Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, nor do I make that claim. No copyright infringement is intended. A/N: So, this is it, the final chapter of Mirage. Only the Epilogue is left.
Bronze, I know I've thanked you for your awesome betaing skills throughout the story, but I'd be remiss to not acknowledge you for your words of encouragement, and the gentle way you've nudged me and made me begin to learn how to write properly. I know some of the chapters I've sent you were perplexing. You took the time to get to know me, and understand what I was trying to convey so that my work was still my own. B, I couldn't have gotten through this process without you. You are so much more than a beta to me, words can never express my thanks. I hope you realize how much I treasure our friendship.
When I finished this, I panicked and emailed Bronze one question. "I'm done. What do I do now?" Her reply… "Write something else."
So I did.
Today, I'm preparing to start posting my third fic, Sweetbriar. Amazing.
For the grand finale, I give you a much longer chapter. Enjoy.
Repairing Edward
Chapter Thirty-seven CPOV
Since the left with Edward yesterday, Bella and Alice had been unsuccessfully trying to get him to take the blood orally. I don't know if he was simply too weak to take it in or if he was just being stubborn and refusing because he knew where it came from. He knew it was hers. It wasn't like we could disguise the smell.
He knew I had snatched the blood from the hospital in Forks before Bella had jumped, suspecting something might happen during the change that would necessitate a transfusion so we didn't lose her. Where Bella was concerned, I wouldn't take any chances. Fortunately, it was never needed.
When we left Forks, I didn't know why I packed it on dry ice and brought it to Ithaca, but I just had a feeling it might be needed in the future. Call me a pessimist.
As I entered the house, I could hear them all whispering up in Edward and Bella's room. I took the stairs two at a time, seeing everyone but Bella huddled outside the door.
Bella was quietly sobbing, holding Edward's mutilated body. I needed her to leave before I began the repairs that would be necessary to return her vampire to his former glory.
Before Edward could live through what I had to do to restore him, he had to regain his strength. I knew he needed to feed; I could tell he had been starving himself. I knew the only way they were able to contain my son for so long and injure him as extensively as they had was by taking advantage of his lack of nourishment. When Edward left to hunt two days ago, he was already weak. Why he waited so long to feed was beyond me. I knew he was staying close to the house in order to protect Bella, but he should have eaten when he took her out to hunt. My only theory was that he didn't want to be away from the group for any length of time and only went long enough for her to feed.
I stiffened, knowing I had to put on the tough doctor mask to hide the gentle dad face. "Edward, you have to feed to regain your strength. I can't begin to fix what is wrong with you if you're this weak. You do want to get better don't you?"
He gulped, looking intimidated. I knew he was hurting; he was broken, nearly beyond repair. It was going to be a very long night.
Looking towards Bella, who was openly sobbing and begging with her eyes for his cooperation, I watched him stiffen and relax, the air leaving his body in a loud whoosh.
"You know I don't like this idea. This is wrong, Carlisle. We don't consume human blood. Ever."
"Edward, if I could see any other way, do you think I'd suggest this?"
He looked at me, his eyes pleading with me. "Can't someone hunt for me? Won't animal blood do the same thing?" I had to show some compassion; after all, he was resisting just as I had taught him. As his creator, I had worked with him on conquering his demons and exercising restraint for nearly a century.
"Son, we both know human blood will make you stronger and heal you more rapidly than animal blood. Your injuries are extensive, and I'm afraid we've waited nearly too long to begin reconstruction on your injuries. This is donated blood; no one died for it."
Bella looked to me, concern written all over her little face. "What happens if we wait too long? Is there a time limit?"
"The bones have already nearly mended. The best possible scenario is to set them as soon as they are broken before they have a chance to regenerate new bone tissue. We are on the second day. If we wait much longer I won't be able to fix this."
I think Bella was heartbroken. "And if you can't fix this?"
I took her hand in mine and looked into her face as earnestly as I could. I had to make her understand. I could see Edward was becoming agitated, knowing what I was about to say. "He will remain, for all eternity, as he is right now."
I don't think it was possible for Edward to look any more broken than he did at this minute. He sagged into the bed, defeated. "I can't believe you are using her to make me do this!"
