AN: These characters, with the exception of Bella's mom, are all the soul property of Stephenie Meyer. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.
Journal Entry Forty – Caught in Bed [1959]
As I tried to pull away from Bella, she moaned softly, "No . . . cool . . . nice . . . stay," and I hesitated wanting to do what was best for her. My indecision caused me to move too slowly, and before I could move out of the bed, Mrs. Swan walked through the door.
"I see you have Bella's favorite drink," she said as she walked up to Emmett and pointed to the pitcher he was holding. "You're Emmett. You brought Bella home the last time she was sick." She smiled broadly before adding, "Bella has told me a lot about you."
"I deny it all," Emmett chuckled softly.
"Humor, then Bella is going to be okay," she replied in a soft tone.
"Yes, ma'am, Carlisle would be here himself if he thought otherwise."
"I see," she replied, and then she looked over at me lying beside Bella.
"It's not what it seems," I said quickly.
"I know Edward, Carlisle said you were up here with Bella and that she needed you beside her because of her fever. I don't believe you would do anything to jeopardize her health Edward."
Emmett chuckled again as he walked over and set the pitcher of Kool-Aid on the nightstand. "I'll leave this here, but make sure she drinks all of it, and when you need more, just let me know," he said. "I'll be in my room with Rose."
"Emmett," Mrs. Swan touched him arm, "Thank you for being the brother that Bella never had, and I hope she isn't too much of a problem for you."
"I beg your pardon ma'am?" Emmett's confusion actually reflected mine since I didn't comprehend her meaning anymore than Emmett did.
She chuckled softly as she said, "I know that Bella has an ability to know who will do her bidding, and she knows how to ask so that you can't refuse her. I've seen her do it to her Uncle Peter, and he admitted later that he had meant to refuse her but he couldn't."
"I once had a little sister who was the same way, but I don't mind because Bella is just like the sister I lost," Emmett admitted.
"I'm glad you see her that way. She needs a big brother to look out for her especially when she's being . . . 'reckless,' shall I say. I know you will be able to reign in some of her more adventurous undertakings." She removed her hand from his arm and turned back toward me only to find me softly chuckling. "I know you might not believe that Edward, since he is your brother, and you probably think he is incapable of being the sensible one at times, but when he steps into that big brother role to a little sister, he will change the way he sees things – I say this from experience."
I saw Emmett smile widely before he too turned and slipped quietly out of the room.
Bella's mother watched as Bella, still in a slight sitting position, snuggled up closer to me, and then coughed, which made a deep rattling sound.
"Nice doggy, warm doggy," she murmured softly in a lilting childish voice after the coughing stopped. "Mama come, Mama find me . . . warm . . . nice," and she ran her hand down my stomach like she was petting me.
"She still talks in her sleep. I imagine that you have become aware of that by now," she said as she sat down on the end of the bed by my feet.
"Yes ma'am," I replied quietly not wanting to disturb Bella.
"Why don't you lie her down so she'll be more comfortable, and we'll have a talk."
I gently shifted Bella down on the bed so she was in a reclining position, and then I gently began to pry her hands from around my arm with the intent of removing myself from beside her when Mrs. Swan said, "No Edward, you're father believes that having you beside her will help reduce her fever, so please stay where you are." She got up from the bed and walked over to the chair by my desk and carried it over to the bedside. "I'll just sit here while we talk."
"I want you to know ma'am that I would never compromise . . ." before I could say any more she held up her hand to quiet me.
"I never thought you would, or I would have found a way to bar Bella's window to you at night." Not only her words, but her calm tone surprised me. "I'm not stupid Edward. I would have thought that you learned from your mother that there are things no one can hide from a mother when it comes to her child. I've been aware of many things neither you nor Bella have felt at liberty to tell me, but I kept a watchful eye open, and I would have intervened if I had felt you were any kind of threat to her. Even now, I'm willing to accept that you need to stay beside Bella to help keep her fever down. I won't ask why, but I'll accept it because both your father and Bella's uncle have confirmed that fact."
