Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. I do not. I do however, own my 'gang'.
A/N: Also thanks to my awesome Beta, Blueboarderchick.
Thank you to my reviewers.
Chapter 44
When my consciousness began to drift in, I forced my eyelids to part only to wince at the harsh glow of the artificial lights above me.
Where am I?
The IV pole attached to my arm tipped me off that I was in the hospital. My throat felt dry and parched as I swallowed. I tried to shift my body only to bump into a solid object. My eyes scanned my body until they landed on Taylor. He was currently hunched over, asleep with his head on my bed. From where I sat, I was able to discern that the wound on his head had been bandaged.
As I scanned the room, I located the dozing figures of Liz and Ryan. Somehow he'd managed to cram his large frame into a small hospital chair while Liz was curled in his lap with her head on his shoulder. The scene brought a smile to my face and I had to blink back the tears. I'd never been more grateful to be alive than I was at that moment.
Looking down at my leg, I found that my injured foot had been encased in an ankle brace. I struggled to push myself into sitting position and the bed shook slightly. The movement woke Taylor and his head snapped up as he leaned off the bed. He blinked a few times to clear his vision before his eyes focused on me.
For a brief period, we just sat in silence, staring at each other until the whirlwind known as Liz collided with me. The air was knocked out of my lungs as she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Izzy," Liz laughed and sobbed all in one breath. I rubbed her back in a calming motion.
"Hey ease up, Liz. What are you trying to do, finish off what that wolf started?" This came from Ryan. Having carefully extracted himself from the hospital chair, he crossed the room to stand next to my bed.
Liz pulled away to look at me. "How are you feeling, Izzy?"
"Drowsy and thirsty." I winced from the hoarseness of my voice, and Taylor poured me a glass of water. Smiling my thanks, I then proceeded to gulp down half the glass in one go.
"Sleepy? How are you still sleepy? You slept the entire day," Ryan inquired, and I looked at the window and into the darkness behind him. It was nighttime.
"She's probably still feeling the effects of that sedative the doctors gave her," Liz reminded him.
"What sedative?" I passed the glass back to Taylor.
"When we were in the ambulance, you woke up and started freaking out. The paramedics were worried you would go into cardiac arrest because your heart was beating so fast. They had to give you something to calm you down," Liz informed me. My mind briefly flashed back to the wolf nightmare and I suppressed a shudder.
Before I had the chance to say anything else, Ryan asked, "How's your arm?"
I shifted my gaze downward to my now bandaged arm and hand. There was still some pain but it was manageable. Despite the fact that it hurt like hell, I was overjoyed to discover that I could still wiggle my fingers slightly.
"It still hurts but not like it did before, though."
"Man, those were some sick looking bites you got from that wolf. I took pictures, do you wanna see?" Ryan removed his phone from his pocket before holding it out to me.
But before I was able to turn him down, Liz scolded, "I'm sure she got a real good look at them when the wolf was chewing on her ass, Ryan."
A contrite looking Ryan mumbled, "Sorry."
I rolled my eyes at his silliness. One of the things I loved most about Ryan was his ability to make light and bring amusement to any situation.
As Taylor moved to sit on my bed, I scooted over to move room for him. Ryan observed us with a small smile on his face
"How did you find us?" I queried.
"Alice Cullen, that's how. I can't believe you didn't tell us about her, Izzy. We're your friends, we would have understood." Liz's expression was full of reproach as she glared at me. Meanwhile, I was having a panic attack on the inside.
Did they know about the Cullens and the existence of vampires?
Did Alice tell them everything?
While I was busy fretting, Liz was still waiting for an answer. "Um… I don't know… I didn't think you would understand and well…" My voice trailed off. I didn't know what to say.
"We believe in the supernatural too, Izzy. It is so not a big deal that Alice is psychic." Liz informed me and my jaw almost unhinged itself.
Forcing my lips to function, I asked, "Psychic?"
"Yeah, let me tell you how we found out. After Ryan and I woke up, we went downstairs looking for you guys. At first we thought that you might have gone for a walk or something until I heard your cell phone ring."
Ryan dragged the hospital chair over to the bed then Liz perched herself on his lap before continuing. "When I answer it, Alice is on the other end frantically screaming that she's been trying to call us for hours and that you and Taylor fell off a cliff."
Liz paused, and I prodded impatiently, "So what did you say?"
"I calmly asked her what she was on and if she could mail me some of it."