Bella got down on her knees, her face inches from Edward. "Edward, do you have any idea what it was like for me to lay in that hospital every Thursday while they crammed that huge needle into my arm and drained my blood? I was already weak; I'd walk around for several days, dizzy, feeling even weaker. Just when I'd begin to feel better, Charlie would force me to go back and do another donation. You know how I feel about hospitals. Maybe I didn't need it, but you do, and we're not going to waste it." To say she was agitated would be an understatement. She was mousy as a human, but Bella grew a pair when she was changed.
Bella stood and walked around the room, pacing like a caged animal.
'Son, do this for her. Take it as a gift from her. You know how her blood will affect your body. With her blood flowing through your veins, there's nothing I can't fix.'
Edward let out a sigh. "You know how I feel about this. What if I can't control the monster? I can't live with myself if I hurt an innocent person."
I had the answer to this one. "Son, you have a conscience, and you are strong. You'll be able to resist. Rest assured, the monster is gone."
I would have been here so much sooner, but I had to see it with my own eyes. The bane of Edward's existence was finally gone. I didn't leave that clearing in Pennsylvania until I had seen him dismembered and burned into ashes. It was my fault any of this has happened; I had to see it through to the end.
Edward looked at me and growled. "Not your fault!" I know he didn't blame me. "I'll try it. If there's some improvement, we'll continue. Is that okay? I still don't feel comfortable with this, though. At all."
Alice appeared in the doorway. "Warm or cold, Edward?"
Edward shuddered. "Warm, please."
"Alice, while you're down there, would you please set the other units of blood in the fridge to thaw? We'll be using them later."
Edward smirked and asked simply, "Popsicles?" Even in pain, he had a sense of humor. I chuckled at his joke, wanting to keep things light.
In no time I heard the microwave ding and Alice had reappeared with the coffee mug in hand. Bella reached for the mug as I lifted Edward's torso into a semi-sitting position.
Suddenly, a strange expression crossed Bella's face. She sniffed the air, looked into the cup, and dipped her finger into the warm, red substance. She held her finger in front of her face, turning it one way, then the other, as the blood slowly ran towards her hand. Raising her eyebrows, she focused on Edward. "This is how I smell to you?" He nodded, a look of uncertainty on his face.
Slowly she raised the finger to her mouth, popping it inside. When she pulled it out, it had been sucked clean. "And this is how I taste to you?" Again, he nodded.
I held my breath, scared she would decide to consume all the blood and then go looking for more. She would be too strong. I was too concerned about Edward to be able to stop her from going on a rampage. I need this for Edward. Please, Bella.
She shrugged her shoulders and simply said, "I don't see the appeal, but whatever."
She raised the cup to his lips as he took a swallow. I know he wanted to resist, I could see an internal struggle. "Just do it, Edward. The sooner you do, the sooner I can fix you."
He took another sip and said, "Enough! I've had enough." He pushed her hand away with his crumpled fist.
"No Edward, you need to take in the whole unit." His whole body was shaking. I knew he didn't want to do this and would resist every step of the way. He was remembering all the agonizing months of resisting the call of Bella's blood, while every instinct he had screamed at him to just give in and take her. Fortunately, love had won the battle.
Bella, sensing the need to be assertive, leaned in close to his head. "You can do this, and you will. If you refuse, Carlisle has a feeding tube with your name on it."
Defeated, Edward looked at the mug and shook his head. He took a few quick gulps, wincing with each swallow. My son looked so broken, both physically and mentally. I felt terrible forcing to do something against everything he believed.
"Almost gone, son. Finish it up and we'll begin." Edward took a few more swallows. He was trembling, looking like he had lost his best friend. I knew how hard this was for him and I hated to be the one to force him. I'm so sorry, Edward.
"Please, can we just get this over with?" His eyes were begging me.
Without another word, I picked up the hand closest to me and began twisting and snapping his fingers one by one. It sounded like someone was breaking branches. Bella had her hands covering her mouth in horror. Edward was hissing in pain.
"Bella, dear, get in my bag. There are some small finger splints. We'll need those and some tape. Hurry now, we don't have much time."
Bella fished around for a minute and pulled out the prize, handing them to me one at a time. "We'll need more for the other hand; get them too, please." She nodded in understanding, reaching back into the bag, a look of horror and disbelief on her face.
