing to do with the love she feels for you. I repeat these thoughts to myself, like a pep talk.

I speak first. "Love, you didn't have breakfast, and it's now lunch time. Please come and get something to eat."

"I'm not leaving him."

"Bella, you have to eat," I admonish.

"Fine. Bring me a sandwich. I'll eat it here."

"Bella, I really think getting out for just an hour or so will do you some good."

"I'm not leaving him," she snaps, anger flashing in her eyes. "It's bad enough he was alone when this happened and for 24 hours afterward."

I can't say with honesty that hearing her speak so passionately about Julian and her commitment to stay by his side doesn't hurt. She is just worried. It is her fear that is making her overact. I repeat these thoughts over and over again, willing myself to believe them.

I nod my head in assent—or maybe it's defeat—and quietly make my way to the cafeteria where I purchase a sandwich and bottle of apple juice for Bella.

She quietly thanks me for the food and returns to her vigil beside Julian's bedside.

Finally, at 4:03 pm, I receive the text I have been hoping for.

I just saw it. He will wake up around midnight.-Alice

Thanks be to the heavens. Now I can give Bella assurance that Julian is going to be okay, and she can stop this all-consuming obsession over Julian's care.

I make my way down the hall and look into Julian's room. Bella is lying with her forehead pressed to Julian's hand on his bed. Is she praying? I am not sure.

"Bella?" I ask quietly.

She looks up, and I don't think I am imagining the look of annoyance that flashes in her eyes. She gets up and comes outside to the hallway, closing the door behind her.

I don't delay giving her the good news. "Alice just saw it. He will wake up late tonight, around midnight."

I smile at her, anxious to see the worry lines that currently mar her forehead disappear.

And when she gives me a small smile in return, I breathe a sigh of relief. "Really?" she asks.

"Yes, everything is going to be fine just like I told you."

She bows her head and whispers, "Thank you," and her voice is full of gratitude and relief at the knowledge that Julian is going to recover.

She turns to return to his room. I grab her gently by her arm, stopping her. She looks at me, raising her eyebrow slightly in question. "You need to rest. You have been at this for more than 8 hours."

"Where do you expect me to go, Edward? I'm not leaving until he wakes up."

"Let's go get a hotel room. You can wash up and take a nap. Don't tell me you are not exhausted." I make sure my tone is gentle and calm.

"I'm not leaving him alone that long. I'm going to ask the doctor if I can spend the night in his room."

"Bella, no!" I say firmly. She looks like she is about to pass out from exhaustion. Her appearance is disheveled, and I know she must want to clean up. She is still wearing the clothes she was wearing when we left Orlando, for goodness' sake.

She pulls her arm from my grasp. "Go home, Edward," she says sadly.

"What?" That one word is saturated with the hurt and confusion I feel at her request for me to leave.

"I appreciate what you have done, but I need to concentrate on Julian right now. It's not right for you to be here. Please, just leave."

I reach out and cup her face with my hands. "Bella, I'm not leaving you like..."

I don't get to finish my sentence as I hear a voice I have not heard in over four years boom "Bella!" as the owner of the voice rushes to us.

I look up, and Charlie Swan is fast approaching. Now that I know he is here, I try to lock in on his thoughts. I am disappointed to see his mind is still not entirely open to my abilities. But I can still get the general idea of his thoughts. He is worried about Julian, and he is absolutely livid about me being here with Bella. Could this situation get any worse?

As he comes to stop in front of us, I see in his thoughts he is fantasizing about jerking my hands from Bella's face and ripping my arms off. Yeah, Bella was not exaggerating. He definitely hates me.

"What the hell is this?" he hisses at Bella, staring pointedly at my hands upon her face. She reaches up slowly and removes my hands. She continues to hold my hands for just a second before she drops them. How can such a simple gesture drive shooting pains into my gut?

"Dad, Edward and I are here about Julian. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Yes, the hospital tried to reach me when they didn't reach you the first time. Apparently, Julian had us both down as emergency contacts. I didn't call you because I thought you may still be on your way back from Orlando."

Bella shakes her head. "No, I got back last night."

"I wasn't sure. I didn't see any reason to call until I first found out how he was." He pauses, takes a deep breath, trying to calm his anger at the sight of me. "We'll talk about this later," he says, nodding his head toward me. "First, how is Julian? The hospital said he was unconscious."

"Yes, apparently he fell off of his snowboard and hit his head against a tree. His ankle is messed up pretty bad, but the head injury is the main problem right now. Dad, he is...he is in a coma." Bella's voice breaks on the last sentence.