I burst out laughing and Liz's lips twitched in amusement.
"She sounded like a nut, the way she was carrying on. When I asked her how she knew that you guys were in trouble, she told me that she was psychic. I told her that I was the Queen of England."
A giggle escaped my lips as I thought, poor Alice. She was trying to save our lives but Liz wasn't taking her seriously.
Taylor made an impatient circular motion with his finger, signaling Liz to get on with it.
"All right, all right. Anyway, she ended up proving it." Liz continued, looking slightly embarrassed.
"How did she prove it?" This I had to hear.
Liz hesitated before going on. "She um… told us what we were doing before her call." When I stared at Liz blankly, she added cheekily, "In detail." I looked at Ryan to find a faint blush on his cheeks.
Oh.
Alice must have gotten quite a show. Hell, I felt embarrassed for them.
Ryan picked up where Liz left off. "Well, anyway, we immediately went down to resort office and reported you missing. They tried to organize a search party but by then, the snow storm hit and we had to wait it out. Liz was freaking out until Alice called her, saying that you guys had found shelter in a cave."
Oh my God. If Alice was checking in on us while we were in the cave then she saw us kiss. That also meant that Edward saw us together. This was one of the reasons why I didn't want her spying on me. I knew something like this would hurt Edward. But if she'd kept her promise, Taylor and I might have still been out there, lost in the snow.
"Alice is probably watching this conversation as we speak. I'm sure she's waiting for the right time to call. I know the Cullens want to talk to you. They were all so worried"
"Did you guys tell my parents?" I cringed, just thinking about how much Renee would panic over something like this.
"Um… actually, no. I didn't want to say anything until… we knew for sure and then after we found you, I decided to let you tell them yourself. If they hear it from you, they're less likely to freak out," Liz reasoned, and I agreed with her.
Ryan piped up, "We told Zach, though. He said to tell you that he's glad you guys weren't eaten alive."
I shook my head at Zach's sensitivity. Leah really had her work cut out for her if she intended to take him on.
"Is he at Leah's house?"
"No, Zach's still at his sister's place. He plans to head over to Leah's in a few days. He wanted to spend Christmas with Leah, but his sister threatened to turn him into a woman if he didn't spend the holidays with her." Liz rolled her eyes in amusement over Zach's situation. It sounded like his sister was a real handful.
"So… Alice was sort of short on details. Could you tell us what happened to you guys while you were out there?" Liz questioned gently. Clearly, she was giving me room to say no, just in case it was too traumatic for me to talk about.
As I began to recount the story of how we fell off the cliff, Taylor removed himself from the bed and went to stand in front of the window. I told them everything that occurred before we were found, except for the cave kissing of course.
"Damn, Izzy, now you're kicking wolf ass too," Ryan cajoled, and I smiled wanly. Taylor still had yet to say anything and my insides were beginning to churn with worry.
Maybe he regretted kissing me.
Maybe I enjoyed the kiss more than he did.
Maybe he just got caught up in the heat of the moment and now he was trying to figure out a way to tell me.
I couldn't begin to describe how those thoughts made me feel. The constricting feeling in my chest was making it difficult to breathe easily. Eventually, I fell silent, fiddling with my bandages. Noticing the expression on my face, Ryan opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when Liz cut in. "I think we should go let the doctor know that you're awake."
Before dragging Ryan out the door, Liz threw a concerned glance between me and her brother. She subsequently closed the door, leaving us alone in awkward silence. At the sound of the closing door, Taylor turned from the window to peer at me, and I instantly averted my eyes to stare down at dull pattern on the blue hospital blanket.
His footsteps were made even louder by the stillness of the room. Tightening my grip on the blanket, I tried to brace myself for I knew what was coming. There was still time to end our little whatever without anyone getting hurt. It wasn't like we were a couple or anything. Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad if I were the one to end it first.
I opened my mouth to beat him to the punch but all that came out was, "Um…" Jeez, real freaking eloquent.
The bed sank slightly under his weight as he sat down, facing me. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on my injured arm, anxiously picking at the bandages. My body was rigid and tense, waiting for the axe to drop. I was bewildered when Taylor gently placed fingers under my chin, tilting it upward until his face came into my line of sight.