"I don't think I can handle any more. Do you need my help? I need a little air."
Edward looking terrified said, "I don't want her here for this."
Alice came over and touched his shoulder. "Bella and I will take Oliver to the park for the evening. If it gets late and you're not finished, we'll stop into a hotel for the night."
I asked Alice to heat the remainder of the first unit of blood. Bella leaned in to Edward and whispered, "I made the sacrifice. It's my gift to you. I need you whole, husband of mine. Cooperate, or it's the feeding tube for you." His eyes were huge. He blinked a few times but said nothing. "You're a horrible patient, Edward!"
With that she stood up as Alice handed me the cup of warm blood. Bella leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I love you so much. I'm sorry I can't watch this. I couldn't go if I didn't know you were in such capable hands." She looked at me. "Thank you, Carlisle."
After the girls left, Edward drank hungrily. I'm not sure if it was because he felt less guilty with her gone, but in no time the blood was gone and it was time. When I didn't need to hold the cup any longer, I was ready to start on the other hand.
Edward turned to me. "Please, just be quick. It's not so bad that way. If I can't take this, how can I handle the rest?" Before he had time to think, I was done with the re-breaking. In no time, the fingers were splinted and taped. In an hour or so, they'd be like new. Edward was quietly sucking the air in small gulps. I knew he was trying to man up to protect the others.
I called the remaining family members into the room, which was becoming quickly overcrowded.
I chose Rosalie because I knew she could be cold and hard, and nothing she saw tonight would have a lasting affect on her psyche. She was stronger than either of the boys and could handle anything.
Emmett stood with his arms crossed, looking like a club bouncer. He was going to hold Edward down while I tortured and contorted his body until I could manipulate all the parts back into shape.
Jasper remained because I needed him to keep all of us calm. I knew this was going to cause Jasper extraordinary pain, but I couldn't think of any other way.
Esme was outside, and had said that she'd remain with Edward until Bella returned. I knew she wanted to mother him, but right now she was barely holding herself together. My wife wouldn't be watching what I was about to do to her favorite son.
I looked at Emmett and Jasper. "Please lift him by the bedspread, and using it as a stretcher, take him down to the dining room table. We need a large, hard surface to work on."
Once I had him where I needed him, I began barking orders.
"Emmett, get a pair of scissors. We need to remove these damaged clothes." I took the scissors and started cutting the clothing off of Edward's body. "Help me roll him and get them out of here." Emmett rolled him while I pulled everything out from under him. Rosalie covered him with a sheet.
"Rosalie, I need your assistance to gather a few supplies." Rose and I went to the garage, gathering both short and long boards to be used as splints. We took all of Esme's flat sheets, and Jasper and Emmett set about tearing them into strips for bandages. In my bag, I had the feeding tube, tape and a section of IV tubing. I believed we had just about everything we needed. I was trying to decide how I was going to stabilize Edward's left hip. The limb had been completely dismembered from his body and had reattached on it's own, sticking out at an odd angle that would prevent him from ever walking without it being repaired.
"Rose, does Emmett have any belts?"
"Yes, why?"
"Can you find two for me, preferably leather with buckles?"
She ran up the stairs and before I knew it, she was standing in the dining room with us. I laid the belts with the other supplies, not wanting to waste any more precious time.
Jasper cleared his throat. "I realize you're the doctor here, but would it not seem prudent to knock him out with hypnosis? The pain from the finger repair was nearly too much to bear. I don't know how much I can handle, and Edward is the one on the receiving end of the punishment."
"I understand your concern for your brother, but I need for him to be awake as I work so he can help me assess the repairs, if necessary. We have no other way to monitor his condition if he's unconscious; we'll never know if there's a problem."
Jasper looked thoughtful for a moment. "Can we hypnotize him so he feels no pain? Don't they do that as an alternative therapy for humans?"
Edward, looking defeated, said, "I won't be able to relax enough to be hypnotized. I'm not in pain right now, but this position is uncomfortable and I'm not looking forward to what you're going to do next. I'm too tense."
Jasper smiled, "Oh, you'll be relaxed." Almost immediately a wave of calm drifted over the room's occupants. I began the hypnosis routine Edward and I have been using for months. In no time, he looked visibly relaxed.