"You've talked to Aleksey Kuchin?" That did surprise me. I had opened my mind to hers, but her thoughts came and went more quickly than I liked. I would get snippets of thoughts, but then I would lose the rest, and most of it ended up making no sense.
"Whenever Bella is facing a situation that seems risky to her health, I call Aleksey – it seems odd calling him that now; I have always called him Peter. Anyway, he has always been only a phone call away, and if I need him, he will come instantly to help with Bella. I won't lose her, you understand?" She looked at me intently and I caught her thought clearly that she would never allow anything to harm Bella in a permanent manner; it was something she had said to me once before.
Without saying or thinking it, I knew she meant for Aleksey to change Bella if she were ever in danger of dying.
I found myself nodding my understanding, and then Bella had another small coughing fit. I could hear the congestion in her lungs and could only hope the coughing was keeping it broken up.
"I hope you feel the same way about her; I think you do, but understand this, if you don't, then I will take matters into my own hands."
"I understand you perfectly Mrs. Swan, and I too do not want to lose Bella. She has become too much a part of me, and I couldn't tolerate the idea of losing her." I knew she could hear the sincerity in my voice, because even I recognized it as I spoke.
"Good, I think we have an understanding then. As to your nightly visits to my daughter's room, I know that nothing untoward is happening. I know you have always behaved as a gentleman where she is concerned, but you must stay alert so her father never finds you in such a position with her. He is not as understanding or as forgiving I'm sorry to say, and if he did anything to try to 'hurt' you, he would hurt Bella even more without realizing it."
"I understand, and I have no intention of being caught." I wanted to add that I could quickly hide or vacate the room without anyone even seeing my movements, but I refrained from saying that since she never once acknowledged the fact that she knew Aleksey as well as my family and I were vampires.
"Good, then I can leave knowing that Bella is in safe hands, and Carlisle has already mentioned that it would be wiser not to move Bella, so I'll leave her here until she is ready to come home. I'm hoping, however, that it will be before Tuesday night when her father returns." She then got up, moved her chair back to the desk and returned to the bedside. "Make sure she drinks all of that Kool-Aid. I really don't want her to become dehydrated."
Before she could turn to leave, Bella opened her eyes slightly and murmured, "Mama, is that really you?"
Mrs. Swan rushed back to the bed side, picked up Bella's hand that was still lying on my stomach, and said, "Bella daring, I'm here. Are you feeling any better?"
"Doggy warm mama. Doggy nice. Mama come, mama come for me." I felt her tremble and then she said, "Edward, I'm on fire. Cool me down," and she pulled her hand from her mothers and laid it on my face as she coughed again. "That's nice," she finally said as she caressed my cheek.
"Give her more to drink Edward. I'm going to go talk to your father. I think I'll stay until we're sure she is through the worst of this." She left the room quietly, and I could almost feel her concern.
Since I was still in more of a sitting position, it was easy to fill the glass with the Kool-Aid left by Emmett, and then I pulled Bella into a slight sitting position before putting the glass to her lips. "Drink Bella, you need this," I murmured into her ear before placing the glass to her lips.
This time she drank greedily, and as soon as she finished she murmured, "More," which I happily supplied for her.
She had gone through three glasses by the time Carlisle came into the room. "Her mother is extremely worried but seems to be handling it well. She has admitted that she has been through this before about four years ago when Bella's cold developed into pneumonia. She was hospitalized for a week, and they almost lost her at one point. It's the fever that nearly killed her. I know this is going to be hard for you, but I need you to remove your t-shirt, and then get under the covers with her. You need to bring her body temperature down before this evening or I'm going to have to admit her to the hospital. I don't like using those ice baths, but if you can't bring her temperature under control, then that will be my last resort."
