All Characters belong to Stephenie Meyers
Chapter 49 - Lucky charms
Epov
I was at the lab watching the toe carefully. I could see a few minor changes, but nothing that resembled human flesh. It still smelled of vampire and it had started to smell rancid like it was rotting. I realized that losing my toe permanently was most likely the only result.
I sat back frustrated. I wanted the cure to work and it didn't seem likely. I decided to go eat to kill time, until Carlisle came in. Maybe he could help me figure out another formula to try.
I sat down in the kitchen with a few bags of blood. I drank the first one cold, but let the other two warm a little before I bit into them.
I tried not to let the failure of the test upset me. It may just need some perfecting. These things took time. Carlisle was an excellent research doctor, but it would have been a miracle if he was able to perfect the formula before our trial run.
That was why it was called a trial run, right?
I heard the front door open and something loud clack, causing my ears to ring.
I slipped out of the kitchen to see who it was.
"Hey, Edward, Bella wanted me to replace the damaged floor boards in here."
It was Seth. He had just dropped a load of wood flooring in the room with the messed up floor.
"Hey, Seth, that's fine."
"Do you have somewhere I can put my lunch?"
I was hesitant to offer my fridge. It was full of blood, but he already knew that. "Yeah, but it is full of my lunch. I hope that doesn't bother you."
"As long as your lunch isn't kicking, I don't care."
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. I had noticed there were several boys from the reservation that smelled like Jake and Seth, but Seth was the only one that seemed to truly believe I was trying to find a cure for my vampirism.
He ran out to his truck to get his lunch and then followed me into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and he smiled at the blood bank bags. "You're alright, you know that, Edward? I mean, for a vampire, you're pretty cool."
I just chuckled as he set his lunch in the door of the fridge. I went back to the kitchen table and he cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast."
"I'd offer you a drink, but I have a feeling it's not your brand."
He shook his head laughing. "You're alright, Edward, you're alright."
I finished my breakfast and walked back into the lab area. The toe was a bright green color now. I let out an audible groan.
Seth came and took a look at it. "What's that?"
"My toe."
"Why did you turn it green? You trying to turn from a vampire into a leprechaun?"
"Yes, and you'll never get my pot of gold," I said shoving him out of the way.
"Well, at least you wouldn't drink blood anymore."
"How would you know what leprechauns eat?" I asked solely because I needed the distraction from my failure and toe loss.
"Everyone knows they eat Lucky Charms," he said as if it was common knowledge.
"Of course, what was I thinking?" Seth was always good for a laugh.
Carlisle came in a short while later and could tell by the look on my face that I was not happy with the results of our test.
"Let's see what we have here," he said taking a piece of flesh off the toe and held it under the microscope. "Good, this is good, take a look, Edward."
I leaned over the microscope and saw the cells. The vampire coating had been stripped off, but it had no place to go. There was no circulation to move the coating out of the toe, turning it all green. "We need to find a way to clear the stripped portions from the toe."
I was surprised by the little voice that sounded behind me. "Would blood transfusions and dialysis work?"
I spun around and found E standing behind me. I looked over to Seth, silently asking if he brought him, but he just shrugged at me. I had no idea where he came from.
"That's an intriguing idea, E," my father answered him. "Your dad would definitely need new blood and to go through dialysis if we can get this formula to work."
He nodded his head in agreement and I wondered how many times he had snuck over here.
"Seth, do you mind taking E home?" I asked.
"Sure," he said getting up from where he was working on the floor.
"I want to stay," E protested.
"I know, Son, but I need to discuss some more things privately with Dr. Grandpa." I loved that nickname. Carlisle seemed to straighten up and smiled as I said it.
"I could help you though, Dad."
"I know, but some things are classified as private, E. Doctor patient privilege."
"Seth knows!" he shouted pointing accusingly at Seth.
Seth walked over and picked up E. "We need to have a talk, little buddy." Seth threw him over his shoulder and walked out with a scowling ten year old hanging upside down and grumping.
E was a smart boy. I should've known he would pick up on things and investigate for himself.
"I'm going to make a few adjustments to the formula so it'll break down the virus into a smaller form, which will be easier for your body to handle. If we start you on dialysis before it gets to your kidneys, we may be able to save them." He stopped and looked at me seriously. "Son, you realize there's a very real chance you'll lose one or both kidneys and possibly your liver. Your body's filtration system can only handle so much. This cure may very well be your death."
I didn't want to die, at least not yet. I didn't want to leave Bella behind. I wanted to marry her. I had her damn ring already. I just needed to be human again. I needed to be with her, I wanted to be her husband. I wanted her to be my wife.