Before I could say I was ready to begin, Emmett reached over and pinched a big section of Edward's bicep with his fingers. "Bloody hell, Emmett, that fucking hurt!"
Jasper and I looked at each other. "Edward, can you still feel pain?" I was hoping this would at the very least take the edge off for him.
"Well, I feel discomfort. Isn't that what you tell all your patients before you cause them pain?" He chuckled under his breath. "Let's just get this over with."
Edward's body, when broken, had been like a bag of rocks. It appeared he had been thrown into the bunker in a heap and left that way. Every extremity on his body was contorted at an odd angle. While he'd lain there in a heap, all the breaks had bonded and solidified. Edward would never be able to do anything for himself in this state.
I grasped Edward's arm firmly and with a pulling and twisting movement, snapped the bone with little effort. Edward screamed when the bone broke and lay panting, eyes wide as Rose helped me splint the repaired bone. I looked down questioningly at Edward and he nodded, letting me know he was ready for me to continue.
The radius and ulna on his right arm had been broken at an angle, and then bent in towards his body, giving it a permanently curled appearance I could only liken it to the way a stroke patient held their affected wrist. I took his hand, grabbing just below his wrist and gripped his elbow and pulled as quickly as I could. Again, Edward lifted off the table for a moment, before slumping. There was no scream this time, but the look in his eyes was one of sheer terror. Son, please calm down.
I was doing all I could to block my thoughts. I didn't want him to know how uncertain I was in all of this. Fixing his broken body was going to take nothing short of a miracle. YetI didn't know how much more of this I could handle.
I did the only thing I knew in times of uncertainty. I bowed my head on Edward's mattress and began to pray. "Father, please give me the guidance to heal Edward's injuries. Give me the strength to follow through and do what I must. Please heal Edward swiftly and completely. I am but a man and cannot do this without your blessing. Please help me. Amen."
A chorus of hushed 'Amen's' surrounded me. I felt the small wooden splints on Edward's fingers in my hair. He was offering me strength. "I trust you, Carlisle. Please, let's do this, I have faith in you."
"Rose, I'd like you to go into the kitchen and heat a large container of water to warm the next unit of blood in. Edward, son, do you need a few minutes? This is only going to get more painful. I'm sorry I can't offer you any relief."
"How bad are my injuries, Carlisle? Please be honest with me. I can't even pick my head up to look."
I held my head in my hands. I didn't know where to begin.
"Am I worse than Bella was after she jumped?"
"You're not bleeding internally, but yes, the extent of orthopedic damage? You're in much worse condition."
"And the leg that was taken completely off? How bad is that? Can it be repaired?"
"The way it is now, you'll never walk on it, son. In order to make it functional for you, I have to amputate it and then put it back at the proper angle. That limb, by far, will be the most tedious to repair."
I rounded the head of the table without comment, I took the other wrist in my hand and snapped it quickly, like pulling off a band aid. It cracked loudly. He flinched, but made no sounds. I took a splint and held it fast. Rose came over and wrapped it without being told to do so. We worked in perfect synchronization. "Thanks, Rose."
I reached across Edward to the first hand I'd worked on; it had been about an hour since the mending began. Holding his wrist, I started removing the finger splints. "Flex your fingers son, but gently. I don't want you to disturb the arm repair."
He moved his fingers, contented sounds escaped his lips. "This is quite an improvement. Thank you."
"Just a bit and we'll take the splints off the other fingers. Emmett, Jasper can you come here please?"
"How can we help?" Emmett wanted to know.
"I need you to support the right thigh and knee, please. Put your hand here…and here. Just steady it while I pull." I took hold on Edward's ankle and wrenched it downward and out to the side a bit. He screamed loudly. "Oh, God, oh God, oh God, please!"
While he was screaming, Rose had helped me splint and wrap it. The bones in his lower leg were intact and didn't need to be manipulated. The thigh was a different story. The femur was broken midway, the broken ends sticking out towards me, yet fused together. I knew what I had to do, and like the rest of this torture, it would not be pleasant.
"Emmett, come hold your brother down."