I had watched Carlisle work with many patients, and I had not only seen his compassion for them but also had felt it. What I felt from him toward Bella was stronger than anything I had ever encountered from him before telling me that the situation was serious, and that he loved Bella as much as any of us. He truly had accepted her as part of the family and as his daughter, of that I had no doubt.
"Carlisle, would it help if I lay on one side and Emmett laid on the other? Would that bring her temperature down faster?" I never thought I would be willing to share a bed with my brother while my fiancée was lying between us, but desperate situations called for extreme sacrifices, and I was willing to sacrifice my feelings of jealousy for Bella's well-being.
"Good idea, and he has more body mass than any other member of the family so he is a good choice." The best thing about vampire hearing was that Carlisle did not need to raise his voice to summon Emmett, "Emmett, you're needed in Bella's room now."
Emmett entered the room as Carlisle finished his sentence; Carlisle glanced at him briefly as Emmett said, "I heard Edward's suggestion and decided to come in case you agreed. I would have been here sooner but Bella's mom is sitting in the hallway with Alice, so I had to go at human pace."
"Fine, strip your shirt and t-shirt off, and help cool her down from the back. The closer you can be to her the better. I know this is awkward, but it is also serious."
"She's my little sister, and I'll do whatever is necessary." The seriousness in his tone assured me that I had made the right decision to ask for his help.
"I'll be back in an hour to see if her temperature has dropped any. In the mean time, I need to see about a strong antibiotic for her."
"Does she need something for the cough?" I asked as Bella's lungs rattled through another coughing spell.
"Possibly, coughing is good, but she will need something stronger to break up the congestion quicker. I'll be back as soon as I procure what she needs," he replied before leaving.
As soon as Carlisle left, Emmett stripped of both shirts and laid down on the bed. "Emmett," I informed him, "You need to get under the covers with us. She needs body contact."
"Oh, that seems slightly wrong. Last time she was sick, it was enough that she was lying on my lap," he said as he crawled under the covers.
"Last time her fever wasn't as high," I told him.
As soon as he slid up to Bella's back, she murmured, "Teddy bear," and Emmett chuckled.
"I guess she remembers," he said through another laugh.
"It would seem so," I grumbled. I didn't like the idea of him being that close to 'my' Bella, and especially with his bare chest. At least I had the comfort that he was behind her.
"Did you ever imagine that we would be lying in bed with a woman between us?" Emmett chuckled again.
"And how is Rose taking this?" I asked in response.
"Oh, she understands, and she knows that I would do anything to help my sis out. You know, Bella really does remind me of my little sister. Her laugh is like Jenny's was, and so is her smile. When I first met Bella, she was about Jenny's age when I was changed, but Jenny had honey colored hair and blue eyes, but she was a challenge at times. Bella is a challenge as well. I never know what to expect from her. Sometimes she is the shiest person I have ever met, and then she surprises me by doing something bold and daring."
"Like agreeing to play strip poker with you?" I asked not being able to forget the scene I had accidentally walked in on that night.
Emmett chuckled deeply, "She really surprised me with that, and who would have thought that she was sneaky enough to put on extra clothing."
"Bella is anything but stupid, Emmett. She might be accident prone and attract bad luck like gravity attracts falling objects, but she does know how to think clearly and distinctly."
"She likes to have fun also. Despite the broken arm, she did enjoy the ski trip, and she really enjoyed that massage Alice arranged for her." He chuckled again as he remembered the moans that had come from the room while she had been receiving her massage. To think another man could elicit that response from her still caused me jealous pangs. "Did you know she even sent me a thank you card for losing the bet and then taking her skiing?" He humphed at his comment and added, "As if I lost that bet on purpose. She's not as easy to beat as Jasper and you, but I'll find a way to outsmart her next time."
Bella began to squirm, and then moaned, "Too hot," as she coughed again.
"What's she doing?" Emmett asked as Bella pulled her hands away from me.