"What-" The word barely escaped my mouth before he leaned in, pressing me back against the bed as he took possession of my lips. His warm hands encircled my torso, fingers slipping through the back of my hospital gown to mould the exposed flesh found there. In the back of my mind, I remembered that I was completely naked, except for the gown. Moaning into his mouth, I arched my back in a desperate attempt to close the distance between our bodies. But this move was hampered by my injured hand which was still cradled in my lap.
His mouth was warm as he kissed a burning trail from my mouth across my jaw line. I slipped my hand around his waist just as his lips located a sweet spot on my neck. Involuntarily, my nails dug down; raking across his back and I felt Taylor shiver in response. So, he liked being scratched. I tucked that vital piece of information away for another time.
My mind was a muddled, hazy mess of thoughts as I murmured, "I … thought… that…" My original intent was to tell him that I'd assumed he'd changed his mind about us. But I was finding coherent thought increasingly difficult to come by with each passing second.
"That what?" Taylor managed, in between sucking and nibbling on my neck. Oh God.
I whimpered in delight as the thin fabric of my gown scraped across my painfully taunt nipples. My body arched again, desperate for friction, any friction.
"That… um…" The thought was lost and I couldn't remember what I was about to say. Oh God, who cares…
It was like my body no longer belonged to me. I couldn't control myself, didn't want to. All I wanted to do was kick off my blankets then climb onto his lap, bad foot and chewed arm be damned.
Taylor's hand reached up behind my neck, and I felt a small tug on the tied string of my gown. He, ever so gently, slid the material over my left shoulder, kissing the exposed skin found there. Deep in the recesses of my mind, I knew that one of us should stop this. We were in a hospital for Christ's sake!
We were so wrapped up in each other that we failed to hear when the door opened. In fact, we weren't even aware that we had company until someone cleared their throat, clearly trying to bring us back to reality.
Automatically, my body stiffened and Taylor immediately pulled back, yanking my gown back in place. I closed my eyes, trying to think of something to say, some way to explain to our friends what they just walked in on. But my mind was fresh out of words.
Deciding to face the music, I opened my eyes slowly and turned to face our friends, only to discover the slightly embarrassed and amused faces of a doctor and a nurse.
I did an uncanny imitation of a fish gasping for air with my mouth opening and closing a few times. I tried to say something, anything but my tongue was being held hostage by my uncooperative mouth.
The doctor decided to save me the trouble. "Don't be embarrassed. You two survived a life threatening experience together. It's only natural that you would express your… joy," he muttered in a tone that was tinged mirth while the nurse placed her hand over her growing smile. Discreet professionals, my ass!
I wanted to crawl away and die somewhere.
Making out in a hospital bed. What the hell is wrong with me? Oh God, I've turned into a sexual deviant.
My cheeks burned crimson as I tried to force my body to calm down. I took a moment to peer at Taylor to see if he was just as embarrassed as I was, only to be disappointed. Not only was he attempting to hold in his own laughs, but he appeared completely unaffected by our make out session. While I probably looked like I had been properly ravaged. God knows I felt like it.
Abruptly, I felt the urge to smack him in the back of the head, Liz style. After all, it was his fault that we were in this situation. It was his fault that I forgot where I was. It didn't matter that I was a willing participant. Totally irrelevant.
"Taylor, shouldn't you be in your room right now?" The doctor asked, not noticing or choosing to deliberately ignore my whiny little pout.
My head snapped up at that. "What? You're a patient here too?" He sure as hell didn't look like one in his jeans and T-shirt.
Taylor made a face but before he could answer, the doctor cut in, "A twenty-four hour observation is standard procedure for all concussion injuries."
Wait a minute! How come he gets to wear real clothes while I get stripped bare? So unfair.
Taylor must have read the emotion on my face because he threw an annoyingly sexy smirk in my direction before proceeding out the door.
After Dr. Conner introduced himself, he looked over my charts while the nurse injected a syringe into my tubing. I think it was something for the pain because after a few minutes, the throbbing ache in my arm faded and I was left with a welcomed numbness. I had been given a vaccination shot then placed on a course of antibiotics because I was still at risk of infection.
When I was first brought into the hospital, Dr. Conner was worried about any possible nerve damage I might have sustained to my arm. But a MRI scan revealed that I'd only suffered a significant amount of soft tissue damage. It had taken a total of seventy-six stitches to close up the lacerations on my hand and arm. I would definitely have scars but the wounds were expected to heal nicely. On the other hand, my ankle would take three weeks to fully heal, one of which would require the use of a brace. For additional support, I would have to use a cane whenever I wanted to move around.