"Rose, please get the second unit of blood. It should be warm enough." I didn't want to pump it into him cold and have his stomach recoil. He'd only had the one pint of blood in God knows how long. I wasn't sure how his body was coping right now, but we couldn't afford to lose one precious drop.
"Jasper, I need you to support the ankle we just set."
Emmett had put his hands firmly on Edward's chest. He stood on the side of the table opposite me. I grasped Edward's thigh just above his knee, placing my other hand on the inside of his thigh at the very top. I braced my knee against the thigh where it had mended together. I had to make a fulcrum to be able to snap it properly.
I looked at Emmett, his eyes meeting mine. A grim expression was on his face. I looked at Edward, who had his eyes closed. He had a medical degree and could read my mind. He knew what was coming. I'm so sorry son. He let out a shaky chuckle. Then through clenched teeth, "Do it."
I took a deep breath and pulled as hard as I could. A sickening crack filled the air, followed by Edward's screams, then complete silence. Rose had both hands over her face she left out a few sobs as she came over to help me with the wraps. Jasper was holding the board in place under the thigh. As we wrapped the leg, I could hear Emmett retching from the back porch. As much as they loved their brother, I knew they were all thinking the same thing. This could be me.
Rose went to the head of the table, looking down into her brother's face. She took a tissue and wiped the tears from his eyes. Venom. She pulled out a chair and started running her fingers through his hair, talking to him in a hushed voice. He was completely out. I knew he couldn't go into shock, but this was the vampire equivalent.
I looked at the counter top on the island in Esme's kitchen. "Boys, please clear that off for me. I need a place to work." Emmett walked over and cleared everything off in one sweep with his huge arm.
"Cleared." He had a grin on his face. He wouldn't be smiling when Esme made him clean up the mess.
"Rosalie, did you bring me that unit of blood?" I put a nail in the wall next to the table at eye level. I didn't have an IV stand, but gravity would work for what I needed to accomplish.
I pulled the feeding tube from my bag and opened the wrapper opposite the tip I'd be putting into Edward's stomach. I laid out the KY jelly and opened a package with a section of IV tubing inside; this would connect the feeding tube to the bag of blood.
I shook Edward by his shoulder. "Edward, son, pay attention to me. Please, I need you to listen. I'm going to put the feeding tube in now. You don't need to do anything but relax. It might be easier if you swallow. I'll tell you when."
Jasper was concentrating. "Is there a reason why you waited to give him more of the blood until now? Wouldn't it have helped him to do it sooner?"
How to explain it? "Yes and no. The blood would make him much stronger. It would definitely facilitate the healing process on the bones we've reset. However, if he gets more blood too soon, the bones that haven't been manipulated yet will almost be too strong for me to break. He needs to take the blood in while we're working so he doesn't loose too much fluid. Amputating the leg could cause him to crash; I might not be able to bring him back. It's a delicate process. It's time now." Rose had just brought the blood over to me.
Jasper intervened. "Why the feeding tube now? Can't he just drink more from a cup?"
I smiled at Jasper, normally he just took what I said at face value. He was very thoughtful when his brother's wellbeing was in question. "Jasper, as extensive as the injuries are, we can't sit him up and risk causing damage to our repairs. I need him to lie perfectly still.
I walked to Edward's head. I leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. I wanted him to know that no matter what happened, I loved him very much. He was truly my son in every sense.
He returned my gaze. "I understand, dad. I love you too."
I made a small puddle of KY jelly on the inside of the sterile wrapper the IV tubing lay in. Picking up the NG tube I slid the plastic wrapper off, being careful not to touch the part that was going inside Edward. I dipped it into the lubricant and started to fish the tube up Edwards's nose until it stopped. I turned it a bit and pushed harder. Before I could verbalize my thought, Edward opened his eyes. Looking at me, he swallowed at just the right time. I pushed the tube into his esophagus and continued to feed it down into his stomach until I got to the mark I'd made on the end, showing me I was all the way in. I pulled an empty syringe out of my bag, filling it with air and attaching it to the end of the feeding tube. With my stethoscope on his stomach, I depressed the plunger. I heard the telltale whoosh of air telling me the tube was in his stomach and not his lung. "All done Edward. I wish I could say the worst is over." He grimaced, knowing the worst was yet to come.