At first I couldn't tell what she was trying to do, so I reached out for her hands under the covers and found them grasping the bottom of her short gown, and she was trying to pull it up her body.
"She's trying to take this short little pajama top off," I blurted out.
Emmett laughed as he commented, "Well, maybe she wants more one on one contact with you."
"This isn't funny Emmett," I retorted.
"Too hot," she murmured again.
"Let me try something," Emmett said.
I was trying to keep her hands from pulling the gown up; I didn't know if I could handle it if her bare chest actually made contact with mine. I was having issues already when her hand was on my chest, and then the petting she had done early hadn't helped any. Her touch, under normal circumstances, already sent tingles, jolts, and charges coursing through my body. Having any other part of her soft desirable anatomy touching me could be my undoing.
Bella's hands suddenly stopped moving and she moaned softly in a pleasurable manner.
"Emmett, what are you doing?" I knew it had be something he was doing, because I was not eliciting such a response from her.
"I've put my hands under this little nightie thing and I'm gently rubbing her back. Her skin is on fire, though. I don't ever remember her feeling this hot last time."
"Be careful Emmett. Don't hurt her."
Emmett chuckled and replied, "Yes papa."
I growled.
"Ease up Edward. I know how to touch Bella without hurting her. Remember, I've been around her longer than you have. Well, at least as a friend rather than someone desiring her blood."
I growled again. Did he have to remind me that I had basically been hunting her because of the attraction of her blood? I would never have hurt her, but I had still clung to that desire to taste her blood as often as possible. The fact that I was able to reign in my desire until I had it under complete control was an accomplishment that I should have been proud of; instead, all I saw were the few times I failed, and I allowed my desire to take me into her room to take blood from her.
Bella moaned again, and then murmured, "Teddy bear good, nice . . . feels cool."
"Maybe you should rub her stomach, it might help bring her fever down if you touch her bare skin," Emmett suggested.
"I don't think that would be a good idea," I offered back.
"Why? If it helps Bella cool down, then you should do it."
"There are two reasons why I think that is a bad idea. One, Bella has a scar there that I doubt she wants me to feel. She won't even allow Alice to see the scar while Alice is dressing her."
"What kind of scar?" He asked, and I realized he didn't know about Bella's confession about children.
"If you say anything to her about this, I'll deny telling you about it."
"That bad?" He asked.
"In her mind, yes." I waited for him to say something, but he didn't so I continued. "Bella was diagnosed with a growth, and her doctor at the time decided to remove it taking away Bella's ability to carry children at the same time."
"Bella can't have children?" His tone and thoughts both revealed his sympathy for her. 'Poor kid,' was one phrase running through his mind. "Rose's one objection to you changing Bella is the fact that Bella might decide later that she wanted children. Now it seems that is not even an option for her." He thought about the ramifications of that on Bella's life as a human and decided even if she were offered that option she was better off being changed so she stopped having 'near death' experiences. "So what's the second reason?" He asked reverting to the prior conversation.
"The same reason why you would find this hard if this was Rose instead of Bella." I admitted.
Emmett laughed, "Edward, Rose would never be in this situation. She doesn't get sick."
I only growled in response.
"Just keep your hands on her stomach and do not move up or down her body. Learn some self control. Think of it as a character building experience," Emmett chuckled.
"More like self-control, but if it will cool down her body, then I'll do it." I liked the thought of touching her bare skin, but I held in the feelings that grew with such an idea.
Very slowly and carefully, I lifted the little top just slightly and placed my hands directly onto her skin. Emmett had been correct when he said her skin was hot. I had always enjoyed the warmth of her touch, and any contact with her warmed my cold skin, but with the effects of her fever, her skin was not warm, it was actually hot. I had been feeling the heat radiating off her body as we laid together, but this told me just how much heat her body was actually generating. As soon as I laid me hands on her stomach, Bella moaned softly and pressed her body closer to me. I also instantly felt the distinct scar from the incision from her surgery. It was puckered and thick. I knew if I followed the vertical length of it, it would dip down past the band of the pajama bottoms, but I refrained from following the line.