Dr. Conner also notified me that animal control authorities were out searching for the wolf. It would be detained then observed for any signs of rabies. But whether the wolf had rabies or not, it would still be euthanized in the end. Once an animal had reached to point of attacking people, it couldn't be allowed to live. He then went on to inform me that Taylor and I were extremely lucky to, not only have survived a hundred and ten foot fall, but to have also survived a wolf attack. Hospital staff was already calling us the Christmas Miracle Couple. Lame, I know.
Liz and Ryan entered the room immediately following the exit of the doctor and nurse. As Ryan plopped himself down in the chair, Liz grabbed a spot on my bed, handing me my cell phone.
When I looked at her inquiringly, she explained with a wry little smile, "Alice."
As soon as I held the phone to my ear, Alice's worried voice chimed, "Bella. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Alice, thanks to you." I leaned back against the bed and Liz mimicked my movement, laying her head on my shoulder. It was almost as if Liz was trying to reassure herself that I was here. I knew the accident had left her shaken. She'd almost lost her brother and best friend in one swoop. It would take her a while to get over it.
"I'm so sorry we weren't there to help you, Bella. We tried but it was impossible to get a flight out of Paris. We were this close to buying a jet. Edward was out of his mind with worry. Especially when he saw what happened with you and that wolf. You almost died, Bella… I'm so sorry," Alice was practically babbling at this point.
"It's okay, Alice. I'm fine now." I tried to convince her. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You saved our lives, Alice."
"I know that but… Bella, it's just… I still have those images in my mind. I saw what would have happened if you'd given up. It's horrible." Alice's voice cracked as a choked sob escaped her mouth. I knew what she meant. If I had given up, the wolf would have killed us. The images of our mangled, dead bodies were still in her mind.
God, that is so creepy.
I couldn't help the shiver that went up my spine. Liz lifted her head slightly to peer at me in silent inquiry and I smiled at her, shaking my head. I didn't know what to say to Alice. What do you say to someone who saw you dead?
Alice continued, "Edward almost lost his mind when he saw that vision." I could only imagine his reaction to seeing a vision of me dead. Even though what happened wasn't really my fault, I still felt guilty for making him worry so much.
"Where is he, Alice? Is he there now?"
"No, after you were brought to the hospital, we were finally able to convince him to go hunting. He's out now with Jasper and Emmett. They should be back any minute now." Alice paused briefly before continuing, "I guess Liz told you about my confession, huh?"
"Yeah. I was shocked. At first I thought that..." You told Liz that you were a vampire, my mind filled in the rest, completely mindful of the fact that Liz and Ryan were still in the room.
Alice was able to figure out that I had company. "I didn't know what else to do, Bella. Liz flat out refused to believe me, so I had no choice. You were in danger and I had to find some way to make her believe me."
"Even though you weren't supposed to, thanks for looking, Alice." Which reminded me, why was she checking on me to begin with? How often did she do that?
Just as I opened my mouth to ask, Alice cut me off once again, "I know what you're about to ask, Bella, and the answer is no. I don't do it all the time. It's just that when you told me about your romantic trip up to the cabin, I just wanted to see if you would finally go for it with Taylor." Alice confessed with a small trace of guilt in her voice. "Are you mad?" She asked in a tiny voice.
After a moment of silence, I replied, "I know I should be… but I'm not. Thanks for looking, Alice. But I-"
"I know, I know. I promise I won't make a habit out of it. I think I'm already scarred for life having seen Liz and Ryan. I mean, my God, Bella. The things they do to each other-"
Ew!
I quickly interjected, "Please, Alice. I do not want to know." Whatever freaky sex games Liz and Ryan played, I didn't need to hear about it.
"Okay. Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie are here. I'll just put you on speaker so-" Alice abruptly stopped talking and I heard the sound of scuffling before Alice complained, "Ouch, Edward! You scratched me!"
I assumed the subsequent growl came from Jasper.
"Bella, are you all right?" Edward's slightly panicked voice came through the phone.
"I'm okay, Edward. I'm safe now." I sought to assuage his fears.
"I was so worried about you, Bella. When I saw the vision of you…" Edward's voice trailed off, unable to complete his sentence.
Edward was definitely having a hard time. It must have been horrible to see someone you loved being gruesomely eaten alive. "It's in the past now, Edward. I'm alive and I have every intention of staying that way." I spoke in a tone that one would use to reassure a child that there were no monsters in their closet.