I hooked the IV tubing to the NG tube, and then to the unit of warm blood. We waited to begin until about half of the blood had drained from the bag.
"Edward, this is the last one. I'm sorry, I wish I didn't have to do this to you."
Looking around the room, every one of my children had the same terrified look on their face. Their brother's life was in my hands, and if I made one false move, it would end very quickly. While we're immune to almost anything, damage done by another vampire has a deadly potential. In this moment, I'm as deadly as Victoria had been.
"Let's do this." Emmett said.
"Emmett, stand on the right side of the table and brace his torso with all your strength. Jasper, you stand on the right side and support his right leg. As soon as I amputate the limb, I'll need your assistance. Rose, you need to put pressure on his groin. Monitor his fluid loss."
I walked over to the leg that hung limply at an odd angle, almost perpendicular to his body. I grasped the leg with both hands and jerked as hard as I could. Edward's left leg came off in my arms, the force almost taking me off my feet it was so sudden. "Jasper, Emmett quick! Help support this." We quickly carried the leg to the counter top to work on it. There were several breaks in the tibia and fibula; I wanted to repair them while the limb was detached from Edward's body. I was certain he could stand little more pain.
We placed one splint behind Edward's calf and taped it in place. I could see Rose trying to sop something up with a towel. She began screaming. "Oh, God, Carlisle, hurry! The venom!" Venom ran off the table into a slippery pool on the floor.
"Let's hurry, boys."
"Rose, please get the belts ready." As I pulled Edward onto his side, Emmett steadied him so he wouldn't fall off the table. I put the belts under Edward's hips, leaving the ends hang off the side.
"Emmett, help me move the leg now." We very carefully laid the leg next to the place it had been ripped from. As if it had a mind of it's own, it moved closer as I guided it into place. "The belts now, buckle them quickly." The two belts stretched low across Edward's pelvis. I put a foam wedge at the apex of his thighs to allow everything to heal as it should. "Rose, please hold this piece of skin in place until it grafts itself." Almost magically, the wound began to seal itself at the edges. In no time the venom had stopped seeping and the wound had closed.
Edward remained unconscious. This would be a good time to assess any other injuries. "Emmett, help me roll him, carefully. Let's see what else we have to fix." I had seen the deep gashes on his back, knowing they were caused by either vampire fingernails or werewolf claws. They were scabbed over, yet not completely healed. They should have been treated immediately. If it became necessary to reopen them, I had a wolf claw in my study.
While he was on his side, Rose stepped in and wiped the venom off of the table and cleaned Edward's backside of the sticky substance. Once he was dry, we rolled him onto his back and I noted several ribs had been broken but were healing nicely. Two of them caved inwardly, but there was no way for me to repair them, short of punching a hole in his chest with my hand and pulling then back out into place. We'd be leaving them alone. Edward couldn't handle any more invasive procedures.
I went and retrieved the third unit of Bella's blood and hung it, discarding the bag that was now empty. Rose sat at Edward's head still, whispering to him soothingly and rubbing his head. Motherhood had broken her in the most positive way. She had become a gentle creature almost over night. Had I known, I'd have found an orphaned child for her years ago, as so many were abandoned in the hospitals.
Esme, noting that the screaming had stopped, came inside to mother Edward a bit. He was finally awake. Alert. "Carlisle, dear, Edward wants to know if he can just drink the blood from a cup? I believe the tube is bothering him."
I didn't want to move his body yet. I went over to where he lay, knowing he could have heard me across the room. "I don't want to shift your body and possibly dislodge something. Please be patient. There's one unit left. You need to remain in the same position for a few hours until everything is healed. By morning, this will just be a bad memory." He shuddered.
The phone rang, and Emmett came to Edward's side. "Bells and Alice are on their way home. The baby keeps asking for Rosie. Alice saw that we were done torturing you." There was no humor in his voice.
I began cleaning up all the things that remained from our night of cruelty. I wanted to put Esme's kitchen back the way we had found it, and we would, with the exception of the large vampire lying on her kitchen table. He would have to stay put for the rest of the night.
After I supervised Emmett's clean up of Esme's kitchen island, I decided I could afford to take a few minutes to unwind. This had been a stressful few days.