"Did you know she has a round scar on her back?" Emmett asked.
"Yes, a bull gored her and that is the scar she received, but she said it ended up not being as serious as it originally looked."
"It's funny that the scar is round. If they had stitched it up, shouldn't it be a line rather than a circle?"
I had felt that particular scar before, but had never thought about that fact. "You're right. I wonder what Carlisle made of it when he saw it."
"Thirsty . . . please, I'm thirsty," Bella murmured through another cough.
"How about I sit up and then position Bella between my legs so her back is still against me. That way, we'll keep contact to draw out the heat from her body," Emmett suggested.
"That is actually a good idea," which it was, but that didn't mean I liked the fact that he would be holding her.
Before I could say anymore, Emmett flipped the covers off all three of us, was sitting up, and pulling Bella into a sitting position. He then wrapped his arms round her waist to hold her up while I got up and poured another glass of Kool-Aid.
I took one of Bella's hands and wrapped it around the glass while continuing to hold it with one of mine. "Bella, grab the glass and drink."
Instinctively her other hand came up to grip the glass allowing me to release it from my grasp, but I watched to make sure it didn't slip or spill as she brought it to her lips. She paused only twice while drinking the red liquid, and when she finished she held out the glass whispering, "More."
As I handed her the second glass her mother walked into the room. "Oh my, if I didn't know better I would think I had just walked into one of those girly magazines with so much bare chest showing." She chuckled softly as she spoke and I could see the humor in her slight smile.
I had to admit that Bella's mother seemed to say exactly what she was thinking at that moment although I had only caught fragments of those thoughts, and I knew she found the scene in front of her humorous.
She looked at me as she added, "Edward, I may be old, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the male physic," which caused Emmett to laugh.
Emmett's laugh and her mother's presence caused Bella to open her eyes. For the first time since she had passed out in Alice room, I saw some recognition in her eyes. "Mom?" Her voice was horse and raspy.
"Bella, are you aware of where you are?" Her mother asked as she approached the bed.
"At the Cullen house," her voice was still listless and sleepy.
"Yes, and you fainted while you were with Alice. You are sicker than you would admit, and Dr. Cullen is trying to bring your fever down."
"I'm so thirsty," she replied.
"Edward, would you pour her another glass," it was more of a request than a question, but it caused Bella to look at me.
"You're not wearing a shirt," Bella noted groggily. "Pretty," she uttered in a soft whisper.
"Drink this Bella. We need to keep you hydrated."
She cautiously took the glass from my hands and then seemed to notice for the first time the two arms wrapped around her. The look she gave me and her mother showed her confusion and embarrassment at the situation. "Who?" She whispered softly, causing Emmett to chuckle behind her. "Why is Emmett holding me like this?" She asked softly trying not to let her mother to hear her.
"Bella, it is okay. I know they are both here and that neither one of them has a shirt on. Dr. Cullen's instructions, it is the only way he could think of bringing down your fever without admitting you to the hospital." Her mother kept a calm reassuring tone, but Bella's eyes were focused on me, so I kept smiling at her.
"I'm dreaming and none of this is really happening," Bella whispered to me, causing both Emmett and I to chuckle.
"It really is okay Bella. Your mom understands and seems to have no problem with the fact that you are in my bed with Emmett and I. We are all obeying the doctor's orders," I explained in a normal voice so her mother could hear me.
Bella looked over at her mother and then at me but said nothing.
"Drink, Bella," I reminded her, "You need liquids and plenty of them."
Bella looked over at her mom and asked, "Could I have some chicken soup?"
"Sure sweetie. I'll go and see if Mrs. Cullen has some," her mom replied and then left the room.
Bella slowly sipped on her second glass for a few minutes before she finally whispered, "Why is Emmett sitting behind me, and why isn't he wearing a shirt?"
