Chapter Fifty Three
Carlisle
I could only stand by and watch as Bella started to fade away and Jasper knew it too. He had laid down beside her on the narrow bed and taken her in his arms whispering to her of things they would never do and I think he was trying to fool himself into believing she would survive this. I went outside from time to time to speak to Darius and Aro who had joined us along with his usual companions, Renata and Felix. Strangely enough Aro looked as concerned as Jasper, as if losing someone close to him and I thought it was the feeling of frustration and impotence that hurt the most.
We were the strongest most resilient creatures on the planet yet we couldn't save this one hybrid girl who had come to mean so much to all of us. A little apart and saying nothing after the initial introductions was Bella's father Avon whose own father was Caius, one of the Volturi brothers so she was in fact royalty! I could only imagine how Caius must feel. He had opted to go back to Volterra after the battle and leave Avon to wait for news of his daughter. I didn't think Caius was callous, just unable to deal with the thought of his grand daughter dying.
Avon
A part of me wanted to be in the ambulance with my daughter but she was in the best possible place, in the arms of the man who would do anything to keep her alive, her mate. That it should be Major Whitlock did not surprise me, I had always felt she was destined for someone of stature, someone I would be proud to call son but now it seemed that was not to be. My daughter was dying in his arms and I was too much the coward to watch that. Every few minutes we would search the sky looking for the Volturi jet we knew was so close but we also knew was most probably going to be too late to save my Bella. Her mother would have been so proud of her and the man she had found as her mate even if they would never have a life together.
Darius pulled out his phone and listened quietly for a moment then put it back before turning to the others,
"They think they'll just scrape in but its gonna be tight."
"How much longer?"
"Fifteen, twenty minutes, hopefully but its beginning to snow now and they forecast blizzards and zero visibility in about twenty."
Aro turned to Carlisle who nodded and stepped back inside the ambulance and I knew he was checking to see if Bella had twenty minutes left.
He wasn't gone long and when he reappeared I knew it was bad news. He walked over to me,
"I'm very sorry but I don't think Bella has long. Would you like to say goodbye?"
I nodded and went to see my daughter for the last time. Inside nothing had changed, The Major still held Bella as if she were fragile priceless china and I could see the love and the agony in his eyes. He attempted to move but I put a hand on his arm shaking my head,
"No, she's where she belongs Jasper."
She must have recognized my voice because she opened her eyes and tried to focus in on me but I'm not sure she could see, she had a faraway look about her as if already saying goodbye to this world.
"Hello darling. I just thought I'd check in on you."
"Daddy?"
"Yes I'm here,"
"Look after Jasper for me."
"I will."
She closed her eyes again and I knew I wouldn't see her again.
We looked at each other over her limp body, the two men who loved her and something passed between us, a bond forged by her words then I nodded and left the two of them together walking away into the darkness unable to wait for the dreadful news any longer.
Jasper
I knew why Avon had appeared, Carlisle had told him Bella was dying and couldn't hold on long enough for the Volturi plane. He and I came to an understanding at her words, I would live only because he would not break Bella's trust. For my part I wasn't ready to give up hope yet, there had to be something I could do, we were so close now. I wondered if with my gift I could project some life giving energy into her, I'd never tried it, never even thought of it until just now when I thought I would die to save her if I could. I closed my eyes and lay my head on hers breathing in her scent and opened my mind to her completely, breaking down even the barrier I had erected many years ago to protect myself from overload.
"Bella, we live or die together."
She was too weak even to answer me in her head but I knew she was listening, that she could hear me.
"I'm going to connect our minds Bella, that way I can give you some of my strength. I've never tried this before so lets hope it works or we may both be going into the great unknown."
I broke through that last barrier and pushed hard until I felt her emotions flood over me, but there was no pain, no fear, just a quiet acceptance and then she recognized me and there was an outpouring of love. Bella was showing me how she felt but then she started to fight me afraid I would follow her.
"Don't Bella, I'm not going anywhere without you."
Carlisle
I looked at my watch, the plane should be landing any time now, just ahead of the storm front that was set to shut down all flight operations at SeaTac.
"I'll check on Bella."
Aro and Darius nodded scanning the skies as I climbed inside the ambulance, immediately I knew things had deteriorated. Jasper lay as if one asleep or dead, his eyes open but unresponsive and I understood what he had done. He had connected them, trying desperately to save her using his own strength. It was a massive and extremely dangerous gamble but I understood why. Bella's pulse and heartbeat were so slow as to be almost non existent and her lungs hardly moved.
"It was a brave attempt son but I don't think its working."
I got no response from him but then I wouldn't until either Bella woke up or she died and then we had to hope he could claw himself back from the brink.
"Its down."
Just two words but they held out hope and then I saw it, a flat line on the monitor and knew help was going to arrive just minutes too late.
A minute later, no more I saw a figure running full speed through the darkness towards the waiting ambulance and as it slowed to stop before Aro I saw a young woman no older than Bella.
"Am I in time? Please tell me I am. I couldn't bear the thought of someone dying that I could have saved."
Aro put a comforting hand on her shoulder,
"You did all you could Cleo, fate decided against us."
"Let her try."
We all turned to see Rose and Charlotte who had been standing apart in silence all this time,
"But she's dead Rose, you heard the alarm."
"You're a doctor, we keep trying until someone calls it and you haven't called it yet Carlisle. Please let her try."
"Yes please Aro, allow me to at least try to help now I'm here. What harm can it do after all?"
He looked at me and raised a questioning eyebrow,
"Very well."
Cleo smiled her thanks at the girls and climbed inside the ambulance while Rose and Charlotte came over and thanked us.
"I don't think it will work Rose."
"Well I believe in Jazz and miracles so lets see who's right shall we?".
Time seemed to pass slowly as we waited, some hopeful, some resigned. Darius had gone to find Avon and tell him of Cleo's arrival and the sad fact she had been just a little too late to save his daughter.
"Its such a pity, I think they would have been a formidable team Carlisle. By the way what happened to Alice?"
"She vanished but I left word with Emmett and Peter, they will alert everyone we know to watch out for her."
"I see and when they discover her whereabouts? I assume it will be left to The Major to act, provided he survives himself that is. I would not like to hear she had been killed without giving him a chance at vengeance."
"I wouldn't worry Aro, I doubt anyone who knows Jasper would presume to preempt him."
"No one with a brain in any case. I think once the formalities are over that Demetri could be put on her trail but first of course you understand Bella must be taken back to Volterra and given an appropriate burial service."
"Yes of course, she was a very brave and self sacrificing young girl. I'm, sure her father is very proud of her."
"We all are, or were. I'm just sorry we weren't in time to tell her so."