I sat down frustrated.
"The problem is, once it gets started, there's no way to stop it midway through if it's killing you. You'll die a slow and painful death," Carlisle warned. "I have to find a way to break it down smaller." He refocused his microscope and went back to work.
He was right; the damn cure may change me back, but end up killing me in the process. I sat frozen and frustrated.
I didn't know how long I sat there like a stone statue, but Carlisle finally stepped back and stretched then walked over to me, patting me on the shoulder. "You'll get dusty if you stay here. You know how Esme hates dust," he teased me for my stillness. I finally moved looking up at him. "Cheer up, Edward. I made quite a bit of progress today. We'll find a way to fix this."
Bpov
Edward came home later than usual. I had put the children to bed already when he came into the bedroom. I could tell by the look on his face that things did not go well.
Tonight I would take care of him.
I started to undress him slowly, but he stopped me when I reached his shoes. I looked up at him letting him know I wasn't stopping and slowly took off his shoes.
I gasped when I saw he was missing a toe. When had this happened? How long had it been missing?
"Edward, what happened?"
"I needed test tissue for the serum; it was something I could spare," he said sadly.
I climbed into his lap kissing him softly, holding him in my arms. "It's not working, is it?"
"It works; it'll just kill me if I use it. My body won't be able to handle the disposal of the virus once it's stripped from my DNA."
"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry."
He looked down at me sadly and kissed my cheeks. "Can you still love me, even if I'm stuck like this?"
"You know I will, forever." I kissed him soundly on the lips and I felt him grip me tightly and then release a little. He was always trying to be gentle with me. "I'll love you forever, I promise," I reassured him.
I was just happy to have him at all.
A/N: A little sad, I know, but it isn't over yet now is it! Don't worry! Happy endings are my thing! Thanks for reading and please review.
Chapter 50 – What you are
Bpov
When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to find Edward lying next to me staring at the ceiling. He usually snuck out early and headed off to the lab. He must have been really upset about the failure of the latest experiment.
I climbed up his body and looked directly into his eyes. I waited for him to focus on me and I smiled down at him. "This is a pleasant surprise."
I kissed the tip of his nose, so he would know I was truly happy to see him. He smiled slightly, but made no move to get up. I kissed his lips softly and then down his cheek and neck to his nipple. When I curled my tongue around it, he purred softly. I knew his body was much harder than mine was, so I decided to experiment for myself. I bit down hard on his nipple, soliciting a growl from him.
I smirk at him and then bit down hard on the other one. He growled louder and rolled me over pinning me to the bed. "Bella, what are you doing?"
"Cheering you up. Are you up?" I said grabbing him through his pajama pants.
Yup, he was up.
I decided to continue my experiment. I gripped him as hard as I could. A regular man would be screaming in pain, but Edward growled softly and pushed into my hand again.
He liked it.
"Bella," he growled my name in my ear, "You shouldn't be encouraging this behavior in me."
I yanked him hard. "I'll do what I want," I teased. I used my feet to push his pants down.
"Rip my panties off, Edward," I said sternly, so he would know there was no room for argument. Luckily for me he didn't put up much of a fight.
Then he did something he hadn't done in a while. He took my breast into his mouth. He usually just ran his cool lips over my nipples, but he was letting loose today. He wasn't keeping his saliva to himself this morning.
God, I missed his mouth!
My body bucked against him. His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened. He moved fast down my body burying his face in between my thighs. It would have hurt if it didn't feel so good. His cool tongue worked me over at a blinding pace as I cried out his name.
After I climaxed for the third time he finally climbed up my body plunged into me. I pulled his face down to mine, kissing him roughly. His skin was so cool against my heated body. He was pushing me towards another orgasm fast, his growl turning me on as he moved inside me. As I lost it again, he grabbed my hips roughly. I was sure I would bruise. He suddenly pulled away from me with a loud growl and disappeared in a blur, leaving me gasping on the bed alone.
I lay there trying to compose myself, and trying figure out what the hell had just happened. I heard the water in the shower come on, so I made my way to the bathroom.
I was not prepared for the site I found. Edward sat in the bottom of the shower whimpering softly. His knees were pulled tightly to his chest, his face hidden in his folded arms as he rocked back and forth. I stepped into the shower and wrapped my arms around him, kissing his neck softly.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he cried.
I ran my fingers through his wet hair. "What are you sorry for?"
"For hurting you, for being so rough, for risking…" his voice choked as he sobbed again.
"Do you think you exposed me? Do you think I'll contract the virus?" I asked calmly.