"It was actually my idea," I explained. "I thought with Emmett's help we could lower your temperature quicker."
"Oh," she took another sip, and then asked still in a whisper, "But why am I sitting with him and not you?"
Emmett chuckled again, "Bella, whispering won't help, I can still hear you."
"Right, I temporarily forgot." She chuckled softly as she added, "How silly of me. So why are you there and not Edward?"
"Because as your big brother I'm less likely to be tempted by you, and you're less likely to get too comfortable with me around your mother. Besides, Edward pours better." I noticed his comment caused Bella to jab her elbow back into him, but then she winced and I knew her actions hurt her more than Emmett.
"Just you wait, Emmett, one day I'm going to have the strength to hit you and make it hurt you instead of me." As she spoke, her endearing pout settled on her features causing me to smile, but she must have misunderstood why I smiled because she said, "It wasn't funny Edward. That really did hurt. I might as well have elbowed the brick wall at school, it might have hurt less."
"I wasn't smiling because of your pain but because of the cute way your lip juts out when you pout," I explained.
She humphed at my comment and then took another long drink of the Kool-Aid before asking, "Could I have some ice in this. It's too warm."
I really didn't want to leave her alone with Emmett, who looked too comfortable holding Bella, but I also wanted to supply Bella with what she needed. "Sure, I won't be long," I said as I rose to get ice for her.
Bella quickly reached out and laid her hand on my arm. "No, I want Emmett to get the ice."
Emmett laughed as he said, "I see my services are no longer wanted," and it took him no time to unwrap his arms from around Bella's waist and slide backwards to get off the bed. "I should not be long, so watch what you do while I'm gone," he warned with another laugh as he walked toward the door.
Once he was gone, Bella handed me her glass, and then, after I had set it down, she leaned toward me, and I pulled her to my chest. "How sick am I, and does my mom understand about you being so cold?"
"Carlisle says you have bronchitis, but it is the fever that has him worried. As to your second question, your mother has not asked about or commented on it. She just accepted what Carlisle told her. Of course," I had to admit, "I'm not sure what Carlisle told her. So, how do you feel?"
"I feel achy all over, and I feel . . . well, I was going to say warm, but right now, being held by you, I feel cooler. Your skin is so nice and cool against mine. I've never seen you without a shirt on before." Her voice was soft and low, and she ran her hand down the length of my bare chest causing delightful sensations to travel through my body. Because of the tone of her voice, I wondered if she were falling asleep.
Not sure why I did it, I began to gently rub her back, and then hoped I had found a way to comfort her while making her feel better.
"Oh, Edward, that feels so nice," she moaned softly and coughed a little.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Emmett asked as he walked into the room carrying a small bucket of ice.
"Just a wonderful back rub," Bella offered through another moan of pleasure. I was about to stop and pull away from her when she murmured, "Please don't stop. That feels so good."
Emmett laughed and placed the bucket on the side table next to the pitcher. "Enjoy it while you can. Your mom will be up in a few minutes with your soup."
"That'll be nice too," Bella murmured sleepily. "Now I have a teddy bear and a jaguar to cuddle with," she added in a voice so soft only someone with exceptional hearing could catch her words, and then she nodded off to sleep.
"Well, I see you have a real way with women. You're a natural at putting them to sleep," Emmett said through a low quiet laugh. "And since when have you become a jaguar?"
"Oh shut up," I murmured, but I mentally shelved that question to ask Bella later.
The rest of the day followed a similar pattern. Bella would wake up thirsty, and we would alternately give her soup and Kool-Aid, and Emmett and I continued to remain with her as we felt her fever receding. When she began to shiver slightly early in the evening, I sent Emmett out of the room, put my shirt back on, and covered only Bella with the blankets. I had thought about leaving her to sleep in peace, but the moment I tried to leave the bed, she whimpered my name asking me to stay.