I went to my study to calm myself. Esme came up behind me, putting her arms around my waist. "I know it was hard for you to hurt him, but you had no choice. He's thankful. He doesn't blame you for any of this." She emphasized 'any,' reminding me that the whole Lawrence debacle was just an unfortunate mistake we'd have to put behind us. I agreed, but it would still be difficult for me to stop chastising myself. My dear wife left me alone in my room to reflect, or sulk, or whatever I was trying to accomplish. We'd come extremely close to losing Edward more than once this week.
I knew Bella would want to see for herself that her husband was alright. I had considered hypnotizing him, yet he could unconsciously move around. Awake, I knew he could lay stock still for hours without discomfort.
I heard a car in the gravel in the driveway. The girls were home. Alice came in carrying the baby, who was sound asleep in her arms. She had an angelic smile on her face. I imagine it won't be long and she'll be entertaining thoughts of obtaining a little Whitlock that she can spoil.
Emmett took the baby from Alice and started up the stairs. I heard Rose running bathwater. Having a baby makes certain that life goes on, no matter the situation.
Bella ran straight to the dining room, falling to her knees at Edward's side. She showered his face with frantic kisses gently, reverently. I think she'd had the wrong assumption when she decided to live our lifestyle, that vampirism made one invincible. This week she saw that myth crack. Amongst our peers, we were as vulnerable as she had been in her human body.
Edward wiggled his fingers, silently asking her to take his hand.
"It's okay, Bella. You won't hurt him." She looked like she needed my reassurance.
She appeared heartbroken as she took his fingers in hers. "Oh, Edward, it was so terrible. We left here so we wouldn't have to see what was happening. Alice saw every single minute. Every time you screamed, she screamed. She was on the ground, clutching her head. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you so much." She was sobbing those tearless sobs. I was still glad she hadn't been here, though. She would have tried to stop us, and nothing good would have come of that.
Bella laid her head on his chest. Every so often she'd shudder or a sob would escape her.
Before long a new day had arrived. I found Bella laying on the very edge of the huge oak table, her arms curled around Edward's torso. She was whispering sweet nothings to him. He had a soft smile on his face. He looked totally at ease, so different from the damaged vampire screaming in agony a few hours ago. I could feel the happiness that filled the air; it was tangible.
Edward lifted his head. "Can you please undo my trappings so that I can spend some quality time with my wife? She's been tormented by this situation far too long. I need to show her I'm fine."
Methodically I went from limb to limb, removing the splints, flexing Edward's joints as I went. Everything appeared to have healed remarkably well. I gave Edward a quick nod and he was up and off the table before I could blink. "Come on, beautiful Bella, let's go upstairs and relax in private." He grabbed her hand, looking like a man whose life sentence had been pardoned. "Would you like to join me? I need a shower, I'm filthy, and sticky from the venom."
As the bathroom door closed, I heard Edward scream an anguished scream, followed by breaking glass. What the heck? Had the boy lost his mind? Moving at vampire speed, I slammed against the door with my shoulder, easily taking it off the hinges. Edward stood, sobbing, his face in his hands. Bella was standing next to him, rubbing his back speaking in hushed tones. As she lifted her head, I raised one eyebrow in question. "He looked in the mirror before he lost it. I'm sorry, we'll replace it."
I didn't care about the mirror. My only concern at the moment was Edward's wellbeing. I put my hand under his chin, raising his face so I could look at him, suddenly I realized the source of his distress. His eyes were crimson. Their color was a telltale reminder that he had feasted on Bella's blood. "Son, it's to be expected. You did nothing wrong."
"I feel like a monster. I fought for years to deny myself her blood. I don't know why I agreed. How long will it be like this?"
"You received 4 units of her blood son. The color will fade, as you know. The more animal blood you consume, the quicker it will be diluted. A lesson to be learned- don't wait so long between feedings, we could have avoided some of this if you hadn't been so weakened by lack of nourishment. I might not have needed to give you all 4 units."
I knew he was repulsed by what he had seen, but if the color of his eyes was the only disadvantage of getting my son back, I'd take it. I knew seven other vampires who felt the same way. Edward would have to get over the self-loathing.
This situation was something none of us would soon forget.
We all needed to get away. Even vampires need a vacation. Isle Esme, here we come.
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