He looked up at me and quickly shook his head no. He swallowed hard. "No, you don't have it."
"Are you sure?" I asked wanting him to be sure more than I did.
"I'm positive, there's only one way to catch what I have and you won't get it."
"Then what are you worried about?"
He looked away and I pulled his face back to mine. "What are you worried about, Edward?"
He looked down again, "There's only one way to get it, but…" He stopped and shook his head no.
"But what, Edward?" I pushed.
"It's hereditary." His words were so soft, I almost missed them. I moved his arms and squeezed into his lap. He held me tightly as he buried his face in my neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
I pulled his face up to mine. "I still don't understand why you're so upset," I finally said as I kissed his forehead.
His hand traced a red mark on my hip that was slowly turning blue, shaking his head and internally berating himself.
"Don't go there, Edward. I thoroughly enjoyed myself," I pulled his hand away from my hip and kissed his fingertips, "Well, at least up to the part where you up and disappeared on me. You want to tell me what happened?"
"I-I had to pull out. I didn't want to take the risk. I didn't want to risk getting you pregnant," he said quietly sounding ashamed of himself.
"Edward, the world wouldn't end if we had a child that had the virus, honey. We would love them just as much as we love the other kids. Just as I love you."
He was shaking his head no. "You don't understand, Bella. It would not be safe. My mother is a half breed; that's why she's hunted."
Did he just say half breed? Half breed of what? "Half breed?"
His eyes widened realizing what he'd said. He got out of the shower quickly and was drying off so fast I couldn't even see his hands. The towel was whipping around in a blur.
"I have to get to the lab. I'm sure Carlisle is wondering where I am."
He was out of the bathroom before I could say another word, and by the time I stepped out into the bedroom only seconds later, he was completely dressed.
"Edward?"
He stopped right in front of me and kissed my lips softly. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I love you." He kissed me again and he was gone.
Epov
I almost told her everything. It was on the tip of my tongue. It almost slipped out. I left before she pushed for any more. I never could resist Bella for long. I would always give her what she wanted, but I couldn't give her the truth. Her knowing what I was would put her in danger. Vampires didn't exist in her world and it needed to stay like that.
Seth was still working on the floor and greeted me, when I walked in. I tried to smile, but I think it came off more as a grimace.
"E knows, man. The boy's too smart for us, Edward; you can't keep anything hidden from him."
I looked around and listened for Carlisle, but he wasn't there. "Did you talk to him about the importance of keeping quiet about it?"
"Yeah, he's a smart kid; he knows to keep his trap shut."
"So, he knows what I am?" I asked carefully.
Seth just nodded his head yes.
"What did he say?" My mind was running a million miles a minute. Was he scared of me now?
"He just said he knows what you are and what I am," Seth said plainly. I wondered myself what the hell Seth was.
"Did he actually say it?" I asked.
Seth shook his head no. Maybe E didn't really know what I was.
"But I could tell he knew by the look in his eyes when he said he knew what I was and what you were. He said you didn't hurt people and to tell my friends to quit scowling at you," Seth chuckled a little.
E knew I drank blood. I sat down on my stool and did what all vampires did when they were upset. I froze. I didn't know how long I sat there, but I heard Carlisle talking to someone.
"That's an interesting idea. It may work, but Edward's epidermis is not what it used to be. It would make such operations difficult at best, if not impossible. We would have to find something that could cut him."
Then I heard E's voice. "But it could work if you took out one kidney and part of his liver in its current form. There would be no need to worry about the organs deteriorating due to their preserved state from the virus. We could then administer the serum and fresh blood while he was on dialysis, forcing out his current bodily fluids and cleaning out most of the waste. Then you could replace the kidney and liver piece, allowing them to only process the waste generated by their own stripping. They should be able to handle the minimal amount, leaving him with one good kidney and some liver left to live on, which would regenerate over time with care."
My boy was a genius.
"Yes, that seems feasible, but there's still the challenge of removing the organs," Carlisle argued. "Making an incision through his skin now is impossible."
E answered him again. "Seth can do it."
I looked up and saw Seth's shocked face. He was shaking his head no, but my son walked up to him. "Uncle Seth, you've got to help my dad. You want him to get better, don't you?"
"I-I'm not a doctor, E," Seth stammered wide eyed.
"But I know you can cut through my dad's skin," E argued.
Seth cleared his throat nervously and looked up at me and then to Carlisle. Carlisle was watching him, wondering if what E said was true. I just knew instinctually that what E said was indeed true, that Seth would be strong enough to cut through my skin.
I just didn't know if I would survive it.
A/N: Feeling a little hopeful now? Thanks for reading and please review.