Carlisle would come in every few hours to check her temperature and was pleased to note that it was slowly receding. Late in the evening, when it dropped below 100 , Mrs. Swan announced that she would be going home. Bella hugged her mom, while her mom told her how much she loved her. Carlisle assured Mrs. Swan that Bella would be able to return home sometime Sunday, but she asked if Bella could stay and come home after school on Monday. None of the family had a problem with that, and I welcomed the idea of being close to Bella to make sure she was fully recovered.
It wasn't until Sunday afternoon that I told Bella that her mother knew about my nightly visits. She was surprised at first, and then laughed about it. She did admit that she thought her mom might know because of a few questions her mother had asked her, but she then said it was good that her father had no idea about those same activities. She also tried to call her mother Sunday afternoon, but no one answered the phone.
To fight Bella's condition, Carlisle gave her a penicillin shot. He believed her bronchitis was the result of a respiratory infection, and that the fever was her body's way of fighting the infection. Once the fever was under control, he began her on aspirin to keep the fever down. She also began to cough more but Carlisle assured me that it was normal because it would keep fluid from building up in her lungs. I still had to make sure she drank plenty of fluids, and on Monday, Carlisle ordered her to stay home from school while he sent me to school.
Carlisle assured me that Esme would be a wonderful nurse, which I didn't doubt; the problem was I just did not want to leave Bella's side. A part of me felt compelled to stay beside her and protect her. I had never felt that way before, and all day long I felt guilty about leaving her alone – alone as in without me beside her. I had bothered Alice so often asking if she foresaw any problems that when the lunch hour came around, Alice disappeared. She ordered Jasper to tell me to stop bothering her, or she would not return to school that day; he also informed me that Alice would contact me if she saw anything wrong with Bella, so I should stop badgering her.
I spent the rest of the day brooding over our separation, and I began to understand why Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle preferred to spend time with their spouses. That day in school, I realized just what it meant to love someone so much that they become more important than you. That was how I felt about Bella. Nothing matter – my happiness was not my concern, my wellbeing meant nothing to me, and my existence was not worth contemplating without the one person I loved by my side. At some point while I was focused on these thoughts, I heard Alice mentally sigh, 'Finally.' I didn't think much about it until later, but I eventually realized that she caught some of my thoughts, which I must have been projecting unintentionally, and she meant it was time I realized what taking Bella into my life actually meant. I did have more than an existence; with the addition of my one true love, my soul mate, and my other half that made me complete, I could have more than an existence; I could finally have a 'life' but one that would last forever.
I was happy when school ended and rushed home, which is a loose term for what I did because I left my car at school and found a way to run home without being seen.
I found Esme and Bella sitting in the living room laughing. I suspected that the subject of their conversation was me, but I was so relieved to see Bella looking healthier that I didn't care what they had been talking about. My relief was displayed to her by scooping her up in a passionate hug, followed by just as passionate a kiss, and I didn't care that Esme watched. Before I set her back on her feet, Esme had slipped out of the room.
"Wow," Bella said breathlessly. "To what do I owe that?"
"I missed you," I replied simply.
"Can you miss me again?" She asked, and a saw a slight twinkle in her eyes, which was enough encouragement to repeat the kiss hugging her tightly to my body.
I prolonged this kiss, not wanting to release her, but we were rudely interrupted when Jasper walked in saying, "Edward, did you know you left your car at school?" Causing Emmett and Alice to laugh when they saw us slowly pull apart to acknowledge their arrival.
Without the slightest hesitation, I replied, "I hope you drove it home," and then I picked Bella up and carried her to 'our' room. It no longer seemed right to call it mine because we shared it so often, and I was willing to share with her everything that I had once called mine.
AN: As a show of support for this story, please leave a comment even if it is brief one. For anyone who is interested, my first surgery went well and I'm recovering fine. My stitches come out next week. A big thank you to those who sent their well-wishes.