There was a few second of silence before Edward spoke with sadness in his voice. "I saw what happened in the cave, Bella."
The vain hope that he would remain silent about my kiss with Taylor was dashed. "I'm sorry you had to see that." And I truly was. The last thing I wanted to do was cause Edward any more pain.
"He's decided," Edward spoke sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"Taylor's decided what you mean to him. Before he wasn't so sure but now… I saw him in Alice's mind. The way he sees you has changed. His sister's the same way. Once they've made up their mind, it can never be changed."
What the hell does that mean?
I was about to ask this when Emmett's voice boomed over the phone in annoyance. "Jeez, Edward. You're always hogging Bella. There are other people that would like to talk to her, you know?"
"Oh, sorry," Edward murmured before placing me on speaker phone where I spent the next few minutes talking with the family. Eventually my drowsiness began to settle in again, forcing me to cut our conversation short.
I went back to sleep after Liz and Ryan left to bring back some of my things from the cabin. Hours later, I awoke to an arm wrapping around my middle. Without opening my eyes, I teased softly, "Couldn't stay away, huh?"
"No, I couldn't." Taylor curled his large body around mine and I snuggled into his embrace then drifted back to sleep.
The following day, Taylor and I were discharged from the hospital. The owners of the resort were very understanding when we decided to end our stay with them. They'd even gone as far as to refund our money with no fuss. I think they were mostly relieved that we weren't going to sue them.
I opted to downplay my accident when I spoke with Charlie and Renee, telling them that Taylor and I fell down a hill instead of a cliff. I'd left out the wolf part entirely, thinking that the almost being eaten alive thing would have been too much for them. When Angela heard about Taylor's roll in my accident, she kindly informed me that if I didn't marry Taylor then she would. When I'd told Leah, she said, only Bella Swan would go to a romantic retreat and manage to get her ass half-eaten by a wild animal. In the end, Leah grumbled that she was glad I didn't up and die on her. I think that was her way of telling me she cared. It took all of my will power not to tell her about Zach and his impending visit. I wish I could have been a fly on her wall when he showed up…
I didn't know how Alice managed to pull it off but the day after we'd left the hospital, my shiny new walking cane was delivered to the apartment. The shaft was made from hardwood with a black high gloss finish. The handle was carved into the shape of a rose. I liked it as the cane wasn't too flashy and helped me maintain some mobility. Ryan took to calling it my pimp cane and would often steal it to practice his pimp walk. Meanwhile, Liz would use my cane to threaten Ryan with sexual assault whenever he made her mad.
There were no more opportunities for kissing, thanks to an overly clingy Liz. She would constantly follow me around, offering to do things for me. I was rarely afforded any time alone, much less with Taylor. Liz even began sleeping in my room. The bathroom ended up becoming my sole sanctuary and I had to fight tooth and nail for that privilege. I knew she still felt guilty that she was having sex while Taylor and I were fighting for our lives. Eventually, I knew she would relax and things would get back to normal.
Taylor and I didn't act any differently around each other. At least I don't think we did. Maybe it was because we were already so close before we started our undefined relationship. The decision to keep our relationship private was a subconscious one. We knew that involving our friends would only make things complicated.
After spending a quite Christmas, we packed our bags before boarding a flight to Boston. The visit would prove to be an eye-opener, giving me insight into the lives of my friends, mostly Taylor's. After all… people tended to say the most interesting things when they thought that no one was listening.
A/N: Okay I know, I delivered this chapter among many threats from the angry mob because of my tardiness. But in my defense, for some reason my chapters seem to be getting longer with this one crossing five thousand words. Oh, well.
Back to the story: Bella and Taylor... the heat is turning up for this couple.
What do you think Edward's message means?
Alice spills the beans about her abilities and end up scarred by Ryan and Liz... Poor thing.
My beta thinks Ryan is just plain silly. What do you think?
Coming up next: Bella meets Taylor and Liz's dad and he eyes her strangely.
More tales of Ryan's ridiculousness.
Bella overhears (snoops) a conversation that turns her world upside down, making her wonder just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
I'm quite exited for the next chapter.
A/N: I'm thinking of writing a chapter in Leah's POV about Zach visit. Speak now and let me know if you want me to write it.
You know the drill. I'll try to give you the next chapter early, we'll see. Review!