"Oh, baby," Charlie coos as he brings Bella into his arms.

I know it is selfish. There are so many things that should be my priority right now. Bella's pain, Charlie's anger, even that Julian's condition. But instead all I can seem to focus on is how I feel like I am completely unnecessary here.

I try to give Charlie a fair description of Julian's prognosis. "Charlie, the doctors think Julian will wake up soon, after his brain heals. They will assess if there is any permanent damage then. His initial tests looked promising."

Charlie glares at me over Bella's head as he cradles her to his chest. "Thank you," he says curtly. "Why are you here? You work here or something?"

"No, I volunteered to drive Bella here when she got the news about Julian."

"You live in Seattle?" he practically booms in shock.

"Yes," I say evenly, waiting for Bella to indicate if she wants him to know more. She had told me she wasn't planning on telling her parents that we were back together until after a respectful time had passed after her break up with Julian. I wasn't sure how this may change those plans.

"And you knew this?" Charlie asks, pulling Bella away to look at her face.

"Yes, he goes to law school with me. It's a long story. Can't we talk about it some other time?" Bella's voice is laced with exhaustion. She pulls out of her father's embrace.

"Yes, of course," he says contritely. "I'm sorry. What can I do to help?"

"There is nothing we can do but wait."

"No word from Julian's mother?"

"No," Bella says, her voice tight. I glean from Charlie's thoughts that Julian's mother is less than maternal and that both he and Bella resent how uncaring she is toward Julian.

Poor kid. No father and a mother in name only. Charlie's thoughts are full of nothing but sorrow and compassion for a man he respects and cares for very much.

Well, I had wondered earlier if things could get any worse. Apparently they can, at least for me.

But wait. I spoke (or thought) too soon.

"Listen, Edward, thanks for driving Bella, but I can take it from here. Why don't you go back to Seattle? Tell your family hello for me when you see them." Charlie's words are polite but dismissive. He internally congratulates himself for being cordial to me. It is only for Bella's sake. He doesn't want to upset her anymore than she already is.

"Thank you, but I think I will stay and see if there is anything I can do to help. I was just suggesting to Bella that maybe she should get a hotel room and go lay down for a bit. She hardly slept on the way here last night."

Bella has been staring at her shoes this entire time. I watch as she crosses her arms over her chest and looks up at me with determination in her expression. "Edward, thank you so much for driving me here. I don't think I could have done it by myself. But Dad's right. You should go home and let us handle this. I will call you later, okay?"

Call him? To hell with him. Charlie thinks even though his expression is impassive.

I am wounded. Physically and emotionally wounded. She doesn't want me at all? It was bad enough when she banished me to the waiting area, but now she wants me to leave and be a whole country away from her?

How can I leave the love of my existence here when she is in so much pain? Isn't it my role to stay here and help her? My phone beeps.

Trust me Edward. You should leave. She will only get more upset if you don't.-Alice

I look back up, and Bella is staring at me. "Dad, why don't you go in and sit with Julian. I'll walk Edward out."

"Bells, I don't think that's a good idea," he starts, but Bella ends his protest with one simple word, "Please." He nods to her, gives me a scathing look that is supposed to be a warning not to hurt his daughter, and then he ducks quietly into Julian's room. His thoughts are full of despair as he sees Julian lying in the bed, hooked up to the various monitors.

I honestly don't know what to say or do. I am being dismissed. Bella couldn't make it any clearer that I don't belong here and further, that I am not wanted here. I turn and walk to my car in a daze, vaguely aware that Bella is following, just behind me. When we reach my car, I grab for the door handle and stop, facing away from Bella. "Call me if you need anything. Anything Bella."

She reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder. "I love you, Edward. I just can't do what I have to do for Julian with you sitting here. Please understand."

"I understand," I lie. So much for my vow of honesty. I really don't understand, but I seem to be out of choices. I grab her hand that is still on my shoulder and turn to place a kiss on her knuckles, whisper "I love you," and quickly get in my car and drive away.

Just out of town, I stop in a wilderness area and let out my pent up frustrations, disappointment, pain and aggression on the helpless wildlife population of Alberta, Canada.

E/N—Thank you all for your reading and reviewing. I am still addicted to those reviews, and even though I know this story may have taken a sad or unexpected turn this chapter, I hope you will still send me your thoughts. You can even call me names if you want to. It can't be any worse than what Sis called me.